Reality Betrays Us All III

[anastasisrick]

Title: Reality Betrays Us All

Author: anastasisrick

Prompt: Hoffman

Beta: janiemc (special thanks for helping me at the last minute)

Characters/Pairings: Jack Hakrness, Ianto Jones, Jack/Ianto

Rating: PG 13

Warnings: None that I can think about.

Spoilers: It’s totally AU so other than making the story fit to what we know, not really

Word Count: 13300

Genre: Romance, AU

Disclaimer: Torchwood and its characters belongs to BBC and Russell T Davies. Hoffman isn’t mine either. It belongs to Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) & Longstone Film Productions

Summary: When Ianto Jones is blackmailed to spend a week with a stranger to save his fiance's life, his own life is going to change forever.

Notes: This story is written for reel_torchwood

 

 

III

 

The restaurant Jack chose to go was a Greek one Ianto had never come to before. He vaguely remembered his parents talking about it when he was a little kid. As he sat down opposite of Jack he wondered how they had come to this. His Boss was cordial with both waiters that came to their assistance in the five minutes it had taken them to choose their dinner.

 

Ianto took the restaurant menu; it was in Greek. Ianto’s eyes bulged. There was no English translation. It was ridiculous; how were these people doing their job? Another man approached to their table, and Ianto was surprised to see Jack raising from his seat and hugging the man, that his attire suggested he was the chef of the restaurant.

 

“Niko, how nice to find you here?” Jack said to the short brunette.

 

“I just came from Rhodes. It was necessary to close my restaurant there so we all moved here now.” The man was older than Jack by a decade or so but they seemed to be good friends. Or so Ianto could tell. “So what can I bring you?”

 

“What do you suggest?”

 

“It depends on what you desire…” Nikos said. “Red meat or fish?”

 

“Do you have snails?” Jack asked. Ianto’s stomach revolted at the idea.

 

“Sure, our speciality is snails’ casserole with onions.”

 

“Bring me that one for the start.” Jack looked at Ianto who shook his head and tried to calm his stomach as the chef turned his eyes on his as well.

 

“No snails for me.” He said with a forced smile.

 

“It’s an acquired taste…?”

 

“No, I have other problems with snails… never mind.” He added as both men looked at him waiting for an explanation he wasn’t going to give.

 

“What can I bring you then, Sir?”

 

“Oh that’s right!” Jack interrupted him. “Sorry, I haven’t introduced you to one another. This is Nicolaos Manieris, the owner of the restaurant and an excellent cook. And this is Ianto Jones, a very good friend of mine.”

 

“Well, Jack is a good friend with my father.” Ianto added as revenge.

 

“That too.”

 

“I’ll have the risotto with the aubergine.  It was Jack’s turn to make a face but Nikos just laughed and clapped him on the back.

 

“You at least know that everything that is in my restaurant is more than tasty. If you wanted anything else you should go to Jamie.” He added with a heartfelt laughter. Jack and Ianto chose their salads and wine and then they were left alone to enjoy their supper. Well, for Jack to enjoy his meal at least.  Ianto kept pushing his food around in the plate while Jack was eating his snails. And Ianto watched from under his eyelashes wondering what kind of taste the older man found to them.

 

“You don’t eat snails, Ianto?”

 

“No!”

 

“Should I rephrase the question and make the snails oysters?”

 

“Are you projecting Spartacus now?”

 

“Why, yes Ianto. So do prefer eating oysters?”

 

“I do.” Ianto said, understanding what Jack meant a bit too well.

 

“Do you consider the eating of oysters to be moral and the eating of snails to be immoral?” Jack asked quoting the film raising an eyebrow.

 

“Not really. And yes, I’m going to repeat Tony Curtis’ words here and I don’t want to.”

 

“So you don’t think it’s immoral for someone to like both sexes?”

 

“No, Sir.”

 

“That’s a good start Ianto.”

 

“No, it isn’t a start. And you’re being an idiot. Just because I have no moral problem with bisexuals or homosexuals doesn’t make me one.”

 

“Never said it does. For you information, I like both.”

 

“Yes, I think I gathered that.” Ianto said picking his fork again trying to hide his embarrassment by playing with his food.

 

“You know…” Jack continued unabashed and unstoppable. “I remember reading a biography about Marlon Brando. David Niven said he had seen Brando and Olivier swimming in the later’s pool naked. And by naked I mean the way they’ve been born.” Jack stared seductively at Ianto as if he was undressing him in his mind’s eyes. “And in the meantime Lee, Olivier’s wife at the time was inside the house…”

 

Ianto raised his eyes to look at Jack. “Well, that only means that there was nothing going on between the two of them.”

 

“Oh, I don’t know, Niven again said that he had seen Marlon dancing with Lee this time in an inappropriate way. So maybe…”

 

“Can we stop talking about people who are dead for a long time now?”

 

“Sure, what do you want to talk about?” Jack asked sucking the snail out of the shell making a rather undignified noise in the process, his eyes locked on Ianto’s.

 

“Nothing.” Ianto said as he stared back down on his plate avoiding Jack’s gaze. How could the other man be so calm when in fact he had blackmailed Ianto, kidnapped him in a way, the young man couldn’t comprehend. In the last twelve months he had thought he had come to know Jack Harkness with all his quirks and flirting, Ianto had really thought the American was a good person. That day had proved him wrong. Jack interrupted his thoughts with a question.

 

“Do you have photos of you being young, Ianto?”

 

“Young?” He asked startled.

 

“Yes, a kid running wild in Wales, in the hills…”

 

“Where cannibals could eat me.”

 

“Cannibals?”

 

“There was rumour going on around when I was a kid. That there were cannibals… that were choosing their victims every decade. I and some friends had gone to explore. We heard some weird noises and screams and returned home with our tails between our legs, in a manner of speaking.”

 

“Really?” That was the most Ianto had spoken that day and Jack enjoyed so much to listen to his voice; crystal clear and beautiful. Just like the young man sitting in front of him. “So no snapshots.” He said in the end pouting.

 

“No.” Ianto glared at him.

 

“Pity. I’d like to see you as a child.”

 

“I haven’t changed all that much.”

 

“Oh you are definitely not a child Mr. Jones.”

 

As soon as Ianto came close to forget what he and Jack were doing in the London restaurant one look from Jack or a word reminded him why he should keep quiet and let the older man do as he wanted; that was the deal for Lisa to be safe. Still, he was curious. “Why would you like to see old photos of me?”

 

“It’s a natural curiosity of mine. There are two people in all of us; the child in the snapshot and the monster in which we all grow to.” Ianto remained silent at Jack’s words.

 

He didn’t want to know what the older man meant. If he even meant anything…

 

“I still think we should eat the same though…” Jack said again. “When breaths are mingled two should always eat the same food.” Leering at Ianto, he pushed a couple of well done, caramelized onions in his mouth.

 

“I remember the day my father introduced me to snails. Hello snails, I said. We that are about to die salute you, they said to me.” Jack said smiling. But that was the reason Ianto didn’t want to eat snails. It was not the weird taste or the stickiness or even the grease. It was like as a child he was spending hours trying to find snails just to see them and hold them in his palms trying to understand about the beings that carried their houses in their back. The strange fixation had moved on to turtles a couple of years later. But he most definitely didn’t see the snails as food.

 

Jack noticed Ianto’s paleness. “Ianto, are you alright?”

 

“No, I need the bathroom.” The younger man said and ran towards the direction of the bathroom.

 

Jack wondered if he should follow him or not. He was certain Ianto wasn’t going to bolt; his love for Lisa would prevent him. On the other hand though, he was worried. The young man looked extremely pale when he had gotten up from the table. Jack took another bite of his food and got up to go check on Ianto when he saw him coming back clammy and pale. Ianto took his seat and pushed the plate away from him.

 

Jack watched him as he wrapped his long fingers around the glass and sipped slowly water.

 

“Won’t you eat?” Jack asked after a while.

 

“No, thank you.” Ianto replied and said nothing else after that. He remained silent as Jack ate his meal.

 

When Nikos came a little later to take their orders for desserts, Ianto’s stomach rebelled once again. “And then we have baklava with cream, or chocolate, kantaifi with or without cream, or maybe ice cream if you prefer…”

 

“Niko, we thank you, but Ianto isn’t feeling well so I’m afraid we’ll have to leave the dessert for some other time.”

 

“Seriously? The food was good though, right?” The chef asked looking at both men. Ianto nodded just as Jack tried to reassure his friend that everything was delicious.

 

“I have stomach flu though and couldn’t enjoy it.” Ianto said miserably in the end.

 

“Then, Jack, you have to bring Ianto when he feels better.” Nikos said with a bright smile. Jack replied but Ianto didn’t hear what he said. He was already up, having a handshake with the Greek manager and ran out of the door to smell the cold, fresh air. Early December cold hit him penetrating his clothes. However he didn’t care. He needed the cold, the shivering as much as he needed to breath. It helped with his nausea too.

 

A hand came to rest on his shoulder; warm and strong. Jack’s hand.

 

“What happened?” The voice was closer than he had imagined.

 

“Nothing. I just couldn’t eat… and your talk reminded me of my stomach.”

 

“My talk?” Jack started but seeing Ianto grimacing he didn’t push it any more. “OK, let’s go back.”

 

“OK.” Ianto said as if he had given up all the fight and now only wanted for everything to finish. Maybe he had.

 

Jack was not about to accept it though. The moment he closed the door behind him, he took Ianto’s coat to put it away in the wardrobe next to his.

 

“Snails… hm and nice wine!” He murmured. “It didn’t go as well as I anticipated. Anyway…” He said and raised his voice to be heard by his guest. “So what would you like to drink, Ianto? Cocoa? Coffee? A glass of whiskey?”

 

“Nothing, I don’t want anything. My headache is getting worse and my stomach…” Ianto stopped mid-sentence. He was giving excuses, the same excuses he himself had heard in the past from his girlfriends when they didn’t want to go to bed with him. But he wasn’t a girl for… oh what the hell? He could stoop lower than that! And his stomach was definitely not feeling well. Good. He envisioned himself throwing up on Jack. It was an image that didn’t help his qualm, but it made him feel better as far as Harkness was concerned.

 

The feeling lasted until Jack came close and leaned towards him. “Time for bed then? You need to get rest. You look tired.”

 

“Bed? I’m not tired.”

 

“Of course you’re tired, Ianto.” Jack said raising his arm and brushing the back of his fingers on Ianto’s cheek. The younger man took a step behind and nodded when Jack’s hand was no longer touching him.

 

“Yes, I am tired. I’ll go to the bathroom first.” Ianto ran to the bedroom, took his bedclothes and men’s kit with him.

 

Jack watched him amused. The evening had passed more calmly than he had thought possible and he was still intact; no kicks, no slaps, no broken nose. It was more than he expected. Now, if they could survive the night, he might have a chance to make Ianto understand and believe him in the coming days. And maybe, just maybe, have sex with him too.

 

Ianto took off his jacket and put it on a hanger that Jack had left for him. He slowly pulled out his wallet and saw Lisa’s photo that he’d had there for a couple of years now. He stared at her, smiling back at him. “I hope you’re worth it, Lisa. That’s all I can say; I hope you’re worth it.” He put the wallet back in his jacket pocket and proceeded in changing his clothes. Jack said something from the other side of the door but Ianto didn’t listen to him.

 

When he got out of the bathroom, Ianto found Jack waiting for him wearing a pair of black pyjama bottoms like Ianto’s, and nothing else while the younger man had opted for a tee shirt and a robe. Jack was leaning against the door frame, a stance so very familiar to Ianto and so very strange. Ianto smiled self deprecatingly seeing half naked Jack checking him out.

 

“OK I’m going to bed. I suggest you come too.” Jack said and turned away while Ianto stood immobilized outside the bathroom door. He took a deep breath and followed the other man into his room. Jack was already lying on the bed half covered in blankets leaving the naked half of his body uncovered.

 

Ianto untied his robe and laid down next to Jack who reached over him. Ianto stiffened but Jack made no move to touch him. Instead he took his cell phone and checked something on it leaving it on the bedside table on his own side of the bed this time. He turned around, kissed Ianto on his cold lips and turned on his side.  “Reality betrays us all.” Jack said just as Ianto felt a weight getting lifted off his stomach. “Reality betrays us all, Ianto. You see someone you like and try to get to know them, you hang out with them, kiss, sleep, make love, fall in love but you don’t really know them. And in the end, reality is not what you thought it was. Do you know the most natural thing in the world?” Jack asked in the end.

 

“No.”

 

“To wake up one morning to find a strange, beautiful, pale, naked vision asleep by your side….”

 

Jack turned once again towards Ianto and tucked him well under the covers laying his arm around the younger man’s waist, leaving it there, unmoving, unthreatening. One moment Ianto was seeing Jack’s clear blue eyes, the next they were closed as if Jack only wanted to sleep with his arms wrapped around Ianto. The archivist knew that wasn’t the case and couldn’t but feel betrayed. If Jack didn’t go through the plan, then Ianto would have to deal another day of stress and worry about being devoured by Jack’s hunger. Ianto was no idiot; he had seen the way Jack was staring at him all evening. And on the other side, could he trust his Boss not to attack when he was feeling safe?

 

Did he really think Jack capable of forcing himself on Ianto? No. But then again the day previously it hadn’t crossed his mind that his blackmailer was Jack either. Ianto thought to get up, get dressed and get the hell out of there. But Jack’s arms around him were like chains keeping him in place.

 

With dark and terrifying thoughts on his mind, many hours later Ianto, beaten by fatigue and worry, let sleep take him. Since Jack was apparently not going to, for which Ianto was thankful.

tbc  at anastasisrick.dreamwidth.org/3551.html