londoncallingrpg

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

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.

From:

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.

From:

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?"

From:

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."

From:

whispersoflove

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

From:

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."

From:

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."

From:

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."

From:

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.

From:

im_torchwood

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

"Aren't you cold?" he asked.

From:

whispersoflove

"It isn't that cold," Anael replied lightly, wondering whether it was. Well, he had mentioned he travelled a lot, and he could always blame it on that, and being used to much worse.

From:

im_torchwood

"If you say so. My rig is just up here in the lot. We can drive," he said then, his coat billowing as he walked. Jack's posture was straight, his shoulders square. Everything about him said power and confidence.

From:

whispersoflove

While everything about Anael said openness and lightness - not to mention, oddly enough, youth. He did not think of such issues as traffic (or of climbing into a stranger's car), unused as he was to them, and simply nodded. "If you like."

From:

im_torchwood

Jack nodded at that and lead Hani to a powerful black SUV with government plates and lights hidden in the grill. Inside it was computer equipment that was completely integrated.

"Don't touch anything," he said lightly.

From:

whispersoflove

Anael wasn't an expert in cars, of course, but he he did take one once in a while, enough that even he knew that that... was no normal car. "Does it fly?" he asked, lips tilted into an amused little smile. Clearly teasing.

From:

im_torchwood

"I wish," Jack replied. "It's just high tech. The company cars all have this in them."

From:

whispersoflove

"What does it all do?" Anael asked curiously, belatedly remembering to buckle himself in.

From:

im_torchwood

"Oh, you know...this and that," he grinned. "The engine's a V8. If I had an open road I could impress you with how fast we can go. Not that impressive on the streets of London, though."

From:

whispersoflove

As they rounded a corner and were almost immediately stuck in a traffic jam, Anael frowned slightly in amusement. "I can see how it would be difficult."