Ianto realizes that he's said something wrong from the moment John's expression falls. Which is really just his luck, here, considering how well it had been going, and how close they had been to getting this right. But whatever he'd just said -- however it had come across -- it hadn't gone well and certainly not as intended.

After a quiet moment he snakes his hand from where he's stilled it against the other man's chest to rest it gently against his back, shifting the hand in his hair to brush against his cheek. He's not entirely certain where it is that he's gone wrong but he feels it in the press of the other man's body against his and he'd prefer to at least try and make the attempt to redeem this. If he can...

"John?" he asks, softly. Not even bothering with addressing the metaphor or -- whatever it is anymore.