Summer in Cardiff
“I’m hot!” Owen’s voice bellowed unhappily across the Hub.
“We’re all hot,” Tosh replied, not even looking away from her screen.
“We call it summer,” Gwen put in with a grin.
Owen pulled a face at her. "I'm sorry, it's not something I've experienced in Wales before; I must have missed the clues in the rain we get 364 days a year."
Ianto stepped forward before Gwen could defend their national pride and bring the temperature up even higher.
"I'll go out and get us something to help us cool down shall I?"
Receiving a vague grunt of assent from Owen, a "thank you" from Tosh and a nod from Jack, he turned to go.
Gwen stood and called after him, "Fancy some company?"
Ianto smiled and held out the crook of his elbow, "Sounds delightful Ms Cooper."
Gwen returned his smile, hurried to join him, and they headed into the lift together.
They emerged from the tourist office door, blinking in the strong sunlight.
"Bloody hell, it's even hotter out here," Gwen said.
"At least there's a breeze coming off the sea." Ianto said as they wandered, still arm in arm, to the edge of the boardwalk and leant on the rail.
Gwen took a deep breath and let the light wind play through her hair for a moment, before turning to look up at Ianto. Sweat beaded around his hairline and gave his hair an added curl. And yet his tie was still knotted tight and his jacket was on. She smiled and shook her head.
"C'mon," she said, tugging his arm gently, "I saw a new drink stand up in the Plass on my way in this morning; let's go and have a look."
Ianto let himself be pulled away from the railing and they wandered contentedly along the boardwalk and up into the Plass. Gwen led him to a mobile stand that had been set up on the outside edge of the Plass.
"Hello," she said to the young woman tending the stall, "Lemonade is it?" she asked, looking at the sign.
"Freshly made to our own recipe. The best on Earth! You can have a little taster before you buy," the girl said proudly.
Gwen looked at Ianto and tried to adopt a series expression, "Well, it wouldn't be right to take anything back that wasn't good would it?"
Ianto mirrored her look, "That would just be irresponsible."
They exchanged grins again and the girl smiled with them. She turned a tap on the glass tank that held the lemonade and poured three fingers each into two glasses. Ianto and Gwen both took a couple of steps back to allow some new customers close to the stand and sipped from their plastic glasses.
Their eyes widened as one, and they stared at each other as they ran the liquid around their mouths.
"That's bloody brilliant!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Fantastic," Ianto agreed taking another swig and then another until the glass was empty. They looked at each other and Gwen started to giggle.
"This is really lush," Gwen said as she laughed.
"Fuckin' A," Ianto returned with a renewed fit of giggles.
"I don't care about being hot anymore."
"I don't care about anything anymore. I'm going to take my tie off." Ianto announced, gripping the cup between his teeth as he did.
"I want more," Gwen announced.
"I want a lot more."
"Shall we get another for ourselves before we take it to the others? It's too nice to share."
"Yes! More, I want more!" Ianto said in an almost childlike way.
They returned to the vendor, grinning madly and bought a full cup each. They stood back again and drunk it quickly.
"When are we going to admit that this is far too good to be terrestrial?" Gwen asked Ianto as she drained the cup.
"It think we should have some more, just to be certain," Ianto replied.
"Yes!" Gwen agreed, "I'll get them." She turned and bought another two glasses which were drunk as quickly as the last. After the first mouthful they were giggling so much that it made drinking it tricky, but they persevered.
"It seems a shame to close it down," Gwen said, still giggling, but looking sadly at the bottom of her once again empty cup.
"Yeah," Ianto agreed, "Best do it though. Confiscate what's left and get the recipe."
"Why bother getting the recipe?" Gwen discovered that looking confused and giggling at the same time was even trickier than looking sad and giggling.
Ianto gave her a level gaze, sobering himself. "I'm going to lace Owen's coffee with it."
Gwen and Ianto collapsed onto each other in a renewed fit of giggling. Sadly they were laughing so hard, they failed to see the girl quietly pack up her cart and wheel it quickly away…
“We’re all hot,” Tosh replied, not even looking away from her screen.
“We call it summer,” Gwen put in with a grin.
Owen pulled a face at her. "I'm sorry, it's not something I've experienced in Wales before; I must have missed the clues in the rain we get 364 days a year."
Ianto stepped forward before Gwen could defend their national pride and bring the temperature up even higher.
"I'll go out and get us something to help us cool down shall I?"
Receiving a vague grunt of assent from Owen, a "thank you" from Tosh and a nod from Jack, he turned to go.
Gwen stood and called after him, "Fancy some company?"
Ianto smiled and held out the crook of his elbow, "Sounds delightful Ms Cooper."
Gwen returned his smile, hurried to join him, and they headed into the lift together.
They emerged from the tourist office door, blinking in the strong sunlight.
"Bloody hell, it's even hotter out here," Gwen said.
"At least there's a breeze coming off the sea." Ianto said as they wandered, still arm in arm, to the edge of the boardwalk and leant on the rail.
Gwen took a deep breath and let the light wind play through her hair for a moment, before turning to look up at Ianto. Sweat beaded around his hairline and gave his hair an added curl. And yet his tie was still knotted tight and his jacket was on. She smiled and shook her head.
"C'mon," she said, tugging his arm gently, "I saw a new drink stand up in the Plass on my way in this morning; let's go and have a look."
Ianto let himself be pulled away from the railing and they wandered contentedly along the boardwalk and up into the Plass. Gwen led him to a mobile stand that had been set up on the outside edge of the Plass.
"Hello," she said to the young woman tending the stall, "Lemonade is it?" she asked, looking at the sign.
"Freshly made to our own recipe. The best on Earth! You can have a little taster before you buy," the girl said proudly.
Gwen looked at Ianto and tried to adopt a series expression, "Well, it wouldn't be right to take anything back that wasn't good would it?"
Ianto mirrored her look, "That would just be irresponsible."
They exchanged grins again and the girl smiled with them. She turned a tap on the glass tank that held the lemonade and poured three fingers each into two glasses. Ianto and Gwen both took a couple of steps back to allow some new customers close to the stand and sipped from their plastic glasses.
Their eyes widened as one, and they stared at each other as they ran the liquid around their mouths.
"That's bloody brilliant!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Fantastic," Ianto agreed taking another swig and then another until the glass was empty. They looked at each other and Gwen started to giggle.
"This is really lush," Gwen said as she laughed.
"Fuckin' A," Ianto returned with a renewed fit of giggles.
"I don't care about being hot anymore."
"I don't care about anything anymore. I'm going to take my tie off." Ianto announced, gripping the cup between his teeth as he did.
"I want more," Gwen announced.
"I want a lot more."
"Shall we get another for ourselves before we take it to the others? It's too nice to share."
"Yes! More, I want more!" Ianto said in an almost childlike way.
They returned to the vendor, grinning madly and bought a full cup each. They stood back again and drunk it quickly.
"When are we going to admit that this is far too good to be terrestrial?" Gwen asked Ianto as she drained the cup.
"It think we should have some more, just to be certain," Ianto replied.
"Yes!" Gwen agreed, "I'll get them." She turned and bought another two glasses which were drunk as quickly as the last. After the first mouthful they were giggling so much that it made drinking it tricky, but they persevered.
"It seems a shame to close it down," Gwen said, still giggling, but looking sadly at the bottom of her once again empty cup.
"Yeah," Ianto agreed, "Best do it though. Confiscate what's left and get the recipe."
"Why bother getting the recipe?" Gwen discovered that looking confused and giggling at the same time was even trickier than looking sad and giggling.
Ianto gave her a level gaze, sobering himself. "I'm going to lace Owen's coffee with it."
Gwen and Ianto collapsed onto each other in a renewed fit of giggling. Sadly they were laughing so hard, they failed to see the girl quietly pack up her cart and wheel it quickly away…