13
Ianto was aware of a commotion and he considered leaving it but knew he would get roped in sooner or later so he may as well do it now. Like… what else was he really going to do?
He wandered over to find Suzie the one most horrified as she looked around the room like an Alien was about to scuttle across the floor to attach to her face. "Hey, what's up?"
"I went to get some flour to do the bread since it's my turn on the roster, which I think is sexist since…"
"I am on that roster. Are you insinuating something about my manliness?" Ianto cut into her started rant and she blinked.
"No… no, that's not the point. Mouse shit. I saw mouse shit!" she pointed.
"Ah… shit" Ianto groaned, rushing to check and as he knelt to look under the shelving and he saw small hole in the wall.
"Right?" Suzie asked.
"I can see the hole, we need to pull out the shelving, you can patch the hole with a metal skirt right along the wall, and then we check the room for any little fucker still in here. Hopefully the noise will have scared it… or them… back through the hole." Ianto shrugged as he sat back in his heels and looked up at her.
"You are so cute" she blurted out, then laughed "sorry. But you look like a school kid."
"I know, good genes from me mam. She was almost forty when she died and still looked about sixteen or seventeen" Ianto smiled.
"Oh… how did she die?" Suzie asked.
"She died three years ago. An accident" Ianto replied "I… I don't talk about it."
"Sorry" Suzie felt like a shit now and she screwed her face up as she tried to think of some way to apologize.
"It's ok. Not like they have a t-shirt for that sort of thing" Ianto said as he rose to face her, smiling to show he was not offended.
"My mother died when I was young, my arsehole father raised me" she finally said "He's dead now. I am… I am glad of that."
"When mine is dead I will be glad of it too" Ianto agreed "Mine deserves death by red hot poker up his arse."
Suzie found herself laughing as she finally saw a funny side to the man who hid so well. Finally, she saw why Jack was following him around the place like a lovelorn teenager.
He was really cute.
She wondered how serious they were.
.
.
Jack, is it just me or is Suzie being a little overly attentive to Ianto today?" Toshiko asked.
"They found a mouse in the pantry and are shoring it all up against the little pricks. That's all. You and I both know it's a revelation when you finally see the real Ianto and she's probably just friendly back" Jack assured her.
Toshiko made a noise in her throat that told him that she did not see it the same and Jack straightened up from the wall he had been leaning and took a closer look. Then he decided to take action before it got too silly.
"Ianto, do you have time for us to get a bite to eat before the afternoon reports?" Jack asked making his body flush with Ianto's as he turned or face Suzie, staring her down.
Suzie looked at them both and asked the question on everyone's lips "Are you to shagging?"
"Like Rabbits" Ianto replied calmly like it was a silly question. "Have you seen this man's arse? Like a dancer!"
Everyone gaped as Jack started to laugh, slapping Ianto's arse before moving off like they had discussed a report or something, calling out to Mickey that his boot was unlaced.
Suzie watched Ianto stare at her a moment longer then turn away.
She was almost unnerved by him.
.
.
"Ianto?"
"Hmmm"
"Why does Jack call you his Tiger? Is it the pinstripe suits?"
Ianto was surprised by the question as he looked up at Skippy. "Well, a Tiger has stripes for a reason. To hide in the grass. To blend in, hidden. Calm and unruffled right up to the point where it bites your face off I guess."
"Oh" Skippy sat beside him "So… he's worked out that you are stealthy."
"Yeah. And although he's' not seen it yet, he suspects I fight like a Tiger too" Ianto smiled at her, making slashing motions with his fingers raking like claws.
She giggled as he screwed his face up and made a weird coughing noise at her.
"What's that?"
"A tiger chuffs. Did you know they make a chuffing noise? Cough chuff and a sort of coughing noise. A moaning growl. They very rarely roar and when they do it can be heard across an entire valley, loud ,long and low." Ianto explained "I sometimes think it is my voice he refers to. He has heard me sing in the shower… something I hide but… my voice is low."
"I think he calls you a tiger because you look soft and cute but could cut a bitch" Skippy decided making Ianto laugh as he agreed.
He rose to head off, leaving the teenager to stare after him and ponder some more.
What sort of animal was she?
One day, maybe someone would think she had a spirit animal that cool.