Title: Five Things Owen Harper Grudgingly Accepts About Ianto Jones
Author:
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing: slight Jack/Ianto
Warning: No spoilers
Rating: General
Summary: Five things Owen Harper grudgingly accepts about Ianto Jones
1. Ianto is a better marksman
Once a year Jack likes to assess the team on various qualifications to see where they could use improvement or where he can better use their strengths. They watch each other, wearing headphones and applauding the hits, test various firearms on the paper targets.
“Oi, what about Ianto?” Owen says when they’ve all had their turns, and Jack turns his grin on Ianto and hands him a pistol. Ianto doesn’t smile: he puts his headphones back on, positions himself in front of the target and rapidly squeezes off six shots. They’re all in a small grouping in the center of the printed form.
Still not smiling, Ianto gives the pistol back to Jack. “I’ll start some coffee,” he says and is the first to head upstairs.
2. Ianto has more technical knowledge
Their computer system, as it’s based on alien technology, doesn’t suffer from the Blue Screen of Death, but it has hiccups that are just as frustrating and CTRL-ALT-DEL just doesn’t help.
“We have to restart the entire system,” Tosh says, face stormy.
“Wait,” says Ianto, “Jack, can I use your terminal?”
Jack sweeps a hand back in a gesture of “be my guest,” and Ianto starts tinkering and frowning. Tosh bends over his shoulder to watch his fingers.
“Bloody nuts,” Owen grouses, “using an organic computer system. We should go back to abacuses.”
The monitors all flicker and then come back up in the familiar blue and silver screens, node boxes floating serenely. “Good work, Ianto,” says Jack, and for a moment Ianto almost looks smug.
3. The pterodactyl likes him
“What’s that noise?” says Owen, looking up at the roof of the Hub. “Sounds like a buzz saw.”
“That,” says Gwen, “is a pterodactyl purr.”
“Pterodactyls don’t purr,” Owen scoffs.
“Ours does. Must be lunchtime.”
Needing to see this for himself, Owen climbs the staircase up to the pterodactyl’s nest. There she is, gnawing on a slab of raw meat as Ianto scratches a bump of bone behind her eyes. Owen stops as close as he’s comfortable getting to the creature and says, “Looks like you’ve got yourself a pet.”
Ianto answers comfortably, “She’s very sweet once you get to know her.”
4. Gwen and Tosh like him
Ianto gets a smile and a “Good morning!” from both girls every day.
Owen feels lucky if he doesn’t get a snarl.
Of course, Ianto is the Bringer of Coffee and Provider of Lunch, which probably has something to do with it; and it probably doesn’t hurt that Ianto hasn’t slept with or kissed either of them (that Owen knows of). Neither of the girls have called Ianto a wanker or spoken to him in that impatient “I’m barely being civil so stop pushing your luck” tone Tosh tends to get about 3:30 on Friday afternoons.
Perhaps, Owen speculates, Ianto puts something in the coffee. Perhaps it is the coffee. Or . . . perhaps, he decides as he watches the girls both watch Ianto cleaning up last night’s pizza boxes and exchanges knowing looks, it’s the suits.
5. Jack really likes him
Owen is not the most observant of persons . . . but it’s hard to miss when Ianto leaves Jack’s office with his tie askew and–“Ianto?”
“Yes?”
“Wasn’t Jack wearing that shirt earlier?”
Ianto looks down, smiles faintly, and looks back at him. “Yes, he was.”