Suits and suspenders - janto teacher au

Whispering to the moon

Ianto stormed into jack's classroom. It had been a week since their soulmate talk and Ianto wasn't having the best day... or week... or life, He slammed the coffee down onto jack's desk, making the american jump. "Hey what's wrong?" Jack murmured sympathetically. Ianto didn't know why he did it. He didn't now why the white hot flare of rage cut through him. "Don't take that tone of voice with Me" he snapped, jack raised his hands in surrender "alright alright jeez". They sat in silence for a second, Ianto letting out a noise halfway between a huff and a strangled sob every now and again. "You... okay?" Jack mumbled tentatively. "Yes! I'm FINE" Ianto practically yelled. Jack nodded awkwardly "listen I was wondering ... we could ... go on a date tonight ... dinner?". Jack wanted to see ianto smile. He wanted to brighten Ianto's day. Instead the welshman shook his head "no" he practically spat. Jack furrowed his brow "oh ... okay are you... busy tonight? I mean, we could reschedule?". Again ianto shook his head "no I'm not busy ... I don't want to go on a date". Jack was beginning to feel extremely small "w-why?". Ianto shrugged "don't want to" he mumbled, seeming as if he couldn't care less. Jack should have gotten ianto to talk. He could see ianto wasn't quite himself. But he was hotheaded ... the room span... and he found himself beginning to shout "DO YOU EVEN CARE? WHY ARE YOU SUDDENLY BEING SO COLD!? YOU'VE BEEN OFF ALL WEEK ... AM I NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU??!!" Immediately he regretted his words as fire danced in Ianto's eyes "OH YEAH THATS RIGHT I JUST DONT CARE ABOUT YOU !! ITS ALL ABOUT YOU ISNT IT JACK?! I MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAD WHEN I MET YOU BUT ALL IN ALL .... I HAD A BETTER LIFE WITHOUT YOU!!" He shouted. Ianto didnt know why he said that... he liked jack... he needed jack... he was just... scared. Jack gritted his teeth ignoring the tears that pricked at his eyes "I'LL JUST LEAVE THEN SHALL I .... SO YOUR LIFE CAN GO BACK TO HOW IT WAS BEFORE YOU MET ME!!". He turned towards the door. "IF YOU WALK OUT THE DOOR JACK!" Ianto warned "IF YOU WALK OUT THAT DOOR ... YOU WALK OUT OF MY LIFE FOREVER!". Jack turned with a blank expression "FINE" he bellowed as he stalked out of the room, pushing past the gawking children who were returning from their break time.

Ianto deflated, closing and locking the door of jack's classroom on the children for a second. He would get in trouble for doing that but ... he didn't care. He sank to the floor "Wait" he whispered hoarsely to no one in particular "I'm sorry..... please come back ... I think I need you". He allowed a total of two tears to slip down his cheek before he stood and unlocked the door again. He stalked to his own classroom door ignoring the looks from the year tens who were lining up outside. "Are you okay sir?" Rose questioned. He forced a smile "of course I am" he told he calmly before following his class into the room and beginning the lesson. Tosh and Owen stood in the door of a classroom, having heard everything. "Like I said ... relationships at work... they never end well" Owen muttered. Tosh shoved him "don't be horrible" she scolded to be honest she hadn't known ianto was into men... but she wasn't judging "they'll work it out ... right?" She muttered, half to herself. Ianto was her friend and she didn't want him to hurt anymore than he already was.

Tosh had decided she wanted to help her friend. This started with talking to him when the school day ended. As she entered the room she couldn't help but notice how ianto looked up, hope filling his eyes, quickly drooping when he saw it was just tosh. "Have you seen jack?" He mumbled. Tosh shook her head apologetically "I'm sorry ianto ... he left after your argument ... he hasn't been back to teach any of his classes". Ianto groaned and dropped his head to his desk. Tosh didn't know what to do when, to her horror, ianto began to cry... no sob. "I messed up tosh... he's gone now..." he choked out. Tosh didn't think she'd ever seen ianto cry and to be honest it rather alarmed her, she reached out a tentative hand to ianto "he'll be back" she murmured.

Meanwhile jack sat alone in his bedroom, tears streaming down his face. "I messed up" he declared to no one "he won't be back now... I scared him off... I should've just gotten him to talk to me". He paused for a second to catch his breath between sobs "he's too good for me anyway". "I hate this... he hates me now... I was so harsh ... and now" he broke off into sobs once again. Maybe he should leave. That's what he does best. He runs away. He had no one left here anyway.

Somewhere in the world ianto was saying the same. They both weren't talking to anyone in particular. Jack spoke to the darkness while ianto sobbed to the dust particularly dancing in the light rays. "What was into him" jack mumbled. "He was everything to me..." ianto choked out "what did he think of me?". "I thought he was amazing..." the american sobbed "he was so strong he made me feel so safe". "I could be myself with him" the Welshman told the howling fox outside his bedroom window. "I think he liked me?" Jack informed the barking dog from down the road. "I really liked him" ianto breathed into the night "maybe I should go... find somewhere else".

That evening both jack and ianto did the same thing without knowing. They planned their escapes from it all while muttering their apologies into the night sky. They really didn't know how much they meant to each other. At the same time on the same night they whispered the same five words to the moon "I think I love him".