Anythingdrabble Challenge 89 - Hero of the hour

[m_findlow]

Title: Hero of the hour
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Ianto, OC
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG
Notes: Written for Challenge 89 - Little at anythingdrabble
Summary: It turns out heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

As Jack tugged his greatcoat on, readying to leave the house, he caught the feeling of someone behind him, watching him. He turned to find a small boy, his son Thomas, standing there with one thumb in his mouth, and the other clutching at the edge of his pale blue dressing gown.

'What are you doing up so early?' Jack asked, coming over and kneeling down to match him for height, pulling the thumb from his mouth. It was a habit they were finding hard to break.

'I want to come with you, Daddy,' he said.

Jack swept a hand through his sandy coloured hair and smiled. 'I wish you could, Tom, but work is for adults only.'

'Why?'

It was such a simple question, yet one Jack found tricky to answer. 'Because adults have to work so that kids can play all day.'

'Why?'

'Because work is really boring, and no fun.'

'Why do you go if it's not fun?'

'Because adults have to earn money to pay bills.'

'What are bills?'

Jack sighed. The bane of his existence if he was honest. It was lucky they got paid as much as they did, because the bills just never seemed to end - electricity, gas, water, council taxes, parking fines, groceries...

'What's going on down here?' A sleepy sounding Ianto padded down the hall, finding the pair of them by the door. 'Tom, what are you doing out of bed?'

'I want to go to work with Daddy.'

Ianto ran a tired hand over his face. 'It's four am, and you can't go.'

'Why?'

'Because it's dangerous,' Ianto replied. He just wanted Jack to be able to leave so that everyone else in the house could go back to sleep. These split shifts they were working were taking their toll. They barely saw each other lately. Raising kids had become a full time job in itself.

'It's not a safe place for little people,' Jack added. 'Only big heroes like your Dad and me can go there.' He looked up just in time to catch the end of Ianto's eye roll, before another sound caught his attention. He looked down just in time to see the small rodent scurrying along the edge of the skirting board, right towards him. 'Mouse! Mouse!' Jack yelled out, pointing at it.

'Keep your voice down!' Ianto hissed.

Jack was about to bolt past him, down the hall as far away from the mouse as possible, when a small body crawled past him. Tom knelt down and as the mouse scampered away in fear, it ran straight into his tiny waiting hands.

'Be gentle,' Ianto insisted. 'Don't crush him.'

Tom  carefully cradled the mouse, looking up at Ianto. 'Can I keep him, Daddy?'

Ianto grinned at the look of horror on Jack's face. 'Maybe we should let him go ouside so he can go back to his family instead.'

'Okay,' Tom replied.

'What was it you were saying about little people not being heroes, Jack?'

Comments

[bk_forever]

Everyone's a hero in their own way!

[m-findlow.livejournal.com]

Someone has to deal with the big bad mice!