Ianto´s heart
Title: Ianto´s heart, chapter 3 / 7
Fandom: Torchwood
Disclaimer: Not mine, belongs to RTD and BBC. I just like to play with them.
Notes/spoilers: Story is set between "Cyberwoman" and "Small worlds".
Summary: Ianto is struggling with the loss of his girlfriend.
Beta: Many thanks to the fantastic help of veritas6_5
Word count: 859
Chapter three
Ianto was standing outside the Cardiff Bay Heddlu Station, just breathing for a bit. He could hardly believe what he had just done. He took a deep breath and lifted his face to the sky. The sun was shining, there was just a hint of a chill in the air, as if autumn was gently tapping its finger on summer’s shoulder ready and waiting to take over the next shift. It was mid-September.
He was close enough to the waterfront to hear the seagulls, but another sound demanded more of his attention, his own growling stomach. Across the street he spotted a salad bar. He made the decision that from now on he would eat better, more healthy food. No more pizza, burgers, or any other crappy fast food. He went in, placed his order and sat down. He looked out the window. He felt acutely awake. More awake than he had felt in ages. Not since before the battle of Canary Warf. He felt lighter too, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. No more secrets or lies. He could call his sister and tell her precisely what he was doing for a living.
The distance between thought and action was very short this day. He picked up his phone to call her but stopped when he saw it in his hand. It was turned off, and for good reason. He debated with himself for a second about what to do. He realized that by turning it on, it would send a signal to Torchwood and they would immediately know his location. No. He didn’t want that. Not yet. He needed to give this phone back and buy a new one. A phone that was just his.
After he had finished his salad, however healthy just tasted like sawdust to him, he took a walk and stepped into an electronics store, where he bought a new phone. Then he hopped on a bus that took him to Roald Dahl Plass. That way they wouldn’t have to go far to reach him.
He sat down at the outdoor café with a double espresso. He placed the two phones on the table in front of him. There were some numbers in the Torchwood phone that he wanted to transfer to the new one. He took a breath, flipped the older phone open and turned it on. He looked at the clock. 13:20. He wondered how long it would take: if Jack would come alone, or send one of the others, or if the whole team would show up. He focused on the task of copying numbers over to his new phone. When he was done it was 13:25. He looked around. He felt nervous. Two middle-aged women sat at the table next to his. They were talking and smoking. He felt a sudden urge, found a 50-pence coin in his trouser pocket, turned towards them.
“Excuse me ladies. Would you be kind enough to let me buy a cigarette from you?” He held out his coin.
“Well since you ask so nicely, calling us ladies and all, you can have one for free laddie!” they both giggled and Ianto smiled politely, thanked them, and let one of them light it for him.
He sat back down in his chair, inhaled deeply a couple of times and felt the nicotine seep into his bloodstream. Ha hadn’t had a smoke in ages. It didn’t take long before he felt a slight buzz. He closed his eyes and let the sun shine through his eyelids making everything orange. And then. Shade. Something between him and the sun.
“Ianto.” He opened his eyes. Jack had come alone.
“Jack.” Ianto looked at the clock. It was 13:35. He gestured for him to sit down. Jack’s face was hard and angry, cheek muscles flexing, and lips pressed together.
“I didn’t know you smoked.” he said.
“There is a lot about me that you don’t know.”
“Apparently!” There was a silence before Jack continued.
“I have been informed of your resignation,” he said. “Don’t do this Ianto.” It came out sounding more like an order than a plea.
“It’s already done.” Ianto replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
“It can be undone. Torchwood needs you. And I think you need Torchwood.”
Ianto took one last draw of the cigarette, then tossed it on the ground, and leaned over the table so that his face was only inches away from Jack’s.
“I’m going to miss Toshiko. She is a good person. I might miss Gwen and maybe even Owen, the grumpy bastard. But what Torchwood needs or doesn’t need… well, I couldn’t care less. And, as for you…” he took Jack’s hand and caressed his palm. Then he picked up the Torchwood phone and placed it there.
“I’ll see you around, Captain.” Ianto stood up and walked away. Jack sat frozen in his seat, stunned, for a while until he managed to snap out of it and turned to look at Ianto’s figure, getting smaller in the distance.
“If he turns his head to look back, I’ll run after him,” he promised himself.
Fandom: Torchwood
Disclaimer: Not mine, belongs to RTD and BBC. I just like to play with them.
Notes/spoilers: Story is set between "Cyberwoman" and "Small worlds".
Summary: Ianto is struggling with the loss of his girlfriend.
Beta: Many thanks to the fantastic help of veritas6_5
Word count: 859
Chapter three
Ianto was standing outside the Cardiff Bay Heddlu Station, just breathing for a bit. He could hardly believe what he had just done. He took a deep breath and lifted his face to the sky. The sun was shining, there was just a hint of a chill in the air, as if autumn was gently tapping its finger on summer’s shoulder ready and waiting to take over the next shift. It was mid-September.
He was close enough to the waterfront to hear the seagulls, but another sound demanded more of his attention, his own growling stomach. Across the street he spotted a salad bar. He made the decision that from now on he would eat better, more healthy food. No more pizza, burgers, or any other crappy fast food. He went in, placed his order and sat down. He looked out the window. He felt acutely awake. More awake than he had felt in ages. Not since before the battle of Canary Warf. He felt lighter too, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. No more secrets or lies. He could call his sister and tell her precisely what he was doing for a living.
The distance between thought and action was very short this day. He picked up his phone to call her but stopped when he saw it in his hand. It was turned off, and for good reason. He debated with himself for a second about what to do. He realized that by turning it on, it would send a signal to Torchwood and they would immediately know his location. No. He didn’t want that. Not yet. He needed to give this phone back and buy a new one. A phone that was just his.
After he had finished his salad, however healthy just tasted like sawdust to him, he took a walk and stepped into an electronics store, where he bought a new phone. Then he hopped on a bus that took him to Roald Dahl Plass. That way they wouldn’t have to go far to reach him.
He sat down at the outdoor café with a double espresso. He placed the two phones on the table in front of him. There were some numbers in the Torchwood phone that he wanted to transfer to the new one. He took a breath, flipped the older phone open and turned it on. He looked at the clock. 13:20. He wondered how long it would take: if Jack would come alone, or send one of the others, or if the whole team would show up. He focused on the task of copying numbers over to his new phone. When he was done it was 13:25. He looked around. He felt nervous. Two middle-aged women sat at the table next to his. They were talking and smoking. He felt a sudden urge, found a 50-pence coin in his trouser pocket, turned towards them.
“Excuse me ladies. Would you be kind enough to let me buy a cigarette from you?” He held out his coin.
“Well since you ask so nicely, calling us ladies and all, you can have one for free laddie!” they both giggled and Ianto smiled politely, thanked them, and let one of them light it for him.
He sat back down in his chair, inhaled deeply a couple of times and felt the nicotine seep into his bloodstream. Ha hadn’t had a smoke in ages. It didn’t take long before he felt a slight buzz. He closed his eyes and let the sun shine through his eyelids making everything orange. And then. Shade. Something between him and the sun.
“Ianto.” He opened his eyes. Jack had come alone.
“Jack.” Ianto looked at the clock. It was 13:35. He gestured for him to sit down. Jack’s face was hard and angry, cheek muscles flexing, and lips pressed together.
“I didn’t know you smoked.” he said.
“There is a lot about me that you don’t know.”
“Apparently!” There was a silence before Jack continued.
“I have been informed of your resignation,” he said. “Don’t do this Ianto.” It came out sounding more like an order than a plea.
“It’s already done.” Ianto replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
“It can be undone. Torchwood needs you. And I think you need Torchwood.”
Ianto took one last draw of the cigarette, then tossed it on the ground, and leaned over the table so that his face was only inches away from Jack’s.
“I’m going to miss Toshiko. She is a good person. I might miss Gwen and maybe even Owen, the grumpy bastard. But what Torchwood needs or doesn’t need… well, I couldn’t care less. And, as for you…” he took Jack’s hand and caressed his palm. Then he picked up the Torchwood phone and placed it there.
“I’ll see you around, Captain.” Ianto stood up and walked away. Jack sat frozen in his seat, stunned, for a while until he managed to snap out of it and turned to look at Ianto’s figure, getting smaller in the distance.
“If he turns his head to look back, I’ll run after him,” he promised himself.