Will My Arms Be Strong Enough 19/45
Title: Will My Arms Be Strong Enough? 19/45
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys...and others!
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, John Hart, two OC's, Andrea (Andie) Carlowe and Nick Jones.
Spoilers: Set after Exit Wounds.
Summary: Beginning the Christmas arc!
Chapter 19
One week later, five days before Christmas…
Jack was completely exhausted as he staggered up the stairs and gently tapped on the door of Ianto’s flat. In his haste to hurry back to his partner, he had managed to leave his keys to the flat at the Hub and now he was going to have to wake Ianto up and beg to be let in. He hated having to do that; Ianto got little enough rest as it was.
He smiled endearingly as the door was opened to reveal a bleary-eyed Ianto dressed in a red hooded sweater and a pair of black running trousers, opened the door. His hair was rumpled and his eyes were only half-open. Yet, even so, he still managed to fix Jack with an incredulous glare that the older man’s smile slipped.
“Okay,” he said slowly, tiredness making his Welsh accent stronger, “let me get this straight. You didn’t manage to remember your keys to the flat, but you managed to remember to buy some half-dead chrysanthemums?”
Jack looked nervous. “Does this mean I’ll be sleeping in the car tonight then?” he asked, actually backing away slightly in the face of his lover’s glare.
Ianto sighed and stepped away. “No,” he said wearily. “Come on in, I’ll get us some coffee.” He stepped away and into the flat. Jack followed, waiting for the young man to take his coat as he always did after a late night. However, when Ianto showed no signs of doing so, Jack frowned.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Not that I mind or anything, but…you haven’t tried to take my -”
“Tried to take your coat?” Ianto turned round again. “Jack, how do you expect me to do that when I’ve got my hands full?”
Confused, Jack looked properly at his partner for the first time and felt his mouth drop as he realised that he was carrying a small bundle in his arms.
“What?” he whispered.
“Noticed, have you?” asked Ianto a little bitterly. “Nick asked us to look after them while he went to talk to Catrin about…organising some sort of memorial for Alison.”
Jack closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Now that he thought about it, he did remember Nick asking them if they could look after the children when he went to talk with his sister. Obviously, he had been more than happy to help out, but then, just as he had been about to leave, the Rift had decided to explode around them. No sooner had one problem been sorted out than another one decided to materialise. Now, it was gone midnight and Jack had forgotten all about it.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, throwing his coat over the sofa. “It was just that…the Rift wouldn’t stop. It was throwing things out as far as the other side of Splott and I couldn’t get away.” He rubbed one hand over his face as he walked away. “Look, I’m covered in alien mess; perhaps I should go and get a wash and then we should go to bed.”
“Jack, wait.” Ianto laid Estelle in the portable crib that had been set up for her in the sitting room. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know you were only doing your job. It’s just…”
“I know.” Jack turned round. “I know we haven’t had a night in together in ages and I really wish there was something I could do about it.”
“But there isn’t,” answered Ianto. “I’m sorry, Jack. I shouldn’t have overreacted like that. I was just so frustrated and….I thought you’d forgotten.”
“It doesn’t matter,” answered Jack quietly. “Let me get cleaned up and then we’ll go and get some sleep, yeah?” He brushed a soft kiss over Ianto’s hair before spinning around and disappearing into the bathroom.
Ianto sighed as he heard Jack start to sing over the running water, his melodious voice resonating throughout the flat. Quickly, he turned towards the cot, but Estelle was still fast asleep, her tiny hands resting on top of the thick blanket and her face completely relaxed. It seemed as though she was being rocked to sleep by the sound of the music.
Smiling, Ianto pressed a kiss against her forehead and smoothed the soft baby hair back from her tiny forehead, blinking in shock as she shifted, leaning comfortably against his hand, a tiny smile appearing on her lips even as she slept.
He swallowed hard, trying to force down his guilt that his best friend’s daughter was so comfortable with him when she had never been that way with her own father. Even though she was only two months old, she seemed to know exactly who she wanted and who she didn’t.
Shrugging, he stroked her hair again and turned away, just in time to see Jack appear behind him, smiling at the tender scene. His hair was wet and he had changed into clean clothes.
“She does seem to really like you,” he remarked, taking care to keep his voice low. “When you answered the door, she was all snuggled against your chest.”
“Yeah, I know,” answered Ianto quietly before flopping down onto the sofa.
“What’s wrong?” asked Jack.
“Nothing; it doesn’t matter. It’s just been a long day and I’m tired.” He turned away and rested his head on the arm of the sofa, letting out a small sigh.
“Ianto…”
“Okay, fine!” Ianto turned back to his partner. “I was just thinking about how…I don’t know, close I am with Estelle. I mean you saw us just now and…it just freaked me out a bit, because she’s never once been that close with Nick and he’s her father.”
“Ianto, she’s a two-month old baby,” Jack replied.
“I know, but…she cries so loudly every time Nick tries to hold her. Even John manages better with her. Nick’s never made a big thing out of it, but I know that every time he sees his daughter peaceful with everyone else…it breaks his heart a little.”
“How did he get on with Trevyn?”
“No problems at all. He and Trevyn just clicked like…like that.” Ianto snapped his fingers. “You can tell that they’re father and son, easily.”
“Hey, listen, don’t worry so much,” answered Jack, dropping another kiss into Ianto’s hair. “Like I said, Estelle’s only two months old. It’ll be fine. I’m sure it will.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s go to bed. You look exhausted.”
Jack chuckled. “I am, actually - and, listen, I’m really sorry about tonight. It wasn’t that I forgot…in fact, while I was working, all I could think about was coming back and being with you.”
Ianto smiled and kissed him softly. “It doesn’t matter, Jack. You’re here now.”
~*~
Jack wasn’t sure how long he had slept when he realised that the other side of the bed was not only cold but also empty. He opened his eyes and frowned when he realised that, not only was there light coming in through the opened curtains, but also that Ianto wasn’t lying beside him. As he sat up and rubbed his eyes, he gasped as he noticed that the light wasn’t just coming from the daylight, but also from the blizzard that was raging, covering the streets below with a thick blanket of snow.
Groaning slightly, he jumped when he realised that the flat wasn’t silent. Instead, he could hear singing and music coming from the rest of the flat, occasionally muffled by rustles and thumps and frequent shouts of laughter.
Curiously, he quickly pulled on some trousers and a white T-shirt, before leaving the bedroom. If nothing else, he figured he could at least wake himself up with a cup (or four) of Ianto’s coffee.
But the sight that greeted him as he entered the sitting room blew all thoughts of coffee straight out of his mind.
Ianto’s wide and spacious living area was now covered, from wall to wall, with tinsel, cotton wool, bundles of holly and mistletoe, and bits of coloured paper, some of which had been stuck together in a way that could represent paper chains. In front of the window, surrounded by yet more decorations (including what looked like at least five different sets of Christmas lights) was a huge mass of greenery which Jack soon realised was an over-sized Christmas tree.
To his increased surprise, Ianto was calmly hooking lights and strings of silver bells around it, while singing along to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, which was blaring out of the radio.
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly!” he sang out loud as he finished off with the lights.
“I think we already did!” a cheerful voice answered and Nick’s head appeared from the back of the tree, his hair wild and his cheeks pinker than usual. He was, however, wearing a pair of reindeer antlers and an enormous grin. “Hey, Jack,” he called out, waving.
Jack, however, was so shocked that he could only stammer out, “What?”
Nick was right - the room was indeed decked out with boughs of holly hanging from every corner of the ceiling. So, quite what the holly and mistletoe on the floor was for, he had no idea.
Ianto, however, upon seeing him, grinned wildly and grabbed a bunch of mistletoe off the floor before bounding up to his partner and kissing him soundly on the lips.
“I know you were wondering what that was for,” he said, before fixing the white berries over the bedroom door. “Now, every time we meet under the door, we kiss. It’s tradition, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know,” admitted Jack with a small chuckle. “But it is a tradition I could get used to!” he added before hastily stealing another kiss. “Mind you…what’s with all the decorations?”
“Oh, Ianto always decorates his flat for Christmas,” explained Nick, brushing his hair off his face. “We used to do it all the time when we were children, too. Although, when we were younger, I think we got more glitter on ourselves than we did on the actual tree. I remember when we were both eight…we looked like we’d entered a firework look-alike competition and won!”
“What about when we were twelve and you decided that you wanted to play the Virgin Mary in the window display?” retorted Ianto good-naturedly. “I remember you ransacked the old dressing-up box until you found that old blue dress and then you put a pillow up it!”
Jack blinked. “I think that might be just about the most disturbing image to ever enter my mind.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised by what I’m open to, Captain,” replied Nick, raising one eyebrow.
“Really?” replied Jack, his posture showing that he was certainly interested by this.
“Nick, stop flirting with my boyfriend!” shouted Ianto, throwing some tinsel at him. “And you!” he added, turning to Jack. “Stop encouraging him; he certainly doesn’t need it!”
“Hey!” protested Nick. “I’m not that…” he trailed off under the look that Ianto was giving him. “Okay, okay, fine, but…well, I’m flirting for two, here! And…did you just throw tinsel at me?”
Ianto raised his eyebrows. “Why yes, I believe I did. And I’d do it again if I could.”
“Really?” asked Jack.
Nick smirked. “Oh, really, indeed!” he said, grabbing the tinsel from where it was calmly lying around his neck. “We’ll just have to see about that.”
“Oh, you’re going down,” replied Ianto.
“So are you,” added Nick. “You’re going…down-town…” Before Ianto had the chance to reply, he leapt forwards and wrapped the tinsel around his waist, pulling him on top of him.
“Oh, you do not play fair!” whined Ianto.
Nick raised an eyebrow. “Play fair, what are you, a girl?”
“You know, I have sometimes wondered,” replied Jack. “He certainly spanks like one.” He then had to duck as a stuffed stocking flew past his ear.
“Oh, really?” asked Nick, his smirk showing that he was not at all bothered by the fact that his boss was talking about his sex life with his cousin.
“You’re sleeping on the sofa, Harkness!” growled Ianto.
“Your fly’s open, Jones!” countered Jack as he ducked into the bedroom (closely followed by a small white stuffed teddy), found his phone and quickly dialled a number.
“John, get over here!” he panted. “You have to see this!”
“This had better be good, Jack,” John replied wearily. “The girls are driving me crazy; Gwen’s just switched the Rift to play some song about kings and cars!”
“Oh, God, the silly version of ‘We Three Kings’,” muttered Jack, grimacing. “Well, come to Ianto’s…him and Nick,” he glanced out of the door, “are in the middle of a tinsel fight.”
He knew it had worked, because the next thing he heard was the sound of someone running before the call was abruptly disconnected. He chuckled and started back towards the kitchen, only to be distracted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. The chuckle quickly became a full-blown laugh as he answered it to find a very excited John on the doorstep. He didn’t even pause to greet Jack; instead he just hurtled inside. Moments later, his overjoyed cheer drew Jack back into the lounge, where he was greeted by the sight of Ianto tickling Nick with the old paper chains. Both of them were covered in tinsel and glitter and having the time of their lives.
John frowned. “Okay…I should probably ask a few questions, but right now, I’m just thinking - is there room for one - or maybe two - more?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Ianto groaned. “Oh, not again, John!” he cried, turning to look towards Jack for help, but only receiving a smirk in return. “Don’t even think about it, Harkness!”
“Your fly’s still open, Jones,” replied Jack.
Nick seized the opportunity to straighten up. “Okay, firstly, did I miss something and secondly,” his grin turned decidedly naughty, “can I get in on it?” He openly eyed Jack and John up.
“You’re sure you can handle two Time Agents?” asked Jack, frowning.
Nick burst out laughing. “What do you think I am, a girl?”
“Believe me, he’s not,” answered John, waggling his eyebrows.
“I do sometimes wonder,” growled Ianto, his face pink as he fastened up his trousers. “And no, we are not having an orgy, if that’s what you were insinuating - which it was.”
“What’s the matter?” asked John, treating him to a leer. “Are you scared?”
“No, I am not scared. But I am also NOT participating in something that means I have to see my cousin having sex with…well, anybody - or that means he has to see me naked!”
Nick snorted. “Ianto, we lived together for over twenty years. I have seen you naked before.”
Jack and John stared at him. “Really?!”
“Shut up!” shouted Ianto, whose face now matched the red tinsel at his feet. “Nick, I don’t care, it’s just…” He shook himself. “Never mind, let’s get back to decorating.” He turned away and found the enormous gold and red star for the top of the tree.
Nick rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He turned back, pausing only to give Jack another quick once-over and tap John a heavy wink, before turning away - though not without presenting the other two men with a very fine view of what was underneath his tight black jeans. He chuckled under his breath as he heard a familiar sharp intake of breath.
“Did it work?” he whispered to Ianto.
“Oh, yeah!” Ianto giggled. “John couldn’t take his eyes off you.” He chuckled again and turned back to the box of decorations. “You’re such a teasing slut, d’you know that?”
“That’s what university does to you,” answered Nick airily.
~*~
“He’s worse than you,” Jack was whispering.
“I know,” muttered John. “It’s not the first time he’s done that either; he’s driving me insane. I barely left the bathroom last night because I couldn’t stop thinking about the last time he did that.” He looked helpless. “Has he always been such a tease?”
Jack shrugged. “Ianto said that university did to him what the Time Agency did to me,” he said. “And stop staring at his arse!”
“I can’t help it! Every time he wears those jeans…God, he’s killing me here!”
“So I see.” Jack couldn’t resist a smirk. John groaned. “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you…Andie offered to watch over the Hub tonight, Gwen’s going out with Rhys and I thought the four of us could double-date - you know, make it a Christmas meal.”
“Sure. I may not know what on earth’s going on, but if it makes those boys act like that, then I could easily get used to it.”
Jack smirked. “I bet you could. So, I’ll make reservations for tonight, then?”
“Sounds great.”
***
Next Time: Continuing with the Christmas fluff - where will the boys go on their double-date?.