It was December 21, already, and Jack still hadn't figured out the "perfect" gift for Ianto. It was getting depressing. It would have been so much easier if he could have just told the man how he felt, but there was no way…. It was too soon, for one thing. And Ianto was nowhere near comfortable enough with whatever they were doing for any kind of romantic declarations.
Walking down the high street didn't help anything. It seemed like every advert depicted radiantly happy couples and families, all exchanging and basking in their "perfect" gifts. Where were the adverts for people who were tired, conflicted, too busy keeping alien tech out of the wrong hands…?
Jack shook his head and sighed. He knew the Scrooge routine didn't fit very well with his wink-and-a-smile Captain Jack demeanor, but he just didn't feel very joyful. And he was still hoping for London to kindly keep itself free of alien visitors for Christmas, just for a change of pace.
At some point, Jack noticed there was a heavenly aroma coming from somewhere and when he glanced up, he found himself approaching a coffee and tea shop. Maybe that was it, a nice bag of coffee, Jack thought. A perfect present. Which Ianto would most certainly end up sharing with the rest of the team, he realized. No, it had to be something just for Ianto.
Jack sighed again and scowled, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his greatcoat and continuing on. It was useless and that was all there was to it. Even the menswear shop he passed wasn't helpful. The suits displayed in the front window would look fantastic on Ianto, naturally, but that was just not the sort of thing one could make a gift of.
Jack stopped suddenly and doubled back. Maybe not a suit, but there was such a thing as accessorizing tastefully, and that red scarf… well, it was kind of big, might not tuck tidily into his overcoat like a silk opera scarf, but he could wrap it around and keep warm and that red would look incredible against his pale skin and grey coat. Best of all, it was personal and thoughtful without being too grand or intimate. Stepping inside the shop, Jack made a bee-line to the scarves and found the one he admired to also be softer than the sparse hairs on Ianto's chest, no coarse, itchy wool. And the subtle pattern of looser and tighter weaving was eye-catching without being showy.
Deciding to just stop overthinking things and go with his first instinct, Jack asked the approaching salesman to please have the scarf he was holding gift-wrapped, knowing his own holiday origami skills to be nothing short of pitiful.