I think the KKBB "I was thinking, dinner, a movie..." date scene speaks volumes about how casual their relationship was (at least for Jack) until probably the very, very end when they almost lost Jack.
*nods* I think that Jack -- while charming and seductive -- had had over a century to get used to falling in love with people while still keeping himself seperate and waiting for the Doctor. While he was charming to Ianto, it wasn't a relationship that was a high priority for him -- more something to fill the time. After all, Jack had no trouble falling for the original Jack Harkness and apparently no guilt.
The funny thing is that the Jack inside my head is quite smitten with Ianto -- in S1, in S2 -- but I think Jack is completely able to fall head-over-heels and euphorically crush on someone without it affecting his other decisions (and while keeping himself available for other opportunities). I think Jack had a really strong soft spot for Ianto, but feeling a certain way about someone wouldn't impact Jack's actions the way that... I'd assume it would for almost anyone else.
For Ianto, I think he was still too burned after Lisa to consider Jack in serious terms. Jack wouldn't have made promises, so I think it stayed fairly casual, something that he could think about in terms of sex, not commitment. Ianto seems quite adept at lying to himself when it comes to personal matters (ie. his ability to keep arguing for Jack to save Lisa despite the body-count), and I think it wasn't until he thought Jack was dead that he realised he'd fallen for Jack without noticing.
But Ianto... without Jack pushing for the relationship, without that awkward date scene where Jack makes it crystal clear that he wants traditional commitment and courting as much as the easy friendship and sex, I don't think Ianto would have pushed for more. (But that's a random thought for anohter time.)
What I did want to mention was Quantum is a just fancy word for "hell if I know" (http://lyra-wing.livejournal.com/74029.html) by lyra_wing. It was the first Jack/Ianto fic that I seriously imprinted on and it still rings extremely true to me as a fan. Well worth the read.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zvi and
no subject
Date: 2008-06-03 07:13 am (UTC)*nods* I think that Jack -- while charming and seductive -- had had over a century to get used to falling in love with people while still keeping himself seperate and waiting for the Doctor. While he was charming to Ianto, it wasn't a relationship that was a high priority for him -- more something to fill the time. After all, Jack had no trouble falling for the original Jack Harkness and apparently no guilt.
The funny thing is that the Jack inside my head is quite smitten with Ianto -- in S1, in S2 -- but I think Jack is completely able to fall head-over-heels and euphorically crush on someone without it affecting his other decisions (and while keeping himself available for other opportunities). I think Jack had a really strong soft spot for Ianto, but feeling a certain way about someone wouldn't impact Jack's actions the way that... I'd assume it would for almost anyone else.
For Ianto, I think he was still too burned after Lisa to consider Jack in serious terms. Jack wouldn't have made promises, so I think it stayed fairly casual, something that he could think about in terms of sex, not commitment. Ianto seems quite adept at lying to himself when it comes to personal matters (ie. his ability to keep arguing for Jack to save Lisa despite the body-count), and I think it wasn't until he thought Jack was dead that he realised he'd fallen for Jack without noticing.
But Ianto... without Jack pushing for the relationship, without that awkward date scene where Jack makes it crystal clear that he wants traditional commitment and courting as much as the easy friendship and sex, I don't think Ianto would have pushed for more. (But that's a random thought for anohter time.)
What I did want to mention was Quantum is a just fancy word for "hell if I know" (http://lyra-wing.livejournal.com/74029.html) by