Secrets And Lies 8/?

[missthingsplace]

Title: Secrets And Lies
Author: missthingsplace
Parings/characters: Jack/Ianto, 
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or any of the characters ... unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Since when were secrets and lies good for any relationship? Will they ever be able to tell each other the truth about themselves?
Warnings: Romance, fluff, angst, humour, AU
Spoilers: Anything is fair game
Rating: NC17 for series 

Ianto studied the pictures and details of flats for rent in the Estate Agents window, he had come to the conclusion that he needed to get something cheap but not too shabby.

The flat had to look like something he could afford on the wages he earned from his job in the coffee shop if he was going to keep it to himself about his families wealth, at least until he knew Jack better.

Also he wasn't actually going to live there, just give the illusion of doing so and would in reality still live with his parents for now, not ready to give up the comforts of home again so soon.

There was something to be said for having your meals on the table for you every evening, not having to do the washing up or do his own laundry, when he had been living with Lisa they had shared all the chores.

His own bedroom was spotless, he hatted living in clutter and the sight of dust bugged him so much that he dusted almost every day, his mum had tried to send him for therapy, insisting that he had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder after watching daytime TV but he soon talked her out of it.

With a sigh he decided on three of the flats in the window and headed into the Estate Agents, thankful that they now opened on Sunday mornings and was immediately pounced on by one of the two members of staff.

“Good morning Sir, may I help you?” The vibrant redhead asked him.

“I'm looking for a flat to rent, I don't want anything too flash,” Ianto told her, reading the name plate on her desk 'Ms Donna Noble'.

“I spotted you looking in the window, was there anything that took your fancy?” Donna asked him.

“Three, would I be able to view them today?” Ianto asked.

“If you'd like to show me which ones you are interested in I can check the files and see if they are already vacant,” she told him with a smile, following Ianto back outside where he pointed the chosen flats out to her and then they returned inside again.

“Right,” Donna stated, pulling out the full details for all three. “two of them are vacant and we can show you them today, the other has an occupant who is due to leave in a week when their lease is up, that one will require an appointment.”

“Then I'll just view the other two for now,” Ianto replied. “if neither of them are suitable then I'll ask you to arrange the appointment for the third.”

“We can go now, do you have transport?” Donna asked.

Ianto nodded. “My car is parked outside.”

“Great, then all you need to do it follow me,” Donna smiled, grabbing her handbag and leading the way out of the shop. “which one is yours?”

“That one,” Ianto grinned, pressing the key fob and unlocking the doors of his car, a top of the range Porsche 911.

“That is your car?” Donna gasped. “And you're looking for a cheap flat?”

“I can't afford to have a top of the range flat too,” Ianto smiled, giving her a wink. “you're welcome to a lift instead of following if you like?”

“Do I ever!” Donna exclaimed, already opening the passenger door and sliding elegantly in and sinking into the soft leather seat.

Ianto got in the drivers side and started the engine. “Buckle up,”

Donna clicked her seatbelt into it's holder and gave Ianto directions to the first of the two flats.

Before he even entered the flat he was feeling horrified, it wasn't obvious from the picture that it was in a tower block in one of the roughest area's of Cardiff and on the eighth floor.

Adding to that the lift had a sign hanging from it that proclaimed it was out of order and from the state of the said sign it had been that for a long while.

“The stairs it is then,” Donna said a little too cheerfully, leading the way up the long flights of stairs while they both tried to ignore the general litter, discarded takeaway food remains and the stale smell of urine.

Reaching the front door of the flat, Ianto who considered himself pretty fit was panting quite hard, along with Donna, both of them taking a moment or two to catch their breath before Donna slid the key into the lock.

Their hand flew over their mouths the second they stepped into the flat, the stench of stale piss was overwhelming and the reason for it became instantly apparent when a dozen young kittens swarmed around their feet purring.

“This one is out for definite,” Ianto told Donna, making a hasty retreat back the way they had come.

“We'll contact the landlord and get the kittens dealt with,” Donna agreed, following him out and closing the door firmly.

“If you give me the landlords number I'll arrange for the RSPCA to come and collect the kittens,” Ianto told her as they made their way back down the stairs. “judging by the state of these flats I get the feeling they might suffer unnecessarily.”

“You could be right, I'll fetch his number from the files for you when we get back to the shop,” Donna agreed. “now lets get to the second one, I know it's got to be better than this one.”

“I should bloody well hope so!” Ianto exclaimed.

They arrived at the second flat, in a better part of Cardiff some fifteen minutes later and just the view from the front made it a better prospect that the first. The flat in in a large Victorian house that had been converted and it looked like it was well maintained, from the outside view anyway.

“Now that's much better,” Ianto said, looking at the building while they made their way up the pathway.

“Three fully self-contained flats, the one at the top is the one we'll be viewing today, more stairs I'm afraid,” Donna sighed, opening the door to the communal hallway. “follow me.”

Ianto dutifully followed the redhead up the stairs and waited for her to unlock the door once again, this time when they entered the flat they encountered nothing more than the slight smell of stale air from the flat being unused for a while.

“It's unfurnished?” Ianto observed, glancing around. “I never thought about that when I was looking at them in the window.”

“Is that a problem?” Donna enquired.

“No, nope, not really,” Ianto admitted, thinking of the second hand furniture shop in town where he could acquire some furniture that wouldn't look new.

“Let me show you around,” Donna smiled. “this is obviously the main living room.”

“It's a good size, I just need to see the others before I decide,” Ianto answered.

Donna led him first to the kitchen which was quite compact but had all the modern appliances and units, second was the bathroom which wasn't much bigger than the kitchen, it didn't have a bath but had a large shower and the usual toilet and sink in white.

Finally she took him to the bedroom, it was almost the size of the living room with plenty of room for a king size bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers.

“How much is this one a month?” Ianto asked.

“£495 a month including all utilities,” Donna replied, checking the details. “it's been recently redecorated which is reflected in the price.”

“I'll take it,” Ianto told her firmly.

“Great, we should get back to the office and fill in the required forms and then I'll just need to do some credit checks,” Donna smiled. “if all goes smoothly then you could be moving in my the end of next week, the landlord requires one months rent in advance and another months as a deposit for any damage.”

“Any chance of making it sooner?” Ianto asked. “If I paid six months in advance?”

“I'll see what I can do,” Donna promised, settling down comfortably in Ianto's car again for the drive home.


TBC

Ianto's car: