Title: Leaf In The Wind
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 894
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto and his TARDIS land on an uninhabited alien planet to get some fresh air and sunlight.
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 410: Leaf.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Set in my Through Time and Space ‘Verse.







Ianto had already lost count of how many places he’d been since waking up aboard his TARDIS. If he tried, he thought he could probably figure it out, or he could ask the sentient time and space ship, but it didn’t really matter; he’d been to space stations, moons, asteroids, and alien worlds, and they’d all had one thing in common: Jack wasn’t there.

He hadn’t lost hope, he was sure he’d find his lover eventually, but he was under no illusions concerning how long it might take. Searching the whole of space for one particular person was never going to be an easy or quick task, but he was growing accustomed to his new existence, learning to manage things for himself. On the whole, he thought he was doing pretty well, but he still wished Jack was with him to share in the adventure.

So here he was, on another planet countless light years from earth, this one an unspoiled wilderness where anything resembling sentient life had yet to evolve. He’d had the TARDIS land here simply because he’d wanted a break from travelling, and to see somewhere that wasn’t bleak and depressing. He’d been spending way too much time recently in the rundown corners of space stations and the shabby shanty towns outside spaceports where black marketeers plied their trade, and had wanted to breathe unpolluted air for a while.

There was plenty of fresh air here, along with wide plains of purple grasses, dazzlingly bright wildflowers, trees with pinkish trunks and branches clothed in silvery-purple leaves… The TARDIS had taken her favourite tree form, standing at the top of a hill, an incongruous vision in green and brown, drinking in the sunlight, her leaves rustling softly in a warm wind. Ianto wondered if she were capable of photosynthesis… Funny how he’d never thought to ask that before; it had simply never occurred to him until now.

He sensed amusement at the back of his mind where his ship maintained an unobtrusive presence. ‘Yes, of course,’ she whispered in his head. ‘I find it quite refreshing. It does not provide a great deal of energy, but it is nonetheless welcome.’

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. So am I.” Ianto tilted his head back, relishing the warmth of the sun on his upturned face. It wasn’t hot or bright enough to cause sunburn, the planet’s upper atmosphere filtered out most of the harmful UV radiation, so he didn’t have to bother with sunscreen, even though he was only wearing a t-shirt and cargo shorts. Kicking off his trainers, he walked barefoot along the hillside, digging his bare toes into the grass. It felt good.

A stronger gust of wind caught him, knocking him slightly off balance on the sloping ground and making him stumble. As he regained his footing, he caught sight of something from the corner of his eye and reflexively reached out to grab it, snatching it from the air.

It was a leaf from one of the planet’s trees, the top surface slightly waxy, and the underneath softly downy. He turned it back and forth in his hands; in shape, it was a little like oak leaf, although much larger, almost the size of his hand. Clustered at the stem end were several small, dark purple nodules which he thought might be the seeds. Wind dispersal would make sense on a world where there was no life other than the plants and, according to his TARDIS, something similar to earthworms beneath the surface.

Raising the leaf high above his head, he let the next strong gust of wind take it from his fingers, carrying it in a long, looping flight along the crest of the hill, then abruptly away down the slope.

‘That’s what I am,’ he thought. ‘A leaf in the wind, blown this way and that, landing in one place for a short while before being swept away again in another direction.’

It wasn’t a bad existence, and unlike the leaf his mostly picked his own direction, but he had no intention of putting down roots; not yet, and maybe not ever. There was so much universe to see, so much to experience, so many people in difficulty who could use a helping hand. That gave him a purpose, something to occupy him while he was searching for Jack, something to fill otherwise empty days.

On a whim, he followed his leaf, running down the slope, trying to see where it came to rest. Perhaps if he came this way again in a few years he’s find a new grove of saplings growing. Or maybe he could just have the TARDIS jump forward a few decades, take a sneak peek at the future, although that felt a bit like cheating.

Laughing at his own foolishness, Ianto slowed to a walk, watching the leaf as it rolled and tumbled along the ground now, finally stopping in the lee of a rocky outcrop. Two of the seeds had fallen off during its journey, but three still remained.

He would come back, he decided, but not until he found Jack. He’d have the TARDIS land near these rocks, then he and Jack would find out together whether or not a new tree had grown where his leaf settled. And perhaps, they might settle here themselves, at least for a little while.


The End