The Right Tool for the Job


 

 
 
The Hub has many rooms and one of them is full of tools. Shelves of them.
 
Jack waves it off as the accumulation of many years, forgetting, or pretending to forget, that Ianto is the one who does the bookkeeping.
 
Ianto has resorted to throwing out certain catalogs to spare himself more of those awkward phone calls in which he has to justify seventeen percent of the monthly budget having been spent at Albertson's Tool Warehouse.
 
Still, there are times that he appreciates having exactly the right tool for the job. For example, this socket wrench is exactly right for a job he's been anticipating for quite some time. He's done in less time than it takes for Jack to shower, and by the time Jack returns to his private bedchamber wearing only a towel, the tool is back in its proper place and Ianto is looking forward to an interesting evening.
 
Activities progress as they usually do when Jack is naked and Ianto's wearing only a tie. Jack considers sex the best form of recreation and proves it - nightly. Ianto responds with equal creativity and enthusiasm. Perhaps with even a bit more enthusiasm that usual tonight.
 
They're tangled into a particularly intricate puzzle when it happens. They'd ignored the usual squeaking of the old camp bed - Jack because he had other things on his mind, and Ianto because he was expecting it. Still, it's a surprise when the whole bed collapses just as Jack finds exactly the right angle to make Ianto see stars.
 
Jack just laughs and keeps right on going. Ianto wouldn't dream of protesting. It's only later when they've collapsed together, panting, that Jack finally says, "Fancy a trip to the furniture store?"
 
Ianto nods as his eyes drift shut, a very contented smile on his face.
 
 

XXXXX
 

 
The new double bed takes up a significant portion of Jack's room. They've had to unseal the old, unused doorway to bring it in and Ianto uses the opportunity to point out the larger, adjacent space that's been abandoned storage for decades. He works like a madman to clean and prepare the space and even manages to scavenge a couple of armchairs and a table from other storage to make it a passable living area.
 
It's worth the effort when Ianto settles into the thick mattress at night and Jack massages his aching back.
 
Ianto considers the effort a success and goes about his duties with a private, self-satisfied smile.
 
It's nearly two weeks later that he finds himself back in the tool room, searching for a screwdriver. The small yellow post-it nearly goes unnoticed but he turns back, frowning, and reads the short message in Jack's uneven scrawl:
 
Next time, just ask. P.S. Albertson's now has a website.
 
::end::
 

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