[MYL] 31.1 bribes
a list of bribes:
Myfanwy
Ianto clicked his tongue, the sound echoing through the empty Hub.
"Come here, girl," he called.
All was still.
"Come here," he tried again.
There was a faint movement in the darkness of the upper loft. Glancing up, Ianto thought he caught sight of the pterodactyl's head ridge. Of course she was being stubborn.
"Oh, all right." He sighed and reached into his jacket pocket, removing a handful of miniature chocolate bars. Before he'd even completed the motion, Myfanwy had perched herself on the arm of the sofa and looked at him expectantly.
She knew. She always knew.
Suzie
Suzie looked up from her desk, her expression suspicious. "You want something," she told him pointe-blank.
"Not at all." Ianto smiled a tight smile. He'd been practicing those. "Just wondering if you were needing anything from the sub-basement. While I'm down there," he added, motioning to her cluttered workstation with a wrench.
She hmm-ed and watched him for a bit longer, something about her gaze far too knowing for his liking. He was glad, then, when she finally broke eye contact and began to search the papers on her desk for something.
After a few seconds of rummaging, she held out a lime green post-it note-- a list. "These," she said, and handed it over. "I wasn't looking forward to going down there. Gives me the creeps."
Ianto attempted another smile, nodded, and headed off quickly, but hopefully not quickly enough to draw unwanted attention.
"Thanks Ianto," she murmured, but when he turned around to respond, she was already too engrossed in her work to notice.
Tosh
After Mary, she threw herself into her work more than ever. It was heart-breakingly familiar.
"Tosh," he said softly. "Tosh, go home."
"As soon as I'm done," she answered without looking away from the computer screen. She leaned closer, seemingly to get a better look, but Ianto knew from experience that it was because she didn't want to look him in the eye.
He sighed and curled his fingers around the back of her chair. "Now, Tosh," he urged in a low voice, "It's late. I'll drive you home."
Tosh glanced up at him, surprised, and for a few seconds her lips twitched as though she didn't know how to respond. It reminded him, he thought with a twinge of sadness, of the first time someone had shown him kindness after Lisa.
"If we pass a pub," he added nonchalantly, tugging her coat from the side of her desk, "maybe we'll stop in for a drink."
After a long, uncertain pause, Toshiko smiled.
Owen
They staggered into the Hub together. Immediately through the Hob door, Ianto began to limp over to his work area in the corner. Owen just scowled and headed for the steps, though he took them slowly.
"I was thinking," Ianto called back, once he made it to the counter by his coffee machine. "Let's keep this between us, yeah?"
"You kidding?" Incredulous, Owen stood at the railing, his shirt torn in three places and mud covering everything else. "Because the look on your face--"
"No, maybe you're right," Ianto conceded mildly. He ran one hand along his tie, finding it several inches shorter than it should have been-- and quite a bit more ragged. "Because I do think the team would love to hear about how you--"
"Nah," Owen interrupted with a wave. "Not much to tell, right? Routine mission. Bloody boring, if you ask me."
"Stick to that story," Ianto said, cultivating an air of finality he was particularly proud of, mustering all the dignity he no longer had, "and I'll make you a coffee that isn't instant or decaf."
Gwen
"No, Ianto."
"Gwen." He was being very patient, he thought. No wonder Jack had asked him to do this. Well, that, and Jack was frightened of Gwen sometimes-- and right now, Ianto couldn't blame the man. "We need you. You know I wouldn't ask if we didn't."
"I need this weekend," she said, so weary, and when she looked at him, her eyes were tired, framed by dark circles. They all looked like that, these days. "Rhys and I need this weekend."
"I know, and I'm sorry." He couldn't have been more sorry. A break from this, from everything, was something he couldn't begrudge anyone, but it always proved impossible; Cardiff refused to rest. And with three doing the work of five, they were more overworked than ever.
Gwen ran a hand through her hair, for a few seconds just combing it out with her fingers. When she spoke again, he knew she was resigned. "We have reservations. Rhys isn't going to be happy about this." Her eyes said I'm not happy about this.
"Next weekend," Ianto soothed, gently, hoping this wouldn't be another empty promise. "I'll book you a new room. Four stars?"
Martha
"So," Martha started, as she perched on the side of the conference room table and arched an eyebrow at him. "Jack told me that if I came in early, you would make me breakfast."
Ianto's head lifted almost comically fast. "Did he?" he got out, just before he glanced back to the files in his hands, embarrassed by the rather uncharacteristic reaction. Jack had woken him early also, coaxed him into a suit, and told him that Martha would be there soon and would he please be ready to brief her?
"Mmm-hmm," was her answer, but something about it made Ianto very suspicious.
"Did he really?"
She crossed her legs and rested both of her hands on her knee. It was all very prim, but paired with a smirk that wasn't prim at all. "You'll never know, will you?"
"No," he sighed, because it wasn't really worth trying. "Do you like beans on toast?"
Martha grinned. "My favorite."
Jack
"Five more minutes," he mumbled into the curve of Jack's shoulder, at the same time attempting to burrow beneath the blankets.
"You've already had five more minutes. And five more after that." Jack laughed and the top blanket slipped away, letting the cool air of the Hub wash over Ianto's skin. "Tell you what," he said after a breath, leaning in as Ianto sleepily opened his eyes, until they were so close that their lips were barely a hair's breadth apart. "I'm heading for the shower. I'll wake you when I'm done."
Ianto hummed to himself as he considered his options. Jack was warm and comfortable, even without the duvet, and it hadn't been Ianto's idea to get two hours of sleep after such a long day.
"How long would it take you?" he yawned. "To shower?"
"Ten minutes," Jack said. "Maybe fifteen?"
"Fifteen." Ianto half-flipped over, re-arranging himself so that one arm and one leg were slung over Jack, effectively pinning him down. "And then we both shower."
Ianto Jones
Torchwood
1140 words
Myfanwy
Ianto clicked his tongue, the sound echoing through the empty Hub.
"Come here, girl," he called.
All was still.
"Come here," he tried again.
There was a faint movement in the darkness of the upper loft. Glancing up, Ianto thought he caught sight of the pterodactyl's head ridge. Of course she was being stubborn.
"Oh, all right." He sighed and reached into his jacket pocket, removing a handful of miniature chocolate bars. Before he'd even completed the motion, Myfanwy had perched herself on the arm of the sofa and looked at him expectantly.
She knew. She always knew.
Suzie
Suzie looked up from her desk, her expression suspicious. "You want something," she told him pointe-blank.
"Not at all." Ianto smiled a tight smile. He'd been practicing those. "Just wondering if you were needing anything from the sub-basement. While I'm down there," he added, motioning to her cluttered workstation with a wrench.
She hmm-ed and watched him for a bit longer, something about her gaze far too knowing for his liking. He was glad, then, when she finally broke eye contact and began to search the papers on her desk for something.
After a few seconds of rummaging, she held out a lime green post-it note-- a list. "These," she said, and handed it over. "I wasn't looking forward to going down there. Gives me the creeps."
Ianto attempted another smile, nodded, and headed off quickly, but hopefully not quickly enough to draw unwanted attention.
"Thanks Ianto," she murmured, but when he turned around to respond, she was already too engrossed in her work to notice.
Tosh
After Mary, she threw herself into her work more than ever. It was heart-breakingly familiar.
"Tosh," he said softly. "Tosh, go home."
"As soon as I'm done," she answered without looking away from the computer screen. She leaned closer, seemingly to get a better look, but Ianto knew from experience that it was because she didn't want to look him in the eye.
He sighed and curled his fingers around the back of her chair. "Now, Tosh," he urged in a low voice, "It's late. I'll drive you home."
Tosh glanced up at him, surprised, and for a few seconds her lips twitched as though she didn't know how to respond. It reminded him, he thought with a twinge of sadness, of the first time someone had shown him kindness after Lisa.
"If we pass a pub," he added nonchalantly, tugging her coat from the side of her desk, "maybe we'll stop in for a drink."
After a long, uncertain pause, Toshiko smiled.
Owen
They staggered into the Hub together. Immediately through the Hob door, Ianto began to limp over to his work area in the corner. Owen just scowled and headed for the steps, though he took them slowly.
"I was thinking," Ianto called back, once he made it to the counter by his coffee machine. "Let's keep this between us, yeah?"
"You kidding?" Incredulous, Owen stood at the railing, his shirt torn in three places and mud covering everything else. "Because the look on your face--"
"No, maybe you're right," Ianto conceded mildly. He ran one hand along his tie, finding it several inches shorter than it should have been-- and quite a bit more ragged. "Because I do think the team would love to hear about how you--"
"Nah," Owen interrupted with a wave. "Not much to tell, right? Routine mission. Bloody boring, if you ask me."
"Stick to that story," Ianto said, cultivating an air of finality he was particularly proud of, mustering all the dignity he no longer had, "and I'll make you a coffee that isn't instant or decaf."
Gwen
"No, Ianto."
"Gwen." He was being very patient, he thought. No wonder Jack had asked him to do this. Well, that, and Jack was frightened of Gwen sometimes-- and right now, Ianto couldn't blame the man. "We need you. You know I wouldn't ask if we didn't."
"I need this weekend," she said, so weary, and when she looked at him, her eyes were tired, framed by dark circles. They all looked like that, these days. "Rhys and I need this weekend."
"I know, and I'm sorry." He couldn't have been more sorry. A break from this, from everything, was something he couldn't begrudge anyone, but it always proved impossible; Cardiff refused to rest. And with three doing the work of five, they were more overworked than ever.
Gwen ran a hand through her hair, for a few seconds just combing it out with her fingers. When she spoke again, he knew she was resigned. "We have reservations. Rhys isn't going to be happy about this." Her eyes said I'm not happy about this.
"Next weekend," Ianto soothed, gently, hoping this wouldn't be another empty promise. "I'll book you a new room. Four stars?"
Martha
"So," Martha started, as she perched on the side of the conference room table and arched an eyebrow at him. "Jack told me that if I came in early, you would make me breakfast."
Ianto's head lifted almost comically fast. "Did he?" he got out, just before he glanced back to the files in his hands, embarrassed by the rather uncharacteristic reaction. Jack had woken him early also, coaxed him into a suit, and told him that Martha would be there soon and would he please be ready to brief her?
"Mmm-hmm," was her answer, but something about it made Ianto very suspicious.
"Did he really?"
She crossed her legs and rested both of her hands on her knee. It was all very prim, but paired with a smirk that wasn't prim at all. "You'll never know, will you?"
"No," he sighed, because it wasn't really worth trying. "Do you like beans on toast?"
Martha grinned. "My favorite."
Jack
"Five more minutes," he mumbled into the curve of Jack's shoulder, at the same time attempting to burrow beneath the blankets.
"You've already had five more minutes. And five more after that." Jack laughed and the top blanket slipped away, letting the cool air of the Hub wash over Ianto's skin. "Tell you what," he said after a breath, leaning in as Ianto sleepily opened his eyes, until they were so close that their lips were barely a hair's breadth apart. "I'm heading for the shower. I'll wake you when I'm done."
Ianto hummed to himself as he considered his options. Jack was warm and comfortable, even without the duvet, and it hadn't been Ianto's idea to get two hours of sleep after such a long day.
"How long would it take you?" he yawned. "To shower?"
"Ten minutes," Jack said. "Maybe fifteen?"
"Fifteen." Ianto half-flipped over, re-arranging himself so that one arm and one leg were slung over Jack, effectively pinning him down. "And then we both shower."
Ianto Jones
Torchwood
1140 words