"I brought pretzels." Jack announced as they settled into the front seats of Ianto's car.
Ianto looked over at him with a bemused smile.
"Very nice Jack."
"Hey. You'll be happy when you get hungry and I am well prepared with delicious salty snacks." Jack grinned, leaning over his shoulder to place a plastic bag of food on the back seat. Ianto shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the Torchwood car park. Jack was fidgeting a bit to get himself comfortable, rolling up his sleeves and moving the seat back.
"Thanks Jack. For coming."
Jack looked up at Ianto, but his eyes were still on the roadway.
"I can't say that my motivations are entirely selfless."
"Are they ever?"
Jack laughed quietly.
"On occasion. I try not to make too much of a habit of it."
Ianto rolled his eyes, only to have Jack's hand ruffle his hair and slide down to gently squeeze his shoulder.
"So what should I know about the Joneses going into this?"
Ianto turned the corner and headed up High Street towards the A470.
"Well, what would you like to know?" Ianto replied. Jack couldn't help feeling a little surprised. Ianto was usually so reserved, especially about himself. And here he was offering to tell Jack whatever he wanted to know about his family.
"We should probably start with names. I imagine it will be hard to pass as your boyfriend if I don't know anyone's name."
Boyfriend. Was that what Jack was going to be for the next two days. What exactly did Jack Harkness think a boyfriend was?
Ianto nodded.
"My agenda is in the carrier bag. There's a picture in there. It might help if you can match the names to the faces." Jack pulled the leather bag from the floor behind the driver's seat. He undid the buckle and opened up the top flap. Ianto brought this bag to work every morning, but Jack had never had the chance to actually see inside of it. A pair of gloves, compact first aid kit, set of keys. Hmmm. Mars Bar. Three black pens, the kind that Ianto always used at work.
"Jack." Ianto glanced over at him. "My agenda's right there."
"Oh, that agenda." Jack pulled it out. He smirked and closed the bag again.
"You aren't going to find anything interesting in there, no matter how much you sneak around in it."
"Oh really? What's with the Mars Bar. That was interesting."
"I like sweets." Ianto replied simply. Jack hummed to himself in thought. It made sense. He could remember Ianto choosing the glazed fritters and turnovers from the plate of bakery goods he brought into the hub, rather than the savoury pasties or bags of crisps.
"The photo's in the pocket in the back cover," Ianto reminded him, and Jack nodded, opening up the book. He pulled out the few pictures that were tucked neatly into the leather pocket. The top one was a picture of Ianto, probably several years younger than he was now.
"That was me at uni." Ianto said, glancing over as he turned the roundabout. "With Lisa. And my mates Mahmet and Tony." Jack scanned over the happy grin on Ianto's face. He liked that grin. It was one that didn't show up very often, only occasionally around the table at the pub or lunch. A little toothy, but spontaneous in a way that was infinitely charming. Jack pulled out the photo underneath, a rather awful shot that was dark and shady inside a bar. The Torchwood team. They all looked sweaty and faded, their eyes slightly manic.
Ianto saw it, but only glanced back at the road.
"Aaaaaand the Joneses!" Jack announced, pulling out the last photo with a smile. "Wow."
"What is it?" Ianto flipped on the turning signal.
"There are a lot of you. I didn't peg you as the big family type."
"How did you peg me?" Ianto grinned. Jack turned to look at him and let his hand slide over to clasp the top of Ianto's thigh.
"If I remember it right, I pegged you against the edge of my desk. And the ladder. And the headboard."
Ianto gulped. Jack's thumb was running along the inside seam of his jeans.
"Well unless you'd like the car to be pegged against that lamppost, you should probably remove your hand." Ianto replied, his hands tightening on the wheel. Jack's hand slid to squeeze Ianto's knee and pulled back. He picked the picture back up again.
"Alright then. I know you….Who is everyone else here?"
Ianto pointed generally towards the picture.
"Older woman is my mum, and the man next to her is my stepdad Roger."
"Okay. What should I call them." Jack was studying the picture. It made Ianto smile. It was the same look of concentration Ianto often saw when he interrupted Jack in his office.
"Well, my mum's name is Bethan, but she'll probably tell you to call her Beth. And I'd suggest you start of with Mr. Wallace for Roger. He's a solicitor."
"What does your mom do?"
"She's a teacher. At the local junior school."
"And you're father was a tailor?"
"Yes."
"Ianto?"
"Yes Jack?"
"Can I ask you what happened?"
Jack waited. He was curious, yes, but he didn't want to make Ianto uncomfortable. Especially this early in the ride.
"He passed away about six years ago." Ianto replied slowly. Jack shifted in his seat, angling his body towards the other man. "In his sleep. It was an aneurism."
"I'm sorry Ianto." Ianto made an effort at a smile, but it faltered.
"It's okay."
Jack covered Ianto's hand on the steering wheel. The two hands fell down to the console, and the fingers laced together.
"You don't have to be my boyfriend yet." Ianto joked. Jack just stared at him, until Ianto could feel his neck and ears burning.
"Well, um." Ianto felt Jack run his thumb over his knuckles.
"What about brothers and sisters?" Jack prompted.
"Five." Ianto said shortly, using his free hand to flip the signal and turn the wheel.
"Names?" Jack seemed more relaxed than he had any right to be, his hand clasped to Ianto's and other hand holding the photo.
"Three older, Ainsley, Aoife and Lew, and Georgie and Izzy. They're Roger's daughters."
Jack felt that he should let go of Ianto's hand. But he didn't want to. There was something there that was different from the feeling that he got when he had Ianto moaning his name against his neck, slicked with sweat. Not that that wasn't good. It was fantastic. But having Ianto tell him about his family in his tiny, cramped sedan, feeling the slight clamminess of Ianto's palm. It wasn't half bad.
It was three hours into the ride and Jack was waving his hands like a conductor.
"Aaaaaaand take one down, pass it around, 37 Corilian Narfruits on the wall!"
"Jack!" Kill him or kiss him. One of the two was going to happen before they made it to his mother's. If Jack hadn't smiled, and pulled out a packet of Gwen's gingerbread biscuits, Ianto might have moved on his first urge. Instead he was trying not to laugh as Jack acted out a weevil attack on the dashboard with two of the little men, one of whom had a large bite out of his head. That one was the weevil.