Games We Play

by firesnap

Jack and Ianto have an in-cursion. Gin, lounging and annoying games follow.

Title: Games We Play
Author: firesnap
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Summary: Ianto and Jack have an in-cursion.
Notes: This story hasn't been beta'd, as a warning. It's part of a series of small stories I've been writing to get an idea of Jack and Ianto's characters before I work at improving things like description and um, writing in general. It's dialogue heavy and mostly just a scene of them interacting. Playing cards show up again, because that's theme to these. I think. Pfft. Whatever. It's two men drinking and asking each other annoying questions.

Contains: Language
Relevant Episodes: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, squint and Doctor Who season 3 finale.
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all of its characters are owned by the BBC and Russell T. Davies. I make nothing from writing this and wouldn't take your filthy money if you offered it. All characters included and mention within are of legal age.

Two dates. They'd been on two dates since Jack's sudden return a few weeks ago. The first one was something simple, Ianto's choice because, bafflingly, Jack had left any progression or decision on this matter to him. Ianto had picked something simple. Thai and darts at a pub near his flat. "It reminds me of this place I went to in London," Ianto had confided to Jack over dinner. "Traditional pub with darts and old men drinking in the front, then the back was a small Thai restaurant with the most brilliant green curry I'd had in ages. Food's not as good here, but it's closer."

It had been awkward at first. As the night, and the pints, flowed, Ianto had relaxed and Jack seemed to listen with genuine interest to stories of Ianto's favorites pubs, books, stories from while Jack was gone and... well, everything. They'd played three games of darts, Jack won two, and then wandered back to Ianto's to watch a movie. It was, in all sense of the word, ridiculously normal. Normal to the point that it was abnormal.

The second date was Jack's choice. While it was good, it did show a different mindset to modern dating. There was dinner and a nice restaurant and tickets to the symphony. Ianto's idea of a night out meant faded jeans and a beer. Jack's involved wine lists and nice steaks. It was good though. Ianto liked all of Jack's things and Jack seemed genuinely surprised and happy to learn Ianto liked just sitting somewhere and socializing with people at a pub.

The next excursion was more of an in-cursion. Jack brought cheap Chinese and decent gin. Ianto provided paper plates, tonic and his flat. The Chinese was consumed while watching bad television and then the gin was opened shortly after. Ianto was sprawled on the couch with his bare feet in Jack's lap as he sipped his drink. Jack had flipped through Ianto's ipod until he found something they'd both agree on and The Small Faces played quietly in the background.

Jack clapped his hands to focus Ianto's attention away from the trivia show running with muted subtitles on the television. "Okay. Do you want to play a game?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of game?"

"Not that kind of game. We'll save that for later." Jack winked and squeezed Ianto's foot. "We're going to play a questions game. We take turns. Ask a question. Any question-."

"Did you steal this from a television show?"

Jack shushed Ianto with one exact and direct gesture. "-The other can choose to answer or pass. If you pass, your questioner can try again. If either of us passes three times the game ends."

"So the more we're willing to answer the more information we get," Ianto continued. "I get it. You're very good at explaining things. Sometimes." He sat up to rest his back on the armrest of the couch and pulled his legs out of Jack's lap. As, well, cheesy as Jack's idea was, Ianto's natural curiosity made the idea a little too appealing. "Any question?"

Jack nodded. "And the winner is whoever doesn't use all of their passes."

"Who goes first?"

"You just did," Jack grinned. "Thanks."

Ianto's blue eyes narrowed. "You cheat at everything and you stole this game from a thirteen year old."

The shrug that went through Jack's shoulders implied that yes, everything Ianto said was true, but Jack had assumed Ianto knew all of that already. "Mhm. First questions…so we'll go with first something else. First kiss?" Jack waggled his eyebrows in an exaggerated gesture while pursing his lips. That, as much as the question itself, made Ianto rolled his eyes and bite back a sarcastic comment. This was going to be worse than playing with an actual thirteen year old.

"Ohhh," Ianto stared up at the ceiling as he struggled to remember. "Real one? Because there was a good week when I was 7 where little girls chased me around -" Jack interrupted Ianto with a chuckle and Ianto aborted whatever story he was about to continue. His brain then sluggishly began pulling up images of bedrooms decorated with posters of Robbie Williams and Liam Gallagher and shy, awkward mouths. "When I was 14 it was my first proper one. My neighbor Daffyd's sister. Aggie? She was a year younger. Brilliant girl and puberty showed her an early love. I was crap at it. I think I may have licked her nose by mistake. Then I found out later she only bothered with me to practice before going after some other boy in her year. Oh well."

When Ianto broke away from his staring contest with the ceiling, he saw Jack had an expression on his face that made it damn clear he was trying to bite back some sort of comment. Jack did remain silent and, instead, he covered his smirk a drink of the clear liquid in his glass. Ianto hoped there was gin in it. He could never be too sure with Jack. In fact, Ianto had a running theory that Jack liked to bring clear liquors to team events just so no one could tell whether or not he was drinking. This wasn't a team after hours gathering though. This was Jack Harkness, sitting on Ianto's battered pullout, with his boots gone and his bracers off and his buttoned down shirt removed. He still had a vest on, and of course his wrist strap, but he looked more normal than Ianto could ever remember seeing him. Relaxed even.

"Okay." Ianto bit his lip as he thought about his question. He wasn't daft. He knew what the real point of this game was. This was Jack's way of being able to answer things for Ianto without just coming out and saying anything of his own accord. It would let Jack answer some of what Ianto wanted to know without having to worry about saying more than he had to say. Everything with Jack, as Ianto had long suspected, was a game within a game. Jack told enough sexcapade stories without any sort of nudging so Ianto had no need, or desire, to hear any more of those so that did make picking a question a bit easier. "When you were gone with the Doctor, this past time, how long was it for you?"

The mock stern expression that Jack shot Ianto was completely ruined by the amusement in the older man's eyes. "You accuse me of cheating? You snuck two questions in there. You're wanting me to say how long I was gone, for me, and to confirm that I really was with The Doctor and that there was time travel involved." It was then Ianto's turn to hide a smile behind a drink. "It was a little over a year," Jack continued. "I was there with him, and this lovely woman, Martha Jones, who you'll have to meet some day. I think you'd have a lot in common-"

"Yes. Everyone with the last name of Jones gets on famously. We have a secret club. Surprised I haven't run into her at the meetings." There was a yelp when Jack reached forward and squeezed Ianto's small toes. Ianto's socks had been lost around the same time as his shoes, tie and suit jacket, and his current state of rumpled dress seemed to only encourage Jack's more handsy attributes. When Jack made no gesture to continue his story, Ianto nudged him with his foot. "Your turn again."

Jack pondered for a moment and scratched his chin. "How did you join Torchwood? You told me before that you replied to an advert. For some reason, I don't believe even London was that lax?"

There was a pause from Ianto, and it was fairly obvious he was debating the use of one of his passes. He frowned. "I met this American girl. She was smart, sexy, older than me and into studying the ocean. She told me she was working for this pseudo-government agency, brought over as expert, to help do some research on recovering artifacts from deep sea floors. I fancied her quite a bit, and was in over my head. I told her I loved the ocean and offered to be her research assistant. Surprisingly, she took me up on it - so she must have liked me as well. Got me a job at Torchwood with her as my first supervisor."

An interesting expression crossed Jack's face, though Ianto couldn't for the life of him describe what it was. Jack' had one eyebrow raised and was sucking on his upper lip. He was putting two and two together and realizing, whoever this woman was, she wasn't Lisa. "So you make a habit of sleeping with your boss?" Ianto kicked Jack in response.

"That's another question."

"Also, sexy older Americans? Someone has a type."

"Jack."

Jack raised his hands in surrender. Ianto took it to mean he could take his turn. "What happened to you while you were gone?"

Ianto could hear Jack's sharp inhale. Jack's head fell back so that he could either see something really interesting about their heads or avoid looking at Ianto. "Pass. For now. Maybe come back to it." Ianto frowned. Jack had suddenly switched from bouncy and flirty to paler and and withdrawn. He looked like someone had sapped the life from him for just a moment.

"Okay. Where all did you go?"

"To the end of the universe. There was no restaurant, unfortunately. Just...stars blinkng out of existence and man." The lost sounding tone to Jack's voice disappeared as he glanced over at Ianto. "Man is still there, at the very end, scrambling to survive. We still look relatively the same. It's amazing and so, so horrifying. All of those people, screaming into the darkness - we're an amazing species."

Ianto shivered. He stood up and reached out for Jack's glass and offered him a refill. Jack nodded – barely aware of Ianto's presence as he handed over the glass. It looked like Jack needed a small break.

Ianto's flat wasn't large, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first place he had on his return to Cardiff. The sitting area, with his worn furniture, opened into a small kitchen with a handy breakfast bar and a sliding door to a balcony that Ianto thinks he may have been on once. He knew quite a bit about how to put together a fit looking suit, but nothing about interior design. Ianto had moved about two weeks before Jack ran off, and about a week after they realized their leader was gone, Tosh and Gwen brought paint samples to work. Gwen and Rhys came by the following weekend with paint, pizza and beer. Tosh dragged him to IKEA and forced him to buy practical things, like an actual full set of dishes, to less practical items – like the small bowls of colored pebbles Jack was currently examining on Ianto's coffee table. At the end of the weekend, while considerably poorer, his flat did resemble more of the home of an adult and less like that of a university student's.

Ianto came back with their fresh drinks and reclaimed his spot on the couch. Jack took his without a word and took a long drink. "It's my turn now, right?" Ianto nodded and stretched his legs back into Jack's lap.

"How much of your personnel file did you change when you came back from London?"

"What makes you think I changed anything?" Ianto's body tensed and he could tell Jack had noticed the change.

"I didn't see anything about you working for some ocean loving American."

"Junior Researcher. I researched things for her."

Jack huffed and pushed Ianto's feet out of his lap. "Come on, either tell everything or pass." Ianto shifted and tucked his legs up on the couch. He was now sitting fully up with his upper body resting on the armrest so he could face Jack. "It's not fair otherwise," Jack persisted.

"I didn't want anything traced back to anyone I knew. In case things went badly here." Lisa's name hung in the air heavily, though neither man would dare mention it. There were some wounds that would heal much better when ignored. "I changed enough to not look threatening or too much like London to you," Ianto said with gritted teeth. "I took out what projects I worked on. Commendations. Changed education history, skills, whatever I needed to look ridiculously average and unambitious."

"Were you ambitious?"

"That's another question. No, I mean… yeah." Ianto scratched the back of his head. "I liked what I did. I was far enough away from the main Torchwood business to not get involved in their more shit ideas. I wasn't involved with the Ghost Shifts or the Void Sphere. I researched possible alien life and artifacts in the oceans. Then I got transferred into the archives. I was in the division on alien cultures. I spent my days reading through collections of translations of alien literature or art and… it was amazing.. All that history from people, species, we'd never meet. I loved my friends there. I loved my job." Ianto looked down at his hands. His drink sat on the table forgotten.

Jack scooted closer on the couch and put a hand on Ianto's knee. "I'm sorry." Ianto blinked and shrugged.

"I'm not. I'm sad for what happened, but not that I worked there." He stretched and gave Jack a half smile. "Moving on. How old are you?" Like a shadow passing, the somber mood in the room immediately lifted. Jack already had his familiar lazy smile back on his face.

"I feel like that's something you should know by the third date."

'Well. Extenuating circumstances."

Jack rubbed his chin. "I think around… 175? I know how many years I've been in Cardiff, but it's hard to convert the years before that to Earth time." Ianto's eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow. "Time travel. Different years on different planets It gets really complicated." Jack waved his hand dismissively as if Ianto shouldn't be concerned about the revelation.

"Fair enough. Still. I don't think my mother would've approved of the age difference." The gin and tonic on the table was scooped up by Ianto at that point and he took two quick gulps. Despite what Jack thought, an age difference of at least 150 years was enough to make anyone want a drink.

The game continued for another half hour before the next pass. They covered Ianto's first shag, how many times Jack had died, what Ianto had studied in school, how many different species had Jack been with and Ianto's most memorable drinking story. It felt good, though Ianto felt they were really just taking a break and allowing the alcohol to mellow them a bit.

Ianto was now leaning against Jack as they sat close together on the couch. At some point, one of them had found a deck of cards and they played while interrogating each other. Ianto was losing badly and found he didn't mind at all. The alcohol was definitely doing its job.

"How did you survive the Cybermen?" Jack asked as he dealt the cards. The question was so quiet that Ianto didn't hear it at first. Once he did, his stomach clenched involuntarily and the grip he had around his drink tightened so much he thought the glass would shatter. Ianto sat his glass down on the table and sat upright, proper, with eyes staring straight forward to the now dark television across the room.

"Pass. Definitely pass." The heavy silence filled the room and Ianto held his breath, waiting for Jack to push the issue further. Jack finally nodded and Ianto felt himself relax. Recounting tales of horror and blood and death were not his idea of a quiet evening at home.

"Did you play any sports?"

"Football and rugby. I was actually better at football. Long legs. I never cared for it as much though, so I didn't really try. Rugby is the better sport."

"I wouldn't mind seeing you in the uniforms." The flirtatious remark didn't have its normal bite but Ianto recognized the gesture for what it was. Jack sounded like he was trying to sooth a startled animal and Ianto didn't much appreciate that. He gave Jack a weak smile anyway and blinked to clear his head. If Jack was ready for serious questions, then he could counter right back.

"What's a time agent?"

"Oh. Definitely pass."

Even studying Jack's reaction didn't give Ianto any clues. Jack had a bland smile on his face that Ianto knew Jack had to have stolen from him. Ianto huffed and picked up his cards. He was really crap at this game or Jack was cheating. Either option wasn't surprising and both option frustrated Ianto as much as this stupid fucking question game was starting to.

"Why would you come back?" Ianto discarded a card and swore when Jack immediately picked it up. "You've got all of time and space to play in. Why the fuck would you want to come to Wales?"

A couple of turns passed before Jack made a move to answer and Ianto was tempted to repeat his question. Jack looked into Ianto's eyes as he drew a card. "Because I got everything I think I could have out of that situation. I think I had closure. I learned about myself. I learned a little about him." Ianto nodded, because really, there was no need to ask who the him was. "It appalled me at first. As much as he's supposed to be this great and wise being he can be shockingly human. He's not human, you know that, but," Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose while he studied his cards. "It's complicated. He's complicated. Everything we do is complicated." Jack exhaled slowly. "And the longer I was away the more I missed things here. I missed having coffee with you while you read the paper. The way Gwen sticks her tongue out while trying to work on a Sudoku puzzles." Jack snorted back a laugh. "The way you go behind her and fill in numbers until you're both taking turns. Just… I missed Torchwood. This is my team. This where I'm needed. I wanted to be here instead."

Ianto digested Jack's answer for a moment. It made sense, even if it wasn't entirely what he wanted to hear. It sounded more like Jack was just as frustrated with the Doctor as much as he missed Cardiff. However, Ianto reasoned, Jack could have asked to go anywhere and he chose to come back here. Did it, honestly, matter at the end of the day why? Ianto glanced at Jack and was met with questioning blue eyes. Ianto smiled hesitantly and raised his half empty gin and tonic. "To being home." They toasted and took a long drink. When Ianto looked down at the table he realized, that during his moment of reflection, he'd lost their card game again. "However, I hate to inform you that Gwen and I no longer do Sudoku puzzles."

"No?"

"Tosh got annoyed when we started passing it back and forth during briefings. She grabs them and fills them in now before we can get there."

Jack's laughter filled the room with a warmth and cheer that Ianto hadn't even realized he'd been missing.

Card games were beyond either of them after another couple of drinks. The large bottle of gin now sat mostly empty on the table, next to a fitted cap Ianto had honestly forgotten he owned. They were leaning against each, feeling boneless and relaxed as they tried to flick cards into the hat. Jack had his half of the cards resting in his lap and one hand grazing the exposed patch of skin above Ianto's beltline. Ianto was doing much better at this game, though part of it he imagined was more to Jack's distracted state than any skill. The questions still came, but they were less rapid fire and more often interrupted with languid kissing or the occasional hand searching for an area to grope.

"Did you fuck anyone while I was gone?" Jack asked suddenly and with a wink Ianto could only describe as dirty. Ianto wasn't even sure it was his turn.

"Now I'm going to pass."

There was a minute tightening in Jack's shoulders and he flicked another card. It missed.

Ianto sighed and threw his next card. The two of spades barely landed on the edge of the cap and teetered until Jack's next toss knocked it onto the table. Ianto gently extracted Jack's hand from its attempt and swooping below his belt laid it on his stomach. He took a deep breath then and interrupted before Jack could ask another question.

"Alright. So. I know you can't tell us a lot. You know, it doesn't bother me as much as I think you think it should bother me." Ianto waved away Jack's confused expression. "That makes sense. Don't worry about it right now. Anyway, I don't mind that. I've worked in this – business—long enough to understand it's necessary. But, you don't lie to us, do you? There's a difference between not telling us things and flat out feeding misinformation." Ianto released the breath he was holding and flexed his hand until the knuckles cracked.

"I don't lie to anyone when I don't have to do it."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Is that your answer?"

"Oh, it's something. You know, I always said the best weapon a con artist had was truth. No one is a perfect liar. It's better to just avoid it entirely. You need to build a relationship with people? Don't lie, just control the flow of information. I can lie if I have to, but I'm much better at telling half the truth. It's why I was so great at confidence games." Jack's face betrayed nothing as he spoke. He look calm, collected and like he was spouting off about the dreary weather rather than explaining the art of lying and misrepresentation.

The way Ianto instantly stiffened next to Jack was easily noticeable. Jack pulled his hand away from Ianto's waist to give a little space and Ianto tilted his head toward Jack and slightly squinted. "Wait. You just gave up information willingly. You must be pissed. Con artist?"

"I've told you that. I know I have," Jack matched Ianto's expression with a challenging one of his own. Blue eyes met blue eyes and Ianto shook his head in the negative.

"You haven't."

"Oh. Oh." Jack looked like a confused man who was just given an instruction manual. Everything clicked and for a brief second, so small Ianto almost missed it, Jack looked pained. He glanced at Ianto and bit his bottom lip. "I must have dreamt I told you. Or meant to tell you." Ianto's replied expression made Jack wiggle against the cushions and sit up straighter against the couch.

"You seemed pretty confident just then that you had. Unless you told me while I was concussed or unconscious."

"Maybe I did."

"But you didn't." The way Jack was visibly squirming was usually a warning sign to Ianto to stop a conversation before Jack locked up. He didn't feel like letting up this time though. Either it was the alcohol slowly burning out of his system or just the general frustration of knowing the half of every story finally getting to him, he wasn't sure, but fuck if Jack always managed to get out of everything.

"New question. Did you tell some future me that you're a con artist?"

Jack smirked and, even with the obvious discomfort still lingering on his face, seemed… impressed with Ianto's question. Ianto's ability to put things together always made these conversations and controlling what information Ianto got a hold of difficult. Ianto knew it was one of his strengths and, if he knew that, it meant Jack did too. "Was a con artist. And no, I did not. What's your favorite place for me to lick?"

"Besides the obvious? Right side, just below the collar bone" Jack tilted his neck in invitation for Ianto demonstrate, but the younger man just huffed and placed his hand on Jack's leg. "But you told some version of me? That's a bit… I don't know. I don't fucking get time travel." Ianto rubbed his eyes with one arm and found his other hand absently rubbing Jack's thigh. Jack's cards slid to the floor as he leaned into the touch.

Jack exhaled loudly. "No. Yeah. Sort of. Not really you. Not now. Time travel is a mind fuck. Favorite place to lick me?"

"Inner thigh. No, wait, just behind the earlobe on your left side. Stop distracting me." Ianto's eyes fluttered closed when Jack slid his hand, large and warm, up the untucked bottom of his shirt.

"No, don't think I will."

Using more self-restraint than he ever thought himself capable, Ianto pulled himself away. He closed his eyes and took a few long breaths. If Ianto was a master at analyzing data, then Jack was the master at misdirection. He could hint at erotic activities and have the most diligent investigator off their game. "Longest you've gone without sex?"

Jack planted a kiss on Ianto's cheek and grinned like he'd won some game that Ianto hadn't known they'd been playing. His cheeky smirk made Ianto want to bite and lick him until he begged. "I think about sixteen months. It was torture. Actually, now that I think about it, usually a lack of sex is the result of torture. Gin or beer?"

"Right now I'm loving the gin." Ianto reached forward and grabbed his glass back off table and made a motion of cheers toward Jack before gulping down a good portion of the glass's contents. "Did you have sex with time travel created other me?"

Jack had been reaching toward Ianto's shirt again, and once the words hit the air his hand jerked away so fast that Ianto would have thought there was a snake in a room. The cheeky grin faded back a little too. Ah, Jack thought he'd successfully derailed the conversation. "What? No. No, I didn't. I didn't see you that long."

"Now I feel sorry for him."

Jack closed his eyes for a moment and, for a split second, he seemed ill. "Yeah, you really should. You're…safe though. I like that – and you're here. I like that too."

Never let it be said Ianto Jones wasn't a clever man, even with lust and gin running through his body. He analyzed Jack's body language—this new Jack who came back to him a little less capable of hiding himself – and he came to a startling and unsettling conclusion. "Did this other me die?"

"Stop it. You're not very good at taking turns."

"Then ask yours."

"Why do you want to know?"

The answer came so quickly that it was surprising to both men. "I want to make sure you're not here right now because of me. This me, not some other version you met that you'll constantly compare. I want to make sure this isn't some penance or promise. That you're not remembering someone I'm not. Why you're here in general." Ianto, at the end of his speech, found himself leaning toward Jack's. He wasn't feeling the lure of lust or pheromones though – this was the electricity associated with being alive, with being righteous and having a point. His eyes blazed away some of the haze of gin and he stared down at the relax form next to him waiting for his answer.

Jack rubbed his forehead as if he was fighting either an oncoming headache or the invasion of a particularly offensive memory. His body was completely collapsed against Ianto's sofa, boneless, and his head rested against the top of the cushion. He lifted his head. "I just am. I like you. I missed you. When I was away, I had a lot of time, too much time, to think about things. I thought about what I missed and what I was missing out on by wasting my life waiting for someone to come fix me. I realized I miss my people. I missed the way you tighten your mouth when you're annoyed – like right now; and the big eyed expressions Gwen makes, a good cup of coffee… I realized that I'd accidentally made a home in fucking Wales of all place. The rest? It doesn't fucking matter. It didn't happen and I'm here."

"Oh." Ianto felt his righteous indignation fade back behind its wall of gin and self-control. Now he was heavy, tired from work and too much conversation. Ianto leaned against the warm body next to him. The alcohol had him feeling warm and relaxed even though the majority of the intoxication had faded away. He saw Jack's sour expression, the tense coil of muscles and the way Jack's breathing seem to come in short bursts. This conversation wasn't going to lead anywhere good. It was exhausting Ianto and pushing Jack to his limit. Ianto sighed in partial defeat and brushed his lips against the pulse point in Jack's neck. He could feel, even if he couldn't physically see, Jack's muscles relax. "Careful. I like Wales," he whispered soothingly into Jack's ear.

'

Jack chuckled and stretched his neck to give Ianto easier access. There was still a ghost of the past conversation on his face, but it seemed to lessen with every small nip and kiss that was placed on his skin. "Like I said, every year I find more and more reasons to like this place."

"Yeah." Ianto pulled away from Jack. His face was flush and his lips were slightly more pink than before. "Your turn."

If Jack was disappointed by the end of the kissing he didn't let it show. "Did you miss me? I mean, I'm sure you did but… were you waiting on me to come back?"

Ianto let his hand wrap around one of Jack's and squeezed tightly. "Was I expecting you to? No," Ianto answered slowly and winced when, at the very end, his voice cracked. "Was I hoping you would? Absolutely. I remember getting pissed and coming up with several scenarios where you'd walk in."

"Yeah, with who?"

"Gwen."

"Ah. I kinda knew she'd miss me. I was a little worried you were the one who'd get over it all."

"Well, we both did. Miss you, I mean. You manage a very devout fan club apparently."

That forced a puff of noise from Jack that Ianto couldn't decide if it was a laugh or annoyance. Ianto rested his head on Jack's shoulder and Jack, in turn, looped an arm around Ianto's waist and turned his head to look down at Ianto's face. For a moment, Ianto let his eyes drift shut. He stayed there, in that bubble of security and warmth, for as long as he could without it becoming a dare for sleep to take him. This new domestic thing they were trying was equal parts thrilling and fucking unsettling. That thought pushed open Iant's eyes to the sight of Jack still staring down at him.

"Did you come back for me or Gwen," Ianto finally asked. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I'll understand either way because… you're here now. That's enough. I guess."

Jack's grip around Ianto tightened and when he did finally speak, his voice was laced with a mix of amusement and a little of the tone of an exasperated teacher. "Let me tell you, Ianto Jones, that I can adapt to a lot of things about this time period. However, I will never understand why it takes mankind so long to figure out you can genuinely care for more than one person." Jack grinned and kissed Ianto's hairline. "If I had it my way, I would lovingly educate you both on the many cultures that realize that a successful partnership works better with three people. I would use my wily charm to convince you both of the merits on that arrangement. Then I would be the owner of the biggest bed in Cardiff and the two prettiest Welsh people in the land. As it is," Jack's voice dropped in volume and lost some of its parental tone. "As it is, I would lose both of you if I tried to have everything I want. And if this is as close as I can get, then I'll take it. I like my little Welsh family and I plan on keeping you both around for as long as I can."

"Ah." Ianto justifiably considered that such a rant was the result of Jack's tongue being lubricated with a fair bit of gin rather than Jack feeling like that was information that Ianto actually needed to know. He filed it all away in the section of his mind labeled – 'possible true things about Jack' and 'Jack's impressive collection of sexual fantasies.' Later, he might be troubled by Jack's revelation. Right now, it was just strangely nice to listen to Jack wax on about the merits of convincing Gwen and Ianto to share his bed. It was a flash back to the old-Jack, or the Jack Who Had Been Waiting. That Jack had kept Ianto awake in a tiny camp bed for hours with stories of sexual fantasies and lurid past conquests. "Well, she does have great tits."

"Oh yeah," Jack said with a faraway smirk that didn't hide for a moment what he was actually thinking about. "If I pass the next question can we stop and go to bed?"

Ianto scrunched his face up and pressed his lips to Jack's jawline.

"Pass."