Cursed

“Susan?” Ianto blinked sleepily from where he was once again reclined against Jack. 

“I specifically told you to stay home and rest today!” she declared.  “Imagine my surprise when I showed up at your flat to check you over, and you weren’t there!”

“Ianto?” Jack moved so Ianto was forced to sit up with a groan of protest.  “Something you forgot to mention?”  He tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but he knew he’d failed when Ianto cringed.  He reached out and ran a hand up and down Ianto’s arm, trying to reassure him.

“I forgot,” Ianto murmured.

“You have an eidetic memory, now,” Susan pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

“No, the trauma and the painkillers may have caused a blank,” Owen cut in.  He ignored the look Toshiko sent him.  Hell, it might even be true, but he wasn’t going to let the Healer – or Jack, for that matter – browbeat Ianto.  Not when the kid was cringing like a kicked puppy.  And actually, in watching the younger man now, he wondered if he was actually telling the truth.

“I didn’t think it would do any harm,” Ianto said, sounding beaten.  “I wanted to be there.  For Jack.  And Rhys.  It didn’t take long.  And then we went for food, and I slept on Jack at the restaurant.”

“It’s okay,” Jack said, knowing Ianto’s fatigue was a huge issue, and it was causing a lot of anxiety, but that was no reason to add to the problem.  “I’m glad you were there.  Well, except for…”

“What on earth happened to your neck?” Susan practically shouted.

“Gwen’s fiancé didn’t take the news very well,” Jack said, wincing as Ianto cowered.  He sent Susan a warning glare, which she caught.  It almost caused another outburst, but then she saw how Ianto was reacting to her ire. 

“Ianto, I’m sorry for shouting,” she said, quickly sitting on the coffee table and facing him.  She reached out and took his hand.  “Please understand that it’s because I am very worried about you.  You were severely depleted when we discharged you, and wand shopping took more of your reserves.  Your injuries last night…  Ianto, your reserves are gone.  Do you understand what that means?”

“Not really,” Ianto replied.  “But is that why I don’t feel right?”

“Ianto?” Jack felt fear trickle through him.

“Oh, for…” Susan huffed and brought out her wand, casting a spell and reading the runes.  Given what she knew about Ianto’s activities since leaving St. Mungo’s, the results were not unexpected.  “Well.  I can’t say it is a great surprise that you’re not feeling ‘right’,” she said.  “Ianto, I am ordering bed rest for the next five days.  No, do not argue with me.  My concern for your emotional state is the only reason I’m not dragging you back to St. Mungo’s right now!  And if I don’t like what I see in five days’ time, that might still be my decision!”

“What?” Jack looked alarmed.  “What’s wrong with him?”

“This is partly my fault,” Susan sighed.  She took Ianto’s hand again.  “We spent so much time talking about you, I’m not sure we talked to you as much as we should have.  You weren’t necessarily to know, though I don’t like your habit of disregarding how ill you feel and trying to push past it, in order to keep working.  I know your job is important, but I rather imagine you recognize the fact that you need to be here to do it, and that won’t be possible if you kill yourself through such neglect.”

“Oi, I thought he was immortal, now,” Owen said, frowning.

“Only if his healing factor is working,” Susan pointed out.  “And right now, it’s not.”

“What?” Jack asked.  “But the gunshot wounds…”

“Any healing you see is down to Luna’s quick thinking, Harry’s skill with an accio spell, and the potions I administered,” she replied.  “He’s actually healing more slowly than a normal person, at the moment.”

Ianto gasped as he felt a cascade of fear, dread, guilt, anger, and desperation flow through the bond from Jack.  He bent double at the force of his lover’s feelings. 

“Ianto?” Susan asked, alarmed.

“Jack,” Ianto cried out.  “Please!  Too much…”

Jack realized that he had been broadcasting the tumult of his feelings at Susan’s revelation.  He quickly shielded the chaotic feelings, and almost immediately Ianto sucked in a deep breath and reached out an arm, groping for Jack.  Jack caught his lover’s hand and pulled him close, hugging him to him and whispering soothing words of comfort.

“What just happened?” Toshiko asked.

“Their bond is empathic,” Susan said as the realization dawned.  “Jack just panicked…”

“And Ianto felt it,” Owen finished. 

“But why did Jack panic?” Tosh asked.

“Because if something happens to Ianto before his healing factor engages, his immortality may not be guaranteed,” Owen speculated.  Susan’s nod confirmed he was correct.

“But what would that mean, with an established bond?” Tosh looked appalled.

“Nothing good,” Owen groaned.

“Hence the panic,” Susan finished, watching the two men hold onto one another.

“I’m confused,” Owen said.  “Why did you release him from hospital if he was still so ill?”

Susan caught Ianto’s eye, to make sure he was listening.  It was clear he hadn’t understood how precarious his recovery was, at the moment.  “What you must understand is that the curse-breaking and introduction of the dragon’s blood saved Ianto’s life, but it also damn near killed him.  It wiped out his energy levels and depleted his reserves.”

“But I thought he was resting and recovering while he was away,” Tosh fretted.

“Yes, but it takes time to rebuild from scratch.  There were only two weeks between when the fever from the dragon’s blood broke and when we released him from St. Mungo’s.  He’d made a good start on restoring his reserves, but I think finding a wand took a greater toll than any of us expected, and then last night’s exertions, combined with his injuries, wiped him out, again.”  She looked at him and shook her head.  “Honestly, I’m not sure how he’s even upright, right now.”

“Idiocy and bloody-mindedness, at a guess,” Owen said, leaning back.  He could only imagine what Jack was feeling, right now.  Hell, Owen felt ill at the idea that after all they had been through, they might still lose Ianto.  The level of exhaustion Susan was describing meant the younger man’s heart could give out far too easily; and with no healing factor to help him recover, the risk of him just slipping away was all too real.

Without warning, Jack sat back and then reached out and took Ianto’s face in his hands, drew in a lungful of air, and kissed him, breathing a bolus of vortex into his beloved, hoping to bolster him.  When he turned the younger man loose, he was deeply satisfied by the punch-drunk expression on his face.

“Bit much, Jack,” Ianto chastised with a gasp, falling against the older man and clutching his shirt as a wave of dizziness washed over him while the jolt of energy worked its way through his system.  He heard Jack chuckle, but it took several minutes for the hub to stop spinning enough for him to turn his lover loose.

“Susan, can you take Ianto home?” Jack asked.  Ianto leaned away from him with a frown, and he leaned forward to kiss the younger man’s nose.  “I need to make a few calls to be sure Owen and Tosh have all the help they need and then gather together enough work to keep me busy.”

“Jack?” Ianto asked.

“Nope.  No arguments from you.  You’re going to rest, even if I have to tie you to the bed, and not in the fun way!”

Owen snorted a laugh as Ianto protested and Susan and Toshiko giggled. 

***

True to his word, Jack kept Ianto in bed for the next five days, not allowing the younger man to vacate it for any reason other than bathroom breaks and a shower, each morning.  The rest of the time, Jack waited on him, hand and foot, ignoring his protests and doing his best to spoil his lover.

Ianto, unused to such attention, took a bit of time to adjust.  Sure, their time at St. Mungo’s had made it easy for him to accept Jack as his now permanent bedmate, but Ianto was not used to being waited on.  It had been different when hospital staff brought food and helped change bed linens, but having Jack do such things felt strange.  Ianto felt guilty for imposing until he realized that what he was feeling along their bond was Jack’s joy at being able to take care of his lover.

Saturday evening found Ianto sat up against the headboard in his bed, awake for more than the half hour it usually took Jack to feed him for the first time since Susan had brought him home, the day before.  He had slept twenty-eight of the last thirty hours, and despite the fact that he was still tired, he wanted to spend some time with Jack. 

The older man had snuck away from the bed while Ianto had been sleeping earlier to start dinner.  Now he was plating it up and delivering it to Ianto on a tray the younger man knew he didn’t own.  Clearly, Tosh had been helping Jack to accommodate their current circumstances, which he should have already realized, given the fact that much of what Jack had been cooking had not been present in Ianto’s pantry or refrigerator. 

What had come as the greatest surprise was what a good cook Jack was.  Even the cheese toasties and tomato soup at lunch had been delicious.  Jack had turned his nose up at the idea of serving Ianto tinned soup, and his homemade version was certainly delicious, but it was the love and care in every action that was overwhelming Ianto.

Jack felt the overwhelm along their bond and set down the tray before taking the younger man in his arms.  Ianto shuddered and snuffled, silently cursing the tears that were falling, yet again.  Old abuse from his uncle arose unbidden, and he shook his head, trying to at least clear that nonsense from his thoughts.

“’m so tired of crying,” he muttered, leaning back and swiping at the tears.

“It’s just the fatigue,” Jack said, taking the opportunity to tenderly brush the tears away before kissing his beloved.  “There’s no shame in being overwhelmed by everything you’ve been through, Ianto.”

“I know,” Ianto said, but at a look from Jack added, “Well, I’m trying, but I just want to feel better, now.”

“I think you’re forgetting that you do,” Jack pointed out, his voice as gentle as the smile that graced his lips.  At Ianto’s look of confusion, he added, “Feel better.  Think of all the pain that’s gone.  It is gone, right?”

“Yes,” Ianto admitted, feeling like it shouldn’t have been necessary for Jack to point this out to him.  Though in fairness, the soreness from the gunshot wounds were still with him, so not being completely pain free was also likely a factor.

“Look,” Jack sighed, sad that Ianto was always so hard on himself.  “There’s been a lot going on.  I think you can be forgiven for not being able to keep up.  Hell, Ianto, I’m shocked at how much you’ve just taken in stride!”

Ianto looked at him, surprised.

“So how about I help you, until you’ve had time to process and assimilate everything?” he smiled.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, like helping you to remember that the growing pains are gone.  Right?  And you have your magic back.  You told me when you woke that you feel pretty well, other than being ‘a bit sore’, which considering you were shot three times two days ago, is not something to be taken for granted.  I mean, I know you’ve never been shot before, but trust me, ‘a bit sore’ is a huge win,” he smiled, reaching for the lap tray.

Ianto sat tailor style against the headboard and Jack placed the tray in front of him.  It was wide enough that Jack had room to face him so they could share the tray and an intimate meal.  They spoke in low tones, enjoying the closeness, and Jack continued to help Ianto see (and begin to appreciate) the progress he had made.

Once they were done with their meal and Jack had made enough of a start on the dishes that they wouldn’t be a nightmare to clean once Ianto fell back to sleep, he rejoined his lover in the bed and cued up a movie on the laptop that Toshiko and Owen had brought by earlier, hooking it up to a large monitor they had also brought and set up on Ianto’s dresser.

In the end, the movie merely provided a bit of background noise as the two men cuddled and canoodled, enjoying long, soft kisses until Ianto once more succumbed to sleep.

***