m_findlow

Title: Work experience
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 624 - Country at slashthedrabble
Summary: It's a tough job but someone has to do it.


'I swear I've never been so fit in my life,' Ianto declared, flopping down onto the grass in an exhausted heap.

Jack flopped down next to him, lying back on the cool dewy greenery and letting the dampness of it soak into the back of his shirt, mixing in with the dampness already there from the sweat off his back. It was a pleasant sensation, but not nearly as pleasant as just lying there, staring up at a stunning blue sky full of fluffy white clouds lazily drifting by. He could have almost forgotten how starving he was, but hearing Ianto rustling in his backpack for the lunch they'd brought with them brought him back to the present. No sense letting lunch go to waste.

He silently took the offered sandwich, neatly wrapped in its plastic cling film, keeping it as fresh as when it had been made many hours ago. The chicken was still a little bit warm, but it hadn't wilted the salad greens tucked inside with it. Jack bit down on it gratefully, letting the taste of mayonnaise dance across his tongue. Ianto made the best sandwiches.

'Bet you never thought there'd be work days like this,' Ianto mused, slowly unwrapping his own sandwich. 'Hardly feels like work, does it?'

Jack shook his head. How many people could say that work was traipsing all over the country and enjoying the fresh air with a picnic lunch packed in to boot? It was hard work too, of course.

When Jack had floated the idea that Ianto's large parcel of land in the Welsh valleys might be a good place for aliens to find a home, that had brought up all kinds of logistical issues, but safety was at the top of that list. And that meant installing a huge array of alien tech, capable of keeping prying eyes from seeing what was happening on the inside, whilst also making sure its residents kept within the confines of the area.

'Of course,' Ianto continued on, chewing thoughtfully, 'we probably underestimated the topography and the terrain.'

This time Jack nodded. Yep. Carting heavy tech up hills was challenging to be sure. Small wonder they were lathered in a sweat after hours of trekking and carrying. Stopping to install each device was the most break they got, excepting lunch.

'Still,' Ianto said, unwrapping the second half of his sandwich, 'someone had to do it, eh? Why not make a little bit of a date of it?'

'More like a mini holiday,' Jack agreed. In between days of hiking, they had the benefit of staying in the large homestead at the bottom of the valley. It still needed work itself, some new furniture and a fresh coat of paint, but being so far from Cardiff and the hub made it feel like a getaway, which Jack supposed it was in a lot of ways.

'Just don't tell the others,' Ianto whispered conspiratorially. 'They might get the impression we're not working at all.'