It was one of those rare days in Cardiff – no rain, no gale-force winds, no grey clouds, and best of all, no aliens. As soon as he'd seen a quiet day predicted by the Rift monitor, Jack went to Torchwood 3's resident meteorologist-and-caffeine-delivery-technician for a weather update.
Ianto informed Jack that the RADAR showed no ill-weather on the horizon and that it was likely to be beautiful all day, for a change. Jack wasted no time taking Ianto by the arm and hurrying them out of the Hub, with no more than a shouted, "we'll be out all day – don't call!" to Tosh, Gwen, and Owen.
"I did have work needing doing, you know," Ianto said as Jack ushered him up the quay.
"Whatever it is will wait for a rainy day, which is never far away. How often do we get a nice day and no Rift activity?" Jack said. "Got to take these opportunities when they come."
"Time and tide, is it?" Ianto said, settling into step beside Jack. Ianto knew well enough when Jack couldn't be deterred.
"Depends on your definition of time. Tide, however… nope, definitely can't control that. Unless you're the moon," Jack said, linking his arm with Ianto's.
"Or with sea barriers," Ianto said. "But the phrase originally meant 'tide' as in a 'season' such as Yuletide or Whitsuntide. It wasn't really a nautical reference at all."
Jack was tempted to roll his eyes but checked that response at the last moment. Pedantry was kinda sexy when it came wrapped so meticulously in the form of Ianto Jones.
"To where, exactly, are we off?"
"Nowhere. Anywhere."
"Right. So… we just wander aimlessly about the Bay."
"A little less structure won't hurt, Mr. Jones. Spontaneity?"
"Never been very good with that," Ianto muttered.
"Well, I've never been very good with planning. See? We balance each other perfectly. You know, there's always something new that we're just rushing passed on the way contain some wayward alien. Everything changes so fast now, it's hard to keep up. It's weird, having forever and watching the world just rush by. Nothing lasts anymore."
Ianto wondered what had brought on such a philosophical mood. In his experience with Jack, it was usually some reminder from decades ago – but that also usually came packaged with sullenness and holing up in his office, not hyperactive 'spontaneity.' Ianto reminded himself yet again to keep a bit of half-caff aside for when Jack was in these moods. Though it was preferable to him turning into a bear with a sore paw, he figured.
Though not usually a fan of PDA, Ianto thought maybe he wouldn't mind holding Jack's hand on this occasion – to keep the Captain from wandering off, he told himself, slipping his hand down Jack's arm to take his hand.
Jack looked at Ianto in mild surprise. Ianto wasn't exactly a 'hold hands' kind of guy, something Jack did his best to respect.
Ianto offered a little smile in return. "Not everything changes so fast," he said cryptically.
"Maybe not," Jack agreed quietly.
"So, what do we do, then? Just walk about until something strikes our fancy?"
Jack shrugged. "Yeah. Maybe stop someplace for lunch, chill out with some coffee later…. I think I just want to slow down for today. Enjoy the little things."
Ianto squeezed Jack's hand in agreement without quite realizing he was doing it. It did sound nice – being able to relax and do totally normal things like lunch and coffee and walking around the city they were normally too busy keeping safe to really appreciate. And then there was the fact that they could do it together as well, which really did make it even nicer. Ianto still kept a mental note to see if he couldn't find out what had triggered this unusual outing.
It was evening before Jack and Ianto even started back toward the Plass after a lot of strolling between places to sit and talk about whatever they were looking at at the moment. Ianto had quite a lot of information about their various vantage points, as usual, while Jack's commentary primarily centered on fashion critiques of passersby (also as usual).
"Hey, how about an ice cream?" Jack suggested on their way back.
Ianto smirked at that. Jack could be just like a kid sometimes. Ianto had been thinking more along the line of an evening cordial before a night in bed.
They sat together on a bench, watching the city glow orange from the sunset and enjoying the breeze off the bay. Ianto was vaguely suspicious of the cameras he knew were all over the Plass – Tosh was probably sat at her station keeping an eye on them the whole time.
A crowd began to emerge from the Millennium Center after a concert and Jack pointed – with his ice cream cone – toward an older, well-dressed gentleman and a young boy that looked like his grandson. "That's you in 50 years. Still dressed to the 9s."
"Me 20 years ago, more like. My taid – granddad, that is - used to take me to the symphony a few times a season. Bit funny, his favorite was The Planets. Always said I would go on to see things he'd never even dream of."
"You were close to your grandparents," Jack said.
"Yeah. I used to want to go live with them. It probably sounds weird, but they were my best friends growing up. Rhi had her mates, and I was just sort of… different."
"Nothing's wrong with different. In fact, I really like different. It's 'the same' that weirds me out."
"I think 'different' is probably different for everyone. I mean… to you, office blocks are 'different.'"
Jack just smirked. "I didn't have grandparents. Kinda missed out on that whole experience. Must be something nice."
"I learned absolutely everything from mine, especially my granddad. I think I was quite lost after he passed."
Jack put an arm around Ianto's shoulder. "I don't think you've ever talked about him before."
Ianto glanced downward. "Yeah, actually, I have." He took a deep breath. "Things in my family weren't always the best… there are a lot of things that I've always sort of gotten around talking about. What I said about dad having been a master tailor?" Ianto shook his head. "That was granddad."
"I knew that," Jack said quietly. "Kinda wondered when you'd said it was your dad, figured you had reasons, though. You always do. Didn't want to pry, for a change." Jack knew there were a lot of things Ianto didn't talk about and, being much the same, Jack knew when not to prod. By Jack's reckoning, Ianto knew more about him than any other person on Earth, but Ianto never asked for more than Jack offered.
"How did you…," Ianto started to ask before realizing who he was talking to. "Never mind, unnecessary question."
"He'd be proud of you," Jack said confidently.
"Thanks," Ianto said, glancing away.
"All of you," Jack added.
Ianto was quiet for a while before reaching for Jack's hand. "I've got a nice cream sherry in… if you'd like to come round for a nightcap."
"There's nothing I'd like more," Jack smiled, standing up and walking across the Plass with Ianto to the car park.