Torchwood: Fanfic: Bin day

[m_findlow]

Title: Bin day
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 583 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for merryghoul's prompt "Any, any, you did not just play the dead husband card again" at fic_promptly
Summary: Jack's forgotten to do something

There was only a glimmer of pale morning light streaming through their bedroom window when Ianto woke up. Outside he could hear the gentle pattering of rain that signaled another dreary, wet day in Cardiff.

He rolled over in bed and checked the time on the clock, noting that it was only five thirty, and that there was still half an hour to enjoy in bed before having to get up and see to what the day would bring them.

He snuggled closer to Jack, breathing in his warm scent, and listening to the rain continuing outside, along with a faint rumble of thunder.

Not long after that, just as he was drifting back off to sleep, he heard the familiar sound of the garbage truck rolling down their street on its morning collection duties. Its brakes would hiss every few houses and he could picture the men jumping out of the truck, coming to collect the black bags from metal bins, clanging them loudly in their haste to keep up with the moving truck, hauling the contents into the rear of the giant compactor. It was the sound of Monday mornings.

Yet despite all the noise, Jack continued to snore softly next to him. For someone who didn't sleep much, when he did, he could sleep through just about anything. As the sound of the truck grew louder, approaching closer to their house, Ianto waited for the familiar clanging of their own bins. It never came. He waited a few minutes longer, but the puffing and squealing of the garbage truck was now beginning to fade further down the street.

Ianto pushed Jack gently, waking him.

'Jack, did you put our bins out last night?'

'Mphf,' came the indecipherable response.

He pushed harder. 'Jack?'

'Wha?'

'Did you put the bins out last night?'

'Don't remember,' he replied sleepily. It had been a late night by the time they'd rolled in the door, and Ianto had crashed into bed without further discussion, falling asleep immediately.

'Think!'

'Alright, no. I forgot, okay.'

Well, that would explain the lack of noise, Ianto thought. 'You forgot?'

'I had a lot on my mind last night,' Jack complained, his hair sticking out at odd angles, ruffled from sleep. 'I died twice last night trying to get that stupid hoix out of that public telephone box, and then it still tried to chew my arm off afterwards. As things go, it wasn't my best night's work.'

Ianto sat up on his elbow. 'Oh, you did not just play the dead husband card on me, again.'

'So what if I did? Isn't me being in one piece more important than our trash?'

Ianto glared at him, before hitting him and pulling the covers over the pair of them, crawling on top of him, smothering Jack.

'You and your stupid guilt tripping,' he muttered, peppering his face with kisses. 'I only ask you to do one thing around here.'

Jack reciprocated the kissing, wrapping his arms around Ianto and pulling him closer. 'You can talk. You were asleep before your head even hit the pillow.'

'True,' Ianto replied, resting his head on Jack's chest. 'I probably should have reminded you about the bins.'

'I could always take it out now,' Jack suggested. 'You think if I run down the street naked with it, they might stop and pick it up?'

'I'd almost like to see that. I don't think bin men will ever have moved so fast to get away.'

Comments

[bk_forever]

We mostly have plastic wheelie bins here these days, but the bin men still make plenty of noise emptying them. More than once I've had to chase after the lorry, dragging my bin behind me, after forgetting to put it out the night before. I've remembered this time though, they're out and waiting for morning =)

Ianto needs to hang a sign in the bathroom the morning before bin day, saying 'Did you put the bins out?' so Jack will see it when he goes to brush his teeth. ;)

[m-findlow.livejournal.com]

Same here. What I can't figure out is why the truck that collects the bin for recyclables comes at six am loudly crashing broken bottles and cans, but the regular rubbish truck with all the soft quiet rubbish doesn't arrive until noon. *headdesk*

[bk_forever]

Ours vary from week to week so you never know what they'll collect at what time. It's general rubbish one week, then recycling the next week, plus a garden waste collection on the same day, and once a month, the glass collection, so one day a month there are no less than three lorries due and you never know what order they'll come in o_O