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Title: Stress Relief
Fandom: Torchwood
Length: 700 words
Characters: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Set between eps 7 and 8
Disclaimer: not mine, RTD, BBC etc.
Jack trudged into the Hub with blood like lead crawling through his veins. The harsh lights above his head a stark contrast to the oppressive dark they had been battling in outside. His thick coat weighed down on his shoulders and dripped grime all over the floor which had already had dirt trodden into it by the rest of his team who preceded him. They had spent the previous four hours tracking an unusual, possibly extra terrestrial signal through the back alleys and waste grounds of deepest darkest
He sent the others home. Gwen returning late once again to her long-suffering boyfriend in a vain attempt to keep a hold on real life. Owen going to find the nearest bar to get absolutely hammered and find a pretty girl to distract him from the daily toil. Tosh curling up with a nice warm cup of cocoa and a raft of paperwork, filling the absences in her life with complex equations and intertwined graphs. Ianto set to work cleaning the dirt off the floor, again.
Jack went to his office and sank into his chair. He didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally gained enough energy to pull his computer screen towards him to put the Hub to sleep for the night. As he automatically performed the usual procedures a flickering light caught his attention on one of the CCTV cameras showing a seldom used corridor. It was coming from a door that was ajar but at such an angle that he couldn’t see what was contained within. Filled with curiosity and trepidation he called up a list of who was still in the building, Ianto was the only one who hadn’t left yet. A call to his mobile proved it to be switched off, which also meant he couldn’t track him to find out where he was. He would have to find the source of the shimmering light manually. Pausing only to pick up his Webley from where it lay, casually discarded on his desk, he headed out of the door and down into the depths of the unknown.
The body of the Hub was unnaturally quiet but as he strode closer to the corridor in question he thought he could hear faint strains of music which got louder the nearer he came. Puzzled, he turned into the corridor and saw the iridescent lights seeping around the door frame. “Hello” he called and the music was interspersed by sounds of movement. He placed a hand on the door, reassured to find it cool and smooth, just as it should be, and gently pushed it open. Ianto was standing in the centre of the small room revealed. He was looking more relaxed than usual and his tie lay on the carpeted floor alongside cushions and beanbags. The source of the light was quickly apparent as the walls were covered in swirling lights and patterns that fitted with the soothing music emitted from the speakers in each corner.
“Hello sir”
“What is this place?”
“It’s a relaxation room. Tosh helped me set it up.”
Jack found himself entranced by the meandering lights of smoothly variegated colours.
“I mentioned to her once that I used to be fascinated by my mum’s lava lamp when I was small. Whenever I was stressed she used to turn it on and it would help me calm down.”
“So you created a sort of 3D lava lamp? In the Hub.”
“Well I think we could all do with some stress relief, sir.”
“Can’t argue with you there” Jack replied with a sigh.
“Sit down.”
“What?” Jack looked at Ianto quizzically, flummoxed as to what the young Welshman intended.
“You look as if you could do with a shoulder massage, sir.”
“There really is no end to your talents is there?”
But Ianto just smiled and gestured to some of the cushions littered on the floor.
