Title: Colour blind
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 941 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 476 - Pink
Summary: Ianto’s new wardrobe choices leave Jack feeling a little lightheaded.


As Ianto pushed the keycard into the reader Jack quickly and silently let himself in behind Ianto without first asking if that was okay. Jack hadn't actually booked himself a room when he'd paid for the others. He'd either wrangle his way into sharing with Ianto or spend the rest of the night on the hotel’s rooftop, chastising himself for the stupid thought that he could just waltz back into their lives and pick up where he'd left off. Perhaps he hadn’t planned on being away for so long, but he couldn’t change that fact now.

He breathed a small sigh of relief when Ianto didn't immediately round on him and politely tell him that he really just wanted to go to bed and that he'd see Jack in the morning. ‘Wow. A lot nicer than anything I've ever stayed in,’ he said instead, taking in the opulent room.

‘Only the best for my team,’ Jack said.

‘Just look at that sofa,’ Ianto remarked, referring to the pale, latte coloured leather that looked soft as a cloud.

‘It's the view that really impresses,’ Jack said, wandering over to the floor to ceiling windows, watching the Cardiff skyline sparkle from across the bay, lights glittering in their reflection on the water. It was one of Jack's favourite rooftops for that reason alone.

Jack turned his head from the view for a moment, watching Ianto loosen his tie, undo the top button of his shirt and remove his jacket before collapsing into the sofa with a soft creak of the plush leather. Jack felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile. Gods but he'd missed Ianto. He moved across the spacious room and set himself down on the sofa next to him.

Ianto's head was nestled back, turning to look at him as he did so. ‘I think I ate way too much.’

Jack laughed. Dinner with the team had been just as extravagant as the rooms he'd booked – four courses and plenty of alcohol, though he noticed that Ianto had stopped at two beers, nursing the second one for most of the evening. ‘What, and miss out on that chocolate mousse? It was worth it for a little indigestion.’

Ianto sighed, resting a hand across his stomach. ‘You're probably right. Next time though, let's start with dessert.’

‘Sold.’

Jack let the silence fall between them for a few minutes. The last twelve hours had been a whirlwind and Jack needed time to process it just as much as any of them. After having been chained up and tortured for a year, just the concept of freedom and safety was taking some adjustment. Coming back and stepping into his old life felt strange, as if he was still slightly removed from it. Part of him wondered if he’d ever truly be able to just go back to how things had been.

Jack tilted his head sideways, watching as Ianto relaxed into the deep folds of the sofa, eyes closed and savouring that post-food coma sensation. Ianto was right here, whole and unharmed, relaxed and at ease. The year that never was had never been for him. Jack indulged in just watching him for a while before speaking again. ‘You seem… different.’

Ianto's eyes opened and he looked back at Jack, a small crease forming in his forehead. ‘Different?’

Jack gestured at the pink shirt. The one that had set Jack's heart aflutter every time he’d seen it today. Perhaps it was just the long absence and time apart or maybe it was something more. Ianto had only ever worn white and grey and a handful of shades of blue. Never anything that fell into the range of warmer colours. It suited him more than Jack could put into words. ‘Trying out a new colour?’

Ianto shrugged it off, though still squirming ever so slightly at the attention. ‘Just thought I should be a bit more… visible.’

‘You're an important part of the team,’ Jack agreed. ‘I don't think you need to be more visible.’

‘Well, after you’d gone I–’ Ianto’s frown deepened. ‘Where did you go Jack? What happened to you?’

A feeling of dread hit the bottom of Jack's stomach, crushing the earlier feeling of good food and better wine. He reached out and put a hand on Ianto’s leg. ‘I’ll tell you everything, I promise. Just not tonight.’ Tonight all those memories were still far too raw.

Ianto didn’t say anything, didn’t make Jack hold to that promise. He leaned forward and risked kissing Jack. It took Jack a moment to register it, realising it wasn’t just his mind playing tricks on him as it had done a thousand times in the months he’d been imprisoned. He kissed back, hand finding the top of Ianto’s shirt and beginning to undo the rest of the buttons on it. Ianto leaned back on the sofa, taking Jack’s lips with him.

Jack pulled back for just a moment, seeing Ianto underneath him, that pink shirt hanging open and Ianto’s chest rising and falling with a breathlessness that stole the breath from Jack’s lungs as well. He was even more beautiful than Jack had remembered. Pink suited him in a way that couldn’t be put into words. He leaned down and began pressing his lips to that exposed skin, hearing Ianto moan and tangle his fingers into Jack’s hair, keeping his lips close as he arched up to meet them. Jack knew in his heart that he’d made the right choice in leaving The Doctor and Martha to their adventures. This place, with this man, was exactly where he needed to be.