The Human Child Series

[hanuueshe.livejournal.com]

Title: Come Away, Oh Human Child
Author: sparking_off
Rating: T
Word count: ~9200 - split into two parts by LJ claiming it's too big. Sigh.
Timeline: Set during ‘Small Worlds’, no spoilers past that.
Characters: Ianto-centric, Jack/Ianto.
Summary: An alternative take on the events in ‘Small Worlds’, from the point of view of someone who knows the fairies intimately.

Title: The World’s More Full of Weeping
Author: sparking_off
Rating: K+
Word count: 5779
Timeline: Set in the time between ‘Greeks Bearing Gifts’ and ‘Out of Time’, although there’s no reference to ‘They Keep Killing Suzie’.
Characters: Ianto-centric, Jack/Ianto
Summary: Ten years after the death of Ianto’s mother, he returns to her childhood home to say goodbye and to be himself, away from the dangers and secrecy of Torchwood, and away from the confusion that is his relationship with Jack.

Commentary: The idea of Ianto as one of the fairies' Choosen Ones isn't something new in fandom. What is new is the idea of Ianto as a fairy- a fairy lord, even. sparking_off's Ianto is a comflicted fellow, stranding between two very different worlds, both a which are frightening in their own way, not in the least because he loves them both. The writing style itself is very subtle and soothing, and sometimes nonlinear as well, as Ianto deals with the effects of things which to the reader have no cause. If you're a fan of strong Ianto or romantic Janto, this is a story for you.
Excerpt:

 

“I told you to stay away from Estelle Cole,” Ianto says, taking a step forwards into the darkness of the archives. He folds his arms, and doesn’t glare at them but the weight of his gaze is enough to slow their wings. They hover in a crowd before him, pushing and shoving in their attempts to be hidden from him.

 

“I told you!” he thunders, and the ice on the floor thickens and cracks with a terrible sound.

 

“She was poking and prying and peeking,” they whisper forlornly. “Poking and prying, meddling old lady, sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.”

 

“She was doing no such thing,” says Ianto, shaking his head. “She was a harmless old woman. She believed – she believed in you, and for that you killed her!” He has to take several deep breaths to calm himself, and on each exhalation he can see a mist that dissipates scant inches from his face. It is cold in the archives, and if it gets much colder it will seep up into the main hub and Jack will notice.

 

He half-hopes that Jack will indeed notice; that he will come down to investigate, that he will discover all. Ianto is tired of keeping secrets.