7

Mimi was enjoying her birthday and it was still early morning as she opened her gifts, the party not starting until after lunch. The awesome gift from Jack proudly sat front and center. It was a pram for the Shit-poo. I shit you not. Ianto could not stop gaping at the bright pink monstrosity covered with lace and ribbons. A baby carriage for a feckin dog!

"Isn't it perfect, Princess is so excited" Mica gushed with delight "Now when she is tired I can tuck her in and continue the walk with David and Bonnie and Damo has Myfanwy to pull him on his scooter."

"And Colin has one too" Jack said with delight, then watched his husband's face change "No… it's smaller. And it's blue... not … fluffy."

"Colin."

"Well… he does look a bit like a Colin" Jack frowned as they all regarded the little pup sitting there in the highchair by Jack at the table, with a tiny collar and tie on like he was off to a board meeting. Yes. A proper white turned over business shirt style collar.

Jack has discovered the wide world of dog attire.

"Cariad, you cannot keep changing his name. It will confuse him and what if Bruiser was one he really liked? Changing it might hurt his feelings" Ianto tried to fight stupidity with some stupidity.

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. Colin?" Jack sat as the puppy continued to stare at the two larger dogs playing while Princess sat in her pram like she was ready to go already. "Buddy? Do you like being Bruiser?"

The little head turned at the sound of the name he was getting used to and Jack lit up "awwwww, hon… you're right. He does like that one. Selfish of me to change it on him now… awwwww… my little Bruiser is gonna be soooo big and stwawwwwng"

And cue the baby voice again as the pup blinked slowly and then resumed staring at the other dogs.

"Hon? You think he is jealous? Maybe I need to show him his one. Babies get jealous ya know, don't understand that others get things special… and it is not the shitter's birthday after all." Jack said as he rose to get the other pram and Ianto was now forced to watch his husband clipping the tiny pup in the a blue pram that was clearly for a Chihuahua as it had little pictures of them all over the fabric. Blue nappies on them mind… and some have little binkies in their gobs… oh no … Ianto relaxed as he saw no evidence of a binky being offered to the dog. That might be a step too far… well… to be honest Ianto knew the moment Jack seized that pup from his hands it was too far but really… god.

"Come on kids WALKIES" Jack said in a weird high pitched squeal that had the dogs going insane and the kids laughing as they wrestled them into harnesses and leads. Yep, no collar dragged dogs here, even Princess regally sat in her pram with her little diamante encrusted collar accepting a tiny harness before getting clipped into the pram. Bonnie was not having hers, prancing about as David laughed and lunged at her. Myfanwy stood in her glory, proud and eager to please her little Hooman.

"Ah… Jack? He still has his tie on."

"Shit, right. Thanks love" Jack knelt and fussed a bit, then rose to put the tie and collar on the table, leaving Ianto room to see the tiny puffer jacket on the pup now. Oh for fucksake! A feckin hood up?

Ianto watched Damo wrestle his dog out the door, Mica proudly lead hers while David simply opened the door and released Bonnie to run unleashed. "DAVID!"

"Yeah, she just needs a pee" came the faint reply and Ianto sighed as he gave up on that, turning back to the table. Time to set it for the party this afternoon with all her friends coming. Thank god this one is during school holidays so some kids are away and they didn't have to invite the entire class. God, who knew David had so many friends these days, his party has been HUGE.

Ianto placed the cake front and centre, wondering if it was a bit too much. Really, he knew giving Jack the chance to get the cake instead of making one was a bit mad but he thought it would be a unicorn cake or something. A Barbie one… a castle… not… this.

The life sized Shit-Poo was… unnerving to say the last and he had a sneaking suspicion Owen had helped with the development of the idea. As long as it had chocolate cake inside… oh god no… poo coloured insides. OK. Now THAT is funny I guess. Ianto sniggered as he watched Franklin enter with a gift for the sweetling then stall out as the dog on the table.

"Don't worry… it's not the real one. It's a cake" Ianto said.

"God… lifelike. Did they have a photo or something to go on?" Franklin asked as he walked around the table slowly, taking it in "All it's missing it the little tiara she… NO!"

Ianto pointed at a box and he peeked in to find a tiara exactly like the one the dog currently had on her little white ponytailed head.

"Yeah. I went to the store where I got the one she wears and found they still had one in stock. I know… embrace the madness, right?" Ianto shrugged. "And I have a normal-ish cake in case she has a meltdown, a Damo one."

"So… where are they now?"

"Giving the dogs their morning constitutionals" Ianto mumbled with a glare at the serviettes he was folding into flowers "I hope at some stage he does let the little fucker out to pee so it doesn't pee on my rugs."

Franklin frowned as he walked to the large picture windows to look out over the cud-de-sac and he saw it. "Ianto sweetheart… is my son pushing…"

"Yeah."

"Oh god."

"Could be worse. Your wife might breach the Non Contact Order like last year's fiasco with the security guards" Ianto quipped and smiled, patting Franklin's shoulder as the poor man groaned and let his head hit the table.

"Don't remind me about HER" he muttered, the divorce getting nasty now that they were down to brass tacks. "Anyway… at least this year we might see some snow."

Ah… good deflecting and Ianto allowed it was a soft smile.

He did like this man.