Title: I won't send you Roses
Characters: Jack, Ianto and mentions of the team.
Spoilers: Very very slight ones for 'In the Shadows'. However, if you haven't listened to this audio book, you probably won't understand the story.
Summary: Jack gets roses, but is it really what it seems?

This was written for my alphabet prompt table letter A: Anonymous given by ilovedoyle
***

“Call me dull, but I'd have stuck with the traditional red.” Ianto Jones, In the Shadows.

It wasn't everyday that Captain Jack Harkness walked into his office to find a vase of red roses balanced on his desk amid the paperwork, post it notes and alien artifacts. After all, they didn't particularly fit in with the general décor of the place. The last time didn't hold many good memories; Jack's own personal hell with added roses, however these were red this time; a positive thing, he was sure.

Jack stood with one foot inside the door, an old saying from the 51st century going round and round his head 'never look a gift Kimatu in the mouth', as he glanced around the room suspiciously, eyeing up the arrangement as though it'd explode any second before pausing to count silently in his head.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

With a soft sigh, Jack moved further into his office feeling safer in knowledge that if things hadn't blown up in the first five seconds then they usually wouldn't … usually being the key word. Even if they did, he'd be one step closer to finding the culprit, after he woke up anyway.

Shrugging off his coat, Jack draped it over the back of his chair before sitting down to inspect the flowers more closely.

Gorgeous red- Ianto red, Jack thought with a sly grin, Ianto looked so good in red... Jack shook his head; he couldn't get distracted - so obviously freshly cut

Sniff.

They smelled beautiful up close, but it hadn't filled the room yet so they'd been there less than an hour. He looked at his wrist watch: barely half seven so he could rule out one out of two team mates.

Being particularly careful of thorns, because although he may heal quickly, it didn't mean he liked being injured, Jack searched in vain for a card within the petals, but there was none. No card, meaning no handwriting in which to fully discover the sender, but who else would be sending beautiful flowers? With a manic grin, Jack stood up and practically ran to the office door.

“Ianto Jones!” Jack's sing-song call echoed around the Hub, but he still couldn't see the Welshman from here.

“You bellowed, sir?” Ianto said, coming up the stairs towards Jack, giving him a scare.

“Christ, we really need to get you a bell!” He always forgot Ianto was so quiet footed, even now.

“Jack, remember what we discussed, kinks are kept to ourselves and the bedroom.” Jack grinned again, leisurely kissing Ianto on the mouth. “And what was that for?” Ianto enquired.

“Putting roses in my office.” Jack stated with a sincere smile: sometimes Ianto could be so romantic and Jack, well Jack really wasn't.

Ianto shook his head, frowning. “Wasn't me, Jack.”

“No?” Another shake. “Really? are you sure?”

“One hundred percent, Jack, why? Who's been leaving you roses?”

“That's a very good question.” Jack turned and stalked back into his office, already he could see a card propped between two roses.

“You've got everything wrong.” The card said simply.

The card slid out of Jack's hands as he stepped away and out of the room into the waiting arms of Ianto Jones.

“Are you alright Jack?” Ianto's voice faded into the background. “What's wrong?”

This was real: Ianto, his office, the Hub, the flowers; it was all real; it all felt so real … but was it really?

[Fin]

I've had very mixed responses from my betas, so whether you loved, liked or hated it, I'd really appriciate some feedback. Thank you :)