Fic: The Memoirs of Jack Harkness - Part II
20/03/2007
Weight: 13 st 7
Shots: 0
11:47 am
The last couple of days had been difficult. It seemed as if John was there every time I turned. At first he’d tried to talk to me, but he’d soon gotten the message when I kept telling him I was busy doing paperwork. My hatred of paperwork was well known, so he knew I wasn’t kidding around. I overheard him calling me irrational once. If wanting a steady relationship for once instead of random fucks is irrational, fine. Then I am irrational.
I came out of the archives after answering Tosh’s call, about to go on my lunch break when Alex came over and motioned me into his office. Alex is one of the few people who realised I actually have emotions other than lust. Or maybe Janet had tipped him off; either way, he took place behind his desk - neatly ordered - and pointed to the chair in front of me.
“Jack, I know something’s wrong. I also know you, so I won’t ask you to tell me about it,” he started. “There’s a new project being started that might just be perfect for you. Being a freelancer can be boring at times, and this will get you out more again.”
He knew he had me there. I’d do anything to go out again. Being a freelancer isn’t as much fun and as free as you’d think. It mostly meant that we were sometimes sent out for the more delicate work, or depending on your field experience, retrieval missions. Now that, the actual job, it’s great. But because it’s Torchwood, there’s a catch. They want you to be present at the Hub at all times during your work hours, just in case of emergency. Translated into reality that means you hang around and do menial chores around the Hub, like feed the residents, or catch up on paperwork. It’s the main part of the job, really.
“So what is it?” I asked. He gave me an estimating look.
“Torchwood is going to make promo spots.”
21/03/2007
Weight: 13 st 7
Shots: 0
01:30 pm
I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. When I’d agreed to make promo spots, no one had mentioned this would include interviewing an Arkan. Those guys are boring. A few years ago I’d tried to chat one up, because I just love those tentacles. Never again. After we got to her flat, she started lecturing me about the merits of wood. She was still going strong when I slipped out of the room four hours later.
We were filming in one of the many safe-houses owned by Torchwood, and I had been waiting to get started for the better part the day. Since everyone had apparently decided it would be best if they told me absolutely nothing that could be relevant to what was going on, I’d decided to just let them do and catch up on some sleep. It wasn’t something I did very often since my physiology allowed me to function on a lot less sleep than average, but it was still necessary. So I sat down in a plush, comfortable chair in the middle of the room and let everyone around me bustle around.
03:47 pm
No one had noticed I was asleep, and they had started filming already. The Arkan had started its introduction an hour ago and was about to move on to the actual topic when it had brushed its tentacle across my face in greeting. It had startled me into action, throwing a punch to whoever I could hit. Of course I hit the Arkan right in the eye; with my luck lately I didn’t expect any less. Being pacifists themselves, the Arkan wanted nothing more to do with me after I hit it.
15/05/2007
Weight: 13 st
Shots: 0
02:30 pm
The past few weeks had been all kinds of horrible. The promo spots that had been made out to be full of action were in fact unbelievably boring introduction interviews with aliens for the new recruits to watch. What they were supposed to learn from them, since I’m fairly sure they’d fall asleep five minutes in, I have no idea.
I’d tried to let my natural charm do its work rather than just reading stuffy questions from a paper, but to no avail. According to the director I came across as ‘too cheerful’ and it would give the wrong impression to the recruits. Since the interviewed aliens were all allies, I wondered what wrong impression it could be giving.
On the schedule for today was at last something that could prove to be interesting, and tricky. I was supposed to get some footage of an interspecies couple, preferably with interview. The couple, made up out of a Blowfish and a Torchwood One employee, were pioneers in the interspecies marriage-rights department. For several years now they had been lobbying the government to allow interspecies marriage. The case was very high profile - in Torchwood - and today they would receive a final judgement.
That was how I found myself in London, standing in front of a nondescript building where everything was supposed to find place. The couple themselves didn’t appear to be very fond of all the attention, and over the years getting interviews with them had not been easy, to say the least. They hadn’t released the hour when the judgement would go down, so I’d been camping outside the building the whole day.
I didn’t have a lot of hope at actually getting anything, and since the crew had ran out of drinks, I offered to get some in the little shop around the corner. In the shop I took the most expensive bottles I could find, planning to write them off on the Torchwood expenses. Doing your own paperwork apparently had loads of advantages.
As I turned to the cashier to pay, a low voice rumbled directly next to my ear, “Someone seems thirsty.” I won’t deny my heart skipped a beat. You try having a low, smooth voice talk to you, accented with those nice Welsh vowels, and be unaffected by it. I turned my head to the voice’s direction and marvelled at the sight before me.
“Mr. Jones. Are you stalking me?” I asked, mock-offended.
He chuckled. “Despite of how it looks, I’m here in official capacity.”
“So am I. I’m supposed to capture some footage of the couple, but I doubt we’ll get lucky.”
Ianto frowned in reply, as if he mentally ran through every possible reply to that before settling on, “I can get you in.”
03:26 pm
Not only did we get in, Ianto also managed to convince them to give an interview. Throughout the entire interview he sat next to me, distracting me every time he moved, a waft of vanilla reaching my nostrils. Several times I zoned out, wondering if it was his shampoo or his shower gel. Not even once did I try to hit on either one of the interviewees.
After it was over, the only thing I could recall was that their campaign was a success and they were allowed to get married. I knew I’d have to say goodbye to Ianto soon, but I wanted something cleared up that had been bugging me for a while now, so when he made to move away I grabbed his hand. “Not so quick. I want to ask you something,” I said, still holding his hand. He quirked his eyebrows at me expectantly. “Why do I keep running into you in Cardiff?”
“I requested to work closer to home for personal reasons.”
I decided to let it rest and we said goodbye. He didn’t react when I held his hand a tad longer than appropriate, and I couldn’t stop the small burst of hope I felt.
17/05/2007
Weight: 12 st 13
Shots: 2
06:54 pm
At last I was assigned a real field mission again. It was supposed to be an easy pick-up, just some flotsam that had fallen through the rift and was just alien enough to alert our sensors. I made a mental note to recalibrate the sensors as I sprinted out of the warehouse and threw the door closed behind me, an audible thump following mere seconds after my escape.
Turned out it wasn’t a piece of alien rubbish but rather a piece of prehistoric reptile. A very angry and hungry reptile. I was considering my options - whether to shoot it or capture it - when I heard footsteps approaching. I sighed mentally and began to pat my pockets to search the Retcon.
“Need some assistance?” The voice made me stop and turn around.
“What are you planning to do, office boy?” I said teasingly, “Go slap it with some paperwork?”
Once again I received an amused look. “I’ve got a secret weapon. If you’re a good boy, I might even share some with you.”
His secret weapon consisted of offering the pteranodon - according to Ianto, to me it just looked like flying breakfast - some dark chocolate. Being the gentleman I am, I offered to get close to it and stab it with an enormous syringe filled with sedative I’d found in the back of the Torchwood SUV. The pteranodon didn’t seem overly fond of needles though, and flew off with me clutching on. When the sedative finally started to work, I let go, preparing for a painful hug with the concrete floor, only to land on Ianto’s warm body. Despite getting hit full force with a charming captain, Ianto still had the wit to roll us out of the way when the pteranodon flew right at us.
And that’s how I found myself being smothered by Ianto Jones. I certainly had no objections, and for a moment I could have sworn neither did Ianto. He pulled away just as I reached to grasp his hips. He offered me his hand and pulled me up.
07:48 pm
We dropped off the unconscious pteranodon at the Hub, leaving behind a bemused Alex. I hadn’t asked how Ianto had gotten to the abandoned warehouse from where the signal had come from, and he hadn’t offered, hitching a ride with me instead.
“Can I drop you off somewhere?” When I didn’t receive an answer, I glanced over to the passenger seat. Ianto stared back at me. “Or you could come with me to have dinner with some friends.” That got a reaction. He smiled and nodded, “I’d like that.”
I wondered if I’d have to change. I had fallen on the ground, but nothing got ripped or terribly dirty. It got me wondering how Ianto managed to keep his suits so pristine. No one would say he’d just rolled around on the floor of a dirty warehouse to avoid getting hit with unconscious pteranodon.
08:06 pm
We entered the restaurant fashionably late. Not by purpose, just because of traffic jams. The others looked surprised to see Ianto behind me, but they managed to hide it well when he greeted them politely. After introductions were over with, we joined in at the table. I felt inordinately pleased when he sat next to me.
Gwen, curious as always, quickly started her interrogation. Thanks to her we learned he worked mostly as a diplomat, and was currently working on a project in lieu with UNIT. He’d requested to work closer to Cardiff so he could support his sister, who’d had a difficult second pregnancy.
After Ianto seemed to satisfy Gwen’s nosiness, he settled in neatly into our little group. Owen tried to catch him off guard with sarcastic comments but gained an equally sarcastic and dry answer in return every time. When Tosh started explaining how she’d had to streamline UNIT’s database earlier, Ianto seemed to be the only one who had an inkling what she was on about.
It seemed there was certainly more to Ianto Jones than the boring, yet cute office worker I’d first pegged him to be. Thinking back about what John had told me, it didn’t seem to add up. Ianto had always been professional when the occasion called for it, and him losing focus on a mission by his wife seemed out of character.
10:27 pm
A pleasant night was coming to an end, and it was too soon according to me. Gwen had already left, saying she had to leave to check up on her apartment and Rhys, who had his friend Banana over. I’ve met the guy once, and Gwen was completely justified in her worries. Owen was already eyeing someone at the bar to pick up later. I was also pretty sure I’d seen Tosh and Ianto swap numbers at one moment. I was glad they hit it off so quickly.
When Owen got up to leave, I stood up with him to go pay the bill. The dinner had been my treat because I was finally getting rid of shooting those promo spots. While I was waiting to have my credit card returned, I saw Owen leaving with the girl he’d had his eye on, and Tosh hugging Ianto in goodbye. She turned and waved at me before she, too, left.
Ianto walked over to me just as I was handed my credit card back. We left in comfortable silence. When I offered him a ride to wherever he lived, he denied, claiming the night was perfect for a walk.
We stood watching each other, waiting what the other would do. A random passer-by broke the moment; Ianto smiled and moved forwards to chastely press his lips against mine. I grinned when he pulled back.
“Bye Jack,” he said, turning around and walking away, swaying his hips lecherously, fully aware of my eyes following him.
23/05/2007
Weight: 13 st
Shots: 3
06:02 pm
After a long, strenuous day of doing boring jobs, I finally was free to go and sit alone in my flat. I exited the Hub through the unused tourist cover front, deciding to take the scenic route home. Blinded temporarily by the sudden change from dungeon lightning to the weak spring sun, I heard a disembodied voice call out to me. “Coffee?”
I squinted in the direction, letting my eyes adjust. Ianto stood in casual clothes, a thermos that probably contained hot coffee in his hands. I cocked an eyebrow at him, “You’re not helping your case about not being a stalker here.”
Ianto shrugged unconcerned and smiled. “I was hoping I could convince you to have dinner with me.” I wondered how we’d come to this, to Ianto asking me out in front of the Hub of all places, but I agreed. Since I was on call this evening and didn’t want to storm out of a public place if I got a call, I invited Ianto to my flat.
06:29 pm
After an amiable drive where I’d gotten Ianto to laugh at how we’d named the pteranodon -Myfanwy, one of the perks getting stranded in Wales - we arrived. I was immensely relieved when I remembered I’d done some shopping in the past week, since I rarely bothered to cook anything more than a simple meal for myself.
I told Ianto to take a seat and make himself at home while I went to rummage through the cupboards and the fridge. In the back of the fridge I found some vegetables I’d planned on ignoring as long as possible and enough ground beef for the two of us. Crouching in front of the cupboard and leaning in up to my waist scored me a round, flat bread.
Standing back up, I bumped into Ianto. He stood so close that when I turned around we stood almost nose to nose. He was the same height as I am - a fact that pleased me greatly. I lifted up my hand holding the bread, saying, “I found ingredients for a chilli.”
“Sounds perfect to me,” he replied. “Can I do anything?”
We shared the vegetables and cut up our share, the sounds of knifes slicing through the peppers audible in the comfortable silence. When my cutting board was full of sliced peppers I turned to Ianto and smirked, “Do you need any help, Mr. Jones?”
He looked up at me, seemingly considering my offer for a second before replying innocently, “Maybe you could show me how to slice them faster.”
I slid up behind his back, leaning in and bringing my left hand round to rest on his hip, my right hand coming up to cover Ianto’s hand holding the knife. “It’s easy. Just be confident, but not overtly. We wouldn’t want you to cut those pretty fingers of yours.”
07:24 pm
The actual cooking in itself had been just as pleasant. I’d requested Ianto’s help with stirring the meat, claiming I’d had a tiring day and hadn’t the stamina left. He’d mimicked my earlier position, sliding up against my back and covering my hand with his.
The chilli was finished, and I served it in a half of the bread. Our conversation flowed easily, and I learned more about Ianto in those minutes than I’d ever known about John. Thinking about John brought back the question about what had really happened between them, so I cut Ianto off and asked him.
He sighed and put down the remainder of his bread. “I found him in bed with my wife. We were supposed to go out on a mission the next day, and it failed spectacularly because Hart didn’t trust me not to backstab him. I won’t say I wasn’t tempted, but I do have ethics.”
That was one mystery solved, and just confirmed to me John was a lying bastard. Resolved to get an answer about everything that puzzled me, I asked one last question. Why Ianto had seemed to change his mind about me.
He looked up embarrassed. “To be honest, when I first met you, you came across as rather shallow. But when I heard you talking to some of the guests later at that party, I realised I was mistaken. And then at the lake, it seemed like you were without a care in the world.”
He brought a hand up and rubbed at his neck. “Seeing that expression of pure joy on your face… It made me want to know you better. To be someone who could place that expression there.”
His words made my stomach clench, and I’m embarrassed to say I quickly shoved Ianto out of my flat after that. The rest of the night was a blur, up until when I found myself perched on a rooftop.
24/05/2007
Weight: 13 st 1
Shots: 14
05:06 am
The sound of shreds of meat being violently ripped off a carcass accompanied me in my sulking. I’d treated Janet to a big chunk of road kill to thank her for listening to my rambling again.
“I don’t even know why I panicked, Janet. This all just feels like some sort of cheesy rom-com film, where we started out disliking each other and gradually saw how wrong we were,” I said, letting my head thump against the wall.
Janet ripped another chunk of meat from her carcass and threw it against the Plexiglas.
“I know, Janet, I should go talk to him. I’ll go when I’m sober again.”
I pushed away from the wall I’d been leaning against. Had Janet been allowed out of her cell, I’m sure she would have slapped me for being the biggest idiot with commitment issues.
06:00 am
When Alex saw the sorry state I was in, he sent me home to sleep it off and get myself together. I sent Tosh a text to let her know our lunch date would have to be cancelled, since I didn’t want to bother more people with my issues. I knew I had myself to blame for this, and I was going to work it out. Just as soon as I resembled anything close to sober.
06:12 pm
Turning off the shower, I shook my head like a dog to shake off the droplets and blindly reached out for my towel. A hot shower and nearly ten hours of sleep made me feel human again, and I once again thanked whoever was listening that I never seemed to get hangovers.
After firmly towelling myself dry, I started dressing up, and panic started to creep into my thoughts. What if I’d completely screwed up with Ianto? Whatever we’d started to develop had already been so fragile. As I started buttoning my cufflinks - the silver ones shaped like Spitfires - I pushed those thoughts away. Tonight would be my moment.
06:47 pm
Standing in front of a dingy looking door, I rechecked the address with the file I’d borrowed from Alex’ office. Unless there was a mistake in the personnel files, this was the right place. It just wasn’t exactly where I’d imagined Ianto living. The neighbourhood wasn’t the most inviting one around, most buildings looking like they’d been thrashed years ago and never refurbished.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door in front of me. Since the door downstairs had been smashed down and was propped up against the frame, I hoped Ianto wouldn’t mind I’d come up without using the intercom first. Nervously, I wiped my hands across my front, fiddling with my waistcoat.
The door opened, revealing a casually clothed Ianto. “Jack?”
“Ianto Jones. Still looking good, even without the suit,” I tried to charm.
His expression remained blank. “Is that supposed to butter me up?”
The very moment the last syllable left Ianto’s mouth I realised how truly stupid I’d been the day before. Ianto saw through me, exactly what I needed to ground me down. So I powered down my trademark megawatt smile to a genuine grin and shrugged.
“Not necessarily. Maybe we could… Dinner? A movie?”
In response, Ianto stepped aside and held open the door. I entered the flat, gladly noticing it looked better maintained than the outside did.
Ianto showed himself a perfect host, immediately offering me a drink and some snacks. Neither of us really spoke more than a few words that evening, lapsing into a comfortable silence spend watching a movie.
At the end of the evening I left Ianto’s flat strangely subdued. We hadn’t made any further agreements, but I had a positive feeling.
31/05/2007
Weight: 13 st
Shots: 0
12:05 pm
It’d been a week since I left Ianto’s flat, a week where I hadn’t contacted Ianto to let him have some space to think everything over. But today, I was going to surprise him during his lunch break, take him out and talk to him about how I’d really like to give this a shot.
I sneaked into the supposedly top secret base Ianto was currently placed, walking in like I owned the place. Breezing past several confused looking guards, I made my way through to the offices. UNIT military bases all seemed to use the same lay-out.
At the end of the hallway I caught a glimpse of Ianto through an open office door, talking to someone sat behind a desk. Deciding to be polite and restraint myself for once, I waited outside the door for Ianto to finish.
I couldn’t help but overhear it when Ianto gasped out, “You want me to start a branch in New York?” I strained to hear the reply, but the only word I could pick out was ‘Suzie’. Of course. There was a short silence before I heard Ianto murmur something about needing some time to consider. I walked back outside.
By the time Ianto walked out of the base I’d gathered my thoughts and made sure to let nothing show on my face. I strode up to him, grinning. “Hey gorgeous. How would you feel about going on a lunch date with me?”
Ianto didn’t seem to mind the nickname too badly, considering he nodded at me and offered a smile. I grabbed Ianto’s arm and put mine through it, in a gesture that I’ve often been told is too old-fashioned but one I’ve always preferred above holding hands.
01:34 pm
We were standing in front of base again, both reluctant to let the date end. I’d already dragged Ianto around half an hour longer than he was supposed to be out. I’d managed to push the New York news to the back of my mind, and Ianto hadn’t brought it up. Instead, we’d talked about previous missions, and how we’d ended up working at Torchwood. Maybe it wasn’t the great romantic gesture I had in mind, but it ended up being a lot more intimate than I’d imagined.
Right now I felt like a teenager again, standing on the porch of my date’s house in the hope of getting a kiss before leaving. Before I could make the last part of that thought come through, Ianto looked up at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Want to come inside?”
Had we actually been standing on Ianto’s porch I would’ve been overjoyed. But this being right outside a UNIT base, and it being Ianto, I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t just put me to work. Curiosity won, and I shrugged. “Sure. Lead the way.”
He went first, presenting me once more with his very fine behind. Letting my eyes wander freely and my mind conjure up fantasies of stripping off those trousers, I heard a soft “Stop it,” coming from Ianto.
Ianto led us through an endless maze of offices, most of them occupied by humans, or humanoid looking aliens. We’d just walked through a hallway that was almost entirely empty before stopping in front of a large board room. He opened the door and waved me inside, closing the door behind us. “If I’d known you’d prepared such a romantic office for us I would have visited you earlier.”
Ianto smirked. “Don’t lie to me, Harkness. You got nearly giddy with excitement when we passed the copier room earlier.”
I drew closer to Ianto, bringing my arms up around his waist. “Well, offices do have such an exotic feeling to me.”
02:15 pm
My head was resting on Ianto’s stomach, feet hanging off the large table we were lying on, still basking in the afterglow. Fingers were softly gliding through my hair.
“How do offices feel to you now?” I could feel the words vibrating under my head, momentarily distracted by the feeling. “They feel like more,” I replied after a moment, turning my head to see Ianto’s reaction. He smiled down gently at me, tugging gently at my hair. “We should get back. Or I should.”
There was no real force behind the words, and we stayed in our positions for a little while longer. Ianto was the first to give in and patted me on my shoulders, signalling me to get off him. I’d much preferred to get him off instead, but compromises must be made in a relationship.
I watched as he dressed, looking immaculately as always. Quickly throwing on my own clothes, I wondered how this would end.
Ianto paused in front of the door, looking at me while seeming to take a decision. “I’ve been offered a promotion in New York,” he blurted out.
I was pleasantly surprised he shared it with me so soon. “That’s great. It’s your decision to make, Ianto. I won’t keep you here.” I wouldn’t do that. But I might have to get myself transferred to the New York branch should he decide to go.
“Thanks,” Ianto said. “I appreciate it.”
11/06/2007
Weight: 12 st 11
Shots: 0
06:45 pm
The following two weeks we mainly communicated over the phone - thanks to several invading aliens who kept me busy- with a couple more lunch dates crammed in between. None of them ended like our first one, sadly, because some over-eager guard had turned the security camera’s back on in the unused rooms.
New York hadn’t come up again, but I was sure whatever decision Ianto made, this would work out. We would work out.
I settled on the couch with a bottle of hypervodka standing on the coffee table nearby. Maybe I could convince Ianto to play a telephone drinking game to spice up our phone sex. Not that spicing it up was really necessary, Ianto had a kinky streak in him a mile wide.
A knock on the door interrupted my fantasies. I considered ignoring the visitor and just calling Ianto, but not many people bothered to visit me unless it was urgent. Fishing my trousers from behind the couch and hopping in them, I went to open the door.
Ianto greeted me with a very nice kiss. He pulled away with a grin. “Hey Jack.”
“Hey,” I echoed before pulling Ianto closer and slamming the door shut. “Was just about to call you.”
He stopped my hands from their work - loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. His expression became serious. “I came over to tell you something.”
Pulling my hands from his grasp, I frowned. “What is it?”
He gestured to the couch, indicating we should sit down for this conversation.
“I had to decide about going to New York today,” he told me. “I would be second in command, directly under Suzie.”
I nodded at his words, it sounded like a great offer. “So what are you going to do?”
Ianto looked around the room before making eye contact again. “I declined. I’m staying here.”
My first reaction was he chose to stay, did he do it for me? before I remembered what a great chance he was letting pass by him. “Are you sure?”
He smiled again. “Yes. Suzie told me she planned on bringing the CIA in on it. She already has some possible liaisons on her list. I didn’t feel like dealing with that.”
I laughed and reached for the bottle of hypervodka. “Mister Jones, feel like sharing this with me for your staying here?”
“I certainly do, Jack.”
09:41 pm
Fingers pushing, probing, worming their way in. Not sure whose they are, the shared experience doubling back the sensations. It’s hard to remember who’s doing what, and there’s no reason to when it feels this good. Someone scratches the other’s back, leaving burning red trails. Bite marks are trailed over collarbones, bruises are blossoming on hips, tongues battling for dominance. The lube is uncovered from between the ripped sheets, hastily gets applied. The phantom feeling of pushing in the wonderful tight heat and getting filled all at once.
It’s glorious.
11:45 pm
Stealing the physic bracelets from John has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.