Fic: The High Life

[badly_knitted]

 


Title: The High Life
Author: badly_knitted
Characters:  Nosy, Ianto, Jack.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1459
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack and Ianto are taking Nosy to see their new rooftop flat, but Nosy is unsure about living on a roof.
Written For: Challenge 322: Roof at fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
 


 
Nosy slithered cautiously out of the lift behind Jack and Ianto. It wasn’t so much that it was worried about where its friends were taking it, but it was definitely a bit nervous at the prospect of seeing the rooftop flat. Unlike birds and flying creatures like Myfanwy, Fluffs really weren’t designed for living on roofs and it wasn’t at all sure how it would cope.

 
There was always a bit of uncertainty involved with venturing into unfamiliar places. Jack and Ianto had said this flat was to be their new home with all three of them living here, driving to and from work each day, but Nosy couldn’t help wondering how that would work. Would it have somewhere comfy to sleep? Would there be places it wasn’t allowed to go, like in the Hub? What if it didn’t like the new flat? And then there was the little detail of the Hub being far underground, cosy and safe, while this place was way up high… What if it fell off?
 

Nosy wasn’t especially afraid of heights, but then it had never been particularly high up. Back on its own world it had climbed trees, either to shelter from bad weather or to swing from the lower branches, which was always fun. It had done the same here on earth when it had first arrived, and on the few trips it had taken with Jack and Ianto out into the countryside. It liked to swing from the catwalk railings in the Hub too, but none of them were very far off the ground.
 

This was different; the lift had gone up a very long way indeed, rattling and clanking as it went, although the noises it made hadn’t worried Nosy’s friends and so Nosy hadn’t worried about them either. Now they must be at the very top of the tall building Nosy had seen through the tinted windows of the SUV. Nosy had seen buildings many times taller than this one when out in the car with its friends, but this was the first one it had ever been in.

 
“Alright there, young Fluff?” Ianto asked as Jack unlocked the door to their new home.
 

“Hum,” Nosy said firmly, trying to sound braver than it felt.
 

“There’s really nothing to worry about,” Jack said. “You don’t have to live here with us if you’d rather stay at the Hub. I know the others will miss your company when they’re on night duty.”

 
That was reassuring; if Nosy really didn’t like this place it wouldn’t be forced to stay, it could go back to the Hub, the place that had come to feel like home. Nevertheless, it wanted to give Jack and Ianto’s new home a fair chance before making up its mind. After all, they were very excited about having somewhere of their own to live, somewhere they thought was nicer than their cosy room beneath Jack’s office.

 
“Here we go then.” Jack pushed the door open wide and strode through with Ianto following. Nosy quickly slithered after them, through the quite ordinary looking door, and stopped dead as it stared at the amazing sight that met its eyes.

 
It was in a sort of room although the room only had three walls: the one with the front door in it and a wall to either side. Ahead, at the end of an expanse of polished wooden boards, were four shallow steps leading down into a huge room, filled with daylight coming through windows on each side. The room had comfy chairs and sofas, something that looked soft and furry covered the floor, and at the far end was a flight of stairs leading to an upstairs balcony with railings around it that would be perfect for swinging from.

 
To Nosy’s left was a kitchen. Much bigger than the one in the Hub and separated from the main room by a row of low cupboards, with a gap so people and Fluffs could get from one room to the other. There were archways in the wall at the far end, although from where it was, Nosy couldn’t see where they led, and on its left were windows that stretched from the floor almost to the ceiling. Through them Nosy could just make out the tops of distant buildings.
 

Slithering down the steps, Nosy headed towards the windows and found itself looking out at a garden. There was wooden decking on the other side of the glass, raised beds and tubs full of flowers and bushes with paved paths between them, and a wide expanse of green grass. The grass didn’t quite look real, but it was still a nice touch.
 

“That’s our roof garden,” Jack said, joining Nosy at the windows. Ianto had gone straight to the kitchen to make them all a cup of coffee. “Would you like to go outside and take a look around?”
 

“HUM!” Nosy squiggled eagerly and looked around for a door to the outside, but there didn’t seem to be one. Then Jack did something and one of the tall windows slid to the side, letting in a warm late summer breeze filled with the fragrance of the brightly coloured flowers.
 

“Come on then.” Jack stepped through the gap and Nosy followed, out into what felt like another world.
 

There was a wall around the outside of the garden, a little under three feet tall and topped with a clear barrier made of something similar to the fronts of the cells in the Hub’s vaults. It let light through while blocking some of the wind, and it was high enough to keep anyone from accidentally falling off the roof, which the Fluff thought was sensible. The wall was low enough that if Nosy raised the front metre or so of its body it could just about look through the barrier, although it couldn’t see very much, mostly sky and a few taller buildings.
 

Jack led the way to a bench that was set against the low wall and Nosy hummed with delight. Slithering up onto the seat it was able to look down from the rooftop at cars and people passing by on the streets far below, and also gaze out across the city. It had never realised just how big Cardiff was; the city seemed to go on forever, and the view was amazing! Nosy could just make out the Millennium Centre and the Plas, with the harbour beyond.
 

When Jack started to talk again, Nosy paid attention.

 
“Over there, that’s the tallest building in Cardiff. I like to go up on the roof there. You might think you can see a long way from here, but from up there you can see the whole city. Wish I could show you, but I’d have a hard time getting you into the building without anyone seeing. I’ll take some pictures on my phone next time I’m up there if I remember. Now that way,” he pointed again, “you can just see the edge of the Millennium Stadium. That’s where rugby is played.” Nosy was quite a fan of the game and liked to watch with Ianto, although only on the TV, for obvious reasons.
 

After pointing out a few more landmarks, Jack gave Nosy a guided tour of the rest of the roof garden, showing it the tool shed and the greenhouse, the fruit bushes and trees, and the vegetable garden where lots of tasty looking things were growing. Ianto joined them, bringing their coffee with him, and setting Nosy’s on the path.
 

“So, what d’you think on our new flat? Does it meet with your approval?”
 

“Hum!” Nosy took a cautious slurp of coffee, but it was still a bit too hot to drink. It tasted exactly like the coffee at the Hub though; it seemed some things stayed the same no matter where you were, which was good to know.

 
“Nosy hasn’t even seen all of the flat yet,” Jack reminded his partner. “We still have to show it the bedroom we picked out for it.”

 
If Nosy had possessed ears like a dog they would have pricked up at that. A room all for itself? How wonderful! It could hardly wait to see it!

 
The flat was nothing like Nosy had been expecting, and that was a good thing. Fluffs might not be designed to live on rooftops, but Nosy supposed humans weren’t either so Jack and Ianto had made this place to suit all their needs, with indoor rooms for warmth, shelter, and comfort, and an outside space where they could all get some fresh air and sunshine in good weather. Yes, now that it had seen the place it thought it was going to really like living here.
 


The End