Silver Service | 10
Sep. 19th, 2009 04:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
a_silver_storyTitle: Silver Service
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
a_silver_story
Chapter: 10/?
Genre: AU, Romance, Angsty, fluffy
Rating: NC17 / 18
Pairings: Main Pairing is Jack/Ianto. Also includes Ianto/Martha, Ianto/Tosh friendship, Ten/Tosh, Mickey/Martha (mentioned)
Warnings: M.M, rentboy!Ianto, Alternate Universe
Disclaimer: If I owned anything in this, I'd be a rich rich rich bitch. However, I am not a rich rich rich bitch so you may all, therefore, assume I own nothing. Which I don't. It all belongs RTD and the BBC, in case any of you didn't know. Now pass the retcon ...
Summary: Started as a PWP, but since it's me (sorry folks!) and I really can't do things by halves, it grew and grew and grew (and not in an innuendous sort of way). Doctor Smith owns a posh Cardiff hotel, and the respectable Sixth Earl of Boeshane is coming to stay - and he brings with him some very specific demands.
The story follows Ianto from being born, meeting Toshiko and them running away together to the city, right up until Ianto is taken to work in the Doctor's hotel as a 'service' butler for - you guessed it - Jack.
Everyone's fave OTP ensues. BOO YA!
Torchwood Index/Masterlist
FIRST PART | Chapter 1
Ring ring
Ianto groped for the phone, trying to prise his sleep-heavy eyes open. “Hello?” he croaked down the receiver.
“Good morning. I am Doctor Patanjali, calling from Saint Helen’s Hospital. I’ve been trying to reach a ... Jack Harkness? I’ve been redirected to you.”
“Oh ... okay.” he said sleepily. “One sec ...” He rolled over a little way, squinting in the dark and flopping a sleepy hand down onto Jack’s shoulder. “Jack ... Jack ... wake up ... phone ...”
The Captain groaned and rolled over, groping [Ianto] for the phone. “Harkness.” he gave in his best ‘I’ve just woken up and I’m really pissed off at you right now’ voice. Ianto settled against him, closing his eyes and feeling fingers lace through his hair. Jack tensed against him for a second, but he hardly noticed as sleep began to take him again. Suddenly, Jack’s warm body was no longer next to him, and he jerked awake as the lights were flicked on and the Captain began dragging on clothes and boots. Ianto sat up, scowling in the bright light, watching him. “I’m going to the hospital.” Jack explained. He hesitated. “Come with me?”
Ianto bit his lip. “You want me to go with you? Has ... something happened ... ?”
“Just come?”
He regarded Jack for a moment, then nodded. He heaved himself from the bed, crossing to the mirror and trying to tease his hair into something more presentable while digging around for his mobile phone. He found it, and sent a call down to reception to get a car and a driver ready to take them to the hospital as fast as possible. Crossing to the wardrobe, he pulled out a fresh suit and turned to see Jack, fully dressed, coat and all, bouncing on the balls of his feet in impatience. “Can’t you just sit down or something? For one minute? While I get dressed?” he yawned. “You know I can’t just ‘wake up’ like you do ...”
“Yes, yes, yes. You’re sluggish and zombie-fied. Now get dressed!”
A little clumsily, Ianto pulled on his suit, straightened his tie, slipped on his shoes and made a ‘ta-dah!’ sound at Jack. In response Jack simply grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out of the door, picking up the keycard on the way. Ianto allowed himself to be dragged, still too sleep-addled to care, and stumbled into the lift after him. “What’s going on?” he groaned. “Tell me if something’s really, really wrong ... please.”
Jack took a deep breath. “A few days ago, they just said that Lisa hasn’t woken up yet, and her brain activity is reducing by more or less the same amount every day. They ... they’ve run a few tests, and they want me to come to the hospital to get the results.”
“Oh.” breathed Ianto. “Shouldn’t you tell ... um ... your wife?”
“She’ll already be there.” Jack replied shortly. “Why’s the lift taking so long?” He started dancing on the balls of his feet again, and Ianto placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pressed down a little to make him stop. Jack tried to glare at him, but he ended up just smiling affectionately as he properly drank in Ianto's early morning stubble, tousled and messy hair and slightly skewed tie. He yawned adorably, and Jack would have leaned over and kissed him had the lift doors not slid open at that point.
They crossed the foyer, Ianto a respectful one step behind and after catching his reflection in a wall mirror trying to make himself appear more presentable. By the time they reached the waiting Rolls Royce, he was once again looking pretty damn perfect, and Jack felt a little disappointed at the lack of tousled-ness. They climbed in the back, and the car pulled away smoothly, the screen separating them from the driver sliding up and the windows tinting.
Jack was tapping his thighs, almost jiggling his knees in frustration. Ianto put a hand on his leg to try and make him stop, but he just started wringing his hands and gnawing his bottom lip. "You've got a lot of nervous energy to work off." he sighed eventually. Jack gave him a sidelong glance.
"What do you suggest?" he smirked.
Ianto was a little taken aback at the idea Jack would be thinking about sex now, but then kicked himself into remembering that this was Jack and every situation was the time and place for sex. He groaned. "Jack ... I'm still half asleep ..."
"Well ... if somnophilia is your thing ..."
"Piss off." he laughed. "Maybe another time ..."
"Well?"
"Well ... what?"
"Are you going to help me work off my 'nervous energy'?"
Ianto rolled his eyes and turned his body slightly to look out of the window, but hands on his thigh and his own bodily reaction informed him the 'ignore him and he'll go away' technique wasn't working. He turned slightly to try and push Jack away, but fists curled into his lapels and pulled him into a kiss. Ianto couldn't help but respond - the way he felt when Jack kissed him was just too good to be taken for granted and shoved aside.
The hands creeping inside his jacket, however, could be.
"Jack! We're on our way to the hospital ... stop it!" Ianto chastised. "Don't make me make you sit on your hands!"
Jack sat back and bit his lip. "But ... I have nervous energy to work off ..." he said, sliding his hand down over Ianto's chest to his groin. Ianto dropped his eyes, but found himself swaying into Jack's arms, their lips brushing and his shoulders dropping as they relaxed into a gentle kiss. Ianto had been forgetting how well Jack could play him, not having said 'no' for so long, but now Jack was pulling every trick in the book to get what he wanted - and Ianto was very quickly giving in. He jerked away from Jack quickly, but all he got for is efforts were more kisses on his jaw and neck, a soft tongue flicking his ear lobe.
"You should really, really stop, Jack." he sighed, but running his hands through Jack's hair anyway and urging him to keep going. His tie was being pulled loose and his shirt open to grant better access to his neck, and Jack's fingers found themselves running along the inside of his waistband.
The car broke fast without warning, and they both toppled onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. There was shouting outside, and the chauffeur was answering back. Ianto scrambled onto the seat, tightening his tie and perfecting his slightly ruffled shirt, and wound the window down, sticking his head out to see what was going on. He didn't register much before a fist collided with the side of his face and he was sent sprawling backwards into Jack. He was pleased with himself for not letting out a yelp or cry, but tears were welling up in his eyes as the right hand side of his face tingled with the impact.
Jack was already climbing out of the vehicle to confront the man who'd punched him, and his strong American accent bellowing up and down the street was drawing even more attention than the car had already mustered. Ianto climbed out the car on the other side, circling it and finding Jack pinning a cyclist to it and snarling in his cowering face. He realized he could taste blood, and wondered if the punch had split his lip before feeling a hand curl around his wrist. Without hesitation he felt the hand pull and drag him aside, and several people were now bundling at him, shoving a gag in his mouth - but not before he could yell out for Jack. He was so completely and utterly terrified, he managed little more than a muffled shout, the sound catching in his throat as if he'd forgotten how to use his voice.
The Earl spun around, clocking the situation, then retrieving his gun from his holster so fast none of the other assailants had seen it coming. Six rounds were fired and Ianto hit the ground with a hard thud, surrounded by groaning bodies, blood and shattered knee-caps. Jack hurried over, replacing the weapon and pulling Ianto to his feet. Ianto's first instinct was to fold himself into Jacks' arms, and he felt his heart wrench as Jack all but pushed him away, removing the rag that had been used as a gag and practically dragging him back inside the car, locking the doors and ordering the chauffeur to drive while he made a harsh phone call in a language Ianto didn't understand. Only then did he make a show of any concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked his voice shaking, his fingers curling under Ianto's chin to inspect the bleeding lip. Ianto nodded silently, not meeting his gaze. "Here ... hold me ..." Jack whispered, pulling Ianto in close and wrapping him in his arms. "I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry ... I should have told you to stay in the car ... those people ... I can't be me with you in public ..."
Ianto frowned, returning the embrace, still shaking, still not fully absorbing what had just happened to him. "What happened?" he said lamely.
"They would have taken you and held you to ransom."
"What makes them think you'd have paid the ransom for your rentboy?" Ianto asked bitterly.
Jack sighed and rubbed his cheek against Ianto's hair. "You were traveling in the car with me, not a separate vehicle. You're either very important - or very important to me. Either way, there'd be someone to pay a ransom."
Ianto nodded against his chest, but didn't say anything for a while. "... am I important to you?" he quietly asked, biting his lip and wincing having forgotten it was bleeding.
It was a moment or so before Jack replied. "You're my lover." he said simply.
Ianto tensed in his arms, raising his head slowly. "Lover?"
Jack nodded once.
"But ... that would ... imply ... that you ..."
"How's your lip?" Jack cut him off, but he was smiling a little.
"Erm ... it's hurts." Ianto said with a nervous laugh.
"It might need a stitch or two. Good job we're headed for the hospital."
"Yeah. Lucky." agreed Ianto. Leaning forward, he pressed the intercom switch for the driver. "Are we nearly there yet?"
"Two minutes, sir." came the response.
Ianto sat back and smiled at Jack, who lifted an arm for him to settle against his body. He did so without even thinking about it.
~*~*~*~
"You brought me all the way down here to tell me that you don't know what's wrong with her?" Jack snapped at the doctor, his fists balled by his sides. Ianto had just returned from fetching the really bad coffee, and he handed a plastic cup each to Jack and Doctor Patanjali. The doctor stared at the coffee offered as if it was about to jump up and eat him. "What ... you bought me a coffee?" he said, confused.
"You look like you need it." replied Ianto, standing his respectful step behind Jack's shoulder.
"People don't usually buy doctors coffee ..." Dr Patanjali smiled, taking a sip.
"So what can you tell me?" Jack cut in heatedly.
"Well ... this isn't a naturally occurring phenomenon." replied the doctor, opening his clipboard. "We now have reason to believe that there may be malicious intent beyond her ... um ... initial injuries."
Ianto rolled his eyes at the preamble. "Cut the bollocks, what is it you're getting at?" he sighed.
Dr Patanjali shifted uncomfortably. "It looks like she's been poisoned. By what, or who, or when, or how ... we don't know. We're running all the tests we can to find out what's keeping her in this condition - but ... it's affecting her brain. According to our most recent results, her brain activity has halved since she's been here - the most recent decline being over the past two weeks. Eventually she will be rendered brain-dead and .... it's uncertain that she'll wake up."
"Poisoned ...." breathed Jack. "My Lisa ... has been poisoned?"
"There is substantial evidence to support this, sir."
"... brain-dead ... I thought that no one woke up from being brain dead ..."
The doctor shifted his weight again, not meeting Jack's eye. "Unless we figure out how to cure her, I'm afraid ..." he trailed off as Jack turned and lowered himself heavily into the plastic seat beside him. Ianto took the coffee from his hand in one graceful movement before limp fingers forgot how to hold it and spilled its contents all over the floor.
"You can go and sit with her, if you like." Dr Patanjali told him, and Jack nodded dumbly. "I ... I have to go." muttered the doctor, hurrying away.
Ianto took a deep breath and let it out slowly, unsure how to help Jack in his grief. After his experience on the street, touching Jack in the presence of other people made him feel a little apprehensive, so he opted for verbal encouragement. "Come on, Jack." he said quietly. "Let's go and see her, okay?"
Raising his eyes to Ianto's face, Jack nodded slowly before heaving himself to his feet. He looked so defeated that Ianto had to stay a step behind so that he wouldn't see his anxious face rather than out of respect. "You need to get your lip looked at." Jack told him gruffly.
Ianto averted his gaze, then gave a small nod. "Yes, sir." he conceded. He hesitated a second before leaving Jack, but the Captain just walked away in the direction of Lisa's room.
It took him a couple of minutes to find a nurse, who gave him a quick injection and gave his lip one stitch that hopefully wouldn't scar. His mouth felt a little numb, and he nearly spilt his glass of water the first time he tried to have a drink, not used to only being able to feel the cup against one side of his mouth. When the nurses had finished fawning over him and pinching his cheeks, he made his way back to where he'd last seen Jack and wandered down the corridor in the direction he'd seen him go.
He found him slumped in one of the hospital rooms, sat by the bed upon which lay his sleeping daughter. On the table beside her there were flowers and photographs - the most recent depicting her at her most beautiful: long, black hair, sleek and shiny and blowing a little in the breeze. Her full, pouting lips smiling and her dark eyes sparkling into the camera. The woman lying on the bed could have been a totally different person.
Half of her face was hidden behind scabbing and dry skin, her arms covered with the same, textured, congealed. She must have had a raging temperature at one point, because her hair - though grown out a little - had been roughly hacked away in a desperate attempt to cool her down. Stitching lined parts of her neck and the bare flesh that wasn't scabbed, and her hand twitched with every other heartbeat.
Ianto approached Jack slowly, gently resting an awkward hand on his shoulder. He jumped a little, but seeing who it was, instantly relaxed. "I shouldn't spend so long just sitting here." sighed Jack, his eyes red and his cheeks tear stained.
"Why not?"
"What good is it doing? She doesn't know I'm here."
"She will." Ianto tried to reassure him, though he didn't really believe it himself. "She'll know. She might not wake up and just ... carry on the conversation ... but ... she'll know."
Jack gave a weak laugh. "You don't believe any of that."
"I believe the 'carrying on the conversation part'." he replied with a small smile.
Jack gave him a watery look of gratitude. "Wanna go to McDonald's?" he asked. "We could go through the Drive Through ..."
"Let's be adventurous. Let's go to KFC. They have a Drive Through, too." smiled Ianto. "But first ... maybe you should stay here for a bit ... just in case."
"In ten minutes Adeiola will be arriving for her scheduled Devoted Mother in Anguish time. I don't want to be here and see my daughter made to lie there and be oblivious while her own mother uses her as a long-term PR stunt."
"Take her to a different room and not tell Adeiola." shrugged Ianto. "Make all the doctors say she never moved - and what a bad mother she must be to not remember where her own daughter's room is ..."
"But then I'd be using her as pawn in my marriage." scowled Jack.
"Sorry." muttered Ianto. "Didn't think about it like that ..."
"You're not trapped in an insanely unhappy marriage." grumbled Jack, though with no contempt aimed at Ianto. "You don't have to ..."
"You ... you're staying with her then?" Ianto asked, uncertain if he should.
"For now. But ... I've put a limit on all her cards and my other employees know about which of her activities have to be reported back to me. Hopefully, she'll want out before I can justify leaving a contract on my step-daughter's head just to be rid of Adeiola."
The 'step-daughter' threw Ianto for a second, but he quickly made sense of the fact Jack meant Martha. He remembered Jack once mentioning that he'd lost a child of his own - maybe he was now grasping at anything he could call his 'offspring' as a result. Ianto's heart ached, and he was certain that if he was a woman, at this exact moment, he'd have offered up his womb and ovum to quell Jack's need for a child.
"Are we going?" Jack asked, raising himself to his feet and filling the silence Ianto hadn't realized had fallen between them.
"I suppose ..." he sighed. "Jack - why would anyone want to poison her?" he finally plucked up the courage to ask.
"Hate? Revenge? Probably as payback for something I did ..." Jack's eyes glazed over, and Ianto jumped in.
"Could have just been a plant spore that got in a wound, though." he tried to placate him. "A poisonous Ugandan plant."
"Yeah ..." agreed Jack, though without much enthusiasm. The corners of his mouth, did, however, prickle into a slight smile. "Ugandan plant ..." he repeated, moving to the door. Ianto followed him back out to the car, wondering why Jack was suddenly having great difficulty not smirking to himself.
"Okay." he said, half way to KFC. "What is it?"
Jack burst out laughing. "Ohh ... Ianto. I used to think you knew pretty much everything - well, except about refraction, physics, algebra and blow jobs ..."
"Oi!"
"... and then you came out with that little gem ..." Jack mimed wiping away a tear. "... priceless!"
"Whaaat?" chided Ianto, impatient.
Jack laughed again, then laughed harder when he saw Ianto's glare and eye-roll.
"What?" demanded Ianto, getting irate.
"Heee ... ahh, Ianto, my love ... Nairobi is in Kenya, not Uganda."
Ianto shifted in his seat. "Yeah ... well ... you believe in magic metal gloves!" he retorted, folding his arms and huffing slightly. Jack just sniggered.
"... and ewoks aren't electronic woks ..." he reminded Ianto.
"Yeah ... and apparently the ridges in the road before you get to a roundabout are to tell the blind drivers to slow down!"
Jack stopped laughing. "Hey! That was an honest mistake! At least I didn't think euthanasia was a country!"
Ianto laughed at that. "How was I supposed to know?" he shrugged. "Besides ... at least I don't mistake Barbara for Janet ..."
"Who's Barbara?"
"Janet."
"Janet?"
"... is Barbara."
"So who's the real Janet?"
Ianto massaged the bridge of his nose. "There is no Janet. Janet is a figment of your imagination. Your PA is called Barbara."
"I ... what? ... I'm hallucinating imaginary people?"
"No ... ah ... oh God ... I give up. Yet again. I give up." he shook his head in defeat, only just stopping himself from banging his head against the window. "Just ... don't talk to me until after we've eaten ... okay?"
Jack mimed zipping his lips and Ianto couldn't help but smile to himself. A hand began to creep up his thigh, and before he knew it, he was lying underneath Jack, naked and panting while Jack rode him, a hand covering his own mouth to stop him crying out too loud and being heard by any neighbouring cars - or the driver. Jack lay down on top of him, panting as they came back to themselves, and Ianto stroked his hair and kissed his forehead tenderly.
"Pulling in now, sir." the chauffeur announced over the intercom. Jack and Ianto sniggered into each other's shoulders.
"He's a bit late for joining the party ..." joked Jack. "You've been in and out already ..." He lowered his lips and kissed Ianto softly, running his hands over him while he shivered with pleasure. "We need to get dressed ... lucky KFC have that stupid intercom ordering system ..." he sighed, trying to untangle Ianto's clothes from his own.
Once again it took Ianto a while to decide what he wanted, and eventually settled on having the same as Jack again. They decided to save the food until they got back to the hotel, smirking to themselves as they wandered across the expensive foyer with brown paper bags of greasy fast food, disapproving glances meeting them as they stepped into the lift.
They sat on the floor in Ianto's room, sharing out the food, laughing at each others' jokes and kissing and groping their way through the meal.
Meanwhile, across town, Adeiola Harkness and Harold Saxon were meeting for a much more substantial - but no less private - lunch of their own. They were laughing at the misfortune of others, not jokes, and they were sharing plans, not kisses. And while their meals were eaten easily, their respective PA's found the fact they were sitting and plotting together very difficult to swallow.
FIN
Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu -
Imma let you finish ... but I've just eaten the best chocolate bar of all time. The BEST. CHOCOLATE. BAR. OF. ALL. TIIIIME. 'Kay?
- uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun.
Next Part | Previous Part | Torchwood Index | Request a Convo/Prose Fic
Author:
a_silver_storyChapter: 10/?
Genre: AU, Romance, Angsty, fluffy
Rating: NC17 / 18
Pairings: Main Pairing is Jack/Ianto. Also includes Ianto/Martha, Ianto/Tosh friendship, Ten/Tosh, Mickey/Martha (mentioned)
Warnings: M.M, rentboy!Ianto, Alternate Universe
Disclaimer: If I owned anything in this, I'd be a rich rich rich bitch. However, I am not a rich rich rich bitch so you may all, therefore, assume I own nothing. Which I don't. It all belongs RTD and the BBC, in case any of you didn't know. Now pass the retcon ...
Summary: Started as a PWP, but since it's me (sorry folks!) and I really can't do things by halves, it grew and grew and grew (and not in an innuendous sort of way). Doctor Smith owns a posh Cardiff hotel, and the respectable Sixth Earl of Boeshane is coming to stay - and he brings with him some very specific demands.
The story follows Ianto from being born, meeting Toshiko and them running away together to the city, right up until Ianto is taken to work in the Doctor's hotel as a 'service' butler for - you guessed it - Jack.
Everyone's fave OTP ensues. BOO YA!
Torchwood Index/Masterlist
FIRST PART | Chapter 1
Ring ring
Ianto groped for the phone, trying to prise his sleep-heavy eyes open. “Hello?” he croaked down the receiver.
“Good morning. I am Doctor Patanjali, calling from Saint Helen’s Hospital. I’ve been trying to reach a ... Jack Harkness? I’ve been redirected to you.”
“Oh ... okay.” he said sleepily. “One sec ...” He rolled over a little way, squinting in the dark and flopping a sleepy hand down onto Jack’s shoulder. “Jack ... Jack ... wake up ... phone ...”
The Captain groaned and rolled over, groping [Ianto] for the phone. “Harkness.” he gave in his best ‘I’ve just woken up and I’m really pissed off at you right now’ voice. Ianto settled against him, closing his eyes and feeling fingers lace through his hair. Jack tensed against him for a second, but he hardly noticed as sleep began to take him again. Suddenly, Jack’s warm body was no longer next to him, and he jerked awake as the lights were flicked on and the Captain began dragging on clothes and boots. Ianto sat up, scowling in the bright light, watching him. “I’m going to the hospital.” Jack explained. He hesitated. “Come with me?”
Ianto bit his lip. “You want me to go with you? Has ... something happened ... ?”
“Just come?”
He regarded Jack for a moment, then nodded. He heaved himself from the bed, crossing to the mirror and trying to tease his hair into something more presentable while digging around for his mobile phone. He found it, and sent a call down to reception to get a car and a driver ready to take them to the hospital as fast as possible. Crossing to the wardrobe, he pulled out a fresh suit and turned to see Jack, fully dressed, coat and all, bouncing on the balls of his feet in impatience. “Can’t you just sit down or something? For one minute? While I get dressed?” he yawned. “You know I can’t just ‘wake up’ like you do ...”
“Yes, yes, yes. You’re sluggish and zombie-fied. Now get dressed!”
A little clumsily, Ianto pulled on his suit, straightened his tie, slipped on his shoes and made a ‘ta-dah!’ sound at Jack. In response Jack simply grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out of the door, picking up the keycard on the way. Ianto allowed himself to be dragged, still too sleep-addled to care, and stumbled into the lift after him. “What’s going on?” he groaned. “Tell me if something’s really, really wrong ... please.”
Jack took a deep breath. “A few days ago, they just said that Lisa hasn’t woken up yet, and her brain activity is reducing by more or less the same amount every day. They ... they’ve run a few tests, and they want me to come to the hospital to get the results.”
“Oh.” breathed Ianto. “Shouldn’t you tell ... um ... your wife?”
“She’ll already be there.” Jack replied shortly. “Why’s the lift taking so long?” He started dancing on the balls of his feet again, and Ianto placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pressed down a little to make him stop. Jack tried to glare at him, but he ended up just smiling affectionately as he properly drank in Ianto's early morning stubble, tousled and messy hair and slightly skewed tie. He yawned adorably, and Jack would have leaned over and kissed him had the lift doors not slid open at that point.
They crossed the foyer, Ianto a respectful one step behind and after catching his reflection in a wall mirror trying to make himself appear more presentable. By the time they reached the waiting Rolls Royce, he was once again looking pretty damn perfect, and Jack felt a little disappointed at the lack of tousled-ness. They climbed in the back, and the car pulled away smoothly, the screen separating them from the driver sliding up and the windows tinting.
Jack was tapping his thighs, almost jiggling his knees in frustration. Ianto put a hand on his leg to try and make him stop, but he just started wringing his hands and gnawing his bottom lip. "You've got a lot of nervous energy to work off." he sighed eventually. Jack gave him a sidelong glance.
"What do you suggest?" he smirked.
Ianto was a little taken aback at the idea Jack would be thinking about sex now, but then kicked himself into remembering that this was Jack and every situation was the time and place for sex. He groaned. "Jack ... I'm still half asleep ..."
"Well ... if somnophilia is your thing ..."
"Piss off." he laughed. "Maybe another time ..."
"Well?"
"Well ... what?"
"Are you going to help me work off my 'nervous energy'?"
Ianto rolled his eyes and turned his body slightly to look out of the window, but hands on his thigh and his own bodily reaction informed him the 'ignore him and he'll go away' technique wasn't working. He turned slightly to try and push Jack away, but fists curled into his lapels and pulled him into a kiss. Ianto couldn't help but respond - the way he felt when Jack kissed him was just too good to be taken for granted and shoved aside.
The hands creeping inside his jacket, however, could be.
"Jack! We're on our way to the hospital ... stop it!" Ianto chastised. "Don't make me make you sit on your hands!"
Jack sat back and bit his lip. "But ... I have nervous energy to work off ..." he said, sliding his hand down over Ianto's chest to his groin. Ianto dropped his eyes, but found himself swaying into Jack's arms, their lips brushing and his shoulders dropping as they relaxed into a gentle kiss. Ianto had been forgetting how well Jack could play him, not having said 'no' for so long, but now Jack was pulling every trick in the book to get what he wanted - and Ianto was very quickly giving in. He jerked away from Jack quickly, but all he got for is efforts were more kisses on his jaw and neck, a soft tongue flicking his ear lobe.
"You should really, really stop, Jack." he sighed, but running his hands through Jack's hair anyway and urging him to keep going. His tie was being pulled loose and his shirt open to grant better access to his neck, and Jack's fingers found themselves running along the inside of his waistband.
The car broke fast without warning, and they both toppled onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. There was shouting outside, and the chauffeur was answering back. Ianto scrambled onto the seat, tightening his tie and perfecting his slightly ruffled shirt, and wound the window down, sticking his head out to see what was going on. He didn't register much before a fist collided with the side of his face and he was sent sprawling backwards into Jack. He was pleased with himself for not letting out a yelp or cry, but tears were welling up in his eyes as the right hand side of his face tingled with the impact.
Jack was already climbing out of the vehicle to confront the man who'd punched him, and his strong American accent bellowing up and down the street was drawing even more attention than the car had already mustered. Ianto climbed out the car on the other side, circling it and finding Jack pinning a cyclist to it and snarling in his cowering face. He realized he could taste blood, and wondered if the punch had split his lip before feeling a hand curl around his wrist. Without hesitation he felt the hand pull and drag him aside, and several people were now bundling at him, shoving a gag in his mouth - but not before he could yell out for Jack. He was so completely and utterly terrified, he managed little more than a muffled shout, the sound catching in his throat as if he'd forgotten how to use his voice.
The Earl spun around, clocking the situation, then retrieving his gun from his holster so fast none of the other assailants had seen it coming. Six rounds were fired and Ianto hit the ground with a hard thud, surrounded by groaning bodies, blood and shattered knee-caps. Jack hurried over, replacing the weapon and pulling Ianto to his feet. Ianto's first instinct was to fold himself into Jacks' arms, and he felt his heart wrench as Jack all but pushed him away, removing the rag that had been used as a gag and practically dragging him back inside the car, locking the doors and ordering the chauffeur to drive while he made a harsh phone call in a language Ianto didn't understand. Only then did he make a show of any concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked his voice shaking, his fingers curling under Ianto's chin to inspect the bleeding lip. Ianto nodded silently, not meeting his gaze. "Here ... hold me ..." Jack whispered, pulling Ianto in close and wrapping him in his arms. "I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry ... I should have told you to stay in the car ... those people ... I can't be me with you in public ..."
Ianto frowned, returning the embrace, still shaking, still not fully absorbing what had just happened to him. "What happened?" he said lamely.
"They would have taken you and held you to ransom."
"What makes them think you'd have paid the ransom for your rentboy?" Ianto asked bitterly.
Jack sighed and rubbed his cheek against Ianto's hair. "You were traveling in the car with me, not a separate vehicle. You're either very important - or very important to me. Either way, there'd be someone to pay a ransom."
Ianto nodded against his chest, but didn't say anything for a while. "... am I important to you?" he quietly asked, biting his lip and wincing having forgotten it was bleeding.
It was a moment or so before Jack replied. "You're my lover." he said simply.
Ianto tensed in his arms, raising his head slowly. "Lover?"
Jack nodded once.
"But ... that would ... imply ... that you ..."
"How's your lip?" Jack cut him off, but he was smiling a little.
"Erm ... it's hurts." Ianto said with a nervous laugh.
"It might need a stitch or two. Good job we're headed for the hospital."
"Yeah. Lucky." agreed Ianto. Leaning forward, he pressed the intercom switch for the driver. "Are we nearly there yet?"
"Two minutes, sir." came the response.
Ianto sat back and smiled at Jack, who lifted an arm for him to settle against his body. He did so without even thinking about it.
"You brought me all the way down here to tell me that you don't know what's wrong with her?" Jack snapped at the doctor, his fists balled by his sides. Ianto had just returned from fetching the really bad coffee, and he handed a plastic cup each to Jack and Doctor Patanjali. The doctor stared at the coffee offered as if it was about to jump up and eat him. "What ... you bought me a coffee?" he said, confused.
"You look like you need it." replied Ianto, standing his respectful step behind Jack's shoulder.
"People don't usually buy doctors coffee ..." Dr Patanjali smiled, taking a sip.
"So what can you tell me?" Jack cut in heatedly.
"Well ... this isn't a naturally occurring phenomenon." replied the doctor, opening his clipboard. "We now have reason to believe that there may be malicious intent beyond her ... um ... initial injuries."
Ianto rolled his eyes at the preamble. "Cut the bollocks, what is it you're getting at?" he sighed.
Dr Patanjali shifted uncomfortably. "It looks like she's been poisoned. By what, or who, or when, or how ... we don't know. We're running all the tests we can to find out what's keeping her in this condition - but ... it's affecting her brain. According to our most recent results, her brain activity has halved since she's been here - the most recent decline being over the past two weeks. Eventually she will be rendered brain-dead and .... it's uncertain that she'll wake up."
"Poisoned ...." breathed Jack. "My Lisa ... has been poisoned?"
"There is substantial evidence to support this, sir."
"... brain-dead ... I thought that no one woke up from being brain dead ..."
The doctor shifted his weight again, not meeting Jack's eye. "Unless we figure out how to cure her, I'm afraid ..." he trailed off as Jack turned and lowered himself heavily into the plastic seat beside him. Ianto took the coffee from his hand in one graceful movement before limp fingers forgot how to hold it and spilled its contents all over the floor.
"You can go and sit with her, if you like." Dr Patanjali told him, and Jack nodded dumbly. "I ... I have to go." muttered the doctor, hurrying away.
Ianto took a deep breath and let it out slowly, unsure how to help Jack in his grief. After his experience on the street, touching Jack in the presence of other people made him feel a little apprehensive, so he opted for verbal encouragement. "Come on, Jack." he said quietly. "Let's go and see her, okay?"
Raising his eyes to Ianto's face, Jack nodded slowly before heaving himself to his feet. He looked so defeated that Ianto had to stay a step behind so that he wouldn't see his anxious face rather than out of respect. "You need to get your lip looked at." Jack told him gruffly.
Ianto averted his gaze, then gave a small nod. "Yes, sir." he conceded. He hesitated a second before leaving Jack, but the Captain just walked away in the direction of Lisa's room.
It took him a couple of minutes to find a nurse, who gave him a quick injection and gave his lip one stitch that hopefully wouldn't scar. His mouth felt a little numb, and he nearly spilt his glass of water the first time he tried to have a drink, not used to only being able to feel the cup against one side of his mouth. When the nurses had finished fawning over him and pinching his cheeks, he made his way back to where he'd last seen Jack and wandered down the corridor in the direction he'd seen him go.
He found him slumped in one of the hospital rooms, sat by the bed upon which lay his sleeping daughter. On the table beside her there were flowers and photographs - the most recent depicting her at her most beautiful: long, black hair, sleek and shiny and blowing a little in the breeze. Her full, pouting lips smiling and her dark eyes sparkling into the camera. The woman lying on the bed could have been a totally different person.
Half of her face was hidden behind scabbing and dry skin, her arms covered with the same, textured, congealed. She must have had a raging temperature at one point, because her hair - though grown out a little - had been roughly hacked away in a desperate attempt to cool her down. Stitching lined parts of her neck and the bare flesh that wasn't scabbed, and her hand twitched with every other heartbeat.
Ianto approached Jack slowly, gently resting an awkward hand on his shoulder. He jumped a little, but seeing who it was, instantly relaxed. "I shouldn't spend so long just sitting here." sighed Jack, his eyes red and his cheeks tear stained.
"Why not?"
"What good is it doing? She doesn't know I'm here."
"She will." Ianto tried to reassure him, though he didn't really believe it himself. "She'll know. She might not wake up and just ... carry on the conversation ... but ... she'll know."
Jack gave a weak laugh. "You don't believe any of that."
"I believe the 'carrying on the conversation part'." he replied with a small smile.
Jack gave him a watery look of gratitude. "Wanna go to McDonald's?" he asked. "We could go through the Drive Through ..."
"Let's be adventurous. Let's go to KFC. They have a Drive Through, too." smiled Ianto. "But first ... maybe you should stay here for a bit ... just in case."
"In ten minutes Adeiola will be arriving for her scheduled Devoted Mother in Anguish time. I don't want to be here and see my daughter made to lie there and be oblivious while her own mother uses her as a long-term PR stunt."
"Take her to a different room and not tell Adeiola." shrugged Ianto. "Make all the doctors say she never moved - and what a bad mother she must be to not remember where her own daughter's room is ..."
"But then I'd be using her as pawn in my marriage." scowled Jack.
"Sorry." muttered Ianto. "Didn't think about it like that ..."
"You're not trapped in an insanely unhappy marriage." grumbled Jack, though with no contempt aimed at Ianto. "You don't have to ..."
"You ... you're staying with her then?" Ianto asked, uncertain if he should.
"For now. But ... I've put a limit on all her cards and my other employees know about which of her activities have to be reported back to me. Hopefully, she'll want out before I can justify leaving a contract on my step-daughter's head just to be rid of Adeiola."
The 'step-daughter' threw Ianto for a second, but he quickly made sense of the fact Jack meant Martha. He remembered Jack once mentioning that he'd lost a child of his own - maybe he was now grasping at anything he could call his 'offspring' as a result. Ianto's heart ached, and he was certain that if he was a woman, at this exact moment, he'd have offered up his womb and ovum to quell Jack's need for a child.
"Are we going?" Jack asked, raising himself to his feet and filling the silence Ianto hadn't realized had fallen between them.
"I suppose ..." he sighed. "Jack - why would anyone want to poison her?" he finally plucked up the courage to ask.
"Hate? Revenge? Probably as payback for something I did ..." Jack's eyes glazed over, and Ianto jumped in.
"Could have just been a plant spore that got in a wound, though." he tried to placate him. "A poisonous Ugandan plant."
"Yeah ..." agreed Jack, though without much enthusiasm. The corners of his mouth, did, however, prickle into a slight smile. "Ugandan plant ..." he repeated, moving to the door. Ianto followed him back out to the car, wondering why Jack was suddenly having great difficulty not smirking to himself.
"Okay." he said, half way to KFC. "What is it?"
Jack burst out laughing. "Ohh ... Ianto. I used to think you knew pretty much everything - well, except about refraction, physics, algebra and blow jobs ..."
"Oi!"
"... and then you came out with that little gem ..." Jack mimed wiping away a tear. "... priceless!"
"Whaaat?" chided Ianto, impatient.
Jack laughed again, then laughed harder when he saw Ianto's glare and eye-roll.
"What?" demanded Ianto, getting irate.
"Heee ... ahh, Ianto, my love ... Nairobi is in Kenya, not Uganda."
Ianto shifted in his seat. "Yeah ... well ... you believe in magic metal gloves!" he retorted, folding his arms and huffing slightly. Jack just sniggered.
"... and ewoks aren't electronic woks ..." he reminded Ianto.
"Yeah ... and apparently the ridges in the road before you get to a roundabout are to tell the blind drivers to slow down!"
Jack stopped laughing. "Hey! That was an honest mistake! At least I didn't think euthanasia was a country!"
Ianto laughed at that. "How was I supposed to know?" he shrugged. "Besides ... at least I don't mistake Barbara for Janet ..."
"Who's Barbara?"
"Janet."
"Janet?"
"... is Barbara."
"So who's the real Janet?"
Ianto massaged the bridge of his nose. "There is no Janet. Janet is a figment of your imagination. Your PA is called Barbara."
"I ... what? ... I'm hallucinating imaginary people?"
"No ... ah ... oh God ... I give up. Yet again. I give up." he shook his head in defeat, only just stopping himself from banging his head against the window. "Just ... don't talk to me until after we've eaten ... okay?"
Jack mimed zipping his lips and Ianto couldn't help but smile to himself. A hand began to creep up his thigh, and before he knew it, he was lying underneath Jack, naked and panting while Jack rode him, a hand covering his own mouth to stop him crying out too loud and being heard by any neighbouring cars - or the driver. Jack lay down on top of him, panting as they came back to themselves, and Ianto stroked his hair and kissed his forehead tenderly.
"Pulling in now, sir." the chauffeur announced over the intercom. Jack and Ianto sniggered into each other's shoulders.
"He's a bit late for joining the party ..." joked Jack. "You've been in and out already ..." He lowered his lips and kissed Ianto softly, running his hands over him while he shivered with pleasure. "We need to get dressed ... lucky KFC have that stupid intercom ordering system ..." he sighed, trying to untangle Ianto's clothes from his own.
Once again it took Ianto a while to decide what he wanted, and eventually settled on having the same as Jack again. They decided to save the food until they got back to the hotel, smirking to themselves as they wandered across the expensive foyer with brown paper bags of greasy fast food, disapproving glances meeting them as they stepped into the lift.
They sat on the floor in Ianto's room, sharing out the food, laughing at each others' jokes and kissing and groping their way through the meal.
Meanwhile, across town, Adeiola Harkness and Harold Saxon were meeting for a much more substantial - but no less private - lunch of their own. They were laughing at the misfortune of others, not jokes, and they were sharing plans, not kisses. And while their meals were eaten easily, their respective PA's found the fact they were sitting and plotting together very difficult to swallow.
FIN
Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu -
Imma let you finish ... but I've just eaten the best chocolate bar of all time. The BEST. CHOCOLATE. BAR. OF. ALL. TIIIIME. 'Kay?
- uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 04:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 04:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 04:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 04:59 am (UTC)Plotting makes me nervous because Saxon Plots (tm) are notoriously sneaky and underhanded and nefarious and all those other really neat adjectives.
Have I mentioned how much I love this fic?
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 05:31 am (UTC)ewoks aren't electronic woks
*falls over laughing* Where do you come up with some of these lines? They are just BRILLIANT!!!!
EEEP!!! It doesn't surprise me that Adeiola and Saxon are conspiring together. *shudders* They are both way too creepy! Button needs to warn Jack and Ianto!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 06:18 am (UTC)Poor Lisa being hurt like that and as for Adeola and Saxon, well they have just got to go!
Still loving this!! Can't wait for the next part :)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 07:16 am (UTC)Whilst the really mean Saxon guy and the really mean Adieola girl plotting together isn't surprising, it's still a bloody terrifying prospect. Right, back to hiding under the duvet for me then...
...what is the BEST. CHOCOLATE. BAR. OF. ALL. TIIIIME. then?
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 07:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 08:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 09:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 10:43 am (UTC)"Heee ... ahh, Ianto, my love ... Nairobi is in Kenya, not Uganda." First, Jack calls Ianto his lover and then 'my love' *squee*. I love their interactions, so funny and *sigh*. Just so great.
Dun indeed. Really really hate Adeiola. Please tell me she gets what's coming to her (and by that I mean a quick exit)?
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 12:28 pm (UTC)"Ianto's heart ached, and he was certain that if he was a woman, at this exact moment, he'd have offered up his womb and ovum to quell Jack's need for a child." now this would make an interesting idea for another one of your fics.
loving the updates as always :)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 12:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 01:00 pm (UTC)please?
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 06:52 pm (UTC)Still lovely, though...
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 07:01 pm (UTC)And ROFL@Kanye. :') Oh the spazz'ead.
Anyways. Omg. :| Ianto. Poor sod. At least Jack got him out of it.
And then Jack. *wibble* He's so broken.
I volunteer mah baby-maker for him, yeh? ^^.
As for this plotting. Dundunduuuuun! The plot thickens....
no subject
Date: 2009-09-20 11:23 am (UTC)Loved it. And Adeiola = EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL.
*gives you more chocolate* :D
no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 04:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 01:19 pm (UTC)ooh, I loved this chapter, and omg adeiola and saxon.
(and what is the best chocolate bar of all time?)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-21 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-28 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-24 06:36 pm (UTC)Onward to the next chappie. ^_^
It's fic like this that I love coming in late, so I have a lot of it to read and don't have to wait (even though I would wait if I had too)