Bring Me A Rose In The Winter Time
Disclaimer: There is absolutely no owning on my part.
Summary: Jack gets quite surprised by a small, simple, yet very powerful gesture from Ianto and knows that Ianto needs him more than ever. Ianto/Jack. Fifty-eighth in the "Immortal Janto" series.
Given that we had Valentine's Day just last month (and that I work in a grocery store and saw a ridiculous amount of roses around that particular holiday), I had an idea of something that I could write for this series.
Regardless, I've briefly paused from the "Introduce Andy to the universe via the TARDIS" arc in order to bring you this nugget of Janto-shaped love.
Valentine's Day was a particularly difficult holiday to pin down, made even more difficult when you've moved back onto the space-traveling, time-traipsing ship that was piloted (primarily) by a semi-manic Time Lord in his tenth regeneration. A person's sense of time (in particular, the basic passage of time of their native planet and their home time period) warped a great deal. So, navigating the holidays got all the more interesting
It wasn't easy, Jack knew, but they managed. He knew that it was due, in no small part, to Ianto's near OCD-like precision and attention to details that they managed to keep a general idea of the early 21st century and the passage of time during Ianto's and Donna's native time period.
Jack had long since given up trying to keep track of time from the 51st century and the Boeshane Peninsula.
Besides, 21st century Earth was a particularly fond period time for him. It was when he had met and fallen in love with Ianto, lost Ianto, averted several near-catastrophes, found Ianto, built a life with the (immortal) Welshman, and reminded himself of all of the trials and tribulations of parenthood. And, all the while, Ianto had been the one to guide him (calmly, coolly, and always so well-dressed) through these different stages (okay, maybe not every step of the way – there was that period of time when he thought that Ianto was dead, but that's beside the point now).
Regardless, Jack always made a point of telling Ianto that he loved him, in some way, shape, or form, every single day. It might be as they were waking up and getting ready for the day, in the middle of a crisis, or as they were falling asleep in each other's arms at night. He had vowed to do so at their first wedding all those years ago and, by damn, Jack was fulfilling that particular promise.
And, in his own way, Jack would surprise Ianto with little gifts and physical tokens of his love and affection.
Ianto, Jack had long ago learned, was not as easily won over by said tokens, but he did appreciate well-thought-out ones, which was why Jack made a point of being creative. He enjoyed thinking up new gifts for his beloved Welshman – from the new ceramic mug after Ianto's old one had finally kicked the bucket to a jasmine-scented hand lotion after Ianto's hands had started cracking due to a week stranded on an alien planet in sub-zero winter to pressing all of his suits when Ianto was laid up in bed with a cold from that same sub-zero winter.
But Jack was always surprised whenever Ianto returned the favor.
As vain as Jack was, he rather enjoyed being the one who gave the gifts, rather than being the one who received the gifts. He figured that it had something to do with the fact that, since he was immortal, he was so used to things being fleeting and losing the things he truly cherished, so receiving gifts was very hard for him. They tended to be reminders of what he was always losing and what had always been just out of his reach.
Ianto came along and changed that, in his stubborn Welsh way.
Which was why Jack couldn't keep the smile off of his face when he had pulled his greatcoat off of the coat rack by the front door of the TARDIS (okay, it had taken a few years, but everyone was in the habit of hanging up their coats on the coat rack now, even the Doctor – all thanks to Ianto's persistence), only to find a single red rose stuck to the lapel with a pin.
It wasn't much to the untrained eye – just a simple rose but, to Jack, he knew what Ianto was saying. His heart swelled in delight and love for Ianto.
Holding his greatcoat in his hands, Jack debated whether he was going to follow Annabelle and Andy into the alien market or if he was going to stay behind and find Ianto. His Welsh husband had insisted that Jack go ahead, that Ianto had a few calls to make back home (namely to Rhiannon and that he would pass along Jack's love to his sister). Jack had understood that – it was getting harder and harder to call home. Rhiannon and the rest of Ianto's family was slowly but surely growing older and Ianto was staying the same age. Jack felt a pang of sympathy for Ianto.
Carefully pulling the rose off of his greatcoat, Jack hung it back up on the coatrack and, rose in hand, set off to find Ianto.
Ianto shouldn't be alone at a time like this, Jack knew. Besides, it wasn't as if either Andy or Annabelle would miss having Jack hovering nearby, playing the watchful, overbearing, if well-meaning father.
Quietly, he picked his way through the ever-changing hallways of the TARDIS, back to their room.
When he slipped through the door, rose still in hand, Jack was treating to the sight of Ianto sitting at the work table, phone pressed to his ear. He was laughing heartily, though Jack knew him so well and saw the gentle remorse in his eyes. Jack gave Ianto a little smile as his eyes flicking to the flower in his hands.
Jack slipped to Ianto's side, leaning down and putting his head on his husband's shoulder, listening into the conversation.
It was a routine conversation, but Jack found that he enjoyed listening Ianto banter with his sister. He stayed quiet and Ianto didn't give Rhiannon any clue that Jack was present, which suited Jack for the moment.
"So Johnny's party is next month, yeah?" Ianto said, moments later.
"You're expected to be there, Ianto," Rhiannon replied, her Welsh tone strong over the phone, "and Jack too, since I know you're listening in."
Jack and Ianto traded looks
"How'd you know I was here, Rhi?" Jack asked, awe in his tone.
Rhiannon laughed. "Ianto gets quieter and shorter in his responses whenever you decide you want to cuddle, Jack."
Well, now that she mentioned it, Rhiannon was a valid point. Jack squeezed Ianto's waist in amusement
"Are presents required for Johnny's party?" Jack asked.
Ianto looked at Jack and rolled his eyes. "If you feel so inclined, Jack, but it's his retirement party," Ianto told him, dryly.
"Well, I'll find something good," Jack promised.
"You better, Jack," Rhiannon told him, "but if it's embarrassing or dirty, save it for when we're in private."
"No fun!"
"Jack, we know you," Ianto said.
"Nothing that would embarrass normal people," Rhi added. She was smiling. Jack could hear it in her voice. "We may be used to your level of weird or take on normal life, but the rest of the people from Johnny's work might not be."
Jack gave Ianto a pout and silenced himself as the conversation turned. After a few more minutes, Ianto and Rhiannon said their farewells, Jack chiming in.
Once the phone was hung up, Ianto laid it onto the table. He sighed heavily.
"I can't believe Johnny's retiring already," Ianto said.
"Well, he's done good for that company. He is currently the longest serving active senior vice president of merchandising," Jack reminded Ianto. They shared a knowing look.
"Everyone's getting older." Ianto's Welsh tones were light and sad. "Soon enough, everyone I knew will be dead and I'll have to live with their memories." He gave Jack a look. "How do I deal with it?"
It was an honest question and Jack considered it for a moment.
"I can't tell you that," he replied, laying the rose on the table and sitting down in the empty chair next to Ianto, taking his Welshman's hands in his, squeezing comfortingly. "You're going to have learn how to cope with this in your own way. But, Ianto, I'll tell you one thing."
"What's that?"
Jack gave him a broad smile. "You have me."
There was a brief smile on Ianto's face. "And you're not going to leave me anymore, are you, Jack? You won't get bored or anything?"
That almost offended Jack.
"Ianto Jones, do you think that I would leave you when I got bored?" he asked, his eyes wide. "You are so wrong there. When you were mortal, yeah, I was worried that I would lose you – but that was because you were mortal and would die, leaving me behind to live with only the memory of you." Jack leaned forward a little bit. "Now that I have you for the rest of time, I'm not letting you go and don't forget that!"
Ianto's self-doubt faded in his eyes, though Jack knew that it was still there. That old fear had long been buried in Ianto's psyche. And, despite that, Jack still loved Ianto.
Jack looked back at the rose on the table and smiled.
He turned back to Ianto and closed the distance between them, pressing a warm kiss onto Ianto's lips. A thought crossed Jack's mind.
"So, now that everyone's out of the TARDIS," Jack suggested, "why don't we celebrate have some fun?"
The little eye-roll was encouraging
"You're insatiable, Jack."
"Don't I know it," he replied, "and the rose you gave me only made me want you even more."
Ianto laughed and Jack thought that it would be okay with them.
Well, that's that. I hope you liked it. Would you review? Tell me if it's good, bad, in the middle? I do love your feedback!
Anyways, I'll be posting the next story as soon as I find creative inclination to write a story.
As Tigger is so fond of saying, TTFN!