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fandomweekly2025-09-28 12:29 pm
m_findlow) wrote in fandomweekly2025-09-28 12:29 pm
Entry tags:
[#275] COLD TURKEY (TORCHWOOD)
Theme Prompt: #275 - One more try
Title: Cold turkey
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: The team have been without their regular barista for days and now things are getting desperate.
‘I'm going to get it working this time.’ Jack had that look of determination on his face that the team knew all too well. It was that kind of stern look that just simply said “don't mess with me, I've got this.”
Owen rolled his eyes. They'd been here before, twice in fact, and every time it was a dead end. They all knew it but couldn't understand why Jack couldn't get with the program. ‘We all know it's not going to work,’ Owen complained.
‘Oh ye of little faith.’ Jack was still trying to convince the team that he actually did know what he was doing, even if on the inside he had absolutely no clue whatsoever. ‘It's just a stupid machine. Nothing more than a few screws and bolts, wires, a bit of electricity and a few stray coffee beans. Nothing to it.’
Tosh gave a frown of concern. ‘Jack, I really think you might need to reconsider this.’
‘What?’ he said. ‘You think I'm gonna break it?’
‘That’s exactly what we're saying,’ Gwen replied, chipping in her two cents worth. The last thing they needed was Jack breaking the coffee machine, not least because it would mean no coffee, but because it would also mean that when Ianto got back from his conference he'd be mad about it. So mad that they'd all be on decaf for a month, not just because they'd let Jack tinker with the machine and broken it, but because none of them had done anything to stop him. They'd all end up punished and that was how Ianto liked to roll. The coffee machine was strictly off limits. End of story.
Jack grabbed the small instruction booklet and waved it at them menacingly. He'd found it wedged under the back of the coffee machine, preventing it from rattling on the benchtop. It was slightly stained and curled at the edges, bits of dried brown liquid, and darker black flecks of ancient coffee grinds staining its pages, but still it had been there. Instructions on how to use this damn machine. He'd read them once. He’d even attempted to get it to work more than once.
Gwen's phone suddenly rang and she fished it out of her pocket answering it. ‘Ianto. Hi!’
Everyone fell dead silent and Jack froze, trapped like deer in the headlights.
‘Yes everything is going well,’ Gwen said, responding to whatever question Ianto had just asked her on the other end of the line. ‘Uh-huh, yes, okay. No, I can do that,’ she said, apparently agreeing to some other request.
Jack felt paralysed watching her, wondering what she would do next. Would she sell him out? Would Gwen interrupt Ianto to tell him that Jack was trying to use the coffee machine and probably going to break it? She probably didn't even understand the depths of punishment that Ianto would subject Jack to if he ever found out. Some of those things were kept private, behind closed doors. The team assumed they knew what Jack got punished for, but the true extent of it was never really made fully public.
‘Yes. No. I know…’ Gwen said, continuing her conversation with their archivist. ‘I can pull up those files for you, no problem. Yes,’ she agreed with a smile and a chuckle, ‘I know. Just when you think you're fully prepared for everything, they ask you some question out of the blue for which you then have to go back and sort through five hundred files to give them an answer that they won't like, but won’t give up on until you give it to them.’
There was more chatter on the other end of the line and still Jack remained frozen in place. He didn't dare give her a look that said “your employment will be at risk if you say anything.” He knew better than to threaten Gwen with things like that. She knew she was invaluable to the team and that Jack would never do such a thing.
Just as he was thinking it, Gwen's eyes cast themselves in his direction. ‘No, everything's been pretty quiet here,’ she said, lying through her teeth. ‘Just the same old, same old.’ There was a pause as she listened to the words on the other end of the line, and then a hearty laugh. ‘Of course he is!’ she said, obviously talking about Jack. ‘You know what he's like without coffee.’ She even paused to grin at Jack and then pointed at the machine. ‘No, he wouldn't dare. He knows better than that.’ she said. ‘We all just have to keep putting up with store bought coffee from the local cafes until you get back. Yep, yep, I know. No problem, I'll get to that stuff ASAP. Okay, bye.’ She hung up. The sighs of relief around the room were almost audible.
‘Jesus,’ Owen said. ‘I'd have fessed up if I were you. I reckon we would have heard Teaboy’s bollocking from halfway across Europe without the phone.’
‘Hey! Whose side are you guys on?’ Jack complained. ‘I'm doing this for you.’
Tosh folded her arms. ‘No, you're doing this for you. You've already had two goes at trying to break the thing.’
Jack tried his trademark smile. ‘Well, you know what they say, Tosh, third time's the charm.’
Gwen tucked her phone away. ‘No, Jack. Third time’s the time we get a bollocking from Ianto for not having stopped you the first two times.’
‘I read all the instructions, I swear,’ Jack told them. ‘I know exactly where I was going wrong.’
Owen snorted. ‘Knowing where you went wrong would be trying to tinker with the coffee machine when Ianto expressly told you not to.’
Jack gave each of his teammates a look in turn and then heaved a heavy sigh. ‘Fine. You win. We can all go without coffee for another three days. Just don't blame me for all the bad tempers over a lack of proper coffee.’
Title: Cold turkey
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: The team have been without their regular barista for days and now things are getting desperate.
‘I'm going to get it working this time.’ Jack had that look of determination on his face that the team knew all too well. It was that kind of stern look that just simply said “don't mess with me, I've got this.”
Owen rolled his eyes. They'd been here before, twice in fact, and every time it was a dead end. They all knew it but couldn't understand why Jack couldn't get with the program. ‘We all know it's not going to work,’ Owen complained.
‘Oh ye of little faith.’ Jack was still trying to convince the team that he actually did know what he was doing, even if on the inside he had absolutely no clue whatsoever. ‘It's just a stupid machine. Nothing more than a few screws and bolts, wires, a bit of electricity and a few stray coffee beans. Nothing to it.’
Tosh gave a frown of concern. ‘Jack, I really think you might need to reconsider this.’
‘What?’ he said. ‘You think I'm gonna break it?’
‘That’s exactly what we're saying,’ Gwen replied, chipping in her two cents worth. The last thing they needed was Jack breaking the coffee machine, not least because it would mean no coffee, but because it would also mean that when Ianto got back from his conference he'd be mad about it. So mad that they'd all be on decaf for a month, not just because they'd let Jack tinker with the machine and broken it, but because none of them had done anything to stop him. They'd all end up punished and that was how Ianto liked to roll. The coffee machine was strictly off limits. End of story.
Jack grabbed the small instruction booklet and waved it at them menacingly. He'd found it wedged under the back of the coffee machine, preventing it from rattling on the benchtop. It was slightly stained and curled at the edges, bits of dried brown liquid, and darker black flecks of ancient coffee grinds staining its pages, but still it had been there. Instructions on how to use this damn machine. He'd read them once. He’d even attempted to get it to work more than once.
Gwen's phone suddenly rang and she fished it out of her pocket answering it. ‘Ianto. Hi!’
Everyone fell dead silent and Jack froze, trapped like deer in the headlights.
‘Yes everything is going well,’ Gwen said, responding to whatever question Ianto had just asked her on the other end of the line. ‘Uh-huh, yes, okay. No, I can do that,’ she said, apparently agreeing to some other request.
Jack felt paralysed watching her, wondering what she would do next. Would she sell him out? Would Gwen interrupt Ianto to tell him that Jack was trying to use the coffee machine and probably going to break it? She probably didn't even understand the depths of punishment that Ianto would subject Jack to if he ever found out. Some of those things were kept private, behind closed doors. The team assumed they knew what Jack got punished for, but the true extent of it was never really made fully public.
‘Yes. No. I know…’ Gwen said, continuing her conversation with their archivist. ‘I can pull up those files for you, no problem. Yes,’ she agreed with a smile and a chuckle, ‘I know. Just when you think you're fully prepared for everything, they ask you some question out of the blue for which you then have to go back and sort through five hundred files to give them an answer that they won't like, but won’t give up on until you give it to them.’
There was more chatter on the other end of the line and still Jack remained frozen in place. He didn't dare give her a look that said “your employment will be at risk if you say anything.” He knew better than to threaten Gwen with things like that. She knew she was invaluable to the team and that Jack would never do such a thing.
Just as he was thinking it, Gwen's eyes cast themselves in his direction. ‘No, everything's been pretty quiet here,’ she said, lying through her teeth. ‘Just the same old, same old.’ There was a pause as she listened to the words on the other end of the line, and then a hearty laugh. ‘Of course he is!’ she said, obviously talking about Jack. ‘You know what he's like without coffee.’ She even paused to grin at Jack and then pointed at the machine. ‘No, he wouldn't dare. He knows better than that.’ she said. ‘We all just have to keep putting up with store bought coffee from the local cafes until you get back. Yep, yep, I know. No problem, I'll get to that stuff ASAP. Okay, bye.’ She hung up. The sighs of relief around the room were almost audible.
‘Jesus,’ Owen said. ‘I'd have fessed up if I were you. I reckon we would have heard Teaboy’s bollocking from halfway across Europe without the phone.’
‘Hey! Whose side are you guys on?’ Jack complained. ‘I'm doing this for you.’
Tosh folded her arms. ‘No, you're doing this for you. You've already had two goes at trying to break the thing.’
Jack tried his trademark smile. ‘Well, you know what they say, Tosh, third time's the charm.’
Gwen tucked her phone away. ‘No, Jack. Third time’s the time we get a bollocking from Ianto for not having stopped you the first two times.’
‘I read all the instructions, I swear,’ Jack told them. ‘I know exactly where I was going wrong.’
Owen snorted. ‘Knowing where you went wrong would be trying to tinker with the coffee machine when Ianto expressly told you not to.’
Jack gave each of his teammates a look in turn and then heaved a heavy sigh. ‘Fine. You win. We can all go without coffee for another three days. Just don't blame me for all the bad tempers over a lack of proper coffee.’
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