62
Ianto was in one of those moods. He knew he could not paint another room, Jack might have a conniption. He knew the curtains were all good… he walked the house with a feeling of… itching under the skin on the palms of his hands.
He headed next door and Sam looked up from the child she was dressing to watch her father-in-law wander her house rubbing his hands together. She knew that look, that motion and she called out "No Taddy… it's all good."
He grunted and leaned over, a kiss to her forehead with such affection as he agreed, it was a lovely house, and then he headed off to annoy another child. She whipped out her phone and sent of a warning group text that he was in search mode, the other houses soon tidying like mad and looking for anything he might perceive as needing an upgrade or change.
Ianto caught on quickly to their attempts to cut him off at the pass and finally accepted that he had tweaked their homes into an edge of madness. So he headed to the Hoodlum house across the way, the single men glad to see him and by the time Jack noticed him gone, he was several hundred dollars deep in a poker game.
Now… that was something Jack had never seen before.
These idiots who thought they were playing him. Ianto was so fucking crafty as he made out he didn't understand the game, making apocopate noises each hand he threw down, regardless of the cards Jack could see while standing behind him. Holy shit. Jack watched and learned that Ianto's edidic memory had another use as Ianto queerly and calmly counted the fucking cards and by the time the men realized that a shark was in their midst, he had cleared the table. So this is why he stuck to slots?
Jack was first to laugh as Ianto sat back and looked at the winnings he had taken from everyone, saying with a grin "Thanks guys. That was fun."
"You fucker. How… how did you do that?"
"Ianto has an edidic memory" Jack spluttered through his laughter "He's counted the cards and taken you all for a ride. Holy hit… Ianto… that was no fair. This is why you don't gamble right? Holy shit... you are a feckin maniac."
"Why I am not scooping it in now… come on guys. Take back your original money before we started. I was bored and you all entertained me with your attempts to be clever. You know… I had forgotten how much I like taking other people's money. God, in university the nerdy little boy with pimples, to young to drink the beer… I made a mint back then at this. Paid what my scholarship didn't" Ianto laughed, rising to face Jack "And now… this man needs to go home and check the chicken roasting in the oven."
"Ooooo… is that what we call it now Tiger? am I the chicken... or the oven?" Jack quipped as he waved and the laughter followed them out into the afternoon. Think ya know all there is to know about someone then you find another thing to love.
Ianto was so fucking cute as he skipped across the road.
Just when you think you are getting old.
Still got it.