m_findlow

Title: Leaving a bad taste
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG (contains mpreg)
Notes: Written for Challenge 115 - Awful at anythingdrabble
Summary: Ianto is convinced there's something wrong with their pizza.

'There's something wrong with this pizza,' Ianto declared, earning the confused stares of his teammates as they sat around the boardroom table.

Jack's brow furrowed in concern. 'What do you mean?'

'Isn't it obvious?' he said. 'It tastes awful. It's like the cheesy has gone mouldy or something.' He set the plate down and cringed at it, the taste still lingering in his mouth. He reached for the glass of water, taking several large swallows but almost unable to rid himself of the rank flavour.

Jack took a huge bite, chewing it more thoughtfully than he probably ever had, before swallowing. 'It doesn't taste any different to me.'

Gwen nibbled at her own. 'Nothing wrong here either. Are you sure?'

'I've had some bad pizza in my days,' Jez added, 'but this Jubilee place does alright.'

'Maybe you just got a mouthful of something that shouldn't have been on there,' Jack said. 'I've watched them making these things. Anything could have been accidentally sprinkled on there, like a stray anchovy or something.'

'It didn't taste like an anchovy.' He tentatively picked up the slice and took another bite. It was only in his mouth for a split second before he spat it back out into his napkin. 'Nope. That's just disgusting.'

Jack picked it up and sniffed it, before taking a bite from the same slice. 'I don't get it,' Jack said, chewing it. 'It tastes totally fine.'

'It so doesn't,' Ianto argued. 'I don't understand how none of you can tell the difference. Not being able to tell proper coffee from cheap stuff is one thing but...'

Jez finished his own slice sucking the tomato sauce off his fingers. 'Maybe it's because you're pregnant,' he suggested.

Ianto's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. 'Excuse me?'

'Well,' Jez began, 'medically speaking, everyone experiences pregnancy in a slightly different way. Some people can't process insulin, others crave ridiculous foods...'

'Gherkins,' Gwen interrupted. 'Couldn't get enough of them.'

'Sense of smell or taste can be affected too. You could just be experiencing a side effect of the changes your body is going through.'

'That would actually make more sense,' Jack said, resting a reassuring hand on his knee. 'This is new territory for both of us.'

'Great,' Ianto moped. 'So, now I can't even eat pizza on the one day when I actually don't feel like throwing up?'

'To be fair,' Jack began, 'I was actually going to suggest that maybe eating processed meats and cheeses probably isn't good for the babies anyway.'

'Oh, good,' Ianto snarked. 'Is this what the next six moths I'd going to be like? Everyone telling me what I can and can't do?'

'Pretty much,' Jez replied. 'At least if you can't stomach pizza it isn't because we told you you couldn't have it.'

'Wonderful.' He stood up and looked forlornly at the mouth-watering box of pizza. 'Guess I'll just go have some of those salted crackers for lunch. At least I know I can keep them down.'