Torchwood: Fanfic: Addicted to ink

[m_findlow]

Title: Addicted to ink
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 775 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for oneill's prompt "Any, any, temporary tattoos" at fic_promptly
Summary: No punk rocker is complete without a bit of ink

'These are temporary, aren't they?' Ianto asked as Jack pressed then paper against his skin. 'These aren't the ones that take weeks to wear off are they?'

'Pretty sure,' Jack said. 'That they're not the second kind,' he added, thinking about what he'd just said. 'I didn't read the instructions on the box.'

'And where is the box?'

'In the bin.'

'Great.'

'So what if they last a while?' Jack said. 'They're just tattoos. Everybody has them these days.'

'Jack, I don't want to look like a biker thug permanently.'

'It's a little bit of ink Ianto, and they do say temporary. Besides, I think you look hot.'

Ianto rolled his eyes. Jack would say he looked hot no matter what he looked like. He should be flattered, but all he could think of was what everyone else would think of his new semi-permanent look.

'Are they even going to see most of them?' he asked. The thick leather jacket Jack had loaned him looked like it would cover most of it, except for the ones Jack was presently applying to his neck, and the backs of his hands.

He dreaded to think what he would look like in the mirror. Probably like half the kids he'd grown up with on the estate. The ones that had scared the hell out of him with their cans of spray paint and knuckle dusters. It was sad that when he went through his boxes of old clothes, ones that ones that had been shoved to the back of the wardrobe and out of mind, he found tight studded leather belts and cuffs, and even tighter ripped jeans. Had it really only been a few years ago he'd considered that fashionable clothing? Hadn't he met Jack wearing an outfit not dissimilar?

It's just one night, he promised himself. What's the point in getting dressed up for Halloween if you can't have a bit of fun with it and try something you wouldn't like ever do any other time?

It was hard not to laugh at Jack's own appearance. He had punked up quite well, it had to be said, with the bright fluoro yellow strip of hair gelled up in a punk Mohawk arrangement. His denim Jack was clinking from the number of chains, pins and badges rattling all over it. Added to that was the rest of his jewelry, rings and leather wrist cuffs, and a few fake piercings which all added to the look. His own tattoos looked so good they might have been real. All he needed now was a boom box to compete the look. Probably had one of those in the archives if he looked properly.

'Hold still,' Jack said, pressing the moist paper tight against his skin.

'I'm trying,' Ianto replied. 'But sitting here whilst you vandalize my skin isn't easy.'

'You look lush, so just keep still. This one is a giant spiderweb, so I don't want you messing it up.'

Ianto sighed. 'Used to be we decorated the hub at Halloween. Now we just decorate ourselves.' He looked down at his right hand whose fingers now read PUNK. The left said ROCK. He picked up what was left of the letters and tried to figure out two four letter words he could stick on Jack's hands. There seemed to be a severe lack of vowels. Staring hard at it whilst Jack fiddled with attaching even more artwork to Ianto's forearm, he tried to make words. This was like some cruel game of scrabble. A whole bunch of Xs and Qs, but nothing to use them with. There were only so many four letter words, and none of them seemed biker appropriate. Where was an E when you needed one?

'All done,' Jack announced. 'You're so bad ass, now. You wanna finish mine?'

Ianto began cutting the letters out and one by one affixing them with a small amount of water. Once he was done, Jack held his hands out, trying to read it.

'Hard to figure it out upside down,' he said.

'I guess that's the point,' Ianto replied. 'No use if when you make a fist as someone it reads upside down to them. Most of them would probably be so thick they wouldn't even be able to understand it right way up.'

Jack tried to swivel his head to read them. 'I still don't get it,' he said, seeing them right way up.

'Never mind,' Ianto said. 'We didn't have enough letters, anyway.'

'Yeah, but why these ones? What's U-T-T-R N-T-T-R mean? Is it an acronym for something?'

'Yeah,' Ianto agreed, enjoying the private joke. 'Something like that.'

Comments

[jo02]

They sound scary enough to make weevils flee if they run into any of them tonight :)

[bk_forever]

*snort* A bit mean of Ianto, but under the circumstances very fitting!

I net they looked awesome with their fake tattoos and costumes!

[m-findlow.livejournal.com]

Ianto has to have a little joke at Jack's expense every now and then. He did a good job considering how few letters were left. He wanted to do GR8T ARSE, which would have amused him with its double entendre, but there were no As and Es left.
They both would have looked well bad arse once they were finished. Even the weevils will stay clear of them tonight.

[bk_forever]

Ianto will get another set of letters next time, I'm sure ;)