Title: Domestic Life
Author: badly-knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 546
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: More and more, Jack is spending the night at Ianto's house, and they're both enjoying the domesticity of it.
Written For: The prompt: Any, Any, This happens more and more now, at threesentenceficathon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, or the characters.
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This happens more and more these days, which, Ianto thinks, is a positive sign that his and Jack's 'relationship', however it might be defined, is moving in the right direction. Because unlike before his jaunt with the Doctor, when the workday is over, instead of retreating into the cramped little bunker beneath his office, or heading out to brood on a rooftop, most nights Jack now comes home with Ianto to his cosy little end-of-terrace house. He sleeps beside Ianto in a bed that is fast becoming theirs instead of merely Ianto's, shares the shower with him, and leaves his own shower gel and hair products in the bathroom, along with his toothbrush and razor. He even helps with the household chores, even if some of his 'help' ends up being more of a hindrance. Ianto supposes it's the thought that counts, and Jack's skills when it comes to doing laundry and the vacuuming are at least improving.
Ianto likes the domestic feel of it all. Jack cooking dinner for the two of them, usually from scratch. Jack deciding the lawn needs mowing, and just getting on with it without bothering to ask. Jack making the bed, then unmaking it by dragging Ianto back into it. Jack sprawled on the sofa, watching TV and eating all the Jaffa Cakes…
It's not ALL perfect, there are arguments over whose turn it is to put the dustbin out for emptying, the best way to load the dishwasher, and why Jack keeps wearing Ianto's socks instead of his own, but that's how it is with relationships, isn't it? They both have their own ideas and opinions, as they should, and a little friction isn't necessarily a bad thing. They're still learning about each other. Sharing a living space is all about compromise, coming to an arrangement that they can both live with. Perfection is a pipe dream anyway, it can never be achieved. It's just a case of getting as close as possible to whatever each of you considers ideal, and he and Jack aren't doing too badly at that.
The important thing is that they're sharing more of their lives, and spending more time together away from work, instead of spending all their downtime in the Hub, with occasional attempts at traditional dating, if they can find the time between potentially world-ending crises. So when Ianto has picked up and thrown away the last of the rubbish, when he's washed the empty mugs from the day's final round of hot beverages, when he pokes his head into Jack's office to ask his lover if he's finished for the night and is ready to go home, Ianto's amazed by how natural it feels when Jack says he'll just be a few more minutes.
Home. The two of them together, looking forward to an evening of domesticity after a hard day of saving the world. For two people who lead exciting and dangerous lives dealing with aliens, alien technology, alien invasions, and other things the average person probably thinks are straight out of science fiction, it's surprising how much they both look forward to something as normal as going home together to have dinner in front of the TV and argue over whose turn it is to load the dishwasher.
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The End
