Chapter Thirty

Leaning against the bedroom doorway, Jack smiled as he watched Ianto organise the mountain of freshly laundered underwear, t-shirts and socks with his usual unerring efficiency. After folding and arranging the items into neat, colour-coordinated piles, Ianto proceeded to put them away in the bedroom's large chest of drawers, placing each little stack of clothing in its designated location. The proverb 'a place for everything and everything in its place' was clearly Ianto's mantra.

Jack had to admit that he'd been a little slack with his laundry duties of late, but Ianto had taken to the task with surprising enthusiasm. Jack had a tendency to put it off for as long as he could get away with, which partly explained his vast supply of underwear, t-shirts, towels and bed sheets. He'd always considered it fortunate that his dislike of laundry was offset by his love of shopping. Naturally he'd offered to help, not wanting Ianto to do more than his fair share, but the Welshman had insisted that the task was well in-hand.

Over the course of several days, they'd moved Ianto's belongings and got him settled in. Ianto had left his furniture with Rhys for the time-being, so it was only his clothing, books, personal items and baking paraphernalia which had needed to make the transition. Jack had cleared out drawer and wardrobe space in the bedroom and tidied up the bathroom cupboards. He'd done a major, and admittedly overdue, clean-out of the kitchen, giving Ianto free rein to reorganise it to his own exacting standards. He'd made space for Ianto's books and DVDs, rearranged his framed photographs to make room for Ianto's artwork and photos, and he'd freed up some space in the office so that Ianto had his own work area and storage for his paperwork. In short, he'd done everything he could think of to make Ianto feel welcome in his new home.

One thing was for certain – the flat had never been cleaner or tidier. Jack was hardly a slob, and he prided himself on maintaining a relatively clean and tidy home, but his best efforts were no match for Ianto Jones. Ianto also hadn't wasted any time in organising the division of their domestic duties. Jack enjoyed cooking and supermarket shopping, so they'd agreed that those tasks would be his domain. Ianto, on the other hand, seemed to take perverse pleasure in cleaning and laundry, so those would be his primary duties. They would help each other out of course, and they'd share some of the other chores or take turns, but Ianto had left no stone unturned. Jack couldn't help being amused by Ianto's penchant for order and organisation, even if it did mean that he'd have to lift his game.

In fact, it felt like he hadn't stopped smiling all week. Plus, with Christmas fast approaching, the timing couldn't have been more perfect, and he planned to make the most of it. Even being dragged unwillingly into consciousness by Ianto's alarm at four-thirty all week had done little to dampen his spirits. He tended to be a night owl whereas Ianto was, by necessity, an early bird, so it wasn't an ideal situation. Still, none of that was new or unexpected and, all things considered, it was a small price to pay for sharing his bed every night with the man he loved.

Ianto turned to face him, one eyebrow raised as he held up a skimpy, lurid red thong. "Really, Jack? Please tell me you don't actually wear this?"

Jack laughed. He was all for sexy underwear, but even he had to admit that form over function had its limits, especially when chafing took the place of comfort. "Once or twice. Funnily enough, it's not very comfortable. Don't worry, I didn't buy it. It was part of some complimentary product samples from a shoot a while back." He gave Ianto his best salacious grin. "If you're good, I'll model it for you later. Or even better, you can model it for me. That would be a really great colour on you."

Ianto rolled his eyes and put the underwear neatly back in the drawer. "Hmm. I suppose it could have some possibilities." He pushed the drawer closed and moved towards the doorway. "Almost done. Just a few shirts to iron."

Jack straightened up and blocked his path. "They can wait. Anyway, I think you've earned yourself a break." Trying to hide the grin from his face, he pointed upwards. "Look."

Ianto's eyes widened as he looked up and spotted the sprig of mistletoe that Jack had hung jauntily from the outside frame of the door. His expression turned from surprise to amusement as he met Jack's gaze again. "You're going to have mistletoe hanging from every doorway in the flat, aren't you?"

Jack shrugged. "Maybe." He tried to look the picture of innocence.

The slight twitch of Ianto's lips betrayed his own attempt at nonchalance. "Well, I suppose it is a tradition." Without further ado, he grasped hold of Jack's face and brought their mouths together.

They kissed slowly at first, taking their time to explore each other's lips. Just like everything else they did together, Jack couldn't get enough of kissing Ianto. Fortunately, Ianto had yet to deny him or leave him wanting, which was no small thing given Jack's abundant libido. Even he could admit that his sexual appetite was perhaps a little excessive at times.

Sliding a hand up to Ianto's face, he caressed the smooth skin, tracing the line of Ianto's jaw and stroking his neck. He tugged on Ianto's lower lip, and the kiss deepened, becoming the kind of urgent, passionate exchange which never failed to send his pulse racing and make him a little weak in the knees. Wrapping his other arm around Ianto's waist, he pulled him closer, relishing the feel of that lithe, warm body moulded against his own. It still surprised him that despite Ianto's reserved and unassuming disposition, he held nothing back when they kissed and gave it his all. Unleashing that deep well of emotion which Ianto usually kept so carefully guarded excited Jack like nothing else.

Greedy for more, he worked his hands beneath Ianto's shirt, pressing one hand against his back as he traced the other up the soft skin of Ianto's flank. As he reached a nipple and gave it a playful tug, Ianto groaned and rocked against him, causing Jack to groan helplessly in return and push deeper into Ianto's mouth. He loved how responsive Ianto was to his touch and how attuned they'd become to each other, to the point where they knew each other's bodies as well as their own. He'd never had that with anyone else, and it was nothing short of a revelation. While he didn't regret his past choices, he wondered how in the world he'd thought that anything less than this could be enough.

Just as he was about to work on stripping off their clothes, he remembered that he still had the other part of his little impromptu surprise to reveal. Reluctantly, he pulled back from their kiss, still holding Ianto in his arms. "I've got a surprise for you."

Ianto looked down to the obvious bulge in Jack's jeans. "I can see that. Although, given what we were just doing, I'm not sure I'd call it a surprise. Sort of the opposite, actually." Grinning, his gaze met Jack's again. "Not that it's unwelcome by any means."

Jack laughed and took a moment to admire Ianto's own impressive denim-clad bulge. "Glad to hear it. But, no, that's not what I meant. This is something I got for you. A sort of belated welcome-to-your-new-home and early Christmas present rolled into one. I'll just go and get it." He pressed another kiss against Ianto's lips. "Don't go anywhere."

He retreated to his studio and retrieved the framed giclée print from where he'd hidden it two days earlier after collecting it from the framers. The print itself he'd purchased from a London-based company, which a helpful lady he'd spoken with at the museum had recommended.

Returning to the bedroom, he found Ianto sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for him with a curious expression on his face. Smiling, Jack held up the large frame, turning it around to reveal the print of Monet's Sunrise. "I remembered how much you liked the original at the museum. I thought we could hang it up in here."

Ianto seemed dumbfounded as he stared at the print. He climbed to his feet and took it from Jack's outstretched hands, his eyes studying the reproduction with something akin to reverence.

Jack was reminded of their evening at the museum, the same night that Ianto had kissed him for the first time and turned his world upside-down. "What do you think? Do you like it?"

A warm smile spread across Ianto's face as he looked up. "I love it, Jack. Thank you."

Relieved, Jack watched as Ianto carefully set the print down, leaning it up against the chest of drawers. Ianto took a step back, still staring at it. "It's breathtaking, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Moving up behind him, Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto's waist and kissed the back of his neck, just above the collar of his shirt. As stunning as the painting was with its contrast of a vibrant orange sun and serene, hazy blue harbour, it was the man in his arms who truly took his breath away.

Kissing Ianto's neck again, he picked up where they'd left off, slipping a hand beneath Ianto's shirt and stroking the path between his navel and the waistband of his jeans. With his mouth pressed against the soft skin below Ianto's ear, he lowered his voice to a seductive whisper. "You know, we've never had sex in the middle of the afternoon before. That seems like an oversight we should correct, don't you think?"

Ianto's breath hitched. "That sounds rather... indulgent. And I've still got ironing to do."

Undeterred, Jack wormed his other hand beneath Ianto's shirt and up through his chest hair. He teased a nipple again, evoking a shudder followed by a soft moan. Ianto cleared his throat. "Ah... on the other hand... it would be remiss of me not to thank you properly for my present."

Jack grinned and gave Ianto's earlobe a playful nip. "Is that a yes?"

He was pretty sure that he had his answer when Ianto turned in his arms, pushed him down onto the bed, then climbed on top of him and kissed him senseless.

###

"Okay, so I've got a very serious question for you." Jack foraged in one of the multitude of shopping bags scattered across the floor and sofa. A moment later, he gave a whoop of success and held up his findings with a flourish. "Reindeer antlers or Santa hat?"

Ianto looked up from where he was unpacking one of the other bags of Christmas decorations and stared open-mouthed at the pair of gaudy offerings. "Um... neither?"

Jack merely laughed and proceeded to jam the Santa hat unceremoniously onto Ianto's head. "Santa hat, then. Perfect! Plus, it's red, your favourite colour. Anyway, I want the antlers for myself". He affixed the antlers onto his head and grinned. "How do I look?"

Ianto raised an eyebrow as he attempted to adjust his newly acquired hat. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Spoilsport." Jack laughed again and returned to the shopping bag. "Oh, and I got you slippers to match. I hope they're big enough." He produced a pair of red elf slippers complete with white fur trim, curled toes and bells on the tips.

Wondering if it was too late to make a run for it, Ianto sighed and reluctantly took ownership of the slippers. Jack seemed to find his penchant for slippers highly amusing, and it was with a sinking feeling that he realised this was probably just the first of many garishly themed additions to his otherwise tasteful collection.

He sat down and replaced the plain dark blue slippers he was currently wearing with the hideous creations. Wiggling his toes and cringing at the jingling bells, he discovered they were actually rather cosy, not that he intended to share that observation with Jack since it would only encourage him. He looked at Moses, who was stretched out at the other end of the sofa and watching them with heavy-lidded eyes. "Please tell me you don't have a Christmas outfit for Moses."

Jack shook his head, his antlers swinging wildly back and forth, and began untangling the set of Christmas tree lights that he'd just taken out of their box. "Sadly, no. I tried one of those cute shark suits on him once, but he didn't seem to like it. "

Ianto smiled at Moses and reached over to give him an approving scratch between the ears. He then turned his attention to helping Jack wrestle the mile-long string of lights into submission.

Traditionally, Christmas wasn't a happy time for him. Lunch with Rhiannon on the day itself was typically the extent of his Yuletide efforts. For those few hours, he'd put on a brave face and try to be cheerful because he knew how much it meant to her that they were together for Christmas. The rest of the time, he tried his best to ignore the festive season, looking forward to when it was over for another year and everything returned to normal.

By necessity, this year would be different. Firstly, he had the bakery, and he'd put a lot of effort into perfecting their range of festive offerings, the centrepiece of which was their fruitcakes and mince pies based on his mum's recipes. His mum had always loved Christmas, and some of his fondest memories were of the time they'd spent together baking for the holidays.

Then, of course, there was Jack, who apparently took Christmas rather seriously. He still had no idea how Jack had managed to wrangle the enormous spruce tree into the flat while he'd been at work the day before. It was a beautiful tree, but he suspected that he'd soon be cursing the deluge of falling pine needles. Jack said he'd wanted the tree to be a surprise, but he wished that he'd known what Jack was planning and been able to rein in his exuberance. At least he'd know to be prepared next year, he supposed.

Jack's eclectic playlist of Christmas-themed music was playing in the background, which Ianto was surprised to find that he didn't actually hate. He despised the traditional Christmas carols, finding them depressing rather than uplifting, but Jack had managed to put together a selection of less well- known songs, both old and modern.

Also on the plus side was Jack's aesthetic flair, which was evident in his choices of decorations, even if it seemed like he'd cleared out half the shops in Cardiff in the process. Whereas Rhiannon's tree was always a riot of mismatched, multi-coloured decorations, Jack had gone for a classic and cheerful red and gold theme, with tasteful, understated ornaments which complimented each other very nicely. It was with the size of the tree and the sheer volume of decorations where Jack had let his enthusiasm get the better of him.

Deciding that coffee was in order given the enormity of their task, he left Jack to deal with the rest of the lights and retreated to the kitchen. A couple of quick snips with the kitchen scissors dealt with the obnoxious bells on his feet, and he returned a few minutes later with mugs of fresh coffee and a plate of two mince pies for Jack. He was still full from the hearty lamb stew that Jack had made for dinner along with his own contribution for dessert of spicy apple pudding and vanilla custard.

Jack threw himself into Christmas tree decoration with the same exuberance that he did everything else, and Ianto couldn't deny that his enthusiasm was infectious. Jack had an innate knack for making any activity fun, and it was one of the things that Ianto loved about him. He had to draw the line, however, when Jack wanted to hoist him up onto his shoulders in order to hang the glowing star at the top of the tree. Instead, they made do with the help of a chair.

Finally they were finished, and Jack was sitting on the floor in front of the tree, resting against the front of the sofa and watching while Ianto made some final tweaks. He was enjoying himself more than he'd expected and wanted the tree to be perfect. Stepping back, he cast a critical eye over the result before moving in again to make some further adjustments.

"Come and sit with me."

Ianto turned and smiled as Jack patted the space between his legs in invitation. Deciding that he was satisfied with their efforts, he moved to where Jack was sitting, lowering himself to sit between Jack's legs and resting against his broad chest.

Jack's arms wrapped around him and warm lips pressed a kiss against his neck. "So, what do you think of our first Christmas tree?"

Ianto rested his head on Jack's shoulder and tangled their hands together. The multitude of twinkling lights cast the room in a warm, comforting glow. "It's beautiful, Jack."

"I'm glad you like it." Jack gave him an affectionate squeeze. "I know I went a little overboard, but it's our first Christmas together and I want it to be special. I've never had someone to share Christmas with like this." His thumb stroked the inside of Ianto's wrist. "It's a tough time of the year for you, isn't it? Because of your mom?"

Although they hadn't talked about it, Ianto assumed that Rhiannon had filled Jack in on the circumstances of their mother's death at some point or had mentioned his general dislike of the Christmas season, with Jack then connecting the dots. Ignoring the familiar tightness in his chest, he nodded. "She died two weeks before Christmas. The years since then... well, there didn't seem to be anything to celebrate. She loved Christmas. It seemed wrong to enjoy it when she wasn't with us anymore."

Jack's arms tightened around him, and he kissed Ianto's neck again. They were silent for a minute or two, Jack's breath a gentle, comforting caress against Ianto's skin.

Jack's voice was hesitant when he spoke again. "Do you think she would have been okay with us being together?"

It was something that Ianto had wondered about himself. His mum had been an only child, quiet and introspective, much like himself. She had been kind and hadn't been one to judge others. He couldn't recall her ever saying anything derogatory about homosexuality, but one of her own children being in a same-sex relationship might have been a different story. "Honestly, I don't know. But I like to think so... I like to think the only thing that would have mattered was whether I was happy. My dad on the other hand..." He stopped mid-sentence, deciding not to continue that pointless train of thought. His father had been hypocritical and often harsh, quick to find fault with others while remaining ignorant of his own failings. "After mum died, he didn't care about much of anything."

Jack pressed their cheeks together, but he didn't say anything further, for which Ianto was grateful.

Sitting there in Jack's arms, he realised that he had a lot to be thankful for. The bakery was doing well. He'd found himself a loving and generous partner, and he was living in a luxurious new home. Rhiannon was happily married, and Rhys was in a new relationship and happy too. He squeezed Jack's hand. "I think this year will be different. I want it to be different."

"Good. I'm glad." Jack drew a deep breath. His body tensed, and as he spoke again, his voice was little more than a soft whisper. "I love you, Ianto. You know that, don't you?"

Ianto did know. After all, he wouldn't have moved in with Jack if he hadn't been sure of Jack's feelings for him or his feelings for Jack in return. Still, they'd never said the actual words before, and he hadn't even been sure if two men said that to each other, which he supposed, if he stopped to think about it, was a bit ridiculous. Just because they were both men didn't mean that they were incapable of expressing their feelings.

And even though he hadn't needed to hear those three simple words, he was surprised by how much he enjoyed hearing Jack say them. "I know. I love you too, Jack. Very much." He wiggled his toes. "Even though you make me wear silly hats and ridiculous slippers."

Jack laughed, and his body relaxed again. He tilted his head and kissed the corner of Ianto's mouth. "When did you first know?"

"The night of Rhiannon's wedding. When we were dancing together." Ianto smiled at the memory of both the dancing and the night that followed. That had been a turning point for him in terms of their relationship. "So... what about you?"

"Well, I was smitten with you from the moment we met, but you already know that." Jack paused and it seemed like he wasn't going to say anything further. But then he spoke again, his voice uncharacteristically self-conscious. "It was the first night we had dinner together at your flat. When you fell asleep during Moonraker. That's when I knew I was falling in love with you."

Ianto failed to hide his surprise. He'd known that Jack had been attracted to him, but he hadn't realised Jack's feelings had been that deep so early on. He turned with raised eyebrows and looked into Jack's eyes.

Jack shrugged and gave him a lopsided smile. "I know. Crazy, huh?"

Ianto shrugged too. "Maybe. A bit. After you left that night, I remember thinking that you looked like you wanted to kiss me." He didn't add that, even then, there had been some part of him that had wanted Jack to kiss him too.

Jack nodded. "I did. Desperately. But I doubt it would have gone well back then."

"No. Probably not." All things considered, Ianto couldn't disagree. It was strange, thinking of all the ways that things could have turned out differently – how just one ill-timed action could have derailed their chances of being where they were now. It was a sobering and unsettling thought.

Shifting around, he straddled Jack's hips and traced the pad of his thumb along Jack's full lower lip. "You can kiss me now."

Amusement gleamed in Jack's eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yep." Ianto grinned.

Grinning in return, Jack took hold of Ianto's face with both hands and kissed him in a way that Ianto doubted either of them would soon forget.