Drabble_weekly Challenge 65 - Long, hard road

[m_findlow]

Title: Long, hard road
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: m_findlow
Characters/Pairing: Jack, Ianto
Rating: PG
Challenge: 65 - Long way back
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
Summary: Jack knows there's a long, hard road ahead.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Jack's gaze never left the young man as he entered his office and quietly set down the mug on his desk. He stood there, waiting for the prerequisite thank you, but instead Jack said "sit".

Jack studied the man in the chair. 'First day back,' he said.

'Yep.'

Jack had very little to do with him since he'd arrived this morning from  a month's suspension. He wasn't sure if that was to give Ianto space, or to give himself some space. How did they find their way back from here? He supposed Ianto coming in at all was a decent start. Whether he planned on coming back again tomorrow, after the slightly less than warm welcome, was anybody's guess.

'Myf missed you,' Jack said. That had to be some consolation, didn't it? At least dinosaurs didn't hold grudges.

'Hardly surprising.'

Jack didn't want to hold one either, but... 'I missed you.' He said the words before he could change his mind.

'You checked up on me every other day.'

How did he tell Ianto that wasn't the same thing? So many fences that needed mending. 'Planning on coming back tomorrow?'

'Not much choice,' he replied.

'There's always a choice.'