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amulyTitle: Gwil's Guide to Growing Up Torchwood: Chapter 16
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Gwil
Word Count: 1,355
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: Jack broods, Ianto follows, and they sort things out.
Warnings: none
A/N: One more chapter for The First Year!
Previous Chapters:
Prologue
The First Year:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Ianto could barely even remember why they were fighting this time, as he tucked Gwil into bed. It had started with Owen, and one of his “husband” comments. “Looks like you'll have to take the husband out some other weekend.” Jack had refuted the label, chuckling and glancing over at Ianto, expecting the same reaction. Only Ianto had been distracted, slow on the uptake. Being elbows-deep in an alien spacecraft would do that to a person. So he had muttered something like “We'll just move our reservations to next weekend,” and continued on doing his job.
He hadn't expected Jack to stop smiling.
He hadn't expected Jack to take off on his own as soon as they were back at the Hub.
So here he was, two hours later and putting Gwil to bed. Dinner, bath time, and story time had all come and gone, and still no Jack.
“Are there really planets with red suns?”
Ianto carefully marked their place in The Magician's Nephew and set it on Gwil's bedside table. “There sure are.” He tucked the covers carefully around Gwil, brushing his hair back on his forehead and pressing a kiss to it.
“Can I go there someday?”
Ianto froze, willing himself not to say something rash. “Maybe,” he finally forced out. “When you're much, much older.”
He straightened, meaning to leave. But Gwil's little hand reached out, wrapping four fingers around his arm. “Tad? I need to give you a kiss for Dad. For when he's done with work.”
Reluctantly, Ianto leaned back down and let Gwil kiss him on the cheek. If he had no reservations about lying to Gwil, he might consider not giving Jack the kiss. But as it was, he would have to pass the kiss onto Jack. If the man ever came home.
**
An hour later, and Ianto was beyond furious. Who the hell did Jack think he was? Ianto stopped bitterly at the thought. Captain Jack Harkness: that's who Jack thought he was. But that still didn't excuse this. Jack had wanted Gwil. Jack had promised to make more time for them, and had hired Andy to help make it happen. And yet, Owen says one little word, “husband”, and Jack flees like he's got a Dalek armada hot on his heels.
With a growl, Ianto threw down the archive file he was looking at – looking at, not reading – and grabbed his jacket. Jack wasn't going to get away with this again.
It should have been a simple matter of checking the location data on the SUV. But when Ianto pulled it up, there was no signal. Jack had turned it off. Same with the GPS on his cellphone. So Ianto pulled up the CCTV footage, following the SUV back from the Hub. As Jack weaved through the streets, Ianto's confusion became more and more, until a sudden spark of realization went through him. Without even waiting to see the final few turns of Jack's journey, Ianto shut down the computer and grabbed his car keys.
**
Ianto opened the door to his old flat quietly. The place was dark, but the lights from the other apartments and street were enough to make his way through the familiar layout. He shut the door almost silently behind himself, scanning through rooms illuminated by only ambient light. His living room, kitchen, and guest room were empty. Really, he had known all along where he would find Jack once he had figured out where he was headed.
The door to his old bedroom was open, and for a moment, he just stood in the doorway. Jack was on his bed – apparently asleep. As Ianto stepped farther into the room, he could see that Jack was definitely asleep. It was an odd thing: Ianto didn't think he had seen Jack asleep for months, now. The other man was always still awake when he fell asleep, and already up by the time Ianto was waking.
Ianto sat down on the bare bed, bedsprings creaking in protest as they dipped under his weight. Jack was instantly awake beside him, though he didn't move after his initial jerk.
They sat in silence for a long time: at least half an hour. Ianto was about to give up, go home to the Hub and Gwil, when Jack spoke.
“It almost doesn't smell like you anymore.” Ianto waited for Jack to continue. “Every time I come, it's less.”
Ianto sighed, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. “Then come home, Jack. Our bedroom smells like me.”
Jack shook his head, still not moving from his recumbent position. “No, it doesn't.” Jack finally pushed himself upright, touching a whisper of a hand to Ianto's shoulder. “It smells like us, not you.”
“That's not a bad thing, Jack.” Ianto glanced over his shoulder and looked up at Jack. “After all, I'm not Gwil's father by myself. Neither are you. We both are. Us. And I don't know why you hate that so much, that idea of us being together. If you...” Ianto took a breath, stealing himself. “If you don't want to be exclusive, that's...we could work something out.”
“No! No, Ianto,” Jack's touch was firmer now, more insistent at Ianto's back. “No, Ianto. I don't want to be with anyone else. We have so little time... It's just...” Jack waved his hands uncertainly. “Makes me feel...claustrophobic?”
Ianto laughed, shaking his head. Finally, he turned fully around to face Jack, pulling his legs up and crossing them. Jack smiled tentatively, reaching out and resting his hands on Ianto's thighs and stroking his thumbs gently over the fabric. “Claustrophobic?”
“Mm, say it again.”
Ianto rolled his eyes and tapped at Jack's hand. “I'm not asking you to marry me, Jack. I'm not even asking to be your boyfriend. I'm just...” Ianto paused, trying to figure out what he was asking of Jack. “Could you just brood in the Hub, in the future? So I know where you are?”
Jack's fingers picked at Ianto's trousers. “Why'd you keep the flat?”
Ianto frowned, trying to follow Jack's non sequitur. One moment studying Jack's face, so obviously displaying his insecurity, and Ianto understood. “Oh, Jack...” He reached out and pulled Jack into a kiss, reassuring him in the physical manner most familiar to them. When he pulled back, Jack's eyes were hopeful, though still harbored some small flicker of doubt. “It was in case something happened to the Hub,” Ianto explained. “Our house is also our headquarters, and our organization isn't always fondly thought upon. I was worried there might be an attack, and then we'd have no where. You and I might do alright with hotels for a few weeks, but Gwil...” Ianto shrugged. “I wanted to minimize the uncertainties in his life.” Ianto smiled, remembering something. “Oh, and Gwil asked me to give you this.” He leaned forward and gently pecked Jack on the cheek.
Ianto didn't pull away immediately, and Jack made no move to, either. They nuzzled at each other's cheeks and necks, until Ianto found himself being pulled forward, on top of Jack.
**
An hour later, Ianto straightened his tie as Jack nibbled at his earlobe. “One more-”
“Jack, Gwil's at home. God knows what he'll think if he wakes up from a nightmare or wants a glass of water...”
Jack relented, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and bounding upright. He held out a hand to Ianto, who took it and allowed himself to be hauled up, off the old mattress. With one final kiss, Jack let Ianto lead them out to their cars and back to the Hub.
The next day, Ianto put his flat on the market.
A week later, after they had to kill a man infected with an alien parasite, Jack went down to the Torchwood docks to brood. He left Ianto a note tacked to their fridge.
Continue onto Chapter 17.
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