aviv_b_artwork | Renewal: Chapter 51

IANTO'S JOURNEY, PART III, RENEWAL
TITLE: Chapter 51 - Timing
AUTHOR: Aviv_b
RATING: Chapter 51 - PG-13 for language, and some sexual references
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Gwen, Rhys. Owen, Tosh. Mickey, OCs - Aaron
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 2170
SUMMARY: Ianto and Aaron become lovers.

Title is from: “Life is all about timing... the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable... attainable. Have the patience, wait it out It's all about timing.” Stacey Charter

Authors note: Writing this and the next chapter have been like wrestling crocodiles. Hopefully, I've got them tamed. And if you are strictly a Janto shipper, all I can say is that sometimes you have to trust the author.
___

Aaron managed to keep a straight face through most of dinner. Ianto was trying to keep a calm exterior but not only could Aaron sense his anxiety he could see it in a slight shake of Ianto’s hand as he poured him some wine. Most telling was that Ianto had brewed a spectacularly bad pot of coffee.

‘How did that happen? I never make bad coffee,’ Ianto groused.

“I sense you are very nervous tonight Ianto. Do you want to talk about it?”

Ianto was already turning a little red. ‘Would you be my ‘date’ for Owen and Tosh’s wedding? I hate going alone to these things.’ Aaron smiled and said he'd be glad to go with him.

‘And one other thing, could we go out for pizza and a movie sometime?’

Aaron burst out laughing. Ianto blushed more profusely, and stared at his plate in embarrassment. Aaron stared at Ianto trying to get him to look up. “I thought you’d never ask,” his voice darkening as Ianto glanced up surprised. “How would you feel if we just skipped the pizza and movie and call this our first date?” Ianto smiled. “And I have to ask, do I at least get a kiss at the end of the date?” Aaron hadn’t spoken the last question, but pushed the thought over to Ianto.

Ianto startled as he heard Aaron’s thoughts. They’d been housemates for over a year and hadn’t communicated empathically in all that time. He’d almost forgotten about Aaron’s abilities. The rest of that evening was a bit of a blur to Ianto. He and Aaron were snogging in the hallway and next thing he knew they were in Aaron’s bedroom. They were lying fully clothed side by side as Aaron kissed and stroked Ianto’s face.

“I think we should take this slow Ianto. Get to know each other better. Empathically, I mean. It will make for a stronger relationship and frankly, intensify sexual pleasure.

Ianto snorted. “I’m not making this up.” Aaron smiled and kissed Ianto. “I can show you why much better than I can tell you. Would you be willing to join in an empathic loop with me so I can demonstrate?”

‘What do I have to do?’ Ianto felt the same hesitation that he had felt when John Hart had wanted to look at his memories.

“You know I’ve never looked at your feelings without your knowledge, but I can tell you’re worried. Don’t be. Close your eyes and take my hands, Ianto,” Aaron whispered as he held out his own. Ianto nervously touched Aaron’s hands and felt a shock run through him as Aaron kissed him again. It was strange and wonderful; he could feel…he wasn’t quite sure what he could feel. He focused on his emotions and kissed Aaron back. Aaron groaned and Ianto shivered. He actually could feel Aaron’s physical reaction to the kiss. Not the kiss itself, but the pleasure and desire that Aaron felt. That in turn was looping back to him intensifying his own feelings.

He heard Aaron push out with “I wanted to be with you the day we met at the New Years Party when you and I spoke on the terrace. But I couldn’t tell you when you were so obviously involved with someone. And it was too close to losing Geoffrey for me to trust my feelings. Now I’m afraid that if we take this too far too fast before you’re certain you want to be with me, that I’ll get my heart broken if Harkenss returns.”

Ianto opened his eyes and looked into Aaron’s. He could feel exactly how Aaron felt about him. He smiled when he realized that Aaron not only desired him but was in awe (of all things) of him. ‘You’re amazed at me? Come on.’

“You’ve been through so much, and it hasn’t made you bitter or hard or withdrawn. I don’t know how you do it. But I think it’s remarkable. And I’m so ordinary; I feel unworthy of you.”

Ianto thought Aaron was being daft, but it struck him that having someone feel that way about you was very flattering. He had loved the way Jack had made him feel physically and initially all the care Jack gave him was nice, but after a while he felt like Jack was in total control of the relationship. And if he was honest with himself it always hurt when he knew Jack was off visiting one of his other friends. He understood that Jack didn’t need or want total monogamy, but Ianto knew it was what he needed.

They didn’t do much more than some more kissing and touching that night, but Ianto was completely secure and at ease. Ianto could feel Aaron’s care for him, and how focused he was on Ianto’s well-being. And he could also sense Aaron’s happiness; that he felt lucky Ianto wanted to be with him. This time he was going to trust his instincts and at that moment he knew that he and Aaron were right for each other.

Upon later reflection, Ianto realized that somewhere inside he always believed that he didn’t deserve commitment and loyalty. It wasn’t just Jack, it was Lisa as well. Both of them had liked Ianto but neither one really loved him. Lisa had liked his popularity, and Jack enjoyed a physical relationship with him, but neither one really cared a great deal about what Ianto wanted. This time was going to be different.

***

It didn’t take long before Ianto and Aaron were lovers. And Aaron wasn’t kidding when he said the sex would be intense. Admittedly, Aaron was not as sexually creative as Jack, but it didn’t seem to be necessary with the bond they developed. The lightest lick of Aaron’s tongue on his neck, or the feel of him blowing breath across Ianto’s nipple, or feeling Aaron’s erection against his would loop back and forth until it was unbearably wonderful for Ianto. Aaron would continue to worship Ianto’s body, gently preparing him and pleasuring him before finally entering him.

Aaron delighted in bringing Ianto right up to the edge and then holding him there as long as possible. Ianto would find himself begging Aaron to finish while Aaron would just smile and continue to prolong the exquisite pleasure/pain that Ianto was experiencing with gentle thrusts or strokes. And when Ianto finally came it felt like an out of body experience. With practice (and they practiced a lot), Ianto was able to do the same for Aaron. There was no competition between them for dominance, they moved fluidly between topping and bottoming each sensing what was right for the moment.

Most surprisingly to Ianto was that they talked. Really talked, or in their case, exchanged information without speech most of the time. He learned more about Aaron’s life in a few conversations than he had ever learned about Jack.

Ianto was shocked by the difficulty Aaron had experienced trying to navigate two very different cultures.

“When I first went to Israel when I was six, I was already trained in that British reserved emotional state. After all, I am the Brigadier’s son. He taught me well that men keep a stiff upper-lip, don’t cry, and don’t show emotions when they deal with pain or disappointment Israeli’s do a lot of yelling at each other, that’s our culture. If anything we err on the side of holding nothing back emotionally. I got so much grief for not saying what I meant in Israel, that I became extremely outspoken and direct. Then, when I came back to England to go to college, I couldn’t fit in because I was unacceptably loud and blunt. I ate a lot of shite my first year in college; so I learned to tone things down. I’m still very open emotionally, but now having developed my empathic ability, I can make sure it doesn’t overwhelm people.”

Ianto was moved to tell Aaron about his first year of college when everyone made fun of him because of his shyness and his accent. “I don’t know what’s worse, being made fun of because how you speak or being teased because of the way your dick looks,” Aaron said laughing.

Ianto rolled his eyes. ‘You’re kidding?’ Aaron shook his head ‘no.’ ‘Well, I like your dick.’

“Good thing, because it’s the only one I’ve got.”

***

By the time they went to Tosh and Owen’s wedding the week before Christmas they were a couple in every sense of the word.

Ianto had been surprised that Tosh had wanted a traditional wedding with the white dress and tiered cake and tuxes for the groom and best man. “I was surprised too,” Owen laughed. Who would have thought that Tosh was a huge Barbie fan as a kid, including the full wedding ensemble?”

‘So you’d be Ken, then,’ Ianto teased.

“Oi, I’m much better looking than Ken,” Owen snarked. “At least I have real hair, not to mention being anatomically correct!”

Ianto hadn’t shared much about him and Aaron with his friends at Torchwood, so they were a bit shocked when they walked in to the prenuptial dinner holding hands. Aaron knew Mickey from London and when they got engrossed in a discussion about mutual friends at UNIT, the rest of the team and Rhys bombarded Ianto with questions.

“So when did you start dating?” Gwen asked in confusion. “More importantly, when did you two start shagging?” Owen teased. “Yeah and how come you didn’t tell us?” “Does your family know?”

Ianto held up a hand to silence the group. ‘We’ve been together only a few months.’ Owen rolled his eyes in disbelief. ‘Honestly, just after I got the invitation to the wedding.’

“Oh duw,” sighed Rhys, “does this mean we’re going to have another wedding to go to soon?” Everyone laughed.

‘And if you did, would that be a problem?’ He and Aaron had never discussed any such thing, but he figured it was best to see who was going to stick by him or not.

“Sweetheart, it’s not a problem for any of us,” Gwen explained, “we’re just surprised because you never said anything to us.”

“We just want you to be happy, and frankly, I hope you do make it official,” Owen remarked. “I second the motion,” Gwen added. “Here’s to Ianto and Aaron,” Rhys toasted just as Mickey and Aaron rejoined them.

“Did I hear my name?” Aaron asked a little shyly.

Rhys smiled at him. “We were just toasting you and Ianto, and we expect to be invited to the wedding.”

Ianto turned red. “I’ll take that under advisement,” Aaron laughed as he kissed Ianto on the cheek and winked at Rhys.

The next day the wedding went off without a hitch. Tosh was lovely in an ivory tea length dress, Owen looked handsome (if uncomfortable) in his tux and no aliens interrupted the nuptials. Owen didn’t have any family and Tosh only had her mother, so the wedding was mostly Torchwood employees, along with a few of Tosh’s neighbors and friends.

Ianto hesitated to dance with Aaron in front of his friends, but after Rhys threatened to dance with Aaron if he didn’t, Ianto decided to go for it. Neither was great on the dance floor but they picked a slow song and swayed to the music in a close embrace. Ianto was astonished at how relaxed he was with Aaron, and how he had grown so comfortable with him over the last year. “I love you,” Aaron whispered. Ianto smiled and closed his eyes allowing Aaron to more access to his emotions. ‘Love you too,’ he projected. Tosh and Owen had taken a break from dancing and watched them on the dance floor. “If they are not in love, then I’m crazy,” Owen smirked.

“I feel a little conflicted,” Tosh confessed. “I’m happy for him, of course, but sad that…Jack couldn’t be here today. But I have a feeling if Jack was here, Ianto wouldn’t have come.”

“I know this is selfish, but I sometimes hope he’ll never come back,” Owen admitted. “We’re all happy and settled into our new roles at Torchwood now and I have a feeling that Jack’s return would do nothing but upset the balance we’ve achieved. Gwen and Mickey are organized and competent in their senior roles, Penny is a damn good archivist and we can actually take a honeymoon without any drama.

Tosh looked at Owen shocked. She had to admit that everything Owen said made a lot of sense. But secretly she still hoped that Jack would return. They’d work it out at the Hub if he came back, she was confident that some accommodation could be made between Gwen, Mickey and Jack if necessary.

“Most importantly, Ianto’s has a great job, a partner that adores him, and he looks happier than I’ve ever seen him. I really can’t see any good coming from Jack’s return at least as far as Ianto’s concerned.”

On that point, Tosh was in total agreement with Owen.

Chapter 52 here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/27438.html