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He holds her hand ever so gently while he applies the polish. If there’s one thing she taught him, it’s that slow and gentle is the key to a perfect manicure. He let her choose the silver the first time he painted her nails. It was one of her good days, and she even cracked a joke about colour coordination. He can count on one hand the number of times she’s smiled since.
Hands that shouldn’t be hers, wrapped around his throat. Grabbing, squeezing, tossing. His head hits the concrete and the world goes dark.
He replaces the lid on the nail varnish bottle and moves onto the makeup. Not tons, just what she used to wear.
He starts with her lips, carefully applying just a little bit of that strawberry chapstick she loves. He loves it too. Can’t eat anything strawberry without thinking of her. It used to be a blessing, but these days it’s a curse more often than not.
Lips that definitely aren’t hers. He feels stubble and he can taste coffee mixed with a sweetness he can’t quite place. There’s also the sensation of being dragged back from something. Jack’s shushing him, and before he can quite process that, a robotic screech sends him running to her.
Satisfied with the chapstick, he moves onto her eyes. It’s a little more dramatic than the paler eyeshadow she prefers, but he couldn’t find the right one, and it wasn’t like he could bring her with him to shop for it.
He really likes the darker one, though. It makes her eye colour pop. He tries to ignore the striking contrast between it and the steel encasing her.
Not her eyes. Can’t be. Doesn’t matter what she’s saying, they’re Annie’s eyes staring back at him, ringed with smeared makeup. Tears. It’s smeared because she was crying. He feels sick. This isn’t Lisa, and it never was.
Stepping back, Ianto admires his handiwork. She looks lovely, as always. He’s been doing this since the first week he got her into the Hub. It was his idea, but he knows Lisa enjoys it. She always loved being taken care of.
She’s asleep now, though. Probably for the best, given the big day ahead of them tomorrow. Dr Tanizaki can fix her. Ianto’s certain of it.