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fandomweekly2026-04-06 08:02 pm
m_findlow) wrote in fandomweekly2026-04-06 08:02 pm
Entry tags:
[#295] WORTH A SHOT (TORCHWOOD)
Theme Prompt: #295 - Wishful thinking
Title: Worth a shot
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG. Minor spoilers for Big Finish audioplay “Serenity”
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: Ianto is desperate to escape their fake lives in Serenity Plaza, even if it’s just for a few hours.
Jack's phone ringing broke the blissful morning peace as Ianto lay nestled in against his body.
‘Don't answer it,’ Ianto mumbled. ‘It'll just be some marketing call.’
‘My phone doesn't get marketing calls,’ Jack replied, reaching over Ianto's body to the bedside table where the phone was slowly vibrating its way towards the edge. ‘Hello? Yep… Uh huh… Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.’ He snapped the phone shut. ‘That was Owen. Gotta go.’
‘No.’ Ianto nuzzled back into Jack's shoulder. ‘It's Saturday. The one day when I don't have to spend the entire day alone in this wretched place.’
‘The rift doesn't care about Saturdays.’
‘The one day I get to have you here and we don't have to waste the entire day at a stupid weekend barbecue.’ One day when just being together and enjoying normal couple things didn't seem quite so bad. Ianto could live with lie-ins, breakfast in bed and a long morning of alternating between reading the paper and indulging his boyfriend's sexual appetite. Fair compensation for being locked up in cookie cutter Pleasantville the rest of the week. It was the only part of playing happy couples that didn't feel forced.
‘That's the job,’ Jack replied. ‘You know that.’ Jack began pushing back the duvet when Ianto grabbed him. ‘At least let me come with you?’
Jack snorted a laugh. ‘That's wishful thinking and you know it.’
‘You never know,’ Ianto replied. ‘You might need me.’
Jack managed a smile at the desperate attempt. ‘I always need you, but you know we can't both leave. It'll raise suspicion with the neighbours.’
Ianto sat up, pulling the discarded duvet to his chest as he watched his semi-naked boyfriend circumnavigate the bed. ‘People do leave their homes on the weekend, you know. They go out to lunch with their in-laws, visit art galleries and antique stores, or take a walk in the park with their dogs…’
Jack plucked a freshly ironed shirt from the wardrobe and slipped an arm into the sleeve. ‘Do we look like the kind of couple that trawls antique shops or have in-laws we'd be caught dead having lunch with? And you said no to us getting a dog so the walking in the park is out too.’
Ianto rolled his eyes. ‘I was just using them as examples. It wouldn't kill us to be a little more culturally educated and visit a gallery every now and then.’
Jack laughed in his face. ‘Culturally educated?’
‘Shut your face,’ Ianto sulked. ‘Please let me come with you. Please.’
‘No.’
‘Jack…’
‘Ianto…’
The both used hushed tones as their real names came spilling out in the heat of the moment. They were supposed to be Ken and Ifan as far as everyone around here was concerned.
‘If it's so bad that they're calling you on a Sunday when you're supposed to be here, undercover, then they must need all hands on deck.’
‘And whatever it is, we'll handle it. I'm not risking us breaking cover. It's taken weeks to build.’
‘You think I don't know that? If I don't get out of here soon I'm going to be reduced to someone whose sole areas of expertise are cooking the perfect lamb roast and knowing the secret household recipe for battling soap scum. I'll be a shadow of the man I once was. They'll say that Ianto Jones used to be a butt kicking, gun-slinging, Torchwood agent. Now he's just a glorified housemaid with no self respect.’
Jack paused dressing and perched on the edge of the bed beside him. ‘They'd never say that. Not to your face, anyway.’ That earned Jack a punch in the arm. ‘Ow! I was kidding!’
‘And I wasn't. Please. Just let me come with you. Just this one time. I'm going crazy here. No one will miss us for one little day.’
‘And if it all goes pear shaped and you end up with a broken limb or some other injury? How will we explain that to the neighbours?’ Jack rested a hand against his jaw. ‘I know it isn't always easy doing this, but you know how dangerous Cell 114 is and how important it is that we find the sleeper agent. I can't always be here which means I'm counting on you to be my eyes and ears around this place. Nobody is as perceptive to the small details as you are. If things are even slightly off, if there's a single rogue weed in Bob's lawn, I know you'll be the first one to spot it.’
‘Not likely,’ Ianto sulked. ‘Bob's lawn is bloody perfect. Not a weed in sight. I'm forever picking out clover. God, see? That's what my life has become living here. Picking clover out of our front lawn!’
‘Because you know anything less would blow our cover.’ He leaned forward and kissed Ianto. ‘I'm sorry. You know I'd give anything to have you back on the team.’
‘Not quite anything.’
‘You really thought I was going to let you escape this place for the day, didn't you?’
Ianto pouted. ‘Chance would be a fine thing.’
Jack leaned in and kissed him again. ‘It's in my interest to get this sorted as quickly as possible. No one else on the team can say they've got a sexy man waiting at home for them in bed. I'm looking forward to resuming our Saturday just as soon as I can.’
Ianto pushed him away. ‘Now who's being wishful, huh? I'm not staying in bed all day if you're not here. You'll have a driveway full of hedge clippings to sweep up and put in the green waste bin by the time you get back. Then I'll get to sit back on the porch with a nice cup of tea and watch you work.’
‘You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you? It wouldn't matter if I've spent all morning running around saving Cardiff from aliens, would it?’
Ianto smirked. ‘Can't risk blowing our cover, Ken.’
Title: Worth a shot
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG. Minor spoilers for Big Finish audioplay “Serenity”
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: Ianto is desperate to escape their fake lives in Serenity Plaza, even if it’s just for a few hours.
Jack's phone ringing broke the blissful morning peace as Ianto lay nestled in against his body.
‘Don't answer it,’ Ianto mumbled. ‘It'll just be some marketing call.’
‘My phone doesn't get marketing calls,’ Jack replied, reaching over Ianto's body to the bedside table where the phone was slowly vibrating its way towards the edge. ‘Hello? Yep… Uh huh… Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.’ He snapped the phone shut. ‘That was Owen. Gotta go.’
‘No.’ Ianto nuzzled back into Jack's shoulder. ‘It's Saturday. The one day when I don't have to spend the entire day alone in this wretched place.’
‘The rift doesn't care about Saturdays.’
‘The one day I get to have you here and we don't have to waste the entire day at a stupid weekend barbecue.’ One day when just being together and enjoying normal couple things didn't seem quite so bad. Ianto could live with lie-ins, breakfast in bed and a long morning of alternating between reading the paper and indulging his boyfriend's sexual appetite. Fair compensation for being locked up in cookie cutter Pleasantville the rest of the week. It was the only part of playing happy couples that didn't feel forced.
‘That's the job,’ Jack replied. ‘You know that.’ Jack began pushing back the duvet when Ianto grabbed him. ‘At least let me come with you?’
Jack snorted a laugh. ‘That's wishful thinking and you know it.’
‘You never know,’ Ianto replied. ‘You might need me.’
Jack managed a smile at the desperate attempt. ‘I always need you, but you know we can't both leave. It'll raise suspicion with the neighbours.’
Ianto sat up, pulling the discarded duvet to his chest as he watched his semi-naked boyfriend circumnavigate the bed. ‘People do leave their homes on the weekend, you know. They go out to lunch with their in-laws, visit art galleries and antique stores, or take a walk in the park with their dogs…’
Jack plucked a freshly ironed shirt from the wardrobe and slipped an arm into the sleeve. ‘Do we look like the kind of couple that trawls antique shops or have in-laws we'd be caught dead having lunch with? And you said no to us getting a dog so the walking in the park is out too.’
Ianto rolled his eyes. ‘I was just using them as examples. It wouldn't kill us to be a little more culturally educated and visit a gallery every now and then.’
Jack laughed in his face. ‘Culturally educated?’
‘Shut your face,’ Ianto sulked. ‘Please let me come with you. Please.’
‘No.’
‘Jack…’
‘Ianto…’
The both used hushed tones as their real names came spilling out in the heat of the moment. They were supposed to be Ken and Ifan as far as everyone around here was concerned.
‘If it's so bad that they're calling you on a Sunday when you're supposed to be here, undercover, then they must need all hands on deck.’
‘And whatever it is, we'll handle it. I'm not risking us breaking cover. It's taken weeks to build.’
‘You think I don't know that? If I don't get out of here soon I'm going to be reduced to someone whose sole areas of expertise are cooking the perfect lamb roast and knowing the secret household recipe for battling soap scum. I'll be a shadow of the man I once was. They'll say that Ianto Jones used to be a butt kicking, gun-slinging, Torchwood agent. Now he's just a glorified housemaid with no self respect.’
Jack paused dressing and perched on the edge of the bed beside him. ‘They'd never say that. Not to your face, anyway.’ That earned Jack a punch in the arm. ‘Ow! I was kidding!’
‘And I wasn't. Please. Just let me come with you. Just this one time. I'm going crazy here. No one will miss us for one little day.’
‘And if it all goes pear shaped and you end up with a broken limb or some other injury? How will we explain that to the neighbours?’ Jack rested a hand against his jaw. ‘I know it isn't always easy doing this, but you know how dangerous Cell 114 is and how important it is that we find the sleeper agent. I can't always be here which means I'm counting on you to be my eyes and ears around this place. Nobody is as perceptive to the small details as you are. If things are even slightly off, if there's a single rogue weed in Bob's lawn, I know you'll be the first one to spot it.’
‘Not likely,’ Ianto sulked. ‘Bob's lawn is bloody perfect. Not a weed in sight. I'm forever picking out clover. God, see? That's what my life has become living here. Picking clover out of our front lawn!’
‘Because you know anything less would blow our cover.’ He leaned forward and kissed Ianto. ‘I'm sorry. You know I'd give anything to have you back on the team.’
‘Not quite anything.’
‘You really thought I was going to let you escape this place for the day, didn't you?’
Ianto pouted. ‘Chance would be a fine thing.’
Jack leaned in and kissed him again. ‘It's in my interest to get this sorted as quickly as possible. No one else on the team can say they've got a sexy man waiting at home for them in bed. I'm looking forward to resuming our Saturday just as soon as I can.’
Ianto pushed him away. ‘Now who's being wishful, huh? I'm not staying in bed all day if you're not here. You'll have a driveway full of hedge clippings to sweep up and put in the green waste bin by the time you get back. Then I'll get to sit back on the porch with a nice cup of tea and watch you work.’
‘You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you? It wouldn't matter if I've spent all morning running around saving Cardiff from aliens, would it?’
Ianto smirked. ‘Can't risk blowing our cover, Ken.’