11
"John stop being a fucktard or I will bloody shoot you!" Jack roared, shoving the man off screen and the faint laugher was tinny in the speakers as Ianto's hand hovered over the cancel call button "Don't mind him, he likes to shock people. I mean it John, I will beat the living shit out of you, go annoy someone else."
"You are so grumpy these days" John accused, the smile and primping gone as he stood to face Jack, "Come on Jax. Lighten up."
"John I swear to the gods! I will shoot you!"
"Again?" The man laughed and skipped off out the door behind Jack and Ianto watched him face palm.
"Sorry about that, John is an old friend. We started back in basic together. Luc hated him too, don't feel too bad about having a desire to throttle him, I have it every day. I doubt there is a single person on this boat that hasn't entertained the idea" Jack turned to face Ianto with a soft smile and Ianto found his anger had dissipated with the exit of the little arsehole.
"A relief teacher tried to make him talk, punished him when he wouldn't" Ianto finally said, "He is currently in a 'middle of the day bubble bath' waiting for more of that bloody pizza that is so bad for him and I am so angry I want to hunt the fucker down and beat him into mince meat."
Jack's smile grew as Ianto talked, that same Hoodlum brogue coming in and he leaned forward, "Careful tiger, your claws are showing."
Ianto snorted and rubbed his face, "Gods, I've not been this angry in years. I may have flounced a bit. Dylan is already over it, laughing and splashing in the bath. We will call at our usual time tonight and don't let on that I've told you. He might want to show you with a picture or he might want it to go away."
"What about you, are you OK?"
"Pissed" Ianto sighed, "If I had a gun I may have shot the cunt….oh gods, I have to stop that. I am losing my calm."
"Tiger I think you lost it when your teeth started gnashing" Jack laughed, "Look at you, so protective. Dylan must have been so relieved to see you. A bubble bath? What scent?"
"Lavender" Ianto smiled too, his face becoming one Jack knew so well, that hidden one he only saw on occasion, "He found it at the market, some lady makes them herself and makes a living selling them each Sunday at the markets. Three little ones under her skirts. Dylan insists we get something each week, I think he is worried that if we don't they might not eat. Quite sweet really."
"His mother was like that" Jack replied and they talked for a while, then Ianto sighed.
"Better go get the prune out" he said with a dramatic scowl that had Jack laughing, his son's love of water not lost on him. Or the point Ianto had made about him not swimming anymore. Maybe he had to look into investing in more swimming lessons for him.
"You calm down and have a serene day" Jack said as he rose to finish the call.
"You too, be safe Cariad" Ianto smiled and flicked off the call leaving Jack canting his head at his own reflection on the blank screen.
"Cariad?"
Immediately the voice controlled search engine replied and Jack stood reading the definition of a Cariad.
cariad - endearment, a term of darling, love, beloved Sweetheart. From the Welsh. Deriving from the welsh word "caru" =to love
Jack read it several times and then did a screen capture so he might keep the definition close.
.
.
.
Ianto wandered through to the bathroom and found it awash with bubbles, the floor looked like some heaving monster.
"Dylan? Did you add more hot water and more bubble bath?" he asked as if it might not be and a little giggle sounded from deep within a large lump of bubbles.
"Is the water hot?"
Ianto reached in, bubbles eating his arm and upper body until he found the water which was definitely hot, a little hand gasping his momentarily before he was released.
"You nutta" Ianto scolded without any malice, his laughter putting paid to any authority at all. "OK, a little longer but you will need to get out soon as you are not eating pizza in there."
A little whimpering noise and Ianto face palmed.
This dog thing was getting out of hand.
"Well… maybe one piece for for the love of gods, do NOT tell your father I let you" Ianto scolded, "It will have to be our secret, yeah?"
The bubbles nodded.
Ianto went to wait for the pizza and a little one squealed with glee and played some more while high above them in the black another Harkness did a little dance as well.
Ianto was definitely ripping that Band-Aid off fast with a sweetie to take away the sting.