Slashthedrabble Challenge 601 - Lost without you

[m_findlow]

Title: Lost without you
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 601 - Boredom at slashthedrabble
Summary: Ianto realises that life without Jack around is actually really boring.

Ianto snuck a peak out the window at the morning's weather, noting how grey and drizzly it was. Nothing like the weather would be in Doha, where Jack was attending UNIT's annual conference. It'd be hot and sunny and sandy, just how Jack liked it. He'd never really gotten to grips with British weather.

God but it was quiet. Usually whilst he was waiting for the coffee machine to warm up he'd be able to hear Jack crooning in the bathroom. He'd never quite figured out how Jack did that whilst shaving and not sliced his face open, but from first lather to last rub of the towel out of the shower, he rarely stopped to take a breath. It was like he was getting it out of his system so that he could go about the rest of his day, having sated the urge to sing.

Ianto cast his gaze across to the living room, noticing that nothing was out of place for him to have to fix. There were no coats left draped over the back of the sofa, or water glasses abandoned on the table without a coaster underneath them. Even all the cushions were perfectly in place. There was nothing to do but wait. Yesterday he'd been so pleased about it, not missing for one second the chaos that Jack usually left in his wake around the house.

He'd also enjoyed choosing what to have on his toast rather than being dictated by Jack as he came sweeping through, demanding peanut butter and marmalade then stealing Ianto's marmite slice anyway. There were no arguments over having the radio on versus the television, either. Ianto liked the informative BBC breakfast program but Jack favoured the more entertaining Good Morning Britain and they couldn't have both. This morning though, the house almost felt empty without Holly and Phil joining their morning ritual.

Last night he'd enjoyed taking time to cook up something that took a little longer than usual -and a little more exoitc than Jack's palate was accustomed to- but he was already dreading the prospect of coming home tonight and whether he could be bothered with anything more than beans on toast. Even the jigsaw puzzle that he'd started last night, sprawled over their dining table, had lost its sheen. With all the edge pieces complete now he was down to organising the rest into colour piles, a task that was always tedious and better with two, swapping pieces to fit.

In short, yesterday without Jack here had been brilliant, but the thought of another day -nay, another six days- without Jack here was going to be incredibly dull and boring. He never realised how much of his joie de vivre came from just having Jack around, annoying and infuriating as he could sometimes be.

He reached over for that television remote and flipped it on, turning up the sound. 'Morning, Phil,' he said. At least he had someone to keep him company for a bit.