Torchwood: Fanfic: The big moment

[m_findlow]

Title: The big moment
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters: The Doctor (Twelve), Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 598 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for kayim's prompt "Doctor Who, any, giving a new companion a TARDIS key" at fic_promptly
Summary: Ianto has a lot to learn about traveling with the Doctor. Luckily Jack is there to show him the ropes.

'I suppose you'll be needing this,' the Doctor said, holding a small brass key towards Ianto.

Ianto cast a curious glance at Jack next to him who was literally bouncing on the balls on his feet, clearly excited about someing. Ianto gripped the key in his hand and studied it. 'What's it for?'

The Doctor groaned, giving a tired roll of his eyes. 'I thought you said he was smart,' he said, addressing Jack.

Jack leaned closer to his ear, the ends of his fringe tickling Ianto's neck. 'It's a TARDIS key, Ianto,' he said in a whispered awe.

'Oh. Well, that's handy, I suppose.'

'Handy?' Jack's voice pitched unnaturally high. 'Ianto, don't you understand what this means?'

'I can lock the door when we go out?'

The Doctor snorted a laugh, amused at Ianto's sense of humor if nothing else.

Jack grabbed him by the arms and dropped to his knees in front of his lover. He looked like he was about to propose, which might have been funny had he not already done so - twice already. 'Only true companions of the Doctor get a key,' Jack explained. 'Rose Tyler, Martha Jones...'

'You?' Ianto asked, looking down at him rather sceptically.

Jack reached into the collar of his shirt, pulling out a small brass key kept on a long twine thread, holding it up for Ianto to see. Jack's eyes seemed to light up as he held it, revering it like a precious treasure. 'You're a real companion now, Ianto.'

Ianto knew that Jack had always been in awe of the Doctor. Jack had met a lot of people in his life, but they all paled in comparison to the respect he had for the Doctor. He was in a completely different league, and though Ianto had so far only seen a slightly gruff, often utterly mad man with a time machine, he'd also been kind and gotten them out of many scrapes, always eager to help anyone who needed it.

'Thank you,' he replied, holding the plain looking key carefully between his fingers.

The Doctor learned casually against the TARDIS wall. 'Can't very well have you always relying on Jack, can I? He's not exactly what you call reliable.'

'Hey!' Jack said, spinning and standing back up to his full height. 'At least I don't turn up a few hundred years late.'

The Doctor heaved a sigh. 'It's a time machine,' he argued. 'It does what it wants. Always has. Nothing to do with me.'

Jack tensed. 'A poor workman always blames his tools.'

Ianto reached across and rested a hand on Jack's arm before he got a head full of steam and said something he might regret. 'He's reliable enough for me, Doctor. And you're right. He's always losing things, so it'll be good to have a spare key.'

'I would never lose this,' Jack retorted, tucking it back inside his shirt. 'Two hundred years I've kept it safe. I never lost it once, and I've lost a lot of things.'

The Doctor snorted again. 'Hardly what you'd call a winning endorsement.'

Ianto opened his jacket and slipped the key into the inner lining pocket, patting it down. 'I'll keep it safe, I promise.' Ianto felt himself suddenly grabbed and squeezed tighter than he'd ever been squeezed before.

'Oh, ho! Ianto, you and me and the Doc. The three musketeers! Just think of the mischief we can get up to now!'

'I already have,' he replied, turning towards the Doctor. 'You don't have a second key for somewhere we can lock Jack up, do you?'