Ficlet: NOT A Pet
Title: NOT A Pet
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Gwen, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 475
Summary: Ianto makes a few things clear to Gwen.
Spoilers: Nada.
Written For: classics_lover’s comment_fic prompt ‘Any, any/any, Character A calls B "pet". Character B's response is "DON'T call me pet!".’
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood or any of the characters. Which is sad.
As Ianto set a steaming mug of coffee down on Gwen’s desk, she looked up, all wide eyes and gap-toothed grin. “Ianto! Just the person I needed. Could you get these files for me from the archives please, pet?” she reached out to pat his arm.
Ianto gritted his teeth. He liked Gwen well enough, but her over-familiarity grated on his nerves. He wasn’t a touchy-feely person, did not regale all and sundry with his feelings or other things that should be kept strictly personal, and he most definitely wasn’t anybody’s pet.
“Kindly DON’T call me ‘pet’, Gwen!” It came out a bit more snappish than he’d intended, but he was having that kind of a day. “I’m not some fluffy kitten or puppy you can fuss over and coddle; I’m a grown man, not to mention a Torchwood field agent, and I’d appreciate being treated as such.”
Gwen’s eyes went even wider with astonishment. Ianto was usually so calm and unruffled, his manners impeccable; what on earth had got into him?
“Sorry, pet. I mean, Ianto. I didn’t mean to offend you; I call everybody pet, it’s just a term of affection.”
“And it’s misplaced. We’re colleagues, not best friends, and not relatives. Just because I’m younger than you doesn’t mean I don’t deserve a degree of respect. I’ve been doing this job a lot longer than you have and I’m tired of being treated like nothing more than an errand boy by the rest of the team.”
“Oh, but surely Jack and Tosh don’t…”
Ianto broke in before Gwen could finish her sentence. “Tosh has better manners than the rest of us, and Jack… has his moments, but neither of them are the issue here.”
“You’re right.” Gwen awkwardly shuffled her feet beneath her desk; she felt like a schoolgirl chastised by a teacher, despite the fact that she was the older of the two. “I’ll try to remember in future.”
“Thank you; that’s all I ask.” Ianto smiled politely. “Now, which files is it you’re wanting?”
“Oh, um, the ones on that spiky thing from last week?”
“I’ll fetch them for you as soon as I’m done with the coffee round, alright?”
“Thanks, p… Ianto.”
“You’re welcome.”
As he walked away with his laden tray, Gwen’s eyes followed the young Welshman. She’d never known him to be so forceful; it was kind of hot… How had she never noticed before just how attractive he was? Shaking herself, she tore her eyes away from Ianto’s arse and forced her mind back to her work, refusing to even think along those lines. She had Rhys back home and besides, it would be more than her life was worth to so much as consider encroaching on Jack’s territory.
Still, she thought she finally understood what Jack saw in Ianto; it was always the quiet ones.
The End