"I like your family." Jack said, following Ianto through one of the upstairs doorways.
"They're all yours." Ianto murmured, taking the garment bags from the bed and unzipping them. He pulled out the two suits from inside.
"Is that one mine?" Jack recognized the dark blue suit from his own closet.
"I forget to tell you that Christmas dinner is a formal occasion, so I packed this one for you right before we left. I hope you don't mind." Ianto smoothed the sleeves out and hung the jacket up in the closet. Jack moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Course not." He watched as Ianto passed back and forth across the small bedroom floor with belts and trousers and dress shoes.
"I'm sorry about my brother and sister. They have a strange sense of humour."
"Nothing to be sorry about." Ianto paused from removing his waistcoat from the second bag.
"You can stop Jack. No one's around."
"So?" Jack leaned back on his arms. "I haven't been part of a family in a long while. It's kinda….nice. Even if it is just pretend."
Ianto's hand stilled on the hanger. Just pretend. It was manageable when he thought it. It hurt considerably more when Jack said it out loud so easily.
"Yes, well." Ianto stared at Jack for a moment. It couldn't be helped. This had been a daft idea on his part. He never should have agreed to it. He would never agree to anything Jack said after shagging again. Not until he was properly dressed and sensible. Because that's what shagging Jack did. Left him naked and senseless. And vulnerable to stupid decisions like this.
"Do you want a hand unpacking?" Jack asked, reaching for Ianto's overnight kit.
Ianto stepped forwards quickly and took the bag from Jack.
"No. I'm alright."
"Alright? You don't seem alright." Jack stood up and moved towards Ianto. He pushed the door shut as he passed it. "Are you hiding something, Ianto Jones?"
"No sir." Ianto murmured, looking around for a place to escape, which, barring a daring dive out the second storey window into a currant bush, clearly wasn't there.
Jack raised an eyebrow at him.
"What's in the bag, Ianto."
"Toiletries."
"I've seen your toiletries. What's the deal?"
"Jack…" Ianto looked back, startled, as he hit the dresser. The plastic athletics trophies sitting on it rattled against each other.
"It's a present." He replied reluctantly. "I didn't get a chance to wrap it."
"Ran out of tape?" Jack smirked. Ianto's hands had found their way to the bottom of Jack's braces.
"Very clever."
"I like to think so." Ianto's breath ghosted gently against Jack's lips. "Who's it for?"
Jack saw a quick flash of nerves in Ianto's eyes, but it was quickly forgotten as he found lips pressed against his. Ianto's hands trailed up Jack's chest, his thumbs tucked under the braces, til they clasped onto his shoulders.
"Mhhmmh." Jack moaned urgently into Ianto's mouth. He wrapped his arms tightly around the other man's waist and turned them around, stepping slowly towards the bed. Jack's hands were just beginning to gather the bottom of Ianto's oxford out of his waistband, when he made a protesting grunt. Jack felt one of Ianto's hands leave his neck.
"Jack."
"Yeah?"
"I'm rubbing my ear."
"Congratulations."
"Jack." Jack sighed and pulled back, still leaning his lower half against the other man.
"I guess that means too much."
"If we were going to shag on the floor of my childhood bedroom, no. But since we have to go down and help with dinner, I think we should stop. While I still can." Jack grinned at the last addition. He was confident, but he still loved it when Ianto admitted the power Jack had over him. Jack glanced over Ianto's face quickly and leaned in for a quick kiss.
"Fine then. Lets go down and help with dinner."
He offered his hand to Ianto, who took it to pull himself upright. It took a moment to straighten himself out.
"Don't bother." Jack grinned. Ianto looked up at him with a questioning glance. "Tuck your shirt all you want, you look kissed." Ianto's hand instinctually went to wipe across his mouth.
"Great." Ianto sighed, trying not to think of what Aoife would say.
"Thanks." Jack grinned, his hands slipped into his pockets.
"You can go ahead." Ianto announced officiously in response to him. "I'm going to wrap up that last present before you try and find it again."
"You know, unwrapping is much better than wrapping up." Jack responded, standing close to Ianto again. "In fact, I can think of something I'd like to unwrap right now." Jack grinned, letting his hand fall to Ianto's bum.
"Careful there. I'll have you know my mother's downstairs." Ianto returned, but Jack found the smile on his face delightfully coy as he backed out of the room and headed towards the stairs.
"What was it your mom wanted again?"
"Crackers Jack. Crackers. It really not that hard to remember."
"Sorry," Jack sidled up next to Ianto in the pantry cupboard and slid a teasing hand around his waist. "Guess I keep getting distracted."
"Ianto? Ianto?" Gwenys turned the corner to the pantry, smiling. "Oh!"
She stepped back suddenly.
Jack's hand lifted away from Ianto's hip.
"Gwenys!" Ianto moved forward quickly. "Hi."
"Sorry. I just got here, your mom said…. I was intruding, wasn't I."
"No, no. Gwenys, this is my boyfriend Jack." It concerned Ianto at how easily that phrase was starting to slide from him, how comfortable it sounded.
"Boyfriend." Gwenys processed for a moment. "Right. Well. That's wonderful Ianto."
"Nice to meet you." Jack shook her hand and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Ianto's said some very nice things about you."
"Oh, well." Gwenys coloured up a bit. "He's probably been gilding the lily somewhat."
"Didn't have to really." Ianto smiled. He liked Gwenys really, as a friend. She was a nice girl. He just didn't think that his mother understood that was as far as it went.
"Well, um, your mum wanted a hand in the kitchen if you're able."
"Thanks Gwenys. We'll be there in a minute." Jack replied. She nodded, and quickly ducked back into the hall.
Jack waited a moment until her footsteps entered the kitchen.
"That was the horrible she-beast I'm here to protect you from?"
Ianto crossed his arms defensively.
"If she and Mum were to put up a united front, you have no idea what it would have been like. I'm just lucky Mum seems to have taken a liking to you."
"Guess we'll have to keep up the rouse then. Don't want to leave you vulnerable just in case they form a plan of attack." Ianto pushed a tin of crackers at Jack.
"We need to get back to the kitchen."
Jack watched him stride out of the pantry. The girl seemed rather harmless on the whole. Maybe there was another reason for Ianto to have asked him to come to Christmas dinner. Even if Ianto wasn't very aware of it.