Ficlet: Finding Comfort

[badly_knitted]

Title: Finding Comfort
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 590
Spoilers: Exit Wounds.
Summary: In the aftermath of Gray’s rampage, Jack goes looking for his lover.
Written For: The prompt: any, any, cigarette smoke on the evening breeze, at threesentenceficathon.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
 
 

The Hub was empty, cavernous and hollow in ways it hadn’t been for years, not since Jack had painstakingly built up his own team. He almost felt he could sense the old ghosts stirring, perhaps welcoming the new ones, and the thought sent chills through him, icy fingers crawling down his spine. It was too quiet, eerily so. Gwen had left hours ago, looking pale and drawn, her face still streaked with tears as she leaned on her husband.

 
Ianto… the last time Jack had seen his lover, he’d been doing his best to clean up the blood. Tosh’s blood. Jack could still smell the coppery taint in the air, overlaid by the astringent chemical odour of whatever cleaning products Ianto had been using. Where was Ianto now? Jack found he didn’t like not knowing; it allowed this imagination to start conjuring up visions of Ianto alone, injured, or worse. He shook his head to clear it, reminding himself that Ianto had been here no more than twenty minutes ago. Surely he wouldn’t have gone hone without saying something, so he must be nearby.
 

Unable to take the heavy silence any longer, Jack headed up to the Tourist Office, hoping he might find his lover there, but the small kiosk was empty, although the door was unlocked.
 

Stepping outside, Jack looked around, sniffing as he caught a trace of something on the air. He followed the faint scent of cigarette smoke, drifting on a chilly evening breeze, down towards the far end of the boardwalk, where he could just make out a shadowy figure and an intermittent, dim glow in the early darkness. He sauntered slowly, making sure his boots clomped louder than necessary on the weatherworn wooden boards, wanting to allow plenty of time for the smoker to notice his approach, because right now, the last thing any of them needed was to have someone sneaking up on them. Not when their nerves were still so on edge.
 

“Need me for something, Sir?” Ianto asked, without turning around, knowing it was Jack, having been alerted by the telltale aroma of fifty-first century pheromones, easily detectable even over the smoke from his cigarette. “You didn’t have to come looking for me; I’m wearing my comms., and I’ll be coming back down as soon as I finish this. I just needed some fresh air.”

 
“You’re not the only one. I didn’t know you smoked.” Jack came to stand beside Ianto. “It’s not good for you.” It was a lame comment, perhaps, but still, it was true, and under the circumstances, Jack thought he could be forgiven for worrying even more about the health of his team than he usually did. He’d failed Tosh and Owen, but he wasn’t going to lose either of the two he had left, not if he could help it.
 

Ianto huffed a weary breath. “I don’t, not anymore; haven’t for years, just felt like I needed it tonight, so I cadged one off Hart before he left. He probably stole them anyway.”
 

“Probably.” Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto from behind, feeling his lover lean into his embrace, grateful for the
warmth and solidity of him; tonight, those who remained each needed to find their comfort wherever they could, and if that meant letting Ianto indulge in a stolen cigarette, who was he to judge? Tomorrow, they would have to start picking up the pieces, but tonight all Jack wanted was to hold on to Ianto, thankful that the man he loved was still with him.

 
 
The End
 



 
 
 

Comments

[mrs_sweetpeach]

Nicely told even though the circumstances were less than good.

[badly_knitted]

Thank you. It was a tragic episode, but Tosh and Owen were heroes at the end. Tough on the remaining team though.