4. three's a crowd

The restaurant was not very busy, and the three men were easily found a space to sit. They were guided to their place by a spotty young woman, who attempted to flirt with all three men, presumably hoping that one of them would bite.

"She's rather keen for a way out of this village," Draco whispered as she was out of earshot. "If she's coming on to all three of us…"

"Spreading her bets,' Mycroft sniggered.

"Not the only thing she'll spread," Draco snorted, only to be whacked on the arm by Ianto. "If you play your cards right, Ianto Jones… You might get lucky…"

"She's not my type…" he replied, not taking his eyes of the blond young man next to him.

"Boys, now… Behave, okay?" Mycroft mocked, while attempting to study the menu. He was happy that the atmosphere had eased in the hours that had gone. They'd made some ground in figuring out what was keeping Draco here, and without magic, after Ianto had come back from the village, and this eased up the young man tremendously.

"Okay, dad,' Draco teased. His grin was charming enough for Mycroft not to feel anything but fondness, and shortly after all three were staring at the menu. Draco's eyebrows rose higher with every line he read. "What's a Biryani? And a Poppadum?"

"They're types of meals, varying in spiciness and ingredients…" Ianto offered, wondering if the wizard was having them on. He went along with him. "Do you normally like your food spicy or not so much?"

"Fairly… What would you suggest?"

"I'd go for this one, I think," Ianto pointed at a section on the menu and showed it to Draco. "Depends on what veggies you like…"

The others made their choices quickly, guiding Draco through the many different possibilities, and waited for their orders to arrive while nursing some drinks. Draco had his first ever Muggle beer, Ianto tried some local ale, and Mycroft hoped that the wine was any good.

"Bet this isn't what you're used to, is it?" Ianto asked Mycroft, who was sitting to his left, as he noticed the man looking around the place.

"Indeed it isn't, but I'm not that much of a snob," Mycroft grinned.

"You'll lower your standards if you have to," Draco said in a posh accent.

"Sometimes I have no choice, my dear," Mycroft smirked. "I'm guessing you know what I mean?"

"Not so much lowering standards, as a change in attitude, I feel. Moving into a place with Harry, who comes from a completely different background than I do, made me have to be a lot less fussy. He'd be happy in a cave, whereas I lived in a mansion…"

"I wasn't referring to dwellings, myself…" Mycroft smiled.

"What, blokes you mean?"

"Maybe…"

"Well, I don't know about you, Mycroft, but only the best for me…"

"What, you've never been tempted to… You know… Quickie somewhere quiet?" Mycroft pulled a face that made Ianto laugh out loud.

Their starter arrived when Draco was about to launch into a reply, and he stopped when the waitress, who was wearing a name tag that said 'Moira' on it, hovered over him to put the glass bowl near him on the table.

"Hope you'll enjoy this, lads," she smiled.

"I'm sure we will, dear," Mycroft grinned back. "My son and his… friend… were just saying how lovely this restaurant looks…"

"Oh, I see," she said somewhat thrown. Draco barely contained his laughter, almost willing the waitress on her way.

"My son?! I'm your son?!" he said when he finished his laughing fit.

"You could easily be… If I created you when I was 21… Not that I ever… You know… Women aren't exactly my field of expertise…"

"Oh, and men are?"

"No, not really, but I know my way around a pair of boxes shorts…"

Again Draco roared with laughter, and Ianto giggled along with him, touching Mycroft's hand kindly, making it clear to him that they were only being silly, not having a pop at him.

"Hey, get your hands off my dad!" Draco exclaimed in mock-indignation.

"But… But… I love your dad!" Ianto followed suit.

"Boys, can we do this later? You're putting me off my prawn cocktail…"

They ate in relative silence for a while, to the obvious relief of a few of the other guests. There were three couples, varying in age from early twenties to middle age, and what looked like a business meeting between two women and a man, all were clad in formal looking suits and wielded the odd bit of paper around. Mycroft looked at them curiously. He was glad he wasn't one of them this week, just having a pleasant, informal, silly dinner with two lovely guys, in a peaceful village near the sea. He could get used to this.

"So Ianto, tell us," Draco spoke, as he leaned back in his chair, having finished his starter, "in your years in this alien business, what's the weirdest thing you've come across? You must've seen some crazy stuff…"

"Well, most of it is confidential, but there have been a few mad ones I can remember… Weevils are a bit weird… Nobody really knows where they come from, or why they live in Cardiff specifically, it's probably something to do with the rift, but we can't really be sure."

"Have you ever shagged an alien?"

"Draco!"

"What? Surely it must be tempting sometimes?"

"No, not really… Although my girlfriend at the time was being transformed into one, and I lost her while she was in the process…" His eyes glazed over as he told them about his ordeal, but seemed to snap out of it when he mentioned his boss, Jack Harkness.

"How is Jack?" Mycroft asked.

"God knows… Flirting away in a bar in London, I guess…"

"Not the most faithful man around, then?" Draco wondered.

"Not when there are fit guys nearby, no… He's weirdly attractive, I found myself inexplicably drawn to him, when I had never before fancied a bloke in my life… And I tend to be a bit more committed than he'll ever manage to be, so I guess it'll never be more than a bit of fun between us…"

"So apart from him, you don't…"

"Well, that's the weird thing, you see… Since having been with Jack, I haven't fancied a woman at all… And I do get to meet quite lovely ones, really attractive… But all that gets me going these days is men!"

"Bloody hell, Ianto… What will you do?!" Draco teased him, spreading his arms out as if to make a 'come and get me' offer.

Ianto smiled back at him, raising his eyebrows flirtingly.

"Yeah, I remember Jack being incredibly frisky…" Mycroft mused, "I met him in Edinburgh once, about five years ago, in the bar of this hotel where there was a top secret meeting going on about alien threats, and even the guys that I knew had never betrayed their wives, were falling over themselves to impress Jack… It was hilarious…" Then, after some silence, "He's a fantastic kisser…"

"Oh god yeah…" Ianto confirmed with a swoon.

"I've been told I'm pretty good too," Draco said.

The other two looked at him amused.

"Maybe we should find out, later…" Ianto grinned.

"Hmm…" Mycroft added to that.

Dinner progressed languidly, conversations interspersed with loud laughter, which appeared to annoy the older couple sitting near them quite a bit. Mycroft tried to keep the levels of jolliness down, but the other two seemed to have their minds set on a good time, so he gave up after a while, and joined in. It had been years since he'd let his hair down like this. His serious lifestyle suited him well, and he wouldn't change it for anything (he made sure he'd get his bits of fun whenever there was the opportunity) but this was really rather wonderful. Ianto was the perfect companion to him, civilised, educated, attractive… And Draco reminded him of his youth, seemingly hundreds of years ago. Maybe he was a great kisser… He really wouldn't mind trying it out…

His phone rang as they were coming towards the end of their main course. Downing Street wanted a 'quick' conference with him, and the battery of his phone wasn't going to last for that amount of time.

"If I go home in the car - if I may, Ianto? - I shall come to get you guys later on, okay?" he offered after explaining his situation.

"Nah, you're okay… You have no idea how long it will last. We'll walk back. It's a nice evening, and it won't take that long…" Ianto replied, passing the keys to the SUV to Mycroft.

"Are you sure?" Mycroft sounded disappointed, knowing he was going to miss out on time with the lads. "It's not a problem…"

"We'll be fine. Have I got your number, just in case?" he browsed his list of contacts, noticing Mycroft's name in there and showed it to the older man. "There, we can ring you if we change our minds… You go off, the country might need you…"

Draco then got up and moved towards Mycroft, hugged him theatrically and smiled at him. Then, as Mycroft was ready to move away, he kissed him, briefly at first, and Mycroft seemed too puzzled to protest it, but Draco grabbed his head with one hand, looked Mycroft in the eyes and went in for another one, this time with less apprehension, and soon they were kissing like they were lovers about to part for years. Ianto looked away after a while, in a mixture of embarrassment and envy, and some diners expressed their disgust quite loudly. Then Draco decided that this was enough for now, stroked the skin of Mycroft's face, and slightly out of breath whispered: "More later?"

Mycroft nodded, then looked at Ianto, who had heard, and smiled at him too.

Although chilly, it was lovely outside when Draco and Ianto set off on their way to the cottage. Mycroft had settled the bill, to their surprise, and they added to the already generous tip of their friend, as a way of apologising for their disruptive behaviour.

"That poor girl! She was mortified when she saw you kiss Mycroft!" Ianto said when they had found the path that would lead them to the cottage.

"'That's not your dad!' Eh, no… Was it that obvious…?" Draco giggled, walking a little slowly, his vision still blurred from too many Muggle beers. "Even wizards don't stick their tongues down their father's throat, thank you…"

"She didn't know you're a wizard, though…"

"Nah, I guess not." Draco put his arm around Ianto, as a way of supporting himself, and because it felt nice. "I've never kissed a muggle before, you know."

"A what? Muggle? What is that?"

"You normal people, non-wizzz'rds," he explained with a slight slur.

"Right… So Mycroft was your first…" Ianto giggled. "He's deflowered you!"

Both men laughed, and carried on their path near the sea. The moon was out, shining brightly, creating sparkles on the water, which calmly crashed as waves onto the beach. The men were still holding each other, Draco an arm round Ianto's shoulder, and Ianto holding Draco around the waist, and carried on in silence for a while.

"So where in Scotland do you live then?" Ianto asked to break the silence.

"Hm? Oh, the south west, on an unplottable site near Galloway Forest. There's a small community of wizards, and we, Harry and I, live in an old farmhouse. We get quite a few people staying with us, Harry is really hospitable, offers a bed to anybody in need. I have a room for myself, in case I need some space…"

"What's unplottable?"

"So that you lot can't find it… Though most of you are too thick to even notice magic going on around you all the time… It's hysterical sometimes…"

"And you still live there? Now that you and Harry…"

"Yeah, I do. He's moved in with an old friend from Hogwarts, just for a while."

"You hope…"

Silence once more.

"Shall we sit here for a minute?" Draco asked with a muted voice. They had come to a look-out spot, which had a bench and a picnic table. He didn't wait for Ianto to answer and sidled onto the seat. When the other sat down next to him, he gently slipped sideways, so that he could rest his head on the nearby shoulder.

"You okay?" Ianto asked.

"Hm…" Draco sighed. "Might be that beer they served… Not used to it. Firewhisky is so much less… what is it…"

"Synthetic?"

"What's that?"

"Created artificially by humans, nowhere near the natural product or ingredients it originated as. Maybe I should've given you some of that Ale I had. At least that was real…"

"That could be it…" Draco said as he took Ianto's hand. He played with it for a while, ran his fingers along the skin. "Your hands are nice…"

"Are they?"

"Hm… They feel so… Strong…" Draco lifted the one he was holding up to his mouth. Gently he moved it along his lips, then on his cheek. "Ooh, yeah…"

"Your hands are very soft, almost feminine…" Ianto smiled. He turned a little on the bench, so that he made Draco move up, and they were eye to eye.

"Feminine?!" Draco looked indignant. "My hands are feminine?!"

"Well, soft and manicured and – jeez, Draco, it's not as if you have this macho image going on now, is it?" Ianto laughed, still looking him in the eye. "It's okay… I like it…"

Not taking his glance anywhere else, he moved forward a bit, making sure he was on the right track, and when no resistance came, he let his lips touch those of Draco, and within seconds he knew he was on to a winner. His younger friend responded eagerly, and he felt his head was touched gently, his face stroked by soft fingers, and he did the same to the young man in his arms. He felt a tongue wanting to feel his, his lips licked and soft moans sounded in the distance, although he knew they came from very nearby.

Many minutes were spent like this, both men enjoying the turn of the day, not entirely unexpected, but then again, this day had started out very differently. Being on a remote spot near the Irish Sea, with a full moon around and the beginnings of spring, Draco's mystery and nobody there to disapprove of their obvious attractions, there appeared to be some kind of lushness blossoming, and all three men gave in happily to their spontaneous desires.

"Let's go back to the house," Draco panted when his had finally managed to let go of Ianto's mouth.

"No, not yet… Mycroft might still be… We can…"

"I know… I just… I want to… I don't want to just kiss you…" Draco whispered between kisses. His hand moved from Ianto's face to his neck, and found a way into his shirt, undoing buttons with nimble fingers, slipping them inside, finding skin that was lovely and warm. Ianto's whimpers sent him spiralling into a yearning that he had no idea how to resist, and his hand moved on to undo the buttons of his trousers, and when he noticed that nobody tried to stop him, he carried on his explorations, and found that the man in his arms here was obviously very keen to be explored, shifting slightly to return the scrutinizing done to his body.

"Shit... Not here, Ianto…" Draco murmured, finding it impossible to hang on for any longer himself.

"Please…"

"Sure…?"

"God yes…"

"Oh Merlin…"

With that Draco slipped down onto the cold stone, unaware of the police car that had just pulled up a few yards behind them.

Back in the cottage, Mycroft had just finished the conference call between the private secretary to the Prime Minister and the ministry of Defence. He had been afraid he was going to be forced to go back to London, but had somehow managed to sort it out via a video link on his laptop. He was now feeling rather drained, and made himself a cup of tea. The wine from the restaurant had not fallen too well, and the strain of having to work something out with Justin, whom he normally got on well with, proved not a very good combination.

He looked at the clock that hung up on the wall in the kitchen and noticed that it was over an hour since he left Ianto and Draco behind in the restaurant. They were probably – hopefully - going to be home soon. He was excited by the notion, and thought back to the strange incident in the Indian restaurant, when Draco suddenly had the urge to kiss him, and what a kiss it was too. Just the memory of it made his blood rush, and it took rather a lot of his energy to squash the feelings of lust that rushed along with it. Luckily there were a few files that needed sorting out, and he put on some calming music to help him distract his mind from the inevitable excitement that thoughts of either of the guys would bring with them.

It then suddenly struck him how ludicrous it all really was… He was having a break from the craziness of his life, was landed with a beautiful yet mysterious young man and needed help from an agency that brought him another, and all he could think about was getting into bed with either – or both – as quickly as possible… What was he, an animal? His restraint that would normally keep his beastly instincts in check, that would make sure that he behaved like a civilised human being, one he would feel proud of, was on a break as well, was the impression… Back in London he would make sure that he was at all times a gentleman, decent and with an impeccable moral standard. So what happened here then?!

In London he had no love-life, no relationship to trouble his mind, just the odd fling to relief his aches and strains. His brother teased him with this, although he too was nowhere near a loving relationship, despite his rather obvious feelings for the new man in his life – godsend flatmate John Watson, with his patience that stretched to the stars, and his admiration for Sherlock that had him behave in an almost civilised way. And there were days that Mycroft felt insanely jealous of that. If only he could find someone to suit his needs…

As he was sitting at the table, thinking about his sorry life, he heard the sound of a car drive up to the house, and a few doors slam. He obviously wasn't expecting anybody, walked up to the window to see who it could be. Three men approached the door, and when he opened it, he saw a policeman, with Ianto and Draco.

"Hello sir, I believe these young men are in your care?" the constable said sternly.

"Oh hello," Mycroft looked at both guys incredulously, question marks visible from his eyes. "What has happened?"

"I found these two near the water, misbehaving, as it were…"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Um, how shall I put it… They were engaged in an act of indecent behaviour in public… And one of them can't produce a valid ID…"

"There was nobody else there! It was dark and…" Draco tried.

"Quiet, son." The constable spoke.

"Oh, I see," Mycroft looked at Ianto with some disappointment, and was greeted with a look of humiliation. "And what shall I do?"

"You can vouch for this chap here," pointing at Draco, who still looked livid. "He said he's left his ID in Scotland, and that you could give your word for his speaking the truth… I shall need to see your identification, obviously…"

"Of course." Mycroft turned to find his wallet, and returned with a card, which he gave to the man. Draco sat down on the sofa, and Ianto took a seat at the table. "Surely you can leave this as an act of youthful folly…"

"I won't press charges, and I won't even make a note of this, for now, but this young man here he should know better by now," the constable said, pointing towards Ianto. "As for the other young man, you need to look at your temper…" He had a look at the card Mycroft had produced, and had a sharp intake of breath. "Oh, I beg your pardon, sir. I believe that all is well here, and I shall bother you no longer…"

With that, he tipped his hat and left the cottage.

"What a bastard…" Draco grumbled when they had the cottage to themselves again. "There was literally nobody there! We were just…"

"Misbehaving…?" Mycroft smiled.

"Well, yes…"

"What were you doing there then?"

"Just fooling around…"

"Surely you wouldn't have been arrested for that?"

""You were about to give me a…" Ianto started, then saw the look on Mycroft's face and stopped. "Never mind…"

"What, a good seeing-to? I'm aware of the way you two…"

"Just us two? How about the way you look at us both? All innocent, is it?" Draco said sullenly. "This is all mad… Put three attractive, grown-up, sophisticated men in a house together, and depravity breaks out… How tragic are we…?"

Mycroft started laughing, and Ianto joined him.

"Very aptly put there, young Mr Malfoy…" Mycroft giggled, and turned to grab his mug of tea. "Anybody else want some? Tea, I mean…"

"Nah, I'm fine." Draco smiled.

"I don't suppose I can stay here tonight, can I?" Ianto asked. "It's just that it's a long drive back otherwise, and I'm sure we'll have quite a bit of stuff to figure out tomorrow, and it's a bit late to find a B&B now…"

"Yeah, fine. I'll see if there's a spare bed in this place."

"I'll take the sofa again, was quite nice last night…" Draco grinned, as he walked up to the fridge to get himself some fizzy water. These odd Muggle devices were starting to grow on him.

Mycroft went off to see if there was extra sleeping space upstairs, but found only quilts and pillows. He brought some down for Draco, and told Ianto about the lack of beds.

"That's okay, I can sleep in the car. Done that before, it's quite spacious, really…"

"Don't be silly! You'll freeze to death!" Draco uttered.

"I won't hear of it! You can…" Mycroft started, only to realise that his suggestion was rather absurd. He looked at both men, then sighed, and carried on, "In fact, you both can… The bed upstairs is enormous…"

Ianto and Draco looked at him confused.

"What, we all sleep in your bed?" Draco exclaimed.

"Yes, I know, depraved…" Mycroft replied.

"What, three sophisticated, attractive…" Ianto started.

"Civilised, educated..." Draco added.

"Debauched men such as we are…?!"

"It might work…"

"More tea, I feel…"

About an hour later they all went upstairs, one at the time, and got themselves ready for some rest. A slight unease with all three, as they pulled the duvet over their bodies, Ianto in the middle. They started off with spaces between them, politely keeping a distance. But as morning came, Ianto was tenderly embraced by Mycroft, and opened his eyes to see Draco deep in sleep, their hands clinched.