Cereal for Supper

"Ianto," said Jack, entering the Welshman's kitchen diner and looking round.

"Jack," returned Ianto companionably, looking up from what he was doing.

"No," qualified Jack. "I meant that in the sense of 'eeew, Ianto!' As in 'eeeeeewwww!".

"Problem?" asked Ianto.

Jack breathed in deeply. "Well, if Owen could see this, he would know you most certainly aren't OCD as he suspects."

Ianto smirked, blushed slightly, and looked at the pot of yoghurt he was holding. He'd been eating it when he heard Jack's key in the door. "You and I both know I'm not OCD."

"Yeah, Ianto, but this?" Jack swept his hand expansively around the area, inviting Ianto to take a fresh look. "I've only been away a week helping UNIT round up those baby Weevils that got swept out of Cardiff Bay and across the channel to France. I can't believe this could happen in so short a time."

"Oh, it didn't," said Ianto reassuringly. "It started to build before then. You just didn't realise, because everything was out of sight before you left."

Jack sat down beside the young man, and took the pot of yoghurt away from him, placing it on the table next to the packet of Cornflakes, a Chinese rice bowl and a pair of chopsticks. There was an open carton of milk and an empty beer bottle on the table too, but no sign of a glass.

Ianto picked up his yoghurt again, uttering an indignant "Oi. I hadn't finished my supper yet."

"Let me make sure I'm not misunderstanding what I'm seeing." Jack ignored Ianto's interjection. "You've eaten cornflakes, with milk, using chopsticks - from a Chinese rice bowl - for your supper." He looked at Ianto, who nodded.

"Ianto, what's going on? I can understand cereal for a light supper. I've done it myself on many an occasion when there was nothing else in the Hub kitchen, or if I was too tired for more. But I've never, ever, thought to eat cornflakes with chopsticks. Cariad, please, tell me why."

Ianto looked shamefaced. "It works quite well, actually." He realised he was going to have to explain. "Just before you left, the dishwasher broke. I'd got a full load stacked in it but something's buggered and it won't run on any of the programs. I meant to get it fixed but we've been really busy at the Hub since you left. I just haven't found a moment to look for a repair man. So, basically, the only crockery left in the house was this bowl and that pair of chopsticks."

Jack sucked in a breath. "And washing up by hand wasn't an option?" he ventured, gently.

Ianto shook his head violently, indignantly. "What, when I've got a dishwasher?"

Jack was about to leave it there when a sudden thought hit him.

"Ianto?"

"Jack?"

Somehow, they'd been there before this evening.

"Ianto, if you didn't have a spoon for your cornflakes, please tell me you weren't eating the yoghurt with the chopsticks too. Or your fingers."

Ianto scowled and countered: "What kind of a slob do you take me for?"

Jack backed off, until he saw a smile ghost across Ianto's face. The Welshman held out the yoghurt pot to him. It was half empty. Or half full, supposed Jack, depending on your perspective.

"Of course I didn't eat it with my fingers!" exclaimed Ianto. "That's why there's some left. I couldn't reach any further down with my tongue."

End

All comedy is based in truth. In this story, I've simply altered the names to protect the guilty.