Ianto shivered and held his arms closely to himself, squirming in his seat to keep warm. The Hub was notoriously cold, especially in the middle of December, but that was nothing compared to the tourist's office. The lower levels at least had heating in them, even if it didn't help as much as it should. Plus, if he got too cold down there, he could always visit the steamy hot house for a few minutes.
The tourist's office, however, was hardly completed. No one before Ianto had actually been there to run it, so they hadn't seen the need to insulate. Not only that, but the door was creaky and drafty. Even though he hardly had guests, he could still feel every chill of the Quay outside.
He tightened his tie around his neck as though it was a scarf. One more hour, and then he would go down to the archives. The musty, dank, archives. He hated winter. Just once he wanted to know what warm, dry weather felt like. Though knowing his luck, it would probably be a desert planet if he ever got his wish.
He didn't even flinch as the wall pulled away and revealed the hall beyond. Nor did he react as Jack walked out of it.
"You really shouldn't use the big door," He said, not looking away from his screen. "What if I had a customer?"
"But you don't." Jack said, leaning on counter between them.
"If I had, though." He reiterated, finally gliding his chair nearer to where Jack was standing.
"You never do." The captain leaned down, moving closer to where Ianto sat. It was obvious he was trying to conceal something under the lip of the counter. "What are you doing up here, anyway?"
"Filing, scanning, trying not to freeze my testicles off." He quipped.
"Don't want anything to happen to those." He leaned even farther down, as close as he could get with the barrier in between them. The younger man smiled at the image he must make on the other side of the counter, stood on tiptoes, arse sticking out into the air. Ianto took pity on him and reached upwards, pressing a light kiss to his lips before sitting back down, teasingly out of reach.
"We would not." He agreed, rolling back towards his computer. The sound of wheels over wood almost covered up the low whine in Jack's throat, though it was obvious it was meant to be heard. He turned his head away to hide his smirk.
He heard clumsy clambering over where Jack had been standing. He turned his head and saw his lover halfway over the counter, scrambling to clear the surface.
"Smooth." He commented, just as Jack's feet settled harshly back on solid ground.
"I try." Jack responded, recovering what he had been hiding before.
"You know there's an opening right over there. You could have just walked around." He rolled his eyes as Jack shrugged. "What have you got there, anyway?"
"Early Chirstmas present." Jack grinned at him, holding it out in front of himself, allowing Ianto to grab at the knitted fabric in his hand. He shuffled his fingers so he was only holding an edge of it, letting the rest fall.
"It's… A hideous Christmas jumper." He commented, trying not to look directly at the garish colors.
"I know!" Jack said, hopping on the balls of his feet. Ianto looked for any traces of alien disturbance in Jack's eyes, or at the very least drugs. There were no signs to be had.
"May I ask why?" He said awkwardly.
"It's a tradition in this century, isn't it?" Jack asked. He sounded mildly confused, but it didn't seem to do anything to his good mood.
"I mean… yeah. If you're eighty." Ianto said, not really trying to pretend he wasn't mocking the older man.
"Well," Jack started quieter than he had been speaking before. He brushed his fingers across Ianto's while he took the jumper back from him. "The thing is, Ianto," The younger man hardly even seemed to notice Jack messing with the jumper in his hands, he was too curious as to what he was going to say. Jack leaned in close and whispered into his ear. "I'm older than eighty."
Ianto jumped back, knowing what was going to happen next, but Jack was too fast for him and before he knew it he was in darkness.
"You complete arse." He said, voice muffled by the thick sweater over his face. He felt his lover grab the neck and pull it down and over his face so that he was almost wearing it properly. Just as his lips were revealed to the cold air, Jack kissed them softly, sweetly, refusing to pull away.
"It is warm." He said, shuffling backwards just enough to get his hands through the sleeves to pull Jack closer.
Thanks for reading, Happy Holidays!