Torchwood: Fanfic: Exposed

[m_findlow]

Title: Exposed
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Torchwood team
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 764 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for juliet316’s prompt "any, any, Lovers exposed" at fic_promptly
Summary: Sometimes events conspire, but in a good way

It wasn't really how he'd intended the team finding out about him and Jack.

Sure, there had been rumours floating about, and Owen had done more than his fair share of poking around where his nose didn't belong, not to mention some less than kind remarks made under pressure when they argued about opening the rift to save Jack and Tosh. Still he thought, a small part of him took delight in actually pulling the trigger on Owen, and he knew just for thinking that he'd go to straight to hell. If he believed in hell anymore that is. With everything they've seen, hell seems like the least believable thing he's heard.

The last few days have just been one gigantic tumultuous disaster. He thinks he's finally convinced himself that Jack truly is dead and that he's not coming back this time. Gwen's still downstairs attending her vigil and part of him wished that perhaps the team had known about them being together, so that at least he might join her down there, waiting for a miracle of some sort. Instead he's stuck up here, pretending that like the rest of them he's upset about losing Jack, but not grieving to the extent that a lover would be. Maybe it would have made things easier. Then again, perhaps he'd prefer not to have their pitying looks cast in his general direction. It was bad enough when they'd all walked on eggshells around him after Lisa had been killed. It would have been ten times worse if they'd known about him and Jack.

A couple of times they got close to being caught out, but with a modicum of good fortune they'd always been able to disentangle or re-dress in time and to play down any interactions as being work related, or otherwise just the usual sexually charged banter that Jack was so well known for.

Coming to grips with Jack being gone was not something he'd anticipated having to process. Jack had assured him that his immortality had been well and truly tested. There were no two ways about it, he was stuck here whether he liked it or not, so he'd decided to like it and make the most of it, which included his new dalliances with one Ianto Jones.

He continued to tidy Jack's office as if he were coming back, even though part of his mind was trying to tell him to face up to the fact that he wasn't. If then, who was he tidying the office for?

Still days passed and part of his mind shut off from the grieving because if he didn't, he thought he would simply cease to function at all. It helped to be able to start piecing the hub back together if for no other reason than to have something else to fix his turbulent thoughts upon. Something that wasn't Jack.

That was until Tosh suddenly tore away from what they'd been working on. What had gotten into her? That's when he turned around and saw him. Jack. His Jack. Standing there large as life. Still a little pale, but most definitely alive. He didn't remember standing up, or walking over the gangway to where he was stood. He didn't even know if this was the same Jack, or perhaps some clone, or a version that didn't remember him at all. Perhaps he was having a psychotic break and this was just a vision, or maybe he was about to wake up and realise he'd only been dreaming.

The next thing he knew, he was stood in front of him, just inches away and suddenly didn't know what to do. Part of his brain went into autopilot mode and extended a hand. That was what you were supposed to do wasn't it? Before he could even comprehend it, Jack was tugging him into the tightest of embraces, and he felt himself hugging back, and never wanting to let go ever again. Jack was back. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see another person. And then it happened. There was a hand on his cheek and warm lips pressed against his own. He didn't have to think anymore, time just stopped whilst he kissed his lover as if the world might end right there and then. It wasn't until they'd broken apart and Jack had let him slip from his grasp to console Owen, that he realised what had just happened. The proverbial cat was out of the bag at last, and for the moment, he didn't mind that fact one bit.

Comments

[bk_forever]

Everyone knows, and it might have been perfect if Jack hadn't gone running off after the Doctor almost immediately! Poor Ianto, that was a bit of a letdown!