Ianto entered the Hub, Jack following closely behind as usual. They went through their morning routine of coffee, breakfast picked up at the local bakery and a systems check. Scanning the logs, Ianto saw that not only was the rift still quiescent for a change, but that there had been no disturbances during the night of any kind – a minor miracle in his opinion.
Jack had gone up to his office to get some paperwork done. The last Ianto had seen him, he had been munching on a Danish with a coffee in the other hand as he climbed the stairs to his office. Ianto puttered around the Hub, doing the morning feedings and taking the opportunity to clean out Myfanwy's cavern since she was still out on the hunt. He did open the roof so she could get back in, and he did rather hope she did so before it was full daylight. No need to alarm the locals, after all.
An hour and a half later, Gwen drifted in. She had a slightly dazed look on her face as she gratefully accepted the proffered coffee cup from Ianto. He was rather amused, but not surprised. He had caught Rhys snogging the hell out of her out on the Plass with the CCTV cameras. He nodded towards the kitchen where the food was before turning back to his console to get some much needed work done.
He had been working steadily for several hours, listening to Gwen chat on the phone with PC Andy when a reminder popped up on his monitor. He blinked and checked the date. Closing out the pop up reminder, he logged off his system and stood up to stretch. He made a pot of coffee and refilled Gwen's cup. She nodded gratefully, tucking her hair behind her ear as she chatted on the phone. Ianto took the pot up to Jack's office to see if he needed a warm up.
Jack was pouring over some records, completely absorbed in his task. Ianto walked quietly about the room, avoiding some rift junk which had been sitting on the floor of Jack's office for the past couple of weeks. Jack wouldn't let him move it, but didn't seem to be doing much about it, either. Stifling a sigh, Ianto poured coffee into the empty mug at Jack's elbow.
"Mmm, thank you," Jack said absently, a smile on his lips, though he didn't look up. "Smells wonderful."
"Well, coffee is the main ingredient that makes Torchwood function," Ianto said lightly. He peered down over Jack's shoulder at the document on the desk. It was an old journal of some kind. Off to the side Jack had a memo pad where he had been jotting notes down. "Anything I can help you with?"
"No, thanks. Just doing a little homework," Jack said absently. He didn't see Ianto's nod, he was so absorbed by what he was doing.
Ianto moved towards the door before turning back towards Jack in the doorway. "Do you need me for anything else right now?"
"No, all set. Thanks, though," Jack said.
"Then I'm going out. I'll see you later this afternoon. I'll have my com on in case you need anything," Ianto said. He turned and had only taken a few steps when Jack called him back. He turned and poked his head back through the entryway. "Yes?"
"Where are you going?" Jack asked, curious despite his immersion into his work.
"Flat Holm," Ianto said. "I want to go for a visit and see how people are getting on. I also promised a couple of them I'd bring them some books and games so I'm going to pick those up at the arcade before I go."
"Need any help?" Jack asked. He didn't want Ianto to go on his own, but he hated going there himself.
"I'm okay," Ianto said. He knew how much Jack hated going there. "You have work to do, so stay and do it." Jack shook his head and pushed the journal away.
"No, I'll come." He stood up and closed the journal after marking his place with a bookmark. "Let me know when you're ready to go." Ianto shrugged and headed back down to the kitchenette with his coffee pot. He picked his list of items he wanted to purchase for the residents and when he turned, it was to find Jack waiting for him by the cog wheel door.
"You want to come to the arcade with me?" Ianto asked, surprised. He figured it would go shopping and then let Jack know that he was ready. Jack nodded. Ianto turned to Gwen. "We're stepping out for the afternoon. Will you be okay by yourself?"
Gwen nodded, ear still glued to the phone. She waved to them, her mind on the gossip her friend Francie who worked the dispatch desk was telling her. Ianto shook his head as he listened to her chatter. He made his way over to where Jack stood, his coat slung over one arm. Extending his arm for Jack to lead the way, he followed the captain into the lift.
"That your list?" Jack asked with a nod to the piece of paper in Ianto's hand. Ianto nodded. "May I see it?"
"Certainly," Ianto said as he handed the list over. The paper had some ideas he had for gifts for people as well as some special requests that the staff had passed onto him. Jack read through it and nodded. He also came up with a couple of suggestions of his own which Ianto added to the list.
Once out on the Plass, the two men headed over to the arcade, crossing things off the list as they went. With the two of them, it didn't take them very long, and soon they were heading towards the Hub with several bags each. They went around the back way to the SUV rather than cut through the Hub and packed up the back. Ianto took the wheel. He was surprised that Jack didn't insist on driving, but he didn't complain.
He headed out to the dock, not saying anything as he drove. Jack was quiet as well. He looked out the window and watched the scenery. Ianto looked at him occasionally, but said nothing. Eventually they reached the dock and they could see the boat waiting for them. Ianto got out of the SUV and reached into the backseat for his purchases, Jack mirroring his movements from the other side of the vehicle.
After loading their stuff on board, the boat left the dock. Jack went up on deck to talk with the captain while Ianto sorted out the packages, making sure that price tags had been removed and that they were organized for easy distribution. The trip wasn't long, and he noticed that they were bumping up against the dock just as Jack ducked his head while coming through the doorway.
