Fic: Snowy Night
Title: Snowy Night
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Snow is falling heavily over Cardiff; Jack and Ianto have found a good vantage point to watch it from.
Word Count: 1043
Written For: The newyearcntdown prompt ‘Fresh Snow’.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Standing on a high rooftop at a safe distance from the edge, wrapped up warm against the bitterly cold winter night, Jack and Ianto watched the snow fall over the city in fat, fluffy white flakes, like the feathers shed by moulting angels.
There was no traffic moving on the streets below, and no late-night revellers laughing as they staggered their drunken way back home; the hour was too late even for them. Most people would be safe and warm at home, tucked up in their beds asleep, hopefully dreaming pleasant dreams.
Ianto tipped his head back, letting the snowflakes settle on his face, icy-cold kisses to his cheeks, forehead, and lips, while Jack stuck out his tongue in an effort to catch them, going almost cross-eyed. He gave up after a moment and stared at his lover.
“I thought you hated snow.”
“I do, when it’s lying on the ground for weeks, getting frozen, or slushy and dirty grey, but when it’s freshly fallen it looks beautiful.” Ianto wiped snow from his eyelashes. “As long as we’re not trying to chase Weevils through it, or stop an invasion, or deal with a dangerous piece of alien technology.”
“Snow does make parts of our job more difficult,” Jack allowed. “But then there’s snowball fights, and making snow angels, and building snowmen!”
“And digging the car out in the morning, shovelling the pavement, spreading salt and grit…” Ianto grinned at Jack. “Just like everything else, snow has its share of good and bad points. You only look at the fun parts.”
“And you focus on the downsides.” Jack smiled and pulled Ianto’s woolly hat further down over his lover’s ears where it had ridden up. “That’s why we’re so good together.”
“One of many reasons.” Ianto looked out across the city, the twinkling lights barely visible through the snow; the rooftops around them were already covered, and from the look of the sky, what could be seen of it through the drifting flakes, there was a lot more still to come.
Such heavy snow was rare in a coastal town like Cardiff, where temperatures tended to be a few degrees warmer than the rest of the country, but if it kept falling the way it was, there’d be several inches by the time the sun came up.
“Cardiff’s going to look like a Christmas card.” Jack seemed pleased by that thought. “We should take a photograph and use it on all our cards.”
Ianto snorted. “Yes, because the most secret organisation in Britain really needs to send out personalised Christmas cards.”
Jack dug an elbow into Ianto’s well-padded ribs, buried beneath a warm sweater and a winter coat almost as thick as his own faithful greatcoat. “Not the team’s cards, our own. You know, the ones we send to your family, and our friends.”
“Which, aside from the team, would add up to… Oh, four cards? Rhi and her family, Martha, Her Majesty, and D.I. Swanson. Am I forgetting anyone?”
“What about Martha’s parents, your neighbours, and… and…” Jack trailed off, frowning. “Don’t we have more friends?” His shoulders drooped. “I thought we did.”
“What our friends lack in quantity, they make up for in quality.”
“That’s true.” Jack’s smile returned. “So, what d’you say? Take a picture of snow-covered Cardiff and make our own cards this year? We don’t have to be in the photo.” Ianto wasn’t fond of having his picture taken.
“Well, if we can get a good one once the sun rises, but only if you promise not to go overboard with the glitter. It’s still turning up from the card you made me for Valentine’s Day two years ago.”
“It didn’t stick as well as I thought it would,” Jack admitted.
“Glitter never does; it likes spreading itself around.”
They fell silent for a few minutes, arms around each other, watching the hypnotically falling snow, then Jack had a brilliant idea.
“You know what we should do?”
“Not in the snow, Jack! We may both be immortal, but there are some places I really DON’T want to get frostbite!”
“Not that! Even I’m not stupid enough to suggest sex on a rooftop in a snowstorm!”
“I’m relieved to hear it. Surprised, but definitely relieved.”
“Well, good. I think. Anyway, we should build a snowman.”
“What?” Ianto turned, an incredulous expression on his face. “Up here?”
“It would be brilliant! A snowman appearing overnight on the roof of one of Cardiff’s office buildings. People would be so confused!”
“You’re mental!”
“Oh, come on. It would be fun! I bet nobody’s ever built one up here! There’s plenty of snow.” By now it was almost three inches deep.
Ianto hesitated a moment longer, but… “I suppose it couldn’t do any harm.”
“Yes!” Spinning Ianto around, Jack kissed him into the middle of next week, or that was how it felt to Ianto; Jack’s kisses had that effect on him. “Come on, I’ll make the body and you can make the head!”
It was still dark when the two men made their way back to ground level and slipped unnoticed out of the building to make their way back to the Hub. The snow was still coming down, and although not as heavy as it had been earlier, it was enough to cover their footprints.
When the sun came up, people arriving for work in some of the high-rise offices were treated to the sight of a cheerful snowman wearing a red scarf, standing on the rooftop opposite. It wasn’t long before the picture was appearing on the TV news.
In Jack’s office, Ianto watched the news segment alongside his lover.
“I still don’t get why we had to use my scarf.”
“It needed to be knotted so it wouldn’t blow away, and mine was too short,” Jack pointed out.
“I’m never getting it back, am I?”
“I’ll buy you a new one, I promise, as soon as the shops open. Now, which of the photos we took should we use for our Christmas card?” Jack beamed up at his lover; he loved the snow, even if Ianto wasn’t so keen. Still, they’d already built a snowman, and if he played things right, maybe Ianto would indulge him in a snowball fight later…
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Snow is falling heavily over Cardiff; Jack and Ianto have found a good vantage point to watch it from.
Word Count: 1043
Written For: The newyearcntdown prompt ‘Fresh Snow’.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Standing on a high rooftop at a safe distance from the edge, wrapped up warm against the bitterly cold winter night, Jack and Ianto watched the snow fall over the city in fat, fluffy white flakes, like the feathers shed by moulting angels.
There was no traffic moving on the streets below, and no late-night revellers laughing as they staggered their drunken way back home; the hour was too late even for them. Most people would be safe and warm at home, tucked up in their beds asleep, hopefully dreaming pleasant dreams.
Ianto tipped his head back, letting the snowflakes settle on his face, icy-cold kisses to his cheeks, forehead, and lips, while Jack stuck out his tongue in an effort to catch them, going almost cross-eyed. He gave up after a moment and stared at his lover.
“I thought you hated snow.”
“I do, when it’s lying on the ground for weeks, getting frozen, or slushy and dirty grey, but when it’s freshly fallen it looks beautiful.” Ianto wiped snow from his eyelashes. “As long as we’re not trying to chase Weevils through it, or stop an invasion, or deal with a dangerous piece of alien technology.”
“Snow does make parts of our job more difficult,” Jack allowed. “But then there’s snowball fights, and making snow angels, and building snowmen!”
“And digging the car out in the morning, shovelling the pavement, spreading salt and grit…” Ianto grinned at Jack. “Just like everything else, snow has its share of good and bad points. You only look at the fun parts.”
“And you focus on the downsides.” Jack smiled and pulled Ianto’s woolly hat further down over his lover’s ears where it had ridden up. “That’s why we’re so good together.”
“One of many reasons.” Ianto looked out across the city, the twinkling lights barely visible through the snow; the rooftops around them were already covered, and from the look of the sky, what could be seen of it through the drifting flakes, there was a lot more still to come.
Such heavy snow was rare in a coastal town like Cardiff, where temperatures tended to be a few degrees warmer than the rest of the country, but if it kept falling the way it was, there’d be several inches by the time the sun came up.
“Cardiff’s going to look like a Christmas card.” Jack seemed pleased by that thought. “We should take a photograph and use it on all our cards.”
Ianto snorted. “Yes, because the most secret organisation in Britain really needs to send out personalised Christmas cards.”
Jack dug an elbow into Ianto’s well-padded ribs, buried beneath a warm sweater and a winter coat almost as thick as his own faithful greatcoat. “Not the team’s cards, our own. You know, the ones we send to your family, and our friends.”
“Which, aside from the team, would add up to… Oh, four cards? Rhi and her family, Martha, Her Majesty, and D.I. Swanson. Am I forgetting anyone?”
“What about Martha’s parents, your neighbours, and… and…” Jack trailed off, frowning. “Don’t we have more friends?” His shoulders drooped. “I thought we did.”
“What our friends lack in quantity, they make up for in quality.”
“That’s true.” Jack’s smile returned. “So, what d’you say? Take a picture of snow-covered Cardiff and make our own cards this year? We don’t have to be in the photo.” Ianto wasn’t fond of having his picture taken.
“Well, if we can get a good one once the sun rises, but only if you promise not to go overboard with the glitter. It’s still turning up from the card you made me for Valentine’s Day two years ago.”
“It didn’t stick as well as I thought it would,” Jack admitted.
“Glitter never does; it likes spreading itself around.”
They fell silent for a few minutes, arms around each other, watching the hypnotically falling snow, then Jack had a brilliant idea.
“You know what we should do?”
“Not in the snow, Jack! We may both be immortal, but there are some places I really DON’T want to get frostbite!”
“Not that! Even I’m not stupid enough to suggest sex on a rooftop in a snowstorm!”
“I’m relieved to hear it. Surprised, but definitely relieved.”
“Well, good. I think. Anyway, we should build a snowman.”
“What?” Ianto turned, an incredulous expression on his face. “Up here?”
“It would be brilliant! A snowman appearing overnight on the roof of one of Cardiff’s office buildings. People would be so confused!”
“You’re mental!”
“Oh, come on. It would be fun! I bet nobody’s ever built one up here! There’s plenty of snow.” By now it was almost three inches deep.
Ianto hesitated a moment longer, but… “I suppose it couldn’t do any harm.”
“Yes!” Spinning Ianto around, Jack kissed him into the middle of next week, or that was how it felt to Ianto; Jack’s kisses had that effect on him. “Come on, I’ll make the body and you can make the head!”
It was still dark when the two men made their way back to ground level and slipped unnoticed out of the building to make their way back to the Hub. The snow was still coming down, and although not as heavy as it had been earlier, it was enough to cover their footprints.
When the sun came up, people arriving for work in some of the high-rise offices were treated to the sight of a cheerful snowman wearing a red scarf, standing on the rooftop opposite. It wasn’t long before the picture was appearing on the TV news.
In Jack’s office, Ianto watched the news segment alongside his lover.
“I still don’t get why we had to use my scarf.”
“It needed to be knotted so it wouldn’t blow away, and mine was too short,” Jack pointed out.
“I’m never getting it back, am I?”
“I’ll buy you a new one, I promise, as soon as the shops open. Now, which of the photos we took should we use for our Christmas card?” Jack beamed up at his lover; he loved the snow, even if Ianto wasn’t so keen. Still, they’d already built a snowman, and if he played things right, maybe Ianto would indulge him in a snowball fight later…
The End