Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?

It's the time that every Santa has a ball.

The Torchwood team knew it really was Christmas when Jack started playing the festive music over the tanoy that was set up throughout the Hub. Gwen, Owen and Tosh had been trying to finish some very hard admin when Slade began to play.

They glanced at each other wide-eyed and saw Ianto, who'd been handing out cups of coffee to them, pale. Christmas was the one time of year Jack tended to receded into a second childhood and this usually resulted in Ianto being cornered and decorated.

Ianto bolted for the kitchen and whilst Gwen and Tosh managed not to laugh, Owen burst into hysterics. What he'd forgotten of course was that if Jack couldn't find Ianto, the nearest man would do for a tree.

Does he ride a red nosed reindeer?

Does he turn up on his sleigh?

Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?

Jack burst out of his office, covered in tinsel and clutching a box of decorations, singing loudly and out of tune.

So here it is merry Christmas

Everybody's having fun

Look to the future now

It's only just begun

Gwen and Tosh laughed then as Owen remembered that he was next on Jack's list of people to decorate. He dived under his desk and scrabbled out the other side, across the middle of the Hub.

"Jack!" Gwen grinned grabbing Owen before he could go any further. "Chuck some tinsel this way!"

Jack threw some tinsel towards Gwen who caught it and pulled it over Owen before he could protest.

"Gwen Cooper, you are going to pay," Owen mumbled, trying to part the tinsel so he could see.

"Gwen help!" Tosh called as Jack headed for her still singing.

Are you waiting for your family to arrive?

Are you sure you've got the room to spare inside?

Does your granny always tell you?

That the old songs are the best

And she's up and rock 'n' rolling with rest

Gwen made to help Toshiko but Owen had his arms round her waist and she couldn't move.

"Nooooooo!" Tosh giggled as Jack covered her in tinsel.

"Now, where's Ianto?" Jack asked pausing in his singing so they could hear the actual music again.

"In the kitchen!" Tosh said, trying to escape, but Jack held onto her wrist as he opened the kitchen door and dragged Ianto out.

Ianto looked like a deer caught in headlights and tried desperately to free himself but to no avail. Sometimes the team wondered whether he actually liked being the person of Jacks affections.

So here it is merry Christmas

Everybody's having fun

Look to the future now

It's only just begun

Eventually they gave in and helped Jack decorate the Hub. Afterwards he pulled out a bottle and some mistletoe and much to the team's horror found they had no choice but to play spin the bottle because Jack had locked the Hub doors.

"I'm sure this is a form of torture," Owen protested as he sat down in the circle they'd made in the centre of the Hub.

Jack spun first and ended up kissing Tosh, who kissed Gwen, who kissed Jack, who kissed Owen, who kissed Gwen, who kissed Ianto who….

He'd covered his face with his hands after he'd sent the bottle spinning and knew immediately from the gasps that there was only one person it could've landed on. He peered through his fingers and saw the bottle was pointing at Jack.

"You don't have to do it Ianto," Gwen whispered quietly. "Not if you really don't want to."

"Yeah, we can make excuses for you to escape," Tosh whispered in his other ear.

"Come on, Ianto!" Owen complained. "Stop being a wimp! Jack's not even that good so you'll be loads better!"

Owen received a very painful whack over the head for that comment. Jack looked at back at Ianto and sighed.

"I'm not going to bite but if you don't want to…" he shrugged.

Ianto rolled his eyes and leant across the circle waiting expectantly for Jack to meet him half way. Gwen, Tosh and Owen made small noises of surprise when it was Ianto that made the first move. Jack smiled slightly and leant towards Ianto, his lips barely touching the other mans.

But Ianto was going to make the most of this kiss. He bought his hand up to the back of Jack's neck stopping him from pulling away and deepening the kiss instead. If Jack felt any surprise he didn't show it.

Tosh and Gwen looked at each eyebrows raised slightly and grinned. Owen on the other hand just scoffed, ruining the sweet moment completely.

"Hello?" He said. "If you two are going to drag this out much longer do you want to get a room?"

Jack had to try very hard not to mutter, "don't tempt me" as he and Ianto broke apart. Ianto was shooting him a look that if he didn't misunderstand meant "get rid of the others now". Jack smiled slightly.

"Why don't we call it a night?" He suggested. "And maybe meet up tomorrow afternoon or something?"

The others seemed to swallow this story and were more than happy to wander out the Hub. Tosh bode goodbye to Gwen and Owen leaving them alone together in the square.

"You know…"

"Don't even say it," Gwen said stopping Owen in his tracks.

"What?" He asked frowning.

"You're going to come out with some cheesy line about you being cold alone and do I wanna come back to your place," Gwen said raising an eyebrow. "If you want to ask me back, just ask."

"Well if you're gonna be like that," Owen held out his hand to her and she grinned taking it.

Inside the Hub, Ianto had cleared away the mistletoe and the empty wine bottle. Jack was watching him from his office doorway.

"For someone who was trying to run away from me you were certainly willing to drag that kiss out," he commented as Ianto walked up to him, hands in his pockets. Ianto smiled slightly.

"Yes, well," he looked at his feet awkwardly.

"I'm not complaining," Jack replied. "Far from it."

"But you wouldn't do it again, would you?" Ianto asked sadly looking up and meeting Jack's gaze. #

Jack took a step forward, bringing one hand up to Ianto's cheek, the other wrapping round his back as he kissed the younger man. When he finally pulled back he gave a wry smile.

"That answer your question?" He said quietly.

Ianto didn't need to reply verbally. The hint of desperation in his next kiss was all the confirmation Jack needed. Maybe, he thought as he somehow moved him and Ianto towards his back room, he'd cancel tomorrow afternoons arrangements.