Torchwood: Fanfic: Blog it

[m_findlow]

Title: Blog it
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,172 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Torchwood, Ianto, blogging friends and family back home whilst traveling the universe" at fic_promptly
Summary: Ianto likes to be able to keep in touch, even when they're light years away.

Ianto knew there'd be no doubt he'd miss his friends and family once he and Jack took off for the stars. He'd never had a huge circle of friends, but it would still be hard to say goodbye to them, knowing there was no telling when they might be back. Of course, they'd try as hard as they could to get back just as often as they could. They didn't want to miss important dates like birthdays and Christmas, especially since their friends would have far less of them to celebrate.

That still ate away at him sometimes, the thought that he and Jack were going to live forever, but at some point all the people he loved were going to get old and die. After that there'd be no more birthdays and no more Christmases. Perhaps they should have stayed on Earth for as long as they could, cherishing each precious moment they had together, since it would all be over far sooner than either of them would have liked. Would he still want to come back to Earth if there was no one left here he knew? Would it be too sad and full of memories? Of course there was always likely to be someone left on Earth they knew. There'd be children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. They'd be able to relive the stories of their parents and grandparents and all the crazy adventures they'd had.

For now though, it didn't matter. Everyone he cared about was very much alive and they wanted he and Jack to go and have some fun. Hadn't they worked hard enough to deserve a little bit of time for themselves? Plus, everyone wanted to know about what the rest of the universe was like. It was one thing hearing outlandish stories from Jack about all the things he'd done once upon a time, but what they really wanted was to see some of it and experience it through the eyes of someone to whom it was all new.

Initially, Ianto was at a loss at to how to keep in touch with friends and family. He couldn't exactly call them from his phone. He didn't think British Telecom would extend their mobile coverage to the other end of the universe, and even if they did, the intergalactic roaming charges would have been horrendous! Sending a postcard was equally fraught with problems. Did other planets know what postcards were? It probably didn't matter. He'd never be able to fit everything he wanted to say on such a small piece of paper anyway.

Jack managed to solve the problem for him. The universal equivalent of internet, so he called it. The communications system aboard their modest ship was sufficiently advanced that Ianto would be able to connect up his old tablet computer and stream a solid connection to internet on Earth. With that, he'd not only be able to keep in touch with everybody, but he'd also be able to keep an eye on what was happening whilst they were away.

At first, he was emailing people every week, trying to customize each and every piece of correspondence to the intended recipient, telling them about the things that would interest them, sending pictures and leaving out the rest. The problem was that it took him forever. He'd spend hours at night before bed penning emails to all and sundry, giving them an update. It became so time consuming that Jack banned him from bringing his tablet to bed with him, since as he said, the bedroom is purely for sleeping. And other things.

They eventually found a compromise.

'Why don't you just start up a blog?' Jack suggested.

And so he had.

It was much easier to stay in touch and keep everyone up to date on their adventures once he could boil it down to daily updates. Blogs were perfectly suited to sharing their photos and updates. Some days he'd leave a long entry, describing everything in detail. Some days he did a video diary, to try and cut down on time. Other days, it was just a few quick lines and a photo, so that everyone knew they were okay. Not that they had much to worry about. He and Jack were both immortal, but as Ianto had told Jack, 'I know what you're like. You and that Doctor of yours are both famous for getting into trouble.' The last thing he wanted was to head out into the universe only to be arrested and imprisoned for ten years before they even had time to stop for cocktails. He may have said as much to Gwen, which was why she nagged the most when he got lazy and had forgotten to post an update for a few days. A quick snap of them on a mountain top, covered in silver glittering snow would soon appease her, along with a quick note of reply telling him not to forget again.

Even Jack got in on the action. He didn't care that technically it was Ianto's blog. He would just hack in and add his own comments, and often append the sorts of photos that Ianto hadn't wanted his family to see. Jack however had no qualms about blogging snaps of them joining in a naked parade, throwing fruit. If anything, those posts got the most responses, though Ianto was mortified to discover his sister and niece adding their own views on whether he should be getting around in his birthday suit. Where Jack had even gotten those photos from was still a mystery, though he did admit they'd both had a lot to drink, and his phone may not have been in his personal possession for all of that time. Perhaps there was such a thing as having a little too much of a good time. Best not to rub it in, he decided. Everyone else back home still had their normal lives and their normal jobs. Playing it up as to how much fun they were having might just be irritating. After all, not everyone got to see the universe, all expenses paid.

'Whatcha doing?' the voice behind him startled him as he sat curled up on the sofa.

'Just adding some pictures from our trip to the markets yesterday,' he replied.

'Not the ones of the sea glass, I hope,' Jack replied.

'I'm not going to spoil the surprise if that's what you're worried about,' he replied. Jack had dragged them to the markets specifically so that he could buy Alice, Mica and Anwen sea glass sculptures. Ianto had never seen red sea glass before, but then again, he'd never seen a red beach, either. They'd be great presents for when they came home in a few weeks.

'Good,' Jack replied. 'Give everyone my love.'

'Will do,' Ianto replied, tapping away at the keyboard.

"P. S. Can't wait to see you at Christmas. There's photos of Jack to show you that just shouldn't be posted on the internet. Love, Ianto. And Jack."