Breakeven (5/?)
TITLE: Breakeven
AUTHOR: naddypants
RATING: 15
CHARACTERS: Ianto and Jack. Don't worry they'll get together in the end!
SUMMARY: With Lisa gone and Ianto left alone with a baby in a cold hospital, his life feels like its about to end. But will it? (In which Ianto gets his philosophy on)
WARNINGS: Completely and utterly AU. Turn back now if you don't like AU...Also, it's a bit sad in places.
A/N: Not much to say really, but I guess I wrote this pretty spontaneously. I've been wanting to write AU for a while (you can blame
just_being_me08 and her amazing Tales of a Time Agency for that) and this story came along and it seemed to work. I really hope it does, as it's kind of close to my heart in a sense...Also, this chapter is dedicated to the amazing melthorne for betaing this for me and poking me to post it, and generally being awesome. Special dedis for just_being_me08 too as she never ever fails to put a smile on my face, and she's wrote the most gorgeous prompt for me! SANSAP ftw :) Also to
DISCLAIMER: I own the action figures, 'cause I'm cool like that. The actual series etc, belongs to RTD and the big ole Beeb. I can't afford to be sued, I'm still in school!
Part 1: ( 'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break even... )
Part 2: ( I'm sorry about the madness, but that's the way it's gotta be... )
Part 3: ( Throw me a lifeline. )
Part 4: ( You've got brown eyes like no one else... )
Ianto watched intently as the fluorescent lights highlighted the incessant rippling on the surface of the coffee contained within the polystyrene cup he'd been grasping for nearly an hour. He hadn't moved from the spot where he'd landed; a lonely seat in the hospital cafeteria, and he didn't plan on doing so - not for a while yet at least.
And then, staring into the coffee, he wondered how all the random molecules of the water, the coffee itself and the heaps of sugar he'd added, each made up of random arrangements of atoms - hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen - could come together to make something so horrifically vile.
He suddenly scowled at the offending drink, noting that it must have took a gargantuan effort to make a coffee as bad as the one he was currently glowering at. It felt like years since he'd had his last decent coffee, when in reality it had been just a week since Jack had taken him to that nice little coffee shop. Maybe he'd take him again, he thought idly, watching as the milk started to separate out in a swirl as he moved his wrist.
He wasn't going to drink it. It had long gone cold, but nonetheless there had always been something mesmerising about coffee to Ianto. The simplicity of it, and yet so few people could get the mix right. He supposed it was the same in nature; select a few atoms, molecules, amino acids, throw them together and see what you come up with, but only a few times in those millions of little coffee cups would it ever be right.
And maybe that was exactly what was wrong with the world.
Thrown together.
Almost like there was no correlation between what was used and the arrangement that came out; like people were built by accident, and the emotions and stories that are created are just the swirl of milk in the top of the coffee. Utterly irrelevant, an afterthought of the process, an accident of the chemicals.
But it had made the human race superior. Ianto chuckled, as with that thought he realised it just made them all the more vulnerable...
"You know laughing in an all-but empty hospital cafeteria can commonly be mistaken for a sign of madness," a cool American voice said from behind him, the voice so smooth, like silk, that Ianto had to close his eyes to remember that he wasn't being aurally raped.
"Funny thing that, madness," Jack said, momentarily filling Ianto's vision before moving back slightly and into the seat opposite. "See, sometimes I think the 'mad' ones are the sanest of us all"
"But that's not why you're here"
"Cerys is back from theatre. Thought you'd want to know. Also, what happened to the coffee you were bringing up for me?" He asked weakly.
Ianto's lips twitched into a half-hearted smile as he gazed at Jack. He pushed his coffee across the table. "It's cold...but if you still want it, it's yours"
"Tell you what," Jack said, in that tone that Ianto had come to accept as the 'I've got a plan, and you're going to go along with it whether you like it or not' tone. "We go up and check on Cerys. Your mom comes, you say your hellos, she tells you that you ought to get home and catch some shut eye - the usual really. But how about after all that, I take you back to that little coffee shop and we have a nice afternoon?"
Ianto nodded, "I'd like that," he replied simply, not wanting to admit that that he'd been thinking of that day almost obsessively since what had happened to Cerys, the coffee shop had turned into a tiny beacon of escapism and hope among all the madness he'd been thrust into.
Jack smiled, his lips parting to reveal teeth that could have come straight from a Colgate advert, but filled with so much more charm. "Great"
****
"Where the hell were you love?" Ianto's mother whispered angrily.
Ianto rolled his eyes and paced over. "Lovely to see you too mother"
"Well I come in and bloody hell they're wheeling her in and where's my son?! Nowhere to be bloody seen! His own dau-"
Ianto shook his head, cutting her off. "No offence mum, but you are the one who keeps telling me I need to get out of here more. I went to the cafeteria, had a coffee and lost track of time. I apologise profusely."
Jack stood behind Ianto, watching on in slight amusement before slipping past and settling himself beside Dylan. "Alright little man?" He whispered.
Dylan nodded and smiled, "Are you going home tonight?"
Jack grinned back, knowing what was coming next, "What do you need me to bring in for you?"
"My Spiderman pyjamas and something new to read," he whispered enthusiastically, very aware of the conversation going on opposite. He wasn't old enough to know exactly what was going on, but he'd seen his granny and dad have 'talks' like that enough times to know that he shouldn't get in the way.
Jack stood and ruffled his hair. "Righteo little man. I'll have them to you in the morning," he said fondly, before leaning over and kissing the boy on the forehead. "Love you," he whispered.
"Love you too Daddy," Dylan replied, wrapping his arms around Jack.
Meanwhile Ianto's mother smiled, "S'alright son. Sorry, I was worried that's all...And bloody hell Ianto, do you ever sleep?"
"Yes Mam, I do. Again, lovely to see you," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as Jack moved to stand beside him.
"Mrs Jones! How are you today ma'am?"
"Fine, thank you Jack. And really, you can call me Mary love," she said, blushing.
Ianto let out an exasperated sigh and moved to Cerys' bedside, muttering "connectives mother," as he leant over his daughter. "Hello," he whispered, "This'll all be over soon sweetie, I promise. You and me, we can go home again"
The joyful gurgling sound that emanated from her warmed Ianto's heart as he leant closer, hand tracing her cheek, completely compelled by the little face. The sudden hand on his arm came as such a shock he jumped up, only to be steadied by Jack.
He laughed, "Sorry, lost myself there. Uhm...Mam, me and-"
The woman smiled knowingly. "I know, have fun love. Cerys'll still be here when you get back"
Ianto nodded and turned to Jack who was sharing what appeared to be a conspirator's smile with his mother. "Right then...we'll take my car," he said as they walked out, "looks like rain..."
After another pleasant coffee over which such wonders as green tea and the general merits of Britain's Got Talent (they found few) were discussed, Jack dragged Ianto back to his sleek, black Jeep before he could argue.
So when Jack missed the turning for the hospital and took the flyover onto the motorway, Ianto began to wonder what was going on. The idle chat had died down and now Jack was silent, a look of determination drawing his lips down in a frown, and lines Ianto had never noticed before cross his forehead.
"Uhm Jack?" He asked tentatively, his stomach lurching as the acceleration was taken up a notch. Definitely used to be a pilot, Ianto thought as he grasped for something to hold onto.
"Yes?" Jack replied, his eyes not moving from the road.
"This isn't the way to the hospital..." Ianto said weakly. "...and I think you're speeding"
"I know"
"So where exactly are we going?"
"I'm taking you home."
Ianto's jaw fell slack slightly as he watched the smirk return to Jack's face. His heart rate also took a hitch towards an alarming rate as the thought of going home sank in. He wasn't ready for that... "Uhm...?"
"Your mum's going to stay the night with Cerys. She told me to take you home so you could catch up on some shut eye, check your bills et cetera. But, if I know how I felt, you won't do any of that at home, so I'm taking you to mine where I can keep an eye on you. We can swing by yours tomorrow so you can check your mail, but nothing more"
Ianto opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, not knowing what to say, but he quickly closed his mouth before he appeared too much like a fish. "Jack..."
"Don't. No arguing...plus," Jack winked, "you're starting to smell funny." He laughed before swinging his flash Jeep into the driveway of an even flashier house.
"You live here?" Ianto asked, his eyes widening in a mix of shock and suspicion.
"When I'm home, yeah. Come on then"
******
"You go catch a shower, I'll fish out some clothes for you then I'll get some dinner. 'Fraid it's just takeaway though, I don't keep much in the house unless Dylan's home"
Ianto was still trying to take in the interior of the impressive home as Jack talked on, before following him up the stairs and into the plush bedroom. "Takeaway's fine," he said as his brain caught up with the surroundings. It seemed the weeks of white and over-starched cotton had gone to his head. He was finding it hard to take in the soft carpets and expensive furniture.
"Uhm...okay. Well, shower's just in there, I'll leave the clothes on the bed for you. Towels are in the hotpress...Anything else?"
Ianto shook his head, "Nope. You know you really don't need to do this-"
"Shh you! Don't go there!" Jack replied, slapping Ianto's arm gently before pushing him in the direction of the en suite and moving to the closet to pick up some clothes.
Okay, so there goes another chapter! I do really hope you liked it! And as always, I'd really love to hear what you thought! Loved, hated, sort of indifferent to? Nonetheless, I'd still love to hear what you think! After all, it is written for you lot! :D Anyways, comments are much appreciated.
AUTHOR: naddypants
RATING: 15
CHARACTERS: Ianto and Jack. Don't worry they'll get together in the end!
SUMMARY: With Lisa gone and Ianto left alone with a baby in a cold hospital, his life feels like its about to end. But will it? (In which Ianto gets his philosophy on)
WARNINGS: Completely and utterly AU. Turn back now if you don't like AU...Also, it's a bit sad in places.
A/N: Not much to say really, but I guess I wrote this pretty spontaneously. I've been wanting to write AU for a while (you can blame
just_being_me08 and her amazing Tales of a Time Agency for that) and this story came along and it seemed to work. I really hope it does, as it's kind of close to my heart in a sense...Also, this chapter is dedicated to the amazing melthorne for betaing this for me and poking me to post it, and generally being awesome. Special dedis for just_being_me08 too as she never ever fails to put a smile on my face, and she's wrote the most gorgeous prompt for me! SANSAP ftw :) Also to
DISCLAIMER: I own the action figures, 'cause I'm cool like that. The actual series etc, belongs to RTD and the big ole Beeb. I can't afford to be sued, I'm still in school!
Part 1: ( 'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break even... )
Part 2: ( I'm sorry about the madness, but that's the way it's gotta be... )
Part 3: ( Throw me a lifeline. )
Part 4: ( You've got brown eyes like no one else... )
Ianto watched intently as the fluorescent lights highlighted the incessant rippling on the surface of the coffee contained within the polystyrene cup he'd been grasping for nearly an hour. He hadn't moved from the spot where he'd landed; a lonely seat in the hospital cafeteria, and he didn't plan on doing so - not for a while yet at least.
And then, staring into the coffee, he wondered how all the random molecules of the water, the coffee itself and the heaps of sugar he'd added, each made up of random arrangements of atoms - hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen - could come together to make something so horrifically vile.
He suddenly scowled at the offending drink, noting that it must have took a gargantuan effort to make a coffee as bad as the one he was currently glowering at. It felt like years since he'd had his last decent coffee, when in reality it had been just a week since Jack had taken him to that nice little coffee shop. Maybe he'd take him again, he thought idly, watching as the milk started to separate out in a swirl as he moved his wrist.
He wasn't going to drink it. It had long gone cold, but nonetheless there had always been something mesmerising about coffee to Ianto. The simplicity of it, and yet so few people could get the mix right. He supposed it was the same in nature; select a few atoms, molecules, amino acids, throw them together and see what you come up with, but only a few times in those millions of little coffee cups would it ever be right.
And maybe that was exactly what was wrong with the world.
Thrown together.
Almost like there was no correlation between what was used and the arrangement that came out; like people were built by accident, and the emotions and stories that are created are just the swirl of milk in the top of the coffee. Utterly irrelevant, an afterthought of the process, an accident of the chemicals.
But it had made the human race superior. Ianto chuckled, as with that thought he realised it just made them all the more vulnerable...
"You know laughing in an all-but empty hospital cafeteria can commonly be mistaken for a sign of madness," a cool American voice said from behind him, the voice so smooth, like silk, that Ianto had to close his eyes to remember that he wasn't being aurally raped.
"Funny thing that, madness," Jack said, momentarily filling Ianto's vision before moving back slightly and into the seat opposite. "See, sometimes I think the 'mad' ones are the sanest of us all"
"But that's not why you're here"
"Cerys is back from theatre. Thought you'd want to know. Also, what happened to the coffee you were bringing up for me?" He asked weakly.
Ianto's lips twitched into a half-hearted smile as he gazed at Jack. He pushed his coffee across the table. "It's cold...but if you still want it, it's yours"
"Tell you what," Jack said, in that tone that Ianto had come to accept as the 'I've got a plan, and you're going to go along with it whether you like it or not' tone. "We go up and check on Cerys. Your mom comes, you say your hellos, she tells you that you ought to get home and catch some shut eye - the usual really. But how about after all that, I take you back to that little coffee shop and we have a nice afternoon?"
Ianto nodded, "I'd like that," he replied simply, not wanting to admit that that he'd been thinking of that day almost obsessively since what had happened to Cerys, the coffee shop had turned into a tiny beacon of escapism and hope among all the madness he'd been thrust into.
Jack smiled, his lips parting to reveal teeth that could have come straight from a Colgate advert, but filled with so much more charm. "Great"
****
"Where the hell were you love?" Ianto's mother whispered angrily.
Ianto rolled his eyes and paced over. "Lovely to see you too mother"
"Well I come in and bloody hell they're wheeling her in and where's my son?! Nowhere to be bloody seen! His own dau-"
Ianto shook his head, cutting her off. "No offence mum, but you are the one who keeps telling me I need to get out of here more. I went to the cafeteria, had a coffee and lost track of time. I apologise profusely."
Jack stood behind Ianto, watching on in slight amusement before slipping past and settling himself beside Dylan. "Alright little man?" He whispered.
Dylan nodded and smiled, "Are you going home tonight?"
Jack grinned back, knowing what was coming next, "What do you need me to bring in for you?"
"My Spiderman pyjamas and something new to read," he whispered enthusiastically, very aware of the conversation going on opposite. He wasn't old enough to know exactly what was going on, but he'd seen his granny and dad have 'talks' like that enough times to know that he shouldn't get in the way.
Jack stood and ruffled his hair. "Righteo little man. I'll have them to you in the morning," he said fondly, before leaning over and kissing the boy on the forehead. "Love you," he whispered.
"Love you too Daddy," Dylan replied, wrapping his arms around Jack.
Meanwhile Ianto's mother smiled, "S'alright son. Sorry, I was worried that's all...And bloody hell Ianto, do you ever sleep?"
"Yes Mam, I do. Again, lovely to see you," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as Jack moved to stand beside him.
"Mrs Jones! How are you today ma'am?"
"Fine, thank you Jack. And really, you can call me Mary love," she said, blushing.
Ianto let out an exasperated sigh and moved to Cerys' bedside, muttering "connectives mother," as he leant over his daughter. "Hello," he whispered, "This'll all be over soon sweetie, I promise. You and me, we can go home again"
The joyful gurgling sound that emanated from her warmed Ianto's heart as he leant closer, hand tracing her cheek, completely compelled by the little face. The sudden hand on his arm came as such a shock he jumped up, only to be steadied by Jack.
He laughed, "Sorry, lost myself there. Uhm...Mam, me and-"
The woman smiled knowingly. "I know, have fun love. Cerys'll still be here when you get back"
Ianto nodded and turned to Jack who was sharing what appeared to be a conspirator's smile with his mother. "Right then...we'll take my car," he said as they walked out, "looks like rain..."
After another pleasant coffee over which such wonders as green tea and the general merits of Britain's Got Talent (they found few) were discussed, Jack dragged Ianto back to his sleek, black Jeep before he could argue.
So when Jack missed the turning for the hospital and took the flyover onto the motorway, Ianto began to wonder what was going on. The idle chat had died down and now Jack was silent, a look of determination drawing his lips down in a frown, and lines Ianto had never noticed before cross his forehead.
"Uhm Jack?" He asked tentatively, his stomach lurching as the acceleration was taken up a notch. Definitely used to be a pilot, Ianto thought as he grasped for something to hold onto.
"Yes?" Jack replied, his eyes not moving from the road.
"This isn't the way to the hospital..." Ianto said weakly. "...and I think you're speeding"
"I know"
"So where exactly are we going?"
"I'm taking you home."
Ianto's jaw fell slack slightly as he watched the smirk return to Jack's face. His heart rate also took a hitch towards an alarming rate as the thought of going home sank in. He wasn't ready for that... "Uhm...?"
"Your mum's going to stay the night with Cerys. She told me to take you home so you could catch up on some shut eye, check your bills et cetera. But, if I know how I felt, you won't do any of that at home, so I'm taking you to mine where I can keep an eye on you. We can swing by yours tomorrow so you can check your mail, but nothing more"
Ianto opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, not knowing what to say, but he quickly closed his mouth before he appeared too much like a fish. "Jack..."
"Don't. No arguing...plus," Jack winked, "you're starting to smell funny." He laughed before swinging his flash Jeep into the driveway of an even flashier house.
"You live here?" Ianto asked, his eyes widening in a mix of shock and suspicion.
"When I'm home, yeah. Come on then"
******
"You go catch a shower, I'll fish out some clothes for you then I'll get some dinner. 'Fraid it's just takeaway though, I don't keep much in the house unless Dylan's home"
Ianto was still trying to take in the interior of the impressive home as Jack talked on, before following him up the stairs and into the plush bedroom. "Takeaway's fine," he said as his brain caught up with the surroundings. It seemed the weeks of white and over-starched cotton had gone to his head. He was finding it hard to take in the soft carpets and expensive furniture.
"Uhm...okay. Well, shower's just in there, I'll leave the clothes on the bed for you. Towels are in the hotpress...Anything else?"
Ianto shook his head, "Nope. You know you really don't need to do this-"
"Shh you! Don't go there!" Jack replied, slapping Ianto's arm gently before pushing him in the direction of the en suite and moving to the closet to pick up some clothes.
Okay, so there goes another chapter! I do really hope you liked it! And as always, I'd really love to hear what you thought! Loved, hated, sort of indifferent to? Nonetheless, I'd still love to hear what you think! After all, it is written for you lot! :D Anyways, comments are much appreciated.