m_findlow: (Ianto Jones)
m_findlow ([personal profile] m_findlow) wrote2025-06-15 04:55 pm

Challenge 869 - Going to pieces

Title: Going to pieces
Character: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 300 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 869 - Left at [community profile] torchwood100
Summary: Life in Serenity Plaza is trickier than Jack expected. A triple drabble.


Jack let out a small yelp of panic as the doorbell rang. ‘Ianto!’ he hissed. ‘Cover stories!’

Ianto rolled his eyes as he approached the door. ‘Calm down, Ken,’ he said, emphasising Jack’s cover name. ‘It’s just a delivery I’m expecting.’

Jack puffed out a relieved breath. ‘We’ve only been here five minutes. I thought Cell 114 might be on to us already.’

‘Nope.’ Ianto tugged two slim boxes inside. ‘Just a few bookshelves.’

‘Why do we need bookshelves?’

‘For all the books,’ Ianto replied. ‘Obviously.’

‘We're not going to be here that long, I hope.’

‘Likewise, but for now I'm going to need something to fill the days in between cleaning floors and spying on the neighbours.’

Jack frowned at the boxes. ‘Flat pack? I hate flatpack furniture.’

Ianto smirked. ‘And yet you love hours wandering around Ikea. You're a walking talking oxymoron.’

‘We can afford pre-built furniture. We’ve just bought a whole house full of it, see?’ he said, gesturing around the cookie cutter Serenity Plaza home.

‘Yes, but these looked nice. They’ll match in with everything else. So what if they take a little time to assemble?’

Jack scowled. ‘I don’t have the patience for following all their silly drawings.’

‘Yet you can pull apart and piece back together the warp drive of a thirty fourth century start cruiser.’ He pushed one box towards Jack. ‘Here, one for each of us. Call it our first foray into the domesticity of coupledom. Should help nicely with that cover story we’re working on. Ken.’

Jack tugged the box from him. ‘Fine. Ifan. Last to finish cooks dinner.’

Hours later Jack was at his wits end. ‘I’ve got pieces left that don’t go anywhere!’

Ianto raised an eyebrow, slotting the last shelf perfectly into place. ‘Why am I not surprised?’


badly_knitted: (JB Weird)

[personal profile] badly_knitted 2025-06-15 09:38 am (UTC)(link)
Poor Jack, flatpack furniture is just not in his wheelhouse! I'd volunteer to help, but I think Ianto has it covered. He can fix it while Jack cooks dinner.