Ficlet: Worn Out
Title: Worn Out
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 869
Summary: It’s been an exhausting few days, and yet Ianto is refusing to rest. Something has to be done about that.
Spoilers: Nada.
Written For: cozy_coffee’s prompt ‘any, any cuddle fic, Zzzzzz,’ at comment_fic.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood or any of the characters.
The last few days had been beyond crazy, dealing with one alien-related incident after another with barely a moment in between to catch their breath. Even Jack was about dead on his feet; he could only imagine how exhausted Ianto must feel. The rest of the team had already left, chased and chivvied out of the Hub, told in no uncertain terms to go home and get some sleep, don’t bother coming in tomorrow unless the world is ending. Jack could be the strict boss when he tried, and for once even Gwen was too tired to argue about being dismissed. Ianto, on the other hand…
Why was it that Ianto Jones, the youngest member of Torchwood Three, was the one person Jack couldn’t order around? It hardly seemed fair, especially when Ianto’s wellbeing was Jack’s primary concern. That was probably why everyone said it was a bad idea to get romantically involved with colleagues, particularly subordinates, although when he thought about it, Jack was pretty sure that when it came to the Hub, Ianto Jones had set himself firmly in charge. In the field he followed orders better than most, bowing to Jack’s greater experience, but inside their base Jack had a feeling his authority had somehow been subtly usurped without him noticing.
“Ianto!”
Summoned, Torchwood’s archivist and general support officer appeared as if by magic. “Is there something you’re wanting, Sir?”
“Yes, for you to go home and get some sleep. You’re worn out.”
“While I appreciate your concern, I have duties to attend to,” Ianto said firmly. “Myfanwy and our other inmates can’t feed themselves.” He held up a bucket of fish heads, liberally doused in the Pteranodon’s special sauce. “You know how snippy Myf can get if she’s not fed on time. You wouldn’t want her taking her displeasure out on our sensitive equipment again. The sub-etheric resonator’s still a little wobbly from last time.”
Jack scowled but relented. “Fine, you’ve made your point. You go feed our girl and I’ll take care of the others.”
Ianto inclined his head. “If you insist.” His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, but he still stood straight and tall, as if defiantly refusing to succumb to weariness.
“I do. And after that’s done, you’re going straight to bed.” Jack didn’t give Ianto a chance to argue, just headed for the cells to feed Janet and the other inhabitants.
Naturally, his orders were ignored. When Jack came back upstairs twenty minutes later, he found Ianto cleaning up. Sighing, he folded his arms over his chest. “Ianto, stop that!”
“Stop what, Sir?”
“Cleaning! And you can stop with the ‘Sir’ as well!”
“The place is a mess, Jack. I can’t leave it like this, with empty takeaway containers everywhere and practically every mug in the place waiting to be washed.”
“It’ll all still be there tomorrow, or the day after,” Jack said.
“All the more reason to deal with it now, before it can get any worse, since I’m here anyway.”
“At least sit down for five minutes and have a cup of tea,” Jack insisted. “I’ll even make it for you. I could do with one myself.”
“Why didn’t you say so before? I can make it.”
“No!” Jack firmly separated Ianto from the black bag he was filling and propelled him over to the sofa, sitting him down. “Stay there while I make tea for us both.”
Ianto scowled mutinously at his lover as Jack headed for the kitchenette, taking the rubbish bag with him. When he returned a few minutes later with two mugs of tea, he found Ianto putting takeaway containers into another bag he must have had in his pocket.
“I thought I told you to stay put!”
“The cleaning won’t get done just by looking at it,” Ianto grumbled, but he accepted the mug of tea Jack handed him and sat on the sofa to drink it.
Jack sat beside him, draping one arm around Ianto’s shoulders and sipping from his own mug, glad to have at least persuaded his lover to stop working for a few minutes.
Finishing his tea, Ianto would have got up again, but Jack didn’t let him. “Five minutes, Ianto. The cleaning can wait five more minutes.” He put his own mug down on the coffee table beside Ianto’s and cuddled Ianto closer. “A few minutes’ rest and then we can get the place cleaned up together, okay?”
“I suppose.” Ianto sounded reluctant, but he didn’t try to pull away, just leaned his head on Jack’s shoulder.
The minutes ticked past with neither of them moving until Jack heard a distinct ‘Zzzzzzz’ coming from the vicinity of his shoulder. He smiled, carefully rearranging himself and Ianto on the battered sofa. It might not be the best place to sleep, but it beat letting Ianto work himself into the ground, which he likely would have done if Jack hadn’t staged a one-man intervention.
Lying with Ianto’s head now pillowed on his chest, Jack let the gentle ‘Zzzzzzz’ lull him to sleep. If Ianto was mad at him when he woke up, then so be it. Right now, all that mattered was making sure they both got the rest they needed.
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 869
Summary: It’s been an exhausting few days, and yet Ianto is refusing to rest. Something has to be done about that.
Spoilers: Nada.
Written For: cozy_coffee’s prompt ‘any, any cuddle fic, Zzzzzz,’ at comment_fic.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood or any of the characters.
The last few days had been beyond crazy, dealing with one alien-related incident after another with barely a moment in between to catch their breath. Even Jack was about dead on his feet; he could only imagine how exhausted Ianto must feel. The rest of the team had already left, chased and chivvied out of the Hub, told in no uncertain terms to go home and get some sleep, don’t bother coming in tomorrow unless the world is ending. Jack could be the strict boss when he tried, and for once even Gwen was too tired to argue about being dismissed. Ianto, on the other hand…
Why was it that Ianto Jones, the youngest member of Torchwood Three, was the one person Jack couldn’t order around? It hardly seemed fair, especially when Ianto’s wellbeing was Jack’s primary concern. That was probably why everyone said it was a bad idea to get romantically involved with colleagues, particularly subordinates, although when he thought about it, Jack was pretty sure that when it came to the Hub, Ianto Jones had set himself firmly in charge. In the field he followed orders better than most, bowing to Jack’s greater experience, but inside their base Jack had a feeling his authority had somehow been subtly usurped without him noticing.
“Ianto!”
Summoned, Torchwood’s archivist and general support officer appeared as if by magic. “Is there something you’re wanting, Sir?”
“Yes, for you to go home and get some sleep. You’re worn out.”
“While I appreciate your concern, I have duties to attend to,” Ianto said firmly. “Myfanwy and our other inmates can’t feed themselves.” He held up a bucket of fish heads, liberally doused in the Pteranodon’s special sauce. “You know how snippy Myf can get if she’s not fed on time. You wouldn’t want her taking her displeasure out on our sensitive equipment again. The sub-etheric resonator’s still a little wobbly from last time.”
Jack scowled but relented. “Fine, you’ve made your point. You go feed our girl and I’ll take care of the others.”
Ianto inclined his head. “If you insist.” His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, but he still stood straight and tall, as if defiantly refusing to succumb to weariness.
“I do. And after that’s done, you’re going straight to bed.” Jack didn’t give Ianto a chance to argue, just headed for the cells to feed Janet and the other inhabitants.
Naturally, his orders were ignored. When Jack came back upstairs twenty minutes later, he found Ianto cleaning up. Sighing, he folded his arms over his chest. “Ianto, stop that!”
“Stop what, Sir?”
“Cleaning! And you can stop with the ‘Sir’ as well!”
“The place is a mess, Jack. I can’t leave it like this, with empty takeaway containers everywhere and practically every mug in the place waiting to be washed.”
“It’ll all still be there tomorrow, or the day after,” Jack said.
“All the more reason to deal with it now, before it can get any worse, since I’m here anyway.”
“At least sit down for five minutes and have a cup of tea,” Jack insisted. “I’ll even make it for you. I could do with one myself.”
“Why didn’t you say so before? I can make it.”
“No!” Jack firmly separated Ianto from the black bag he was filling and propelled him over to the sofa, sitting him down. “Stay there while I make tea for us both.”
Ianto scowled mutinously at his lover as Jack headed for the kitchenette, taking the rubbish bag with him. When he returned a few minutes later with two mugs of tea, he found Ianto putting takeaway containers into another bag he must have had in his pocket.
“I thought I told you to stay put!”
“The cleaning won’t get done just by looking at it,” Ianto grumbled, but he accepted the mug of tea Jack handed him and sat on the sofa to drink it.
Jack sat beside him, draping one arm around Ianto’s shoulders and sipping from his own mug, glad to have at least persuaded his lover to stop working for a few minutes.
Finishing his tea, Ianto would have got up again, but Jack didn’t let him. “Five minutes, Ianto. The cleaning can wait five more minutes.” He put his own mug down on the coffee table beside Ianto’s and cuddled Ianto closer. “A few minutes’ rest and then we can get the place cleaned up together, okay?”
“I suppose.” Ianto sounded reluctant, but he didn’t try to pull away, just leaned his head on Jack’s shoulder.
The minutes ticked past with neither of them moving until Jack heard a distinct ‘Zzzzzzz’ coming from the vicinity of his shoulder. He smiled, carefully rearranging himself and Ianto on the battered sofa. It might not be the best place to sleep, but it beat letting Ianto work himself into the ground, which he likely would have done if Jack hadn’t staged a one-man intervention.
Lying with Ianto’s head now pillowed on his chest, Jack let the gentle ‘Zzzzzzz’ lull him to sleep. If Ianto was mad at him when he woke up, then so be it. Right now, all that mattered was making sure they both got the rest they needed.
The End