"Daddy, daddy, daddy!"
Jack looked up when he heard the excited voices of his children echo through the Hub. A moment later, the two toddlers shot into his office and threw themselves at him. Laughing loudly, he just managed to catch them both and pull them into a hug. However, it was only a short-lived embrace as Katie started to struggle and wriggled out of her father's arms.
"Hello squirts," Jack finally welcomed his kids and grinned when both of them started to bounce up and down in front of him, clearly impatient to tell him something. "What's up?"
"There is a fun fair and they have a big carousel…"
"And a Ferris Wheel…"
"And candyfloss…"
"And ice skating! Dad, do you know how to ice skate?" Katie and Josh were shouting over each other, trying to get the attention of their father.
"I've been known to be a great ice skater," Jack grinned and let each toddler pull on one of his arms.
"Really??" Josh's eyes had become so big they would fall out of his head any second now.
"Can you teach us?" Katie was bouncing even more now.
"Maybe."
"Tad said we would go to the fair. Can you teach us? Pleaaase," both kids started begging their father.
"Tad said we would go to the fair? Is that so?"
"Actually, I told them to *ask* you if you would go with them," Ianto cut in, making his family aware of his presence, and looked sternly at the kids, which were suddenly wearing a very guilty expression.
Jack looked from the toddlers to Ianto and smiled at his lover before focusing on Josh and Katie again. "Well, it certainly didn't sound like asking. Did Tad send you here to ask me if I would take you?"
Both kids were uncharacteristically subdued and shuffled with their feet, not even looking at Jack.
"Josh? Katie?"
"Yes daddy?" Katie finally looked up at her father, the most innocent expression on her face that instantly slipped back to guilt when her father spoke up.
"You know I don't like it when you're not being honest. And if Tad told you to ask me first, you can't presume that I will say yes."
Now both kids were looking at him with scrunched up faces. They knew they had done something wrong, but they obviously didn't understand what.
"Dad, what is pesume?" Josh finally asked.
"It's pronounced 'presume'," Ianto stepped in and squatted down to be able to look Josh in the eyes. "It means you think you know something before it actually happens."
"Oh," Josh blinked as understanding dawned on him and a sad expression settled on his face. "So we're not going to the fun fair?"
"Have you asked daddy like I've told you to do?" Ianto pointed out.
"No," Katie piped up and looked unsure back and forth between her fathers.
"Then you should do that."
Jack had watched Ianto and his kids with a big smile during their short conversation, but when the twins turned around to him again, he quickly put a serious expression on his face.
"Dad, can we go to the fun fair?" Both kids managed to ask in chorus and gave Jack a hard time not to laugh.
The Captain glanced at Ianto, who was still squatting behind their children, and smiled when his partner nodded at him encouragingly. "Well, as you have asked so nicely…" He didn't get any further as he found two squealing toddlers clutching their arms around his neck. He let them squeal for a moment, before he peeled their arms off again and pushed both kids back a little. "But!" He started loudly to get their attention and had to keep himself from smiling when they looked at him with big eyes. "You haven't done what your Tad has asked you to do, so we won't go ice skating." Almost changing his mind when he saw the disappointed faces, Jack plastered his patented Harkness smile on his face and ruffled through the toddlers' hair. "We can go on the Ferris Wheel instead. Tad loves that." Jack grinned mischievously at Ianto who looked shocked. "Now run and get your jackets, Tad and I will be with you in a minute."
Ianto straightened up to let the toddlers run past and fixed Jack with a glare. "You know I don't like heights and besides, I don't have time to go to the fun fair. I need to finish…"
"Aw, come on Yanyo, this will be fun! You and me and the kids. Maybe I'll even cuddle you close when we're up on the Ferris wheel." Jack interrupted his lover and stood up to saunter over to Ianto, snaking his arms around the young man's waist who was looking annoyed at him, arms crossed in front of his chest.
"Hugging me close will be the only way you'll get me on that damn Ferris wheel and you better wrap me up in your coat as well. It will be bloody freezing up there. And stop calling me Yanyo!"
"But I think it's cute."
"See, that's why it's wrong. I should kick my brother for telling you this."
"Aw, don't be like that. And I promise to keep you warm on the Ferris wheel. I'll even throw in candyfloss."
"Okay, now you're spoiling me," Ianto mocked.
"Everything for the man I love." Giving Ianto a quick peck on the lips, Jack strode from his office, grabbing his coat on the way out.
Ianto sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew he would end up with three kids at the fun fair as soon as Liz had brought the toddlers back in after school and they were all excited about seeing the carousel and the ice rink.
"Tad, are you coming?" Josh suddenly appeared next to Ianto and tugged at his father's suit jacket.
"Yes, kiddo. I'm coming." Letting himself be pulled out into the main area, Ianto smiled when he found Jack holding out his jacket for him, while Katie handed him his scarf. "Okay, let's go then."
Stepping out into the cold January breeze, which brought the sounds of the fun fair with it, Ianto took a deep breath and smiled when Jack took his hand and pushed it together with his own into the big pocket of his great coat. As the smell of candyfloss and sugar roasted almonds wafted over the bay they started to follow their children, which were already halfway up the stairs towards the Plas, a content smile playing around their lips.
