10
Ianto was upset to learn about the baby, the baby he wanted to see, hold and love. Damn it.
"Uncle? You OK?" Mica asked softly.
"No. I'm pissed" Ianto answered truthfully "but I will survive. Don't I always?"
She snorted.
.
.
Ianto had thought things over and knew he had to be an adult about this. Also … he could not get the idea of that baby out of his mind so this was the only answer. Even if it meant looking at some he really didn't even want to acknowledge breathing the same air.
He rang the bell and waited, watching the door swing open to reveal Owen still talking to someone inside, and then he turned to look at him for the first time. Ianto standing there in a bright blue bell bottomed suit with a paisley tie and powder blue shirt. In his hands was a gift basket.
"Fuck"
"Hello Owen. I… Jack tells me the little one was a boy and… I just wanted to … say congratulations and drop off…" Ianto started to speak then squeaked as Owen knocked the basket out of his hands to embrace him with eagerness, almost emotional.
Finally he released Ianto and awkwardly tried to pick up the basket while still holding onto him and Ianto found himself dragged into the room where a little boy lay on a blanket on the floor gurgling happily.
Ianto was in love "Awwww"
"Ianto!" Toshiko said with delight, rushing to hug him, then stepped back to look at him "My god, look at you. Look at this face full of hair… you look dangerous. My god, you look like a client, not a lawyer!"
"well… let's just say my knowledge of law really is not needed in the same way these days" Ianto smiled, letting her keep hold of his hand, dragging him to the other room where he found some of the 'team' sitting around playing cards.
"Hey guys, look who came to see Hoshi" Toshiko said happily.
"Hoshi. A star. Sweet" Ianto said as he chose a chair folding his legs as he looked at who was there gaping at him like he was a rare cat. Maybe he was. He grinned, letting his teeth shine.
"So… Ianto. Mate. Long time no see. Ah… Whatcha been doing?" Alan asked.
"You know.. this and that. Family business stuff" Ianto said as he unfolded his legs and accepted the baby from Owen, looking intently at the sweet little one that looked just like Toshiko but with Owen's messy hair. He was adorable.
"Hello little one" Ianto crooned.
"So… what went wrong with Jack? He doesn't talk about it" Mark asked, blunt as always. Ianto does not sugar-coat shit and was not about to let them lay dumb.
"Gwen got those photos and she used them to made Jack crazy, thinking I was cheating on him. You guys all saw that night? Swallowed her shit too? Well … it was my twin brother Gareth. Him and his girlfriend in the photos. Jack knew I was an identical twin, I told him Gareth was in town and Gwen just totally stirred shit up. By the time Jack sobered up the remember and realise he had been swindled I was long gone and now Gwen is on the outs." Ianto calmly explained "Now me and Jack will live the rest of our loves wondering what may have been. I will never… well. Doesn't matter. Didn't belong here anyway. You guys made that clear."
"Actually… that was not us. That was Gwen and we... we were uncomfortable with it but… we had no balls." Mark snorted in reply "Jack knows he fucked up. He is … he is mopping around like someone ran over his puppy. Don't think he knows what to do to get you back."
"What makes you think I want to come back?" Ianto asked "You never made me welcome."
Ianto rose and handed the baby to Toshiko "It was lovely to see you, to see him. I should not have come… I almost forgot how it feels to be looked at like shit on the bottom of someone's shoe."
"Hey! We never…" Mark started to argue.
"Yeah" Zelda huffed from her chair "we did. We were callous and cruel. Mean kids in the school yard. Sorry Ianto, it's just… Jack changed. Became so … puppyish. It was weird. Sorry. Without you… without you all the fun has gone for him."
Ianto nodded not wanting to hear this, not wanting the guilt of something that had not even been his fault for but as per usual he left there feeling like he was wearing the wrong thing, saying the wrong thing and just not good enough.
Owen stood at the window watching the car drive off and sighed turning to Toshiko "Think he'll be back?"
She shook her head sadly.
Gwen had taken Ianto from all of them.
.
.
.
Ianto had driven to the docks, unable to go home to the empty house. He stood and looked over the water, listening to the faint sound of fog horns, sea gulls and dock workers yelling to one another.
He should not have gone.
The entire time he was there he had been checking for Jack like he was just in the kitchen taking food from the fridge, ready to bounce into the room to sit on the arm of the chair with his arm flung behind Ianto possessively.
God... he missed him.