"Yep," Ianto replied softly. "Unfortunately, we are the society of quick fixes. But those pits are a step-up from the staple over-the-counter pills, 24-hour pharmacies and plastic surgery. Might be best to block them off for good, because if someone wants to use them, they're unlikely to listen regardless of whether they know the risks. I don't think even you could persuade them to change their mind, which is really saying something." And Ianto had authority to speak on that matter, because he'd experienced plenty of Jack's methods of persuasion firsthand. They were all very... persuasive.
Sensing no recognition from Jack, Ianto realised that he hadn't quite reached that time. Yet, there was no thinking about it when Jack dropped his hand from his knee. Ianto reached out and gently set his own hand on Jack's upon the desk, with no pressure, no demand. It was a touch of care, and neither of them had to lose it completely.
Then Jack mentioned Tommy, the soldier Ianto had put out of mind a relatively long time ago, and the fingers on Jack's knuckles stiffened almost imperceptibly. He hadn't expected both of them to be from the same moment, but that was several months longer than he'd initially thought. The realisation sunk deeper about all those memories Jack no longer possessed, or rather, had never gained, including the ones with him. The trials that had occasionally ended in disagreements, because he cared enough about Jack to draw the line with him. The late-hour talks punctuated with pizza and the occasional check of the computers, all washed down with nerve-strengthening coffee and the anticipation of ending up together on the quiet nights. Not always obedient, not always agreeing, but still Jack's.
And despite that, Jack looked exactly the same as he'd seen him that morning. That was the part of all this which didn't surprise Ianto. It was one of the many things that he'd gotten used to, relied on, drawn comfort from. If Jack had been a few months down the line, if they had been a few months down the line, Ianto wouldn't have hesitated to press up close to that familiar form, to be the one to haul him into a hug to soothe out the plea in his eyes. But he didn't lose sight of the unfortunate fact that this was all earlier for Jack, and although Ianto's own feelings had become far more certain in those hollow months when he'd left with the Doctor, it would hardly be fair to throw at him a relationship that might have been only a vague idea in the back of his mind at that point... He seemed to be dealing with enough right then.
Swallowing down the lump that had risen in his throat, Ianto told him instead, "Considering that you haven't lived out the next months yet, technically you haven't missed anything." It was an evasive thing to say, maybe, but he decided he would do his best to not let the lack of memories affect Jack, even if he was unsure how he was supposed to do that for himself. "If it helps to know, it worked out with Tommy. You stopped time from splintering, saved the world again, and you've been doing the same ever since. Not looking half bad while you're at it, I might add." He let his fingers tighten over Jack's for a second, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth, trying to inject some humour into the statement. Any more gravitas, and it felt like the moment would collapse under its own weight.