Poor Tom: Chapter 3
Title: Poor Tom
Chapter: Three
Fandom: Torchwood and Doctor Who
Word Count: 1,371
Characters: Tom Milligan, Ianto
Pairings: Tom/Ianto, Jack/Ianto
Summary: Martha was engaged to Tom but ended up marrying Mickey. This fic explores how that happened. Martha takes Tom to meet Torchwood and Tom finds himself drawn to Ianto Jones.
Rating: T
Spoilers: TW seasons 1 & 2; DW 3.13, 4.12, 4.18
Warnings: mentions of dub-con
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who or any of their characters.
Chapter 2
As Martha tried to explain herself further, Tom turned and fled. Returning to his room, he changed out of his pajamas, packed his bag, and left the hotel. Standing outside, he took out his mobile to call a taxi but hesitated when he realized he could not even read the screen. Until that moment, he had not even been aware that he was crying. He did not know why exactly, but he called Ianto's number without knowing what he was going to say.
After a few rings, Ianto answered in a tired voice, "Dr. Milligan, is there a problem?"
Tom stammered, trying to think of something, "I . . . I just saw . . . I'm sorry, forget I called."
He then hung up and leant against the side of the building trying to gather his thoughts. Soon memories began replaying through his mind: small glances between Martha and Mickey, the late nights, and Martha's pushing back the wedding date. How had he allowed himself to be strung along? He was mercifully brought out of his thoughts by a lovely, soft voice, "Dr. Milligan, are you alright?"
Ianto Jones stood in front of him dressed in jeans and a jumper with his car running behind him. Tom gazed into his beautiful blue eyes, saying, "I'm so sorry about waking you, Ianto. I didn't know who else to call."
"It's fine. What happened?"
"I found Martha with Mickey."
Ianto sighed and shook his head, "Come with me." He then took Tom's bag and placed it in the boot.
"I never thought of myself as a fool, but I guess I really am. How did I not see it?" Tom asked while sitting on Ianto's sofa.
Ianto, who was fetching some beers, spoke from the kitchen, "When we're in love, we ignore the tell tale signs until it's too late."
"Are you in love, Ianto?"
Ianto handed him a beer and sat next to him. After a moment of thinking, he spoke, "Yes, I suppose I am. It crept on so gradually, I didn't realize it until he was all I had."
After taking several gulps, Tom asked, "Is it Jack?"
Ianto chuckled, "Who else would it be?"
"It's just that during dinner, he was talking about . . ." Tom paused trying to find a diplomatic way to phrase it.
"His recent shags and how great they were?" Ianto replied with a roll of his eyes.
"If he cheats on you, then why do you stay with him?"
"I told you: he's all I have. Jack, Torchwood, and this little flat are my entire life," Ianto answered sadly.
"During dinner, Jack talked about how old he is. He said 2150. What does that mean?"
Ianto took a long swig of his beer before replying, "Jack is immortal. He dies temporarily and then comes back. It had something to do with the Doctor. He's been working for Torchwood for over 100 years. Just recently, he was taken back in time by his brother and buried underneath Cardiff for 2000 years. Needless to say, that whole event changed him."
Tom listened in shock as Ianto continued, "Before the whole thing with his brother, Jack and I were in a pretty stable committed relationship; well, as much as one can be with Torchwood. But after what happened, things changed. Two of our agents had died and Cardiff had been ravaged by explosions all because of his psychotic brother who is, by the way, currently cryogenically frozen in our morgue."
Ianto downed the rest of his drink then kept speaking, "One night, he comes to my flat and I can tell something is not right. His eyes held this darkness that I'd never seen before. He doesn't say anything; he just pushes me into the bedroom and rips off my clothes. Then, he entered me with no lube or preparation; it hurt so much that I was in tears. When he finished, he buttoned up and walked out. The next day, I could hardly walk and I couldn't stop bleeding. Since our medic was dead, I had to go to the hospital. At first they thought I was raped and then they thought I was a prostitute. I had to use my Torchwood security clearance just to get them to treat me and leave me alone."
A tear rolled down Ianto's cheek as he spoke, "When I did go back to the Hub, the use of the security code had gone through our system and Jack found out. He called me into his office and asked what had happened. When I explained it, he was quiet for a minute and then told me that I should have come to him first. After that, he started spending his nights out and would come in smelling of various perfumes and colognes. On the surface, we seemed alright; he would flirt, kiss me, take me out for dinner, and we'd make love, but every few nights, he goes out looking for other people."
Tom clenched his fist as a wave of pity and rage swept through him. He was a doctor, he had seen and heard some awful things, but what Ianto had been through was horrific. However, he knew there must be something wrong with Jack to make him behave like that.
"Perhaps Jack is suffering from some kind of PTSD? It does not excuse what he did, but it may explain some things. How is he at work?"
Ianto sighed, "He pretends to work, but I catch him sitting at his desk, staring blankly at the wall. I've taken over doing most of the duties around the Hub. The other person who works there, Gwen, she's married and has a life so I couldn't possibly push anything on to her. I've tried talking to him, but he won't cooperate. Whenever I confront him about sleeping around, he gets rather angry and accuses me of being possessive." Tears were welling up in Ianto's eyes as he continued, "I wish I knew how to fix him. He needs me and I can't do anything to help. When I was at my lowest, he was there for me and saved me, but I'm too weak to save him."
Tom reached out and drew Ianto into his arms. The Welshman resisted at first but soon collapsed against him. Softly, Tom spoke, "You're asking too much of yourself. You need to get out of there before it kills you."
With his head resting on Tom's shoulders, Ianto spoke softly, "Torchwood is my destiny. Did you know I survived Canary Warf? I am one of twenty survivors. Every minute I'm living is on borrowed time. I'm just waiting for the gauntlet to fall and finish what should have ended already."
Forcefully, Tom clasped Ianto's cheek and pulled him into a searing kiss. When they parted, he gazed into Ianto's eyes and asked, "Did you feel that? Ianto, you're alive. You survived because you are meant for more than Torchwood, aliens, and a life of servitude. Did you ever consider that maybe this is fate: us meeting, now?"
Ianto looked back, trying to process what he was saying as Tom pressed on, "Admit you felt what passed between us. Jack Harkness has eternity to wallow in despair but your life doesn't end because of him."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Leave with me. I travel all over the world, treating people. Come with me and I'll show you that there is more. You are worth more."
Ianto paused and then smiled slightly, "No one has ever told me that before . . . that I'm worth something."
Tom kissed him again but sweeter, allowing Ianto to kiss him back and be held gently. After several minutes, they laid back on the sofa with Ianto resting his head on Tom's chest as they drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 4
Chapter: Three
Fandom: Torchwood and Doctor Who
Word Count: 1,371
Characters: Tom Milligan, Ianto
Pairings: Tom/Ianto, Jack/Ianto
Summary: Martha was engaged to Tom but ended up marrying Mickey. This fic explores how that happened. Martha takes Tom to meet Torchwood and Tom finds himself drawn to Ianto Jones.
Rating: T
Spoilers: TW seasons 1 & 2; DW 3.13, 4.12, 4.18
Warnings: mentions of dub-con
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who or any of their characters.
Chapter 2
As Martha tried to explain herself further, Tom turned and fled. Returning to his room, he changed out of his pajamas, packed his bag, and left the hotel. Standing outside, he took out his mobile to call a taxi but hesitated when he realized he could not even read the screen. Until that moment, he had not even been aware that he was crying. He did not know why exactly, but he called Ianto's number without knowing what he was going to say.
After a few rings, Ianto answered in a tired voice, "Dr. Milligan, is there a problem?"
Tom stammered, trying to think of something, "I . . . I just saw . . . I'm sorry, forget I called."
He then hung up and leant against the side of the building trying to gather his thoughts. Soon memories began replaying through his mind: small glances between Martha and Mickey, the late nights, and Martha's pushing back the wedding date. How had he allowed himself to be strung along? He was mercifully brought out of his thoughts by a lovely, soft voice, "Dr. Milligan, are you alright?"
Ianto Jones stood in front of him dressed in jeans and a jumper with his car running behind him. Tom gazed into his beautiful blue eyes, saying, "I'm so sorry about waking you, Ianto. I didn't know who else to call."
"It's fine. What happened?"
"I found Martha with Mickey."
Ianto sighed and shook his head, "Come with me." He then took Tom's bag and placed it in the boot.
"I never thought of myself as a fool, but I guess I really am. How did I not see it?" Tom asked while sitting on Ianto's sofa.
Ianto, who was fetching some beers, spoke from the kitchen, "When we're in love, we ignore the tell tale signs until it's too late."
"Are you in love, Ianto?"
Ianto handed him a beer and sat next to him. After a moment of thinking, he spoke, "Yes, I suppose I am. It crept on so gradually, I didn't realize it until he was all I had."
After taking several gulps, Tom asked, "Is it Jack?"
Ianto chuckled, "Who else would it be?"
"It's just that during dinner, he was talking about . . ." Tom paused trying to find a diplomatic way to phrase it.
"His recent shags and how great they were?" Ianto replied with a roll of his eyes.
"If he cheats on you, then why do you stay with him?"
"I told you: he's all I have. Jack, Torchwood, and this little flat are my entire life," Ianto answered sadly.
"During dinner, Jack talked about how old he is. He said 2150. What does that mean?"
Ianto took a long swig of his beer before replying, "Jack is immortal. He dies temporarily and then comes back. It had something to do with the Doctor. He's been working for Torchwood for over 100 years. Just recently, he was taken back in time by his brother and buried underneath Cardiff for 2000 years. Needless to say, that whole event changed him."
Tom listened in shock as Ianto continued, "Before the whole thing with his brother, Jack and I were in a pretty stable committed relationship; well, as much as one can be with Torchwood. But after what happened, things changed. Two of our agents had died and Cardiff had been ravaged by explosions all because of his psychotic brother who is, by the way, currently cryogenically frozen in our morgue."
Ianto downed the rest of his drink then kept speaking, "One night, he comes to my flat and I can tell something is not right. His eyes held this darkness that I'd never seen before. He doesn't say anything; he just pushes me into the bedroom and rips off my clothes. Then, he entered me with no lube or preparation; it hurt so much that I was in tears. When he finished, he buttoned up and walked out. The next day, I could hardly walk and I couldn't stop bleeding. Since our medic was dead, I had to go to the hospital. At first they thought I was raped and then they thought I was a prostitute. I had to use my Torchwood security clearance just to get them to treat me and leave me alone."
A tear rolled down Ianto's cheek as he spoke, "When I did go back to the Hub, the use of the security code had gone through our system and Jack found out. He called me into his office and asked what had happened. When I explained it, he was quiet for a minute and then told me that I should have come to him first. After that, he started spending his nights out and would come in smelling of various perfumes and colognes. On the surface, we seemed alright; he would flirt, kiss me, take me out for dinner, and we'd make love, but every few nights, he goes out looking for other people."
Tom clenched his fist as a wave of pity and rage swept through him. He was a doctor, he had seen and heard some awful things, but what Ianto had been through was horrific. However, he knew there must be something wrong with Jack to make him behave like that.
"Perhaps Jack is suffering from some kind of PTSD? It does not excuse what he did, but it may explain some things. How is he at work?"
Ianto sighed, "He pretends to work, but I catch him sitting at his desk, staring blankly at the wall. I've taken over doing most of the duties around the Hub. The other person who works there, Gwen, she's married and has a life so I couldn't possibly push anything on to her. I've tried talking to him, but he won't cooperate. Whenever I confront him about sleeping around, he gets rather angry and accuses me of being possessive." Tears were welling up in Ianto's eyes as he continued, "I wish I knew how to fix him. He needs me and I can't do anything to help. When I was at my lowest, he was there for me and saved me, but I'm too weak to save him."
Tom reached out and drew Ianto into his arms. The Welshman resisted at first but soon collapsed against him. Softly, Tom spoke, "You're asking too much of yourself. You need to get out of there before it kills you."
With his head resting on Tom's shoulders, Ianto spoke softly, "Torchwood is my destiny. Did you know I survived Canary Warf? I am one of twenty survivors. Every minute I'm living is on borrowed time. I'm just waiting for the gauntlet to fall and finish what should have ended already."
Forcefully, Tom clasped Ianto's cheek and pulled him into a searing kiss. When they parted, he gazed into Ianto's eyes and asked, "Did you feel that? Ianto, you're alive. You survived because you are meant for more than Torchwood, aliens, and a life of servitude. Did you ever consider that maybe this is fate: us meeting, now?"
Ianto looked back, trying to process what he was saying as Tom pressed on, "Admit you felt what passed between us. Jack Harkness has eternity to wallow in despair but your life doesn't end because of him."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Leave with me. I travel all over the world, treating people. Come with me and I'll show you that there is more. You are worth more."
Ianto paused and then smiled slightly, "No one has ever told me that before . . . that I'm worth something."
Tom kissed him again but sweeter, allowing Ianto to kiss him back and be held gently. After several minutes, they laid back on the sofa with Ianto resting his head on Tom's chest as they drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 4