Disclaim- Not mine.
"No mum. No. No I don't- I don't need you to set me up with… Yes mum. Yes I know you're just worried about me. No. I'm fine. Mum." Jack laughed to himself. Ianto was coming very close to whinging whilst talking to his mother on his mobile. With the others gone for the evening, it was interesting to see him let down a touch of his professional guard. He watched Ianto rubbing the space between his brows. "Yes. I'll be staying over. Okay. Yes. I know mum! Okay, yes. I'll see you tomorrow. Dw i'n dy garu di. Yeah. Say hello to Roger. Hwyl."
The phone snapped shut and was put down on the table hard enough for it to skitter over towards the letter tray.
"Everything alright there Ianto?" Jack called out. Ianto looked up with a glare to where Jack was leaning against the metal railings.
"You seemed to have heard the conversation. I imagine you can draw your own conclusions." Ianto was still feeling irritable, and pushed his agenda into his bag rather roughly. Jack would keep teasing him if he continued to be in a bit of a piss, but he wasn't quite done yet.
"What's the problem with Mother Jones?"
Jack's boots clomped on the staircase as he moved towards Ianto on the couch.
"She's my mum?" Ianto mumbled, pulling his agenda back out, and finding a pen in the space between the cushions.
Jack settled himself onto most of the couch, sprawling out his limbs.
"And what's wrong with that?" Jack's hands folded behind his head. He smiled at Ianto's scribbling into his agenda. He didn't seem the type, but Ianto's script was far from tidy. "What are you writing?"
"My mum's best friend Glenora is going to Majorca for Christmas with her new boyfriend. So her daughter's coming to stay with us, and now I have to get her a present as well." Ianto replied, his eyes remaining on what was beginning to look like a list.
"So?"
"So she's had a crush on me since I was twelve, and my mum thinks "she'd be a good influence on me."" Ianto scoffed, aggressively crossing a 't'. "Which means she'll try her best for the next two days to have us married by next Christmas."
Jack felt a strange twinge at Ianto's analysis, but pushed it aside.
"Is she attractive?" He asked cheekily. Ianto sent him a dark look.
"That's not the point." Jack assumed that that was somehow a yes. Hm.
"Well, no point in wasting it if the opportunity arises." He said lightly, crossing his legs. Ianto put his pen in the spine of the notebook, and closed it on his lap, not lifting his eyes.
"I'm not interested in other opportunities right now." Ianto replied in his clear crisp way. His voice was steady, but Jack could feel the uncertainty that was emanating from Ianto. It matched the uncertainty he was feeling. Instead of considering it, Jack just lent forwards and slipped one knee between Ianto's.
"What about this one?" He leaned forwards and Ianto met him, their tongues quickly touching between tightly pressed mouths.
Jack stared at the ceiling, his hand carding absently through Ianto's hair.
"Do you want me to come with you to your parents'?"
"What?"
"I mean, I could just scare off this girl for you. I'm sure it will be very much the first half of a romantic comedy and all that, but I really don't have any plans. Wouldn't mind a home cooked Christmas dinner in exchange for running interference."
"Oh." Jack could feel Ianto swallowed thickly. "I mean. I don't want to inconvenience you."
"It's no trouble, really." Jack replied. He shouldn't have said anything.
"I have room in the car, I guess." Ianto really wanted to say yes.
"Kind of a mutual exchange." Jack laughed, and it echoed in the quiet room.
"Yeah." Ianto replied, staring at the expanse of skin in from of him. "That would be…"
It was silent in the room for a minute except for their breathing.
"I should go home."
"Oh…kay." Jack replied, moving his hand from where it was arched over Ianto's head on the pillow.
"I mean. I should do the wash and all that. We'd have to leave at lunch to make it there for teatime." Ianto looked back at Jack as his slipped on his shirt and started on the buttons.
"Yeah. Alright. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Alright. I'll swing by around half eleven. If that's alright."
"Works for me." Jack said with a grin, standing up and pulling on his trousers. He pulled his braces up over his bare shoulders. His eyes slid over Ianto's shape as he gathered up socks and shoes that had been thrown aside earlier. What had he been thinking, Jack wondered at himself. Roping himself into playing domestic with Ianto at the man's family Christmas. He certainly had not seen this decision coming.
"Jack, how in the hell did you manage to rip my sock?" Ianto held out his foot, revealing the large rent in the heel of the sock.
"Little overeager I suppose." Jack grinned back at him.
"You're incorrigible Captain Harkness." Ianto replied, but sent him a wink over his shoulder.
Right. This was why. Suddenly it still seemed like a stupid decision, but made a lot more sense. He would just have to make the best of things.
Jack stared at his closet. It's not like he was meeting his boyfriend's parents. He and Ianto weren't…. But he was still one for making good first impressions, anyways.
"So you're going to meet the Joneses then?" Jack turned to look at Gwen, who dropped down the ladder from his office. "I didn't know the two of you were that serious."
"We aren't." Jack responded firmly. "Just doing each other a mutual favour."
"Well I already knew about that." Gwen said with a cheeky laugh and Jack tossed a balled up jumper at her.
"You know, it's alright to say that you and Ianto are…"
"We're not. I'm running interference with a family friend. That's. It." Jack insisted. Gwen shook her head.
"Whatever you say Jack." She walked up to him, laying her hand against his cheek. "I think he's been good for you."
Jack stared at her for a minute.
"Oh. Sorry there." The both turned around to see Ianto letting go of the ladder rungs. "Ready to go Jack?"
"I'll hold down the fort while you two are away. Have a good time." Gwen smiled at Jack, with a wink. She patted Ianto's shoulder as she passed by him.
"Happy Christmas." Ianto replied.
Jack grinned, his thumbs in his braces.
"Are you ready then?" Ianto asked again.
"Just about." Jack quickly decided on several pairs of trousers and a few jumpers from the closet, and some of the carefully folder shirts from one of the drawers. They were all into a green army canvas bag and over his shoulder in a moment.
"Alright. Shall we?"