Ianto and Jack, backdated to February 15
Feb. 15th, 2015 08:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainUnlike everyone else, Jack notices Ianto in the hallway. Unsurprisingly, they hit it off right away.
Ianto stood in the middle of the hallway, carefully marking doorways on his schematic of the mansion. He was determined to map out what he could of the building by the end of the day so that he could have it memorized by mid-week at the latest.
Hearing a group head down the hall, he briefly looked up to see them approach but went back to making his notations when none of them looked at him, and they simply parted around him like a stream around a rock.
Jack was striding quickly through the halls in nothing but his pajama pants and flipflops, heading to the cafeteria to pick up some breakfast in bed. After last night, he and Steve were going to delay returning to reality as long as possible. This was just a quick field trip.
He came around the corner just in time to witness that (lack of) exchange, and he raised an eyebrow. He didn't know the kid standing in the hallway... making notes... Okay, that was a little weird. Still, he gave the passing students some serious side eye (ruined by the fact that they were trying not gawk at his shirtlessness and the rather obvious hickey rising on his neck), then headed for the new kid. "Well that was rude of them."
Ianto continued marking the room - no idea why the school had a pool table, but at least it gave him a better description than "another lounge area" - before freezing and jerking his head up to look at the stranger. Someone was talking to him?
And then he froze for an entirely different reason as he took in the half-naked boy (man? Probably man.) in his entirety. Ianto had known from a young age that in addition to his strange quiet nature, the fact that he thought both boys and girls were pretty made him a freak. But he thought that it would be hard for anyone to deny that this man was a bit gorgeous. A little dumbfounded, he sputtered, "You- you can see me?"
"Oooh, Welsh." Jack raised an eyebrow at the kid he didn't recognize (must be a new arrival), striding right up to him. "Brown hair, about five-five, stormy blue eyes?" Kid was gonna be a heartbreaker in a year or two. "Yeah, I can see you. Why, is that unusual?"
Ianto gaped for a minute. "I - stormy? - I mean, yes, it's a bit unusual." He looked away, centering himself as he flipped his journal shut and tucked it against his stomach. Was this guy real?
He turned to face the handsome stranger and, nope, Ianto wasn't quite brave enough to look him in the eyes. Focusing on the tip of his right ear and cursing his fair complexion, he explained. "My power makes me very hard to notice, or to take note of, really. Most people just pass me by."
Jack nodded with dawning understanding. "Let me guess: your ability is psy-based?" Without waiting for a reply, Jack smirked at the kid. "So you're the one I can feel buzzing around my shields."
Buzzing? Ianto blinked once, processing. Headmaster Xavier had mentioned something about shields blocking his ability. Did that mean that mean that - oh, he didn't even know his name - that this stranger could always see him? Curiosity overcoming lack of courage, he looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry for any discomfort. I would have included it in my introductory post if I'd known it was a side-effect of my powers. But you must not have seen my post at all..." he drifted off for a second before holding out his hand, blush still present, "Hello, I'm Ianto Jones."
"Jack Harkness," Jack returned, taking Ianto's hand easily in his own. This time he didn't miss the blush, and it just made him grin. "No worries. You'll have to do better than that to get inside my head."
And that was just a challenge to Ianto, who always wanted to understand everything around him, be they man or machine. But for now he just nodded. "Nice to meet you, Jack. Are you a student here?" He certainly didn't look it, but Ianto supposed he could have been held back a few years.
"Security," Jack corrected. "Graduated last summer." He glanced pointedly at the notebook in Ianto's arms. "Never took the time to literally map the place though," he said, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Ah." So he'd seen that. Ianto tucked the journal more firmly against himself. "It helps me, when I'm in a new place." God, that sounded silly. But it was easier than explaining that he hated being lost, or not knowing what was around him or the best way to get there.
"Makes sense," Jack said easily, frowning thoughtfully as he contemplated. "Guess you'd have a hard time asking for directions."
A look of relief crossed Ianto's face as Jack got it, or at least partially. He didn't want to seem entirely helpless, though. "It's not that I can't get their attention if I need it," he clarified, "I'm difficult to notice, not impossible to see. It's just easier if I don't. Need to ask, I mean."
Jack suppressed a smile. "Alright, Ianto Jones. Found the cafeteria yet?"
"Yes," Ianto answered truthfully, before pausing uncertainly. It had been one of the first places he'd located. But had that just been a question or an invitation? He tentatively added, "But I'm feeling a bit hungry."
"Right, well, lead the way then," Jack said, sweeping an arm in front of him.
Ianto stared at Jack for a moment more - he was hard to read, and on top of that Ianto was feeling flustered - before deciding just to go with it. Turning, he realized that Jack might be a good source of information. Especially for things like the locked lower levels. "So what kind of security work do you do here?"
Jack fell into step beside him, hands falling easily in his pockets. "Outside threats only," he replied, slightly more serious than before, but then grinned at Ianto. "Don't worry, not policing you guys."
That hadn't actually been Ianto's first concern, and Jack's immediate denial of it actually sparked a small paranoia. Though, he reasoned, "That would be a bit excessive, what with the Headmaster already being a telepath. Are there many outside threats?" Ianto had done some research into the dangers of being a mutant, but insiders were sure to know more.
"Yes," Jack answered without hesitating. "And a few of them are very serious. Very dangerous." He looked over at the younger boy to see how he was handling it. "That's why we keep this place so safe."
Ianto paused for a second mid-step, before continuing on. He kept his face carefully blank. He hadn't actually thought Jack would answer that way, but he appreciated the honesty. Supposing it wasn't a strange fear-tactic. "How are you keeping us safe, then?"
Now that was a conversation Jack didn't want to have this morning. He was still riding the high from last night, still letting his mind insulate him against anything bad that he didn't want to face.
So his answer was obvious.
"Bravely," he said, throwing the younger boy one of those looks that made people go weak in the knees. "And in a very dashing and charismatic manner."
Ianto stared at Jack, incredulous. He was... disappointed in that flippant answer. Eventually swinging his eyes forward, Ianto pursed his lips before replying, "I'm sure that leaves them shaking in their boots."
Jack smirked. "Shaking, not the word I was going to use."
Ianto couldn't help himself. He huffed out a breath of laughter. "I'm sure you leave all the boys and girls aquiver, then."
"I do my best," Jack replied as they turned the corner into the cafeteria.
Ianto didn't feel like that particularly deserved a response, so he just walked into the room and grabbed a plate. He considered it for a moment before grabbing a second one. No reason why he couldn't bring something back for his new roommate. Glancing back at Jack he asked, "So are you satisfied that I know my way around?"
"Well, you've got one of three anyway," Jack replied with a wry grin. He was remembering one of the first things Jean-Paul had taught him when he'd come to the school. He grabbed a plate, looked around thoughtfully, then grinned and headed directly to the fruit salad.
Ianto scooped eggs onto both plates before wandering down to the fruit salad as well. "What are the other two?"
"Three things to know about a new place," Jack said, tossing a couple of strawberries onto his plate. ...and knocking a stray grape back. He paused to direct his list with the serving spoon. "Where you can get your next meal, where you can hide, and where the exits are."
...which, despite his light tone, wasn't particularly light subject matter. But again, too early to worry about things like that. With half a grin, Jack just turned back to picking strawberries out of the fruit salad.
Ianto considered that as he watched Jack methodically remove all the strawberries. He had the first down, as well as the third. "I would have thought the second was anywhere, for me, but you've proven that wrong." He'd have to come up with something else.
Jack paused to shrug. "Bet you'll figure something out. You seem resourceful."
"Hmm, cheers," Ianto deadpanned, his gaze getting increasing incredulous as he watched Jack go back to picking out all the strawberries. "Do you have a particular fondness for strawberries, or an aversion to all other types of fruit?"
Chuckling, Jack smirked at the younger boy. "I have a particular fondness for the naked, half-asleep guy back in my bed," he replied with his trademark easy smugness. "He wants breakfast, and I think the strawberries will go best with the jar of nutella in the drawer by my bed."
Ianto's eyes widened to saucers briefly. It was one thing for Jack to be flirty - some people just were - but it was something entirely different to announce to an almost-stranger that he'd just shagged a bloke. He knew that the American coasts tended to be more liberal about these things, but this was a far cry from the attitudes he'd grown up around.
Ianto looked down at his plates intently for a moment. He briefly wondered what his mum would have thought about Jack. She probably would have been relieved; something in Ianto's behavior had made her sit him down one day and tell him that plenty of boys liked other boys and that it was perfectly fine. Even at eight, though, he knew there was a reason his dad would call footballers poufs for missing a play.
But if Jack was casual about it, then Ianto should respond in kind, probably. He blinked and looked back up at Jack. "He must not be British, then. If you promised breakfast and came back with anything less than a full English, you'd be sent from the room."
A grin tugged at Jack's lips. He'd been worried about Ianto's response at first, but the kid definitely got it together.
"Been there," Jack said, a mischievous light in his eyes. "But let me tell you, the baked beans and bacon grease? Not as sexy on a guy as strawberries and chocolate."
Ianto's answering laugh was more of a quick exhale of air, but his eyes were bright with amusement. "If the beans ended up on someone, I don't think you were doing it right."
Putting down the fruit salad spoon, Jack turned to look at the younger boy to tell him sincerely, "Your lack of imagination is adorable." Then he raised his plate of strawberries. "Alright, got what I came for. See you around, Ianto Jones."
Ianto blinked, then raised both eyebrows in amusement. "I'm afraid I'm not as quite as innovative in my food use as you. I hope you enjoy your breakfast, Jack Harkness." What little of it got consumed, apparently, he thought as he reached for the spoon and the much-depleted fruit salad. Hopefully Daniel liked pineapple and grapes.
Ianto stood in the middle of the hallway, carefully marking doorways on his schematic of the mansion. He was determined to map out what he could of the building by the end of the day so that he could have it memorized by mid-week at the latest.
Hearing a group head down the hall, he briefly looked up to see them approach but went back to making his notations when none of them looked at him, and they simply parted around him like a stream around a rock.
Jack was striding quickly through the halls in nothing but his pajama pants and flipflops, heading to the cafeteria to pick up some breakfast in bed. After last night, he and Steve were going to delay returning to reality as long as possible. This was just a quick field trip.
He came around the corner just in time to witness that (lack of) exchange, and he raised an eyebrow. He didn't know the kid standing in the hallway... making notes... Okay, that was a little weird. Still, he gave the passing students some serious side eye (ruined by the fact that they were trying not gawk at his shirtlessness and the rather obvious hickey rising on his neck), then headed for the new kid. "Well that was rude of them."
Ianto continued marking the room - no idea why the school had a pool table, but at least it gave him a better description than "another lounge area" - before freezing and jerking his head up to look at the stranger. Someone was talking to him?
And then he froze for an entirely different reason as he took in the half-naked boy (man? Probably man.) in his entirety. Ianto had known from a young age that in addition to his strange quiet nature, the fact that he thought both boys and girls were pretty made him a freak. But he thought that it would be hard for anyone to deny that this man was a bit gorgeous. A little dumbfounded, he sputtered, "You- you can see me?"
"Oooh, Welsh." Jack raised an eyebrow at the kid he didn't recognize (must be a new arrival), striding right up to him. "Brown hair, about five-five, stormy blue eyes?" Kid was gonna be a heartbreaker in a year or two. "Yeah, I can see you. Why, is that unusual?"
Ianto gaped for a minute. "I - stormy? - I mean, yes, it's a bit unusual." He looked away, centering himself as he flipped his journal shut and tucked it against his stomach. Was this guy real?
He turned to face the handsome stranger and, nope, Ianto wasn't quite brave enough to look him in the eyes. Focusing on the tip of his right ear and cursing his fair complexion, he explained. "My power makes me very hard to notice, or to take note of, really. Most people just pass me by."
Jack nodded with dawning understanding. "Let me guess: your ability is psy-based?" Without waiting for a reply, Jack smirked at the kid. "So you're the one I can feel buzzing around my shields."
Buzzing? Ianto blinked once, processing. Headmaster Xavier had mentioned something about shields blocking his ability. Did that mean that mean that - oh, he didn't even know his name - that this stranger could always see him? Curiosity overcoming lack of courage, he looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry for any discomfort. I would have included it in my introductory post if I'd known it was a side-effect of my powers. But you must not have seen my post at all..." he drifted off for a second before holding out his hand, blush still present, "Hello, I'm Ianto Jones."
"Jack Harkness," Jack returned, taking Ianto's hand easily in his own. This time he didn't miss the blush, and it just made him grin. "No worries. You'll have to do better than that to get inside my head."
And that was just a challenge to Ianto, who always wanted to understand everything around him, be they man or machine. But for now he just nodded. "Nice to meet you, Jack. Are you a student here?" He certainly didn't look it, but Ianto supposed he could have been held back a few years.
"Security," Jack corrected. "Graduated last summer." He glanced pointedly at the notebook in Ianto's arms. "Never took the time to literally map the place though," he said, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Ah." So he'd seen that. Ianto tucked the journal more firmly against himself. "It helps me, when I'm in a new place." God, that sounded silly. But it was easier than explaining that he hated being lost, or not knowing what was around him or the best way to get there.
"Makes sense," Jack said easily, frowning thoughtfully as he contemplated. "Guess you'd have a hard time asking for directions."
A look of relief crossed Ianto's face as Jack got it, or at least partially. He didn't want to seem entirely helpless, though. "It's not that I can't get their attention if I need it," he clarified, "I'm difficult to notice, not impossible to see. It's just easier if I don't. Need to ask, I mean."
Jack suppressed a smile. "Alright, Ianto Jones. Found the cafeteria yet?"
"Yes," Ianto answered truthfully, before pausing uncertainly. It had been one of the first places he'd located. But had that just been a question or an invitation? He tentatively added, "But I'm feeling a bit hungry."
"Right, well, lead the way then," Jack said, sweeping an arm in front of him.
Ianto stared at Jack for a moment more - he was hard to read, and on top of that Ianto was feeling flustered - before deciding just to go with it. Turning, he realized that Jack might be a good source of information. Especially for things like the locked lower levels. "So what kind of security work do you do here?"
Jack fell into step beside him, hands falling easily in his pockets. "Outside threats only," he replied, slightly more serious than before, but then grinned at Ianto. "Don't worry, not policing you guys."
That hadn't actually been Ianto's first concern, and Jack's immediate denial of it actually sparked a small paranoia. Though, he reasoned, "That would be a bit excessive, what with the Headmaster already being a telepath. Are there many outside threats?" Ianto had done some research into the dangers of being a mutant, but insiders were sure to know more.
"Yes," Jack answered without hesitating. "And a few of them are very serious. Very dangerous." He looked over at the younger boy to see how he was handling it. "That's why we keep this place so safe."
Ianto paused for a second mid-step, before continuing on. He kept his face carefully blank. He hadn't actually thought Jack would answer that way, but he appreciated the honesty. Supposing it wasn't a strange fear-tactic. "How are you keeping us safe, then?"
Now that was a conversation Jack didn't want to have this morning. He was still riding the high from last night, still letting his mind insulate him against anything bad that he didn't want to face.
So his answer was obvious.
"Bravely," he said, throwing the younger boy one of those looks that made people go weak in the knees. "And in a very dashing and charismatic manner."
Ianto stared at Jack, incredulous. He was... disappointed in that flippant answer. Eventually swinging his eyes forward, Ianto pursed his lips before replying, "I'm sure that leaves them shaking in their boots."
Jack smirked. "Shaking, not the word I was going to use."
Ianto couldn't help himself. He huffed out a breath of laughter. "I'm sure you leave all the boys and girls aquiver, then."
"I do my best," Jack replied as they turned the corner into the cafeteria.
Ianto didn't feel like that particularly deserved a response, so he just walked into the room and grabbed a plate. He considered it for a moment before grabbing a second one. No reason why he couldn't bring something back for his new roommate. Glancing back at Jack he asked, "So are you satisfied that I know my way around?"
"Well, you've got one of three anyway," Jack replied with a wry grin. He was remembering one of the first things Jean-Paul had taught him when he'd come to the school. He grabbed a plate, looked around thoughtfully, then grinned and headed directly to the fruit salad.
Ianto scooped eggs onto both plates before wandering down to the fruit salad as well. "What are the other two?"
"Three things to know about a new place," Jack said, tossing a couple of strawberries onto his plate. ...and knocking a stray grape back. He paused to direct his list with the serving spoon. "Where you can get your next meal, where you can hide, and where the exits are."
...which, despite his light tone, wasn't particularly light subject matter. But again, too early to worry about things like that. With half a grin, Jack just turned back to picking strawberries out of the fruit salad.
Ianto considered that as he watched Jack methodically remove all the strawberries. He had the first down, as well as the third. "I would have thought the second was anywhere, for me, but you've proven that wrong." He'd have to come up with something else.
Jack paused to shrug. "Bet you'll figure something out. You seem resourceful."
"Hmm, cheers," Ianto deadpanned, his gaze getting increasing incredulous as he watched Jack go back to picking out all the strawberries. "Do you have a particular fondness for strawberries, or an aversion to all other types of fruit?"
Chuckling, Jack smirked at the younger boy. "I have a particular fondness for the naked, half-asleep guy back in my bed," he replied with his trademark easy smugness. "He wants breakfast, and I think the strawberries will go best with the jar of nutella in the drawer by my bed."
Ianto's eyes widened to saucers briefly. It was one thing for Jack to be flirty - some people just were - but it was something entirely different to announce to an almost-stranger that he'd just shagged a bloke. He knew that the American coasts tended to be more liberal about these things, but this was a far cry from the attitudes he'd grown up around.
Ianto looked down at his plates intently for a moment. He briefly wondered what his mum would have thought about Jack. She probably would have been relieved; something in Ianto's behavior had made her sit him down one day and tell him that plenty of boys liked other boys and that it was perfectly fine. Even at eight, though, he knew there was a reason his dad would call footballers poufs for missing a play.
But if Jack was casual about it, then Ianto should respond in kind, probably. He blinked and looked back up at Jack. "He must not be British, then. If you promised breakfast and came back with anything less than a full English, you'd be sent from the room."
A grin tugged at Jack's lips. He'd been worried about Ianto's response at first, but the kid definitely got it together.
"Been there," Jack said, a mischievous light in his eyes. "But let me tell you, the baked beans and bacon grease? Not as sexy on a guy as strawberries and chocolate."
Ianto's answering laugh was more of a quick exhale of air, but his eyes were bright with amusement. "If the beans ended up on someone, I don't think you were doing it right."
Putting down the fruit salad spoon, Jack turned to look at the younger boy to tell him sincerely, "Your lack of imagination is adorable." Then he raised his plate of strawberries. "Alright, got what I came for. See you around, Ianto Jones."
Ianto blinked, then raised both eyebrows in amusement. "I'm afraid I'm not as quite as innovative in my food use as you. I hope you enjoy your breakfast, Jack Harkness." What little of it got consumed, apparently, he thought as he reached for the spoon and the much-depleted fruit salad. Hopefully Daniel liked pineapple and grapes.
