Originally posted: 6/4/13
"I need to talk to you."
"I need to talk to you."
Both Tosh and Owen simultaneously made their pleas to each other.
"Jinx."
"Veins."
"You can't have veins, it's over the phone, I can't see to verify that." Tosh protested.
"You'll just have to take my word for it then." Owen smugly stated.
"Owen please, not today, I really need to tell you something. I haven't got time for secret hand signals and spinning around makes me dizzy."
"Unjinx me then."
"Owen!"
"Go on, the quicker you do it, the quicker you can declare me King."
Tosh let out an exasperated sigh. For some season Owen always brought out her inner child, however many degrees and doctorates she held. With a weary smile (which Owen overheard), she did as she was told.
"I unjinx you. I unjinx you. I unjinx you, oh Lord and Master my King."
Owen released a deep resonant chuckle.
"I wish all my subjects were as obedient as you."
Even though Tosh's anxiety levels were rising by the second, she couldn't banish the smile from her lips.
"How soon can you make it to our coffee shop?" She enquired, a hint of fretfulness in her voice.
"I could be there in fifteen minutes."
"Please can you make it ten?"
"Done."
It is said there is a time for everything under the sun; but as much as Owen Harper loved teasing his long-suffering best friend, he instinctively knew play-time was over for today.
-OOO-
Cardiff was wearing its spring collection, which was very similar to its winter collection, i.e. rain. The chief difference between the two catwalk styles was that spring fever was delivered, with a certain lightness of touch. Even so, Owen was still soaked to the skin when he arrived at the café, nine minutes later.
Toshiko Sato was already seated at a table.
She had ordered.
The waitress and Owen arrived at the secluded table at the same time. She lined up all the drinks in front of Tosh.
Four in total.
"I see we mean business" Owen viewed his double helping of double espressos, with an enquiring eye.
"We'll take no prisoners."
"I like your style." Owen dumped his body on the chair and his broken brolly on the floor beside him, before taking a huge slurp from the nearest cup. He closed his eyes briefly, he loved his coffee.
"So what's occurring? You look a bit stressed." Owen always aimed for the heart of the matter.
"Do you always believe what your eyes are telling you?"
Owen's head jerked up. This was interesting.
"Usually - unless I've been drinking and then no, not on your nelly."
Tosh sighed; she really didn't want to say the words she was about to. She knew they would make her sound like a pubescent girl, still obsessed with a certain teenaged wizard.
"Well I think I saw something very funny yesterday."
"Funny ha-ha or funny peculiar?"
"Peculiar definitely peculiar." Tosh paused, still unsure how to continue. "I was going to visit Jack and…"
"Jack? Jack who?"
"Harkness, my new boss. I've told you about him before."
"Oh him" Owen grunted, unimpressed at the memory.
"So there I was, practically in the basement, and you know how dim the lighting is down there."
"Do I?"
"Well I'm telling you now, it's dim."
Owen's shoulders shook slightly with amusement. Even hyped up on nervous energy, Tosh still refused to let him get away with anything. She was his kind of girl.
"So I thought I saw Jack, my boss, just ahead of me."
"You've already said so."
"Owen!"
"Sorry, carry on please, I'm all ears." Owen's input wasn't sabotage, well not vindictive sabotage; it was just that he loved watching the tips of Tosh's ears turn pink, when she was frustrated.
"I was just about to call out to him, when the weirdest thing happened. Well I think it happened. "
Tosh took a sip of her coffee for Columbian courage. "The wall in front of him, appeared to fold down so that he could step through it and then it unfurled itself as though this was normal practice."
Tosh expected her statement to be greeted with silence, stunned amazement even, not laughter. She felt the sting of a slight cut. She had to dig Owen in the ribs to make him stop.
Owen tried to master his apologetic face.
"Tosh are you sure about this? The wall just folded down? The actual wall and not a curtain?"
"That's the whole point Owen "came the hot reply, "I'm not entirely sure. It's nonsensical, unbelievable, outside the realms of science. I can't bring myself to accept it."
Owen had finally managed to still himself. He began to consider the feasibility of this.
"Did this Jack Harkness do anything special or unusual to make this happen? Did he say open sesame or..?"
It was at this point the toe of Tosh's boot made swift contact with his shin.
"Ouch, alright, alright I'll play nicely now I promise. I mean it though Tosh; did he do or say anything obvious to make this happen?"
"Not to the naked eye."
"Did he seem fazed by it?
"No, it was just another Tuesday to him. He didn't bat an eyelid."
"Has anything else weird happened lately?" Owen was now mentally taking notes, serious at last.
Tosh was about to reply in the negative when she remembered the matter of the watch. She filled him in on how time seemed to have flown backwards on Jack's particular time piece.
This struck a chord with Owen.
He then informed Tosh of his revisionist newspaper; of how it appeared to change its mind over what had and hadn't happened the day before.
"When was this?" Tosh was beginning to suspect all the incidences were linked.
"The third of February, why?"
"The day after Ianto's episode."
"The day after Ianto's episode."
Despite the earlier tomfoolery, Owen and Tosh still shared a certain simpatico.
"The reported dead man sounded a lot like Ianto." Owen was stitching the fabric of clues together too.
"Jack said that he'd found Ianto in Splott, just wandering around."
Cogs were beginning to turn.
In the silence that reigned momentarily around the table, their neglected coffees went from cold to freezing.
"What's the lowest common denominator in all this?" It was a question that needed to be asked.
Owen provided the answer.
"Jack bloody Harkness."
The science team's eyes met. The gaze was held. A plan was formed.
-OOO-
Ianto was whistling and he never whistled. Today was turning out to be a good day and he had Jack Harkness to thank for that. In fact, if Ianto had been brave enough, he would have thanked Jack for an ever-growing list of improvements in his life.
He felt he now had security - tick, support - tick, trust- tick, lov… and someone to drive him absolutely bat shit crazy - tick, tick tick.
His ever present smile grew wider.
Ianto cast his mind back to his last date with Jack.
Yesterday.
Jack had picked Ianto up from work, (well he did walk the thirteen floors from his den to Ianto's lab).
He was slightly flushed when he arrived.
Ianto liked the look.
"Ready?"
Ianto had nodded. He had had to purse his lips together to stop them independently telling Jack just how much of him, he was ready for.
He licked the memory of a kiss, from his upper teeth.
"Let's go."
The date was meant to be a surprise. Jack was in charge of the details.
Ianto was only slightly worried. Already he knew that Jack thought along different lines to everybody else.
They took the lift down.
It stopped between floors.
Ianto eventually climbed into Jack's grubby SUV in an out of breath and dishevelled state.
His grin firmly in place.
He had immediately spotted the picnic hamper on the back seat of the car. It was an unseasonal surprise, but he was ready to go with it.
Jack said he knew a little place, a secluded spot that would be perfect at this time of year. They set off and drove in, what appeared to be circles for an age. Ianto was expecting to see the cityscape recede from his point of view and the countryside open up before him. Instead he saw side-alleys and industrial estates. He was having to re-adjust his idea of romance. Finally at the city's edge he saw a car wash. Jack drove up and drove in.
The contraption started. Giant brushes entombed them as wave after wave of soapy suds surrounded the SUV.
Jack had turned to him.
"Fancy a bite?"
"Pardon?"
"Would you care for some refreshment? We could eat the food or…each other ..or both."
Ianto had had to use all of his brain power to make sense of the previous sentence.
This was their destination?
This was their date?
Jack had shuffled forwards and given him an Eskimo kiss.
"Hungry?"
Ianto knew he should have been upset, outraged even, but he was starving.
They climbed awkwardly into the back seat and set about the food - first.
For some reason Ianto found it quite erotic to watch Jack tear enthusiastically into legs of chicken. His reserve was well and truly tested as he followed trails of barbeque sauce as they slithered down Jack's chin and chest. He actually felt something snap, as Jack dipped his fingers into some quince jelly and wiped it along the seam of his lips.
"Sweet Jesus."
"Prayers won't help you here boyo. C'mere."
Trained to follow orders, Ianto did just that.
He soon began to realise, that some thought and application had gone into the preparation of the picnic hamper that they were now enjoying. He was amazed at how many items had been selected for the purpose of being smeared, slathered or balanced on the body.
Cradling Ianto's upper body, Jack eased Ianto into a prone position. He set to work, creating his masterpiece.
Ianto felt like a human tablecloth.
The American took his time fitting hula hoops to Ianto's fingertips, drizzling honey onto his peaking nipples, scattering dolly- mixture across his rib-cage, adding mayonnaise to his inner thighs, a cherry tomato to his navel and whipped cream to his cock, to which he delicately placed a cherry on top of.
Jack had always championed the savoury and the sweet.
"Delicious."
"If you say so."
"Oh I do. Believe me I do."
Jack knew that the eyes eat too, but now his mouth really needed to be satisfied. He headed for the savoury snacks, Ianto's hands were his first destination. Jack sucked the potato hoops from each and every digit. He licked a line of salt from Ianto's quivering limbs. A rash of goose bumps appeared along his fore-arms, Jack licked those too. He then made his way across to Ianto's belly-button, with a pop he sucked the cherry tomato into his mouth, Rising up he captured Ianto lips in a kiss, which he deepened with the captured fruit. Jack passed the grocery gobstopper back and forth, between Ianto and himself until he squashed it softly against Ianto's startled tongue; sharing the juice and the experience.
Sliding down Jack snaffled up two stray dolly-mixtures from the hollow of Ianto's throat that were making a bid for freedom. Jack's five o' clock shadow elicited a peal of pleasure from the young Welshman.
Jack snuggled closer. He had a request.
"Touch my wood." He had growled against Ianto's tender spot, located in the alcove of his neck.
"You did not just say that to me - that's so cheesy." Ianto had been appalled.
"Hey Mr Brie, lay off my line, it was working."
"You sure about that?"
"Your hand stroking me says yes."
"You just got lucky."
"Lucky you'll do what I say - yeah." Jack couldn't help but laugh.
"Well it works both ways Captain. Lay your lips on me."
"With relish. I was just thinking it was time for dessert."
Ianto stretched out further and raised his hips, drawing attention to his cherry. Jack grinned broadly and nodded his head in appreciation.
"That is a work of art, my piece de resistance, my…"
Ianto interrupted, "Just shut up and kiss it sir."
Jack's mouth had chuckled on its descent.
-OO-
Ianto continued to whistle, he had had some free time on his hands today, as Tosh had been drafted into an urgent project elsewhere. This meant that he had had the opportunity to shop at lunchtime.
It was rare for him to leave the Torchwood facilities during the day, much less shop.
He had brought a present.
For Jack.
It was a blue cashmere jumper. Cobalt blue to match his eyes. Ianto was looking forward to inhaling Jack's scent from it, once he had worn it once or twice, as long he kept it away from any barbeque sauce.
Ianto still felt sticky, where a boy oughtn't to feel sticky after yesterday's escapades. He chose to take this as a sign of how things were progressing between him and Jack.
He was relaxed.
He was confident.
He felt that for the first time in his life, he was in an open and honest relationship. What could be better?
-O-
Today it was Ianto's turn to collect Jack, for his second date in two consecutive days. There was a lightness to his step. He was running a little bit early, but he didn't think that Jack would have a problem with that.
As he neared Jack's door however he heard voices.
Male voices.
"I need you to be focused."
"I am."
"Rubbish Jack. I've seen that look before and it usually means trouble. Boy or girl trouble.
"He's not trouble.."
"So there is a boy."
"Yes. His name's Ianto gorgeous but… You just have to let me worry about that. I can handle this - he doesn't need to know about you."
Ianto stopped in his tracks. Crushed and floored. He broke out into a light sweat.
His heart sat down.
He stopped smiling.
-OOO-
Comments are always appreciated