The Aurora Line 13
Dec. 29th, 2011 02:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
galadriel1010Title: The Aurora Line
Chapter Title: Take Me Home 6
Challenge/Fest: LongLiveIanto Bingo - Card the second
Prompt: Meeting the parents
Rating: T
Dedication: For my mum, who will never read this but gave me inspiration by wittering on about series that ran before I was born
Summary: The Aurora Star Liner is one of the most luxurious liners in the Human Empire, crossing the spacelanes between New Earth and New Venus on a constant loop. For a boy from the outer colonies, she's not just a new life - she's a whole new world.
Characters: Jack (ish), Ianto (ish). Others when they choose to appear.
Contains:
Disclaimer: Torchwood and its environs, occurrences and persons belong to the BBC. The original characters have disowned me.
The neighbourhood hadn't changed at all in the years he'd been gone. The neat porches, painted in white with designs picked out in pastel shades or the occasional daring primary colours, topped by green slate above which the stone walls rose on the second and third floors, still lined both sides of the street, alternating with the steps to left or right. Cars were pulled up alongside or in front of the houses or, in a couple of cases, in garages under the houses. Jack pulled up outside the house Ianto indicated, and they slid out to stand in front of it. "This is my mum's house," Ianto said unnecessarily. "It looks like she's in."
Jack reached out and took his hand. "Will you introduce me, then?"
They climbed the four steps to the porch, and Ianto didn't let go of Jack's hand as he pressed the buzzer. It lit up white and then yellow, and then the door glided open with the familiar cheerful beeps, his mum shrieked, and he found himself thrown off balance with the force of her embrace. Jack laughed next to them, and Ianto swung her around. "We were in the neighbourhood and thought we'd pop by. I hope it's not a bother," he said.
She laughed and pulled back to hold him at arm's length. "Ianto! Have you grown again? You're not eating enough, I can see that, and who is this?" she added, leering at Jack.
"This is Jack, my partner." He rolled his eyes and held his hand out for Jack's. "Jack, this is my mum, Moira."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Moira." Jack kissed her cheek and held up the bag in his other hand. "We brought you presents."
"Oh..." She released Ianto and hugged Jack instead, beaming as she accepted the bag. She was still only on the verge of middle age, impeccably dressed and with a figure and posture that more than hinted at her past as a model, even though her clothes these days skimmed over and hung from fuller curves. When ianto finally released her she reached for Jack once more and tugged on his hand. "Come on in, both of you."
The wooden floor of the front hall had been covered with a new rug in lilac and gold, and the stairs that ascended from it were carpeted in the same colour and similar patterns. A small bathroom was at the back, underneath the stairs, and a door next to it led out onto the back porch. Moira led them, though, into the large living area that ran the whole length of the building, and ushered them into seats at the dining table. "Drinks?" she offered, hovering by the tall cupboard between the kitchen and the dining room. "I suppose you'll be wanting something cold in this weather."
Ianto looked up hopefully. "Have you got any..."
She laughed and pulled a large pitcher out of the cupboard. "I should have known. Ianto's always been a devil for my citrus punch," she added in an aside to Jack.
"I'm taking notes," he told her solemnly.
"I should hope so too." She glanced up at them from her work. "How long are you here for?"
"Not long enough. We have to be back in about two weeks, and it's more than a week's journey." Ianto looked at Jack worriedly. "We'll have to check the schedules and find out when we have to leave."
"We'll do that tonight," Jack promised. "Relax - you're on holiday."
"Yes, captain."
"Captain?" Moira brought the pitcher over to the table with a stack of glasses. "Captain of what?"
"I was in the air force," Jack explained, "and I kept the rank even after I left. It's a ritual among spacers, you see. I'm head pilot on our ship now."
"Head pilot? Does that mean you're Ianto's boss?"
"Different departments," he assured her. "I outrank him..."
"By a long way."
"By quite a way," he agreed. "But I'm not his direct superior so he can and does ignore most of what I say."
"I don't ignore most of what you say," Ianto corrected him. "I just ignore your advice and instructions."
"Aw bless, I feel loved."
"You are." His brain caught up with his mouth, and left him sitting there in the void that followed them. Diverting the subject away quickly, Ianto turned back to his mum. "So, how's the business going?"
She wasn't buying it, but played along with a grin like the cat that got the canary. "We're going from strength to strength. Rhiannon's taken over running the factory so that I can focus on bespoke orders. I'm doing a wedding party at the moment. Just bear with me, I'll run upstairs and show you what I'm working on." She winked and bounced out of the room. "Talk amongst yourselves and call me when you're ready."
Ianto blushed and stared at the tabletop. He saw Jack's hand creep across and touch his own.
"So... I'm loved?"
He smiled. "Yup."
"Do you happen to know who by? Because there's this guy I think I love, and I'd like it to be the same guy who... loves... me..." Jack laced their fingers together. "Ianto?"
"I think they're the same person. I hope they're the same person, anyway." He looked up at Jack at last, grinning. "Me?"
"You."
Ianto heard footsteps on the stairs and sighed. "Mum, go and collect some samples or something." The footsteps retreated and he pulled Jack closer. "I love you. And I'm really glad we took a holiday."
Chapter Title: Take Me Home 6
Challenge/Fest: LongLiveIanto Bingo - Card the second
Prompt: Meeting the parents
Rating: T
Dedication: For my mum, who will never read this but gave me inspiration by wittering on about series that ran before I was born
Summary: The Aurora Star Liner is one of the most luxurious liners in the Human Empire, crossing the spacelanes between New Earth and New Venus on a constant loop. For a boy from the outer colonies, she's not just a new life - she's a whole new world.
Characters: Jack (ish), Ianto (ish). Others when they choose to appear.
Contains:
Disclaimer: Torchwood and its environs, occurrences and persons belong to the BBC. The original characters have disowned me.
The neighbourhood hadn't changed at all in the years he'd been gone. The neat porches, painted in white with designs picked out in pastel shades or the occasional daring primary colours, topped by green slate above which the stone walls rose on the second and third floors, still lined both sides of the street, alternating with the steps to left or right. Cars were pulled up alongside or in front of the houses or, in a couple of cases, in garages under the houses. Jack pulled up outside the house Ianto indicated, and they slid out to stand in front of it. "This is my mum's house," Ianto said unnecessarily. "It looks like she's in."
Jack reached out and took his hand. "Will you introduce me, then?"
They climbed the four steps to the porch, and Ianto didn't let go of Jack's hand as he pressed the buzzer. It lit up white and then yellow, and then the door glided open with the familiar cheerful beeps, his mum shrieked, and he found himself thrown off balance with the force of her embrace. Jack laughed next to them, and Ianto swung her around. "We were in the neighbourhood and thought we'd pop by. I hope it's not a bother," he said.
She laughed and pulled back to hold him at arm's length. "Ianto! Have you grown again? You're not eating enough, I can see that, and who is this?" she added, leering at Jack.
"This is Jack, my partner." He rolled his eyes and held his hand out for Jack's. "Jack, this is my mum, Moira."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Moira." Jack kissed her cheek and held up the bag in his other hand. "We brought you presents."
"Oh..." She released Ianto and hugged Jack instead, beaming as she accepted the bag. She was still only on the verge of middle age, impeccably dressed and with a figure and posture that more than hinted at her past as a model, even though her clothes these days skimmed over and hung from fuller curves. When ianto finally released her she reached for Jack once more and tugged on his hand. "Come on in, both of you."
The wooden floor of the front hall had been covered with a new rug in lilac and gold, and the stairs that ascended from it were carpeted in the same colour and similar patterns. A small bathroom was at the back, underneath the stairs, and a door next to it led out onto the back porch. Moira led them, though, into the large living area that ran the whole length of the building, and ushered them into seats at the dining table. "Drinks?" she offered, hovering by the tall cupboard between the kitchen and the dining room. "I suppose you'll be wanting something cold in this weather."
Ianto looked up hopefully. "Have you got any..."
She laughed and pulled a large pitcher out of the cupboard. "I should have known. Ianto's always been a devil for my citrus punch," she added in an aside to Jack.
"I'm taking notes," he told her solemnly.
"I should hope so too." She glanced up at them from her work. "How long are you here for?"
"Not long enough. We have to be back in about two weeks, and it's more than a week's journey." Ianto looked at Jack worriedly. "We'll have to check the schedules and find out when we have to leave."
"We'll do that tonight," Jack promised. "Relax - you're on holiday."
"Yes, captain."
"Captain?" Moira brought the pitcher over to the table with a stack of glasses. "Captain of what?"
"I was in the air force," Jack explained, "and I kept the rank even after I left. It's a ritual among spacers, you see. I'm head pilot on our ship now."
"Head pilot? Does that mean you're Ianto's boss?"
"Different departments," he assured her. "I outrank him..."
"By a long way."
"By quite a way," he agreed. "But I'm not his direct superior so he can and does ignore most of what I say."
"I don't ignore most of what you say," Ianto corrected him. "I just ignore your advice and instructions."
"Aw bless, I feel loved."
"You are." His brain caught up with his mouth, and left him sitting there in the void that followed them. Diverting the subject away quickly, Ianto turned back to his mum. "So, how's the business going?"
She wasn't buying it, but played along with a grin like the cat that got the canary. "We're going from strength to strength. Rhiannon's taken over running the factory so that I can focus on bespoke orders. I'm doing a wedding party at the moment. Just bear with me, I'll run upstairs and show you what I'm working on." She winked and bounced out of the room. "Talk amongst yourselves and call me when you're ready."
Ianto blushed and stared at the tabletop. He saw Jack's hand creep across and touch his own.
"So... I'm loved?"
He smiled. "Yup."
"Do you happen to know who by? Because there's this guy I think I love, and I'd like it to be the same guy who... loves... me..." Jack laced their fingers together. "Ianto?"
"I think they're the same person. I hope they're the same person, anyway." He looked up at Jack at last, grinning. "Me?"
"You."
Ianto heard footsteps on the stairs and sighed. "Mum, go and collect some samples or something." The footsteps retreated and he pulled Jack closer. "I love you. And I'm really glad we took a holiday."
