Title: Only in the movies
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,643 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 444 - Flame
Summary: Jack and Ianto can’t even have a quiet date at the movies without being interrupted.


‘Got your popcorn?’ Jack asked, leaning over and observing the blatantly obvious. Ianto similarly noticed the way Jack's choc top ice-cream was already beginning to melt at the rim where the chocolate coating met the edge of the cone, leaving a tiny gap for vanilla soft serve to melt out. Not that it would be a problem for long. Jack could inhale one in less time than it took for the candy bar attendant to dip it in chocolate and have it set hard.

He dipped his hand into the bucket, feeling the slight warmth the deeper his fingers explored, picking out the warmest, saltiest kernels first, popping them in his mouth and savouring the buttery texture. There was nothing better than freshly popped movie theatre popcorn.

The question had been rhetorical. Movie night was infrequent yet predictable as they settled into a pattern of their favourite junk food. Even calling it movie night was a misnomer. It was simply that rare moment when they could go out together on what most people might consider a date. The fact that it was the middle of the day, just before lunchtime, made it less traditional, but Torchwood employees didn't get much say in when life would be able to resume normal programming long enough to enjoy.

Ianto settled back in his seat, munching on his popcorn as Jack slurped his way through runny ice-cream. Given the time of day the theatre was incredibly quiet. It was almost the end of the run for the film they'd chosen, which was usually how they operated. If something was going to go wrong, requiring them to leave, better that they disrupted as few people as possible. Plus, an empty cinema was a great place to enjoy some alone time together if the film turned out to be a drag.

Ianto slumped a little more comfortably into the seat, letting his leg jut out, trying to find Jack's knee with his own when an unfamiliar hand reached between their shoulders, tapping Jack on the shoulder.
They both turned at the touch, spotting the man in his late forties in the row immediately behind them.

‘Jack? I thought it was you!’

Jack didn't even hesitate in recognising the man. ‘Duncan! Fancy seeing you here!’

Fancy, Ianto thought, wondering who this interloper was in an otherwise empty cinema.

Jack twisted in his seat, inhaling the last of his ice-cream with an inhuman gulp before leaning an elbow on the headrest. ‘What's it been? Twenty years?’

‘God, probably! Those were the days though, weren't they?’

‘Oh yeah!’

Ianto cringed, every part of his body clenching involuntarily. He didn't need introductions to surmise that this Duncan fellow was some old flame of Jack's.

What was it with Jack's exes? Ianto felt like he'd run the entire gamut: Stella Courtney, Idris Hopper, Estelle Cole, the Duchess of Melrose, John Hart – how could he ever forget John? Jack had covered the entire spectrum, from the positively lovely to the downright psychotic. This one probably fit somewhere in the middle. Even with the salt and pepper hair and the crows feet at the edges of his eyes, he was still rakishly handsome in a George Clooney-esque kind of way, much to Ianto's chagrin. Not that he rated guys; Jack was unique on that front, but Ianto wasn't stupid enough to be blind to the relative attractiveness of a person, even if Jack's definition of attractive stretched far wider than most. A limit of two arms and two legs didn't even come into consideration. Ianto had become wary of even the ugliest cephalopod. Jack never could resist tentacles. Just going to the fish markets was an exercise in restraint.

Jack managed basic introductions but it did little to ease Ianto's annoyance. Why did Duncan have to be so good looking for an older guy? Ianto wondered, just for a moment, would he look that good when he was that old? Probably not. Truthfully he didn't expect he'd ever get that old doing the job he did, and being that old but not with Jack simply didn't bear thinking about. If he couldn't be with Jack then what was the point?

Even so, if they did go their separate ways because Jack dating someone who now looked significantly older than him was weird, he didn't think he'd interrupt Jack on a date with a younger version of himself. He'd have sunk as low in the seat as he possibly could and hoped Jack didn't recognise him, or more likely he'd have snuck out and made a run for it rather than be spared the embarrassment of being old and outmoded. Apparently not all of Jack's old flames shared his reticence in making themselves known.

Even as the lights dimmed and the previews started up, Jack and Duncan carried on chatting, to the point where Duncan stood up and climbed over the back of the seats in front to park himself in the seat on Jack's right, sandwiching him between his date and his former lover. At this, Ianto sank even deeper into his own seat, feeling every kind of jealousy simmering under the surface as he chased bits of popcorn one after the other in quick succession to give his teeth something to grind on.

Why? he thought. Of all the days and all of the movie sessions and all of the cinemas – okay, so maybe there weren't that many cinemas in Cardiff – but what were the odds? Pretty bloody good if you were hoping to have a date with Jack Harkness, apparently.

Just going to watch the damn movie, he told himself. Jack and his old buddy Duncan could amuse themselves just so long as they kept their chatting to inaudible whispers. He actually had wanted to see this film, as opposed to some of their other choices which were more to laugh at their ridiculousness. Science fiction was brilliant like that. It was so far removed from how things really worked that all you could do was laugh. Reversing the polarity always fixed everything in the movies, and the aliens always looked like humans in bad costumes, instead of reflecting the truly bizarre randomness of space.

He did his best to focus on the screen, making a point not to let any movement from the corner of his eye pull him away from what was happening. He was not going to go full jealous crazy person and give Jack the satisfaction of telling him to calm down and that he and Duncan were "just old friends". He didn’t have much, but he still had his dignity.

Surprisingly, he didn't hear a peep out of either of them, or he'd simply mastered the art of tuning out completely. It was only as they were about an hour into the movie that he felt Jack's hand touch his knee and then slowly slide further up his leg. His concentration broke enough to notice Jack shifting in his seat, twisting around so that he was facing Ianto and not the screen. Jack cupped the side of his face and pulled it towards him, stealing a kiss. Ianto had forgotten that he was annoyed with Jack and shouldn't give him the satisfaction of thinking he could kiss the problem away.

‘I wanna see how it ends,’ he muttered when Jack released his lips. It hadn't been the best film – certainly not up to the expectations he'd built up – but he'd come this far.

‘I'll buy you the DVD,’ came the husky reply as Jack went in for the kill, ensnaring Ianto's lips once more.

After that, Ianto simply gave in, enjoying their making out in the darkness of the cinema, letting Jack's hands wander and all thoughts of how the movie would end fleeing from his mind, as did any thoughts of Jack's silver fox competition sitting right there in that next seat along. The best part of going to the movies was always the kissing, simply because it was sort of like snogging in public, but doing it covertly. Whatever the definition, it turned Ianto on.

Music was playing and credits were rolling when Jack finally relented. Kissing Jack for an extended period of time still left Ianto giddy and breathless even after all this time. Some things just never got old.

‘Still upset you didn't get to see the ending?’ Jack asked, absently fixing the lapel of Ianto’s jacket which had been bent askew by Jack’s exploring hands.

Ianto shrugged. ‘Like you said, we can always watch it on DVD later.’

Jack twisted back around in his seat and frowned. ‘Hey, where did Duncan go?’ he asked, looking around the now completely empty cinema as the lights had come back on. ‘We agreed that the three of us would go for lunch after this.’

‘Guess he decided he had other plans,’ Ianto replied, not sad for one moment at their abandoned lunch plans. More likely, he’d simply taken the hint that they’d come to the cinema for some alone time, and that Jack had done nothing to dissuade him otherwise once he’d started sticking his tongue in Ianto’s mouth. Jack was nothing if not predictable, right down to the fact that he had no qualms about expressing his desires, whatever anyone else happened to be doing at the time.

‘Hmph,’ Jack muttered. ‘Never thought he was the kind to get jealous.’ Jack's fingers intertwined with his as he took Ianto's hand. ‘Not that you're not worth getting jealous over.’

‘I'm nothing special,’ Ianto said, going for the demure approach even as he felt his cheeks growing warm.

‘You're special to me.’

Maybe jealousy between Jack's flames, past and present, was just something that was never going to go away. For now though, it was nice to know he was the one everyone else should be jealous of.