Slashthedrabble Challenge 637 - We've got time

[m_findlow]

Title: We've got time
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 637 - Appointment at slashthedrabble
Summary: Ianto's diary is chock full of important appointments.


Ianto burst into the meeting room looking frazzled as he gripped his leather folio under his arm.

'So sorry,' he apologised, having turned up ten minutes late. Jack knew how much it annoyed Ianto when people weren't punctual, but he was most annoyed when the one who wasn't keeping to schedule was himself. No matter how much Jack tried to convince him that time was such a fluid notion that trying to control it in any way was a pointless exercise, Ianto would just huff at him and go back to diligently penning appointments into his diary, making sure that they all dovetailed neatly. They simply had to with the number of meetings and things he had to do. Now that they were sharing leadership responsibilities the workload seemed only to have increased rather than eased.

Ianto was in the process of pulling out the chair from under the table when he paused and looked around, then at Jack. 'Where's everyone else? Don't tell me they postponed because I wasn't here.' That would have irritated him more than anything, Jack realised, having let down the team. Lucky for Ianto he hadn't disappointed anyone, unless Jack counted himself.

'Nope. We're still on.'

Ianto frowned at him. 'But… okay, what am I missing here? A meeting that's just the two of us?' The proverbial penny then finally dropped and Jack watched the realisation dawn on him. 'Hang on, did you book this in my calendar?'

Jack shrugged. 'You're always so busy these days. Me too. I figured the only way I'd get some time with you would be to book it into your diary in advance.'

'I cut off a phone call with the Prime Minister to be able to make this meeting on time!'

Jack sighed theatrically. Ianto was always getting worked up about things like this. 'He's a terrible bore and talks a load of rubbish without actually getting to the point. I was probably doing you a favour.' In fact, Jack knew for certain he was doing Ianto a favour. The PM wasted a lot of people's time and excelled at filibustering. It was lucky they were both immortal or they might die of old age, or perhaps boredom, before the PM finished his diatribe.

Ianto wasn't taken in by Jack's distracting comments. 'That is not the point. The point is that you put a fake appointment in my diary.'

'And so what else would you have been doing now?'

Ianto didn't have an immediate answer for that. 'I'm sure I have other things I could have been doing. As do you,' he added.

'We're important too,' Jack reminded him, giving Ianto his trademark puppy dog eyes.

Ianto sighed. 'I suppose.'

'We've still got an hour fifty.'

Ianto grabbed a fistful of Jack's shirt and pulled him closer. 'Well, in that case, let's not waste a minute of it. I assume you've got an agenda?'

Jack grinned. 'I don't think we'll get through it all, but we can try.'