Slashthedrabble Challenge 591 - Dedicated to the cause

[m_findlow]

Title: Dedicated to the cause
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 591 - Cult at slashthedrabble
Summary: Jack's is intensely curious where Ianto obtained his coffee making skills.

Jack moaned audaciously as the first mouthful of Ianto's coffee danced across his tongue. ‘Sweet goddesses, Ianto. How is it that you make the best coffee I have ever drunk in my entire life? I mean, that is a long time. Do they send you to some kind of coffee university or something?’

Ianto beamed at the effusive praise. ‘I spent many years perfecting it in London.’

Jack returned a teasing grin. ‘And where in London does one go to perfect that sort of thing?’ He couldn't imagine anyone being as skilled as Ianto at making coffee.

‘There are places,’ came the coy response. ‘Those of us that are interested find places to meet and share knowledge. We'd meet up every Thursday night, make coffee, drink coffee, talk coffee… Everything revolved around coffee and making it the best coffee there was.’

‘You make it sound like a cult.’

Ianto's expression turned serious. ‘There's a reason why I call it King Ianto's coffee. That's what people called me.’

Jack raised his eyebrows at the comment. Ianto was many things, but sociable was not one of them, and fanatical wasn't either. Then again, Ianto was often an enigma. ‘You were a king in a cult? A coffee cult?’ He'd never heard of such a thing.

‘Oh, yes. I was quite high up in the ranks by the time I finally left to join Torchwood. I think they were quite upset that I was leaving but by that time there were a number of disciples that I had personally trained. You see, even though you have to have some skills before you can join, there's always someone more senior than you that continues to teach you how to refine your art. I was still working my way through the milk froth artistry side of things when I left. I can do a decent fern leaf and a love heart, I still had a long way to go before I could perfect the Tower of London.’

‘So, how come I never get a love heart on the top of my coffee?’

‘You never looked. You always just slurp it down. I might have I done a love heart in your froth every day for the last three years and you've never noticed.’

Jack was pretty sure he would have but he couldn't disagree that no sooner did Ianto bring him coffee than he was just itching to get it down. Had he really missed such an overt display of affection staring him right in the face all this time? Jack frowned at him as he considered the placid expression on Ianto's face. That man had a poker face that could outdo half the high rollers in the Vegas Galaxy. He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. ‘Were you really in some kind of coffee making cult or are you just trying to pull my leg?’

Ianto smirked at him. ‘The first rule of Coffee Club is that you don't talk about Coffee Club.’