Tosh tucked the credit card into her pocket and hoped this was going to be as easy as Jack seemed to think it would. He was just lucky she was a romantic and had a soft spot for Ianto as she checked google before making a few phone calls.
Jack pulled the SUV into the parking lot of a small church, this was the site Tosh had sent him to. He scanned the area as he moved around the building, it was something tiny and cute that Ianto would have appreciated, to him it was just a church. At least it had been here longer than he had. He nodded politely as three hat wearing church ladies complete with gloves and handbags on their arms walked passed him. He smiled politely as he scrabbled around in the gardens until he found what he was looking for.
An ornate looking puzzle box. He scanned it before locking it in a containment unit. More than a little glad Tosh had been right and not Owen, he wasn't in the mood for gnomes. Not tonight, he had plans. Now he needed to figure out what to bring back for lunch, and hope he had enough money in his wallet since he'd given Tosh his credit card.
Ianto met him in the car park as he arrived at the Hub. Jack noticed the bandage was missing as he handed over their lunch.
'Where?'
Ianto looked at his hand. 'I'm letting it breathe, Thai?'
He nodded as he carried the containment unit into the conference room, laying the puzzle box on the table as Ianto laid out lunch. 'I wasn't sure what to get.'
'So I see. Left overs for dinner then.'
'An early dinner perhaps.' He brushed his fingertips over Ianto's cheek as he spied Tosh just outside the door. 'Excuse me.'
Ianto watched him speak quietly with Tosh, hearing the word tuxedo as Tosh grinned. He could only guess what Jack was up to, and he had an active imagination. Jack walked back into the room looking very pleased with himself.
'Tuxedos?'
Jack grinned. 'James Bond stuff, Jones, Ianto Jones.'
'Role playing to go with the silk scarves?'
'It's a surprise. Lunch?'
'Hopefully not a surprise.'
Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist. 'We have plans for this evening that necessitate the Tuxedos.'
'James Bond stuff?'
'Not really no, just Jack and Ianto stuff.' He reached up and cupped his cheek before kissing him. 'Come on, before lunch gets cold.'
'What, no sex on the table?'
He grinned. 'Maybe latter, Owen's probably still around somewhere.'
'That's comforting.'
Ianto picked the puzzle box up as he looked at Jack. 'Any ideas?'
'Several, but none about that.'
Ianto just looked at him, he didn't even bother rolling his eyes. 'Shall I add it to the pile then?'
'Sure, but we really need to go though that pile at some point.'
'You keep sending everyone home early.'
He grinned. 'Not everyone.'
'I should be getting over time.'
'You're not feeling unappreciated again I hope.'
He shrugged as he gave Jack an enigmatic smile.
'Come on, we should get the rest of this in the fridge, Tosh should be back soon.'
'What are you up to Jack?'
He grinned. 'It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you.'
'I can act surprised.'
'I'd rather there wasn't any acting between us Ianto.' He helped him load the tray up with their dishes and the left overs.
'How long am I waiting to be surprised?'
He picked the tray up. 'We should probably have something to eat at about five, we need to leave here no latter than quarter to six.'
'In tuxedos, Sir. The mind boggles.'
They moved towards the kitchen, Jack had noticed the absence of the sir's and was glad to see them creeping back. He also noticed how quiet the Hub was. 'Okay, so I know why Tosh and Gwen aren't here, is Owen lurking around somewhere?'
'Probably Sir.'
'So we could be alone then.'
Ianto rolled his eyes, he sometimes felt like he was always rolling his eyes, but he put that down to spending so much time with Jack. 'I don't think so, you must have paperwork you could be doing.'
'You usually know that sort of thing.'
'Then you definitely have paperwork you should be doing.'
'I'd rather be -'
Ianto cut him off. 'I know what your going to say Jack, but that just.' He sighed, it was just easier to say nothing. He wanted to say that the constant sex, while great at the time, sometimes left him wondering if there was anything else between them. If not it was just cheep and physical. Regardless of what either of them said, the actions were sometimes singing a different sort of tune. Other times, he felt valued and cherished. It got very confusing.
Jack just grinned as he started washing the dishes while Ianto dried. 'I would you know.'
'Sir?'
He leaned closer to Ianto, his voice low despite the silence of the Hub. 'Rather be doing you than paperwork.'
'You're doing the dishes now Sir.'
Jack kissed him on the cheek.
'Oi you two, is that really necessary.'
'I think so.' Jack handed Ianto the last plate before leaning against the counter, he watched as even Owen rolled his eyes.
'Right, and I know, you want me to check his hand. Two words for you Jack, record and broken.'
'I'm surrounded by psychics. But if you could that would be great.'
Ianto held his hand up for Owen to see. 'I'm fine, it's fine.'
Owen shook his head. 'I'm not going to argue with the boss.'
Ianto snorted. 'Since when?' He still followed him into autopsy.
'Since he's gotten all, well, obsessive, about your hand.'
'It's just a cut, I've survived worse.'
'I'd rather it stayed that way, I don't want to see what he'd be like if you really got hurt.'
Ianto just sighed as Owen grinned at him, looking up from the dressing he was changing.
'Tosh thinks it's all wonderfully romantic.'
'Of course she does.' They were talking about him now, that was just marvellous. Sometimes he missed the first year or so he'd spent hiding Lisa in the basement. They hadn't cared enough to talk about him back then. He missed the peace. But he'd have missed out on falling in love with Jack which made it a double edged sword. 'I should probably make coffee.'
'I'm hardly going to say no.'
'You're not the only one.' Ianto muttered to himself as he moved towards the coffee machine. He was curious as to what Jack had Tosh cooking up this time. He'd have to remember to check the CCTV footage, he didn't feel like another picnic in the shooting range, as wonderful as the gesture had been. He groaned. The CCTV cameras would have been recording them this morning and he was fast running out of room on yet another flash drive. He had several now, filled with Jack and Ianto porn. He wasn't really sure why he kept them, they were hardly something he wanted his sister or god forbid, his mother to ever find if anything happened to him. And given that he did work for Torchwood the odds of reaching thirty weren't exactly stacked in his favour. He handed Owen a coffee before looking for Jack and a computer.
Jack insisted on helping Ianto get dressed, he'd said it was to make sure the tuxedo fitted. Ianto however sensed an ulterior motive. 'What could you possibly have planned that I need to dress like a Welsh penguin to do?'
'I think you look very dapper.'
'Jack, it's not the forties, we don't say dapper.'
'People just had more style back then.'
'My grandparents?'
'Cold, very cold.'
'And do I want to know how Tosh got the size right.'
'I measured you in your sleep of course.'
'Of course.' He walked with Jack out into the Hub where Tosh was waiting for them, with a camera.
'You both look amazing.'
Jack picked what looked like a plastic takeaways tray up and popped it open to reveal two red rose button holes. He turned to Ianto. 'I hope you don't mind.'
Ianto shook his head as he let Jack pin the button hole to his tuxedo. 'You're um, being very thorough with that Jack.'
Jack just grinned as he pinned his own rose into place before Tosh snapped a number of pictures as she waved them off.
'Where are we going?'
'Surprise, remember.'
'Jack.' Ianto stopped him by the Roald Dahl Plass. 'Thank you.' He looked down at his formal suit and back to Jack. 'Whatever you have planned, thank you.'
He took Ianto by the hand. 'You can thank me latter.' He winked as he lead him into the Millennium Centre, steering them towards the Donald Gordon Theatre.
Ianto looked at Jack, holding his hand in public, taking him to the Theatre, almost afraid this wasn't really Jack. He'd seen the posters going up around Cardiff but he had never imagined Jack might have noticed and even more surprised he would think to bring him here. He was in a daze as they were directed to their seats. Any doubt this was really Jack gone when he leaned over and whispered in his ear, asking if there was any chance of popcorn.
Dramatic cords echoed throughout the theatre as velvet curtains drew back on the scene of a church as a badgered looking man with wild hair rushed onto the stage. The music surrounded them, filling the spaces in between the audience as the story unfolded on stage. Now was the turn of a Welsh tenor burning with the passions of the painter Cavaradossi, for his art and his lover, the jealous Floria. In the Welsh language it was even more beautiful than Italian, singing to his very bones as a Welshman, lodging in his soul. Although he didn't envy them the difficulty of singing the opera in Welsh.
He looked over at Jack who was remarkably quiet. He'd gone from wanting popcorn to snoozing, missing the misdirection at the heart of the opera itself. The manipulations of the Baron Scarpia setting the jealousies of a woman against her. He wondered what mirror the opera played in his own relationship with the man gently sleeping beside him. His jealousies tearing wounds in his heart, but did he cast Gwen as the Baron or Jack.
Jack opened his eyes as the music died down and the lights came on, yawning as he turned to Ianto. 'Is it over? Oh.' He deduced the rolled eyes meant no. 'How much have I missed?'
'First act, this is the intermission, have you seen Tosca before?'
They moved out of their seats and into the lobby, a passing waiter handing them champagne.
Jack nodded his voice low so only Ianto could hear him. 'I saw the première in London, sat with Puccini himself in a private box. I didn't understand a word of it then either but a delightful Italian chap kindly interpreted for me.'
'That would have been the beginning of the last, oh never mind.' He chose to ignore the implied comment about a delightful interpreter. He sipped his champagne and looked around him at a room filled with evening gowns, dinner jackets and shiny shoes. A polite cough behind him made him turn around.
'Ianto? It is you.'
'I'm sorry? I know you?'
'James Anderson, we were in school together, back in Westport.' He grinned. 'I used to have glasses, sat behind you in English and History.'
He smiled slowly as he remembered. 'Didn't your family move away?'
'To Bristol, when my parents split up, my mum moved back to England.'
'I'm sorry, I didn't know.'
'I heard about your dad, I'm sorry.'
Ianto shrugged. 'You're back in Wales?'
'I'm a radiographer, I'm at the Royal Cardiff. Apparently being able to speak Welsh came in handy after all. Even if mum always hated it.'
Jack turned slowly as he found an attractive blonde man talking with Ianto while brushing his fingertips across Ianto's sleeve. Jack smiled politely as he looked from the hand on Ianto to the man's green eyes. 'I'm Captain Jack Harkness.' He extended his hand to James before resting it casually on Ianto's hip.
Ianto sighed, Jack was staking his claim. 'Jack, this is James, we went to school together.'
'Nice to meet you.' He handed Ianto a business card. 'We should get together and swap war stories about Mrs Graham and that dreadful PE teacher.'
Ianto tucked the card in his pocket. 'Sure.'
He dropped his voice to a soft stage whisper. 'If your friend lets you out of his sight that is.' He walked away smiling.
Jack lead Ianto back to their seats, the rest of the audience still milling about. 'I'm your friend?'
'Would you rather I said no, this is just my boss?'
'He was totally flirting with you.' He pulled the card out of Ianto's pocket. 'See, it has his home number on the back.'
Ianto took the card from Jack and shoved it back in his pocket. 'Regardless of what number it has on it, that doesn't automatically mean I'm going to jump straight from your bed and into his.'
'I should hope not.'
Ianto wanted to roll his eyes. 'Maybe he just wants to catch up.'
Jack shook his head. 'I know what I saw, he was flirting with you.'
'And did you see me flirt back?'
Jack stopped. 'Well, no, but you took his card.'
'Manners Jack, it would have been rude not to.'
'And you put it back in your pocket.'
'When you took it off me. Are you going to piss on my leg next?'
'Water sports? I didn't have you pegged for that.'
'I meant you were marking your territory. And I can assure you, I am most certainly not, into that.'
Jack sat down and pulled Ianto down next to him. 'I'm cocking this all up again aren't I. I wanted to take you out to something I thought you would enjoy. And as soon as we bump into someone you went to school with I get all, well.'
Ianto turned in his seat and reached for Jack. 'I didn't flirt back, and if you've seen Tosca before you might recall where her jealousies get her.'
'I wouldn't say I remember the ending all that well, but it's opera so I'm guessing everyone dies.'
He nodded. 'Yep.' He frowned. 'You really met Puccini?'
'He loved his moustache almost as much as he loved other men's wives and singers, possibly more.'
'Well thank you for bringing me here to Tosca, do you think you will manage to stay awake for the rest of it?'
Jack just shook his head. 'I promise nothing Ianto Jones.' He grinned as he leaned in closer. 'Well, that isn't quite true, I promised you silk scarves earlier this morning.'
'When this finishes we can -' He watched Jack shake his head. 'No?'
'Not quite, I have something else planned first.' He just smiled as the audience resumed their seats and the curtains opened on Farnese Palace and the beginning of act two.
