Chapter Twenty Eight
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Big Steps on Boxing Day
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If Jack was secretly hoping to draw a reaction from his emotions-hating boyfriend he'd have been left sorely disappointed, because determined not to let his crooning other half off the hook completely, taking himself off to the store as usual, Ianto had decided not to acknowledge the warbled declaration at all, and in the end it'd taken a totally harrowed Jack until three that afternoon to brave testing the water.
Luke warm, was how Ianto would've described the vast ocean of silence he'd put between them. Closer to freezing, was Jack's experience when finally dipping one toe into the choppy surf. Following several hours of trying not to wonder how his 'offering' had been received, when it came down to it, it was the 'not knowing' that had ultimately driven him to distraction, and at fifteen hundred hours, on the dot, he'd sent Ianto a text.
In it, he mentioned nothing about the tape; nor did he enquire as to his boyfriend's reaction to said tape's contents – instead, all he asked was if they could meet up for lunch the following day, the Thursday. If one did actually appear, he'd been anticipating that Ianto's reply would offer some kind of a clue as to how he was feeling, but the one-worded 'Yes' that bounced back five minutes later told him absolutely nothing, other than that Ianto was prepared to meet him the next day at their usual café at twelve thirty.
Promising himself he wouldn't badger his boyfriend any further; wouldn't cave or phone the love of his life, thereby taking a risk on making the situation a darn sight worse, he decided he'd simply go home, avoid any form of alcohol, and work on his 'acting as if there was nothing wrong', performance.
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At 15:06 pm, in a department store several miles away; worrying all assembled members of his Wednesday p.m. shift, Ianto Jones was walking around the shop floor laughing openly to himself ….. and nobody but the man himself had the faintest idea why.
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It'd been the longest twenty one hours of Jack's life. It was still before twelve, but in turning up at the café early he'd been hoping to earn himself some much needed brownie points. It was a dry, bright day (at least that had gone in his favour; there was nothing simple about trying to appear appealing when shivering and soaked through to the skin), so he'd decided to sit outside. Hunched up in his jacket, squinting through the watery rays, he sat there with his stomach churning, and waited for the grim reaper in a suit to show up.
So far, in explaining that he was waiting for his friend to arrive before ordering, he'd declined all offers to bring him something hot to eat or drink. Normally by this time he'd have been eager to down something frothy topped with chocolate sprinkles, at the very least, but his appetite for absolutely everything had completely deserted him; just the thought of swallowing mouthfuls of his usual Panini and fries, was enough to set him heaving.
At twelve thirty exactly, bowling around the corner with confident strides; carrier bag in one hand, Ianto came into view. Resplendent in the deep red shirt and stripy tie he'd chosen to team with his favourite dark charcoal pin-striped affair, although he was drawing closer, the Jones expression remained unreadable.
Proving no substitute for his usual lunchtime fare, yet still managing to induce a wave of nausea, Jack's heart leapt into his mouth. Finishing off the job in fine style, his stomach began to emit some very strange gastricky, gurgling sounds and the closer that Ianto drew, the more severe all of these abnormalities became.
It was only as the gap between them became a mere few feet, that the guilty party thought to offer one of his friendliest smiles. It didn't need to be frighteningly over the top, Jack surmised; nothing too wide or unnatural (he, of all people, knew how many teeth he had in that expressive mouth of his, and he also knew how worryingly bright they could appear in direct sunlight), so, no, today the beam would be kept to the absolute minimum; the Harkness smile required on this occasion was the happy one, the one saying in the most sincerest of ways 'my god I don't think I've ever been so fuckin' glad to see anyone in my entire life!' … or something like that.
"I haven't ordered ..." was all he could think of saying as he selected the designated smile then displayed it.
"Good," Looking very authoritative, a perpendicular Ianto sergeant-majored to a halt. "I thought we could do something different today. Come on ….." he ordered, about-facing on the ball of one foot.
Watching his boyfriend walk back in the direction he'd just come from, Jack's immediate thought was 'Fuck – he's gonna dump me - he just doesn't wanna do it in public ….'. Waving through the glass at the waitress, intimating that he wouldn't be sticking around after all, he scooted back on his chair then dragged his sorry, masochistic ass after the man about to kick him into touch.
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"Here …." Ianto dipped a hand into the carrier he was holding then passed a shop packaged sandwich to Jack.
Sat next to him on the wooden bench, "Thanks," Jack said quietly, accepting the plastic casing and pulling the front of it open. "You got chicken salad too?" he asked lamely, feeling the need to make conversation, even if it did manifest itself as something idle and totally not worth wasting the breath in his lungs on.
"I've got ham; we could have one of each if you want." Plucking a triangle of filled bread from his own carton, Ianto offered it to Jack. As it was accepted with a smile and exchanged for one of chicken, "Haven't been here for ages," he admitted looking around at the small park, "But it was a bright day, and I thought it might make a change."
Jack peered around himself, taking in varying aspects of the small, yet very pleasant, park. "Iss nife 'ere," he decided through a mouthful of lunch.
As Ianto looked sideways at him he swallowed thickly before wiping his mouth. "Sorry, I meant - it's nice here." he corrected, wincing, "Bad habit, I know."
Ianto was still rolling his eyes as he offered, "Crisps?" Peering inside his carrier bag he studied the contents. "Prawn cocktail, beef and onion or cheese and onion?"
"What flavour do you want?" Realising how close that had come to him grovelling and wishing the shingled path beneath his feet would open up and swallow him; matching the wind-beaten bush over to his left, Jack trembled unnecessarily in the breeze and withered just that little bit more. There was an uneasy air about him, he could feel they were not alone in this spot and, actually, sat right there, next to the tree in front of them, was the elephant in the room/park. It seemed to be gloating over his ongoing predicament; the awkwardness in the air was palpable – so many unspoken words were hanging there just waiting to leave him high and dry and rather disappointingly it seemed that, if the subject of his inappropriate recording was ever going to be up for discussion, it wasn't about to happen today.
With a sigh, Ianto held out all three packets. Jack smiled sheepishly before taking the beef and onion option. Resting his sandwich on his thighs while he pulled the sealed edges of the bag apart, he made a mental note of the fact that his boyfriend was in a cheese and onion mood today, which was good – it meant that if by some miraculous chance, he got to share a kiss with Ianto before leaving, at least they were both going to have a case of onion breath to contend with.
A pigeon landed, then a second and a third. Ianto broke away a corner of one sandwich and breaking that into three again he sent the birds fluttering off in different directions so that they wouldn't fight over the morsels.
"Busy in work this mornin'?" Jack asked, looking like he might burst should the tension in the air increase any further.
"So, so ….."
His standoffish boyfriend took a bite of his sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully before swallowing. "Everything going to plan with the filming, Jack? No technical problems this time?" was probed politely.
"Over the course of yesterday and this mornin', we managed to get two eps in the bag, which means we're more or less back on schedule." Eyes sliding right, studying Ianto, who was nodding as he popped a crisp into his mouth, Jack got the distinct feeling that his Welshman wasn't really interested. Had Ianto secretly had enough of him? Was this the last chance he'd ever get to break bread with the man who had literally become his life?
Slipping a hand into the bag by his side, Ianto came back with a bottle of orange juice. Held out across the divide, it was passed over to Jack without a smile.
Shaking the bottle a few times then twisting off the cap, Jack finally caved under pressure. "You hated it, didn't you …." he decided quietly, taking a sip of his drink before replacing the cap.
"Finish your lunch." he was ordered like some naughty school kid, and looking down at what was left of it, Jack did just that.
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"I used to spend most of my lunch-breaks here," Ianto had decided to share, he was even wearing the smallest trace of a smile as he spoke. "This time of year not so much obviously," he continued making sure that all of their rubbish had made its way back inside his bag, "But today was so nice; crisp and bright, I'd thought it'd make a change."
Heart still twisting painfully - desperate to know its fate; assuming it was about to be broken, Jack followed Ianto's move in standing. "Yeah," he agreed; voice still unnaturally quiet, "It has." Trying to meet his partner's stare, "Yan …?" he started.
Ianto was having none of it. "Let's take a walk round, it's only a small place; won't take us long, then I'll have to get back to the store."
As his attempt to get them onto the taboo subject of his recording was interrupted yet again, with a quiet sigh Jack shoved his hands deep into his pockets and fell into step.
"It's normally busier than this," his evading boyfriend began to inform him. "Especially the kid's playground over there, but they'll all be in school right now, which is handy."
"You're still not a fan of kids then." Jack decided, his heart sinking like a stone as all hopes of him getting to see Ianto and Bobby play together again were dashed.
Coming towards them, cooing her way along the fairly narrow pathway, a young mum pushing a baby in a buggy smiled her thanks as they stepped out to the sides for her. With the nodded instruction that Jack should take the next track to their left, "That's not what I said," Ianto admonished, "I'm simply saying that I'm glad there are no kids here today."
Staring in front of them, trying to make out if the brick building a few yards ahead was a toilet block or a storage facility, Jack became distracted enough to send a deepening frown to the man on his right. "Why so?"
"Because of this …." With a hurried look around, checking that the coast was now clear, Ianto shoved Jack onto the rear wall of the public loos.
Eyes initially flying wide with shock; slipping them shut as his lips were claimed, Jack wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist and hummed his way into the kiss. It wasn't gentle, nor was it aggressive, but on a reassuring level it was sending the very firm message that he wasn't about to be dumped quite just yet, and he'd never been more grateful for a kiss in all his life.
After a moment which both men would normally have classed as nowhere near long enough, Ianto drew back to leave just millimetres between them. "You know what that was a thank you for ….." he breathed onto Jack's lips. Then he kissed him again.
This time it was gentle; so gentle, and so tender that Jack was taken completely by surprise. Ianto's lips felt soft; were compliant and agreeable as they matched the slow movements of his own. Almost straight away a feeling began to flow through him, an emotion he could only ever recall experiencing one time before; during a kiss they'd shared after only a few days of knowing each other, and now, as then, Jack knew this meant something very special. But unfortunately, leaving him feeling a sense of total loss, once again the caress ended far too quickly.
With their lips gradually dragging apart, Ianto eased himself away, "…. and you know what that meant …. Just don't expect me to say the actual words in return." he warned. "I've already made it quite clear how I feel about you, so if you ever try anything like that again you sneaky bastard, you'll find yourself flying solo."
Still leaning back on the wall, his face looking all kinds of stupid, finally, Jack managed a slow nod. "I just needed you to not just know how I feel - but to hear it … somehow." he tried to explain.
"That song; the words … you genuinely feel that strongly about me?" Ianto checked, one brow rising inquisitively.
Every single ounce of love that he was feeling, right there to see in his expression, lips parting, Jack swallowed deep in his throat then nodded. Ianto nodded also; slowly and considerately, as if acknowledging that he believed him. "Well then, you should know that the feeling is one hundred per cent mutual," he brought himself to admit, "But please, Jack …. can we just leave it at this? Please?"
"Weeeeeeeeell … it's gonna be a tough call." Jack couldn't help but chuckle at the situation.
"Try. ... I mean really, really hard." Ianto suggested with a mock growl then started to laugh at the look being sent his way in return. "I gotta get back to work." he decided checking his watch, adding, "Thanks for lunch, Jack, it's been very entertaining." as his parting shot.
Watching his tease of a partner begin to walk away, "Y' know, sometimes you can be really, really cruel." Jack concluded, finally appreciating the extent to which he'd been set up today.
"Serves you right." was called back over one shoulder.
His own hunching as he squee'd silently on the spot, Jack pushed himself away from the building and began to follow.
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"Yup, wassup?" Moving his mobile from one ear to the other, Ianto picked up some paperwork from his desk, handed it over, then waved that his second in command should be on their way.
Closing the office door as the lad disappeared back out onto the shop floor, the hottest departmental manager in West London softened the tone of his voice. "Sorry gorgeous, I had Nosy Norris in here with me; the little shit's the biggest gossip out of the lot of them." he explained.
A week had passed since that affirming and quite memorable lunchtime spent in the park. Jack, for his part, had been constantly reliving every single moment of those kisses but, today, holed up at the BBC studios, the Beeb's new darling was just about managing not to pee himself with excitement for a very different reason. "Get your civvies on, leave your suit at that office of yours and get yourself over to mine." he instructed, voice full of glee. "I've just been told some really brilliant news and I thought I might cook to celebrate."
"Chilli?" Ianto guessed, grinning away as he fell down onto his leather-upholstered chair with an air-expelling whump.
"You are such a spoilsport Jones …." was whined down the line at him.
"Don't forget the kidney beans." Ianto reminded cheekily, swinging to and fro as he laughed at Jack's ongoing reaction. "I'll see you 'bout seven, okay?" he finished with a soft chuckle.
Over at Wood Lane, Jack's smile was saying it all. "You infuriate me like no other, Ianto Jones … but I can't wait for seven o'clock to arrive." Blowing a kiss down the line, then hanging up, Jack gave his cell a kiss too, just for good measure.
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"Something smells nice." Removing his bomber jacket, Ianto slung it over the back of the first sofa he came to.
Looking around at Harry's intriguing décor of jungle prints and striped furnishings, he forgot the stresses of his day and walked with a smile into Jack's kitchen.
The chef himself peered back over one shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to say hi honey; I'm home!" he sang, looking a little disappointed.
Investigating the contents of a saucepan before kissing his boyfriend, Ianto stepped away; once again sniffing the aroma of garlic floating around the place. "You might enjoy saying cheesy lines like that ….. but Jones the Bastard doesn't." He pulled out a kitchen chair, sat down on it, then began to toy with a pepper mill. "So come on then ….. what are we celebrating?"
Leaving his stirring spoon in the mixture and wiping his fingers on the dishtowel tucked into the waistband of his jeans, Jack turned back bright-eyed and brimming with happiness. "Actually, there's two things I gotta tell ya …" he beamed.
"One at a time …." Ianto instructed, suggesting with a nod that Jack might like to sit down before he passed out from the excitement of it all, "I'm not sure I can take both at once."
Pulling a playful, prissy face as he took a seat opposite, Jack bit into his bottom lip and started to laugh.
"Oh, for God's sake man, just tell me!" Ianto scolded, "If you're gonna start getting all hysterical on me, I might just have to slap you about a bit ….. and I'm guessing I'm the only one in the room that's gonna enjoy that, so spill."
Running his tongue quickly back and forth across his top lip; trying his hardest not to start laughing again, Jack sat back to draw in a dramatic breath. "We're changin' channels!" he enthused, clapping the tips of his fingers together in what appeared to be a round of self-applause.
Ianto sat there, watching the display with a shake of his head. "Okay, I can see why that might be good news, but is it really worth blowing a bloody fuse over?" he challenged.
The steepled fingers ceased to tap. The bottom lip protruded - then protruded a bit more. "The show's gettin' more viewers than some of the prime-time stuff goin' out on the main channel!" Jack exclaimed, doing his best to justify his show of enthusiasm, "An' after Christmas we're movin' over to BBC One. Yan ….." A look of someone desperate to be understood, appeared. "….. we're gonna be goin' out on Sundays at eight, instead of Tuesdays at ten …. an' they're sayin' it's all down to me!"
"Seriously?" Now Ianto was interested.
Hearing the bubbling to his right growing louder, Jack left his seat and once more took charge of his spoon. "They're pretty certain it's mostly the fans from the stage show tunin' in and ….."
"That's brilliant, Jack!" Finally; to the point of feeling the need to cut in, Ianto had been won round. Already up on his feet he was closing the gap, and grabbed himself a hug.
Laughing, Jack held his spoon out of the way and accepted a congratulatory kiss as it was offered. "That's only half of it," he reminded, going back to his stirring as he was released, "I'm gonna be on a live chat show to promote the fact."
"When? Who's show?" Suddenly Ianto was acting and sounding just as enthusiastic. Helping himself to a breadstick, he crunched into it with a grin.
"Some guy called Barry Noone?" Jack offered, hoping that his boyfriend might be able to enlighten him. "It's goin' out on Boxin' night." he explained, watching Ianto's jaw drop in surprise.
"The Noone at Nine Show?" he gasped disbelievingly.
"Yeah, somethin' like that ….. only it's live, so it's goin' out at seven instead of nine." Jack confirmed.
"Fucking hell - this is massive!" Biting another inch or so off of his appetiser, Ianto was laughing as he stood there crunching open mouthed. "You're gonna be on every fucking Boxing Day telly in the country!" he chomped noisily.
"Hey, you tell me off for doin' that." Jack pointed out, amazed by the unusual show of bad manners. Taking what was left of the breadstick from Ianto's hand he popped it into his own mouth, and finishing it off made sure to crunch as noisily as he could.
"Remembered the kidney beans?" was wondered with a touch of good humoured sarcasm, and stepping up to stand alongside, Ianto peered down at the mixture simmering away on the stove.
Tongue stabbing onto the inside of his right cheek, Jack's eyes slid to the right. "Don't you go ruinin' my big moment by criticisin' my cookin'." he warned teasingly, turning up the heat of the pan at the back in readiness for the rice to be added.
As a wink was sent in his direction, Ianto leaned closer, pressed his lips to one temple, then backed off again with a smile. "Wouldn't dream of it." he assured helping himself to another breadstick.
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As his house phone was handed to him, Ianto smiled and held the handset to his mouth. "Happy birthday, Bobby." he said brightly, laughing as an excited 'Hey, Yan! I'm five today!' was squealed down the line in response. "What you got planned?" he chuckled. "A little birdie told me you're having a party."
When the excited five year old had finished detailing every gift he'd received, he went on to explain that a clown was going to be at his party, Ianto wished Bobby happy birthday again, told him to enjoy himself, and reminded him that they'd be meeting up again soon.
Back on the line, Jack spent another fifteen minutes reliving memories of Bobby's previous birthday then finished by reminding his son just how much he loved him; it was only once the call had ended that he finally allowed himself to break down, and with Jack's head on his shoulder, Ianto held him tightly until the moment had passed.
"He's a lovely kid; doesn't take after you at all, does he?" he joked as Jack sat back, teary-eyed.
Jack pulled back a mock punch then kissed him instead. "I used to love parties when I was a kid, didn't you?" he asked as they both sat back with a sigh.
"Didn't really have that many ….. and certainly none that were worth remembering … so they couldn't have been that good." Ianto admitted with a shrug.
Looking like he was about to burst into tears again, Jack reached over to hold one hand. "Shit. I'm sorry, Yan … I didn't think."
"No big deal." was lied with very little conviction. "So, what were yours like – did you have clowns at your parties? I hate fucking clowns." Ianto shivered, holding on to his boyfriend's hand a little tighter.
"Yeah, but they fuckin' creep me out as well." Jack told him with a shudder.
"Give me a construction worker any day." Ianto grinned.
"Or a Red Indian." Jack agreed.
Ianto flicked his brows. "Or a biker …"
"In a leather cap ….." Jack gasped, imagining the scene.
"I think we should adjourn to the bedroom." Ianto decided. "Which one do you want to be?"
"We need to order some outfits." Jack decided, clearly distracted.
"I'll look into it tomorrow." Ianto decided following him from the room.
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"Ooops ….. Excuse me!" Holding one side of his clenched fist onto his lips, Jack burped loudly for a second time then pushed his plate away with a contented sigh. "Yan, that was delicious." he groaned appreciatively; not that his round of belching hadn't already declared the same thing.
Christmas day was all theirs. Apart from the call to the States, which wouldn't be happening until later, Jack and Ianto had just each other to be festive with, and they couldn't be happier.
With the gang spending time with family members, the customary exchanging of gifts had happened the evening before, and Ianto's apartment had been filled with love and laughter as each piece of wrapping had been ripped away.
Jack's favourite present, a calendar with rip off sheets hanging below a photo of himself and Ianto, had been handed over proudly by Ellie. She'd gone to the trouble of making it herself which had somehow made it seem all that more special, and now it was hanging, pride of place, on Ianto's kitchen wall.
Other gifts hadn't left them feeling quite so sentimental, like Ianto's coffee mug from Stefan for example; shaped like an old fashioned guzzunder, it had the words 'potty mouth' printed on it. The joke had been lost on Jack until the gift's recipient had pointed out that a 'guzzunder' was actually something you kept under the bed at night to piss in. Jack had gone on to decide that the flavoured lube Stef had given him was much, much nicer.
Dan had handed out t-shirts to everybody; Jack's had 'Kiss me – I'm gorgeous' printed on it, while Ianto's had 'Sheep Shagger' with a photo of the appropriate creature plastered beneath the words.
At one point Ellie had handed Jack a gift saying that Ianto suggested she buy it. When Jack found a tin of kidney beans waiting beneath the wrapping it'd quickly become just the excuse he'd been needing to jump on his boyfriend, who'd been looking sexy all night in a new pair of tight-fitting jeans and tailored shirt.
Once again Larry and Gaz had managed to come up with the most inappropriate present; Jack and Ianto had been given identical gifts – douching sets with two shower head attachments - Ianto had laughed like a drain as he thanked the pair for saving them money on enemas.
Aware that they had some more 'serious' present swapping to do the following day, the hosts had each wrapped something 'small' up to share whilst their friends were there, and culminating in a joke which none of the others understood, Jack and Ianto pulled back the paper of their respective gifts to discover they'd given each other a pair of socks. As they sat there laughing loudly, hugging as they said their thank yous', the rest of the gang had looked around at each other perplexed, having not a clue what was going on.
Jack and Ianto's present to everybody else had been tickets for them all (inclusive of Kelly) to go and see a show in the West End together, though Ellie did receive a little something extra - the starting's of charm bracelet from her 'Soulie', plus Jack presented her with a tiny silver elf and diamond studded heart to get her on her way.
All in all, it'd been a special evening which had seen everybody departing at a reasonable hour; nobody had got drunk and nobody had indulged in anything sexual – it merely saw seven friends going out of their way, to prove how much they loved each other.
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And now Christmas day was proving to be just as fulfilling.
"Glad you enjoyed it; I told you those extra spuds wouldn't go to waste - now, do you want dessert, or shall we have a bit of a break?" Ianto wondered, his head popping up from behind his kitchen counter to grin at the tongue being poked out in his direction, "Let's open our presents with a coffee; we can finish off the wine later." he decided, back-heeling the door of the dish-washer into place.
A pot of coffee was brewed, and getting comfy on the couch the two men prepared to exchange gifts all over again.
"You go first." Jack instructed, although it was clear he was feeling excited about the parcel sat waiting right next to him.
Rolling his eyes and laughing as he leaned in for a kiss. "Merry Christmas, Jack." Ianto smiled handing over two items. "Open that one first," he insisted tapping a finger on the smallest one.
It being just an envelope, Jack carefully slipped his finger under the tucked-in flap then pulled out a card. The picture on the front was of a daffodil and inside Ianto had written 'I hereby promise that – on the first weekend we get free – I will take the bearer of this card for a weekend in Cardiff'.
"I thought we could have a wander round; show each other our old haunts." Ianto explained.
Jack was already grinning. "Brilliant! Just ….. brilliant!" He dragged his fellow countryman in for a hug. "This is such a cool idea, Yan ….. I love it, thanks."
"Before you get too excited, you better open the other one." Ianto grinned at him.
Jack did as he was told then sat there, lips pursing in an 'I've been had', pose. "One Hundred And One Things To Do With Beans." he read out loud, laughing as he pretended to hit Ianto on top of the head with his new book.
"Sorry, couldn't resist." he was told, and a loving kiss was shared regardless.
"Okay, my turn, here you go; I hope you like it." Jack announced nervously.
Doing his usual, Ianto took his time in carefully peeling back the outer wrapper - laughing as a predictable Jack huffed at him impatiently - then 'ooohed' with excitement as a second package fell from inside the designer shirt he now had in his hands. "Jack, this is … Wow …. Fucking expensive …." he gasped. "How much have you spent?"
"Rude to ask," Jack reprimanded, "Now, come on, open the other one." he urged looking anxious.
Sat there, gently fingering the quality material of the crisp white button-down, Ianto nodded his compliance and began to remove the paper from the smaller package. Lifting the lid from a square box, he swore as he spotted a pair of gold cufflinks. "Jack? ….. Jesus ….. Are they real?"
"You think I got the damn things out of a cracker?" Jack barked, laughing loudly as Ianto angled the box aloft, allowing his new accessories to catch the light from the window.
"No! I mean ….. Oh, I don't know what the fuck I mean." Ianto grumbled going in for a hug. "They're beautiful Jack … and they make my measly effort look embarrassing."
"Yan, d'you know what I lov …. like about you?" Jack asked, correcting himself just in time, "It's that you put so much thought into everything you buy. Anyone can go purchase a watch from a jewelry store, a shirt from menswear, or some cufflinks out of a display cabinet ….. but it takes someone very special to choose a present that's just that little bit more personal; somethin' they know will have some relevance – like the video camera you gave me - so I can film myself for Bobby, and this trip to Wales; you already know how much I'm gonna love going back to see Cardiff again ….. and that's what giving a gift is all about, Yan; it's not about how deep you've dipped your hand into your pocket.
A stupefied Ianto sat there almost, but not quite, completely speechless. "Okay, point taken …" he accepted, "But by the same token you could've given me a plastic toy out of a cracker …. and it would've meant just as much."
Jack couldn't help but smile. "Is it me ... or is this conversation gettin' close to bein' too slushy for comfort?" he felt obliged to point out.
"How about we finish with a Merry Christmas, and just leave it at that?" Ianto suggested, laying his gifts to one side.
Taking his boyfriend into his arms, Jack nodded his agreement. "Merry Christmas, gorgeous."
He pecked Ianto on the lips.
"Merry Christmas, gorgeous." Ianto pecked him back. "Okay," he nodded, "I vote we finish this pot of coffee with dessert, then get back to the wine.
"Perfect." Was all Jack could say to that idea.
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Ianto watched Jack amble in from the bathroom.
"Have to say," he smiled as the woozy looking man joined him in bed, "This has been one of the nicest Christmas days I've ever had."
Lying on his side and edging back to be the little spoon, Jack smiled lazily into the semi-darkness. As two arms were wrapped possessively around him, he dipped his head lower to kiss a set of knuckles as they appeared. "Yeah ….. s'been special." he sighed in agreement.
"It was good that we got to talk to your family. Bobby was excited for a change," Ianto joked, "And how great is it that Gray's coming over too?"
"Hey, that was a surprise, wasn't it?" Jack gushed, sounding just as excited as his son. "We've still gotta sort out the sleepin' arrangements though." He reminded the man cuddling up onto his rear.
"Thanks, Jack." was mumbled onto one shoulder.
The little spoon angled his head back slightly. "S'okay. What for?" With a snort Jack started to giggle.
"I told you not to open that third bottle," The big spoon scolded, starting to giggle himself, "Just as well we haven't gotta get up early in the morning."
"Not drunk though." Jack protested.
"Nah," was agreed straight away, "Not drunk … just … um ….. merry!"
Jack gave a long sigh. "Yaaaaaaan?"
"Don't you dare!"
"No ….. I wasn't gonna say ….. y'know." he assured quickly.
"Good. So what were you gonna say?"
"One day," Jack begun, sounding solemn as he kissed the same set of knuckles twice over, "The rest of the world is gonna catch up with us normal, same-sex likin' folk."
Ianto suppressed a snort at that.
"And when it does," Jack continued, still deadly serious, "I'm gonna ask you a very important question – and what you have to say is ….. 'Yes' …. okay? Don't forget, Yan … when I ask … you gotta tell me yes …. right?"
Pressing a kiss to the back of his head, Ianto hugged Jack tightly onto him. "I'm thinking maybe someone's had a drop too much fermented grape juice." he chuckled.
"Just tell me you won't forget." Jack sulked, his voice boyish and distinctly wounded.
"Okay, okay … I won't forget." Ianto placated, "Now get some sleep – Big interview on telly tomorrow night."
Jack yawned then giggled some more.
Clutching on tightly, his nose rubbing into Jack's hair as he shook his head in exasperation, Ianto began to mull over his boyfriend's strange instructions. To all intents and purposes, it appeared that Jack was considering proposing to him at some stage – which was just preposterous; even if one day it did become legal, how could the most beautiful, the most amazing man that he'd ever met, want to marry him?
Convincing himself he'd misunderstood Jack's intentions, Ianto closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him.
And lying there in his boyfriend's arms, not half as drunk as he'd been making out, Jack was wide awake and smiling victoriously.
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In a room, in the midst of the ITV studios, a nervous Jack was studying himself in a wide mirror. "How do I look?" his reflection asked the man standing behind him.
Ianto helped a speck of dust on its way then met Jack's gaze with a smile. "Drop dead fucking amazing."
"You just sayin' that?" he was cross-questioned.
"Might be, might not be." Ianto teased before pulling Jack around for a hug. "Stop worrying, you're gonna be brilliant." he assured holding his trembling boyfriend close.
"Can't believe how nervous I am." Jack admitted, "What if I fuck up and swear on live tv? And that song they want me to join in with at the end? I can't remember the fricken words to it!"
"You'll be fine ….." was reassured again.
There was a knock on the door. The two men stepped away from each other and after hearing a 'come in', a head was popped in through a growing gap. "We're ready for you Jack." they were informed, and giving Ianto's hand one discreet squeeze, Jack followed the young woman from the room.
"Okay …. don't forget, Jack, no bad language." Ianto just heard the woman reminding his nervy partner as the voices grew faint. Sitting down on a small sofa, and finally starting to shake with nerves himself, he prepared to watch the broadcast on a monitor up on the wall.
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"Okay folks, it's time for my second guest of the night, and I think it'd be fair to say that this young man has become, quite literally, famous overnight. You've seen him on front of magazines, on the new show he's helping to present on BBC2, in the gossip columns ….. okay, maybe we shouldn't go down that route ….. and some of you might even have seen his outstanding performance as Danny Zuko in Grease …. Let's just bring him on, shall we? Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together, and give a huge Boxing Day welcome to ….. Jack Harkness!"
As the studio audience began to cheer, Jack heaved in a deep breath, tugged down on the edges of his suit jacket, waited nervously for the woman to give him a nod, then stepped out onto the set.
The host of the show, Barry Noone, was already up on his feet and waiting to greet him. Praying that his shaking legs wouldn't buckle, Jack made his way over and took a seat as it was offered.
"Hi …." He leaned forward, shook the other guy's hand with a big smile in place.
"Sohhhh, Jack, is there any magazine cover you haven't been on lately?" the host asked, breaking the ice with a joke.
"It's not been that bad." Jack joked back, taking a nervous sip of water.
"I might have to disagree with you on that one," was protested, drawing a laugh from the audience, "But anyway, the new show's going great guns isn't it? Would you say that's because the British public as a whole has decided to embrace the world of musical theatre – or would you say it's got more to do with you looking like Tom Cruise's taller brother?"
With Jack smiling down at his knees before looking up, the audience cheered like mad; there were even a couple of squeals going on.
"Hey, much younger …. and much, much taller brother!" Jack corrected with a grin.
"For those of us who don't know, Jack, why don't you tell us a little about the concept for the show; give us an idea of why you wanted to take on a role like this." was asked, getting them back on track.
Remembering his prepared spiel, Jack became animatedly engrossed in telling his host and the audience all about the show - about how Phil approached him and how the ratings had been so good lately, that after Christmas they would be moving over to BBC1.
Next, Jack was asked to explain a bit about his musical theatre background, and the ensuing five minutes passed with everybody - Jack, his host, and the audience - rolling about with laughter; along with the anecdotes that were actually clean enough to share, the innuendos were also flowing thick and fast.
"Okay, before I let you go,"
The host began to round things up. "I have to ask ….. Jack ... earlier in the year, while you were still playing the part of Danny in Grease, you had some bad press; were wrongly accused of various things which, and I hope you don't mind me saying this, is a situation which a nice guy like yourself didn't really deserve to find himself in …."
Trying to hold his smile in place, Jack felt a nervous twitch appear on his right cheek.
"And at the time," the host continued, "You were linked to one of your co-stars in the show – now - what all those single ladies out there are dying to know is, have you got anyone special in your life at the moment? And if so ... what's her name?"
With the audience cheering with delight, Jack felt the walls on all sides start to close in. Nobody warned him he might be asked stuff like this – this was his business and …
A sudden moment of clarity alleviating some of the grief inside his head, he shook himself out of his stupor, gave a wide smile, and without a second thought told anybody that was interested, "Actually, there is someone very special in my life …." As the audience began to murmur, an excited hum filled the air. "… but it's not a 'she' ….." Jack continued, "It's a 'he'."
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tbc.
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A/N : Chuckles ….. So, is Jack about to announce that he's gay? Or is he about to divert attention away from the issue by revealing that he has a secret son?"
See you all after the ad break! … bwb.
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