Torchwood: Fanfic: Left Hanging

[m_findlow]

Title: Left hanging
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,566 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for juliet316's prompt "Any, any, unexpected encounter" at fic_promptly
Summary: There's only so much solitude you can take before your mind starts playing games on you

Ianto couldn’t understand what was taking Jack so long. Jack had leaned over and given him a gentle squeeze of his knee and promised him he’d be right back.

He started absently at the otherwise quiet service station. Their's was the only car parked by a bowser except for a beaten looking green Volvo and a small red Nissan Micra parked on the other side right near the station storefront itself.

"Be right back," Jack had said. Huh. That had been ten minutes ago. Even accounting for a queue, of which there couldn’t be one since there were only two other cars, and factoring in that someone might be having trouble putting in their pin number at the counter – how many times had he himself been stuck behind that singularly talented individual? – there was very little else that could be causing the delay.

Then he remembered who he’d sent in there to pay for fuel: Jack. Jack, who for all his many fine qualities, could be stopped completely dead in his tracks by shiny coloured packaging and the promise of an overdose of carbohydrates and sugar. It was almost cruel that service stations made you walk down an entire aisle of junk food to get to the counter. Creatures like Jack who lacked any kind of willpower were doomed. Maybe that’s what had happened. He was probably in there buying up half the store, or stuck behind someone else who was. Perhaps they were comparing baskets and discussing the merits of Maltesers over Mars Bars.

Another ten minutes and Jack still hadn’t surfaced. What on earth was he doing in there? Ianto pulled out his phone and dialled, but Jack didn’t answer. That wasn’t like him at all.

Propping himself up higher in the passenger seat, he tried to get a look at the storefront, trying to spot Jack’s profile at the counter, or browsing the aisles. He could only see one head slowing moving from one end of the store to the other, but it wasn’t Jack’s. Suddenly it dawned on him. No one had come out of the store the entire time he’d been here. What if the store was being held up, and everyone inside had been taken hostage? Yes, that had to be the only explanation for it.

He popped open the glove compartment and reached in for his gun. It was nestled inside with Jack’s own webley, looking like a pair of lovers snuggled together in a private moment. He checked the clip and pulled back the slide, making sure it was ready to go, before grabbing for Jack’s weapon as well, tucking it into his belt. He was probably only going to get one shot at this and he still didn’t have very much of a plan in mind other than to somehow manage to scope out the place as he entered, clocking the perpetrator and taking them out before anyone got hurt. Shooting was still considered a last resort, but at least being armed gave him negotiating power. It was more than the rest of them had.

Slowly slipping out of the car, he cautiously moved towards the store, trying to keep himself out of sight from the tall windows, most of which were covered with signage and advertising.

He paused just before he reached the door. It was on an automatic slide. As soon as he was close enough, it was going to swish open, alerting everyone. He gripped the gun a bit tighter, concealing it beneath the end of his coat. Nothing for it, he thought, moving purposefully toward the door. As the door slid open and a musical ping announced him. He cursed not having called the rest of the team beforehand, or the police at the very least.

He expected to have a gun shoved in his face the second he stepped inside. Instead it was all very calm. The instore music trilled happily in the background, and the head he’d spotted earlier was still wandering, but he saw the red plastic basket full of milk and bread. Then he heard the familiar sound of Jack’s laugher cut through the din. That wasn’t the sound of someone being held hostage. He quickly made his way toward the sound, finding Jack on the other side of a large row of groceries. Jack almost didn’t see him at first, but when he did he caught the tension in Ianto’s shoulders and knew that just out of sight, he had his gun gripped tightly.

'Ianto, what are you doing? Someone’s going to think you’re here to hold up the store!'

Ianto sputtered with incredulity. Him? He was here to save everyone else from being held up!

'But... I thought something must’ve happened in here. You were gone for ages.'

'Oh.' Jack casually checked his watch. 'Sorry, I guess we just lost track of time.'

'We?' Ianto said, noticing for the first time the person standing just off to Jack’s left in a long grey trench coat and flat cap. He looked perfectly human if you didn’t stop to look at him for more than a few moments. It was only when you stopped and looked properly that you could pick out the subtle differences that were distinctly alien. To everyone else, it probably just looked like a birth defect or deformity, but Torchwood training told him otherwise. Definitely alien.

'Me and Dougie here were catching up on old times.'

'Dougie?' Ianto repeated, trying not to sound impolite.

'Haven’t see Jack since the sixties,' Dougie said. 'Should’ve known he wouldn’t have changed one bit,' he added, grinning at some private joke he and Jack were sharing. 'Down from Sheffield to visit a cousin,' he explained. 'Jack helped me out when I was in a bit of a pickle with local constabulary back in the day.'

'Oh,' Ianto replied. It was so perfectly normal and pedestrian that it caught him off guard.

'You weren’t worried about me, were you?' Jack asked, looking amused.

Ianto always worried about Jack, just not in that sense.

'Don’t be stupid.'

'That’s why you brought your gun?' Jack said in a low voice so as not to be overhead, raising his eyebrows. 'And if I’m not mistaken,' he said, cocking his head slightly sideways, 'that’s mine tucked in the back of your belt?'

He wanted to give Jack a good shove, but held his dignity in front of Jack’s old friend. 'I was merely concerned that no one had exited the store for a long time. People still rob service stations around these parts, you know.'

'Well, they’re lucky you just happened to be about to enforce the letter of the law,' Jack teased, enjoying himself thoroughly now. He honestly hadn’t thought he’d been chatting that long, but then he and Dougie had some good times back in the old days and it was rare that he had the opportunity to regale in some of them.

'Nice seeing you again, Dougie,' Jack said, turning back and giving him a firm handshake. 'Don’t be a stranger. We'll catch up for a drink next time you're in Cardiff,' Jack promised.

Dougie tipped his hat. 'Will do,' he said, before nodding at Ianto and wandering out. Jack turned to Ianto and gave him one of his winning smiles, holding out his arm offering for Ianto to take the lead towards the door. Ianto just rolled his eyes.

'Have you at least paid?' Ianto asked. The last thing he wanted was for them to accidentally walk out of here after everything, and having technically stolen petrol.

'Ages ago,' Jack replied.

'Hmph,' Ianto muttered.

Leaving the service station, Ianto huffed again, setting their weapons safely back in the glove compartment, making sure the safety was back on his own weapon, having armed it earlier. Jack gave him a coy little smile as he watched him from the corner of his eye, turning out into the main road.

'You really thought something bad was going down in there.' He said it as more of a statement than a question.

'It seemed the most logical explanation for why you were taking so damn long. Plus you didn’t answer your phone. I should’ve known you’d manage to run into an old flame.'

'Not an old flame,' Jack replied, sensing the tiniest bit of jealousy. 'Just an old friend.'

'Could’ve at least answered your phone,' Ianto muttered, folding his arms. 'I might have been calling because the world was ending.'

Jack laughed. 'Ianto, if the world was ending, would you really have stayed in the car and called me when I was just a few yards away? Let’s face it, your hostage scenario was far more plausible. It’s kinda sweet that you were coming to rescue me.'

Ianto hated it when Jack defeated him with his own logic. He hated it even more when Jack described his actions as sweet, cute, adorable or any permutation on that idea.

'Well, next time you’re taken hostage I’ll just leave you to fend for yourself,' Ianto grumbled.

'Maybe you could take me hostage,' Jack suggested, leaning in close to his ear, ignoring the traffic all around him. 'You could tie me up and punish me however you like.'

Maybe he could, Ianto thought, but it wouldn’t be in the kinky, fun way Jack was implying. Not at the start, anyway. Jack had to be able to make it up to him somehow.