Multi-fandom One-shots

Janto

Just a dream away

Fluff, plot, hecka sad honestly why do I do this to myself - 1.7k words

Jack took a sudden intake of breath, opening his eyes to see he was lying in a disused armchair, Ianto snuggled into his neck still sound asleep. He felt so soft against him, his clothes, his hair, it was like sleeping on a cloud. He breathed a sigh of relief, stroking Ianto's hair and leaning back, that dream had been horrid, a world without Ianto, a world where he felt so so alone, it had felt so very real but now it was starting to fade from his mind, and here he was back where he belonged. All he could think of was that constant feeling of loneliness, feeling like it was his fault, feeling like he would trade anything to make it go away...
He felt Ianto begin to stir, his eyes flickering open onto Jack's semi clothed chest, "Morning" he mumbled, still half asleep he began to snuggle back up to Jack, "whoa slow down, Gwen will be here soon and you, mister, have got to be up!" Jack said, letting out a smirk as he began to push Ianto off his lap, but for some reason, he clung on, looking up at Jack with sad eyes, "Oh come on, you had me all to yourself last night after all!" But Ianto didn't smile, in fact, he looked even sadder than before. "Jack... Gwen, uh, she's dead, remember?" And all of a sudden Jack did remember, his wave of guilt as he uncovered Ryhs and Gwen's bodies, his heartbreak at hearing them die, them choosing to let him and Ianto stay together and fight to defend. "It was supposed to be me" Jack whispered, letting himself fall back down onto the chair. 

"Jack, it was never your fault, I thought you had got used to it being just us two?" Just us two... Now Jack could remember it all, the long nights together, laughing, kissing and lots of other... interesting activities; he loved him. He had never said it before, too scared of then losing him, but when it nearly happened it all came out, Jack and Ianto against the rest of the world. Jack held Ianto as close to him as he could, never wanting to let him go. he nuzzled his face into his hair, taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry Jack, I forget sometimes, how held down you are by the weight of all you've seen." Jack let out a brief smile at Ianto's soppy poetry he always managed to come out with, "but it wasn't you, and that's all that matters."

They sat, vaguely looking at the screens  that surrounded them but mainly looking at each other, "You know, it's amazing how after all this time, you still expect me to make you coffee" Ianto muttered, setting down two mugs on the table in front of them, "Well it's obviously the only reason I keep you around, that and the beautiful welsh voice, I always enjoy hearing that when I'm be-" 
"Okay, moving on! I've got a letter for you, the mailman finally realised you live here, think it probably gave the old git a heart attack seeing you bearing all at the front window!" Jack laughed his toothy grin as he picked up the letter, there was no name or address inside, it just had one scrawled note:

Wake up!

Jack felt a sudden throb in his temple and a feeling as though the room was spinning out of shape and Ianto was slipping away... "Jack?" He felt Ianto's hand on his shoulder bringing him back to reality, he plucked the letter out of Jack's hand and looked at it with a slight fear behind his eyes, "Junk mail, bloody trolls" He muttered, scrunching it and throwing it into the bin, doing a mini fist pump as it landed. "I bet you can have a better aim than that" Jack whispered, standing up and snaking his arms around Ianto's waist,

"and what is that supposed to mean?" Ianto let out a small smirk before teasing Jack with a look of innocence. "I have no idea" Jack laughed, moving his face to Ianto's ear before whispering "but it sounds great." Immediately Ianto jogged out of the room, starting to pull his shirt off as he did, Jack watched him go, admiring him as he did, those thighs could kill a man, he'd remember to put that to the test.

 "Jack!" The voice sounded alarmed, but it didn't sound like Ianto, "what?" Jack called out, slight panic in his voice, "Nothing?" Ianto questioned, walking slowly back into the room, "are you alright Jack?" He didn't know why but he pushed himself into a deep kiss with Ianto, holding him close as if he was going to go away at any moment. "You are never allowed to leave" Jack whispered, obviously still haunted by his nightmare. Ianto held his face in his hands, a true look of innocence now on his face, "I never will."
"Ianto Jones, I love you" Jack blurted out, content with just staring at Ianto's face for as long as he could, looking at every little thing that made up this man, the only man he ever wanted to see again, the only person that he would never trade for Gwen and Rhys. "Now, where were we" He smirked, slapping Ianros butt as he strolled back into the bedroom, Jack quickly checked his breath before following after.

 "you're dying" The voice sounded more like a hiss, and this time it certainly wasn't Ianto, but Jack was determined to ignore it, this was exactly what he had always wanted and no floating disembodied voice was going to take it away from him. Ianto pulled Jack into a shirtless kiss, holding him as Jack leant into him, "Jack please!" this time Jack looked around, unable to let this go. "Jack? come on, it's nothing" Ianto struggled to keep Jack's attention focused on him, pushing their bodies together. "You can hear it?" Jack asked, feeling fear in his heart, "Jack I... yes I can." Ianto said, his arms dropping to his side, grabbing hold of Jack's hands and gripping them tightly. "And I'm so sorry, but you have to listen to them."

"Ianto?" Jack asked, suddenly so very scared, "Jack I'm so sorry. but... I'm not real, at least, I don't think I am." He tried to pull away, but Ianto held him close, "I feel real, but this is all wrong, I know-" 
"No! stop right now Ianto, I know this is real, I just do!" Jack felt a pang of pain in his heart as he remembered the pain in his heart when Ianto wasn't there "it has to be."
Ianto looked up at him sadly, "it's a dream and I'm so sorry Jack but you have to wake up..." A piece of paper slid under the door, right in front of Jack's eyes, it seemed to be tear stained, and just like the last one, it just had two words:
'you're dying'

"I don't care Ianto! If this is a dream, then I want this, I want you Ianto please!" Ianto's eyes were sadder than Jack had ever seen them "Jack I-"
"No, if you can tell me this then some part of you must be real, you must have been recreated too well, and I can stay, I can't die Ianto!" He tried to sound angry but it all just sounded so scared, "I had to stop you, I had to be what you wanted Jack... but you're right, I feel so real, so listen to me" He grabbed Jack again, staring right into his eyes, "you have to wake up." Jack's eyes welled with tears as he gripped Ianto harder, "I can't lose you, not again..." Ianto choked back tears, "Well at least you know I'm well preserved up there" He whispered, tapping Jack's head with one finger, "You really didn't forget me."
He smiled as Jack cried more into Ianto's shoulder, "And even dream Ianto still loves you, Jack."
"you never followed my orders did you" Jack laughed, painfully, the memory of Ianto's last moments filling his brain. "You always end up pulling me back from death, don't you" Ianto giggled, tears now spilling from his eyes too, "please Jack, I couldn't live with myself if you condemned yourself to die forever, because of me."
"It will kill you Ianto, I'll kill you again"
"And I would die a thousand times to save you, Jack"

Jack shook his head, trying to cling on to Ianto for as long as he could, the voice, now clearly becoming Gwen's, getting louder in his head, this time Ianto pulled him close, into a deep kiss, as Jack felt himself pulling away even though he was still kissing him deeply, "I love you Jack" The image of Ianto and the oh so comforting room was pulling away from him, so far away-

For the second time that day, Jack let out a sudden deep intake of breath, the tears still hanging in his eyes and the kiss still on his lips, as the creature fell from him and turned to dust on the floor, "Jack!" Gwen pulled him into a back breaking hug, "It was so real Gwen, he was so happy" Jack stared into the distance blankly, his eyes empty and glossed with tears. "Jack, it was a dream, there was some sort of dream crab and you were dying Jack oh god you were dying" She spoke quickly her heart racing. "He was real Gwen... He didn't want to die, I killed him again" He looked up at her, more lost than he had ever been in his life, "What kind of man am I if I killed him twice." 
"Oh, Jack." Gwen pulled him back into a hug, holding him as he wept, "It was never your fault Jack," she comforted, holding Jack as he struggled away, "How can you say that! I had him, the happiest I could ever be! I would take a lifelong death one hundred times over if I could still be with him, every chance I get with him I seem to be on the wrong side of loving him and I can't ever make it up! It's always my fault." He stood up, pushing Gwen off and walking away as she stared sadly after him. In their upset, they ignored the throb in their temple's, and they missed the post it note on the floor:
"I love you, Jack"