Torchwood: Fanfic: Dry clean only

[m_findlow]

Title: Dry clean only
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 387 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for badly_knitted's prompt "Torchwood, Jack /Ianto," There's egg on your collar"" at fic_promptly
Summary: Jack has needs. Ianto is there to fulfill them

'Excuse me, dried egg on your collar!' He knew it was a stupid, desperate thing to say before it even fell out of his mouth.

'It was a busy week!'

Busy? He'd been busy? What the hell kind of excuse was that? And how the hell did anyone get egg on the collar? Seriously, how bad did your table manners have to be to end up flicking egg all over the place?

Then again, perhaps he'd underestimated the Captain. Perhaps it wasn't breakfast egg, perhaps he'd been busy saving a supermarket full of people from some vicious alien and just happened to be in the egg aisle at the time. Maybe that was it. Surely someone who ran a top secret organisation had things under control better than that? Then again, he needed a way in, and he was getting desperate, running out of suggestions and ideas. Jack just had to take him in somehow.

Looking back now, he realised just how wrong Jack had been. Guard dog, receptionist, maintenance, food and drink, dry cleaning, butler. Jack didn't just need them all, he couldn't function with them. Even now, he was a little too proud to admit it. In the end he'd gotten in because he'd managed to entice Jack with something he didn't think he possessed - charm. He'd somehow gotten under Jack's skin, which was unexpected. Walking into his office right now, it was that same charm he turned on.

'Good morning, sir,' he said brightly. 'How are we this morning?'

Jack rubbed his face, looking tired.

'Long night out rounding up weevils,' he replied.

Ianto had noticed the spatters of blood on his shirt. No doubt the coat was in an equal state, and probably smelled like the bottom of a sewer now.

'Can I get you a coffee?'

'Thanks.' He looked down as his filthy clothes. 'I think these are probably destined for the dry cleaners, as well.'

Ianto quirked an eyebrow at him. 'A shame you've not got someone who looks after that sort of thing, seeing as how we're so busy all the time.'

He smiled a coy smile. 'You know, I had an offer from someone a little while back,' he replied. 'A pity I didn't take them up on the offer.'

'Guess I'll just have to make up the numbers, then.'

Comments

[bk_forever]

And thus Ianto proves how indispensable he is! As if Jack could be in any doubt.