InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I said toy not the playroom"

Spike (chipswiththat) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2017-04-04 15:31:00

Entry tags:

ianto jones, jezebel mephistopheles, spike

422 - action
[ CLOSED TO IANTO ]

[ He went to bed with Jack the night before. It was an attempt, he assumes, to bring this whole thing together. The three of them as the three of them rather than separate parts held together by necessity. Everything was fine, nothing to report and he slept like the dead through the night and well into the morning, schedule still not completely shifted from back in the day when the sun was actually something to avoid.

It makes waking up all that worse. He can see just fine in the dark of course but the harsh light of day adds a certain something. Colours are more vivid, shifting from browning rust to deep cherry reds, soaking into the sheets and clinging to his skin and face and mouth-

He scrambles out of bed, finding himself alone in more than just a physical sense, shock settling in like a fist to the gut. ]

[ OPEN ]

[ Jack is special in more ways than one and that's why he doesn't settle, doesn't wait for the announcement to confirm it the next morning. He's cleaned up now, scrubbed raw but some things you can't wash away and he keeps his hands tucked deep into the pockets of his coat as he stalks the streets, head bowed and jaw set. The taste doesn't leave his mouth, brown flakes and red specks and smears remaining in the lines of his hands and under his nails no matter how much he cleans. Nothing dramatic and that's perhaps worse because it feels so real. He's a killer. He'll always be a killer. Some things you can't wash away. ]

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readystopwatch
2017-04-04 09:56 am UTC (link)

[The fact that Spike and Jack are having a night together is something Ianto supports. They need it after all the drama lately so he takes his time getting ready in the morning as he puts on his suit before heading downstairs. He doesn't bother knocking anymore; he practically lives here and in any case Spike can always hear and smell him coming so it's not as though there's much need.

He lets himself in, expecting to find both of them, or at least Spike since it wouldn't be the first time Jack has gotten up early to go swimming. He isn't prepared for the scene he finds as he walks in just in time to catch Spike bolting out of bed in shock. It's a sensation he shares as he stops short in the doorway, staring. He's seen Jack die enough to know what it looks like, to be painfully aware of exactly how much blood a human body holds.]

Christ, what happened? [He has to ask, even if he already knows the answer.]

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chipswiththat
2017-04-04 10:00 am UTC (link)

[ It's a good thing Ianto lets himself in, or Spike would've made his escape into Sector 6, perhaps for the long run. Surprisingly he's feeling less trapped and more relieved to see Ianto, even if it's just by a fraction. ]

I don't know. [ He swallows, combing his fingers back through his hair where he's sitting on the floor, buck naked. Naturally that isn't helping anything. ] I don't remember.

[ Because something did happen. Something has happened and he doesn't remember and that's terrifyingly familiar. ]

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readystopwatch
2017-04-04 10:11 am UTC (link)

[Ianto takes a deep breath, the one he always takes at the begining of a crisis back home, getting most of the nerves out of his system and focusing on the problem. Because all he has to do is look at Spike to see how close he is to freaking out completely to know that he has to keep it together for both their sakes right now.

Right. Priorities. It's logical to assume Jack was the victim and that means at least physically he'll be fine, whenever they find him. He always hates being casual about his deaths but in this case he needs to be. Making sure Spike is alright has to come first, and that means ignoring the problem of finding Jack's body just now.

He kneels down next to him, finding those hands with his own to stop their frantic movements. God, there's a lot of blood.] It's alright. It's Jack. He'll come back, he always does. He'll be fine.

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	chipswiththat 2017-04-04 10:18 am UTC (link)
	[ He jerks back when Ianto makes a grab for him, scrambling to make some distance between them with a wild look in his eyes and for the first time maybe since he got his soul back or ever he looks genuinely scared. ] Don't get too close. I can't- you can't get close to me. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

readystopwatch
2017-04-04 10:24 am UTC (link)

[He remembers that look from when he first got his soul back but it has a different meaning for him now. He didn't care about him back then the way he does now. He thinks he might be almost as scared as Spike is right now, even if he's doing everything he can to hide it.

He lets go of him but otherwise doesn't move away as he answers seriously,] As long as we've been together I've never once been afraid you'll hurt me. Not even now. Alright?

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chipswiththat
2017-04-04 10:28 am UTC (link)

You should be.

[ Short, clipped. He makes an effort to pull himself together, shoulders tense and jaw set and he really wishes he wasn't so naked right now, wasn't smeared in drying blood the way he is. The scent alone makes him sick to his stomach and he can't decide if it's because it's making him nauseous or hungry. Finding some semblance of control, he looks Ianto straight in the eyes. ]

You need to go. Okay? Go. You need to get away from me until- [ Something. Until they've figured it out. Until he's not a threat anymore, one way or the other. ] Just go.

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readystopwatch
2017-04-04 10:34 am UTC (link)

Do you really think I'd leave you like this? [There's so much tenderness and worry in his voice right now it hurts. They've been through this before, when he lost his soul back in the other prison and even if this is so much worse the outcome is still the same. He's not going anywhere. He always sticks around when he should cut and run on someone he cares about, even if it puts him endanger. He knows that trait will end up being a literal fatal flaw of his but it doesn't change anything.

He stands up and rummages through a drawer on the nightstand, pulling out the cross he knows is in there and pocketing it. It's more for Spike's peace of mind than his own just now.] We should get you cleaned up.

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chipswiththat
2017-04-04 11:19 am UTC (link)

[ Even now he recognises a losing battle when he sees one and so he gives in with a faked sigh, shoulders slumping. At least Ianto had the self-preservation to pocket the crucifix without even being prompted and that's enough for Spike to push himself up on his feet. ]

I can handle it. [ Just on the off-chance that his unconscious self stashed Jack's body in the shower. He's pretty sure Ianto doesn't need more nasty surprises right now. ]

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readystopwatch
2017-04-04 11:24 am UTC (link)

[He wants to follow him, to tell him he's not letting him out of his sight for an instant. But he saw the way he was looking at the bed like the sight of it was enough to make him sick. The mattress will be ruined, there's nothing for it but he can at least get rid of the blankets and cover it up for now until they can get a new one. It's hardly the first time he's cleaned up a crime scene, and since Torchwood and everything associated with it works very hard not to exist he's good at not leaving a trace.]

Right. I'll get things cleaned up here. Leave the door open though, alright? In case you need me. [That last bit of clearly a request rather than an instruction. Just the idea of letting Spike walk into the other room without him even for a moment is enough to make him worry because he is so very obviously not alright.]

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chipswiththat
2017-04-04 11:30 am UTC (link)

[ He wants to protest so badly, both at the cleaning and the request to leave the door open but in the end he just surrenders to Ianto taking charge. This is more than he knows how to handle on his own and if Ianto wants to deal with shit while they figure out what the fuck happened here, then who is he to argue. ]

I'm not going to do anything.

[ It's meant to be reassuring but probably comes across more as regret. He wishes he could do something. If it happens once it can happen again and he doesn't even remember, the soul is burning like always in his chest and still his bedroom is bloodied.

Knees weak, he pads away to the shower to try and scrub this away. ]

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readystopwatch
2017-04-04 11:42 am UTC (link)

I know you're not. That doesn't mean you have to be alone wth this. [He almost follows him but if Spike wants space he'll give it to him for a moment. There's no use pretending this is easy to deal with or that he'll be fine in a minute. This is big, because no matter what happened or what caused t he has a soul that's hard enough for him to live with as it is. He can't imagine what this must be doing to him.

Once Spike is going he allows himself a moment to really feel the worry and panic coursing through him. He knows Jack will be alright but who knows what sort of shape he's in or where he is or how he'll feel about being killed by someone he's so close to. He tries to look for clues as he strips the sheets and stuffs them in a garbage bag but there's nothing, just blood. It's impossible to avoid getting it on himself and his clothes and the best he can do for the mattress is cover it with a clean blanket so Spike doesn't have to physically look at the blood for now. Not that it's likely to matter with his sense of smell but it's something.

The whole process takes a few minutes, hopefully long enough for Spike to start cleaning himself up because he'd really like to go wash all the blood off his hands.]

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chipswiththat
2017-04-04 11:53 am UTC (link)

[ He wastes no time getting into the shower, turning the dial as hot as it'll go before starting to scrub himself clean. Well, attempting to. The water pools red around his feet and doesn't seem to be clearing up anytime soon, no matter how roughly he works at his skin. If he still had circulation he'd get out of this shower flushed like a lobster but his skin remains pale as ever, with the odd red scratch where he scrubbed too hard.

He'll stay in the shower for a long while, so Ianto has plenty of time to clean himself up. ]

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readystopwatch
2017-04-04 11:58 am UTC (link)

[Ianto hears the water running as he walks in, and it only takes a single glance to see what a mess Spike is. He's tried to respect that request to give him space up until now but it's not happening any more. His clothes are ruined anyway, so there's no point in keeping them on. He does set the cross by the sink though, within sight and easy reach.

He flinched at the heat of the water as he steps into the shower, moving slow in case Spike feels like bolting away again. He hopes not, because it's killing him watching all this without touching him. He reaches out, taking hold of the soap before he scratches his skin off.] Here. Let me do that.