[#077] Guilty Conscience (Torchwood)

[badly_knitted]

Theme Prompt: #77 – Confession
Title: Guilty Conscience
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: G / None
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 799
Summary: Jack is guilty of something, Ianto can tell, he just doesn’t know what.




Jack had been tense and twitchy all morning. For a former conman he could be appallingly bad at hiding things. Oh, he put on a good act, the nonchalance and the innocence, but to the trained eye it was obvious his shoulders were bunched beneath his light blue shirt, and he almost jumped every time Ianto approached him. Then there was the slight glint of wary suspicion in his eyes as he picked up his coffee mug and sniffed at the contents, as if fully expecting it to be the dreaded decaf. He positively reeked of guilt.

Ianto had no idea what it was Jack had done that he felt guilty about, and there was no way he was going to ask; that would make things far too easy for Jack, and besides, if Ianto did ask, Jack would simply deny any wrongdoing. No, the only way to handle this was to play the waiting game.

So, Ianto made sure to be extra nice to Jack, smiling at him, giving him a quick kiss every time he entered or left his lover’s office, providing two chocolate biscuits with his coffee… It all mounted up. Jack’s barely perceptible twitches increased in frequency and severity, and he started to get that rabbit in the headlights look. It was only a matter of time.

Come lunchtime, when Ianto took his lover fish and chips, and a slice of his favourite decadent chocolate cheesecake, Jack was practically a nervous wreck.

“Okay, okay, I admit he!” he blurted, unable to live with his guilty conscience a second longer.

“You did? You’re confessing?” Ianto raised one graceful eyebrow.

“Yes! I’m the one who ate all the chocolates from the box up in the tourist office!”

“Really?”

“I didn’t mean to, honest! I just saw the box open on the desk when I came in and they were so tempting and I was only going to have one but they were really good and I was hungry so I had another and then another and it was like I couldn’t stop myself and then suddenly they were all gone and I’m sorry!” Jack stopped speaking and sat there panting, trying to get his breath back.

“You ate the whole box?”

“Yes,” Jack said meekly. “Every last one, but I promise I’ll replace them, I’ll get you another box exactly the same! Please don’t hate me!”

Ianto smiled blandly, his mind racing; what box of chocolates was Jack talking about? He certainly hadn’t bought them, in fact he hadn’t been up there today having taken his car when he went to get lunch. The chip shop was far enough away that everything would have been cold by the time he got back with it if he’d walked.

“So you saw a box of delicious chocolates and just decided to help yourself without bothering to find out who they belonged to and ask permission? Is that something you make a habit of?” Ianto folded his arms across his chest and frowned sternly at Jack.

“No, of course not! They just sat there looking all yummy and delicious and it was like they were saying ‘Eat Me’, so I did!”

“Ah, so the chocolates were to blame, were they? Flaunting themselves, tempting you until you could no longer resist their allure?”

“Yes, exactly! I was powerless to resist!”

Jack was nodding so hard Ianto began to worry he might nod his head right off.

“And do food items tempt you like that often?”

Jack shook his head. “No! I mean, food is almost always tempting, unless it’s something gross, but I can usually resist.”

That wasn’t entirely true, chocolate biscuits were never safe where Jack could get at them, but Ianto let it slide.

“But these chocolates were the exception?”

“They were the best chocolates I ever tasted! They practically melted in my mouth.” A blissful expression came over Jack’s face.

“Well, it seems I have a confession to make as well.” Ianto shifted to sit on the corner of Jack’s desk. “I have no idea what chocolates you’re talking about. I didn’t buy any and leave them in the tourist office, and nobody else seems to have noticed their chocolates missing, so who did they belong to?”

“They weren’t yours?”

“Nope! But I think it might be a good idea to find out where they came from. I’ll get the empty box and have Owen analyse it.”

“So if you weren’t mad at me for stealing your chocolates, why’d you let me confess?”

Ianto shrugged, smiling. “There’s a dent in the SUV and you’ve been looking guilty all morning. I was hoping you’d own up without me having to say anything. Confession is good for the soul.”

“I didn’t dent it, I swear!”

“Ah well. Enjoy your lunch!”


The End