Title: Happy Birthday Drabble

Fandom: Torchwood

Pairing: Jack/ianto

Author Notes: One of Several Birthday Drabbles written for Lady Korana

Happy Birthday Drabble

“Good morning, Sir.”

Jack’s head shot up from the paperwork on his desk, eyes wide to see Ianto standing in the doorway to his office with a tray of tea. “Ianto? What are you doing here?”

Ianto looked hurt as he headed to Jack’s desk and set the tray down. “I’m doing my job, Sir.” There was light congestion in his voice, but mostly it just sounded deeper.

“I mean, what are you doing here this morning? I thought you would stay home today. Yesterday you were practically sneezing your brains out.”

Ianto poured the tea from the kettle into the two cups. “Ah, and you were worried that would mean I’d forget how to make tea?”

Jack smiled one of his smiles where one side of his mouth quirked up higher than the other. He stood and pulled Ianto’s arm, drawing the man around the desk and parking Ianto on his lap. “We don’t have anything going on right now. You didn’t have to come in today just to make me tea.”

“I realize that,” said Ianto, softly. He cleared his scratchy throat and leaned instinctively into Jack, draping an arm around him loosely to hold himself close. “But I wanted to. I…” He trailed off, nose tickling.

Jack held tighter to Ianto and leaned over a little so he could grab the tissue box that sat at the far corner of his desk, beyond his many papers and the tea Ianto had just brought. Ianto reached at the same time, grabbing a tissue from it before Jack had even brought it halfway across the desk.

“hah-Umphtchh! Excuse—ahhrrrr!” he cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

Jack stroked Ianto’s back.

“Your doctor is… well, you don’t know where he is, do you? And Gwen’s off on holiday with Rhys somewhere warmer than Cardif. And everyone else is… you’d be lonely without me here. And I’d be lonely back at my flat without you. I don’t want to be lonely on my birthday.”

“Wait, you have a head cold and it’s your birthday and you came to work to pour me tea?”

“I came to work to be… be with… excuse me… I have to…” He cupped a tissue to his face. “hahhh-Hmphshhhh! Umphshihhh!”

Jack rubbed his hand up and down Ianto’s back again sin sympathy.

“It’s important to me to sniff to not let you down, even if I’m a little ill. Sniff! It’s only a slight head cold, Jack.”

“Slight? You can’t stop sneezing.” Jack shook his head. “It’s important to me that the ones I care about are taken care of.” He pressed a kiss to Ianto’s neck, the closest bit of skin he could reach. “You shouldn’t be here. I’m going to take you home and give you the best birthday a tea boy with a cold could ever have.”

“And what would that entail, exactly, Sir?” He leaned his head against Jack’s, his cheek against the top of Jack’s head.

“I’ll start with putting you to bed and go from there.”

“There’s a lot we can do in bed.”

Jack smiled into Ianto’s suit jacket. “Yes, there is.”

“I... I'm... ex... huh...” Ianto took another tissue and folded it over his nose. “huh-Umphshhhh!” He blew his nose and then looked down at the tissue in his hand as he  politely folded it up and dropped it into the trash. “Jack... you said you don't get  ill. Why do you have a box of tissues on your desk?” Jack's answer was a kiss to the spot just above the knot of his necktie. “Did you get these for me, knowing I'd be at work this morning, Sir?”

There was another kiss. Then Jack picked up the tissue box and pushed it into Ianto's chest. “Keep these for the drive to your flat. The first of many birthday presents.”

Ianto had a feeling that Jack knew far more than he was letting on, especially when he pushed aside a pile of personnel files and grabbed a backpack on the way out of his office.