12
The kids entered all talking animatedly, choosing to sit in what must be their usual spots. Rhiannon watched on with amusement as Ianto calmly walked over and placed a large plate of sandwiches down in front of the kids, then a tray of drinks.
"Thanks" David said absently as he accepted his.
"Good manners Davie" Ianto replied softly like he always did and the boy looked up at him, stalling out as his eyes widened and he took in the man standing there. A soldier. A large, Army Camo clad man with a sidearm, a weathered face and whiskers and a beard, with…. Those eyes.
David leaned back in his chair as Mica and Anna continued to talk.
"Uncle Ianto?"
"Hello Davie Boy"
David leapt from the chair, slamming it back as he launched himself at Into, laughing as he clung to him and buried his face in his chest, then sobbing as he went limp, as if the weight of the world suddenly was lifted. Ianto was home, they would be safe now.
"Taddy?"
"Hello princess" Ianto smiled and she gasped, seeing her Tad behind the beard.
Oh Taddy" she started to sob, clinging to him as well.
The other kids in the room finally caught on and started to ask questions, wanting to get close and he rose with his hands out t quiet them down and speak "OK…OK. First of all… yes I have seen them. Killed them. Killed one up close just this morning and they are very… very dangerous. You are all safe, this place is well defended and everyone here is going to be OK."
Once they all settled down and agreed to go back to class, Ianto promising to be there when Anna finished her school work, Ianto headed back to find the others. Jack watched from a distance, as he always did. Close enough to let Ianto know he was there, far enough away to let him have space.
Ianto stooped walking and let him catch up.
"Right. You asked me about the key ring on my backpack"
"Yeah, Lisa?"
"No. No, I told you my first real lover gave me that. You are about to meet him and will likely hate him as much as I do" Ianto corrected and Jack made a face of surprise. Ianto explained "I was ten. He was too. He said our love was a secret, that we were destined. Other crap. Truth is, he found out the geek everyone bullies hides out in the library so he found me there. Instead of thumping me like I expected, he settled to talk to me. Wound up doing it almost every day. Then came poems, love tokens… hand holding and my first kiss."
Ianto sighed, rubbing his face "then after almost a year of this… talking about growing up and having a home together, seeing the world… he kissed Emma Harris in front of everyone in the cafeteria and declares her his girlfriend like it was no big deal"
"Ouch." Jack grimaced "what did you do?"
"I collected all the shit he gave me and dumped it on his desk during Home Room Time. I told him he was a bastard and I didn't want to be his boyfriend anymore. Everyone went insane, he was horrified. The poems were snatched up and read out loud, his Girlfriend cried… the whole nine yards" Ianto laughed softly. "It was only later that I saw the bloody key ring under my bed and decided to keep it. As a reminder that even the person you love the most can hurt you the deepest."
"And… this twat?"
"Sebastian. Yeah, looks like he is Mister Mayor."
"Ahhhh…. Fuck."
"Hmmmm."
They entered to find Mickey and Rhys in deep discussion with town officials while leaning over a map. Jack stepped forward to listen in as they found out the town was not likely to survive the winter due to low supplies.
"There was surprised to be a goods train that day, the day it all went to shit" the pretty man was saying, his blonde locks brushing against his shoulders in a Brad Pitt way "It went along this main track and delivered to all the towns in this valley. Unfortunately we were next for delivery after their first stop … they never showed. We think they either stopped all trains when it started with the ship in the sky or the train was attacked by the land Aliens."
"So somewhere between that town and us is a fully laden goods train with goods for at least four more towns in board" Jack said as he leaned in to look "and it's more than an hour's drive?"
"Why we never thought to. This Down Time is not long enough. But if what you say about the rain is true… we might be able to get there."
Jack glanced back at Ianto who nodded, unable to look at the blonde god who was grinning at Jack so openly.
Yeah.
Jack decided he didn't like him either.