Chapter 1.
The wind was wrapping itself around Ianto's figure. He crossed his arms and clung hard to the material of his coat, desperate to at least stay a little warm. The skies of Cardiff hung grey and low, and an odd few people were hanging around, and Ianto knew it was going to be a fairly quiet and boring day. The team were already suffering. Gwen and Owen sat at their desks, pretending to work, but really flicking rolls of paper at each other. Toshiko looking over some figures she'd already looked over a few times already. And Jack, alone, aloft and aloof in his own office, flicking non-committally through some paperwork. They had needed some of Ianto's magic coffee. But with that quickly devoured, and already being used as a new projectile between Gwen and Owen, Ianto had decided they needed something more.
Hence the drizzly and windy trip across Roald Dahl Plass. The place had always looked grey and slightly like something out of a George Orwell novel, no matter what the weather. It was even worse today. Ianto rubbed his hands together and crossed them underneath his armpits, blew out some air and looked down at his feet.
Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot.
A new café had just been opened a seemingly little walk away from the hub, and Ianto had been meaning to check it out. In fact Jack had asked him to investigate the café as a possible food source for all those late nights at Torchwood.
Almost 24 hour opening times. Check.
Delivery service. Check.
It was just left for Ianto to test the food out. He couldn't just give out the Hub's address to any old shanty food place. It had to be the best... Or at least as best as it could be for a 24 hour Cardiff café. Ianto gave a sigh as he finally reached the café door. He pushed open the tattered door and heard a little bell announce his arrival. And well... the café was even leakier then the hub. What used to be white tiles were pasted roughly onto the walls. Dirt and grime working its way from the corners. A small patter of rain leaking in above a table, collecting in a dirty bowl of unfinished soup. There was no one in the café and Ianto walked slowly to the counter, pulling off his tight leather gloves.
Ianto didn't hold much high hopes for the standard of food but started to change his mind after he was handed the big bag of chips, followed by another two plastic bags of various pizzas, burgers and fish bits. After paying and a quick nod to the sullen-looking teenager behind the counter, Ianto braved the outside once again, snuggling against the hot food.
By the time Ianto got back to the hub, not much had changed. Jack had now abandoned the paperwork and was lying on the small tatty sofa in the hub, throwing a small ball of elastic bands up into the air and catching it one-handedly. He was spread out with his limbs splaying out over the edges of the sofa. His clear blue eyes staring out into space it seemed to Ianto. He'd obviously put a stop to Gwen and Owen's antics as they were now sat sulking at their desks. Pretending to do some sort-of work.
"Got some food for you," Ianto said with his best looking little smirk. "Enough for everyone," He held up the food bags for them all to see. The team were sluggish in their response and Ianto searched for some enthusiasm "Jack?" Jack was still fiddling with the little ball but caught it finally with a definitive two-handed end when Ianto called on him. Jack stayed staring for a split second as if preparing himself, then stood up off the sofa, brushed down his trouser legs and walked over to Ianto. He crossed his arms and walked with slow but focussed strides.
"Right then," He said, clear and confidently. The others remained in a near comatosed state, and Jack spared a quick glance at Ianto. "Gwen. Owen. Toshiko." Jack spoke, short and sharp, and the others grudgingly replied. With a moan from Gwen, the remaining members of the team slowly unfolded from their office chairs and walked over to Ianto and Jack. Each grabbing a bag of food and giving Ianto a quick "thank you" almost under their breaths. Jack stood ramrod straight with his arms crossed., staring at each of them like an old school master. After they'd collected their food and were on their way back to their desks, Jack spoke "Let's all eat in the meeting room, we can catch up with everything that's been happening," and he strode off up the metal stairs and into the meeting room. Expecting them all to follow him.
And they did. Very slowly and unenthusiastically up the stairs and into the meeting room.
Ianto was left standing alone. The silent food and coffee fairy of Torchwood. This was as exciting as it ever got for Ianto sometimes. I mean the odd alien attack/end of the world threat that the others usually faced never really affected him. During such times Ianto's only job was to make sure there was enough coffee and some spare cotton, blue shirts for Jack. He was always getting them covered in what Jack affectionately called "alien gunk" and the odd splatter of blood. Oh, and dealing with all the corpses that normally arose.
Ianto was broken from this particular thought by the sound of the hub's phone ringing, and almost reluctantly he went to answer it.
"Hello. Speaking?" He said, uncharacteristically grumpy and bluntly.
"Well, well. I don't remember you being this forward last time I saw you, Coffee Boy,"
Ianto closed his eyes in exasperation and put the phone down. John Hart had been ringing the hub nearly every week in some hope to talk to Jack. Ianto guessed he was still trying to convince Jack in joining him to explore all of those "magical far-away galaxies" though he hadn't expected John to be the use-the-phone type of guy. The first few times John had rung, Jack had been concerned, though he tried to hide it. He hadn't spoken to John. Jack refused to. Said he couldn't. And after a few more incidents, Jack had just told Ianto to just keep putting the phone down. John would go away eventually he said.
Ianto wondered a lot about John, especially his relationship with Jack. Ianto tried not to. Every time the thought popped into his head, which was even more often now due to John's incessant ringing, Ianto would try to distract himself. It never worked. The stack of leaflets that Ianto would be trying to straighten out would remain an untidy mess as he gazed outwards, wondering about some Jack/John relationship scenario.
At that point he heard something behind him. A light shuffling of clothing drawing closer and closer to him. Ianto froze with his hand still on the phone set.
"Was that him again?" Jack's voice spoke from behind, slightly softer then he usually spoke.
Ianto turned on the spot. "Yer. I... I put the phone down on him." Ianto replied sullenly, trying to match Jack's tone.
Suddenly Jack burst into one of his beaming smiles. "Good work, Ianto!" he chuckled to Ianto and started to walk away, towards some file of paper that sat on the edge of Gwen's desk.
"Thank you, Sir." Ianto added quietly. Looking down at the phone behind him.