Drabble: More Than He Seems

[bk_forever]

Title: More Than He Seems

Author: badly_knitted

Characters: Jack, Ianto

Rating: G

Written For: Challenge 287 – Superman at tw100

Spoilers: Nada.

Summary: He stands in the background and studies his hero.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.

Look at him, standing there staring out across his city, his home.

Tall, broad shouldered, standing straight and proud, head up as though scenting the air for trouble. A handsome man, dressed distinctively, his choice of clothing his armour against the world, a disguise to hide behind so that no one sees the real man.

There’s an air of mystery around him. He’s both more and less than he seems. Few people really know or understand him and he likes it that way.

Jack smiles. The world may only see Clark Kent, but looking at Ianto Jones, Jack sees Superman.

The End

Comments

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

Nice twist! Real heroes aren't always the flashiest guy or gal in the room--sometimes a quiet steadfastness is what really wins the day. And Jack knows this, as well as what it's cost Ianto to maintain it. <3<3

[bk_forever]

Exactly! It's all a matter of perspective. Ianto's all suit-wearing, mild-mannered manager of a tourist centre, that's all everyone else sees. They don't see him wielding a stun gun, subduing weevils and saving the world. But Jack does. He knows the Ianto the rest of the world fails to see.

Thank you!

[owensheart.livejournal.com]

Ianto is super and no mistake, great drabble.

[bk_forever]

Thank you!

Jack agrees!

[too-beauty.livejournal.com]

awesome!
And it is true, the quiet are the ones who leave foostprints on our lives, and Jack could esaily see that behind that invisible cover!

[bk_forever]

Jack hides behind his flirty persona, so he sees right through Ianto's quiet efficiency to the real Ianto and knows how special he is.

Thank you!

[timelordshines.livejournal.com]

Neat little twist in only a hundred words.
That first line had me immediately picturing Jack standing on a roof all hero like, but then you reveal it is Ianto that you are talking about so I had to go back and read it again.
Despite their differences they are both so alike that the descriptions work equally well for both men but you have challenged our stereotypes here.
Because you are talking about a hero we instantly think of the larger than life Captain, but perhaps the real hero is the quiet loyal Ianto.

Nicely done :-)

[bk_forever]

Thank you, that's exactly what I was trying to do, but I wasn't sure it would work.

It was difficult making the description fit both of them, but I wanted to show that to Jack, Ianto is the hero, the ordinary, human man with no special powers who puts himself between danger and the rest of humanity, scared and fragile (as all humans ultimately are because of their mortality), but still doing what he feels is right, even though he knows it could cost him his life.

[jedi-harkness.livejournal.com]

Great twist! Very lovely! :D

[bk_forever]

Thank you very much!

We don't see ourselves the way others see us; I think Ianto might be quite surprised to know the how Jack sees him.

[blossomlegs.livejournal.com]

At least Jack has his eyes wide open and sees the truth!

[bk_forever]

He does. He hides himself from others so he knows how to see past the face Ianto shows the world to the real man within.

Thank you!

[katwillow.livejournal.com]

SMILE

[bk_forever]

Thank you! (I hope it made up a little for the Fic of the Week choice...)

[katwillow.livejournal.com]

It's all good sweetie. The smiles and the tears.
Thanks for sharing both.

[bk_forever]

My pleasure. I prefer the smiles myself though!

[neverminetohold.livejournal.com]

I really this one, especially because at first you think it might be Ianto thinking this about Jack - though I suspected it might be the other way around because the POV voice sounded more like him than Ianto, if that makes sense.

Very nice! :)

[bk_forever]

Thank you! I tried to make it ambiguous, but it's hard to keep the characters' 'voices' out of something completely. From the start I've found Ianto and Jack the easiest characters to write and I just can't switch them off, lol!

[akawho.livejournal.com]

I too was picturing Jack standing on a rooftop, coat flapping in the breeze. Then you turned it all around on me and I LOVED IT!!

[bk_forever]

Thank you!

I wanted to try to make everyone look at Ianto differently. In some ways, he's very like Jack when you think about it. Not as loud and in-your-face, but just as heroic and striking to look at.

[dylantoms.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[bk_forever]

Thank you!

I don't think Jack sees himself as a hero, because he can't die permanently, but Ianto puts himself in danger for the good of complete strangers despite knowing it could cost him his life. To Jack, that's the mark of a true hero and he both admires and respects Ianto for it.

[mango-apple.livejournal.com]

This is sooooooo nice!

[bk_forever]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

I figure Ianto would be Jack's hero, because he's human and very mortal but still puts himself in danger for the sake of others.

[jsks.livejournal.com]

Jack would know.

[bk_forever]

Yes he would. He knows Ianto better than anyone does!

Thank you.

[black59.livejournal.com]

I never thought at Ianto like that !
That's it justice: simple man in the eyes of the world but ... under the suit is hiding a hero!
Yeah.
Jack is right.
:-))

[bk_forever]

Jack doesn't see himself as a hero because whatever happens to him he'll survive, but Ianto risks his life for people who will never even know that they owe him their lives, and to Jsck that makes Ianto the greatest hero of all.

Thank you.