Fic: Teamwork
Title: Teamwork
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Owen, Tosh, Nosy, Dizzy, Myf, Mickey, Team.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Due to Jack’s extravagance, decorating the Hub for Christmas is an even bigger job than usual this year, but thankfully Ianto has plenty of willing helpers.
Word Count: 1385
Written For: Challenge 139 - Hang at beattheblackdog.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Decorating the Hub for Christmas was in full swing. From his place on the catwalk outside Jack’s office, Ianto commanded his troops, a slightly Weevil-chewed leg meaning he was unable to do much of the decorating himself.
The tree Jack had selected was immense, a good thirty feet tall. Ianto had told his lover he was insane, they didn’t have a ladder tall enough to reach the top, but Jack had been unconcerned, his belief in his lover’s ability to solve any problem set before him unshakeable.
“You’ll think of something. You always do.”
He supposed it was good that Jack had such faith in him, but even so, sometimes he seemed to think Ianto could work miracles. So of course, Ianto had to prove him right.
Position was key; putting the tree in the right place meant some of the middle branches, and another section higher up, could be reached from the catwalks. That was an encouraging start, and after more thought, Ianto came up with other ideas. If baubles were attached to tinsel, many lengths of the sparkly embellishment fastened firmly together to form long ropes, then with a bit of ingenuity they could be wound around the tree in long spirals.
The ingenious plan worked quite well, adding sparkle to a great many bare branches, but there were still a lot of gaps. Members of the team, using ladders to reach as high as they could, hung individual baubles, candy canes, and other decorations here and there on the lower half of the tree, but the upper branches were still sparsely clothed.
“Right, now it’s time for the specialist team to take over.”
Ianto filled a basket with baubles and visualised in his mind what needed to be done. Obediently the alien butterfly fluttered down from where it was perched, observing proceedings, caught the handle with its sticky feet and flew upwards, hanging in mid-air within reach of the branches, looking rather like an elaborate Christmas decoration itself. Meanwhile, the other specialist wended its way upwards, bold and fearless, to pluck bauble after bauble from the basket and hang them from the tree, using the hooks Ianto had fixed to them.
Watching Dizzy’s progress, Ianto smiled, occasionally calling out instructions. The Flufflet was having a grand time! Because it was still small and not very heavy, climbing among the branches was easy for it; there was no place on the tree that it couldn’t reach. It was even able to assist with the placement of the tinsel ropes, tweaking them so they hung more evenly. When one basket of decorations was empty, the butterfly returned for another, and another…
While Dizzy and the butterfly worked tirelessly on the tree, Nosy was busy twining tinsel around the catwalk railings, and hanging little bells from it that chimed softly and sweetly when the breeze from the air conditioning stirred them.
The human team members finished work on the lower branches and turned their attention to the strings of lights, massively long ones designed for use on outdoor trees, and the outsides of houses. Two of those, wound around the tree from top to bottom, spiralling in opposite directions, should be enough. Mickey winched Jack up to the top, where he fixed the end of the first string in place, and then it was all hands on deck to wind it slowly about the tree, passing it from person to person, slowly unravelling it from its reel as Dizzy adjusted the individual bulbs and dealt with any minor tangles.
Up went Jack again with the second string, laughing and saying he should be wearing fairy wings and a tutu. “Like Tinkerbell!”
Predictably, Owen pulled a face. “Last thing we need is you flying up there in a tutu, letting it all hang out. There are some things nobody needs to see!”
“Spoilsport!” Jack called down.
Ianto frowned up at his lover. “Mind on the job, Jack!”
“Yes, Sir!” Jack saluted with his free hand as he soared higher and higher on the end of the rope.
The second string of lights was wound with care, Dizzy slithering rapidly up and down, and from one side of the tree to the other. It stopped suddenly and hung limply over the branch it was on, panting.
“Take five, everybody!” Ianto called, bringing the rest of the decorating crew to a halt.
“Why’re we stopping?” Owen demanded. “We’re almost done!”
“Dizzy’s out of puff,” Ianto explained. “It’s been working harder than any of you and it needs a breather.”
Jack had Mickey lower him a few feet then set himself swinging back and forth until he could reach out and pluck the weary Flufflet from its branch. Back on the ground, he carried Dizzy over to Ianto, who’d moved to the sofa in the break area, and plonked it in his lap. “Looks like we’ll have to finish the job ourselves.”
Nosy slithered over and sniffed at its offspring, then slithered off again to return with a sugary Christmas cookie, urging the Flufflet to eat. Dizzy munched the cookie hungrily.
When it had hoovered up the last crumbs of its cookie, Ianto passed Dizzy to Tosh and limped to the kitchen, where he made coffee for everyone; they all needed it, but none as much as Dizzy, who slurped down three cups in quick succession, along with a couple more cookies. After a rest and the reviving caffeine and sugar boost, the little Flufflet was soon eager to get back to work, zooming up into the tree again like a turbo powered feather boa. It was quite a sight. From down below, Nosy hummed approval.
The rest of the decorating went smoothly; the remaining lights were soon hung and both strings plugged in. Ianto studied the tree from all sides, directing Dizzy and the butterfly to move a few baubles to better positions, and to adjust uneven swags of tinsel, but finally he nodded in satisfaction.
“I think we’re ready for the finishing touch.” He gave a sharp whistle and Myf leapt from the ledge outside her aerie, circling gracefully on the thermals from the Hub’s heating system before gliding down to land a few feet away.
She waddled up to Ianto to have her crest rubbed, purring contentedly.
“Time for your big moment, old girl.” Ianto picked up the star for the top of the tree and held it out to her. “You remember what to do?”
Myf cawed and delicately took the star from Ianto’s hand. Stepping back to give her room, he watched as she leapt into the air, long wings beating powerfully as she gained height.
Before clipping the ends of the light strings in place, Jack had secured a sturdy wooden post to the top three feet of the tree, and now Myf glided above it, hovered for a moment, and slotted the star into place. Everybody cheered and clapped. With a smug expression on her face, Myf swooped down to the ground again to claim her reward, a big slab of dark chocolate, broken into smaller chunks for easier swallowing. Ianto threw the pieces to her one at a time and she gulped them down eagerly. Once she was sure there was no more, she took to the air again and flew back to her ledge, the best vantage point from which to watch.
Jack used his wrist strap to turn off the Hub’s overhead lights, and then, with the butterfly perched on his head, one of its favourite places to sit, Ianto flicked the switch to illuminate the tree.
The lights flashed and sparkled, a veritable rainbow of colour, turning the usual drab grey of the Hub into a Christmas wonderland.
“See? I knew you could do it!” Jack said proudly, coming over to wrap one arm around his Welshman.
“I still have to figure out the best way to take it all down again,” Ianto reminded his lover.
“That’s not going to happen for a few weeks yet, there’s plenty of time. Besides, taking it down has to be easier than putting it all up, right? I have every confidence in you.”
Ianto wished he could be as certain.
“Now,” Jack said with a wide grin, “All that’s left is to decide where we’re going to hang all the mistletoe.”
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Owen, Tosh, Nosy, Dizzy, Myf, Mickey, Team.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Due to Jack’s extravagance, decorating the Hub for Christmas is an even bigger job than usual this year, but thankfully Ianto has plenty of willing helpers.
Word Count: 1385
Written For: Challenge 139 - Hang at beattheblackdog.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Decorating the Hub for Christmas was in full swing. From his place on the catwalk outside Jack’s office, Ianto commanded his troops, a slightly Weevil-chewed leg meaning he was unable to do much of the decorating himself.
The tree Jack had selected was immense, a good thirty feet tall. Ianto had told his lover he was insane, they didn’t have a ladder tall enough to reach the top, but Jack had been unconcerned, his belief in his lover’s ability to solve any problem set before him unshakeable.
“You’ll think of something. You always do.”
He supposed it was good that Jack had such faith in him, but even so, sometimes he seemed to think Ianto could work miracles. So of course, Ianto had to prove him right.
Position was key; putting the tree in the right place meant some of the middle branches, and another section higher up, could be reached from the catwalks. That was an encouraging start, and after more thought, Ianto came up with other ideas. If baubles were attached to tinsel, many lengths of the sparkly embellishment fastened firmly together to form long ropes, then with a bit of ingenuity they could be wound around the tree in long spirals.
The ingenious plan worked quite well, adding sparkle to a great many bare branches, but there were still a lot of gaps. Members of the team, using ladders to reach as high as they could, hung individual baubles, candy canes, and other decorations here and there on the lower half of the tree, but the upper branches were still sparsely clothed.
“Right, now it’s time for the specialist team to take over.”
Ianto filled a basket with baubles and visualised in his mind what needed to be done. Obediently the alien butterfly fluttered down from where it was perched, observing proceedings, caught the handle with its sticky feet and flew upwards, hanging in mid-air within reach of the branches, looking rather like an elaborate Christmas decoration itself. Meanwhile, the other specialist wended its way upwards, bold and fearless, to pluck bauble after bauble from the basket and hang them from the tree, using the hooks Ianto had fixed to them.
Watching Dizzy’s progress, Ianto smiled, occasionally calling out instructions. The Flufflet was having a grand time! Because it was still small and not very heavy, climbing among the branches was easy for it; there was no place on the tree that it couldn’t reach. It was even able to assist with the placement of the tinsel ropes, tweaking them so they hung more evenly. When one basket of decorations was empty, the butterfly returned for another, and another…
While Dizzy and the butterfly worked tirelessly on the tree, Nosy was busy twining tinsel around the catwalk railings, and hanging little bells from it that chimed softly and sweetly when the breeze from the air conditioning stirred them.
The human team members finished work on the lower branches and turned their attention to the strings of lights, massively long ones designed for use on outdoor trees, and the outsides of houses. Two of those, wound around the tree from top to bottom, spiralling in opposite directions, should be enough. Mickey winched Jack up to the top, where he fixed the end of the first string in place, and then it was all hands on deck to wind it slowly about the tree, passing it from person to person, slowly unravelling it from its reel as Dizzy adjusted the individual bulbs and dealt with any minor tangles.
Up went Jack again with the second string, laughing and saying he should be wearing fairy wings and a tutu. “Like Tinkerbell!”
Predictably, Owen pulled a face. “Last thing we need is you flying up there in a tutu, letting it all hang out. There are some things nobody needs to see!”
“Spoilsport!” Jack called down.
Ianto frowned up at his lover. “Mind on the job, Jack!”
“Yes, Sir!” Jack saluted with his free hand as he soared higher and higher on the end of the rope.
The second string of lights was wound with care, Dizzy slithering rapidly up and down, and from one side of the tree to the other. It stopped suddenly and hung limply over the branch it was on, panting.
“Take five, everybody!” Ianto called, bringing the rest of the decorating crew to a halt.
“Why’re we stopping?” Owen demanded. “We’re almost done!”
“Dizzy’s out of puff,” Ianto explained. “It’s been working harder than any of you and it needs a breather.”
Jack had Mickey lower him a few feet then set himself swinging back and forth until he could reach out and pluck the weary Flufflet from its branch. Back on the ground, he carried Dizzy over to Ianto, who’d moved to the sofa in the break area, and plonked it in his lap. “Looks like we’ll have to finish the job ourselves.”
Nosy slithered over and sniffed at its offspring, then slithered off again to return with a sugary Christmas cookie, urging the Flufflet to eat. Dizzy munched the cookie hungrily.
When it had hoovered up the last crumbs of its cookie, Ianto passed Dizzy to Tosh and limped to the kitchen, where he made coffee for everyone; they all needed it, but none as much as Dizzy, who slurped down three cups in quick succession, along with a couple more cookies. After a rest and the reviving caffeine and sugar boost, the little Flufflet was soon eager to get back to work, zooming up into the tree again like a turbo powered feather boa. It was quite a sight. From down below, Nosy hummed approval.
The rest of the decorating went smoothly; the remaining lights were soon hung and both strings plugged in. Ianto studied the tree from all sides, directing Dizzy and the butterfly to move a few baubles to better positions, and to adjust uneven swags of tinsel, but finally he nodded in satisfaction.
“I think we’re ready for the finishing touch.” He gave a sharp whistle and Myf leapt from the ledge outside her aerie, circling gracefully on the thermals from the Hub’s heating system before gliding down to land a few feet away.
She waddled up to Ianto to have her crest rubbed, purring contentedly.
“Time for your big moment, old girl.” Ianto picked up the star for the top of the tree and held it out to her. “You remember what to do?”
Myf cawed and delicately took the star from Ianto’s hand. Stepping back to give her room, he watched as she leapt into the air, long wings beating powerfully as she gained height.
Before clipping the ends of the light strings in place, Jack had secured a sturdy wooden post to the top three feet of the tree, and now Myf glided above it, hovered for a moment, and slotted the star into place. Everybody cheered and clapped. With a smug expression on her face, Myf swooped down to the ground again to claim her reward, a big slab of dark chocolate, broken into smaller chunks for easier swallowing. Ianto threw the pieces to her one at a time and she gulped them down eagerly. Once she was sure there was no more, she took to the air again and flew back to her ledge, the best vantage point from which to watch.
Jack used his wrist strap to turn off the Hub’s overhead lights, and then, with the butterfly perched on his head, one of its favourite places to sit, Ianto flicked the switch to illuminate the tree.
The lights flashed and sparkled, a veritable rainbow of colour, turning the usual drab grey of the Hub into a Christmas wonderland.
“See? I knew you could do it!” Jack said proudly, coming over to wrap one arm around his Welshman.
“I still have to figure out the best way to take it all down again,” Ianto reminded his lover.
“That’s not going to happen for a few weeks yet, there’s plenty of time. Besides, taking it down has to be easier than putting it all up, right? I have every confidence in you.”
Ianto wished he could be as certain.
“Now,” Jack said with a wide grin, “All that’s left is to decide where we’re going to hang all the mistletoe.”
The End