Guilt - 38/70ish
Title: Guilt
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Torchwood is not mine. No matter how much I sometimes wish it was.
Spoilers: Better say everything through s2, just to be sure, although it takes place pre-S1.
Summary: Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you. - Well, what if he did?
This chapter: Ianto becomes a little overprotective of Tosh...
Thanks to: My beta cazmalfoy for all her wonderful work, and my cheerleaders angelzbabe1989 and piper08 for putting up with me when I whine about being stuck.
Fic starts here
Previous chapters at my master list
Chapter Thirty-Eight
In the end, despite Ianto’s determination, Jack was right.
He had intended to head straight for the shower, but as he passed through his bedroom, the temptation of a nap, just a short one, proved too hard to resist.
When he returned to the Hub just before noon, he found that he was still the first one ‘in’, and went to find Jack to apologise for being so long.
Jack, naturally, refused to accept any apology. “I knew you probably wouldn’t be back for a few hours,” he told the younger man, cutting off all his attempts at explanation.
“You were exhausted; you needed more than the couple of hours of sleep you grabbed down there.” He inclined his head, indicating the closed hatch in the floor. “And hey, you still managed to beat everyone else in. As usual.”
He tried to lighten the mood with a grin, and was relieved to see Ianto relax a little in response.
“I’ll just go make some coffee, then,” Ianto said. “I’m sure you’ll be needing some by now.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
The door klaxons sounded just as he started up the coffeemaker, heralding Tosh’s arrival.
Her heavily bandaged arm was held close to her chest, and beneath the determined set of her face was an undercurrent of pain.
Leaving the coffee to brew, he hopped down from the kitchenette and intercepted her on her way to her desk.
“Are you ok, Tosh? Should you even be here today?” He knew his worry for his friend was plain to see.
“I’m fine, Ianto, really,” she reassured him, but he could see the discomfort in her eyes.
“Less than twelve hours ago, you had your arm slashed open by a terrified alien, Tosh. You are not ‘fine’.”
“I’ve worked through worse.” It appeared that Tosh wasn’t to be swayed, and Ianto could only sigh.
“Have you at least taken the painkillers Owen gave you?” Tosh looked vaguely guilty. “Tosh?”
“They make me feel woozy,” Tosh defended. “I took a couple of ibuprofen and I’ll be okay.”
Ianto looked sceptical. “I don’t believe you.”
“But…”
“Tosh, I can see it on your face, in your eyes. You are a long way from fine. Either you go home and rest like you should, or I’ll take this to Jack and get him to tell Owen to place you on medical leave.”
“Okay, so maybe I’m not fine. But I’m better off here than sitting at home, bored out of my mind, wondering what’s going on without me.” Ianto raised an eyebrow. “Look, if it gets worse, I’ll tell Jack myself, I promise.”
Ianto still wasn’t convinced, but decided it was pointless trying to argue the point any further.
“If I see you really struggling, I’m still going to take it to Jack, ok?”
Tosh nodded.
“Anyway, I’m making a pot of coffee. Would you like a cup?”
Tosh looked at him gratefully; glad the matter appeared to have been dropped. “Thank you, Ianto. I’d love some.”
* * *
The exchange was to become a familiar one over the following weeks. Tosh refused adamantly to take a day off, and Ianto persisted in telling her that she should.
It didn’t take all that long for Tosh to start gently complaining that he was coddling her, as he wouldn’t let her lift anything heavier than a coffee mug, and could quite often be found hovering in the vicinity of her desk - ostensibly cleaning or organising - just in case she needed something.
Tosh wasn’t entirely sure how he was managing to find the time to watch over her, look after Lisa and do his various jobs around the Hub, but somehow he was, and Tosh almost wished that he wasn’t.
Despite their ever-closer friendship, escaping Ianto’s watchful eye was a large factor in Tosh’s happiness when Owen finally removed the stitches from her arm and declared her fit for fieldwork again.
She wouldn’t, perhaps, have been thrown right back into the field quite as quickly as she was had they not been in the middle of a Weevil epidemic.
Less than forty minutes after the removal of the stitches, they started receiving reports of three ‘weird looking creatures’ in a park on the other side of Cardiff.
Jack, Owen and Suzie were on their feet and gathering equipment in a flash. Jack turned to Tosh to find her eagerly doing the same.
“Tosh…”
“Don’t even suggest it, Jack,” she interrupted. “I’m coming with you. You know that Ianto is perfectly capable of manning the comms. And I really need to get out and do something.”
Jack sighed and nodded. Although he would have preferred her to stay out of the field for just one more day, she had a point. Ianto could do it, and they could almost certainly use the extra body in the field.
Since Ianto had joined, they’d grown used to working as a field team of four rather than of three, and Tosh’s injury-induced stint of ‘desk duty’ had been hard work.
“Ianto!”
Ianto appeared just moments later, an empty DVD case still in hand from where he’d been setting up a movie for Lisa on the small portable player Jack had produced just days ago.
“We need you on comms. Tosh is coming with.”
Ianto nodded and quickly settled into his usual chair.
Things were finally starting to get back to normal.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
All comments and concrit welcomed! (Comments = Love <3)
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Torchwood is not mine. No matter how much I sometimes wish it was.
Spoilers: Better say everything through s2, just to be sure, although it takes place pre-S1.
Summary: Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you. - Well, what if he did?
This chapter: Ianto becomes a little overprotective of Tosh...
Thanks to: My beta cazmalfoy for all her wonderful work, and my cheerleaders angelzbabe1989 and piper08 for putting up with me when I whine about being stuck.
Fic starts here
Previous chapters at my master list
Chapter Thirty-Eight
In the end, despite Ianto’s determination, Jack was right.
He had intended to head straight for the shower, but as he passed through his bedroom, the temptation of a nap, just a short one, proved too hard to resist.
When he returned to the Hub just before noon, he found that he was still the first one ‘in’, and went to find Jack to apologise for being so long.
Jack, naturally, refused to accept any apology. “I knew you probably wouldn’t be back for a few hours,” he told the younger man, cutting off all his attempts at explanation.
“You were exhausted; you needed more than the couple of hours of sleep you grabbed down there.” He inclined his head, indicating the closed hatch in the floor. “And hey, you still managed to beat everyone else in. As usual.”
He tried to lighten the mood with a grin, and was relieved to see Ianto relax a little in response.
“I’ll just go make some coffee, then,” Ianto said. “I’m sure you’ll be needing some by now.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
The door klaxons sounded just as he started up the coffeemaker, heralding Tosh’s arrival.
Her heavily bandaged arm was held close to her chest, and beneath the determined set of her face was an undercurrent of pain.
Leaving the coffee to brew, he hopped down from the kitchenette and intercepted her on her way to her desk.
“Are you ok, Tosh? Should you even be here today?” He knew his worry for his friend was plain to see.
“I’m fine, Ianto, really,” she reassured him, but he could see the discomfort in her eyes.
“Less than twelve hours ago, you had your arm slashed open by a terrified alien, Tosh. You are not ‘fine’.”
“I’ve worked through worse.” It appeared that Tosh wasn’t to be swayed, and Ianto could only sigh.
“Have you at least taken the painkillers Owen gave you?” Tosh looked vaguely guilty. “Tosh?”
“They make me feel woozy,” Tosh defended. “I took a couple of ibuprofen and I’ll be okay.”
Ianto looked sceptical. “I don’t believe you.”
“But…”
“Tosh, I can see it on your face, in your eyes. You are a long way from fine. Either you go home and rest like you should, or I’ll take this to Jack and get him to tell Owen to place you on medical leave.”
“Okay, so maybe I’m not fine. But I’m better off here than sitting at home, bored out of my mind, wondering what’s going on without me.” Ianto raised an eyebrow. “Look, if it gets worse, I’ll tell Jack myself, I promise.”
Ianto still wasn’t convinced, but decided it was pointless trying to argue the point any further.
“If I see you really struggling, I’m still going to take it to Jack, ok?”
Tosh nodded.
“Anyway, I’m making a pot of coffee. Would you like a cup?”
Tosh looked at him gratefully; glad the matter appeared to have been dropped. “Thank you, Ianto. I’d love some.”
* * *
The exchange was to become a familiar one over the following weeks. Tosh refused adamantly to take a day off, and Ianto persisted in telling her that she should.
It didn’t take all that long for Tosh to start gently complaining that he was coddling her, as he wouldn’t let her lift anything heavier than a coffee mug, and could quite often be found hovering in the vicinity of her desk - ostensibly cleaning or organising - just in case she needed something.
Tosh wasn’t entirely sure how he was managing to find the time to watch over her, look after Lisa and do his various jobs around the Hub, but somehow he was, and Tosh almost wished that he wasn’t.
Despite their ever-closer friendship, escaping Ianto’s watchful eye was a large factor in Tosh’s happiness when Owen finally removed the stitches from her arm and declared her fit for fieldwork again.
She wouldn’t, perhaps, have been thrown right back into the field quite as quickly as she was had they not been in the middle of a Weevil epidemic.
Less than forty minutes after the removal of the stitches, they started receiving reports of three ‘weird looking creatures’ in a park on the other side of Cardiff.
Jack, Owen and Suzie were on their feet and gathering equipment in a flash. Jack turned to Tosh to find her eagerly doing the same.
“Tosh…”
“Don’t even suggest it, Jack,” she interrupted. “I’m coming with you. You know that Ianto is perfectly capable of manning the comms. And I really need to get out and do something.”
Jack sighed and nodded. Although he would have preferred her to stay out of the field for just one more day, she had a point. Ianto could do it, and they could almost certainly use the extra body in the field.
Since Ianto had joined, they’d grown used to working as a field team of four rather than of three, and Tosh’s injury-induced stint of ‘desk duty’ had been hard work.
“Ianto!”
Ianto appeared just moments later, an empty DVD case still in hand from where he’d been setting up a movie for Lisa on the small portable player Jack had produced just days ago.
“We need you on comms. Tosh is coming with.”
Ianto nodded and quickly settled into his usual chair.
Things were finally starting to get back to normal.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
All comments and concrit welcomed! (Comments = Love <3)