Fic: Fragile, Handle With Care
Title: Fragile, Handle With Care
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1598
Spoilers: Set in my Ghost of a Chance ‘Verse.
Summary: Ianto and Jack are getting some additional cargo loaded into their ship, but there are a few things Jack has neglected to tell Ianto about.
Written For: Challenge 389: Fragile at fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“Ianto! Be careful!”
Jack’s shout stopped Ianto in his tracks, and he turned a withering glare on his lover. He knew Jack was still a bit overprotective, not wanting him to take unnecessary risks, but this was going too far.
“Give it a rest, Jack! I won’t break; I’m no more fragile than you are these days. Immortal, remember?”
Not entirely unbreakable of course, not any more than Jack was, but any damage he incurred would heal fast and completely, and anyway, Ianto was still a lot more careful with his own safety than Jack was. He didn’t throw himself willy-nilly into danger; it was months since he’d last suffered a significant injury, whereas Jack had died, again, only last week. Loading a few crates of miscellanea into the cargo hold of their ship was well within his capabilities. The worst that could happen was that he might, horror of horrors, drop one on his foot or get a splinter!
“I know you’re not fragile, I never said you were!” Jack jumped from the side of the loading ramp to join his lover. “But that is.” He pointed to the crate Ianto had been about to pick up.
“Oh.” All Ianto’s irritation with his partner fell away, then returned in a rush. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I just did, although I didn’t think I’d have to. It has the symbols for Handle With Care printed all over it.” Jack indicated a number of greyish brown smears adorning the sides of the wooden crate.
“That’s what those are?” Ianto raised an eyebrow. “I thought they were mud spatter.”
“They are. I meant the other markings, the ones under the mud.”
Frowning, Ianto leaned closer to the crate, squinting at it. The markings Jack was talking about were barely visible, curious symbols that looked a bit like musical notes, printed in light grey on the weathered wood.
Ianto sighed again. “You know I don’t read Genooskian writing!” There were so many languages in the universe, and Ianto was doing his best to learn as many as he could, but he hadn’t got around to that one yet.
“Right, sorry. You pick everything up so fast, sometimes I forget you don’t know everything yet.”
“If it was so important to handle this crate with care, why did you conveniently disappear when the time came to load everything on the ship?” He and Jack had been picking up some additional items for trade since they still had a bit of room in one of the Happy Wanderer’s smaller holds. It never hurt to make a bit of profit on the side during cargo runs.
“I went to get a stasis web for it.” Jack held up a complicated mesh of straps and emitters attached to a small, flat, rectangular device. “Took me longer than I expected because it wasn’t where I thought I’d left it the last time I used it.”
“Stasis web, huh? How come I’ve never heard of that before?”
“They don’t get used much these days. Most fragile items are transported in specialized stasis crates which generate their own internal stasis field. There are still a few places that don’t have that technology though, so most cargo ships carry a few stasis webs. Strap one on the outside of a crate, turn it on, and you could throw it down a mountain without damaging the contents.”
Ianto studied the web dangling from Jack’s hand. “Nifty. Want a hand strapping it on?”
“Yes, please. It’s a lot easier with two pairs of hands. One of these…” Jack pointed to something that resembled a small green beanbag, “needs to go over each corner of the crate. The web contracts or expands to fit the crate’s dimensions. The control panel should go on one of the sides, so it’s accessible when the crate is stowed.” Jack eyed the crate thoughtfully. “We should probably put this one in our quarters, where we can keep a close eye on it.”
“I thought the stasis web was supposed to protect it during transport.”
“It is, and it will, but it’s smaller than the other crates, and if we stack it right at the top, we’ll have to climb to check the readouts, make sure the web’s functioning properly. If a corner piece gets jostled loose it might lose its integrity, and all we’ll end up with then is a lot of expensive bits.”
“Bits of what? You still haven’t even told me what’s in here.” Ianto helped Jack untangle the web, pressing a beanbag to each of the top corners on his side. They moulded themselves to fit, sticking firmly in place.
“Two dozen Vidrazzian spun glass flowers, some of the most exquisite glass sculptures ever created. Each one is unique, hand-crafted by skilled artisans. We had one come through the Rift once, remember? You were amazed that it hadn’t broken on arrival.”
“I remember. I gave it to Tosh; she adored it.” Ianto smiled at the memory.
“Tosh had very good taste.” Jack smiled too, remembering their friend. He patted the crate. “These should fetch high prices at the fine arts auction on Sancheval Station. I’ve got certificates of authentication for all of them.”
“Where did you manage to find them? I didn’t see anything of the sort at the market.”
“While you were re-stocking our food supplies, I nipped into a bankruptcy sale. Picked up some real bargains.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “Ah, so that’s where you wandered off to! Left me juggling a dozen bags and an antigrav trolley. You know those things are a nightmare for one person to steer.”
Jack winced. “I know, sorry, but I overheard someone talking about the sale, and I couldn’t let a chance like that slip by!”
“Well, you might have mentioned it to me. I wouldn’t have minded having a look around the sale. Sounds like you had all the fun while I was doing the donkey work.”
“Sorry, I would’ve told you, but the market was so crowded I lost track of you and the sale was about to start. I had to get in before they shut the doors. Next time I hear about anything similar, I promise I’ll take you with me.”
“Well, alright.” Ianto decided to be gracious about being abandoned this time. He turned his attention back to the task at hand. “You’re sure the contents of this crate are undamaged? I mean, if it’s been transported from the saleroom in town all the way out to the spaceport along the muddy tracks the people around here call roads…” Ianto trailed off, smoothing the stasis web down the side of the crate, straightening the straps.
“I had this lot and the other items I picked up brought out here by a company that specialises in transporting delicate items. Their vehicles are basically stasis units on wheels. You could build a house of cards in one, drive around the planet ten times, over the roughest roads imaginable, and not have a single card shift even a fraction of a millimetre. It’s a company I’ve used before; they’re pricey, but well worth it. They get the job done and they pride themselves on never having damaged anything in their care.” Jack fitted the last corner piece to his side of the crate and the straps slipped smoothly underneath it as the control panel lit up and a series of lights turned blue. “Right, all set. We can move it now.” He stepped back, out of the way.
Ianto rolled his eyes. “By ‘we’ I assume you mean me.”
“You were about to move it before I stopped you so go ahead; don’t let me stand in your way. You can take that one up to our quarters while I load the rest into the hold.”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “You want me to carry this all the way up to our stateroom by myself?”
“Why not?”
“It’s one thing moving it into the hold, but if I put my back out…” Ianto carefully hefted the crate. “Oh!” It wasn’t a featherweight, but it didn’t weigh much more than an empty crate would have.
“Spun glass, remember?” Jack was grinning. “You can manage that, right? I mean you said it yourself; you’re not fragile.”
“Yes, I can manage.” Ianto gave his lover an exasperated look. “But I want all the rest of your purchases stowed by the time I get back. Got it?”
“Yes, Sir!” Jack snapped off a jaunty salute.
Shaking his head, Ianto set off up the ramp. He wondered if Jack would let him keep one of the delicate glass sculptures for himself. It would be a reminder of the flower that had found its way to Cardiff, and the delight on Tosh’s face when he’d told her she could take it home with her, something that was seldom permitted.
Somewhere back in Cardiff, that sculpture was probably packed away with the rest of Tosh’s things in a storage locker. Perhaps someday he and Jack could go back there and retrieve it, if it hadn’t been broken when his friend’s life was boxed up after her death. He could ask later, once the Happy Wanderer was underway. Right now they had cargo to deliver; the life of an independent haulier was a busy one, involving a lot of hard, physical labour, but that was okay. It was interesting work, and there was always something new to see or experience; Ianto couldn’t think of a better way to spend eternity than exploring the universe alongside the man he loved.
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1598
Spoilers: Set in my Ghost of a Chance ‘Verse.
Summary: Ianto and Jack are getting some additional cargo loaded into their ship, but there are a few things Jack has neglected to tell Ianto about.
Written For: Challenge 389: Fragile at fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“Ianto! Be careful!”
Jack’s shout stopped Ianto in his tracks, and he turned a withering glare on his lover. He knew Jack was still a bit overprotective, not wanting him to take unnecessary risks, but this was going too far.
“Give it a rest, Jack! I won’t break; I’m no more fragile than you are these days. Immortal, remember?”
Not entirely unbreakable of course, not any more than Jack was, but any damage he incurred would heal fast and completely, and anyway, Ianto was still a lot more careful with his own safety than Jack was. He didn’t throw himself willy-nilly into danger; it was months since he’d last suffered a significant injury, whereas Jack had died, again, only last week. Loading a few crates of miscellanea into the cargo hold of their ship was well within his capabilities. The worst that could happen was that he might, horror of horrors, drop one on his foot or get a splinter!
“I know you’re not fragile, I never said you were!” Jack jumped from the side of the loading ramp to join his lover. “But that is.” He pointed to the crate Ianto had been about to pick up.
“Oh.” All Ianto’s irritation with his partner fell away, then returned in a rush. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I just did, although I didn’t think I’d have to. It has the symbols for Handle With Care printed all over it.” Jack indicated a number of greyish brown smears adorning the sides of the wooden crate.
“That’s what those are?” Ianto raised an eyebrow. “I thought they were mud spatter.”
“They are. I meant the other markings, the ones under the mud.”
Frowning, Ianto leaned closer to the crate, squinting at it. The markings Jack was talking about were barely visible, curious symbols that looked a bit like musical notes, printed in light grey on the weathered wood.
Ianto sighed again. “You know I don’t read Genooskian writing!” There were so many languages in the universe, and Ianto was doing his best to learn as many as he could, but he hadn’t got around to that one yet.
“Right, sorry. You pick everything up so fast, sometimes I forget you don’t know everything yet.”
“If it was so important to handle this crate with care, why did you conveniently disappear when the time came to load everything on the ship?” He and Jack had been picking up some additional items for trade since they still had a bit of room in one of the Happy Wanderer’s smaller holds. It never hurt to make a bit of profit on the side during cargo runs.
“I went to get a stasis web for it.” Jack held up a complicated mesh of straps and emitters attached to a small, flat, rectangular device. “Took me longer than I expected because it wasn’t where I thought I’d left it the last time I used it.”
“Stasis web, huh? How come I’ve never heard of that before?”
“They don’t get used much these days. Most fragile items are transported in specialized stasis crates which generate their own internal stasis field. There are still a few places that don’t have that technology though, so most cargo ships carry a few stasis webs. Strap one on the outside of a crate, turn it on, and you could throw it down a mountain without damaging the contents.”
Ianto studied the web dangling from Jack’s hand. “Nifty. Want a hand strapping it on?”
“Yes, please. It’s a lot easier with two pairs of hands. One of these…” Jack pointed to something that resembled a small green beanbag, “needs to go over each corner of the crate. The web contracts or expands to fit the crate’s dimensions. The control panel should go on one of the sides, so it’s accessible when the crate is stowed.” Jack eyed the crate thoughtfully. “We should probably put this one in our quarters, where we can keep a close eye on it.”
“I thought the stasis web was supposed to protect it during transport.”
“It is, and it will, but it’s smaller than the other crates, and if we stack it right at the top, we’ll have to climb to check the readouts, make sure the web’s functioning properly. If a corner piece gets jostled loose it might lose its integrity, and all we’ll end up with then is a lot of expensive bits.”
“Bits of what? You still haven’t even told me what’s in here.” Ianto helped Jack untangle the web, pressing a beanbag to each of the top corners on his side. They moulded themselves to fit, sticking firmly in place.
“Two dozen Vidrazzian spun glass flowers, some of the most exquisite glass sculptures ever created. Each one is unique, hand-crafted by skilled artisans. We had one come through the Rift once, remember? You were amazed that it hadn’t broken on arrival.”
“I remember. I gave it to Tosh; she adored it.” Ianto smiled at the memory.
“Tosh had very good taste.” Jack smiled too, remembering their friend. He patted the crate. “These should fetch high prices at the fine arts auction on Sancheval Station. I’ve got certificates of authentication for all of them.”
“Where did you manage to find them? I didn’t see anything of the sort at the market.”
“While you were re-stocking our food supplies, I nipped into a bankruptcy sale. Picked up some real bargains.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “Ah, so that’s where you wandered off to! Left me juggling a dozen bags and an antigrav trolley. You know those things are a nightmare for one person to steer.”
Jack winced. “I know, sorry, but I overheard someone talking about the sale, and I couldn’t let a chance like that slip by!”
“Well, you might have mentioned it to me. I wouldn’t have minded having a look around the sale. Sounds like you had all the fun while I was doing the donkey work.”
“Sorry, I would’ve told you, but the market was so crowded I lost track of you and the sale was about to start. I had to get in before they shut the doors. Next time I hear about anything similar, I promise I’ll take you with me.”
“Well, alright.” Ianto decided to be gracious about being abandoned this time. He turned his attention back to the task at hand. “You’re sure the contents of this crate are undamaged? I mean, if it’s been transported from the saleroom in town all the way out to the spaceport along the muddy tracks the people around here call roads…” Ianto trailed off, smoothing the stasis web down the side of the crate, straightening the straps.
“I had this lot and the other items I picked up brought out here by a company that specialises in transporting delicate items. Their vehicles are basically stasis units on wheels. You could build a house of cards in one, drive around the planet ten times, over the roughest roads imaginable, and not have a single card shift even a fraction of a millimetre. It’s a company I’ve used before; they’re pricey, but well worth it. They get the job done and they pride themselves on never having damaged anything in their care.” Jack fitted the last corner piece to his side of the crate and the straps slipped smoothly underneath it as the control panel lit up and a series of lights turned blue. “Right, all set. We can move it now.” He stepped back, out of the way.
Ianto rolled his eyes. “By ‘we’ I assume you mean me.”
“You were about to move it before I stopped you so go ahead; don’t let me stand in your way. You can take that one up to our quarters while I load the rest into the hold.”
Ianto raised an eyebrow. “You want me to carry this all the way up to our stateroom by myself?”
“Why not?”
“It’s one thing moving it into the hold, but if I put my back out…” Ianto carefully hefted the crate. “Oh!” It wasn’t a featherweight, but it didn’t weigh much more than an empty crate would have.
“Spun glass, remember?” Jack was grinning. “You can manage that, right? I mean you said it yourself; you’re not fragile.”
“Yes, I can manage.” Ianto gave his lover an exasperated look. “But I want all the rest of your purchases stowed by the time I get back. Got it?”
“Yes, Sir!” Jack snapped off a jaunty salute.
Shaking his head, Ianto set off up the ramp. He wondered if Jack would let him keep one of the delicate glass sculptures for himself. It would be a reminder of the flower that had found its way to Cardiff, and the delight on Tosh’s face when he’d told her she could take it home with her, something that was seldom permitted.
Somewhere back in Cardiff, that sculpture was probably packed away with the rest of Tosh’s things in a storage locker. Perhaps someday he and Jack could go back there and retrieve it, if it hadn’t been broken when his friend’s life was boxed up after her death. He could ask later, once the Happy Wanderer was underway. Right now they had cargo to deliver; the life of an independent haulier was a busy one, involving a lot of hard, physical labour, but that was okay. It was interesting work, and there was always something new to see or experience; Ianto couldn’t think of a better way to spend eternity than exploring the universe alongside the man he loved.
The End