Fic: Schmoop Bingo N37 – Candles (Jack/Ianto)
Sep. 24th, 2010 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
buttononthetopTitle: A Feast for the Senses: Part One
Rating: PG
Warnings: Nope
Spoilers: None (in accordance with Schmoop Law Section 27 Paragraph A Subparagraph 1 – the entire team is alive – really alive not dead-alive – so nothing from Reset on ever happened)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: schmoop_bingo Prompt N37: Candles
Notes: Thanks as always to my amazing beta and wonderful friendthraceadams for all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
Special Note: This schmoop is for the wonderfulteachwriteslash and posted in her honor over at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
1900_crayons. Teach, how many things can I say thank you for with one little fic? Your writing that made me delurk and really start participating in the TW fandom? Your encouragement that kept me writing last summer when I wanted to pack it all in? Your humor and uncommon sense (cuz lord knows, it ain't common anymore)? Your joy in the simple things like a perfect cup of coffee? Your unflagging belief in the best of all of us? I could go on (and on and on) but I'll stop there and say you are truly an inspiration. *hugs and much love*
A Feast for the Senses: Part One – Candles
Ianto walked wearily up the path to his flat, noting with bleak acceptance that it had started to rain. He longed for nothing more than a hot shower and a few hours of oblivion. He'd spent the last four hours of the day scrubbing the autopsy bay after Owen had cut into a mysterious sac on the neck of an alien Jack and Gwen had brought down in the field. The sac contained a substance not unlike squid ink and had exploded with considerable force all over Owen and the autopsy bay when poked with a scalpel. Ianto had packed Owen off to the decontamination showers, dealt with the body, and then started cleaning. The ink had made Owen woozy (as well as leaving him with rather fetching lavender patches all over his skin) and after he'd knocked over a bucket of soapy water for the second time, Ianto sent him home. With Jack and Gwen still out in the field doing a follow-up and Tosh home with a migraine, Ianto was left to finish the job alone.
He fished his keys out of his pocket and pushed his front door open with a deep sigh. He frowned as he was hanging up his coat in the hall closet. There was a strange light coming from the front room. Wondering what the flickering was, he hurried in, only to stop short at the sight that met his eyes. Not only was a fire roaring in the fireplace, at least a hundred candles were scattered about the room – slender tapers, pillars of every height, tiny tea lights, big fat round candles – they were all lit, giving the room a soft, wavering glow. Ianto was still standing there in stunned silence when Jack came out of the bedroom.
"You're home," he said with a warm smile, crossing the room to give Ianto a hug.
"Yeah. You – what is all this, Jack?"
"Well," Jack explained as he drew Ianto over to sit on the sofa. "Owen called in quite a state. He said he left you with a huge mess and he begged me to please get you in a better mood so you'd don't put cyanide in his coffee tomorrow and tell him it's a new almond flavoured blend. I think he was still suffering from the after effects of the alien squid ink," Jack added with a chuckle.
"As if I'd serve flavoured coffee," Ianto said with a disdainful sniff.
Jack laughed. "That's what I told him." He held up a bottle of wine and raised an eyebrow at Ianto. When he nodded, Jack poured them each a glass and then sat back on the sofa. "But I promised I'd do my very best to improve your mood."
"Well, this is… pretty good," Ianto teased, taking a sip of the wine and humming as the rich flavour of currant and a hint of clove rolled over his tongue.
"Oh, I haven't even started yet," Jack said with a wink. He slipped an arm around Ianto and arranged them carefully on the sofa so Ianto was reclining against his chest. He rested his cheek on Ianto's damp hair. "Is it raining again?" he asked softly, taking a drink from his glass.
"Mmmhmm, pouring. And cold. It feels nice in here. So is Owen okay?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I spoke to him again after he'd had a little sleep, the nausea and dizziness were completely gone. He's going to do a full blood workup on himself in the morning to be sure, but I'm guessing the ink was more of a defensive mechanism rather than an actual weapon, from everything he described."
"Good." Ianto snuggled against Jack and drank his wine as they sat in companionable silence. He watched the flame of the big candle closest to him, almost hypnotized by the dancing light. He could see the tiniest bit of blue right by the wick that reminded him of Jack's eyes. With a soft snort at his own ridiculousness, Ianto carefully set his empty glass on the coffee table. He obviously didn't need any more wine.
Jack finished his wine as well and set his glass next to Ianto's. "Phase Two," he whispered, his lips close enough to tickle Ianto's ear.
"Phase Two?" Ianto repeated sleepily.
"Come on," Jack said, sitting up and pushing Ianto off the sofa.
"We have to get up? I don't think I like Phase Two," Ianto protested.
Jack shuffled him out of the room and down the short hallway. "Oh, you'll like it, I promise," Jack said through a chuckle. He pushed open the door to the bath and stepped inside, tugging Ianto along with him.
The candle-fairy had obviously been hard at work in here too – there were candles on every flat surface of the room, the flames glinting off of the mirrors and chrome until they were multiplied to infinity. The huge tub was already full of water and Jack had put the fluffiest towels they owned on the warmer. As Ianto looked around in amazement, Jack started in on his tie. In no time at all, Jack had Ianto stripped down to nothing and was nodding to the tub.
"Go on, soak for a bit. I need to take care of something."
Ianto eyed the tub warily. "Um… thanks?" he said sceptically.
"What?" Jack asked, looking confused.
"Well, I've been home for a least half an hour so I think the water's probably pretty tepid by now," Ianto explained. "I'll just refill it."
Jack grinned. "Not necessary," he said. He reached for a small silver cylinder that was sitting on the counter. It resembled a tyre pressure gauge and before Ianto could ask what it was for, Jack had turned the dial on the top of the shaft and dipped it in the water. A huge bubble formed under water and then popped, sending little ripples across the surface. "There," Jack said, sounding pleased. "A perfect 39°C."
"Handy little gizmo," Ianto said dryly. "Shall I write up an official reprimand for your file again?"
"Now why would you assume this is alien tech?" Jack asked, his eyes wide, obviously trying for 'innocent'.
Ianto shook his head and gave Jack a little kiss as he stepped past him to get into the bath. When he stretched out and felt the hot water start to work on his tired muscles, he moaned, "Never mind." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Jack's infraction of his own rules. "This? Totally worth it." Ianto's eyes slipped closed as he heard Jack leave the room. He didn't have any idea how long he soaked, the warmth of the water combined with the wine gave him a floaty feeling that he embraced, letting it take him wherever it would.
TBC in Part Two...
Rating: PG
Warnings: Nope
Spoilers: None (in accordance with Schmoop Law Section 27 Paragraph A Subparagraph 1 – the entire team is alive – really alive not dead-alive – so nothing from Reset on ever happened)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: schmoop_bingo Prompt N37: Candles
Notes: Thanks as always to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thraceadams for all the help and support; any mistakes are mine! Special Note: This schmoop is for the wonderful
teachwriteslash and posted in her honor over at 1900_crayons. Teach, how many things can I say thank you for with one little fic? Your writing that made me delurk and really start participating in the TW fandom? Your encouragement that kept me writing last summer when I wanted to pack it all in? Your humor and uncommon sense (cuz lord knows, it ain't common anymore)? Your joy in the simple things like a perfect cup of coffee? Your unflagging belief in the best of all of us? I could go on (and on and on) but I'll stop there and say you are truly an inspiration. *hugs and much love* A Feast for the Senses: Part One – Candles
Ianto walked wearily up the path to his flat, noting with bleak acceptance that it had started to rain. He longed for nothing more than a hot shower and a few hours of oblivion. He'd spent the last four hours of the day scrubbing the autopsy bay after Owen had cut into a mysterious sac on the neck of an alien Jack and Gwen had brought down in the field. The sac contained a substance not unlike squid ink and had exploded with considerable force all over Owen and the autopsy bay when poked with a scalpel. Ianto had packed Owen off to the decontamination showers, dealt with the body, and then started cleaning. The ink had made Owen woozy (as well as leaving him with rather fetching lavender patches all over his skin) and after he'd knocked over a bucket of soapy water for the second time, Ianto sent him home. With Jack and Gwen still out in the field doing a follow-up and Tosh home with a migraine, Ianto was left to finish the job alone.
He fished his keys out of his pocket and pushed his front door open with a deep sigh. He frowned as he was hanging up his coat in the hall closet. There was a strange light coming from the front room. Wondering what the flickering was, he hurried in, only to stop short at the sight that met his eyes. Not only was a fire roaring in the fireplace, at least a hundred candles were scattered about the room – slender tapers, pillars of every height, tiny tea lights, big fat round candles – they were all lit, giving the room a soft, wavering glow. Ianto was still standing there in stunned silence when Jack came out of the bedroom.
"You're home," he said with a warm smile, crossing the room to give Ianto a hug.
"Yeah. You – what is all this, Jack?"
"Well," Jack explained as he drew Ianto over to sit on the sofa. "Owen called in quite a state. He said he left you with a huge mess and he begged me to please get you in a better mood so you'd don't put cyanide in his coffee tomorrow and tell him it's a new almond flavoured blend. I think he was still suffering from the after effects of the alien squid ink," Jack added with a chuckle.
"As if I'd serve flavoured coffee," Ianto said with a disdainful sniff.
Jack laughed. "That's what I told him." He held up a bottle of wine and raised an eyebrow at Ianto. When he nodded, Jack poured them each a glass and then sat back on the sofa. "But I promised I'd do my very best to improve your mood."
"Well, this is… pretty good," Ianto teased, taking a sip of the wine and humming as the rich flavour of currant and a hint of clove rolled over his tongue.
"Oh, I haven't even started yet," Jack said with a wink. He slipped an arm around Ianto and arranged them carefully on the sofa so Ianto was reclining against his chest. He rested his cheek on Ianto's damp hair. "Is it raining again?" he asked softly, taking a drink from his glass.
"Mmmhmm, pouring. And cold. It feels nice in here. So is Owen okay?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I spoke to him again after he'd had a little sleep, the nausea and dizziness were completely gone. He's going to do a full blood workup on himself in the morning to be sure, but I'm guessing the ink was more of a defensive mechanism rather than an actual weapon, from everything he described."
"Good." Ianto snuggled against Jack and drank his wine as they sat in companionable silence. He watched the flame of the big candle closest to him, almost hypnotized by the dancing light. He could see the tiniest bit of blue right by the wick that reminded him of Jack's eyes. With a soft snort at his own ridiculousness, Ianto carefully set his empty glass on the coffee table. He obviously didn't need any more wine.
Jack finished his wine as well and set his glass next to Ianto's. "Phase Two," he whispered, his lips close enough to tickle Ianto's ear.
"Phase Two?" Ianto repeated sleepily.
"Come on," Jack said, sitting up and pushing Ianto off the sofa.
"We have to get up? I don't think I like Phase Two," Ianto protested.
Jack shuffled him out of the room and down the short hallway. "Oh, you'll like it, I promise," Jack said through a chuckle. He pushed open the door to the bath and stepped inside, tugging Ianto along with him.
The candle-fairy had obviously been hard at work in here too – there were candles on every flat surface of the room, the flames glinting off of the mirrors and chrome until they were multiplied to infinity. The huge tub was already full of water and Jack had put the fluffiest towels they owned on the warmer. As Ianto looked around in amazement, Jack started in on his tie. In no time at all, Jack had Ianto stripped down to nothing and was nodding to the tub.
"Go on, soak for a bit. I need to take care of something."
Ianto eyed the tub warily. "Um… thanks?" he said sceptically.
"What?" Jack asked, looking confused.
"Well, I've been home for a least half an hour so I think the water's probably pretty tepid by now," Ianto explained. "I'll just refill it."
Jack grinned. "Not necessary," he said. He reached for a small silver cylinder that was sitting on the counter. It resembled a tyre pressure gauge and before Ianto could ask what it was for, Jack had turned the dial on the top of the shaft and dipped it in the water. A huge bubble formed under water and then popped, sending little ripples across the surface. "There," Jack said, sounding pleased. "A perfect 39°C."
"Handy little gizmo," Ianto said dryly. "Shall I write up an official reprimand for your file again?"
"Now why would you assume this is alien tech?" Jack asked, his eyes wide, obviously trying for 'innocent'.
Ianto shook his head and gave Jack a little kiss as he stepped past him to get into the bath. When he stretched out and felt the hot water start to work on his tired muscles, he moaned, "Never mind." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Jack's infraction of his own rules. "This? Totally worth it." Ianto's eyes slipped closed as he heard Jack leave the room. He didn't have any idea how long he soaked, the warmth of the water combined with the wine gave him a floaty feeling that he embraced, letting it take him wherever it would.
TBC in Part Two...
