m-findlow.livejournal.com

Title: Crossing a line
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 971 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 167 - Step
Summary: Ianto's plans have all gone sideways

This was definitely a step in the wrong direction, he thought, kissing Jack hard as he was pressed up against the back of the wall.

He hadn't meant for any of this to happen, not really. He supposed in doing his research on the Captain at Torchwood One, he'd come to discover that the man was rather, flexible, in his preferences, and that he might be able to use that particular weakness to his advantage. He had to admit, his choice of wardrobe had certainly piqued the Captain's curiosity, and the sharp suits had become something of a private joke. Well maybe not private. Jack was constantly making very public comments about how he looked in them, and the rest of the team were probably sick of hearing about them. He'd become flavour of the week, much to their chagrin, and to his own, having hoped to fade easily into the background.

He had melded into the scenery to some extent, already his duties having been taken for granted now that the hub was spotless, organized and well supplied. Then he'd gone and mucked things up completely.

He hadn't meant to,  but Jack shouldn't have been down there. Neither should he, by all accounts, but Jack was prepared to believe almost any story he fed him so long as it went along the lines of getting the hub ship shape the way it was meant to be. He'd lost focus though, and Jack was only one corridor away from discovering what he'd really been doing down here, hiding away his little secret. Lisa was his whole world and he'd do anything to protect her. If that meant taking risks, then he would. He wasn't sure if he could kill someone to save her, but he prayed he wouldn't have to. Jack was too close though, too close to revealing the truth, so he'd done the only thing he could think of; he'd grabbed him and kissed him.

And it had worked. Jack didn't even hesitate in reciprocating. He shouldn't have found that surprising, not after the obvious sexual tension between them that night at the warehouse when they'd captured Myfanwy. He'd been moments away from making a move, which was why Ianto had bolted. He'd regretted it the moment he had,  thinking that he might have just blown his chances of getting into Torchwood, but thankfully the Captain was not put off by his nervousness. It was such a relief that he almost burst into tears. Getting into Torchwood was eighty percent of the victory. Those first tentative steps towards his ultimate goal felt more like a gigantic leap. Step one had been to get Lisa back to Cardiff, steps two through four were to get into Torchwood, steal some much needed tech to fix the life support system that was keeping her alive, and to find out everything Torchwood knew about cybermen and cyber technology to reverse the process and free her from her horrific metal prison. The rest would be easy after that; he'd slink away from Torchwood, making them disappear so that they could live the rest of their lives out in peace and happiness. Torchwood would become a piece of ancient history.

When they broke apart, Ianto felt the unexpected pang of loss. Jack's expression was one that Ianto couldn't make out. It was almost as if he'd been expecting it, and that he was quietly pleased. This hasn't been part of the plan, and yet, he'd managed to salvage the entire thing with one simple act.

That had been two days ago. Now here he was again, in a private little moment after all the others had gone, arms wrapped around Jack's neck, pulling him in deeper whilst Jack's own tongue plundered his mouth. He shouldn't be doing this. It was wrong. But if it was wrong, why did it feel so right? He heart was pounding in his chest and Jack's powerful scent overwhelmed his other senses, whilst the warmth of his body pressed closer. He shouldn't want this. He'd done it to save Lisa, but that was before. This had nothing to do with distracting Jack now. This was a vicious carnal desire rising up inside him like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him in blissful euphoria. He hadn't wanted this, but now he found he couldn't stop himself.  

Jack's lips were so warm and soft, he tasted like coffee and smelled like everything amazing he'd ever smelled in his life all tangled up together. His arms were firm and sure, wrapping around him and holding him close, keeping him upright even if his legs fell out from under him, gripping him like he was the only thing in the world. And that's how he felt in this moment, as if there were Jack and himself, and the rest of the world had dropped anyway into nothingness. He wanted Jack, needed Jack, and kissed him harder and deeper.

One step at a time, he'd told himself yesterday. Jack might not even pursue what had happened the night before, but if he did, Ianto was prepared to stretch things out for as long as he had to, so that he and Lisa could make their escape. Getting into a thing with Jack hadn't been part of his plan. He just needed to buy himself some time.

Time. How he wished time would just stop so that he could be lost in this moment forever. If there'd been an imaginary line between his need to save Lisa at any cost, and his growing desire for the man in his arms, he felt as if he may has just stepped over it. And what he would do about it now was as much a mystery to him as it was to everyone else, maybe more so.