54. 4.00pm day Five
Ianto's stomach may have been politely nudging him towards a snack but Jacks' roared with outrage as Jack looked up from his musing and sheepily patted his tummy, "Sorry. Afternoon tea?"
"Yes, let's set this sweetheart to Mainframe's autopilot and all head down for nums" Ianto said in a syrupy voice that had them sniggering even as Jack grinned happily.
"I will be there soon" Tosh called after them. "Just finishing this calibration."
"We will bring her back something, yeah?" Jack whispered as they descended knowing she would not leave and totally forget about the food as she went back into her binary code.
"She is a trooper, that is a given" Ianto smiled lovingly as Jack held the door for him and he slid through, Jack following him like a certain great coat's hem.
"Good afternoon" Ianto call out happily and several voiced replied, the table heaving as Rhys bustled in with another plate of pastries.
"Leftovers" he said happily "I filled this girl with all the yummies and pastries are left over from last night's feast. Won't keep"
"Yeah, that's the thing with space flight, like the old sailing days you have to have perishables consumed first, long life products to tide you over towards the end of the journey" Jack nodded as he settled in a chair next to Ianto, still unbelievably touched that Ianto had insisted the tables be turned before being place together so they both sat at the head side by side.
"Grapes!" Ianto said gleefully, reaching for one and Rhys grinned at his friend took pleasure n such a small thing.
"I remembered. You hate salad, love fruit" Rhys pointed a finger at him "There will be a fruit salad with pudding tonight, the next few nights while we see the fruit off. Salad with the streak for the rest of the crew along with chips for tea…for you I remember you like mushy peas, right?"
"Oh my god!" Ianto slammed his hands down with mock severity, "Now! Only now that I am ensnared in Jack's immortal grip to I see I could have had you! Damnit Rhys, you would have been a good wife!"
"Are you calling me the wife?" Jack asked with shock.
"Don't' be silly" Ianto snorted as he chose a tomato, "Toshiko is the wife."
Jack leaned back to stare at Ianto as he calmly cut his tomato into sections and settled to eat, pretending to be unaware of Jack's look.
"She's mine!" Owen said.
"Yes, but you are her wife" Ianto pointed the knife, then couldn't hold it and started to laugh.
"Wanker" Owen muttered.
"Well, I don't mind being the wife" Rhys said to Ianto, reaching out to pat his arm affectionately, "You are a lot less maintenance than the last mate."
Now they were all laughing, the ease of silly play banter that a family has was bounding off the walls as Owen bemoaned the lack of bitching he would have to snark back at now and Rhys threatened him with laxatives if he started prancing about yelling 'what about me; at the top of his lungs.
Ianto watched them play, siblings who loved one another and saw now that Rhys had been terribly unhappy with her but unable to walk away. Funny how some people hang in there not because they hope it will get better but because they fear things can get worse.
"Well, I for one am very glad you are with us" Ianto said softly to Rhys as everyone else held conversations, "You are a good friend."
Rhys glowed with delight as he nodded, offering a little basket of bread rolls.
"Yum" Jack said gleeful reaching across for one as well.
"Going to try me hand at fried bread next" Rhys said happily and Ianto looked at the little roll with delight.
"You baked these?"
"Yep" Rhys was chuffed with himself, "My pizza dough if lovely and light too."
"Ah. Pizza" Jack sighed.
"That's for day after tomorrow. Leftover day" Rhys told him, "Pizza does lunch and a huge stew for tea"
"Bloody hell" Owen spluttered as he turned to listen, "I don't know if my little body can fit all the yummies you have planned. Good thing we are weightless out here, I'm gonna pile on the pounds at this rate."
"Ah! Point!" Jack said loudly and the table paused to listen, "Weight training and some self defence later. Anyone wants to come, I want you to all be able to defend yourselves. Your soldiers now. I want you all to know your way around guns as well as hand to hand."
"Guns?" Stephen asked.
"Yep, no firing in space but gun care and handling. Then when we get back some live shooting. I will be happy to let you do that once you all pass the basic handling tests" Jack nodded and Ianto smiled lovingly at his Cariad as he made up the afternoon's activities like they were away on a kid's summer camp.
Ianto had a feeling it was all going to be fine with him involved.
Especially now the 'fun police' was no longer in attendance.
