I don't own anything and it all belongs to BBC and RTD (though if they are willing to give all the rights to me I wouldn't complain)
So this is kind of a part of these 5 TIMES WHEN... fics I'm writing in Torchwood fandom now. Still un-betad but I tried to find all the mistakes on my own and with the help of my computer and I just hope I did a good job.
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I.
"Ianto eat your sandwich" Gladys Jones says with a sweet smile.
Eight year old boy sitting on the kitchen counter looks at his sandwich. There are pickles on it. He hates pickles. Actually he hates that salad too. Actually he hates vegetables in general and doesn't quite believe that eating them would make him a big boy. His big brother Cain eats his vegetables but he's still small. Ianto has seen girls bigger than Cain is. So vegetables really are just an urban legend. He would grow to be a big boy without pickles just fine.
"I don't like pickles" he says steadily glaring the offending green slice on cheese.
"Honey you need to eat your sandwich or you won't get to go out and play with Trevan. And Trevans mum said that Trevan just got new toys. His uncle bought him really big spaceship toy. And you like spaceships, don't you?"
"Yes mum."
"So eat your sandwich. When you have done that you can go to play."
"Yes mum" young Ianto says sourly.
"That's my boy" his mother says softly ruffling his hair.
Ianto hates it when his hair is being ruffled. Unlike Cain he is neat. His room is always spotless which makes mum to buy him chocolate because clean room is the sign of good boy and besides the chocolate good boys get to see dad working. Cain says that it's boring to sit in the corner and watch how their father sews jackets but Ianto likes it. He likes the air in the sewing room and the steady beat of the sewing machine. Their family is not exactly the richest one in Cardiff but Ianto is always the best dressed boy in the whole school because his dad is a master tailor. He likes it. He wants to be like his father someday. Cain says it's crazy and girly but Ianto doesn't mind. It's not his fault that Cain is so clumsy that when you give him a needle he manages only to stab himself with it (this makes Ianto snicker even when he knows it's wrong to be happy from someone else's misfortune).
"Mum? Where are you going?" Ianto asks suddenly when his mum makes move to leave.
"Oh I'm just going to visit Meredydd. I'll be back in a minute. And remember to eat the pickles also. You know I know when you're lying."
"Yes mum" Ianto sighs.
Her mum does know when he lies, every time. It's amazing really because Cain never knows when he's lying and dad doesn't either. Once he claimed that the dog ate his homework and even the teacher believed him even when the Jones family doesn't own a dog because Cain is allergic. But when mum looks at him and asks a question and he tries to lie she just stares him and the truth somehow comes out. His mum has the most beautiful blue eyes ever and they are kind, even when he's lying. She doesn't get mad often but when she does it's always because of Cain being an idiot, never because of Ianto. Cain says it's because he is pampered mums boy. Ianto says it's because he has some manners.
"Say hi to Trevans mother from me. And have fun. I love you honey."
"I love you too mum" he answers and lets his mum kiss his forehead and then she's gone, out from the door with the scent of apples lingering in the air.
Gladys Jones dies that day in a car crash two blocks from Meredydds home. Little Ianto gets to know when he returns to home from Trevans with a bright smile because they had fun while playing alien games. The worst thing about it is that he didn't eat those pickles as he promised.
II.
Gaius is handsome. He is one of those boys who steal your heart at the very first moment when you see him. His eyes are rare shade of bright green and he has wide grin with dimples and freckles. His hair shines golden in the sunlight, he plays soccer and everyone knows that he was charming enough to get their art teacher Miss. Brynwor to sleep with him. He is one of the most popular boys in the college and everyone would like to be with him even for a second.
Ianto Jones actually is one of the lucky persons who has the honor to do so.
It's really quite bizarre actually that the famous Gaius visits his bed few times a week. No one really knows that Gaius also likes men so Ianto feels really special. He's not exactly the most handsome or even beautiful boy in the college. He's little too thin and pale and he looks like all he does is read books which is actually true. He's not exceptionally bright student but he tries hard to get good grades. He likes studying. He isn't really good at sports and girls think that he's creepy because he sneaks around so quietly and throws totally random comments about meaningless things to completely wrong places (apparently no one is interested how Splott is supposed to pronounce, not even those who live in Splott).
But still Ianto Jones has Gaius and that's more than the others can say.
Gaius usually comes to his room after midnight. It always happens between Monday and Thursday because on Fridays he goes to these idiotic college parties with his soccer player friends to get wasted and fucks some pretty girl in short skirt. Ianto doesn't really care. He knows Gaius and knows that they have something special in here and that all the girls are just to keep up the façade. He understands and isn't disappointed when Gaius never actually apologies for it because this is more than he usually gets and he's happy that someone like the all mighty soccer team captain even looks at him.
Gaius is always rough and fast and likes to be in control. Ianto doesn't mind that either. He's just happy to spread himself to his small bed and listen to the instructions. It always hurts because Gaius isn't patient enough to prepare him properly but it's good kind of pain. Gaius also never touches his cock but guess that's okay too. Ianto is more than able to take care of himself and Gaius seems to enjoy watching it before quickly dressing and sneaking out.
Iantos birthay happens to be on one Wednesday night when Gaius walks in without knocking as usual. He hopes that something will be little different tonight. But it isnt.
"It's my birthday today" he mentions watching how Gaius pulls his jeans up.
"Okay."
"You have nothing else to say?"
"Why should I?"
"I love you" Ianto says then because he really does.
"Fuck dude. Are you gay or something?" Gaius hisses disgusted and this time when he leaves he bangs the door shut.
Ianto is left in the dark room wondering what he did wrong. This time he doesn't understand. He can think this from every view possible but nothing explains Gaius and his sudden behaviour. It feels pointless to even mention that sleeping with him makes Gaius also gay.
It's Thursday and everyone in school knows that Ianto Jones is besides creepy also a gay. Some kids beat him up shortly after that. The nurse asks what happened when she stitches the wound on his forehead but he stays silent.
III.
Lisa Hallet is beautiful. Ianto falls hard and fast (it seems to become a habit) and soon he finds himself coming out from the archives of Torchwood One more and more to bring her coffee. She loves his coffee and she never really bothers to hide that fact. She's so open and confident and just funny that he feels like a total fool around her. One day she tells him that he shouldn't be so damn nervous all the time and in the same sentence asks if he wants to go and see a movie or something.
He has never said yes as fast as he says then.
They go to watch some mindless comedy she likes. He is too distracted by the way the light plays on her dark skin to actually watch the whole thing. She laughs at that and kisses him on the first date. Next week they go and see another movie. Then another. Then another with dinner and then they're in Lisas small flat kissing and it's heaven.
"So… you and Lisa?" Fred who works in the archives with him asks the next day.
"Yeah. Me and Lisa" he answers with a dreamy smile.
"She's quite a catch. Glaw from the first floor asked her out something like ten times but she always refused."
"She actually was the one who asked me out" he grins and blushes.
"Good for you man" Fred shouts and claps his back.
It all continues going so smoothly after that and his life seems to be all roses and kittens.
Ianto doesn't even remember when was the last time he was happier than he is in the morning when he wakes up in Lisas flat when she brings him breakfast to the bed. Her sandwiches don't have pickles in them and the coffee she made is surprisingly good. That is the moment he realizes that this is not just fleeting love and that Lisa is a woman he would marry someday. The realization makes him smile so hard that his cheeks ache.
"What's so funny Yan?" she asks.
"Nothing" he grins.
She rolls her eyes and tickles him to death. That day they're late from work and before he makes it down to archives he has to suffer trough at least eleven wolf whistles and twenty one disapproving looks. That is one of the best days in his life. His job is interesting, Fred could be considered as a real friend, he barely sleeps in his own flat these days and then there's Lisa who comes in the coffee break to snatch him deeper in the archives. She is the only person on the whole planet with whom Ianto is ready to dishonor the holy archives.
Later that day he announces that he made some arrangements and got them a week off. They travel to Brittany because Lisa always wanted to go in there. They sleep in a tent on a beach and it's freezing and he hates it but doesn't say a word because she loves every moment spent in that bloody tent which leaks but he has to admit that her ways of keeping them warm are pleasant ones. It's not the ideal romantic vacation he planned. It's even better because it's imperfect and true and nothing could ever take this away from them.
"I love you Lisa. I really do" he whispers to her.
"And I love you too Ianto" she grins back with her impossibly white teeth.
Week later the battle of Canary Wharf rages in London and he loses the woman he loves so much to machines.
IV.
"Wow. This… this is amazing!" Ianto says walking around a brand new car mouth hanging open in awe.
"I said I would buy you a new car" Jack smirks.
Ianto is speechless. Honestly. When Jack said he owed him a car after what happened to his old one (and to poor John Ellis) he didn't expect this. Brand new Range Rover and it's red and really fucking perfect. Jack is laughing to his idiotic gestures and the lack of proper words. But really. A red Range Rover, shiny new and all his.
"You know what Harkness? I really fucking love you."
He didn't mean to say those words but to his horror he realizes that he really means them. This is something that shouldn't have happened, not after what Jack did to Lisa but somehow it just did. After that disastrous evening in the Hub they had fought using punches that hurt like hell and words that hurt even more. Of course the sex also was part of the process. First it had been about pure anger and revenge, then about the need to feel alive and then it just was need to feel something and forget all the horrible things that happen in Torchwood.
But the truth is that sex was and still is always amazing between them.
Ianto hasn't been with another man after Gaius and before Jack with whom the sex is so much different than with Gaius. Jack knows what he's doing and unlike Gaius he's not all about his own pleasure. Ianto still blushes when he thinks about some late night encounters they've had during these months including furry handcuffs and chocolate syrup (it made a horrible mess on his sheets and mattress but it was so worth of the weird looks he got when he dragged the mattress to his usual cleaner lady in Butetown (strange thing how she doesn't even blink with blood stained clothes but chocolate syrup made her all frowny)).
"You know what Jones? The feeling might be mutual" Jack grins sneaking closer. "And you know what else? This car has extremely spacious backseats. One of the many reasons I chose this model."
"I should have known" Ianto smiles back but looking as casual as possible opens the back seat door.
It is indeed very specious and besides when he presses his palm flat against the upholstery the seat also feels very comfortable. The only bad thing here is that the upholstery is very expensive looking leather and there is no way he lets Jack make a mess on it. He isn't exactly eager to clean his new car before even test driving it. Well, test driving in the literal sense.
"Looks good doesn't it?" Jack murmurs plastering himself against Iantos back.
"Yeah but it also looks like a real leather so coming all over the upholstery is not an option."
"Damn. Didn't think that" Jack mumbles sounding amused. "But guess I have to sacrifice my coat then…" he continues and takes off his coat and throws it over the back seat.
Ianto groans.
"I love that coat."
"I know you do Yan."
Just few days after fabulous back seat sex the whole time slip at the Ritz happens and Jack comes back as a different man. And just shortly after that Abaddon arrives and before Ianto has a chance to fix things properly Jack disappears.
V.
The Weevils are everywhere and Ianto knows this won't end well. He's tired and exhausted from the earlier events. He hasn't slept in 31 hours and after being in a collapsing building and then falling from the force of another explosion his body aches and everything hurts. He knows Tosh is not in a good condition either but she still keeps going. She really is possibly the gutsiest woman he has ever met.
"Okay. We are going to run like hell and wish for the best and jump in the car" she says steadily holding her gun with her non-broken wrist.
"Yeah. Can you shoot?"
"Of course I can shoot. You weren't the only one who was directed in one hand weapon handling" she smirks.
He knows it is to keep the mood light and to help his nerves but poor jokes about him and Jack are not exactly helping at this point anymore. It looks and feels like the end of the world; Jack is missing once again, that John bastard has appeared, Cardiff is full of explosions and Weevils and people panicking all over the city.
"One. Two. Three" she slowly counts and he nods.
They burst out from the narrow alley way immediately attaching the attention of six weevils. The adrenaline rush is huge. For a moment everything stands still including the time and then he's firing his gun with surprisingly steady hands sprinting towards their car at the same time. Tosh is yelling something furiously in Japanese and he is pretty sure that he doesn't want to know what the words are. He knows that when he curses in Welsh it's not usually anything pretty (except when it's with Jack but that doesn't count).
They actually make it to the car in on piece gasping for breath. He's on the drivers seat and his hands fumble with the keys and getting the engine roaring and the wheels rolling seems to take more time than ever before. Tosh' comm beeps and soon she's fumbling something out from her bag speaking fast. He raises an eyebrow in silent question.
"It's Gwen. She's in the Hub already. Jack isn't there and it looks that the one who came through is John but she said that John knows how to find Jack and it has something to do with some frequency thing I'm about to test" she answers without looking up from her device.
Ianto snarls and pushes the pedal so hard that at the next curve the tires screech and the car almost contacts several street lamps and Tosh shrieks.
"It's nothing Gwen! I'm alright! Ianto is just driving like a… for gods sake slow down! The situation is in control!" Tosh screams when he makes yet another sharp turn sending her to slam to the door.
"I would use the seat belt if I was you" Ianto only snarls his blood boiling.
He would kill John. He would shut that arrogant little mouth for good. He would tear him apart slowly and painfully. He would test every single unknown alien artifact he has in the archives to find out exactly which one of them hurts the most and then use that one again and…
"I can't find a signal! I swear there's nothing like it! I've checked every frequency!"
Ianto steers the car in front of the Tourist Information Centre opening the door before they're even fully stopped moving. Tosh stumbles out soon also looking pale and wide eyed glancing at the car clearly thinking that she won't ever let him drive again. They are already in and Tosh is slamming the red button on the side of the desk when Ianto suddenly freezes.
"Tosh… I love you. Not like that I mean but I… if something happens you need to know that you were my best friend in here" Ianto says randomly not even sure why he said it himself.
"Yeah. I Understand. Love you too Yan" she smiles and shakes her head before running in.
Something does happen. It's one hour from that moment and Toshiko Sato is dead.