Doomsday: Post Apocalypse
a Torchwood story
by RoadrunnerGER
Dislaimer: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.
Summary: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto
A/N: Hello! I'm back! And I won NaNo with 50,580 words! YAY! 50,580 words of Post Apocalypse that need to be polished. Thank you for your wonderful comments on the first chapter. I hope you'll enjoy this one, too. Special thanks to my wonderful beta mandassina who also supported me during NaNo. I love you! Everyone… Enjoy!
Chapter 2 – An easy day
Once they cut down the fried octopus to manageable pieces Jack called Dylan Porter, the fisherman who usually took him out to Flatholm Island once a month, and asked him if he could help them take the remains out to the open sea. A polite request and the prospect of a respectable sum of money quickly assured them of his help.
Jack did not count how often they had to go up and down with their carts, but when he rolled the last one onto the deck of the Heriwch* he heaved a sigh and found a seat before he simply slumped where he stood.
"Are you okay?" Ydris demanded as he rushed to his side.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jack moaned. "I just need a moment."
Ydris sat down beside him and put an arm around Jack's waist. After a moment of resistance the captain leaned against him and rested his head on Ydris's shoulder.
"Are you all done?" Dylan called out to them.
"Yeah, we're ready to go!" Ydris replied in Jack's stead.
"All right!"
Dylan unmoored the boat while the other two men stayed where they were. When he returned to the bridge he ducked through the door and started the engine. Slowly the boat chugged across the bay toward the barrage.
"So…" Ydris gently prodded. "You never answered my question."
Jack tensed.
"Which question?"
"How many times have you died since the attack?"
Reflexively Jack tried to wind out of the Welshman's hold, but Ydris did not let go.
"That's hardly your business," Jack spat.
"Maybe you should decide that it is."
"No."
Even though the harsh answer hurt, Ydris did not back off. He had believed to have found a connection to Jack but obviously he had been mistaken. Oddly enough he felt like he knew the man for some time already, but the truth was that they met just the other day. Aside from that Jack had tried to steal his memories.
How could I forgive him so easily? Did I forgive him? God, I don't know. What am I even doing here?
Actually he should be at work right now. The problem was that Torchwood was much more interesting than shoving cans and cartons around or sitting at the cash desk at the local Tesco.
"How come you remember?" Jack suddenly asked. He knew some people were immune while others could overcome the drug given the right trigger and he was curious to know to which group Ydris belonged.
"Guess your drug failed to work," Ydris shrugged, unwilling to give away the truth. In fact Ydris had been suspicious and just pretended to drink from the can of soda Jack had given him. Still he had swallowed a little bit that made him tired, but he was not completely gone when Jack carried him up to Andy's flat. Only when the captain had left for London did Ydris allow himself to rest.
"Usually it's quite reliable."
"Well, shit happens," Ydris chuckled. "See it positive, I do remember you."
"That's definitely a pleasant thought," Jack smirked. "Maybe we can pick up where we were interrupted."
"Easy, Captain!" Ydris rushed to say as Jack's hand slid toward private areas.
"I thought you enjoyed what we were doing."
Ydris heaved a sigh. "I did… and I will. Just not here on deck. Okay?"
"Yeah," Jack agreed tiredly. "I'm not really up to it anyway."
"Why don't you lie down and have some rest?" Ydris suggested, taking off his jacket. "C'mon!" Earnestly he coaxed Jack to stretch out beside him and stuffed his jacket under his head. "You don't need to tell me. Too many times. Rest, Jack. You earned it."
"Did I?"
It astonished Ydris to hear the doubt in Jack's words. "World saved, Captain," he assured him. "So yes, you did."
"Don't feel like it," Jack mumbled sleepily.
"That'll come when you're rested," Ydris murmured, letting his fingers thread through Jack's hair. A moment later the captain was dead to the world.
Noticing that the boat slowed down the Welshman looked up to see the barrage. From there it did not take long until they were far enough out on the sea to dump the octopus's remains. Together with Dylan he emptied the holds and they were swarmed by seagulls that came to get their share. The ship was almost back at the Quay when Jack woke up.
"Why are we berthing again?" the captain asked, confused. "Shouldn't we be going in the other direction?"
"Don't worry," Ydris told him, stroking his back. "Everything's taken care of."
"But…"
"No buts, Jack," he gently scolded. "You don't need to do everything on your own. Now come… unless you plan to stay aboard."
"Nope."
Before they left, though, they helped to moor the boat and Jack went to the bridge to talk with Dylan. Ydris waited on the boardwalk in front of the tourist office and was slightly surprised to see the small ship chug away.
"What?" Jack chuckled at Ydris's sceptical expression.
"Well, I thought Dylan would get tired and, well…"
"You mean you expected me to retcon him."
"To make him forget, yeah."
Jack smirked. "Dylan's good at asking no questions."
"He can count himself lucky that you trust him then."
"Who said anything about trust?" Jack shrugged it off, choosing not to mention the pill he had slipped into Dylan's teapot. He knew how long the man needed to reach his anchorage and that he would make it safely before the drug kicked in.
"You did it again," Ydris groaned.
"So, what now?" Jack cheerfully asked as he unlocked the tourist office. "Wanna stay and help?"
"Are you offering me a job?" the Welshman asked excitedly.
"Temporarily."
Ydris's shoulders sagged. Now why did he even get his hopes up?
"Are you coming?"
Holding the door open Jack gestured Ydris inside and the young man complied. They were cleaning up in the main Hub for another two hours before Jack decided they had enough. First they had a shower and then Jack found a better way to compensate Ydris for his help than simple payment. At least in his point of view. Even though the Welshman never said anything about it Jack assumed that he loved it, too. At least if his squeals and moans were any indication.
*Challenge
xXx
As he did not take his watch with him Ianto did not know how much time had passed since he had left the flat to get breakfast, but he knew that he took a little longer than he had planned due to Mrs. Dillard showing him the room he now had a key for. Still he did not believe that he was away overly long and was taught differently when he rang Owen's doorbell and was stunned by the door flying open and the medic grabbing his sweater and pulling him inside, slamming the door shut.
"Ianto! For God's sake! Where have you been?"
Glowering at Owen for the admonishment Ianto wrenched out of his hold and pushed past the medic into the kitchen area. "I didn't intend to be so long," he groaned. "Just wanted to get some pastries for breakfast."
"And instead you bought the whole bakery?" Owen grunted at the sight of the huge paper bags the younger man was carrying. "You could've left a note."
"I was forced to take all these for free," Ianto chuckled as he dropped the bags on the kitchen counter. "I'm an adult, by the way. I can be trusted to survive on my own for an hour without you."
"I don't know when you've left, Ianto, but it's been three hours since I woke up and found you gone."
"Really?"
Biting his bottom lip Ianto rolled his eyes. He looked so sheepish doing that that Owen could not help but laugh.
"Well, not quite," the medic relented. "But I still was worried. Not because you're not old enough or because you don't know the city, I know you do, but because we just came back from a bad mission. I was about to call the team so we could search for you."
Ianto looked crestfallen.
"Owen, I'm sorry. I came to the bakery and there was a note in the window about a room to let and I went to ask about it…"
"A room? What's wrong with my bed?"
Ianto glanced at the huge bed at the panorama window.
"Nothing. It's comfortable, really," the Welshman shrugged. "But I shouldn't stay here the whole time that I'm temping for Three."
"Well, you'll have to be at the Hub for that," Owen grunted. "Besides, I invited you."
"And I appreciate that," Ianto assured him. "Still I'll prefer my own room, even if it's just for one week." A crooked smile cracked his features. "It has a not so pretty couch in it. Do you have a plaid I could borrow?"
"Actually… no, don't think so."
"Bummer." Turning to a shelf to put two of the pastry bags there, Ianto's gaze fell on a clock. "Three hours, huh?"
"Pardon?"
"You said I was gone for over three hours, Owen," Ianto complained. "Only about one has passed, though."
"Just a little exaggeration," Owen huffed. "Now, show me the pastries you got! I'm hungry!"
xXx
After a belated breakfast Owen and Ianto took the bus into town in order to find Ianto a plaid for the not so pretty couch. Owen could not help but tease Ianto about it even though he had not seen it yet and Ianto ignored him. The Welshman was not picky and bought a simple beige cotton plaid that would do well for the short amount of time that he was going to stay. Neither of them was the type for extended shopping trips, but as Ianto had not been in Cardiff for several years they still strolled around the inner city for a while. At the market hall Ianto bought a couple of Welshcakes. He was chewing on one filled with lemon curd when he found Owen staring at an empty booth.
"Wow," Ianto mumbled around the cake at the sight of the bullet-peppered wall.
"Didn't Jack mention that they were at the market hall the day after the attack?" Owen murmured. "Must've been quite an uproar."
"I wonder what they were up against," Ianto said, turning to leave.
"And I wonder what the cover story is," Owen chuckled, catching up. "Cardiff isn't known for shootouts like this."
On their way back to the bus stop they got a newspaper and skimmed through it in search of Rift related articles. Unusual animal sighting was the first headline they came across. There also was a picture included.
"The transformation of the so called Ghosts was followed by a series of unusual appearances," Ianto read, and trailed off as the bus pulled to a stop. Preceding Owen, he looked for a seat away from the other passengers so they could have some privacy. The only one he could find that did not have anyone seated nearby was to the back of the bus, which was fine, as far as Ianto was concerned, and he did not think Owen would be likely to get carsick.
"At Bute Park witnesses described a pair of unidentified flying animals the size of large birds of prey," Ianto continued once Owen was seated beside him. "Given the proximity to Cardiff Castle the birds are suspected to have escaped from the castle's falconry, but the Castle's spokesman, Hamish Havisham, denies the claims. A pair of off-duty police constables under the direction of a volunteer affiliated with the Welsh Hawking Centre in Barry, attempted to capture the creatures, but to date, there is no report on the results of their efforts."
"Our captain was busy, all right," Owen snickered and had a closer look at the picture that was astonishingly sharp for being taken by nightfall. "That doesn't look like a bird at all."
"No, more like a manta ray," Ianto murmured, already glancing over the next articles. "Here," he pointed one out. "Pack of lizards loose at Cardiff Market."
"...one man killed by the exotic animals which presumably escaped from a pet shop. A special ops team was forced to shoot the reptiles in order to bring the situation under control. An unidentified woman who may have witnessed the attack was admitted to hospital with shock. Suffering from retrograde amnesia…" at that the men exchanged knowing glances, "she could not give a statement to the police."
"Special ops, huh?" Ianto chuckled.
"Yeah, well, as long as they don't write Torchwood," Owen whispered back.
"Given the Rift right through the city I'm surprised that the Institute's not better known here anyway," Ianto mused aloud. "I imagine that it's hard to keep a low profile here, especially after days like these."
"Yeah," Owen sneered, "especially with a boss like Jack."
"If you say so."
Owen laughed. "C'mon, Ianto! Didn't you see enough of his blustering to believe it?"
All Ianto did was shrug. Actually he had encountered a rather pensive and compassionate man. Sure, there had been moments when Jack could not help his extrovert nature and flirted by hook or by crook, but all things considered Ianto tended to believe that Jack was a rather complex and at times introverted person.
"Hey, Ianto," Owen prodded. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ianto said. "Just thinking."
"About Jack?"
Ianto nodded.
"Careful, mate. You don't want to give him the wrong impression." Owen snickered. "We've got to get out here."
They left the bus and went to Ianto's new room.
tbc…