Ficlet: Late Night Snack
Jan. 26th, 2026 05:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
badly_knittedTitle: Late Night Snack
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 740
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Working for Torchwood, sometimes you just have to grab what food you can when you can.
Written For:
ravenlilyrose’s prompt ‘any, any, pizza after midnight’, at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
threesentenceficathon.Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
Torchwood, where irregular working hours invariably mean irregular mealtimes, and that’s on the occasions when meals don’t end up having to be skipped entirely, due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Most of the team have become accustomed to carrying suitable snacks in their pockets for emergencies, because sometimes an energy boost is essential, but once the snacks are eaten, that’s your lot, at least until more can be purchases and pockets can be re-stocked.
Sometimes, no matter how hungry you might be, you wind up having to go without, especially when it’s this late, the ungodly time of night between closing and opening, because unlike Torchwood, most businesses keep more or less regular hours. Some people don’t know how lucky they are. Not that Ianto would want to work nine to five, Monday to Friday, but it might be nice to occasionally be able to go to bed at a reasonable hour and get some uninterrupted sleep. Heaven knows he could do with it.
Since he knows everything about both Torchwood and Cardiff that’s worth knowing, Ianto is fully aware that there’s nowhere open at this time of night to buy fast food. All the takeaway places closed over an hour ago (he has all their opening hours, and their menus, memorised) which is annoying, because chasing Weevils isn’t just exhausting; it really works up an appetite. In more than one respect, but he and Jack already sated the other kind of appetite up against the wall in the alley behind the chippie, and… Well, that’s part of the problem, because the scent of fish and chips was lingering in the air, and that only served to remind them that they’re both starving… so, what to do to stave off their hunger pangs?
They could go back to Ianto’s flat and raid the fridge, except he hasn’t had a chance to do any shopping this week, so there probably isn’t enough in the cupboards to feed a mouse, let along two ravenous men. And while they might be able to find an all-night convenience store, if they drive around for a bit, there’s a Weevil in the back of the SUV and they really ought to get it back to the Hub before the sedative wears off… And there’s the answer, of course, because there should be most of a pizza left over from lunch, if no one swiped it, and while it’ll be cold, that’s what microwaves are for, right?
Jack puts his foot to the floor on the drive back to Torchwood’s base, which is his usual style of driving anyway, but might be slightly influenced by hunger and the fact that the Weevil is already beginning to stir. Anyway, they reach the Hub in slightly less than eight minutes, and slip into the underground garage, jumping out and getting the boot open just in time to sedate the Weevil again before it can wake up all the way. Then, of course, they have to cart it down to the cells, which isn’t easy when they’re already low on energy. Weevils, especially adult males, are a lot heavier than they look.
Weevil safely locked away, they investigate the food possibilities, and while there are only five slices of pizza left, it’s better than nothing, especially once it’s been reheated and they’ve scrounged a couple of bags of crisps to go with it. It’s not the world’s most filling supper, and certainly not the most nutritious, but beggars can’t be choosers, and it they wind up having nightmares from all the cheese… Well, that probably would have happened even without the pizza, and it’s still better than going to bed hungry and being unable to sleep.
Then the Rift alert goes off, and the question of possible nightmares becomes a moot point, because it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting any more sleep tonight anyway. So, grabbing the last slices, and eating them on the run, they head out to the SUV again. Looks like it’s just going to be one of those nights.
If they happen to pass a convenience store while they’re out this time, maybe they can nip in and grab a few essentials, enough to keep them going until the café across the Plas is open for breakfast, because by the time they’re done, it’s a safe bet they’ll be hungry again. One good thing about Torchwood: it really helps you burn off the calories.
The End
Sometimes, no matter how hungry you might be, you wind up having to go without, especially when it’s this late, the ungodly time of night between closing and opening, because unlike Torchwood, most businesses keep more or less regular hours. Some people don’t know how lucky they are. Not that Ianto would want to work nine to five, Monday to Friday, but it might be nice to occasionally be able to go to bed at a reasonable hour and get some uninterrupted sleep. Heaven knows he could do with it.
Since he knows everything about both Torchwood and Cardiff that’s worth knowing, Ianto is fully aware that there’s nowhere open at this time of night to buy fast food. All the takeaway places closed over an hour ago (he has all their opening hours, and their menus, memorised) which is annoying, because chasing Weevils isn’t just exhausting; it really works up an appetite. In more than one respect, but he and Jack already sated the other kind of appetite up against the wall in the alley behind the chippie, and… Well, that’s part of the problem, because the scent of fish and chips was lingering in the air, and that only served to remind them that they’re both starving… so, what to do to stave off their hunger pangs?
They could go back to Ianto’s flat and raid the fridge, except he hasn’t had a chance to do any shopping this week, so there probably isn’t enough in the cupboards to feed a mouse, let along two ravenous men. And while they might be able to find an all-night convenience store, if they drive around for a bit, there’s a Weevil in the back of the SUV and they really ought to get it back to the Hub before the sedative wears off… And there’s the answer, of course, because there should be most of a pizza left over from lunch, if no one swiped it, and while it’ll be cold, that’s what microwaves are for, right?
Jack puts his foot to the floor on the drive back to Torchwood’s base, which is his usual style of driving anyway, but might be slightly influenced by hunger and the fact that the Weevil is already beginning to stir. Anyway, they reach the Hub in slightly less than eight minutes, and slip into the underground garage, jumping out and getting the boot open just in time to sedate the Weevil again before it can wake up all the way. Then, of course, they have to cart it down to the cells, which isn’t easy when they’re already low on energy. Weevils, especially adult males, are a lot heavier than they look.
Weevil safely locked away, they investigate the food possibilities, and while there are only five slices of pizza left, it’s better than nothing, especially once it’s been reheated and they’ve scrounged a couple of bags of crisps to go with it. It’s not the world’s most filling supper, and certainly not the most nutritious, but beggars can’t be choosers, and it they wind up having nightmares from all the cheese… Well, that probably would have happened even without the pizza, and it’s still better than going to bed hungry and being unable to sleep.
Then the Rift alert goes off, and the question of possible nightmares becomes a moot point, because it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting any more sleep tonight anyway. So, grabbing the last slices, and eating them on the run, they head out to the SUV again. Looks like it’s just going to be one of those nights.
If they happen to pass a convenience store while they’re out this time, maybe they can nip in and grab a few essentials, enough to keep them going until the café across the Plas is open for breakfast, because by the time they’re done, it’s a safe bet they’ll be hungry again. One good thing about Torchwood: it really helps you burn off the calories.
The End
(no subject)
Date: 2026-01-27 12:16 am (UTC)