Anythingdrabble Challenge 162 - The ups and downs of research

[m_findlow]

Title: The ups and downs of research
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Tosh, Owen, Jack, Ianto
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG
Notes: Written for Challenge 162 - Rubber at anythingdrabble
Summary: Tosh and Ianto are unimpressed at Jack and Owen's concept of scientific research.

'No, don't!' Tosh cried out, hands flying up to cover her eyes so she wouldn't bear witness.

'Wheeeeeeee!' Owen yelled as he threw himself over the railing. There should have been a splat and a crunch of several bones breaking but instead there was just a strange thud, followed by several more. Tosh pulled her hands away, watching as Owen bounced up off the floor and back down again, losing height with each successive bounce.

Jack flew across his path on one bounce and the two of them ricocheted off one another, Owen going left and Jack going right until they both hit the next thing in their oath - the water tower for Owen, and the wall for Jack. Not that either of those stopped them from propelling off in a different direction. They also happened to be covered in a layer of something iridescent blue which was accounting for their rather elastic momentum.

'Have you two finished playing human dodgem cars yet?' came the question from Ianto, whose annoyed tone preceded the glare he gave them.

'Nope,' Owen replied, jogging back up the stairs to throw himself over the railing again. 'What do you think, Jack? Still work there storeys up?'

Jack shrugged. 'Can't see why not.'

'Owen, no,' Tosh pleaded. 'You could hurt yourself.'

'I'm covered in alien rubber, Tosh. I'm practically bulletproof,' he argued, pinballing himself off the walls as he went higher up.

'This is a controlled experiment, Tosh,' Jack added. 'We're testing out just how robust this stuff is. It could become a whole new product. Just imagine a suit that protects you from being injured! And it's bouncy! What's not to like?'

Ianto stepped out in front him, crossing his arms. 'Because, not only are you bouncing off every available surface, you also happen to be knocking stuff off every available surface, in case you hadn't noticed.'

'Oh, lighten up! It's just a bit of fun. How often can you say that getting covered in something alien ends up being an enjoyable experience? Haven't you ever had a little rubber doll fantasy?' He waggled an eyebrow at Ianto. 'Me all in latex?'

Ianto wasn't drawn in by the comment. 'Can't say that I have.'

'And we don't know how long its effects will last,' Tosh insisted. 'If you two keep upping the ante and it suddenly breaks down…' She didn't want to think about what would happen then.

'Well, Jack will heal, but Owen won't be so lucky,' Ianto replied. 'As much as that might teach him a lesson, I don't think he'll be much use to us in a full body cast.'

'Okay,' Jack said. 'A compromise. Owen stops and I'll keep going.'

'Jack…'

'What? It's valuable research!'

'This,' Tosh said, pointing between the pair of them, looking equally annoyed now, 'is not scientific research. This is children mucking around. If you want to research its properties, I'll go fetch proper equipment.'

'Will we be probed?'

Ianto sighed. 'You'd like that, wouldn't you?'