Fffc Regular Challenge 18.02 - Night, night, sleep tight

[m_findlow]

Title: Night, night, sleep tight
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Owen, Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 989 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for prompt r18.02 - Blanket at fffc
Summary: Owen has to camp out for the night, but that's not the worst of it.

Owen tossed in the narrow tent and let out an annoyed huff. 'I don't understand why we have to go without. It's cold and we have to sleep here without so much as a blanket.'

Ianto wished Owen would stop complaining. Every time he did, it only reminded him just how cold it was.

'I hate camping,' Owen continued, 'but this is even worse than usual. You've excelled yourselves this time.'

'You know, just once would it kill you to do the chivalrous thing and let someone else be the one that doesn't have to suffer?' Jack complained in response.

They were all cold, but the rest of them were just shutting up and putting up. They'd searched all day for the mysterious alien that was reportedly wandering the remote area of the beacons. They'd been certain that with all of their equipment and know how, they'd find it in no time, but as the light faded they were forced to abandon the search. It was too long a drive to go home and come back tomorrow, so Jack had suggested they make camp and resume at first light. What he hadn't counted on was the sudden drop in temperature. It had been mild during the day, even sunny at times, but a cold front had swept in catching them by surprise.

'I don't see you two suffering,' Owen muttered, glaring at Ianto who was curled up against Jack.

'Yeah, sharing one coat between the two of us,' Ianto grumbled. 'We're really living it up,' he said, as he tried his best to pull the edges of the great coat tighter around him. It was difficult considering Jack's hands were trying to tuck themselves inside and next to his body, trying to sneak into the space where Ianto's own arms were pressed against his torso. He supposed he should just be grateful for the fact that Jack's arm was tucked beneath him, his head resting in the crook of Jack's elbow, and Jack's nose pressed into his hair as they shared it. Wandering hands were a small price to pay for having a pillow.

'Stupid camping,' Owen grumbled. 'Why the hell do we only have two tents and two blankets? Two does not go into five, or can't you Welsh count?'

'We got caught short, Owen,' Jack replied. 'It wasn't as if we were expecting to be stuck out here overnight. If we had been Ianto would have packed extra supplies. This was all we had in the SUV as emergency provisions.'

He thought he was showing considerable reserve given his earlier disappointment at the lack of food in the SUV, scrounging together two muesli bars and a handful of mints, plus a few glucose sticks from their medical kit that no one really wanted. If he'd known they'd be stuck here overnight, he might not have scoffed everything Ianto had packed into their bags for their lunch. With nothing to eat and a long wait until daybreak, it made sense to just call it a night and try and sleep through the hunger pangs which clawed at his stomach. They wouldn't be heading back to civilization and food until they found what they'd come here for.

'And we wouldn't have packed you,' Ianto added. A two man tent with three of them squashed in wasn't ideal, even if he was accustomed to sharing a rather narrow sleeping space with Jack most nights. It was less about being cramped up against Jack than it was being stuck within inches of Owen for the whole night. He thought he'd be tired enough not to notice, but Owen was doing a good job of making himself as visible as possible, jostling them every time he tossed and turned.

'It still sucks,' Owen said. 'The girls get both the blankets and a tent to themselves. Bloody princesses. So much for us all being equal members of the team.'

'You're welcome to stay in their tent, but if they hear you calling them princesses, you'll be spending the night out in the elements,' Jack said. 'Be thankful we'll put up with you.' He secretly hoped Owen might continue pushing buttons so that he could evict Owen and be alone with Ianto. There were better ways for keeping warm than sharing a coat.

'Should've stayed in the SUV,' Owen said, trying to get comfortable and accidentally jabbing  his knee forcefully into Ianto's shin.

'Maybe you should have,' Ianto said, kicking him back and wishing he'd just shut up. If he couldn't hear Owen, he could almost pretend he wasn't there. It was tempting to try and roll over, putting Jack between them, or at least having his back turned, but the feeling of warmth pressed against his spine was more than he was willing to give up as the wind outside whipped their small tent. Every movement caused the tiny pocket of warm air around him to shift, letting the cold air back in. The less he moved the warmer he'd feel. Unless of course he could warm up a few muscles by strangling Owen.

'Bet those blankets are nice and warm too,' Owen continued muttering, turning over himself so he had his back to them, sulking.

'Oh, would you just shut up about the blankets!' Jack yelled. 'We're all cold, but at least some of us are man enough to suck it up.'

'Easy for you to say,' Owen retorted. 'If you freeze to death, at least you'll come back.'

'You could always huddle closer to conserve body heat,' Jack suggested, receiving a small kick to his own shin from his lover who balked at the idea.

'Changed my mind. Think I'll take my chances with death if it's all the same to you,' Owen said, ending the argument.

'Good night, Owen,' Jack teased.

'Whatever.'

'Good night, Ianto,' he added.

Ianto huffed without replying. Good wasn't the first word that sprang to mind.

Comments

[bk_forever]

I'd be tempted to kick Owen out of the tent, or leave him there and take refuge in the SUV.Now I feel cold!