Fffc May Special Daily Challenge (May 17th) - Dinner for four

[m_findlow]

Title: Dinner for four
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Owen, Jack, Ianto, Tosh
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 823 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for fffc May Special Daily Challenge - May 17th - Spaghetti, Birthday, Single and Challenge 111 - Four at beattheblackdog
Summary: Owen gets a surprise for his birthday.

Owen sighed as he opened the pantry cupboard, consulting the contents. Nothing. Well, he supposed that served him right for not having done any shopping for weeks. Still it didn't help him now, hungry as he was. He considered calling out for food. Uber Eats was always a option, but then again, how pathetic was it to order in food to be eaten alone?

'Happy fucking birthday to me,' he muttered. He should have gone out drinking instead, but he honestly couldn't be bothered, for the same reason as he couldn't be bothered with the hassle of eating out or calling up to get a curry delivered. When had his life gotten so pathetic?

He perused the shelves again, looking for anything that could constitute a meal. The best he could land on was spaghetti in a can. It didn't even really count as spaghetti, certainly nothing that an Italian might recognise. As he opened the can, it gave off the distinctive smell of something trying to pass itself off as edible. It was a bright vermillion colour that didn't resemble any tomato he'd ever seen, and it was gloopy. The actual spaghetti was even worse, more like the bloated worms and maggots he'd uncovered in this morning's weevil autopsy.

You dug this grave, now you gotta lie in it, he thought, wishing he wasn't so lazy, pouring the disgusting mixture into a pot to warm on the stove. Why he'd ever bought the can in the first place was a mystery. Perhaps he'd expected he'd eventually be so starving he wouldn't care. Even now, he didn't think he'd ever be that desperate. Single and eating something that wasn't even real food. He might as well give up living right now. This had to be the bottom of the proverbial barrel.

As he stuck a spoon in it, trying to swirl the concoction around, he heard the door bell. Who the hell would be hassling him at this hour?  If he was lucky it was a rift alert. Even on tonight of all nights, it seemed a better prospect than sitting around bemoaning his current situation.

He twisted the knob in the stove off and headed to the door, opening it. Standing there with two pizza boxes, were Jack and Ianto.

'We brought pizza,' Ianto said, stating the obvious.

'And beer,' Jack said, hefting up a bag.

Owen frowned at the pair of them. 'Why?'

'Because it's your birthday, stupid,' Jack said. 'You didn't think we were going to let you sit around at home and mope, did you?'

'How did you even know I was home? I couldn't have been out getting slaughtered and you lot would have turned up to an empty flat.'

'Tracker in your phone,' Ianto replied. 'You haven't gone anywhere for over an hour. Figured if you hadn't left by now, you weren't planning on going anywhere.'

'Uh huh,' he said, a little miffed that he was being spied on. 'And what makes you think I wanna spend it with you bozos?'

Jack was about to say something smart when he was distracted by someone approaching.

'Oh, fancy seeing you two here,' Tosh said, coming down the hallway a pizza clutched in her arms. 'Are you here because it's Owen's birthday?'

'It seems great minds think alike,' Jack replied. 'What kind of pizza did you bring?'

'Actually, it's only half a pizza, really,' she confessed. 'It's one of those Nutella and marshmallow pizzas. It think it's more dessert.'

Jack flipped open the lid and let he scent of melted chocolate and sugary marshmallows waft out. He sighed dramatically. 'That's a shame.'

'A real shame,' Ianto added.

Tosh looked concerned. 'Why? What's a shame?'

'Oh, because Owen was just sending all the bozos and their pizzas away.'

'Hey, hey, hey,' Owen said, gripping the doorway. 'I never said that.'

'So, birthday celebrations are back on, then?' Ianto asked. 'Otherwise I suppose we'll just take these back to the car and eat them there.'

'Well, since you're all here,' Owen said. He couldn't very well turn down pizza when it turned up so invitingly at his doorstep. A bit of company might not be so bad, even if it was this sorry lot.

Owen stepped aside and let them through. Jack stopped, blocking the doorway, sniffing. 'Is that spaghetti I smell?'

'It came from a can. I don't that that qualifies,' Owen replied.

'Can I have some? I love canned spaghetti!'

'In which you are sadly alone,' Ianto replied, pulling a face. 'I refuse to buy it, but somehow it  mysteriously appears in the trolley by the time we get to the checkout every single time.'

'Hand over the beers and he can have the whole pot,' Owen promised.

'You're sure you don't want some?' Jack said, making a beeline for the stove. 'It is your birthday after all.'

'Make it disappear and that'll be the best birthday present ever.'

Comments

[bk_forever]

Own's birthday celebrations have something for everyone! I can just see Jack sitting there with a saucepan of hot spaghetti, alternating a spoonful with dipping his pizza in it!

Sometimes I think Owen just likes wallowing in his 'poor me' pit of gloom.

[m-findlow.livejournal.com]

Jack would so do that! Owen should know them all better by now to know they wouldn't leave him alone on his birthday. This is a no wallowing zone! :)