Gwil's Guide to Growing Up Torchwood: Chapter 6

[amuly]

Title: Gwil's Guide to Growing Up Torchwood: Chapter 6
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Gwil, Tosh, Owen, Gwen
Word Count: 3,171
Rating: PG
Summary: When a seven-year-old boy falls through the Rift, Ianto and Jack decide to adopt him. This is the story of his life at Torchwood.
Chapter Summary: Gwil needs some schooling, so Tosh becomes his tutor. Ianto worries (as if that's new).
Warnings: none
A/N: Just learned about “fêtes” this week. And “jumbles”. You crazy English: calling things weird names.


Previous Chapters:
Prologue
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ianto brought Gwil over to Tosh, the little boy following slightly behind him. He was dressed up: wearing slacks, a little button-down shirt, and shiny new shoes. That morning Ianto had started to instruct Gwil on doing up laces. Gwil had picked up surprisingly quickly, copying Ianto exactly on the first try, then repeating it with only the slightest hesitation when Ianto asked him to try again. Ianto had praised him, genuinely impressed by his speed of learning and retention ability.

“Have to learn fast,” Gwil said, shrugging one delicate shoulder. “'therwise, machines or bosses'll getchya.”

In the early light of morning, Ianto had chosen to ignore the statement of fact from Gwil. He did, however, file it away in his mind for future examination. He and Jack might have to have a conversation about it tonight: what Gwil had gone through, if there was anything they should be doing for him to ease the memories.

Ianto smiled at Tosh, tugging Gwil forward so he could look up at her. Sipping her coffee, Tosh turned in her chair and smiled at Ianto, before bending down to share the smile with Gwil. “Hello, Gwil. Are you ready for school?” Gwil nodded quite seriously, shifting the pile of books and papers he had tucked under one arm.

Ianto smiled back up at Tosh. “Jack and I really appreciate you doing this for us. It's not in your job description, but-”

But Tosh was already cutting Ianto off with a light touch to his arm. “Of course I'll help out.” She grinned as she grabbed at her glasses and purse. “Besides, Jack's letting me do this on the clock, so I'm getting paid, too.”

Abruptly, a sudden hesitation to pass Gwil off to Tosh overwhelmed Ianto. He glanced down at the little boy, who was staring up at the two adults patiently, waiting for them to do whatever they might. Ianto bent down and looked Gwil in the eyes. “Be good for Ms. Toshiko.” Gwil nodded. Ianto reached a hand out, hesitating before he ran it over his cheek. Finally he stood, smiling a little tightly at Tosh. “Sorry. Just...”

But Tosh was smiling back understandingly. She patted her purse. “Got weevil spray and my gun in here, plus comms in. Whatever dangers we might run into at the park, I'm sure I can handle it.” She leaned forward and pecked Ianto on the cheek, before holding out her hand for Gwil to take. She patted his tiny hand with her other as they walked to the cog door and out of the Hub. “So your tad wants me to teach you letters and maths...”

Even after the cog door closed resoundingly, Ianto continued to stare after them. A strong hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Ianto spun around to see Jack looking worriedly at him. “I thought you and Owen were out?”

Jack nodded over in the direction of the car park, where Owen was emerging with a body on a stretcher. When he pushed the trolley closer, Ianto could see it was a weevil body. He winced. “No luck sedating it, then.”

Owen shook his head. “Strangest thing: I think it had an allergic reaction to the weevil spray.” As he spoke, Ianto helped Owen maneuver it down into the autopsy bay and transfer to the table. Owen gestured at the weevil's face as he pulled on gloves and got his tools ready. “See how its eyes are swollen shut? And its mouth is puffy. To me, it's got all the hallmarks of anaphylactic shock.”

Ianto nodded, pulling his notepad out of his inside jacket pocket. “I'll make a note of it, see if there aren't any other recorded incidents similar to this.” Finishing scribbling himself a note in shorthand, Ianto nodded. “Make sure you get me the full report with your findings?”

Absently Owen hummed, already absorbed in opening up the weevil. Ianto turned around to see Jack watching them from the observation deck. Ianto climbed the stairs to him, nodding discreetly at the office. Without a word, Jack shoved his hands into his pockets and followed.

Once the door to the office clicked shut behind them, Ianto turned to Jack, burying his face in Jack's neck. He felt Jack stiffen against him for a moment, before a hand reached up and rubbed at his back, squeezing him close. “Hey, hey. He's just with Tosh for a few hours.”

Ianto pulled back, blue eyes clouded as they looked into Jack's. “I know. I just...worry.”

Jack tugged him away from the door, leading him over to his desk. “Well, that's why you're such a good tad.” With a quick poke at the display screen behind his desk and wink at Ianto, Jack pulled up some CCTV footage. “And this it what makes me such a good dad.”

Ianto leaned over Jack, drinking in the sight of Gwil and Toshiko making their way to a picnic table on the edge of the park. Even as a smile forced its way onto Ianto's face, he couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at Jack and mutter: “Using government technology to spy on your son makes you a good dad?”

Jack just grinned, sitting down on his desk. He cleared a place next to him, pushing papers aside and stacking them capriciously across the desk. Making sure to look pointedly at the mess Jack was making, Ianto sat down next to him. They put their feet up on Jack's leather chair, shoulders pressed against each other's as they observed the silent images of Toshiko and Gwil sitting down and spreading paper out in front of them.

Just as Ianto was thinking he really ought to get some work done, rather than spy on his son – or at least get them some coffee and biscuits – there was a knock at the door. Jack shouted “Come in!” over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off the screen. The door swung open, and Ianto turned around in time to see Gwen poke her head in, smiling.

“Not interrupting anything naughty, am I?”

“Only by the most boring definition of naughty, I'm afraid,” Ianto joked.

Gwen snuck over to the monitor, looking at it. “Is that Tosh and Gwil?”

Ianto nodded. “Tosh is going to teach him letters and maths, so he can attend classes next autumn.”

Gwen suddenly cooed at the screen. Ianto turned back in time to see Gwil organizing big flashcards with fruits on it: one orange, two apples, three pears, &c. He seemed to be doing fairly well – an observation which inspired a swell of pride in Ianto. The pride was quickly tempered by a sharp pain flaring through his arm as Gwen punched him, gesturing at the screen. “Why does Tosh get to have all the fun? I want to play with him!”

Next to him, Jack snorted. “He's not a toy, Gwen.”

Gwen ribbed him back. “I know that, Jack.” She rolled her eyes and pointed at the two men. “But how much sunlight does he get down here, hm? How much exercise? Little boys need to run out in the open! You can't keep him cooped up in this dank place.”

Ianto turned to Gwen, eyeing her suspiciously. “Why are you so interested?”

Suddenly growing an appreciation for her nails, Gwen stared at them before sighing dramatically. “Alright!” She wrung her hands. “I was thinking Rhys and I could take him out, just to a fête or something, and I might get a chance to see how Rhys is with him.” She pointed an accusing finger at Ianto as he raised an eyebrow. “And don't start with me! If you two can have kids, so can the rest of us!”

Jack perked up at this, leaning forward to look at Gwen on the other side of Ianto. “Are you pregnant?”

“What? No!” Gwen's hands flew to her stomach, as though the very question might make it so. “Just...” she glared, though a little coy smile ruined the effect, “Rhys might have mentioned it, a few times...”

“We do have a maternity leave policy, you know.” Even as he said it, Ianto was running through scenarios. If Gwen was off active duty, he'd have to be on. Which means Gwen would be left at the Hub with Gwil. He winced. It wasn't that he didn't trust Gwen...he'd just rather himself or Jack be around in case of an emergency.

Gwen waved her hands at Ianto, jangling bracelets bringing him back to the present. “Plus, I want to be the fun Aunt Gwen. Please? I've always wanted to be a fun aunt, but with no brothers or sisters...”

Jack made the decision for them, reaching over and pulling Gwen down onto the desk, so she could watch the CCTV with them. “Gwen, I herby add 'fun aunt' to your job title. Ianto: make a note of it.” Ianto rolled his eyes but smiled at Gwen. It was all well-intentioned, after all. And she was right: Gwil did need to get outside more often. Between taking care of the Hub and taking care of Jack – and all of Jack's unique needs – Ianto could use some help making sure Gwil led a full and healthy life.

He nudged Gwen's shoulder with his own. “D'you think you could take him out next weekend? Rift willing?”

Gwen nodded, wide grin reveal the gap in her teeth. “Sure! The church down the street from our flat is having a fête this weekend! We can take him to eat pies and maybe get something cute from the jumble; he could play some of the games – maybe even get his face painted!”

Ianto was abruptly tugged the opposite direction back Jack pulling on his arm. “I think he just did an addition problem! Look!”

For the next ten minutes the three adults sat, entranced by the CCTV, until Owen's shouting for coffee and an odd police report sent them all hurrying off in different directions.

**

Ianto was waiting for Toshiko and Gwil in the Tourist Office when they came back. Gwil ran through the door and around the counter, leaping into Ianto's outstretched arms. “Tad! Tad! Ms. Tosh-ko taught me loads!”

After a tight hug, Ianto pushed Gwil away so he could look him in the eye. “Did she?” he shared a quick look at Toshiko, who was smiling down at the two of them.

“He's an extraordinarily fast learner.” She nodded at Gwil. “Aren't you going to show Ia- your tad what you did?”

Gwil's eyes widened, and he moved back from Ianto. With the awkward care of a young child, Gwil set his books and papers down on the ground, riffling through them until he pulled out a brightly colored piece of paper. “Ms. Tosh-ko made me draw my family. And I labeled it, too. Look!” Gwil was pointing almost violently at the painfully scrawled words above each person in the picture. “I made letters!”

As much as Ianto wanted to critically examine the page – look for how his motor skills seemed, ask Toshiko about his ability to retain information, &c. – all he could do was tear up as he clasped the page in shaking hands. There, in bright, primary colored crayon, was Jack, Ianto, Gwil, and Myfanwy. They appeared to be in the Hub, if the dark background and tall objects were anything to go by. Ianto had a vague niggling at the back of his mind that normally kids drew grass and trees and a sun in a blue sky. Maybe it was a good thing Gwen was taking him outside this weekend.

Jack was drawn with spiky, light brown hair. He was dressed in blue, which Ianto could only assume was supposed to represent his greatcoat. Gwil was in the middle, small and smiling. He was holding on both Jack's and Ianto's hands. Ianto had darker hair, same as picture-Gwil's. His outfit seemed to be sort of just a block of black and red. Ianto supposed it was probably normal for a seven-year-old to have problems drawing a three-piece suit. Myfanwy was above the three of them, flying through the air as a green blur.

Ianto opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying desperately to bring himself well enough under control to speak. Toshiko, bless her, touched Gwil's shoulder encouragingly. “Why don't you tell your tad about it?”

Gwil poked at the paper, pointing out each labeled item. “That's dad in his big coat. See: D-A-D. And there's me: G-W-I-L. And there's you, tad: T-A-D. And Myfanwy is up there, but I didn't label it 'cause Ms. Tosh-ko said she didn't know how to spell it.” Gwil looked up at Toshiko, as if seeking confirmation of this.

She nodded, smiling sheepishly down at Ianto. “Haven't lived in Wales quite long enough to get the hang of the alphabet, I'm afraid.”

With a quick cough to clear his throat, Ianto opened his eyes wide in an effort to erase the tears. “That's so good, Gwil. Why don't you take it down to show dad, and in a minute I'll come down and help you spell Myfanwy, okay?” Gwil beamed up at Ianto, giving him another big hug. Ianto closed his eyes, willing his heart to calm and his emotions to stop pulling him every which way. Then Gwil was dashing away, down the lift and into the Hub.

With a shaky exhale, Ianto wiped his hands and stood, smiling wetly at Tosh. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them, as if that would somehow calm him. “So. How'd he do?”

To his shock, Ianto was pulled into a hug by Tosh. After a moment of awkward back-patting on Ianto's part, she pulled away. He looked at her carefully. “You don't have a new psychic piece of jewelry, do you? Earrings, this time?”

Tosh laughed, but gripped at Ianto's arm all the same, rubbing it in what he assumed she thought was a reassuring manner. “No, Ianto. But it doesn't take a psychic to see this is tough. After all, you are the youngest of any of us. And you have a kid!”

Ianto shrugged, feeling his face grow hot. “Well, Jack is the oldest by centuries, so I suppose it balances out.” Tosh continued to look at him, and Ianto felt himself grow even redder. What was Toshiko thinking? Because he was twenty-six he couldn't have a kid? His sister had two by his age, and plenty of his old mates were starting families. And this was Torchwood, after all: stranger things had happened.

Ianto settled on a thin smile, clasping his hand over Toshiko's still gripping his arm. “Really, Tosh: I'm fine. I'm just worried about his development, is all.”

Tosh gave him one last concerned look, before pulling out a legal pad. “His development is fine. Quite speedy, all things considered. Obviously he's behind in everything, but given a year...” Tosh shrugged. “There's no telling after just one day. If I had to just guess, I'd say he'll be fine. But that's just a guess,” she cautioned.

Ianto let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as they headed down to the Hub. He had been worried there would be some dramatic, noticeable problems with his brain development due to mill life. Something like an inability to reproduce basic shapes, or dyslexia, or a mental block for abstracted numbers. He had read an article once in uni about a town in Mexico or Costa Rica or somewhere, where the children couldn't reproduce the human form in drawings because of poisoning from pesticides. The pictures the children had drawn were disturbing: disjointed sticks and circles, sometimes just random squiggles across the page. The other kids their same age drew basic two armed, two legged people. The images from the article had flashed through Ianto's mind as he had watched Gwil get out his crayons on the CCTV earlier that day.*

But when Gwil had handed Ianto the drawing, an immense sense of relief had washed over him. It was perfectly fine. A bit substandard, but then again Gwil only had nine fingers and had worked in a mill most his life – allowances had to be made.

“Ianto!”

Ianto blinked, eyes focusing on Jack after just a moment. He was waving at Ianto, holding the picture in one hand and gesturing to it. “Did you see?”

Ianto hurried over to Jack, smiling softly. “I did.”

Jack was beaming. “We have quite the little artist, don't we?” With one arm Jack scooped Gwil up, who giggled and buried his face in Jack's neck. Jack turned back to Ianto, still clutching the picture in his other hand. “I was thinking: fridge?”

Ianto blinked, staring down at the picture. A wider grin spread across his face, until he had to duck down to hide it. He had never even thought about that: displaying Gwil's work on their refrigerator. But that's what parents did, wasn't it? Ianto peered back up at Jack. “Perfect.” He held his arms out, and Jack passed a squirming Gwil to him. “I promised to teach you how to spell Myfanwy, didn't I?” Gwil nodded, holding out his hand for the paper. Jack passed it to him, pulling them both in for a quick kiss before they set off: Gwil on his forehead, Ianto on the lips.

Jack winked as he pulled away. “Going to talk to Tosh. Closing up the Tourist Office?”

Ianto nodded. “One more hour, then I'll be down.”

Ianto waited as Jack held up a hand and spun around, clearly looking for something. He turned on the spot, until he stopped, bounding over to his desk and snatching something from it. He jogged back, pressing a stack of paper and box of crayons into Gwil's hands. He looked Gwil in the eyes as he said: “I want a full fridge worth of pictures by the end of the week, got it?”

Gwil nodded, quite serious in his determination. “'K, dad.”

With one last kiss for Ianto and ruffled hair for Gwil, Jack headed over to Toshiko. Ianto adjusted Gwil in his arms – as small and light as he was, he wasn't exactly a toddler – and started back up to the lift with him. Crayons rattled in their box as they went.

 

*This is a real thing. If you want to see the pictures Ianto is thinking of, go here: http://superiorsites3.com/NNSp03Porter.htm . The site also contains a quick overview of the situation surrounding the study.

Want more? Chapter 7 here.