Ficlet: Like Locusts
Title: Like Locusts
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, OFC, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Four kids, four Fluffs, and two adults get through an awful lot of food.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 159: Bottomless at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Wandering through the supermarket, pushing his already heavily laden trolley, Ianto thought wistfully of the days when he’d only needed to shop for himself, or to re-stock the kitchen at the Hub. That had been bad enough, making sure there were plenty of sugary snacks for Jack, all the foods required by the rest of the team and the residents in the vaults, plus cleaning supplies and other necessities, but this…
With two adults, four growing children, and four Fluffs to feed, the weekly shop now had to be done twice a week, or even three times. No matter how careful he was at making a list of everything they needed, a few things always seemed to get overlooked, and even on the rare occasions when he got everything he was asked for, the kids went though the available food like a horde of locusts.
They were bottomless pits of hunger, especially the twins, eight years old and growing like weeds. Both Meriel and two-year-old Rhosyn, who was currently sitting in the trolley’s child seat helping her Taddy find everything on his list, had healthy appetites, but the Holy Terrors could put away enough food in a week to feed a small army.
The Fluffs were no slouches in the eating stakes either; they needed to keep their strength and their energy levels up in order to look after their human charges and Ianto was beginning to wonder if he wouldn’t be better off buying fresh fruit and veg wholesale. Perhaps he could get it delivered to save having to lug quite so many bags out to the car, then up in the old freight lift before hauling them through the flat to the kitchen and putting everything away. What with carrying small children, piles of laundry, and heavy bags of shopping he didn’t need to work out to keep in shape; he was getting more than enough exercise already.
“Right, what else do we need for the starving hordes?” he asked his youngest.
Rhosyn looked up at her Taddy, bright blue eyes peeking out from under her floppy brown fringe. She was the image of her Daddy.
“Juice!”
“That’s right! Let’s go find the juice.” Ianto got the heavy trolley moving again, turning into the next aisle where Rosie pointed and shouted.
“Cwips!”
“Right, crisps.” Not the healthiest food on the planet, but Jack would complain if Ianto didn’t get any. His appetite was as bottomless as the twins’, especially after a death or injury.
Snagging one of the massive bags containing a dozen assorted packets, Ianto tucked it into the trolley. He’d have to be careful not to pile anything heavy on top of it. “I need a bigger trolley,” he muttered. “Either that or Time Lord technology to make this one bigger on the inside.”
At least with the twins at school he wouldn’t end up paying for things they’d slipped into the trolley when he wasn’t looking.
Ianto sighed wearily. Jack better not get pregnant again!
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, OFC, Jack.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Four kids, four Fluffs, and two adults get through an awful lot of food.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 159: Bottomless at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Wandering through the supermarket, pushing his already heavily laden trolley, Ianto thought wistfully of the days when he’d only needed to shop for himself, or to re-stock the kitchen at the Hub. That had been bad enough, making sure there were plenty of sugary snacks for Jack, all the foods required by the rest of the team and the residents in the vaults, plus cleaning supplies and other necessities, but this…
With two adults, four growing children, and four Fluffs to feed, the weekly shop now had to be done twice a week, or even three times. No matter how careful he was at making a list of everything they needed, a few things always seemed to get overlooked, and even on the rare occasions when he got everything he was asked for, the kids went though the available food like a horde of locusts.
They were bottomless pits of hunger, especially the twins, eight years old and growing like weeds. Both Meriel and two-year-old Rhosyn, who was currently sitting in the trolley’s child seat helping her Taddy find everything on his list, had healthy appetites, but the Holy Terrors could put away enough food in a week to feed a small army.
The Fluffs were no slouches in the eating stakes either; they needed to keep their strength and their energy levels up in order to look after their human charges and Ianto was beginning to wonder if he wouldn’t be better off buying fresh fruit and veg wholesale. Perhaps he could get it delivered to save having to lug quite so many bags out to the car, then up in the old freight lift before hauling them through the flat to the kitchen and putting everything away. What with carrying small children, piles of laundry, and heavy bags of shopping he didn’t need to work out to keep in shape; he was getting more than enough exercise already.
“Right, what else do we need for the starving hordes?” he asked his youngest.
Rhosyn looked up at her Taddy, bright blue eyes peeking out from under her floppy brown fringe. She was the image of her Daddy.
“Juice!”
“That’s right! Let’s go find the juice.” Ianto got the heavy trolley moving again, turning into the next aisle where Rosie pointed and shouted.
“Cwips!”
“Right, crisps.” Not the healthiest food on the planet, but Jack would complain if Ianto didn’t get any. His appetite was as bottomless as the twins’, especially after a death or injury.
Snagging one of the massive bags containing a dozen assorted packets, Ianto tucked it into the trolley. He’d have to be careful not to pile anything heavy on top of it. “I need a bigger trolley,” he muttered. “Either that or Time Lord technology to make this one bigger on the inside.”
At least with the twins at school he wouldn’t end up paying for things they’d slipped into the trolley when he wasn’t looking.
Ianto sighed wearily. Jack better not get pregnant again!
The End