m_findlow

Title: Green-eyed monster
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, mentions team
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,125 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for komadori's prompt "Any, any, Green-eyed monster" at fic_promptly
Summary: Jack has sent something he doesn't like and he's not happy about it

Jack had been in a stroppy mood ever since they'd returned from the club. No one could quite understand why. They'd successfully apprehended the alien and no one had gotten hurt. Given that it was a busy Saturday evening and the club had been packed full of people, that was a particulary good outcome. Still, Jack had barely said two words since arriving there, and what words he had said had been snippy and ill-tempered toward whomever was the unlucky recipient.

Jack's bad mood persisted after they'd returned to the hub, locking away their captive, logging the weapons he'd been carrying with him, and finishing up reports for their files, before calling it a night. As they donned jackets and picked up handbags, each of them gave Ianto a look on their way out the door that very clearly said "he's your problem now, you fix it." Great. Why did everyone seem to think that Jack's temperament was his responsibility?

Jack hadn't surfaced from his office since coming back. Ianto decided to give it another hour. He'd either come out of his own volition, apologising for whatever thing had caused him to be so rude and grumpy, or he'd stew in there until Ianto confronted him about it.

Busying himself with tidying up the hub, checking all the residents were sorted for the night, including their newest guest, he waited for Jack to come and find him. When he didn't, Ianto knew that the mountain would have to come to Mohammed.

'Alright, what's got your feathers in such a flap tonight?' he asked, not bothering to be polite about it.

Jack was on his feet in seconds, stepping across the room to stand in front of him, delivering the first blow. Ianto stood there, stunned.

'You slapped me!' he said, not sure he could believe what had just happened without saying it out aloud. He didn't think he could recall Jack ever having slapped him before. Well, not in that sense.

'What the hell was that for?'

'As if you don't know!'

'Well, I don't. Perhaps you'd better slap me again to jog my memory!'

'You had fun snogging him, did you?'

Ianto was always amused when Jack used the term snog. It just sounded wrong coming from his lips, in that brash American accent. It did however jog his memory.

He was of course referring to the kiss with the alien. It was nothing, just the everyday, run of the mill, "all in the line of duty" type of thing that happened to all of them on occasion. It wasn't his fault; not really. They'd all been working their way through the crowds of people, looking for their alien, only the alien had found Ianto first. He must have caught the briefest glimpse of Ianto's shoulder holster when he'd been jostled by a lively couple of dancers, and the next thing Ianto knew, he was pressed up against the alien, with a gun pressed into his belly, being told to act natural and go along with whatever happened next.

The alien kept his lips pressed to Ianto's, moving them backwards through the throng, obscuring him from view. Had he not accidentally knocked right back into Tosh on his journey, they might have been all the way outside of the club before anyone realised he was missing.

It may not have been enjoyable, but given its duration, he supposed it must have looked far more erotic and sensual than it actually was. If it had happened to anyone else, Jack would have been making jokes about threesomes and wanting an invitation.

He tried for the nonchalant approach, shrugging. 'He started it.'

Jack slapped him again. This time, it really did sting. Even his exes had never slapped him that hard, if at all. He looked back at Jack's livid expression, and the thought that dawned on him caused him to burst out laughing.

Ha ha... 'You,' ha ha... 'you're jealous,' ha ha ha... 'Actually,' ha ha... 'properly jealous!'

'Stop laughing,' Jack growled, his expression darkening further, fury etched into the creases of his face. The sight of it only made Ianto want to laugh even more. He really was jealous.

Ha ha... 'You actually thought,' ha ha ha... 'that I'd throw in my job,' ha ha... 'and start snogging,' ha ha ha... 'the first thing that,' ha ha... 'caught my eye.' Ha ha ha ha!

'It's not funny.'

On the contrary, it wasn't just funny, it was hilarious. Here he was, plain old Ianto Jones, nothing special at all about him, with about as much sex appeal as a guinea pig, and Jack was jealous that someone had kissed him.

Ha ha... 'Guess you're not as sexy as you thought,' ha ha ha ha... he giggled, his voice hitching up an octave as he struggled to contain himself. Just as soon as he thought he'd gotten it back under control, another look at Jack's stormy expression sent him into another peal of laughter.

'Stop laughing!' Jack yelled, turning an embarrassed shade of red.

Ianto had to slump down into the chair opposite Jack's desk, feeling a stitch in his side and doubled over in pain and amusement, continuing to laugh, though slowly running out of breath to do it in earnest. He sobbed out a few more laughs before sitting himself back up, wiping the tears from his eyes, eliciting a few more exhausted giggles as he watched Jack standing there looking down at him in equal parts anger and embarrassment.

He pushed himself up out of the chair, feeling a bit giddy and lightheaded, before reaching Jack and grabbing his head, kissing his cheek. Jack grabbed him around his waist as he stumbled slightly into Jack, keeping him upright whilst he sucked in a few deep lungfuls of air to clear his head. Passing out from laughing too hard would, at this point be embarrassing, especially since picking up where he'd left off wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable after having to pick himself up off the floor.

'You're an idiot,' he said, kissing Jack again, 'if you think I want anyone but you. It wasn't even a good kiss. Owen would have rated better.'

Jack let himself be kissed until Ianto's comment sunk in properly. 'Wait what? You've kissed Owen?'

Ianto just shrugged. 'Torchwood. Stuff like that happens. Just don't tell him I told you. It wasn't his finest moment.'

Jack growled again, but Ianto silenced him with a kiss that required all of his mouth to get involved.

'Looks like I got a two for one deal tonight,' Ianto said, when finally he pulled away, leaving Jack breathless.

'How's that?'

'Captured the alien, and got the better of the green-eyed monster as well.'