10
It was a nice house actually. Ianto spent time walking around outside it, looking at it and pondering the fact his money was paying for it while another family were about to move into it. Right. Time to suck it up one more time… enter some live fire. Bleed.
Ianto entered the Military Consulate and approached the front desk, calmly waiting for someone to look up from their screens.
"Can I help you sir?"
"Flight Lieutenant Ianto Jones, Third Battalion, Consolation 5."
The man's eyes widened as he sat bold upright in his chair, then he hurriedly stood, kicking the chair away to snap off a salute "Sir."
"At ease" Ianto said with the same soft voice "I am retired, as most of us old war horses are these days. I was hoping to speak with someone about my pension actually, sort out some access to my other accounts."
"Sir, I … will… I… oh Gods" the man rushed off and Ianto looked around with interest at the bright and airy place.
"FL Jones?" a voice called out "Oh my god, it is you!"
"Warren?" Ianto smiled as the old man shuffled over, his cane slapping at those in his way. Ianto opened his arms to embrace him as friends do.
"My god, look at you. Still the same as when we actively served, hey Marshall, see this man? He was my commanding officer during the fight of Cancer Cerari" Warren was calling out to another older gentleman who paled as he stared at the pretty young thing hugging Warren.
"I am a Bio solider" Ianto said without a hint of shame "Warren here was one of the few humans not afraid to walk alongside me under fire, mind… he did duck behind me now and then."
Laugher now as no one EVER said anything derogatory about their old boss, the old man seemingly chuffed as hr slapped at Ianto and laughed along with them.
Once in the office, Ianto laid it all out, Warne's face paling as he heard of the living conditions. He promised to get back to Ianto about things, would let him know as soon as possible so Ianto rose to leave, shaking the man's hand and then enduring another hug.
He returned home to chaos.
"A bloody Fuckerrat!" Rhiannon was bellowing "are you mad? Do you think your GeeTee will be happy to find THAT in his sock drawer?"
"But I will keep it n MY sock drawer" came a faint reply.
"OI!" Ianto entered the shack and everyone froze at his bark of anger "Did I not say no already young lady?"
"And if you have that, I have to take this Fangrabbit back" Jack said from behind him, the rabbit with large vampire style fangs in his hands with red devil eyes thrust towards the child.
She screamed with glee, rushing to seize it and cuddle it close, crying with delight.
"I am building a hitch out back, I got one each for our grandsons too. The three of them can have them in there and they can stay safe, warm and outside" Jack assured Rhiannon. "Just cuddles by the fire sometimes."
"Three. Are they all the same sex?" Ianto asked.
"Come on, like I would make a mistake like that" Jake laughed, then headed outside with the little girl to see where her brother and his bestie were with their own Fangrabbits.
Ianto shared a look with Rhiannon that told her that yes… he did think he might make a mistake like that. Finally, she found herself giggling like she used to.
Fuck Johnny No-hope.
.
.
The screaming was loud and long, accompanied by loud thumping noises and Ianto slammed out of his shack, running for the one across the street next to Martha's as Jack did the same. They entered to find a woman on her table, the entire thing rocking as she stomped her feet, screaming in coherently.
Then Ianto saw why and he gave a loud bellow, running forward to start stomping as well, only his pretty well polished boots were stomping down onto bugs.
"Fire Ants" Jack yelled out the door "Get buckets of water, hurry. We have Fire Ants in here."
Soon there were buckets of water sloshing all over the place as the bugs causally consuming the shack were flushed to the ground for massive boots to stomp on. Rhys and Andy amongst those working as Gwen comforted the woman in the Mess Hall.
Ianto finally stopped stomping to bend over and chough, then rise and grimace as he clutched at his side.
"You OK?" Jack panted next to him.
"The smell, gods the smell. It is so…"
"Yeah. Like pulse cannon discharge" Jack agreed, also hating the smell that reminded them of a battlefield.
"OK" Rhiannon said as she took in the now drenched but intact shack "this is fucking terrible. This is… Christ. We can't keep living like this."
"Right, the one at the other end of the block is empty. Come on everyone, let's help shift everything into there and this place can fucking burn itself down!" Ianto said as he picked up some of the poor woman's belongings that had escaped the bugs. Soon everyone was there helping once more, Gwen scolding Rhys in the background about back hair of all things while Andy ran interference.
"Until you get that waxed off… there will be a sofas with your name on it!" she was repeating.
"And if MY boyfriend ever waxed his back I would give him a sofa too" Andy was replying "Imagine a lively teddy bear without his pelt."
"Ewwww" several people laughed softly.
"My husband died in flight, got here to this… what next" she sobbed softly as she started to morosely gather things as well, "The kids are going to be so upset. They just got used to this bloody hell hole."
"Come on now missus, we will have you in an entirely new hell hole in no time" Ianto said with a grin and she started to laugh though her tears.
They would make it.