Fic: Schmoop Bingo I30 - Anniversary (Jack/Ianto)
Title: Stars
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: This one is extra schmoopy…
Spoilers: None (in accordance with Schmoop Law Section 27 Paragraph A Subparagraph 1 - the entire team is alive - really alive not dead-alive - so nothing from Reset on ever happened)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Special Guest Star: the Eleventh Doctor (please be kind, it's the first time I've written ANY Doctor...)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: schmoop_bingo Prompt: I30 - Anniversary
Notes: Thanks as always to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
Stars
Ianto had planned this day for months and everything had gone flawlessly - the dinner, the wine, even the bloody weather was even perfect - the entire evening had been ideal except for one small thing.
The gift.
Ianto glanced unobtrusively at his watch and cursed the Doctor again. He summoned up a smile and poured Jack another glass of wine.
"Hard to believe," Jack mused as he swirled the crimson liquid around his glass. "How many wagers do you think we ruined by making it to ten years?"
Ianto grinned. "Well, I know of four offhand," he said.
Jack chuckled and drew Ianto closer to him. Ianto cuddled in, wrapping his arm around Jack's waist and leaning his head back on Jack's shoulder.
"I never would have imagined we'd be here," Jack admitted. "I always figured something would happen to tear us apart, that the universe itself would intervene somehow if I didn't bollocks it up on my own."
"The universe certainly made a concerted effort on more than one occasion," Ianto snorted.
"True. So did I," he added regretfully.
Ianto shifted and ran his thumb over the plain silver band on Jack's left hand. "Neither one of us has ever claimed to be perfect," he said soothingly. "The important thing is that we're both still here, still together."
Jack answered with a long, deep, wine-flavoured kiss. He's just set his wineglass down and reached for Ianto's when a familiar whooshing sound began to fill the room. Jack glanced over at Ianto, concern written across his features. When he realised that Ianto looked expectant rather than worried, he assumed the Doctor's visit was planned and not the harbinger of the end of the world that it usually was. He quirked an eyebrow at Ianto.
"Surprises?" he asked.
"Just one," Ianto said with a smile. "At least there better be," he added under his breath as he stood up, watching as the familiar blue box appeared between them and the fireplace, the door opening almost before it had finished materialising.
"Hello!" A chipper voice filled the room followed by a thin man with raggedy brown hair who was looking around interestedly. "I know I'm - ooh, lovely, you've painted since I was here last, haven't you? It was sort of a creamy browny kind of taupey colour and now it's - oh, hang on a moment, it's a whole new house isn't it?" The Doctor beamed at them. "Lovely. I said that already, didn't I? Oh well, I am sorry I'm late, but I had the most interesting - "
"Doctor!" Jack and Ianto shouted together.
"Hmm?" The Doctor finally focused on them and clapped his hands delightedly. "Jack! Ianto! My dear, dear friends. Happy Anniversary! That is the right saying, right?"
Jack grinned at the Doctor and nodded. "What are you doing here, Doc?" he asked while giving the Doctor a quick hug.
"I was… er, dispatched to get you a present by your Mr. Jones."
"A present?" Jack asked, frowning at Ianto. "I thought we agreed no presents."
Ianto blushed slightly and shrugged.
"No presents? There should always be presents," the Doctor exclaimed. "And this one is lovely, I must say. Do you like it?" he asked, looking over at Jack hopefully. "Oh, I haven't given it to you yet, have I?" He patted the pockets of his tweed jacket thoughtfully. "Now, I know I had it on… ah! One moment!"
When the Doctor disappeared back into the TARDIS, Jack pulled Ianto into his arms and gave him a smacking kiss followed by a smack on the arse.
"No presents," he grumbled. "You big liar. Good thing I didn't listen to you," he added with a wink.
Ianto just rolled his eyes. He'd known he wouldn't be able to stop Jack from getting him a gift, even though he'd put his best efforts into it. Jack was still hopeless at romantic gestures and usually ended up more frustrated by the process than happy to be celebrating the occasion which warranted the present in the first place - something Ianto had hoped to prevent with his attempted ban. He just hoped the present was something fun they could use together.
"Your present is for later on, though" Jack murmured, jerking his head at the TARDIS. "When we're alone."
Ianto grinned. It was definitely something fun they could use together.
"Here it is!" the Doctor called out happily as he appeared in the TARDIS doorway again. "Forgot - I put it in the thing when we landed on the - never mind, here you go, Jack - oh wait, that's wrong." The Doctor turned his back on Jack and then handed the small box he was holding to Ianto. "Here," he said in an exaggerated whisper. "Should come from you, right?"
"Thank you, Doctor," Ianto said warmly. "It wasn't too much trouble, was it?"
"No, no trouble at all! Haven't been back to the Medusa Cascade since that unpleasantness with the - will you listen to me rambling on. Go on, give it to him. I'll get my old blue box out of your parlour in just a tick. Jack," he said, turning back to look at his old friend. He smiled at the Captain in a bemused fashion for moment. "Jack Harkness, you do my hearts good. You, too, Ianto Jones." He wrapped his arms around them both in an awkward three-way hug and then turned back to the TARDIS. "I'll see you soon, but not too soon, I think. Must let you celebrate properly, hmmm?" With another grin and a cheeky wink, the Doctor vanished into the TARDIS which promptly vanished from the room.
Both Jack and Ianto let out a shared breath of relief. Time had not dampened this current incarnation's enthusiasm in the slightest. They were glad of the fact, Jack especially since he'd first known the Doctor at a much darker point in his long timeline, but he still exhausted them.
"Now," Jack said, tugging Ianto's hand. "What on Earth did you get me that needed all this fuss?"
Ianto pulled away for a second to flick off all the lights, leaving only the fire illuminating the room, and then he joined Jack on the sofa.
"Well, something not from Earth, first of all," Ianto said. He turned the little box over in his hands. "This… I… okay, from the beginning." Ianto took a deep breath and looked up at a Jack. "I called the Doctor a few months ago, to talk to him about a special present for you. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted was called or even if it existed, but we spoke at length and he finally told me about this little device."
Ianto put the box in Jack's outstretched hand. "This is to say thank you for giving up the universe to stay here with me all these years."
"Ianto, every second with you has been worth it ten times over," Jack murmured.
Ianto smiled. "I'm glad you still feel that way. And I'm glad that I can give a little of the universe back to you now. Go on, open it."
Jack leant forward to give Ianto a lingering kiss and then opened the box. A small, oblong, purple stone fell into his hand. It was about three inches long and heavy enough to be marble, but Jack had a feeling it wasn't just a rock. There were a series of markings along the length of the device which he ran his finger over curiously.
"Close your hand over it, so the runes are touching your skin. Think of a time," Ianto whispered. "A time and a place, any time, anywhere in the universe."
Jack held Ianto's eyes for a moment and then closed his own, thinking of the first night he'd seen Ianto in Bute Park. The stone began to heat up in his hand, making him release his grip and let it rest on his palm. The stone vibrated for a second and then shot out tiny beams of light from its surface. He looked around in wonder at the ceiling and the walls of their flat which were covered in what looked like -
"Stars," Ianto said softly.
"Oh my God, Ianto, this is amazing," Jack exclaimed. "I've heard of these but I've never seen one in action."
Ianto smiled and reached out to stroke Jack's cheek. "So you like it?" he inquired softly.
"Like it?" Jack shook his head with a grin. "I love it. I love you. C'mere," he added, tugging Ianto down until they were lying on the sofa, both looking up at the 'stars'. Jack turned his head to give Ianto a long, deep kiss before returning his gaze to the ceiling. "There's Altair and Deneb and Vega - the Summer Triangle," Jack murmured, pointing at different dots on the ceiling. "Vega was so bright the night we met."
"Is that what we're looking at?" Ianto asked.
Jack nodded. "The night you followed me into the park. God, I wanted to nail you to the nearest tree," he admitted with a chuckle as he nuzzled Ianto, kissing him behind the ear.
With a snort, Ianto shook his head. "You didn't want anything to do with me," he reminded Jack.
"That's what I wanted you to think."
Ianto laughed and wrapped Jack's hand around the stone again. "Show me something new," he requested.
Jack thought for a second and then tightened his hand around the stone, blocking out the light for a moment while the stone recalibrated. When the beams burst from the stone this time, there were hundreds of stars covering the room in configurations Ianto had never seen.
"This is the sky where I grew up," Jack said. "I must have been, oh, I don't know, eight? My dad and Gray and I spent the night camping on the beach on a perfectly clear night. I didn't sleep a wink, just kept searching for constellations. There's my favourite, Adephagia," Jack said, pointing up at a cluster of stars right above them.
"Adephagia? The Greek spirit of gluttony?" Ianto asked, the amusement clear in his voice.
"Mmhmm." Jack took Ianto's hand and traced the shape of a very round person amongst the pinpoints of light. "See?"
Ianto nodded. "So people still try to find meaning in the stars in your time? Even after travelling in them for so long?"
"Of course," Jack said. "And for the same reasons the sailors did it here all those centuries ago. When you're hurtling through time and space, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, you learn to appreciate the constants." Jack's voice dropped and he set the stone on the coffee table, leaving his arms free to wrap around Ianto. "You're my constant, Ianto Jones. I love you."
Ianto's breath caught and he had to swallow hard before he could reply. "I love you, too, Jack. Happy Anniversary."
"Happy Anniversary," Jack murmured before claiming Ianto's mouth in a soft, sweet kiss that made them both see stars, even with their eyes closed.
(LJ Reminder: Please don't post/link/tweet/share/etc. on another site. I appreciate your consideration for my wishes and respect for my work.)
This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/85356.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: This one is extra schmoopy…
Spoilers: None (in accordance with Schmoop Law Section 27 Paragraph A Subparagraph 1 - the entire team is alive - really alive not dead-alive - so nothing from Reset on ever happened)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Special Guest Star: the Eleventh Doctor (please be kind, it's the first time I've written ANY Doctor...)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: schmoop_bingo Prompt: I30 - Anniversary
Notes: Thanks as always to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
Stars
Ianto had planned this day for months and everything had gone flawlessly - the dinner, the wine, even the bloody weather was even perfect - the entire evening had been ideal except for one small thing.
The gift.
Ianto glanced unobtrusively at his watch and cursed the Doctor again. He summoned up a smile and poured Jack another glass of wine.
"Hard to believe," Jack mused as he swirled the crimson liquid around his glass. "How many wagers do you think we ruined by making it to ten years?"
Ianto grinned. "Well, I know of four offhand," he said.
Jack chuckled and drew Ianto closer to him. Ianto cuddled in, wrapping his arm around Jack's waist and leaning his head back on Jack's shoulder.
"I never would have imagined we'd be here," Jack admitted. "I always figured something would happen to tear us apart, that the universe itself would intervene somehow if I didn't bollocks it up on my own."
"The universe certainly made a concerted effort on more than one occasion," Ianto snorted.
"True. So did I," he added regretfully.
Ianto shifted and ran his thumb over the plain silver band on Jack's left hand. "Neither one of us has ever claimed to be perfect," he said soothingly. "The important thing is that we're both still here, still together."
Jack answered with a long, deep, wine-flavoured kiss. He's just set his wineglass down and reached for Ianto's when a familiar whooshing sound began to fill the room. Jack glanced over at Ianto, concern written across his features. When he realised that Ianto looked expectant rather than worried, he assumed the Doctor's visit was planned and not the harbinger of the end of the world that it usually was. He quirked an eyebrow at Ianto.
"Surprises?" he asked.
"Just one," Ianto said with a smile. "At least there better be," he added under his breath as he stood up, watching as the familiar blue box appeared between them and the fireplace, the door opening almost before it had finished materialising.
"Hello!" A chipper voice filled the room followed by a thin man with raggedy brown hair who was looking around interestedly. "I know I'm - ooh, lovely, you've painted since I was here last, haven't you? It was sort of a creamy browny kind of taupey colour and now it's - oh, hang on a moment, it's a whole new house isn't it?" The Doctor beamed at them. "Lovely. I said that already, didn't I? Oh well, I am sorry I'm late, but I had the most interesting - "
"Doctor!" Jack and Ianto shouted together.
"Hmm?" The Doctor finally focused on them and clapped his hands delightedly. "Jack! Ianto! My dear, dear friends. Happy Anniversary! That is the right saying, right?"
Jack grinned at the Doctor and nodded. "What are you doing here, Doc?" he asked while giving the Doctor a quick hug.
"I was… er, dispatched to get you a present by your Mr. Jones."
"A present?" Jack asked, frowning at Ianto. "I thought we agreed no presents."
Ianto blushed slightly and shrugged.
"No presents? There should always be presents," the Doctor exclaimed. "And this one is lovely, I must say. Do you like it?" he asked, looking over at Jack hopefully. "Oh, I haven't given it to you yet, have I?" He patted the pockets of his tweed jacket thoughtfully. "Now, I know I had it on… ah! One moment!"
When the Doctor disappeared back into the TARDIS, Jack pulled Ianto into his arms and gave him a smacking kiss followed by a smack on the arse.
"No presents," he grumbled. "You big liar. Good thing I didn't listen to you," he added with a wink.
Ianto just rolled his eyes. He'd known he wouldn't be able to stop Jack from getting him a gift, even though he'd put his best efforts into it. Jack was still hopeless at romantic gestures and usually ended up more frustrated by the process than happy to be celebrating the occasion which warranted the present in the first place - something Ianto had hoped to prevent with his attempted ban. He just hoped the present was something fun they could use together.
"Your present is for later on, though" Jack murmured, jerking his head at the TARDIS. "When we're alone."
Ianto grinned. It was definitely something fun they could use together.
"Here it is!" the Doctor called out happily as he appeared in the TARDIS doorway again. "Forgot - I put it in the thing when we landed on the - never mind, here you go, Jack - oh wait, that's wrong." The Doctor turned his back on Jack and then handed the small box he was holding to Ianto. "Here," he said in an exaggerated whisper. "Should come from you, right?"
"Thank you, Doctor," Ianto said warmly. "It wasn't too much trouble, was it?"
"No, no trouble at all! Haven't been back to the Medusa Cascade since that unpleasantness with the - will you listen to me rambling on. Go on, give it to him. I'll get my old blue box out of your parlour in just a tick. Jack," he said, turning back to look at his old friend. He smiled at the Captain in a bemused fashion for moment. "Jack Harkness, you do my hearts good. You, too, Ianto Jones." He wrapped his arms around them both in an awkward three-way hug and then turned back to the TARDIS. "I'll see you soon, but not too soon, I think. Must let you celebrate properly, hmmm?" With another grin and a cheeky wink, the Doctor vanished into the TARDIS which promptly vanished from the room.
Both Jack and Ianto let out a shared breath of relief. Time had not dampened this current incarnation's enthusiasm in the slightest. They were glad of the fact, Jack especially since he'd first known the Doctor at a much darker point in his long timeline, but he still exhausted them.
"Now," Jack said, tugging Ianto's hand. "What on Earth did you get me that needed all this fuss?"
Ianto pulled away for a second to flick off all the lights, leaving only the fire illuminating the room, and then he joined Jack on the sofa.
"Well, something not from Earth, first of all," Ianto said. He turned the little box over in his hands. "This… I… okay, from the beginning." Ianto took a deep breath and looked up at a Jack. "I called the Doctor a few months ago, to talk to him about a special present for you. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted was called or even if it existed, but we spoke at length and he finally told me about this little device."
Ianto put the box in Jack's outstretched hand. "This is to say thank you for giving up the universe to stay here with me all these years."
"Ianto, every second with you has been worth it ten times over," Jack murmured.
Ianto smiled. "I'm glad you still feel that way. And I'm glad that I can give a little of the universe back to you now. Go on, open it."
Jack leant forward to give Ianto a lingering kiss and then opened the box. A small, oblong, purple stone fell into his hand. It was about three inches long and heavy enough to be marble, but Jack had a feeling it wasn't just a rock. There were a series of markings along the length of the device which he ran his finger over curiously.
"Close your hand over it, so the runes are touching your skin. Think of a time," Ianto whispered. "A time and a place, any time, anywhere in the universe."
Jack held Ianto's eyes for a moment and then closed his own, thinking of the first night he'd seen Ianto in Bute Park. The stone began to heat up in his hand, making him release his grip and let it rest on his palm. The stone vibrated for a second and then shot out tiny beams of light from its surface. He looked around in wonder at the ceiling and the walls of their flat which were covered in what looked like -
"Stars," Ianto said softly.
"Oh my God, Ianto, this is amazing," Jack exclaimed. "I've heard of these but I've never seen one in action."
Ianto smiled and reached out to stroke Jack's cheek. "So you like it?" he inquired softly.
"Like it?" Jack shook his head with a grin. "I love it. I love you. C'mere," he added, tugging Ianto down until they were lying on the sofa, both looking up at the 'stars'. Jack turned his head to give Ianto a long, deep kiss before returning his gaze to the ceiling. "There's Altair and Deneb and Vega - the Summer Triangle," Jack murmured, pointing at different dots on the ceiling. "Vega was so bright the night we met."
"Is that what we're looking at?" Ianto asked.
Jack nodded. "The night you followed me into the park. God, I wanted to nail you to the nearest tree," he admitted with a chuckle as he nuzzled Ianto, kissing him behind the ear.
With a snort, Ianto shook his head. "You didn't want anything to do with me," he reminded Jack.
"That's what I wanted you to think."
Ianto laughed and wrapped Jack's hand around the stone again. "Show me something new," he requested.
Jack thought for a second and then tightened his hand around the stone, blocking out the light for a moment while the stone recalibrated. When the beams burst from the stone this time, there were hundreds of stars covering the room in configurations Ianto had never seen.
"This is the sky where I grew up," Jack said. "I must have been, oh, I don't know, eight? My dad and Gray and I spent the night camping on the beach on a perfectly clear night. I didn't sleep a wink, just kept searching for constellations. There's my favourite, Adephagia," Jack said, pointing up at a cluster of stars right above them.
"Adephagia? The Greek spirit of gluttony?" Ianto asked, the amusement clear in his voice.
"Mmhmm." Jack took Ianto's hand and traced the shape of a very round person amongst the pinpoints of light. "See?"
Ianto nodded. "So people still try to find meaning in the stars in your time? Even after travelling in them for so long?"
"Of course," Jack said. "And for the same reasons the sailors did it here all those centuries ago. When you're hurtling through time and space, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, you learn to appreciate the constants." Jack's voice dropped and he set the stone on the coffee table, leaving his arms free to wrap around Ianto. "You're my constant, Ianto Jones. I love you."
Ianto's breath caught and he had to swallow hard before he could reply. "I love you, too, Jack. Happy Anniversary."
"Happy Anniversary," Jack murmured before claiming Ianto's mouth in a soft, sweet kiss that made them both see stars, even with their eyes closed.
(LJ Reminder: Please don't post/link/tweet/share/etc. on another site. I appreciate your consideration for my wishes and respect for my work.)
This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/85356.html. Please comment there using OpenID.