Ficlet: Beating The Cold
Title: Beating The Cold
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Rift retrievals in winter can be hazardous; you never know what the weather will throw at you.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 514 - Frozen at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
One of the worst things about Torchwood was that you couldn’t just stay indoors when the weather was unpleasant. Whenever the Rift dropped something somewhere in Cardiff or its surroundings, someone had to find it and bring it back to the Hub, because there was no way of knowing in advance whether it might be something dangerous. Usually it wasn’t a weapon or a bomb, or anything like that, more often than not it was merely some object or piece of tech misplaced in time, but objects didn’t need to be lethal to be dangerous. The discovery of some advance in technology a century too soon could do irreparable harm to the timelines, so everything had to be collected as quickly as possible, before it could get into the hands of the wrong people.
That was why Jack and Ianto were trekking through Pontcanna Fields, up near the Taff, on a bitingly cold day. A strong northeasterly was blowing, and although it wasn’t currently snowing, there were several inches on the ground.
Despite heavy boots, two pairs of thick socks, jeans and sweater, his warmest winter coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, Ianto was freezing. Jack looked marginally better, wrapped in his greatcoat, a long scarf wound around his neck so many times only his eyes were visible above it, and a woolly bobble hat resembling a tea cosy on his head.
“We’d better hurry up and find this thing,” Ianto mumbled, voice muffled by his own scarf.
“We’re close.” Jack checked the PDA in his hand. “Should be just over there.”
Naturally they had to dig for it, finally uncovering a small object that resembled a crystalline pinecone. Jack bunged it in the box they’d brought with them and they set off following their own tracks in the snow towards where they’d left the SUV. By now Ianto’s feet were numb with cold. So were his ears because his hat kept riding up and leaving them exposed to the icy wind.
It started snowing again when they were almost within sight of the road, and they picked up the pace as best they could, floundering along, clinging to each other, so neither of them would get lost in the blizzard. It was a huge relief to finally make out the black bulk of the SUV looming through the swirling flakes.
Jack unlocked the doors and ushered Ianto in first, scrambling in after him.
“This is the backseat,” Ianto pointed out, blinking snowflakes off his eyelashes.
“I know. Even I’m not a big enough idiot to try driving in these conditions, so we might as well cuddle up together for warmth until the snow eases off.”
“Warmth? I’m frozen!”
“Exactly.” Jack reached into the boot for a couple of emergency blankets. “Take your coat off.”
Cuddled up with Jack beneath blankets and coats, watching the snow falling outside was surprisingly romantic, and thanks to Jack’s kisses, Ianto soon felt warm as toast. This was how every cold day should be spent.
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Rift retrievals in winter can be hazardous; you never know what the weather will throw at you.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 514 - Frozen at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
One of the worst things about Torchwood was that you couldn’t just stay indoors when the weather was unpleasant. Whenever the Rift dropped something somewhere in Cardiff or its surroundings, someone had to find it and bring it back to the Hub, because there was no way of knowing in advance whether it might be something dangerous. Usually it wasn’t a weapon or a bomb, or anything like that, more often than not it was merely some object or piece of tech misplaced in time, but objects didn’t need to be lethal to be dangerous. The discovery of some advance in technology a century too soon could do irreparable harm to the timelines, so everything had to be collected as quickly as possible, before it could get into the hands of the wrong people.
That was why Jack and Ianto were trekking through Pontcanna Fields, up near the Taff, on a bitingly cold day. A strong northeasterly was blowing, and although it wasn’t currently snowing, there were several inches on the ground.
Despite heavy boots, two pairs of thick socks, jeans and sweater, his warmest winter coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, Ianto was freezing. Jack looked marginally better, wrapped in his greatcoat, a long scarf wound around his neck so many times only his eyes were visible above it, and a woolly bobble hat resembling a tea cosy on his head.
“We’d better hurry up and find this thing,” Ianto mumbled, voice muffled by his own scarf.
“We’re close.” Jack checked the PDA in his hand. “Should be just over there.”
Naturally they had to dig for it, finally uncovering a small object that resembled a crystalline pinecone. Jack bunged it in the box they’d brought with them and they set off following their own tracks in the snow towards where they’d left the SUV. By now Ianto’s feet were numb with cold. So were his ears because his hat kept riding up and leaving them exposed to the icy wind.
It started snowing again when they were almost within sight of the road, and they picked up the pace as best they could, floundering along, clinging to each other, so neither of them would get lost in the blizzard. It was a huge relief to finally make out the black bulk of the SUV looming through the swirling flakes.
Jack unlocked the doors and ushered Ianto in first, scrambling in after him.
“This is the backseat,” Ianto pointed out, blinking snowflakes off his eyelashes.
“I know. Even I’m not a big enough idiot to try driving in these conditions, so we might as well cuddle up together for warmth until the snow eases off.”
“Warmth? I’m frozen!”
“Exactly.” Jack reached into the boot for a couple of emergency blankets. “Take your coat off.”
Cuddled up with Jack beneath blankets and coats, watching the snow falling outside was surprisingly romantic, and thanks to Jack’s kisses, Ianto soon felt warm as toast. This was how every cold day should be spent.
The End