29
Of all the purchases Ianto wanted the ugly sideboard thing in the hallway, his face glowing as he crouched and let his fingers slide over the carvings on it.
"Is it a Welsh thing?" Owen hissed to Jack, "Collecting ugly furniture?"
Ianto turned and winked, then touched a button to release the hidden drawer that formed the carving pane along the front and it slid open with ease to reveal treasures. Old ink wells, some jewellery boxes and papers. Pens. Keys. "See? It's a hidey-hole."
"What….wow" Jack enthused as he leaned in to poke at the stuff.
"Get a box Cariad, I will dump all this out for us to sort thought. Then I will find a cloth to line it with so the weapons can sit comfortably." Ianto said without looking up and Jack stalled out as he saw what Ianto was saying. A couple of handguns would fit in there with ease leaving room for maybe a couple of those knives Ianto had hidden under the bed. Jack had yet to see him train with those but had a feeling Ianto was as adept with those as with anything.
The umbrella stand by the door already hid a sword or two and Jack felt slightly giddy that they were essentially tooling up. Ianto was ready for an invasion.
"The kids do not know about this, we tell no one, especially them." Ianto said as he stood and turned to accept a box "the thought of them touching a gun horrifies me. When they are old enough they can have the proper education and such in this matter but until then … our secret."
"Lucia didn't allow guns in the house" Jack said as he watched Ianto scoop stuff from the drawer.
"Most wouldn't. I mean … this is not America. Not like they are everywhere but more prevalent than most think. With our security clearances we are allowed to weaponize ourselves and I think there is no harm in being ready for a zombie invasion or alien encounter in the middle of the night." Ianto said as Owen snorted.
"I would like to see an alien" Owen admitted "like … are they really green?"
"Grey" Ianto answered absently as he turned to hand the box back to Jack "The conspiracy theorists say they are grey. Call them Grey Boys right?"
Owen hadn't known Ianto was a conspiracy theorist too and for the moment or two they talked nonsense, Jack knowing Ianto was humouring the man and he felt a surge of affection for his lovely Welshman as he let Owen describe his idea of a close encounter.
After Jack had made some lunch he and Owen took off with Dale to test the scuba gear and Ianto sat to go over the ideas he had for the wedding. A notebook had materialised from nowhere and Tosh looked under the table to find a little ledge underneath with several books along it. She looked at Ianto who winked and hissed "He has no idea how deep my madness goes."
She giggled as he tapped the side of his nose with a finger then went back to listing things he had purchased.
"Candles, gods. Need those" Ianto muttered as she rose to watch the men dragging tanks along on the grass while talking animatedly.
"I have never seen Owen smile do much" she said happily "he seems younger somehow."
"Good sea air" Ianto replied as he closed his notebook and hid it away "He has purpose."
"So, any ideas for what to do now?"
"Well … I think you wanna go join them. Go. I want to do some exercises anyway. All that pulling shit about has caused a tweak in my lower back a few good fluid exercises will release and it's boring watching me dance about like a pansy" he pouted at her.
"OH!" she gasped "Some blade play?"
Ianto considered "OK. But no laughing. It's serious shit!"
She giggled as she nodded, making a crossed heart over her chest with a finger and Ianto glowered then stomped off with fake annoyance. Tosh smiled. Owen was not the only one revelling in a good friendship and she knew this decision to move here was the best one they had made for themselves and hopefully their family to come.
Tosh settled on a deckchair to watch Ianto swivel and pivot, the surprise sword delicate and shiny as the sunlight glinted off the blade. She had seen many exercises but never seen him sword dance before and it as so … graceful.
"Shit" Owen said softly making the men stop their work to turn and look up at the house where Ianto was now in full dance mode, his feet moving as he swing and turned as if fighting off a horde of pirates. He looked like he was on some movie set.
"Gorgeous" Jack sighed happily. "Should see him with knives. One in each hand, slashing at unseen assailants. Makes me hard."
"Ew!" Owen laughed as he blushed as his friend and Dale laughed.
"Everything about me wife is already hard … just not that one thing in me." Dale snorted.
"Somehow, the image of your wife with a knife in either hand slashing towards us does not entice my blood flow either" Owen replied sagely and they sniggered as they watched Ianto dance.
Jack was noting the motion and rage in display.
Ianto was almost there.
