Fic: That Monday Feeling 2/9
Monday 2nd February, 7:13
‘I need you to take the kids to school this morning.’
‘What?’ Ianto was peering out at his sister from underneath a pillow, one eye half closed.
‘The movers will be here in an hour and I need to go over to Ryan’s and give him the spare set of keys before that.’
Ianto frowned. ‘What?’
‘I need you to get them dressed and make them lunch. They both had a bath last night, so they shouldn’t need one this morning. Also, don’t let Finlay forget his homework. It’s on your desk.’
‘No, Rhiannon, this happened yesterday. You moved house yesterday.’ Ianto was out from underneath the pillow now, rubbing a hand down his face.
‘I thought you were working last night, not out on the lash,’ said Rhiannon.
‘I was working, I-‘ I died yesterday.
Rhiannon’s phone started ringing and she pulled it from her pocket. ‘I’ve got to go, don’t forget Finn’s homework.’
Ianto took a moment, perched on the side of the bed, to try and figure out if he was dreaming, crazy or was just having a severe case of déjà vu. One shoe was lying in the middle of the bedroom floor and his jacket was lying over the end of the bed just like it had been yesterday. Only it wasn’t yesterday. He switched the radio alarm clock on and listened a moment to the traffic report for Monday. He needed to call Jack.
~
‘No, Jack, you’re not understanding. I’ve already lived through this Monday,’ Ianto said, watching Finlay channel hopping.
‘Finlay, go and get dressed,’ Ianto said. He remembered yesterday morning and the excavation that had been involved after Finn had spilt toothpaste down the front of his jumper. ‘Do your teeth first, though.’
‘Ianto, I’m sure it probably seems like-‘
‘No, Jack, it was exactly the same. I can tell you how the rest of the day goes if you want?’
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.
‘Did you fall asleep watching Groundhog Day again?’
Ianto sighed in frustration. ‘No.’
‘Pity the lottery doesn’t play on a Monday,’ said Jack.
‘Jack, are you going to take this seriously or not?’
‘Um-‘
‘Jack!’
‘Okay, I’m taking this deadly serious,’ said Jack, but Ianto could hear the smile in his voice. Jack wasn’t taking this seriously at all.
‘I’m going to die,’ Ianto blurted. That sobered Jack somewhat. He didn’t say anything, but Ianto could hear all the questions in the silence.
‘We’re going to go to a warehouse in Pontypridd this evening and I’m going to die.’
‘That’s not funny, Ianto,’ said Jack.
‘I’m not laughing.’
~
‘So it’s something to do with the canister, right?’ said Jack. ‘So all I have to do is fetch it without it blowing up and then we can analyse what’s inside and figure out how to get you out of the time loop.’ Jack was taking long strides, wearing a path between his office and the stairs down to the cog door. Ianto was sitting on the sofa underneath the Torchwood logo, gulping down too hot coffee. He’d dressed in a suit that morning, if only to try and change minor details so he didn’t die in exactly the same way, if at all.
‘You make it sound so easy,’ said Ianto. Jack just glared as he retrieved his coat from the stand.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Jack asked as Ianto pulled himself to his feet.
‘Somewhere that you clearly disprove of,’ Ianto ventured. All Jack did for a moment was glare.
‘I’ll hold down the fort then,’ Ianto said, resuming his seat. ‘And try not to die.’ He watched Jack hurrying down the stairs and out through the cog door. ‘Of boredom,’ he added when Jack was well out of earshot.
In Jack’s absence, though, there were still the other problems for the day to deal with, like the wet Weevils out in Penarth and that dead body that was currently washing downstream before lodging itself outside Nos Da. But Ianto stayed put. At least until his coffee was finished. He called Gwen, then.
‘I should know by now that day off is actually a synonym of the world’s going to end,’ Gwen said by way of greeting.
‘Not quite ending, but I could do with your help. Jack’s off on another case and there’s a large group of Weevils over in Penarth playing tag between the trees by the Old Custom House.’
There was a grunt of annoyance from Gwen and the shifting of bedcovers. ‘Pick me up?’
‘Sure.’ And then Ianto remembered that his car was going to give up the will to live sometime soon. ‘If I can find Jack’s car keys,’ said Ianto, already making his way into Jack’s office to shift around bits of paper on Jack’s desk.
‘What’s wrong with your car? Or the SUV?’
‘Jack’s got the SUV and my car is no longer working.’
‘Give me twenty minutes and I’ll meet you on the Plass, unless you find Jack’s keys in the next few minutes,’ Gwen said, somewhat hopeful, but Ianto had already given up the search. There was really no hope of finding anything on Jack’s desk.
‘Unlikely.’
~
Ianto had been bitten by Weevils before, careless neglect had seen a half moon shape forever imprinted on his arm and more stitches than he could count. He’d been more interested in that floaty feeling of apathy afterwards as Owen threw verbal abuse his way. Now it just hurts, and it’s loud. Because someone is screaming, and at first he thinks it’s Gwen, but Gwen’s mouth is shut in a thin line of concentration and worry so it can’t be her.
He notices how warm the rain suddenly feels as he lies on the muddy ground and he wishes he’d not worn his suit today because the mud is never coming out of the pinstripes. It’s the least of his worries, though, if the colour of Gwen’s hands is anything to go by.
‘I thought I told you to stay put.’ Jack’s voice was coming from somewhere and it took Ianto a moment to realise he’s still got his earpiece in. He can hear the rumble of traffic in the background from Jack’s end of the line.
‘Did you get it?’ Ianto managed to croak out, a wet sound somewhere deep in his chest followed by Gwen’s pained gasp.
‘There wasn’t anything there,’ Jack said.
‘Too early in the day,’ Ianto gurgled.
‘Ianto-‘ Jack started, but didn’t finish, because Gwen cut across them both.
‘Stop saying goodbye to him, and just get here!’ Gwen said, somewhere between yelling and crying. She’d already called an ambulance, but her resolution was crumbling quickly.
‘Oh God, just stop bleeding,’ she said uselessly to Ianto’s neck. Ianto’s gaze was now somewhere past her left shoulder at the canopy of trees that surrounds them and he thinks maybe it would have been a good idea to stay put after all.
Next
‘I need you to take the kids to school this morning.’
‘What?’ Ianto was peering out at his sister from underneath a pillow, one eye half closed.
‘The movers will be here in an hour and I need to go over to Ryan’s and give him the spare set of keys before that.’
Ianto frowned. ‘What?’
‘I need you to get them dressed and make them lunch. They both had a bath last night, so they shouldn’t need one this morning. Also, don’t let Finlay forget his homework. It’s on your desk.’
‘No, Rhiannon, this happened yesterday. You moved house yesterday.’ Ianto was out from underneath the pillow now, rubbing a hand down his face.
‘I thought you were working last night, not out on the lash,’ said Rhiannon.
‘I was working, I-‘ I died yesterday.
Rhiannon’s phone started ringing and she pulled it from her pocket. ‘I’ve got to go, don’t forget Finn’s homework.’
Ianto took a moment, perched on the side of the bed, to try and figure out if he was dreaming, crazy or was just having a severe case of déjà vu. One shoe was lying in the middle of the bedroom floor and his jacket was lying over the end of the bed just like it had been yesterday. Only it wasn’t yesterday. He switched the radio alarm clock on and listened a moment to the traffic report for Monday. He needed to call Jack.
~
‘No, Jack, you’re not understanding. I’ve already lived through this Monday,’ Ianto said, watching Finlay channel hopping.
‘Finlay, go and get dressed,’ Ianto said. He remembered yesterday morning and the excavation that had been involved after Finn had spilt toothpaste down the front of his jumper. ‘Do your teeth first, though.’
‘Ianto, I’m sure it probably seems like-‘
‘No, Jack, it was exactly the same. I can tell you how the rest of the day goes if you want?’
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.
‘Did you fall asleep watching Groundhog Day again?’
Ianto sighed in frustration. ‘No.’
‘Pity the lottery doesn’t play on a Monday,’ said Jack.
‘Jack, are you going to take this seriously or not?’
‘Um-‘
‘Jack!’
‘Okay, I’m taking this deadly serious,’ said Jack, but Ianto could hear the smile in his voice. Jack wasn’t taking this seriously at all.
‘I’m going to die,’ Ianto blurted. That sobered Jack somewhat. He didn’t say anything, but Ianto could hear all the questions in the silence.
‘We’re going to go to a warehouse in Pontypridd this evening and I’m going to die.’
‘That’s not funny, Ianto,’ said Jack.
‘I’m not laughing.’
~
‘So it’s something to do with the canister, right?’ said Jack. ‘So all I have to do is fetch it without it blowing up and then we can analyse what’s inside and figure out how to get you out of the time loop.’ Jack was taking long strides, wearing a path between his office and the stairs down to the cog door. Ianto was sitting on the sofa underneath the Torchwood logo, gulping down too hot coffee. He’d dressed in a suit that morning, if only to try and change minor details so he didn’t die in exactly the same way, if at all.
‘You make it sound so easy,’ said Ianto. Jack just glared as he retrieved his coat from the stand.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Jack asked as Ianto pulled himself to his feet.
‘Somewhere that you clearly disprove of,’ Ianto ventured. All Jack did for a moment was glare.
‘I’ll hold down the fort then,’ Ianto said, resuming his seat. ‘And try not to die.’ He watched Jack hurrying down the stairs and out through the cog door. ‘Of boredom,’ he added when Jack was well out of earshot.
In Jack’s absence, though, there were still the other problems for the day to deal with, like the wet Weevils out in Penarth and that dead body that was currently washing downstream before lodging itself outside Nos Da. But Ianto stayed put. At least until his coffee was finished. He called Gwen, then.
‘I should know by now that day off is actually a synonym of the world’s going to end,’ Gwen said by way of greeting.
‘Not quite ending, but I could do with your help. Jack’s off on another case and there’s a large group of Weevils over in Penarth playing tag between the trees by the Old Custom House.’
There was a grunt of annoyance from Gwen and the shifting of bedcovers. ‘Pick me up?’
‘Sure.’ And then Ianto remembered that his car was going to give up the will to live sometime soon. ‘If I can find Jack’s car keys,’ said Ianto, already making his way into Jack’s office to shift around bits of paper on Jack’s desk.
‘What’s wrong with your car? Or the SUV?’
‘Jack’s got the SUV and my car is no longer working.’
‘Give me twenty minutes and I’ll meet you on the Plass, unless you find Jack’s keys in the next few minutes,’ Gwen said, somewhat hopeful, but Ianto had already given up the search. There was really no hope of finding anything on Jack’s desk.
‘Unlikely.’
~
Ianto had been bitten by Weevils before, careless neglect had seen a half moon shape forever imprinted on his arm and more stitches than he could count. He’d been more interested in that floaty feeling of apathy afterwards as Owen threw verbal abuse his way. Now it just hurts, and it’s loud. Because someone is screaming, and at first he thinks it’s Gwen, but Gwen’s mouth is shut in a thin line of concentration and worry so it can’t be her.
He notices how warm the rain suddenly feels as he lies on the muddy ground and he wishes he’d not worn his suit today because the mud is never coming out of the pinstripes. It’s the least of his worries, though, if the colour of Gwen’s hands is anything to go by.
‘I thought I told you to stay put.’ Jack’s voice was coming from somewhere and it took Ianto a moment to realise he’s still got his earpiece in. He can hear the rumble of traffic in the background from Jack’s end of the line.
‘Did you get it?’ Ianto managed to croak out, a wet sound somewhere deep in his chest followed by Gwen’s pained gasp.
‘There wasn’t anything there,’ Jack said.
‘Too early in the day,’ Ianto gurgled.
‘Ianto-‘ Jack started, but didn’t finish, because Gwen cut across them both.
‘Stop saying goodbye to him, and just get here!’ Gwen said, somewhere between yelling and crying. She’d already called an ambulance, but her resolution was crumbling quickly.
‘Oh God, just stop bleeding,’ she said uselessly to Ianto’s neck. Ianto’s gaze was now somewhere past her left shoulder at the canopy of trees that surrounds them and he thinks maybe it would have been a good idea to stay put after all.
Next