Like Glue
Personal Calls
Chapter Two: Personal Calls
He passed around everyone’s coffee and Tosh’s tea just the way they liked it, Jack’s hand lingering over his own a moment before taking his seat at his right side. Apparently a particularly nasty alien had taken residence in a local butcher shop which was horrid for service, eating everything in sight and sliming the place quite a bit. At least, that’s all Ianto could make out from Jack’s briefing before his mobile rang.
Everyone’s eyes darted to Ianto, certainly surprised he was getting a call while everyone who’d be a likely caller currently resided in this room. Ianto blushed a bit, embarrassed at interrupting the meeting before flipping it open with a curt “yes” before exiting quietly into the hall.
“Hey, Mate. How’s it?”
“Rhys?” Ianto asked, barely repressing yet another exasperated sigh.
“Yeah, see, I’ve just got that copy of-”
“Rhys, I’m at work.”
“Yeah, I know. D’you think you can take a break?”
Ianto rolled his eyes and leant against the wall, a hand running through his pristine hair.
“I don’t think so. Just got a call in, we’re in a briefing.”
“Oh…” the man sounded so crestfallen Ianto couldn’t help but feel bad.
“But maybe I'll see if we can look at it tonight?”
“Really? That’s great! I can make some-” his voice sounded like it could light all of Cardiff.
“I am at work though, I’ll call you back as soon as we’re not in the middle of something?”
“Alright, maybe you can ask Jack over. I think Gwen’ll be in tonight and we can do something’?”
Ianto gritted his teeth. Jack? Captain Jack Harkness actually double date? It amazed the Welshman to this day that he was even a willing participant in a monogamous relationship.
“I’ll see if he’s up to it, yeah. Got to go.”
“Later, Yan.”
Ianto stood back up, straightening out his suit before pocketing his mobile and walking back into the boardroom only to have all eyes on him.
“So who was it?” asked a particularly perky Gwen.
“Ur…Rhys,” he said, taking a seat again.
“Rhys?” piped in Gwen, Owen and Tosh.
Jack just looked at them all with a slight smirk. He knew of Rhys’ recent infatuation with Ianto. He thought for the most part that it was because Ianto had kept himself out of the game, at least that’s what their conversation in the truck sounded like.
“I just wish you’d’ve been uglier,” the stocky man said with a laugh, Jack smirking along with him.
“Not gay by any chance, are you?”
Jack’s smirk never faltered, planning on not answering for a moment before simply saying, “Ask Ianto that.”
Shock colored Rhys’ face fairly nicely.
“Ianto? You’re with him?”
“You can say that.”
Rhys was silent for a moment, Jack thinking maybe the man wasn’t as open-minded as he’d though, some in the 21st century weren’t exactly open to all quaint little categories.
“That’s…brilliant!”
Jack looked over, quirked eyebrow a signature of his...partner? Lover? Employee?
“Everyone needs someone yeah. So how long have yeh been together?”
“A few months.”
Jack couldn’t as well say it was almost two years for him, the year he spent on the Valiant had every thought, bar fantasies of a rescue, about Ianto.
Rhys went to add something to it when he pulled the truck to a stop as Gwen handed him a white bag.
Jack snapped out of his thoughts and right on into a conversation between Gwen and Ianto.
“Well how long have you talked? You two get on well?” she asked, positively elated at the idea of her fiancé’ getting along with someone she knew.
“Yes, we’ve went out a few times when you were with your friends. He uh…tends to call a lot,” Ianto said in a quiet voice, pretty out of character of this new, snarky Ianto that’s taken precedence since Jack had left.
Gwen smiled knowingly at him, “Calls you all hours of the night to ramble about Wife Swap?”
Ianto smirked back, “You share my pain.”
“Wholeheartedly,” Gwen nodded.
“Look, this is fairly entertaining and all but we do have a bloody alien eating half of the best meat in Cardiff that needs our attention,” stated Owen.
Jack just laughed and grabbed his coat, the others following behind.
He passed around everyone’s coffee and Tosh’s tea just the way they liked it, Jack’s hand lingering over his own a moment before taking his seat at his right side. Apparently a particularly nasty alien had taken residence in a local butcher shop which was horrid for service, eating everything in sight and sliming the place quite a bit. At least, that’s all Ianto could make out from Jack’s briefing before his mobile rang.
Everyone’s eyes darted to Ianto, certainly surprised he was getting a call while everyone who’d be a likely caller currently resided in this room. Ianto blushed a bit, embarrassed at interrupting the meeting before flipping it open with a curt “yes” before exiting quietly into the hall.
“Hey, Mate. How’s it?”
“Rhys?” Ianto asked, barely repressing yet another exasperated sigh.
“Yeah, see, I’ve just got that copy of-”
“Rhys, I’m at work.”
“Yeah, I know. D’you think you can take a break?”
Ianto rolled his eyes and leant against the wall, a hand running through his pristine hair.
“I don’t think so. Just got a call in, we’re in a briefing.”
“Oh…” the man sounded so crestfallen Ianto couldn’t help but feel bad.
“But maybe I'll see if we can look at it tonight?”
“Really? That’s great! I can make some-” his voice sounded like it could light all of Cardiff.
“I am at work though, I’ll call you back as soon as we’re not in the middle of something?”
“Alright, maybe you can ask Jack over. I think Gwen’ll be in tonight and we can do something’?”
Ianto gritted his teeth. Jack? Captain Jack Harkness actually double date? It amazed the Welshman to this day that he was even a willing participant in a monogamous relationship.
“I’ll see if he’s up to it, yeah. Got to go.”
“Later, Yan.”
Ianto stood back up, straightening out his suit before pocketing his mobile and walking back into the boardroom only to have all eyes on him.
“So who was it?” asked a particularly perky Gwen.
“Ur…Rhys,” he said, taking a seat again.
“Rhys?” piped in Gwen, Owen and Tosh.
Jack just looked at them all with a slight smirk. He knew of Rhys’ recent infatuation with Ianto. He thought for the most part that it was because Ianto had kept himself out of the game, at least that’s what their conversation in the truck sounded like.
“I just wish you’d’ve been uglier,” the stocky man said with a laugh, Jack smirking along with him.
“Not gay by any chance, are you?”
Jack’s smirk never faltered, planning on not answering for a moment before simply saying, “Ask Ianto that.”
Shock colored Rhys’ face fairly nicely.
“Ianto? You’re with him?”
“You can say that.”
Rhys was silent for a moment, Jack thinking maybe the man wasn’t as open-minded as he’d though, some in the 21st century weren’t exactly open to all quaint little categories.
“That’s…brilliant!”
Jack looked over, quirked eyebrow a signature of his...partner? Lover? Employee?
“Everyone needs someone yeah. So how long have yeh been together?”
“A few months.”
Jack couldn’t as well say it was almost two years for him, the year he spent on the Valiant had every thought, bar fantasies of a rescue, about Ianto.
Rhys went to add something to it when he pulled the truck to a stop as Gwen handed him a white bag.
Jack snapped out of his thoughts and right on into a conversation between Gwen and Ianto.
“Well how long have you talked? You two get on well?” she asked, positively elated at the idea of her fiancé’ getting along with someone she knew.
“Yes, we’ve went out a few times when you were with your friends. He uh…tends to call a lot,” Ianto said in a quiet voice, pretty out of character of this new, snarky Ianto that’s taken precedence since Jack had left.
Gwen smiled knowingly at him, “Calls you all hours of the night to ramble about Wife Swap?”
Ianto smirked back, “You share my pain.”
“Wholeheartedly,” Gwen nodded.
“Look, this is fairly entertaining and all but we do have a bloody alien eating half of the best meat in Cardiff that needs our attention,” stated Owen.
Jack just laughed and grabbed his coat, the others following behind.