1

Andy entered the house with a look of concern as the two boys stormed past heading for their respective bedrooms. Schoolbags hanging from his hands were placed on hooks as he looked around for the one who could fix this.

"Ianto?"

"Kitchen" came the reply and he wandered in to find his friend working.

"Hey, there is something going on with the boys but they won't tell me what it is" Andy said as he plucked a piece of carrot form the pile Ianto was cutting, "No speekies."

"Really?" Ianto stopped chopping with a frown, "Doesn't sound good."

"Where's Smidge?"

"Jack has her out back on that bloody hover" Ianto sighed as he placed the knife down, "She likes the red one the best, I see a pink one appearing soon, I swear to the Gods she has him beat."

"Well … she is adorable."

"Yeah" Ianto smiled softly and then sobered, "Right, divide and conquer."

"Not hard, respective bedrooms with polite slams" Andy said as he took the knife, "I'll finish this, ta for starting."

Ianto kissed Andy's cheek and wandered off leaving the young man with a blush and grin of glee, starting to hum as he resumed the preparations. Ianto entered Lorenzo's bedroom first, the one more likely to be upset as Dylan would probably be drawing it out to explain in pictures.

"Hello Munch" Ianto sat on the bed as he watched the little boy sit swinging his legs, not even out of his uniform, "Wanna talk?"

"Dylan has a new friend and didn't sit with me today for break"

"Oh. I see. Maybe his new friend is shy and Dylan didn't want to make him…"

"Her."

"Ah."

"They were holding hands on the library and when I said 'Hi' she giggled and they ran away. Like I smell or something" he was morose now, plucking at his trouser leg.

"Sweetie, maybe he doesn't know what to do and is a little flustered? How do you think Daddy would be if someone was playing with him? Remember the other day when Uncle Owen and him ran off while I was talking to him? I could have been really upset that he ignored me but he was distracted and a bit….dorky. I think maybe Dylan feels bad about it now but it still confused as to how it happened" Ianto tried a different tactic "He hates arguments and wants everyone to be friends."

"Spose so" Lorenzo sighed as he kicked his feet some more.

"Look, get changed and go help your Daddy would you love? Carley has pinched the red hover again and he is too scared to tell her off in case she does that holding her breath thing." Ianto patted his leg, "You know you have a way with her."

"Oh Gods, the red one?"

Lorenzo rolled his gorgeous eyes and Ianto laughed, leaning in to kiss him, "I love you so much I could eat you … Gobbly munchy munch"

Lorenzo laughed, revelling in the nickname Ianto only called him when they were alone and he cuddled him for a moment before going to change and help poor Daddy with the mad thing who was probably driving the Hover back and forth over him by now.

Ianto took a moment to shake himself and then went to Dylan who was doing what he had thought, he was drawing angry red swirls.

"Dyls, are you ready to talk?"

Dylan grunted, looking up and rolling onto his side, "Lorenzo is being an arse. He is so jealous and was like a little puppy following us about."

"So I understand. You and your new friend wanted time alone and he was there" Ianto nodded as he showed that he was seeing things from his side, "You felt weird and sort of put on the spot."

"Exactly" Dylan flopped onto his back, "Why?"

"Why did he do it or why did you feel like that?"

"Yeah"

"Well … Lorenzo was your best friend right? He is scared she is now. Like … you don't love him anymore if you don't want him to share time" Ianto said softly, watching Dylan stall out to consider, so much like his father this one. "You feel weird because you sort of know he is feeling bad and it makes you feel bad because you do love him and do want time with him, just not all of it."

"Yeah, that's right" Dylan said with wonder.

"Dylan, I can't always help you with life, things like this are really hard because this is the time in your life when you start to develop something called networking. You learn how to co-exist with people in class so that in the workplace as a Grup you can get along too, even if you don't like people you have to share space. Sometimes it can be harder when it's a matter of liking people too much and having to make space" Ianto reached out his foot and poked at the child, "Lorenzo is younger remember, his growing into a Grup is not as far along as you. He doesn't understand that you are growing a Grup thing."

"Bother" Dylan muttered, "He is a whole six months. Like…that's almost a year."

Ianto smothered a smile as he watched Dylan rise and pull his shirt down to cover his hips, "I think I better go see if he's OK. Like … I might have felt sad if he wasn't my friend, I need to tell him he still is."

"Well done" Ianto said softly, "Good man."