The first night as a family was interesting, if nothing else. The three left the hub and piled into Ianto's car. Jack played with the radio stations before settling on a rock channel, singing along with every song that came on. Steven chattered happily from the backseat, and Ianto was amazed at how incredibly normal everything felt.
When they arrived home, Steven tried to head straight for the telly, but Ianto managed to catch him by the back of his shirt just in time.
"Nope. Homework." He smiled at the boy's crushed expression.
"But, Uncle Ianto!"
"Nope. You can watch later."
"Fine." The boy grabbed his backpack and dragged it up the stairs behind him. Thump thump thump.
Once he was out of sight, Jack turned to him and smiled. "You're so incredibly domestic, Mr. Jones."
"I suppose I am. Now, I have a question for you. Does Steven seem a little different to you today?"
Jack rubbed his hand over his face. "It's a little something he picked up from my genetics. In the 51st century, boys mature a great deal faster than those of this century. He's just a bit precocious, that's all." He smiled, ashamed. "I suppose I should have told you that.
"That's okay. I assumed it was something like that." Ianto shrugged. "I'm going to go explore the house. I've seen the kitchen, living room, and your bedroom. If I'm going to be staying here with Steven in the evenings, I should know my way around." He headed down the hallway and disappeared from sight, leaving Jack alone.
Jack wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He wondered just how fast Steven would mature. Sometimes he seemed like just a child, but there were other times, like this morning, that he seemed so much older. Maybe having a real family would help him settle.
Steven came into the kitchen with a textbook in his hands. "Uncle Jack? Can you help me?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Well, we're studying world wars, and..."
Jack grinned and closed Steven's book. "Say no more, Kid."
Almost an hour later, Ianto was walking back to the kitchen. He had unpacked his clothes into his side of the dresser, and organized their toiletries in the bathroom. As he entered the kitchen, he heard Jack talking. He paused outside the door to listen and smiled. Jack was entertaining Steven with stories about World War Two. Peeking in, he saw the boy leaning forward, eyes trained on his grandfather, listening intently.
Ianto knocked on the doorframe and entered the room. "Hey. You guys hungry?"
Steven turned and gave him a wide grin. "Yeah! Uncle Jack was just telling me about his friend in World War Two! He sure did a lot of stuff! Did you know that he once rescued a girl who was hanging from a barrage balloon? That's so cool!"
"No, I didn't. Maybe I'll have to get him to tell me that story one day." Ianto mused.
Jack rose and went to wrap his arms around his lover's waist. "Maybe I will."
"Ew, guys! I don't wanna see that!" Steven whined from the table.
Ianto laughed and disentangled himself from Jack. "Come on. I need to make dinner."
Hours later, Jack was carrying a sleeping Steven up the stairs to his bedroom. The boy woke up as they reached the room, and he quickly changed into his pyjamas.
"Is Uncle Ianto coming to say goodnight?"
Jack's face stretched into a wide grin, and he called down the stairs to his companion. Ianto came into the bedroom quickly.
"What's wrong?" He looked alarmed.
"Nothing. Steven just wanted to say goodnight."
"Oh." Ianto blushed and went to the bed to give the boy a warm hug.
"Goodnight, Steven."
"Goodnight, Uncle Ianto. Thanks for dinner. I had fun." The child smiled at both of the men and rolled over to go to sleep.
They left Steven's room and headed toward their own. After undressing and crawling into bed, they lay on their sides, facing each other.
"I love you, Jack."
"I love you, too, Ianto. Very much." Jack reached for Ianto's hand in the darkness and squeezed. "There's something I was going to ask you before things got crazy, and now that I know how Steven feels about you, it just seems like the right time."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the short chapter, but you guys reviewed so I owed you something! Review for an extra long chapter tomorrow! Pinky swear!
