Fic- His Captain and His Angel 14/22
Title: His Captain and His Angel 14/22
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/John
Rating: Adult
Spoilers: Mild for COE (background information)
Summary: Captain John Hart always gets what he wants.
Disclaimers: I own nothing.
Notes: This is the third in the series of stories about Ianto’s past. It follows Blue Moon’s Child and The Lost Son. I’ll be posting this once a day until it is finished. Special thanks go to czarina_kitty for being such a wonderful Beta. Also thanks to rowanheart24 for helping me brainstorm the original idea. Comments please!
After dropping younger Ianto off at work, Jack drove back to the B&B. When he got there, Ianto was up, fully dressed and putting on his coat.
“Ianto? Where are you going?”
“Out.”
Jack looked over him. His fingers were trembling as he fastened his buttons.
“You need to be careful out there. You can’t be spotted.”
Ianto straightened his tie. “I know,” he snapped.
“Ianto…”
Ianto smoothed down his collar and tugged at his jacket cuffs. “I’ll be careful.” He headed towards the door.
Jack stepped closer and touched his arm gently. “Are you okay?”
Ianto sagged and leaned against Jack ever so slightly. “I think I’m losing my mind,” he whispered.
Jack put a gentle arm around him. “It’s just John messing with your head. Try to stay calm. I’m doing everything I can to sort this out. I’ll stop him, I promise. Then everything will go back to normal.”
Ianto hid his face in Jack’s neck. “There’s stuff you don’t know,” he whispered.
Jack held him. “What? You can tell me.”
Ianto’s hand gripped Jack’s arm tightly. “I was losing it before…before he came. I…I’ve always been like this.”
Jack pulled back and looked firmly at Ianto. “I’m here. You’re going to be all right. Whatever you need, I’m here. Okay?”
Ianto didn’t reply. He looked away, then tugged himself out of Jack’s gentle grip. “I’ve got to go,” he said and left the room.
Jack sighed and leaned against the wall. He didn’t know what to do.
* * *
Ianto didn’t know where he was going. He just walked. He stayed well away from the hangouts of his youth and let his thoughts fight inside his head. He wanted all this to go away. He wanted his memories to stay as they were. He didn’t want them to change any more. Confusion flooded his brain. He needed help.
He kept on walking.
* * *
Ianto lay on his bed and waited for his head to clear. When it did, he dressed and made his way downstairs. It was six o’clock. His da would be home in an hour or two probably. He usually made it home before eight when they did stock taking.
Ianto got his tea out of the fridge and heated it up. Da had told him to eat. He sat at the table with it and a drink of water. He scooped up a forkful of pasta and raised it to his mouth. He stopped, staring at the pasta. He should put it in his mouth. He should. All he had to do was put it in his mouth and swallow. But he couldn’t.
He put his fork down. He wanted to eat. He knew he was supposed to eat. Da wanted him to eat. But he couldn’t make himself do it.
He put his head down on the table and swallowed back the tears. He was a failure. All his da wanted from him was to behave and eat and be normal. He couldn’t even manage that. He couldn’t do anything.
He heard the door opening. He scrambled up, grabbed his bowl and scraped it into the bin. He put the empty bowl in the sink and went to the door. It opened on him. It was his da. He frowned at Ianto.
“You had your tea?”
Ianto looked away. “Yeah. Um, you’re back early.”
“We had a good afternoon. Make me a cuppa, will you? I’m shattered.”
Relieved, Ianto put the kettle on.
His da crossed to the sink to do the washing up. He stopped and looked down at the bowl in the sink. “Ianto, did you really eat all of this?” he asked.
Ianto swallowed. “Yeah. ‘Course.”
His da frowned at him and went to the bin. He lifted the lid and saw the entire contents of the bowl lying there. Ianto felt his tummy doing flips. His da let the bin lid drop and he turned his head towards Ianto but didn’t quite look at him.
“You didn’t eat. You wasted your food and you lied to me.”
“Da…”
“Go and get the belt.”
“But…”
“Don’t you dare answer me back, Ianto. Go and fetch the belt right this second.”
Ianto swallowed and left the kitchen. He stepped into the hall and opened the pantry door. The belt hung there, black and ominous. He reached out and touched the leather, then took a deep breath and unhooked it.
He folded it in two and gripped it tightly. This was it. His da was going to belt him. But then he’d hug him and everything would be okay.
He returned to the kitchen. His da took it from him and held it in his right hand. “Sit down.”
Ianto sat down. The lecture was to come first then.
His da stood over him, slapping the belt lightly against his own palm. “Jack, told me not to belt you, that it wouldn’t help.”
Ianto scowled. “You shouldn’t listen to him. The Captain doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t want to help us. He’s evil.”
Da pointed the belt at him. “Don’t you dare say that about a man who’s helped you so much.”
Ianto looked away.
His da carried on. “Do you know how often I’ve been belted with this belt, Ianto?”
Ianto shrugged. “Tad-cu used to say you were the naughtiest boy he knew until he met me.”
“Hmm, yes, probably. But if I talked back to him or disobeyed him, I got this. And on the bare.”
Ianto swallowed. Was Da going to belt him on the bare?
“And it taught me a valuable lesson, Ianto. It taught me that he wanted the best for me, that he was prepared to punish me harshly so that I’d do the right thing.”
Ianto didn’t know what to say. He thought about his da, being like him when he was young. He thought about his tad-cu punishing him, because he cared about him. Ianto’s da wanted the best for him too. That was why he was going to belt him.
“Jack thinks you might be ill again.”
Ianto scowled. “I don’t fucking care what the Captain thinks.”
Iestyn frowned at him. “Mind your mouth, boy.”
Ianto crossed his arm and deepened his scowl.
Iestyn grabbed his arm. “Get up. You need to be belted, young man.”
Ianto stood and his da held onto his arm tightly. Ianto braced himself. It seemed to be taking a long time for his da to start. He wished he’d just get on with it.
“You’ve had this coming, Ianto,” Iestyn said and drew back his arm.
He smacked the belt across the seat of Ianto’s jeans. It tingled but didn’t hurt. Da’s hand was barely gripping Ianto’s arm now and his anger seemed to have gone. He gave Ianto another light smack with the belt then let him go.
“Go to your room now. I don’t want to see you again tonight.”
Ianto, feeling bewildered, left without a word and went upstairs. He felt weird, all wobbly inside. That wasn’t a belting. Da had smacked him with his hand harder than that. When he’d got caught nicking from Top Man when he was fifteen, Da had said he was going easy on him just giving him a few with the hairbrush, when what he really deserved was the belt. Those smacks had been quite hard, even over his jeans. But that? That was nothing.
Ianto sat on his bed. Da hadn’t given him what he deserved, what he needed. Maybe…maybe his da didn’t really care what he did. Maybe, he was just going through the motions.
Ianto lay down and pulled the blanket over himself. Da didn’t give a damn. He knew it.
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/John
Rating: Adult
Spoilers: Mild for COE (background information)
Summary: Captain John Hart always gets what he wants.
Disclaimers: I own nothing.
Notes: This is the third in the series of stories about Ianto’s past. It follows Blue Moon’s Child and The Lost Son. I’ll be posting this once a day until it is finished. Special thanks go to czarina_kitty for being such a wonderful Beta. Also thanks to rowanheart24 for helping me brainstorm the original idea. Comments please!
After dropping younger Ianto off at work, Jack drove back to the B&B. When he got there, Ianto was up, fully dressed and putting on his coat.
“Ianto? Where are you going?”
“Out.”
Jack looked over him. His fingers were trembling as he fastened his buttons.
“You need to be careful out there. You can’t be spotted.”
Ianto straightened his tie. “I know,” he snapped.
“Ianto…”
Ianto smoothed down his collar and tugged at his jacket cuffs. “I’ll be careful.” He headed towards the door.
Jack stepped closer and touched his arm gently. “Are you okay?”
Ianto sagged and leaned against Jack ever so slightly. “I think I’m losing my mind,” he whispered.
Jack put a gentle arm around him. “It’s just John messing with your head. Try to stay calm. I’m doing everything I can to sort this out. I’ll stop him, I promise. Then everything will go back to normal.”
Ianto hid his face in Jack’s neck. “There’s stuff you don’t know,” he whispered.
Jack held him. “What? You can tell me.”
Ianto’s hand gripped Jack’s arm tightly. “I was losing it before…before he came. I…I’ve always been like this.”
Jack pulled back and looked firmly at Ianto. “I’m here. You’re going to be all right. Whatever you need, I’m here. Okay?”
Ianto didn’t reply. He looked away, then tugged himself out of Jack’s gentle grip. “I’ve got to go,” he said and left the room.
Jack sighed and leaned against the wall. He didn’t know what to do.
* * *
Ianto didn’t know where he was going. He just walked. He stayed well away from the hangouts of his youth and let his thoughts fight inside his head. He wanted all this to go away. He wanted his memories to stay as they were. He didn’t want them to change any more. Confusion flooded his brain. He needed help.
He kept on walking.
* * *
Ianto lay on his bed and waited for his head to clear. When it did, he dressed and made his way downstairs. It was six o’clock. His da would be home in an hour or two probably. He usually made it home before eight when they did stock taking.
Ianto got his tea out of the fridge and heated it up. Da had told him to eat. He sat at the table with it and a drink of water. He scooped up a forkful of pasta and raised it to his mouth. He stopped, staring at the pasta. He should put it in his mouth. He should. All he had to do was put it in his mouth and swallow. But he couldn’t.
He put his fork down. He wanted to eat. He knew he was supposed to eat. Da wanted him to eat. But he couldn’t make himself do it.
He put his head down on the table and swallowed back the tears. He was a failure. All his da wanted from him was to behave and eat and be normal. He couldn’t even manage that. He couldn’t do anything.
He heard the door opening. He scrambled up, grabbed his bowl and scraped it into the bin. He put the empty bowl in the sink and went to the door. It opened on him. It was his da. He frowned at Ianto.
“You had your tea?”
Ianto looked away. “Yeah. Um, you’re back early.”
“We had a good afternoon. Make me a cuppa, will you? I’m shattered.”
Relieved, Ianto put the kettle on.
His da crossed to the sink to do the washing up. He stopped and looked down at the bowl in the sink. “Ianto, did you really eat all of this?” he asked.
Ianto swallowed. “Yeah. ‘Course.”
His da frowned at him and went to the bin. He lifted the lid and saw the entire contents of the bowl lying there. Ianto felt his tummy doing flips. His da let the bin lid drop and he turned his head towards Ianto but didn’t quite look at him.
“You didn’t eat. You wasted your food and you lied to me.”
“Da…”
“Go and get the belt.”
“But…”
“Don’t you dare answer me back, Ianto. Go and fetch the belt right this second.”
Ianto swallowed and left the kitchen. He stepped into the hall and opened the pantry door. The belt hung there, black and ominous. He reached out and touched the leather, then took a deep breath and unhooked it.
He folded it in two and gripped it tightly. This was it. His da was going to belt him. But then he’d hug him and everything would be okay.
He returned to the kitchen. His da took it from him and held it in his right hand. “Sit down.”
Ianto sat down. The lecture was to come first then.
His da stood over him, slapping the belt lightly against his own palm. “Jack, told me not to belt you, that it wouldn’t help.”
Ianto scowled. “You shouldn’t listen to him. The Captain doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t want to help us. He’s evil.”
Da pointed the belt at him. “Don’t you dare say that about a man who’s helped you so much.”
Ianto looked away.
His da carried on. “Do you know how often I’ve been belted with this belt, Ianto?”
Ianto shrugged. “Tad-cu used to say you were the naughtiest boy he knew until he met me.”
“Hmm, yes, probably. But if I talked back to him or disobeyed him, I got this. And on the bare.”
Ianto swallowed. Was Da going to belt him on the bare?
“And it taught me a valuable lesson, Ianto. It taught me that he wanted the best for me, that he was prepared to punish me harshly so that I’d do the right thing.”
Ianto didn’t know what to say. He thought about his da, being like him when he was young. He thought about his tad-cu punishing him, because he cared about him. Ianto’s da wanted the best for him too. That was why he was going to belt him.
“Jack thinks you might be ill again.”
Ianto scowled. “I don’t fucking care what the Captain thinks.”
Iestyn frowned at him. “Mind your mouth, boy.”
Ianto crossed his arm and deepened his scowl.
Iestyn grabbed his arm. “Get up. You need to be belted, young man.”
Ianto stood and his da held onto his arm tightly. Ianto braced himself. It seemed to be taking a long time for his da to start. He wished he’d just get on with it.
“You’ve had this coming, Ianto,” Iestyn said and drew back his arm.
He smacked the belt across the seat of Ianto’s jeans. It tingled but didn’t hurt. Da’s hand was barely gripping Ianto’s arm now and his anger seemed to have gone. He gave Ianto another light smack with the belt then let him go.
“Go to your room now. I don’t want to see you again tonight.”
Ianto, feeling bewildered, left without a word and went upstairs. He felt weird, all wobbly inside. That wasn’t a belting. Da had smacked him with his hand harder than that. When he’d got caught nicking from Top Man when he was fifteen, Da had said he was going easy on him just giving him a few with the hairbrush, when what he really deserved was the belt. Those smacks had been quite hard, even over his jeans. But that? That was nothing.
Ianto sat on his bed. Da hadn’t given him what he deserved, what he needed. Maybe…maybe his da didn’t really care what he did. Maybe, he was just going through the motions.
Ianto lay down and pulled the blanket over himself. Da didn’t give a damn. He knew it.