Chapter Thirty-One

While Ianto had his own personal and painful reasons for disliking the holiday season, he now had a professional reason as well. Over the course of the past week, the bakery had become a madhouse.

Thanks to their growing popularity along with updates to the website and social media promotion on Jack's part, they'd been inundated with orders for their Christmas offerings. With just six work days left before the twenty-fifth, he suspected that a Christmas miracle might be needed if they were going to avoid disappointment. Their mince pies and smaller fruitcakes were selling as fast as he could make them, his version of the traditional French Yule log or bûche de Noël was proving more popular than he'd anticipated, and they'd received orders for fifteen more full-size fruitcakes since only the day before. Plus, of course, they had to produce their usual selection of breads and pastries in addition to supplying Adrian's cafe.

After they'd all worked so diligently to get the bakery to where it was, the last thing he wanted was disgruntled customers tarnishing their reputation. He had no choice but to work around the clock if necessary to make sure that every order was filled. On the plus side, the increased revenue was always welcome and the bakery would be closed between Christmas and New Year, thereby giving him a week off to recover. As much as he loved baking and enjoyed the routine of the bakery now that business was going well, a week without long days on his feet and dragging himself out of bed at four-thirty in the morning – with the bonus of uninterrupted time to spend with Jack – sounded like heaven.

He'd sent Rhys and Jake home an hour earlier, and after a fortifying cup of coffee followed by a call to check-in with Jack, he reviewed the list of orders, checked their inventory and worked out the additional supplies he'd need to purchase. Then, while the cakes he'd placed into the ovens earlier finished baking, he got to work on preparing fruitcake ingredients and batches of pastry for the following day. They'd need to stop taking any further orders, but that couldn't be helped. They had limited manpower and oven capacity, and there were only so many hours in the day.

It was already past his usual bedtime when he let himself into Jack's flat – his home, as Jack kept reminding him – dead on his feet but pleased to have made a decent start for the following day. He smiled when Moses trotted into the hallway to greet him, and after shedding his coat and shoes, he knelt down to give the feline a pat and a cuddle. He'd become quite attached to Jack's cat in the time they'd known each other, and Jack joked that Moses had a new favourite human.

Although he'd had reservations about living rent-free in a home that wasn't his own, he couldn't deny that he liked coming home to Jack and Moses at the end of each day. Jack had gone out of his way to make him feel welcome, and other than the inordinate amount of time that Jack spent primping and preening in the bathroom, he was an easy person to live with. Slowly but surely, their lives were merging into what seemed like a promisingly harmonious union. And while it was still difficult to believe how much his life had changed in the eight months since they'd first met, after their conversation on Sunday night, he knew that this was it for him. His life felt full and complete in a way that it never had before, and Jack was everything he could want in a friend, partner and lover. He couldn't imagine loving anyone more.

Jack appeared in the hallway, smiling widely and looking as delighted as ever to see him. Being his own boss, Jack was taking the next couple of weeks off, today having been his last official work day for the year. Jack had finished working on his book, which was now with the publisher and scheduled to be launched at the end of February.

They shared a kiss, and Ianto slumped wearily against him, pressing his face to Jack's neck and breathing in his familiar, comforting scent. Sometimes he wondered exactly when it had happened that being in Jack's arms felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Long, exhausting day, huh?" Jack's fingers stroked up and down his back. "Do you feel like something to eat?"

"Thanks, but I had a snack earlier." He knew that Jack wouldn't approve of his impromptu dinner of a leftover sandwich from lunch and an overripe banana, so he didn't elaborate.

Thankfully, Jack didn't push the issue and instead kissed his forehead. "How about a relaxing bath, then? If you're lucky I'll even wash your back."

Ianto managed a half-hearted chuckle. Much as he wasn't sure if he could muster the energy to move another inch, he had to admit that a nice long soak sounded incredibly appealing.

With a sigh, he levered himself off Jack and gave him a grateful smile. A partner who worked late and wanted to fall into bed the moment he got home probably wasn't what Jack had in mind when he'd asked him to move in. Unfortunately, the next few days wouldn't be any better, and he'd probably end up working on Sunday as well. "Sorry about all of this. I didn't realise it would get so out of control."

"Well, it's Christmas, which is always crazy, and it's great that business is booming. It just proves that all your hard work has paid off." Jack tilted his head, looking at him with a thoughtful expression. "I was thinking... how about I give you a hand for the next few days?"

Ianto frowned even though he couldn't deny that an extra pair of hands would be an enormous help. "Are you sure? You're on holidays."

Jack nodded. "It'll be fun. And it means I get to hang out with my favourite Welshman."

Ianto's lips twitched with the hint of a smile. "Well, it would be a big help. But only if you let me pay you."

It was Jack's turn to frown. "Ianto, I'm not taking money from you. I'm happy to help. You're my partner. We're in this together."

Ianto wondered if Jack realised how much those words meant to him. Almost from the moment they'd met, Jack had been his staunchest supporter, and that hadn't changed in all the time since. He tried to keep a straight-face as he spoke again. "Actually... that wasn't the sort of payment I had in mind."

Jack continued to frown until understanding passed over his features and his expression turned into one of wide-eyed, open-mouthed shock. "Ianto Jones! You naughty, naughty man." Then he laughed, a happy grin spreading across his face. "Have I told you lately that I adore how your mind works?" His grin grew wider. "It's a deal. I hope you're up to the challenge, though. I can be very greedy."

Ianto feigned a look of innocence. "Really, Jack? I had no idea."

He was still smiling as he entered the bedroom and began to undress, Jack having returned to his office to finish whatever he was working on. As tired as he was, he couldn't abide leaving discarded clothing scattered around, so he wrapped himself in his bathrobe and put everything else away where it belonged. Then he ran a bath, adding a generous splash of one of the essential oil concoctions that Rhiannon had foisted upon him to help him relax. This particular one, he had to admit, was very nice – warm and woody, with an undertone of jasmine and lavender. After brushing his teeth and shedding his robe, he sank into the hot, scented water with a sigh of relief.

He must have nodded off, because he was woken by a hand touching his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Jack kneeling beside the bath. Jack was smiling at him and also happened to be completely naked. "You must have dozed off for a couple of minutes. Scoot forward and let me wash your back."

Rising up from the water, Ianto shifted forward far enough for Jack to climb in behind him. The bathtub was generously proportioned in both width and length, but even so, it was only just big enough for the two of them. Although they showered together sometimes, this was new, and he rested back against Jack with a pleasurable sigh, happy as always to feel Jack's bare skin against his own.

After kissing his shoulder, Jack proceeded to wash his arms and chest, working gently but diligently as he lathered him with body wash and rinsed it off with a soft flannel. Too tired to do more than murmur appreciatively as Jack's hands moved over him, he leaned forward when Jack requested so that he could wash his shoulders and back, then once more reclined against him. When Jack's attention shifted to his crotch, he moaned and tilted his head up for a kiss. But then he must have dozed off again, because the next thing he knew Jack was coaxing him up and out of the cooling water.

They dried off as they kissed, both semi-hard and nudging against each other. Jack chuckled as Ianto slumped against him again. "Come on, let's get you into bed before you fall asleep standing up."

Jack's expensive sheets were soft and cool against his warm skin. He curled himself around Jack, kissing his chest and taking him in hand, a few languid strokes bringing him to full hardness. Although he didn't have the energy for anything more enthusiastic, he wanted to give Jack this simple pleasure before sleep took hold again. Although their sexual repertoire was now wide and varied – he was actually quite pleased with how well he'd acclimated to all the different possibilities – simply using their hands on each other was one of their more frequent activities, depending on how much time they had or what sort of mood they were in. They'd even started to make a game of it by competing for how long they could last against each other's best efforts, and Jack had purchased an old-fashioned stopwatch to make things more interesting. To date, Ianto was in the lead, but only by twenty-three seconds.

Jack responded with a moan of approval, but then he touched Ianto's cheek, causing him to pause although not relinquish his grip. "You don't have to. You're tired."

With a small shake of his head, Ianto kissed Jack's hand. "It's okay. I want to."

Jack didn't protest any further, and it wasn't long before he was enjoying one of his typically intense orgasms. Jack's lack of inhibition and complete surrender to pleasure never failed to thrill Ianto, more so because he was the one making it happen. And while he'd never considered himself to be a selfish lover, he also hadn't experienced such a deep sense of satisfaction from giving pleasure as he did with Jack.

They kissed as Jack took him in hand and returned the favour, stroking and teasing him until he enjoyed a wonderfully intense climax of his own. Then they cleaned up before pulling up the bed covers and wrapping themselves around each other again.

Tired, but sated and a little less guilty about neglecting his partner, Ianto went to sleep with Jack in his arms, vowing that as soon as the Christmas madness was over, he'd give Jack as much attention as he wanted and deserved.

###

With an obvious sigh of relief, Ianto placed the last of the fruitcakes into a box and handed it to Jack. "Right. Done. And next year, we're not taking orders. First come, first served."

Jack laughed, although he couldn't deny being equally relieved. "All things considered, I think that's probably a very good idea."

He enjoyed working at the bakery and being a part of Myfanwy's little family, but it had been a long and exhausting few days for all four of them, especially for Ianto and by extension himself. Being woken up in the middle of the night by Ianto's alarm was one thing, but actually getting up and going to work with Ianto at an ungodly hour was something else entirely. Plus, since Ianto had been working late each night, he'd stayed too, not wanting to leave Ianto to cope on his own.

He took the fruitcake out to the customer, wished her a happy Christmas and left her in Rhys's capable hands while he moved on to the next person waiting to be served.

It was Christmas Eve at last and only a half hour before closing time. Then there were eight whole days to enjoy together before the bakery reopened at the beginning of the new year. Everything was planned. They were having Christmas lunch with Rhiannon and Johnny, then spending Christmas evening at home, and the day after they were heading down to Cornwall for a few days. They both needed the break, Ianto especially, and Jack was looking forward to the time together without the intrusions of daily life.

They had a final burst of activity, selling the last of the mince pies and Yule logs as some beleaguered last-minute shoppers sought refuge and refreshment. Then, finally, the bakery was empty, and Jack had the honour of locking the door and flipping the sign in the window to 'Closed'.

"Oh, thank God." Jake leaned against the counter with a weary sigh. "Bloody hell, I'm knackered."

Rhys came up beside him and rubbed his back, causing Jake to turn and slump against him. Rhys chuckled and pulled him into a hug. "You and me both. I could sleep for a week."

Jack smiled as he walked back to join them. The two men made an adorable couple. Not as adorable or gorgeous as Ianto and himself, of course, but he couldn't deny that they looked really good together.

"Well, that was a fun few days." He clapped Rhys on the shoulder after the pair had eased apart. "Although, I've got to admit, I've never been more glad that Christmas is only once a year. Still, there's Easter and it falls early next year." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I can't wait to taste Ianto's hot cross buns."

He'd always been a fan of the hot cross bun, and he had no doubt that Ianto's version of the traditional Easter treat would be as irresistible as his other baked delights. He'd been won over by Ianto's mince pies, having gorged himself on more than he cared to know in the past couple of weeks, and he hadn't even been a fan of mince pies until he'd tasted Ianto's.

Rhys laughed, and Jake flashed him an amused grin. "You're insatiable, Jack. Not to mention, completely shameless."

"True." Jack shrugged, unable to deny it.

Ianto appeared from the kitchen, looking tired but happy. He joined them at the counter. "You're not getting anymore mince pies, Jack. I'm cutting you off." He gestured at the empty display cabinets. "Besides, there aren't any left."

Jack stared at him in disbelief. "But you kept some aside, right?"

Ianto shook his head. "Nope. All gone. You'll just have to wait until next Christmas."

Jack scowled but wasn't ready to be bested quite so easily. "Rhiannon has some. She took a dozen with her today. She likes me. She'll let me have a few."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Jack." Jake shrugged, although he was clearly struggling to hold back his amusement. "Johnny loves them as much as you do. Knowing him, he'll have them all eaten by tomorrow."

Rhys held up his hands in defence. "Don't look at me, mate. I don't have any stashed away." He patted his stomach, which Jack had noticed was looking a little more svelte recently. "I've been trying to cut back."

Jack sighed with defeat and gave Ianto an unhappy pout. On the bright side, there was still half of one of Ianto's fruitcakes at home. Ianto had also made a Christmas pudding for tomorrow, Jack had bought an enormous turkey, and Rhiannon was doing a baked ham and side dishes. So he supposed that he didn't really need any more mince pies. He just didn't like being denied on principle, even if Ianto was looking out for his best interests.

Ianto slipped an arm around Jack's waist, giving him a sideways hug, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for all your help, Jack. We couldn't have done it without you."

Appeased, Jack smiled and hugged him back.

Despite their exhaustion, they couldn't very well spend Christmas Eve passed out in their respective beds, so Jack suggested pizza and beer back at their flat. Rhys and Jake agreed, and Ianto insisted that it was his treat as a thank you for their hard work.

Jake had driven into work with Rhys, as Ianto had done with Jack. So after they'd finished closing up the bakery, they drove to Mermaid Quay to procure their food and beverages, Jack going with Ianto to their favourite pizza place while Rhys and Jake went to Tesco. As usual Ianto wanted a meat feast, so Jack added tubs of potato salad and coleslaw to their order in an attempt to get Ianto to eat some vegetables. It was their ritual when ordering take-away pizza and always made him smile, more so when Ianto invariably rolled his eyes.

They were all ravenous when they finally arrived at the flat, and the two large pizzas were devoured in short order. Jack managed to get a couple of spoonfuls of salad into Ianto before the three of them polished off the rest. He'd been gradually trying to improve Ianto's eating habits with more nourishing, home-cooked food in lieu of takeaways and frozen, pre-packaged meals but it was still a work-in-progress. It would be easier now that they were living together.

Rhys and Ianto were zoned out watching a comedy show, so Jack used the opportunity to take Jake into his studio and show off his new camera – a state-of-the-art, full-frame digital SLR with fifty mega-pixel sensor. Given that it was almost twice the resolution of his current high-end camera, he'd been drooling over it from the moment he'd learnt of its existence, much to Ianto's amusement. There were times when bigger was better, and Jack refused to believe otherwise. Jake was suitably impressed, and Jack liked that he could always count on Jake's enthusiasm to match his own.

After then showing Jake the finished layouts for his book, they returned to the kitchen for a fresh round of drinks.

"Here we go." Jack popped the tops on two bottles of beer and moved around to where Jake was leaning back against the other side of the kitchen counter. Jake was staring across at Rhys, who was now sound asleep, as was Ianto.

Rhys was snoring, while Ianto's mouth hung open in a way that was endearing but not particularly flattering. Wondering if he should try to take a photo of the pair before they woke up, Jack handed one of the bottles to Jake, tapping it with his own. "Cheers."

"Cheers, Jack." Jake flashed him a smile and took a pull from the bottle, his gaze returning to his slumbering boyfriend.

Jack recognised the expression on Jake's face as one that he'd worn many times himself since he and Ianto had met. The soft, intimate smile and the affection in Jake's blue eyes spoke of a man in love.

Jack smiled and turned his attention back towards Ianto. "It's incredible, isn't it? How finding that one special person changes everything."

"Yeah, absolutely." Jake swallowed another mouthful. He lowered his voice. "Bloody terrifying at times too. Don't get me wrong, though. I've had my fair share of lousy boyfriends. I know how lucky I am to have an amazing bloke like Rhys. Meeting him was one of the best things to happen to me in a long time."

Jack nodded. "I feel the same way about Ianto. And I know what you mean about being scared. Trust me, I've been there."

He sipped his beer as he reflected on his relationship with Ianto. Looking back, it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't managed to send Ianto running for the hills. He knew that he could be a handful at times, and he'd been relentless in his pursuit of the Welshman. It was a testament to Ianto's strength of character that they'd made it this far. And perhaps, despite his doubts along the way, Ianto had known that this wasn't something he could walk away from either.

He continued after a moment, voicing his thoughts aloud. "It's worth it, though. And maybe the fear is a good thing. It means that it's real... that it's worth the risk... worth fighting for. It's a reminder not to take anything for granted." He chuckled at himself. "I must be getting philosophical in my old age."

Jake chuckled along with him. "Being in a relationship will do that to a bloke." He sobered, his expression turning contemplative. "You're right, Jack. I've never felt this way with anyone else. Didn't see myself as the type to settle down, if I'm being completely honest. But like you said, everything changes when the right person comes along."

Clearly he and Jake hadn't been so different in their past lives. Delighted as he was by the prospect of Rhys and Jake settling down together, Jack suddenly had a terrible thought. "Just remember that Ianto and I were together first. If you and Rhys decide to get married, you'll have to wait your turn."

Jake's eyes widened, but then he relaxed again and grinned. "Rhys said you're chomping at the bit to make an honest man of Ianto. Don't worry, mate. We're a long way off from anything like that."

Jack sighed, not overly reassured. He still had five months and four days to go of the agreed six-month moratorium. Even when the time was up, there was no guarantee that Ianto would agree to marry him. Jake and Rhys could be living together and sending out wedding invitations by then. He pushed aside the unwelcome thought that he and Ianto might not be next, not wanting to even consider the possibility.

They chatted some more as they finished their drinks. Then they joined their partners, but not before Jack had retrieved his new camera and captured the slumbering pair in fifty mega-pixel glory. Eventually Ianto and Rhys roused and, after a fortifying round of coffees, Rhys and Jake took their leave. They'd be seeing each other again at Rhiannon's for Christmas lunch.

Jack was standing at the balcony windows and staring out into the night sky when Ianto returned from the bathroom and joined him. Jack smiled and slipped his arm around Ianto's waist. "I was hoping we'd get some snow, but it's not looking very likely."

"A white Christmas would have been nice. It's been a few years since we've had one." Ianto tilted his head and looked at him curiously. "So what did you and Jake talk about while we were asleep?"

Jack shrugged. "Oh, you know. This and that. Guy talk. Comparing notes on our gorgeous boyfriends, that sort of thing. Jake wanted to get out the measuring tape, but I told him you wouldn't approve."

Ianto rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him for a moment. "I should know better by now than to ask, shouldn't I?"

Jack grinned. "Yeah, you probably should. Come here." He pulled Ianto into his arms and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Merry Christmas, Ianto."

Ianto smiled and kissed him back. "Merry Christmas, Jack."