Lunch Money (6/?) [Series: No Regrets]
TITLE: Lunch Money
AUTHOR: naddypants
RATING: 15
CHARACTERS: Jack/Ianto, team.
SUMMARY: Is it all a dream?
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, this chapter is really long. But please, read it to the end and I promise it'll make sense! Special thanks to my beta melthorne for inspiring me, helping me, and being there for me. You're fab!
DISCLAIMER: This is a piece of fan fiction, I own nothing, no money is being made from this and no harm is intended. Fanfictions can be removed and/or deleted if needed. Torchwood belongs to the BBC and Russell T Davies. Thank you.
Part 1: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/7328.html
Part 2: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/7498.html
Part 3: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/7819.html
Part 4: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/8054.html
Part 5: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/8327.html
As usual, special shout out to my beta melthorne and just_being_me08 along with all my wonderful readers!
I’m walkin’ staring at the ground,
Waiting for you to throw your weight around…
“Oi, Jones!”
“Chubby!”
“Ayee fatty!”
Just keep walking, just keep walking, I thought to myself as the mandatory giggles began behind me. Ignore them and they’ll go away, someday. However unlikely that may sound, I just had to keep believing. It was the only way I could make it through each dreaded day…
I glanced down and my fears were confirmed. I was in my school uniform.
Am I dreaming?
Then a forceful hand meets the middle of my chest, winding me, “Oi Jones, I was talking to you! Are you deaf as well as fat?” My art file fell to the wet ground, my pages of paint now saturated with rain water. Completely ruined.
I groaned. “Please, leave me alone”
He laughed. “Listen to that Jack, he wants sympathy!”
I did a double take. Jack? I knew of no Jack in our school…
Then a young American voice floated from behind the group. It was strange how familiar it sounded. “He wants you to leave him alone.” As he said this, he appeared at the fore of the group, a chiselled, beautiful face among a group of otherwise ordinary males.
“You guna be Jones’ new boyfriend then?”
“Piss off, like hell I am! Just seems like you should give the poor kid a break,” the new American said frankly.
Another voice came from somewhere within the group. “Jack and Jones! HA! Has a certain ring to it!”
I wanted to run so badly, get away from here, but at the same time the new guy was making me curious. He was trying to stand up for me, in whatever way he could. I was beginning to feel more sorry for him than I was for myself as they turned on him with raised fists. I couldn’t repay his favour, I knew. I was just the fat kid everyone picked on. So I lifted my file up from the gravely asphalt and stalked off, my head held low so as not to attract attention. This Jack guy seemed like he could handle himself anyway.
**********
The seniors left me alone for the rest of the day which was surprising. Luckily as a junior, I wasn’t in any of their classes anyway. I was still doing my GCSEs, whereas most of the bullies were doing their A-Levels.
After lunch though, I partook in A-Level English classes as my mother had regrettably made me do my GCSE the year previous. Which I’d passed with flying colours. Damn my mother…
Of course none of them were in my class. Surely anyone who is even somewhat literate wouldn’t think of stooping so low as to bully someone. But I’d heard from a group of the girls in my class that Jack, the one who’d saved me, was taking English. In my class.
I didn’t really want to face him. There was still a chance for me to get a sick note from the nurse and just go home. The Great Gatsby didn’t really interest me anyway.
I couldn’t stand to see his perfect face again, with it’s model-like features and an amazing voice to match. He was like a new toy to a toddler. He was all I’d heard about in school all day. You could practically see his face etched in the minds of everyone who’d seen him.
All the girls wanted to be with him, and all the guys wanted to be him.
But of course now the speculation was that he was gay, after the confrontation this morning. How fickle and shallow school children are…
He was the sorta guy to take it all in his stride though, and as I entered English there he was peering at me quizzically through a lock of his perfect hair which covered his left eye. The eye in question was completely closed over, surrounded by a hefty black bruise. I winced, but he smiled, motioning for me to join him.
I blushed naturally, but gathered myself enough to shuffle to the desk. No one ever asked “that Jones kid” to sit with them. I was a freak even among the freaks. But this guy, he didn’t seem to acknowledge such categories.
“Uhm…hi,” I just about managed to say as I sat down.
He smiled. “Hey Ianto, nice to see you again”
“Yeah,” I choked out. “Sorry about earlier,” I whispered.
“Don’t sweat it. If this is what I get for standing up for what’s right, it’s the least of my worries. Plus, that shitface John won’t be in for a while,” he winked, even though it looked like a horrid blink with one eye permanently closed.
“Thanks,” I smiled weakly.
“Any time. Jack, by the way,” he said, extending a hand. I took it gratefully. “So, I was thinking, wanna show me round town later?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. “What? W-w…with me?”
“That’s what I said. Unless you’ve got…”
“No, I’ll show you, it’s just no one ever asks me to…”
“So I see, I don’t get it though. You’re a good looking kid, and in my eyes, you’re far from fat. You shouldn’t let them dictate how your life goes”
Wow. This guy was amazing. He was so open about his opinions it made me feel slightly ashamed. I didn’t need his pity that badly, did I? I pondered this as I tried not to get to attached to the ideology.
The class passed by relatively quickly for once. Mrs Garner demanded Jack talk about himself for the first part of the lesson (in which he managed to charm the pants off every female in the room), and the rest of the lesson was taken up by discussion questions.
Obviously Jack didn’t want to discuss the literary merits of The Great Gatsby, rather the journey we would be taking after school.
He took me to his car, a hulking black Jeep of some description. I was almost shocked he owned it, before I realised he was; 1. A year older than me, and 2. He’d lived in America, meaning he’d probably held a licence from he was 16.
“Well don’t just stare! Get in!” He smiled warmly.
I did as I was told before he could retract the offer. My fears of being crushed were still an all-too prominent feature of my personality… He took my destroyed art file from me and leafed through the still slightly damp pages. “Pity all this got ruined. It’s fantastic,” he said, more to himself than to me…
I pretended I didn’t hear as I got into the passenger seat.
******
“So, Ianto. Not really a common name, even in Wales. How’s it spelt?”
“I-A-N-T-O”
“Ian. To. Nice. Suits you.”
“As Jack suits you. I never caught a second name…”
“Harkness. I’m really Jack Junior. Dad’s a Captain in the army or something. His ego was big enough he wanted a Mini-me”
“Do you want to be like him?”
“Not really. What does your dad do?”
“He was a master tailor until he died”
His good eye widened as if he’d gone into dangerous ground. “Oh, I’m so sorry”
“Don’t be. He died a ling time ago, and it’s not like it was your fault”
“I guess,” he replied flatly, lifting a chip and shoving it absentmindedly into his mouth and looking away nervously.
Ianto raised an eyebrow. Jack hardly seemed like the type to get nervous about anything.
“I like you, Jones,” he finally whispered.
My jaw dropped and my stomach lurched. He what? My mind ran in circles. I’d noticed his good looks, but I’d never thought of him like that until he’d brought it up.
He seemed to sense my unease. “Forget it. Stupid to think-”
“No wait. You caught me off guard. Umm…yeah…I suck at this. Uh…you’re…I barely even know you”
“Ah, I see,” he smirked into his cola.
“You’re…”
“Bisexual,” he finished for me. “Doesn’t matter either way. If someone’s good looking, they’re good looking.” He paused. “That totally came out wrong. But anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to…”
“Are you asking me for sex?” My eyes widened at the sudden turn into unchartered territory.
“Wait. God no! What do you take me for? At least not yet!”
My stomach took another flip. “You’re asking me out?”
“Yes,” he sighed, relieved I’d finally caught on.
“Sure” I said simply, not trusting myself above monosyllabic words.
He nodded shyly and stood up. “Bet you have a shitload of homework. Come on, I’ll take you home”
“Uh…thanks”
***********
“IANTO GERIANT JONES! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!”
I smiled out of the window. “It appears me mam’s home”
Jack smiled back at me. “I guess you should go then,” he leaned over me to open the door. God he smelled so good.
“But unless you want me too…”
He breathed on my neck and I was gone. I turned my head slightly and found his lips on mine. This wasn’t good. I wasn’t…gay…was I?
I unconsciously melted into it, it was far too nice for it to finish anytime soon. But the fact that it was the most perfect person in school, and he wanted me…
Then it was over. We both sighed. “I guess I better get going”
“Yeah,” he replied as I hopped out of the car.
********
“IANTO!”
The voice sounded angry. This wouldn’t be a good day. Then I recognised it. It was Jack…I had no idea what could have made him so angry though…
“Ianto, what the hell?” He said as his fist smashed into my face.
I tried to raise my arms in defence, but they were useless lead weights by my sides. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
How had I been so blind the night before? He’d played me so well…
He was suddenly pummelling me, tears of pain and regret running down my cheeks.
I tried to resist, but he was too strong.
“Ianto,” he shouted again as he hurt me, punctuating every powerful punch with an utterance of my name. Hurting me both physically and mentally. This wasn’t supposed to happen, I repeated in my head.
Then his hands were grasping my shoulders tight enough to bruise. He shook me vigorously, his web of lies coming apart as he did so. He’d caught me under his spell and now he was using it against me.
“IANTO!” He shouted again. Louder this time, concern suddenly etched on his slightly older features as he towered over me in the darkened room rather than the bright playground where we’d been seconds before.
I sniffed.
It had all been a dream.
“Shh. I’ve got you,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so…” I whispered, curling my legs up to my chest. “Why are you here?”
“I…was worried about you”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I said, forcing a smile onto my lips.
“Well from where I’m sitting, it was a hell of a nightmare you were having”
I rolled my eyes. “You could say that…”
This is the tale about a boy,
Confused, intimidated,
And how he learned to speak his mind,
And not to be ashamed of,
Who he is and what he stands for…
Comments are made of love.
Comments make me write more.
:)
AUTHOR: naddypants
RATING: 15
CHARACTERS: Jack/Ianto, team.
SUMMARY: Is it all a dream?
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, this chapter is really long. But please, read it to the end and I promise it'll make sense! Special thanks to my beta melthorne for inspiring me, helping me, and being there for me. You're fab!
DISCLAIMER: This is a piece of fan fiction, I own nothing, no money is being made from this and no harm is intended. Fanfictions can be removed and/or deleted if needed. Torchwood belongs to the BBC and Russell T Davies. Thank you.
Part 1: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/7328.html
Part 2: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/7498.html
Part 3: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/7819.html
Part 4: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/8054.html
Part 5: http://naddypants.livejournal.com/8327.html
As usual, special shout out to my beta melthorne and just_being_me08 along with all my wonderful readers!
I’m walkin’ staring at the ground,
Waiting for you to throw your weight around…
“Oi, Jones!”
“Chubby!”
“Ayee fatty!”
Just keep walking, just keep walking, I thought to myself as the mandatory giggles began behind me. Ignore them and they’ll go away, someday. However unlikely that may sound, I just had to keep believing. It was the only way I could make it through each dreaded day…
I glanced down and my fears were confirmed. I was in my school uniform.
Am I dreaming?
Then a forceful hand meets the middle of my chest, winding me, “Oi Jones, I was talking to you! Are you deaf as well as fat?” My art file fell to the wet ground, my pages of paint now saturated with rain water. Completely ruined.
I groaned. “Please, leave me alone”
He laughed. “Listen to that Jack, he wants sympathy!”
I did a double take. Jack? I knew of no Jack in our school…
Then a young American voice floated from behind the group. It was strange how familiar it sounded. “He wants you to leave him alone.” As he said this, he appeared at the fore of the group, a chiselled, beautiful face among a group of otherwise ordinary males.
“You guna be Jones’ new boyfriend then?”
“Piss off, like hell I am! Just seems like you should give the poor kid a break,” the new American said frankly.
Another voice came from somewhere within the group. “Jack and Jones! HA! Has a certain ring to it!”
I wanted to run so badly, get away from here, but at the same time the new guy was making me curious. He was trying to stand up for me, in whatever way he could. I was beginning to feel more sorry for him than I was for myself as they turned on him with raised fists. I couldn’t repay his favour, I knew. I was just the fat kid everyone picked on. So I lifted my file up from the gravely asphalt and stalked off, my head held low so as not to attract attention. This Jack guy seemed like he could handle himself anyway.
**********
The seniors left me alone for the rest of the day which was surprising. Luckily as a junior, I wasn’t in any of their classes anyway. I was still doing my GCSEs, whereas most of the bullies were doing their A-Levels.
After lunch though, I partook in A-Level English classes as my mother had regrettably made me do my GCSE the year previous. Which I’d passed with flying colours. Damn my mother…
Of course none of them were in my class. Surely anyone who is even somewhat literate wouldn’t think of stooping so low as to bully someone. But I’d heard from a group of the girls in my class that Jack, the one who’d saved me, was taking English. In my class.
I didn’t really want to face him. There was still a chance for me to get a sick note from the nurse and just go home. The Great Gatsby didn’t really interest me anyway.
I couldn’t stand to see his perfect face again, with it’s model-like features and an amazing voice to match. He was like a new toy to a toddler. He was all I’d heard about in school all day. You could practically see his face etched in the minds of everyone who’d seen him.
All the girls wanted to be with him, and all the guys wanted to be him.
But of course now the speculation was that he was gay, after the confrontation this morning. How fickle and shallow school children are…
He was the sorta guy to take it all in his stride though, and as I entered English there he was peering at me quizzically through a lock of his perfect hair which covered his left eye. The eye in question was completely closed over, surrounded by a hefty black bruise. I winced, but he smiled, motioning for me to join him.
I blushed naturally, but gathered myself enough to shuffle to the desk. No one ever asked “that Jones kid” to sit with them. I was a freak even among the freaks. But this guy, he didn’t seem to acknowledge such categories.
“Uhm…hi,” I just about managed to say as I sat down.
He smiled. “Hey Ianto, nice to see you again”
“Yeah,” I choked out. “Sorry about earlier,” I whispered.
“Don’t sweat it. If this is what I get for standing up for what’s right, it’s the least of my worries. Plus, that shitface John won’t be in for a while,” he winked, even though it looked like a horrid blink with one eye permanently closed.
“Thanks,” I smiled weakly.
“Any time. Jack, by the way,” he said, extending a hand. I took it gratefully. “So, I was thinking, wanna show me round town later?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. “What? W-w…with me?”
“That’s what I said. Unless you’ve got…”
“No, I’ll show you, it’s just no one ever asks me to…”
“So I see, I don’t get it though. You’re a good looking kid, and in my eyes, you’re far from fat. You shouldn’t let them dictate how your life goes”
Wow. This guy was amazing. He was so open about his opinions it made me feel slightly ashamed. I didn’t need his pity that badly, did I? I pondered this as I tried not to get to attached to the ideology.
The class passed by relatively quickly for once. Mrs Garner demanded Jack talk about himself for the first part of the lesson (in which he managed to charm the pants off every female in the room), and the rest of the lesson was taken up by discussion questions.
Obviously Jack didn’t want to discuss the literary merits of The Great Gatsby, rather the journey we would be taking after school.
He took me to his car, a hulking black Jeep of some description. I was almost shocked he owned it, before I realised he was; 1. A year older than me, and 2. He’d lived in America, meaning he’d probably held a licence from he was 16.
“Well don’t just stare! Get in!” He smiled warmly.
I did as I was told before he could retract the offer. My fears of being crushed were still an all-too prominent feature of my personality… He took my destroyed art file from me and leafed through the still slightly damp pages. “Pity all this got ruined. It’s fantastic,” he said, more to himself than to me…
I pretended I didn’t hear as I got into the passenger seat.
******
“So, Ianto. Not really a common name, even in Wales. How’s it spelt?”
“I-A-N-T-O”
“Ian. To. Nice. Suits you.”
“As Jack suits you. I never caught a second name…”
“Harkness. I’m really Jack Junior. Dad’s a Captain in the army or something. His ego was big enough he wanted a Mini-me”
“Do you want to be like him?”
“Not really. What does your dad do?”
“He was a master tailor until he died”
His good eye widened as if he’d gone into dangerous ground. “Oh, I’m so sorry”
“Don’t be. He died a ling time ago, and it’s not like it was your fault”
“I guess,” he replied flatly, lifting a chip and shoving it absentmindedly into his mouth and looking away nervously.
Ianto raised an eyebrow. Jack hardly seemed like the type to get nervous about anything.
“I like you, Jones,” he finally whispered.
My jaw dropped and my stomach lurched. He what? My mind ran in circles. I’d noticed his good looks, but I’d never thought of him like that until he’d brought it up.
He seemed to sense my unease. “Forget it. Stupid to think-”
“No wait. You caught me off guard. Umm…yeah…I suck at this. Uh…you’re…I barely even know you”
“Ah, I see,” he smirked into his cola.
“You’re…”
“Bisexual,” he finished for me. “Doesn’t matter either way. If someone’s good looking, they’re good looking.” He paused. “That totally came out wrong. But anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to…”
“Are you asking me for sex?” My eyes widened at the sudden turn into unchartered territory.
“Wait. God no! What do you take me for? At least not yet!”
My stomach took another flip. “You’re asking me out?”
“Yes,” he sighed, relieved I’d finally caught on.
“Sure” I said simply, not trusting myself above monosyllabic words.
He nodded shyly and stood up. “Bet you have a shitload of homework. Come on, I’ll take you home”
“Uh…thanks”
***********
“IANTO GERIANT JONES! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!”
I smiled out of the window. “It appears me mam’s home”
Jack smiled back at me. “I guess you should go then,” he leaned over me to open the door. God he smelled so good.
“But unless you want me too…”
He breathed on my neck and I was gone. I turned my head slightly and found his lips on mine. This wasn’t good. I wasn’t…gay…was I?
I unconsciously melted into it, it was far too nice for it to finish anytime soon. But the fact that it was the most perfect person in school, and he wanted me…
Then it was over. We both sighed. “I guess I better get going”
“Yeah,” he replied as I hopped out of the car.
********
“IANTO!”
The voice sounded angry. This wouldn’t be a good day. Then I recognised it. It was Jack…I had no idea what could have made him so angry though…
“Ianto, what the hell?” He said as his fist smashed into my face.
I tried to raise my arms in defence, but they were useless lead weights by my sides. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
How had I been so blind the night before? He’d played me so well…
He was suddenly pummelling me, tears of pain and regret running down my cheeks.
I tried to resist, but he was too strong.
“Ianto,” he shouted again as he hurt me, punctuating every powerful punch with an utterance of my name. Hurting me both physically and mentally. This wasn’t supposed to happen, I repeated in my head.
Then his hands were grasping my shoulders tight enough to bruise. He shook me vigorously, his web of lies coming apart as he did so. He’d caught me under his spell and now he was using it against me.
“IANTO!” He shouted again. Louder this time, concern suddenly etched on his slightly older features as he towered over me in the darkened room rather than the bright playground where we’d been seconds before.
I sniffed.
It had all been a dream.
“Shh. I’ve got you,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so…” I whispered, curling my legs up to my chest. “Why are you here?”
“I…was worried about you”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I said, forcing a smile onto my lips.
“Well from where I’m sitting, it was a hell of a nightmare you were having”
I rolled my eyes. “You could say that…”
This is the tale about a boy,
Confused, intimidated,
And how he learned to speak his mind,
And not to be ashamed of,
Who he is and what he stands for…
Comments are made of love.
Comments make me write more.
:)