28
Jack entered the house to find a smell pulling him into the kitchen where Ianto was about to lift a heavy roasting dish up for the oven.
"Hey, don't lift that." Ianto turned with a soft smile to step back as Jack rushed to lift it for him, then crow over the huge roast sitting in the gravy that was being kept warm for his return "Oh god… yum."
"Well, just us so I wanted a nice evening." Ianto smiled as he pointed at his table "a date night."
"I love date nights" Jack sighed theatrically.
Soon they were seated, eating the fine food as Jack eyed the dessert sitting to one side. He really loved this… domestic life… he never knew it would be this easy.
"I want to talk about something" Into broke the silence "I want you to move in here with me. I want to wake up with you, I want to have your arms around me in the dark. When Sprout comes, I want you here to help care for him and be…. Ah…. Domestic."
Jack blinked then said "I was just thinking that. This is Domestic and I like it. Really? Move in?"
"Yes. I miss you when you are not next to me… I feel… well… sad." Ianto shrugged, nervous and flustered as he fiddled with the table cloth.
"Aww. Sweet Tiger."
"The thing is… I know you don't like to be locked down and I know you have your own independence and routine and…."
"Yes" Jack said softly, reaching across the table to seize one of the hands flying about Ianto's' head "I would love to move in with you but… we are doing things all arse about backwards aren't we? I knock you up then we move in together… then get married?"
Ianto went still.
So still he was not even breathing as he stared at Jack like he was speaking a foreign language.
"Ianto, I love you. I have known long since the Sprout… I know we are connected, I know we fit so damned well we were made for one another. Fate. Kismet. The Gods… I don't know but I have never… NEVER… felt this for anyone else, not even my own children. Gods, do NOT tell Alice I said that… Ianto, I love you. I want to see how far we can fly this thing until the gas runs out and we float into the black."
"Wow" Ianto finally said with a chuff of breath "i… I could not have said it better myself."
"Ianto, let's get married. A big, lavish and stupid wedding here in the grounds to the Blumanchu can dance for us… let's get stupid." Jack begged "for once in your life… be openly stupid."
"Jack, I could never be as stupid as you" Ianto replied, then burst out into those loud brays of laughter Jack loved so much.
Jack sat back with a feeling of triumph and delight.
They were getting married.
.
.
"And you said…."
"Well I agreed, obviously" Ianto said as he turned from the sink to look at his daughter, her appearance the next morning slow and fragile, as it was most mornings until her father had made her his best 'magic juice' as he called it, ever since she was a little girl.
"And so…."
"I am going to go against the grain and leave it up to him" Ianto replied and added "I know. Sheer madness and sooo not me but you know… I think … I need to stop being so controlling when life does it's own thing and if Sprout has taught me anything you already haven't… it is that sometimes you have to trust in the gods."
"So a wedding huh?"
"And you are my best man so… you need to get a tux I guess"
"Tad! Stop it"
"HA! You said Tad! It's kissy time!"
"NO" she fake screamed, running for him as he chased her with his hands out like claws "Tee, nooo Tee…"
"Arghhhhhhhh" he growled, Mica appearing at the bottom of the stairs in time to see him seize Rhiannon and kiss her all over her face in butterfly kisses as she squealed and laughed, clutching to her father.
"What happened?" Mica asked.
"I forgot the rule" she laughed.
"Oh, the one where I have to call him Gee instead of grandtad?"
"ARGHHHHH" he released Rhiannon to swing on his granddaughter You little horror… get here now."
Mica screamed and ran with glee, her Grandfather now chasing her as the game echoed through the house. Upstairs David paused as he was doing up his shirt and shook his head with wonder, then grinned.
He stomped down the stairs to roar "Hey cut that out. So early in the morning , you will wake the gods!"
They all turned to blow raspberries at him as he stood like the man of the house, his hands on his hips and a look of fake annoyance "Bloody kids, the lot of ya!"
Their roars of laughter filled the house.
Sprout likes laughter.