Title: Outsider
By: ebonyjet
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ianto is lonely under appreciated and no one but Jack even bothers to look at him any more.

***

Ianto walked silently across the Torchwood hub, head down eyes on the stone floor, a metal tray with four coffees held high in his right hand.

He walked on looking up only when he came to the stairs that led to where Gwen, Owen and Toshiko all sat at their computers.

He gently placed Gwen's favourite white mug, decorated with a pink and purple flower that he had specifically selected from the kitchen, in front of her. Gwen glanced at the cup and took a sip of the hot coffee without acknowledging his presence.

Feeling a little disappointed that he hadn't at lest got a smile, even being glanced at would of done, he thought. To be noticed at all would have been enough to make Ianto feel wanted, no one ever noticed him. He proceeded to the next computer table where Owen sat typing furiously on his black keyboard. The ghostly blue glow from the monitor made his already thin face seem cold and hard.

Ianto took a stripy red and black cup filled with steaming liquid from his silver tray and placed it next to Owen's creased lab coat that lay in an untidy heap across his desk.

Without even moving his eyes from the computer screen Owen reached for the coffee and took a large mouthful.

"Hasn't got any sugar in it." He said plainly, still not looking at Ianto or ever away from his computer screen.

Owen violently placed the cup back of Ianto's tray, making the remaining coffee jump from it and dribble down the Welshman's arm. Owen continued what he was doing, as though Ianto no longer existed.

Ianto looked down at the floor again and sighed biting his lip and trying not to say anything he would later regret. That coffee had been really hot and it was stinging his arm but he walked slowly towards Tosh. She was slumped over her desk fast asleep.

The corners of his lips twitched into the tinniest of tiny smiles. He reached out and as softly as was possible brushed some of the dark hair from her peaceful face.

Ianto sighed. At lest Tosh was ignoring him for a reason. He put a black cup in front of her. Frowning he turned from his colleagues at their desks and very softly, his head down, his eyes sad, walked away from the group.

No one even noticed him, did they think all he did was make coffee?

How quickly they forget... he thought to himself, He had save Toshiko's life, by giving her the chance to escape when the cannibal country people had attacked them not so long ago, and all that had earned him was a face full of baseball bat.

He had tried so hard to stop Owen opening the riffed and destroying the planet... getting Jack killed, and what thanks did he get? Not even a second out of any of their lives, to glance at him, smile... to say thank you.


He was just there... no one took him seriously, he was just the maid cleaning up their shit...

Tosh was the only one he excused, she was almost as much a spare part as he was, but at lest the others let her go and capture aliens with them.

He on the other hand had to stay behind work his coffee magic, fetch Chinese and pizza whenever the others decided they wanted to be fed.

Still Ianto walked silently feeling cold and empty inside, two coffee's left on his tray one for Jack and one he had to make again for Owen.

He bit his lip angrily but regained his outer mask of calm composure, replacing his anger with a look of indifference. Ianto took a deep breath and stepped slowly into Jack's office.

He put the plain white coffee cup down on Jack's desk next to his computer, just in front of the man himself. Jack looked down at the coffee and then back to the computer screen, tapping a few more letters in to the keyboard.

The other man quickly turned to leave, but the sound of Jack's voice stopped him, "Thanks."
Ianto turned back to look at Jack who was wearing his wonderfully authentic army style coat, and smiling at him.

"Pardon? What did you say, Sir?"

"I said, thanks."

Ianto nodded and turned to leave and make more coffee for Owen, but the sound of Jack's quick foot steps resounding on the stone floor made him stand still, the hand of his shoulder made him face the American who was still smiling at him.

"Was there anything else, Sir?" He asked looking into Jacks eyes but then moved his gaze to the floor.

"No." Jack replied, "Just thank you... You deserve to be thanked Ianto, they don't do it... so ... I guess...." He grinned, "I'll have to do it for the four of us."

Jack lent falwards and kissed Ianto softly on his pale pink lip's.

"Thank you, Sir." Ianto turned, grinning like an idiot. Quickly he returned to his usual posture: head down eyes fixed on the floor, leaving a confused Jack in his wake to wonder why, Ianto looked so grateful for just one word and a kiss.

Then Jack got it... he realised no one ever-thanked Ianto, he did everything important in the base and they all seemed to think it did itself.

He was just their part of the scenery. Ianto did what he was told and never complained.
The others all took advantage of the fact he was a good worker... Jack decided he would have to do something about that.

He put his finger to his communicator and said in to the speaker, "Ianto, Go home!" It was more a demand then a request, " ... Everyone else meeting, now! I need you all in the conference room... and bring your coffee."

***