3
"Are you OK sweetie?" Francine asked softly as she watched Ianto sit in the chair all rolled in the huge robe.
"Yeah, just slept funny" Ianto huffed, clearly grumpy.
Jack entered the kitchen with his daughter on his hip, the business suit making Ianto's face drop further. Francine caught it, turning to see Jack and she frowned "I thought you had today off, weren't you all going to check out the botanical gardens for some new ideas for the restaurant's raised beds?"
"Gotta go in for a little while" Jack smiled, leaning over to kiss Ianto's head "This one can come with me, it will be a quick in … roar and gnash… out."
Ianto knew he had no say in it as he watched Jack sit with their cub in his lap, both of them eating ferociously. He asked "So… we can go after lunch maybe?"
"Sounds good Squishy" Jack said around this toast, then looked chagrined as Ianto glowered at him for the terrible pet name. "Sorry."
"Well… OK. You two go have fun upsetting people. I will check on the invoicing for the rebuild of the downtown bar, should have come through for the budget revising" Ianto nodded, rising without having eaten anything, as he usually did not in the mornings. He was limping slightly and Jack noticed.
"Your leg OK?"
"Yeah, just the weather changing, I always get twinges. But hey… still have a leg right?" came the distant, and usual quip that made Jack relax a little. He seemed fine.
Ianto watched the vehicle crouch out of the driveway and sighed, the driver most likely Rhys and the vehicle their best armoured vehicle. Nothing but the best for their cubbie. It's a wonder it was not pink with fucking glitter in the paintwork… gods… don't' say it out loud, Jack might get the thought.
This seemed to perk Ianto up a bit and he chuckled to himself as he began his workout in the gym, ending with some soul cleansing yoga on the back lawn, his feet leaving the ground as he did a handstand and he felt the relief as his leg finally stopped pinging. He was standing like this, upside down, for some time when he felt someone watching him so he did the most logical thing to someone in his position that is a Ted, he simply lifted one hand to turn at the wrist of the single hand supporting his entire body weight to look back at the house.
He expected it to be Francine. It was not. The woman on the stoop looked more than shocked at the display of power and Ianto felt a stab of annoyance as not only were there no visitors written on the call sheet today… no one was allowed in his mediation garden. Even Jack and Rayne hesitated to enter.
He gracefully flicked his body into the air, landing on his good leg, the other only for support and she blinked as he started to stalk towards her, his tight yoga pants leaving as little to the imagination as did the muscles still bulging from their workout on his massive arms, looking twice his usually demure self.
"Who are you and why are you in my garden!" he demanded, feeling not the least bit polite.
"I am Demelza, here to set up Mister Harkness' new gun safe!" she replied "If you are done showing off maybe you can show me to his bedroom and office?"
Gun safe? Who is this upstart? Where is Tosh?
Ianto felt the anger washing over him as he stared a hole in her then he said in a dangerously low Ted growl "Get out of my house."
"Excuse me?" she gaped.
"If you knew Jack you would know it is Harkness-JONES and if he intended you here today he would have tabled it on the call sheet. It is clear today, ergo, you are not authorized to be in my personal space. And as for MY bedroom? You do not enter there unless we are both present. You NEVER enter a Ted's Private Den with only one of them." Ianto spat, "Now I say again GET OUT!"
Francine came for nowhere, as did his grandfather and they both ushered the woman out as Ianto stood simmering with pent up aggression, turning to go to the gym for some more workout time. So damned angry as he swiped at the reinforced punching bag only to feel a little remorse as it exploded in a cloud of stuffing and sand.
Damn.
Jack liked that one.
"Cubby?"
Ianto turned to see his grandfather watching him with a closed expression "You OK there Cubby?"
"Feeling… pent up. I need…I need to release and if I don't soon I might kill someone" Ianto admitted "My bear is itching to get out."
"Ah, a growth spurt. Bound to happen… they do every five to ten years ya know. Well.. until you are old and feeble" the old man sighed.
"Oh, and when will that be for you do you think?" Ianto raised an eyebrow "Because from where I stand you are far from either."
Ifan chuckled as he motioned his favorite grandcub "come on. We will go to the beach over by the arena. Check the refurbishments on the boat and run along the sand in Bear-form. Yes?"
Ianto nodded. Yes.
Bear-form… yes… he needed that.