fandomweekly | [#171] No Help Needed (Torchwood)

Theme Prompt: #171 – Confidence
Title: No Help Needed
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 1000
Summary: Ianto has changed quite a lot since he died back on earth.

In many ways, the changes in Ianto since the last time Jack had seen him were startling, although considering Ianto had died twice since then and bonded with a TARDIS, it was understandable he wasn’t the same man who’d breathed his last in Jack’s arms on the floor of Thames House.

Even when they’d met in the House of the Dead, he’d been different in subtle ways, but Jack had been so torn up by seeing the man he’d loved then lost so senselessly that he hadn’t paid much attention to whatever small discrepancies might exist between his Ianto Jones and the new one.

Now he’d finally been reunited with his lover, whole and very much alive, Jack was better able to catalogue the myriad small ways in which Ianto had grown, not so much physically, but…

He was still very much the Ianto Jones that Jack had fallen in love with, a keenly observant man with a dry sense of humour, a seemingly bottomless well of kindness and compassion, dignity, courage, and a stubborn streak to rival Jack’s own, but he’d matured over the past year and a half or so.

Long ago, back on earth, when he’d first realised how much Ianto had come to mean to him, Jack had dreamed of taking his lover out into space, perhaps on a trip with the Doctor, and showing him some of the wonders that existed out among the stars. He’d imagined being both guide and educator, holding Ianto’s hand as they wandered through alien cities and marketplaces, teaching him what he needed to know, reassuring him whenever he found the sights and sounds unsettling.

Looking back now, he could scarcely believe how naïve he’d been to think that Ianto would have problems adjusting to the host of new experiences he’d be faced with on such a trip. Ianto Jones had never been less than adaptable; very little of what Torchwood had dealt with back on earth had ever fazed him. Seeing how easily and confidently his lover handled himself, whatever the situation, sent a surge of pride through Jack.

They were equals now, as perhaps they always had been. Ianto didn’t need his protection, or really even his advice. Their TARDIS provided whatever information Ianto needed regarding local customs and appropriate behaviour, as well as translating for both of them so they never had to worry about language barriers, but Ianto had made a place for himself in the wider universe without the need for any other assistance.

He exuded a calm self-confidence that Jack found incredibly sexy. No surprise there; Jack had always found everything about Ianto sexy, from the immaculate way he wore a suit to those sinfully delicious Welsh vowels and his orgasmic coffee. In Jack’s opinion, Ianto’s sexiness quotient was now right off the charts.

“You’re drooling again, Jack.” Ianto sounded mildly amused.

“I can’t help it. Look at you!”

Ianto glanced down at the shabby outfit he was wearing: Scuffed boots, drab brown trousers and shirt, with a worn leather jacket over the top. A battered wide-brimmed hat completed the look. He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you liked me wearing a suit.”

“I do, you look amazing in a suit, you always have, but the rough and ready look is a real turn-on.”

“Daft sod,” Ianto said with a fond smile. “You say the same about everything I wear.”

“Because you always look hot no matter what you’re wearing. And especially when you’re no wearing anything.”

“Clothing is not optional on this occasion; there are laws around here against public nudity,” Ianto pointed out, picking up a canvas shoulder bag.

“Sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“No offence, Jack, but the people I’m going to meet don’t know you, and this is not the time to introduce my new partner. I’ve done work for the Kallifran brothers before, nothing illegal as such, just some bodyguarding. Didn’t even need to kill anyone.”

“For which I’m grateful.”

“So am I. Point is, they owe me, or this version of me anyway. They have information on the whereabouts of the thief who stole Magda Versool’s diamond toe rings right off her feet during that ill-advised night of passion. Celebrities really need to be more careful of who they take to their beds. The Kallifrans will talk to Des Llewellyn, nobody else; I’ll be back as soon as get the information.” Leaning close, Ianto kissed Jack lightly on the lips. “Don’t look so worried! I’ve done this sort of thing before; it’s not exactly rocket science.”

“I know, you managed just fine before you caught up to me. But I’ve already lost you twice; I don’t want to lose you again.”

“You won’t, I know what I’m doing, and if I do get into difficulties, our TARDIS will let you know and you can rush to the rescue like a big damn hero. Okay?”

“That sounds fair.”

“While you’re waiting, you should come up with an alias for yourself so that when I do start introducing you around as my business partner, I’ll know what to call you.”

“Right, I’ll work on my secret identity. Just, be careful out there?”

“Always. See you in a couple of hours.” Ianto slipped out of the TARDIS and was gone.

‘Do not be concerned,’ Jack heard the TARDIS whisper in his mind. ‘Ianto knows what he is doing, and I will be with him to warn him of any danger.’

“I know, I’m just not used to sitting on the side-lines.”

‘You will learn.’

“I suppose so. It’s not that I don’t have confidence in his abilities, back on earth I always thought he underestimated himself, but I know the sorts of people who lurk in places like this.”

‘Ianto also knows. He has worked with such people on several occasions.’

Jack chuckled. “He’s told me stories, although I suspect he’s downplayed his role in events. I hope someday soon I’ll get to see him in action.”

The End