m_findlow

Title: Snow is falling, are you listening?
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG with a smattering of naughtiness
Length: 875 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 79 - First snow at fandomweekly
Summary: Ianto wakes to a surprising weather front having swept in.

Ianto shivered as he began climbing up the ladder from Jack's bunker. There was a distinct chilly breeze coming down from above and he wished he'd tugged on his dressing gown before making the trip to the showers. He might have used the small bathroom that tapered off from Jack's underground little abode, but he seemed to recall that no one had located his tie last night after losing naked hide and seek. He wasn't even entirely sure where he'd hidden it, having moved it at least seven times during the game. He'd just have to methodically check all his usual hiding spots. He only had a dark blue shirt left and that was the perfect tie to coordinate.

As his head poked out of the narrow manhole, something cold hit his nose and caused him to startle. He blinked and continued his climb, pulling himself out and into Jack's office. His nose was damp as he schlepped across the space and out through the office door. If he hadn't still been sleepy and focused on where he might start his search for his tie, he might have noticed the white spots sprinkling down through the window in Jack's office. It wasn't until he stepped out himself that more little spots of cold hit his face.

He looked up. 'What in the name of?' He sighed. This couldn't possibly be good.

Padding barefoot back towards Jack's office, he leaned over the bunker entrance and called down. 'Jack?'

'Yeah?'

'Can I borrow you for a minute?'

He could imagine Jack's grin spreading. 'You can have me forever.'

Ianto rolled his eyes. 'A minute will do.' He waited until he could see the tousled brown hair emerging from below.

'You're still in your pajamas,' Jack said. 'What needs me before breakfast? If you wanted to pick up where we left off last night you shouldn't have left bed.'

Ianto pointed out through the doorway. 'So, I didn't check the forecast for the hub last night, but regardless, I wasn't anticipating our first snow. Were you?'

Jack leaned out and watched as snowflakes gently fell from four storeys up, created from nothing at all and settling on the floor and their desks, piling up in little piles before melting and dripping off the closest edges. 'It's kinda pretty.'

'Pretty? It's freezing! And it's creating puddles everywhere!'

Jack smiled and brushed a few flakes out of Ianto's hair. 'All the things the universe can throw at us - vicious weevils, flesh eating slime, deadly viruses… Isn't it nice for once that something crazy and unexpected turns out to be so magical?'

Ianto frowned at him. I don't recall touching anything magical yesterday that would suddenly generate a storm cell below sea level.' His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 'I'm not even sure that's meteorologically possible. I've seen a lot of weird things in this job, but snow falling indoors? I've never seen anything like this before.

'Always a first time for everything.'

'Don't you want to know why this is happening and how? Mostly so that we can stop it?''

'Oh, sure,' Jack replied, waving off his concerns. 'We'll get to all of that eventually, but why not just enjoy it for a bit?'

'Jack! It's melting everywhere!'

He shrugged. 'So, we turn off the heating. Problem solved. No more melting snow.'

Ianto folded his arms, which looked considerably less austere without socks and unshaven. 'That's a pretty unique way of considering the problem solved.'

'It's a pretty problem to have.' Jack leaned over and kissed him. 'Dress warmly, Ianto Jones. The hub looks about to get a winter wonderland makeover. If we get enough snow maybe later we can build a snowman.'

'Yeah…' Ianto conceded that he'd lost Jack somewhere between "you look so cute in those Snoopy pajamas first thing in the morning" and "Ooh! Snow!" 'Um, I have a tie to find.' Not to mention he was definitely going to need that dressing gown now before he went anywhere else, and maybe some wellingtons. For now things were still a little slushy.

Jack had his tongue stuck out, trying to catch flakes on the end of it. That probably wasn't a wise decision when they didn't even know yet if it was real snow. On the flip side, Jack would be the first to inform him if it tasted like raspberry sherbet. He pulled his tongue back in just long enough to say something else. 'Can you find my scarf while you're at it? I don't think I've seen it since last winter.'

'Why can't you go looking for it yourself? I've got things to do.' Like gathering mops and buckets for the eventual melt. He didn't think whatever had made snow appear in the hub would also make it disappear. That would be far too easy.

'Ianto, how many times am I ever going to get the chance to stand naked in my hub whilst the snow is falling all around?'

'I would only be estimating, sir. But on the off chance the answer is only once, I'll be bringing my camera to capture the moment.'

Jack grinned. 'You voyeur, you. Just make sure you capture my best side. I'd like a copy for my scrapbook.'