Ficlet: Karaoke
Note: I wrote this little thing to counteract the fact I seem to constantly write angst. This is a little more fun and silly. It's set during S2 when Martha comes to visit. Torchwood go out to a karaoke night...
And thank you to rude_not_ginger for taking a look at it for me before posting!
"No," Jack said with an air of finality. "I've come this far but no, I'm not getting up there."
Ianto joined the table and set down a tray of assorted drinks before handing them over to their respective owners, and from the other side of the table Martha and Gwen were throwing each other conspiratorial grins.
"I mean it!" He told them with a finger pointed in their direction as he took the glass from Ianto without even looking at him. "You go make a fool of yourself all you like, but you are not getting me up there."
"Oh it's all right," Gwen said as she leaned back a little in her chair, taking a long swig from her pint, her eyes glancing back at Jack over the rim of the glass. "Jack's just nervous, isn't that right, Jack?" She smiled sweetly and lowered her voice a little in mock confidentiality to the group, "Worried we'll think he's not very good, you know how it is. Too chicken to prove himself." She glanced over in Jack's direction and back to Martha before the pair of them started giggling.
"Oh no you don't," Jack said, "you don't get to me like that. I know exactly what you're doing, and you are not going to trick me into getting up there."
"Jack!" Martha said with a pleading voice. "Come on, it'd be fun!" She pulled the folder from her lap and opened it up, thumbing through the pages. "We've been looking," she explained, "they've got 'It's Raining Men'."
"If that's supposed to be persuasive," Jack said with a slight frown, "it's not."
To Jack's side, confident nobody was looking, Ianto took a swig from his bottle of Becks and smirked as he gently placed it back down on the table. Jack turned to look at him and shot him a look as though he expected him to come to his rescue, but no such luck, Ianto just looked right back at him and tried not to make his smile too obvious.
"Well if anybody cares what I think-" Owen started as he leaned back into his chair, looking pained to even be there.
"We don't," Gwen interrupted, earning herself a scowl from Owen.
"As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted. If anyone cares what I think, I'm with Jack on this."
Jack grinned and looked over to Owen, reaching his hand out and smacking him on the shoulder companionably. "Finally!" He said, "The voice of reason! And from Owen, no less."
"Oy," Owen scowled at Jack. "What I meant was, I'm with you because the last thing I bloody need is to hear you belting out to Gloria Gaynor or some rubbish. No thank you very much. Frankly, I'd rather die."
"You know that could be arranged," Ianto piped up, deadpan.
Jack shot his head around and stared at Ianto. "Stop it," he said, firmly, before looking around and addressing the group. "I mean it, all of you."
The table fell quiet and Jack nodded as though he'd achieved his goal, but over the other side Gwen and Martha were grinning at each other again, and Martha cleared her throat before nodding at Jack and saying, "Yes. Yes of course, you're right. Very authoritative of you, Jack." She looked back at Gwen and they both burst out laughing.
Throwing his hands in the air, Jack leaned back in the booth. "I give up," he declared. "You know once, people used to respect me."
"Oh perish the thought," Gwen smiled, teasing him. "Oh come on Jack!" She pressed, "Just one song. We'll come up, won't we? Be your backing singers!"
"I don't sing!" Jack insisted with his eyebrows raised impossibly high.
"Unless you're in the shower," Ianto spoke into his bottle.
"Hey you're supposed to be on my side!" Jack gazed back to Ianto with a betrayed expression and an almost pout.
"I'm impartial," Ianto informed Jack with a curt nod. "I'm siding with nobody. Best if I want to end the evening with my limbs intact."
Fearing her plan was coming to no fruition, Martha turned her attention to Tosh, who'd so far managed to sit quietly just listening, staying out of things and nursing her glass between her hands. "You'll get up and sing, won't you, Tosh?!" Martha beamed at her, hopefully.
"Oh I don't know about--" Tosh looked at Martha uncertainly before Owen quickly butted in with a smirk,
"Of course she will. Now you three girls get up there, shake your arses and shriek out to your hearts content. With any luck you'll be so bad that they'll chuck us out and we won't have to endure this headache any more. I mean listen to them! Jack are you sure that one is human? Since when is making that sort of noise normal?"
Tosh pursed her lips at Owen and he shot a triumphant grin back in her direction.
"Well that's sorted then!" Gwen said, as though it was. "The three girls. Team Torchwood and team UNIT. We can be like the Supremes!"
"Does that make Jack Diana Ross?" Owen asked.
"NO. It doesn't." Jack scowled, before quieter, adding, "And I see myself as more of a Frank Sinatra."
Owen scoffed and Ianto smirked. Tosh smiled, "I bet you'd be lovely singing those old crooner songs, Jack."
"You know they've got some Sinatra!" Martha piped up, flicking through the pages again.
"I'm sure I would," Jack agreed to Tosh, and, "but that wasn't an invitation," to Martha.
Martha's shoulders slumped and she looked back to Gwen, "You know he never used to be this boring when I knew him."
Gwen's attention was piqued, "Oh and what was he like when you knew him?"
Uh oh, Jack thought, women gossiping, last thing he needed. "Fine!" He said, giving in. "Just pick me a good one."
Words: 985
And thank you to rude_not_ginger for taking a look at it for me before posting!
"No," Jack said with an air of finality. "I've come this far but no, I'm not getting up there."
Ianto joined the table and set down a tray of assorted drinks before handing them over to their respective owners, and from the other side of the table Martha and Gwen were throwing each other conspiratorial grins.
"I mean it!" He told them with a finger pointed in their direction as he took the glass from Ianto without even looking at him. "You go make a fool of yourself all you like, but you are not getting me up there."
"Oh it's all right," Gwen said as she leaned back a little in her chair, taking a long swig from her pint, her eyes glancing back at Jack over the rim of the glass. "Jack's just nervous, isn't that right, Jack?" She smiled sweetly and lowered her voice a little in mock confidentiality to the group, "Worried we'll think he's not very good, you know how it is. Too chicken to prove himself." She glanced over in Jack's direction and back to Martha before the pair of them started giggling.
"Oh no you don't," Jack said, "you don't get to me like that. I know exactly what you're doing, and you are not going to trick me into getting up there."
"Jack!" Martha said with a pleading voice. "Come on, it'd be fun!" She pulled the folder from her lap and opened it up, thumbing through the pages. "We've been looking," she explained, "they've got 'It's Raining Men'."
"If that's supposed to be persuasive," Jack said with a slight frown, "it's not."
To Jack's side, confident nobody was looking, Ianto took a swig from his bottle of Becks and smirked as he gently placed it back down on the table. Jack turned to look at him and shot him a look as though he expected him to come to his rescue, but no such luck, Ianto just looked right back at him and tried not to make his smile too obvious.
"Well if anybody cares what I think-" Owen started as he leaned back into his chair, looking pained to even be there.
"We don't," Gwen interrupted, earning herself a scowl from Owen.
"As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted. If anyone cares what I think, I'm with Jack on this."
Jack grinned and looked over to Owen, reaching his hand out and smacking him on the shoulder companionably. "Finally!" He said, "The voice of reason! And from Owen, no less."
"Oy," Owen scowled at Jack. "What I meant was, I'm with you because the last thing I bloody need is to hear you belting out to Gloria Gaynor or some rubbish. No thank you very much. Frankly, I'd rather die."
"You know that could be arranged," Ianto piped up, deadpan.
Jack shot his head around and stared at Ianto. "Stop it," he said, firmly, before looking around and addressing the group. "I mean it, all of you."
The table fell quiet and Jack nodded as though he'd achieved his goal, but over the other side Gwen and Martha were grinning at each other again, and Martha cleared her throat before nodding at Jack and saying, "Yes. Yes of course, you're right. Very authoritative of you, Jack." She looked back at Gwen and they both burst out laughing.
Throwing his hands in the air, Jack leaned back in the booth. "I give up," he declared. "You know once, people used to respect me."
"Oh perish the thought," Gwen smiled, teasing him. "Oh come on Jack!" She pressed, "Just one song. We'll come up, won't we? Be your backing singers!"
"I don't sing!" Jack insisted with his eyebrows raised impossibly high.
"Unless you're in the shower," Ianto spoke into his bottle.
"Hey you're supposed to be on my side!" Jack gazed back to Ianto with a betrayed expression and an almost pout.
"I'm impartial," Ianto informed Jack with a curt nod. "I'm siding with nobody. Best if I want to end the evening with my limbs intact."
Fearing her plan was coming to no fruition, Martha turned her attention to Tosh, who'd so far managed to sit quietly just listening, staying out of things and nursing her glass between her hands. "You'll get up and sing, won't you, Tosh?!" Martha beamed at her, hopefully.
"Oh I don't know about--" Tosh looked at Martha uncertainly before Owen quickly butted in with a smirk,
"Of course she will. Now you three girls get up there, shake your arses and shriek out to your hearts content. With any luck you'll be so bad that they'll chuck us out and we won't have to endure this headache any more. I mean listen to them! Jack are you sure that one is human? Since when is making that sort of noise normal?"
Tosh pursed her lips at Owen and he shot a triumphant grin back in her direction.
"Well that's sorted then!" Gwen said, as though it was. "The three girls. Team Torchwood and team UNIT. We can be like the Supremes!"
"Does that make Jack Diana Ross?" Owen asked.
"NO. It doesn't." Jack scowled, before quieter, adding, "And I see myself as more of a Frank Sinatra."
Owen scoffed and Ianto smirked. Tosh smiled, "I bet you'd be lovely singing those old crooner songs, Jack."
"You know they've got some Sinatra!" Martha piped up, flicking through the pages again.
"I'm sure I would," Jack agreed to Tosh, and, "but that wasn't an invitation," to Martha.
Martha's shoulders slumped and she looked back to Gwen, "You know he never used to be this boring when I knew him."
Gwen's attention was piqued, "Oh and what was he like when you knew him?"
Uh oh, Jack thought, women gossiping, last thing he needed. "Fine!" He said, giving in. "Just pick me a good one."
Words: 985