Gwil's Guide to Growing Up Torchwood: Chapter 13

[amuly]

Title: Gwil's Guide to Growing Up Torchwood: Chapter 13
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Gwil
Word Count: 1,484
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 gets a little intimate with someone at footie practice.
Warnings: none
A/N: Organization side note: As you might have noticed in my "Previous Chapters" organization, this fic is now divided into sections: First Year, Second Year, Third Year, &c. The First Year is going to have the most chapters, just because a ton of stuff happens. The chapter amounts per year will probably be roughly logarithmic, though I don't have every single chapter planned out, so I can't be 100% on that at the moment. So, just so anyone who cares has an idea what's going on. (PS: There will be 17 years total, though every year won't necessary have even a single chapter in it.)


Previous Chapters:
Prologue
The First Year:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
11, 12

Jack was drumming his fingers on the arm of his little fold-out chair. It wasn't that he didn't want to be there: he definitely did. His impatience had more to do with the midday blow job that had been cut short by a Rift alert, which him and Ianto had then not had the opportunity to continue because they had to hurry off to Gwil's football practice.

Being a parent took a lot of sacrifice.

Ianto was seemingly unperturbed by the direction their day had taken, and was talking a amicably to the other parents. In the month or so they had been taking Gwil to practice, the other parents had grown to like Ianto. With Jack, they were more grudgingly accepting, out of what seemed to be deference to Ianto. Llewella in particular had warmed up to the two of them, asking increasingly intimate questions as she tried to get a handle on - she was convinced - her gay son. "So, since you two are both fine, strong men, how do you decide who's on top? Do you just let Jack, since he's older? Is that the rule?"

Jack grinned as he watched Ianto splutter. Ever the hero, Jack stood up and went over to Ianto, rubbing a reassuring hand over his shoulder. "You really need to get over your obsession with labels. Narrows your horizons."

Llewella was apparently unaffected by Jack's seductive eyebrow waggle, sucking on her cigarette and raising a skeptical eyebrow of her own. "So, what, Ianto tops, then? Or do you two switch night to night?"

As Jack opened his mouth, leer firmly plastered across his face, Ianto cut in. "It's really just a matter of personal preference, in the same way heterosexual couples might have a preferred position."

Llewella still looked incredulous, but let the issue drop as coach called the end of practice. Jack turned to the field with the other parents, looking for Gwil. Frowning, Jack felt a small flare of nerves when he couldn't spot him right away. Next to him, Ianto was obviously feeling more than a small flare of nerves, gripping Jack's arm hard enough to bruise. "Jack. Jack, I don't...Jack..."

Jack lay his hand over Ianto's. "It's okay. I'm sure he's just playing around with another kid..."

"Oh, bollocksing hell. Owen? Owen! Where did that boy..."

Jack glanced over at Llewella, who was stalking across the football pitch. Ianto was frowning next to him, but Jack was slowly growing suspicious of the dual absence. A slow grin spread across his face, and he tugged on Ianto's arm. "Come on," he said, "I have a theory where Gwil is." Jack started after Llewella across the field without waiting for Ianto, who was heading toward the drink stand at the far end of the pitch.

Just as Jack and Ianto had caught up with Llewella, the three adults rounded the corner of the drink stand. On the other side, tucked into a little alcove, were Gwil and Owen. Kissing.

Jack's reaction was instantaneous: he whipped out his cellphone and snapped a picture. This was going on the fridge – the one in the main area of the Hub, not the one in their private kitchen. The artificial clicking sound effect from his camera seemed to awaken the other two parents from their trance, spurring their reactions.

"Owen!"

Owen and Gwil jumped apart from each other. Owen stared at the ground guiltily, whereas Gwil just looked between his fathers and then Llewella, obviously confused by the mixed reactions. Jack tensed as he waited for Llewella's next reaction, ready to defend the other boy. Although Ianto was looking a little shellshocked, he squared his shoulders, apparently gearing up for the same argument.

To Jack's surprise, Llewella just put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head slightly. "It's fine, Owen. I..." she glanced hesitantly at Jack and Ianto before continuing. "I already knew. And I still love you." She hesitated again, before squatting down and pulling little Owen into a hug, who looked on the verge of tears. Patting his back awkwardly, Llewella continued: "Just...let me tell your tad, yeah?" She smiled tightly up at Ianto and Jack. "He'll be fine, I'd just rather break the news to him in my own way." With a sigh Llewella straightened, ruffling the top of Owen's head. "Come on: we'll stop by a clothes store on the way home and you can pick out one thing: whatever you want."

Owen's face brightened at this, and the tears that had been threatening vanished in an instant.

As the mother and son started away, Gwil turned to his fathers and cocked his head. "Did we do something bad?"

Jack ruffled Gwil's hair and shook his head. "Nope."

Ianto was more cautious. He peered down at Gwil. “Why do you think that?”

Gwil shrugged one shoulder shyly, glancing past the two men toward Llewella and Owen's retreating forms. His gaze returned to Ianto's, and he ventured: “I thought Mrs. Talog was mad.”

Jack scooped Gwil up, setting him on his shoulders. He gave his son's skinny chicken legs a reassuring squeeze. “She's just in shock. She'll get over it.”

Ianto's shoulder bumped into his, and Jack glanced over at the other man. He was looking a little nervous, glancing up at Gwil and worrying his lower lip. “Kisses are...special,” he started. “You should only kiss someone you...really care about.”

Jack's smirk went resolutely unnoticed. Jack leaned closer, pressing their shoulders together. “You know, I think Gwil's gotten more action than me today.” Ianto managed to appear unperturbed, though Jack didn't miss the lusty look that flashed across Ianto's face before he managed to school his features into something more kids'-football-pitch appropriate. In place of trying to rile up Ianto, he turned his attention back to Gwil. “So how'd you end up kissing little Owen?” He stared up, rolling his eyes to the top of their sockets as if he could see Gwil that way. “Did he kiss you first?”

Atop his shoulders, Jack could feel Gwil shift. “Yeah. But I wanted to see why you and tad do it all the time. I thought it'd feel good.”

Jack shared a surprised look with Ianto. “It didn't?”

Even though he couldn't see it, Jack could feel Gwil's little shrug. “Dunno. Just...nothing. It felt like touching. But with lips.” He bent down, bringing his face level with Jack's. “Why do you and tad do it so much?”

With a smirk Jack kissed Gwil on the cheek, making him giggle and scrunch up his face before pulling away dramatically. “Because your tad and I...really care about...each other. And kisses feel good when you really care about someone.”

They had reached the car, and with a dramatic heave Jack lifted Gwil from his shoulders, swinging him back and forth before setting him carefully on the ground. After regaining his balance, Gwil smiled up at his parents, looking between them with a curious little glint in his eyes. “D'you think it'd feel better if I tried it with a girl?”

Jack's reply was cut off by Ianto opening the SUV door and helping Gwil hop in. “Don't go trying it with just anyone,” he cautioned. “If you really like someone, boy or girl, it'll feel nice then.” He hesitated, glancing back at Jack. “Though some people don't like boys kissing boys so...no doing it unless the other boy wants to, yeah?”

Gwil shrugged one shoulder as Ianto leaned into the car, buckling the seatbelt snugly around him. “Back at the mill, Cefin got hurted because they caught him with 'nother boy.”

Stiffening, Jack lay a hand on Ianto's shoulder, willing him not to overreact. With a strangled little noise, Ianto pressed a kiss to Gwil's forehead and pulled away. His hand closed compulsively over Jack's, and he squeezed it tightly. “We won't ever let something like that happen to you, cariad. If anyone ever hurts you, you tell us.”

Gwil didn't seem to understand what was so imperative, but he nodded anyway. Ianto shut the door and started over to the passenger side. Jack stopped him, gripping his hand and pulling him in close. Ianto looked so hurt and scared. Offering the only comfort he knew how, Jack pushed Ianto up against the SUV and kissed him: deeply, tenderly. When they parted, Jack pressed his forehead against Ianto's, staring into his eyes. “I will always protect him.” Jack could feel Ianto's shoulder shift minutely as he pressed against him, still sore and healing from his injury. And you.

Ianto's eyes softened, but the fear was still there. “He's so little. And there's people out there...”

Jack stopped him with another kiss, lopsided grin crossing his face as he pulled away. “Yeah. But we're Torchwood.”


Fanart!! I totally got fanart for this chapter, courtesy jedimonkeyspock !! Go check it out! ^.^


Continue on to Chapter 14.

 

Comments

[unrequited1984.livejournal.com]

Playing catch (yet again arrgh!) but I'm loving all these chapters. I squealed when Ianto got hurt and I squee'd when Gwil was found inflagrante infante (ok so not a real term, so sue me!). This story just makes me all kinds of happy!

[amuly.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, that's alright. November's coming up, and tw_bigbang just happened, so I figure everyone is falling a bit behind in their fic reading :P

Just glad that you're happy whenever you catch a minute to catch up! ^.^