tales of the multifandom

142. explosion - torchwood

summary
ianto is given a choice, and ultimately his choice will have consequences

romantic relationships
ianto jones x jack harkness

platonic relationships

cast
burn gorman as owen harper
gareth david-lloyd as ianto jones
john barrowman as jack harkness
noshiko mori as toshiko sato
eve myles as gwen cooper

fandoms
torchwood

(set before abbadon. jack hasn't gone with the doctor yet)
(might write more later, idk)

—

"Incoming message for ; Ianto Jones."

The automated message system echoed through the hub, the quiet of the team working interrupted. Ianto looked up from his work station, surprised.

"Who's it from?" Ianto asked Tosh, who checked.

"It's from... The British Air Force." Tosh looked surprised, and Owen and Gwen looked up in surprise while Jack stepped out of his office. Ianto had gone a shade paler.

"Play the message." Ianto asked Tosh, who nodded and hit enter on her keyboard.

"This is General Richards, authentication code alpha nine six four beta. Message for ; Lieutenant Colonel Ianto Jones. Message as followed ; it is my deepest regrets to inform you that your team have been captured over enemy lines. We need your help, Jones." The call ended with its standard beep, but all the Torchwood staff were staring at Ianto, who had frozen with his hands still on the keyboard. His face had gone ghostly pale, and his eyes held a blank stare, like he wasn't looking at his computer monitor anymore but was somewhere else.

"Ianto." Jack said sharply. "What was that?"

"My past." Ianto answered, swallowing. "Boardroom, five minutes." Ianto was up and out of his seat before anyone could react, heading down to his office in the archives.

"You heard him."

Ianto was sitting in his usual seat in the boardroom when the rest of the team filled in, tapping his fingers against the desk restlessly. Once everyone was sitting, Ianto pulled out a dark blue case file.

"Ianto, mind filling us in?" Jack asked, eyebrow raised.

"I enlisted when I was seventeen, just after I finished school. Went through basic and turned eighteen, and went into their logistics and planning division. Got deployed at nineteen, returned at twenty, and they rushed me through my field first aid training, weapons training and mental training. I went on from there to the academy, and flew black ops missions for a few years before then being assigned to Torchwood One as the Liaison between the Air Force and their Private Military. When Canary Warf happened, I uh, I was there."

"We already knew that." Tosh said, sounding confused.

"Hold on, mental training?" Gwen asked.

"Yep." Ianto nodded. "Telepathic, telekinetic and empathic abilities. I've only had telepathic and empathic, but they didn't want to risk Hartman finding out."

"So what happened at Canary Warf?" Jack asked, and Ianto's expression darkened.

"I wasn't down in archives and then being marched into those rooms to be converted. No, I was there, when the Dalek's came out of their Void Ship, when Mickey Smith fell against the Dalek prison. I was fighting Dalek's and Cyberman when they got sucked into the void, and when I got to the top floor I was the one who helped the Doctor out of that room after he lost Miss Tyler."

"So you lied." Jack said flatly, his voice cold.

"Yes sir." Ianto agreed. "But no worries, sir. I'll be gone before morning."

"Gone?" Owen echoed. "Where the bloody hell are you going?"

"To save my friends." Ianto said, wrinkling his brow. He thought it was obvious. "My team were involved in some classified work. If they've been captured, if they're still alive, I have to help them."

"Then i'm coming with you." Owen stated, his tone leaving no room for argument and honestly Ianto was a little surprised. "You really think i'm going to let you go into a war zone, likely with no backup, without a doctor? Not a damned chance."

"Fine." Ianto said shortly, secretly relieved. "We leave at 0700."

"Stay safe." Tosh offered, smiling. "If you need anything, call me."

"Same here." Gwen offered. Jack stayed silent, but honestly Ianto didn't expect any different. He'd lied, and Ianto knew he needed time to process.

Owen and Ianto were gone nearly six months, and in that time Jack had come to terms with Ianto lying to him and forgiven him. He understood why Ianto lied, and wasn't angry. He couldn't when he himself still had to reveal parts of his past to everyone. To fill the holes left behind by Ianto and Owen, Mickey and Martha came to work for them temporarily, called it 'exploring their options' which Jack and Tosh knew meant they would stay even after Owen and Ianto returned.

The day they returned, they'd been having a slow week. The rift activity was near enough zero, and they'd all been lazing around the hub when the cog door rolled open. The familiar voices of Ianto and Owen filtered through the door, and it was almost funny to hear the two of them arguing over coffee.

"... you can't make a cup of coffee to save your life, Harper."

"Oi, watch your tone LTC." They heard Owen snark back. "I dragged your sorry ass eighteen miles through the fucking desert, and I can just as easily put it right back out there."

"No you won't." Ianto laughed as they stepped into view. "You'd miss me too much." It had been six months, and not much had changed. Ianto's hair was longer, and Owen's was shorter. Both of them were in camouflage trousers, black boots and green t-shirts, Ianto had a bandage wrapped around his upper bicep and Owen had a cast on his wrist, but otherwise the two Torchwood agents looked unharmed.

"Sure." Owen said sarcastically.

"Welcome home." Jack called, grinning as he came up to them. The others were there as well, greeting and smiling. Ianto gave Jack a grin, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Thanks Jack."

Six weeks later Jack disappears with the Doctor, and turns up wanted for treason. And Ianto and Owen know what they have to do, and it's gonna get bad.

—

authors note
i ended this here, and it wasn't very long, but it works? maybe, idk