Summery: Out on a mission, Owen and Ianto get into an argument, ending with Ianto storming off alone to prove himself. Owen waits, but time passes and he doesn't show, forcing him to call Jack for help...
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, adventure, minor romance
Rating: T
Warnings: mild slash, spoilers for the middle of season 2 and some swearing
Disclaimer: Not mine
.
.
.
.
The silence echoed throughout the forest, lingering around the trees like a pressing mist and cutting much deeper into awareness then any sound ever could. No passer by could mistake the lack of noise as peace, the hundreds of dry, dead branches made sure of that.
Footsteps, combined with low murmuring, forced its way through the pressing eeriness and created a small bubble where sound could pass.
"Ianto, are you sure this is it?" The disbelief in Owen's voice was obvious as he gave his surroundings a dubious glance.
"According to our locators, yes, this should be the correct location," came the accented reply from the other, though he sounded unsure of it himself. "Though it looks like no one has set foot here for years..." he trailed off, eying a particularly creepy looking tree.
Owen narrowed his eyes slightly. "Did you listen to anything Jack said at the hub? This is what it does."
Ianto grit his teeth, not wanting to start another debate when they both needed their full concentration focused on the task. God knows why fate decided to send the two least compatible members of the Torchwood team on a mission like this.
It had all started that morning, when Gwen had called in sick with the flu, leaving them a member short. They had just managed to figure out how to cover her work for the day when reports had come in about a weevil attack, so Jack and Tosh had gone to sort it out. Unfortunately, Tosh had been unable to stop a particularly aggressive one, and had ended up hurt. Only a few hours later, one of the monitors had alerted them of an alien that fed of the energy of plants. Jack was tied up with something at the time, which was what led to Owen and Ianto to their current predicament.
They where reluctant to let the silence between them remain, the haunting lack of sound in the forest enough to creep them out despite their experiences with horrors far worse, but speaking would mean alerting the alien of their presence.
Ianto studied the ground closely, trying to pic up any hint as to where the creature could have gone, but it was hard to spot anything unusual when he wasn't quite so sure of what he was looking for in the first place. They had no detailed information on the tracks it left behind, save a world of death.
A branch suddenly snapped beneath his feet and he started violently, a high-pitched yell escaping his mouth before he could stop it. He quickly caught his balance and snapped his mouth shut in the same instance, but glancing over at Owen, he found that the damage had already been done. The shorter man was glaring sternly at him. "Good job, why not tell the hole bloody forest we're here while you're at it?" he growled, not bothering to keep his own voice under control.
"Sorry," Ianto muttered, brushing some dirt of his suit. "Find anything?"
"Actually, yes. Come and look at this." The medic gestured to a point between two trees
"I don't see anything," Ianto informed him, frowning. "It looks just like everything else."
Owen lifted a hand, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. "You need to come closer," he said slowly, as if speaking to someone who had trouble understanding English. This time, Ianto had a hard time swallowing his insults, but held his tongue as he walked over to the other man and knelt down beside him, looking at the direction he was pointing.
Several moments of silence passed before he decided to speak up. "I still can't see anything."
He felt rather then saw Owen stir beside him and he had to force himself to remain still as the other bounced back up onto his feet. "No wonder we got lost on the way here. Can't you see anything? There!"
"That wasn't my fault," Ianto bit back, finally reaching his limit. "You where the one holding the map." Despite his anger, he was able to keep his voice relatively even.
"But then you had to go and drop the compass in that bloody river, didn't you Ianto?" Owens voice was practically dripping with sarcasm now, not feeling any need to hold back now that they where both riled up.
"You pushed me into 'that bloody river'" he added quotation marks with his fingers.
"I tripped, you just happened to be in the way!"
"It was a flat surface," Ianto deadpanned. "There is no way you could have tripped."
Owen sighed. "Look, lets just get on with this so we can get back to the hub."
Ianto nodded and a temporary truce was formed. Ianto never did know what Owen was pointing at, but he still followed his lead. Even if it did turn out to be nothing, it was better the strolling blindly around the woods and hoping for their hand-held monitor to pick up another spike.
Things between them calmed down considerably and they where able to cover a great deal of land without tearing each others throats out. That was, until they reached the subject of Captain Jack Harkness.
"I just find it infuriating that he keeps everything to himself," Owen complained, causing Ianto's gaze to harden.
"He isn't all bad," he insisted, feeling the need to defend the Captain, despite the fact that he actually agreed with Owen. "Jack only wants what's best for us."
"You're only saying that because he gives you the occasional shag," Owen said, waving his hand dismissively. Ianto froze, his face colouring slightly.
"That's not true," he muttered, biting the inside of his cheek to stop his usually calm temper from rising. "It's not like that."
Owen just gave a short, humorless laugh. "It is and we both know it. He'll never stay long enough to get attached to anyone, and that includes you. Then again, maybe that's why he keeps you around, so he'll be assured a quick shag whenever he likes–" his breath caught as he suddenly found himself hoisted up by the collar of his shirt.
"You take that back," Ianto spat, fingers flexing in the others fabric. He could see several emotions flash through Owens face, ranging from fear (probably from Ianto actually making some irreversible damage to his body) and annoyance at being unable to reach the ground. His features then set into amusement.
"Hit a nerve, did I?" He made sure to keep his voice smooth as to not provoke Ianto whilst he had the upper hand.
Ianto was breathing rapidly, his hot breath burning at the tip of his tongue. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do and was seriously debating throwing a punch, but thought the better of it.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
It was in that moment the monitor went of, startling them both. Finally coming to his senses, Ianto's grip loosened on Owens shirt, allowing the man to have both his feet on the ground, but his eyes never left those of the man towering over him.
"You know what?" Ianto breathed. "I don't need to take this." And in one fluid motion, he turned on his heels and began to storm off.
"Hey!" Owen yelled. "Where are you going?"
Ianto stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn. "To prove to you that Jack keeps me around for my ability to work," he said. "Stay here. I'll be back in twenty minutes with the alien."
Owen remained in his place as he watched Ianto disappear into the forest and the thought occurred to him that maybe, he had crossed the line.
.
A small, triumphant smile curved at the corner of Ianto's lips as he tightened the grip of the capsule which now contained the alien that had been draining the forest of life. It had been easy enough to catch the alien once he had caught sight of it, it had barely struggled and he had caught it on his first attempt.
Now all he had to do was get back to Owen. He turned, ready to go, but stopped, a sudden realization washing over him: he had no idea what way to go and the map was still with Owen. Sighing in frustration, he reached down to pull out his mobile and call for help, but his fingers only brushed against empty pockets.
Ianto froze, eyes widening and a slow sense of dread began to fill his entire being, making him feel nauseous and slightly dizzy.
He was lost and alone with no means of contacting anyone for help.
Ianto drew a shaky breath. All he needed to do was stay calm and not panic. So long that he kept his head, he would be fine.
'Yeah right, and cows can dance.'
Ianto promptly ignored that pessimistic voice in the back of his mind and began to walk in what he hoped was the right direction, following what he hoped to be his own track, but might as well have been that of an animal.
'Don't think like that, of course this is the right way.'
Taking care to keep track of his surroundings, Ianto failed to notice the root sticking out from the ground until it was to late and his foot got caught. The pain was instant, however, he had no time to recover as he was sent crashing forwards, bashing his head against an unfortunately located tree.
The dull throb began to set in at about the same time Ianto's vision began to swim and he had a hard time making out his surroundings. For some reason, this didn't bother him as much as it should have.
He became aware of a wetness trailing down the back of his neck and his vision slowly blurred until it got to the point where he could barely see anything apart from large flecks of white. Ianto didn't even bother to try to cling on to consciousness, he knew he was on his way out, so why fight the inevitable?
Moments later, he virtually dead to the world.
.
Ten minutes had gone by. Ten had turned to twenty, that had eventually turned to thirty and eventually reached one hour.
There was still no sign of Ianto and Owen was beginning to feel real concern gripping at his stilled heart. He should have followed Ianto, argument or not. Their unprofessional in handling this case was beginning to give bigger consequences then he had first anticipated.
There was only one thing he could do at the moment. Owen took a deep breath, filling his dead lungs with needless oxygen and took his mobile phone out from his pocket.
It was time to call Jack.
.
The first thing he became aware of was something prodding at his eyelids. He tried to ignore it, but the poking became more insistent. With a groan, he peered out through half-lidded eyelids to see what was demanding his attention.
A button-eyed shrew stared back at him.
Ianto was on his feet with a yelp, though instantly regretted it as a dizzy spell overtook him and he reached out blindly for support, wincing as his hand came in contact with bark rough enough to scrape the skin of his palm. He took a deep breath to steady himself and for the first time since he got lost, he was glad that the tree was there, as it provided some means of support.
Once the world around him had ceased to spin, he took a shaky step, only for a jolt of pain to shoot up from his right foot. He gasped out, his foot buckling beneath his weight and he would have been sent crashing to the ground again if it weren't for his quick reactions allowing him to plant his palms firmly on the ground.
Using a nearby tree as leverage, Ianto hoisted himself back up on his feet, noting that he somehow still had the capsule in his possession. He knew that he should check his injury, but he couldn't bring himself to face the possibility that he might be stranded with broken bones as well as no equipment. Aside from that, he also needed to get the head wound checked out. Hell, he didn't even have a clue to how long he had been out earlier.
With the help of the tree, he attempted to take another step, this time only applying a minimal amount of pressure to his throbbing foot and with a labored huff, he was able to take a small step. He took another, this time forced to let go of the tree in order to actually get anywhere, but he was unable to carry himself and was again forced to another uncomfortable encounter with the forest ground.
There was no way he'd be able to find his way back like this.
The realization didn't send him into the panicked rage he thought it would. Instead, he simply crawled over to the nearest tree and used it to support his back. Ianto leaned heavily against it and tried to force the musky sent of bark to calm him enough to still his trembling limbs.
A thin layer of sweat coated his hands despite the growing chill. It was getting late, if the growing lack of sunlight was anything to go by. Ianto let his eyes slip closed as he released a shaky breath, one thought ringing clear in his hazed mind.
I hope Owen shows up soon.
.
Making that call to Jack was probably the single most terrifying experience of Owens life (Or death). Forget murderous aliens, and try calling Captain Jack Harkness with the news that you have got a team mate lost on a potentially dangerous mission.
Owen had stayed put while he waited for his boss to arrive, not wanting to move on the off chance that Ianto would show up.
It didn't take long before the Londoner was able to make out the form of Jack's cloaked figure.
"Over here," he called, waving him over. Jack wordlessly walked up to him, stopping a few feet away.
"Do we have any idea what direction he went?" Jack questioned, cutting straight to business.
Own nodded. "Yes, he storm– eh –walked that way," he gestured in the accurate direction. "Though he didn't walk so straight, veering slightly that way," Owen changed his hand to a left angle. "We should be able to follow his trail though."
They set to work, not wanting to waste any more time by standing around doing nothing. At first, Ianto seemed to have left a clear enough trail of broken branches, probably due to the speed he was walking in, but after a while, the tracks he should have left behind seemed to vanish.
"Damn it," Jack hissed when he found that the traces he had been following didn't belong to Ianto. "Owen, is there anything over there?"
"No, not that I can see– wait!" Jack watched as Owen began to squint threw the growing darkness and his mind briefly flickered to the possibility that Owens vision had improved in death, but brushed that thought aside and stored it away for a later date.
"What can you see?" he asked instead, trying and failing to make out whatever Owen was seeing.
The man gestured to a patch of land ahead. "Over there," he said slowly. "It looks like there's been some sort of struggle. It could have been when Ianto tried to catch the alien."
Jack nodded and took a deep breath "Ianto!" he called, his voice slicing through the atmosphere like a knife. He remained still, his body on full alert as he tried to distinguish an answer from the haunting echoes of his call.
No reply came.
"Come on," Owen muttered. "We should keep moving, try to cover as much ground as we can before it gets to dark."
Jack nodded. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was screaming for him to take charge of the situation and not let Owen decide what they were to do, but ignored it. Right now, he had to focus on finding Ianto.
Another half hour passed before they found a torn piece of pink fabric stuck to a tree.
"He's not going be happy about that," Owen observed dully and Jack managed a small smile at Owen's poor attempt at humor. At least they had a clear indication that they where going i the right direction, unless of course there where several pink shirted men wandering about in the forest at nine o'clock at night.
"He should be nearby," Owen muttered, before taking a deep breath. "Ianto!" He called.
Jack followed Owens example. "Ianto! Can you here me?"
A low, barely audible moan sounded from somewhere nearby. The two men froze, eyes shifting from each other to where they had heard the noise come from. It was hard to make much out in the dark, but there where several high-rooted trees, along with some broken branches.
Jack squinted, eyes searching for the slightest sign of life...
There!
A few meters ahead, curled up beneath a tree, lay the form of Ianto. He was trembling, Jack could see that all the way from where he was standing and shrugged out of his jacket. "Ianto!" he called, relief flooding through his body as the small figure's face turned to meet them and lit up with a shaky smile.
Jack and Owen hurried over, the former swiftly wrapping him in the jacket whilst the latter began to check him over.
.
Never had the touch of Owen's frozen skin or the texture of Jack's army jacket felt so comforting. Desperately, as if holding on to a life line, Ianto latched on to Jack's arm, his body trembling with cold and fatigue.
"Are you hurt?" Jack asked, a tinge of urgency leaking into his voice. Ianto ignored the question, instead lifting the the capsule that was still clasped tightly in his hand.
"I h-have it-t-t," he managed through clattering teeth. Neither Jack nor Owen said anything, but the latter wordlessly began to pry it from Ianto's solid grip. It took some time, but in the end managed to take possession of it.
"Are you hurt?" Jack repeated, this time in a much firmer tone, one which didn't allow any nonsense. Ianto seemed to contemplate the answer for a moment before responding.
"I b-b-banged my head-d-d earlier," he stuttered. "An' my foot-t-t-t 's s-s-sprained." Ianto still didn't feel up to facing the possibility that it might be broken. "'n 'm cold." He made some effort to use as few syllables as possible to make his words more comprehensible. Jack contemplated what to do with this information for a moment, before pulling Ianto's arm behind his neck.
"Lean against me," he instructed. "Owen will carry the stuff."
Ianto complied, though his movements where sluggish and his limbs frozen stiff. He glanced back at Owen and for a momenta and their eyes met. Regret flashed across the others brown orbs and he began to move his mouth.
'I'm sorry."
Ianto managed a half-grin at the wordless apology. 'it's okay. Me to,' he mouthed back and felt a small flood of warmth flood him as the other man's lips perked up into a small smile.
They would probably forever continue to bicker, but for now, all was forgiven.
.
.
.
Thanks for reading, it would be nice to receive some feedback. Constructive criticism is welcome^^