The bell on the tourist office door jingled as some one entered. Ianto put the files he'd been working on aside, surreptitiously covering them with a map of Splott. It wouldn't do for someone on holiday from London to get a glimpse of the designs for the alien particle accelerator they had hidden in the basement. Once he was sure all incriminating evidence of alien-like activities had been hidden, Ianto glanced up with a carefully constructed polite smile on his face, fully prepared to dispense information on castle tours and the Millennium Centre schedule.
"Oh my God," Ianto gasped.
"Don't worry, it'll grow back," Jack groused at him, shrugging off his coat with a serpentine wiggle of his shoulders since one hand was occupied holding a blood-drenched cloth to his empty left eye-socket.
Ianto had no words.
"Seriously Ianto, this has happened before. Several times. Give me ten minutes, fifteen maybe and I'll be back to normal. You should be glad it wasn't an arm or a leg. That takes longer. Messier, too." Jack stood in the center of the tourist office, holding his coat out with one hand for Ianto to take.
"Ianto, give me a break here. I can't see if you're freaking out, can you give me some verbal clues?" Jack got snarky when he was bleeding, as Ianto knew from experience. The annoyance in his tone helped Ianto snap out of his gruesome staring jag. He shook himself once and took Jack's coat to hang on the rack behind the desk.
"Sir, what happened? If you don't mind me asking," Ianto inquired, wondering what Jack would have let close enough to him to actually poke his eye out.
"Well Ianto, long story short? Never hang out with Gwen when she's running with anything sharp." Jack gave him a wry grin. "Do not chase her. Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to tackle her. Owen's gonna tease me for weeks, going around saying 'you'll put your eye out' every time I pick up a letter opener." Jack tilted his head back, trying not to drip blood on the tourist office floor.
"I see. Shall I bring a coffee to your office sir? In about fifteen minutes?"
"That sounds great Ianto. I'll see you then." With a wink, though Ianto supposed it could have been a blink, no way to tell at the moment, Jack disappeared through the cog door.
The next morning the Torchwood team arrived at work to find freshly brewed coffee at all their work stations and a complete and utter lack of letter openers anywhere in the building.