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fandomweekly2024-04-21 12:04 pm
m_findlow) wrote in fandomweekly2024-04-21 12:04 pm
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[#217] TOO CLOSE TO HOME (TORCHWOOD)
Theme Prompt: #217 - Recovery
Title: Too close to home
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: Ianto has had the day every Torchwood agent dreads.
Bleary eyes opened slowly and looked up at Jack. They stayed focused on him for a long time and he watched them as the facial expression below them moved from vague uncertainty to confusion. ‘Who’re you?’ came the mumbled question.
Jack cocked his head and smiled warmly. ‘What? Don’t tell me this face means nothing to you.’ The brown eyes continued to stare up at him, returning his question with blankness, if not indifference. Though the eyes were the wrong colour, the more he looked into the face, the more he could make out the subtle similarities.
‘Where am I?’ came the next question. She looked around. ‘This doesn’t look like a hospital.’
‘No, ma’am,’ Jack replied. ‘We wouldn’t subject you to the NHS. Torchwood rolls out only the best, most bespoke treatment for our VIPs.’
There was another confused frown. ‘Torchwood? What’s that?’
Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Boy, but there was a lot of explaining still to do. Not his job though. That was for someone else.
Rhiannon squirmed in the bed and he could see how much it pained her to do so.
‘Just relax,’ Jack cooed, readjusting the sheet so that it didn’t knot tightly over the bandaged abdomen. ‘You’ve been through a bit, but Owen assures me that the laceration to your liver will heal nicely. He’s a good doctor. The best,’ Jack added. ‘Probably won't even be any scars.’ He pressed a button on a medical carousel, giving her an extra dose of pain relief. ‘How’s that? Better?’ She gave a tiny nod.
‘Good. Then I’ve got someone here who’s very anxious to see you now that you’re awake.’ He moved towards the door and pushed it outward, pausing to wave Ianto Ianto into the room. His face was a mixture of anxiety and relief as he brushed past Jack and moved to sit in the chair by the bed. Jack closed the door again and leaned silently against it, making himself invisible.
‘Hey you,’ Ianto said, taking his sister’s hand in his and giving it a squeeze.
‘Ianto? Where am I?’
‘You’re at Torchwood. You’re safe,’ he replied, watching her attempt to lick chapped lips and reaching across to the side cabinet for a cup of water and a straw, gently offering it so that she could drink. She took a few grateful sips and he pulled it away, putting it back on the cabinet for later. ‘How are you?’
There was a pause as Rhiannon stopped to collect her thoughts and memories, slowly coming back to her and trying to assimilate themselves into her reality even if they didn’t make much sense. ‘It was an alien,’ she replied.
Ianto nodded. ‘Told you what I did was a bit weird. Always hoped you’d never get caught up in it, though.’ He tried to force a smile. ‘Should've known you couldn't keep your beak out of it.’ He sighed and hung his head. ‘Rhi, I’m so sorry. If I’d known, I never would have fired.’
Jack cringed at the guilt-laden confession. Ianto had been first on the scene, beating even Jack with his lead-footed race to the co-op store, in a mad panic knowing his sister often worked shifts there during the day. When he’d arrived, the alien had her hostage, its long muscular arms and huge razor sharp talons gripping her close to its body, unwilling to be taken alive by Torchwood or anybody else. Ianto had been there on his own, before any backup could arrive, gun pointed and forced to live out his worst nightmare.
He’d done exactly what he’d been trained to do, waiting for the right moment to distract the alien and take the shot. It loomed a good foot and a half over his sister, leaving no chance for the headshot to strike anyone else. The heavy calibre bullet struck through the right temple and back out through the left in a perfect shot, but not before the alien’s talons gripped tighter, slicing open the side of its hostage. When Jack had arrived, there were three bodies on the ground; one dead alien threat and two humans, one lying in the arms of the other, bleeding profusely as the other cried out for help.
Rhiannon reached across and laid her other hand on top of her brother’s. ‘You saved me.’
‘Of course I saved you. You’re my big sister.’
Rhiannon turned her head, looking past him, fixing her eyes on Jack. ‘Is that him?’ Jack gave her a small salute from afar, answering the question for his sometimes awkward lover, whose relationship status was still a work in progress. ‘How long will I be here?’
Ianto reached up and brushed a hair from her face. ‘Doesn’t matter. Just rest. It’ll be okay. I’ll be at the house every day. Whatever Johnny and the kids need. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, school runs. And I'll be here for you. Every day until you’re better.’ He sniffed. ‘Love you,’ he added as an admission.
‘Knew it,’ Rhiannon teased.
‘I’ll let you get some rest,’ he said, pulling his hand gently away from between hers.
Jack pulled the door back open and they both silently exited. Ianto slumped back against it once it was closed. Jack noticed a smear of blood and grime still caked on his cheek and reached for his handkerchief, spitting on it and reaching up to wipe the grime away. Ianto barely flinched at the unhygienic gesture. ‘You should put your head down and get some rest yourself.’
‘I need to go check on Johnny. Make sure the kids are okay.’
‘I can do that,’ Jack offered. He considered them family, even if it wasn’t official. He could feel Ianto’s need to atone hanging heavily in the air between them. He was shutting down, going into survival mode. He gripped Ianto by the shoulders. ‘Hey. You did everything right, okay?’ Ianto nodded unconvincingly so Jack just hugged him tightly. ‘Everything will be okay in the end.’
Title: Too close to home
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: Ianto has had the day every Torchwood agent dreads.
Bleary eyes opened slowly and looked up at Jack. They stayed focused on him for a long time and he watched them as the facial expression below them moved from vague uncertainty to confusion. ‘Who’re you?’ came the mumbled question.
Jack cocked his head and smiled warmly. ‘What? Don’t tell me this face means nothing to you.’ The brown eyes continued to stare up at him, returning his question with blankness, if not indifference. Though the eyes were the wrong colour, the more he looked into the face, the more he could make out the subtle similarities.
‘Where am I?’ came the next question. She looked around. ‘This doesn’t look like a hospital.’
‘No, ma’am,’ Jack replied. ‘We wouldn’t subject you to the NHS. Torchwood rolls out only the best, most bespoke treatment for our VIPs.’
There was another confused frown. ‘Torchwood? What’s that?’
Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Boy, but there was a lot of explaining still to do. Not his job though. That was for someone else.
Rhiannon squirmed in the bed and he could see how much it pained her to do so.
‘Just relax,’ Jack cooed, readjusting the sheet so that it didn’t knot tightly over the bandaged abdomen. ‘You’ve been through a bit, but Owen assures me that the laceration to your liver will heal nicely. He’s a good doctor. The best,’ Jack added. ‘Probably won't even be any scars.’ He pressed a button on a medical carousel, giving her an extra dose of pain relief. ‘How’s that? Better?’ She gave a tiny nod.
‘Good. Then I’ve got someone here who’s very anxious to see you now that you’re awake.’ He moved towards the door and pushed it outward, pausing to wave Ianto Ianto into the room. His face was a mixture of anxiety and relief as he brushed past Jack and moved to sit in the chair by the bed. Jack closed the door again and leaned silently against it, making himself invisible.
‘Hey you,’ Ianto said, taking his sister’s hand in his and giving it a squeeze.
‘Ianto? Where am I?’
‘You’re at Torchwood. You’re safe,’ he replied, watching her attempt to lick chapped lips and reaching across to the side cabinet for a cup of water and a straw, gently offering it so that she could drink. She took a few grateful sips and he pulled it away, putting it back on the cabinet for later. ‘How are you?’
There was a pause as Rhiannon stopped to collect her thoughts and memories, slowly coming back to her and trying to assimilate themselves into her reality even if they didn’t make much sense. ‘It was an alien,’ she replied.
Ianto nodded. ‘Told you what I did was a bit weird. Always hoped you’d never get caught up in it, though.’ He tried to force a smile. ‘Should've known you couldn't keep your beak out of it.’ He sighed and hung his head. ‘Rhi, I’m so sorry. If I’d known, I never would have fired.’
Jack cringed at the guilt-laden confession. Ianto had been first on the scene, beating even Jack with his lead-footed race to the co-op store, in a mad panic knowing his sister often worked shifts there during the day. When he’d arrived, the alien had her hostage, its long muscular arms and huge razor sharp talons gripping her close to its body, unwilling to be taken alive by Torchwood or anybody else. Ianto had been there on his own, before any backup could arrive, gun pointed and forced to live out his worst nightmare.
He’d done exactly what he’d been trained to do, waiting for the right moment to distract the alien and take the shot. It loomed a good foot and a half over his sister, leaving no chance for the headshot to strike anyone else. The heavy calibre bullet struck through the right temple and back out through the left in a perfect shot, but not before the alien’s talons gripped tighter, slicing open the side of its hostage. When Jack had arrived, there were three bodies on the ground; one dead alien threat and two humans, one lying in the arms of the other, bleeding profusely as the other cried out for help.
Rhiannon reached across and laid her other hand on top of her brother’s. ‘You saved me.’
‘Of course I saved you. You’re my big sister.’
Rhiannon turned her head, looking past him, fixing her eyes on Jack. ‘Is that him?’ Jack gave her a small salute from afar, answering the question for his sometimes awkward lover, whose relationship status was still a work in progress. ‘How long will I be here?’
Ianto reached up and brushed a hair from her face. ‘Doesn’t matter. Just rest. It’ll be okay. I’ll be at the house every day. Whatever Johnny and the kids need. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, school runs. And I'll be here for you. Every day until you’re better.’ He sniffed. ‘Love you,’ he added as an admission.
‘Knew it,’ Rhiannon teased.
‘I’ll let you get some rest,’ he said, pulling his hand gently away from between hers.
Jack pulled the door back open and they both silently exited. Ianto slumped back against it once it was closed. Jack noticed a smear of blood and grime still caked on his cheek and reached for his handkerchief, spitting on it and reaching up to wipe the grime away. Ianto barely flinched at the unhygienic gesture. ‘You should put your head down and get some rest yourself.’
‘I need to go check on Johnny. Make sure the kids are okay.’
‘I can do that,’ Jack offered. He considered them family, even if it wasn’t official. He could feel Ianto’s need to atone hanging heavily in the air between them. He was shutting down, going into survival mode. He gripped Ianto by the shoulders. ‘Hey. You did everything right, okay?’ Ianto nodded unconvincingly so Jack just hugged him tightly. ‘Everything will be okay in the end.’
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