13
Kit had finally slept, his mouth latched onto Ianto's nipple for a good part of the night, refusing a dummy which Ianto would have been far more comfortable with. Early the next morning Owen entered their quarters, Jack awake and pacing as he let him in "Well?"
"Not strangles" Owen said softly "I have tested EVERYONE here and no sign of it in anyone. No antibodies, no silent carrier. This is not that. He's just … I don't know. Poorly."
"Nothing" Ianto repeated, flopping back with relief and the little one snuffled ageist him, then came a soft scratching noise at the door "that's Jax. Best let him in, so not fair they were kept apart but I had to be sure."
Jack opened the door and the little boy stomped in, his eyes blazing as he rushed for his brother, chattering with excitement. Jack lifted him onto the bed and he settled next to Kit, an arm flung over him comfortingly as he spooned his little twin.
"So … what is it. He is not just poorly for the sake of it. It's not strangles" Jack repeated to himself, his hands still shaking as he had not slept a wink, sitting up all night watching over his youngest twin and the handsome man cradling him to his breast so lovingly, even as he dozed himself.
"I think it's a combination of new people in the house, the baby seems to upset him for some reason and I am sure he is teething" Owen assured them "Maybe you should let him stay, if that's soothing for him. It's not uncommon for a child to dislike another. Sean's little baby son is adorable and we are gushing a bit. Even Koi. Maybe Kit is getting the pip over the attention shift? Him and Jax are not used to not being your centre of attention."
"But … little Jen isn't a bother to anyone and I do not spend time cooing over him. I was careful not to. No cuddles, long looks … just some ….oh. Right." Ianto stopped talking as he frowned and considered "Clothes. I went through the twins' clothing and gave a lot to little Jen as they came with so few. I didn't even think, some toys too. Shit. He IS jealous."
"Look, it's all new to him. Jax adapts and moves on, always does but this little guy … he likes order. Routine and Attention. Right now things are a bit …frazzling. He doesn't like it. Spend more time with him, make an effort to reasure him that he is still seen, still real in all of this. I think it will make a big different. It's not jealously, so much as …well … displacement. He's feeling discombobulated. I don't know I he gets along with the girls like Jax either. He might not like so many kids, he does prefer his own little thinking space, wanting rather than participating. Their Rey is a bit pushy. She and Anwen are really bossing everyone about like madams."
"Again … did not know" Ianto sighed "I have been lax. Right. Owen thank you, as always I appreciate you."
Owen was momentarily flummoxed with the affection, as always and he shrugged then fluffed about a bit and eventually leaned in to kiss a tiny head, his hand patting Ianto's' shoulder affectionately before he straightened up to leave "I will go check the kids. They are all fine. OK? I will make sure a limb has not detached while I've been in here"
Ianto giggled and the door opened, the soft call of Elisabeth wafting down the gall and to Ianto's delight he saw the children filing past as they wandered the hallways with her, clearly a grand tour so they could look at the Christmas decorations that had already gone up. With the crisis averted and now knowing the reason for his child's melancholy was not life threatening, Ianto was determined to refocus on Christmas and a positive outcome from this change within the Hive.
Jack was also determined … to get Sean out of his Hive before his children were too upset and to that end he looked to the house Gwen's family had resided in during her lockdown. He contacted the agent and was told the price, considered then a soft slap to the side of the head from Elizabeth and a hissed reminder that it held ghosts made him reassess. Of course Ianto would not want to visit there seeing her on the front steps each time.
He looked in the other direction, a homestead not so grand but affordable. Since Sean had burned every last credit of his own, as well as what Ianto had given him to bribe and bully his way here … Jack knew he was now responsible for this family until the man found employment.
Employment.
Jack wondered if Rhys had something there … not comfortable with working with the man himself. Something about him annoyed him, perhaps the way he tried to be bigger than Ianto simply because he ws older.
This is Ianto's Hive after all … some respect might be nice.