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m_findlowTitle: Changed for good
Fandom: Torchwood / Doctor Who
Characters: Jack, Ianto, The Doctor (Eleven)
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG.
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 163 - Gift at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomweekly
Summary: Ianto has to get to grips with the TARDIS having permanently changed him.
Ianto shifted on the soft bed, turning over from one comfortable position to another as his head was still clouded by the placid fuzziness of sleep. He’d been sleeping on and off for days now, feeling uncharacteristically drowsy. Jack and The Doctor both assured him that it was simply a symptom of his new state of being which, given their limited experience with immortality, wasn’t as reassuring as they intended it to be. The Doctor had started going on gibberishly about the strain on organic matter until Jack had shut him up, seeing that his attempts to explain Ianto’s physical symptoms were only causing more agitation. Jack dumbed it down for him instead. “You’re a fixed point trying to now exist in a constantly moving temporal stream. Bound to throw you off for a bit.”
Jack’s words did the trick, as did their collective insistence that he rest until he could get used to his newfound permanence. And he did feel tired. Even though the TARDIS had been sneakily changing him slowly over time so that The Doctor wouldn’t notice what she was doing, the final changes she’d made had not gone unnoticed. The Doctor had initially been furious with his beloved TARDIS. No one was meant to live forever, he’d scolded. Wasn’t it bad enough that Jack was a fixed point in time? Now there were two of them, and neither one should have been possible.
He buried his face back into the pillow, smelling the scent of Jack on it, but not the actual man himself. For that he was also grateful, at least for the moment. Whilst they’d been soul-bonded for a while now, able to much more keenly sense each other’s emotions, immortality had somehow heightened even those sensations, almost overwhelming him with the sudden proximity of his lover and all the emotions they were both feeling, having discovered the truth of what the TARDIS had done. He could just feel Jack brushing the very edge of his awareness now, keeping his distance until Ianto was recovered. It was enough of a comfort just knowing Jack was close by. He let his eyes drift closed once more and let sleep take him again.
When he awoke some time later there was another presence in the room, but it wasn’t Jack. Instinctively he knew what it was.
‘Oh, hello,’ he said, realising only at the last moment he’d done so without vocalising the words. The TARDIS greeted him in reply. It wasn’t so much that she was a being with which one could normally carry on conversation so much as it was a sensation of sharing thoughts. He hadn’t really been attuned to it before, but he was now.
‘Are you feeling better now?’
He nodded, still lethargic, but happy to carry on conversation.
‘I tried to do it right this time,’ she told him. ‘Gently, carefully. I’m sorry that I couldn't do the same for Jack.’
Ianto mentally nodded as she showed him a mental image of Rose and her good intentions. She wanted Jack to live and that was enough for Ianto. Yes, every death was awful, and every resurrection terrible to witness let alone experience, but Jack survived and that was what counted. ‘I don't plan on dying,’ Ianto told her, ‘but not getting old and wrinkly will be a nice bonus,’ he joked. ‘You really shouldn't have,’ he added.
He’d always known that his time with Jack was fleeting at best, but he’d reconciled himself with the idea that he would simply enjoy whatever they did have. He'd already nearly died once and he hadn’t been ready for it. Now he'd come to accept it was inevitable and that time wasn’t for wasting.
‘It was a gift,’ the TARDIS told him.
For him or for Jack, he wondered. ‘How is Jack?’ If Ianto was taking some time getting used to the idea that he would now live forever, he had no idea how Jack was coping with it. Whilst he'd probably never accepted that one day Ianto was going to die, he’d likewise probably never contemplated the alternative.
‘He’s worried about you.’
‘He's always worried about me.’
‘Now he doesn't have to.’
Ianto chuckled. ‘Try telling him that. But seriously, thank you. I’m sure I don't yet appreciate by half what you’ve done and what that means for us.’
‘You have all of time to appreciate it,’ she replied, sending a feeling of warmth to suffuse around him.
He was going to ask her if she could get a message to Jack to come and visit him so that they could spend some time getting used to being close again when the door opened and the Doctor entered. ‘You're awake, I see.’
‘I am.’
‘And?’
Ianto peered quizzically at him. ‘And what?’
‘Isn't this the part where you tell me you’re not wrong and neither is Jack? I can’t pretend I condone this, but I can't undo it either. The TARDIS has her own will.’
‘I don't want you to undo it.’ It wasn’t what he’d planned but he was going to accept it
The Doctor nodded solemnly at him. ‘Good.’
Ianto raised an eyebrow at him as he pushed himself into a more seated position. ‘Good?’
‘Well, yes and no. Now that you’re immortal I have a task for you.’ His youthful face turned serious. ‘Probably the most important task in the entire universe.’
‘Not sure I signed up for that, but okay.’ He'd say yes, whatever it was. He knew he owed it to them to do something valuable with his life. ‘What is this very important task?’
The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped closer. ‘Look after Jack. The TARDIS can see all of time and space so she knows better than I do what lies ahead. One day the fate of the entire universe might rest on his shoulders. Or yours. Try not to mess that up.’ The Doctor extended a hand.
Ianto shook it. ‘Promise.’
Fandom: Torchwood / Doctor Who
Characters: Jack, Ianto, The Doctor (Eleven)
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG.
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 163 - Gift at
fandomweeklySummary: Ianto has to get to grips with the TARDIS having permanently changed him.
Ianto shifted on the soft bed, turning over from one comfortable position to another as his head was still clouded by the placid fuzziness of sleep. He’d been sleeping on and off for days now, feeling uncharacteristically drowsy. Jack and The Doctor both assured him that it was simply a symptom of his new state of being which, given their limited experience with immortality, wasn’t as reassuring as they intended it to be. The Doctor had started going on gibberishly about the strain on organic matter until Jack had shut him up, seeing that his attempts to explain Ianto’s physical symptoms were only causing more agitation. Jack dumbed it down for him instead. “You’re a fixed point trying to now exist in a constantly moving temporal stream. Bound to throw you off for a bit.”
Jack’s words did the trick, as did their collective insistence that he rest until he could get used to his newfound permanence. And he did feel tired. Even though the TARDIS had been sneakily changing him slowly over time so that The Doctor wouldn’t notice what she was doing, the final changes she’d made had not gone unnoticed. The Doctor had initially been furious with his beloved TARDIS. No one was meant to live forever, he’d scolded. Wasn’t it bad enough that Jack was a fixed point in time? Now there were two of them, and neither one should have been possible.
He buried his face back into the pillow, smelling the scent of Jack on it, but not the actual man himself. For that he was also grateful, at least for the moment. Whilst they’d been soul-bonded for a while now, able to much more keenly sense each other’s emotions, immortality had somehow heightened even those sensations, almost overwhelming him with the sudden proximity of his lover and all the emotions they were both feeling, having discovered the truth of what the TARDIS had done. He could just feel Jack brushing the very edge of his awareness now, keeping his distance until Ianto was recovered. It was enough of a comfort just knowing Jack was close by. He let his eyes drift closed once more and let sleep take him again.
When he awoke some time later there was another presence in the room, but it wasn’t Jack. Instinctively he knew what it was.
‘Oh, hello,’ he said, realising only at the last moment he’d done so without vocalising the words. The TARDIS greeted him in reply. It wasn’t so much that she was a being with which one could normally carry on conversation so much as it was a sensation of sharing thoughts. He hadn’t really been attuned to it before, but he was now.
‘Are you feeling better now?’
He nodded, still lethargic, but happy to carry on conversation.
‘I tried to do it right this time,’ she told him. ‘Gently, carefully. I’m sorry that I couldn't do the same for Jack.’
Ianto mentally nodded as she showed him a mental image of Rose and her good intentions. She wanted Jack to live and that was enough for Ianto. Yes, every death was awful, and every resurrection terrible to witness let alone experience, but Jack survived and that was what counted. ‘I don't plan on dying,’ Ianto told her, ‘but not getting old and wrinkly will be a nice bonus,’ he joked. ‘You really shouldn't have,’ he added.
He’d always known that his time with Jack was fleeting at best, but he’d reconciled himself with the idea that he would simply enjoy whatever they did have. He'd already nearly died once and he hadn’t been ready for it. Now he'd come to accept it was inevitable and that time wasn’t for wasting.
‘It was a gift,’ the TARDIS told him.
For him or for Jack, he wondered. ‘How is Jack?’ If Ianto was taking some time getting used to the idea that he would now live forever, he had no idea how Jack was coping with it. Whilst he'd probably never accepted that one day Ianto was going to die, he’d likewise probably never contemplated the alternative.
‘He’s worried about you.’
‘He's always worried about me.’
‘Now he doesn't have to.’
Ianto chuckled. ‘Try telling him that. But seriously, thank you. I’m sure I don't yet appreciate by half what you’ve done and what that means for us.’
‘You have all of time to appreciate it,’ she replied, sending a feeling of warmth to suffuse around him.
He was going to ask her if she could get a message to Jack to come and visit him so that they could spend some time getting used to being close again when the door opened and the Doctor entered. ‘You're awake, I see.’
‘I am.’
‘And?’
Ianto peered quizzically at him. ‘And what?’
‘Isn't this the part where you tell me you’re not wrong and neither is Jack? I can’t pretend I condone this, but I can't undo it either. The TARDIS has her own will.’
‘I don't want you to undo it.’ It wasn’t what he’d planned but he was going to accept it
The Doctor nodded solemnly at him. ‘Good.’
Ianto raised an eyebrow at him as he pushed himself into a more seated position. ‘Good?’
‘Well, yes and no. Now that you’re immortal I have a task for you.’ His youthful face turned serious. ‘Probably the most important task in the entire universe.’
‘Not sure I signed up for that, but okay.’ He'd say yes, whatever it was. He knew he owed it to them to do something valuable with his life. ‘What is this very important task?’
The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped closer. ‘Look after Jack. The TARDIS can see all of time and space so she knows better than I do what lies ahead. One day the fate of the entire universe might rest on his shoulders. Or yours. Try not to mess that up.’ The Doctor extended a hand.
Ianto shook it. ‘Promise.’
