This is a little fic that will probably become a longer one. It basically tells the story of Ianto's time at Torchwood through the coffee that he makes (or doesn't make) for the team. In this chapter, I just enjoyed showing the relationships between Ianto and every member of the team.
There will probably be more chapters depicting different incidences—Gwen joining, post-Cyberwoman, Jack's disappearance, etc.
The usual disclaimers apply.
Ianto Jones had come in to work on his very first day completely prepared to use the fanciest coffee recipes in his arsenal, so desperate was he to gain the respect and appreciation of his new employers. Mochaccinos, cappuccinos, lattes—no drink was too fancy for him. He was so absorbed in the various intricacies of his recipes that he didn't notice the surprised looks that Jack shot him when the captain saw that Ianto was actually able to work the Impossible Coffee Machine of Doom.
"Coffee?" Ianto had nervously asked Suzie. The woman had looked up at him from the obscure piece of alien weaponry she'd been studying, amusement etched in every line of her face.
"Sorry?"
Ianto coughed and shifted where he stood. "I'm making coffee. Would you like some? I've got mochaccino, cappuccino—"
"Just a coffee would be great, thanks," she said, cutting him off before he could recite the entire menu. She pushed a strand of wavy black hair away from her face and gave him a distracted smile, obviously dismissing him. Ianto nodded and, heaving a small sigh of relief that the awkward exchange was finished, walked over to Toshiko's workstation.
"Hello, Ianto," the quiet woman greeted him. "How's your first day going?"
"Fine, thanks, Tosh," Ianto replied, smiling gratefully at her. "I've got coffee brewing. Would you like a cup?"
Tosh gave him one of her sweet little smiles that (at least for a moment) dissolved all of Ianto's anxiety. "Sure, why not?" she said. "A cup of coffee would be brilliant."
"Great," Ianto said. "I'd better go ask Owen." Tosh laughed at the look of reluctance on his face and turned back to her work.
The young doctor was in the medical bay, up to his elbows in a dead Weevil. He didn't look up when he heard Ianto enter the chamber.
"Would you like some coffee?" Ianto asked, not bothering with a greeting that he know wouldn't be well received. The other man snorted a derisive laugh.
"Oh, Christ, we really have got a butler now," he said, sarcasm practically dripping off every syllable. "No, I would not like a coffee. You might be able to see that I'm a little busy right now."
Ianto might have been offended, but he had honestly not expected any other response from the man. He nodded, smile still plastered on his face even though the doctor's back was still to him so he couldn't see it.
"Very good, sir," Ianto said, trying to play up the butler image as much as he could, just to mess with Owen. He caught Owen's attention, certainly—the other man turned and shot Ianto a sharp look that said quite clearly, "Don't fuck with me, mate." Ianto only clasped his hands behind his back and gave him a little bow before exiting the medical bay, chuckling to himself.
He made his way slowly to Jack's office—it was the order he really did not want to take. Just being around the older man made Ianto uncomfortable, but for reasons he couldn't pinpoint. Perhaps it was the memory of Jack's body pressed so close to his own only the night before, or the way he smelled, or just his irresistible cocky attitude. Ianto had no idea, but to satisfy his reluctance, he settled for simply sticking his head in Jack's office so as to limit all possible contact with the man.
Jack was shifting through a daunting mountain of paperwork. Ianto cleared his throat and he looked up, fixing Ianto with an intent blue-eyed stare. One of those breathtaking smiles broke over his face.
"Coffee?" Jack asked. Ianto blinked at him, momentarily thrown. That's my line! he found himself thinking.
"Sorry?" he said.
"You're making coffee, aren't you?" Jack asked patiently.
"Er…yes," Ianto said. "Would you like a cup?"
"Oh, yes please," Jack said. "Big cup." He held out his hands to mimic the size rather like a small child, and for a moment, Ianto felt his fake smile transform into a very real one.
"Of course, sir," Ianto said. "I'll only be a minute."
Twenty minutes later, all coffee mugs safely delivered, Ianto began clearing up the clutter in the kitchen. Through the doorway he saw Owen make his way over to Suzie's workstation.
"That's the coffee?" he heard the young doctor mutter, pointing at the mug resting on a stack of books on her table. Steam curled up from the liquid's surface in inviting swirls.
Suzie took a sip. Ianto could hear her little contented sigh. "Oh, yes," she said. "That's the coffee."
"Still can't believe he got that machine working." That was Toshiko, walking over to the pair with her own mug cradled in her hands. "I'm pretty sure it's made of some sort of unfathomable alien technology. I can't make head or tail of it."
Ianto smiled to himself at that—these people had obviously never seen the coffee machine at Torchwood One. It took special training to be able to operate it.
Owen had stolen Suzie's mug and was taking a drink, despite her protests. Ianto watched the slightly stunned expression that crossed his face with great pleasure. "Well," Owen said at last. "It looks like Jeeves has some talents, at least."
Suzie hit the doctor lightly on the arm. "Owen! Don't call him that!"
"Why not?" Owen asked. "It's what he is. Make the coffee, keep the place tidy. He's the butler."
"Ianto!" Ianto's head jerked up at the sound of his name. He left the kitchen and saw Jack leaning out his office door. "Ianto, would you mind fillin' 'er up again?" He waved his mug in the air.
"Of course, sir," Ianto said, beginning to climb the steps to the office.
I live to serve.
So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Review, please!