[open to Hellsing]

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

WHO Scott, semi-open
WHAT Tension week is getting to him~
WHERE Hell House
WHEN Thursday, July 7, all day
NOTES/WARNINGS He is very very tense. And on a very short fuse

Comments

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto knew that there was something that was up with Scott. The other man had been cagey for the past while, for one thing. He didn't think that it had anything to do with him yelling at him, and he was positive that this wasn't Scott being angry at him for walking in on him and Owen that one time. It didn't seem like the mood had started until a while after that, and for the life of him Ianto didn't have a clue as to what this could be about

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

Laphroaig practically snarled at the door when the knock came, and Scott, already on edge, jumped at both unexpected sounds. Warily, he took Laphroaig's chain in hand, unnerved more by the dragon's unusual change in behavior than by the fact that he hadn't realized Ianto was coming down. It was Ianto - he could see the man on the security feeds, now that he looked. Laphroaig strained against the chain, claws digging into the floor, and Scott gave in and clipped the chain to the desk, because otherwise Laphroaig was going to drag him halfway across the office. When had the little dragon grown so strong?

"I'm busy," he called out, his voice grating. "Come back later." Pushing himself away from his desk, he got up. Didn't know where he was going. Wasn't sure. He thrust his hands in his pockets, fists clenched, shoulders tight. Laphroaig continued to strain for the door, growling, and Scott shot him a wary look, but the chain was holding. That at least was a small blessing.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto shook his head, not caring whether Scott could see it or not. He certainly was not going to just turn around and go away because Scott didn't want to see him. This seemed to be pretty much old news, from the way the other man had been reacting to him for the past while. "No," he said. "We need to talk, you and me." He was not above opening the other man's door and just walking in. He was willing to bet that the door wasn't locked even. Scott wasn't that paranoid, that he would sit in his locked office in a fully secure building. Ianto Jones was a stubborn man, and he was going to get in there and confront Scott even if the other man made it one of the most difficult things he could think of doing at the moment.

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

The door was unlocked; Scott never locked it during the day. But he certainly made no move to go open it. He didn't want to talk to Ianto. And Laphroaig apparently didn't want the man coming in either; Scott shot the dragon another wary glance as Laphroaig growled again at Ianto's voice. "I said I'm busy," Scott said, his voice tighter, more strained this time. "Come back later." He began pacing, his hands still thrust deep in his pockets, fists still clenched. "I don't have time t'talk."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto could hear the other man pacing in his office, and he knew that nothing Scott could be doing for his job ever involved pacing. That the other man was clearly just lying to get rid of him. And he just wasn't having that, not right then. He could hear Laphroaig growling at him through the door, but he didn't care. He needed to have this conversation, whether Scott or his dragon liked it or not. So he took the doorknob in hand, turning it and stepping into the room. "Well, then you need to make some time. We need to talk," he said.

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

Scott stopped pacing when he heard the door open, and stood in front of the wall of monitors, glaring at them. Behind him, Laphroaig growled again, and Scott turned to snap at him, instead of at Ianto. "Laphroaig. Stop that." The dragon just snorted and growled at him instead, and Scott looked away, glancing at Ianto before going back to glaring at the monitors. "There's nothin' t'talk about."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, I think that there is," he said. "There's been something to talk about for the past while now, only you've not said a word to me about it." Alright, so he was being a little pissy. He was pissed off. Scott was hiding something, he knew he was, Scott knew that he knew he was, and yet the other man still insisted on keeping mum. "And if you're not going to tell me on your own, then I'm here to drag it out of you. Because something's wrong, I know it, but you haven't said a word about it to me. So yes, I think there is something to talk about here."

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

"It's better if you don't know," Scott said through clenched teeth, his voice grating. He didn't want to be having this conversation and god if he could just get Ianto to leave... "Did it ever occur t'you that I don't want t'talk about it?" Turning, he faced Ianto, his expression dark and withdrawn; he didn't want to do this, but it was far better than risking Ianto getting involved. "It's none o' your concern." Like that was going to be any more effective in getting Ianto to leave than simply telling him to go away. No, Ianto would keep prying, he was certain of it. What he wasn't certain of was how long he could hold out and refuse to talk before he snapped and said something just to keep Ianto from prying further.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"You have no right to dictate what does and does not concern me, Scott," Ianto said, trying to keep from raising his voice. "And if you don't want to talk about it but it's effecting your personality this much, then yes, it is my concern. I didn't come here to talk to you because you wanted to talk about it. I already know that you don't, otherwise you would've told me straight off the bat. But I'm not leaving here without some sort of an answer. I figure after everything, you owe me at least that much..."

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

"It's nothing t'do with you, an' it's nothing t'do with Hellsing," Scott said, taking a few steps toward the other man. Laphroaig strained at his chain again, fighting to break free. "An' it's none o' your business. It's t'do with me, an' no one else, d'you understand?" Something else in his voice now, buried beneath the tension in his tone. Pleading, perhaps, just a hint of it - wordlessly begging Ianto to leave off this line of questioning, to just accept that things had changed, to just move on. Laphroaig whined suddenly then, sensing the change in mood before it became outwardly apparent.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto didn't really catch the pleading, though he did catch the whine from Laphroaig, and he turned to look at the dragon for a moment, knowing that the pair of them had some sort of a connection going on. "I know that you were asking for that time off from Hellsing because of something that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you needed it for Laphroaig. I know that you know that that was the worst time to ask for time off, but you asked anyway. So yes, it does have something to do with Hellsing if it's interfering with your ability to do your job."

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

"Damn it, Ianto!" he snapped, slamming a fist down on his desk, an edge of hysteria creeping into his voice. Laphroaig jumped, and let out a strange sound, a hissing sort of whine, and Scott stood there a moment, his hands white-knuckled and trembling. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and moved to sink into his chair, still shaking, and Laphroaig hopped up into his lap, nudging Scott's chin with his nose. "It's. Better. If you don't know."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto heard that edge in Scott's voice, an edge of almost panic, and it would have been enough for Ianto to back off and try and coax the answer gently out of any other person, but he knew that that wouldn't work here. He'd tried gently coaxing for the past week, and it hadn't gotten a bloody word out of the other man. So he was going to push, even if he felt bad for doing so, even if it was going to piss the other man off and make him angry at him, because he had a feeling that whatever it was that Scott was hiding from him, he needed to know.

"Better for who, Scott? You? Because I sure as hell don't feel better about being left in the dark about something that's obviously important enough that it's gotten you in a mood for weeks now. Weeks. Damn it, Scott, I thought we were past you bloody hiding things from me like this!"

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

"An' it never occurred t'you, did it, that maybe I've got a damn good reason for hidin' it," Scott snarled, standing up to lean forward over his desk. "That maybe it's too fuckin' dangerous for you t'know." He couldn't help the way his voice cracked, and god, he wanted to tell Ianto but he couldn't. Unthinkingly, pissed and tense and worried - god, he'd been worried sick that he was going to slip up and say something to Uhura about Hellsing - he continued tightly, "Did it ever occur t'you that I'd tell you if I thought-- Fuck, Ianto, I'm tryin' t'protect--" He stopped, cut himself off. "That I'm tryin' t'keep Hellsing out of it," he said, which wasn't what he'd been about to say. "It's t'do with me, an' no one else."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Scott," Ianto said firmly, his voice low and hard because god damn it, he could see that he was getting somewhere here, if he just kept pushing then maybe he'd find out what it was that Scott was keeping under such tight lips as he was. "If there is anything that might threaten you or the organization or any of its members in any way, then it is your duty to let it be known. If there's anything out there that any single one person in this place needs protecting from than damn it, we have a right to know! What is it that you need to protect us from? What are you hiding from us? Hiding from me. What?"

[lt_cmmdr_scott]

He stood, slowly, still trembling slightly, with anger, frustration, a thousand other things. And not caring that Ianto was watching him, he turned to punch the wall. It hurt, fuck it hurt, and for a long moment he just stood there, because he couldn't argue. He couldn't argue against the fact that he had a duty to Hellsing, that he had a duty to Ianto. "One of my crewmates," he said, his voice shaking. "Lieutenant Uhura." He lowered his hand, turned to face Ianto. "She's here, Ianto, an' if she finds out about Hellsing, if she finds out that I'm no' loyal--" He cut himself off, before he could finish that sentence, cold dread sinking to the pit of his stomach. He'd never come so close to admitting aloud that he wasn't loyal to the Empire.