Use It in a Sentence; Week Three
Oct. 29th, 2010 05:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sariagrayTitle: Use It in A Sentence; Week 3
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sariagray
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Team
Word Count: Between 100-200 words for each drabble; 7 drabbles.
Rating: G-R
Warnings: Language. Some hints at spoilers for the whole series. Implied sexual activity. Unbeta'd so if you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and find the mistakes I've "hidden" throughout.
Disclaimer: This is solely for amusement. Torchwood and all it entails is owned by men and women far better than I. They make the money. I just get to play in their sandbox.
Previous Weeks: Week One, Week Two
Qualm: A sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea; a sudden fear; a feeling of doubt or indecision in matters of right and wrong. “Much to the dismay of those in the music industry, many people have no qualms about illegally downloading music files from the Internet.”
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Notch: A V-shaped hollow in an edge or surface; a narrow pass between two mountains; degree, step. “The instructions said to cut small notches at the corners of the fabric.”
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Incognito: With one's identity concealed. “The food critic made an incognito visit to the restaurant.”
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Vanguard: The troops moving at the head of an army; the forefront of an action or movement. “The manufacturer is in the vanguard of green technology.”
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Author:
sariagray Characters: Jack/Ianto, Team
Word Count: Between 100-200 words for each drabble; 7 drabbles.
Rating: G-R
Warnings: Language. Some hints at spoilers for the whole series. Implied sexual activity. Unbeta'd so if you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and find the mistakes I've "hidden" throughout.
Disclaimer: This is solely for amusement. Torchwood and all it entails is owned by men and women far better than I. They make the money. I just get to play in their sandbox.
Author’s Note: Mistress Saria Gray here again, preparing you for wordy excellence with this week's vocabulary lesson. The words can all be found here. Comment and let me know what you've learned! :) Enjoy! And the last one is...sort of a personal rant of mine.
Previous Weeks: Week One, Week Two
Use It in a Sentence
Week Three
Week Three
Qualm: A sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea; a sudden fear; a feeling of doubt or indecision in matters of right and wrong. “Much to the dismay of those in the music industry, many people have no qualms about illegally downloading music files from the Internet.”
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With measured movement, Jack sifted through his monochrome collection of memories. Each one was viewed with reverence, a split second flashbulb that managed to capture a lifetime of joys and disappointments. His was the only living soul that recalled these people exactly as they were, no matter how many centuries had passed.
His insides churned with anxiety as he reverently returned the aging artifacts. A quick check with the clock informed him that time was progressing just as quickly as he had feared. A shadow flickered in the doorway, and then solidified.
“Ready?” he asked without looking up.
The shadow quaked a sigh and stepped into the room.
“I think so. You?”
“Born ready.”
Ianto chuckled and rested his hand on Jack’s shoulder. Jack looked up at him and flashed a grin, though the two pairs of eyes were harmonizing disquiet oceans, mutual tempests competing. Jack caught a glimpse of red silk at Ianto’s neck and a matching faint flush to his cheeks, prompting a genuine, if quiet, smile to blossom.
This one in color, then. The thought was as melancholy as it was blissful.
His insides churned with anxiety as he reverently returned the aging artifacts. A quick check with the clock informed him that time was progressing just as quickly as he had feared. A shadow flickered in the doorway, and then solidified.
“Ready?” he asked without looking up.
The shadow quaked a sigh and stepped into the room.
“I think so. You?”
“Born ready.”
Ianto chuckled and rested his hand on Jack’s shoulder. Jack looked up at him and flashed a grin, though the two pairs of eyes were harmonizing disquiet oceans, mutual tempests competing. Jack caught a glimpse of red silk at Ianto’s neck and a matching faint flush to his cheeks, prompting a genuine, if quiet, smile to blossom.
This one in color, then. The thought was as melancholy as it was blissful.
Mendacious: Given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth. “Liza wasn't about to fall for the unrealistic claims being touted by the mendacious car salesman.”
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He brewed the coffee with great care. Aside from Jack, he and Owen were the only ones around, the hours having waxed from late to early.
Ianto could deal with Owen’s comments and quips if it helped the man cope (not that he thought the method was working particularly well), but to destroy a whole section of the archives on the quest for some easily-accessible file and then outright deny it was particularly inexcusable.
He carried the mug over to the medical bay where Owen stood working diligently on the autopsy of the strange creature the team had found that evening. He must have been at the point of exhaustion, because he offered a small smile with his gruff “Thanks.”
As he picked up the steaming beverage, he sniffed it suspiciously.
“This regular?”
“Yes.”
Owen nodded before moving to take a sip and then paused again.
“You didn’t put anything in it, did you?”
“No.”
Ianto could deal with Owen’s comments and quips if it helped the man cope (not that he thought the method was working particularly well), but to destroy a whole section of the archives on the quest for some easily-accessible file and then outright deny it was particularly inexcusable.
He carried the mug over to the medical bay where Owen stood working diligently on the autopsy of the strange creature the team had found that evening. He must have been at the point of exhaustion, because he offered a small smile with his gruff “Thanks.”
As he picked up the steaming beverage, he sniffed it suspiciously.
“This regular?”
“Yes.”
Owen nodded before moving to take a sip and then paused again.
“You didn’t put anything in it, did you?”
“No.”
Sea Change: A marked change : transformation. “The mayor said that she doubts the project will proceed, unless there's a sea change in public opinion.”
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He had always thought that the sex would alter if comfort were allowed a foothold into the relationship, that the passion would recede and the novelty fade from saturated acrylic to muted watercolor. Soon after, he assumed, they would be too at ease for anything more erotic than collapsing on cool sheets and falling into blissful, unadulterated sleep.
That was what happened with Lisa, the ardor only restored when pleasant complacency was replaced by frigid, harsh metal. In retrospect, he thought he rather liked complacency.
But then there was Jack, and he thought he rather liked fervent zeal and unrepressed lust as well. Avant-garde and innovative aside, there was something about the spontaneity and intensity that reshaped him. It clawed at the shell of poise and propriety he had meticulously crafted.
It wasn’t until a quiet evening of videos and takeout had ended with Jack pressing him against the kitchen wall, all urgent need and sharp desire, that he decided he much preferred having both.
That was what happened with Lisa, the ardor only restored when pleasant complacency was replaced by frigid, harsh metal. In retrospect, he thought he rather liked complacency.
But then there was Jack, and he thought he rather liked fervent zeal and unrepressed lust as well. Avant-garde and innovative aside, there was something about the spontaneity and intensity that reshaped him. It clawed at the shell of poise and propriety he had meticulously crafted.
It wasn’t until a quiet evening of videos and takeout had ended with Jack pressing him against the kitchen wall, all urgent need and sharp desire, that he decided he much preferred having both.
Lethargic: Of, relating to, or characterized by lethargy : sluggish; indifferent, apathetic. “After eating a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs I often feel lethargic and sleepy.”
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The whole team knew that their fearless leader didn’t sleep much; early mornings in the Hub with a prayer for peace and quiet were frequently interrupted by a wide-awake, bouncy, nosy Jack Harkness. Until, of course, he and Ianto started sleeping together.
It was a double-blessing, really, as both men were sufficiently conked out until a reasonable hour of the morning. No stalking butler, no pestering Captain, no poking and prodding. Tosh loved it best, sneaking in during the pre-dawn hours for some alone time with her programs, unflustered by the team’s concern (or Owen’s lack of).
As she reviewed the string of text, her eyes began to blur. The low hum of the Hub was soothing, gradually lulling her heartbeat into something like hibernation. She allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment. Just a moment.
She woke up flustered and confused. The lights she had turned on had been dimmed again. A glance to the clock indicated that she had only been out an hour. As she shifted her position, she realized that she had been carefully wrapped in a grey wool blanket.
It was a double-blessing, really, as both men were sufficiently conked out until a reasonable hour of the morning. No stalking butler, no pestering Captain, no poking and prodding. Tosh loved it best, sneaking in during the pre-dawn hours for some alone time with her programs, unflustered by the team’s concern (or Owen’s lack of).
As she reviewed the string of text, her eyes began to blur. The low hum of the Hub was soothing, gradually lulling her heartbeat into something like hibernation. She allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment. Just a moment.
She woke up flustered and confused. The lights she had turned on had been dimmed again. A glance to the clock indicated that she had only been out an hour. As she shifted her position, she realized that she had been carefully wrapped in a grey wool blanket.
Notch: A V-shaped hollow in an edge or surface; a narrow pass between two mountains; degree, step. “The instructions said to cut small notches at the corners of the fabric.”
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Sometimes, he could feel Jack watching him from his office, eyes boring burning holes in the back of his head. At first, he thought it was suspicion (and rightfully so, he chastised himself) but he quickly noticed that there was something else in that look. He’d be lying if he claimed that he didn’t cast meaningful glances, too. On rare occasions, they would catch each other and turn away quickly or come up with some excuse for the pertinent gaze that both men eagerly accepted to save face.
The looks gradually increased in frequency. Ianto had started keeping count until even he lost track. Finally, they had run into each other late one night, the Hub otherwise eerily silent and mysterious. They exchanged more thinly-veiled statements and made to continue their work. When Jack approached and rested his hand on Ianto, they each felt a warmth that shocked them into stillness.
And they both knew “What have you got?” was a particularly loaded question.
The looks gradually increased in frequency. Ianto had started keeping count until even he lost track. Finally, they had run into each other late one night, the Hub otherwise eerily silent and mysterious. They exchanged more thinly-veiled statements and made to continue their work. When Jack approached and rested his hand on Ianto, they each felt a warmth that shocked them into stillness.
And they both knew “What have you got?” was a particularly loaded question.
Incognito: With one's identity concealed. “The food critic made an incognito visit to the restaurant.”
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“Jack?”
Silence.
It was a ritual that took place every night; Ianto would brush his teeth, climb into bed, whisper into the air, turn over, and fall asleep. First, the silence was terrifying. Then it became lonely. Then, suddenly, the complete lack of a response was soothing.
The girls recognized his carefully restrained distraction first, but it was Owen who finally confronted him; it “wouldn’t be right” if Gwen spoke to him and Tosh would never say a bad thing about Jack. At least not when she thought anyone could hear.
“He’s gone. It’s been months! And he’s not worth it. Not if it means bad coffee for the rest of us, anyway.”
He wanted to punch Owen, but he couldn’t punch the interim boss. Well, he could, but the forms were something awful. And, if he were honest with himself, his words had been oddly comforting.
Still, Ianto couldn’t resist a good ritual and he continued it against his better judgment until it became habit.
“Jack?”
“Hmmm?”
Oh. Right.
“Nothing.”
Silence.
It was a ritual that took place every night; Ianto would brush his teeth, climb into bed, whisper into the air, turn over, and fall asleep. First, the silence was terrifying. Then it became lonely. Then, suddenly, the complete lack of a response was soothing.
The girls recognized his carefully restrained distraction first, but it was Owen who finally confronted him; it “wouldn’t be right” if Gwen spoke to him and Tosh would never say a bad thing about Jack. At least not when she thought anyone could hear.
“He’s gone. It’s been months! And he’s not worth it. Not if it means bad coffee for the rest of us, anyway.”
He wanted to punch Owen, but he couldn’t punch the interim boss. Well, he could, but the forms were something awful. And, if he were honest with himself, his words had been oddly comforting.
Still, Ianto couldn’t resist a good ritual and he continued it against his better judgment until it became habit.
“Jack?”
“Hmmm?”
Oh. Right.
“Nothing.”
Vanguard: The troops moving at the head of an army; the forefront of an action or movement. “The manufacturer is in the vanguard of green technology.”
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As he thought about it, “Everything Changes” really wasn’t a particularly apt catchphrase for the 21st Century. Maybe “Shit Hits The Fan – Again” or “We Warned You It Could Be Worse” would be better suited. Even “Oh, For Fuck’s Sake Already!” was more appropriate.
“Everything Changes” was so vague. It could mean anything. The world could be overrun by a pack of sparkly unicorns ridden by Elvis impersonators; Torchwood was most decidedly NOT prepared for that. It could even mean that the entire world was shot with a laser beam that made them all a bunch of pacifists. Torchwood also was not ready to deal with that. What the hell would they do? Show up at peace rallies and hand out daisies?
Jack’s spiel really needed work. No wonder Gwen had been looking so confused the past few days; she was probably still trying to figure out how the bloody hell anyone could be armed against the future.
“Everything Changes” was so vague. It could mean anything. The world could be overrun by a pack of sparkly unicorns ridden by Elvis impersonators; Torchwood was most decidedly NOT prepared for that. It could even mean that the entire world was shot with a laser beam that made them all a bunch of pacifists. Torchwood also was not ready to deal with that. What the hell would they do? Show up at peace rallies and hand out daisies?
Jack’s spiel really needed work. No wonder Gwen had been looking so confused the past few days; she was probably still trying to figure out how the bloody hell anyone could be armed against the future.
TBC
