Jack rolls his eyes as Gwen drags on and on. It's not like he isn't paying attention to her presentation—okay, he's not, but it's all in the report she gave him before starting—but it's dreadfully dull. Something about the fish in the bay and how… um, something.
No, Jack has better things to do with his time. Like… hm… he has a lot of things to do, being the boss, of course, and listening to Gwen falls into the category, but it's so boring! And there's Ianto giving him the I know you're not paying attention but I'm going to be quizzing you on this look.
Oh, there's a nice pastime: Ianto. Not shagging Ianto or kissing Ianto or even taking Ianto out—although he would love to do all those things—but just looking at him.
Like now. Ianto's sitting where he usually sits, just to Jack's left, providing him with the proper forms and cups of coffee. Gwen usually sits to Ianto's left, but that seat's empty (she's presenting, of course it's empty), and Tosh and Owen are across from him. Neither one of them look like they're paying any attention, either, but Ianto's not going to quiz them.
Ianto sends him a glare and kicks him under the table. Huh, Jack thinks, must have been zoning out. It's not like what Gwen's doing isn't important—okay, it isn't, but she was curious—but it's so boring. So, Jack does what any mature person would do: he sticks his tongue out at Ianto and continues what he's been doing.
Ianto's not looking at him anymore, which gives Jack the perfect opportunity. Ianto-watching is a favorite pastime. Ianto's wearing a suit, like always, this one a three-piece pinstripe. A magenta shirt peeks out from behind a tie and waistcoat, complementing Ianto's paleness. The bright color almost makes Jack jump him then and there—there's only one reason Ianto wears the pinks and magentas, and it's not variety—but Ianto probably wouldn't appreciate it.
Then again… Ianto's full of surprises, so maybe—oh, that bastard.
Jack leans minutely forward in his seat and his eyes widen.
Ianto—nice, clean-cut, terrifying when he chooses to be terrifying Ianto—is doodling. For a second, Jack thinks that he's writing notes, because the paper is the one he distributed for that purpose, but he's wrong. Ianto is doodling—although he's probably paying attention, damn him and his ability to do twelve things at once—and Jack is not okay with that, if only because he doesn't have the attention span to do that.
But maybe that's a good thing.
Ianto has graceful hands and graceful handwriting, and it's a joy to be able to see that. His handwriting varies in size depending on what he's doing. Jack tilts his head to see what exactly he's doing now, and—
"Everyone out."
His tone leaves no room for argument. Tosh and Owen don't even look at him as they shuffle out, prompting Gwen to move because Jack's being Very Serious. It's only Ianto that stays—Jack looks at him and says "Sit" and cringes when Ianto looks apprehensive—looking up at a standing Jack with confused eyes.
Jack points at the paper in front of him, the one with the small hand-drawn design. "What is that?"
"It's a picture." Ianto sighs. "Jack, what's this—"
"Why were you drawing it?" Jack holds up his hand when it looks like Ianto's going to argue.
"Ianto, why were you drawing it? Please… this is important."
"I… I was bored."
"Bored?" Jack laughs to himself. "No, calm down, I'm not mad."
"Really?" Ianto arches an eyebrow as Jack sits.
"Really."
"Alright." He fidgets despite Jack's smile. "What—"
"Where did you see it?"
"What?"
"The picture. The design, whatever you want to call it." Jack points at it again.
Ianto licks his lips. It's almost enough to distract Jack, but not quite. He answers with a small snort. "It's… um, just a bit… I just doodle it. Habit, you know?"
"Where did you see it?"
"Nowhere?" Jack pierces him with a look. Ianto sighs. "Are you familiar with the concept of soulmates?"
Jack nods mutely.
"Well, that's what it is." Ianto laughs self-deprecatingly and shakes his head. "Lucky me, right? A Name where no one can see it, and a soulmate with a last name that I can't even read."
Jack laughs, too. Ianto looks at him like he's insane, and who knows? Maybe he is? (Maybe the universe is, but he's not complaining, not now.)
"Jack?"
"You know, I couldn't read my Name, either." It's funny how things turn out. "Joined the Time Agency, learned Classic English, travelled to the time when it was spoken, and—just my luck—got stuck in said time."
Ianto doesn't answer, and expectantly looks at him. He's got this way of making Jack open up that's both endearing and scary, and now it's both.
"I should stop beating around the bush." Jack smiles widely. "Do you know how hard it is to find a single person with the last name of 'Jones' in all of Wales?"
"What?"
"There's too many!" His smile widens. He sees Ianto begin to understand. "And you know, they all have these ridiculously normal Names. Williams, Cooper, Jones, Smith… no one had mine."
"But?"
"But you do."
The world around them starts to fall into place. It's ridiculously cliché—which is absolutely perfect because if there's one thing Jack loves, it's romance and a happy ending—but time seems to stop and become right in a way it hasn't been.
And sure, they'll have their fights and their disagreements. Just because people find their soulmates doesn't mean that everything is going to be perfect, which Jack knows. Relationships aren't perfect and no one says they are, and anyone who thinks they live in a fairytale is fooling themselves… but Jack dares to hope, just for a moment (before reality catches up to them), that he's getting his happy ending—and he is.
With Ianto.
(And Ianto doesn't seem to be arguing, not with how enthusiastic he is in kissing Jack back.)
Happy almost-Christmas! :D
Thanks for reading! :)