It took an hour before Jack was satisfied with how he looked.
This was the night that he would propose to his Welshman, and he wanted to look spectacular, but not as stunning as the man himself.
Never outshine the bride.
He thought, but brushed it away, they were equals in this relationship.
Though he does have the blushing part down.
He grinned, finally pulling himself back to his office.
He found Ianto sitting at his desk, writing furiously on a stack of UNIT forms, leather coat behind him, brow creased in concentration.
Jack leaned against the edge of the desk.
"You know, most people don't voluntarily do other people's work. Especially on the Holidays."
"Well it is only Christmas Eve, and the person who usually does this work, has been primping for the past hour, so I figured I would be productive while I waited for him."
Ianto refused to look up.
"This man, so you wait on him often?"
Ianto shook his head,
" I waited six months for him once. I will wait for as long as he needs me too."
The immortal was touched, any doubts that he had for this evening were cast aside, as he drew his Welshman up into a bone crushing hug.
"Yan, how are you so perfect?"
Ianto grunted.
"Not perfect, just you."
The Captain pulled away, tilting the man's face up towards his, pulling him into warm kiss.
The Welshman deepened it, running his tongue softly over jacks bottom lip, before pressing into the kiss.
A cough from the door way found them separating, Ianto combed his hair back smoothly, before pulling on his jacket and dashing down the stairs.
"Keep it together till the party Jack. You can fall apart after the song."
The two met Ianto by the door.
He helped Tosh into her coat, then Jack, before opening the door for them to get to the SUV.
"Night Myfanwy!"
He called behind him, and smiled at the squawk that he got in return.
The three raced to the car in the freezing garage, before settling into the SUV.
A quick check that everyone was alright was made before heading out onto the icy roads for the hour drive to the pub.
A few moments passed before Tosh leaned forward from her seat in the back.
"Do you think that everyone will be able to make it?"
Ianto shrugged, playing with the buckle on his leather jacket.
"Owen can bloody walk, the cold won't affect him, and Rhys has had snow treads on his car since April."
A pause.
"Really Jack, I feel like a greaser wannabe in this thing."
Jack sighed.
"When we get to the pub, you can take off the jacket, but those jeans make your ass look great, and thanks to you changing your shirt, I get to peak at your chest hair all night."
Tosh giggled.
As the three of them pulled up to the pub, another light snow had begun to fall.
"Please don't let us get snowed into the pub."
Ianto prayed.
I really do not want to be around Jack if this evening goes to pot.
"Me neither."
The captain muttered.
"As much as I love staying the night in random venues, I actually had plans for this evening."
He leered suggestively at his Welshman, who successfully managed to avert a blush.
The captain opened the door, holding it first for Tosh, and then for Ianto, peeling him out of his coat in the process.
Owen shouted from the booth the moment they entered the pub.
"Good of you three to finally join us, we were beginning to think you had all managed to get snowed into Tosh's apartment."
Ianto just rolled his eyes, pulling the bag of presents off his shoulder and tossing it onto the table that was marked for gifts.
"So, 'ave you ditched the suits entirely Tea-Boy?"
Owen jibed.
"Not intentionally, it seems that everyone is tired of them, as they keep forcing me into other outfits."
He gave a meaningful glare at Jack, who just grinned.
Gwen laughed.
"Oi, we don't need to know about your fetishes, though how Tosh managed the picture of you in those PJ's is beyond me."
So it begins.
Thought Ianto with a sigh
"Moving on, it's Christmas eve! Everybody grab a pint, except Owen, umm."
Jack felt suitably stumped.
"Have you tried evaporation?"
The Welshman suggested.
Owen's eyes lit up.
"That IS a thought isn't it!"
He dashed over to the bar, ordering a vodka.
The rest of the team grabbed their beers, Gwen and Rhys hastily downing theirs, while Ianto and Tosh sipped lightly, hoping to last the night with minimal damage.
"So presents! It is Christmas. How do we want to do this?"
Jack rubbed his hands together, eager to get Ianto his gift.
Rhys stood and sorting the gifts out for Owen.
"I say we finish the dead man's rounds."
He tossed a pile of gifts at the dead man, who grabbed the first one hastily.
"From Gwen and Rhys."
He opened the cheap paper bag to see a 'dead man walking' T-shirt.
"Really guys?"
The two of them just laughed at the gag , obviously setting the mood for the rest of their gifts.
Jack inwardly groaned.
"From Harkness to Harper."
Owen rolled his eyes, opening the cardboard box and laughing as he revealed a black jumper, with the molecular structure of the Weevil flu mapped out across it.
"This is nifty Jack! How long did it take Tosh to make?"
Tosh smiled and Jack huffed.
"I did this by myself, thank you."
Owen rolled his eyes, setting the jumper aside.
Owen chuckled.
"Nice wrapping paper Tea-boy."
The leather gloves elicited a slight gasp from everyone but Tosh, who smiled.
"They are reinforce on those fingers that are broken so you can wear them without the brace."
Ianto shrugged.
"Thought they could be useful."
The Londoner flashed Ianto a massive smile, slipping off his bindings and putting on the sleek black gloves.
"Thanks, these really are great."
Tosh coughed a nervous pink coloring her cheeks.
"Last present Owen."
"It's yours Tosh."
He fiddled with it on the table.
"I see you and Ianto wrapped things together."
He pointed to the paper, and she just smiled.
Untying the ribbon, to reveal the leather Jacket, one could almost imagine tears in his eyes.
"Blimey, It's just like my old one! Where did you find it!"
He was genuinely surprised, and more than a little overwhelmed.
" A bit of digging around."
She shrugged, but you could tell his comment made her happy.
He leaned over wrapping an arm around her in an affectionate hug and her cheeks flamed a deeper red.
"Me next!"
Gwen squealed, everyone repressing their snide comments for the sake of the holiday.
Rhys said, dropped boxes onto Gwen's lap.
"Alright love, here is your stack of gifts."
"To Gwen, from Owen."
She opened the paper, chortling at the contents.
"The audio novels of Agatha Christie?"
Everyone looked at Owen like he had gone crazy.
"I don't bloody know what you wanted for Christmas! I just took a random guess and came up with that."
He shrugged, taking another sip of his vodka, letting it evaporate on his tongue.
"Well at least it's something to listen to in the car."
Rhys pointed out, and Gwen shrugged.
"Thank you Owen."
She pulled up the next box.
"To Rhys and Gwen. Love Tosh."
"Monogrammed bathrobes?"
Tosh laughed, the lightness of it underplaying the ridiculous present.
"I seem to recall visiting your house one morning, and seeing Mr. Williams prancing about in the buff. Might want to use those, you know, when company comes."
Rhys just looked proud of himself, and Gwen chugged back another half of her beer, trying to hide her blush.
"To Gwen, from Jack."
The small box caught everyone's eye, it was the perfect size for a bracelet.
But he wouldn't would he?
Ianto made sure his professional mask was in place, as she unwrapped the slender box.
Gwen's laughter covered his relieved sigh.
"Are you trying to tell me something boss?"
She held up the leather banded watch.
"I'm not saying anything, just that it's set, and it works."
Rhys smiled at Jack, mouthing a silent thank you.
"Ok, so last is from Ianto."
She untied the ribbon, shrieking and snatching the boots out of the box.
"Ianto these are amazing!"
She held them up, hugging them to her chest like a child.
"I can't believe that you got these! They are my size, and real leather!"
She gushed some more, rocking the boots back and forth.
"I'm glad that you like them, your other pair were ruined, and those wedges won't get caught in cobblestones."
Jack smiled fondly at Ianto, wrapping his hand around Ianto's under the table.
Always the pragmatic Ianto, getting things that are needed.
Rhys pried the boots out of her hands, setting them down next to the table.
Owen glared playfully at Ianto who just smiled softly.
"Might as well get Mr, Cooper out of the way so Gwen can change into her bloody new boots."
"Alrighty then."
He pulled the modest pile of presents of the counter.
"From Jack."
Rhys pulled a thick book from the grey bag, and smiled.
"A new comers guide to Alien life forms. Really?"
The captain laughed.
"Figured you would like to learn a bit about what Gwen does."
Rhys laughed loudly setting the book down on the table.
"Thanks mate! What's next? Owen! No Agatha Christie I hope."
Gwen elbowed the dead man in the ribs playfully. Rhys ripped the paper off the box, pulling out a framed flyer.
"Owen, This is great! Look Gweny its signed by the whole Cardiff team!"
Gwen glowered at Owen.
"Oh Frog boy, you get my husband a perfect present, and I get Agatha Christy?"
The doctor shrugged.
" I like Rhys, he gets a good present."
She stuck her tongue out at him, eliciting a round of laughter from Rhys.
"Rugby Santa?"
Rhys asked, holding up the envelope.
He ripped the top off , turning it over as the two tickets fell out into his palm.
"What?"
He looked stunned, reading the of title on them over and over again.
"How did you get these! The tickets won't be on sale for another two months!"
Ianto was grinning now at the stunned faces of Owen and Rhys.
"The name Ianto Jones carries some major weight in the Cardiff tourism circuit. Those tickets are also reserved in your name, just in case you lose the paper copies."
Rhys jumped up out of his chair, pulling Ianto into a bone crushing hug, lifting him up in the air and shaking him violently.
"Diolch yn fawr iawn!"
Gwen collapsed into a fit of laughter at the pained expression on Ianto's face, Jack was having no more luck.
Finally Rhys released the poor man, punching him in the arm softly before grabbing Tosh's stack of gifts and handing them to her.
Welsh: diolch yn fawr iawn: Thank you