Title: Many Happy Returns
Author: Lia (unshakespearean)
Betareaders: Seraphina (The Mad Traveler), Rachel (xRachelxBrowniex), Meg (The JohnLocked Whovian), Ellie-Mai (LoveInEveryMoment), Aurora (Aurora Sanders), Micah (xSYNxGATESx4EVERx), Jakkii (Fox-Wolf-Dog), and my best friend who chooses to remain nameless.
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: [Gwen, Jack] [Owen, Tosh] Ianto (single as a Pringle, and proud of it! :D)
Rating: T
Warnings: Language and Jackness. Also, there may be a little bit of OOCness because I really wanted to concentrate on the pure unbridled fluff. I'm in that sort of mood. In fact, you're gonna have to brush your teeth after because it's that sweet and fluffy.
Notes: This takes place a month after Everything Has Its Time, but there really is only one glancing reference to it as far as I'm aware. Still, EHIT is a great read so go and read it! Go! Go do it! Right now! It's on the profile! Go do it! Done? Okay. Final note: as with EHIT, this is dedicated to Ellie-Mai, aka LoveInEveryMoment (also, Little Mai-Mai - see the EHIT AN for an explanation on that). Ellie is an incredible, fantastic person and one of my bestest friends, and she contributed a couple of great lines in the cookie scene (which is what she originally requested when wanting me to write this sequel).
For the past week, there had been a slight change falling over Toshiko Sato. The other members of the team had noticed it, but said nothing, knowing that she likely needed some space. Well, Ianto and Gwen knew. Jack and Owen were a little more clueless… okay, maybe significantly more clueless… or completely clueless. Either way, between the two people with sense, the boys managed to keep quiet.
That is, until Friday, when even Gwen had had enough. She slipped a note to Ianto asking him to volunteer for whatever the next event was, in response to which he gave her a nod and a knowing smile before passing the message along to Jack and Owen (telling the latter to make sure to protest so they didn't look suspicious.) All they had to do was wait.
"Jack, found a weevil," Tosh called.
"Alright," Jack said casually. "Owen, Ianto, you're with me."
For once, Owen cooperated - or rather, didn't cooperate. "But-" Jack shot him a look and then he nodded with a scowl. It was only until Tosh was no longer looking that Owen and Gwen shared a look. Owen winked at her; Gwen gave him the thumbs-up, and off they went.
Once they were out the door, Gwen slid her chair over to Tosh. "Hey," she said. "What's going on? You've seemed sort of… off…"
Tosh turned to look at her best friend. "It'll sound daft," she said.
"It's alright," Gwen encouraged.
Tosh sighed. "It's my birthday on Sunday."
Gwen was confused. "But that's a great thing!" she said. "Why does that make you sad?"
"Ever since my mother died, I've always hated my birthday," Tosh said. "It's not the same without her."
"Oh, Tosh," Gwen said sadly, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Well, we're gonna get you to start liking birthdays again."
"What about liking birthdays?" They turned to see Ianto, Jack, and Owen walking back through the cog door.
"It's Tosh's birthday on Sunday, but she hates birthdays," Gwen explained quickly.
"Well, that won't do," Ianto said firmly. "We're going to have a party."
"Oh, God-" Tosh started, but Ianto cut her off.
"-Any objections?" he asked, looking around the room.
"None whatsoever," Jack replied.
"Ooooh, Jack, you and I could bake cookies!" Gwen piped up. "I know for a fact that our birthday girl is quite a fan of chocolate-chip, and I have a brilliant recipe for those."
Tosh blushed. "Gwen, you don't have to-"
"-Sounds like fun," Jack grinned. Little did Gwen know that this wouldn't be as easy as she'd thought…
Sunday morning, around 7:00…
Gwen was having a perfectly lovely dream, thank you very much, but someone had to go and wake her up by hugging her from behind.
"You bastard," she muttered, not turning around.
"Well, that's certainly a nice way to say good morning," Jack replied cheekily, kissing the top of her head.
"I was having a nice dream," she said huffily. "And it's not like we have any reason to get up."
"But we have to bake cookies!" Jack said excitedly.
"It's not gonna take us all day, is it? And the party isn't until nine or something. Now let me sleep." She pulled the covers back over her head and closed her eyes.
"Well, if you insist," Jack fake-sighed, and he rolled her over and pulled her into his arms so he could play with her hair. At night, this was sure to soothe her to sleep, but in the morning, it would keep her up - and annoy the crap out of her.
"Bloody hell, Jack, just let me sleep!" she exclaimed.
"Shhhhh," Jack cooed, doing an excellent job at hiding his laughter. Driving Gwen crazyvn this way had recently become one of his favorite pastimes, right up there with saving the planet and driving Gwen crazy… the other way. "Go on back to sleep, my love… shhh… just sleep." He made a point of overdoing it, all in the name of maximum irritation.
"Fuck you," Gwen muttered.
"I would, gladly," Jack whispered, "but I thought you wanted to sleep."
"I'll move to the couch," she threatened.
"And I'll follow you," he said without missing a beat. "It gets awfully cold on that couch; you'll need me to keep you warm."
"Jack, please," she begged, looking up at him with pleading eyes, "I'm tired as hell and I just want to sleep, so please just let me."
Damn those pretty green eyes. "Of course, sweetheart," Jack said sincerely, and he dropped his arms from around her so she could roll over and go back to sleep.
Around 11:15 am…
Gwen opened her eyes to see that she'd rolled back into Jack's arms and was curled up next to him with her head on his chest, which was steadily rising and falling as he slept.
Yes! Revenge time!
She began poking his stomach, dancing around his ticklish spot before hitting it dead on. "Wake up!" she sang out.
His eyes opened and he began laughing. "Did you really think I was asleep, Gwen Cooper?" he asked.
"Damn it!" she exclaimed, and then she started to laugh as well. "Ah! Jack!" For Jack had begun to tickle her ruthlessly right in her spot.
"Alright, alright," Jack said ten minutes later once he'd had his fill of torturing his Gwen. "I think now's when we should consider getting up. We still have to go grocery shopping for all of the ingredients for the cookies, and we have to bake them, and all of that."
Gwen sighed. "Alright, alright, just let me take a shower."
"We could share and save water and time," Jack said, waggling his eyebrows expectantly.
"Oh, shut up," Gwen muttered. Jack pouted. "Fine. You're a pain." She was given a smirk and a kiss in response.
Around 11:45 am
"Y'know, it probably would have taken less time and water had we showered separately," Gwen pointed out as she brushed her hair - or rather, tried to brush her hair despite Jack's constant attempts to play with it. "We wasted so much time and water in there…"
"Oh, but you like it," Jack teased. He stole the brush from her hand and began brushing out her hair himself. "Goddamn, how do you manage living with this much hair?"
"You ask me that every single morning," Gwen sighed. "And I'm just fine, thanks. I like it this length, and I can catch Weevils with it, so you have nothing to complain about."
"You'd look so cute with your hair short," he mused.
"There'd be less of it for you to play with," she replied.
"Okay, fine, I suppose that's true," he admitted, and he began aimlessly braiding it. "Ooooh, you look pretty with braids."
"You're bloody hyperactive," Gwen muttered, shaking her hair out of his hands and turning to look at him. "Oh for God's sake, stop looking like a dejected puppy." She leaned over and kissed him softly, and he gave her a smile. "Now come on."
They took hands and headed up the stairs through the ceiling and into Jack's office, where they found two mugs of coffee on the desk and Ianto, sitting in a comfy chair and reading something.
"You know I really don't like it when you come in here without permission," Jack chastised.
"Hello to you too," Ianto said dryly, not looking up from his reading material. "You're welcome for the coffee, by the way."
"Thank you," Gwen said sincerely, walking over and picking up her mug. Ianto always knew to use her favorite, the one with the map of Cardiff on it. She appreciated how considerate-
"You bastard." Gwen turned around to see that Jack was grimacing. "Gwen, don't drink that. Ianto switched our mugs."
Ianto laughed. "It's what you get for being rude," he said. "Oh, by the way, I already got everything you need for the cookies. Gwen left her recipe on her desk."
This confused Gwen. "Really? Don't remember leaving a recipe on my desk."
"Oh, sorry, I meant to say desktop," Ianto explained.
"So you hacked my computer," Gwen sighed.
"Ianto, how many times have I told you, stop hacking our computers." Jack rolled his eyes.
"Oh, don't worry about it, hurtyn hyll," said Gwen, smiling and leaning up to peck Jack on the cheek. "It's not like I mind."
Jack wrapped an arm around Gwen's shoulder. He wasn't entirely sure what she was saying, but he liked that she had a Welsh pet name for him, and he assumed that given the little smile of approval Ianto gave whenever she said it, he knew what she was saying and even he agreed that this was better than his own cariad.
Unfortunately for Jack, his assumption wasn't fully accurate. Yes, Ianto did know what Gwen was saying, obviously, but that smile wasn't just approval; it was also stifled laughter, and after a month of keeping his friend's secret, Ianto couldn't help but laugh full-fledgedly.
"I can't do this," Ianto said. "I'm sorry. I'm rubbish. I give up." Gwen rolled her eyes. "Hey, I kept it up a month! I'm better than Owen… despite having quoted him."
Gwen tried to hold a glare, but she couldn't. Shrugging Jack off, she burst out laughing. "You are rubbish, Ianto! You're bloody rubbish! We said we were gonna hold out two months! And since when did you quote Owen, of all people?"
"Since… Oi, you laughed too!" Ianto protested, conveniently avoiding the having quoted Owen business. "I'm a good enough liar; I could've passed it off as laughing at nothing, but then you had to go and laugh, and ruin it!"
Gwen shook her head. "Don't go blaming me about this! You set me off! You've got a better poker face; you didn't have to go and laugh in the first place-oh, whatever, fuck this." She threw her hands up in the air and followed Ianto into the sea of laughter.
Jack, meanwhile, was staring at them in confusion. "What's going on, you two? What's so funny?" This, of course, set Gwen and Ianto off even more. "Seriously, guys, what is it?"
They kept laughing, until Ianto finally managed to calm down enough to do his best "Ianto Voice" as Jack called it. "Sir, it's my sincerest regret to inform you that your apparently loyal and adoring girlfriend has been secretly calling you an ugly idiot in Welsh for the past month."
There was a silence which lasted nought-point-two seconds and then Gwen and Ianto burst out laughing again.
"How the bloody hell do you even do that?" Gwen asked Ianto, shaking with laughter.
"What, the voice?"
"Yeah! You were in stitches two seconds ago, and then you can just calm down and do that without cracking a smile!"
"Practice," Ianto said calmly, demonstrating this ability again.
Gwen grinned. "What, do you stand in front of a mirror and make yourself laugh and then calm down? D'you do that down in the Archives?"
"No!" Ianto said a little too emphatically. "I'd mastered it by the time I came here. But back at Torchwood One, I couldn't do it at all."
"So you were doing it down in the archives there," Gwen concluded.
"No! Not at all!" Ianto protested. "Okay, fine, maybe a little, but-Oh, come on, don't laugh! Makes for something funny 'round here; there's no need to protest. See, Jack's laughing." Indeed, Jack was laughing his head off at the whole thing, and within a few seconds, Gwen, Jack, and Ianto were all practically on the floor.
"Are you still gonna call me that?" Jack asked Gwen, still laughing. "I mean, come on - ugly idiot? That's hardly accurate!"
"I dunno, it sort of is," Gwen mused. She went back over to Jack's side and looked up at him with her cute little gap-toothed grin, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"God damn it, Cooper, stop being adorable," Jack muttered.
"You wouldn't have it any other way," Gwen pointed out, and she moved her arms from his waist to his neck as she leaned up to kiss him.
Ianto coughed, ruining the moment before things could get too heated. "Anyway, you may want to get started on cookies at some point. It may take a while. All of the stuff is in the kitchen in the big paper bag, except for the eggs, which are in the fridge."
"Sounds great," said Jack. "Thanks, Ianto." He took Gwen's hand and they went into the kitchen.
Around 12:00 pm
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Jack said excitedly.
"Yes, it will be," Gwen said. "As long as you don't go mad, that is. Now, the first thing we need to do is make sure we have all of our ingredients and equipment togeth-Jack? Jack, what are you doing?"
"I'm preheating the oven," Jack replied. "It said to preheat the oven to 175." (AN: I'm using Celsius, since that's what they would be using. In Fahrenheit, that's 350º.)
Gwen shook her head. "No, no, you have to make sure the racks are in the right place first."
Jack looked at her confusedly. "What?"
"Jack, have you ever baked something before?" Jack shook his head. "Oh, you're bloody kidding," Gwen sighed. "You've never baked something before, ever?"
"Nope! First time for everything!" he said cheerfully. "Now, what were you saying about the racks?"
"You have to make sure they're in the right place," Gwen explained. "That way, the cookies will bake properly." She bent down and made sure the racks were adjusted properly. "There we go. Now you can preheat the oven."
"Okay, I preheated it," Jack said a few seconds later. "Now what?"
Gwen was at the table, taking out the various ingredients. "I need you to get me a medium bowl, the mixer, two cookie sheets, parchment paper, measuring cups and spoons, a whisk, a spatula, and a butter knife."
"Where do I-oh. Labels." Jack knelt down and began pulling out the things Gwen had asked for, which were all conveniently located in drawers and cabinets Ianto had labeled. "Done!"
"Good job," Gwen praised, deciding to use Jack's inexperience - she never thought she'd be thinking those two words together - as an opportunity to counter the age gap. In other words, treat him like a child. "Now, do you know how to measure flour?" she asked as she lined the cookie sheets with parchment paper.
"Um, put it in the cup?" Jack asked.
"Yes, but you have to level it," Gwen said. "Like this." She dipped the quarter cup into the flour and then leveled it off with the knife. "Now you try. You need two and a quarter cups - that means two of these big ones and one little one." She handed him the one cup and the quarter cup and the knife. "I'm gonna measure out the sugar and the butter and get that going." She put the butter and brown and white sugars into the mixer and turned it on before turning back to Jack. "Oh my God, Jack, what the hell have you done?!"
Jack had managed to measure the quarter cup, but when the full cup wouldn't go into the flour bag, he decided to pour the flour from the bag into the cup, making a giant mess of flour on the counter. "Sorry," he said, looking down at his feet.
Gwen sighed, measured the flour properly, swept the excess back into the bag, and then added in the baking soda, almost in a single motion - or at least that's how it looked to the awestruck Captain. "Alright, now whisk those together, and for god's sake, don't make another mess!" She turned away and added in the vanilla, salt, and eggs.
Of course, Jack wasn't able to obey this order. Before too long, there was a nice pile of dry ingredients all over the counter. "Jack! I just told you, don't make a mess! Bloody hell." She swept the flour and baking soda back into the bowl. "Alright. I'm gonna add this into the dough. You put all of the ingredients I've used away. That's everything but the chocolate chips."
Jack started putting away the ingredients and was almost finished when he walked into a wall while carrying the flour. He fell down on his butt, and a cloud of flour flew up and got everywhere. "Owwww," he whined.
"Jack Harkness, one more mess and I will throw you out of this kitchen covered in flour and let Ianto deal with you," Gwen threatened.
"But Gwen, he'll kill me!" Jack protested. "Twice!"
"Exactly," Gwen said dryly. "Alright, time to add in the chocolate chips."
"Wait!" Jack said. "I have to assess the quality of the chocolate chips!"
"They're Ghirardelli," Gwen said. "I promise, they're fine."
"I'll be the judge of that," Jack said firmly. "Gotta eat them and see if they're good enough."
"Oh for fuck's sake," Gwen muttered, handing over the bag and looking down to see whether the oven had finished preheating. "You are allowed to have one. You're already hyperactive enough."
"Oops…" Gwen looked back up to see that Jack had at least ten in his hand. "Sorry…"
"Well, I guess I'm not gonna let you have any of the cookie dough," Gwen said in a classic "parent" voice. "More for me!" Jack quickly dumped his handful into the bowl. "Thank you, Jack," she said sweetly.
"Do I get to have some of the cookie dough?" Jack asked.
"If you're good," Gwen said. "Now, this is all done. Time to put the cookies on the cookie sheet, which I will do myself. You are going to stand over there and watch, and if you even think about nicking any of the cookie dough, I will send you out of the room."
"Not likely," Jack said. He brushed off his vortex manipulator and pressed a button.
"Jack, did you lock us in the kitchen?!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Why, would you rather a closet?" Gwen blushed. "Well, nobody can get in now!" he said with a smirk. "Especially not Ianto."
"That's a bit of a problem," Gwen said. "His chair is in here. He'll be coming after it soon."
Jack grabbed the chair, put it outside the door, shut the door, and locked it as quickly as he could. "Okay! Now he doesn't need to come in here."
"Great," Gwen muttered. She finished putting the first round of cookies on the cookie sheets and stuck them in the oven. "Jack, does your vortex whatsit have a timer on it? I'd ask Ianto to borrow his stopwatch, but someone went and locked him out of the room."
"It has a timer," said Jack.
"Good," said Gwen. "I need you to set the timer for ten minutes, okay?"
"Okay," Jack said, but he was slightly preoccupied by staring at Gwen's backside, clad in his favorite not-quite-miniskirt, and considering how lovely it would look covered with flour.
With a cheeky grin, he grabbed a bit of the flour still on the floor and chucked it at Gwen.
"Oi! Jack!" Gwen said. She picked up a bit of the flour and chucked it at Jack. "It's bloody on."
12:20 pm
The smoke alarm went off, interrupting their flour war. "Jack!" Gwen exclaimed, "I told you to set the bloody timer!"
"What?" Jack asked. "It's not my fault that I'm so hot that the cookies burned!"
"Shut up, or I'll ask Ianto to help us," Gwen warned.
"That won't be necessary," Jack said quickly, and he turned off the oven.
Gwen glared at him and opened the oven door to reveal a ton of smoke and some very burnt cookies. "Good thing we're making a double batch," Gwen sighed. "Great."
Unfortunately, seeing as it had never occurred in her life thanks to Ianto's impeccable kitchen skills, the concept of "smoke alarm going off" was a new one to Myfanwy. She screeched loudly. "Great," Gwen muttered again. "Now Myfanwy's up. Nice going, Jack."
There was a knock at the door. "Gwen? What the hell's going on in there?" Ianto said from behind the door. "Gwen!"
"Jack, open the door," Gwen said firmly. "Do it!"
Jack cursed under his breath and opened the door. Smoke filled the hallway for a solid thirty seconds before it cleared to reveal Ianto, who was completely covered in… something. Whatever it was, his suit was filthy.
"I'm sorry, sir, but when you two are through with this, I'm going to kill you once for each time I have to dry-clean this thing," Ianto said calmly. "Luckily, these suits clean well, so it'll be two deaths maximum. I'll be sure to make them painful."
"I have a better idea," Gwen piped up. "How about, once for each cookie he burnt?" She did a quick count. "Twelve."
"That's a lot of deaths," Ianto said with a hint of a smile. "Anyway, I'll leave you two to it. Gwen, please try to keep the situation under control."
"Yes, sir," Gwen said, saluting. Jack glared at her. "That can count as one death," Gwen said without looking at Jack. "Death of dignity."
"Perfect," Ianto said, smiling slightly more, and he turned and left.
"Alright, let's finish up these cookies," Gwen sighed.
2:00 pm
They managed to finish the cookies somewhat smoothly - there were only two more messes, Jack only ate about three cookies worth of raw dough ("I'm immortal; I don't get salmonella!"), and most importantly, no more cookies got burnt.
"Right, well, that's all done," said Gwen as she put the cookies in a box. "Time to clean up! And, since you made all of the messes, and I did all of the work, you get to do that all on your own!"
"What?!" Jack exclaimed.
"Yep!" Gwen brushed off her clothes, making an even bigger mess. "I'm gonna go help Ianto with whatever he might need help with. Clean up the kitchen, come out when you're done, and then Ianto and I will inspect it. And if it's not up to our standards, you're gonna have to finish it."
"Awwww," Jack pouted.
"Hold on, I didn't finish," said Gwen. "For each time we have to come in, you have to clean Myfanwy's litter box for a week."
"What?!" Jack exclaimed again.
"Yep. Ianto and I have better things to do than teach you how to clean a kitchen. Hopefully you'll be able to get it right the first time. See you later, Jack." And with that, she took the box of cookies and left the kitchen, smirking triumphantly as she managed to nick the vortex manipulator without his noticing.
"I saw what you did," Ianto said as she left the room. "The CCTVs are still on."
"Yeah, and that's not changing," Gwen replied, holding up the vortex manipulator. "Are you timing him?"
"Oh yeah," said Ianto, showing her his currently-running stopwatch. "Bet you ten quid it'll take him over half an hour."
"Bet you twenty it'll be more than two," Gwen replied without missing a beat.
"Done."
4:30 pm
"Do I really have to do litter duty for three weeks?" Jack whined as Gwen and Ianto led him from the kitchen. "Really?"
"I'll make you a deal," Gwen said. "Either you can take the litter duty for three weeks, or I can call you whatever I want in Welsh for three months."
"Welsh," Jack said quickly.
"Good," said Gwen. "Ianto's just printed me off a list of every single decent and/or indecent swear in the history of the Welsh language."
"Fuck you," Jack muttered.
"I would, gladly," said Gwen, "but I have better things to do."
Ianto's eyes widened. "I did not just hear that," he said.
"Oh, you did," said Gwen with a smile. "What, you never said that?"
Ianto gulped nervously. "Er… no…"
"Come on! You must've thought something like that then," Gwen said, assuming that Ianto hadn't had much of a hard time turning Jack down - after all, she was pretty competent when it came to resisting Jack's charms.
Jack sat back at his desk, watching Gwen's eyes narrow as it became clear to her that Ianto hadn't, in fact, ever been able to resist said charms. "Oh for God's sake," Gwen laughed. "I hate to say it, Yan, but I feel awful for you right now."
"Try being me," Ianto grinned. "I can assure you, I feel awful-er for myself." They both burst out laughing.
Jack smiled as the two of them began their typical practice of swapping stories. Somehow, the fact that Ianto was his ex and Gwen was his current girlfriend didn't stop them from being close friends… although, there were some moments where Jack almost would prefer it if they weren't so close seeing as they tended to gang up on him.
"Oh, look, Jack's contemplating our friendship," Gwen giggled. "Wish we were fighting, Jack?" she asked.
"Not at all," Jack said honestly.
Gwen walked over to Jack's desk and sat on it, smiling. "You're so sweet," she said.
Jack kissed her softly. "You're sweeter," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers, and then he grabbed her waist and pulled her off of the desk and into his lap.
"Ahh! Jack!" Gwen exclaimed, and then she grinned slyly and nuzzled his shoulder, "Happy to see me, Captain? Or have you suddenly started keeping your mobile in your trouser pocket?"
"His mobile's right here," Ianto piped up, holding up the device and grinning broadly.
"Are you sure that that's not Gwen's?" Jack asked, grasping at straws.
Ianto tossed the phone to Jack. "Hate to tell you, sir, but your cover's been blown."
Jack scowled as he looked at the phone (it was of course his) and then brought his attention back to Gwen, who was still contentedly snuggling into him. "I'm always happy to see you," he said, and he kissed her again.
Gwen kissed back, melting into it, but that didn't keep her from formulating a response. They pulled away a few seconds later for air, where she whispered against his mouth, "But you're even happier to have me on your lap."
Unfortunately, there was nothing Jack could do about this - he'd shoo her off of his lap, but he very much wanted to keep her there, despite his inadvertent response… okay, more like because of his inadvertent response - and Gwen was fully aware of this. "I love you," Gwen said sweetly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Fucking hell, Gwen," Jack muttered. "You're impossible."
"And you love me for it," Gwen grinned.
"Yes, I do," Jack sighed. "Right, well, that's enough humoring you. Come on." And with that he scooped her up and carried her from the room.
"Where the hell are you taking me?" Gwen asked.
Jack smirked sexily at her. "Where d'you think?"
Ianto leaned against the railing and watched silently as Jack ran with Gwen in his arms. It really was a shame that he'd demanded that Jack take out the CCTV in his room…
6:00 pm
Tosh had done nothing all day. She hadn't hacked a database, hadn't covered anyone's death, hadn't even tapped a CCTV. Nope, Tosh had made it her firm goal that she would do absolutely nothing on her birthday, just sit and relax, and maybe write a computer program or two. And it was amazing.
She had just gotten through the second season of some American show called Supernatural she'd started watching, when her phone went off.
From Owen: Hey, wanna get dinner before the party tonight? You and me.
Tosh's eyes widened, and then narrowed.
To Owen: Are you asking me out, Owen?
From Owen: No!
From Owen: No!
From Owen: No, of course not. I'm just taking a friend out for dinner on her birthday.
Tosh grinned. She'd been hoping for this for a looooooooong time.
To Owen: Sure, that'd be great! Thanks, Owen :)
From Owen: So, I'll pick you up at around seven then?
To Owen: Sounds great.
Tosh flipped her phone closed and grinned. Gwen had said this was coming, but she sure as hell hadn't expected it to actually happen.
Oh, shit… now what?! she thought.
She grabbed her phone again and quickly texted Gwen.
To Gwen: Owen just asked me out… I think… what now?!
"Ah, good to see you back," said Ianto as Gwen and Jack came back into the main Hub, red in the face and hair slightly messed up and giggling to each other. "Did you have fun down there?" Ianto grinned.
"There's a part of me that really misses shy, quiet Ianto who never said anything like that," Jack mused.
"Shy, quiet Ianto is off the clock," Ianto replied. "I don't even have to be here, y'know. It's Sunday. I could go."
Gwen grinned. "No, don't do that," she said. "Mochyn drahaus over there would never admit it, but we need your help just about all the time - on the clock or not."
"What's that?" Jack asked.
"Arrogant pig," Gwen translated. "Which you are."
"I am not!" Jack protested.
Just then, there was a buzzing on a table. "I think that's me," Gwen said. She walked over to the table and picked up her phone. "Oh my God!"
"What?" Jack asked. Gwen beckoned Jack and Ianto over to the phone.
From Tosh: Owen just asked me out… I think… what now?!
"Oh, finally," Ianto said. "That was long in the making."
"I know, right?!" Gwen giggled.
"I'll leave you two to your… whatever," Jack sighed, and he went to his desk to do a bit of paperwork he had put off, leaving Gwen and Ianto to run for the couch and sit down side by side, still chattering like teenage girls.
"Well, we should answer her," said Ianto. "What should she do?"
"Bloody hell," Gwen said, "I haven't been on a first date in ages."
"Yeah, you and Jack just… happened," Ianto nodded. "And the same with me, too… just sort of happened… the last time I had a first date was…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish.
"Anyway," Gwen said brightly, alleviating the awkwardness. "I'm guessing our sweet little Tosh is staring at her closet in confusion, poor thing."
"Indeed," Ianto nodded, silently thanking Gwen for her quick change of topic. The whole thing still hurt like hell. "Personally, I'd say that plaid skirt is the way to go; I saw Owen staring at her when she wore it a few weeks ago."
"He stares at her anyway," Gwen pointed out. They both laughed. "But yeah, I was thinking that too."
Gwen's phone buzzed again.
From Tosh: Gwen! Help me! What do I wear?! I have no idea what I'm doing!
Ianto and Gwen burst out laughing. "Poor thing," Ianto said with a hint of a smile. "I think she needs our assistance."
Gwen nodded and wrote a text back.
To Tosh: I'm with Ianto right now and we're discussing your fate. He and I agree: plaid skirt.
From Tosh: Are you sure? OMG I'm so nervous!
Gwen and Ianto were in stitches. "She's bloody adorable," said Ianto. "I can't wait to find out how this date goes, honestly."
"She'd kill us if we called it a date," Gwen replied. "But yeah, it'll be fantastic to find out. So glad that they're doing this right before our party."
"Oh, for sure," Ianto grinned.
The phone buzzed again.
From Tosh: Gwen? Gwen, help me!
Gwen and Ianto laughed again. "What the hell is so funny?" Jack called from his desk.
"Toshiko," Ianto explained. "She's freaking out over her and Owen's impending date."
"I still can't believe he asked her out," Gwen mused. "I wonder how he phrased it. I mean, this is Owen we're talking about. He didn't just say Hey Tosh, go out with me; he had some sort of excuse. I wonder what it was."
"We'll have to ask," Ianto decided. "But now, you probably should tell Tosh that she has to wear that skirt - oooh, and that red blouse." Jack muttered something about the gayest man I've ever met. "I heard that, sir, and I'd advise you to go take a look in the nearest mirror."
"True," Gwen laughed. "Oh, yeah, Ianto, you owe me twenty quid."
"Damn it!" Ianto exclaimed. "I made a bet with Jack that you'd forget!" With a reluctant scowl, he forked over the money. "Fuck you both."
"I'm game for that," Jack mused. The resulting eye roll was simultaneous.
6:58 pm
Tosh paced nervously up and down the halls of her flat. She had taken Gwen and Ianto's advice about… everything, but she still was anxious as all hell. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of this whole thing. Owen was taking her to dinner, but was it actually a date? Did he like her? Or was he just being nice? Did Owen even do 'nice'?
Calm down, Toshiko, she told herself. Whatever happens, you and Gwen will have a laugh about it at your party afterward.
There was a knock at the door. Here we go, she thought.
She went to the door and opened it to see Owen, grinning. She couldn't help but notice he was wearing his least ratty jeans and one of his nicer shirts under his leather jacket, and it made her heart go all fluttery. "Hey," he said. "You look beautiful."
Holy shit, she thought. Did he actually say that?!
"Hey… wow, right on time," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "That's a first."
Owen laughed. "Yeah. I only do shit late to piss Jack off, really. So. Shall we?" He extended his hand to Tosh. "Oh, wait. I forgot. I have something for you."
Tosh's eyes widened. "You do? Owen, you didn't have to-"
"-It's your birthday," said Owen. "Of course I had to. Here." He pulled a small box out of the pocket of his jacket. "Happy birthday."
Tosh opened the box to reveal a small gold necklace with a little heart pendant. "Oh my God, Owen, it's beautiful! Thank you!"
"It's a locket," said Owen. "Open it up."
"Okay," Tosh said, carefully opening the little pendant to reveal two little pictures, both of her and Owen - one from when Owen had first joined up, and one from just a few weeks ago. "Oh, I love it," she said. "Thank you, Owen." She started to feel tears building up.
No! Don't do that! Don't cry! No no no no no no no no no no-shit.
"Bloody hell, don't cry," Owen said, taking the necklace from her and putting it around her neck. "Blimey, I'm never getting you a birthday present again. Yeesh." Tosh giggled at his face. "Aha. That's better. Laughing, I can handle. Now come on." He extended his hand, and Tosh took it.
Both of their hearts were racing.
7:15 pm
"Move over! You're blocking my view!"
"Oi, I want to see just as much as you do, and the screen's not exactly giant!"
"For God's sake, Ianto, move over!"
Jack rolled his eyes, but then had an idea. "Gwen, Ianto, if you kids can't share the TV, I'm gonna turn it off," he said in his best "dad" voice. That instantly got them to quiet. "Alright. Now, how about we play it on the big screen." He pressed a few buttons on his vortex manipulator and the picture started playing on the larger screen. "There."
"Thanks, Jack," said Gwen, grinning.
What were they watching, you ask?
Why, the CCTV that they had pointed at Tosh and Owen, of course!
"No bloody way," Ianto gasped as the car pulled into a pretty nice restaurant. "Gwen, look!"
Gwen looked back at the screen and her eyes widened. "And I had my money on pizza! Owen's spoiling her rotten!"
"Well, that can only mean one thing," Ianto said knowingly.
"He fancies her," they said together, and then they burst out laughing.
"My God, do you guys ever stop?!" Jack exclaimed. "It's like a middle school sleepover in here!"
"Oh, stop ruining our fun, you blanced gwlyb," Gwen teased.
"Wet blanket," Ianto explained. "I'm really liking this three months of Welsh insults idea."
"Tell me about it," Gwen agreed.
Jack walked over to them and sat down next to Gwen. "I'm getting bored over here all by myself," he whined.
Uh-oh, Ianto thought. He was fully aware of what Jack could be like when he got "bored." If he didn't get some quality Gwen time in soon, things would get bad. Time for some intervention. Come up with something, quick! he told himself.
And then he had an idea.
"I have an idea," he said.
"What is it?" Jack asked.
Ianto went into Jack's desk, ignoring the protests, and dug out a spare set of Owen's car keys. "I'm going to assist our happy couple." And with that, he ran for the cog door, knowing that Jack was silently thanking him.
Jack smiled and pulled Gwen into his arms, kissing her deeply. He so didn't like PDA.
"What the hell is Ianto doing?" Gwen asked when they pulled apart a few minutes later.
"Let's take a look," said Jack. He went over to Tosh's desk and picked up the little portable screen she had designed. A few buttons pressed and dials turned, and the screen was showing the image from a CCTV tracking Ianto as he raced down the streets. "I knew that Tosh's portable screen would come in handy," Jack said with a grin, trying as best as he could to block the he looks so cute running in a suit thoughts because he knew Gwen would tease him, and probably insult him in Welsh, which he was quickly hating more and more.
"I know what you're thinking, you diafol wyrdroedig," Gwen said with a grin.
Well, that failed, Jack thought. "What does that mean?" he asked reluctantly.
"Perverted devil," Gwen said, her smile widening. "Pretty good description of you, to be honest."
"That's not fair," Jack whined. "Oh my God, what the hell is he doing?"
"He's-no bloody way!" Gwen exclaimed.
Their eyes widened, their jaws dropped, they stared in shock, as they watched Ianto unlock Owen's car with the spare key, slip in like a shadow, and drive off.
"Isn't there a law or something against that?" Jack asked nervously.
"Yeah, there is," said Gwen. "But I didn't think you cared, Mr. Outside-the-Government."
"That's Captain to you," Jack said with that hint of a cheeky grin that he knew full well was completely irresistible.
"Whatever," Gwen muttered. "What the hell is he doing?"
"There's a method to his madness," Jack said casually.
"There's sure as hell a madness to his method," Gwen returned.
"This is the guy who accidentally on purpose made you-know-who's life hell without clearance, remember," Jack pointed out. "He's insane and he does crazy, stupid shit, but it tends to work out alright."
Gwen laughed. "I suppose that's true," she said. "God, Owen's gonna fucking kill him."
"I'm sure Ianto will find a way to not get killed," Jack shrugged.
Just then, Ianto came back into the Hub. "This is gonna be brilliant," he said. "Can I have a cookie?"
8:30 pm
"God, Owen, this has been so much fun!" Tosh grinned as she finished her third pint and her dinner simultaneously. "Thank you for everything."
"'Course," Owen said as he quickly downed the rest of his drink. "Party time?"
"Party time," Tosh nodded. "I wonder how Jack and Gwen are getting on… I can't imagine cookie baking was easy…"
Owen helped her up and into the sweater she'd taken off inside - she couldn't think of a time when he had been more polite and just… amazing. "Right, well, we'll find out."
He led her out of the restaurant and outside… where it was pouring rain. "Bloody hell," Owen muttered. "You didn't bring a jacket, did you?"
"No, I didn't," Tosh sighed. "Well, you parked close."
They walked down the street to where they'd parked the car… to see the car missing.
"What the hell?!" Owen exclaimed. "I parked legally, right? Tell me we didn't get towed."
"Call Ianto," said Tosh. "He can find the car easy enough."
Owen nodded and pulled out his cell phone. A few moments later, Ianto picked up. "Hello?"
"My bloody car's been towed."
"Oh… er, that's awful, Owen! I'll take a look in just a few seconds, but I'm in the Vault right now - incredibly important job to do; Jack'll kill me if I don't finish it."
"It's raining! And Tosh and I are fucking freezing out here!"
"Calm down," Ianto said smoothly. "Listen, Owen, I'm still in the Vault and the service is crap down here. I'll call you back in just a second, alright?"
"Ianto-Ianto. Oh my fucking God, it's you, isn't it."
"I'm sorry?" Ianto asked, once again displaying his talent for not laughing.
"Ianto. You stole my bloody car."
"Owen, I honestly can't hear you; the service is crap-"
"YOU BLOODY STOLE MY CAR!"
"Fine, I did. I'd say sorry, but you probably should be paying attention to your birthday girl."
"Just-give me the car." Owen flipped the phone closed, swore under his breath, and then turned to Tosh, who was giggling. "Oh, come on, that's not funny. He stole my bloody car!"
"It is a little," Tosh said. She shivered and hugged herself in a feeble attempt to get warm.
"Oh, God, you're going to get hypothermia," said Owen. "Here." He took off his raincoat and held it out to Tosh.
"You-you don't have to-" but Owen had already half-put it on her. "Thanks, Owen," she said. She tried to zip it, but the sleeves, being far too long for her arms, got caught in the zipper. "Fuck," she muttered. "Owen, it's fine, you can keep it, it's far too-"
"No, you keep it. I'll help you with the bloody zipper." Very carefully, he untangled the sleeve from the zip and zipped the jacket himself. Tosh looked up at him, expecting to see grumpiness or at least annoyance, but instead he was smiling at her. "That thing's a fucking nightmare for me, too," he said. "Better?"
Tosh nodded, but inside she was melting like butter. Owen was just being so nice to her! "Thanks, Owen," she said, giving him a smile.
Owen could feel himself melting as well. There was something absolutely adorable about the young woman standing in front of him, as well as something stunningly beautiful, and he had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that he loved her.
8:45 pm
"God damn it, Ianto, stop taking the longest route possible," Owen muttered. "You alright, Tosh?" Tosh nodded again, but she actually wasn't. A few minutes ago, the rainstorm had become a thunderstorm, and due to a terrifying incident as a child, she had major storm-phobia. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt it hard to breathe. "Tosh, it doesn't look like you're okay," Owen said gently. "What is it?"
"I-I hate thunderstorms," she mumbled, tears forming. She was beginning to relive the childhood memory the way she always did during thunderstorms, and what with that and the cold and being tired and an overwhelming need to be inside and warm with her friends in the Hub and god some coffee would be just amazing, it was becoming far too much.
Owen took one look at Tosh and he could feel his resolve breaking. All night, he had tried as hard as he could to stay cool, but now Tosh was looking at him like a deer in the headlights, tears in her eyes, shaking like a leaf on a tree.
That was it. He couldn't handle it anymore. In one motion, he stepped closer to her and pulled her into a hug, trying to keep her warm. He was soaking wet and the raincoat was soaking wet which was making him even more soaking wet, but it didn't matter to him. Even the fact that Tosh tried to hug back but couldn't because of the sleeves and thus was burying her head in his chest and probably crying into his shirt didn't stop him from holding her close and tightly. "Shhh," he said gently. "I've got you." He placed a hand on the back of her head in an attempt to shield it a bit from the cold and wind and rain as his jacket didn't have a hood.
There was a flash of lightning and a giant clap of thunder and Tosh gasped in terror. "Owen," she whimpered, the strength she had tried to keep up breaking further. "I'm scared."
Owen held her even closer and started stroking her hair, murmuring soft words of comfort. His heart was shattering and melting at the same time, just watching her, holding her shaking form and hearing her gasps and whimpers which were quickly turning into sobs.
It was this picture that Ianto saw when he reached them, although they didn't see him. "Well, they look like they're doing just fine," he said, his judgment having been clouded by the ten to fifteen cookies he had had while driving to get them. "They can stay out there a little longer! And if Tosh gets hypothermia, well, it's a good thing Owen's a doctor!"
He drove around the block one more time before honking the horn.
Owen heard the honk and let go of Tosh to walk up to the car. "About time!" he shouted as Ianto rolled down the window. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, Ianto. Do you see what you've done?" He pulled Tosh, who was still shaking and crying softly, back into his arms and held her tightly again. "You've bloody terrified her, and on her birthday, too! Some friend you are. Come on, Tosh." He opened the door for her and helped her into the car before sitting down right next to her and hugging her tightly once more. "I'm sorry you had to go through this," he said softly as Ianto pulled out and started driving back towards the Hub, stroking her hair the same way he had been doing a few moments ago. "It'll be okay, though. We'll get back to the Hub and it'll all be fine. Jack'll be just as angry, once he sees what's happened. Someone's in trouble." He felt her forehead and it was immediately clear she was hypothermic. "Don't fall asleep," he instructed. "I know you're tired, but you can't fall asleep, alright?" Tosh nodded into his chest. "That's a good girl. Everything's going to be fine, I promise."
They reached the Hub in record time, and when they arrived, Owen got out of the car, and before Tosh could step out herself, swept her up into his arms and ran with her inside. "JACK!" he almost roared as the cog door slid open.
"Oh my God," Gwen said when she saw Tosh shivering in Owen's arms, and then she walked right up to Ianto and punched him directly in the face. "That's the last bloody time I'm ever letting you have a cookie," she said. Meanwhile, Owen had put Tosh down (somewhat reluctantly) and helped her out of the jacket, and was now hugging her tightly again as Gwen walked over to them. "Come on, Tosh, I'll find you something you can change into, and you, Ianto, are going to go make her a cup of coffee and then you are actually and literally going to sit in a corner for awhile and think about what you've done because that was bloody childish."
There was a silence, and then Tosh giggled and Owen snorted. Gwen, meanwhile, remained dead serious. "Come on," she repeated. Owen once again was clearly reluctant to let Tosh go, but he did allow Gwen to lead her from the room.
"I am never leaving this place ever again," Jack vowed once the girls were out of earshot. "She's fucking scary when she's in charge." Then he turned to Ianto. "You heard her."
"Fucking hell," Ianto muttered, and he trudged off to the kitchen, muttering "you'll thank me later."
Down in her bedroom, Gwen managed to hold the serious face for a few seconds longer before grinning, and then she began to laugh. "Oh, God, that was a bit harsh, wasn't it?" she mused.
"A little," said Tosh, giggling herself. "I mean, it's not like it was my car he stole."
Gwen smirked. "You're just glad you got all of that extra attention from Owen."
Tosh sighed. "Okay, fine, but Gwen, he was just so sweet to me!" Gwen tried her best to look nonchalant, before quickly turning away to find Tosh some clothes. "You were watching the whole time, weren't you." It wasn't a question. "Shoulda bloody known." She sighed. "I guess I don't-it doesn't really make a difference-but d'you think he was only sweet to me because of the storm, or my birthday, or-or-"
Gwen gripped her friend's shoulders. "Tosh. Breathe." Tosh took a few breaths and then stared at Gwen nervously. "Alright. Listen, Tosh, you're right. Yan and I have been watching you two the whole time, and y'know what we saw? We saw a guy that really really likes you. Hell, he might be in love. It wasn't just your birthday or the storm, I promise."
"Do you really think?" Tosh asked nervously.
"I know," Gwen said firmly, and she held out a set of her favorite fluffy pajamas. "Here. Not exactly the sexiest outfit in the world, but you're bloody freezing."
"Where the hell did you get these?" Tosh asked as she touched the fabric, which was almost unnaturally soft.
"Jack gave them to me," Gwen replied. "They're alien, apparently. Oh, here." She grabbed a large towel and handed it to Tosh. "Dry off before you change."
"Thanks, Gwen," Tosh said with a smile, and she ran for the bathroom.
"About time," Jack said when Tosh and Gwen returned. "We were about to have the whole damn party without you."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Where's Ianto?"
"Still sitting in a corner," Jack replied. "But he left Tosh's coffee on the table."
Tosh grabbed the coffee and took a sip, smiling. "Mmmm… just what I needed…"
"Party's all set up down in the conference room," Ianto announced. He caught a look at Gwen and scurried away.
"I'm telling you, you're fucking scary," Jack said as he came up behind Gwen and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm not!" Gwen protested. "I'll apologize to him for shouting."
Meanwhile, Owen was walking over to Tosh, and he tapped her shoulder. "Hey," he said.
Tosh looked over at him. "Oh… hi…" A blush began to suffuse over her cheeks.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah-why?" she asked. Owen raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Yeah. Dumb question. Erm… fine, I guess…"
Owen sighed. "You don't deserve this," he said. "Having to stand outside in the storm on your birthday; it's not right."
Tosh sighed. So it was only about her birthday. "It's fine," she mumbled.
But Owen wasn't finished. "And even if it wasn't, you don't deserve that. You don't ever deserve that, not you. You-" He broke off, not sure how to phrase this without completely blowing his cover. Fuck it. "You're a special girl, at least to me."
Tosh's eyes widened as she stared at him. Did he really just say that? Her lip quivered ever so slightly.
"Oh, for God's sake. I say something nice and you get all upset." Owen rolled his eyes. "Oh, relax. I'm kidding." He put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "I mean it, though. You're special to me, Tosh."
And with that, he cupped her cheek gently and oh so softly pressed his lips to hers for just a moment before pulling away, leaving Tosh even wider-eyed than before.
"Hmmm," he mused. "Not the reaction I was expecting, but you're not slapping me. I figure that means I can do this." He pulled her in a little closer and kissed her again.
Oh my god. He's kissing me. He's-oh my god-oh, God, he's amazing… oh… mmmm… Tosh's thoughts began to fade away as Owen continued, and Ianto only barely managed to catch the coffee mug she'd been holding before it clattered to the ground as Tosh wrapped her arms tightly around Owen's neck to kiss back. Owen had been cupping her cheek, but as soon as she began to kiss back, he moved them to her waist and held her there, tightly.
Tosh had no choice but to pull away for air a few moments later, but when she did, she had a smile on her face, that adorable smile that always made Owen's heart flutter. Owen was still holding her waist and his smile widened, lighting up his face. "I guess you liked that," he whispered.
"Owen," she whispered back, not sure what else to say.
They stared at each other in silence. Owen couldn't help but let his stare become a true adoring gaze, watching in awe as her face lit up brighter and brighter.
"I love you," he murmured. He kissed her again, but pulled away when he noticed that she wasn't kissing back. "What?"
"You-you love me?" she asked nervously. "Do you really mean that, Owen?"
Owen smiled. "Yes," he said. "I love you."
They stared at each other again for barely a second, and then Tosh flung her arms around Owen's neck, burying her face into his shoulder. He lifted her up and she giggled, kicking her feet in the air. As soon as he put her back down, he kissed her again, this time more passionately.
Ianto had been watching from the conference room with a huge grin. He came out with three bags of confetti and three noisemakers and handed a set to Gwen and to Jack.
"Three, two, one," he whispered so only they could hear, and they all threw the confetti (which strangely enough seemed to contain mistletoe - so that's where that went after Christmas, Jack mused - as well as sparkly papery stuff) and blew the noisemakers. Owen and Tosh were unfazed. They kept kissing despite the noise, until neither one of them could breathe.
"You most definitely deserve credit," Ianto said when they had stopped kissing and now were in the post-kiss hugging stage. "Not flinching during all of this chaos." He motioned to himself, Gwen, and Jack.
"Oh, please, that was barely chaos," Jack protested. "That was a hullabaloo. No more, no less."
Ianto rolled his eyes. "A hullabaloo? Seriously? Who the hell says hullabaloo? And moreover, those are the same thing."
"No, no. There's a fine line between chaos and a hullabaloo, but they're not the same thing. At all. And I say hullabaloo, thank you very much." Jack managed to hold a straight face, but then burst out laughing.
"Gwallgofddyn," Gwen laughed. "Lunatic."
Jack continued to laugh. "You're telling me that? I got it from a talking snowman!"
They all stared at Jack for a moment. "Er… I think you've had a few too many," Owen laughed."
"I have not!" Jack protested. "Haven't had a thing yet. Right, Gwen?"
Gwen nodded. "No, he's sober, but still, what the hell are you going on about?"
"I don't think I want to know the answer to that question," Tosh said sagely.
"Yeah, probably not," Gwen nodded. "Well, anyway, the party is in the conference room, and I think Jack made a party playlist of sorts. Apparently, half the music on it comes from the future."
"Cool," Tosh grinned. "Well… assuming the playlist isn't-"
"-I listened to most of the songs," Ianto interrupted. "They're fine. Also, Gwen, are we-"
"-We're good," Gwen nodded. "Sorry for snapping earlier."
"Friends?"
"Oh for God's sake, of course we're friends!" Gwen laughed and hugged Ianto tightly. "I need your help for the next three months, remember?"
Ianto laughed. "You may want to kiss Jack now. He looks like he wants your attention."
"I don't want him to think that he can just make a cute face and get a kiss whenever he wants," Gwen pointed out, but she did end up going over to Jack and kissed him softly. Or at least she tried to do it softly. Jack had other plans.
"You're so fluffy…" Owen's astounded whisper got Gwen and Jack to stop kissing. They turned to see that Owen was stroking Tosh's arm, enraptured by the fabric of her sleeve.
"You are such a child," Tosh teased.
"What? It's true!" Owen protested, still stroking Tosh's arm.
"Whatever," Tosh said. "Come on." She grabbed Owen and almost dragged him into the conference room.
The party was a smashing success. Aliens and Torchwood were forgotten, shoved off into a corner of the mind muted and hidden by the high of the occasion - and, at least in Owen's case, the alcohol. Surprisingly, he didn't get as stumbling drunk as the others had expected, but he certainly was buzzed. They danced and played a rousing game of something Ianto had taught them called "BS," which got them all laughing, and Ianto had even surprised Tosh with a chocolate cake.
"How the hell did you slip that into the kitchen under my nose?" Jack asked between giant mouthfuls of cake.
"A magician never reveals his secrets," Ianto said with the barest hint of a smile, before taking another bite of cake and eating it in the most delicate manner possible.
"Well, it's delicious," Tosh said.
"Of course it is," Ianto said, rolling his eyes. "I put coffee in it." This got everyone laughing.
At the end of the night, Tosh ran around the room and hugged everyone tightly. "Thank you," she said. "This has been the best birthday ever! It couldn't be any better-"
"-Oh, really?" Owen interrupted. "Sure about that, darling? Because I think I can make it even better." He strutted up to Tosh, backing her up until she hit the wall. He pressed his hands up against the wall, trapping her, and it was only until her shocked face relaxed that he sealed his lips to hers in what was the single best kiss she had ever experienced. She dared to move forward and snake her arms around his neck, allowing him to wrap his tightly around her back.
They broke apart and rested their foreheads together. "Well?" Owen asked. "Better?"
"Yeah," Tosh said, nodding.
Owen smiled at her, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Alright then, birthday girl; just one question for you." He came closer to murmur in her ear. "Mine or yours?"
Tosh got up on tiptoe and whispered into his ear. He grinned broadly. "Say that a little louder?" he asked. "Not sure I got that."
"You did!" Tosh protested, but one look from Owen and she gave in. "Whichever's closer," she mumbled. She turned red as Jack, Gwen, and Ianto burst out laughing.
"Oi! Don't make fun of her," Owen said sternly to the others, slinging a protective arm around her shoulder. "It's a perfectly reasonable response to such a question."
"If you were curious, Owen's is closer," Ianto said. "Just looked it up." He motioned to the computer next to him. "It's only a three-minute difference, but I suppose-are you two even listening?!" He rolled his eyes when he noticed that Tosh was against the wall again, blushing profusely as Owen whispered in her ear. For the first time in recorded history, Owen was smart enough to cover his face so nobody knew what exactly he was saying, but it was obvious from Tosh's expression that he was saying things we can't include in this story because it is What the Fluff, after all - gotta keep it T!
Aaaaaaanyway.
"Well, I feel like we should wrap things up," Jack said a little too loudly. "Come on, Gwen-"
"Ohhhh, no you don't," Ianto interrupted. "You're cleaning up this time."
"Bugger."
"I'll help," Gwen offered. "Ianto, go home. Tosh and Owen, you may find that Ianto is leaving. Feel free to leave when you become aware of your surroundings."
Owen turned around (reluctantly). "What?"
"GO HOME!" Gwen, Jack, and Ianto shouted simultaneously. Well, Jack said "take her home," but that's not particularly relevant.
"Don't need to tell me twice," Owen grinned, and he grabbed Tosh's hand and ran with her out of the room and through the cog door. Ianto shook his head mirthfully and followed them.
Jack sighed. "Do I really have to clean up?"
Gwen smiled, and kissed him softly. "Yes," she said. "I'll help you."
He looked around the empty room and smirked. Empty Hub, cleanup to do, and Gwen helping him. It could be worse.
But we won't get into that. We have to keep things T ;)
Hey everyone! Lia here! It is a truth universally acknowledged that a tired Lia will break the fourth wall.
Anyway, so sorry for taking so long to write this and post it. Hope y'alls like! Also, huge thanks to my betas for beta-ing.
As always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my chosen sisters, and cookies for all!
Love,
Lia xxx