"So, Johnny's not been back."

Jack looked at his boyfriend in surprise. They were sitting in the cafeteria at work, eating their lunches and enjoying each other's company, and Jack had just dropped his fork.

"You're kidding me!"

"Nope."

"And he left when, Friday?"

"Yup. Rhiannon's been trying to reach him, as he was meant to come back Sunday night, but he's not answered his mobile and hasn't returned any calls."

Jack frowned. "What do you think is going on?"

"I've no idea, really," Ianto replied, shrugging. "Rhiannon thinks he must have lost his mobile."

"Then why wouldn't he borrow someone else's so that he could call?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Jack thought about that for a moment. "And she has no number for anyone he was going to visit?"

"No, none."

Jack picked up his fork again, digging into his leftover pasta. "Then we'll just have to wait and see, I suppose."

Ianto nodded, taking a sip of his drink and then smiling. "Is it wrong that I'm hoping he doesn't return?"

"Not in my book," Jack said, shaking his head. "Twpsyn."

"Excuse me?" Ianto asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Did you just call Johnny an idiot?"

"I did," Jack said, winking.

Ianto giggled. "Well he is that. And when did you pick up that word?"

"Maybe I heard you say it once?"

"I don't remember saying that around you."

"That's odd."

"Jack…"

"Ianto?"

They stared at each other for a moment and Jack could see the cogs in Ianto's brain working. He knew his boyfriend was trying to figure him out.

"You looked it up, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

Ianto laughed. "You never fail to surprise me, Jack."

Jack grinned at him. "Just trying to keep things interesting."

"You're good at that." Ianto smiled at him. "Are you coming over tonight?"

"I can't. I have to stay with Gray as Cerys has the night off to see her daughter for her birthday, and my folks are going to a late dinner meeting."

Ianto looked disappointed. "Oh, I see. Maybe tomorrow then?"

"Sure."

Lowering his voice and looking up at Jack under his lashes, Ianto whispered, "I miss you desperately when you're not with me."

"Really, Ianto?"

"Yeah." Ianto sighed. "It's more difficult to sleep."

Jack smirked. "That's because I tend to wear you out."

"I mean it, Jack," Ianto said, looking down at the table. "I don't like being there without you. I miss your arms around me."

Jack took his hand. "Well maybe…" He trailed off, not sure that what he was about to say would be appropriate. "Never mind.

"No, Jack. What were you going to say?"

"It wouldn't work anyway," Jack insisted, shaking his head. "Not with me attending classes full time."

"Jack?"

He looked up at Ianto, seeing the concern in his boyfriend's face. "I was going to suggest that I…I move in with you, but it's too soon, and…"

"I'd love you to."

"…there's not enough room, with the baby coming, and… Wait, what?"

Ianto's smile spread from ear to ear. "I'd love you to move in with me, Jack."

"You're serious?"

Ianto grabbed Jack's hand – the one not holding his fork – and rubbed his thumb over it. "Very serious."

Jack furrowed his brow. "But Ianto, with me going to school and then university full time I won't be able to work more than a few hours a day, if they even let me stay on. I wouldn't be able to bring that much money home."

"That's alright."

"I wouldn't be contributing that much, and you'd be feeding me."

"Your parents feed you now, right?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Then what's the difference, Jack? You would pay what you could, and when school was out for the summer before university you would just go back to working full time, right? And then when you're at university you'd be working a few hours a day again. I make more than enough now to support us."

"And the baby? There's not a lot of room, Ianto."

Ianto sighed. "Well, since you'd be sharing my room, and the baby will be sharing Rhiannon's, there's really no problem. You don't have very many things, Jack. They'll fit in my room."

Jack swallowed, turning his hand over and squeezing Ianto's. "There's Gray to think about."

"Gray is welcome over whenever you'd like. You know I love your brother."

"I…I don't know what to say, Ianto."

"Say you'll move in," Ianto replied softly. "It was your idea, after all."

"Well, I'll have to discuss it with my parents," Jack said, smiling. "But if they're okay with that plan, then yes, Ianto Jones, I'll move in with you."

Ianto's eyes lit up and he tugged Jack's hand, leaning across the table. Jack met him halfway and they kissed. It was quick and relatively chaste, but they were both grinning when they broke apart.

tw tw tw tw tw

"Oh Jack," his mother said, sighing. "You're so young, dear!"

Jack looked at his hands. He'd known this conversation would not be easy when he'd broached the subject after getting home from work. It didn't help that his parents were trying to get things done before they left for their dinner meeting. His father was still at work and he'd had to follow his mother into her home office where she was getting paperwork and a few architectural plans ready.

"I know I'm young, Mum," he told her, standing by her drafting table. "But I really think this could work out well for everyone."

"Okay, so tell me the pros."

"Well, for one, I know that Cerys has wanted to get out of her flat for quite some time, since the neighborhood's gone downhill in the last few years. If I were living at Ianto's, you could convert my room into a room for her, and she could be live-in instead of commuting here when she has to work, just like you wanted to before."

His mother paused, looking up at him. "That's a brilliant idea, Jack."

"And if I live at Ianto's, he can help me with my studies. Once I'm at university I'm going to need all the help I can get. Remember how much help he was with my revision this last year?"

"But what about your brother? Sometimes I need you to watch him, like tonight."

"I can still do that at Ianto's. He's said Gray is welcome at any time. Ianto adores Gray, and I know Gray feels the same way."

"And work? Do you still plan to work for your father and me?"

"Of course, Mum! I'd work full time during the summers, and as many hours as permitting while attending classes." He took his mother's hand, eyes pleading with her. "Ianto and I both love working there. We could even drive together."

"And you really love Ianto, don't you?"

Jack nodded. "I really do."

"Then you have my blessing, Jack," she told him, smiling.

Jack threw his arms around his mother, hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much. I need to call Ianto. What time are you leaving tonight?"

"In about an hour," she replied, turning back to her desk. "And you'd better tell your brother. I'm pretty sure he's going to be upset."

Jack frowned. "Yeah, he will be. I'll talk to him. What about Dad?"

"I'll handle him," she said. "Now go on, call your boyfriend."

Jack left the room at a jog, grinning from ear to ear.

Several minutes later, after a frantic and enthusiastic conversation with Ianto, Jack went in search of his brother. He found him playing with his dinosaurs on the floor of his room.

"But I've got to eat you," Gray enthused, as the voice of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. "I'm bigger and stronger than you!"

Jack watched him from the doorway, smiling as the little boy had a full conversation between the predator and the Stegosaurus it planned to eat. He was going to miss seeing his brother every day.

"Jack!" The child launched himself off the floor when he noticed his brother standing there. "Are you going to watch me tonight?"

"Yes I am, Gray."

"Yay! Mummy and Daddy have a meeting to go to. They said it's a lot of boring grownup stuff."

Jack smirked. "I bet it is."

"Wanna play dinosaurs with me?"

"Actually," Jack said, ruffling the boy's hair and stepping into the room, "I was hoping we could have a talk."

"That sounds serious, Jack," Gray told him, pouting as he took a seat cross-legged on his bed.

Jack joined him. "It is, Gray. I'm going to be moving in with Ianto soon."

"With Ianto?" Gray appeared to mull that over in his head. "Can I come too?"

Smiling, Jack shook his head. "I wish you could, buddy, but Mummy and Daddy would be sad if you weren't here."

"They'll be sad without you here too."

"Yeah, but what about Cerys? Wouldn't you miss her? She'll probably be coming to live here."

Gray's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yup. Mummy and Daddy are going to ask her if she wants to have my room when I move to Ianto's."

"I love Cerys." Gray frowned. "But you're going to leave me behind, then."

"You can come over, Gray," Jack told him. "Ianto wants you to."

"When will you be coming back?"

"I won't. I'm moving there for good."

Gray's eyes welled up. "But I'll miss you, Jack!"

Jack pulled his brother into a tight hug. "And I'll miss you too, Gray. We'll still see each other, though. I'll only be on the other side of town."

"Will you still take me out to the cinema sometimes?" the boy asked, sniffling.

"You bet."

"Hey, can I use the phone to ring you?"

"You sure can. Just ask Mummy and Daddy when you want to ring me and they'll let you use the phone."

Gray pulled away from him, grinning. "I only ever get to use the phone to talk to Auntie and Uncle in America!"

"Well, now you can use it to talk to me, too."

"YAY!" Gray got up off of the bed and ran from the room, heading down the stairs, shouting, "MUMMY! Mummy! Jack says I can use the phone to call him when he's living with Ianto!"

Jack couldn't hear his mother's reply, but he smiled anyway. His brother had been upset, granted, but he'd taken it much better than Jack had thought he would.

Taking a deep breath, Jack left his brother's room and went into his own. He looked around at his things before grabbing a pen and paper. He'd need to make a list of the things he was taking and what he'd give to his brother or to charity.

He couldn't believe this was really happening. He and Ianto were going to be living together.

~tbc~