Torchwood One Shots

A Very Welsh Encounter

I finally decided to create a Torchwood One Shots book! 

These have all been posted to my AO3(@BowtiesAreCool_11)as well. I hope you enjoy : ) 

The weather was ok, well ok for Cardiff, as Jack and Ianto made their way across Roald Dahl Plass. They had left Gwen working in the hub, telling her they were going to get lunch, and she had smiled knowingly at them as they left. Now Jack was holding Ianto's hand, and though they had been - whatever they were - for a while, Ianto's heart was still beating faster than usual. The show of affection was especially unusual in public, but the comfort of Jack's hand in his after a difficult morning was exactly what they both needed.

The morning had been spent on the hunt for a man with an interesting - and somewhat dangerous hobby - of collecting Alien memorabilia that really should have been safely stashed in Ianto's archive. 

As they approached the sandwich shop, Ianto noticed from the corner of his eye a tall man with greying hair. He looked at Jack, and noticed immediately that the Captain had recognised the silhouette too. As if in sync, they both took off after the figure.

As they sprinted around the corner, Ianto winced as his foot plunged deep into a puddle, soaking his shoe and the bottom edge of his trouser leg. This was a favourite of his but, as everything (well everything in his wardrobe anyway) was in time, it had been destroyed by Torchwood. He sighed, tentatively lifting his foot from the water and looking hopelessly at the sopping fabric. Then he remembered what they were in the middle of, and sprinted to catch up with Jack.

Jack was a few metres ahead, and it seemed he had finally caught the person whom they were chasing. The Captain had his gun aimed squarely at the man's chest, but was staring in utter confusion as his captive muttered in quiet gibberish. At least it was gibberish to Jack. Ianto caught up to them, simultaneously panting for breath and fiddling with his gun. He eventually succeeded in removing it from the - rather frustrating - holster, and held it parallel to Jack's.

"You really need to get that fixed." Jack commented, without breaking eye contact with the still muttering man.

"It was Owen's old one. He broke it." Said Ianto.

"So you got the spare?" Asked Jack.

"No. He stole mine." Said Ianto.

"Doesn't sound like you to let him do that."

"By the time I realised, he'd already spilt Weevil vomit on it." Said Ianto. "Oh, and alien urine - he wasn't sure what species. A broken one seemed like the better option."

Jack shrugged. He supposed it made sense. "Right, we need to figure out what the hell he's going on about." He continued, steering them back on track, and gesturing to the man with his gun.

Ianto looked a little surprised. "What do you mean, figure out what he's going on about?"

"Ummm....." Jack threw a questioning look at him. "Wait...can you understand him?"

Ianto nodded. "Of course. You can't?"

"Well obviously not! What's he saying?" Jack sounded more than a little frustrated.

"Ehhhh mostly just ramblings. How he's made all the wrong decisions, how he's a failure, how did he end up here...that sort of thing. Oh, and he keeps mentioning his mum."

"His mum?"

"Yeah, sounds like he....wants some of her.....chocolate cake? Sorry, my Welsh is a bit rusty."

"Chocolate cake!!" Spluttered Jack, completely nonplussed. "Wait...you speak Welsh?"

Ianto looked at Jack like he was the one spouting nonsense. "Yes. Have I not told you this?"

"No."

"How?"

"Maybe we should have this conversation later." Said Jack, grabbing the shoulder of the man who had taken the opportunity to make a break for it, and spun him around. "Hold up there Mister." He said, then, to Ianto: "Can you talk to him, work out what's going on?"

"I can certainly try." Said Ianto.

There was a brief interaction, of which Jack could understand precisely none of, and then Ianto turned to look at him, looking a tad embarrassed.

"We may have got the wrong guy." He said sheepishly. "He's going to visit his mum and he's a bit drunk and confused, it seems."

"Oh, so that's where the chocolate cake came from." Said Jack. Ianto gave him a look - really? That's what you took from that? And Jack added. "And he's not our alien collector, he just looks disconcertingly similar."

"Spatial genetic multiplicity." Said Ianto, "As the Doctor would say."

Jack smiled at this. "Well let's, apologise and send him on his way." He instructed.

Ianto exchanged another few words with the man, and then muttered to Jack. "Retcon?"

"Nah" Was the only answer Jack offered.

Ianto shrugged - the man hadn't seen anything significant anyway.

*********

"So, why didn't you tell me you spoke Welsh?" Asked Jack, once the man had left and the two of them were safely back in the SUV.

"I don't know." Said Ianto. "It never occurred to me."

"Well, say something in Welsh for me.." Said Jack, breaking into the smile he reserved for Ianto.

Ianto said something, grinning widely, his cheeks blushing vaguely red. When he muttered the translation in Jack's ear, the Captain grinned even wider and slid his arm around the Welshman's shoulders, pulling him in for a gentle kiss.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed : ) 

For context, this is set between Exit Wounds (And Journey's End in Doctor Who) and CoE.