7. Day five 5.00pm
Ianto woke to the feeling of being squashed, just like his thoughts before going to sleep and he felt the huge paw that sprawled against his chest, the arm around him not Jack's and he smiled as he patted the limb "Moe. I need to pee."
The Tiger released him and he shot to the bathroom, returning to find the cat now sitting on the end of the bed with a calm expression on it's face.
"I know. You want to question the problems here. Right. So. I do not think Tosh gave away our position. It was a tenuous connection at best, they would only know someone was still out there in the wilds. They will be more diligent though. Sweeps and checks. Our plans to go ashore will need to wait a few more days now. To be safe. I know right now my biggest problem is my energy levels. I am almost depleted, I gave too much this time. I know I did but … there was no choice. There is too much at stake and … what. Why are you so pissed?"
"Because your brother is coming" someone said and Ianto turned to find Kerrianne in the doorway with a grimace on her face "Not only did you renew the bubble, you called him from his retreat."
"Oh no" Ianto sighed with obvious discomfort "Really? Shamus? Damn it all. I do not want that problem on top of everything else."
"I am sorry. He knows as well as you do that this nulls and voids the order. He can now return as it is a time of danger and we need ALL our collective strength here. He is needed. He must come back to the collective whether you like it or not" she sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to rub the Tiger's head "Hey Moe. Look Ianto … I know what he did was foolish but you were both so young. He really thought he was doing the right thing for the people and … well … since you left he had changed. He has. He is more humble now, less of a dick. Honest."
Ianto sat as well, leaning against the tiger as he considered her words. Last time he and Shamus had spoken it had been harsh. At the grave of their father. Shamus had declared himself as the family head, pointing out that he was a true Chimeron given his green skin. Ianto was just a hybrid. It had hurt, the way his lip had curled back as he said the word Hybrid like it was a curse or some birth defect. They had argued and when Ianto had leaned in to whisper that he had Mama's blood in his veins unlike his brother and that was why he was pale instead of a prick Shamus had struck him, sending him back onto the freshly filled grave.
He had been everyone's favourite. Always.
Ianto had always been the 'pale weedy one' from the second wife and considered less for it. As he lay there on the grave of their father, his brother standing there gloating that he was the man of the house now with their grandmother standing to one side with a look if confusion at the sudden attack Ianto had felt something in him snap. He had risen and instead of attaching his brother back he had … flexed. For the first time he had shown that he was a Chimeron as he had roared at Shamus crouching low and letting it flow from his gut, the older boy had found himself flying back into a tree.
Ianto had shown himself. A momentary lapse but enough for everyone to finally see that he was indeed touched by the ancestors. Skin colour had nothing to do with inner strength and Shamus had been not only insulted but embarrassed.
Long had he scoffed at Ianto for what he was. A cuckoo that had been born and handed away. Not kept like him. Of course… he was not of the same mother. His mother had died in childbirth. Ianto's mother coming to visit some years later and Ianto was the product of this second bonding that as a small child Shamus saw as a betrayal to his mother.
No he was coming back.
The village had decided to separate the two young men as best they could, sending Shamus to the village on the mountain and it had hurt Ianto when his grandmother decided to go with her favorate grandchild, leaving Ianto behind to shoulder the blame and the responsibility of the people.
Now things were in flux, the world was spinning off its axis and Ianto would soon have a new threat to his calm.
Brilliant.
"He has changed. Since your grandmother had grown frail with age … he had started to realise that it is not all about him. Seriously Ianto, please. Give him a chance? She begged "Yeah?"
"Fuck" Ianto grunted, pulling on a fresh t-shirt as his hopes for more rest fled.
Now he was nervously going to pace what energy he had managed to recoup.
Waiting for the clash of brothers.
And his Grandmother who had greeted them on the shores only to retreat back to him again. Although she had seemed happy to see him the other day, she had not lingered in the village. She had fled once more and Ianto had noticed that slight.
Did she still feel he had overreacted?
Was Shamus stilt her golden child … well … green goblin as he used to call him was a child and tired of the stinging remarks about his lack of colour. Were they all returning? Or was this going to be some sort of display on Shamus' part?
Ianto wondered where Jack was.