Stimulus: Smiles

Spoilers: None

POV: Jack

Dedication: To Gernumblies – who is THE most awesome beta in the world, and captain-ally (how awesome are you?! SO many reviews!!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. Unfortunately, RTD still does (the security at BBC were very insistent that I leave and take my chainsaw with me, despite my insistence that it was for the good of fangirlkind).

AN: Not sure this one makes sense… it did to me, anywho. It's not very good, is it? Meh. I care not.

-x-

Jack, like many people, once heard and consequently spent a while sniggering at the phrase 'smiles make the world go round'. Yeah, whatever, he'd thought.

This, as it turns out, is a very common misconception. People say money makes the world go round. But does it really? Think about it. Would the salesman have managed to sell you that incredibly expensive watch had he not smiled in just the right 'you-know-you-want-this' way? Would the politician have even stepped into that office without that charming 'you-love-me' smile? And – honestly – would anyone have even thought about staying in Torchwood if the wild variety of smiles in the group hadn't convinced them not to?

Gwen has the smile – the 'I'm-not-perfect-but-you-love-me' smile – that reminds you that there's always someone on the other end of the phone willing to jump up and run to the rescue. Tosh has the very sincere 'things-will-be-ok' smile that makes it seem, just for a short while, that everything will be ok. Owen, cynical as he is, uses the 'life-sucks-but-it'll-get-better' smile to nudge you into the right state of mind that you need just to try and get out of bed in the morning. And Ianto… Ianto has a smile for everything. There's the 'I'm-here-to-serve' smile that seems so professional; then there's the 'happy-to-see-you' smile that sends Jack flying; and, for really special occasions, there's the 'I-hate-you-sometimes-but-you're-too-perfect-to-ignore' smile that Jack just loves. Not, of course, that he'll ever admit it.

And then, there's the smile that says – so tentative, so hesitant, so perfectly Ianto – 'are we friends?'

Jack answers him with his own, Jack-type grin – not quite the one everyone else sees.

I love you.