Torchwood: Fanfic: Autumn days

[m_findlow]

Title: Autumn days
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Coat, (mentions Jack and Ianto)
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 590 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Torchwood, Coat, Coat gets excited when autumn arrives" at fic_promptly
Summary: Autumn is Coat's favourite season.

Coat watched eagerly as Ianto came into Jack's office, flipping over the date calendar on his desk. It gave a little shudder of excitement from where it hung on its hook. First of the month! Coat knew what that meant. Autumn was here!

Coat got plenty of wear throughout the year, since Cardiff was never too far from a brisk and chilly wind, but it couldn't help but get excited by the promise of autumn. Jack loved autumn. They both did. Autumn was the best time of the year, watching the trees turn from green to gold to a deep russet red, and then fluttering down to the ground where they would crunch under Jack's boots. Coat would add its own little flutter, sweeping them up as Jack walked along, like the leaves were alive under his feet.

Autumn was extra special these days. Jack and Ianto loved to take walks in the park amongst the glorious colours, Ianto wrapped in his own lovely charcoal coat. Coat secretly had a little crush on Ianto's coat, as much as he loved Jack and Ianto. Even though Ianto's coat didn't have that same special magic that made it able to think for itself, it still found the coat beautiful. Having the pair of them wrapped arm in arm was heaven, two coats together with the people they loved.

Only in autumn could Coat properly enjoy that togetherness. In winter it was far too cold for strolling along the bay, or down the high street. Jack and Ianto would be keen to get whatever it was that needed doing and then getting straight back inside where it was warm. It did give Coat a little alone time with Ianto's coat hung together on their hooks, but it wasn't quite the same as when they were out and about. There was no crisp breeze to ruffle their clothes, to whip Coat's edges about in a dramatic fashion, and no glow of golden red leaves dappling the light that played on their faces.

And best of all was the play fighting in the leaves. Jack always started it. He'd wait until Ianto needed to re-tie his shoelace or something like that, grabbing a handful of crunchy leaves and dropping them on his head or down his collar. It wouldn't take long before they'd both be running around, grabbing whatever handfuls they could whilst on the move, and throwing them uselessly at one another. Coat did its best to keep them from going down the back of Jack's shirt, but inevitably Jack would grab Ianto around the waist and pull him down into a pile of them, and Coat would end up covered in bits of broken leaves that clung hungrily to its coarse wool. It was fun at the time, but it felt a right mess afterward as the pair of them strode back to the car, out of breath and laughing, shoving each other like little kids. But Coat knew it didn't have to worry. When they got back to the hub or home, Ianto would carefully lay Coat out and brush it until there wasn't a trace left of their childish game, fresh and clean once again, ready for action.

Coat peered across the office space, trying to see Jack's computer screen and hoping that the rift readings on it would show that today was going to be a quiet day. If they were really lucky, maybe Jack and Ianto would decide today was a nice day to go for a stroll.