Title: Step, Step, Swagger: Part II
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Genre: Humour, Romance, mild!Angst (in later chapters)
Rating: FRT (PG-13)
Summary: Ianto just wants to fit in. This is how Ianto Jones tries to survive his transfer from the destroyed Torchwood One to Torchwood Three. From the coffee-making, to the gruelling process of putting up with Jack's 'harassment' and Owen's... Owen-ness; this is how it all begins. Slight AU because Lisa doesn't exist.
Warnings: Still pre-Gwen.
A/N: Title from Change by HyunA (4MINUTE), has nothing to do with the fic. This is a very slice-of-life, through-the-years type of story but there's still a solid plot... I think.
-
"Didn't I tell you to stop following me?"
Jack stops suddenly and tries to run away before Ianto turns around.
"Don't think that hiding in that corridor will help, I have eyes on the back of my head,"
"Right... Sorry,"
Ianto sighs, "What do you need now, sir?"
"I just wanted to see if you'd like to get a cup of coffee with me,"
"Sir, I make your coffee,"
"Then lunch?"
"Yeah... Nah, I'm pretty sure I make that too,"
"Then a movie? Come on, I do this whenever someone new joins the team," Jack lies through his teeth.
Ianto's mouth twists into a frown as he tries to come up with a reply that isn't too impolite. His stomach lurches at the fact that this isn't anything special but declining would make him look strange if everyone else had done it.
"Fine," Ianto finally agrees, "But no funny business. I swear to God, if there's anything, I will..."
"You will?"
"If you weren't my boss..."
"Hey, we're not at work right now,"
"Look, buddy," Ianto steps closer to Jack and tries to look intimidating, slightly disconcerted by the fact that he has to look up to meet Jack's gaze, "Anything, and I will hack your balls off,"
Jack snorts underneath his breath because he knows, not by experience, thank God, that they'll just grow back. Oh, wow, Jack thinks, I just sounded so insane.
"Okay, okay, it's a date,"
Ianto shoots him a murderous look and is rewarded with Jack's usual shit-eating grin.
"Ugh," Ianto opens his apartment door and lets Jack follow him in, "Why did the door-man let you in, anyways?"
Jack shrugs, "He thought I was with you. Nice place,"
"Thanks, help yourself to the fridge, I need to use the bathroom," Ianto turns around before exiting the living room, "And you're paying for wherever we're going,"
Jack chuckles and makes his way to the kitchen.
-
"Hey, Yan, where did my- What, ow! Fuck!"
Ianto's aim is impeccable as he floors the intruder with a punch.
"Jesus, Yan, I think you broke my nose," the loud, nasally voice whines.
"Oh, hi, Justin," This situation had been played out so many times that Justin knows that his nose isn't broken and Ianto doesn't even help him up.
"You'd think, after all these years, I'd learn, but nope, Ianto-zilla strikes again!" Justin groans, holding his face.
"Why are you here, anyways? I have a... friend over,"
"I was driving by and I needed to pee,"
"I gave you my spare key for emergencies!"
"It was an emergency! I would've soiled my new car seats!"
"Why do I put up with you," Ianto hisses, a statement rather than a question.
"Because you love me," Justin bats his eyelids and Ianto pretends to throw up in the sink.
"Ianto? Are you alright?" Jack appears in the doorway of the bathroom and raises his eyebrows at Justin who is sitting cross-legged in the empty bath-tub.
"Uh, well," Ianto mumbles, "Justin, this is my boss. Sir, this is the freaking devil,"
"Hmm," Justin ignores the second sentence, "Is this the one you've been shagging?"
"No,"
"Not yet,"
Ianto shoots Jack an incredulous look, "Excuse me?"
"Ah," Justin leans back against the wall, "Conflicting interests, eh? He's a hard one to crack," Justin gestures to Ianto and dodges the hairbrush thrown at him.
"Go home, Justin," Ianto huffs in a tone he'd use on a ten year-old.
Justin shrugs, "No, thanks. I think I'll stay here and eat all your food,"
Jack laughs, "Let him. We'll go out and get a bite like you promised, okay?"
"Since when did you make my decisions for me?" Ianto bites out.
"Since I became your boss,"
"But we're not at work!"
"We are now," Jack grabs Ianto's hand and drags him out of the bathroom, "Nice meeting you, Justin,"
Justin raises his hand, "You kids have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do,"
-
"Just so you know," Ianto starts after swallowing a mouthful of water, "I'm only being unprofessionally impolite because right now, you're not my boss," Ianto waves his fork at Jack, "And on another unrelated topic, I hate wearing suits outside of work,"
"It was your choice," Jack chuckles.
"What! You dragged me out of my apartment!"
"You let me. What other things would you let me do, eh?" Jack raises his eyebrows.
Ianto glares at him and Jack immediately recoils, "Right, right. Mr. Jones is strictly off-limits. Where's Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome?"
"Who?"
"The guy you were snogging when we were following you around," Jack pauses, "Wow, that sounded weird,"
Ianto laughs, the first real laugh Jack has heard without any sarcasm, "He thought you were an ex-boyfriend and kissed me to get rid of you. He has his eyes set out on this Irish guy back at New York, anyways,"
"So you just kiss people randomly?"
Ianto chokes and just stops himself from spraying water all over his food, "No, he's a close friend and he had very good reason to. So don't get any silly ideas!"
They talk for hours, and Ianto's tone grows softer from his usual impatient snapping at Jack.
"Where did you grow up?" Jack asks to deflect Ianto's similar question.
"Lots of places, like you, I guess. My home-town is in Wales but I went to London for high school but I did a few years in the States and Australia before college,"
"What about your parents?"
"Uh, I haven't really seen them much after I went to London," Ianto's reply is quick - too quick.
Jack notices Ianto's sudden tension and changes the subject, "So, how good are you on the firing range?"
-
"You have fun down here, I need to go finish up some paperwork," Jack nods and makes sure Ianto's glasses and headphones are on.
"I've done this before, sir, I'll be fine," Ianto lands a perfect shot on the figure in front of him.
Jack's eyebrows rise in surprise and leaves, watching Ianto head-shot another three sillhouettes. Ianto had trained for hours back in Torchwood One, even though he had done nothing more than finishing paperwork. Can't be too careful, Ianto thought and switches guns as the clips, bullets, magazines start running out.
"Hey, having fun?"
Ianto turns around and shoots on reflex, catching Jack in the chest. His boss falls backwards onto the ground with a thump.
"Oh, shit," Ianto panics and shakes Jack's body, getting no response.
To his surprise, hot tears prickle at his eyes and he drops his gun as if it had burnt his hand. There's a hollow pain that rises from his gut to his chest and it makes him want to scream.
Ianto passes out.
-
"Hey, Ianto, are you alright?"
Ianto blinks and wipes his face, surprised to find it wet. Sitting up slowly, Ianto surveys his surroundings. The floor of the firing range is uncomfortable and he stares at Jack through the yellow-tinged glasses.
"You! You, I, you... I shot you! You're meant to be dead!" Ianto hadn't meant to sound so relieved.
"Maybe you missed,"
Ianto scoffs, "I don't miss. I've been training since Aaron lent me his gun, I wasn't legal back then. And besides, there's a bullet hole on your shirt,"
"Oh, right," Jack grins sheepishly, "I was meant to cover that up,"
Ianto pokes Jack's face absentmindedly, "You're a hallucination. Justin put something in my coffee and now I've gone insane,"
"I'm flattered that you'd think of me first if you went insane," Jack helps Ianto stand up.
Gaping, Ianto continues to babble, "Hallucinations can't touch me. You're a ghost. Oh, my God, I killed you!"
Ianto scrambles away from Jack and promptly trips over the gun he had dropped before.
"Woah, there," Jack doesn't manage to catch him in time and Ianto's head hits the ground.
-
When Ianto wakes up, again, he finds himself in his own bed wearing an undershirt and sweatpants.
Oh, thank God, it was just a dream, is Ianto's initial thought until he glances sideways and sees that day's suit on the chair and Jack comes strolling in, his shirt still broken. Jack has a plate of pavlova and he raises his fork.
"Mmm, this is good," Jack says with a mouthful of cake, "Did you make this?"
Ianto sunk back into realisation, "So, you're immortal, huh?"
Jack makes an affirmative noise and shovels more cake in his mouth.
"How could you live like that?" Ianto pauses, "Oh, wait, you have to,"
Jack stays silent and sits down on the edge of Ianto's bed, "Alchemists spent centuries trying to find the secret to immortality with the Philosopher's stone and the Holy Grail but they were only immune to old age and diseases. How did you figure it out?"
Jack swallows and shrugs, "Something just happened,"
Ianto laughs quietly, "I can't imagine what it'd be like. I'd hate it,"
"Why?"
"In the end, not that there would be one, you'd be leaving all the friends you made, everyone you loved. You can't really tell anyone that you're immortal, you can't start families, you can't stay in one place too long. Hell, if you weren't with Torchwood, it'd be impossible to get a credit card or have a holiday overseas,"
Jack sighs forlornly, "The Doctor said he'd figure out a way to, I don't know, mortal-ise myself but I guess I've gotten used to it all,"
There's a long, uncomfortable silence before Ianto decides to sit up, "There's, uh, more cake in the fridge if you want some,"
"Nah, I just stayed to make sure you woke up okay. You'll be alright, right?"
Ianto grabs his bedside table to balance himself, "I'll be fine. I'm not your responsibility outside of work, you know," Neither Ianto's tone or smile are insincere.
"I'll be going, then," Jack leaves his plate on the desk, "Make sure you get plenty of rest and whatnot,"
Ianto nods, "Of course, Mother,"
Jack and Ianto walk to the doorway and the silence is less uncomfortable.
"Hey, Ianto?" Jack pauses after he's pulled his shoes on.
"Yeah?"
"When I was getting you out of your work clothes and into that," Jack waves at Ianto's current attire, "I noticed these welts and scars on your back," Jack's unspoken question of how did they get there sits in the air.
Ianto tenses immediately and looks away, "They're nothing,"
"But Ianto-,"
"Please, just leave it, sir,"
Jack nods and walks out, waving as he closes the door behind him. Sighing loudly, Ianto leans against the front door and tries to will away his headache. He walks to his bedroom to clean the plate that Jack had used to eat his cake. When he lifts the plate, he notices a note underneath it.
I'm always here to talk, Mr. Jones.
The corners of Ianto's mouth move upward in a small, uncertain smile.
-
A/N: Wow, fastest I've ever updated anything! I was planning on putting another scene in here but I thought it'd be nice to leave it there. As usual, feel free to point out any plot-holes, typos, grammar stuff-ups, etc.