Training Part 2
Title: Training: Part 2
Author: CrabbyLioness
Characters: Torchwood 5
Disclaimer: Property of the BBC & their people. I'm not making a penny.
Rating: PG No porn yet, folks.
Word Count: 1100-ish?
Spoilers through Countrycide
Sequel to Damages
Part 1
The next evening Ianto arrived at the gun range feeling unexpectedly cheerful. The previous night's session had gone well, although he had felt frustrated firing at stationary targets after seeing how disorienting it was to go up against moving targets in the field. Tonight, with any luck, he'd get a fully-authorized opportunity to punch Jack Harkness in the jaw again. He fought to keep a grin off his face.
It was strange how Jack had shown no hesitation about authorizing him a firearm after they had drawn guns on each other so recently. Last night Jack had been in his "instructor mode", with that curious blend of intimacy and neutrality he showed that made Ianto think of being examined by a professional nurse in a stripper's outfit.
Jack Harkness had a unique idea of personal space, Ianto reflected. He lived out of his office and under stress referred to their entire office complex as "my house". He didn't hesitate to get right up next to people and twist their bodies like marionettes if he felt the need. But there was always a clear reason for his touches, and his hands never strayed out of bounds. They brushed up against the lines more than Ianto would have thought anyone would have the nerve to do, but they didn't cross the lines. He knew Americans were freer with such things, but he had never met an American who was this free.
It was the same with the mild flirtation that he had engaged in with Ianto before Lisa's death. For all Ianto had grumbled about "harassment", Jack had never been so persistent or gone so far as to cross the lines. Ianto hadn't thought American men flirted that freely with other men. Weren't they supposed to be more repressed than that? Of course that might be why Jack was in Britain.
Jack had moved the table against the wall and was spreading exercise mats on the floor. He wore the kind of t-shirt and loose pants Ianto sometimes saw him in late at night, and nodded in approval at Ianto's sweats.
"Have you had any martial arts training?" Ianto shook his head.
"No, sir."
"I thought not." Jack rubbed his jaw. "With your size you'd have knocked me into the fountain if you'd known what your were doing." He grinned at Ianto's startled look. "You're 6'3" and built like a brick. You naturally intimidate people with your size. I bet you've spent your entire life trying to minimize that effect. You hold yourself in a way that makes you look smaller. You move smoothly and quietly so not to startle people. You play the peacemaker whenever you can. And you've probably gone out of your way to avoid showing the least interest in fighting. Am I right?"
Ianto fought to keep the surprise off his face. He knew Jack Harkness could often read people like a book, but he didn't like being one of those people. "Yes, sir. Fighting always seemed so -- inefficient."
"It usually is in the long run. But it can be very efficient in the short run." Jack clapped his hands together.
"Okay, we're going to start with some simple military moves. They're designed to take your opponent down as fast as possible. They're also the dirtiest gutter tricks you can pull in a fight, and they'd get you banned from any reputable pub in Cardiff. They work well against your average untrained or lightly-trained fighter. When you get these down we'll throw in some boxing and other moves that will work against better fighters."
He showed Ianto a series of blows to the most vulnerable points of the body: the throat, the knee, the groin, and the face. Jack alternated between correcting Ianto's stance and dancing out of his way. Jack was in "instructor mode" again, close but cool; and though he gave no outward sign Ianto soon realized Jack had an erection.
Ianto sighed. It must be the way that type of person reacted to adrenaline. Tosh would probably do the same if she were a man. He didn't care. The stresses of looking after Lisa while hiding her on top of putting in a full day's work had switched off his own sex drive, and he couldn't muster even an academic interest in anyone else's.
Lisa was a bit like Tosh, always energized by adversity. Challenges had brought out the best in her. The Cyberconversion had called up her fighting spirit, and Ianto had been sure she was going to beat it just as he had seen her beat other obstacles before. Lisa couldn't admit defeat, and for her sake neither could Ianto.
Whack! Pain shot through his thigh from where Jack had kicked it. Jack glared at him. "Pay attention." Ianto nodded and brought his mind back to the lesson.
A double layer of mats on a concrete floor doesn't offer much protection. Soon they had collected enough bruises for Jack to call a halt. "You okay?" Jack asked as they did their cool-down stretches. Ianto nodded.
"So why the frown?"
"I thought we would be going over something fancier, sir."
Jack grinned. "The fancier the move, the more practice it takes. These moves take the least practice. We'll work up to the fancy stuff.
"Don't sneer at the simple stuff. This isn't sport fighting. You won't be meeting these guys for drinks after its over. This is combat. You do what you have to do."
Jack sighed. "We could use a better floor though, metal grill or wood. Wood would be best. Otherwise we won't be able to practice more than once or twice a week."
Ianto thought for a moment. "There's a wood floor in the little storeroom Owen uses for sterile supplies. They can fit in the paper storeroom with some re-arranging. The floor needs a few minor repairs, but it's in good shape. I can have it fixed up in a day or two." He nodded decisively.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack smiling. "If that's all right, sir?" Ianto asked, confused.
Jack's smile deepened. "That's great. I've wanted to fix something up for ages, but I've been too busy. Take the shooting range." He nodded down the tunnel. "I want to set up a Hogan's Alley -- an interactive shooting range -- at the far end of the tunnel. Then we could practice under more realistic conditions. We need a bullet-proof partition, power lines, pop-up target stands, lights." He shrugged. "I don't even know what's available anymore. I set some money aside for it years ago, but I haven't had the time to do anything. Could you look into it?"
"Sir? Yes, sir."
"Great, but make the practice room the first priority. And Ianto, while we're practicing it's 'Jack'." He stood up and offered Ianto a hand.
"Okay, Jack."
Ianto felt more relaxed the next morning in spite of his bruises. He started re-organizing the supplies. Owen whined about losing his storeroom. Ianto pointed out the new room was only 30 feet further away. Gwen and Tosh were thrilled to get an "exercise room" and wanted weight sets, exercise equipment, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a sound system. Jack winced and said, "Not on this year's budget."
"It's the 21st Century! We gotta be ready!" Tosh teased. They laughed.
Gwen mock-frowned. "Is there a fancier way of saying that? It just sounds so..."
"Concise?" Jack grinned.
"American," Owen shot back.
"It's plain. What have you got against plain speech?"
"Semper paratus," Ianto said.
Gwen turned toward him. "What?"
"Semper paratus. It means 'always ready' in Latin. It's the motto of several military units, the largest being the U. S. Coast Guard."
"There you go, Jack!" Tosh exclaimed.
"Let me get this straight. You people think its better to say something in an obscure dead language that none of you speak -- totally unlike Welsh!" Jack hastily added as Gwen and Ianto began to growl, "than to say it plainly in your common tongue?"
"Yes," they chorused.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Humans. Gotta love them."
As Ianto returned to reorganizing the files, he realized that was the first laugh they had all shared since Lisa's death. Maybe things were calming down again.
Part 3
Author: CrabbyLioness
Characters: Torchwood 5
Disclaimer: Property of the BBC & their people. I'm not making a penny.
Rating: PG No porn yet, folks.
Word Count: 1100-ish?
Spoilers through Countrycide
Sequel to Damages
Part 1
The next evening Ianto arrived at the gun range feeling unexpectedly cheerful. The previous night's session had gone well, although he had felt frustrated firing at stationary targets after seeing how disorienting it was to go up against moving targets in the field. Tonight, with any luck, he'd get a fully-authorized opportunity to punch Jack Harkness in the jaw again. He fought to keep a grin off his face.
It was strange how Jack had shown no hesitation about authorizing him a firearm after they had drawn guns on each other so recently. Last night Jack had been in his "instructor mode", with that curious blend of intimacy and neutrality he showed that made Ianto think of being examined by a professional nurse in a stripper's outfit.
Jack Harkness had a unique idea of personal space, Ianto reflected. He lived out of his office and under stress referred to their entire office complex as "my house". He didn't hesitate to get right up next to people and twist their bodies like marionettes if he felt the need. But there was always a clear reason for his touches, and his hands never strayed out of bounds. They brushed up against the lines more than Ianto would have thought anyone would have the nerve to do, but they didn't cross the lines. He knew Americans were freer with such things, but he had never met an American who was this free.
It was the same with the mild flirtation that he had engaged in with Ianto before Lisa's death. For all Ianto had grumbled about "harassment", Jack had never been so persistent or gone so far as to cross the lines. Ianto hadn't thought American men flirted that freely with other men. Weren't they supposed to be more repressed than that? Of course that might be why Jack was in Britain.
Jack had moved the table against the wall and was spreading exercise mats on the floor. He wore the kind of t-shirt and loose pants Ianto sometimes saw him in late at night, and nodded in approval at Ianto's sweats.
"Have you had any martial arts training?" Ianto shook his head.
"No, sir."
"I thought not." Jack rubbed his jaw. "With your size you'd have knocked me into the fountain if you'd known what your were doing." He grinned at Ianto's startled look. "You're 6'3" and built like a brick. You naturally intimidate people with your size. I bet you've spent your entire life trying to minimize that effect. You hold yourself in a way that makes you look smaller. You move smoothly and quietly so not to startle people. You play the peacemaker whenever you can. And you've probably gone out of your way to avoid showing the least interest in fighting. Am I right?"
Ianto fought to keep the surprise off his face. He knew Jack Harkness could often read people like a book, but he didn't like being one of those people. "Yes, sir. Fighting always seemed so -- inefficient."
"It usually is in the long run. But it can be very efficient in the short run." Jack clapped his hands together.
"Okay, we're going to start with some simple military moves. They're designed to take your opponent down as fast as possible. They're also the dirtiest gutter tricks you can pull in a fight, and they'd get you banned from any reputable pub in Cardiff. They work well against your average untrained or lightly-trained fighter. When you get these down we'll throw in some boxing and other moves that will work against better fighters."
He showed Ianto a series of blows to the most vulnerable points of the body: the throat, the knee, the groin, and the face. Jack alternated between correcting Ianto's stance and dancing out of his way. Jack was in "instructor mode" again, close but cool; and though he gave no outward sign Ianto soon realized Jack had an erection.
Ianto sighed. It must be the way that type of person reacted to adrenaline. Tosh would probably do the same if she were a man. He didn't care. The stresses of looking after Lisa while hiding her on top of putting in a full day's work had switched off his own sex drive, and he couldn't muster even an academic interest in anyone else's.
Lisa was a bit like Tosh, always energized by adversity. Challenges had brought out the best in her. The Cyberconversion had called up her fighting spirit, and Ianto had been sure she was going to beat it just as he had seen her beat other obstacles before. Lisa couldn't admit defeat, and for her sake neither could Ianto.
Whack! Pain shot through his thigh from where Jack had kicked it. Jack glared at him. "Pay attention." Ianto nodded and brought his mind back to the lesson.
A double layer of mats on a concrete floor doesn't offer much protection. Soon they had collected enough bruises for Jack to call a halt. "You okay?" Jack asked as they did their cool-down stretches. Ianto nodded.
"So why the frown?"
"I thought we would be going over something fancier, sir."
Jack grinned. "The fancier the move, the more practice it takes. These moves take the least practice. We'll work up to the fancy stuff.
"Don't sneer at the simple stuff. This isn't sport fighting. You won't be meeting these guys for drinks after its over. This is combat. You do what you have to do."
Jack sighed. "We could use a better floor though, metal grill or wood. Wood would be best. Otherwise we won't be able to practice more than once or twice a week."
Ianto thought for a moment. "There's a wood floor in the little storeroom Owen uses for sterile supplies. They can fit in the paper storeroom with some re-arranging. The floor needs a few minor repairs, but it's in good shape. I can have it fixed up in a day or two." He nodded decisively.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack smiling. "If that's all right, sir?" Ianto asked, confused.
Jack's smile deepened. "That's great. I've wanted to fix something up for ages, but I've been too busy. Take the shooting range." He nodded down the tunnel. "I want to set up a Hogan's Alley -- an interactive shooting range -- at the far end of the tunnel. Then we could practice under more realistic conditions. We need a bullet-proof partition, power lines, pop-up target stands, lights." He shrugged. "I don't even know what's available anymore. I set some money aside for it years ago, but I haven't had the time to do anything. Could you look into it?"
"Sir? Yes, sir."
"Great, but make the practice room the first priority. And Ianto, while we're practicing it's 'Jack'." He stood up and offered Ianto a hand.
"Okay, Jack."
Ianto felt more relaxed the next morning in spite of his bruises. He started re-organizing the supplies. Owen whined about losing his storeroom. Ianto pointed out the new room was only 30 feet further away. Gwen and Tosh were thrilled to get an "exercise room" and wanted weight sets, exercise equipment, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and a sound system. Jack winced and said, "Not on this year's budget."
"It's the 21st Century! We gotta be ready!" Tosh teased. They laughed.
Gwen mock-frowned. "Is there a fancier way of saying that? It just sounds so..."
"Concise?" Jack grinned.
"American," Owen shot back.
"It's plain. What have you got against plain speech?"
"Semper paratus," Ianto said.
Gwen turned toward him. "What?"
"Semper paratus. It means 'always ready' in Latin. It's the motto of several military units, the largest being the U. S. Coast Guard."
"There you go, Jack!" Tosh exclaimed.
"Let me get this straight. You people think its better to say something in an obscure dead language that none of you speak -- totally unlike Welsh!" Jack hastily added as Gwen and Ianto began to growl, "than to say it plainly in your common tongue?"
"Yes," they chorused.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Humans. Gotta love them."
As Ianto returned to reorganizing the files, he realized that was the first laugh they had all shared since Lisa's death. Maybe things were calming down again.
Part 3