TORCHWOOD: Right Behind the Other
Title: Right Behind the Other
Characters/Pairing: Jack, Gwen, Owen and Tosh, mention of Ianto and Suzie. And Myfanwy, if it's really important.
Word Count: 500
Rating: G
Summary: There's something in Jack's smile she can't say no to.
Notes: Written for writerinadrawer's practice round. I had to make massive cuts to get it at (exactly) the word limit. Fun. Set right after "Everything Changes".
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or any of its characters, and I write these stories for fun, not profit.
The morning air stings in Gwen's lungs as she and Jack stroll in front of the Millennium Centre. Just a little too cold to comfortably breathe, and the breeze off the water starts her shivering, but the strangest thing is that she doesn't care.
"I really should go home," she says at length. "Rhys'll be worried."
"If he's anything like most worrying boyfriends, he'll have been up most of the night, fallen asleep a few hours ago, and still be sleeping now." Jack glances over at her. "I don't think he'll mind if you stay a little while longer."
"For...?"
"Breakfast? Ianto'll have bagels, and you haven't tried his coffee yet." His steps swing in the direction of the invisible lift, obviously with the assumption that Gwen will follow, and she does. She can still see Suzie's blood in the cracks in the pavement.
Gwen stands beside Jack on the paving stone like she's done it a thousand times, shoulder to shoulder, his hand on the small of her back to steady her. She doesn't even jump as it starts down into the Hub. At least it's warmer there, though the air's just a little damp, like the air in an old tube station. She takes a deep breath of the slightly musty air, a salty taste in the back of her throat. She might as well get used to it; she's apparently going to be spending plenty of time here.
The Hub is no less impressive the second time, and her eyes roam over everything, trying to (re)memorize every detail. Every now and then, she catches Jack's smile out of the corner of her eye.
A good three meters from the ground, she looks to the floor, and sees Tosh and Owen looking up at them with expressions she's not sure how to read.
"Jack..." Toshiko says, and then trails off.
"We lost the pterodactyl," Owen finishes for her.
Jack's hand moves from Gwen's shoulder, and he steps off the edge of the paving stone, dropping the remaining meter and a half to the ground like a cat. Gwen winces anyway, thinking how it must jar his ankles, and then chides herself for being silly. He got shot last night, and she's worried about his ankles.
"I gotta say, you're really conveying professionalism here."
"It's not what it looks like."
"Gross incompetence?"
Owen narrows his eyes, entirely unamused. "I just went to feed it, and-"
"Hinges broke?"
"...Yes."
"The hinges you welded last time."
"...Alright, shut up. We'll just go catch it again."
The paving stone finally reaches the floor, and Gwen steps off, glancing between Jack and Owen. "How do you catch a pterodactyl? In Cardiff?"
Jack turns back to her and grins. "How do you think we caught it the first time?"
"I have no idea."
There's something in his smile she can't say no to. A promise of danger, of excitement. Of missed sleep and upset boyfriends all being worth it. Of tomorrow. "Wanna see?"
Characters/Pairing: Jack, Gwen, Owen and Tosh, mention of Ianto and Suzie. And Myfanwy, if it's really important.
Word Count: 500
Rating: G
Summary: There's something in Jack's smile she can't say no to.
Notes: Written for writerinadrawer's practice round. I had to make massive cuts to get it at (exactly) the word limit. Fun. Set right after "Everything Changes".
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or any of its characters, and I write these stories for fun, not profit.
The morning air stings in Gwen's lungs as she and Jack stroll in front of the Millennium Centre. Just a little too cold to comfortably breathe, and the breeze off the water starts her shivering, but the strangest thing is that she doesn't care.
"I really should go home," she says at length. "Rhys'll be worried."
"If he's anything like most worrying boyfriends, he'll have been up most of the night, fallen asleep a few hours ago, and still be sleeping now." Jack glances over at her. "I don't think he'll mind if you stay a little while longer."
"For...?"
"Breakfast? Ianto'll have bagels, and you haven't tried his coffee yet." His steps swing in the direction of the invisible lift, obviously with the assumption that Gwen will follow, and she does. She can still see Suzie's blood in the cracks in the pavement.
Gwen stands beside Jack on the paving stone like she's done it a thousand times, shoulder to shoulder, his hand on the small of her back to steady her. She doesn't even jump as it starts down into the Hub. At least it's warmer there, though the air's just a little damp, like the air in an old tube station. She takes a deep breath of the slightly musty air, a salty taste in the back of her throat. She might as well get used to it; she's apparently going to be spending plenty of time here.
The Hub is no less impressive the second time, and her eyes roam over everything, trying to (re)memorize every detail. Every now and then, she catches Jack's smile out of the corner of her eye.
A good three meters from the ground, she looks to the floor, and sees Tosh and Owen looking up at them with expressions she's not sure how to read.
"Jack..." Toshiko says, and then trails off.
"We lost the pterodactyl," Owen finishes for her.
Jack's hand moves from Gwen's shoulder, and he steps off the edge of the paving stone, dropping the remaining meter and a half to the ground like a cat. Gwen winces anyway, thinking how it must jar his ankles, and then chides herself for being silly. He got shot last night, and she's worried about his ankles.
"I gotta say, you're really conveying professionalism here."
"It's not what it looks like."
"Gross incompetence?"
Owen narrows his eyes, entirely unamused. "I just went to feed it, and-"
"Hinges broke?"
"...Yes."
"The hinges you welded last time."
"...Alright, shut up. We'll just go catch it again."
The paving stone finally reaches the floor, and Gwen steps off, glancing between Jack and Owen. "How do you catch a pterodactyl? In Cardiff?"
Jack turns back to her and grins. "How do you think we caught it the first time?"
"I have no idea."
There's something in his smile she can't say no to. A promise of danger, of excitement. Of missed sleep and upset boyfriends all being worth it. Of tomorrow. "Wanna see?"