Fic: Fluff Buffet - Part 2/2

[bk_forever]

 

 

Title: Welcome To Owen Harper’s All-You-Can-Eat Fluff Buffet - Part 2/2

Author: badly_knitted

Characters: Tosh, Owen, Mickey, Andy, Jack, Ianto, Nosy. Brief mention of Gwen.

Pairings: Jack/Ianto, slight Tosh/Owen

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Don’t think so. Set after Exit Wounds and Doctor Who, Journey’s End, but everyone’s still alive and the team has been expanded.

Warnings: Typical silliness, fluff etc.

Word Count: 4023

Summary: Nosy discovers the delights (and otherwise) of earth foods.

Series: Fifth in the Nosy-Verse, follows The Care And Feeding Of Alien Fluffs 

Disclaimer: I still don’t own Torchwood, or any of the characters, but I do own Nosy.

A/N: This is for everyone who’s commented, with thanks; your enthusiasm for Nosy makes me want to keep writing. Hope you all enjoy this one.

Part One

 

 

 

It took them nearly half an hour to cart all the pieces across the Hub and into the night duty room, but they finally had everything in one place and the packaging removed. Owen picked up the instructions.

 

“Bunk beds? What do we need bunk beds for?”

 

“Ianto said something about the top bunk being for our new pet. Apparently it snuck down Jack’s manhole last night and got in bed with them or something, didn’t like being alone. So, whoever gets night duty in future also has to baby sit an overgrown bottle brush.”

 

“Be nice to have the company,” Andy said cheerfully.

 

“Good job it’s your turn tonight then,” Mickey grinned.

 

“It is, isn’t it? I get to be first to sleep in the new bed!”

 

“Why d’you have to be so bloody cheerful about everything?” Owen grumbled.

 

“Why d’you have to be so grouchy? If I’m Happy, you must be Grumpy.”

 

“No way! I’m the doctor around here, so that makes me Doc. Mickey’s Grumpy.”

 

Laughing and arguing amiably, they set about laying out all the parts, then started to put them together under Mickey’s expert guidance. It turned out he was a whiz at putting together furniture of all kinds.

 

“Okay, if Andy’s Happy, you’re Doc and I’m Grumpy – which I ain’t admitting to, but I’ll go with it for now – who are the other four?” Mickey asked Owen.

 

Owen gave it some thought as he worked. “Tosh is Bashful, obviously. Gwen’s sleepy ‘cause she nods off at her desk. That leaves Sneezy and Dopey.”

 

“Well Dopey is obvious,” said Mickey.

 

They all looked at each other and chorused, “Jack!” before falling about laughing.

 

A soft slithering noise from the doorway interrupted them, and they turned to see Nosy peering ‘round the doorframe. It gave an enquiring hum.

 

“Hello there,” Andy greeted it. He got up off the floor and went over to the door, dusting his trousers off as he went. Nosy slithered part way into the room, then stopped, scrunched up and sneezed. “Bless you. I think we’ve found our Sneezy!” Andy said over his shoulder to the others, bending down to make a fuss of Nosy.

 

Mickey frowned. “If the feather duster there is Sneezy, what’s left for Ianto?”

 

Owen shrugged. “We’ve run out of Dwarfs, guess he’ll have to be Snow White!”

 

“It fits!” Mickey said with a grin. “He’s always cleaning the house and getting the food.”

 

“Not to mention picking up the laundry,” Andy added.

 

Owen chuckled. “I can just see the look on his face if we called him that.” He paused, before adding, “Better not though, or we’ll find ourselves on decaf for a month.”

 

“Not risking that,” Mickey agreed.

 

“We’re pathetic,” Owen sighed. “Teaboy’s got us over a barrel, we’re so addicted to his coffee we daren’t do anything that might interfere with us getting our regular fix.”

 

The others both nodded.

 

“It is very good though.”

 

“Good?” Owen stared at Andy like he’d grown a second head. “It’s bloody amazing! Makes everything else taste like mud.”

 

Mickey clapped his hands together. “Come on, guys, let’s get back to work, this bed’s not gonna build itself while we’re standing around extolling the virtues of Ianto’s coffee.”

 

Andy gave Nosy a final pat and told it, “You can watch, but you need to stay there out of the way, don’t want you getting squashed.”

 

Nosy obediently slithered backwards into the doorway, where it settled down to watch. Owen was always surprised that it could go backwards as easily as forwards, and made a mental note to study its abilities further when he had time. He’d been reading up on xenobiology for some time now – in his line of work it was essential and there was a fair amount in the archives on the subject – and Nosy was proving a fascinating subject for study. Besides, it would be a good excuse for spending time with the alien. He didn’t want the rest of the team thinking he’d gone completely soft, he had a reputation to uphold.

 

ooooo

 

It didn’t take the three men long to get the bed constructed and set in position against the wall. They worked well together – all of the team did. Jack may not be the world’s greatest leader, but he knew people and had put together a team whose skills complemented each other. That’s not to say there was never any friction between the team members – that would have been unnatural – but most of the time they all got along and any arguments were minor.

 

While they worked, Nosy mostly kept well out of the way, but it occasionally helped out, fetching tools that rolled out of reach and handing them back, much to everyone’s amusement.

 

Standing back and dusting themselves off (which set Nosy sneezing again), they admired their handiwork. Mickey stepped forward and gave the frame a good shake. It didn’t budge.

 

“Solid as a rock. Let’s get the mattresses on, then stop for a beer.”

 

There were general murmurs of approval from the other two.

 

Mattresses dragged in from the hallway, unwrapped and hauled into place, Andy sat on the bottom bunk and bounced experimentally.

 

“How does if feel?” asked Owen.

 

“Good. Not too hard. Why don’t you try it for yourself?”

 

Owen sat beside Andy and bounced. “Nice. Not too soft either.”

 

Mickey joined them, seating himself the other side of Andy, bouncing carefully. “Yeah, feels just right to me.”

 

There was silence for a moment as they looked at each other, then they all burst out laughing. “This fairytale stuff is getting out of hand. Come on, time for that beer, then we should fetch the bedding, it’s still up in the Tourist Centre. Ianto thought of everything.”

 

“’Course he did,” said Owen, “If there was an Olympic event for being organised, he’d take gold every time. I swear the man’s brain is full of tiny filing cabinets with his every thought neatly catalogued and filed away so he can find it again at a moment’s notice. He probably has a list of the lists he makes. In triplicate!”

 

Laughing at Owen’s comments, they made their way back to the kitchen area with Nosy slinking along behind them. Mickey grabbed three beers from the fridge and opened them.

 

“Tosh,” Andy called, “we’re all having a well-deserved beer, do you want one?”

 

“Not a beer, but I’ll have a soda if there is one.”

 

Andy checked the fridge. “Coke or Sprite?”

 

“Sprite, please,” Tosh replied, walking over to join them.

 

Andy handed her the bottle. “We’ve been putting together the new bed in the night duty room,” he told her.

 

“Bunk beds,” Owen added. “Nosy gets the top bunk and whoever’s on duty has the bottom. Ianto’s idea, apparently. You should come take a look when we take the bedding down.”

 

“As long as you don’t expect me to make the beds,” Tosh replied.

 

“Shucks, foiled!” grinned Andy.

 

“Never crossed my mind!” Owen tried to look innocent, but it was Owen, so it didn’t really work.

 

ooooo

 

As soon as they’d finished their drinks, the three men headed up to the Tourist Centre to collect the bedding. Tosh headed for the night duty room, Nosy at her heels, to test out the new bed before the others came back. Just as the three men had, she sat on the bottom bunk and bounced, but then she stretched out on the mattress with a sigh.

 

“Oh, this is really comfy,” she told Nosy. “But how are you supposed to get into your bed?”

 

Nosy hummed enquiringly.

 

Tosh got up and reached one hand up to the top bunk, patting the mattress. “This is your bed,” she explained to Nosy.

 

Nosy sat up and looked, then slithered to the ladder and squiggled its way up onto the top bunk. It tried to bounce like everyone else had, but because of its shape, it wasn’t very good at it, so it gave up and just coiled up comfortably.

 

“Comfy?” Tosh asked.

 

It hummed approval.

 

Arriving back with all the bedding, Owen, Andy and Mickey dumped their loads on the floor and stared at Nosy.

 

“How’d it get up there?”

 

“Tosh shrugged. “The ladder. It just sort of squiggled its way up.”

 

“Well, it can squiggle its way back down again so we can make up the beds,” Owen said firmly.

 

Nosy took a bit of persuading, but finally did as it was told and slithered back to the floor.

 

In the end, they all helped make up the beds. Owen and Tosh took charge of the bottom bunk while Mickey and Andy dealt with the top. They looked very inviting once they were done.

 

“Beats that old cot by a country mile,” said Andy, “Real luxury.”

 

“You won’t want to get up if there’s a rift alert tonight,” teased Tosh.

 

“At least I’ll be well rested if the world decides to end on my watch. Still, can’t stand around wishing it was bedtime already, no matter how tempting it looks. Work to do.” Andy started gathering the plastic packaging, stuffing it into the bags the pillows and duvets came in.

 

ooooo

 

Once all the rubbish was bagged up, Andy and Mickey hauled it down to the incinerator for disposal, taking care to shut the door to the lower levels, so Nosy couldn’t follow. Owen and Tosh headed back to the main Hub with Nosy, luring it away from its new bed with the promise of a game of fetch.

 

“You can throw your own balls this time,” Tosh told Owen with a cheeky grin.

 

“Now that’s a feat I’m not sure even Jack could accomplish,” Owen joked in reply. “Speak of the devil,” he added as the door from the garage opened and Jack struggled through, loaded down with shopping bags and followed by a less heavily laden Ianto, leaning on his cane. He’d had more than enough of walking, now all he wanted to do was collapse on the sofa and put his feet up, which is exactly what he did.

 

“Shopping was a success, I take it?” Owen continued, taking in the array of bags.

 

“Oh yeah,” Jack beamed, dumping his bags on and around the coffee table. “Just you wait ‘til we show you what we bought!” He was bouncing on the balls of his feet like an excited child.

 

Ianto rolled his eyes. “I don’t know where you get the energy. I’ve about had it. Give me a few minutes to catch my breath and I’ll make coffee while you fetch the rest of the bags.”

 

“There’s more?” asked Owen incredulously.

 

“Yep, a few more bags. It’s not all for Nosy though. Did the beds arrive?”

 

“Ages ago. They’re all set up and ready for use.”

 

Ianto’s eyebrows went up. “I’m impressed!”

 

“You should be, we worked bloody hard!” Mickey grumbled as he and Andy wandered over to join the gathering. Nosy was eying the piles of bags curiously.

 

Ianto heaved himself up off the sofa and limped towards the kitchen area, taking several of the bags with him.

 

“I’m going to make us all a coffee and get some ice for my knee,” he announced. “When I get back, we’ll see what Nosy thinks of its new toys. Give me a hand, Tosh?”

 

“Sure,” Tosh said with a smile.

 

“Can’t I help?” asked Jack.

 

“Thought you were fetching the rest of the bags?”

 

“Oh yeah, I forgot.”

 

Ianto shook his head. “Grasshopper mind.”

 

“I heard that,” Jack called after him.

 

“You were meant to.”

 

Jack grinned and headed off back to the garage, while the remaining team settled down to wait for the grand unveiling…

 

The End (for now)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[bk_forever]

I practically live on my bed *looks guilty*

Mum has the TV on at least 16 hours a day downstairs, so I stay in my room, on my bed, pillows piled behind me, laptop on a small table over my legs. I don't have a chair in my room, or any surface of a suitable height for a computer, and in winter it's too bloody cold not to have blankets piled over my legs as my feet are always cold even in warm weather, so the bed is my home, lol! It's also the best place to be during migraines. Computer, cross stitch, knitting, macrame - all can be done quite easily here. Card making though, I have to sit on the floor or a low stool and work on a ridiculously low table. We're supposed to be converting the box room into a craft room, but when that will happen is anybody's guess!

I usually grow my own tomatoes - but not this year, things conspired against it. I used to grow other things too, but the garden got a little bit overgrown the last couple of years... Looks more like a jungle just now *sigh*

[usakiwigirl.livejournal.com]

I would love to live on my bed, but my back just doesn't like it. I even have trouble sitting for too long. Of course, I can't stand for too long, either. I'm pretty much screwed any way you look at it - and in no way is it pleasurable. Stupid man in his stupid truck.

I miss doing the craft stuff. I couldn't bring it with me - it just took up too much weight. Working in a papercraft store really is the most fun, if that is something you enjoy doing. It does get expensive, though, yes! I did have the chance to attend a couple of trade shows, however, which was awesome. Seeing the new stuff before it hit the stores, and meeting some of the big names - saw and talked to Tim Holtz, which was kind of cool. He's been a favourite of mine for a long time! I love to stamp, so that was really neat watching him. I miss my stamping business, where I used to sell and teach stamping to people. Maybe one day I'll be able to get back to it.

I wish I could grow stuff. Me and plants don't get along - I tend to kill stuff! I think I've only managed to have one decent garden in 21 years, and that only lasted one season. I even managed to kill a bromeliad, which lives on air! Not even cactus survives my love, lol.

Best of luck with your garden, if you manage to get it up and running. I know that clearing it out can sometimes be the hardest job of all.

[bk_forever]

Lack of health certainly impacts on my garden-maintenance, but so do the wet summers which have made things grow madly the last few years while not allowing me to work out there without drowning most of the time. I can't swim!

I used to grow and sell plants. Never made a lot of money, but I enjoyed it. Too much artritis these days. I do love cacti, but I've killed a couple of airplants too. They take so little care I tend to forget about them =S

Oooh, teach me to stamp? I have quite a few, mostly clear stamps and the acrylic blocks to mount them on for use, but some wood backed ones as well. Never really known the most effective ways to use them though. I stamp sentiments inside cards, etc, but I've got fairies and holly and robins, some great celtic designs, loads of others when I think about it. Do you stamp them then colour in the images or what? I've seen loads for sale coloured in, but don't know what would be best to use. I tend to buy the equipment, then try to figure out how to use it - same with all my embossing stuff, lol! My problem is, I want to do everything!

[usakiwigirl.livejournal.com]

Not sure what happened - I was half way through answering, and I hit backspace (I think) and the entire page backspaced back to my page! Weird. Now I can't remember what I typed, so I'm not going to bother. It was probably just waffling, anyway, lol.

Stamping is fun. Biggest thing - don't use water to clean them. It dries out the rubber. Buy a stamp cleaner, it keeps them conditioned. Just spray the cleaner to the stamp, then rub it on a sponge, if you don't want to buy a scrub pad. If you buy a scrub pad, the cleaner will last longer - spray on one side, scrub the stamp, then dry on the other side of the scrub pad.

With stamps that are line drawings (those are the ones that look all coloured in on the back), you can use any medium you want to colour them. I used to stamp in black, then use coloured pencils, or felt-tip pens to colour them in. When I became more comfortable, I would use watercolour pencils, colour like a regular pencil, then use a wet brush to spread and blend the colour. It looks amazing. You can also pick up colour directly from your ink pad with a wet brush (not too wet) and colour direct to your image. I'd recommend practicing on scrap cardstock until you're comfortable.

Solid stamps are easiest, as you just stamp in whatever colour you choose. The fun thing with them, is maybe cutting the image apart, and then layering the cut bits with foam to give it dimension. If you stamp in different colours, then cut each stamped piece up (leaving one whole as a base), it can look very cool.

Another way to colour your stamps is to colour directly to the stamp itself. It takes practice again, and you need decent pigment or dye ink markers to do a good job, but the results can be awesome. Hold the stamp up, and using a brush tip, literally paint the stamp where you want the colour - eg: you have a robin stamp on a branch and you want him red, but the branch brown. Brush red over the lines of the robin, his eyes black, his beak and feet yellow, then the branch brown and any leaves green. The ink will dry as you go, obviously, but when you are all finished, you lift the stamp up to your mouth and you "huff" all over the surface. And yes, that is the technical term for it! We all called it "huffing" on the stamp, lol. As soon as you've finished breathing on the stamp, you immediately stamp your image. It never hurts to over-huff, btw. It's the moisture in your breath that reactivates the ink. I recommend drinking tea while stamping - hot tea, hot breath! The images look really good, though.

I wish I had some of my images around here to upload and then show you, but as I said, nothing made it. I have none of my past work here. If you really want to learn, check out Stampin' Up!. I used to have a business with them, and they are now in Great Britain. They have an online catalogue, and there are lots of ideas on every page. You might be able to look at something, and be able to work out a way to do it. They also have a great range of accessories to help. I would give my eye teeth to go to a show again, or even to get my hands on a current catalogue. I just make do with drooling over the internet!

Hope I've given you some basic ideas. It's a long time since I've taught (or tried to teach) stamping. Boy, I forgot just how much I miss it!

[bk_forever]

Oh, oops! *starts shopping list* Stamp cleaner, scrub pad...

I have used water on the ones I've used, but hopefully I haven't harmed them too much as they haven't been used a lot!

Thanks for all the tips, that's really given me something to work with. I have a few different coloured ink pads, and I have some colour brushers which are for colouring the stamp before stamping. I tried them once but didn't get a great image because I didn't huff, so now I know!

Mum's got lots of watercolour pencils, so we can try that too - now it's just a case of finding time! Fortunately, I didn't put my stamps and inks in storage, and I've bought more stamps this year, so I have most of what I need, just the cleaning stuff to get.

I'll definitely check out the website, and I've copied all the information you've given me into a text document so I can find it easily. Thanks very much! I'm looking forward to playing =)

[usakiwigirl.livejournal.com]

If you can't find a stamp cleaner/pad in a store, I know for a fact that Stampin' Up has what you need.

Glad I could give you some ideas. I doubt you've harmed your stamps - it's just using water on the rubber long-term that does them in, especially in drier climates. Not like you have to worry about that! Of course, the wetter ones have their own issues, especially with wood-mount blocks, and I know the acrylics can be a bit choosy sticking in a damp weather. I have a LOT of both, so I know what I'm talking about, lol!

Have fun with the watercolour pencils - they're one of my favourite things to play with. I have mine here, and I still bust them out now and then, just to colour odd stuff. I have these funky brushes that I can fill with water, so I don't have to keep dipping the tip - it just stays wet all the time. Then I just use a paper towel to change colour. So much fun! If you press the lid of the ink pad against the pad itself, you'll get a puddle of ink that you can pick up with the brush - I wasn't clear about that before. Sorry.

Anyway, better get off to bed. I've got to drag my sorry arse up for work in a few hours. Nuts. Ugh, I'm tired, but I'm not sure I'm going to sleep. Feeling all jumpy and weird. Not a good sign for a solid night. Might have to sleep aid myself.

Let me know if you enjoy the website. I took a quick gander, and it's changed a little (I don't like the new organization of everything, but that's just me), but they still have the most awesome stuff. They also have a section with techniques and tips, so that's a great way to help you, too.

[bk_forever]

I've found various stamp cleaners and pads on ebay, and I'll try the site you mentioned. Sure I'll be able to get what I need.

If the last craft shop near us hasn't gone out of business, I'll see what they've got too - if I can ever get out of the house again. This has not been a good week *sigh* Hopefully the coming week will be better although the weather is supposed to be bad. Can't win - good weather, not up to going out. Bad weather - don't WANT to go out!

Thanks again! =D

[usakiwigirl.livejournal.com]

Story of my life, re the good vs bad weeks. Hope it all works out, and that the weather isn't too awful. If it is, do me a favour and send some of it my way? We could use a little rain and cool weather, lol.

Best of luck with the stamping supplies. I claim no responsibility for any and all future addictions. *wink*

[bk_forever]

Lol! I regularly get addicted to new crafts, that's just the way I am.

Had a horribly grey and windy morning here, but now the sun is shining through my window right onto my legs. Feels fantastic after being cold all morning.

Wish I could send you some rain. We've had more than enough. It's apparently been the wettest summer on record.

[usakiwigirl.livejournal.com]

I used to get addicted to new crafts (it's how I became a stamper in the first place!), but now I can't afford, household weight-wise, to buy lots of stuff. I would dearly love to get back into knitting, however. But work and writing take up all my time. It's a struggle deciding what to do somedays!

It hasn't rained here in weeks - probably at least two months, possibly closer to three. No, I think my girl said it tried to rain the other day. I have to take her word for it. I didn't see anything, I was inside all day. Last winter was bitterly cold and snowy, and we had a really super wet spring, which is unusual for here, but the summer was also brutal, as in boiling hot and dry. I know you guys had it really soggy - the entire world had the pleasure of watching it, lol.

As much as I'm bitching about the sun and the heat, I wouldn't mind some of it coming in a window where I'm working - that damn building is a regular ice chest. I have a real problem dressing for winter because it's so cold indoors, when it's 40 degrees or more outside. Especially as I'm not allowed to hang about in the sun and warm up. Stupid skin cancer.

Anyway, I'm off to bed. I'm completely shattered. Thank god tomorrow is a day off. I'm gonna enjoy 'em while I still have 'em!

[bk_forever]

We got double glazing because it's supposed to make things warmer. It means it's actually colder indoors in summer than it used to be, yet n o warmer in winter. Can't win! I'd hate to be where you are with all the heat, I don't handle heat well, I tend to overheat.

Come winter, I'll get back to the jumper I was knitting, I hope. I love to knit, though it hurts at first because of the artritis. I'm hoping I can knit with my computer in front of me, reading fanfic or with a document open, writing it in between rows.

[usakiwigirl.livejournal.com]

I can't win temp-wise, either. I detest the heat, because there are only so many layers a person can doff without being arrested for public indecency! And you can only add so many layers in winter before you start to resemble the snowman you have sitting in your front garden, lol!

My biggest peeve, though, is having to dress for winter in the middle of summer, all because the internal temperature of the building is just too damn low. I have a little extra padding on my frame (not as much as some, but more than others) and I'm always freezing. I keep a silk/cotton blend scarf on the back of my chair and it's not an uncommon sight to see my all wrapped up in it. I have a temperature chart now that shows what the thermostat is supposed to represent (assuming that '0' or '20C' is what the main HVAC for the building is set at; sometimes I've come into my little office and the dial is set at -5. That's bloody freezing. It surprises me that icicles aren't forming on the plant leaves. That temp setting is 60F, or 15C, possibly 16C, I can't remember off the top of my head. Still, too cold for an office. We keep the house at 24-25. Much more comfortable, and even then, I still walk around in socks and a cardigan. My blood pressure is low, and that affects my internal temp settings, I think.

I really do want to knit again, but I have nothing here. I'd have to buy all over again. And I know my writing would suffer. Of course, not like I'm managing anything worth reading at the moment, anyway. Despite having multiple WIP's. I

I just can't seem to get my words to work. Quite frustrating, it is. The ideas are there, but there is a definite block between brain and finger.

Not sure how you would be able to read and knit at the same time - I need two hands for both activities! Also the writing, lol. I'd keep having to stop what I was doing if I was knitting to advance pages, as my reading is definitely much faster than my knitting, and I can't knit without watching my stitches. I can type without having to watch my fingers, or the screen, but that's using the fingers I'd be needing to do the typing! Either way you look at it, I lose. Whatever, I hope it all works for you, and that the arthritis isn't too much of a problem. Thankfully, I only have that issue in my feet, not my fingers.

[bk_forever]

When I'm knitting pattern rows I have to watch what I'm doing, but I can read quite easily while doing the purl tows or stocking stitch, though of course I have to stop knitting to turn the page. I have my book open on a board across my lap, clipped to the board with whatever kind of clips are handy (clothes pegs and bulldog clips both work well) and the pages clipped open. I figure it out over 30 years ago and it's served me well ever since. I'm quite a fast knitter. Typing is a different matter - I use one finger and have to look at the keys, lol! I manage.

Arthritis runs in the family - I've had it in my hands since my mid-thirties, but it's also in my hips, knees, ankles and toes, and possibly my neck and wrists. The wrists wouldn't surprise me, they've been damaged so often and I've had bad knees and weak ankles all my life, couldn't even walk until I was about two and a half, when someone gave me a pair of red wellies. Soon as I had them on, I was apparently up and away, my ankles just needed the support, lol! My hands hurt a lot of the time but I'm not letting that stop me - it annoys me when people say they had to give up various kinds of crafting because they have arthritis. Keep at it, I want to tell them, it'll keep your hands flexible. Mine might crack and crunch but they are still flexible and I plan on keeping them that way by using them rather than just letting them seize up.

I tend to have low blood pressure too and I'm always too cold or too hot, can't seem to regulate my body temperature. Could they be connected?

We've had glorious sunshine today, bliss after several days of cold, wet and windy weather. Unfortunately, today's weather was just a blip and now we're going back to the other kind =(

Good luck with your writing! I'm hoping to post a short fic tomorrow if my current migraine will allow me to concentrate enough to do so.