Fic: Vizzini's Rule (4/105)
Jun. 27th, 2008 06:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
buttononthetopTitle: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 4
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
Warnings: Nope.
Spoilers: Cyberwoman (1x4) and Fragments (2x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! And all (c)'s to Chris Chibnall for dialogue from Fragments. No infringment, only worship, intended!
Summary: The origin fic continues - in which Jack and Ianto meet a dinosaur.
Notes: Comments taken home and hand-fed bonbons! :o)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Four
The next three mornings, Ianto repeated his coffee cup routine outside the Tourist Office, but the Captain never walked out the door. Ianto had to accept that he was either getting out of the base a different way or forgoing his morning caffeine fix altogether. Either way, apparently he wasn’t going to get to Captain Jack Harkness the same way twice.
Digging through his boxes labeled ‘work crap’ that were piled in the bedroom, Ianto found the rift activity locater he had been cataloging when the Cybermen invaded. He didn’t even realize he’d pocketed it until he was finally stripping off his ruined suit that night and he heard it clatter on the floor of the bathroom. He turned it on now, pleased to find that it was fully charged and working properly. In fact, it was shooting out all kinds of data. It took Ianto a few hours to get it calibrated correctly for this proximity to the rift, but once he had it set right, he knew he could use it to keep an eye on things. As soon as something big fell through the rift, he would get there first.
He didn’t have long to wait.
Less than a week later, Ianto felt the rift monitor vibrating merrily in the pocket of his suit. He extricated himself quickly from his meeting with a loan officer, hopefully tactfully enough that he could still get the loan, and ran from the bank.
He followed the signal to an abandoned warehouse across town. After he had ascertained exactly what had fallen through the rift and tried, without notable success to calm it down, he checked the GPS to see if the Captain was setting out to investigate. The tracker that Ianto had hidden on the SUV was still functioning and indicated that it was heading straight for him.
Sure enough, moments later Ianto saw the Torchwood SUV barreling down the street. Taking a deep breath, he stepped in front of the car.
The SUV screeched to a halt and a very angry Captain Jack Harkness got out, slamming the door behind him.
“Ok this has to stop!” he yelled, striding towards Ianto.
Trying to explain, Ianto started, “No, listen to m–”
Pointing an accusing finger at the younger man, the Captain interrupted, “I don’t have time for this. Look, I don’t care what your problem is, I want you out of the city by sunrise. There is no place for you here. Go back to London, find yourself another life. Keep stalking me, I’ll wipe your memory.”
Ianto tried again, “No but the thing is–”
Furious, the Captain kept talking, “Look, any conversation between us no matter what the subject is over, finished, done, forever. I’m getting back behind the wheel of that car. If you’re still standing in the road, I’m gonna drive through you.” He turned on his heel to make good on his threat.
“So you’re not going to help me catch this pterodactyl, then?” Ianto asked.
He finally had the Captain’s attention.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ianto stood by Jack as he loaded up a large syringe with sedative. Shaking his head with disbelief, he marveled, “Ok, that is the only special equipment you’ve got?”
Apparently annoyed by Ianto’s very presence, Jack retorted, “Yeah, ’cause I keep dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV.”
“Torchwood London would have.”
Glaring at Ianto, Jack ran to the warehouse door. They burst through it together and saw the pterodactyl gliding gracefully around the empty warehouse, changing direction to fly right at them.
“Nope!” Ianto yelled as they retreated into the alley and slammed the door a second before the pterodactyl rammed it.
They leaned against the door which, Ianto noticed with the touch of hysteria that seemed to fill him when he was around the Captain, had a Fire Exit sign on the outside. Before he could vocalize his comical concern about people rushing into a building to escape a fire, the Captain asked him a question.
“How did you find it?”
“Rift activity locater,” Ianto replied. He was about to reach in his pocket to show it to the other man, but realized that his hand was securely trapped between the door and the Captain’s arse.
“Torchwood London.” It was not a question.
“See? Quality kit.”
The pterodactyl screeched again. “Hmmm, it’s quite excitable,” the Captain said, sounding a little excited himself.
“Must be your aftershave,” Ianto quipped, wondering where the urge or the ability to flirt had suddenly sprung from.
The Captain looked confused for a moment. “Never wear any.”
Ianto replied without thinking, “You smell like that naturally?”
Grinning, he said, “51st Century pheromones. You people have no idea.”
Ianto looked away for a moment, unable to believe that he had commented on the other man’s scent and unwilling to believe the Captain’s response. Comments like that were probably where a lot of the rumors about Jack Harkness got started, Ianto thought.
“Ready for another go?” the Captain asked.
“I’m game if you are.”
The Captain counted down, “Three…two…one,” and opened the door again.
As soon as they were on the other side, the pterodactyl flew at them again. Instinctively following the Captain’s hurried command to split up, Ianto ran from the dinosaur, yelling his head off as he did. The pterodactyl landed between them and the door, trapping them inside. For a moment it looked like it would try to escape out the slightly opened door but then it turned to face the two men who had met up behind it.
Jack shushed Ianto as they bumped into each other and then began to walk slowly towards the dinosaur. “We’re not gonna harm you,” he said soothingly. “You can’t stay here. Come back with me, I’ve got somewhere nice and big where you can fly around.”
Miffed, Ianto whispered, “Okay, so you’ll let the pterodactyl in and not me.”
“We need a guard dog,” Jack muttered, not taking his eyes from the dinosaur.
“I can be that! Like a receptionist, building maintenance, food and drink, dry cleaning even. That coat of yours must take a battering. Like a butler, I could be a butler!” Christ, what am I saying? Ianto thought.
“We don’t need a butler.”
Ianto grabbed the Captain’s arm, “Excuse me? Dried egg on your collar.”
“It was a busy week.”
Pulling on the Captain’s arm again, Ianto asked, “What exactly is your plan?”
The Captain yanked his arm from Ianto’s grip, irritated. “I’m going to be the decoy–”
“And it will rip you to shreds,” Ianto finished.
“Dinosaurs?” the Captain scoffed. “Heh, had ‘em for breakfast. Had to. The only source of pre-killed food protein after the asteroid crashed.” He looked at the startled expression on Ianto’s face. “Long story. Here you go.” He passed the syringe to the other man. “One injection to the central nervous cortex. I’ll keep it occupied. Move!”
“No.”
“What?”
Ianto handed the syringe back to the Captain. “It knows me. I’ll be a better decoy.”
He shook his head, “No! Way too dangerous.”
Ianto had to try very hard not to roll his eyes. Too dangerous? Five minutes ago the Captain had been threatening him with vehicular homicide and now he was worried for Ianto’s safety? He was becoming more intrigued by Captain Jack Harkness by the moment. He kept all this to himself and merely said, “No, I’ve got a secret weapon.” He pulled a bar from his suit coat, “Chocolate, preferably dark.” Without waiting for a reply from the Captain, Ianto walked closer to the pterodactyl. He whistled softly, trying to catch its attention. “I’ve got your favorite, yeah,” he said inanely as he tossed the bar on the ground. “It’s good for your serotonin levels…if you’ve got serotonin levels.”
The pterodactyl pecked at the bar but then turned suddenly to face the Captain who had been creeping up behind it. The dinosaur took off, but the Captain managed to grab its foot and hang on for dear life as the pterodactyl flew around the warehouse, trying to shake him off. He was able to inject the creature and then promptly fell.
Ianto had been spotting him from the ground and was able to move under the Captain so he didn’t collide with the pavement, but with Ianto instead. They crashed to the ground and rolled to avoid the plummeting dinosaur. Laughing with relief, Ianto lay on top of the Captain for a long moment. When the laughter stopped, they were still breathing hard, their faces inches apart. Ianto was struck with the sudden and inexplicable desire to lower his mouth to Jack’s, to capture the warm breath he felt against his cheek. And if he was reading the desire in the other man’s eyes correctly, Jack wouldn’t object. He felt his body stir at the idea of kissing those full, perfect lips and said, before he could act on the shocking yearning, “I should go.”
He paused one second more, just long enough to feel an answering response from certain parts of Jack’s anatomy, and then he pulled himself off the other man. Walking quickly to the exit, he heard the Captain behind him.
“Hey!” Ianto paused. “Report for work first thing tomorrow.” Ianto looked back over his shoulder, unable to meet the Captain’s eyes. Giving him a sketchy nod, Ianto kept walking. But the Captain wasn’t done. “Like the suit, by the way,” he said in that same seductive tone he’d used the first night they’d met.
It was too much for Ianto. Fighting back tears, he hurried from the building. As soon as he was out the door, he darted around the corner and vomited, holding onto the building for support as his body heaved. He heard the Captain fire up the SUV and back it closer to the door. When he cut the engine again, Ianto realized how close he was to walking around the building to confess everything, throw himself on his mercy and beg for help. But everything he’d learned about the Captain told him that decision would mean Lisa’s death. A little voice in his head wondered if that wouldn’t be for the best, but Ianto quashed it, fought his desire to go to Jack and walked into the night.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
When he finally made it back to the flat, Ianto was relieved to find Lisa was asleep. He crept quietly into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. He lay there, thinking about the next morning. I’m in. Now what the hell am I going to do? he thought. In his heart, Ianto had never believed this plan would work, but now that it had he needed to make more plans and even bigger decisions. Ianto sighed. It didn’t help his already fractured state of mind to have Captain Jack Harkness’ face suddenly swimming before his eyes. Ianto groaned and rolled over, burying his face under the pillow. He’d been right – the man was a force of nature. And Ianto wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist.
He thought back to the warehouse, the feeling of Jack’s body beneath him, his arms around him, their breaths mingling, time standing still. Groaning again, Ianto hit the pillow with his fist a few times. This is silly, he thought sitting up. The man is going to be my boss so I’ll just be strictly professional and that’s it. Not to mention he’s a man for crying out loud. Ianto grinned for a second. Maybe he hadn’t been kidding about the pheromones after all. He heard a sound that wiped the smile from his face. Lisa was awake and she was crying again.
Ianto hung his head, guilt washing over him in a wave. He grabbed the morphine and the needles from the nightstand and went out to offer what comfort he could to the woman he loved.
TBC in Chapter Five
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
Warnings: Nope.
Spoilers: Cyberwoman (1x4) and Fragments (2x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! And all (c)'s to Chris Chibnall for dialogue from Fragments. No infringment, only worship, intended!
Summary: The origin fic continues - in which Jack and Ianto meet a dinosaur.
Notes: Comments taken home and hand-fed bonbons! :o)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Four
The next three mornings, Ianto repeated his coffee cup routine outside the Tourist Office, but the Captain never walked out the door. Ianto had to accept that he was either getting out of the base a different way or forgoing his morning caffeine fix altogether. Either way, apparently he wasn’t going to get to Captain Jack Harkness the same way twice.
Digging through his boxes labeled ‘work crap’ that were piled in the bedroom, Ianto found the rift activity locater he had been cataloging when the Cybermen invaded. He didn’t even realize he’d pocketed it until he was finally stripping off his ruined suit that night and he heard it clatter on the floor of the bathroom. He turned it on now, pleased to find that it was fully charged and working properly. In fact, it was shooting out all kinds of data. It took Ianto a few hours to get it calibrated correctly for this proximity to the rift, but once he had it set right, he knew he could use it to keep an eye on things. As soon as something big fell through the rift, he would get there first.
He didn’t have long to wait.
Less than a week later, Ianto felt the rift monitor vibrating merrily in the pocket of his suit. He extricated himself quickly from his meeting with a loan officer, hopefully tactfully enough that he could still get the loan, and ran from the bank.
He followed the signal to an abandoned warehouse across town. After he had ascertained exactly what had fallen through the rift and tried, without notable success to calm it down, he checked the GPS to see if the Captain was setting out to investigate. The tracker that Ianto had hidden on the SUV was still functioning and indicated that it was heading straight for him.
Sure enough, moments later Ianto saw the Torchwood SUV barreling down the street. Taking a deep breath, he stepped in front of the car.
The SUV screeched to a halt and a very angry Captain Jack Harkness got out, slamming the door behind him.
“Ok this has to stop!” he yelled, striding towards Ianto.
Trying to explain, Ianto started, “No, listen to m–”
Pointing an accusing finger at the younger man, the Captain interrupted, “I don’t have time for this. Look, I don’t care what your problem is, I want you out of the city by sunrise. There is no place for you here. Go back to London, find yourself another life. Keep stalking me, I’ll wipe your memory.”
Ianto tried again, “No but the thing is–”
Furious, the Captain kept talking, “Look, any conversation between us no matter what the subject is over, finished, done, forever. I’m getting back behind the wheel of that car. If you’re still standing in the road, I’m gonna drive through you.” He turned on his heel to make good on his threat.
“So you’re not going to help me catch this pterodactyl, then?” Ianto asked.
He finally had the Captain’s attention.
Ianto stood by Jack as he loaded up a large syringe with sedative. Shaking his head with disbelief, he marveled, “Ok, that is the only special equipment you’ve got?”
Apparently annoyed by Ianto’s very presence, Jack retorted, “Yeah, ’cause I keep dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV.”
“Torchwood London would have.”
Glaring at Ianto, Jack ran to the warehouse door. They burst through it together and saw the pterodactyl gliding gracefully around the empty warehouse, changing direction to fly right at them.
“Nope!” Ianto yelled as they retreated into the alley and slammed the door a second before the pterodactyl rammed it.
They leaned against the door which, Ianto noticed with the touch of hysteria that seemed to fill him when he was around the Captain, had a Fire Exit sign on the outside. Before he could vocalize his comical concern about people rushing into a building to escape a fire, the Captain asked him a question.
“How did you find it?”
“Rift activity locater,” Ianto replied. He was about to reach in his pocket to show it to the other man, but realized that his hand was securely trapped between the door and the Captain’s arse.
“Torchwood London.” It was not a question.
“See? Quality kit.”
The pterodactyl screeched again. “Hmmm, it’s quite excitable,” the Captain said, sounding a little excited himself.
“Must be your aftershave,” Ianto quipped, wondering where the urge or the ability to flirt had suddenly sprung from.
The Captain looked confused for a moment. “Never wear any.”
Ianto replied without thinking, “You smell like that naturally?”
Grinning, he said, “51st Century pheromones. You people have no idea.”
Ianto looked away for a moment, unable to believe that he had commented on the other man’s scent and unwilling to believe the Captain’s response. Comments like that were probably where a lot of the rumors about Jack Harkness got started, Ianto thought.
“Ready for another go?” the Captain asked.
“I’m game if you are.”
The Captain counted down, “Three…two…one,” and opened the door again.
As soon as they were on the other side, the pterodactyl flew at them again. Instinctively following the Captain’s hurried command to split up, Ianto ran from the dinosaur, yelling his head off as he did. The pterodactyl landed between them and the door, trapping them inside. For a moment it looked like it would try to escape out the slightly opened door but then it turned to face the two men who had met up behind it.
Jack shushed Ianto as they bumped into each other and then began to walk slowly towards the dinosaur. “We’re not gonna harm you,” he said soothingly. “You can’t stay here. Come back with me, I’ve got somewhere nice and big where you can fly around.”
Miffed, Ianto whispered, “Okay, so you’ll let the pterodactyl in and not me.”
“We need a guard dog,” Jack muttered, not taking his eyes from the dinosaur.
“I can be that! Like a receptionist, building maintenance, food and drink, dry cleaning even. That coat of yours must take a battering. Like a butler, I could be a butler!” Christ, what am I saying? Ianto thought.
“We don’t need a butler.”
Ianto grabbed the Captain’s arm, “Excuse me? Dried egg on your collar.”
“It was a busy week.”
Pulling on the Captain’s arm again, Ianto asked, “What exactly is your plan?”
The Captain yanked his arm from Ianto’s grip, irritated. “I’m going to be the decoy–”
“And it will rip you to shreds,” Ianto finished.
“Dinosaurs?” the Captain scoffed. “Heh, had ‘em for breakfast. Had to. The only source of pre-killed food protein after the asteroid crashed.” He looked at the startled expression on Ianto’s face. “Long story. Here you go.” He passed the syringe to the other man. “One injection to the central nervous cortex. I’ll keep it occupied. Move!”
“No.”
“What?”
Ianto handed the syringe back to the Captain. “It knows me. I’ll be a better decoy.”
He shook his head, “No! Way too dangerous.”
Ianto had to try very hard not to roll his eyes. Too dangerous? Five minutes ago the Captain had been threatening him with vehicular homicide and now he was worried for Ianto’s safety? He was becoming more intrigued by Captain Jack Harkness by the moment. He kept all this to himself and merely said, “No, I’ve got a secret weapon.” He pulled a bar from his suit coat, “Chocolate, preferably dark.” Without waiting for a reply from the Captain, Ianto walked closer to the pterodactyl. He whistled softly, trying to catch its attention. “I’ve got your favorite, yeah,” he said inanely as he tossed the bar on the ground. “It’s good for your serotonin levels…if you’ve got serotonin levels.”
The pterodactyl pecked at the bar but then turned suddenly to face the Captain who had been creeping up behind it. The dinosaur took off, but the Captain managed to grab its foot and hang on for dear life as the pterodactyl flew around the warehouse, trying to shake him off. He was able to inject the creature and then promptly fell.
Ianto had been spotting him from the ground and was able to move under the Captain so he didn’t collide with the pavement, but with Ianto instead. They crashed to the ground and rolled to avoid the plummeting dinosaur. Laughing with relief, Ianto lay on top of the Captain for a long moment. When the laughter stopped, they were still breathing hard, their faces inches apart. Ianto was struck with the sudden and inexplicable desire to lower his mouth to Jack’s, to capture the warm breath he felt against his cheek. And if he was reading the desire in the other man’s eyes correctly, Jack wouldn’t object. He felt his body stir at the idea of kissing those full, perfect lips and said, before he could act on the shocking yearning, “I should go.”
He paused one second more, just long enough to feel an answering response from certain parts of Jack’s anatomy, and then he pulled himself off the other man. Walking quickly to the exit, he heard the Captain behind him.
“Hey!” Ianto paused. “Report for work first thing tomorrow.” Ianto looked back over his shoulder, unable to meet the Captain’s eyes. Giving him a sketchy nod, Ianto kept walking. But the Captain wasn’t done. “Like the suit, by the way,” he said in that same seductive tone he’d used the first night they’d met.
It was too much for Ianto. Fighting back tears, he hurried from the building. As soon as he was out the door, he darted around the corner and vomited, holding onto the building for support as his body heaved. He heard the Captain fire up the SUV and back it closer to the door. When he cut the engine again, Ianto realized how close he was to walking around the building to confess everything, throw himself on his mercy and beg for help. But everything he’d learned about the Captain told him that decision would mean Lisa’s death. A little voice in his head wondered if that wouldn’t be for the best, but Ianto quashed it, fought his desire to go to Jack and walked into the night.
When he finally made it back to the flat, Ianto was relieved to find Lisa was asleep. He crept quietly into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. He lay there, thinking about the next morning. I’m in. Now what the hell am I going to do? he thought. In his heart, Ianto had never believed this plan would work, but now that it had he needed to make more plans and even bigger decisions. Ianto sighed. It didn’t help his already fractured state of mind to have Captain Jack Harkness’ face suddenly swimming before his eyes. Ianto groaned and rolled over, burying his face under the pillow. He’d been right – the man was a force of nature. And Ianto wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist.
He thought back to the warehouse, the feeling of Jack’s body beneath him, his arms around him, their breaths mingling, time standing still. Groaning again, Ianto hit the pillow with his fist a few times. This is silly, he thought sitting up. The man is going to be my boss so I’ll just be strictly professional and that’s it. Not to mention he’s a man for crying out loud. Ianto grinned for a second. Maybe he hadn’t been kidding about the pheromones after all. He heard a sound that wiped the smile from his face. Lisa was awake and she was crying again.
Ianto hung his head, guilt washing over him in a wave. He grabbed the morphine and the needles from the nightstand and went out to offer what comfort he could to the woman he loved.
TBC in Chapter Five
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 01:15 am (UTC)Especially knowing how this is all going to turn out, I wince all the more for him.
But I don't wince at this chapter because it was brilliant!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 01:29 am (UTC)I feel bad for him though...he's so desperate to help Lisa.
A little voice in his head wondered if that wouldn’t be for the best, but Ianto quashed it, fought his desire to go to Jack and walked into the night.
I've sometimes wondered if Ianto didn't have days where he felt like this...or debated just letting Lisa die or overdosing her. It must have been hell for him.
Great chapter!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:12 am (UTC)Thanks so much!!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 01:33 am (UTC)Nicely done!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:14 am (UTC)I was so glad to get past Fragments - I love it so much that I HAD to use it, but I got kinda tired of transcribing instead of writing. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 01:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:14 am (UTC)So glad you're enjoying!
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Date: 2008-06-28 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 06:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 08:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:52 pm (UTC)Where was I? Oh yeah, thanks so much for all the lovely comments!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 01:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 03:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-28 04:56 pm (UTC)Yes, our Ianto is run a little ragged for a while. *hugs woobie*
*hugs you* too for all the fabo comments!! They're much appreciated. :D
no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 09:10 pm (UTC)2) Lovely to see how you're developing YOUR Ianto
3) Here's hoping neither of us ever reads the other's chapter and thinks "oi"!
4) erm - you do know your link for chapter five takes people to chapter 4 don't you? PLEASE fix - I want to read YOUR day 1!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-29 11:04 pm (UTC)2) Thank you!
3) Heh - yeah! There's bound to be some similarities, but I'm sure neither of us would steal on purpose. If there's ever and "oi!" we should chalk it up to Great Minds! ;o)
4) Whoops!!! Didn't realize. THANK you so much for pointing it out - all fixed. :D
no subject
Date: 2008-09-06 03:20 am (UTC)Nicole
no subject
Date: 2008-09-07 02:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-06 01:06 pm (UTC)Love this!
I really like this story so far. You've found a really good balance between original insight and show dialogue/description. It feels like I'm reading something completely new, that I haven't seen before. Well done.
On to the next chapter!
no subject
Date: 2009-05-07 12:58 am (UTC)So glad you're enjoying!
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Date: 2009-05-07 03:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-09 02:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 03:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-01 03:41 am (UTC)