m_findlow

Title: On your bike
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,226 words
Content notes: Written for Challenge 25 - Cycle at beattheblackdog
Summary: The boys are off for a two wheeled adventure

'Come on, you can dink with me,' Jack offered.

'I don't dink with anyone,' he replied hautily, looking at the rusty old bicycle. 'Not even you.'

'Everyone rides around the city,' Jack explained. 'You can walk if you like, but I promise you, you're much safer on a bike.'

Taking in the sight of the many hundreds of people clamoring by in the limited space, going about their day, he had to admit Jack had a point. Pedestrians were likely to be knocked over, run down or just generally jostled by the plethora of two wheeled commuters, which was to say nothing of trying to carry bags laden with goods that would get caught in handles or spokes.

'Alright,' he conceded. 'But couldn't we get two bicycles, or at least one with two seats?'

'Find me a two seater and I'll buy it for you,' Jack said, confident in the knowledge that Ianto wouldn't find one.

'How come I have to dink on the front?'

'Do you know how to get to the Elysian Springs from here?' He raised an eyebrow at Ianto in much the same way that Ianto usually did to him when he had the upper hand.

'I hate it when you're right all the time,' he complained.

Jack laughed. 'I know. But I promise you can be ten kinds of clever later.'

Ianto clambered ungracefully onto the handlebars, putting a foot on the front mud guard to steady himself. Jack didn't wait for him before taking off headlong into the throng.

Ianto was glad for the casual clothes he was wearing, knowing this would have been much harder in a suit. Suits just didn't seem the right attire for someone on holiday.

He gripped the handlebars tightly as Jack sped them through the city. Somehow this had always been easier when he was a kid, tearing around the estate with his sister and all of their friends. Now as an adult, this seemed a far more perilous affair.

Jack wasted no time in darting through the busy market streets, making tight turns and squeezing through gaps between people that seemed to be way too slim for them to fit through. And all of that with Ianto in front of him, obstructing his view. He was just as crazy as the rest of them. Ianto hadn't seen this many people vying for the same space since they'd been in India a few years ago. That had been a madhouse of people and animals, pushbikes and motorcars. This wasn't far from it.

The air was warm and the sun shining on the busy city. Despite the crowds, the movement of the bike through the crowds caused the air the rush though his hair and whip at his loose cotton shirt, taking the sting out of the sun's heat. After a lifetime of British weather, the heat and humidity was still taking some getting used to.

It was that same heat that filled his nose with the smells all around him. Spices of all kinds, charring meats that made his mouth water, the pungent smell of live animals for sale, and the sugary sweet smell of local fruits and baked goods. He wanted to stop and try them all but Jack had promised him they'd return to explore the markets properly another day. He was so distracted by the sights and sounds that he'd almost forgotten to cling tightly to the front of the bicycle. For now he was being taken somewhere else.

The crowded streets began to dissipate as they grew further and further away from the main city centre, giving way to more open roads and the first hints of greenery. No sooner had they reached the outskirts of the city than the track delved into lush green rainforest that circled the city on all sides until it flowed all the way down to the ocean shore. The crowded heat of the marketplace was nothing compared to the stifling humidity contained beneath the tall canopy of trees, giving welcome home to hundreds of ferns, bromeliads, and creeping vines that snaked their way up the enormously tall trees.

The path wound onwards and upwards as they climbed into the hills that rose beyond the city. Ianto could hear Jack puffing from the effort.

'Come on old man,' Ianto joked.

'Bet you're... glad that I'm.... doing all the pedaling now....'

'I knew there was a reason I was keeping you around.'

'You mean it isn't for my matinee idol looks,... obvious charm,... and amazing sex?'

'Those are all just bonuses,' Ianto confirmed. 'How much further?'

'Quite a ways yet.'

Ianto offered for them to switch places, allowing them to share in the strenuous exercise. After a long few miles of swapping hill climbing duties they both dismounted and continued on foot when the path grew too steep.

The track eventually leveled off and began descending back down the other side of the mountain. They hopped back on the bike and continued downhill at a gentle pace, glad for the small rush of air past their damp, sweat soaked bodies. At a fork in the track, Jack turned left and proceeded down a far less worn path than the right had one had looked.

'Are you sure this is the right way?' he asked skeptically, thinking about how sore his arse was from being perched awkwardly on the metal handlebars. The last thing he wanted was to be on the wrong trail for miles more and to have to come all the way back. He might not be able to walk after that.

'Trust me.'

The chatter and chirp of birds and insects grew louder, and the vines and low hanging branches crept closer, clawing at them as they trundled past. Just when Ianto was convinced they truly were lost, the sound of tricking water grew louder, until it was as loud as a rushing river. The track then suddenly opened out into a small clearing, and before them lay a wide gorge. The sound Ianto could hear had been the water rushing over giant boulders that tumbled down its length into a large, deep pool of clear, green water. It was so stunning that he was just stood there, gaping at it, and hadn't noticed Jack disrobing until he shot past Ianto at a run, screaming and whooping as he leapt up onto one of the giant boulders and used it as a springboard to bomb into the crystal waters, sending a tidal wave of ripples from his epicenter and disrupting the serenity.

Ianto rolled his eyes, but quickly peeled off his own sticky clothes to join him in the cool waters. They swam and splashed and played for what seemed like an eternity, finally clambering up onto one of the huge boulders and laying on its warm surface to dry out, eventually falling asleep. When they woke, it was late into the afternoon, and they knew they'd reluctantly have to start heading back before it grew too dark.

As they pedaled back into town at dusk, the smells of hot food and spices greeted them once more.

'So what did you think?' Jack asked. 'Was it worth the trip?'

'Definitely.'

'No honeymoon would be perfect without it,' Jack agreed.

'Well, since we've been honeymooning for over six months, it would seem a shame not to.'