m_findlow

Title: Soul bonded
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 937 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for mirrored_illusions's prompt "Any, any immortal or very long-lived character, changing to adapt" at fic_promptly
Summary: Some things take time getting used to, others come naturally

They'd been soul bonded for nearly a year now, but even so, Ianto hadn't quite gotten used to the sensations that went with it. It was like he and Jack were now connected on a higher level. He'd always been empathic, able to sense Jack's thoughts and needs before he even knew them himself, but this was different somehow. It was almost as if he could feel Jack's very life force. And maybe that was what being immortal did to you.

When he'd first been changed by the TARDIS, it had felt so strange. He could feel the vortex rippling through his veins, tingling across his skin and tumbling around in his mind. It was a raw and powerful energy, and he was afraid it would consume him whole. But Jack had been there the whole time, providing reassurance, and at some point he'd felt it change, as if it sensed the vortex inside Jack as well, understanding that this was meant to be, and that stabilised it somehow, so that it merely ebbed inside him.

The vortex itself was not made to be contained within a being, let alone a mortal human. It was an untempered force, trying to thrust itself forward on the linear path through time, yet finding its way blocked, forced to bend and fold over on itself, roiling around inside him, always moving but never changing.

Nearly a year later and the majority of the sensations had faded into the back of his mind, always there, but now he had become accustomed to the feelings, accepting the temporal conflict that flowed through him, rolling up and down like an endless ocean.

Except when something like this happened.

He couldn't say that he and Jack had made time bend to their will, because The Doctor had told them that no one could control time, not even him, and yet whatever was contained within them had developed an understanding that any disruption to its cyclical embodiment was a violation. Jack's death was something it couldn't cope with. It railed against the very fabric of his being, as if time itself were broken.

Though the vortex inside Jack worked its magic every time, slowly restoring him to the way he'd been when the vortex had first taken a hold of him, or he on it, Ianto wasn't sure, there was a battle raging inside Ianto at the same time.

The first time it had overwhelmed him completely. It was like his own immortality was raging against the broken connection, knowing that something was very wrong, and trying all the while to somehow leave Ianto's body and go to Jack, to try and repair the damage that had been done. He could almost feel it ripping at his heartstrings tugging him closer to his lover. Then he understood what soul bonding meant. Every single fibre of their beings had been irrevocably tethered together, and the vortex that flowed through them was one and the same. He'd felt it the first time Jack had tried to save his own life with it, all those years ago, and it surged through him now, pleading him to do the same for Jack.

He knelt beside Jack, gently stroking his cheek, which was angry and red from the welt that resided there, the only physical evidence of what had happened. Leaning down, he let his hand trail up through Jack's hair, soft and coarse at the same time, and in need of a wash, if he was honest. His skin was still warm, his body having not been long in the finding.

That was the other thing about being soul bonded. Every death felt like his own now. Not just mentally, but physically as well. All of time and space could have separated them, and occasionally had, yet in the very moment of death, Ianto would have said for certain that he felt it deep within his own soul, like a shadow passing over it, cold as ice, squeezing around his heart and clenching his stomach all at once.

He felt the vortex rushing up inside him, knowing what he needed it to do, and knowing that it wanted the same thing. Pressing his lips to his lover's, he felt the light and energy rise up within him, gentle like an overflowing pool, raging like a river torrent. It passed from his lips to his lover's and the connection sparked, like a bolt of electricity tingling all over his skin and exploding in his mind. He could almost see the ribbon that connected them, and feel the swirling vortex fighting inside Jack. It would work all of its own accord, but so much better when their energies united. It rippled white hot, intensifying the longer it went on, making him feel like he was breaking out in a sweat, though his body stayed cool.

Then he felt it, the sudden change. No longer was the energy pouring out of him in such a rush, but it was tempering back, and he felt the familiar flow of everlasting light flood into him, the same but different, intertwining with his own. Jack's life blood. It was warm and filled with a joy that Ianto could barely contain, knowing that they were bonded in a way that no two other people ever would be. Regardless, he continued to press his lips to Jack's, deepening the kiss until he could feel soft lips begins to press back against his own.

Any thoughts of pain and sorrow faded away as their bodes reunited in the same way that their souls had, always and forever together.