Torchwood Ficlet: Sometims a song is just a song
Title: Sometimes a song is just a song
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating: PG for grief
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Summary: Inspired partly from the singing-Giles scene in Buffy, partly from Strawberry Fields Forever and its near constant presence in my head these past few days. Mostly though, this is because there have been too many fics with Ianto sending Jack messages through a song. To paraphrase Freud, sometimes a song is just a song.
Disclaimer: I didn't make them up. I wish I did but I didn't. I do get to play with them sometimes though, and I say 'play' because I don't get any money out of it so it cannot in any way be described as 'work'.
Warning: This may have started out in my head as a funny fic but somehow took a left and ended up as angst.
* * *
Jack waited impatiently for Gwen to pick up the phone. Finally after an eternity waiting, she did.
"Hey, Jack, what's up?"
"Is Ianto with you?" he demanded.
"No," Gwen replied, confusion clear in her voice, "Should he be?"
"He's not picking up his phone," Jack said.
"He could be having a shower," Gwen joked.
"I'm at his apartment. He's not here."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure he's just busy," she said.
"Right."
"Yes."
"Busy."
There was a short pause.
"So," Gwen said, "turn on the tracker?"
"Yep," Jack agreed.
After they lost Toshiko and Owen, Jack had insisted on everyone having a tracker placed on their phone. Ianto had protested at first but acquiesed the first time Jack had a panic attack when he couldn't find Gwen. If a tracker was necessary to give Jack peace of mind, he would do it.
So they turned the tracker on and there was Ianto's little blip, in a corner bar somewhere in Cardiff.
"What's he doing there?" Jack asked Gwen, who had joined him at the Hub.
She shrugged in response.
"Wanna go see?"
"You drive," she replied.
Fifteen minutes later they were standing, open-mouthed at the entrance of the bar. Ianto was sitting on a small stage, strumming his guitar and singing.
Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see
He looked down at the audience and spotted them. His eyes widened in shock but he went on singing.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out
It doesn't matter much to me
Jack stumbled to the bar and perched on a stool, Gwen right behind him.
Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
"Wow, he's good," she whispered, reluctant to break the silence. Ianto had a low, melodic voice, the kind that made people want to close their eyes just to listen better.
Jack ignored her in favour of staring at Ianto.
No one I think is in my tree
I mean it must be high or low
That is you can't you know tune in but it's all right
That is I think it's not too bad
Ianto ignored their presence, looking down at his guitar and at the front of the bar, instead of back where they were sitting. Jack stared hard at him. He wanted to catch Ianto's eye, maybe the weight of his stare would be enough to force Ianto to look at him.
Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
Ianto finally gave in and looked up, eyes locked with Jack's as he sang the next verse.
Always, no sometimes, think it's me
But you know I know when it's a dream
I think I know I mean a "Yes" but it's all wrong
That is I think I disagree
Jack suddenly got up and stalked outside, leaving Gwen to look after him in shock. Ianto looked a question at her but she shrugged in response. She had no idea why Jack has stormed off.
* * *
When Ianto returned home, Jack was waiting for him. He'd paced around the living room table a million times before he heard the key in the lock.
"Why did you pick that song?" he demanded the momend Ianto walked in.
"That's what you want to know?" Ianto asked, surprised at the question, "Not why I was singing or why I didn't tell you but why I picked that song?"
Jack dismissed the other questions with a wave.
"Do you really feel like that?"
Ianto blinked at him.
"Like what?"
"The song, Ianto!"
"You think I picked that song for a reason," Ianto said slowly.
"Yes!"
"Jack, it's just a song. I like the melody, it fits my voice."
Jack looked at him suspiciously.
"Come on, Jack, it's just a song, I promise."
Ianto stepped slowly closer, as if approaching a spooked horse. Jack remained tense until Ianto was close enough to touch, then dragged him into a hug.
"Just a song?"
"Yeah. Lennon was probably high when he wrote it," Ianto joked.
"Okay. You'd tell me if you felt alone or insane?"
"I promise."
"Okay."
They stayed like that for a few moments.
"Come on, let's get you in the shower. You're too tightly wound these days," Ianto sighed.
For once Jack stayed quiet and let Ianto pull him along.
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating: PG for grief
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Summary: Inspired partly from the singing-Giles scene in Buffy, partly from Strawberry Fields Forever and its near constant presence in my head these past few days. Mostly though, this is because there have been too many fics with Ianto sending Jack messages through a song. To paraphrase Freud, sometimes a song is just a song.
Disclaimer: I didn't make them up. I wish I did but I didn't. I do get to play with them sometimes though, and I say 'play' because I don't get any money out of it so it cannot in any way be described as 'work'.
Warning: This may have started out in my head as a funny fic but somehow took a left and ended up as angst.
* * *
Jack waited impatiently for Gwen to pick up the phone. Finally after an eternity waiting, she did.
"Hey, Jack, what's up?"
"Is Ianto with you?" he demanded.
"No," Gwen replied, confusion clear in her voice, "Should he be?"
"He's not picking up his phone," Jack said.
"He could be having a shower," Gwen joked.
"I'm at his apartment. He's not here."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure he's just busy," she said.
"Right."
"Yes."
"Busy."
There was a short pause.
"So," Gwen said, "turn on the tracker?"
"Yep," Jack agreed.
After they lost Toshiko and Owen, Jack had insisted on everyone having a tracker placed on their phone. Ianto had protested at first but acquiesed the first time Jack had a panic attack when he couldn't find Gwen. If a tracker was necessary to give Jack peace of mind, he would do it.
So they turned the tracker on and there was Ianto's little blip, in a corner bar somewhere in Cardiff.
"What's he doing there?" Jack asked Gwen, who had joined him at the Hub.
She shrugged in response.
"Wanna go see?"
"You drive," she replied.
Fifteen minutes later they were standing, open-mouthed at the entrance of the bar. Ianto was sitting on a small stage, strumming his guitar and singing.
Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see
He looked down at the audience and spotted them. His eyes widened in shock but he went on singing.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out
It doesn't matter much to me
Jack stumbled to the bar and perched on a stool, Gwen right behind him.
Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
"Wow, he's good," she whispered, reluctant to break the silence. Ianto had a low, melodic voice, the kind that made people want to close their eyes just to listen better.
Jack ignored her in favour of staring at Ianto.
No one I think is in my tree
I mean it must be high or low
That is you can't you know tune in but it's all right
That is I think it's not too bad
Ianto ignored their presence, looking down at his guitar and at the front of the bar, instead of back where they were sitting. Jack stared hard at him. He wanted to catch Ianto's eye, maybe the weight of his stare would be enough to force Ianto to look at him.
Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
Ianto finally gave in and looked up, eyes locked with Jack's as he sang the next verse.
Always, no sometimes, think it's me
But you know I know when it's a dream
I think I know I mean a "Yes" but it's all wrong
That is I think I disagree
Jack suddenly got up and stalked outside, leaving Gwen to look after him in shock. Ianto looked a question at her but she shrugged in response. She had no idea why Jack has stormed off.
* * *
When Ianto returned home, Jack was waiting for him. He'd paced around the living room table a million times before he heard the key in the lock.
"Why did you pick that song?" he demanded the momend Ianto walked in.
"That's what you want to know?" Ianto asked, surprised at the question, "Not why I was singing or why I didn't tell you but why I picked that song?"
Jack dismissed the other questions with a wave.
"Do you really feel like that?"
Ianto blinked at him.
"Like what?"
"The song, Ianto!"
"You think I picked that song for a reason," Ianto said slowly.
"Yes!"
"Jack, it's just a song. I like the melody, it fits my voice."
Jack looked at him suspiciously.
"Come on, Jack, it's just a song, I promise."
Ianto stepped slowly closer, as if approaching a spooked horse. Jack remained tense until Ianto was close enough to touch, then dragged him into a hug.
"Just a song?"
"Yeah. Lennon was probably high when he wrote it," Ianto joked.
"Okay. You'd tell me if you felt alone or insane?"
"I promise."
"Okay."
They stayed like that for a few moments.
"Come on, let's get you in the shower. You're too tightly wound these days," Ianto sighed.
For once Jack stayed quiet and let Ianto pull him along.