BTBD Challenge 78 - A meeting of minds

[m_findlow]

Title: A meeting of minds
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Tosh
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 902 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 78 - Meeting at beattheblackdog
Summary: Tosh and Ianto find some common ground.

Ianto saw the perplexed look on Tosh’s face as he leaned politely over to take away her empty mug and replace it with a fresh one. She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, thanking him. It was nice. None of the others ever thanked him. He was just a nobody, and for the most part, that was just how he liked it.

'How’s it going?' he asked, not sure what exactly it was he was asking about. It just seemed like the polite thing to do.

'Not well,' Tosh replied. 'No matter what I try, this new program just won’t do what I want it to do.'

'And what is it that you want it to do?'

'It’s meant to be able to scan an area for microscopic life forms. Sometimes the things that come through the rift are so small that they're not visible to the naked eye.'

'And just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they might not be dangerous,' he added

'Exactly. Only I’ve got a several samples here, including some blank and decoy slides, but the scanner software still keeps getting false positive results.'

Ianto peered at the screen. 'Have you tried applying a blue light filter?'

She looked at him like he had just said something in another language. Judging from her expression, he was beginning to wonder if he hadn’t. Maybe he’d slipped back into Welsh without realising it as he mulled over the problem.

Tosh tapped a few keys and placed another slide under her microscope scanner. 'Nothing,' she said.

'Oh well. Worth a try,' Ianto said, picking up the mug and making to leave.

'No,' Tosh said, 'I mean, nothing. As in no false positive. This slide is a dummy. Ianto, you're a genius!'

Ianto blushed at the suggestion. 'Not me. I just make the coffee.'

'I would never have thought of that,' Tosh confessed. 'I could've sat here for hours and gotten nowhere.' She turned to him. 'What made you think of it?'

He shrugged, as if he'd said nothing of consequence at all. 'Just something from my old job.'

Tosh looked at him with a renewed interest. 'What did you used to do?'

Ianto held his expression neutral. It was something he and Jack had agreed on that they wouldn’t tell the others he’d come from Torchwood One. Jack had expunged his records in case anyone got curious and did some digging. At least he’d expunged the remaining records; the ones Ianto had left behind for Jack. The rest were already gone. Jack worried that the others might distrust someone from "the other side of the Severn" as he put it. He couldn’t necessarily disagree. He’d heard plenty of disparaging comments about London and what they got up to from his teammates. They didn’t harbour any sympathy for what had happened to them. It didn’t seem to matter that most of them had been completely innocent, just like Ianto. Instead he kept his mouth shut.

'Pretty much the same as I do here,' he replied instead, knowing it wasn't all that far from the truth. He'd been called on to research all manner of strange things at Torchwood One, and nothing seemed outside of the realm of possibility. He'd learnt more from keeping quiet and listening than he'd ever realised, storing it all away in his memory just on the off chance that it should one day prove useful.

'I could use a hand with a few other things if you’ve got time. Suzie was meant to help translate some of this technical data but I think she’s lost interest since it's got nothing to do with anything weaponised. In fact, I have a bunch of little projects I'd love to have someone else's input on.'

'You don't think someone else would be better qualified?' Ianto asked.

Tosh grinned at him. 'Contrary to what Jack likes to believe, it's not all rocket science. Sometimes there's just too much of it to give it all the time it deserves, and it's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off.'

'Well, that's handy,' Ianto replied. 'I think I flunked my rocket science A levels.'

Tosh reached out a hand and put it on his arm, catching him slightly by surprise. 'Don't be so hard on yourself. I bet you're way smarter than you let on. You and me could make a good team.'

'Well, I do make a killer spreadsheet,' he admitted. Then he paused. 'But, you should probably check with Jack first.'

'Why? Do you think he’s going to fill your day with making coffee and cleaning up?'

Ianto forced a smile. 'Probably.'

'Well, maybe if everyone cleaned up their own mess, you’d have more time for other projects.' She looked serious when she said it, as if realising his talents were being wasted. He thought she was very sweet for thinking so. Ianto didn’t think Jack wanted him working on other projects. Making coffee and looking pretty were pretty much the only job descriptors Jack had in mind. It had gotten him this far without getting him into trouble .

'Or,' Tosh said, looking thoughtful, 'maybe we just won’t tell Jack. It’ll be you and me. Our little secret.'

Ianto wasn't sure he could find room for keeping anymore secrets, but having someone else to exchange ideas with every now and then didn't sound so bad.

Comments

[bk_forever]

Awww, the beginning of a beautiful friendship!