Suits and suspenders - janto teacher au

The call

Jack woke, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he searched for what had woken him... it had sounded like... a phone ringing? He turned his head towards the door and, to his surprise, ianto was pacing the hallway. He attempted to listen to Ianto's side of the conversation.

"Hey ... yeah it is late... yeah I'm whispering ... jack's over and he's asleep I don't want to wake him... yeah... yeah he didn't leave in the end... right .... what was it you wanted to tell me?... what?! ...oh ... oh god ... I um... Jesus ... no no I'm okay .... are you? Yeah ... alright I ... um I'll have to go... jack's asleep I'll have to tell him tomorrow.... yes! I have to tell him Rhi... anyway ... b-bye ... Rhi? Love you"

Ianto crept back into the bedroom, clearly not knowing that jack was already awake. Jack had gaged that something was wrong by the phone call but the way ianto sank onto the bed and hid his face in his hands confirmed jack's fears. "You okay?" Jack mumbled sitting up slightly. Ianto nodded slowly, still facing away from jack "sorry didn't mean to wake you ... yeah i'm fine" he replied sadly. "What happened?" jack questioned softly, scooting across the bed so he was sat next to Ianto. Ianto swallowed "it's... my Nana she ... died... I mean she was ill it was always going to happen but I never thought... so soon" his voice broke as he leant heavily against jack. Jack wrapped his arms around the welshman "oh ianto i'm so sorry". Ianto dropped his head to jack's shoulder as he began to cry "god... I don't have much luck with  all this stuff do I... am I curse on people's lives jack?" He sobbed. The American pulled ianto closer "no ianto... no you're not a curse never think that sweetheart" he informed the Welshman and if ianto had noticed the pet name slip, he didn't say anything. Ianto shifted against jack before he was facing the american again, his face was blotchy and his eyes red rimmed with tears "I'm sorry" he muttered shamefully "it's just ... like ... she practically raised me when I was a kid....". Jack nodded slowly "I understand". They sat in silence for god knows how long. Ianto cried... a lot. Jack... well, jack didn't do much apart from hold ianto close.

Time ticked by as it usually did but for ianto it was agonising. Every tick of the clock reminded him of another second he was living without his nan in the world. Ianto was aware of jack's calming touches and steady breathing but other than that ... he may aswell not exist at all. That's how he felt anyway. Jack took a breath before speaking "ianto i... it's not much but I care about you so much and ... no matter what ... you'll always have me". They night began to fade as they sat in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. The dark sky outside was replaced by a slowly lightening blue sky as the stars faded away, hidden until they could come out to play for another night.

Ianto yawned and jack couldn't help the adoring smile that crept onto his face despite the circumstances, "come on... time for a little more sleep.. it'll seem better in the morning" he coaxed as he pulled ianto back under the covers of the bed. Jack couldn't help but notice how ianto clung to him as they drifted back to sleep.

Ianto woke with a groan as light streamed through the window. The nights previous happenings came flooding back to him in a flash and his eyes filled with tears once more. He turned to his side, but jack wasn't there. He panicked slightly until he heard a sound in the hallway. Jack entered the bedroom with a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice. A tear rolled down Ianto's cheek at his thoughtfulness as the sadness set heavy in his heart once more. "I thought you said it would feel better when I woke up..." ianto mumbled, taking the toast jack was handing to him. Jack glanced away "that may have been a ploy to get you to sleep more" me admitted. At least his confession made ianto giggle, if just for a second. They sat in silence, the only sound filling the room being of the soft crunch of ianto eating toast. He looked down at his second piece, then back to jack. He held it out to the smiling american "want it?" He questioned. Jack shook his head "no it's yours I'm good", iantos mouth formed an adorable o shape as he nibbled on the side of his cheek thoughtfully before he spoke again "at least have a bite" he insisted. Jack chucked and leant forward, taking a bite from the toast. Ianto finished his breakfast and leant up against jack's warm body "feels like... nothings real" he murmured "like I didn't see her much after she got ill and went into the hospital... so there's not a physical presence missing it's just .... emotional". Jack just nodded, wrapping his arms around the Welshman to draw him closer. Ianto reaches for a small plush koala that usually perched on his headboard. Jack chuckled "who's this do I have competition?" He questioned as ianto cuddled the koala to his chest. "It's kody... I won him at a fair when I was younger" he murmured his voice becoming slightly deeper as he cuddled into the bed suddenly sleepy again.

Ianto didn't know when he actually fell asleep. He was vaguely aware of a kiss being pressed to the top of his head as jack murmured "still tired? That's alright get some sleep ... I'm here, I'll stay". Ianto woke, still in jack's arms and still clutching kody the koala. Jack had fallen asleep too and he snuffled sleepily as he pulled ianto closer. "God I love you jack... how do you make everything okay?" Ianto mumbled into the sleeping captains chest. Ianto was still sad... of course he was... but... somehow... jack had made it okay to feel sad. Jack had given him the safe space to cry and grieve. Jack didn't judge him. He really did love jack.

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A/N:
Kody the koala making yet another brief appearance in another one of my fics 😂