DW/TW: Goodbye (PG-13), Jack/Ianto.
Jack could see the edge of Cardiff through the slanted door.
Note: Written for the timestamp challenge, requested by vic_ramsey: A Trip in the Tardis, five years later.
Jack was finished packing. He didn't have much, even now, and it never took long.
The Doctor wasn't talking to him. He was wandering the halls somewhere, fixing things that weren't broken. Ianto was standing by the door.
"It's the day I left," Ianto told him.
Jack could see the edge of Cardiff through the slanted door, the water tower, the muted sun and the trickling rain. It had been so long since he'd seen it, but somehow he remembered every single thing.
"I could go grab some take-away and they'd never know that I was gone," Ianto continued. He had one foot out of the door, his hand curled around the edge of it, holding it there, just partly opened, not wide enough to walk through.
"Yeah," Jack said quietly, and the word almost stuck in his throat. "The Doctor doesn't usually make it this close to the mark. I told you he likes you."
Ianto had three cardboard boxes stacked beside his feet. Ianto had collected a life's worth of possessions in five years--everything from alien teapots to ray guns. Jack wondered if he'd take it all back to his apartment and line them up along his bookshelf, or if he'd take it back to Torchwood, and carefully file every single one away.
"If you're not ready," Ianto started to say, but Jack just shook his head before he could finish the thought.
Some part of Jack wouldn't ever be ready. It felt a little like ripping his heart out again, but he knew this time that it wasn't. The first time he lost this he thought it would kill him, but now he knew there's nothing that could.
"I belong here," Jack told him. It was the truth, he knew. Two galaxies away and centuries from where and when he was born, and it was the only place he's ever fit in.
"Did you say goodbye to him?" Ianto asked.
Ianto said goodbye the night before. The Doctor had been overly cordial and busy with the Tardis, wishing him well, wishing him luck, before laughing and saying at least they'd had fun while it lasted.
Jack had opened his mouth to say something as well and the Doctor had disappeared right out of the room.
"You should go get that take-away," Jack told him. "I'll meet you at Torchwood."
Ianto hesitated, glancing at his feet and then away. "Jack--"
"I'll be there," Jack said slowly. "Ianto, I'll be there."
Ianto nodded then, and took one last look around the Tardis. "It has been amazing, hasn't it?"
"It always is," Jack said, and Ianto picked up his boxes and left.
The door slid shut once Ianto was gone and latched with a click. Jack turned around when he heard the footsteps, and the Doctor looked startled to see him still there.
"You didn't think I'd leave without goodbye, did you?" Jack asked. "That's your MO, not mine."
The Doctor frowned, but didn't leave this time. "I don't really do goodbye, that's true. And this isn't really goodbye, Jack. You're as connected to this ship as I am. She'll call you home again."
"Maybe," Jack said. "But that'll be a long time from now. Five hundred years at least."
The Doctor looked away. "Five hundred for you," he said. "But you know how time works in this ship."
"No," Jack said, frustrated. "You don't get to do this to me again. I need closure. I need a goodbye from you for once, because I can't just walk out that door and--"
"But you're going to, aren't you?" the Doctor asked. "You're the one leaving this time, Jack. I don't owe you anything."
Jack turned away from him, and looked back at the heart of the ship. He could hear it beating. He always could. "When have I ever asked you for anything?" he said. "You can't even give me this?"
The Doctor looked like he'd been struck, and his hands fell uselessly to his side. "Well, that's just like you though, isn't it? You finally ask for something and it's the one thing I can't give. You want to leave, then leave, Jack, but I'm not going to make it easy on you."
Jack laughed disbelievingly. He should have expected it, he knew. "Goodbye," he said, defiantly, and then he chased Ianto out the door.
The streets all looked the same. He stuck his hands in his long coat and ducked his head to avoid the cold, wondering what he would say to the others, how he would explain. He didn't know what Ianto was going to tell them. He hadn't remembered to ask.
Jack was almost to the water tower when someone grabbed his arm and spun him around. The Doctor placed his hands at his neck and kissed him quickly, kind of the way Jack had that day so long ago, when he'd run off to get himself killed for the first time.
"Goodbye," the Doctor said, "but not forever, Jack. You're the only thing that's forever."
Jack barely had his balance back and the Doctor was gone again with the Tardis, leaving that rush of wind in his wake, and that fading siren call.
Jack knew Ianto would be waiting, and so with a smile he started on his way.
Note: Written for the timestamp challenge, requested by vic_ramsey: A Trip in the Tardis, five years later.
Jack was finished packing. He didn't have much, even now, and it never took long.
The Doctor wasn't talking to him. He was wandering the halls somewhere, fixing things that weren't broken. Ianto was standing by the door.
"It's the day I left," Ianto told him.
Jack could see the edge of Cardiff through the slanted door, the water tower, the muted sun and the trickling rain. It had been so long since he'd seen it, but somehow he remembered every single thing.
"I could go grab some take-away and they'd never know that I was gone," Ianto continued. He had one foot out of the door, his hand curled around the edge of it, holding it there, just partly opened, not wide enough to walk through.
"Yeah," Jack said quietly, and the word almost stuck in his throat. "The Doctor doesn't usually make it this close to the mark. I told you he likes you."
Ianto had three cardboard boxes stacked beside his feet. Ianto had collected a life's worth of possessions in five years--everything from alien teapots to ray guns. Jack wondered if he'd take it all back to his apartment and line them up along his bookshelf, or if he'd take it back to Torchwood, and carefully file every single one away.
"If you're not ready," Ianto started to say, but Jack just shook his head before he could finish the thought.
Some part of Jack wouldn't ever be ready. It felt a little like ripping his heart out again, but he knew this time that it wasn't. The first time he lost this he thought it would kill him, but now he knew there's nothing that could.
"I belong here," Jack told him. It was the truth, he knew. Two galaxies away and centuries from where and when he was born, and it was the only place he's ever fit in.
"Did you say goodbye to him?" Ianto asked.
Ianto said goodbye the night before. The Doctor had been overly cordial and busy with the Tardis, wishing him well, wishing him luck, before laughing and saying at least they'd had fun while it lasted.
Jack had opened his mouth to say something as well and the Doctor had disappeared right out of the room.
"You should go get that take-away," Jack told him. "I'll meet you at Torchwood."
Ianto hesitated, glancing at his feet and then away. "Jack--"
"I'll be there," Jack said slowly. "Ianto, I'll be there."
Ianto nodded then, and took one last look around the Tardis. "It has been amazing, hasn't it?"
"It always is," Jack said, and Ianto picked up his boxes and left.
The door slid shut once Ianto was gone and latched with a click. Jack turned around when he heard the footsteps, and the Doctor looked startled to see him still there.
"You didn't think I'd leave without goodbye, did you?" Jack asked. "That's your MO, not mine."
The Doctor frowned, but didn't leave this time. "I don't really do goodbye, that's true. And this isn't really goodbye, Jack. You're as connected to this ship as I am. She'll call you home again."
"Maybe," Jack said. "But that'll be a long time from now. Five hundred years at least."
The Doctor looked away. "Five hundred for you," he said. "But you know how time works in this ship."
"No," Jack said, frustrated. "You don't get to do this to me again. I need closure. I need a goodbye from you for once, because I can't just walk out that door and--"
"But you're going to, aren't you?" the Doctor asked. "You're the one leaving this time, Jack. I don't owe you anything."
Jack turned away from him, and looked back at the heart of the ship. He could hear it beating. He always could. "When have I ever asked you for anything?" he said. "You can't even give me this?"
The Doctor looked like he'd been struck, and his hands fell uselessly to his side. "Well, that's just like you though, isn't it? You finally ask for something and it's the one thing I can't give. You want to leave, then leave, Jack, but I'm not going to make it easy on you."
Jack laughed disbelievingly. He should have expected it, he knew. "Goodbye," he said, defiantly, and then he chased Ianto out the door.
The streets all looked the same. He stuck his hands in his long coat and ducked his head to avoid the cold, wondering what he would say to the others, how he would explain. He didn't know what Ianto was going to tell them. He hadn't remembered to ask.
Jack was almost to the water tower when someone grabbed his arm and spun him around. The Doctor placed his hands at his neck and kissed him quickly, kind of the way Jack had that day so long ago, when he'd run off to get himself killed for the first time.
"Goodbye," the Doctor said, "but not forever, Jack. You're the only thing that's forever."
Jack barely had his balance back and the Doctor was gone again with the Tardis, leaving that rush of wind in his wake, and that fading siren call.
Jack knew Ianto would be waiting, and so with a smile he started on his way.