Torchwood: Fanfic: On the list

[m_findlow]

Title: On the list
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Owen
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 676 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for badly_knitted's prompt "any, any, 'Whatever you do, don't give her... She's allergic' " at fic_promptly
Summary: Shopping is easier when you know what not to buy

One of the first things Ianto Jones had established when he'd been recruited by Jack, was that the team was somewhat shortstaffed for the amount of work they had to do. It was rare to have them all in the one place at the one time, unless of course that place was out and about, saving the world from whatever it was.

That meant that they came and went at all of hours of the day and night, often not sleeping much in between. That wasn't a problem since he practically lived here himself and also slept very little, between working for Jack and caring for Lisa, hidden in the basement.

Coffee became an essential supply, and one that could be made at any time of the day or night, and fed to the masses on request. It was also capable of being placed in travel mugs and thermoses for when there simply wasn't time to sit down and drink it.

Food, he'd come to realise, was harder to supply on demand. Local cafes and restaurants simply didn't keep the same hours they did, and when the fate of the world was hanging in the balance, food needed to be instantaneous and restorative. That usually meant, high carb, high sugar. Nutrition simply didn't come into the equation.

Since starting here, he'd taken it upon himself to sort out a lot of seemingly trite issues that the rest of them were avoiding, or simply oblivious to, such as a cleaning regiment, regular orders of medical and other supplies, ensuring the SUV was always fully stocked, and sorting through the myriad of unpaid invoices for essentials like electricity and stationery supplies.

He'd even come up with a few other initiatives to ease the lives of his coworkers, such as the restoration of one of the lower level disused medical suites into a furnished area with sleeping quarters, so that they wouldn't all have to argue and roshambo over who got the sofa. He half wished he might avail himself of the facilities, since his cot in the basement was atrociously uncomfortable, but doing so would raise too many questions.

His next initiative was covering the issue of food. What they needed was a good supply of non perishable items that could be converted into proper meals in a short space of time. Microwave dinners were an obvious choice, as was bread, which could be frozen and later thawed for sandwiches or toast. Canned soups, dry pasta, boxes of cereal, salted crackers, all went on the list which usually only extended as far as tea, coffee, milk, biscuits and chocolate. Some fresh fruit wouldn't go astray either.

Before approving his final shopping list, he decided to clear the whole thing with Jack. His boss was impressed, and somewhat flattered that he cared so much about the team. The only sticking point Ianto had was checking with him for allergies or intolerances.

'You know me, I'll try any at least once,' replied Jack, grinning lasciviously. Ianto had been here long enough to understand Jack's implied double entendre. He pointed Ianto in Owen's direction. If anyone knew best, it was the team's doctor.

Even usually grumpy Owen was pleased to be able to assist. As long as Ianto was intending on adding a case of beer to the bottom of the shopping list, he could have whatever he wanted from their medical records.

'Here you are,' said Owen, plonking the pile of files down on the counter. 'Knock yourself out.' Ah, there was the old unhelpful Owen back again.

'Wouldn't it be quicker if you just told me? Besides, aren't medical files privileged?'

'Fine. No allergies for anyone except Tosh. Whatever you do, don't give her bananas.'

'I think I can manage that. It would be pretty hard to sneak one in without her noticing, don't you think?'

'I did. Then Jack went and bought everyone a round of smoothies one day. Lucky you weren't here, or you'd have been the one cleaning up all the puke out of the SUV.'

Comments

[bk_forever]

It makes me sad that I can't have smoothies just because they all have banana in them. I sympathise with Tosh!

Thanks for the fill!