Anythingdrabble Challenge 153 - Danger from above

[m_findlow]

Title: Danger from above
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Ianto
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG.
Notes: Written for Challenge 153 - Sky at anythingdrabble
Summary: Being Torchwood means facing danger at every turn, even on a beautiful day.

Jack shrugged out of his coat and thoughtlessly threw it sideways. Fortunately, and just as expected, Ianto was there to catch it as it came flying at him. Jack turned his face to the sky, letting the sun beat down on it. 'Isn't it a beautiful day? Just look at that sky!'

Ianto fussed with folding Jack's coat hanging it neatly over his arm. 'I tend not to trust the skies, sir.'

Jack groaned and rolled his eyes. 'You Welsh are all the same, y'know? You whinge and moan about the weather when it's awful, and then when the clouds finally part and let through that gorgeous sunshine, you still look down your nose at it.'

'I have no problem with the weather,' Ianto argued. 'It's the rift that bothers me about casting my gaze skyward. I figure if you don't look up, you can't see anything that might be about to kill you.'

Jack paused in his stroll along the edge of the Sennedd Building and studied the young man. 'That's a very grim way of going about your life, Ianto. You're meant to grab life by both horns and never let it go. You fight tooth and nail for every last breath.'

'I intend to.'

'How long have you been here in Cardiff now?'

'Fourteen months,' he replied without having to think about it.

'Right. So, you know all about the rift now.'

'As much as one can glean from the shambolic record keeping, sir.'

Jack let the insult slide. 'Then you should also know that things don't just fall out of the sky. That's not how the rift works. A tear can open up anywhere, big, small, and nobody knows what will come through until we get there.'

Ianto took the lesson in the spirit it was given. 'Variety is the spice of life.'

Jack smiled. 'Indeed it is. And as for enjoying the beautiful weather, I might add-' Jack didn't get a chance to finish the sentence. Something clubbed him hard from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground. His head throbbed as he touched the large lump forming there with just a hint of blood. 'Ow,' he moaned, staying down on the ground as Ianto knelt beside him. 'What just happened?'

Ianto gave a sympathetic look, but it was tinged with something else. Satisfaction? No, it couldn't be. Ianto would never take pleasure in something hurting him. 'Something fell out of the sky and hit you.'

Oh. Jack touched the painful lump again. 'But that's...'

'Statistically near impossible? Totally bonkers? Unbelievably bad luck?'

Jack could feel a headache coming on. Hardly surprising, he supposed. 'All of the above,' he said, allowing Ianto to help him to his feet. 'Any idea what is was?' He didn't turn around lest the dizziness send him sprawling again.

'It's a toaster. Be glad it wasn't a refrigerator or otherwise I'd be needing a spatula to scrape you off the Plass.'

Jack frowned. 'Just don't say I told you so.'