TW Drabbles:How to Dance/Welsh Cakes
Mar. 8th, 2008 06:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
out_thereTitle: How to Dance
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Ianto knows how to waltz. It shouldn't surprise Jack -- Ianto is delightfully traditional in some ways, from waistcoats to only making tea in a teapot to knowing structured dances -- but it's an unexpected pleasure to wander into the hub and hear Chopin playing, to see Ianto standing there in a relatively informal shirt (no tie, no waistcoat, first button undone) and be asked to dance.
"Do you know how?" Jack asks, shucking his coat and stepping straight into Ianto arms.
"Yes." Ianto starts to move; Jack lets him lead. He's actually very good at this. Whoever taught him to dance instilled in Ianto the concept of the proper distance between bodies and the importance of a gentle grip on your partner.
"I think the waltz stopped being popular before you were born."
"My grandma taught me," Ianto says carelessly. (Jack's not sure if that makes him feel old-fashioned or simply old.) "Who taught you?"
"Many different partners." Jack doesn't resist the urge to grin at Ianto, to show as many perfect teeth as he can. Ianto just rolls his eyes, looking fondly amused and a little long-suffering. "First time was when I joined the military. It was part of our training."
"They had high standards for captains," Ianto says.
Smiling, Jack shakes his head. There are too many things that can't tell-- Well. He probably could tell Ianto, could trust Ianto to keep the important secrets, but he doesn't want to. There are some things he'd like to spare Ianto from knowing; who he used to be is only one of them.
"I can see how an ability to dance would have been vital to a military career." When Jack lets the silence continue, Ianto adds, "Did you have etiquette lessons as well?"
"Good manners are always important, Ianto Jones." Wrapping an arm around Ianto's waist, Jack pulls him close, rests his cheek against Ianto's shoulder. He's just the right height for Jack to do this without getting a crick in his neck. "Did you have plans for today?"
"It's Sunday," Ianto says, as if that's an answer. He smoothes his hands over the back of Jack's shoulders, sliding down to hold Jack loosely as they shuffle to the music.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Barring a rift emergency, this was my plan for the afternoon." He sucks a kiss against Jack's neck, with just a hint of teeth that makes Jack gasp. "Everyone has the weekend off so I thought we could... dance."
Jack pulls his head back to ask, "All afternoon?"
"As long as we like."
Title: Welsh Cakes
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
"Welsh cakes," Jack says as Ianto hands him his second expresso of the day.
Ianto blinks, searching for a context. "You wanted Welsh cakes for breakfast?" he guesses uncertainly. Jack doesn't usually eat breakfast with the rest of them but that's because he gets hungry early. Ianto's learned to get used to waking up alone with the smell of hot toast coming from his kitchen.
"Not for breakfast." Jack smiles. "As a nickname."
"For what?" Ianto asks cautiously, hoping this isn't a sexual euphemism. Wondering what it could be a euphemism for if it was.
"For you."
"No."
"You really don't like it?"
"Not for use in public, not for use in private," Ianto says carefully. With Jack, sometimes you need to make things very, very clear. "Preferably, not to be used even inside your skull."
"What about cupca--"
"Definitely not."
***
"Darling?" Jack asks, when Ianto returns with the third espresso.
Jack's persistence is amusing -- almost endearing -- but Ianto tries hard to hide that thought. "No."
"Pet?"
"Not unless I'm wearing a collar."
Jack grins at the thought, eyes going a little unfocused, and Ianto uses the distraction to slip out of Jack's office.
***
With the fourth espresso, Jack asks, "What about honey?"
"In tea, yes. In bed, yes. As a nickname?" Ianto asks and Jack nods his head. "No."
"You're sweet enough to make it work." Jack grins, all soft-spoken charm. "Sugar?"
"No."
"Sweets? Sweetheart? Sweetie?"
"No, no," Ianto says, picking up coffee cups, "and no way in hell."
Leaning back in his chair, Jack stares up at the ceiling. The light falls upon the line of his jaw, casting shadows over the tendons of his neck. (Ianto suspect Jack knows this.) After a moment of deliberation, Jack suggests, "Sweetness?"
"Not unless my birth certificate says Sweetness N. Light." Ianto thinks about what he said and then thinks about who he said it to. "Don't fool around with the General Register Office database. They weren't pleased last time they caught us changing their records."
Carrying the cups out with him, Ianto just hopes he said it sternly enough for Jack to listen.
***
"How about--"
"No."
Jack pouts, then crosses his arms to complete the petulant look. "You didn't even hear the suggestion."
"I'm not a fan of nicknames. 'Ianto' has worked perfectly well for the last twenty-five years. I don't see why I need a new name now."
"It's not a need." Jack shrugs. "But I like the idea of having private nickname, having part of you that's only mine."
"You don't need a nickname for that, Jack." Turning away, Ianto scans across the hub. Tosh is at her desk, busily typing, and Gwen and Owen are nowhere to be seen. So he plants his hands on Jack's desk, leans over fast, and catches Jack's mouth in a soft kiss. Unsurprisingly, Jack tastes of coffee. "I don't let just anyone use my toaster."
Jack laughs as Ianto pulls back and straightens his tie back into place. "So no nicknames?"
"No."
"Not even love?"
Ianto pauses at the door and gives Jack the firmest stare he can muster. "Not as a nickname."
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Ianto knows how to waltz. It shouldn't surprise Jack -- Ianto is delightfully traditional in some ways, from waistcoats to only making tea in a teapot to knowing structured dances -- but it's an unexpected pleasure to wander into the hub and hear Chopin playing, to see Ianto standing there in a relatively informal shirt (no tie, no waistcoat, first button undone) and be asked to dance.
"Do you know how?" Jack asks, shucking his coat and stepping straight into Ianto arms.
"Yes." Ianto starts to move; Jack lets him lead. He's actually very good at this. Whoever taught him to dance instilled in Ianto the concept of the proper distance between bodies and the importance of a gentle grip on your partner.
"I think the waltz stopped being popular before you were born."
"My grandma taught me," Ianto says carelessly. (Jack's not sure if that makes him feel old-fashioned or simply old.) "Who taught you?"
"Many different partners." Jack doesn't resist the urge to grin at Ianto, to show as many perfect teeth as he can. Ianto just rolls his eyes, looking fondly amused and a little long-suffering. "First time was when I joined the military. It was part of our training."
"They had high standards for captains," Ianto says.
Smiling, Jack shakes his head. There are too many things that can't tell-- Well. He probably could tell Ianto, could trust Ianto to keep the important secrets, but he doesn't want to. There are some things he'd like to spare Ianto from knowing; who he used to be is only one of them.
"I can see how an ability to dance would have been vital to a military career." When Jack lets the silence continue, Ianto adds, "Did you have etiquette lessons as well?"
"Good manners are always important, Ianto Jones." Wrapping an arm around Ianto's waist, Jack pulls him close, rests his cheek against Ianto's shoulder. He's just the right height for Jack to do this without getting a crick in his neck. "Did you have plans for today?"
"It's Sunday," Ianto says, as if that's an answer. He smoothes his hands over the back of Jack's shoulders, sliding down to hold Jack loosely as they shuffle to the music.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Barring a rift emergency, this was my plan for the afternoon." He sucks a kiss against Jack's neck, with just a hint of teeth that makes Jack gasp. "Everyone has the weekend off so I thought we could... dance."
Jack pulls his head back to ask, "All afternoon?"
"As long as we like."
Title: Welsh Cakes
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
"Welsh cakes," Jack says as Ianto hands him his second expresso of the day.
Ianto blinks, searching for a context. "You wanted Welsh cakes for breakfast?" he guesses uncertainly. Jack doesn't usually eat breakfast with the rest of them but that's because he gets hungry early. Ianto's learned to get used to waking up alone with the smell of hot toast coming from his kitchen.
"Not for breakfast." Jack smiles. "As a nickname."
"For what?" Ianto asks cautiously, hoping this isn't a sexual euphemism. Wondering what it could be a euphemism for if it was.
"For you."
"No."
"You really don't like it?"
"Not for use in public, not for use in private," Ianto says carefully. With Jack, sometimes you need to make things very, very clear. "Preferably, not to be used even inside your skull."
"What about cupca--"
"Definitely not."
***
"Darling?" Jack asks, when Ianto returns with the third espresso.
Jack's persistence is amusing -- almost endearing -- but Ianto tries hard to hide that thought. "No."
"Pet?"
"Not unless I'm wearing a collar."
Jack grins at the thought, eyes going a little unfocused, and Ianto uses the distraction to slip out of Jack's office.
***
With the fourth espresso, Jack asks, "What about honey?"
"In tea, yes. In bed, yes. As a nickname?" Ianto asks and Jack nods his head. "No."
"You're sweet enough to make it work." Jack grins, all soft-spoken charm. "Sugar?"
"No."
"Sweets? Sweetheart? Sweetie?"
"No, no," Ianto says, picking up coffee cups, "and no way in hell."
Leaning back in his chair, Jack stares up at the ceiling. The light falls upon the line of his jaw, casting shadows over the tendons of his neck. (Ianto suspect Jack knows this.) After a moment of deliberation, Jack suggests, "Sweetness?"
"Not unless my birth certificate says Sweetness N. Light." Ianto thinks about what he said and then thinks about who he said it to. "Don't fool around with the General Register Office database. They weren't pleased last time they caught us changing their records."
Carrying the cups out with him, Ianto just hopes he said it sternly enough for Jack to listen.
***
"How about--"
"No."
Jack pouts, then crosses his arms to complete the petulant look. "You didn't even hear the suggestion."
"I'm not a fan of nicknames. 'Ianto' has worked perfectly well for the last twenty-five years. I don't see why I need a new name now."
"It's not a need." Jack shrugs. "But I like the idea of having private nickname, having part of you that's only mine."
"You don't need a nickname for that, Jack." Turning away, Ianto scans across the hub. Tosh is at her desk, busily typing, and Gwen and Owen are nowhere to be seen. So he plants his hands on Jack's desk, leans over fast, and catches Jack's mouth in a soft kiss. Unsurprisingly, Jack tastes of coffee. "I don't let just anyone use my toaster."
Jack laughs as Ianto pulls back and straightens his tie back into place. "So no nicknames?"
"No."
"Not even love?"
Ianto pauses at the door and gives Jack the firmest stare he can muster. "Not as a nickname."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 07:56 am (UTC)"No."
"Not even love?"
Ianto pauses at the door and gives Jack the firmest stare he can muster. "Not as a nickname."
Awww. I love your Jack and Ianto; such wonderful voices and they're both so real. *smiles*
no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 12:32 pm (UTC)Lovely drabbles, both of them. I loved the bit about fooling about with the General Register Office database.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 07:55 pm (UTC)I'm not sure if I should be jealous or offer sympathy. (Don't get me wrong: I love Ianto, I just wouldn't want to date him.)
I loved the bit about fooling about with the General Register Office database.
There's always the chance that Jack would take it as a personal challenge and you figure there's got to be a reason why they dump the body (or a body that looks a lot like the victim) to be found later by the police -- if they could just alter the death certificate and attached records, surely they'd do it that way.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 08:30 pm (UTC)I love Welsh cakes - especially when they're hot off the bakestone :-) My Dad used to make them all the time, but he's gotten lazy in his old age and can't be bothered anymore. I did find a shop down the Bay that sold them that way, but they only managed to stay in business down there for about a year *sighs*
no subject
Date: 2008-03-08 08:52 pm (UTC)And I blame
no subject
Date: 2008-03-09 05:00 am (UTC)Firstly, How to Dance was exactly what I wanted to read after the last episode of Torchwood and it made me go &hearts&hearts&hearts so much. This was so perfectly them and I just have so much love for these lines:
Jack pulls his head back to ask, "All afternoon?"
"As long as we like."
Secondly, OMG WELSH CAKES YES!! (Also, beats 'Yan' imo.) I love that Jack won't allow a nickname because he doesn't need to and just the quiet way they tease each other and just the affection for each other that fills the room with sparkles. :D
no subject
Date: 2008-03-09 05:27 am (UTC)*does a little twirl*
(Also, beats 'Yan' imo.)
It does for me, too, but that's mainly because "ianto jones" is such a fun name to say. Mind you, given that Toshiko is canonically nicknamed "Tosh", I guess I couldnt' really argue against "Yan".
*twirls amongst the sparkles*
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Date: 2008-03-10 04:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-10 08:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-11 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-11 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-14 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-06-15 09:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 10:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 07:43 am (UTC)"Not even love?"
Ianto pauses at the door and gives Jack the firmest stare he can muster. "Not as a nickname."
So Iantoish! Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 04:52 pm (UTC)Awww! Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2010-02-19 05:18 am (UTC)Murhghffasdffsf why did I not think of this sooner!? Collared!Ianto is just... wow, that's a great mental image.
*cough*
no subject
Date: 2010-02-21 12:12 am (UTC).... it really is.