Torchwood -- Taking the Plunge
Title: Taking the Plunge
horizonssing Challenge: Day Fourteen
Date Written: 7/20/08
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,751
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Boys kissing, blah blah blah...
Author Notes: Number two for tonight. I think one more's coming up, then that's it for a bit.
"O summer day beside the joyous sea!
O summer day so wonderful and white,
So full of gladness and so full of pain!
Forever and forever shalt thou be
To some the gravestone of a dead delight,
To some the landmark of a new domain."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The great thing about Torchwood fieldwork was that you got to see some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Today they were at the edge of the world, up high on a cliff. The sky above them was a gorgeous, cloudless robin egg's blue, the sea a dark sapphire below, salty sea air whipping around them, tugging at their clothing. Nice day for a picnic too, not too hot or too cold.
The bad thing about Torchwood fieldwork was that... well, it was Torchwood fieldwork.
"Just let her go!" Jack yelled, training his gun on the alien currently holding Gwen hostage. Just another day at the office.
The alien took a threatening step backwards. "I'll survive the fall -- she won't."
Jack wavered. "Please."
The alien turned his full attention onto Jack, not noticing when Ianto stepped off to the side a little. "Aw, poor human. What is she to you? She can't be your mate, she's got another's scent on her."
Ianto had a clear shot. He caught Gwen's eyes and raised his eyebrows in question. She nodded a little, gasping when the alien grabbed her tighter.
"That one, the male," the alien said, nodding to Ianto but not taking his glare off of Jack. "He's covered in you." The being grinned, nuzzling Gwen's hair and making her flinch in disgust. "Maybe I grabbed the wrong human, hmn?"
Jack clenched his jaw against the insult bubbling up. Not a good way to get what you want. "Look, just let her go and we'll figure something out."
Ianto had caught Gwen's gaze again, and mouthed, very faintly, on three. He stepped a little closer, fingers twitching on the grip of his gun. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was adjusting his grip. Gwen nodded once, faintly, and watched as Ianto did it again.
One.
"Nah, I think I'll keep her," the alien said. "She's a wonderful bargaining chip."
Another flinch from Ianto. Two.
"And pretty -- for a human." It stepped back again, practically on the edge of the cliff. "How much d'you think she'd sell for?"
Jack had to physically stop himself from throwing the gun away and beating the being standing before them. If he did that, they'd be over the side and Gwen would be dead before he could get to where they were standing.
Ianto tapped his hilt again. Three.
It happened so quickly, the alien didn't know what hit it. One moment Gwen was passive in his arms, the next minute she was scratching and biting at his arm like a wild woman. The sudden flare of pain made the alien's grip slacken, and she slipped from his grasp, already stumbling towards Jack.
Giving Ianto his clean shot. He pulled the trigger twice, watching in almost slow motion as the two slugs slammed into the alien's skull. It fell to the ground, twitching as nerve endings continued to fire to muscles that weren't accepting orders anymore.
Gwen fell into Jack's arms, sobbing, and the Captain swept her up and held her tight. Ianto took a deep breath to steady himself, holstering his weapon. Their first mission as a threesome -- since Tosh and Owen, the pain of their loss still so fresh -- and they'd almost lost Gwen. It had been terrifying. Ianto looked down at his hands to realize he was shaking like a leaf, the sudden adrenaline spike still surging through his body.
He took another breath, then another, willing himself to calm down. Gwen tore herself away from Jack to throw her arms around Ianto, crying into his shoulder and thanking him in Welsh. Ianto hugged her back just as tightly for a few moments, the warm, breathing, sobbing woman in his arms confirming that it was over, she was fine. Shaken, but fine.
They released each other and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, thank you, diolch, diolch..."
Ianto moved her to a little bench to sit down on while Jack moved towards the still-twitching body of the alien. Once Gwen was reasonably settled, the younger man went to stand by Jack. "What was it?"
Jack took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something when the alien's body convulsed again. The arm hit Ianto's knee with surprising force, making his leg buckle out from under him.
He knew the moment he felt the vertigo hit him that he was going over the edge. He felt Jack grab at him and he tried to bat his hand away, to save the Captain from going over too, but Jack's grip found his coat sleeve and held fast.
The both fell, wind whipping past them as Gwen's anguished scream faded behind them. The cliffs were high, and Ianto quickly gathered that he had about fifteen seconds left in this world.
Jack gathered him close, tucking Ianto's head up under his own. "Take a deep breath, Ianto," he instructed low in his ear.
Twelve, eleven, ten...
"Jack, I -- I love you," Ianto gasped, grabbing onto Jack's greatcoat. Completely the wrong time to announce it, but he had to tell him, had to let Jack know.
Six, five, four...
In response, Jack squeezed him closer, kissing his forehead.
Two... one...
The water was so cold it took Ianto's breath away the moment they hit, bubbles escaping and salt water entering his mouth, forcing its way down his throat as he gasped in vain for air. The current was pulling them this way and that, and for a dizzying moment, Ianto didn't know which way was up.
His last thought as he began to fade out was God, Jack always said that drowning was always the worst way to go...
-----
When Ianto came to, he was aware of a few things:
One, he was warm. Really warm. Bordering on hot.
Two, he was lying down on something sort of soft. He gave an experimental push with his heel and felt some give. A mattress?
Third, more important as a migraine kicked in at full gear, there was a beeping to his left.
"Owen, shut that noise off," he groaned, lolling his head to the side and carefully cracking open his eyes in the dim light. He blinked, eyes blearily focusing on the figure sitting next to his bed. "... Rhys?"
"Hey!" The older Welshman grinned at the younger, scooting his chair closer. "Good to see you awake."
"What -- where?"
"You're at A&E," he said, lowering his voice when he noticed Ianto's wince. "You had a nasty fall, so I hear."
"Gwen? Jack?"
"Both fine," Rhys reassured him. "Gwen dragged Captain Innuendo down for some food about five minutes ago."
Ianto grinned a little at the 'pet name' Gwen's husband had given Jack a few months back, closing his eyes again. "How long have I been out?"
"Two days. You were going into shock when the paramedics managed to get down to you and Jack." Gwen had called him in hysterics and he'd dropped everything to get to her, holding her in the waiting room while they waited for the doctors to stabilize Ianto.
Jack had just... sat there. Dripping wet, a thick blanket pulled around him, a cup of hot coffee untouched in his hands as he stared into nothingness.
It had been terrifying.
"I could murder a cup of coffee," Ianto groaned, reaching up to rub his forehead.
Rhys grinned. "Well, one cup of piss-poor hospital coffee, coming right up." He clasped Ianto on his shoulder, and Ianto moved a hand to put over Rhys'.
"Thank you for taking care of them."
"Oi, what sort of husband would I be if I didn't? Besides, I'd have you to answer to if I let anything happen to them."
Ianto gave him a tired smile and closed his eyes as Rhys quietly left the room. He drifted in and out a little. Who knew you could be so tired after being in a coma?
The door slammed open, making the archivist jerk awake before groaning -- again -- and putting a hand to his head. He cautiously opened his eyes to see Jack at the foot of his bed, panting hard and red in the face. "Can you be quiet dramatic for once?" Ianto asked, going for a frown but utterly failing.
"Oh -- Oh God, Ianto," Jack swore, almost tripping over the chair Rhys had been sitting in as rushed over to Ianto's side. He leaned in and pulled the younger man into his arms, cradling his head and kissing him gently but firmly. "I thought I'd lost you," he murmured against his mouth.
"Mm, gonna take more than a little drop like that to take me out," Ianto quipped, giving a little grin.
Jack laughed a little, sitting back and touching his face gently. "You're okay?"
"Sore," Ianto replied, squirming a little to stretch his muscles. "Tired. When can I go home? I'm sure you're going crazy without coffee."
The immortal grinned. "Now I know you're all right." He brushed back Ianto's hair and opened his mouth to say something when Gwen burst into the room, albeit at a lower decibel level than Jack had, Rhys and the piss-poor hospital coffee behind her.
-----
The doctors released Ianto -- against advisement -- that afternoon, and Jack took him home, fed him and put him down to for bed. Ianto smiled a little as Jack settled in next to him. He rolled over a little, unashamedly snuggling into his lover's arms.
"Did you mean it?" The question rumbled low in Jack's chest as he pressed a kiss against Ianto's forehead.
Ianto nuzzled into Jack a little, gathering his thoughts. "Yes." He ran a hand over Jack's far shoulder, rubbing the smooth skin with his thumb. "I thought -- I just had to -- "
Jack tipped his chin up, pressing a kiss to his mouth. "I was so scared," he said softly, voice trembling.
"Me too," Ianto confessed.
"I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell you -- "
"I know, Jack," he cut the older man off. "It's okay."
"No, let me say it," Jack said roughly. He swallowed once, twice, took a deep breath. "I love you too. And I was terrified that I'd never get the chance to tell you." He took a deep breath. "I should have told you sooner."
"So should I," Ianto replied softly, and Jack leaned in to kiss him quiet.
Trial by water.
Only Torchwood.
horizonssing Challenge: Day Fourteen
Date Written: 7/20/08
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,751
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Boys kissing, blah blah blah...
Author Notes: Number two for tonight. I think one more's coming up, then that's it for a bit.
"O summer day beside the joyous sea!
O summer day so wonderful and white,
So full of gladness and so full of pain!
Forever and forever shalt thou be
To some the gravestone of a dead delight,
To some the landmark of a new domain."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The great thing about Torchwood fieldwork was that you got to see some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Today they were at the edge of the world, up high on a cliff. The sky above them was a gorgeous, cloudless robin egg's blue, the sea a dark sapphire below, salty sea air whipping around them, tugging at their clothing. Nice day for a picnic too, not too hot or too cold.
The bad thing about Torchwood fieldwork was that... well, it was Torchwood fieldwork.
"Just let her go!" Jack yelled, training his gun on the alien currently holding Gwen hostage. Just another day at the office.
The alien took a threatening step backwards. "I'll survive the fall -- she won't."
Jack wavered. "Please."
The alien turned his full attention onto Jack, not noticing when Ianto stepped off to the side a little. "Aw, poor human. What is she to you? She can't be your mate, she's got another's scent on her."
Ianto had a clear shot. He caught Gwen's eyes and raised his eyebrows in question. She nodded a little, gasping when the alien grabbed her tighter.
"That one, the male," the alien said, nodding to Ianto but not taking his glare off of Jack. "He's covered in you." The being grinned, nuzzling Gwen's hair and making her flinch in disgust. "Maybe I grabbed the wrong human, hmn?"
Jack clenched his jaw against the insult bubbling up. Not a good way to get what you want. "Look, just let her go and we'll figure something out."
Ianto had caught Gwen's gaze again, and mouthed, very faintly, on three. He stepped a little closer, fingers twitching on the grip of his gun. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was adjusting his grip. Gwen nodded once, faintly, and watched as Ianto did it again.
One.
"Nah, I think I'll keep her," the alien said. "She's a wonderful bargaining chip."
Another flinch from Ianto. Two.
"And pretty -- for a human." It stepped back again, practically on the edge of the cliff. "How much d'you think she'd sell for?"
Jack had to physically stop himself from throwing the gun away and beating the being standing before them. If he did that, they'd be over the side and Gwen would be dead before he could get to where they were standing.
Ianto tapped his hilt again. Three.
It happened so quickly, the alien didn't know what hit it. One moment Gwen was passive in his arms, the next minute she was scratching and biting at his arm like a wild woman. The sudden flare of pain made the alien's grip slacken, and she slipped from his grasp, already stumbling towards Jack.
Giving Ianto his clean shot. He pulled the trigger twice, watching in almost slow motion as the two slugs slammed into the alien's skull. It fell to the ground, twitching as nerve endings continued to fire to muscles that weren't accepting orders anymore.
Gwen fell into Jack's arms, sobbing, and the Captain swept her up and held her tight. Ianto took a deep breath to steady himself, holstering his weapon. Their first mission as a threesome -- since Tosh and Owen, the pain of their loss still so fresh -- and they'd almost lost Gwen. It had been terrifying. Ianto looked down at his hands to realize he was shaking like a leaf, the sudden adrenaline spike still surging through his body.
He took another breath, then another, willing himself to calm down. Gwen tore herself away from Jack to throw her arms around Ianto, crying into his shoulder and thanking him in Welsh. Ianto hugged her back just as tightly for a few moments, the warm, breathing, sobbing woman in his arms confirming that it was over, she was fine. Shaken, but fine.
They released each other and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, thank you, diolch, diolch..."
Ianto moved her to a little bench to sit down on while Jack moved towards the still-twitching body of the alien. Once Gwen was reasonably settled, the younger man went to stand by Jack. "What was it?"
Jack took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something when the alien's body convulsed again. The arm hit Ianto's knee with surprising force, making his leg buckle out from under him.
He knew the moment he felt the vertigo hit him that he was going over the edge. He felt Jack grab at him and he tried to bat his hand away, to save the Captain from going over too, but Jack's grip found his coat sleeve and held fast.
The both fell, wind whipping past them as Gwen's anguished scream faded behind them. The cliffs were high, and Ianto quickly gathered that he had about fifteen seconds left in this world.
Jack gathered him close, tucking Ianto's head up under his own. "Take a deep breath, Ianto," he instructed low in his ear.
Twelve, eleven, ten...
"Jack, I -- I love you," Ianto gasped, grabbing onto Jack's greatcoat. Completely the wrong time to announce it, but he had to tell him, had to let Jack know.
Six, five, four...
In response, Jack squeezed him closer, kissing his forehead.
Two... one...
The water was so cold it took Ianto's breath away the moment they hit, bubbles escaping and salt water entering his mouth, forcing its way down his throat as he gasped in vain for air. The current was pulling them this way and that, and for a dizzying moment, Ianto didn't know which way was up.
His last thought as he began to fade out was God, Jack always said that drowning was always the worst way to go...
-----
When Ianto came to, he was aware of a few things:
One, he was warm. Really warm. Bordering on hot.
Two, he was lying down on something sort of soft. He gave an experimental push with his heel and felt some give. A mattress?
Third, more important as a migraine kicked in at full gear, there was a beeping to his left.
"Owen, shut that noise off," he groaned, lolling his head to the side and carefully cracking open his eyes in the dim light. He blinked, eyes blearily focusing on the figure sitting next to his bed. "... Rhys?"
"Hey!" The older Welshman grinned at the younger, scooting his chair closer. "Good to see you awake."
"What -- where?"
"You're at A&E," he said, lowering his voice when he noticed Ianto's wince. "You had a nasty fall, so I hear."
"Gwen? Jack?"
"Both fine," Rhys reassured him. "Gwen dragged Captain Innuendo down for some food about five minutes ago."
Ianto grinned a little at the 'pet name' Gwen's husband had given Jack a few months back, closing his eyes again. "How long have I been out?"
"Two days. You were going into shock when the paramedics managed to get down to you and Jack." Gwen had called him in hysterics and he'd dropped everything to get to her, holding her in the waiting room while they waited for the doctors to stabilize Ianto.
Jack had just... sat there. Dripping wet, a thick blanket pulled around him, a cup of hot coffee untouched in his hands as he stared into nothingness.
It had been terrifying.
"I could murder a cup of coffee," Ianto groaned, reaching up to rub his forehead.
Rhys grinned. "Well, one cup of piss-poor hospital coffee, coming right up." He clasped Ianto on his shoulder, and Ianto moved a hand to put over Rhys'.
"Thank you for taking care of them."
"Oi, what sort of husband would I be if I didn't? Besides, I'd have you to answer to if I let anything happen to them."
Ianto gave him a tired smile and closed his eyes as Rhys quietly left the room. He drifted in and out a little. Who knew you could be so tired after being in a coma?
The door slammed open, making the archivist jerk awake before groaning -- again -- and putting a hand to his head. He cautiously opened his eyes to see Jack at the foot of his bed, panting hard and red in the face. "Can you be quiet dramatic for once?" Ianto asked, going for a frown but utterly failing.
"Oh -- Oh God, Ianto," Jack swore, almost tripping over the chair Rhys had been sitting in as rushed over to Ianto's side. He leaned in and pulled the younger man into his arms, cradling his head and kissing him gently but firmly. "I thought I'd lost you," he murmured against his mouth.
"Mm, gonna take more than a little drop like that to take me out," Ianto quipped, giving a little grin.
Jack laughed a little, sitting back and touching his face gently. "You're okay?"
"Sore," Ianto replied, squirming a little to stretch his muscles. "Tired. When can I go home? I'm sure you're going crazy without coffee."
The immortal grinned. "Now I know you're all right." He brushed back Ianto's hair and opened his mouth to say something when Gwen burst into the room, albeit at a lower decibel level than Jack had, Rhys and the piss-poor hospital coffee behind her.
-----
The doctors released Ianto -- against advisement -- that afternoon, and Jack took him home, fed him and put him down to for bed. Ianto smiled a little as Jack settled in next to him. He rolled over a little, unashamedly snuggling into his lover's arms.
"Did you mean it?" The question rumbled low in Jack's chest as he pressed a kiss against Ianto's forehead.
Ianto nuzzled into Jack a little, gathering his thoughts. "Yes." He ran a hand over Jack's far shoulder, rubbing the smooth skin with his thumb. "I thought -- I just had to -- "
Jack tipped his chin up, pressing a kiss to his mouth. "I was so scared," he said softly, voice trembling.
"Me too," Ianto confessed.
"I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell you -- "
"I know, Jack," he cut the older man off. "It's okay."
"No, let me say it," Jack said roughly. He swallowed once, twice, took a deep breath. "I love you too. And I was terrified that I'd never get the chance to tell you." He took a deep breath. "I should have told you sooner."
"So should I," Ianto replied softly, and Jack leaned in to kiss him quiet.
Trial by water.
Only Torchwood.