Title: Out On The Table
By: Dark Cascade
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
A/N: This is my newest obsession. Song fics. Any way, here we are.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or the Plain White Tees...damn...
Summary: Both of them knew all along. Song-fic. Janto of course. 'Write You A Song' by Plain White Tees.

***

I can't buy you nice things, like big diamond rings
But that don't mean much anyway
I can't give you the house you've been dreaming
If I could I would build it alone
I'd be out there all day, just hammering away
Make us a place of our own

Ianto loves Jack.
Jack loves Ianto.
Once you take into consideration that both men are entirely too emotionally stubborn for their own good, you will understand why Jack isn't the always so forthcoming with this information.
Ianto knows Jack loves him, and doesn't care that they live in a small flat, or that Jack's idea of a normal birthday or Christmas gift involved fluffy handcuffs. The Welshman doesn't mind.

I don't know that I'd make a good soldier
I don't believe in being violent and cruel

Jack's been in some close calls before...weevils, guns, Time Agents from some weird-ass version of Hell.
The man has always come back, and Ianto had always counted on it.
Of course, Ianto hated having to see his lover die in the first place, even if he knew it wasn't permanent.
Every time Jack took his not-so-last breath, Ianto braced himself for this to be the time that his Captain didn't wake up.

I don't know how to fight, but I'll draw blood tonight
If somebody tries hurting you

Jack's lover's safety was all that mattered some days. Others, Ianto had to get shot for Jack to be truly worried. It wasn't as though Jack didn't care for his Welshman, it was just that Ianto is a big boy, and he can take care of himself. But once Jack's protective side rears its ugly head, you better be in a galaxy far, far away, preferably one no one has ever heard of, because that former Time-Agent has connections, and The Doctor still owes him a favor. Ianto might not think hurting people is the answer, but when a certain tea-boy is involved, Jack is a shoot first, ask questions later type of guy.

Now that it's out on the table (it's out on the table)
Both of us knew all along (knew all along)
I've got your loving and you've got my song

After Lisa, and Suzie, and when Torchwood seemed to be at its lowest, the pair only comforted each other. A warm bed is a blessing for some people; it can be all they really need.

Jack left, though. He abandoned his team, left his home, and dropped his lover in two seconds of TARDIS energy.
This never set well with the team. Owen, being even more like an asshole than normal. Gwen, a pathetic heartsick woman. Tosh, left by her best friend and closest confidante, and Ianto, the warm body that missed the Captain too bloody much.

I don't know all the right things to do
I can't say where we'll go, but the one thing I know

"Ianto, I'm sorry." Jack said over and over. He wouldn't stop making himself the bad guy.

"Jack, you came back. That was all I needed."

Is how to be a good man to you
Until I die, that's what I'll do

A simple oath, a few words, and two rings. Ianto and Jack could get married, the former for the first time, and the latter for...the umpteenth time.
The younger man had thought about it, but it wasn't much like Jack to settle down. Ianto didn't completely love the idea either. Whatever relationship they had, it was good to him the way it was.

I will write you a song
That's how you'll know that my love is still strong
I will write you a song
And you'll know from this song that I just can't go on without
I will write you a song (I will write you a song)
That's how you'll know that my love is still strong (love is still strong)

So, Jack won't give Ianto a ring, and Ianto won't write Jack a song.
Love is love, and if you always played by the rules...nothing exciting would ever happen.

I will write you a song
And you know from this song that I just can't go on without you