McAnto (theninth) wrote in ninefics, @ 2007-08-20 14:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | fanfic100, genre: fanfiction, genre: general, genre: science fiction, rating: all ages, torchwood: ianto, torchwood: jack, torchwood: tosh |
Bluffing [ Torchwood ]
Title: Bluffing (prompt #96)
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Tosh Sato
Rating: All ages
Warning(s): None
Spoiler(s): Yes, for S1 ("The Trouble with Lisa" and "Greeks Bearing Gifts")
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I am not affiliated with the television series Torchwood, nor any of the cast and crew. No harm is intended. It's all just for fun.
A/N: Resurrected from a story I scrapped about a year ago.
Tosh was standing in the doorway of my office for roughly three minutes before she made any sound. I was in the middle of a very complicated set of schematics and I didn't want to take my eyes off the screen. I looked over at her only after she cleared her throat.
"Jack? Can I talk to you? It's about Ianto."
My initial impulse was that she was asking me what I thought of Ianto as dating material. For herself, not me, of course. And I'll admit it made a certain kind of sense. They were both young, smart, attractive, and had both watched someone they loved die horribly. Taking comfort from each other might be what they needed. I saved my file, minimised the window, and folded my hands on my desk. "Course you can."
"Off the record, I mean."
Confirming my suspicions, Tosh, I thought and raised one eyebrow. "Has he done something?"
"No! No, it's just.... I don't think he's really dealing well with the loss of, y'know. Lisa." She stumbled over the name.
"He seems fine to me. Suit neatly pressed, not a hair out of place, perfectly manicured nails." Don't think about his hands, Jack. "Coffee's good as ever." I raised my mug and took a sip to demonstrate.
"I know. But I mean inside. When I had that pendant I could hear.... Jack, he's really broken inside and I think you should talk to him."
Not what I'd expected, though it was in keeping with Tosh's behaviour. She'd turned me down and been interested in but rebuffed by Owen, so maybe the idea of dating within the group was out. Or maybe Ianto wasn't as strong as he appeared and she was right to be so worried.
Only one way to find out.
"Can I see you in my office?" I typed, then hit enter. The messenger box blinked almost immediately. "Right away, sir."
I smiled at Tosh and typed a few more keys. "I'm sending you some schematics. Work your magic and see if you can't figure out what they're the schematics for."
Tosh smiled back, familiar with this sort of "dismissal" from my office. She and Ianto passed each other just outside my door.
"Close the door, Ianto."
He obliged, then slid into the seat on the other side of my desk.
Torchwood is my life. It's my career and it's my home. Tosh is good, but I have a lot of access that even she doesn't know about, and some programs that aren't listed in the archives. That doesn't mean I always need them, though. Tosh's monitoring program would serve just fine. The camera in my office was already aimed at the chair and an outline of Ianto appeared on my screen. I tipped the monitor just a little so there was less chance of him seeing it.
Colours flickered again as he fidgeted briefly. As he settled, the colours settled into a pale, blue-white, Ianto-shaped halo on the screen.
"You okay?"
"Fine sir, why do you ask?"
"I'm just worried about you. It's been rough, the past few months. A lot of changes. People ... leaving."
He looked down at his hands. "You mean Lisa."
Colour flared on the screen. Pain and sorrow lighting up yellow. "I meant Lisa. Are you okay? I mean are you really okay?"
"Tosh told you, didn't she. Told you what she heard me thinking." Brighter flashes of yellow. He wasn't angry. Not with Tosh, at least.
"Did she tell you?"
He shook his head. "Not really. She asked me the same vague questions you're asking. Said she was here for me if I needed to talk."
"Do you?"
"No, sir." The halo had gone back to the blue-white colour. If he was lying, he believed it was the truth. "What colour am I, sir?"
I laughed out loud. I should have known he'd know what I was up to. "Sort of a bluey-white. Most people are when they're calm. Except Owen. Owen's always a more intense shade of blue."
"Owen's mind never really stops working." He quirked an eyebrow. "It's not always on the best track, but it seldom slows down."
"Do a little bit of mind reading yourself, Ianto?"
"Body language. It's easy to tell what people are feeling if you just look at them the right way. For instance, I always know when you're flirting with me."
"I'm not exactly subtle about it." I leaned back in my chair and threw my arm casually over the back.
"True, sir. But sometimes you are serious about it. I can tell the difference. Right now you're just challenging me." He pointed at my left hand. "You're tapping your pen against the blotter to try to distract me."
"Sherlock Holmes would be proud." I was impressed. "How often have I honestly won against you at poker?"
"Never, sir. I always know when you're bluffing and decide whether to win or lose depending on my mood."
"What's Owen's tell?"
"He hums 'The Impossible Dream' when he's bluffing."
I wrote that down. "Gwen?"
"Hunches her shoulders just a touch, like she's afraid she'll be caught."
"Tosh."
"Bites her bottom lip."
I leaned forward and dropped my voice. "And me. What's my tell?"
He leaned forward and locked eyes with me. "That, sir, would be telling."