Can’t Live On Air Alone

[jooles34]

Title: Can’t Live On Air Alone
Author: Jooles34
Sin: Greed
Characters Owen
Word count: 720
Rating: PG 
Spoilers: Season two
Disclaimer: Torchwood does not belong to me
Summery: Owen has everything money can buy.

 

 

 

 

It had been a long, difficult and trying day; the type that should lead to complete exhaustion. Yet Owen didn’t feel tired; not tired like he should do. But he’d had enough of the day. Giving the section of leg lying on the autopsy table an appraising look he decided it wasn’t going anywhere and would wait until the morning.

 

He pulled off the latex gloves with a snap and throwing them into the waste he headed out of the main Hub to get changed.

 

He showered automatically, unnecessarily, leaving the light off in the darkened locker room. He’d learnt quickly to do a lot of things without the need to look down at his own body, but the darkness helped. He didn’t need to see his bottle of shower gel to know how good it smelt, how smoothly it spread over his skin. He didn’t need to see the label to know the designer name that adorned it, or the designer price that he had paid for it. It was the best money could buy and he always had the best.

 

Stepping out of the shower he dried himself before stepping into clean jeans and a clean shirt. The jeans fit well, as they should at that price, and he let his fingers play over the soft material of his silk blend shirt. He knew the material would…should feel thick and luxurious under his touch. That’s what he’d paid for after all. He had kept this shirt as one of his spares at the Hub for that moment in life where he would get to show it off. Ironic then that he was now wearing it for an empty room.

 

Owen made his way out of the darkened room and back up to the Hub. The lights up here were low too now that everyone else had left for the night.  He picked up his designer leather jacket, a weeks wages for most people, and headed home.

 

He let himself into his flat. He threw his keys down on the table by the door and his jacket onto one of the two leather sofas that made the centre point of his large living room. He moved through the apartment that had always been too big for him alone, but he’d been able to afford it, so he’d taken it. And he’d always loved the looks on girl’s faces when he first brought them through the door. That look as they took in the opulence of his surroundings.

 

They saw his furniture, the impossibly too big TV on the wall, the impressive looking art that adorned the other walls and they thought money. They thought success. They thought they’d struck gold; got lucky. And for one night, they had.

 

It had started when he’d become a doctor. In fact it had started before then. Growing up with next to nothing, leaving home at 16 with absolutely nothing, had made him determined to lead a life where he wanted for nothing. It was one of the reasons he became a doctor. You never saw a doctor with a small house and a hatchback did you?

 

It had taken years of hard work to get the scholarship; working two jobs while he studied, getting qualified. But it had been worth it. Oh, it had been worth it. Within just a couple of years he had barely wanted for anything; and having Katie had made everything perfect.

 

Then that had gone and instead he had even more money and no-one but himself to spend it on. And so, he had spent it. He had the best of everything. The car, the clothes, the gadgets, the flat, the food. He ate out every night if he wanted to; the food he bought in was the best he could get. If something broke he replaced it, bigger and better.  As soon as something was outdated, he upgraded; always having the latest model, latest technology.

 

When challenged for his opulent ways he’s always grinned and said “You can’t live on air alone.” But now, for all its cost, all its value, it suddenly all seemed worthless. Empty. Shallow. Pointless. He had greedily taken it all when it was there; but now he would give it all away for the chance to take one more breath.

 

Comments

[wynkat1313.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. That last line - so painful and so true. Nice!

[jooles34.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this, I'm really glad you like it. A decent last line is the most satisfying thing to write to my mind, so I'm really pleased you liked it and thought it was true to Owen.

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

poor Owen... loved it

[jooles34.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_lullabelle_/]

This was really good. Terrific insight into Owen. :)

[jooles34.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you. I'm really pleased you like it. Great icon ;o)

[thrace-adams.livejournal.com]

OH that was so good and that last line was just perfect. Great job on this one!

[jooles34.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you. I love writing last lines so always happy when someone thinks I've got it right; thank you.

[remuslives23.livejournal.com]

Oh, that last bit... *clutches chest* Beautiful!

[jooles34.livejournal.com]

*glomp* Thank you, so pleased that you liked this.