FIC: Paralysis [Torchwood]
Title: Paralysis
Author: atraphoenix
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Toshiko Sato/John Hart
Rating: PG-13
Summary: “You need to lighten up, Toshiko. I know you’re all uptight in the 21st century, but you are just ridiculous.”
It had been a long day. Tosh was well aware that she should probably go home and catch up on her sleep, but the intimacy of Jack and Ianto’s farewell, coupled with Gwen’s daily dose of wedding planning, had left her feeling bitter and resentful. She needed to overwhelm her senses, to drown herself in the noise and life and energy of a crowded Cardiff bar.
A vain attempt to make herself feel a little less lonely, perhaps, but at least the alcohol would help.
***
Tosh had been in the bar for about an hour when she realised she was being watched. In fact, the man seated in the corner had been regarding her with peculiar intensity for at least half an hour. It was an alien sensation, but not entirely unpleasant. The only thing that worried her was the fact that the man’s face was shrouded in shadow. He could be anyone. Anything.
Her mind had already supplied several handy worst case scenarios, but she hadn’t abandoned the bar or pulled out her phone and called for help. Because there was always a chance, no matter how slim, that the guy was just genuinely interested in her, rather than in Torchwood.
Tosh still hadn’t abandoned her rather extraordinary capacity for hope.
Apparently the mysterious observer had realised that she’d become aware of his presence, because there was suddenly the sound of a chair scrapping loudly across the floor, followed by the clunk of boots on polished wood.
Tosh kept her eyes turned resolutely forwards, surveying the liquor bottles in front of her over an array of empty glasses. She only looked around when the footsteps stopped.
Oh dear.
“Hello Toshiko,” Captain Hart purred, “Can I get you a drink?”
***
She said yes, eventually. Not on purpose, of course, but it’s always difficult to say no when the offer is being made by an extremely attractive man. It’s even harder when he’s smiling at you as if you’re the most stunning woman in the universe.
Tosh cursed herself, briefly, for being so fickle. But it wasn’t her fault. No one else ever looked at her like that. She was used to being the invisible girl of the Hub. Kindness knocked her off balance more than violence ever could.
“So,” said John, watching her lazily over his second glass of brandy. “Where’s your gallant Captain? Or your doctor boyfriend? Abandoned you, have they?”
“He isn’t my Captain,” Tosh said, a little too sharply. Her own drink remained resolutely untouched. “And Owen certainly isn’t my boyfriend”
“So defensive,” Hart smirked, “Touched a nerve, have I?”
Tosh ignored him. Her right hand slipped down, just a fraction, towards her pocket. She never actually carried her gun around unless she was working, but she’d momentarily forgotten that. She only ever used it when she had to and left it locked up in her desk the rest of the time. The cool metal in her pocket made her feel exposed rather than safe. A killer rather than a protector.
(It was a nice sentiment, but, as her fingers itched to wrap themselves around a nonexistent handle, she started to regret it.)
“Don’t they realise it’s dangerous to let a lovely woman like yourself wander around without a chaperone?” he continued, moving a little closer. Before Tosh could reply, he grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her from reaching for her phone. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you. I don’t want to hurt you, Toshiko.”
“Why should I trust you?” she growled. She didn’t bother trying to pull her arm free - his grip was like a vice - and her tone of voice seemed only to spur him on. She remembered, briefly, the man who he’d hurled from the building, and her heart began to pound unpleasantly in her chest.
“Because I’m a model citizen?” he suggested, smirking.
“You killed Jack!” she snapped.
“He came back, didn’t he?”
“That isn’t the point. You’ve been to murder rehab!”
“And how do you know about that?”
“I …” she blushed, and glanced down at her feet, “I tracked down the CCTV footage of your reunion with Jack.”
“Oh …” He grinned at her. “Like what you saw?”
“Before you started trying to kill each other? Yes.” There was no point denying it. They were both cute. “That isn’t the point either.”
John laughed. It wasn’t an unpleasant laugh, actually. It wasn’t the sort of laugh a person like Captain John Hart was supposed to have. Tosh had to concentrate to prevent it from overwhelming her. She wasn’t used to this. She was the invisible girl at the Hub. She was forgotten until her expertise was needed. People didn’t flirt with her!
“You need to lighten up, Toshi,” he announced, draining her glass since she’d shown no inclination to do so. “Have some fun. I know you’re all uptight in the 21st century, but you are just ridiculous.”
“I’m not uptight,” said Tosh, in a tone that suggested the opposite and made John’s smile widen even further.
“Sure,” he said, “You’re just ‘sensible’. ‘Dull’. Pick your synonym. It all means the same thing.”
Tosh visibly deflated. Sensible, dull Toshiko, with her machines and her computer programs, who it was so much easier to just ignore. No wonder Owen wasn’t hers.
She didn’t have time to sink back into her misery, however, because John was talking again. And, if she wasn’t mistaken, he even looked a little guilty.
“For what it’s worth, Toshiko,” he said, and the tender way he said her name made her heart race, “I think Owen and the others must be mad. You’re gorgeous.”
Her cheeks flushed crimson, despite the fact that she’d heard him referring to a poodle in a similar way only a few months earlier.
“I still don’t trust you,” she said, but it was difficult to get the words out. Her guard was slipping further and further which each passing second. He’d let go of her wrist, but she hadn’t made another attempt to go for her phone.
“No need to blush,” he smiled, toying with a strand of hair that had been lying against her cheek, “Just stating a fact. Your friends are blind.”
She shouldn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth, no matter how sugared it was. He would be using her for something, revenge or information or worse. But his face was only inches from her own now, and her heart was beating so hard it seemed to be threatening to burst from her ribcage. She couldn’t have left the bar and phoned Jack if her life depended on it.
And it probably did.
He drugged Gwen using paralysing lip gloss. Drugged Gwen and left her to die.
His face was coming closer now. Their lips were millimetres apart.
“Under no circumstances let him kiss you.”
Tosh jerked her head back sharply, just in time. Her cheeks, already flushed crimson, darkened even further.
“How do I know you aren’t wearing your ‘paralysing lip gloss’?” she asked, voice catching in her throat as he slid his arm around her waist. It doesn’t even occur to her to protest about that.
“Because I have a lot of plans for this evening,” he whispered, lips brushing against her ear, “Some of them might involve handcuffs, but none of them involve you being unconscious.”
Author: atraphoenix
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Toshiko Sato/John Hart
Rating: PG-13
Summary: “You need to lighten up, Toshiko. I know you’re all uptight in the 21st century, but you are just ridiculous.”
It had been a long day. Tosh was well aware that she should probably go home and catch up on her sleep, but the intimacy of Jack and Ianto’s farewell, coupled with Gwen’s daily dose of wedding planning, had left her feeling bitter and resentful. She needed to overwhelm her senses, to drown herself in the noise and life and energy of a crowded Cardiff bar.
A vain attempt to make herself feel a little less lonely, perhaps, but at least the alcohol would help.
***
Tosh had been in the bar for about an hour when she realised she was being watched. In fact, the man seated in the corner had been regarding her with peculiar intensity for at least half an hour. It was an alien sensation, but not entirely unpleasant. The only thing that worried her was the fact that the man’s face was shrouded in shadow. He could be anyone. Anything.
Her mind had already supplied several handy worst case scenarios, but she hadn’t abandoned the bar or pulled out her phone and called for help. Because there was always a chance, no matter how slim, that the guy was just genuinely interested in her, rather than in Torchwood.
Tosh still hadn’t abandoned her rather extraordinary capacity for hope.
Apparently the mysterious observer had realised that she’d become aware of his presence, because there was suddenly the sound of a chair scrapping loudly across the floor, followed by the clunk of boots on polished wood.
Tosh kept her eyes turned resolutely forwards, surveying the liquor bottles in front of her over an array of empty glasses. She only looked around when the footsteps stopped.
Oh dear.
“Hello Toshiko,” Captain Hart purred, “Can I get you a drink?”
***
She said yes, eventually. Not on purpose, of course, but it’s always difficult to say no when the offer is being made by an extremely attractive man. It’s even harder when he’s smiling at you as if you’re the most stunning woman in the universe.
Tosh cursed herself, briefly, for being so fickle. But it wasn’t her fault. No one else ever looked at her like that. She was used to being the invisible girl of the Hub. Kindness knocked her off balance more than violence ever could.
“So,” said John, watching her lazily over his second glass of brandy. “Where’s your gallant Captain? Or your doctor boyfriend? Abandoned you, have they?”
“He isn’t my Captain,” Tosh said, a little too sharply. Her own drink remained resolutely untouched. “And Owen certainly isn’t my boyfriend”
“So defensive,” Hart smirked, “Touched a nerve, have I?”
Tosh ignored him. Her right hand slipped down, just a fraction, towards her pocket. She never actually carried her gun around unless she was working, but she’d momentarily forgotten that. She only ever used it when she had to and left it locked up in her desk the rest of the time. The cool metal in her pocket made her feel exposed rather than safe. A killer rather than a protector.
(It was a nice sentiment, but, as her fingers itched to wrap themselves around a nonexistent handle, she started to regret it.)
“Don’t they realise it’s dangerous to let a lovely woman like yourself wander around without a chaperone?” he continued, moving a little closer. Before Tosh could reply, he grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her from reaching for her phone. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you. I don’t want to hurt you, Toshiko.”
“Why should I trust you?” she growled. She didn’t bother trying to pull her arm free - his grip was like a vice - and her tone of voice seemed only to spur him on. She remembered, briefly, the man who he’d hurled from the building, and her heart began to pound unpleasantly in her chest.
“Because I’m a model citizen?” he suggested, smirking.
“You killed Jack!” she snapped.
“He came back, didn’t he?”
“That isn’t the point. You’ve been to murder rehab!”
“And how do you know about that?”
“I …” she blushed, and glanced down at her feet, “I tracked down the CCTV footage of your reunion with Jack.”
“Oh …” He grinned at her. “Like what you saw?”
“Before you started trying to kill each other? Yes.” There was no point denying it. They were both cute. “That isn’t the point either.”
John laughed. It wasn’t an unpleasant laugh, actually. It wasn’t the sort of laugh a person like Captain John Hart was supposed to have. Tosh had to concentrate to prevent it from overwhelming her. She wasn’t used to this. She was the invisible girl at the Hub. She was forgotten until her expertise was needed. People didn’t flirt with her!
“You need to lighten up, Toshi,” he announced, draining her glass since she’d shown no inclination to do so. “Have some fun. I know you’re all uptight in the 21st century, but you are just ridiculous.”
“I’m not uptight,” said Tosh, in a tone that suggested the opposite and made John’s smile widen even further.
“Sure,” he said, “You’re just ‘sensible’. ‘Dull’. Pick your synonym. It all means the same thing.”
Tosh visibly deflated. Sensible, dull Toshiko, with her machines and her computer programs, who it was so much easier to just ignore. No wonder Owen wasn’t hers.
She didn’t have time to sink back into her misery, however, because John was talking again. And, if she wasn’t mistaken, he even looked a little guilty.
“For what it’s worth, Toshiko,” he said, and the tender way he said her name made her heart race, “I think Owen and the others must be mad. You’re gorgeous.”
Her cheeks flushed crimson, despite the fact that she’d heard him referring to a poodle in a similar way only a few months earlier.
“I still don’t trust you,” she said, but it was difficult to get the words out. Her guard was slipping further and further which each passing second. He’d let go of her wrist, but she hadn’t made another attempt to go for her phone.
“No need to blush,” he smiled, toying with a strand of hair that had been lying against her cheek, “Just stating a fact. Your friends are blind.”
She shouldn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth, no matter how sugared it was. He would be using her for something, revenge or information or worse. But his face was only inches from her own now, and her heart was beating so hard it seemed to be threatening to burst from her ribcage. She couldn’t have left the bar and phoned Jack if her life depended on it.
And it probably did.
He drugged Gwen using paralysing lip gloss. Drugged Gwen and left her to die.
His face was coming closer now. Their lips were millimetres apart.
“Under no circumstances let him kiss you.”
Tosh jerked her head back sharply, just in time. Her cheeks, already flushed crimson, darkened even further.
“How do I know you aren’t wearing your ‘paralysing lip gloss’?” she asked, voice catching in her throat as he slid his arm around her waist. It doesn’t even occur to her to protest about that.
“Because I have a lot of plans for this evening,” he whispered, lips brushing against her ear, “Some of them might involve handcuffs, but none of them involve you being unconscious.”