Summary: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Torchwood Circus! Let me introduce the team. Up in the air on tightrope and flying trapeze we have Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato and Suzie Costello. On solid ground is Owen Harper and his talented troupe of acrobats. And I am ringmaster and magician Captain Jack Harkness. Now sit back and prepare to be wowed!" Everyone dreams of running away with the circus at one point or another. Ianto Jones is determined to do exactly that.
Chapter 1: Running away with the Circus, every kid's dream, right?
Ianto Jones sat in the audience of the circus for the fourth time that week. He was watching the last act of the night with intense concentration. The acrobatic clowns were pulling off complex gymnastics with grace and ease making them look enjoyable and fun, not at all like the techniques Ianto practised, which were rigid and precise. He longed perform with them, there was nothing better than having an audience cheer and laugh with you, as opposed to the polite applause that followed a perfect routine.
He applauded with the rest of the audience at the end of the skit. The ringmaster, Jack Harkness, stepped forward for the final time that night, bidding the audience a pleasant evening and, after allowing each of the performers one last bow, bowed for himself and walked out of the performance space.
The audience filed out slowly, chattering noisily amongst themselves, giving immediate reviews to companions and friends. Ianto waited patiently for the stands to empty before making his way to the barrier between the audience and the performance space. He vaulted the barrier with ease and made his way to the door that the performers and exited through mere minutes earlier. The change rooms behind the door were deserted, for which Ianto was grateful. It wouldn't do to be caught before he'd got what he came for.
He spied a door at one end of the room marked with a name and a title. As he neared it he read:
Jack Harkness; Ringmaster
He knocked hesitantly at the door and waited for someone, presumably the ringmaster himself, to answer. The door swung open and Ianto was faced with the man himself, rid now of his long, red tail coat and top hat, Jack Harkness was still impossibly imposing.
"Who are you?" the ringmaster asked.
"Jones, Ianto Jones." Ianto replied.
"Sorry kid," Harkness disregarded Ianto's introduction. "I don't do autographs. I'm flattered that you made the effort to come ask for one, so I won't call security and you can leave in peace."
"I'm not after an autograph." Ianto explained. "I want a job."
"I get that running away with the circus is appealing 'cause it looks like fun," stated Harkness. "But you're young. Go back to school. Get yourself a real job, a real life. We're not hiring."
Harkness tried to close the door, but Ianto held it open with strength unexpected from his slight frame.
"I'm a good gymnast," he said. "I could be an acrobat. I'm not looking for money, just food and a place to sleep."
"The answer is still 'no'" The ringmaster reiterated. "Now leave before I make you."
Harkness slammed the door in Ianto's face. Ianto did as the man asked and left, but resolved to not give up, as a plan formed in his mind.