Torchwood: Fanfic: Hideaway

[m_findlow]

Title: Hideaway
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Owen, Tosh
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 773 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for crookedspoon's prompt "Any, any, no lock on the door" at fic_promptly
Summary: The secret to a good hiding place is that no one else knows about it

There are plenty of parts of the hub that rarely ever get used. It's so huge that you can easily get lost, and sometimes it's a wonder why they made the place so big, given how few of them have ever worked there. Sure, they need storage space, but the rest of the hub is just a massive labyrinth of tunnels and rooms, that seem to go on forever.

The combined factors of there being so very many rooms and so very few staff, means that the upkeep of the hub is an almost impossible task. They've simply come to accept that there are whole sections which simply have to remain in a state of disrepair. Even with a whole army of people, it would be a full time job just to keep the whole of the space clean and in working order.

It doesn't mean that Ianto isn't frustrated by the fact that they have whole parts of the hub left to got to pot. Whenever possible, he tries to tackle little chunks of it, just to make himself feel better, and also to ensure that no alien grime is slowly growing down there, working it's way up to a point where it can take over the entire hub, growing whilst they leave it there unattended and unwatched. Or that's what he likes to tell himself, anyway. The hub's over a hundred years old, and no one has been taken over by alien dirt so far. Better safe than sorry, though.

The afternoon off is unexpected, as is the list of things on his desk which has shrunken to a very manageable pile of only a few dozen items. Given that, it seems a good time to tackle that store room down on level four that's been playing on his mind for ages. He half started it weeks ago, thinking that it would be a good space for them to clear out and set up as a temporary accommodation room for when they had non hostile guests, or even just as an alternative space for one of the team to kip for a few hours, when the sofa was already occupied.

Jack and Owen had wholeheartedly agreed that it was an excellent idea, and that Ianto should go ahead and do whatever was necessary to get the room up to scratch.

Knowing that he now had a whole afternoon free to dedicate to the task, he set up everything he thought he'd need as far as cleaning supplies, placing them in a large blue plastic bucket. The room was reasonably clean already, having given it the once over the first time he'd been down there, but now he intended to go back and strip it back properly, getting rid of the manky old mattresses and furniture that were stacked up in there.

Bucket in one hand, and mop in the other, he proceeded down several flights of stairs to reach the secluded spot, not too far from the main hub, but just far enough away from the main hustle and bustle to make it the perfect spot for a bit of peace and quiet for its future occupants.

He'd already prepared himself for the smell, his over sensitive nose cringing at the though of the musty old furniture he'd have to finally move out and dispose of.

He'd been so distracted by thoughts of rotting mattresses, sugar soap and fresh coats of paint, that when he pushed his way through the door with his hip, he didn't see them straight away. When finally he turned his head, he was surprised to find Owen and Tosh inside, snogging the living daylights out of one another, oblivious to his entrance.

He felt his face turn bright red, even though he wasn't sure why he should be the one to feel embarrassed. Obviously Owen had remembered their discussions from a few weeks ago, else it was an impossible coincidence that he'd thought to use this particular room for his flagrante delicto.

Tosh caught sight of him first, letting out a small squeal and breaking away from Owen.

'Sorry,' Ianto apologised. 'I didn't realise the room was occupied.'

'Don't you knock first?' Owen grumbled.

'Not for empty store rooms with no lock on the door.'

'We should go,' Tosh said, trying to rush out of the room, humiliated at being caught in the act.

'Yeah,' Owen agreed. 'The whole bloody hub and Teaboy here wants to have this room,' he griped grabbing Tosh's hand and pulling her along with him.

'You can have it back after it's clean!' Ianto yelled at the retreating pair.

Comments

[bk_forever]

That empty storeroom has suddenly become awfully popular! I'm sure it will be even more so once Ianto's got it cleared out, freshened up, and refurnished!

Good to see Tosh and Owen getting some action together though =)