Change for the World -- Shifting Perspective
Title: Shifting Perspective
dwtwprompts prompt: Choice
Date Written: 6/17/08
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,452
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Doctor, Team
Spoilers: Torchwood Season 1 & 2, Doctor Who Season 3 (particularly Human Nature/Family of Blood)
Warnings: Boys kissing
Author's Notes: So, uh, the Change for the World bunnies bit and won't let go. *sweatdrop*
The first thing that the team noticed when they came back from their latest mission was a big blue police box in the middle of the Hub. Owen, Toshiko and Gwen went for their sidearms, but Jack and Ianto stopped dead in their tracks.
"Don't do that," Jack scolded, putting a hand on the barrel of Owen's gun and lowering it. "It's just the Doctor."
Toshiko's eyes lit up as she holstered her gun. "The Doctor, really?"
"He looks a little different than the last time you saw him," the Captain gave her a charming smile. "Cuter."
Tosh laughed as she went to her desk. Gwen frowned as she did the same. "Some of my stuff's moved."
"Same here," Owen said, shifting through his files.
Jack sighed. "It's probably the Doctor being nosy." He winked at Gwen. "He meddles worse than you," he teased, laughing when she put her hands on her hips and pouted.
"There's a light on in your upstairs office," Ianto pointed out. The other four turned to look at them. "I'll be up shortly with refreshments," he said, turning to head towards the kitchen nook.
Jack led Tosh, Owen and Gwen up the stairs, turning once to look at Ianto. He stopped, the others stepping around him to finally get a glimpse of the famous Doctor.
Blue eyes met blue eyes across the expanse of the Hub. Jack felt Ianto's mind brush against his and carefully let down his own guards, allowing his younger lover in. "If I recall correctly, Mam used to say that he liked tea."
Jack nodded, and Ianto broke the gaze to set the kettle on the stove top. "Are you okay with this, Ianto?"
"We're the only two left, Jack," Ianto's mental reply was accompanied with a wash of anguish. His mother and siblings had been spared from the genocide, as Ianto had, but he had long accepted the fact that he would probably never see them again. Ianto had been as close to his family as Jack had been to his own. "We were bound to run into each other sometime."
Jack nodded a little. "He's a good man."
"I know."
Jack raised an eyebrow, watching him. Mental conversation always came with strings attached, emotions that couldn't quite be kept in check. Ianto's mind was awash with conflicting emotions; happiness at finally finding another of his kind, a slight fear of rejection, nervousness overriding both. "You'll be fine," he urged, projecting a feeling of comfort along with his thoughts. "Just be my Ianto."
Ianto paused, looking over at Jack and giving him a smile. "Always."
-----
Jack walked in to find the Doctor going over their more recent case files, twirling his sonic screwdriver in his hand with his feet kicked up on the desk. He gave a manic grin when he saw Jack, but otherwise continued with his lecture.
"Now your so-called space whale? That species I know. The name's incredibly hard to pronounce, even for me, and that's a feat, but I guess the closest it would come to in any human tongue would be Golfida."
"Golfida?" Owen echoed.
"Close enough. They're sentient, as noted. Live in a world that's almost completely water. That was the problem."
Jack cocked his head to the side, but didn't say anything. The Doctor would get around to it, no need to rush him.
Gwen wasn't nearly as patient. "The problem?"
"Yes. You see, they have tides on the Golfida home planet, just one a year, high and low. And since the planet's mostly water, sometimes the sea life gets beached when low tide hits. Get set upon by carnivores. That's why the Golfida adapted to grow and continue to grow--"
"-- So that land animals would eat and they would survive," Toshiko supplied. "They took it out of water, and its evolutionary process kicked in."
"Because they are extremely slow to breed. If they all got beached and eaten, they'd be gone! Incredibly resilient race." The Doctor looked over at the screen and tapped his lower lip with his sonic screwdriver. "Space whale. Very Douglas Adams. Oh, he would have made a great Companion. If there was any Time Lord that was reincarnated into a human, it would have been him!"
"Doctor," Jack interrupted his rant. "Why are you here?"
"I got bored," he replied, swinging his feet around and standing. "Thought I'd pop in for a bit. You did give me an open invitation to stop by the next time I stopped down in Cardiff," he added, twirling the sonic screwdriver around again.
"I hope you'll stay for tea then," Ianto said, stepping through the open door.
The Doctor's eyes widened as he saw Ianto, his sonic screwdriver fumbling out of his fingers and falling to the floor with a clatter. "No."
The rest of the team looked from Ianto to the Doctor and back again, confusion eched across their faces.
"They all died, it's just me left," the older Time Lord said, staring at the man in front of him. "There's no way -- "
Ianto just gave a small, unreadable smile. "Hello Great-Grandfather."
-----
"You knew about this," Owen accused as soon as Jack shut the door. He'd ushered Gwen, Tosh and Owen out of the office, giving the Doctor some private time with Ianto.
"Not until recently, and not that he was the Doctor's great-grandson," Jack defended, "but yes, I knew."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Gwen asked. "We would have accepted him. Alien or not, he's still Ianto Jones."
"It wasn't my story to tell," the Captain replied, putting his hands in his pockets.
"What's going to happen now?" Toshiko asked. "He's a Time Lord. Do you think he'll stay here on this little old rock when he's got a chance to claim his birthright?" she continued, looking over her shoulder at the TARDIS.
"I don't know," Jack finally admitted. "I honestly don't know.
-----
The Doctor and Ianto came out of the office long after Jack had sent everyone back home. Jack was sitting against the TARDIS, eyes closed. The older Time Lord patted the younger one on the shoulder before unlocking the doors and heading inside the TARDIS, and the younger Time walked around to sit next to his lover. Jack opened his eyes, smiling a little. "What did you think?"
"He was different from the way Mam described him," Ianto said, leaning back against the TARDIS as well, "but the same." He grinned a little. "I like him."
"It's impossible not to," Jack agreed.
"He wants me to go travel with him," Ianto said, stretching his legs out. "See the Universe."
Jack nodded. "Of course." He'd been expecting it. Dreading it. This one, the first one he'd gotten truly close to in ages, was going to leave him for the Doctor. It really was only fair; he'd done the same just a few short months ago.
Besides, he was wrong. Ianto could sense Time and Space, and he probably hated that Jack was fact. The Doctor, bless him, was trying, but he was still obviously uneasy around the immortal Captain.
"I'm going to need a guide though," Ianto said, off-handedly. "I've never been out there." He grinned at Jack. "Ever been to the Medusa Cascade?"
Jack stared at him, his mind trying to catch up with what Ianto had said. "You.. what?"
Ianto just laughed, leaning over to kiss him. "Jack, I'm not leaving without you." He smiled and stood, holding a hand out to him. "Besides, if I come back with a silly face, I'm going to need you to explain it to the team."
The Captain took his hand, letting Ianto help him to his feet. "You really want me to tag along? I mean, the Doctor's your family."
"I can think of no one better to accompany us," Ianto said, grinning and wrapping his arms around Jack's waist. "Besides, you've still got that watch of mine. I just might need it, and if you're here on Earth, how am I going to manage?"
Jack grinned and leaned down to kiss him, groaning a little when Ianto responded -- very enthusiastically. One hand was on the way down the line of Ianto's spine, but it was interrupted in it's travel when the Doctor rapped hard on the wooden side of the TARDIS. "Stop snogging on my great-grandson, Harkness!"
"Find out you're related and everything changes," Jack griped good-naturedly, squeezing Ianto's waist.
"We've got lots of places to hide inside," Ianto pointed out, taking Jack's hand and leading him inside.
"Oi, I'm going to be keeping my eyes on you two!" the Doctor yelled after them, shutting and locking the door behind him.
ETA: Chapter three here
dwtwprompts prompt: Choice
Date Written: 6/17/08
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,452
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Doctor, Team
Spoilers: Torchwood Season 1 & 2, Doctor Who Season 3 (particularly Human Nature/Family of Blood)
Warnings: Boys kissing
Author's Notes: So, uh, the Change for the World bunnies bit and won't let go. *sweatdrop*
The first thing that the team noticed when they came back from their latest mission was a big blue police box in the middle of the Hub. Owen, Toshiko and Gwen went for their sidearms, but Jack and Ianto stopped dead in their tracks.
"Don't do that," Jack scolded, putting a hand on the barrel of Owen's gun and lowering it. "It's just the Doctor."
Toshiko's eyes lit up as she holstered her gun. "The Doctor, really?"
"He looks a little different than the last time you saw him," the Captain gave her a charming smile. "Cuter."
Tosh laughed as she went to her desk. Gwen frowned as she did the same. "Some of my stuff's moved."
"Same here," Owen said, shifting through his files.
Jack sighed. "It's probably the Doctor being nosy." He winked at Gwen. "He meddles worse than you," he teased, laughing when she put her hands on her hips and pouted.
"There's a light on in your upstairs office," Ianto pointed out. The other four turned to look at them. "I'll be up shortly with refreshments," he said, turning to head towards the kitchen nook.
Jack led Tosh, Owen and Gwen up the stairs, turning once to look at Ianto. He stopped, the others stepping around him to finally get a glimpse of the famous Doctor.
Blue eyes met blue eyes across the expanse of the Hub. Jack felt Ianto's mind brush against his and carefully let down his own guards, allowing his younger lover in. "If I recall correctly, Mam used to say that he liked tea."
Jack nodded, and Ianto broke the gaze to set the kettle on the stove top. "Are you okay with this, Ianto?"
"We're the only two left, Jack," Ianto's mental reply was accompanied with a wash of anguish. His mother and siblings had been spared from the genocide, as Ianto had, but he had long accepted the fact that he would probably never see them again. Ianto had been as close to his family as Jack had been to his own. "We were bound to run into each other sometime."
Jack nodded a little. "He's a good man."
"I know."
Jack raised an eyebrow, watching him. Mental conversation always came with strings attached, emotions that couldn't quite be kept in check. Ianto's mind was awash with conflicting emotions; happiness at finally finding another of his kind, a slight fear of rejection, nervousness overriding both. "You'll be fine," he urged, projecting a feeling of comfort along with his thoughts. "Just be my Ianto."
Ianto paused, looking over at Jack and giving him a smile. "Always."
-----
Jack walked in to find the Doctor going over their more recent case files, twirling his sonic screwdriver in his hand with his feet kicked up on the desk. He gave a manic grin when he saw Jack, but otherwise continued with his lecture.
"Now your so-called space whale? That species I know. The name's incredibly hard to pronounce, even for me, and that's a feat, but I guess the closest it would come to in any human tongue would be Golfida."
"Golfida?" Owen echoed.
"Close enough. They're sentient, as noted. Live in a world that's almost completely water. That was the problem."
Jack cocked his head to the side, but didn't say anything. The Doctor would get around to it, no need to rush him.
Gwen wasn't nearly as patient. "The problem?"
"Yes. You see, they have tides on the Golfida home planet, just one a year, high and low. And since the planet's mostly water, sometimes the sea life gets beached when low tide hits. Get set upon by carnivores. That's why the Golfida adapted to grow and continue to grow--"
"-- So that land animals would eat and they would survive," Toshiko supplied. "They took it out of water, and its evolutionary process kicked in."
"Because they are extremely slow to breed. If they all got beached and eaten, they'd be gone! Incredibly resilient race." The Doctor looked over at the screen and tapped his lower lip with his sonic screwdriver. "Space whale. Very Douglas Adams. Oh, he would have made a great Companion. If there was any Time Lord that was reincarnated into a human, it would have been him!"
"Doctor," Jack interrupted his rant. "Why are you here?"
"I got bored," he replied, swinging his feet around and standing. "Thought I'd pop in for a bit. You did give me an open invitation to stop by the next time I stopped down in Cardiff," he added, twirling the sonic screwdriver around again.
"I hope you'll stay for tea then," Ianto said, stepping through the open door.
The Doctor's eyes widened as he saw Ianto, his sonic screwdriver fumbling out of his fingers and falling to the floor with a clatter. "No."
The rest of the team looked from Ianto to the Doctor and back again, confusion eched across their faces.
"They all died, it's just me left," the older Time Lord said, staring at the man in front of him. "There's no way -- "
Ianto just gave a small, unreadable smile. "Hello Great-Grandfather."
-----
"You knew about this," Owen accused as soon as Jack shut the door. He'd ushered Gwen, Tosh and Owen out of the office, giving the Doctor some private time with Ianto.
"Not until recently, and not that he was the Doctor's great-grandson," Jack defended, "but yes, I knew."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Gwen asked. "We would have accepted him. Alien or not, he's still Ianto Jones."
"It wasn't my story to tell," the Captain replied, putting his hands in his pockets.
"What's going to happen now?" Toshiko asked. "He's a Time Lord. Do you think he'll stay here on this little old rock when he's got a chance to claim his birthright?" she continued, looking over her shoulder at the TARDIS.
"I don't know," Jack finally admitted. "I honestly don't know.
-----
The Doctor and Ianto came out of the office long after Jack had sent everyone back home. Jack was sitting against the TARDIS, eyes closed. The older Time Lord patted the younger one on the shoulder before unlocking the doors and heading inside the TARDIS, and the younger Time walked around to sit next to his lover. Jack opened his eyes, smiling a little. "What did you think?"
"He was different from the way Mam described him," Ianto said, leaning back against the TARDIS as well, "but the same." He grinned a little. "I like him."
"It's impossible not to," Jack agreed.
"He wants me to go travel with him," Ianto said, stretching his legs out. "See the Universe."
Jack nodded. "Of course." He'd been expecting it. Dreading it. This one, the first one he'd gotten truly close to in ages, was going to leave him for the Doctor. It really was only fair; he'd done the same just a few short months ago.
Besides, he was wrong. Ianto could sense Time and Space, and he probably hated that Jack was fact. The Doctor, bless him, was trying, but he was still obviously uneasy around the immortal Captain.
"I'm going to need a guide though," Ianto said, off-handedly. "I've never been out there." He grinned at Jack. "Ever been to the Medusa Cascade?"
Jack stared at him, his mind trying to catch up with what Ianto had said. "You.. what?"
Ianto just laughed, leaning over to kiss him. "Jack, I'm not leaving without you." He smiled and stood, holding a hand out to him. "Besides, if I come back with a silly face, I'm going to need you to explain it to the team."
The Captain took his hand, letting Ianto help him to his feet. "You really want me to tag along? I mean, the Doctor's your family."
"I can think of no one better to accompany us," Ianto said, grinning and wrapping his arms around Jack's waist. "Besides, you've still got that watch of mine. I just might need it, and if you're here on Earth, how am I going to manage?"
Jack grinned and leaned down to kiss him, groaning a little when Ianto responded -- very enthusiastically. One hand was on the way down the line of Ianto's spine, but it was interrupted in it's travel when the Doctor rapped hard on the wooden side of the TARDIS. "Stop snogging on my great-grandson, Harkness!"
"Find out you're related and everything changes," Jack griped good-naturedly, squeezing Ianto's waist.
"We've got lots of places to hide inside," Ianto pointed out, taking Jack's hand and leading him inside.
"Oi, I'm going to be keeping my eyes on you two!" the Doctor yelled after them, shutting and locking the door behind him.
ETA: Chapter three here