Author Notes: My first fanfic so I hope this is okay. A little late for Christmas but oh well....hope you enjoy and please review!
Jack was just finishing up their morning meeting, taking a final gulp of his delicious coffee he said, "so does anyone have anything to add?" He looked up expectantly, Owen was sat looking disinterested, Tosh put up a slightly better act but she was also doodling, Ianto was his usual efficient self, taking notes, Jack allowed his gaze to settle on Ianto for a little longer, until he looked up and noticed, blushing a little. Jack looked at Gwen and mentally scolded himself for asking that question, she looked as if she was poised to speak, she always had something else to add. Gwen cleared her throat, "its coming up to Christmas soon." Jack nodded, "you'll get Christmas day off as long as the world decides not to end, to be honest we've been lucky these last few years it always seems to happen in London at Christmas." Gwen nodded, "I know…I was just wondering if we could decorate the hub this year."
Owen rolled his eyes, Tosh smiled and Ianto groaned inwardly, he knew that Gwen would love to decorate the hub but it would be him who had to take it down and clear it all up. Jack looked at Ianto knowing what would be going through his secret lover's mind, "okay I suppose a bit if festive cheer would do us good, but we've all got to take it down afterwards, no leaving it 'til the next holidays." Ianto smiled he knew Jack had said that for him, his smile dropped and he looked at his notes intensely as Gwen squealed and threw her arms around Jack. Jack patted her awkwardly on the back, he hoped Ianto wouldn't mind; he had noticed that Gwen was getting a bit touchy feely around him and no matter how much he denied it Jack knew that it bothered Ianto. It was his own fault really, Jack mused, he'd started it on the gun range all those months ago…but he wasn't with Ianto then…not that the team knew that they were together now… He broke out of his thoughts when Gwen started jabbering about buying decorations and getting fake snow and trees and tinsel…the list went on. "I think there are some decorations down in the archives" Ianto interrupted. Jack clapped his hands "excellent, I'll help you dig them out."
The two men left the boardroom and Owen snorted, "I don't know who they think they're kidding" "Owen" chided Tosh. "What do you mean?" asked Gwen puzzled, "ah now I know" muttered Owen, Tosh dug him in the ribs. Gwen stood up, hands on hips, "what do you mean?" she asked, convinced that Owen had somehow been rude but couldn't work out why. "Tea boy and Jack are obviously shagging" Gwen gaped in shock, "Owen!" Said Tosh, "they're having a relationship, just in secret that's all, they're probably taking it slow." "Or they're ashamed…or just having sex." Gwen huffed, "they're not having sex, I mean they're not gay!" "Well I've seen Jack flirt with blokes" said Owen, "yes but not Ianto, I mean Ianto was engaged to a girl." Owen looked at her, "maybe they're bisexual." Gwen was starting to get a headache, "but why would he want Ianto?" she murmured, unaware that she said it aloud. Tosh stood up angrily, "I don't know Gwen maybe 'cause he's kind, caring, loving, intelligent, drop dead gorgeous, has a wicked sense of humour and intelligent to boot?" She walked out of the boardroom, Owen just raised an eyebrow, "they're best friends you know" Gwen bit her lip, "I shouldn't have said that…it's just I thought…" Owen stood up and left the room, "I know what you thought."
That night Gwen tossed and turned in bed, the warmth of Rhys' large snoring body bothering her. She indulged in her favourite fantasy, her head lying on Jack's bare, toned chest as he ran his fingers through her hair. Jack would never snore, or steal the covers, or take up all the bed. She eyed Rhys' form disdainfully in the dark, he would never put on weight after they'd move in together either. She sighed, what Owen and Tosh said had bothered her, she realised that Ianto and Jack spent a lot of time together, sometimes Ianto was in Jack's office for hours…she shook her head they were discussing budgets and finance reports. Jack wanted her, she was sure of it; she just needed to make the first move without being overtly flirty, soon an idea formed in her mind.
Jack and Ianto walked into the hub after going to get lunch for everybody and were amazed at the hubs transformation. Lights were strung along the gangways and paper chains adorned the walls, a huge tree was in the middle of the hub tastefully decorated with tinsel, baubles and candy canes, they laughed as they say a UFO adorn the top rather than an angel or star. "Looks good" said Jack, Gwen smiled, it was hard work but the hub looked great; what the boys didn't notice was that Gwen had strung up mistletoe too, she just needed to get Jack underneath it.
Ianto walked over to the kitchenette and began to make coffee to go with lunch, Owen stole over. "Ianto mate, look I don't want detail or anything but I've kinda guessed about you and Jack, well me and Tosh have." Ianto's hands stilled for a second, "look I'm chuffed for you and all that and if you want privacy for whatever you're doing, fine, but I thought I should warn you, Gwen's trying to get Jack, she's brought in mistletoe." Ianto frowned and then raised an eyebrow, "mistletoe" he repeated slowly. "Yeah look it's my fault I sort of made a comment, nothing nasty, I was just wondering when you guys were going to come out with it and Gwen had no idea, she hadn't noticed and since then I think she's panicking that she's not in the captain's affections." "Ah" said Ianto, "but seriously mistletoe?" Owen grinned, "I know, I know, her art of seduction isn't good, I just thought that I'd give you the heads up." Ianto smiled and thanked him but offered no details about his and Jack's relationship, in fact Owen realised later, he didn't even say if there was one, Owen realised that he's missed a golden opportunity for teasing or gossip there. He didn't really do gossip himself but he knew it would give him a chance to talk to Tosh…
Ianto nearly dropped a tray later during the day as Gwen squealed, "Tosh, Owen you're standing under mistletoe, and you have to kiss now!" Tosh backed away slightly, Gwen pushed her forward, "its tradition you have too!" Jack whispered in Ianto's ear, "has she been drinking?" Ianto laughed and whispered back, "no it's her art of seduction." "Why whose she trying to seduce?" Ianto raised an eyebrow and Jack visibly paled, he watched as Tosh and Owen hesitantly pecked each other on the lips and Jack decided that he was avoiding that area near the med bay 'til New Years.
Gwen was cross, somehow Jack had managed to not stand under the mistletoe all day, she watched as Ianto politely pecked Tosh on the cheek, the fact that he didn't kiss her on the lips worried her, was he seeing somebody? She decided that they needed more mistletoe. The next day she snuck into the hub, she wasn't sure where Jack was, and stuck some mistletoe in key areas where Jack had to walk through, she was startled as Jack and Ianto walked in together laughing and for a second she could've sworn that they were holding hands, but then she blinked and they weren't, she put it down to her imagination. "Gwen you're early!" Jack said in surprise, inwardly he was annoyed, he liked his mornings with Ianto, a cup of coffee, some nice conversation and then if he was lucky, some sex on his desk all before the others came in.
Gwen waited all day and then came her chance, Jack was just coming out of the vaults and stood for a second watching the team, she slowly made her way over, holding a file in her hands, Jack needed to look at it anyway she reasoned to herself and too late Jack realised that he had been caught. "Jack," called Gwen, "I need you to look at this file…people going missing with suspicious circumstances." Jack relaxed a little, this was about work not some sort of creepy art of seduction, he took the file off of Gwen and tried to ignore the brush of her fingers against his hand, he was really reading into things too much. "oh Jack, look" Gwen breathed, "we're under some mistletoe."
Tosh's head shot up from her computer, Owen walked out of the med bay and Ianto poked his head out of the kitchenette, although he trusted Jack he couldn't entirely say that he trusted Gwen. Jack cleared his throat, "so we are" he said and made to move away, "you know what the tradition is right?" Jack nodded, "see the thing is we don't celebrate Christmas where I'm from so I don't really follow it…" Gwen laughed, battering her eye lids, "but we do here" she moved into his personal space, placing a hand upon his arm, she leaned in, eyes closed with puckered lips. This was it, her moment was finally here, one touch of his lips and she knew that Jack would know that he had to be with her. Her breathing hitched and her heart beat loudly, her head swam with ideas of what was to come, she waited in agonising anticipation until…she felt Jack quickly peck her cheek. Her eyes flew open in amazement as she saw Jack move away and Tosh, Owen and Ianto duck back into their respective hiding places. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment, her thoughts all over the place, she suddenly realised that perhaps Jack thought it would be inappropriate to kiss her in front of the rest of his employees, that would explain his awkwardness.
Ianto quickly made another round of coffee, using it as an excuse to go and see Jack. He opened the office door and Jack looked up almost fearfully, "thank god its you" he smiled, Ianto perched himself on the end of Jack's desk and passed him a cup. "I figured that you needed some to fortify yourself" he suddenly looked down into his mug, "thanks for not…I mean you could of…" Jack smiled, "why would I want to kiss her when I have you?"
It was Christmas Eve and Jack was glad because that signalled that the decorations would come down soon, including the blasted mistletoe, for days now Gwen had been trying to re-enact the first time she ambushed him under the damn stuff, but he'd just quickly peck her on the cheek. Ianto had tried not to laugh it seemed that as Gwen's desperation grew, her clothes seemed to decrease as today's plunging neckline and wonder bra proved. The day passed smoothly however and Gwen didn't manage to ensnare Jack again, Ianto was pleased to note. As the team packed up to leave for their Christmas plans, Owen suddenly yelled, "Oi tea boy you and Jack are under the mistletoe!" Ianto flushed and Gwen butted in, "oh you guys don't have to do that…" Jack grinned looking at Ianto, "well you did say that I should follow your traditions."
He looped an arm around Ianto's waist and pulled him closer, to Gwen's shock Ianto placed a hand on Jack's waist and another on the side of Jack's face as Jack slowly brought his other hand around the back of Ianto's neck, bringing him even closer. Ianto closed his eyes as Jack's lips touched his softly, their need grew and as Jack's tongue swiped against his lips gaining entry, Ianto really didn't care that the others were watching. Owen and Tosh grinned, Tosh silently thinking that she needed to send the CCTV footage to Ianto and Jack so they could see Gwen's goldfish impression, seeing as they were just a bit too busy to notice now.