JMDC Challenge 179 - On thin ice

[m_findlow]

Title: On thin ice
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for enchanted_jae's JMDC Challenge 179 - Pick me up
Summary: Jack has found something that he's not very good at.

It was very hard not to laugh at Jack, looking ten kinds of peeved as he sat on the ice. It seemed to be his favourite position out on the rink. Still, Ianto had to give him credit for trying. Most winters, he just let Ianto e joy through ice on his own, preferring to sit by the sidelines and watch the experts slide around in wide circles. He didn't know what had compelled Jack to give it another go this year. Perhaps he'd finally seen just how much fun it was, and how much more fun it would be with the pair of them holding hands as they sped around. Right now, Jack was needing all the hand holding he could get. His centre of gravity had abandoned him completely the minute he'd tied on his skates.

‘Up you get,’ Ianto said. ‘You almost had it that time.’ He hadn't really, but Ianto was trying to be encouraging.

‘Nope, think I'll just stay here. You can't fall if you're already on the ground.’

‘That's defeatist talk, Captain. There's no rule that says you get to be perfect at everything first go,’ he added. ‘And, you happen to be causing a bit of a traffic jam out on the ice sitting where you are.’

Jack tried to get his skates under him but he was like a newborn foal, all legs and no balance, and too far from the edge of the rink to grab hold and pull himself up. ‘Pick me up?’ he implored.

‘Again,’ Ianto replied, reaching down to take Jack's weight whilst trying not to get pulled down with him.

Jack teetered uncertainly on his skates, still gripping both of Ianto's hands and refusing to let go. If he wasn't leaning into Ianto so much, he might find his centre of balance. It was rare to see Jack so highly strung about anything, let alone something as enjoyable as ice-skating. ‘I'm not cut out for this.’

‘You're just overthinking it. Kids learn in no time because they don't worry about falling over or whether they think they've got the wobbles. You're the biggest kid I know, so just try and channel some of that devil may care attitude. Don't you want to be able to run circles around me?’

Jack gave him a sulky look. ‘Run, being the operative word. In normal shoes I'd be fine. I don't know what crazy person thought it was possible to stand up on two wafer thin blades.’

Ianto laughed. ‘All the mysteries of the universe to puzzle out and you're fixated on this.’

‘Give me beaches and sand and surf. That's what I know.’

Ianto moved a little closer so that he could wrap himself more firmly around Jack to assure him he wasn't about to fall again. He wasn't about to let Jack shove this in the box along with learning to speak Welsh. ‘Come on then, my little Boeshane sandcrab. We'll make an ice swan of you yet.’

Comments

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Ha ha! Cute! I agree with Jack, though. No way could I strap thin blades on and be anything but a hot mess. Thanks for the entry!

[m-findlow.livejournal.com]

Same here! I tried once when I was 13 and I was hopeless. The local rink got bulldozed to make way for a freeway donkeys ago and now there's only three things rinks left in the whole state, none of which look much good for your absolute beginner over the age of about ten!
I'll have to just live with watching dancing on ice and wishing I could do that! :)