Fic: The Calming
miss_zedem went and fluttered her eyelashes at me and since I'm a sucker for a pretty face (especially my betas' ;)), here is the follow-up to "The Doldrums" that she requested. Hope it fits the bill, hon.
This is a sequel to The Doldrums, which is also very short and sweet, and this will work much better if you've read it. It'll probably still work if you haven't, but don't say I didn't warn you :)
Title: The Calming
Author: jadesfire2808
Words: ~1100
Rating/Warnings: G/only for soppiness
Spoilers: None. But is set some way down the road after "Last of the Time Lords."
Summary: Ianto's first trip into space isn't quite what he imagined.
The Calming
Ianto hadn't known it was possible to get space-sick. His only comfort was that he wasn't the only one. No-one had seen Owen since twenty minutes after they'd come on board, but Ianto guessed he was now regretting having lunch. Neither of the women seemed affected at all and then there was Jack.
It was hard to remember the last time Ianto had seen Jack so happy. In fact, now he thought about it, he couldn't remember ever seeing Jack this happy. Not with all his clothes on. When the Hraltin had offered them a quick spin through the stars in return for the life-saving medicines Torchwood had agreed to provide, Jack had practically jumped out of his seat. The others hadn't had much choice in the matter, although only Owen was now complaining. Tosh was loving wandering round the spaceship, prodding things and asking more questions than the Hraltin could answer. Gwen looked completely overwhelmed by the whole experience, grinning goofily and apparently quite content to just sit and stare out of a porthole.
When Jack had finished bounding round the ship like a hyperactive Tigger, he'd dragged Ianto up to the observation deck, to stand and watch the stars together. In truth, it made Ianto more than a little dizzy, especially once Jack had dimmed the lights, creating the illusion of standing in the middle of, well, nothing. But then Jack wrapped an arm round his waist, steadying him as they leaned on the rail together.
"Beautiful," he breathed, staring out at the tiny spots of light.
"Impressive," Ianto managed, his own breathing coming a little faster now. It wasn't that he didn't like being up here, seeing things that most humans would never experience. It was more that he would have preferred it if it didn't make him quite so nauseous.
"Impressive?" Jack echoed, disbelief in his voice. "Is that all?" Letting go, he bounded down the steps from the small platform towards the window, pointing at things as he went. "This is the Darges cluster. They've got three stars in their system and the planets' surfaces are so hot that all life evolved underground. Then this," he jumped straight upwards, stabbing his finger towards a gaseous shape in the far distance, "is the Ponjale nebula. There are more pirates in that quadrant of space than there are in the neighbouring three solar systems. This one," he ran across the room, waving his arms at a huge spiral of stars, close by, "is the Endalay ring. Well, it's not a ring really, unless you're an Endal but that's a whole other story. What?"
He stopped, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at Ianto, who was shaking his head, a wry smile on his face.
"Is there anything you don't know?"
Grinning sheepishly, Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way back up the steps. "Sorry. I just-" He broke off, sighing. "There's so much to see out there."
"I can tell." Ianto scanned the deep blackness again, frowning as something caught his attention. "What's that?" He pointed to a patch of space in the middle distance.
"I'm not sure. Hang on." There was a small panel by the door, and by pressing a few buttons, Jack managed to zoom in on the place Ianto had indicated. Streaks of colour were splashed across it, like a child's drawing of a rainbow. Ianto heard Jack suck in a breath, then there was the beep of the communications unit.
"Captain Prala," Jack said, his voice suddenly business-like, "have you seen the anomaly in quadrant forty-eighty three-twenty four? Good. Just checking."
"What is it?" Ianto could make out more colours than he had names for, blazing across space, backlit by the stars and sparkling with their own light.
"I don't know its proper name," Jack said, his voice oddly soft. "But it's a patch of dead space, where nothing can fly, nothing can move. Get caught in it and you just have to sit and wait it out."
"Sounds dangerous."
"If you're properly stocked up, it's mostly just dull." Jack was close now, his arm against Ianto's as they leaned on the railing. "But the light show makes up for it." He must have linked his wrist comp to the controls, because Ianto felt the arm against his shift, and suddenly the ceiling was transformed, covered with the coloured light.
Half-laughing in wonder, Ianto held out a hand, watching his skin glow yellow, then a deep, fiery red, then the blue of the clearest ocean. He turned to Jack, expecting to see similar delight on his face. Instead, Jack's expression was one of deep wistfulness, sorrow and joy mingling into one.
"Jack? What's wrong?"
Jack blinked at the sound of Ianto's voice, then brushed a hand across his face. In the strange, ever-changing light, Ianto could see his cheeks were glistening.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Jack lifted his eyes to the ceiling, watching the colours play and shine. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Stunning." But Ianto was looking at Jack. After another moment, he reached out and covered the other man's hand with his own. "You've seen it before." It wasn't a question.
"Once. I was told it's called the Calming."
"Who told you?"
There was no answer for a long time, and Ianto had actually given up hope of getting one. He jumped when Jack's voice whispered in the quiet. "A good friend."
It was barely even code any more, and Ianto didn't bother to ask. After another minute, Jack tugged on his hand, leading him towards the side of the room where Ianto vaguely recalled a wall being at some point. Jack seemed to remember where it was, because he put his back to the starscape, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor, apparently leaning against the vacuum of space.
Ianto joined him, letting Jack wrap his arms around him, holding him in an almost too-tight embrace. He didn't say anything else, but then he never did. For every secret that he told, everything that he knew and lectured and warned about, Ianto knew that Jack had at least ten more, haunting his dreams and hiding in the shadows of his mind. He'd talk about them when he was ready or when he needed to. Ianto had long since accepted that there were some things he didn't need to know.
So, tipping his head back, he leaned on Jack's shoulder, linking their hands together and listening to their gentle, steady breathing as they watched the rivulets of colour widen and narrow, twist and flex, interweave and separate, carrying their dance across the stars.
This is a sequel to The Doldrums, which is also very short and sweet, and this will work much better if you've read it. It'll probably still work if you haven't, but don't say I didn't warn you :)
Title: The Calming
Author: jadesfire2808
Words: ~1100
Rating/Warnings: G/only for soppiness
Spoilers: None. But is set some way down the road after "Last of the Time Lords."
Summary: Ianto's first trip into space isn't quite what he imagined.
The Calming
Ianto hadn't known it was possible to get space-sick. His only comfort was that he wasn't the only one. No-one had seen Owen since twenty minutes after they'd come on board, but Ianto guessed he was now regretting having lunch. Neither of the women seemed affected at all and then there was Jack.
It was hard to remember the last time Ianto had seen Jack so happy. In fact, now he thought about it, he couldn't remember ever seeing Jack this happy. Not with all his clothes on. When the Hraltin had offered them a quick spin through the stars in return for the life-saving medicines Torchwood had agreed to provide, Jack had practically jumped out of his seat. The others hadn't had much choice in the matter, although only Owen was now complaining. Tosh was loving wandering round the spaceship, prodding things and asking more questions than the Hraltin could answer. Gwen looked completely overwhelmed by the whole experience, grinning goofily and apparently quite content to just sit and stare out of a porthole.
When Jack had finished bounding round the ship like a hyperactive Tigger, he'd dragged Ianto up to the observation deck, to stand and watch the stars together. In truth, it made Ianto more than a little dizzy, especially once Jack had dimmed the lights, creating the illusion of standing in the middle of, well, nothing. But then Jack wrapped an arm round his waist, steadying him as they leaned on the rail together.
"Beautiful," he breathed, staring out at the tiny spots of light.
"Impressive," Ianto managed, his own breathing coming a little faster now. It wasn't that he didn't like being up here, seeing things that most humans would never experience. It was more that he would have preferred it if it didn't make him quite so nauseous.
"Impressive?" Jack echoed, disbelief in his voice. "Is that all?" Letting go, he bounded down the steps from the small platform towards the window, pointing at things as he went. "This is the Darges cluster. They've got three stars in their system and the planets' surfaces are so hot that all life evolved underground. Then this," he jumped straight upwards, stabbing his finger towards a gaseous shape in the far distance, "is the Ponjale nebula. There are more pirates in that quadrant of space than there are in the neighbouring three solar systems. This one," he ran across the room, waving his arms at a huge spiral of stars, close by, "is the Endalay ring. Well, it's not a ring really, unless you're an Endal but that's a whole other story. What?"
He stopped, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at Ianto, who was shaking his head, a wry smile on his face.
"Is there anything you don't know?"
Grinning sheepishly, Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way back up the steps. "Sorry. I just-" He broke off, sighing. "There's so much to see out there."
"I can tell." Ianto scanned the deep blackness again, frowning as something caught his attention. "What's that?" He pointed to a patch of space in the middle distance.
"I'm not sure. Hang on." There was a small panel by the door, and by pressing a few buttons, Jack managed to zoom in on the place Ianto had indicated. Streaks of colour were splashed across it, like a child's drawing of a rainbow. Ianto heard Jack suck in a breath, then there was the beep of the communications unit.
"Captain Prala," Jack said, his voice suddenly business-like, "have you seen the anomaly in quadrant forty-eighty three-twenty four? Good. Just checking."
"What is it?" Ianto could make out more colours than he had names for, blazing across space, backlit by the stars and sparkling with their own light.
"I don't know its proper name," Jack said, his voice oddly soft. "But it's a patch of dead space, where nothing can fly, nothing can move. Get caught in it and you just have to sit and wait it out."
"Sounds dangerous."
"If you're properly stocked up, it's mostly just dull." Jack was close now, his arm against Ianto's as they leaned on the railing. "But the light show makes up for it." He must have linked his wrist comp to the controls, because Ianto felt the arm against his shift, and suddenly the ceiling was transformed, covered with the coloured light.
Half-laughing in wonder, Ianto held out a hand, watching his skin glow yellow, then a deep, fiery red, then the blue of the clearest ocean. He turned to Jack, expecting to see similar delight on his face. Instead, Jack's expression was one of deep wistfulness, sorrow and joy mingling into one.
"Jack? What's wrong?"
Jack blinked at the sound of Ianto's voice, then brushed a hand across his face. In the strange, ever-changing light, Ianto could see his cheeks were glistening.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Jack lifted his eyes to the ceiling, watching the colours play and shine. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Stunning." But Ianto was looking at Jack. After another moment, he reached out and covered the other man's hand with his own. "You've seen it before." It wasn't a question.
"Once. I was told it's called the Calming."
"Who told you?"
There was no answer for a long time, and Ianto had actually given up hope of getting one. He jumped when Jack's voice whispered in the quiet. "A good friend."
It was barely even code any more, and Ianto didn't bother to ask. After another minute, Jack tugged on his hand, leading him towards the side of the room where Ianto vaguely recalled a wall being at some point. Jack seemed to remember where it was, because he put his back to the starscape, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor, apparently leaning against the vacuum of space.
Ianto joined him, letting Jack wrap his arms around him, holding him in an almost too-tight embrace. He didn't say anything else, but then he never did. For every secret that he told, everything that he knew and lectured and warned about, Ianto knew that Jack had at least ten more, haunting his dreams and hiding in the shadows of his mind. He'd talk about them when he was ready or when he needed to. Ianto had long since accepted that there were some things he didn't need to know.
So, tipping his head back, he leaned on Jack's shoulder, linking their hands together and listening to their gentle, steady breathing as they watched the rivulets of colour widen and narrow, twist and flex, interweave and separate, carrying their dance across the stars.