Title: Unavoidable Snow Day
By: cameragirl
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Summary: Shameless fluff and hurt/comfort. Pure warm & fuzzy feelings.

***

"Um Jack?" Gwen called cautiously as she trudged through the snow.

"Fucking Jack Harkness!" Owen yelled through the hub before he was hit with a snowball.

"Watch your mouth." Jack grinned before tossing another snowball. "And you two both need to start checking your phone. I called to tell you not to come in." He ducked as Owen tried and failed to hit him with a snowball.

"What happened?" Gwen looked around the hub, which was covered entirely with snow.

"It's a snow day, literally. The rift had a slight rupture, hence the lockdown. Opened in the middle of a snowstorm somewhere. So the entire hub, cells, archives, everything is under snow. And I couldn't get to anything because the lockdown was triggered by the rift." Jack explained.

"So we can go home?" Gwen asked excitedly.

"Yes you can go home. It's Valentine's Day, I wouldn't have made any of you stay in here anyways." Jack shrugged and waved them in a dismissal "Next time answer your phone, the only one I got was Tosh."

"What about Ianto?" Gwen asked, she turned around from where she had been following Owen out the door.

"Not answering his house or mobile." Jack answered, he had a worried look on his face. "Don't worry, I'll find him."

"I've no doubt." Owen muttered.

The second they were gone Jack rushed back into his office and activated the tracker on Ianto's mobile. He had been extremely pissed off when the rift had ruptured, the lockdown happened automatically meaning that Ianto was trapped in the cells.

He hadn't heard anything from Ianto for an hour now and the snow had been falling for almost two. Jack had tried without success to override the lockdown but could only wait the ten more minutes until it subsided on its own. The last thing Jack had heard from Ianto was the Welshman wishing him a Happy Valentine's Day through chattering teeth. His tone was almost final, as if this was the last thing he would ever say to Jack. In response, Jack had yelled at him to keep warm, he was coming to get him.

There had been no way out of the cells, everything was blocked off. Ianto's phone had gone dead and Jack had spent the day hour preparing an all out search to find Ianto. This was not how their Valentine's Day was supposed to go.

Jack had actually planned something! Everything had to go wrong! Goddamn serendipity. That's right, Captain Jack Harkness planned on being a romantic. At least, to Ianto he was willing to be a romantic. He thought Ianto deserved it after everything Jack had put him through. Jack had planned a nice evening, complete with candlelight, warm dinner, and sex. Mostly sex, but Jack did want to try put on an air of romance; he had even left a dozen roses on Ianto's desk before the storm had hit.

All this thinking was forgotten as a buzzing noise was heard throughout the hub and the lockdown ended. Jack rushed off into the cells, melting the snow in his path with something he kept in his desk, just for emergencies. The device caused the snow to quickly disappear and didn't seem to leave any water behind.

"Ianto! IANTO!" Jack yelled at the nothingness in front of him. He was only going on the fact that Ianto's mobile had been in this region an hour ago. Ianto had no reason to move, Jack had to him to keep his limbs moving but to stay relatively in the same area and try to keep warm.

Jack skidded around the next corner almost tripped over a lump on the floor. "Shit shit shit." He repeated. Melting the area around them, Jack sat down and pulled Ianto into his lap. "Come on Ianto. I know you're have to still be here."

He lightly touched Ianto's face, hoping anything would bring around movement. Ianto's suit was covered in snow and ice, his face looked like it had been flushed red, but the color was slowly draining from it. Everything about him looked frozen.

"Ianto come on, wake up." Jack said urgently. Ianto was making the slightly movements but it wasn't enough for Jack.

Jack picked up Ianto and carried him back to his office to lay him on the couch. He slowly began to rub Ianto's hands in between his own. "Come on Ianto." Jack quickly undressed Ianto; trying to spare him as much pain as possible. Coat, tie, shirt, pants. One by one Jack took each wet clothing article and tossed it over the spare radiator. He covered Ianto in 4 duvets, not wanting to cause him pain by dressing him again.

"Captain…" Ianto mumbled hoarsely. Without moving a muscle he exhaled and it came out again. "Captain."

"Ianto listen to me." Jack ordered "I need you to open your eyes. Keep talking to me. You can go to sleep in a bit."

"Hurts Jack." Ianto breathed. He tried to move but that only caused pain. Wincing and tensing his entire body. "Hurts" he said again.

"Just open your eyes Ianto. Keep talking to me." Jack said sternly.

Ianto slowly opened his eyes. They felt heavy, made of lead. He tried to keep them open but they felt so good when they were rested down. No effort there. A bright light shone in both of his eyes and he quickly let his eyelids drop. He heard Jack sigh and felt warmth on different areas of his body. Ianto couldn't tell where it was coming from but it felt so good.

Jack could hear Ianto's breath becoming steadier and he began to feel the rise and fall on Ianto's chest. Jack's warm hands were rubbing all over Ianto's body, sucking up the cold and checking for any injuries.

"Ianto? Come on, I need to get you dressed ok? Once you're warm, we can both go to sleep."

Ianto nodded and felt himself being pulled to his feet. He leaned against the wall while he felt one of Jack's sweatshirts being pulled over his head. Jack's pajama pants were the next to go on Ianto. He didn't know why he was wearing Jack's clothes; his own clothes were certainly in the hub but was too tired to argue.

Jack wrapped his arm around Ianto's waist and began a slow walk back to his room.

"So warm…" Ianto mumbled and leaned against Jack. Jack had laid him on the bed and now they were just snuggling, trying to keep warm even though they were surrounded by melting snow.

"Sorry Valentine's day is ruined." Jack whispered. When he kissed Ianto they both felt the warmth spread to their fingertips. "I actually had something planned."

"I don't doubt it." Ianto said sleepily into Jack's chest. "Not your fault. Torchwood. Rift. Universe hates us."

"Hey, don't knock on the universe." Jack smiled. He kissed Ianto again and felt him growing warming in his arms. "When do you want to celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Whenever is good for you." Ianto told him, ever trying to make things easier.

"Well then, I say we tell the team it's another snow day tomorrow and have the hub to ourselves…" Jack let his sentence trail off as he leaned forward to kiss Ianto.

"Sounds brilliant…" Ianto sighed and snuggled even closer to Jack "Why are you so warm?" Ianto asked groggily.

"Cause I'm full of warmth and fluffy stuff?" Jack suggested and Ianto gave a weak laugh.

"I'll accept that answer." Ianto mumbled one last time before falling asleep.

 End