m_findlow

Title: Uncovered
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 815 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Torchwood, Ianto, he feels vulnerable without his suits to hide behind" at fic_promptly
Summary: Ianto has to give up his traditional attire for their latest investigation.

Ianto fussed with his reflection in the mirror. What had he been thinking?

When he'd told Mandy the barmaid that the team were headed out to the Brecon Beacons for the day, and that he'd been invited to come along with them, she'd suggested that perhaps it would be an idea for him to leave his suit behind. 'Maybe I will,' he'd said, agreeing with her.

It made sense. If they were going to be trekking around the hills, then a suit wasn't really appropriate clothing, not to mention his shoes, which would slip and slide over rocky terrain and dewy grass. They might only be stopping off at a few of the small villages, poking around and asking questions of the locals, but if there was a chance of getting out in what Ianto considered the proper outdoors, he really would need something more suitable.

As if to confirm that, Jack had told him last night to make sure the SUV was packed with tents and camping gear. 'Who knows,' he'd said. 'We might be out there more than a few hours. It'll take us half the day to drive there and back. Better we stick close to the action.'

'I could book us somewhere,' Ianto had offered. He didn't think Owen would be thrilled at the prospect of camping. Nor did he think Tosh and Gwen were the camping sort, though they would keep their complaints to themselves. Lots of small villages had pubs that doubled as motels, or maybe a little bed and breakfast somewhere.

'People are going missing, Ianto. I'm not sure staying as a guest of anyone is such a good idea.'

Jack had a point. Then again...

'What if it's like some kind of alien wolverine haunting the beacons and picking off people?' Camping out in the wilderness could be the equivalent of arranging themselves up on a plate.

'Then we'll be the first to confirm it,' Jack had said, sounding a little too enthusiastic at the prospect.

Ianto tugged the zip up on his jacket, before deciding that looked too formal, pulling it back down again. Was that too casual? Should he maybe dig through the other boxes of clothes he hadn't yet unpacked and try a different outfit? He never really wore casual clothes anymore. He had his work attire, and when he wasn't at work, it was pretty much just his pajamas. He never went out anywhere, so the need for other clothes had become redundant.

He sighed. Apart from the clothes he'd chosen being more practical, he knew why Mandy had made the suggestion. She wanted him to try and fit in more with his work colleagues. She thought that by dressing the same way they did, it might ingratiate him a bit more. Personally, he didn't think it mattered much at all what he wore. None of them really trusted him all that much. Well, Tosh maybe. And Jack perhaps a little bit. He had offered for Ianto to come along after all. 'Can't have you rattling around here all on your own for days,' Jack had said. 'A bit of fresh air will be good for you.'

Fresh air? He felt like he might suffocate first, stuck in the car with the rest of them. He checked his reflection again. He looked so plain and unimportant.

In his suits, he felt like he had a function and a purpose. He was their general support. He manned the tourist office. He answered the phones, took deliveries, cleaned and filed, and maintained the archives. Him and his suit held the position of Torchwood office boy. People knew who he was and his role. They didn't pry beyond that, kept their questions work related, and held him out at arms length. His suit was like a coat of armor that protected him whilst he was at work, and only once he was safely ensconced inside his flat at the end of the day could he take it off and be left with all the insecurities and doubts that plagued him.

Dressed as he was now, he felt exposed, like someone might look at him and see who he was on the inside. The plain, everyday civilian that turned up and made them coffee, and who really wasn't equipped to handle being out in the field with the rest of them. He didn't even feel like himself - not the Ianto jones who turned up to work every other day, in any case. Well, perhaps that was what Mandy wanted. For them to see him as being no different to them. But he was different. That was the whole point. None of them had secret lives like he did, except for Jack, perhaps.

'Well, you said you wanted to be more involved,' he told himself. If more involved meant looking ordinary, then he'd have to live with it.