Fic: Home
Title: Home
Characters: Jack/Ianto
Spoilers: Post Cyberwoman, set during Ianto's suspension period.
Written for redismycolourday 6.
Summary: “You said, I never asked about your life-” Trust Jack to remember that, Ianto thought bitterly. Has he never heard of the phrase 'heat of the moment?'
***
“Jack, why are we here?” Ianto asked sullenly as he looked out at the small frost covered village. He'd spent half his life here, and it hadn't been pleasant - he didn't need Jack adding to the bad memories.
“You said, I never asked about your life-” Trust Jack to remember that, Ianto thought bitterly. Has he never heard of the phrase 'heat of the moment?'
“So you bring me to the place that holds bad memories for me in hopes of getting to know me better?” Ianto interrupts spitefully, noting the tightening of Jack's grip on the steering wheel. He could almost hear Jack mentally counting to 5 before even considering answering Ianto's statement.
“No,” Ianto snorted. “I brought you to the place you grew up, the place that was your home for a good sixteen years.” Jack stopped the SUV and turned towards Ianto with a toothy smile adorning his face.
“Normal bosses take their employees down the pub.”
“When have I ever been a normal boss?” Ianto could honestly find nothing to disagree with that particular statement. Damn you. he thought bitterly as though Jack had just won something that couldn't be put into words.
“C'mon then, let's take a walk.” It was obviously not a question, but Ianto found his legs (didn't, couldn't, wouldn't) move. Jack looked at Ianto's still figure, mentally sighing - this was going to be a long day. Jack hopped out of the car with practised ease, before walking around to the other door and opening it for the young Welshman.
Ianto merely stared. He really didn't want to get out the car. People knew him here, people who were mostly likely still angry, people who had stories, or people who would ring the police immediately.
“And they say chivalry is dead,” Jack winked breaking into Ianto's hysterical thinking. Jack sensed rather than saw the young man relax; just a fraction. Obviously it was enough as he unclipped his seatbelt and slipped out beside the Captain. They stood there staring each other down for perhaps a moment, but lasting a lifetime until a bird chirped overhead breaking the spell.
What am I doing? Ianto thought again, feeling more self concious now that he was out in the open. He'd felt safe in the car, but out here people knew him as the rebel teenager of Daffyd and Rhiannon Jones, not Ianto Jones.
A few minutes had passed before Ianto realised Jack was waiting for him to say something.
“What do you want to know?”
Jack paused,groping around to find the right word. “Everything.” he settled on finally.
With a sigh, Ianto pointed towards the boarded up building to their right. “That's where I went to school, until I was expelled for nearly blowing up the science lab,” Ianto walked a few steps forward, carefully keeping his balance on the precarious paths. Nothing changes, he thought with a grimace. The paths were like death ice rinks of hell, black ice after black ice, because the council never bothered to grit the paths. Ianto pointed towards the swamp of mud that sat on their left. “and over there is Rugby field,” Ah, if Jack squinted hard enough he could just see the small tufts of grass poking through the mud. Without saying a word, Ianto walked on and without turning back, Ianto knew Jack was following. “That used to be where the youth group met on Monday,” Jack took in what was left of the building. “at least until I burnt it down.” Ianto would've laughed at Jack's expression of disbelief on any other occasion. “Hairdressers,” Ianto pointed to each building on the row in turn. “Chip shop, grocery shop, newsagents-”
“Where are the memories, Ianto?” Jack asked, cutting Ianto off mid-spiel.
“I don't want-”
“Memoires make us who we are today, Ianto. Memories are all we have left when everything is gone.” Something in Jack's voice made Ianto look up. All of a sudden, the Captain looked everyone of his many years.
“Speaking from experience?” Ianto asked softly, barely daring to break the silence.
Jack nodded. “Speaking from experience.” Ianto turned around on the spot, actually looking at the place where he'd grown up. He'd lost a tooth from walking into the door of the school, he'd had his first kiss just around the corner from the shops, even lost his virginity by the small river. Each place had a memory, good and bad, but at least he remembered. Ianto gave Jack a small smile as he turned back to the hairdressers.
“The first time my Mam took me here, the man said I was a pussy and shaved all my hair off; told me I'd look like a proper man then.” Jack grinned at the mental image of skinhead Ianto. I could go for that, “My mam was not impressed.”
“I'll bet.”
“Behind that tree is where I had my first kiss, and that very night I carved our initals into it-”
The memories continued long into the day, the ice and snow melting around them as the sun rose high in the sky signifying the new day - a new chance.
[Fin.]
Characters: Jack/Ianto
Spoilers: Post Cyberwoman, set during Ianto's suspension period.
Written for redismycolourday 6.
Summary: “You said, I never asked about your life-” Trust Jack to remember that, Ianto thought bitterly. Has he never heard of the phrase 'heat of the moment?'
***
“Jack, why are we here?” Ianto asked sullenly as he looked out at the small frost covered village. He'd spent half his life here, and it hadn't been pleasant - he didn't need Jack adding to the bad memories.
“You said, I never asked about your life-” Trust Jack to remember that, Ianto thought bitterly. Has he never heard of the phrase 'heat of the moment?'
“So you bring me to the place that holds bad memories for me in hopes of getting to know me better?” Ianto interrupts spitefully, noting the tightening of Jack's grip on the steering wheel. He could almost hear Jack mentally counting to 5 before even considering answering Ianto's statement.
“No,” Ianto snorted. “I brought you to the place you grew up, the place that was your home for a good sixteen years.” Jack stopped the SUV and turned towards Ianto with a toothy smile adorning his face.
“Normal bosses take their employees down the pub.”
“When have I ever been a normal boss?” Ianto could honestly find nothing to disagree with that particular statement. Damn you. he thought bitterly as though Jack had just won something that couldn't be put into words.
“C'mon then, let's take a walk.” It was obviously not a question, but Ianto found his legs (didn't, couldn't, wouldn't) move. Jack looked at Ianto's still figure, mentally sighing - this was going to be a long day. Jack hopped out of the car with practised ease, before walking around to the other door and opening it for the young Welshman.
Ianto merely stared. He really didn't want to get out the car. People knew him here, people who were mostly likely still angry, people who had stories, or people who would ring the police immediately.
“And they say chivalry is dead,” Jack winked breaking into Ianto's hysterical thinking. Jack sensed rather than saw the young man relax; just a fraction. Obviously it was enough as he unclipped his seatbelt and slipped out beside the Captain. They stood there staring each other down for perhaps a moment, but lasting a lifetime until a bird chirped overhead breaking the spell.
What am I doing? Ianto thought again, feeling more self concious now that he was out in the open. He'd felt safe in the car, but out here people knew him as the rebel teenager of Daffyd and Rhiannon Jones, not Ianto Jones.
A few minutes had passed before Ianto realised Jack was waiting for him to say something.
“What do you want to know?”
Jack paused,groping around to find the right word. “Everything.” he settled on finally.
With a sigh, Ianto pointed towards the boarded up building to their right. “That's where I went to school, until I was expelled for nearly blowing up the science lab,” Ianto walked a few steps forward, carefully keeping his balance on the precarious paths. Nothing changes, he thought with a grimace. The paths were like death ice rinks of hell, black ice after black ice, because the council never bothered to grit the paths. Ianto pointed towards the swamp of mud that sat on their left. “and over there is Rugby field,” Ah, if Jack squinted hard enough he could just see the small tufts of grass poking through the mud. Without saying a word, Ianto walked on and without turning back, Ianto knew Jack was following. “That used to be where the youth group met on Monday,” Jack took in what was left of the building. “at least until I burnt it down.” Ianto would've laughed at Jack's expression of disbelief on any other occasion. “Hairdressers,” Ianto pointed to each building on the row in turn. “Chip shop, grocery shop, newsagents-”
“Where are the memories, Ianto?” Jack asked, cutting Ianto off mid-spiel.
“I don't want-”
“Memoires make us who we are today, Ianto. Memories are all we have left when everything is gone.” Something in Jack's voice made Ianto look up. All of a sudden, the Captain looked everyone of his many years.
“Speaking from experience?” Ianto asked softly, barely daring to break the silence.
Jack nodded. “Speaking from experience.” Ianto turned around on the spot, actually looking at the place where he'd grown up. He'd lost a tooth from walking into the door of the school, he'd had his first kiss just around the corner from the shops, even lost his virginity by the small river. Each place had a memory, good and bad, but at least he remembered. Ianto gave Jack a small smile as he turned back to the hairdressers.
“The first time my Mam took me here, the man said I was a pussy and shaved all my hair off; told me I'd look like a proper man then.” Jack grinned at the mental image of skinhead Ianto. I could go for that, “My mam was not impressed.”
“I'll bet.”
“Behind that tree is where I had my first kiss, and that very night I carved our initals into it-”
The memories continued long into the day, the ice and snow melting around them as the sun rose high in the sky signifying the new day - a new chance.
[Fin.]