"Come Fly With Me" Chapter 3
Sep. 19th, 2010 04:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wanda1969Title: "Come Fly With Me"
Rating: PG- I don't think there's anything dodgy in here- at least not yet.
Spoilers/Disclaimers : Torchwood, belongs to the BBC and RTD, I’m just borrowing the characters- I own nothing here, nor do I make any money! So please don't prosecute!
Summary: Torchwood characters in a story set in the glamorous world of international travel! Fluffy, romantic and cheesy in the extreme, I suspect!
A/N: No insult is intended to the citizens of The Central African Republic- I was just trying to find a small land-locked country. And I’ve never been to Bangkok, so I’m relying on my copy of Lonely Planet. Also on LJ
Chapter 1- dw: http://wanda1969.dreamwidth.org/284.html
Chapter 2- dw: http://wanda1969.dreamwidth.org/764.html
Come Fly With Me” Chapter 3
***
Ianto had been working for Captain Harkness’ crew for a little over two months. At first it had been hard work getting used to the long shifts and nights spent in hotel rooms at the other side of the world; Europe had been hard work, but more often than not he was back home at the end of a day’s flights.
It had helped that the cabin crew worked well together, and they were all friendly, even the pilots. Ianto had enough experience of pilots to know most of them were men, and a significant portion could be stand-offish, or thought they were God’s gift to women. He’d expected as much from Jack Harkness from his reputation as Torchwood’s unofficial sex symbol. He’d even been prepared to dislike the man. Instead, he’d been pleasantly surprised that although Jack was a shameless flirt, he seemed to be interested in all the staff. A couple of drinks after a long flight, or a crew meal were regular occurrences, and Ianto had found that he’d become quite friendly with the Captain. After Ianto’s first two flights, Jack had insisted that it was the Welshman who brought the drinks and meals to the flight deck telling Suzie that the issue was one of Health and Safety: now he’d tasted Ianto’s coffee, he wasn’t sure whether he could get through a flight without a regular supply.
He was even getting used to Owen Harper’s sarcasm. The first time the co-pilot had called him ‘The Tea Boy’ as Ianto handed him his drink, he’d had to bite his tongue, before he saw Owen smile at him, a good-natured glint in his eye. Since then, they’d progressed to friendly (but still professional) bantering at work, and after a few drinks they’d even been known to discuss the various merits of Angelina Jolie or Penelope Cruz, or whether rugby was indeed the far superior game compared to football. Which of course it was, in Ianto’s unbiased opinion.
When it came to the rest of the crew, He’d found Emma, Suzie and Beth quiet, helpful and professional; Emma ultimately wanted to pursue a career in fashion, Beth was devoted to her husband and young daughter, while Suzie was totally dedicated to her job. Martha and Gwen were both bubbly and had become good friends. Martha had given up studying for a Physiotherapy degree, due to spiralling student debt, and Gwen was still over-awed by working for the most respected airline in the business. She was perhaps a bit over-friendly- on a couple of occasions she’d offered to introduce Ianto some of her unattached friends and he’d had to politely decline her offers. Diane was possibly his most glamorous and adventurous colleague. Whatever she earned with Torchwood was invested in flying lessons- she was obsessed with flying and it was her ambition to qualify as a pilot. She constantly bemoaned the fact that most pilots were still men in this day and age. Ianto loved the fact that Diane was possibly the most outspoken of them all, and she stuck to her belief that women were just as good at virtually any job than any man.
Ianto was a little more biased where Toshiko, or Tosh, was concerned. She was his favourite crew member. A little bit ‘geeky’, she was an IT expert who’d joined Torchwood purely for the perks it offered. The cheap (sometimes free) flights they offered allowed her to visit her relatives in Japan and she could often combine visits to the Far East with her shift patterns. She loved to talk to him about books, computers and politics, and he truly felt she was wasted as a flight attendant.
***
The flight to Bangkok had been one of the toughest Ianto had worked on. They’d encountered bad turbulence on several occasions, which wouldn’t have been too much of a problem if they hadn’t been transporting a group of about thirty delegates from the Central African Republic who were heading to a Thai Textiles Exhibition in the Capital. Not that the delegates had been awkward- they’d been polite to a fault. The main problem was that this was only the second flight that all but one of them had taken. Apparently the first flight- Bangui to London for another Trade Fair- had been as smooth as a mill pond, so they hadn’t been in any way prepared for the ‘plane being buffeted this way and that. Quite a few had been sick, others had resisted refastening their seatbelts and one or two had been almost hysterical. It had taken most of the cabin crew to calm them down.
The Team walked through the airport as they left the ‘plane. Owen had been to Bangkok many times and was overjoyed that their hotel was more or less next door to one of his favourite nightclubs, and he’d talked Tosh, Diane, Gwen and Martha into joining him for a few drinks there to wind down after the flight. The other girls decided on room service and an early night.
“Not joining them, Ianto?” Jack asked as they made their way through the seemingly endless corridors.
Ianto laughed. “Nope. That’s all I need at the moment! All I want is a non-airline snack, and a couple of drinks to knock me out.”
“Just about what I had in mind... I don’t suppose you’d fancy some company? I know some places near the hotel which serve the best food in the Capital...”
Even though he’d wanted a quiet night, a quick look at Jack changed Ianto’s mind. Jack looked uncertain, even slightly lonely.
“Yeah- OK... give me a call when you’ve got changed.”
***
Jack had called the Welshman’s room a couple of hours later, and Ianto had found himself checking his appearance in the mirrored door before he set out to meet the other man in Reception.
A quick five minute rickshaw ride and they were at a small, unassuming noodle and rice restaurant proclaiming ‘Chamlong Asoke Café- Pure Vegetarian’.
“The ex-Governor helped to set these up. It’s a bit of a chain-they’re all over Thailand, but this one was the first. Still has the best chefs, and the best food. You’re gonna have to taste their chilli, ginger and garlic Tofu.”
***
Ianto pushed his plate away. The two men had shared Jack’s favourite dishes: tiny spring rolls, soft noodles and beansprouts, Pak Choi, sticky rice, the aforementioned tofu, and a light vegetable green curry.
“Delicious!”
“I told you this place was great, didn’t I?” Jack smiled a slightly smug smile.
“You’re obviously the Egon Ronay of Bangkok.” Ianto looked over with an arch of his eyebrow. “Seriously, though... this is some of the best food I’ve had in years. Thanks for bringing me.”
Jack smiled. “Glad you enjoyed it. What’s the point in travelling half way across the world if you don’t join in with what the locals do? I don’t want a burger in Thailand. And when the food’s this good... what can you say?”
“Bloody brilliant?”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for!” Jack said with a laugh. “Do you want a quick drink back at the hotel?”
Ianto agreed. The Asoka café didn’t serve alcohol (and that hadn’t been a problem- the food had more than made up for the lack of beer), but he was more than ready for a couple of drinks in the hotel’s bar before he finally collapsed into his bed.
***
“You should have been out and about with everyone, Ianto. You’re too young to be doing this- you should be out with Owen, on the pull.”
“And where would that get me?” Ianto laughed as they sat in the bar. “I’ve already gone through the Torchwood ‘dating experience’, and it didn’t work out. I’m not keen to repeat it. And, at the moment, I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t work in this industry who understands the job anyway.”
“I know the feeling... My wife wanted me to leave the RAF, and when I got the job with Torchwood, she just complained about me being away from home all the time.”
“Sounds like Lisa, my ex. I wouldn’t mind she works in the business, too. Although to be fair, we did grow apart- and she’d been seeing a guy from air traffic control anyway, whatever she said...”
“Was she mad? I can’t see she got a better deal with Air Traffic Control... for God’s sake, they’re not exactly the most ‘interesting’ people in the flying business- however ‘interesting’ ‘Pushing Tin’ makes them look.”
“Well!” he laughed. “I’m not sure I could comment on that...whatever my view on ‘Andrew’, who was obviously more ‘interesting’ than me. Apparently.”
“I’m afraid to say that Lisa sounds like an idiot.” Ianto looked like he was going to interrupt, before Jack cut him off. “I reckon she didn’t know when she was on to a good thing...”
“It sounds like your wife didn’t know when she was onto a good thing, either.” Ianto wasn’t really sure where that comment came from, but he said it anyway, and Jack smiled. “Anyway, I would have thought that Torchwood’s ‘most eligible bachelor’ should be the one that’s out on the pull, not me.”
“Oh, no! I’d like to point out that I never called myself that! And I really don’t want to go down the Torchwood ‘dating experience’ route, either.”
“A wise move- I suspect you’d be eaten alive.”
“Believe me, the reality is a lot more boring than the image! I might flirt a lot, but it cheers everyone up, and that cheers me up. Makes the whole day a lot more agreeable. And for the record, I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.”
“Yet another wise move.” There was a rueful tone to Ianto’s voice.
The pilot laughed. “Sounds like we’re more alike than we thought. Another beer?”
The two men talked for another forty five minutes, and Ianto found himself thinking that he’d made the right choice- it was one of the best evenings out he’d had since Lisa had left. He talked of his Open University degree, which was now on hold for a year while he sorted out his life and got used to the long haul shifts, and how he liked to play guitar to relax. They both loved travelling too; Ianto had gone backpacking with his old school friend, Peter, for a few months before he went to University. Jack told Ianto about how it had always been his dream like his father and how he’d joined the RAF. Whatever his accent implied, Jack was Scottish; he’d lived in America since he was eight, when his father had got a job with Pan Am, but he was still a British citizen. Working with the RAF had put a strain on his marriage, even though Jack had rarely been out of the country on long missions. He’d joined Torchwood in an effort to placate his wife, but they still grew apart and divorced less than a year after he’d joined the airline.
Ianto realised that the Captain was nothing like the overconfident lothario he thought he’d be.
“Well, I think that’s me for the night,” Ianto yawned and then drained his glass of beer.
“Me too.” Jack said looking at his own empty glass. “And thanks, Ianto. It made a nice change having a quiet meal and a couple of drinks without having to tour the bars and clubs of the Far East with Owen!”
“I can see how that could get a little bit wearing...”
“You don’t know the half of it, much as I love him to pieces!” Jack chuckled as they stood up to leave, and headed for the lifts. “We could do this again- you should try some of the other places I know. there’s this little place that does a fabulous Rendang, right in the centre of Jakarta... and they make an amazing cup of Javanese coffee. Not as good as yours, of course.”
“After the meal I’ve just had, I’d trust your judgement anywhere! It’s a date.”
Luckily, Ianto couldn’t hear Captain Harkness’ thoughts at that last remark: “If only...”
***
To Be Continued....
Rating: PG- I don't think there's anything dodgy in here- at least not yet.
Spoilers/Disclaimers : Torchwood, belongs to the BBC and RTD, I’m just borrowing the characters- I own nothing here, nor do I make any money! So please don't prosecute!
Summary: Torchwood characters in a story set in the glamorous world of international travel! Fluffy, romantic and cheesy in the extreme, I suspect!
A/N: No insult is intended to the citizens of The Central African Republic- I was just trying to find a small land-locked country. And I’ve never been to Bangkok, so I’m relying on my copy of Lonely Planet. Also on LJ
Chapter 1- dw: http://wanda1969.dreamwidth.org/284.html
Chapter 2- dw: http://wanda1969.dreamwidth.org/764.html
Come Fly With Me” Chapter 3
***
Ianto had been working for Captain Harkness’ crew for a little over two months. At first it had been hard work getting used to the long shifts and nights spent in hotel rooms at the other side of the world; Europe had been hard work, but more often than not he was back home at the end of a day’s flights.
It had helped that the cabin crew worked well together, and they were all friendly, even the pilots. Ianto had enough experience of pilots to know most of them were men, and a significant portion could be stand-offish, or thought they were God’s gift to women. He’d expected as much from Jack Harkness from his reputation as Torchwood’s unofficial sex symbol. He’d even been prepared to dislike the man. Instead, he’d been pleasantly surprised that although Jack was a shameless flirt, he seemed to be interested in all the staff. A couple of drinks after a long flight, or a crew meal were regular occurrences, and Ianto had found that he’d become quite friendly with the Captain. After Ianto’s first two flights, Jack had insisted that it was the Welshman who brought the drinks and meals to the flight deck telling Suzie that the issue was one of Health and Safety: now he’d tasted Ianto’s coffee, he wasn’t sure whether he could get through a flight without a regular supply.
He was even getting used to Owen Harper’s sarcasm. The first time the co-pilot had called him ‘The Tea Boy’ as Ianto handed him his drink, he’d had to bite his tongue, before he saw Owen smile at him, a good-natured glint in his eye. Since then, they’d progressed to friendly (but still professional) bantering at work, and after a few drinks they’d even been known to discuss the various merits of Angelina Jolie or Penelope Cruz, or whether rugby was indeed the far superior game compared to football. Which of course it was, in Ianto’s unbiased opinion.
When it came to the rest of the crew, He’d found Emma, Suzie and Beth quiet, helpful and professional; Emma ultimately wanted to pursue a career in fashion, Beth was devoted to her husband and young daughter, while Suzie was totally dedicated to her job. Martha and Gwen were both bubbly and had become good friends. Martha had given up studying for a Physiotherapy degree, due to spiralling student debt, and Gwen was still over-awed by working for the most respected airline in the business. She was perhaps a bit over-friendly- on a couple of occasions she’d offered to introduce Ianto some of her unattached friends and he’d had to politely decline her offers. Diane was possibly his most glamorous and adventurous colleague. Whatever she earned with Torchwood was invested in flying lessons- she was obsessed with flying and it was her ambition to qualify as a pilot. She constantly bemoaned the fact that most pilots were still men in this day and age. Ianto loved the fact that Diane was possibly the most outspoken of them all, and she stuck to her belief that women were just as good at virtually any job than any man.
Ianto was a little more biased where Toshiko, or Tosh, was concerned. She was his favourite crew member. A little bit ‘geeky’, she was an IT expert who’d joined Torchwood purely for the perks it offered. The cheap (sometimes free) flights they offered allowed her to visit her relatives in Japan and she could often combine visits to the Far East with her shift patterns. She loved to talk to him about books, computers and politics, and he truly felt she was wasted as a flight attendant.
***
The flight to Bangkok had been one of the toughest Ianto had worked on. They’d encountered bad turbulence on several occasions, which wouldn’t have been too much of a problem if they hadn’t been transporting a group of about thirty delegates from the Central African Republic who were heading to a Thai Textiles Exhibition in the Capital. Not that the delegates had been awkward- they’d been polite to a fault. The main problem was that this was only the second flight that all but one of them had taken. Apparently the first flight- Bangui to London for another Trade Fair- had been as smooth as a mill pond, so they hadn’t been in any way prepared for the ‘plane being buffeted this way and that. Quite a few had been sick, others had resisted refastening their seatbelts and one or two had been almost hysterical. It had taken most of the cabin crew to calm them down.
The Team walked through the airport as they left the ‘plane. Owen had been to Bangkok many times and was overjoyed that their hotel was more or less next door to one of his favourite nightclubs, and he’d talked Tosh, Diane, Gwen and Martha into joining him for a few drinks there to wind down after the flight. The other girls decided on room service and an early night.
“Not joining them, Ianto?” Jack asked as they made their way through the seemingly endless corridors.
Ianto laughed. “Nope. That’s all I need at the moment! All I want is a non-airline snack, and a couple of drinks to knock me out.”
“Just about what I had in mind... I don’t suppose you’d fancy some company? I know some places near the hotel which serve the best food in the Capital...”
Even though he’d wanted a quiet night, a quick look at Jack changed Ianto’s mind. Jack looked uncertain, even slightly lonely.
“Yeah- OK... give me a call when you’ve got changed.”
***
Jack had called the Welshman’s room a couple of hours later, and Ianto had found himself checking his appearance in the mirrored door before he set out to meet the other man in Reception.
A quick five minute rickshaw ride and they were at a small, unassuming noodle and rice restaurant proclaiming ‘Chamlong Asoke Café- Pure Vegetarian’.
“The ex-Governor helped to set these up. It’s a bit of a chain-they’re all over Thailand, but this one was the first. Still has the best chefs, and the best food. You’re gonna have to taste their chilli, ginger and garlic Tofu.”
***
Ianto pushed his plate away. The two men had shared Jack’s favourite dishes: tiny spring rolls, soft noodles and beansprouts, Pak Choi, sticky rice, the aforementioned tofu, and a light vegetable green curry.
“Delicious!”
“I told you this place was great, didn’t I?” Jack smiled a slightly smug smile.
“You’re obviously the Egon Ronay of Bangkok.” Ianto looked over with an arch of his eyebrow. “Seriously, though... this is some of the best food I’ve had in years. Thanks for bringing me.”
Jack smiled. “Glad you enjoyed it. What’s the point in travelling half way across the world if you don’t join in with what the locals do? I don’t want a burger in Thailand. And when the food’s this good... what can you say?”
“Bloody brilliant?”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for!” Jack said with a laugh. “Do you want a quick drink back at the hotel?”
Ianto agreed. The Asoka café didn’t serve alcohol (and that hadn’t been a problem- the food had more than made up for the lack of beer), but he was more than ready for a couple of drinks in the hotel’s bar before he finally collapsed into his bed.
***
“You should have been out and about with everyone, Ianto. You’re too young to be doing this- you should be out with Owen, on the pull.”
“And where would that get me?” Ianto laughed as they sat in the bar. “I’ve already gone through the Torchwood ‘dating experience’, and it didn’t work out. I’m not keen to repeat it. And, at the moment, I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t work in this industry who understands the job anyway.”
“I know the feeling... My wife wanted me to leave the RAF, and when I got the job with Torchwood, she just complained about me being away from home all the time.”
“Sounds like Lisa, my ex. I wouldn’t mind she works in the business, too. Although to be fair, we did grow apart- and she’d been seeing a guy from air traffic control anyway, whatever she said...”
“Was she mad? I can’t see she got a better deal with Air Traffic Control... for God’s sake, they’re not exactly the most ‘interesting’ people in the flying business- however ‘interesting’ ‘Pushing Tin’ makes them look.”
“Well!” he laughed. “I’m not sure I could comment on that...whatever my view on ‘Andrew’, who was obviously more ‘interesting’ than me. Apparently.”
“I’m afraid to say that Lisa sounds like an idiot.” Ianto looked like he was going to interrupt, before Jack cut him off. “I reckon she didn’t know when she was on to a good thing...”
“It sounds like your wife didn’t know when she was onto a good thing, either.” Ianto wasn’t really sure where that comment came from, but he said it anyway, and Jack smiled. “Anyway, I would have thought that Torchwood’s ‘most eligible bachelor’ should be the one that’s out on the pull, not me.”
“Oh, no! I’d like to point out that I never called myself that! And I really don’t want to go down the Torchwood ‘dating experience’ route, either.”
“A wise move- I suspect you’d be eaten alive.”
“Believe me, the reality is a lot more boring than the image! I might flirt a lot, but it cheers everyone up, and that cheers me up. Makes the whole day a lot more agreeable. And for the record, I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.”
“Yet another wise move.” There was a rueful tone to Ianto’s voice.
The pilot laughed. “Sounds like we’re more alike than we thought. Another beer?”
The two men talked for another forty five minutes, and Ianto found himself thinking that he’d made the right choice- it was one of the best evenings out he’d had since Lisa had left. He talked of his Open University degree, which was now on hold for a year while he sorted out his life and got used to the long haul shifts, and how he liked to play guitar to relax. They both loved travelling too; Ianto had gone backpacking with his old school friend, Peter, for a few months before he went to University. Jack told Ianto about how it had always been his dream like his father and how he’d joined the RAF. Whatever his accent implied, Jack was Scottish; he’d lived in America since he was eight, when his father had got a job with Pan Am, but he was still a British citizen. Working with the RAF had put a strain on his marriage, even though Jack had rarely been out of the country on long missions. He’d joined Torchwood in an effort to placate his wife, but they still grew apart and divorced less than a year after he’d joined the airline.
Ianto realised that the Captain was nothing like the overconfident lothario he thought he’d be.
“Well, I think that’s me for the night,” Ianto yawned and then drained his glass of beer.
“Me too.” Jack said looking at his own empty glass. “And thanks, Ianto. It made a nice change having a quiet meal and a couple of drinks without having to tour the bars and clubs of the Far East with Owen!”
“I can see how that could get a little bit wearing...”
“You don’t know the half of it, much as I love him to pieces!” Jack chuckled as they stood up to leave, and headed for the lifts. “We could do this again- you should try some of the other places I know. there’s this little place that does a fabulous Rendang, right in the centre of Jakarta... and they make an amazing cup of Javanese coffee. Not as good as yours, of course.”
“After the meal I’ve just had, I’d trust your judgement anywhere! It’s a date.”
Luckily, Ianto couldn’t hear Captain Harkness’ thoughts at that last remark: “If only...”
***
To Be Continued....
