Just Imagine...

Caught in a Trap (I Won't Walk Out)

Owen was exhausted, Jack could tell, but he hadn't once left Tosh's side as she slept, the color slowly coming back to her face as the blood transfusion from Sam worked to keep her alive.
Sam was looking a little sick herself, hand pressed against her arm where her blood had been drawn from as Zephyr sat beside her with her massive head on Sam's knee. Jack shuddered as he remembered her words from earlier.
"I'm type O. Take my blood, save her with it."
She'd been so ready, and so brave. The type of bravery Jack wished he had.
Gwen, meanwhile, was pacing, constantly checking on both Tosh and Sam.
"Gwen, would you fucking sit down already?" Owen sighed, "your pacing is driving me mad."
"Well I'm sorry I care!" Gwen snapped, "I'm so sick of sitting here doing nothing, I can't take it anymore!"
"Gwen, Gwen," Sam murmured, shakily rising to her feet and gently placing her hands on Gwen's shoulders, "just relax, it's over now."
"It can't be," Gwen said, "Tosh hasn't woken up yet, you lost a lot of blood trying to save her, and-"
"Gwennie, we're gonna be okay," Sam cut her off, her voice soft and quiet as a loving smile appeared on her face, "trust me."
Gwen finally seemed to relax at that, leaning into Sam's embrace with a contented sigh.
Jack sniffed, realizing he was crying as he watched them.
Only a couple years ago, Gwen and Sam had hated each other, but when Jack had left to travel with the Doctor, the two had miraculously become so close.
"Sam became Gwen's right-hand-man..." Ianto had said when Jack returned and the two of them were lying awake in that hotel bed, unable to sleep, "... right-hand-person... you know what I mean. They're almost like a team now, the two of them against hardship."
That had become more true every day.
It was then that Jack noticed that Ianto wasn't in the medbay anymore, and a jolt of anxiety coursed through him.
"Has anyone seen Ianto?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"I think he's in your office, Jacksie," Sam murmured, frowning in concern as she and Gwen watched over Tosh and Owen from the railing, arms around each other, "I figured he wanted to lie down or something."
"This probably took a toll on him, Jack." Gwen added sympathetically.
"I think it did that to all of us." Sam huffed.
"You know what I mean." Gwen murmured.
"I'm just gonna go check on him, okay?" Jack said, but Gwen and Sam were already nodding.
"Of course, son," Sam said with a soft smile, "go take care of him, we'll be fine."
Jack smiled back at her, then turned towards his office, surprised to find his legs were shaking.
"Ianto?" He asked quietly, sticking his head in the door, "are you in here?"
The only response Jack got was a small sniff and some muted shuffling from down in his bunker.
More concerned than ever now, Jack cautiously walked over to the bunker's entrance and slowly climbed down the ladder.
He found Ianto sitting on his bed with his back to Jack, quite clearly fiddling with something Jack couldn't see.
Jack thought about making a joke, then immediately decided against it.
"What're you doing?" He asked gently.
"Nothing," Ianto said, voice hitching, "just go back out with the others. I wanna be alone."
"Well I'm definitely not leaving now!" Jack exclaimed, "what's wrong? Why don't you want me here?"
"I'm just... I'm just trying to..." Ianto began, then growled in frustration and tossed something onto the bed beside him, curling into a sad and angry ball and still not looking at Jack.
Jack peered closer at the object on the bed and realized with a jolt that it was his vortex manipulator.
"What...?" He began, "how did you-?"
"I was trying to fix it," Ianto hissed, then sniffed again, "for you."
"Why?" Jack asked, "I don't care about it that-"
"Because I know you're going to leave again," Ianto cut him off, finally turning around. Jack started at the fury in his sapphire eyes, which at the moment were also red and puffy from crying.
"Wha-?" Jack tried.
"This is just like last time! Things got hard, people almost died, so you're going to leave. I don't care. I don't. You don't even have to come back this time."
Jack felt a sudden anger spark inside him.
"What brought this on?" He demanded, "what would make you think I'm leaving?"
"Because this is what you do, Jack!" Ianto spat, turning around fully and rising to his feet so he and Jack were eye-level, "things get difficult and you leave! So just go, leave us to pick up the pieces and heal and mourn without you!"
"Ianto, I am not doing that!"
"Why not? You did before!"
"That was different!"
"How? How was it different?"
"Because didn't realize how much I needed you then!"
Ianto froze, and the room fell silent for a moment. Then he scowled.
"Don't lie to me," he said, "you've never needed me, Jack. I'm just a shag on the side for you, a little extra fun to have while you're saving the world."
"How could you say that?" Jack demanded, "that's never been true!"
"Oh yeah? Then why'd you leave us the first time?"
"I already said was sorry for that! You think I don't feel guilty over that every day? It tears me up inside that I left you and if I could go back I never would have, I swear! I swear..."
Jack had tears in his own eyes now, his chest constricting with desperation to make Ianto understand. He needed Ianto more than anything in this universe, why wouldn't he believe that?
"Just go, Jack." Ianto snarled.
"No," Jack said fiercely, "I'M. NOT. LEAVING."
"Bloody hell, you're gonna make me fucking say it, aren't you?"
"Say what??"
"Oh for FUCK'S SAKE, JACK HARKNESS! DON'T YOU GET IT? I LOVE YOU! I ALWAYS HAVE! FROM THE MOMENT WE MET! SO CAN YOU PLEASE, JUST FOR FUCKING ONCE, PLEASE JUST STAY!"
Ianto stood there panting for a moment, fresh tears streaming down his face. He sat back down on the bed and the mattress creaked loudly under his weight.
"Just..." he added in a much quieter voice, "stay."
"You love me?" Jack breathed after a long moment.
"You're such a fucking idiot." Ianto chuckled, his voice full of just as much affection as annoyance.
When Jack didn't say anything in response, Ianto looked up at him, and was surprised to find him smiling radiantly with tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.
"I love you too." Jack murmured, and Ianto felt his heart stop for a second.
"Really?" Ianto asked, starting to tremble.
"Yeah," Jack replied, "from the moment laid eyes on you."
Ianto stood slowly, his throat closing.
"Are you happy here?" He asked hoarsely, "with us? With me?"
"I'm more than happy," Jack assured him, "I promise I am. Nothing in the entire universe could make me leave now."
The two of them stared into each other's eyes for a long time, not saying anything and hardly even breathing.
There was a scuffling sound from above, followed by a small chuff, and suddenly Jack was pushed right into lanto as an enormous weight slammed into his back.
Jack didn't care. He'd been pushed right into Ianto's lips and the two of them were kissing passionately before either of them had even thought about it, not caring that Zephyr was there to bear witness even when she grunted in annoyance, pawing at Jack's back to get his attention.
They stayed locked in the kiss.
"Hey, Jacksie! Yan! U-uhhh..."
Jack and Ianto finally broke apart, breathing hard, and looked up to see Sam and Gwen peering down at them.
"Having fun, are we?" Gwen asked dryly, and Sam tried to cover up her laugh with a cough.
"What's going on?" Ianto asked, still underneath Jack and making no effort to get up.
"Tosh is waking up," Sam said, "we thought we'd come let you know. Is... is everything, y'know, alright down here?"
"We're fine, Mom." Jack assured her.
Sam raised her eyebrows, blinking and shaking her head in confusion.
"I understand about five percent of what happens in this damn place," she murmured to Gwen, "did I say that?"
"Not recently," Gwen replied, reaching down to scratch Zephyr's chin as the tiger stretched up the ladder to greet her, "I'm sure you have at some point, though."
"Well I think the number's going down," Sam muttered, "if you two are okay, we'll uh... leave you to... whatever it is you're doing down there." She added to Jack and Ianto. "Just, uh, try to keep quiet? Big T needs some rest."
Gwen let out a wheeze-laugh, playfully slapping Sam on the arm as Jack and Ianto both rolled their eyes.
"Mom," Jack began.
"I know, I know, I'm embarrassing you," Sam murmured, "I gotta do somethin' for fun around here. C'mon Zeph, get the hell outta there."
Zephyr let out another chuff before she leaped out of the bunker, following Gwen and Sam back to the medbay.
Jack and Ianto exchanged a look.
"Shall we?" Jack asked.
"Now?" Ianto squeaked, barely containing his laughter, "and don't ever ask for sex by saying 'shall we' again."
"Well we might as well, everyone else is busy." Jack shrugged.
"And we have your renther's permission." Ianto teased, then giggled as Jack groaned softly.
"Please don't say that," he murmured, "we definitely won't have sex again if you make me think about it like that!"
Ianto was still laughing, and Jack grinned at him as the laughter turned to a snort.
"I love your laugh." He said.
"I love your smile." Ianto replied.
"Do you now?" Jack asked, "is that all you love about me?"
"I think you know the answer to that by now."
"Oh yeah. I do."