Ficlet: Feeding Time At Torchwood
Title: Feeding Time At Torchwood
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, Nosy, Myfanwy, Team and other residents mentioned.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto has a lot of mouths to feed, but it’s all in a day’s work for Torchwood’s General Support Officer.
Word Count: 535
Written For: My own prompt ‘Torchwood, Ianto, feeding the Hub residents,’ at
fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
As Torchwood’s General Support Officer, caring for the inmates was part of Ianto’s job. The number of mouths to be fed varied, depending on how many transients were in the cells at any given time, but they’d amassed quite a menagerie of permanent residents who needed to be fed regularly. It meant that Ianto’s days started early.
His alarm clock always went off at six, regardless of what day it was. Getting a lie in at the weekend was a luxury he couldn’t afford. He’d quickly shower, shave, dress, and put the coffee on to brew before beginning his rounds.
Myfanwy was always first to be fed because she’d start squawking the moment he appeared and wouldn’t quieten down again until she’d been given her morning meal. Such a demanding old girl, but Ianto loved her nonetheless.
Janet was next, along with any other Weevils or temporary residents in the cells. Any necessary cleaning out was done at the same time because then it meant he wouldn’t need to go back down to the vaults until it was time for the evening feed.
Back up in the main Hub, Ianto poured out some choice gravel and assorted stones for Bob, then gave Velvet and the alien butterfly some runny honey up in the greenhouse where they lived, making sure to close the door behind him to keep Nosy out. Then it was back down to the kitchen, where Jack and Nosy would be waiting, staring hopefully at the coffee machine.
Ianto always took a break then, sitting down for a few minutes to enjoy the first coffee of the day with his lover and their Fluff, but as soon as his mug was empty, he’d be back to work. He’d serve Nosy its breakfast of vegetables and fruit, change the Fluff’s water and re-fill Daisy’s hay rack. Once that was done, he’d put his coat on and take the invisible lift up to the Plas to fetch breakfast for the team from their favourite bakery.
Returning a short while later laden with muffins, doughnuts, and assorted pastries, he’d take the food to the boardroom and get another pot of coffee going so it would be ready by the time the rest of the team arrived at eight. He’d learned early on to keep a selection of pastries aside for his own breakfast if he still had things to do before he could eat, because no matter how much food he bought, the hungry horde would make short work of everything on the boardroom table. The only thing left would be crumbs, which Nosy could be counted on to deal with.
It was always a relief to retreat to the archives after clearing away the breakfast dishes. Filing was soothing, and unless he had other, more pressing tasks on his to-do list, or was needed out in the field, he’d take his time and unwind, because all too soon it would be lunch time and the team would be demanding to be fed again.
When it came right down to it, Ianto mused, of all the weird creatures whose care he was responsible for, it was the humans who were the most work to look after.
The End