Fic: Goodbye
Title: Goodbye
Rating: G
Spoilers: Post CoE but this is no way a fix-it fic, I loved CoE with a passion and if it's kicked off my writers block? Well all the better for it!
Characters: Jack and Twitchy
This is a sequel to Prevention, Purr-fect, Twitchy, Meow, Bonding, Coffee, Spring Cleaning and Sweet as Candy
You needn't read these other stories first just as long as you know Twitchy is Ianto's kitten.
Beta'd by the ever gorgeous madtheo and
temporal_witch
Written for my alphabet prompt table letter H: Home.
Summary: Before Jack can leave Cardiff to loose himself, he has some unfinished business to attend to first.
***
It wasn't unusual for Ianto not to come home for a couple of days at a time especially considering the unreliability of Torchwood. Usually it wouldn't have been a problem, but since he'd gotten involved with Twitchy, when it was impossible for him to get home, Ianto would phone his neighbour, a gentle old woman with soft Welsh vowels who would let herself into his flat and cuddle up with his kitten for an hour or so before leaving her with a full bowl of food and water, satisfying Twitchy's belly for the night, perhaps even two.
So when Jack walked into Ianto's flat three days after he'd lost everything, he really wasn't sure what to expect: mayhem, sure; a hungry cat, definitely, but not this: a house that looked as though Ianto had walked out of it barely a hour beforehand. He had expected to feel pain, regret, loss, but the sharp knife of guilt that cut through him crippled him for a moment, left him unable to breach the tranquility that the room seemed to hold.
With a soft sigh, Jack crossed the threshold shutting the door behind him quietly, not wanting to disturb the strangely calming stillness that shrouded the place. Shrugging off his coat and leaving his shoes by the door - it was now automatic after a few weeks of Ianto's constant berating - Jack walked further into the flat, looking for the cat.
Although sunlight streamed in through the windows, the rooms were still dark as though in mourning for its owner. The flat was silent, bar the consistent tick tock of the grandfather clock in the living room and the gentle footsteps as Jack moved around the rooms. More specifically, there was no mewing, which was the general greeting no matter what time of day or night they'd walked in.
As he searched the small flat, little bits of Ianto that he'd previously taken for granted jumped out at him: the way his CD's were alphabetized with one or two in the wrong places from the last time Jack spent the night; the way his photo frames were almost OCD straight and in the correct height order; the fact that although Ianto had hardly ever been home, he always had a fully stocked fridge, paid for sky + and all it's extras, and had a full bookcase of new books that he'd never had the time to read and now never would.
Deciding that the best way to lure Twitchy out was with food, Jack headed towards Ianto's kitchen to put out food for the cat, shaking and tapping the tin as he'd seen Ianto do many times to signify dinner. Still no sign.
Jack had one foot out of the kitchen when from behind the sofa in the shadow, he saw Ianto's little black cat curled up, glitters of light reflecting the stream of sunlight from Twitchy's opened eyes as the light caught them. He staggered the few steps to reach the sofa, barely there before apologises fell from his lips.
“I'm sorry,” Jack whispered again, practically falling to his knees in front of the wary animal. Though it seemed impossible, she curled up even further into herself. “I tried to save him, I really did, but he just wouldn't …. couldn't - I couldn't ...” Jack trailed off, tears falling down his face gently raining down on Twitchy.
She looked up, her smoky eyes shining in the wavering sunlight, and her tiny voice meowed pitifully.
“I know, I'm sorry … I just …” Jack broke off again, a sob rising in his throat as he lay down on his side, curling himself around Twitchy's calmed body. “I'd have taken his place in a heartbeat; he shouldn't have even come with me, but you know what he's like...”
Another meow, quieter this time, but of understanding.
“That's right, stubborn to the very last moment.” Jack managed a small smile, a crook of one side of his mouth beneath the hot tears running down his face. God, this was hard, so bloody hard when all he wanted to do was run away, get away from the ghosts hiding round every corner.
Jack swallowed hard, trying to clear the permanent lump in his throat before doing what he'd come here to do, but it wouldn't budge. “I have to leave.” Twitchy sat up at this, making to get up from the spot she'd been lying in for who knew how long. “I can't stay here anymore … not without him ….. not yet.” Twitchy pulled herself awkwardly onto Jack's chest, lying mostly on his arms so she could reach his face. “I just needed to thank you ... for being there for him … when I couldn't be....” Jack stuttered, closing his eyes to the persistent doe-eyed cat patting at his face, and somewhere deep inside he's glad she's not clawing him for the numerous things he's done, because he deserves it and so much more. “Gwen will look after you, she knows what to do.” The 'she'll do much better than I ever could' went unsaid, but spoke louder than words ever could.
And without another word, Jack lay Twitchy back onto the floor with a gentle kiss, got up, put on his shoes leaving them unlaced, shrugged on his coat and walked out of Ianto's flat without a backwards glance.
He didn't deserve to be there anymore.
[Fin.]
A/N: For my beta madtheo who gave me a not-so-subtle hint Jack should feed Twitchy before leaving.
Counter: 4/10 prompts completed
Rating: G
Spoilers: Post CoE but this is no way a fix-it fic, I loved CoE with a passion and if it's kicked off my writers block? Well all the better for it!
Characters: Jack and Twitchy
This is a sequel to Prevention, Purr-fect, Twitchy, Meow, Bonding, Coffee, Spring Cleaning and Sweet as Candy
You needn't read these other stories first just as long as you know Twitchy is Ianto's kitten.
Beta'd by the ever gorgeous madtheo and
temporal_witch
Written for my alphabet prompt table letter H: Home.
Summary: Before Jack can leave Cardiff to loose himself, he has some unfinished business to attend to first.
***
It wasn't unusual for Ianto not to come home for a couple of days at a time especially considering the unreliability of Torchwood. Usually it wouldn't have been a problem, but since he'd gotten involved with Twitchy, when it was impossible for him to get home, Ianto would phone his neighbour, a gentle old woman with soft Welsh vowels who would let herself into his flat and cuddle up with his kitten for an hour or so before leaving her with a full bowl of food and water, satisfying Twitchy's belly for the night, perhaps even two.
So when Jack walked into Ianto's flat three days after he'd lost everything, he really wasn't sure what to expect: mayhem, sure; a hungry cat, definitely, but not this: a house that looked as though Ianto had walked out of it barely a hour beforehand. He had expected to feel pain, regret, loss, but the sharp knife of guilt that cut through him crippled him for a moment, left him unable to breach the tranquility that the room seemed to hold.
With a soft sigh, Jack crossed the threshold shutting the door behind him quietly, not wanting to disturb the strangely calming stillness that shrouded the place. Shrugging off his coat and leaving his shoes by the door - it was now automatic after a few weeks of Ianto's constant berating - Jack walked further into the flat, looking for the cat.
Although sunlight streamed in through the windows, the rooms were still dark as though in mourning for its owner. The flat was silent, bar the consistent tick tock of the grandfather clock in the living room and the gentle footsteps as Jack moved around the rooms. More specifically, there was no mewing, which was the general greeting no matter what time of day or night they'd walked in.
As he searched the small flat, little bits of Ianto that he'd previously taken for granted jumped out at him: the way his CD's were alphabetized with one or two in the wrong places from the last time Jack spent the night; the way his photo frames were almost OCD straight and in the correct height order; the fact that although Ianto had hardly ever been home, he always had a fully stocked fridge, paid for sky + and all it's extras, and had a full bookcase of new books that he'd never had the time to read and now never would.
Deciding that the best way to lure Twitchy out was with food, Jack headed towards Ianto's kitchen to put out food for the cat, shaking and tapping the tin as he'd seen Ianto do many times to signify dinner. Still no sign.
Jack had one foot out of the kitchen when from behind the sofa in the shadow, he saw Ianto's little black cat curled up, glitters of light reflecting the stream of sunlight from Twitchy's opened eyes as the light caught them. He staggered the few steps to reach the sofa, barely there before apologises fell from his lips.
“I'm sorry,” Jack whispered again, practically falling to his knees in front of the wary animal. Though it seemed impossible, she curled up even further into herself. “I tried to save him, I really did, but he just wouldn't …. couldn't - I couldn't ...” Jack trailed off, tears falling down his face gently raining down on Twitchy.
She looked up, her smoky eyes shining in the wavering sunlight, and her tiny voice meowed pitifully.
“I know, I'm sorry … I just …” Jack broke off again, a sob rising in his throat as he lay down on his side, curling himself around Twitchy's calmed body. “I'd have taken his place in a heartbeat; he shouldn't have even come with me, but you know what he's like...”
Another meow, quieter this time, but of understanding.
“That's right, stubborn to the very last moment.” Jack managed a small smile, a crook of one side of his mouth beneath the hot tears running down his face. God, this was hard, so bloody hard when all he wanted to do was run away, get away from the ghosts hiding round every corner.
Jack swallowed hard, trying to clear the permanent lump in his throat before doing what he'd come here to do, but it wouldn't budge. “I have to leave.” Twitchy sat up at this, making to get up from the spot she'd been lying in for who knew how long. “I can't stay here anymore … not without him ….. not yet.” Twitchy pulled herself awkwardly onto Jack's chest, lying mostly on his arms so she could reach his face. “I just needed to thank you ... for being there for him … when I couldn't be....” Jack stuttered, closing his eyes to the persistent doe-eyed cat patting at his face, and somewhere deep inside he's glad she's not clawing him for the numerous things he's done, because he deserves it and so much more. “Gwen will look after you, she knows what to do.” The 'she'll do much better than I ever could' went unsaid, but spoke louder than words ever could.
And without another word, Jack lay Twitchy back onto the floor with a gentle kiss, got up, put on his shoes leaving them unlaced, shrugged on his coat and walked out of Ianto's flat without a backwards glance.
He didn't deserve to be there anymore.
[Fin.]
A/N: For my beta madtheo who gave me a not-so-subtle hint Jack should feed Twitchy before leaving.
Counter: 4/10 prompts completed