Love Will Tear Us Apart
Title: Love Will Tear Us Apart (20/21)
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Owen suggested, hints of Ianto/Tosh.
Rating: NC17
Summary: Why leaving Owen alone with alien tech is a supremely bad idea...
Spoilers: Probably past end of series 1. To be safe.
Warnings: Slightly cracky, slash, language.
Author's Notes: Uh...alien tech made us do it. *nods* We're totally innocent. *snerk* Feedback will be loved and adored. Flamers will be fed to Myfanwy.
Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Seventeen, Chapter Eighteen, Chapter Nineteen
*************** TWO MONTHS LATER*************
Jack entered his room slowly, step by step, pulling his braces off as he went. The day had been long and he was exhausted. Trying to do multi-plane calculus always did leave him with a bitch of a headache.
Ianto was already curled up on his bed, tail on his nose as he watched Jack get ready for bed. "Could have used your mathematical brain today Ianto, all those numbers... I think we fried one of Tosh's computers trying to get it to do multi-dimensional calculus on a multi-plane... Hell, I think we fried me." He chuckled and leaned over to scratch at Ianto's neck and give him a small nip to his ear.
Mrowing happily, Ianto lifted his head, nuzzling at Jack’s hand as it pulled back. He remained curled on the bed, though his eyes followed Jack around the room, glint of intelligence, Jack could almost imagine, in those green eyes. Evidence of Ianto’s presence in his room showed; scratches down the leg of Jack’s favourite comfy chair, now relegated to scratching pole, small toys and bits of string scattered across the floor, the red collar with the bell on (at Owen’s insistence) around his neck. He had a dish in the corner, filled with water, and another with food. And a litter tray in Jack’s bathroom.
Shucking his shirt, Jack relaxed down onto the bed and stretched. "Had a long conversation with Tosh, having to explain multi-dimensional mathematics to a person who has lived their entire life assuming there is three dimensions is a difficult task, adding into it the different planes of reality... Yeah, it wasn't fun."
Jack paused as Ianto climbed half on his chest and flopped, using body warmth and purring when Jack rubbed his belly. "You really are becoming a whore for attention you know that? Don't think I haven't noticed. Even Owen was saying something about it... Why do you think he wanted to bell you?"
Ianto just blinked at him, upside down, head tilted a little to the side as he lay there, on his back, wriggling under Jack’s hands. When the other man’s hands slowed, Ianto mrowred, flopping back onto his front. Seeing no more petting forthcoming, he looked around, pouncing on the floppy toy duck that Tosh had bought him the previous week. It was already looking a little the worse for wear, but was clearly very well-loved.
Ianto rolled onto his back, holding the toy in his paws, chewing happily on the duck’s soft velvety bill.
"Ianto, must you try to rip Alfred's bill off?" Ianto paused in his chewing, as if giving it a bit of thought before letting the duck fall over, off the bed and skid across the floor. Jack watched as Ianto watched the duck for a moment before springing up and pouncing on the poor thing. "Oh dear..." Ianto was tussling with the duck, and Alfred was clearly winning before Ianto finally had the thing pinned and brought over the stuffed duck for Jack to see.
"Oh yes, thank you so very much..." Jack rolled his eyes and tossed Alfred right back to Ianto. "I'm getting some rest, try not to destroy all of my things while you're up? Particularly the coat, I'd like that in one piece...”
Ianto yowled his disapproval as Jack turned off his bedside lamp, jumping onto the bed and pressing his cold nose against Jack’s neck. He meowed loudly in Jack’s ear, pushing at him with his paws. Picking up Alfred the duck (named by Jack, one idle evening…), Ianto flopped heavily onto Jack’s stomach.
He’d been ignored all day, it was his time for attention now.
Jack groaned and flopped back over a bit and turned the light back on, Ianto was looking at him petulantly in that way that cat's were capable of. Heaving a sigh, Jack pulled the large cat to him and began rubbing his belly further, talking to him in a low voice about his day as he did so.
Jack had found that Ianto didn't exactly act like most cats he had been familiar with. Ianto needed to be around his family (aka the rest of the members of Torchwood) and to be recognized and given attention to by Jack. He was much more like one of the big predator cats then the small house ones.
It was more Jack’s tone of voice that kept Ianto happy than the words used; Jack could have been reciting the phone book and Ianto would have purred approvingly. He clutched Alfred in his paws, chewing distractedly on his head as Jack petted his belly, rubbing at the baby-soft fur.
"You really are a an attention whore." Jack chuckled and pretended to reach for Alfred as if he were to take it away. Ianto pulled the duck back in his mouth and eyed him warily before dropping it on the floor and looking at Jack, his tail moving back and forth playfully.
Jack made another move to it but Ianto beat him to it, pouncing on the poor thing. "Yes, yes, Ianto wins." Jack rolled his eyes and flopped back on the bed, only to have Ianto jump back onto it to nuzzle for more petting.
Alfred was abandoned on the floor for now, Jack far more interesting. Even if he did look like he was trying to sleep. Huffing quietly, Ianto nudged at Jack until he shifted enough that Ianto could curl up in a ball, quiet ‘mrow!’ of approval as Jack curled his body around him, one hand resting on the smooth fur of his side, rising and falling gently as Ianto breathed, purred.
Slowly Jack convinced Ianto to sleep, giving up his pursuit of playing instead for a bit of a nap. Smiling, Jack curled around him and fell asleep as well, hearing Ianto's soft snores and feeling him wiggle softly in his dreams.
The next morning Jack awoke far earlier than Ianto, in fact, Jack normally awoke far earlier than Ianto, the cat demanding much more sleep than most creatures. Dressed and awake, Jack went to work the espresso machine, rather proud of his new found skills.
"Morning!" He called out when he saw Tosh entering with a large shopping bag. "What you got there?"
Jack handed over her drink as she blushed and held the bag closer. "Oh it's nothing I just, got something for..." She trailed off as she opened the bag to show Jack.
"The two of you are going to spoil him."
“Of course.” Tosh smiled. There was a small ball filled with catnip, and an oversized squeaky toy mouse, along with yet more cat treats. It was amazing that Ianto hadn’t put on weight, the way Gwen and Tosh fed him.
“I did some work on the mouse…” She grinned, pulling a small remote control out of the bag. “Should keep him busy for a while…” Tucking the bag underneath her desk, she shed her coat, accepting the cup of coffee from Jack with a low groan as she greedily inhaled the steam.
“Mmm. This is almost as good as…” She trailed off, blushing. “Sorry. It’s still…” She hurriedly turned back to her desk, staring up her computer and concentrating very intensely on the screens.
Jack rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled sadly at her, "I know, it's okay." She smiled back and his own smile warmed a bit. "He's happy, I know that much. At least there's that." She bit her lip and nodded and Jack turned to head back to the coffee machine when he heard the door creak open.
Gwen had her own bag in her hands and Jack groaned, throwing his hands up. "Not you too! He's going to be spoiled rotten. Won't be able to do a thing with him."
Gwen frowned before setting her stuff down. "I just bought a collar and a tag, that way he can go out of the hub..." She pouted and dug the collar out, it was shockingly pink. "It was the only colour they had..." She looked sheepishly at Jack's scowl before continuing. "Tosh modified the tag so it has a gps locator, so we can always find him..." Jack nodded and handed her the coffee.
Ianto slinked out of Jack's office and over to Tosh, nuzzling her as he knew where the treats came from.
He trilled softly, nuzzling at her arm, purring loudly as she scratched him, slipping him a treat from the little bag on her desk while Jack’s back was turned.
“Here you go, Ianto.” She set the mouse on the floor, picking up the remote and seeing if it worked.
Ianto stared, transfixed, nudging the thing gently with his nose. When it jerked forward, he leapt into the air, jumping back a few feet. Head down, tail in the air, he swayed gently from side to side, eyes never leaving the creature as it moved jerkily towards him.
"Oh right, because a remote controlled mouse is just what this place needs..." Owen muttered as he grabbed his medical records to file. It was something that until recently, he had never had to bother to do, Ianto had taken care of that. But then of course, Ianto was now transfixed with a rubber mouse.
Jack watched as Ianto batted at it curiously, jumping back when it took off around the hub and the chase was on. Ianto pounced on it, but the thing seemed to slither away, causing Ianto no end of frustration. "Tosh, I hate to concede on what I said earlier..." He began, letting out a chuckle as Ianto chased after the mouse.
"Understood sir." She smiled and continued controlling the toy.
Ianto yowled happily as he chased after the mouse, Tosh keeping it just ahead of him, just enough to tease. On his second circuit of the Hub, however, he knocked over the glass container which housed the Doctor’s hand, sending it to the floor with a crash. Hair on end, Ianto bolted, leaping up on to the ledge beside Myfanwy’s nest, mrowing plaintively as he listened to Jack curse.
"Fucking hell." Jack jerked, leaping down from where he stood watching over everything and grabbed for the hand. He held it close as he quickly ran off to the archives to find another biometric tub to house it in.
Gwen looked at Tosh for an explanation but Tosh just shrugged and powered the mouse down. "No more remote powered toys in the hub." Jack's voice rang out as he came back, the hand housed in a new jar and apparently liking this one as much as the old one.
Jack's back was ramrod straight as he cleaned up the broken glass, shaking off Tosh's attempts at apologies.
Gwen coaxed Ianto down from his spot on the ledge and took out the GPS collar, fixing the shocking pink collar around his neck. "There, such a pretty kitty." She murmured, scratching Ianto behind the ears.
Ianto let out a happy trill, rubbing against her legs, purring his approval as she petted him, eyes slipping closed as he purred loud enough to turn the other’s heads. He padded towards Jack, a little tentatively, bell jangling on his collar. Cocking his head, he let out a soft questioning noise, taking another step closer.
He wasn’t sure if Jack was angry with him, gaze going to the thing he’d knocked over.
Jack sighed and slumped against the water tower as Ianto come up close and nuzzled his hand. He couldn't blame Ianto for doing something he was unaware of, nor could he really blame Tosh for trying to help keep Ianto from going stir-crazy.
Shaking his head, he went off for his coat. "Right, watch the rift, let me know if anything happens."
Gwen jumped up as he headed towards the lift, Ianto automatically padding after him curiously. "What are you doing?" She asked, moving to join him on the lift until he shook his head.
"Just going to give Ianto here a bit of fresh air." Jack smiled as the lift rose up towards the Plass.
Ianto sat beside Jack, looking up at him, paws shifting against the stone as it shifted, looking around him with great interest. He walked to the edge of the lift, softly mrowing as they passed his ledge, lying down on the stone. He crept to the edge, peering over, paws tucked over the edge as he stuck his head underneath, trying to see.
"Ianto, watch yourself." Jack said softly, Ianto padding over to sit at his feet. "I thought you could use a bit of fresh air, maybe the chance to run around a bit..." Jack smiled when Ianto lifted his nose in the air and began bounding off in some direction, scaring an old lady that had been walking across the Plass.
"Try not to get yourself abducted by animal control alright Ianto?"
Ianto turned, bounding back to Jack and gripping his sleeve in his teeth. He tugged gently, trying to coax Jack to come with him, before turning and bounding away again, heading across the Plass towards the sea. He merrily pounced into a group of pigeons, watching as they scattered, trying and failing to catch one. Pouting, he looked up at the retreating birds, head turning quickly as he heard laughter.
A small girl came running towards him, arms reaching out. “Kitty!!!!” She giggled happily, small hands grabbing at Ianto’s fur. Ianto stiffened for a moment, then stood still, letting the small child pet him, arms sliding around his neck as she buried her face in his fur.
“Kitty kitty kitty kitty…”
Jack chuckled when he saw the small girl with pigtails bound up to Ianto, laughed even harder when she clutched at his fur with sticky hands and hugged him. "His name is Ianto." Jack offered to the young girl, kneeling by her.
"Why does he have a pink collar if he's a boy?" She asked giggling and petting him.
"Because he thinks it makes him look pretty, what do you think?"
Ianto purred happily, nuzzling the little girl’s cheek as she petted him, letting out another happy ‘mrowr’ as she giggled and scratched behind his ears.
“Catrin! What are you - oh my God. Get away from there! Right now!” A rather harassed-looking woman ran up, grabbing hold of Catrin and lifting the squirming child into her arms. Ianto looked up, yowling in protest as the scritching behind his ears stopped.
“Are you insane? Letting a creature like that just wander about?!” Red-faced, the woman shouted at Jack, glancing warily at Ianto.
Jack bristled, one hand falling to Ianto's neck, scratching while Jack glared back at the woman. "My creature didn't go running to attack someone else's." Jack said cooly, his eyes darting to the young girl. "It was nice to meet you Caitrin. Come on Ianto."
Ianto cocked his head but padded after Jack as the man paced back and forth on the docks. He had forgotten about how provincial 21st century minds would take to seeing a large panther wandering about. Jack paused on the end of the pier and sat on the edge, swinging his feet. "Forgot you look like you could terrorise all of Cardiff like that." He said, watching as Ianto noticed the fish swimming just under the surface of the water.
Ianto wasn’t paying any attention, mesmerised by the fish below. He lay on his belly, feet and head hanging over the edge, nose only an inch from the surface of the water. His tail swung lazily from side to side, eyes narrowed in concentration. He dabbed a paw into the water, trying to catch one of the fish, growling as he failed miserably. Shaking his paw dry, he went back to staring, waiting for the chance to catch another.
Jack watched Ianto with mild curiosity before breaking out into laughter when he realised what Ianto was doing. "I love that no matter what form you may be in, you're always good for my soul Ianto Jones." Jack said fondly, scratching at Ianto idly and turning to watch him try and catch another fish.
After about 20 minutes, the fish had regained their bravery, swimming up near the surface again. Finally, he managed to scoop one up in his paw, yowling in surprise as he flipped it onto the pier. He pounced on the fish as it flopped around, growling and spitting at it as he batted it around with his paws. He seemed a little surprised that it was moving so much - they’d seemed so much slower in the water.
Jack couldn't stop the laughter even if he wanted to. Ianto looked utterly confused at how much the fish kept twitching and flopping on the dock, Ianto continually having to pounce it to try and keep it still.
"Looks like you've got yourself a real good fisher there boy." Jack looked up to see an old fishing trolley pulling up to the dock.
"His first time." Jack said rather proudly.
Ianto was now proudly holding the fish in his mouth, as it twitched feebly. He carried it over to Jack, depositing the fish in Jack’s lap and sitting beside him, practically radiating smug glee. What exactly Jack was supposed to do with the fish was anyone’s guess.
Jack looked down at the dead twitching fish in his lap and then back up at Ianto who was apparently expecting some praise.
"I think he wants you to have it Boy." The old man was reeling in his days catch, a netting quite a bit bigger than Ianto's catch.
"Yeah I think so too." Jack looked at Ianto and chuckled. "Thank you very much Ianto... no idea what to do with it, but thanks." Jack offered to give the old gentleman a hand with his catch as Ianto relaxed on the dock and proceeded to eat his own catch.
Catch brought in (and eaten, on Ianto’s part), they headed back towards the Hub, Ianto still looking around excitedly, running off from time to time to investigate things. He always returned to Jack’s side, padding along beside him, nuzzling Jack’s hand as it swung past his face. He bounded down the stairs into the Hub, immediately heading for Tosh, or more accurately, Tosh’s pocket. There was definitely some kind of treat in there…
"Don't give him anything he's already had two fish today." Jack called out, knowing where Ianto was headed and what he wanted and how little resistance Tosh had to Ianto's nuzzling (just about as much as his own).
"You bought him fish?" Owen asked, sporting a large scrap across his eyebrow and a black eye.
"He caught them himself, what in bloody hell happened to you?" Jack asked, seeing Tosh surreptitiously hand Ianto a small ball.
"Something came through the rift. Well, I say come through but more acurately it flew through and attacked me." Owen grumbled, not letting Jack take a look at it.
"What is it?"
"It's a box, sitting over on Ianto's desk. It's harmless though, we couldn't get it open or anything." Jack just nodded and turned to where Ianto was prodding at the ball and pouncing on it enthusiastically.
"You say he caught two fish?" Tosh asked, surprised and intrigued. Jack smiled when he though of their afternoon and nodded.
"Right good fisherman he is, though the second one he stole off of an older gentleman's boat..."
Ianto was chewing enthusiastically on the ball, rolling it around on the floor and pouncing, turning onto his back to sniff at the ball, holding it between his paws. He was purring happily, writhing about as he continued to play with the toy, blissful expression on his face.
Owen looked over, rolling his eyes. “Oh for fuck’s sake…Tosh, did you give him catnip?”
Tosh looked a little guilty, but she nodded, unable to help giggling at Ianto, who was purring loudly, eyes closed as he writhed about on the floor.
"What did you give him?" Jack turned his attentions back on Tosh, though it was difficult to take his eyes off of the wriggling and purring feline.
"He looks positively pornographic." Owen grumbled as Ianto purred louder, the catnip ball in between his paws as he held it close to gnaw on it.
"I thought I said no Torchwood employee's were allowed to be under the influence of drugs?" Jack asked, quirking his eyebrow up and looking at Tosh who just flushed.
"I thought he might like it..."
Gwen was chuckling merrily, watching from her workstation.
“Oh, come on Jack. He’s enjoying himself!” She threw a ball of paper at Owen, who was still frowning, arms crossed. “Bloody cheer up, will you?”
Ianto, meanwhile, was totally oblivious, still merrily sniffing at the catnip ball, ‘mrow’ing as it slipped out of his grasp, rolling away across the floor. A few minutes later, he turned back onto his stomach, calmly licking his paw as if he hadn’t just been behaving rather ridiculously.
Jack shook his head, laughing as he went to go check the box that came through the rift. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, in fact he found it hard to admit to himself, but in some ways Ianto as the cat delighted him in ways that Ianto as a human had never done.
Jack just wished that Ianto had had such a playful spirit before he had been transformed.
Quickly reeling his thoughts out from the long dark road they could easily fall down, Jack picked up the small golden box, surprised with how light it was. Confused by what it was, Jack looked the box over carefully before a folded note that had camouflaged itself on top of the box had fallen off.
Jack picked the note up and almost dropped the box with shaking hands as he read over the three simple words written in New English. Never doubt me.
On to Chapter Twenty-One
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Owen suggested, hints of Ianto/Tosh.
Rating: NC17
Summary: Why leaving Owen alone with alien tech is a supremely bad idea...
Spoilers: Probably past end of series 1. To be safe.
Warnings: Slightly cracky, slash, language.
Author's Notes: Uh...alien tech made us do it. *nods* We're totally innocent. *snerk* Feedback will be loved and adored. Flamers will be fed to Myfanwy.
Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen, Chapter Seventeen, Chapter Eighteen, Chapter Nineteen
*************** TWO MONTHS LATER*************
Jack entered his room slowly, step by step, pulling his braces off as he went. The day had been long and he was exhausted. Trying to do multi-plane calculus always did leave him with a bitch of a headache.
Ianto was already curled up on his bed, tail on his nose as he watched Jack get ready for bed. "Could have used your mathematical brain today Ianto, all those numbers... I think we fried one of Tosh's computers trying to get it to do multi-dimensional calculus on a multi-plane... Hell, I think we fried me." He chuckled and leaned over to scratch at Ianto's neck and give him a small nip to his ear.
Mrowing happily, Ianto lifted his head, nuzzling at Jack’s hand as it pulled back. He remained curled on the bed, though his eyes followed Jack around the room, glint of intelligence, Jack could almost imagine, in those green eyes. Evidence of Ianto’s presence in his room showed; scratches down the leg of Jack’s favourite comfy chair, now relegated to scratching pole, small toys and bits of string scattered across the floor, the red collar with the bell on (at Owen’s insistence) around his neck. He had a dish in the corner, filled with water, and another with food. And a litter tray in Jack’s bathroom.
Shucking his shirt, Jack relaxed down onto the bed and stretched. "Had a long conversation with Tosh, having to explain multi-dimensional mathematics to a person who has lived their entire life assuming there is three dimensions is a difficult task, adding into it the different planes of reality... Yeah, it wasn't fun."
Jack paused as Ianto climbed half on his chest and flopped, using body warmth and purring when Jack rubbed his belly. "You really are becoming a whore for attention you know that? Don't think I haven't noticed. Even Owen was saying something about it... Why do you think he wanted to bell you?"
Ianto just blinked at him, upside down, head tilted a little to the side as he lay there, on his back, wriggling under Jack’s hands. When the other man’s hands slowed, Ianto mrowred, flopping back onto his front. Seeing no more petting forthcoming, he looked around, pouncing on the floppy toy duck that Tosh had bought him the previous week. It was already looking a little the worse for wear, but was clearly very well-loved.
Ianto rolled onto his back, holding the toy in his paws, chewing happily on the duck’s soft velvety bill.
"Ianto, must you try to rip Alfred's bill off?" Ianto paused in his chewing, as if giving it a bit of thought before letting the duck fall over, off the bed and skid across the floor. Jack watched as Ianto watched the duck for a moment before springing up and pouncing on the poor thing. "Oh dear..." Ianto was tussling with the duck, and Alfred was clearly winning before Ianto finally had the thing pinned and brought over the stuffed duck for Jack to see.
"Oh yes, thank you so very much..." Jack rolled his eyes and tossed Alfred right back to Ianto. "I'm getting some rest, try not to destroy all of my things while you're up? Particularly the coat, I'd like that in one piece...”
Ianto yowled his disapproval as Jack turned off his bedside lamp, jumping onto the bed and pressing his cold nose against Jack’s neck. He meowed loudly in Jack’s ear, pushing at him with his paws. Picking up Alfred the duck (named by Jack, one idle evening…), Ianto flopped heavily onto Jack’s stomach.
He’d been ignored all day, it was his time for attention now.
Jack groaned and flopped back over a bit and turned the light back on, Ianto was looking at him petulantly in that way that cat's were capable of. Heaving a sigh, Jack pulled the large cat to him and began rubbing his belly further, talking to him in a low voice about his day as he did so.
Jack had found that Ianto didn't exactly act like most cats he had been familiar with. Ianto needed to be around his family (aka the rest of the members of Torchwood) and to be recognized and given attention to by Jack. He was much more like one of the big predator cats then the small house ones.
It was more Jack’s tone of voice that kept Ianto happy than the words used; Jack could have been reciting the phone book and Ianto would have purred approvingly. He clutched Alfred in his paws, chewing distractedly on his head as Jack petted his belly, rubbing at the baby-soft fur.
"You really are a an attention whore." Jack chuckled and pretended to reach for Alfred as if he were to take it away. Ianto pulled the duck back in his mouth and eyed him warily before dropping it on the floor and looking at Jack, his tail moving back and forth playfully.
Jack made another move to it but Ianto beat him to it, pouncing on the poor thing. "Yes, yes, Ianto wins." Jack rolled his eyes and flopped back on the bed, only to have Ianto jump back onto it to nuzzle for more petting.
Alfred was abandoned on the floor for now, Jack far more interesting. Even if he did look like he was trying to sleep. Huffing quietly, Ianto nudged at Jack until he shifted enough that Ianto could curl up in a ball, quiet ‘mrow!’ of approval as Jack curled his body around him, one hand resting on the smooth fur of his side, rising and falling gently as Ianto breathed, purred.
Slowly Jack convinced Ianto to sleep, giving up his pursuit of playing instead for a bit of a nap. Smiling, Jack curled around him and fell asleep as well, hearing Ianto's soft snores and feeling him wiggle softly in his dreams.
The next morning Jack awoke far earlier than Ianto, in fact, Jack normally awoke far earlier than Ianto, the cat demanding much more sleep than most creatures. Dressed and awake, Jack went to work the espresso machine, rather proud of his new found skills.
"Morning!" He called out when he saw Tosh entering with a large shopping bag. "What you got there?"
Jack handed over her drink as she blushed and held the bag closer. "Oh it's nothing I just, got something for..." She trailed off as she opened the bag to show Jack.
"The two of you are going to spoil him."
“Of course.” Tosh smiled. There was a small ball filled with catnip, and an oversized squeaky toy mouse, along with yet more cat treats. It was amazing that Ianto hadn’t put on weight, the way Gwen and Tosh fed him.
“I did some work on the mouse…” She grinned, pulling a small remote control out of the bag. “Should keep him busy for a while…” Tucking the bag underneath her desk, she shed her coat, accepting the cup of coffee from Jack with a low groan as she greedily inhaled the steam.
“Mmm. This is almost as good as…” She trailed off, blushing. “Sorry. It’s still…” She hurriedly turned back to her desk, staring up her computer and concentrating very intensely on the screens.
Jack rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled sadly at her, "I know, it's okay." She smiled back and his own smile warmed a bit. "He's happy, I know that much. At least there's that." She bit her lip and nodded and Jack turned to head back to the coffee machine when he heard the door creak open.
Gwen had her own bag in her hands and Jack groaned, throwing his hands up. "Not you too! He's going to be spoiled rotten. Won't be able to do a thing with him."
Gwen frowned before setting her stuff down. "I just bought a collar and a tag, that way he can go out of the hub..." She pouted and dug the collar out, it was shockingly pink. "It was the only colour they had..." She looked sheepishly at Jack's scowl before continuing. "Tosh modified the tag so it has a gps locator, so we can always find him..." Jack nodded and handed her the coffee.
Ianto slinked out of Jack's office and over to Tosh, nuzzling her as he knew where the treats came from.
He trilled softly, nuzzling at her arm, purring loudly as she scratched him, slipping him a treat from the little bag on her desk while Jack’s back was turned.
“Here you go, Ianto.” She set the mouse on the floor, picking up the remote and seeing if it worked.
Ianto stared, transfixed, nudging the thing gently with his nose. When it jerked forward, he leapt into the air, jumping back a few feet. Head down, tail in the air, he swayed gently from side to side, eyes never leaving the creature as it moved jerkily towards him.
"Oh right, because a remote controlled mouse is just what this place needs..." Owen muttered as he grabbed his medical records to file. It was something that until recently, he had never had to bother to do, Ianto had taken care of that. But then of course, Ianto was now transfixed with a rubber mouse.
Jack watched as Ianto batted at it curiously, jumping back when it took off around the hub and the chase was on. Ianto pounced on it, but the thing seemed to slither away, causing Ianto no end of frustration. "Tosh, I hate to concede on what I said earlier..." He began, letting out a chuckle as Ianto chased after the mouse.
"Understood sir." She smiled and continued controlling the toy.
Ianto yowled happily as he chased after the mouse, Tosh keeping it just ahead of him, just enough to tease. On his second circuit of the Hub, however, he knocked over the glass container which housed the Doctor’s hand, sending it to the floor with a crash. Hair on end, Ianto bolted, leaping up on to the ledge beside Myfanwy’s nest, mrowing plaintively as he listened to Jack curse.
"Fucking hell." Jack jerked, leaping down from where he stood watching over everything and grabbed for the hand. He held it close as he quickly ran off to the archives to find another biometric tub to house it in.
Gwen looked at Tosh for an explanation but Tosh just shrugged and powered the mouse down. "No more remote powered toys in the hub." Jack's voice rang out as he came back, the hand housed in a new jar and apparently liking this one as much as the old one.
Jack's back was ramrod straight as he cleaned up the broken glass, shaking off Tosh's attempts at apologies.
Gwen coaxed Ianto down from his spot on the ledge and took out the GPS collar, fixing the shocking pink collar around his neck. "There, such a pretty kitty." She murmured, scratching Ianto behind the ears.
Ianto let out a happy trill, rubbing against her legs, purring his approval as she petted him, eyes slipping closed as he purred loud enough to turn the other’s heads. He padded towards Jack, a little tentatively, bell jangling on his collar. Cocking his head, he let out a soft questioning noise, taking another step closer.
He wasn’t sure if Jack was angry with him, gaze going to the thing he’d knocked over.
Jack sighed and slumped against the water tower as Ianto come up close and nuzzled his hand. He couldn't blame Ianto for doing something he was unaware of, nor could he really blame Tosh for trying to help keep Ianto from going stir-crazy.
Shaking his head, he went off for his coat. "Right, watch the rift, let me know if anything happens."
Gwen jumped up as he headed towards the lift, Ianto automatically padding after him curiously. "What are you doing?" She asked, moving to join him on the lift until he shook his head.
"Just going to give Ianto here a bit of fresh air." Jack smiled as the lift rose up towards the Plass.
Ianto sat beside Jack, looking up at him, paws shifting against the stone as it shifted, looking around him with great interest. He walked to the edge of the lift, softly mrowing as they passed his ledge, lying down on the stone. He crept to the edge, peering over, paws tucked over the edge as he stuck his head underneath, trying to see.
"Ianto, watch yourself." Jack said softly, Ianto padding over to sit at his feet. "I thought you could use a bit of fresh air, maybe the chance to run around a bit..." Jack smiled when Ianto lifted his nose in the air and began bounding off in some direction, scaring an old lady that had been walking across the Plass.
"Try not to get yourself abducted by animal control alright Ianto?"
Ianto turned, bounding back to Jack and gripping his sleeve in his teeth. He tugged gently, trying to coax Jack to come with him, before turning and bounding away again, heading across the Plass towards the sea. He merrily pounced into a group of pigeons, watching as they scattered, trying and failing to catch one. Pouting, he looked up at the retreating birds, head turning quickly as he heard laughter.
A small girl came running towards him, arms reaching out. “Kitty!!!!” She giggled happily, small hands grabbing at Ianto’s fur. Ianto stiffened for a moment, then stood still, letting the small child pet him, arms sliding around his neck as she buried her face in his fur.
“Kitty kitty kitty kitty…”
Jack chuckled when he saw the small girl with pigtails bound up to Ianto, laughed even harder when she clutched at his fur with sticky hands and hugged him. "His name is Ianto." Jack offered to the young girl, kneeling by her.
"Why does he have a pink collar if he's a boy?" She asked giggling and petting him.
"Because he thinks it makes him look pretty, what do you think?"
Ianto purred happily, nuzzling the little girl’s cheek as she petted him, letting out another happy ‘mrowr’ as she giggled and scratched behind his ears.
“Catrin! What are you - oh my God. Get away from there! Right now!” A rather harassed-looking woman ran up, grabbing hold of Catrin and lifting the squirming child into her arms. Ianto looked up, yowling in protest as the scritching behind his ears stopped.
“Are you insane? Letting a creature like that just wander about?!” Red-faced, the woman shouted at Jack, glancing warily at Ianto.
Jack bristled, one hand falling to Ianto's neck, scratching while Jack glared back at the woman. "My creature didn't go running to attack someone else's." Jack said cooly, his eyes darting to the young girl. "It was nice to meet you Caitrin. Come on Ianto."
Ianto cocked his head but padded after Jack as the man paced back and forth on the docks. He had forgotten about how provincial 21st century minds would take to seeing a large panther wandering about. Jack paused on the end of the pier and sat on the edge, swinging his feet. "Forgot you look like you could terrorise all of Cardiff like that." He said, watching as Ianto noticed the fish swimming just under the surface of the water.
Ianto wasn’t paying any attention, mesmerised by the fish below. He lay on his belly, feet and head hanging over the edge, nose only an inch from the surface of the water. His tail swung lazily from side to side, eyes narrowed in concentration. He dabbed a paw into the water, trying to catch one of the fish, growling as he failed miserably. Shaking his paw dry, he went back to staring, waiting for the chance to catch another.
Jack watched Ianto with mild curiosity before breaking out into laughter when he realised what Ianto was doing. "I love that no matter what form you may be in, you're always good for my soul Ianto Jones." Jack said fondly, scratching at Ianto idly and turning to watch him try and catch another fish.
After about 20 minutes, the fish had regained their bravery, swimming up near the surface again. Finally, he managed to scoop one up in his paw, yowling in surprise as he flipped it onto the pier. He pounced on the fish as it flopped around, growling and spitting at it as he batted it around with his paws. He seemed a little surprised that it was moving so much - they’d seemed so much slower in the water.
Jack couldn't stop the laughter even if he wanted to. Ianto looked utterly confused at how much the fish kept twitching and flopping on the dock, Ianto continually having to pounce it to try and keep it still.
"Looks like you've got yourself a real good fisher there boy." Jack looked up to see an old fishing trolley pulling up to the dock.
"His first time." Jack said rather proudly.
Ianto was now proudly holding the fish in his mouth, as it twitched feebly. He carried it over to Jack, depositing the fish in Jack’s lap and sitting beside him, practically radiating smug glee. What exactly Jack was supposed to do with the fish was anyone’s guess.
Jack looked down at the dead twitching fish in his lap and then back up at Ianto who was apparently expecting some praise.
"I think he wants you to have it Boy." The old man was reeling in his days catch, a netting quite a bit bigger than Ianto's catch.
"Yeah I think so too." Jack looked at Ianto and chuckled. "Thank you very much Ianto... no idea what to do with it, but thanks." Jack offered to give the old gentleman a hand with his catch as Ianto relaxed on the dock and proceeded to eat his own catch.
Catch brought in (and eaten, on Ianto’s part), they headed back towards the Hub, Ianto still looking around excitedly, running off from time to time to investigate things. He always returned to Jack’s side, padding along beside him, nuzzling Jack’s hand as it swung past his face. He bounded down the stairs into the Hub, immediately heading for Tosh, or more accurately, Tosh’s pocket. There was definitely some kind of treat in there…
"Don't give him anything he's already had two fish today." Jack called out, knowing where Ianto was headed and what he wanted and how little resistance Tosh had to Ianto's nuzzling (just about as much as his own).
"You bought him fish?" Owen asked, sporting a large scrap across his eyebrow and a black eye.
"He caught them himself, what in bloody hell happened to you?" Jack asked, seeing Tosh surreptitiously hand Ianto a small ball.
"Something came through the rift. Well, I say come through but more acurately it flew through and attacked me." Owen grumbled, not letting Jack take a look at it.
"What is it?"
"It's a box, sitting over on Ianto's desk. It's harmless though, we couldn't get it open or anything." Jack just nodded and turned to where Ianto was prodding at the ball and pouncing on it enthusiastically.
"You say he caught two fish?" Tosh asked, surprised and intrigued. Jack smiled when he though of their afternoon and nodded.
"Right good fisherman he is, though the second one he stole off of an older gentleman's boat..."
Ianto was chewing enthusiastically on the ball, rolling it around on the floor and pouncing, turning onto his back to sniff at the ball, holding it between his paws. He was purring happily, writhing about as he continued to play with the toy, blissful expression on his face.
Owen looked over, rolling his eyes. “Oh for fuck’s sake…Tosh, did you give him catnip?”
Tosh looked a little guilty, but she nodded, unable to help giggling at Ianto, who was purring loudly, eyes closed as he writhed about on the floor.
"What did you give him?" Jack turned his attentions back on Tosh, though it was difficult to take his eyes off of the wriggling and purring feline.
"He looks positively pornographic." Owen grumbled as Ianto purred louder, the catnip ball in between his paws as he held it close to gnaw on it.
"I thought I said no Torchwood employee's were allowed to be under the influence of drugs?" Jack asked, quirking his eyebrow up and looking at Tosh who just flushed.
"I thought he might like it..."
Gwen was chuckling merrily, watching from her workstation.
“Oh, come on Jack. He’s enjoying himself!” She threw a ball of paper at Owen, who was still frowning, arms crossed. “Bloody cheer up, will you?”
Ianto, meanwhile, was totally oblivious, still merrily sniffing at the catnip ball, ‘mrow’ing as it slipped out of his grasp, rolling away across the floor. A few minutes later, he turned back onto his stomach, calmly licking his paw as if he hadn’t just been behaving rather ridiculously.
Jack shook his head, laughing as he went to go check the box that came through the rift. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, in fact he found it hard to admit to himself, but in some ways Ianto as the cat delighted him in ways that Ianto as a human had never done.
Jack just wished that Ianto had had such a playful spirit before he had been transformed.
Quickly reeling his thoughts out from the long dark road they could easily fall down, Jack picked up the small golden box, surprised with how light it was. Confused by what it was, Jack looked the box over carefully before a folded note that had camouflaged itself on top of the box had fallen off.
Jack picked the note up and almost dropped the box with shaking hands as he read over the three simple words written in New English. Never doubt me.
On to Chapter Twenty-One