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Title: Priority task
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Lisa
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 700 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Any, any, descaling the kettle" at fic_promptly
Summary: There's just so much to do around the house

'Morning,' Ianto said, bringing the mug to his lips and taking in another strong mouthful of coffee. He prayed it would clear the fog from his head. Last time I get drunk, he promised himself, knowing it was futile. How many times had he sat in this very kitchen, making that same vow, only to give in a few weeks later?

'Mphf,' came the reply, as Lisa shuffled into the kitchenette, past him and straight for the kettle. He manged a small grin, watching her fumble in complete silence, expertly dumping the teabag in the cup and pouring hot water over it, eyes still half closed. He stepped out of her path as her slippers scuffed across the linoleum, dumping the cup on the counter, and slumping down. She put her elbow on the counter top and rested her head on it.

'Never getting pissed again,' she murmured. 'Ever.'

He came over and sat next to her, adding his own cup and a plate. 'Cheese toastie?'

She took a swig of the scalding hot tea and reached across, taking half the greasy, cheesy bread from the plate and bitng into it. 'Mmm, I love you,' she said whilst chewing.

'You love my cheese toasties.'

'I do. You're not half bad, either.' They both laughed, though it hurt to do so, opting instead to eat and drink in silence, nursing their own hangovers.

'Maybe we should just keep drinking,' Lisa suggested. 'We've got the whole weekend to recover.'

Ianto stretched his neck from side to side, trying to ease out the ache that came from having slept awkwardly, or let's face it, plain having passed out. 'I think I'm going to need the whole weekend to recover even if I stop drinking right now. Plus, there's the laundry to do.'

'Urgh,' she groaned. 'And the groceries.'

'Cleaning the bathroom,' he added.

'Changing the sheets.'

'Taking out the rubbish.'

'Paying all those bills.'

'Descaling the kettle.'

'What?' she said, sitting up, her faculties coming back together thanks to the power of caffeine.

'The kettle,' he replied. 'It needs descaling.'

'Seriously? Who does that?'

'Have you seen inside of it? It's so disgusting it's a wonder we haven't poisoned ourselves.'

She turned to face him properly, resting a hand on his knee. 'I love you, but you're insane.'

'You think descaling the kettle is a crazy idea?' Ianto said. 'Says the woman whose idea it was to go out and get atrociously drunk last night. Tell me that was a better idea.'

'The hangover is a bitch,' she admitted, 'but the sex was pretty good.'

That much at least was true. The sex had been very, very good. He was surprised they were still sober enough to remember any of it, or coordinated enough to manage the whole insert peg A into slot B.

'Did your mum teach you that?' she asked.

'What?' he exclaimed, nearly spitting out his coffee, horrified that Lisa thought his mum had been involved in whatever they'd done last night.

'The kettle thing.'

Oh, yes, that made much more sense. Idiot. 'Um, yeah.'

'D'you miss her?'

Ianto scoffed, dissembling for a moment. 'Well, it's not like she's dead or anything. She's just not here. She's got Rhi and Rhi's kids back in Cardiff. She doesn't need me.'

The question left an awkward pause between them, neither sure what to say next, each of them twiddling with their mugs.

'Lemons,' Ianto finally said. 'We need to put lemons on the shopping list.'

'Is this the kettle thing again?'

'Yup. Chop them up, stick them in and boil it a half dozen times during the day. Voila, clean kettle.'

'They'd be better shoved down the neck of a Corona,' she said.

'Probably, but I think we should swear off alcohol for the moment. We'll save money and have more time left for other things.'

'Such as?' she asked, running her hand up and down his thigh, trying to be coy and failing.

'Descaling kettles, of course.'

She gave him a playful slap before leaning over and kissing him. He could still taste the Tia Maria on her tongue.

'You are completely insane,' she said, 'but I still love you.'

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