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m_findlowTitle: Where the wild things are
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 99 - Roughing it at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomweekly
Summary: Ianto is less than enthusiastic about Jack's proposal.
Jack was already moving around the hub when Ianto arrived. He looked to have a purpose about him and Ianto wondered what it was that had his boss so wired up.
'Anything I can help you with?' he asked. He was desperate for something to take his mind off things. Being in his flat drove him mad. It was empty and lonely and riddled with ten kinds of guilt. Being at work was the only thing that helped.
'People going missing up in the Beacons,' Jack replied. 'Seventeenth person was reported missing just last night. Can't ignore it anymore, so we're off to take a look around. Plan on tying up a few loose ends here today and then tomorrow we'll be out of here first thing to go and check it out.'
'Well, that will be nice for you,' Ianto replied.
'Uh,' Jack began with a small amount of awkwardness. 'You're coming, too.'
'M-me?'
Jack's moment of hesitation evaporated in an instant, like a drop of water on a red hot skillet. 'We've got room for five and no point leaving you behind. Good chance to get out of the hub and see the world.'
'It's the Brecon Beacons,' Ianto reminded him, delivering it in his most deadpan manner.
'Then we'll bask in nature's glory.' Jack leaned conspiratorially closer and Ianto got a whiff of those incredible smelling pheromones that made his head go all funny. 'Maybe catch a few bad aliens while we're there.'
Jack made it sound sexy and exotic, which Ianto supposed was the whole point. He had been moping around the hub for weeks. Maybe it would be good to get out. Especially since he never got to go out with the team. This was all a bit new, being included. Just when he'd gotten used to being left behind.
'You're the boss.'
Jack clapped him on the shoulder. 'Excellent. Go gather the camping gear. I know there's a bunch of it in one of those supply rooms downstairs.'
Ianto arched an eyebrow. 'Camping?'
'Like you said. It's the Brecon Beacons. No five star hotels out there. Just us, a nice cosy camp fire, maybe some spooky stories. We've got a lot of ground to cover so I don't expect we'll be back for a few days. I'm off to steal some of those maps from your little tourist office. Who knew they'd actually come in handy one day, huh? Oh, and don't forget the marshmallows!' he called back as he strode off.
Ianto sighed at the prospect as he wandered downstairs to fetch the equipment Jack had so rightly known they had. Everything they needed for roughing it out in the wilderness.
There were only two tents, Ianto realised as he lugged the heavy canvas bags out and unzipped them, counting up all the pieces to make sure there were no pegs or ropes missing. He tried to run the permutations through his head. All boys and all girls was most likely, or maybe Jack preferred a tent all his own given he was their leader.
Or maybe Owen, Gwen and Tosh wouldn't want Ianto sharing with them. Probably thought that he'd murder them in the night as revenge for killing Lisa. Maybe they'd make him sleep in Jack's tent. Maybe he should for his own safety. Maybe he could finally get that moment alone with Jack he'd been wanting for weeks and never quite able to orchestrate himself.
'No, you absolutely do not need that,' Ianto told himself out aloud. The last thing they needed whilst stuck out in the middle of nowhere was an awkward moment where he laid himself bare for Jack and found himself rejected. His feelings were wrong and doing anything to try and entertain the idea was only going to make things between them worse. He was just plain old Ianto Jones, Torchwood admin and pack mule, nobody really.
It was just… camping. Why did it have to be camping? He loved camping, or had, back when he and Lisa… He shook the thought away. He couldn't just stop doing things because they reminded him of better times. He hadn't even made himself so much as a cheese toastie since because it hurt too much remembering their hungover mornings after when that and a cup of coffee were the height of his culinary skills.
You fancy Jack but you can't even move on from Lisa. 'Pathetic,' he murmured loudly between gathering lanterns and tin crockery into a box.
He tugged out several more bags of camping gear. The sleeping bags looked like they were from the seventies, thin and a bit odd smelling, not at all built for a frosty Welsh autumn night.
'We should zip them together to conserve warmth,' Ianto said, trying out the very rational sentence for size. It didn't come out as confident or as casual as he'd hoped. Jack would laugh at him and make some cheeky comment about snuggling no doubt. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks at the mere thought. He'd rather be cold than mortified at having tried to weasel his way into Jack's bed with such an obvious lie.
Give it up, Jones, he told himself. All of this was going to end in tears one way or another. Why did Jack suddenly have to insist he join their merry little band? He hefted all the equipment onto a trolley and began wheeling it upstairs. Just play it cool like you always do. Chances are nobody will even notice you're there, even squashed into the back of the SUV. That would be for the best.
'What's all this crap?' Owen asked, coming the opposite way to restock from their medical supplies.
Ianto shrugged at him. 'Dunno. Jack wanted it.'
Owen grunted something disinterested. Far be it from Ianto to spoil the surprise. One thing he knew for sure was that Owen hated the outdoors. At least he wouldn't be alone in finding this an unpleasant experience.
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 99 - Roughing it at
fandomweekly Summary: Ianto is less than enthusiastic about Jack's proposal.
Jack was already moving around the hub when Ianto arrived. He looked to have a purpose about him and Ianto wondered what it was that had his boss so wired up.
'Anything I can help you with?' he asked. He was desperate for something to take his mind off things. Being in his flat drove him mad. It was empty and lonely and riddled with ten kinds of guilt. Being at work was the only thing that helped.
'People going missing up in the Beacons,' Jack replied. 'Seventeenth person was reported missing just last night. Can't ignore it anymore, so we're off to take a look around. Plan on tying up a few loose ends here today and then tomorrow we'll be out of here first thing to go and check it out.'
'Well, that will be nice for you,' Ianto replied.
'Uh,' Jack began with a small amount of awkwardness. 'You're coming, too.'
'M-me?'
Jack's moment of hesitation evaporated in an instant, like a drop of water on a red hot skillet. 'We've got room for five and no point leaving you behind. Good chance to get out of the hub and see the world.'
'It's the Brecon Beacons,' Ianto reminded him, delivering it in his most deadpan manner.
'Then we'll bask in nature's glory.' Jack leaned conspiratorially closer and Ianto got a whiff of those incredible smelling pheromones that made his head go all funny. 'Maybe catch a few bad aliens while we're there.'
Jack made it sound sexy and exotic, which Ianto supposed was the whole point. He had been moping around the hub for weeks. Maybe it would be good to get out. Especially since he never got to go out with the team. This was all a bit new, being included. Just when he'd gotten used to being left behind.
'You're the boss.'
Jack clapped him on the shoulder. 'Excellent. Go gather the camping gear. I know there's a bunch of it in one of those supply rooms downstairs.'
Ianto arched an eyebrow. 'Camping?'
'Like you said. It's the Brecon Beacons. No five star hotels out there. Just us, a nice cosy camp fire, maybe some spooky stories. We've got a lot of ground to cover so I don't expect we'll be back for a few days. I'm off to steal some of those maps from your little tourist office. Who knew they'd actually come in handy one day, huh? Oh, and don't forget the marshmallows!' he called back as he strode off.
Ianto sighed at the prospect as he wandered downstairs to fetch the equipment Jack had so rightly known they had. Everything they needed for roughing it out in the wilderness.
There were only two tents, Ianto realised as he lugged the heavy canvas bags out and unzipped them, counting up all the pieces to make sure there were no pegs or ropes missing. He tried to run the permutations through his head. All boys and all girls was most likely, or maybe Jack preferred a tent all his own given he was their leader.
Or maybe Owen, Gwen and Tosh wouldn't want Ianto sharing with them. Probably thought that he'd murder them in the night as revenge for killing Lisa. Maybe they'd make him sleep in Jack's tent. Maybe he should for his own safety. Maybe he could finally get that moment alone with Jack he'd been wanting for weeks and never quite able to orchestrate himself.
'No, you absolutely do not need that,' Ianto told himself out aloud. The last thing they needed whilst stuck out in the middle of nowhere was an awkward moment where he laid himself bare for Jack and found himself rejected. His feelings were wrong and doing anything to try and entertain the idea was only going to make things between them worse. He was just plain old Ianto Jones, Torchwood admin and pack mule, nobody really.
It was just… camping. Why did it have to be camping? He loved camping, or had, back when he and Lisa… He shook the thought away. He couldn't just stop doing things because they reminded him of better times. He hadn't even made himself so much as a cheese toastie since because it hurt too much remembering their hungover mornings after when that and a cup of coffee were the height of his culinary skills.
You fancy Jack but you can't even move on from Lisa. 'Pathetic,' he murmured loudly between gathering lanterns and tin crockery into a box.
He tugged out several more bags of camping gear. The sleeping bags looked like they were from the seventies, thin and a bit odd smelling, not at all built for a frosty Welsh autumn night.
'We should zip them together to conserve warmth,' Ianto said, trying out the very rational sentence for size. It didn't come out as confident or as casual as he'd hoped. Jack would laugh at him and make some cheeky comment about snuggling no doubt. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks at the mere thought. He'd rather be cold than mortified at having tried to weasel his way into Jack's bed with such an obvious lie.
Give it up, Jones, he told himself. All of this was going to end in tears one way or another. Why did Jack suddenly have to insist he join their merry little band? He hefted all the equipment onto a trolley and began wheeling it upstairs. Just play it cool like you always do. Chances are nobody will even notice you're there, even squashed into the back of the SUV. That would be for the best.
'What's all this crap?' Owen asked, coming the opposite way to restock from their medical supplies.
Ianto shrugged at him. 'Dunno. Jack wanted it.'
Owen grunted something disinterested. Far be it from Ianto to spoil the surprise. One thing he knew for sure was that Owen hated the outdoors. At least he wouldn't be alone in finding this an unpleasant experience.
