m_findlow

Title: Retail theapy
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Ianto, Owen Tosh
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG
Notes: Written for Prompt 18 - Shopping at adventchallenge

'That's not shopping,' Ianto said, casting a disparaging eye over Owen's computer screen as he walked past.

'What are you talking about? Of course it's shopping.'

Ianto cringed again at the screen. Online shopping was definitely not the same thing. Convenient at times, essential on occasion, but not at all appropriate for Christmas. Where was the atmosphere, the sound of the Salvation Army band playing Christmas tunes in the plaza, the bustle of people and the twinkling of decorations lining the streets and the department stores? Where was the joy of browsing shop windows, seeing what was new, picking things up and seeing them first hand, spotting that thing you'd never noticed before, inspiration striking at just the right moment as the perfect gift made itself known. Online shopping was just so clinical, setting price ranges, narrowing the field of choice by colour or brand or whether it was on sale, looking at trussed up pictures of things that were never quite the same in reality,

He could put aside the maddening crowds and the way tempers sometimes flared in the heat of the moment. It was much nicer trawling the department stores, admiring the lavish table settings, shelves packed full of gift ideas, with hundreds of shiny boxes and packages any of which might be the perfect gift hiding in amongst them. He could spend hours in the books section alone, reading all the dust jackets before settling on something. Plus, it was an excuse to get out of the hub and do something totally normal, a luxury when you spent the majority of your day stuck in an underground base, or risking life and limb to stop an alien invasion. Dealing with grumpy Christmas shoppers was a cakewalk by comparison.

'It's not how I'd do things,' was all Ianto said.

'Yeah, well, if we all did things the way you did, we wouldn't have lives.'

'I could think of worse things.'

'D'you want your present or not, this year?' Owen complained. 'It's this or nothing. I'm not stuffing around with all those twats on the high street. The delivery alone is worth it. Plus they'll wrap them. What's not to like?'

Ianto just shrugged. Whether Owen bought him a gift or not didn't bother him. 'Should I be flattered you're willing to pay postage?'

'Don't worry, I took it off the price of the gift.'

'Of course you did.'

'I could go a coffee, though,' Owen said. 'Online shopping is hard work. I need caffeine to keep me going.'

'More like to prevent you from dying of boredom,' Ianto said.

'Whatever. Can I get a coffee, or not?'

'Sorry, Owen. Tosh and I are heading out. You'll have to sort out your own drinks this afternoon.'

'All ready to go?' Tosh asked, wandering up to them, scarf already wrapped tightly around her neck.

'Yep.'

'Oi, where are you two going?'

'Off to join the twats on the high street,' Ianto replied. 'Some of us actually enjoy Christmas shopping.'