Title: The Life and Times of Ianto Jones as Witnessed by a Distinguished Feline (1/12)
Pairing: Jack/Ianto main, but there's a whole lot of everything in the mix.
Rating: PG-13-R
Summary: Moses had a good life. In fact, he was inclined to believe he had an exceptionally good life. And then he lost Estelle. Now he has Ianto, and he thinks maybe it was always meant to be. Witness the life and loves of Ianto Jones through the eyes of one extremely observant feline.
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them...I cry a little on the inside typing those words.
Warnings/Spoilers: Oh...just about everything. Also, there is minor bashing...but it hardly counts, it's from a cat ^_^.
Authors notes: A different look into everyone's favorite Tea-boy, through a distinctly different pair of eyes. Reviews are adored and cherished and I would love to hear what everyone thinks! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter. I'll not waste any more words except to say more Moses goodness ahead! Enjoy!
**
Part Two: Initial Watchings: Conclusion, Lots of Bruises and Tears
The days prior to watching his Ianto being physically dragged through the door by a very unkempt looking Stomper were somewhat blurred, Moses thought with some self-chastisement, but without his Ianto there, the days all blended into one. The nice woman who lived with the barking canines (they were small, ratty things really, Moses thought that Mrs. Brown deserved much better than that, like a nice Calico) in the flat next to his new home visited often. She petted him and attempted to rouse him to play (which he supremely ignored) and would feed him some of the wonderful food his Ianto had thoughtfully bought for him. She kept telling him what a well behaved boy he was, which Moses thought would have been obvious but he enjoyed hearing it, and that his Ianto would be home soon. Camping…why Humans felt the need to leave the comforts of their homes to sleep outdoors, where there was dirt of all things, was beyond Moses' comprehension. But, his Ianto had looked cautiously optimistic about it, so Moses had tried to ignore the lapse of judgment.
At least Ianto didn't take any of his lovely clothing; he seemed to understand that he was embarking on a dirtying trip and had the forethought to not ruin anything nice. He had scratched under Moses' collar as he packed, mumbling out loud a checklist of what he had, what he needed, and all the reasons why going with the 'Team' wasn't a good idea. Moses had been helpful, climbing onto the duffel bag, sitting inside it and meowing playfully. It stopped the mumbling, (an unattractive habit Moses did not like of his Ianto…he tended to get unbearably sad when he did so) and Ianto gave Moses an exasperated look. Moses was pleased with himself; mission to frustrate his Ianto to forget unpleasant thoughts—accomplished.
"Get out, you," Ianto huffed. He picked Moses up and plopped him beside the bag on the bed, no real anger or annoyance in his voice (as if his Ianto could really be that angry anyway; a little fur on his clothes would help counter the dirt he was bound to get dirty with). Moses meowed loudly and arched against the only part of his Ianto he could reach—stomach. Ianto laughed softly then, pushed away from the bed and offered a pair of hands for Moses to nudge and push when they weren't petting him. After several wonderful minutes, Moses purred his thanks and walked to the edge of the bed, curling up and watching Ianto. "Oh, am I allowed to finish now?"
Moses squinted his eyes and yawned. He had walked away, how much more permission did his Ianto need (Humans sometimes…)?
Ianto had finished in a more calm silence, all muttering absent (Moses internally did a few tail swishes and happy circles, where his dignity would not be questioned), and with a final flourish of a zipper, he collapsed on the bed, inviting Moses to curl up beside him. Moses, not one to ever turn done such a tempting offer, promptly did so, purring deep as fingers scratched the back of his head (he made a funny face whenever his Ianto did this, but it felt so very nice he thought dignity could be damned just this once). Ianto took in a deep breath and let it in a loud, steady stream (a sound Moses had long ago discerned suggested trouble with Humans). Moses waited, knowing it would come.
"I'm bloody mad, aren't I? I mean, camping…with the rest of them…stark, raving daft, I am." Well, Moses wasn't going to dispute the claim (he already made clear what he thought of camping, hadn't he?), but he meowed in what was meant to be a helpful manner. He was fond of his Ianto, despite his 'daft' ideas.
"I mean, it's not to say I'm not grateful to be doing something out of the Hub, I am but…I shouldn't be—it hasn't been that long, not really. I can still—Lisa loved camping. I hated it but…and now I'm going with the people who—this is fucking mad."
Moses wasn't sure just a meow would solve this, so he purred deep enough for the sound to reverberate through the bed and arched against his Ianto's side, displaying the rather generous amount of affection he held for the young Human. Lisa, he knew that name, had heard it in bad fits of sad sleeping, had knocked over a picture with her image captured inside. Yes, he knew her and he knew his Ianto grieved deeply for her, like Moses grieved for his Estelle still. And, if his mutterings and dreams (most of them; some were strange and Moses had no desire to try and understand bodily functions of Humans, not now, not ever) were any indication, it had been just as unpleasant and frightening as Estelle being taken away.
"Sorry, Moses, I know you don't like it when I get—well, like this, I suppose." Moses agreed but he didn't change his purring pattern. "Well, I already committed so it's not liking complaining will change anything. It will only be for a few days, I'm guessing, just until we have a lead on what's happening to those people. Mrs. Brown, you know her, the one with the dogs, she'll look in on you, so behave. No scratched up curtains or couches when I come back."
Moses would have made a 'pfft' like sound if he had the sinuses possible for such a sound (he had heard Humans make such noise to pointless warnings many times and he decided he quite liked the sound), but all that escaped was a slightly different type of purr. Luckily, his Ianto had an innate understanding of Moses' language (which was just another reason why Moses thought his Ianto should be reborn a cat at some time, for being so clever), so he seemed to understand all the comfort, understanding, loss and compassion he was conveying.
"Never you, right? Of course, such behavior is well beneath you." Moses purred deep, pleased his Ianto acknowledged such truth. "Cheeky bugger."
And with that, lights had turned off and Moses had drifted off into sleep, moving from within his Ianto's curled arm to the end of the bed (he was fluffy, lots of fur plus another warm body equaled too much body heat for his liking) and didn't waken until he heard the young Human rummaging around the next morning. Early. Moses yawned deep and stretched, blinking tiredly at his Ianto, silently scolding the young one that he was lucky the rest of him was so nice; early morning routines were never attractive to others. His Ianto had made sure Moses' dish was full of food (a delicious concoction of fish-flavored nibblings), dropping in a few crunchy treats on top, which were much appreciated, and then refilling his water dish with clean water. He had scratched behind Moses' ears once more, smoothing back Moses' black fur down his back, causing him to arch his back into the touch. One last request (because, honestly, who ordered around a feline?) to behave for Mrs. Brown (Moses agreed to the old Human, but made no such promise about her canines should they be allowed within his home) and that he would be back in a few days.
And that led to where Moses was now, watching in alarm and anger at the sight of HIS Ianto being half-carried into the flat by the Stomper, looking as if he had taken on a tomcat (or tom-Human, whatever the equivalent was) and had lost, terribly. He growled in alarm and concern and jumped down from the top of the couch (one of his personal favorite napping spots due to both its elevated height and wonderful comfy-ness) and hurried to the door, meowing in distress. He knew the 'camping' was a bad idea, but honestly! How much trouble could Humans get into in only three days? The Stomper guided a wincing Ianto over to one of the plushy chairs, a concern shadowed with guilt coloring his face, and Moses directed his ire towards the Stomper and his ridiculously large coat. Guilt implied fault—he knew the Stomper was trouble, even though his Estelle had never thought so, Moses knew. He always trusted his nose and the Stomper just smelled too odd to trust (Humans were just not meant to smell like they were constantly in heat).
"You should have said something."
"You were a bit busy, sir, what with integrating cannibals and all."
Moses growled at the Stomper when he frowned disapprovingly at his Ianto. His Ianto was hurt; you didn't scold kittens when they were hurt because that could wait—first you took care of hurts because they couldn't. Ianto glanced over at Moses, and spared a small, very sad little smile that washed away any of the anger he felt towards the Stomper. He meowed softly and worriedly, gently licking the tips of his dirty fingers.
"Let me see."
"Sir—"
"Now, Ianto."
Moses did not approve of the Stomper's tone (not one bit, and given the next opportunity, Moses swore he was going to bite the Stomper's hand), but he obligingly scooted away as Ianto gingerly raised his arms and stripped his torso. It took some maneuvering that Moses noted was not usually necessary, meowing again in compassion at the grimace dancing across his Ianto's face. Moses conducted his own inspection of injuries, appalled by the number of dark splotches coloring his Ianto's skin, judging that whatever had done this had either been unbelievably strong (his Ianto may have been on the slender side, as Humans go, but he was no weakling!) or had cheated and used objects. The Stomper apparently knew much more about the facts than Moses because he sucked in his breath and then swore that he hadn't shot a ubiquitous 'them' low enough. His Ianto simply rolled his eyes and tried to scoot back quietly, failing miserably Moses thought…Humans just didn't have the correct finesse or flexibility to move when injured in a stealthy manner. The Stomper agreed, and placed a halting palm against his Ianto's shoulder, stilling any and all possible movement, giving a firm 'stay out' sort of look before he rose and headed off to the kitchen.
"Shit." Moses looked sharply over at his Ianto, glancing back for a moment to keep an eye on the Stomper surreptitiously, meowing and pressing close (and yes he was mindful of the colorful splotches decorating the young human's torso; he wasn't about to go nudging in such an unadvisable situation, thank you). "Camping—never again."
Moses meowed in agreement, only slightly letting his 'I-told-you-so' tone trickle in.
"Cannibals—fuck. Only bloody Torchwood…should have been happy with the coffee and filing."
"As much as I enjoy hearing that Welsh accent of yours, it'd probably be best if you didn't talk. Your ribs could be broken, and until Owen can look them over, I'd rather not chance anything."
"I can talk just fine, thank you sir."
"Yeah, that's why you sound like you can't catch your breath…a side effect that's not necessarily bad, considering the activity, but I'm betting it has more to do your diaphragm not getting in a full breath without pressing against ribs."
His Ianto said nothing, just rolled his eyes after staring into the Stomper's face. Moses, for one, could feel an undercurrent of something pass between the two Humans (felines had a much deeper sense of perception, something Humans could only wish to have), something that fairly crackled but faded too quickly to amount to much. The Stomper revealed what he had disappeared into the kitchen for, a roll of damp clothes and some gauze (which Moses only could identify because he had mistakenly tried to use a roll of it as target practice and was unpleasantly surprised by the texture and taste, expecting something more pleasant, like a towel). Silently, he set about cleaning up dirt and other various (suspicious) looking fluids, murmuring something soothing and wordless whenever he passed over something tender or hurt. Moses had to hand it to the Stomper, he knew how to properly clean and nurse, admiring the gentle way he took care of his Ianto, wrapping the gauze around the younger Human's torso with as much care as possible.
"You don't have to this sir, I'm sure they're just bruised."
"No, I really do. Tosh let me know all about your heroics when I dropped her off. What kind of dashing hero would I be if I let you wander off to lick your wounds in private? Especially considering the whole trip was my brilliant idea."
"I'm sure that even you were surprised at cannibals, sir."
The Stomper laughed in a manner that Moses had not heard before. Not to say he had never heard the Stomper laugh, he had laughed and smiled plenty with Estelle, and Moses had seen him smile and laugh when he was confined to the office, but this was different. Before, it sounded, not hollow (for he truly found it amusing when the Man in White had chucked green goo at Moses…yes, he definitely had a bite in his future), but not exactly whole. As if every laugh, every smile, every act of happiness was overshadowed by an innate sadness, so deeply intertwined that it was impossible to separate one from the other. Moses recognized it; it was the same with his Ianto some days, not all, but some. But this laugh of his, this particular smile was complete, not one trace of sadness as far as Moses could tell (and considering the observational skills of felines it is safe to assume he was entirely correct), and it lit up his whole face. Moses glanced at his Ianto, taking note in the slight warmth in his ears and cheekbones, happy to see his clever Ianto seemed to notice the different smile as well.
And, for the first time, Moses noted a difference between these two, something he knew it would be important to remember for later. Something that Moses had not noticed between his Ianto and the other Humans that had been in the metal home, something unique. Something he could maybe help with, because Bast knew that Humans were utterly rubbish with helping themselves most of the time. Moses purred deeply to himself, immensely pleased with his acute observation. Both his Ianto and the Stomper looked over at him, Ianto arching his brow in silent question while the Stomper looked a bit annoyed.
"Yeah, I guess that's an understatement."
"Don't tell me that cannibalism is unique to Earth as well."
The Stomper laughed again, this one much more alike to his other laughs, wrapping an arm around Ianto's waist and helping him up, leaning the younger Human against his body when Moses' Ianto's legs shook. Moses leapt off the couch and followed behind the two, the Stomper guiding an obviously in pain Ianto towards his room, careful to not trip up their feet (while an amusing enough pastime that usually was, Moses recognized the inappropriateness such a game would have at the time). Ianto smiled gratefully at something the Stomper handed him, popping them in his mouth and gingerly laying down on the bed, not even bothering to take off his trainers. Moses hopped onto the bed, purred and meowed a few times and buried his head beneath his Ianto's hand, purring all the louder when the hand slowly began to stroke his head.
"I don't want to see you at work tomorrow unless there's a meteor about to strike the Hub, Ianto, clear?"
"Crystal, sir." Moses thought his Ianto sounded very sleepy and scooted forward enough that he rested lengthwise against his Human, evening his breath in an effort to help guide his stubborn Ianto to sleep. Moses saw the Stomper sit softly on the bed, enough distance away from his quickly falling asleep Ianto that he didn't disturb him with the movement of the bed, but close enough that a hand reached out and brushed against the still dirty hair. Moses watched the Stomper closely as the hand drifted slowly, hesitantly even (which Moses was quite sure the Stomper rarely did, be hesitant that is), down the slightly marred contours of his Ianto's face, ghosting across the skin and resting softly against the bruised and nicked skin at his neck.
The fingers lingered for a moment, transparent and barely touching a wound Moses had not noticed before, one that looked like a cut against one of the most vulnerable places a human had (and being related to the Great hunter cats, Moses could identify an attempt at the jugular when he saw one). Moses pivoted his head to look from the wound to the Stomper's face, which had a carefully guarded veil over his expression but didn't quite mask the audible (especially to Moses' superior ears) sigh that escaped.
"It didn't happen. Almost but…you came." Moses could have growled in frustration; why wasn't his Ianto sleeping when he should? Humans. "Don't dwell on it, sir."
"It was a shot mission from the start; you shouldn't have had to—"
"Doesn't matter."
Moses stared at the two, watched the fingers, which had once been at the neck wound shift to spread across the jaw-line, heard a soft, almost imperceptible (unless you were a cat) intake of breath, and felt a shift in the bed below him. And then, it was gone, the Stomper moving quickly, gracefully away, burying his hands within the folds of his large coat and moving away from them both. Well, that was rather abrupt and rude, Moses thought peevishly, but not altogether out of character.
"You—you could stay." Moses turned an astonished look at his Ianto, for once, at a loss for a single thing to say or think. His Ianto was not looking at the Stomper, but at the ceiling, with a distinctly glazed look in his eyes, no doubt because of whatever the Stomper had handed his Ianto earlier. The Stomper, paused in his booming stride, but didn't head back towards either of them, resting his hands on the frame of the doorway and flashing an unseen (at least by his Ianto, Moses saw it just fine because of his watchful eye over the whole event, thank you), mirthless smile at the prone Ianto. Hesitation, that's what Humans called it, a most dreadful affliction…luckily, cats did not have to ever deal with that issue.
"Ask me again, Ianto, when your brain's not so addled. Good night."
Suddenly, Moses understood what he was supposed to help with, what he could do to help his Ianto, what he was meant to do (not to say he wasn't meant to nap and play with his food, but even cats needed a higher sense of purpose every now and then). He glanced back at his Ianto, who now seemed well and gone, eyes closed and breathing even, slow, so Moses softly, (with the dexterity only a cat could possess) rose and wriggled out from between body parts and squished blankets. He jumped down and followed after the Stomper, the little bell on his new collar jingling after him as he hurried after the tall Human, Jack, yes that was what they all called him. He meowed rather loud, loud enough to make sure he was heard by the canines a door down, and stared up at the Stomper when he turned around and looked down at him.
"What? I saw food in your dish earlier." Moses snorted and sat down primly (as if he was worried about food at such an hour). He meowed again, glancing backwards and then at the Stomper again, this one louder, even more insistent.
Heaving a sigh the Stomper crouched down and offered his hand to Moses to sniff (which Moses declined; he smelt him just fine without having fingers shoved under his delicate nose) before petting the fur on his hand, perhaps a bit rougher than Moses liked, but not entirely unpleasant. Moses purred his thanks and meowed again, this one much more reasonable and rubbed against the Stomper's leg. He was positive this Human was not as clever as his Ianto, so he wouldn't understand what Moses was trying to say with all his meows and purrs, but he felt compelled to at least tell him. Tell him that while he did not care for him, for his stomping and strange smell, for his fake laughs and booming shouts, for his indifference towards him, for his Estelle, or many other faults (which were really just too numerous to count), for some unknown and Bast-knows-why reason…
..his Ianto was fond of him, and smiled softly around him, and didn't seem nearly as sad (most of the time at least, sometimes not being sad would later bring about immense sadness Moses could not understand) with him near and cleaning his hurts. And was so willing to forgive the Stomper all those faults because he was more than fond of him. He was his Ianto's. And, because of that, Moses was going to help them both, whether they liked it or not…because they needed it. And as a feline, he knew what was best for both of them.
But, as the Stomper was not clever enough to discern all of this, he just went on scratching his ears.
"Do me a favor, Moses, would you? Keep an eye on him, all right." Moses squinted his eyes in annoyance but purred; as if he wouldn't.
"You know, you almost lost another owner (Moses ignored that word given the seriousness of what he was hearing…the Stomper was clearly distraught enough to think that he had a master; he was a feline), and it would've been my fault again. Just seem to have the luck, don't I?"
Well, Moses sure hoped he wasn't implying that he was some sort of bad luck charm; he wasn't a full black cat or anything. The hand pulled away and the Stomper straightened to his full height, smirking down at him in a manner that he supposed would be attractive towards other Humans (again, Moses did not know, nor did he have an interest to know) before tucking his hands within the coat again. He nodded, eyes fixating behind Moses for a moment before smirking in his usual manner, whirling about like he never looked back (as if Moses didn't know what he was looking back at and thinking about, please, it was almost an insult), exiting the flat in a flap of his coat, shutting the light off. Moses watched for a moment longer, tail swishing along the carpeted floor, formulating his plan.
He meowed in a satisfied manner and headed back towards his Ianto, a slight bounce to his step as his mind wandered over all the different possibilities he had, had to make his Ianto much happier (because honestly, who else would do it right?).
**
Moses was beginning to have serious doubts about this 'Torchwood,' watching his Ianto help the very sad and shaking little Human through his door, a look of pure compassion and understanding on his face. Little more than a week or two had passed since his Ianto had been so terribly hurt, some of the more nasty splotches still showed faintly and his winces weren't entirely gone yet, and now here was this female, crying and upset. This 'Torchwood' was obviously much too dangerous to the health, Moses thought with alarm, and maybe he should change the parameters of his 'mission.' The little, female Human, Tosh he remembered from his 'dark weeks,' (the one who had been quite upset when he chewed through the bits of string…which Moses could admit had not been his brightest moment) looked quite horrible, streaks of tears down her face, hair disarrayed, and hands clutching tightly, be it on his Ianto's coat or her own clothing. Moses felt a wave of sympathy for this poor little Human, and he promptly jumped down from his favorite couch, making space for her.
His Ianto spared Moses a grateful look as he guided the distraught Human, Tosh, into the wonderful napping spot, grabbing a nearby afghan and handing it to her wordlessly. She took it and wrapped it around her shoulders, eyes slipping shut, buds of dew-like moisture escaping out but managing a small smile of thanks. Ianto murmured a comfort and strode purposely into the kitchen; Moses hesitated for only a moment before following. Moses watched his Ianto rummage around in his cupboards, drawing out coffee (the nice smelling liquid that his Ianto practically lived off of…Moses didn't like it beside the smell, which had humored Ianto when he offered him some to taste; Moses had found nothing humorous in such a dirty trick) cups and fiddling with the shiny instrument that made said coffee. Ianto had an overwhelming sad look on his face, so much that Moses couldn't stop the comforting meow, which drew Ianto's attention for just a moment. His Ianto put down the cups and other necessities and knelt down, stroking Moses' head and scratching behind his ears.
"Moe, go to Tosh, she could use a handsome face like yours right now. I'll be right there." Moses purred deep in agreement, nudging the hand once more before he turned around and padded back towards the now sniffling Tosh. His Ianto was always trying to help others (Moses had even seen him show kindness to the rat-canines down the hall), so it would be simply preposterous if Moses did not do the same thing. He made his way back to the very pitiful Human, rubbing against her leg and meowing for her before he jumped up beside her on the couch.
The Human looked over at him, hiccupping sadly, but a small smile flitting across her face nonetheless, raising a shaking hand to pet his fur. She was slow and distracted, but Moses quite liked her method, stroking down his back, fluffing through his tail, and reaching back behind his ears. He even let her scratch under his chin (an honor he should've only given to his Ianto, but she was very good at it so he didn't mind the breach in etiquette), purring deep and loud, nudging her hand with his nose. He crawled up onto her legs and meowed loudly when her hand started to pull away, pulling a soft chuckle from her chapped lips, which made Moses feel incredibly proud of himself. He meowed once more in satisfaction and curled on her lap, half resting on her lap and against her stomach and the other half on the couch, eyes closing as she continued to scratch behind his ears, making sure to keep purring, even though he was quite sleepy now. Humans always liked it when he purred, so he made sure to keep it up for the little Human who so obviously needed him.
Moses heard his Ianto's footsteps and blinked his eyes open to look up at him, purring louder as Tosh's fingers tickled his back, near his tail (sweet goddess, that felt good…his back always did that odd wave motion whenever he was scratched on THAT spot…if Humans only knew) before leaving him all together, accepting the cup she was offered. His Ianto flashed him a smile, one full of thanks and affection, which promptly made Moses purr ever louder, now rivaling the sound of any passing car. He was rather pleased with his efforts as well, and he was sure he had a can of turkey and giblets goodness from the canned dinners tonight. He licked his lips in anticipation before he started to clean his fur absently, not wanting to be rude and interrupt the silence that had enveloped his Ianto and Tosh. It was a little awkward cleaning his chest while still resting half on and half off the small Human's lap, but he thought he managed well enough.
"He's much more behaved here than he was at the Hub." The little one's voice was thready, but otherwise kind and Moses knew she was complimenting him (because, honestly, he had seen the Humans at their 'Hub'…no one behaved there). "Very affectionate."
"Didn't have a chance before, really. Cats can't be expected to behave when they're confined and caged. He just needed a space where he could roam, and where he wouldn't get Gergan blood flung at him."
Tosh chuckled softly, which made Moses smile in his own way. "Let me guess, Owen."
"Who else?" Ianto smiled back, a definite trace of humor in his voice, taking a long sip of his drink.
"Well, I think it's good that he's here, he seems to like you and—well, I'm happy you're not entirely alone here." Moses wasn't sure what she meant be 'entirely,' as his Ianto wasn't alone at all, and after his plan succeeded he wouldn't be alone two-fold. But, seeing as she was upset, he let her erroneous comment slide (he was an awfully forgiving feline, one of his better attributes).
"Tosh—whatever you heard—"
"No! I'm so sorry, Ianto…I didn't—I mean…I had no right and if you're angry—"
"It would be calling the pot black, wouldn't it, Tosh? Everyone makes mistakes…some more than others admittedly, but everyone still. You forgave me for mine, and I think mine was a bit graver in hindsight, I forgive you for yours."
Moses watched his Ianto reach across and grab a shaking hand (Tosh had proven to be clever herself, setting down the cup on a nearby table when she almost spilled some coffee on Moses' paw…but she averted disaster so all was well), and give it a comforting squeeze. Moses had to admire his Ianto, his ability to calm others and show such affection when he himself was so sad most of the time was astounding. He kept his silence though, resting his head on a leg and purring softly; his Ianto may have been his, but Moses knew how to share, and right now little Tosh needed his clever Ianto much more (felines were extremely self-sacrificing when the moment called it of them).
"Ianto, I'm so sorry about everything. I didn't—you should have said something, to me, to Jack, anyone really. You shouldn't keep all that anger and hurt inside, it's not…it's not pretty."
His Ianto gave a small chuckle before smiling in a rather rueful manner. "So I gathered. Don't take this the wrong way, Tosh, but you're not the best actor, especially when you're taken by surprise." Moses was not surprised at this, most Humans were terrible at concealing their emotions, making their intentions and fears plainly known. His Ianto was an exception to this, which Moses admittedly admired, but he also knew Humans were not felines. But, he had a plan so Moses did not let himself worry too much about that at the moment.
"But Ianto—"
"Honestly, Tosh, you just had the luck of catching me on a bad morning." He smiled softly and leaned back into the back of the couch again. "It is getting better, and the bad mornings are getting fewer. I promise, really."
Tosh was silent, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth (in a manner Moses found made Humans look infinitesimally younger than they were, which in turn was distracting to other Humans…) before she gave a small, watery smile, reaching for her cup on the table. "You can talk to me. If you have a bad day."
Ianto gave her another one of his kindest looks before putting aside his cup and letting out a genuine laugh, one that Moses always looked forward to hearing but had only heard sparingly. "You know, it's bad form for the one supposed to be comforting getting comforted. It's you who had the rotten day, not me."
"Yes, well, when as Torchwood ever done things normally?"
Moses shifted off Tosh's legs as the tears came back, letting her shift over to his Ianto, who seemed to have been waiting for her to do this all night. He curled on the couch and stayed on as a silent presence, knowing that whatever was bothering the little one needed to be let out and he had no help for that. He could understand her cries, recognized a broken heart when he heard one, but Humans were so much different than cats when it came to nursing those hurts. Nothing he could offer would help her now, maybe later (and that meant she was compelled to visit both his Ianto and Moses from now on…she was quite pleasant when not fretting over her glowing screens or chewed 'wires'), but for now, he knew his Ianto would be enough. He yawned loudly and rested his head on his curled front paws, letting out one last purr and deep breath as he let sleep claim him, his lullaby an echo of sobs and comforts.
**
Later that night, Moses heard the front door open and he lifted his head from where it was resting against the sleeping, and now much calmer, Tosh's arm. He could see his Ianto in the doorway, the light from the hallway darkening his profile, but Moses knew it was him (cat eyes were much superior to Humans after all, even when still half asleep), and he could smell the other who was standing outside. The Stomper glanced past Ianto for a moment, resting on the little Tosh, eyes locking with Moses as well, before he looked back at his Ianto, speaking softly so as not to disturb a now shifting Tosh. Moses did not shift with her (cats never moved in their sleep for another, which was just silly to think he would do so), but instead focused more awake eyes on the two in the doorway. Goddess, he could smell the Stomper's interest from here…his plan might turn out much easier than Moses had initially planned.
The words were too soft, even for Moses' ears to catch, but the Stomper gave a pleasant smile to his Ianto, resting a grateful hand against the younger Human's shoulder before nodding and moving away. Moses watched his Ianto close the door quietly, and pad softly back to his room. He paused next to the couch, staring at Moses, exposing a slightly confused and bemused expression (one which Moses did claim to be responsible for) before patting his leg, cocking his head after him. Moses understood and gently, gracefully, rose and hopped off the couch, not moving one hair on Tosh's little head. Ianto bent down and scooped Moses off the floor, carrying his still sleepy form across the flat and too his room.
"Come on you, if you keep sleeping with Tosh, she'll find herself on the floor come morning, couch hog."
Moses had no idea what his Ianto meant. But, he did know that he was sure to have more interesting days to come. This bloody 'Torchwood' and all was going to be the death of his relaxation…
TBC…