Ficlet: Stowaway
Title: Stowaway
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, TARDIS, Stowaway
Rating: G
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Somebody slipped aboard Ianto and Jack’s TARDIS without them noticing.
Word Count: 613
Written For: My own prompt ‘Any, any, Stowaway,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
A/N: Set in my ‘Through Time And Space’ ‘verse.
“Up, up, and away!” Jack cried dramatically, flopping into one of the chairs in the TARDIS console room.
“More like Abracadabra and we’ve vanished,” Ianto replied with an amused smile, making his way to the coffee station to prepare a badly needed caffeine fix for them both. “That was quite an experience! Do you think the two sides will find a way to live in peace now?”
“We’ve given them the best incentive there is; if they don’t set their differences aside and work together to can up the mess they’ve made of their world, none of the nearby planets will trade with them anymore, and with the damage they’ve done to their own atmosphere through waging war against each other, they can no longer produce food. They need trade; without it they all die. At least now they have a chance.”
“I suppose so, I just wish we could have done more.”
“We can’t fix all their problems for them, Ianto; they have to do some of the work themselves or they won’t learn anything and they’ll fall back into bad habits.” A flicker of movement caught Jack’s eye and he turned his head, seeking out the source. “Well, hello there! Ianto, looks like we picked up a stowaway.”
Ianto paused in his coffee making and glanced over at Jack, eyebrow raised. “We have?”
“Over there, peeping out from under the blue chair.”
Sure enough, when Ianto looked where Jack was pointing a small blue head was just visible, watching them curiously.
“Isn’t that one of the creatures the Hollix keep as pets?”
“Looks like it. One must have slipped aboard while the doors were open.”
“Maybe we should take it back; it might belong to someone.”
“And if the Hollix and the Patnabam can’t learn to get along, they’ll destroy their world completely and these little fellas will become extinct. They don’t deserve that.” Jack was trying to coax the small, fuzzy creature out from under the chair by offering it a bit of biscuit.
“You’re right, they don’t. Well, I guess it can stay then.”
“Them.”
“What?”
“Unless we have the only one in existence with two tails, there’s a pair under there.” An idea struck him. “Hey, maybe we can start our own colony! They are kind of cute.” Jack’s coaxing paid off and the boldest slunk out to nibble on the offered biscuit, humming its appreciation. That was enough to get the attention of the second, which also slithered out to sample the cuisine, closely followed by five more colourful, fluffy, ten inch long miniature snakes with delicate, deer-like heads and big eyes.
Ianto laughed. “From the looks of it we already have a colony; I’d better fetch more biscuits and work out a healthy diet for them.”
“What was it the Hollix called them?” Jack’s mind had been on more important matters when Ianto was questioning one of the Hollix about the small creatures that seemed so popular amongst her people.
“Paras Littra Verras. It translates as…” Ianto frowned.
‘Fuzzy pouch dwellers,’ the TARDIS informed him. ‘The Hollix carry them in their pouches.’
“Not the most charming name in the world,” Ianto said with a wry smile. He watched as the one Jack had picked up and plonked in his lap slithered into his pocket, turning around to poke its head out. “Pocket Fluffs, that’s what they are.”
Jack laughed. “Suits them perfectly! So, welcome to your new home, boys and girls, happy to have you aboard!”
Joining Jack with a tray of coffee and some extra biscuits, Ianto had the distinct feeling that life aboard the TARDIS was never going to be quite the same again.
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, TARDIS, Stowaway
Rating: G
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Somebody slipped aboard Ianto and Jack’s TARDIS without them noticing.
Word Count: 613
Written For: My own prompt ‘Any, any, Stowaway,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
A/N: Set in my ‘Through Time And Space’ ‘verse.
“Up, up, and away!” Jack cried dramatically, flopping into one of the chairs in the TARDIS console room.
“More like Abracadabra and we’ve vanished,” Ianto replied with an amused smile, making his way to the coffee station to prepare a badly needed caffeine fix for them both. “That was quite an experience! Do you think the two sides will find a way to live in peace now?”
“We’ve given them the best incentive there is; if they don’t set their differences aside and work together to can up the mess they’ve made of their world, none of the nearby planets will trade with them anymore, and with the damage they’ve done to their own atmosphere through waging war against each other, they can no longer produce food. They need trade; without it they all die. At least now they have a chance.”
“I suppose so, I just wish we could have done more.”
“We can’t fix all their problems for them, Ianto; they have to do some of the work themselves or they won’t learn anything and they’ll fall back into bad habits.” A flicker of movement caught Jack’s eye and he turned his head, seeking out the source. “Well, hello there! Ianto, looks like we picked up a stowaway.”
Ianto paused in his coffee making and glanced over at Jack, eyebrow raised. “We have?”
“Over there, peeping out from under the blue chair.”
Sure enough, when Ianto looked where Jack was pointing a small blue head was just visible, watching them curiously.
“Isn’t that one of the creatures the Hollix keep as pets?”
“Looks like it. One must have slipped aboard while the doors were open.”
“Maybe we should take it back; it might belong to someone.”
“And if the Hollix and the Patnabam can’t learn to get along, they’ll destroy their world completely and these little fellas will become extinct. They don’t deserve that.” Jack was trying to coax the small, fuzzy creature out from under the chair by offering it a bit of biscuit.
“You’re right, they don’t. Well, I guess it can stay then.”
“Them.”
“What?”
“Unless we have the only one in existence with two tails, there’s a pair under there.” An idea struck him. “Hey, maybe we can start our own colony! They are kind of cute.” Jack’s coaxing paid off and the boldest slunk out to nibble on the offered biscuit, humming its appreciation. That was enough to get the attention of the second, which also slithered out to sample the cuisine, closely followed by five more colourful, fluffy, ten inch long miniature snakes with delicate, deer-like heads and big eyes.
Ianto laughed. “From the looks of it we already have a colony; I’d better fetch more biscuits and work out a healthy diet for them.”
“What was it the Hollix called them?” Jack’s mind had been on more important matters when Ianto was questioning one of the Hollix about the small creatures that seemed so popular amongst her people.
“Paras Littra Verras. It translates as…” Ianto frowned.
‘Fuzzy pouch dwellers,’ the TARDIS informed him. ‘The Hollix carry them in their pouches.’
“Not the most charming name in the world,” Ianto said with a wry smile. He watched as the one Jack had picked up and plonked in his lap slithered into his pocket, turning around to poke its head out. “Pocket Fluffs, that’s what they are.”
Jack laughed. “Suits them perfectly! So, welcome to your new home, boys and girls, happy to have you aboard!”
Joining Jack with a tray of coffee and some extra biscuits, Ianto had the distinct feeling that life aboard the TARDIS was never going to be quite the same again.
The End