A/N: This story is part of the Torchwood Bingo fest 2020

"No!" Rang throughout the house. Ianto had kept on smiling, and had kept himself being happy until they closed the door. The neighbours didn't need to hear this.

"But…. But…." Jack started.

An overenthusiastic puppy was currently bouncing against his knees.

"No, you don't!" He told the puppy, who was jumping and panting. A strong "woof" escaped the dog's throat when he got angry.

" Jack? Why did you bring a dog?" Ianto asked, closing his eyes and pinching his nose. He let out a big sigh, trying to control his anger.

"Well…. It's kind of a funny story actually." Jack said, cheepishly. His face was the picture-perfect representation of shame. Jack's hand went to rub his neck while he started talking

" I was at the hub and this little fella kept running towards me every time I went outside. It's been going on like this for a few weeks now."

" So you thought let's adopt the pup?" He asked, breathe in, breathe out.

" Nooooooo. I thought why doesn't this dog go away? But the more he jumped against me, the more I began to like him. So I brought him to the vet today, did all the standard things. Had him chipped, debugged, all the vaccines you know. I just thought he could keep you company while I'm at the hub. You know, keep you sane. To be honest the neighbours are insane." Jack explained. It just melted his heart a little bit. A knock came from the door and he already knew who he was going to find on the other side. With a sigh, he walked away from Jack and went to open the door.

"Vanessa, hiiiii!" He said with a lot of false cheer.

"Evening Ifan. Evening Ken. And who is this cute dog?" She asked. At the end of her sentence, it seemed like her voice got higher and she seemed to sound all the more like she was talking to a baby.

" We haven't yet decided on a name," Jack said joining him at the door opening. His smile, ever so bright.

" Well that's a nice surprise, but it actually wasn't what I came for. I heard you two arguing again. Are you sure, Ifan, that everything's going alright?" She asked with her bittersweet voice.

" And what made you think that?" Ianto asked carefully. They needed to think they were normal, needed to think they were like them. So that meant always appearing happy, never arguing.

"We could all hear it dearie, the raised voices. It wasn't that difficult to figure out." Why couldn't she just be a bit more… normal? Or weirder? But most of all, why couldn't these people just leave them alone for one bloody minute?

" We just had a bit of a misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about Vanessa." He tried to appear as secure as ever. Tried to make them buy his cheap excuse.

" Okay, just remember stand-up for yourself and listen to what your boyfriend has to say sometime before you start to argue!" She said.

"Will do."

" Catch you later!"

"Don't be a stranger!" As quickly as he could he closed the door and fell against it. Letting out a sigh of relief he let himself sink to the ground.

" Now the neighbours noticed… great." The sarcasm dripped from his voice. His eyes met Jack's, at least he had the decency to actually look sorry. It wasn't like Jack had to be here 24/7! Nooooooooooo, Jack could go home, Jack could go back to his life at the hub. Jack could actually enjoy their version of a normal life for a few hours a day while he was at work and he was left trying to persuade the neighbours. Trying to woo them, while Jack enjoyed life outside this fenced community. The overexcited puppy came barging towards him the moment he hit the ground. Gently the dog started licking his hand and pushing his wet nose into his hands. To be honest it made him giggle a bit and a grin spread across his face.

"See, he does cheer you up!" Jack said and decided to sink into the ground next to him. An arm made its way across his shoulder when he let his head fall on his 'boyfriend's' shoulder.

" You have no idea how hard it is to be here day in day out. I'm so tired of always having to pretend." Jack's manly hand squeezed in his arm, which made him look up at the man he so loved because loving Jack is what he did. Even Though he was scared out of his mind to tell the other man the truth.

" I'm sorry, I really am. But it has to be done. The sooner this whole ordeal is finished, the sooner we can get back to the hub. Back to sex in the hub at weird places. Back to just being Jack and Ianto." Jack's smirk was undeniable and the affection - and dare he say, love? - shone clearly in his eyes. The dog - who had stayed quiet throughout it all - had lain down across their laps and was currently enjoying a peaceful slumber. His free hand went towards the pup's fur and his fingers started to comb through it. The peace, the quiet, it really helped him calm down.

" Move in with me." Popped out of his mouth. He was just as shocked as Jack looked.

"I… I… don't know what to say." Jack honestly told his lover.

" You.. you don't have to. I just thought after we get out of here, you know, maybe we could try. Cause I'm going to miss you in bed." His quiet voice told him. It wasn't anything for Ianto to turn shy all of a sudden, but he hadn't really thought through what he had been going to say. It had been rather on the spur of the moment.

" I'd love to." Came Jack's secure voice. Pleadingly he looked up at his lover. He just hoped Jack was truthful and wasn't just saying it to please him.

" Let's call the dog Joy. Because he cheers me up." He said eventually.

"So we're keeping him?" Jack asked enthusiastically. A strange twinkle could be seen in the captain's eyes when he told him that.

" Yes, now… I want you upstairs and I want you naked… now!" He added with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

''Aye aye sir!'' Jack said grinning from top till toe as he jumped up and ran upstairs and left a trail of clothes on his way.

Some day, Jack was going to be the death of him.