24
"Di you think they ever get tired?" the female judge asked as she walked slowly along the edge of the pool "I mean… look at this."
"Jack tells me that even when he's asleep, Ianto is scheming" one of the men retorted "invested in everything he turns his hand to."
"This workmanship is… amazing" she crouched "Look… this tile… it has their signatures. Oh, how sweet. They signed their work."
"You know they've won again right?" the older man said as he stood back staring around "Did they break a sweat at any stage?"
"Well… the cameras are turned off at night' the female giggled, then slapped a hand over her mouth as everyone laughed.
.
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"So… this last challenge is to decide the pecking order for the auctions" Jack said as he held the piece of paper tightly "Shit… it's going to be a public one. A performance. Can be song, dance… poetry… anything but we draw blind from a hat and the public votes. Tickets to be sold for the charity of …. Ah… Children's refuge… nice… and those here on the night vote. Winner gets a silly statue, $5000 cash in hand and the right to choose who goes in what order at auction."
The place went wild and first to step forward is Carl "I choose!"
"Me Jack… you Carl" Jack grinned back "Jesus Carl, calm the fuck down. Here."
Jack handed over the top hat and Carl reached in making eye contact with Jack to pull out a piece of paper and look at it then grin at Jack in triumph "Hah! Acting. Ha ha… the one thing you are good at and I got it."
"Bully for you" Jack said with amusement, then one by one they chose until finally Ianto stepped forward and grinned "right Tiger. Acting is gone, as is interpretive dance so no tap-dancing for you either… come on… Miles got Magic trick and he is good with his hands… Julia picked out… what was it love? An original poem? That leaves… ah… god knows."
Ianto picked out a piece of paper and looked at it then he started to laugh.
"What?"
"Song" Ianto chortled "It's a song. Cariad… we can sing."
"Oh dear" Jack said as he looked at them all with wide eyes "You're toast."
"Come on… we've heard him sing for the entire time, he's good… not that good." Carl scoffed.
Ianto and Jack just laughed as it was true, Ianto had sung a damned lot. Jack? barely a fucking jot. For a reason. And now they had the perfect genre to show it.
Oh yes.
Our handsome boy can sing.
.
.
The evening of the talent show and everyone was nervous… except for the one strutting about in a gorgeous three piece suit that would rival an Oscar Awards Evening… well.. it was one that he did wear to one of those evenings… the midnight blue popping with the palest power blue shirt. Ianto had chosen it for him.
He walked out onto the stage and smiled as he walked to the grand piano waiting in the middle of the stage, settling to watch his husband follow him out with a deep burgundy guitar. God, he looked edible in his own suit of matching midnight blue, his shirt with a huge collar hanging open.
Ianto settled on the stool by the piano and started to strum the guitar, his pure voice calling out in a pitch he didn't use usually. Ianto was using his 'church' voice and as it came to the chorus those watching got to see a glorious event, Ianto looking over to lovingly smile as Jack took over the song.
Jack's voice soared, swept, dipped and bellowed, Ianto's voice a sweet harmony that made some want to swoon. A love song about two people wanting to be tighter. 'A Seat Next to You' by John Bon Jovi was never so damned pretty.
It ended with Ianto rising to sing the last part so softly, then Ianto let the last notes of the guitar wind down and Ianto leaned in to kiss Jack as the piano tinkled with the last little part.
Epic.
Mic drop.
They left the stage roaring for an encore.
.
.
"Oh my god…I had no idea you tow could sing like that. All this time the sings you sang were so… so…"
"Raunchy?" Ianto supplied for Helen as Carl remained impassively unblinking in the shadows "Yeah. My house cleaning songs. Different to my love songs. You know.. Jack and I actually put out an album a couple of years ago… I and the one who sings the theme song to his movies."
"Oh my god" Helen laughed "a ringer."
"Oh Helen… you have no idea."
.
.
"Well… this time tomorrow we will be losing our house" Ianto said to Jack as they lay there in the darkness, their last night in the house they build with blood sweat and love.
They had won the viewer's choice so at least they would come back for a luxury photo shoot of the house and be on the covers of the magazines. Something Ianto knew Jack was excited about even if Ianto did not really care.
God, this was gonna hurt to give this up.
"Regrets?"
"Not thumping Carl."
Jack laughed as he rolled to kiss his love, knowing it would hurt to give it up but the money raised for the charity would be grand and this would ensure the TV series he wanted to develop. Douglas had promised and was already helping with pre-production notes with Ianto's ideas.
Sometimes ya gotta give to get.
.
.
"So… Jack and Ianto… you won the challenge. What is the order?"
"Well… we talked it over and of all the houses, we are not in it for the money but the experience and awareness of the charity our money will go to so… we will go last. Carl and Helen first and the other houses in order of their numbers." Jack said and everyone nodded, Carl not sure if he was happy or not.
Ianto and Jack took another long look at their house, taking photos and such for their album and also talking about maybe writing a book about it … like a 'how to' sort of thing.
"Would you do it again love?" Jack asked as he cuddled his beloved knowing Ianto was ignoring the pet names with a roll of his eyes.
"Yeah, I would. Different… but yeah." Ianto nodded "Next time I would go for a space age house… like… the kid's room would be a spaceship interior and the windows like view screens or something… their beds would be bunks like portals… maybe even a console of buttons and levers."
Jack laughed as he imagined it "You are always thinking of our boys. We did a little girl's room too. Would you like one of those? A little girl?"
"I love or boys and would not change them for the world but… yeah… I did hope there for a moment or two that a girl had caught. A little princess. Never mind." Ianto sighed. "No room at our house… not like this one. I guess we would have to adapt."
"We could adopt" Jack countered "A lot of kids need love already here without their choice in the matter."
"True Cariad" Ianto turned to kiss him gently "But how would we manage that in between movies and TV shows and Award evenings?"
"Ianto, don't be silly. You manage everything like you always do. One more? Come on… we could" Jack squeezed.
"Maybe… when the boys are bigger we will talk abut it. One more… a little girl might be nice" Ianto turned again to watch the little night lights come on in the garden outside, lighting up little hidden pockets of fake toadstools and fairies hiding in the foliage.
Yeah.
This was gonna hurt.
