MY SKIN

Author's Note: a Christmas present for Ellie.

Owen collapsed onto the old worn out sofa in the sixth form common room. He groaned loudly and buried his head in the musty cushion. He was tired, so very tired of it all. It had been non-stop cramming for his exam and since Jack and Alice were so hyperactive the only peace he could study in where the library or Tosh's flat which caused too much teasing on Jack's side of things. On top of that he had been busy preparing for his Nana's return only to find that someone had intervened and sorted it out, he had also been getting phone calls and letters that he ignored. Owen thought he made it very clear before that he wanted nothing to do with that man.

Jack sighed at the sight of Owen being miserable again. Opposite Owen sat a silent and exhausted Gwen, large dark smudges could be seen under her eyes, her lips were chapped and her hair a mess merely shoved in a ponytail as a last minute resort. She stared mindlessly at her English notes, also about to sit an exam with Ianto and Andy, who both were mindlessly staring at their cups of coffee. Tosh was curled in an armchair reading a book, at least it looked like it but from her slow breathing pattern Jack would say she was asleep. It had been a difficult term, Gwen's stalker has gotten more persistent, Ianto has taken over Rhiannon's planning causing fights between him and his father, Andy is upset over something and Tosh has been pushing herself to the extreme to pass this exam.

"All right that's it!" Jack shouted causing everyone to jump, Tosh waking up with a startle. "I'm sick of everyone moping about, that's not what we're about. We're teenagers, young adults, it'll be my birthday soon and I want lots and lots of laughter, alcohol and love"

"Oh piss off Harkness, no one is in the mood for your innuendo" Owen mumbled against the sofa.

Jack leaped on him. "Owen, my best friend, my most annoying wanker, what happened to us? You should be ecstatic that Nana is being let out this afternoon, that exams are over for now and the day is young!"

"Gerroff me, you big freak" Owen said struggling under Jack.

"Not until you smile!"

"Never!"

The two boys wrestled slightly on the sofa when it suddenly collapsed beneath them sending them rolling across the room. Unable to resist the temptation everyone began to laugh, Jack sat up looking like an overjoyed puppy with messy hair and grinned.

"What shit furniture" Owen wheezed. "Jeeze when did they get that crap? 1859? Ha!"

"We should file a complaint to the Head Boy and Head Girl to get some new furniture" Ianto agreed calmly as he took a long sip of his coffee and sighed blissfully.

"Who are our Head Boy and Head Girl?" Andy asked.

"What you didn't know?" Gwen asked stunned.

"Well our school isn't exactly the best in communication, how many assemblies have we missed because we haven't been informed?"

"None, you missed about thirty eight so far because of your late nights"

Andy flushed. "That's not the point!"

"I believe Eugene and Janet are" Ianto said finishing his coffee. "I'm going to get some more, would any of you like some?" everyone made mumbled yeses passing their cups to Ianto.

"Eugene?" Owen spat out, instantly thinking of his so-called father. Everyone stared at him wondering what he had against the sweet lad who couldn't even harm a fly. "That alien obsessed freak, jeeze what were they thinking?" Owen said lightly trying to cover up his initial rage and hatred. "And Janet? Jeeze, she's the most hideous girl in the whole of Cardiff, probably the world. She looks like something that lives in the dark, smelly sewers, smells like it too"

Large wails could be heard as the common room door slammed open. Everyone gave Owen a withering glare; Jack smacked him in the back of the head. "Well done you wanker, you made Janet cry"

"She was here?"

"You're so insensitive Owen, you disgust me!" Gwen raged Ianto who had left to make coffee came back with a tray filled with everyone's but Gwen's cup. "Hey, Yan where's my cuppa?"

"I don't know" Ianto said blinking. "It was there a moment ago and the next thing I know it vanished"

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

The school day ended and the hours between then and the next day were torturously long. They could not follow Gwen every night and since Gwen didn't have any plans with anyone that night there was no need to follow her. Returning to their very empty house, with no mother and a drunken bastard of a father, they would be alone for a very long time. Probably till midnight.

Heading to their neat and boring bedroom, they placed their school bag on their bed and took out the blue mug with penguins on, the one they stole of the side while Ianto was distracted with the antics of the idiot known as Owen Harper. Out of that stupid bunch the only ones they approved of were Ianto and Tosh and even then they had such a low opinion of them. After all Ianto Jones and Toshiko Sato had little backbone and were no use for such an independent woman like Gwen Cooper.

Dear lord, they were beginning to sound like Adam and he was a psycho. Unlike them, they were normal, just ignored and overlooked by their own family as well as society. Gwen had been one of the few to acknowledge them and they love her for it. They shall worship her forever.

Opening the wardrobe and pushing their boring plain clothes aside, they revealed their private shrine, photos, perfume, poems written for her, pens lent to them by her and even a diary accounting every little thing they noticed about her. Putting Gwen's mug amongst the little collected trinkets, they pulled out the diary and began writing in it while wondering if it was possible to get a lock of Gwen's beautiful black hair that looked wild and free despite its constraining scrunches almost like the person.

Gwen, will be theirs, one day...

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"Ooh I say Owen dear, you did a splendid job keeping the house clean" Nana cooed as she wandered round the spotless living room. Owen lagged behind her, carrying not only his own bag but Nana's and the dinner that Mrs Harkness had cooked for them. "Not even a sprinkle of dust on the shelves. I have no worries about you not being able to take care of yourself now"

"It wasn't me" Owen mumbled causing Nana to look up at him stunned. "I haven't entered this house since I dropped off your stuff. I went to clean it this weekend but it had already been done"

"Oh Mrs Robinson next door must have done it, I'll have to thank her, maybe some flowers?"

"It wasn't Mrs Robinson" Owen said coldly.

Nana's smile didn't falter. "Oh it must have been Mr McCrery from over the road then"

"It wasn't Mr McCrery or any of our other neighbours. It wasn't the Harkness' nor was it any of my friends. It was my father, wasn't it? You've been in contact with him for a long time and you knew who he is and sent me to that school because of him"

Nana's smile had faded away. "Please don't be angry with me Owen" she pleaded. "I only did what I thought was right for you. Your mother had been so...so...so unlike herself! With her rejection and him never figuring in your life, I thought it was best for you to think of him as gone for good and not just some rich man paying you off. I wanted you to be happy with ignorance. I wanted you to have a lovely childhood with wonderful friends and no doubt that someone loved you, please don't be mad Owen"

Owen sighed. "C'mere" he said gruffly holding his arms out for his trembling grandmother. She came close to him and he held her tightly. "I can never be angry at you Nana; you've always been too good for me. It's just...i...I'm...i don't know...I'm so messed up right now"

Nana pulled away and cupped Owen's cheek. "I understand completely dear. You're such a good boy, maybe you should give your father a chance it could do you both the world of good"

Owen smiled sadly. "I don't think that's possible Nana, now come on I believe Mrs Harkness made a chicken casserole for us"

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

Owen flopped onto his bed and sighed heavily. He groaned and rolled over burying his head into his pillow as the memory replayed into his head.

"Don't fuck with me" he spat out. "Stop the car and let me out"

"Please listen to me Owen, I know it's a little hard to believe but I really am your father. I met your mother in university at a bar and we hit off immediately. Unfortunately my parents never approved-"

"No fucking excuse. Now let me out!"

"Let me finish, my own father was dying he needed me-"

"I needed you! Mum needed you! But did you give a fuck? No! Your broke it off with her, cut all ties and because I looked too much like you, I was too much of a fucking reminder she hated me!"

"Now that's probably a bit too strong-"

"I love you because you're my son but that doesn't mean I have to like you" he quoted. "She told me those two years ago on a visit. After announcing she never wants to see my face again, that she wants to be happy with this new bloke...another fucking sod who hates kids!"

"Listen young man. Your mother is a good woman who has suffered a lot of hardships in life, now I know I am not the best man in the world, yes before we split up I was unreliable due to my many business meetings, I was unfaithful in her eyes because of the woman fostered onto me by my parents and-"

"Just shut the fuck up! You have no right to lecture me on my language! You may have some biological input but you are not my father! She is not my mother! Neither of you are my family, now piss off!"

"Owen-"

Thankfully the car had stopped outside of the hospital, hastily taking his belt off and shoving the door open, he turned to face his father one last time.

"I. Will. Not. See. You. Ever. Again"

He had then jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut, hoping he broke something.

There was no way Owen Harper will ever talk to his father again. Respecting his son's wishes the man did not follow him at all for the next week, once again he felt safe on the streets however inside his mind, Owen Harper was a minefield.

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