I Can't Help It
Title: I Can't Help It
Author: Timelordshines
Characters: Toshiko Sato, Ianto Jones
Rating: PG
Words: 756
Spoilers: Set shortly after 'Meat'
Disclaimer: Characters belong to RTD and the BBC - I’m just borrowing them.
Written for hc_bingo prompt "Slaves".
“Tosh?” Ianto called out as she hurried past, not looking at either him or Jack.
The cog door alarm wailed as she rushed outside.
“What was that all about?” Jack asked
“I don’t know….” Ianto mused, standing up to follow her. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
He caught up to her standing leaning on the railings outside the tourist office, looking out to sea. She didn’t look up as Ianto stood next to her, his arm almost but not quite touching hers as he too leaned on the railing. “Owen can be such a bastard sometimes.” She stated vehemently. “How is he always so hurtful?”
“It’s just how he is. Don’t take it to heart.”
“But I can’t help it. I love him and he’s a complete bastard.” She turned to look up at her friend, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let Owen win. She wasn’t going to cry. Not this time.
“Come on,” said Ianto putting his arm around her, “let’s go and get a drink.”
She smiled at him, grateful for the distraction that allowed her to compose herself as they walked up the steps.
A few minutes later Ianto held open the door to the Eli Jenkins pub in the Plass and ushered Toshiko inside. She sat down at a quiet booth and waited for him to return from the bar with their drinks.
“So,” said Ianto placing Tosh’s drink on the table in front of her and sliding into the seat next to her, “What did he do this time?”
“He’s just so inconsiderate. I go out of my way to help him and he doesn’t even care. He just takes me for granted all the time.” She took a sip of her drink. “Thanks,” She smiled at him before continuing, “the other night, when he was working late, I thought I’d go and help him and keep him company. I took him a sandwich and told him I didn’t mind helping as I wasn’t tired. If he’d bothered to look at me he’d have realised I was so tired I was nearly falling asleep on my feet. I could just see he was struggling too and wanted to help him. But no, he didn’t care. He just took the food and said if I wasn’t tired I could do it then, and then he left!”
“Bastard,” Ianto said under his breath.
“Yeah,” she agreed, “and now he’s just cancelled on me for tonight.”
“Oh Tosh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not like it was a date or anything. It was meant to be, when I asked him, but he didn’t realise that. I asked him to go for a drink and a game of pool and he immediately turned it into a team outing.” Tosh blushed and added hastily, “not that I mind spending time with you all of course! It’s just that I’d wanted some time alone with him, but he was too thick to realise that. Then I got to thinking that actually it might not be a bad thing to make it a team outing, especially when Gwen said she was inviting Rhys. There would be Gwen and Rhys, you and Jack, and then Owen and… me. He might see you lot being all coupley and it might help him to see that we could be right together.”
Ianto covered her hand, where it rested on the table, with his own much larger one in a comforting gesture. Tosh smiled weakly up at him. “But then, just now, I went to speak to him to check what time he was going to get to the pub and he had completely forgotten. He wasn’t even apologetic when he said he was going on a date tonight with some slut he met last week.”
“He is an arsehole, Tosh. You deserve so much better.”
“But I don’t want someone better. I want him.” Tosh wailed. “I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.”
“We are all slaves to love. You can’t help who you fall for. I just hope one day soon he will realise what an idiot he is being and see what is right in front of him. You deserve to be happy Tosh.”
“Yeah, right” Tosh said, taking a large gulp of her drink.
“Don’t let him win Tosh. Come out with us tonight, I’ll make sure you have a good time and you can forget about that looser for a few hours.”
“Thanks Ianto. You’re a good friend.”
“So are you.”
Author: Timelordshines
Characters: Toshiko Sato, Ianto Jones
Rating: PG
Words: 756
Spoilers: Set shortly after 'Meat'
Disclaimer: Characters belong to RTD and the BBC - I’m just borrowing them.
Written for hc_bingo prompt "Slaves".
“Tosh?” Ianto called out as she hurried past, not looking at either him or Jack.
The cog door alarm wailed as she rushed outside.
“What was that all about?” Jack asked
“I don’t know….” Ianto mused, standing up to follow her. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
He caught up to her standing leaning on the railings outside the tourist office, looking out to sea. She didn’t look up as Ianto stood next to her, his arm almost but not quite touching hers as he too leaned on the railing. “Owen can be such a bastard sometimes.” She stated vehemently. “How is he always so hurtful?”
“It’s just how he is. Don’t take it to heart.”
“But I can’t help it. I love him and he’s a complete bastard.” She turned to look up at her friend, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let Owen win. She wasn’t going to cry. Not this time.
“Come on,” said Ianto putting his arm around her, “let’s go and get a drink.”
She smiled at him, grateful for the distraction that allowed her to compose herself as they walked up the steps.
A few minutes later Ianto held open the door to the Eli Jenkins pub in the Plass and ushered Toshiko inside. She sat down at a quiet booth and waited for him to return from the bar with their drinks.
“So,” said Ianto placing Tosh’s drink on the table in front of her and sliding into the seat next to her, “What did he do this time?”
“He’s just so inconsiderate. I go out of my way to help him and he doesn’t even care. He just takes me for granted all the time.” She took a sip of her drink. “Thanks,” She smiled at him before continuing, “the other night, when he was working late, I thought I’d go and help him and keep him company. I took him a sandwich and told him I didn’t mind helping as I wasn’t tired. If he’d bothered to look at me he’d have realised I was so tired I was nearly falling asleep on my feet. I could just see he was struggling too and wanted to help him. But no, he didn’t care. He just took the food and said if I wasn’t tired I could do it then, and then he left!”
“Bastard,” Ianto said under his breath.
“Yeah,” she agreed, “and now he’s just cancelled on me for tonight.”
“Oh Tosh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not like it was a date or anything. It was meant to be, when I asked him, but he didn’t realise that. I asked him to go for a drink and a game of pool and he immediately turned it into a team outing.” Tosh blushed and added hastily, “not that I mind spending time with you all of course! It’s just that I’d wanted some time alone with him, but he was too thick to realise that. Then I got to thinking that actually it might not be a bad thing to make it a team outing, especially when Gwen said she was inviting Rhys. There would be Gwen and Rhys, you and Jack, and then Owen and… me. He might see you lot being all coupley and it might help him to see that we could be right together.”
Ianto covered her hand, where it rested on the table, with his own much larger one in a comforting gesture. Tosh smiled weakly up at him. “But then, just now, I went to speak to him to check what time he was going to get to the pub and he had completely forgotten. He wasn’t even apologetic when he said he was going on a date tonight with some slut he met last week.”
“He is an arsehole, Tosh. You deserve so much better.”
“But I don’t want someone better. I want him.” Tosh wailed. “I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it.”
“We are all slaves to love. You can’t help who you fall for. I just hope one day soon he will realise what an idiot he is being and see what is right in front of him. You deserve to be happy Tosh.”
“Yeah, right” Tosh said, taking a large gulp of her drink.
“Don’t let him win Tosh. Come out with us tonight, I’ll make sure you have a good time and you can forget about that looser for a few hours.”
“Thanks Ianto. You’re a good friend.”
“So are you.”