Torchwood: Divergence
Book Three: Rheoleiddiad
Chapter 53
Harkness locked the knob and the deadlatch, turned to find a worn blue jean, thermal shirt, and shearling slipper clad Ianto slowly making his way down the stairs. Their holiday had officially begun.
"You can make anything look sexy," he insisted with a fond smile and wiggle of his eyebrows, holding out a hand to the younger immortal. "We have a full lunch spread waiting. I say we have a bite to eat, retire to the sitting room, and do absolutely nothing. I haven't indulged in that pastime for decades, so it should be novel."
"There are a few boxes in there we can go through if you want," Ianto offered quietly, automatically moving to serve the stew and cider when they entered the kitchen. "The were in the attic. Mr. Llewellyn and I found them when I was here on leave before, so we brought them down for later sorting. He thinks some of the stuff in them may date back to the 1890's and the original owners."
"Sounds like fun," his partner nodded, shooing the twenty-six-year-old to a chair and taking over the meal serving. "You sit and relax. It's my turn to look after you, remember?"
"Sorry, force of habit," the Changeling sighed, still managing to get the plastic off the bread before the older man could stop him. "Wow… that smells really good."
"Yeah," Jack agreed wholeheartedly, serving the bowls of stew, then pouring the warm drink that had been provided with it. "Hope you're okay with a good dose of alcohol alongside. He neglected to say that this was spiked… I can smell clove, nutmeg, sweet butter, and more than just a splash of rum."
"Works for me," Ianto shrugged, waiting for his lover to sit before starting the meal. "Not like either of us can ever get drunk anymore… barring a possible hour buzz if we managed to empty an entire spirits shop or pub in one go."
"Which is good in a way," the Captain admitted with a lopsided smile as he took his seat. "But really kills the appeal at the same time. I actually managed to down enough to get a full, staggering drunk on a couple times in the distant past. Lasted a little over an hour, gave me really bizarre dreams for half that, and had me begging for death the first ten minutes I was awake afterward. So not worth it."
His Archivist smiled but nodded sympathetically as they began their lunch. The meal progressed, and a soft hum became audible in the room.
"Central heating," Ianto stated with a half-smile when he noticed his companion trying to identify the sound. "The fireplaces are purely for cosy atmosphere, and the radiators you see are just decorative now to hide the actual air vents. There's a big furnace in the cellar that went in with the T1 upgrade some years back, and all the ducting accounts for the slightly loser ceilings down there, as well as this floor and the one above. They double for air-conditioning in the summer, just a reset of levers to change from the furnace to the large condenser unit down there. Looks like both used to belong to a factory of some sort.
"Very quiet though, and that air-con can maintain the entire house at a chilly 13° Celsius, even during the worst heat. Mr. Llewellyn tested both for me when I was by, said he wished he knew where the renovation team got them, because they're tonnes stronger and more efficient than his. I'd have to take a closer look, but I'm fairly sure Torchwood-London augmented both items down there with alien tech, because the furnace isn't gas or coal powered, and there's no place to add water to the condenser. There's also an emergency generator behind them exactly like the one we have back at base for the alien morgue."
"I'd be surprised if they hadn't 'upgraded'," Harkness remarked, trying the cider. "Not bad… the butter mellows the rum, and it goes great with the stew, which is fantastic."
"I'll ask Mrs. Llewellyn for both recipes," Ianto promised, obviously enjoying the meal as well. "And make sure you're properly introduced while we're here. I'm sure he told you his name is George. His wife's is Glanwynne, but she prefers to have everyone call her 'Grammy'… makes sense with how she mothers anyone they get to know."
"Considering how many years I have on both of them," Jack chuckled, offering his partner more stew before adding another ladle to his own bowl. "I won't be able to do it with a straight face. But, hey, if she prefers that, I'm all for it."
They finished their meal, Ianto proving he'd already stocked the kitchen with storage containers so they could refrigerate the remaining stew and store the bread. The Captain helped him wash up the crockery and dishes, then they poured the last of the cider into their mugs and retired to the sitting room after rinsing the pitcher. There was a very old-fashioned but clean and well-maintained couch with a matching wingchair, a braided rug on the floor, a table holding a sturdy glass bottomed lamp, and half a dozen boxes and bins in one corner. The thick fleece-backed, suede throw over the back of the chair was the only new item in the rather spartan room, but the young Welshman of the pair explained that he wanted them to add or change furnishings together. For their current needs, what was here was plenty.
The day was dim and drear enough to warrant turning on the lamp, then Harkness dragged a box over close to the couch, handed his lover the throw from the chair, and got them both settled. They looked at a few items from the box, mostly photos from the 1930's and a few bits of yellowed paper that appeared to be letters and hand-written receipts for purchases both local and further afield. When the older immortal noticed his lover was looking decidedly drowsy, he slouched comfortably into the far corner of the cushions, coaxed the eternal twenty-six-year-old to lay down, gently pulled his upper body into his lap to cuddle and told him to rest.
Jack kissed Ianto on the forehead, let the Changeling turn to snuggle close to his chest and tugged the throw up over his thermal shirt clad shoulders. Then he relaxed to encourage his beloved Archivist to do the same, and prepared to while away the afternoon. So far, the holiday was proving to be a great success, and he'd make sure the trend continued no matter what he had to do.
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AN: Of course T1 put their own spin on the house. All the more convenient now for the boys.
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM