Written for some tumblr prompts!
Summer came over Cardiff slowly, unsure at first if it wanted to stay; after several weeks, it had made up its mind, and the Hub was the only place in the city that was not whirring with fans and air conditioners. It was a relief until the team's summer wear was exchanged for blankets and jumpers, until the underground base felt like one of Owen's autopsy lockers and the intense heat outside became a temptation.
Not that it lasted long.
"Cardiff can handle itself," Owen grumbled, plopping down at his desk and leaning back in his chair to fully appreciate the cool air.
Tosh nodded, doing the same at her own desk. Then frowned. "Can it?"
"We should give it a fighting chance," Gwen suggested. She was regretting that her shirt covered her shoulders and that the Weevil they'd been chasing hadn't been sympathetic to their heat-induced apathy—the sheer fact that they'd had to chase it was testament to that.
Jack and Ianto—forgoing a greatcoat and suit, respectively, in deference to the weather—were still at the door. It wasn't often that the whole team was called out to catch a Weevil, but it was a special case when it was rampaging through the city and no one knew exactly where it was. Now, it was unconscious in the SUV.
"Get something to drink, I'll get it out," Jack said, a hand on Ianto's arm to push him towards the kitchenette.
"I can help."
"Can you?" Jack didn't wait for an answer and reached out to feel Ianto's forehead. "You should see Owen."
"I'm fine." Yet Ianto didn't bat his hand away; it was cool against his own overheated skin.
"You should see Owen. Sit down. Drink something." Jack gestured to the others with his free hand. "Get them something to drink, too, if that convinces you."
Ianto fixed him with a look that wasn't as impressive as it was supposed to be, his eyes tired and his hair beginning to curl with sweat. No one looked much better. He sighed and relaxed his shoulders—it was easier to feel the relief of the cold—and turned on his heel.
Jack counted it as a win, gave a sigh of his own, and retreated to the garage to deal with the Weevil. Unlike the others, heat stroke would only have a mild effect on him.
When Jack came back, SUV cleaned and the Weevil in the cells, he wanted nothing other than a cold shower and an even colder drink. He also wanted to check on Ianto, who had seemed to have the same idea, which killed two birds with one stone.
Jack stripped quickly, too hot to check for Ianto's reaction, and stepped under the cool spray, heaving a sigh of relief. "How's everyone?"
"Enjoying some iced coffee." Ianto was stripping, too, and stepping under another showerhead. Bless the Hub designers.
Jack chuckled. "Lowering your standards?"
"Nothing about my iced coffee is low-standard."
"Of course not."
Jack kept an eye on Ianto throughout the rest of the shower, but Ianto looked more steady on his feet than earlier, just a little tired. He turned off the water before Jack did, and was already dressed by the time Jack joined him by the team's lockers.
"Is there any coffee left for me?" Jack asked.
"I doubt it. I left them up there with it, what do you think?" He shook his head as Jack laughed. "But I can make more."
Jack grinned and passed him—stopped to brush a kiss against Ianto's cheek—and headed to the stairs, knowing Ianto would follow and deciding to make a show of it. Then he stopped and turned back. It had been a routine Weevil hunt, but a Weevil hunt nonetheless, and it was hot and Ianto hadn't looked well earlier, and although everything was alright, Jack needed the reassurance.
He turned around and grabbed Ianto's hand to walk up to the main Hub side-by-side.
Ianto smiled indulgently at him but didn't let go. Jack grinned at him and leaned in to kiss his forehead.
Ianto batted him away. "Stop it, I know what you're doing."
Jack innocently continued walking. So what if Ianto knew? Forehead kisses were a time-honored way of checking temperature anyway. And it wasn't like he ended up calling Ianto on faking being well.
Ianto grumbled all the way up to the Hub, but he didn't mind it really. A small gesture, a sign of Jack looking out for him—not that he would ever tell Jack—but it was nice.