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Ianto waited patiently for his son as he checked the little one in the car seat who was still asleep.
Gwen was now a thing of the past and Ianto had regained his power to the extent that he was now on the Council of Elders for his kind, each Tuesday night spent in the other realm while Jack did Dad Duty.
At five years old Joshua was an active little man who was loving school, new friends and life in general. In comparison, his little brother Jay was now about to have his second birthday and was teething, those back molars a real bastard as his sleep cycle was disrupted. Unfortunately this was causing a bump in the road of brotherhood with the two kids bickering as everyone in the house had been woken three nights in a row by the little boy's cries as he called to his Taddy to let him in the big bed.
Of course Jack the one to relent and pad through the house to pluck the little one out of his bed and return with him gleefully wriggling into the warmth of the big bed, Ianto's sleep now a thing of the past as Jack snores fitfully.
Ianto looked towards the school as his son came racing towards him, his face flushed with excitement and a certificate in his hand, Ianto immediately dropping to a knee as he gasped with glee, "Oh Josh. What did you get buddy?"
"I got it for reading! Clive is in the same level reading group but he couldn't…" Josh was gushing when a roar interrupted and Jay slapped at the window as he looked out for his Taddy. Ianto put his hand up and slapped back to show the wee man he was right there but Jay had woken in a grump and was now inconsolable as he acted like he had been abandoned. Josh sighed and walked around to get in, the certificate now slapping against his leg. Ianto watched him and tried to reach for it but Josh pulled it back.
"No. I wanna show Daddy" he pouted, put out by Ianto's distraction. Ianto sighed and rose, getting in and turning to make sure Josh was buckled in, then he pulled out into traffic.
They were belting along when Josh started to talk about his homework and Ianto glanced in the rear-view mirror in time to see Josh unbuckling his belt to reach for his school bag so Ianto wrenched the wheel and skidded to the side of the road as he roared at his son and both boys burst into tears as Ianto swung in his seat to look between the seats at them.
"Joshua Ianto Harkness-Jones!" Ianto growled, "What the hell do you think you are doing! Get the belt on now!"
"But I wanna show Jay my…"
"When we get home!" Ianto snapped, "For the love of butterflies and puppies!"
Ianto sat for a moment and he tried to control his heart as it slammed about in his chest like a moth trying to attack a light bulb. He then resumed driving as Josh pouted, his arms folded in temper and the little boy sitting next to him looked the same.
"Right, come on" Ianto sighed as they pulled up at the house and Josh strained in his seat.
"Where's Dad?"
Ianto groaned as he remembered Jack had promised the night before to come home early to help John with his homework. Ianto glanced in the mirror and saw the Harkness scowl as Josh threw himself back against the seat.
"Probably just getting fuel so he doesn't have to in the morning" Ianto said soothingly, "Maybe he can take you to school again then."
Nope. The glare told him the wee man was not buying that crap. Ianto covertly slid his phone out to text Jack as he walked around to open the car door but Josh was already exploding with a roar of rage, his school bag flying out as Josh hiffed it to the ground. The cracking noise was most probably the corner of his lunchbox.
"Josh" Ianto sighed, "Did you just break your Ironman Lunchbox?"
Josh looked horrified and he slid from the car and opened his bag, his face falling as he saw that he had indeed killed his favourite lunchbox.
Ianto walked around and got the little one out, the pumping legs and snarling like dog nothing new as Jay saw the front door. Ianto opened the door and placed Jay on his feet, watching him take off the slam into the far wall, then bounce back onto his arse and he let his head fall back as he screamed with rage.
Josh pushed past and threw the bag again, this time it hit the same wall and Jay screamed with shock, then really started to bellow.
Ianto watched the two children meltdown and wondered if it would just be easier to join in.
Gods he wanted to scream too.
