Ficlet: Going Up’s Easy
Title: Going Up’s Easy
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada
Summary: Vacationing in the Lake District, Jack and Ianto are about to attempt driving over the steepest road in Britain.
Word Count: 500
Content Notes: None necessary.
Written For: Prompt 76: Hill at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“Hardknott Pass is the steepest road in Britain,” Ianto told Jack as they approached the notoriously challenging single-track road. “You’ll need to drive slowly and in low gear.”
“I don’t know what you’re making such a fuss about Ianto. I do know how to drive, been doing it since long before you were born, and this is hardly the first time I’ve driven up a hill.”
“It’s not a hill; technically it’s a pass between two hills, and if you’re going to underestimate how dangerous it is, you can let me out right now and I’ll walk.”
“Don’t you trust me?” Jack threw his lover a wounded look.
“I do, but not behind the wheel. I know what you’re like, always driving too fast. Well this time you can’t, it’s a one-lane road with a lot of blind corners and sharp turns, and we will meet cars coming the other way. There are wider passing spaces at some points, but there are a lot of places where, if you meet another car, someone will have to reverse. This isn’t a road to be taken lightly.”
“I still think you’re overreacting; a road is a road and a hill is just a hill. We’ll be fine.”
“You say that now, but you haven’t seen it yet…” There was an ominous tone to Ianto’s voice.
“Will you just relax? It’ll be a piece of cake, you’ll see. Hope you’ve got your camera ready to take pictures. Or do you intend to keep your eyes closed all the time?”
“I’m keeping my eyes open. I want to know if we’re going over the edge before it happens, so I can jump clear.”
“You’re immortal. We both are.”
“Doesn’t mean I want to wind up crushed to death in the mangled wreckage of our car at the bottom of a ravine.”
“Like that’s ever gonna happen.”
Before long, the road they were on began to climb, and honestly it wasn’t that bad, even going alongside a pretty deep ravine. A little steep in places, yes, but between stone walls or rock outcroppings some of the time, or with hillsides rising to each side. But then they hit a series of steep hairpin turns with a drop-off on Ianto’s side of the car. The engine started to labour and Jack had to drop down to second gear. Ianto gripped the edges of his seat.
Jack laughed. “Drama queen!”
Then they crested the top of the pass and Ianto heard Jack gulp.
“What did I tell you? Going up is the easy past, it’s going down that’ll get you.”
Jack didn’t reply, clenching the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip as he inched forwards, the bonnet of the car dipping alarmingly as he negotiated the ridiculously steep, sharp turn. “Is it too late to get out and walk?” he finally asked.
“You can’t walk, you’re driving.”
“Oh yeah. On the plus side, if we survive this we can survive anything. Hang on tight, we’re going down!”
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada
Summary: Vacationing in the Lake District, Jack and Ianto are about to attempt driving over the steepest road in Britain.
Word Count: 500
Content Notes: None necessary.
Written For: Prompt 76: Hill at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“Hardknott Pass is the steepest road in Britain,” Ianto told Jack as they approached the notoriously challenging single-track road. “You’ll need to drive slowly and in low gear.”
“I don’t know what you’re making such a fuss about Ianto. I do know how to drive, been doing it since long before you were born, and this is hardly the first time I’ve driven up a hill.”
“It’s not a hill; technically it’s a pass between two hills, and if you’re going to underestimate how dangerous it is, you can let me out right now and I’ll walk.”
“Don’t you trust me?” Jack threw his lover a wounded look.
“I do, but not behind the wheel. I know what you’re like, always driving too fast. Well this time you can’t, it’s a one-lane road with a lot of blind corners and sharp turns, and we will meet cars coming the other way. There are wider passing spaces at some points, but there are a lot of places where, if you meet another car, someone will have to reverse. This isn’t a road to be taken lightly.”
“I still think you’re overreacting; a road is a road and a hill is just a hill. We’ll be fine.”
“You say that now, but you haven’t seen it yet…” There was an ominous tone to Ianto’s voice.
“Will you just relax? It’ll be a piece of cake, you’ll see. Hope you’ve got your camera ready to take pictures. Or do you intend to keep your eyes closed all the time?”
“I’m keeping my eyes open. I want to know if we’re going over the edge before it happens, so I can jump clear.”
“You’re immortal. We both are.”
“Doesn’t mean I want to wind up crushed to death in the mangled wreckage of our car at the bottom of a ravine.”
“Like that’s ever gonna happen.”
Before long, the road they were on began to climb, and honestly it wasn’t that bad, even going alongside a pretty deep ravine. A little steep in places, yes, but between stone walls or rock outcroppings some of the time, or with hillsides rising to each side. But then they hit a series of steep hairpin turns with a drop-off on Ianto’s side of the car. The engine started to labour and Jack had to drop down to second gear. Ianto gripped the edges of his seat.
Jack laughed. “Drama queen!”
Then they crested the top of the pass and Ianto heard Jack gulp.
“What did I tell you? Going up is the easy past, it’s going down that’ll get you.”
Jack didn’t reply, clenching the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip as he inched forwards, the bonnet of the car dipping alarmingly as he negotiated the ridiculously steep, sharp turn. “Is it too late to get out and walk?” he finally asked.
“You can’t walk, you’re driving.”
“Oh yeah. On the plus side, if we survive this we can survive anything. Hang on tight, we’re going down!”
The End