Reflections, Part Twenty-Seven
Title: Reflections, part twenty-seven
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none.
Summary: While making upgrades to the hub, Jack & Ianto come face-to-face with decisions past.
A/N: Part Five in the Horizon's Sing generated AU Something that Starts with "S"; written for the new redismycolour challenge, day twenty-seven.
PART TWENTY-SIX
Ianto's eyes grew wide as Jack stepped through the hatchway into, nothing. No hallway, no Torchwood safety lights, no plexi panels or heavy steel doors; just blackness and a faint purple glow that seemed miles away. He could see Jack pointing a torch around, but there was no trace from the light, and as Jack kept walking, he became harder to see. "Jack!" Ianto threw himself through the hatch, expecting to fall, but there was something solid underneath his feet, even if it looked like a black hole. He looked up to see Jack staring back at him, the torch the only visible light.
Ianto fumbled for the torch in his pack and quickly flooded Jack with the pure white light of the torch, "Sorry." He quickly tilted the light down so he could still see Jack, but was no longer blinding the other man.
Jack called out, "Come on. The answer must be over there since there's nothing else here." Ianto jogged up beside Jack and they made their way towards the glimmer.
Ianto took Jack's hand as they kept walking what seemed an insurmountable distance. They watched as the glimmer began to pulse and they were again washed in light.
"Come on Ianto, everyone else has nicked something, just go in there and stuff it in your trousers and come back out. The old codger behind the till won't notice anything that's not in his girlie mag." The teen and his gang were circled around the dark haired youth who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Ianto looked at the memory and frowned, then grimaced as Jack's arm came around his waist, "Is this my Ianto during his juvenile delinquent phase?" Jack was looking at the teen, torn jeans and leather jacket over a warn rock band's tour shirt and smiling, "You were quite the piece of rough trade then."
Ianto rolled his eyes and groused, "I was fifteen Jack, the closest thing to rough trade I got back then was swapping a pack of smokes for a half bottle of cheap whiskey." Ianto looked at him, "And yes I know what you meant."
The younger Ianto finally huffed in a much rougher and thicker accent, "Yeah fine, whatever. Just get out of the way yeah?" He pushed through the other young men and wandered into the corner shop.
The administrative justice's office was cramped with leftover furniture and builder's magnolia on the walls. Young Ianto was dressed in an ill fitting suite nowhere near the quality of the one Jack had seen a three year old Ianto in as he slouched in the magistrate's chair trying not to see the daggers his aunt was shooting at him. The magistrate flipped the pages of the report back and forth before finally looking up. "Mister Jones, is there a reason you found it necessary to push a 50p packet of crisps in your trousers rather than paying for them?" Both Ianto's cringed at the statement which had Jack nearly falling over laughing. Ianto's aunt did not find it amusing in the least. "Well? Speak up lad."
The sullen young man grasped at the back of his head where his aunt had just cuffed him then answered, "No sir."
The magistrate looked up from his papers, his eyes magnified behind his thick glasses, "Well. The shop doesn't really care much since they've been paid and you're banned; but your aunt and I believe you could use a bit of discipline. So, Mister Jones, you'll be heading up to the Brecon Beacons and doing a bit of community service. Yes, a couple of weeks cleaning up the rambler trails will do you some good. Goodbye Mister Jones, don't darken my doorstep again."
Young Ianto was carefully watching the road while staring at the wing mirror. It was snow as far as the eye could see in front of him and even more behind as they headed towards his community service assignment. His aunt sat in the passenger seat while he drove, giving him sharp looks anytime he dared to speed up. Jack and Ianto sat in the rear while Jack carefully absorbed these hidden details of Ianto's younger days.
"So, whose the iron maiden?" Jack was curious because he thought Ianto had no family after his parents passed away.
"She's mam's half-sister. We never had much to do with her since she and mam didn't really know each other; but after. Well, she was the closest relative I had." Ianto frowned, "She wasn't too pleased to be stuck with an adolescent and was even less pleased when I became a teenager." He looked at Jack, "Let's just say my sixteenth birthday was a cause for celebration for the both of us."
"That why you never went to University?" Jack was curious now.
Ianto snorted, "Jack I barely went to school if I could help it. There wasn't a Uni out there that would take me and I didn't have two pence to rub against each other." Ianto looked as they turned onto a side road and a familiar row of buildings appeared. "Damn. I knew it looked familiar."
Jack suddenly looked ahead, the row of rundown houses and grungy pub bringing back unpleasant memories. "You'd been here before?"
Ianto shuddered as a tall man with curly hair came striding towards the car along with a short rather frumpy blond woman.
The younger Ianto climbed out of the car and handed the keys to his aunt while Jack and Ianto stood off to the side.
"Hello there lad. I'm Owen, this is my wife Maxine and we'll be watching after you while you help clean up the trails. Martin will be taking you out each day- you do what he says you hear?"
The young man nodded between his shivers. The woman smiled, "Oh cheer up love, our nephew Huw is around your age, he'll be helping out as well." She ushered Ianto towards the pub, "Come on, lets get a nice warm bowl of stew in you- you must be cold."
Ianto was on his hands and knees, the oxygen masked pulled off his face as he forced bile from his stomach. The memory was so clear and concise, but he'd never connected that miserable fortnight as a teen with the monsters they'd encountered. Jack was already pushing the mask back on his face as they heard a voice that seemed to ring everywhere.
"Paradox approaching."
PART TWENTY-EIGHT
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none.
Summary: While making upgrades to the hub, Jack & Ianto come face-to-face with decisions past.
A/N: Part Five in the Horizon's Sing generated AU Something that Starts with "S"; written for the new redismycolour challenge, day twenty-seven.
PART TWENTY-SIX
Ianto's eyes grew wide as Jack stepped through the hatchway into, nothing. No hallway, no Torchwood safety lights, no plexi panels or heavy steel doors; just blackness and a faint purple glow that seemed miles away. He could see Jack pointing a torch around, but there was no trace from the light, and as Jack kept walking, he became harder to see. "Jack!" Ianto threw himself through the hatch, expecting to fall, but there was something solid underneath his feet, even if it looked like a black hole. He looked up to see Jack staring back at him, the torch the only visible light.
Ianto fumbled for the torch in his pack and quickly flooded Jack with the pure white light of the torch, "Sorry." He quickly tilted the light down so he could still see Jack, but was no longer blinding the other man.
Jack called out, "Come on. The answer must be over there since there's nothing else here." Ianto jogged up beside Jack and they made their way towards the glimmer.
Ianto took Jack's hand as they kept walking what seemed an insurmountable distance. They watched as the glimmer began to pulse and they were again washed in light.
"Come on Ianto, everyone else has nicked something, just go in there and stuff it in your trousers and come back out. The old codger behind the till won't notice anything that's not in his girlie mag." The teen and his gang were circled around the dark haired youth who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Ianto looked at the memory and frowned, then grimaced as Jack's arm came around his waist, "Is this my Ianto during his juvenile delinquent phase?" Jack was looking at the teen, torn jeans and leather jacket over a warn rock band's tour shirt and smiling, "You were quite the piece of rough trade then."
Ianto rolled his eyes and groused, "I was fifteen Jack, the closest thing to rough trade I got back then was swapping a pack of smokes for a half bottle of cheap whiskey." Ianto looked at him, "And yes I know what you meant."
The younger Ianto finally huffed in a much rougher and thicker accent, "Yeah fine, whatever. Just get out of the way yeah?" He pushed through the other young men and wandered into the corner shop.
The administrative justice's office was cramped with leftover furniture and builder's magnolia on the walls. Young Ianto was dressed in an ill fitting suite nowhere near the quality of the one Jack had seen a three year old Ianto in as he slouched in the magistrate's chair trying not to see the daggers his aunt was shooting at him. The magistrate flipped the pages of the report back and forth before finally looking up. "Mister Jones, is there a reason you found it necessary to push a 50p packet of crisps in your trousers rather than paying for them?" Both Ianto's cringed at the statement which had Jack nearly falling over laughing. Ianto's aunt did not find it amusing in the least. "Well? Speak up lad."
The sullen young man grasped at the back of his head where his aunt had just cuffed him then answered, "No sir."
The magistrate looked up from his papers, his eyes magnified behind his thick glasses, "Well. The shop doesn't really care much since they've been paid and you're banned; but your aunt and I believe you could use a bit of discipline. So, Mister Jones, you'll be heading up to the Brecon Beacons and doing a bit of community service. Yes, a couple of weeks cleaning up the rambler trails will do you some good. Goodbye Mister Jones, don't darken my doorstep again."
Young Ianto was carefully watching the road while staring at the wing mirror. It was snow as far as the eye could see in front of him and even more behind as they headed towards his community service assignment. His aunt sat in the passenger seat while he drove, giving him sharp looks anytime he dared to speed up. Jack and Ianto sat in the rear while Jack carefully absorbed these hidden details of Ianto's younger days.
"So, whose the iron maiden?" Jack was curious because he thought Ianto had no family after his parents passed away.
"She's mam's half-sister. We never had much to do with her since she and mam didn't really know each other; but after. Well, she was the closest relative I had." Ianto frowned, "She wasn't too pleased to be stuck with an adolescent and was even less pleased when I became a teenager." He looked at Jack, "Let's just say my sixteenth birthday was a cause for celebration for the both of us."
"That why you never went to University?" Jack was curious now.
Ianto snorted, "Jack I barely went to school if I could help it. There wasn't a Uni out there that would take me and I didn't have two pence to rub against each other." Ianto looked as they turned onto a side road and a familiar row of buildings appeared. "Damn. I knew it looked familiar."
Jack suddenly looked ahead, the row of rundown houses and grungy pub bringing back unpleasant memories. "You'd been here before?"
Ianto shuddered as a tall man with curly hair came striding towards the car along with a short rather frumpy blond woman.
The younger Ianto climbed out of the car and handed the keys to his aunt while Jack and Ianto stood off to the side.
"Hello there lad. I'm Owen, this is my wife Maxine and we'll be watching after you while you help clean up the trails. Martin will be taking you out each day- you do what he says you hear?"
The young man nodded between his shivers. The woman smiled, "Oh cheer up love, our nephew Huw is around your age, he'll be helping out as well." She ushered Ianto towards the pub, "Come on, lets get a nice warm bowl of stew in you- you must be cold."
Ianto was on his hands and knees, the oxygen masked pulled off his face as he forced bile from his stomach. The memory was so clear and concise, but he'd never connected that miserable fortnight as a teen with the monsters they'd encountered. Jack was already pushing the mask back on his face as they heard a voice that seemed to ring everywhere.
"Paradox approaching."
PART TWENTY-EIGHT