m_findlow

Title: Brew, drink, repeat
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 567 - Trick at slashthedrabble
Summary: Ianto has mastered one skill that Jack will never take for granted.

Ianto let his eyes drift shut as the sounds of the Torchwood coffee machine began to hum all around the kitchen. To most it was probably just noise, but to him it was like a symphony of perfection. Every sound had its own meaning as he could tell if any one part of the complex machine wasn't operating at perfect efficiency. Like a car enthusiast he was attuned to every little sound it made.

He could have almost done this blindfolded but there was something he enjoyed about watching coffee be created from absolutely nothing. Who knew that such a trivial little thing as a bean from a plant, roasted and ground up just the right way and water at just the right temperature strained through its groundings could produce the most heavenly beverage ever known to man. Those ancient Amazonians were geniuses.

His fingers danced across the machine, taking the grindings and pressing them into the filter that would be inserted into the machine. A press of another button set the boiling water to work, and another to steaming the milk. For him, and for Jack, milk wasn't necessary, and to some extent, ruined the flavour of the bitter beans, but there were times when a cappuccino was called for, and the rest of the team simply couldn't drink anything Ianto crafted black, even with sugar. Heathens, he might have called them, but to each his own. Coffee was meant to be enjoyed - savoured even - so provided that he made each and every cup just how the team liked it, so that they could all enjoy the wonders of coffee, that was what mattered most.

He breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of something that was almost unsurpassable, except for maybe the way Jack smelled, and that was beyond comprehension.

'Someone's enjoying themselves,' Jack's voice filtered behind him, approaching so that he could eventually be close enough that he could stand right behind Ianto and watch over his shoulder as he put the final touches on Jack's coffee.

'We all have our weaknesses,' he admitted, barely pausing in his motions despite Jack's arms wrapping around his hips.

'Don't I know it,' Jack purred, nuzzling Ianto's earlobe with the tip of his nose. 'I like mine pinstriped.'

'A little hard to do inside a mug,' Ianto teased. 'You'll have to live with stripes on the outside instead,' he replied, lifting up the blue and white striped cup, giving it one last sniff of approval before handing it to Jack who reluctantly abandoned his grip around Ianto.

Jack too lifted the mug to his nose, inhaling deeply before taking a sip and moaning in the most obscene way possible. 'God, Ianto. I still don't know how you do it. You may be a one trick pony-'

Ianto quickly cut him off. 'One trick pony? I assure you I have many talents.' As Jack well knew.

'That you do,' Jack finally agreed, 'but this is one trick I don't mind being repeated.'