Ficlet: Weirder Cravings
Title: Weirder Cravings
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 987
Summary: Now that Jack is expecting twins, his cravings are even more extreme than Ianto would have believed possible.
Spoilers: Nada.
Warnings: Contains M-Preg.
Written For: cozy_coffee’s prompt ‘Any, any/any, person b running out in the middle of the night to get a snack that person a is craving,’ at comment_fic.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood or any of the characters
“Ianto?” Jack hesitantly shook his husband by the shoulder. “Ianto, are you awake?”
Rolling onto his back, Ianto blinked the sleep out of his eyes, then rubbed them because the blinking wasn’t working. “I wasn’t,” he mumbled, “but it looks like I am now. Is everything okay? Is it the babies?” He sat up, suddenly worried. “They’re not on their way, are they? You’re not due for another two months!”
“No, they’re fine. Kicking hell out of my insides, but other than that they’re fine.”
“That’s good. Not that they’re kicking, but… well, you know.” Ianto squinted at his husband. “So why’d you wake me? Or is it just a case of misery loves company? You can’t sleep so I don’t get to either.”
“No, of course not; I wouldn’t do that to you! I know you need your sleep, you’ve got so much to do, running Torchwood in my place, taking care of me and Meriel. It’s nothing, I shouldn’t have woken you. I’m sorry.” Jack shifted his bulk on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position, which wasn’t easy considering he was almost seven months along and carrying twins.
“Now you’re being silly. You must’ve had a reason for waking me, so what is it? Do you need a foot rub, or an extra blanket, or something?”
“Nothing like that.” Jack sighed heavily. “Pregnancy cravings suck.” He pouted, glaring down at the mound of his stomach. “It’s all their fault. It wasn’t so bad a few weeks ago, when I just wanted sponge cake and ice cream all the time, but now I think they’re just doing this be contrary, both of them demanding things all the time when they’re not even born yet!”
Ianto chuckled. “I don’t think cravings work quite like that.”
“Try telling the twins that. All I know is that I want what I want when I want it, and I’d get it myself only I already checked the kitchen, and we don’t have any. I can’t go out looking like this, I’m not exactly inconspicuous; I can hardly get into the clothes I wore when I was expecting Meriel, and I’m too big to fit behind the steering wheel anyway.”
“Say no more.” Ianto was already climbing out of bed, fumbling in the dimness of their bedroom for clothes. “What is it you’re craving this time?”
“Peanut butter and sardines,” Jack said in a pained voice. “The crunchy peanut butter, not the smooth kind,” he added.
Pausing with his trousers half on, Ianto peered at his husband in the moonlight coming through a gap in the curtains. “Together? Seriously?”
“It wouldn’t be my choice, but yes. With pickled onions. We’ve already got some of those, but I tried a couple on their own, and it just wasn’t the same.”
“No, I don’t suppose it would be. Fine, I’ll see what I can get.” Finishing dressing, Ianto grabbed his wallet and phone from the nightstand. “Anything else?”
“I think that’s all.” Jack gave a wan smile. “Thank you. You’re the best husband ever.”
“I know.” Ianto leaned over to kiss Jack, who tasted faintly of pickled onions. “I think I’m going to veto kissing when you’ve had your midnight snack, at least until you’ve brushed your teeth.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“I’ll try not to be gone long.” Grabbing a jacket, Ianto left the room and made his way through the moonlit apartment, trying to decide what shops might be open at this time of night.
Finding an all-night convenience store, Ianto loaded his shopping trolley with a dozen tins of sardines, six jars of crunchy peanut butter and two of smooth, in case Jack changed his mind. Two large jars of premium pickled onions followed, along with two loaves of bread, several kinds of crackers, a bag of lemons, another of regular onions, semi-skimmed milk, oat milk, sponge cakes, and some ice cream. It never hurt to be prepared for all eventualities; he was learning that Jack’s pregnancy cravings could be fickle. They changed as quickly as the Welsh weather.
Wheeling the trolley to the checkout, he took in the disbelieving look on the cashier’s face and sighed. “Pregnant partner,” he explained as he emptied everything onto the conveyor belt, because it was better than having people think he was weird. “And it’s twins, which apparently means bizarre cravings at all hours of the day and night, and new ones every week.”
The cashier gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’ve been there. Not with twins, but when my wife was expecting our first, all she wanted was pickled beetroot and strawberry jam. That was thirty years back now. Good luck with your twins.”
“Thanks, I think we’ll need it.” Ianto stifled a yawn as he paid, bagged his groceries, and headed out to the car, returning home to find Jack waiting for him in the kitchen.
“I don’t deserve you,” Jack said, bottom lip wobbling as he watched his husband empty the shopping bags onto the counter.
“Yes you do,” Ianto assured him. “Now, help yourself to whatever you want, and I’ll put the rest away for later.”
Nodding, Jack emptied a tin of sardines into a dish, added several pickled onions from the open jar, then piled some crackers, spread thickly with peanut butter, on the top. Picking up a spoon, he dug in with a blissful sigh. “Perfect!”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d brush your teeth before coming back to bed. Rather not have to put up with sardine and onion breath for the rest of the night.” Ianto shut the fridge and gave Jack a peck on the top of his head before heading for their room.
Jack just waved his spoon vaguely, too busy eating to answer.
“Only two more months,” Ianto muttered to himself as he shed his clothes and climbed wearily back into bed. Surely he could survive Jack’s cravings for that long…
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 987
Summary: Now that Jack is expecting twins, his cravings are even more extreme than Ianto would have believed possible.
Spoilers: Nada.
Warnings: Contains M-Preg.
Written For: cozy_coffee’s prompt ‘Any, any/any, person b running out in the middle of the night to get a snack that person a is craving,’ at comment_fic.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood or any of the characters
“Ianto?” Jack hesitantly shook his husband by the shoulder. “Ianto, are you awake?”
Rolling onto his back, Ianto blinked the sleep out of his eyes, then rubbed them because the blinking wasn’t working. “I wasn’t,” he mumbled, “but it looks like I am now. Is everything okay? Is it the babies?” He sat up, suddenly worried. “They’re not on their way, are they? You’re not due for another two months!”
“No, they’re fine. Kicking hell out of my insides, but other than that they’re fine.”
“That’s good. Not that they’re kicking, but… well, you know.” Ianto squinted at his husband. “So why’d you wake me? Or is it just a case of misery loves company? You can’t sleep so I don’t get to either.”
“No, of course not; I wouldn’t do that to you! I know you need your sleep, you’ve got so much to do, running Torchwood in my place, taking care of me and Meriel. It’s nothing, I shouldn’t have woken you. I’m sorry.” Jack shifted his bulk on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position, which wasn’t easy considering he was almost seven months along and carrying twins.
“Now you’re being silly. You must’ve had a reason for waking me, so what is it? Do you need a foot rub, or an extra blanket, or something?”
“Nothing like that.” Jack sighed heavily. “Pregnancy cravings suck.” He pouted, glaring down at the mound of his stomach. “It’s all their fault. It wasn’t so bad a few weeks ago, when I just wanted sponge cake and ice cream all the time, but now I think they’re just doing this be contrary, both of them demanding things all the time when they’re not even born yet!”
Ianto chuckled. “I don’t think cravings work quite like that.”
“Try telling the twins that. All I know is that I want what I want when I want it, and I’d get it myself only I already checked the kitchen, and we don’t have any. I can’t go out looking like this, I’m not exactly inconspicuous; I can hardly get into the clothes I wore when I was expecting Meriel, and I’m too big to fit behind the steering wheel anyway.”
“Say no more.” Ianto was already climbing out of bed, fumbling in the dimness of their bedroom for clothes. “What is it you’re craving this time?”
“Peanut butter and sardines,” Jack said in a pained voice. “The crunchy peanut butter, not the smooth kind,” he added.
Pausing with his trousers half on, Ianto peered at his husband in the moonlight coming through a gap in the curtains. “Together? Seriously?”
“It wouldn’t be my choice, but yes. With pickled onions. We’ve already got some of those, but I tried a couple on their own, and it just wasn’t the same.”
“No, I don’t suppose it would be. Fine, I’ll see what I can get.” Finishing dressing, Ianto grabbed his wallet and phone from the nightstand. “Anything else?”
“I think that’s all.” Jack gave a wan smile. “Thank you. You’re the best husband ever.”
“I know.” Ianto leaned over to kiss Jack, who tasted faintly of pickled onions. “I think I’m going to veto kissing when you’ve had your midnight snack, at least until you’ve brushed your teeth.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“I’ll try not to be gone long.” Grabbing a jacket, Ianto left the room and made his way through the moonlit apartment, trying to decide what shops might be open at this time of night.
Finding an all-night convenience store, Ianto loaded his shopping trolley with a dozen tins of sardines, six jars of crunchy peanut butter and two of smooth, in case Jack changed his mind. Two large jars of premium pickled onions followed, along with two loaves of bread, several kinds of crackers, a bag of lemons, another of regular onions, semi-skimmed milk, oat milk, sponge cakes, and some ice cream. It never hurt to be prepared for all eventualities; he was learning that Jack’s pregnancy cravings could be fickle. They changed as quickly as the Welsh weather.
Wheeling the trolley to the checkout, he took in the disbelieving look on the cashier’s face and sighed. “Pregnant partner,” he explained as he emptied everything onto the conveyor belt, because it was better than having people think he was weird. “And it’s twins, which apparently means bizarre cravings at all hours of the day and night, and new ones every week.”
The cashier gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’ve been there. Not with twins, but when my wife was expecting our first, all she wanted was pickled beetroot and strawberry jam. That was thirty years back now. Good luck with your twins.”
“Thanks, I think we’ll need it.” Ianto stifled a yawn as he paid, bagged his groceries, and headed out to the car, returning home to find Jack waiting for him in the kitchen.
“I don’t deserve you,” Jack said, bottom lip wobbling as he watched his husband empty the shopping bags onto the counter.
“Yes you do,” Ianto assured him. “Now, help yourself to whatever you want, and I’ll put the rest away for later.”
Nodding, Jack emptied a tin of sardines into a dish, added several pickled onions from the open jar, then piled some crackers, spread thickly with peanut butter, on the top. Picking up a spoon, he dug in with a blissful sigh. “Perfect!”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d brush your teeth before coming back to bed. Rather not have to put up with sardine and onion breath for the rest of the night.” Ianto shut the fridge and gave Jack a peck on the top of his head before heading for their room.
Jack just waved his spoon vaguely, too busy eating to answer.
“Only two more months,” Ianto muttered to himself as he shed his clothes and climbed wearily back into bed. Surely he could survive Jack’s cravings for that long…
The End