Learning to Whistle

[donutsweeper]

Title: Learning to Whistle
Pairing/Warning/Rating: Jack/Ianto, major crack warning and dark themes , rated R
Word Count: 437
Beta/Evil Prompter: mad_jaks
Summary:  Ianto faces an unexpected future when he quit Torchwood.
Author's Note: Prequel to Whistle While You Work.  This is the story of how Ianto got his chains.

Jack stood calmly and waited until Ianto's tirade began to wind down.

"I did warn you that leaving me wouldn't be easy."

"But this!"  Spittle flew as Ianto yelled.  "Chains, Jack!  I'm in chains!"

"Yes, you are."  Jack pressed on Ianto's shoulders, forcing him to his knees.  "But, you are still you.  Can you honestly say that if I'd retconned you that would be the case?"

Ianto sat back and let his hands fall to his thighs, the heavy chain between his wrists not being long enough for his hands to rest at his sides.  "Maybe I don't want to be me anymore."

"Pain doesn't go away just because we've erased the memory of it, Ianto.  It's still there, lurking, in our subconscious, in our dreams.  I'm missing two years, much less time than you’d have me take from you, and I can barely live with that loss sometimes."  The hand on Ianto's shoulder began stroking it gently.  "Don't ask me to do that.  Not to you.  Please."

"Jack..."

"One month, that's all I ask.  Do this, for me, for one month.  Then if you still want the retcon I'll give it to you."  He dragged a finger slowly along Ianto's neck and smiled as Ianto shuddered at the touch.  "You can be happy here, Ianto, with me.  I know you can."

"What about the chains?"

"You have no idea how good you look in them, do you?"  Jack shook his head slightly.  "For now, they stay on.  If you're good, I'll lengthen them later." 

“Not remove them?”  Ianto’s tone bordered on incredulous.

“I bet, before long, you’ll find yourself loving these chains.” Ianto huffed and Jack regarded him quietly for a moment before continuing, “They represent my commitment to you- that I will always take care of you, protect you, love you.  I swear to you that nothing bad will ever happen to you again on my watch, Ianto.  Nothing.”

Looking carefully at Jack Ianto could see the sadness and loneliness in the other man’s eyes.  “This is only for a month?”

“One month.  If you want to go after that then... then I’ll let you go.  You have my word on that.”

Ianto could hear the sincerity in Jack’s voice; the man was telling the truth.  He shifted, relaxing under Jack’s steady gaze and felt the weight of the chains as they rested against him.  There was something oddly comforting about wearing them.  Almost soothing.  "Can I at least get my clothes back?"

"No."  Jack laughed at Ianto’s continued reaction to having his throat stroked.  "But, I'm beginning to think you'd appreciate having a collar."

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

*vbg* so true!

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Add that to the list of things TW has forever altered my perception of.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

before long it'll be a very substantial list!

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

After TW, the world will never look the same.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

which is not such a bad thing, is it?

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Not really, no. It's a more amusing place, now.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

amusing is GOOD!

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Definitely.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

even if it gets us in trouble due to random uncontrollable laughter or blushing at times

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

I'm more the random, uncontrollable laughter type...although the blushing does occur when you're asked to explain.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

explanations are hard if not down right impossible

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

"Well, you see, there's this show, and there's a lot of innuendo involved and..."

Then you have to go onto the aliens and the Rift and the whole immortality thing. It's a bit tiring, too.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

especially if you're talking to one of those unimaginative people that just don't understand scifi at all

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

You lose them somewhere around the word "show", I think.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

to them TV= only American Idol or something like that

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

*shudder* I don't know how you could live like that.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

reality TV scares me

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

Same here.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

the only and I mean *only* thing I've ever really watched was the occasional "Last Comic Standing" because- it's improv and comedy and not too reality-tv-ish

well, that and "Dirty Jobs" does that count as reality TV? My son loves it and it's fun to watch with him

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

I like to think of things like "Dirty Jobs" and "Ghost Hunters" as more of documentaries in action.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen much Ghost Hunters, but my kids like Dirty Jobs and mythbusters. Yeah- documentary-style makes more sense.

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

To me, reality TV involves some kind of competition and a whole lot of stupidity.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

and a lot of shallow people mugging for the cameraa

[the-dark-side.livejournal.com]

That, too.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

as a person who usually hides from a camera, that is a mindset I can not understand