OTA

[im_torchwood]

After John Hart, after Gray, Jack couldn't be in Cardiff. He was Torchwood now, not just what he did but who he was, and he had a small crisis and had to get away. Although he'd broken with London's Torchwood after the incidents at Canary Wharf (which it seemed the population had either forgotten or written off) Jack found himself in England's jewel. He was ready to make a new start. And, he reckoned, the Doctor would probably visit London before Cardiff if truth be told.

He'd settled into the subterranean Hub that Alice and Emily had worked in. It had been long forgotten in favor of the building of steel and glass that had been built atop it. Bloody Torchwood...they were supposed to be secret. He'd made his contacts and had put himself to work. But even Jack needed to eat.

He had all of the city to choose from and rather than just go to a pub Jack stood on the sidewalk looking at his mobile reading Yelp reviews. There was a place just down the block and around the corner. Yelp was good and all but he kind of wanted a real opinion so he looked up from his screen and he smiled at the first person whose eye he caught.

"Excuse me...do you know if this place is any good?" he asked, showing the screen. His American accent immediately marked him as a tourist, even though he wasn't.

Comments

[im_torchwood]

"Every chance I get," Jack said. "But I'm grounded for now. We'll see what the future holds."

[whispersoflove]

"Don't you miss it?" Anael asked, eyebrows raised. He could not imagine a life without flying, but the Winds were as much a part of him as the Love, so perhaps this explained that.

[im_torchwood]

"Yes. Yeah, absolutely. But that's not the job right now and I follow orders," he said. "I'll get back up there another day. I'm sure of it."

[whispersoflove]

Anael was silent for a moment, letting Jack's words resonate within him. His gaze had dropped to the wine in his hand, and he looked up at the soldier now, something very open and genuine shining in his eyes, something almost vulnerable. "How can you know?"

He wanted, so much, to believe that he would be called to God's side again, eventually, that he would be able to bask in Their presence. But even for angels, it had been so long now that it had begun to feel like a pipe dream.

[im_torchwood]

Jack shrugged and tilted his head.

"Gotta have faith in the future," he replied. "One day it'll happen. It will."

He was so sure. Of course it would. One day he'd be in the sky. One day he'd be in the stars.

[whispersoflove]

Anael smiled softly, after a moment. Maybe his answer was there, truly. "Faith," he echoed, eyes shining. "See? It is in your heart, too."

[im_torchwood]

He laughed again.

"You got me there," he said. Maybe not in a higher power...or maybe, in its way, it was exactly that. Jack put his faith in time.

[whispersoflove]

"Would you believe me if I said that I didn't mean to?" Anael asked honestly.

[im_torchwood]

"Of course," Jack said. His fish arrived then and he smiled brightly, breaking the fillets apart to let the steam escape. "Are you sure you're not hungry? There's more chips here than I can eat. And two pieces of fish."

[whispersoflove]

"Did you do that on purpose?" Anael asked curiously, far from minding if he had. "I'm fine, really." It would be a small lie to say that he had already eaten, but he tried to keep his lies to a minimum.

[im_torchwood]

"No, I didn't. Just a lucky happenstance," he replied, then shrugged and started blowing on the insanely hot fish. "How's the wine?"

[whispersoflove]

"Do you want a taste?" Anael offered, shifting the drink slightly towards the man. "It's lovely. Rich and a little spicy."

[im_torchwood]

"No thanks. I stick to water. Got to stay hydrated," he replied, then took a bite, ruining any potential sip of wine. No doubt that the red would not pair well with fried halibut.

[whispersoflove]

To be fair, Anael had next to no idea what this or that wine might pair well with, since he tended to drink without eating. But he accepted the answer at face value, and pulled the glass back towards himself to take another sip. "When are you starting your busy, classified, earthbound job?"

[im_torchwood]

"Technically I started yesterday," he said. "But there hasn't been anything to do. I'm thinking it won't be much longer, though."

Not if he had any say. He'd get the hub set up, together and separate from One. He needed to do things his way and he'd been there long enough that they'd let him.

[whispersoflove]

"I'm not sure whether I should cross fingers or not," Anael remarked with a small smile. Not unless there could be a middle ground between 'nothing to do' and 'hopelessly busy', in which case that would certainly be what he hoped for.

[im_torchwood]

"Maybe not, but a good thought or two would be good. I'm glad to be here. It's a fresh start," he said, his demeanor deflating a little when he confessed that. He'd left a mess behind in Cardiff. A mess of his own making, really.

[whispersoflove]

Anael instinctively laid his hand closer on the table when something like grief came over the man. It was always instinct to touch, but most of the time he remembered enough of social conventions to stop himself. "Would you like to -" He paused, and smiled slightly at himself - not the first question to ask. "Are you allowed to talk about it?"

[im_torchwood]

Jack was quiet for a moment, weighing what he could say with what he couldn't. So much that he couldn't.

In the end he settled on the truth.

"I just lost my brother," he replied. "Because of work."

[whispersoflove]

Sympathy was etched clearly on Anael's features, and when he spoke, it permeated his voice, too. "I'm sorry."

[im_torchwood]

Jack nodded his acceptance, then shrugged.

"And I broke up with my boyfriend because of the move," he said. "Kind of a one-two punch."

[whispersoflove]

That was a lot of major changes and grief in what must have been a really short time. Anael's heart ached for Jack's, and not just the normal way. He also felt the wounds of his love as if they were his own. He checked the time on a nearby wall clock, then looked back at him. "We should go to the London Eye. As soon as you're done with your meal. With a little luck, we can sneak in before they close for the night."

[im_torchwood]

Jack nodded at that and then tucked into his meal. The fish was delicious and the chips absolutely perfect. He'd have to leave a review of his own on the site.

Soon enough it was almost gone and he wiped his lips with the napkin.

"Let's go," he said. "It might not be too late."

[whispersoflove]

All thoughts of dessert forgotten, Anael left what remained in his glass untouched. He wasn't the sort to drain it just to say he had drunk it all. "I'm sure we can make it," he confirmed with a soft smile, faith shining in his eyes. He led the way out of the pub and into the street, unaware of how much the temperature had dropped with the setting of the sun.

They weren't far from the Eye, as the crow flew, and it was a shame that Anael could not simply whisk Jack up into the air and take them there. Instead, he pushed his hands into his pockets and fell in stride beside the man, walking at as brisk a pace as this body would allow.

[im_torchwood]

They made it to the street corner before Jack looked at him.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked.