Ficlet: Sinking
Title: Sinking
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: On an alien planet, Jack has got himself and Ianto into another predicament.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 544 - Quicksand at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
A/N: Set in my Ghost of a Chance ‘Verse.
“Have you ever died from drowning in quicksand?” Ianto asked conversationally.
“No, and in case you’re wondering, I have no intention of doing so this time either.”
“Well that’s nice; any suggestions on how to avoid that? In case you haven’t noticed, we appear to be sinking.”
“I’m working on it. Shut up and let me think!”
“No need to be snappy; you’re not the only one facing certain doom.” The quicksand was already up to their hips, but Ianto was determined not to panic; it would be undignified. What was a bit of quicksand to a couple of immortals? Even if they did drown in the stuff they’d get dug out or whatever at some point, even if not for centuries. It would be inconvenient, true, but not the end of the world.
“I know, alright? I’m going to get us out of this, I swear.”
The glutinous and far from solid ground burbled and Ianto slid downwards another inch.
“Good to know, although I feel it’s only fair to mention this is your fault. If you hadn’t insisted on taking a short cut instead of sticking to the path, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“You didn’t have to follow me!”
“Someone has to keep you out of trouble, although I don’t seem to be doing too well on that score today.” Ianto raised his hands a little further to keep them clear of the sucking quicksand.
“If you hadn’t been following me so closely you could’ve rescued me or gone for help.”
“Don’t even try to make this my fault, Jack!”
“I wasn’t, I was just saying.” Jack drew a compact laser pistol from the inside pocket of the short jacket he was wearing.
“What’re you planning on doing with that?”
“If I can shoot a branch off one of the overhanging trees we can use it to pull ourselves out.” Taking aim, Jack fired, and missed.
Ianto snorted disparagingly. “You couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn.”
“Hey, I’m an excellent shot, it’s just a bad angle to shoot from.”
Which was true, Jack was facing the wrong way and it was impossible to turn around in the quicksand, they’d already tried. Like trying to manoeuvre in wet cement, and yes, Ianto knew that from prior experience. Come to think of it, that had been Jack’s fault too. Most situations of this kind were.
“Give it here and let me try.”
“Are you implying you’re a better shot than me?”
“I’m as good a shot as you, but I have a better angle and I’m less likely to bring a branch down on our heads.”
Jack passed the pistol to his lover.
Fortunately, Ianto didn’t miss, bringing down a nice, sturdy branch tangled in strong vines, and twenty minutes later they were lying on solid ground, getting their breath back.
“You know, next time we see signposts saying ‘Keep to the Paths’, maybe we should obey them,” Ianto mused.
Jack grinned. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: On an alien planet, Jack has got himself and Ianto into another predicament.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 544 - Quicksand at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
A/N: Set in my Ghost of a Chance ‘Verse.
“Have you ever died from drowning in quicksand?” Ianto asked conversationally.
“No, and in case you’re wondering, I have no intention of doing so this time either.”
“Well that’s nice; any suggestions on how to avoid that? In case you haven’t noticed, we appear to be sinking.”
“I’m working on it. Shut up and let me think!”
“No need to be snappy; you’re not the only one facing certain doom.” The quicksand was already up to their hips, but Ianto was determined not to panic; it would be undignified. What was a bit of quicksand to a couple of immortals? Even if they did drown in the stuff they’d get dug out or whatever at some point, even if not for centuries. It would be inconvenient, true, but not the end of the world.
“I know, alright? I’m going to get us out of this, I swear.”
The glutinous and far from solid ground burbled and Ianto slid downwards another inch.
“Good to know, although I feel it’s only fair to mention this is your fault. If you hadn’t insisted on taking a short cut instead of sticking to the path, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“You didn’t have to follow me!”
“Someone has to keep you out of trouble, although I don’t seem to be doing too well on that score today.” Ianto raised his hands a little further to keep them clear of the sucking quicksand.
“If you hadn’t been following me so closely you could’ve rescued me or gone for help.”
“Don’t even try to make this my fault, Jack!”
“I wasn’t, I was just saying.” Jack drew a compact laser pistol from the inside pocket of the short jacket he was wearing.
“What’re you planning on doing with that?”
“If I can shoot a branch off one of the overhanging trees we can use it to pull ourselves out.” Taking aim, Jack fired, and missed.
Ianto snorted disparagingly. “You couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn.”
“Hey, I’m an excellent shot, it’s just a bad angle to shoot from.”
Which was true, Jack was facing the wrong way and it was impossible to turn around in the quicksand, they’d already tried. Like trying to manoeuvre in wet cement, and yes, Ianto knew that from prior experience. Come to think of it, that had been Jack’s fault too. Most situations of this kind were.
“Give it here and let me try.”
“Are you implying you’re a better shot than me?”
“I’m as good a shot as you, but I have a better angle and I’m less likely to bring a branch down on our heads.”
Jack passed the pistol to his lover.
Fortunately, Ianto didn’t miss, bringing down a nice, sturdy branch tangled in strong vines, and twenty minutes later they were lying on solid ground, getting their breath back.
“You know, next time we see signposts saying ‘Keep to the Paths’, maybe we should obey them,” Ianto mused.
Jack grinned. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
The End