Realizations

"There you go. I can taste it. Estrogen. Definitely Estrogen. You take the pill, flush it away, it enters the water cycle, feminizes the fish. Goes all the way up into the sky, then falls all the way back down onto me. Contraceptives in the rain. Love this planet. Still, at least I won't get pregnant. Never doing that again."
- Jack Harkness, "Everything Changes"

"But we're family," Gil had said. "You can't turn your back on family."

Slowly, Jack unlocked the door to Ianto's room, lost in thought.

"Skysong!" Ianto's laughing voice floated from within, and there was a crash as something fell to the ground. "Kit, pick that up—what have I said about jumping on the furniture?"

Jack smiled to himself. He pushed the door open, and Ianto looked up. The bright, beaming grin he gave Jack could have melted the hearts of kings, Jack thought affectionately.

Ianto was sitting on the floor with his back to the end of the couch, with his legs stretched out in front of him like a child. Kitten had a bowl made of Stormwing feathers clutched in her right claw, and she was standing on the tips of her hind feet to put it back on the table beside the door, as it was where Jack and Ianto kept keys and spare change. As such, bronze coins littered the floor. When the dragon caught sight of Jack she squealed, dropped the bowl again and raced to him.

Jack laughed. "Hi, sweetheart!" he greeted the dragon, bending to sweep her into his arms. He hoisted her up, walked inside, closed the door with his foot and then spun on his heel, twirling with the dragon in his arms. She shrieked with glee and chattered excitedly at him when he stopped.

"Kit, you still have to pick up the bowl," Ianto told her dryly, getting to his feet.

Jack put the dragon back to the ground. "Do as he says," he told her. She huffed and trotted off to get the bowl. Jack strode over to Ianto and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't get up," he smiled, kissing the top of his head. "You looked comfortable."

"Mm," Ianto agreed, sitting back down. Jack fell to the ground beside him.

"How was class?" Ianto asked, eyes on Kitten as the dragon finally got the bowl on top of the high table. Now she was bent to the ground, picking up the coins and Ianto's keys, which had fallen. Jack took out his copy of the key to the door and fiddled with it.

It was a big, iron key, with an ornate bow and a long, hollow cylindrical blade. There were three millings, two that were rectangles and one that was a triangle. Tortallan locks were obscenely easy to pick, he thought idly.

"It was alright," Jack shrugged, rubbing his thumb against the triangular milling. "How was dragon-sitting?"

Kit raced over, chattering excitedly. She clambered adoringly into Jack's lap and he chuckled. "Good, I take it?" he added, smiling.

"Exhausting," Ianto sighed. Playfully, he grabbed Kitten's muzzle and shook her head. She squealed gleefully and fought him. "She's a handful. I've no idea how Daine manages."

"How Daine will manage," Jack corrected with a small grin.

Ianto shook his head. "I still can't believe she's pregnant."

"I still can't believe she keeps on shape shifting," Jack muttered, and Ianto snorted.

Their friend was heavily pregnant at this point, but there were complications. Daine was, of course, a wildmage, and her lover—not yet her husband, even pregnant, and the scandal of court, along with Jack and Ianto—was Numair Salmalin, the strongest mage in Tortall. That made the baby doubly magical, and a handful even in the womb. The child was powerful enough to shape change, and poor Daine had to keep up with it.

The wildmage was barely getting any sleep, having to change her bottom half constantly, lest her child transform into a baby elephant and rip through her womb. This left her exhausted and nearly bedridden. Numair was a nervous wreck, of course, but that was no surprise. The mage worshiped the ground Daine walked on, and even the possibility that she might get hurt was sending him mental.

Kitten, therefore, had been staying with Jack and Ianto. Neither Daine nor Numair could keep up with her, with Daine so incapacitated, and the dragon was starting to get frustrated. Daine had given her a choice, of course, and the dragon had elected to go. Jack was quite possibly her favorite person next to Daine and Numair, and a few weeks spent with him and Ianto was like a treat.

They had tried taking the dragon to lecture the cadets with them, but she'd run around and been a complete distraction. Tina Mills had actually shrieked at the sight of her, sending Jack into fits of laughter. Rob of High Peak seemed enchanted, though; the quiet boy had slipped her sugar cubes when he thought no one was looking. Of course, that sent the dragon wild, and the whole thing had been a disaster. Ianto had had to let the kids out early and he'd given Kit a firm scolding.

So now he and Jack took turns watching the dragon and lecturing. It worked out pretty well, all things considered, and it was only temporary. Once Daine gave birth and stopped having to constantly shape shift—which, frankly, would be any day now—she and Numair would take Kitten back.

"Have you spoken with her recently?" Ianto asked. Kit broke free from his hand and pounced on him, clambering up his shoulders and onto the couch at his back. Ianto bore it patiently, eyes amused. "Last time I was there she went from a deer to a mouse. I have no idea how she copes."

"At least it's all mammals," Jack shrugged. He tucked the key into his pocket and reached up to grab Kitten's tail, pulling her down from the couch. "Wouldn't it be weird if she laid an egg? Gotchya!" he added to Kit, scooping her into his arms. She trilled and fought only briefly, before snuggling in.

Ianto looked vaguely fascinated. "I… imagine it would be easier?" he said after a moment. Jack snorted.

"Depends on the size of the egg." He hugged Kitten like a teddy bear. The dragon went limp and cooed happily.

Ianto didn't reply. Instead he watched Jack quietly for a long moment, eyes soft. Jack blinked at him, a little confused, and Ianto smiled. "You're good with her," he said at last, nodding to the dragon in Jack's arms.

Kit mumbled something, but Jack only shrugged. "I liked kids, once upon a time," he said wryly. "Still do, really." He rubbed a thumb against the dragon's scales.

"Mm," Ianto hummed, and leaned his head against Jack's shoulder. "I was always sort of awkward. I guess it's different when they're… well, dragons." Kit huffed at him, and he chucked her under the chin.

"And the cadets?" Jack asked. "You're good with the cadets."

"They're older," Ianto protested.

Family, Gil had said. Jack sighed.

"No, Ianto," Jack murmured. "They're yours. It's different when they're yours."

Ianto looked up at him quizzically. "Just—something Gil said today," Jack mumbled.

"Gil?" Ianto asked. "Gil Smithy?"

"Gil Smithy," Jack agreed. "Apparently there were a bunch of pages being nasty. You know how they can get. Anyway, I found Gil with a knife, and he was telling them to take back whatever they said. I broke it up, but he told me…" his voice trailed thoughtfully. Kit clucked at him, and he tugged playfully on a wing.

"He told you…?" Ianto prompted.

"I've always said the air force defends its own, but I didn't really expect him to take it that much to heart." Jack smiled wryly. "Apparently the pages had been calling us names, and Gil was defending our honor. He called us a family."

Ianto blinked. "Family?"

"Well, Gil's probably not got the best home life," Jack shrugged. "What with the penal mines and all. I imagine he's, I don't know, adopted us." He cuddled Kitten.

Ianto frowned thoughtfully. "Silvia has, too," he said slowly.

"Oh?" Jack asked, surprised.

"I overheard her talking to Rob," Ianto shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. "She said we were like uncles or parents. Rob agreed. Now that I think of it…" his voice trailed.

"Dan Markam told Kathy Merensdatter the other day that we were, and I quote, 'looking-glass fathers,'" Jack added wryly. "I have no idea what that means."

"Looking-glass fathers," Ianto smiled. "I like that. Dan's a bit of a poet, isn't he? Does that make him our looking-glass son?"

Something, somewhere, clicked in Jack's brain. Being pleased about being called family was one thing but - but that was something completely different. A son. A son that didn't hate him. A son whom he loved, because Jack did love all eight of the cadets, despite his better judgment. He stared at Ianto, shocked. Ianto blinked at him, not seeming to understand the the look on Jack's face. Then the smile slipped from his lips and his eyes went round as he made the connection. Kit squirmed and chirruped quizzically.

There was a long, horrified silence.

"Oh god," Ianto muttered.

"We have kids," Jack told him stupidly. "How did we get kids?"

They stared at each other. Kitten chirped and wriggled from Jack's arms. She climbed up the couch and scrambled away. There was a crash followed by an apologetic squeak.

"Well," Ianto said wryly when the incredulous silence stretched. "At least neither of us got pregnant."