When, Not If
Title: When, Not If
Disclaimer: Being a bloke who likes to slash pretty men doesn't make me RTD, I don't work for the BBC, and as much as I might like to, I don't own Jack or Ianto or any part of Torchwood. I do, however, order pizza under that name on principle.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Notes/Summary: In which Jack receives an unexpected gift. Mention of the infamous cousin Dylan. Written for the July 30 prompt at horizonssing.
Jack scowled at the novel on his desk. It was too much of a coincidence. The son of a bitch was even wearing a long blue coat. He wondered absurdly if there had been some bizarre breach of security, or if the book was some sort of warning. He strained to remember if he’d ever set foot in the Regency period. It didn’t seem likely.
“Ianto!”
Jack’s shout carried through the Hub, shattering the near silence of the mid-morning. It was Jack’s ‘get your ass in here right now’ voice, and he was amused to see that Gwen jumped in her chair before swiveling around to give Ianto an uneasy look.
“IANTO!”
Half a moment later Ianto appeared in the door frame of Jack’s office. Jack held the paperback up where Ianto could see.
“Lucy,” he began, reading aloud from the back of the book, “is excited and nervous about her first season. She can't seem to quell her feelings for Captain Jack. Jack is determined to find a wife. But secrets from his past threaten his plans - he cannot offer a girl a tainted name...” He dropped it hard on the surface of his desk. “I don’t even know where to begin, other than to say that the prose looks about as purple as the cover.”
Ianto chuckled and picked it up. “Well, typically one starts on the first page of text, right after the publication and title pages. Most people skip the acknowledgements.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Jack snapped at him. “What I’d like to know is what the hell this is and why I found it on my desk.”
“It’s a book.”
“I noticed.”
Ianto shook his head and laid the book back down on the desk. “It’s a gift from Dylan. Ffion reads these compulsively and he called me the other night to tell me what she’d come home with. As far as I can tell it’s a coincidence, but I’ve placed the author under surveillance and warned Dylan that if he calls me Lucy again I’ll tell his mam what he did the Thursday before he left.”
“He called you Lucy?” Jack asked, incredulous.
“Yep. No self-preservation skills,” Ianto said. The corners of his mouth ticked into a quiet smile. “Well, not yet at any rate. Still -“ Ianto picked up the book again and thumbed through. “Did you need anything else? Coffee?”
Jack shook his head and grinned. “Oh no. I know better than to ask for anything when you’re feeling devious.”
“Suit yourself,” Ianto said and handed Jack the novel. “I’ll be in the tourist office when you need me.”
Jack watched him leave, and then sat down in his chair. When, not if. He turned to the first page and began to read.
Disclaimer: Being a bloke who likes to slash pretty men doesn't make me RTD, I don't work for the BBC, and as much as I might like to, I don't own Jack or Ianto or any part of Torchwood. I do, however, order pizza under that name on principle.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Notes/Summary: In which Jack receives an unexpected gift. Mention of the infamous cousin Dylan. Written for the July 30 prompt at horizonssing.
Jack scowled at the novel on his desk. It was too much of a coincidence. The son of a bitch was even wearing a long blue coat. He wondered absurdly if there had been some bizarre breach of security, or if the book was some sort of warning. He strained to remember if he’d ever set foot in the Regency period. It didn’t seem likely.
“Ianto!”
Jack’s shout carried through the Hub, shattering the near silence of the mid-morning. It was Jack’s ‘get your ass in here right now’ voice, and he was amused to see that Gwen jumped in her chair before swiveling around to give Ianto an uneasy look.
“IANTO!”
Half a moment later Ianto appeared in the door frame of Jack’s office. Jack held the paperback up where Ianto could see.
“Lucy,” he began, reading aloud from the back of the book, “is excited and nervous about her first season. She can't seem to quell her feelings for Captain Jack. Jack is determined to find a wife. But secrets from his past threaten his plans - he cannot offer a girl a tainted name...” He dropped it hard on the surface of his desk. “I don’t even know where to begin, other than to say that the prose looks about as purple as the cover.”
Ianto chuckled and picked it up. “Well, typically one starts on the first page of text, right after the publication and title pages. Most people skip the acknowledgements.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Jack snapped at him. “What I’d like to know is what the hell this is and why I found it on my desk.”
“It’s a book.”
“I noticed.”
Ianto shook his head and laid the book back down on the desk. “It’s a gift from Dylan. Ffion reads these compulsively and he called me the other night to tell me what she’d come home with. As far as I can tell it’s a coincidence, but I’ve placed the author under surveillance and warned Dylan that if he calls me Lucy again I’ll tell his mam what he did the Thursday before he left.”
“He called you Lucy?” Jack asked, incredulous.
“Yep. No self-preservation skills,” Ianto said. The corners of his mouth ticked into a quiet smile. “Well, not yet at any rate. Still -“ Ianto picked up the book again and thumbed through. “Did you need anything else? Coffee?”
Jack shook his head and grinned. “Oh no. I know better than to ask for anything when you’re feeling devious.”
“Suit yourself,” Ianto said and handed Jack the novel. “I’ll be in the tourist office when you need me.”
Jack watched him leave, and then sat down in his chair. When, not if. He turned to the first page and began to read.