Chapter Two: Kiss Me At Midnight
Disclaimer: Still don't own. Darn
Happy 2012 to everyone! Let's hope that this year is better for everyone than last year was.
Ta dah! Second chapter. Woohoo! Well, here we go, a foray into why Jack and Ianto might enjoy the fact that they're friends with a Time Lord and a TARDIS.
I hope that you all like it as much as you liked the first chapter, since, well, this is the story number fifty in the series. (Again, WOW!)
Celebrating New Years was always an interesting (and sometimes problematic) adventure, when one takes into account that being friends with a Time Lord and being something of a time traveler yourself.
Over the years, Ianto has celebrated the ringing in of a new year in many of the major cities of the world (Times Square included, though he found that it was too hyped up for his taste). He's also celebrated in on other planets as well and those particular times were also interesting, particularly when he wasn't as familiar with the particular customs of the planet that they were on at the moment.
However, one thing was for sure, Jack could be a stickler for tradition, when traditions involved kissing.
Ergo, Jack was very happy that it was the custom to kiss a loved one at midnight at the start of a new year, regardless of where they were in the galaxy. Sure that might have caused a few problems, but Ianto found that he enjoyed it as well.
So, when they decided to celebrate New Year's Eve with Rhiannon and Johnny, letting Annabelle go out to have fun with a group of her mates from university, Ianto was pleased to find that Jack could also reign himself in, under special circumstances – namely, the dual threat (from both Ianto and Rhiannon) that, if he was going to take the kiss at midnight from a simple, yet loving kiss to a full-blown make-out session (or beyond), he would either have to excuse both Ianto and himself (with fair warning) or he would be denied coffee by both siblings for an undetermined amount of time.
Jack complied.
Dinner was a simple night out on the town, a treat from Jack and Ianto to Rhiannon and Johnny. It wasn't extraordinarily fancy, since Ianto knew, all too well, that Rhi wasn't always comfortable when they showered her with lavish presents. That was part of the reason why he loved his big sister so much. She was quite down to Earth that way.
After dinner, they managed to progress to a quiet pub, on the outskirts of the city, where they chatted and bantered, with each other and with other patrons of the pub, all of whom seemed to have similar thoughts about the evening as they did, namely being able to celebrate starting the New Year without all the pomp and circumstance.
The countdown to midnight started up at the customary ten-second mark and Ianto found himself counting down when Jack wrapped his arm around his waist and cheerfully started counting. Rhi and Johnny joined them somewhere around 'seven.'
At midnight, Ianto turned his head to Jack and they kissed, simple as that.
It wasn't the grandiose gestures of Jack, merely a sweet and heart-felt kiss, one for luck and for love, as a point of good hope and promise to start a new year.
Ianto smiled at Jack, drawing back.
"Happy New Year, Jack," he said, his tone quiet, though he was well-aware of the fact that his vowels were a bit more pronounced. That always happened whenever he was around his family for an extended period of time.
"Happy New Year, Ianto."
Jack went in for a second quick kiss on the lips.
Ianto laughed and squeezed Jack's arm. The other immortal laughed when he pulled away, mirth in his eyes.
Oh yes, Ianto was going to get it, when they were back in the warmth of their own bed that night. He knew that look of Jack's very well.
Turning back to his sister, Ianto was pleased to see Rhi happily in her husband's arms. Both looked so happy with one another. Yeah, he might not have been too happy with Johnny at the out-set, but his brother-in-law had proved himself on more than one occasion that he was a reliable man, who honestly cared about his family, Rhiannon, and the kids. The man had opened up (with some prompting) to Jack, once they had been formally introduced. It had been a bit interesting though, since Jack had felt the need to flirt profusely with Johnny, which made Ianto's brother-in-law extremely uncomfortable, though it had amused both Rhi and Ianto to no end.
Still, Ianto cherished these moments with his family because, all too soon, he would be seeing his beloved siblings pass away and he would be condemned to watching the generations pass on with little to no recollection of the family that he loved.
But that was beside the point at the moment.
Smiling, Ianto ordered another round of drinks for them. It was New Year's, after all and, by damn, they were going to enjoy it!
Jack smiled at him and dove in for another kiss.
"For luck," he whispered, when he pulled back.
Ianto returned his smile, knowing full well what Jack meant.
"And for a good year."
And they both silently agreed on that.
It's pretty short, I know, but I just wanted to do a couple of snippets that made you feel gooey and happy on the inside.
As always, let me know what you think. I really value your feedback and your reviews.
I will get the next chapter posted as soon as the Muse allows me creativity.
