Fic: A Distant Echo (Jack/Ianto)
Right, this is what happens when I try to do something sweet and romantic....it turns into a series of short fics that I adore beyond all belief, but are no longer "short and sweet"! ^_^ I'm doomed to forever be writing over my quota...
Anyway, this is the first... or at least the new first, story in honor of Ianto Day (Hooray!) and there is going to be a link to the other Ianto Day Funness at the bottom of the page!
Title: A Distant Echo
Written By:
mrssjw
Rating: PG-13
Length: Short Story (1,142 words)
Spoilers: None, really.
Summary: Ianto gets a surprise phone call.
Ringing filled the room, and Ianto jumped in surprise. He’d been down in the archives, filing to keep his mind off of the fact that Jack had gone to London for a few days. Brooding, Gwen would have said. Ianto’s mobile rang through its catchy polyphonic tune a second time, and he grabbed it up without looking at the Caller ID. It hardly mattered, as only four people in the world had this number.
“Hello?” Ianto answered, not paying much attention to the phone, more intent on organizing the files in the “G” drawer. Clearly, Owen had thought he was alphabetizing… Ianto wondered what planet Owen had learned his ABC’s on.
Goats…Gregorian…Gallifrey…this is such a mess…
“Ianto?” Jack’s voice filtered through the mobile, and startled Ianto enough for him to drop the folder marked “Gorgon” across the archive room floor.
“Jack?” Grappling with the phone, Ianto pressed it closer to his ear.
“Hey, yeah, it’s me.” Jack’s tone was soft, seductive even. Ianto thanked whoever was listening to prayers that he was alone, otherwise he would have had a difficult time disguising his immediate reaction.
“What’s going on?” Ianto asked, then cursed himself for sounding so breathless.
“Not much. I miss you.” The way Jack said it made the breath hitch in the other man’s throat.
“Yeah?” Jack chuckled at the hesitant sound.
“Yeah, I want to be home… with you.” This new, sentimental side of Jack both warmed and frightened Ianto.
“How’s London?” Ianto asked, desperate to change the subject to more neutral territory. Jack sighed heavily, and Ianto got the feeling that the older man had leaned back against something in an expression of fatigue.
“There’s more paperwork than you could even handle, and nothing by way of real danger here. I don’t know why they insisted I be here for this.”
“Maybe it’s because they know you hate paperwork.”
“What, so they want to punish me?” Ianto smiled. The playful, teasing Jack he could deal with.
“No, it’s because they all hate paperwork too. Only none of them have the nerve to throw it all in the air and yell ‘bollocks to it all’.”
“I only did that once, and all the forms got finished eventually!”
“Yes, I know,” Ianto said wryly, “But only because I filled them out and sent them to the correct places.” Jack’s chuckle ended on another sigh.
“What would I do without you, Ianto Jones?”
“Well, you’d be doing your own reports for a start.” Ianto teased, inwardly touched by Jack’s obvious attachment. It was a good feeling; needing to be needed. It gave him a sense of purpose and belonging.
“You don’t suppose I could try the ‘bollocks’ routine here, do you?”
“It would hardly be responsible of you, sir.”
“Damn.” But the word held no real heat, and only just the barest hint of disappointment. Ianto chuckled. He knew how antsy Jack got when he had piles of paperwork to complete.
“You’ll be finished up there soon enough, and then you can come home.”
“Home…” Jack’s tone turned thoughtful, “I like the way that sounds. Makes it seem like I’ve got someone who loves me waiting for my return.”
“You do,” Ianto blurted out without thinking, then wished he could bite off his own tongue. “What good would Torchwood Three be without its Captain?” Trying to cover his fumble, Ianto attempted to switch the subject again.
“How much longer do you think you will be up there?”
“At least another days’ worth, maybe two. I’m aiming to leave here on or before Saturday. Why? Do you miss me?”
“Of course,” Now it was Ianto’s voice that dropped a few points, a husky undertone taking over. Jack must have noticed, because his teasing became more subtle, more flirtatious.
“What do you miss the most?”
“Not having to file alone.” Ianto replied honestly. His answer must not have been what Jack had been expecting, because it startled a laugh out of him.
“Is that what you’ve been doing today? Filing?”
“Yes,” Ianto sighed dramatically, “Owen’s been using the Ethiopian Alphabet again, and these drawers are an absolute wreck.”
“I see…this wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I left, would it?” Ianto was suddenly very thankful that Jack couldn’t see him, because he could feel the blush staining his cheeks.
“What would give you that idea?”
“Well, a little bird told me that when I was away before you spent undue amounts of time in the archives, filing.”
Ianto was going to strangle Gwen. He really was… why would she tell Jack that? Sure, it was true, but Jack didn’t need to know that!
“I’m just trying to make up for Owen’s lack of reading ability, that’s all.” But Ianto knew Jack wouldn’t be convinced. Hell, he didn’t even believe himself.
“Well, either way, when I get home, you and I will spend that night I promised you together. Just the two of us.” A voice sounded in the background, and Jack sighed again.
“I’d better get going. They’re calling us all back in for another group meeting. I’ll talk to you later Ianto. Send my best to everyone else.”
“I will. Talk to you soon.” After Jack hung up, Ianto stared down at his mobile for a second. He could say it, he told himself, after all, it’s not like Jack could hear him anymore, and nobody else was down in the archives with him.
“Love you, Jack.”
~Meanwhile, 150 miles away~
Jack looked at the flashing name on the display as he disconnected the call. All this trudging through form after form, all about the Battle of Canary Wharf. The diplomats had finally sorted out what they wanted filed, and now it was left to the combined forces of Torchwood (what was left of it anyway) and UNIT to file it all.
All this talk of Canary Wharf had Jack feeling more sentimental than normal, and he’d thought of Ianto ever since getting on the train to London. He missed them all, but most especially Ianto, and especially with so much paperwork at hand.
He sighed, tucking his phone away in his pocket, as the announcement rang out overhead again, calling them all back from the short break they had been allowed. He wished Ianto was here with him, and not just because he was a whiz with forms. He missed being able to make the Welshman smile, and missed being able to tease and flirt with him. Basically, he was lonesome, and only Ianto Jones could fix that. He glanced around when he thought he heard his name.
…love you, Jack…
It was a distant echo, a fading roar, and yet he felt it in his heart, rather than hearing it in his ears. Jack closed his eyes for a brief second, focusing on the voice.
“I love you too, Ianto…”
~Fin~
More Ianto Day Funness This-a-way!!!
Anyway, this is the first... or at least the new first, story in honor of Ianto Day (Hooray!) and there is going to be a link to the other Ianto Day Funness at the bottom of the page!
Title: A Distant Echo
Written By:
mrssjw
Rating: PG-13
Length: Short Story (1,142 words)
Spoilers: None, really.
Summary: Ianto gets a surprise phone call.
Ringing filled the room, and Ianto jumped in surprise. He’d been down in the archives, filing to keep his mind off of the fact that Jack had gone to London for a few days. Brooding, Gwen would have said. Ianto’s mobile rang through its catchy polyphonic tune a second time, and he grabbed it up without looking at the Caller ID. It hardly mattered, as only four people in the world had this number.
“Hello?” Ianto answered, not paying much attention to the phone, more intent on organizing the files in the “G” drawer. Clearly, Owen had thought he was alphabetizing… Ianto wondered what planet Owen had learned his ABC’s on.
Goats…Gregorian…Gallifrey…this is such a mess…
“Ianto?” Jack’s voice filtered through the mobile, and startled Ianto enough for him to drop the folder marked “Gorgon” across the archive room floor.
“Jack?” Grappling with the phone, Ianto pressed it closer to his ear.
“Hey, yeah, it’s me.” Jack’s tone was soft, seductive even. Ianto thanked whoever was listening to prayers that he was alone, otherwise he would have had a difficult time disguising his immediate reaction.
“What’s going on?” Ianto asked, then cursed himself for sounding so breathless.
“Not much. I miss you.” The way Jack said it made the breath hitch in the other man’s throat.
“Yeah?” Jack chuckled at the hesitant sound.
“Yeah, I want to be home… with you.” This new, sentimental side of Jack both warmed and frightened Ianto.
“How’s London?” Ianto asked, desperate to change the subject to more neutral territory. Jack sighed heavily, and Ianto got the feeling that the older man had leaned back against something in an expression of fatigue.
“There’s more paperwork than you could even handle, and nothing by way of real danger here. I don’t know why they insisted I be here for this.”
“Maybe it’s because they know you hate paperwork.”
“What, so they want to punish me?” Ianto smiled. The playful, teasing Jack he could deal with.
“No, it’s because they all hate paperwork too. Only none of them have the nerve to throw it all in the air and yell ‘bollocks to it all’.”
“I only did that once, and all the forms got finished eventually!”
“Yes, I know,” Ianto said wryly, “But only because I filled them out and sent them to the correct places.” Jack’s chuckle ended on another sigh.
“What would I do without you, Ianto Jones?”
“Well, you’d be doing your own reports for a start.” Ianto teased, inwardly touched by Jack’s obvious attachment. It was a good feeling; needing to be needed. It gave him a sense of purpose and belonging.
“You don’t suppose I could try the ‘bollocks’ routine here, do you?”
“It would hardly be responsible of you, sir.”
“Damn.” But the word held no real heat, and only just the barest hint of disappointment. Ianto chuckled. He knew how antsy Jack got when he had piles of paperwork to complete.
“You’ll be finished up there soon enough, and then you can come home.”
“Home…” Jack’s tone turned thoughtful, “I like the way that sounds. Makes it seem like I’ve got someone who loves me waiting for my return.”
“You do,” Ianto blurted out without thinking, then wished he could bite off his own tongue. “What good would Torchwood Three be without its Captain?” Trying to cover his fumble, Ianto attempted to switch the subject again.
“How much longer do you think you will be up there?”
“At least another days’ worth, maybe two. I’m aiming to leave here on or before Saturday. Why? Do you miss me?”
“Of course,” Now it was Ianto’s voice that dropped a few points, a husky undertone taking over. Jack must have noticed, because his teasing became more subtle, more flirtatious.
“What do you miss the most?”
“Not having to file alone.” Ianto replied honestly. His answer must not have been what Jack had been expecting, because it startled a laugh out of him.
“Is that what you’ve been doing today? Filing?”
“Yes,” Ianto sighed dramatically, “Owen’s been using the Ethiopian Alphabet again, and these drawers are an absolute wreck.”
“I see…this wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I left, would it?” Ianto was suddenly very thankful that Jack couldn’t see him, because he could feel the blush staining his cheeks.
“What would give you that idea?”
“Well, a little bird told me that when I was away before you spent undue amounts of time in the archives, filing.”
Ianto was going to strangle Gwen. He really was… why would she tell Jack that? Sure, it was true, but Jack didn’t need to know that!
“I’m just trying to make up for Owen’s lack of reading ability, that’s all.” But Ianto knew Jack wouldn’t be convinced. Hell, he didn’t even believe himself.
“Well, either way, when I get home, you and I will spend that night I promised you together. Just the two of us.” A voice sounded in the background, and Jack sighed again.
“I’d better get going. They’re calling us all back in for another group meeting. I’ll talk to you later Ianto. Send my best to everyone else.”
“I will. Talk to you soon.” After Jack hung up, Ianto stared down at his mobile for a second. He could say it, he told himself, after all, it’s not like Jack could hear him anymore, and nobody else was down in the archives with him.
“Love you, Jack.”
~Meanwhile, 150 miles away~
Jack looked at the flashing name on the display as he disconnected the call. All this trudging through form after form, all about the Battle of Canary Wharf. The diplomats had finally sorted out what they wanted filed, and now it was left to the combined forces of Torchwood (what was left of it anyway) and UNIT to file it all.
All this talk of Canary Wharf had Jack feeling more sentimental than normal, and he’d thought of Ianto ever since getting on the train to London. He missed them all, but most especially Ianto, and especially with so much paperwork at hand.
He sighed, tucking his phone away in his pocket, as the announcement rang out overhead again, calling them all back from the short break they had been allowed. He wished Ianto was here with him, and not just because he was a whiz with forms. He missed being able to make the Welshman smile, and missed being able to tease and flirt with him. Basically, he was lonesome, and only Ianto Jones could fix that. He glanced around when he thought he heard his name.
…love you, Jack…
It was a distant echo, a fading roar, and yet he felt it in his heart, rather than hearing it in his ears. Jack closed his eyes for a brief second, focusing on the voice.
“I love you too, Ianto…”
~Fin~
More Ianto Day Funness This-a-way!!!