could've been worse than you would ever know ; ( scene, for capnhotness )
One week and a significant dip into his finances later, Ianto Jones returns to Cardiff, and he doesn't come alone. A small retinue of movers comes first, maneuvering furniture down Edwardian-era hallways that were never meant to hold such large furniture as twenty-first century terms of interior design dictate. With canine-Jack on their heels, ( Read more... )
While he hears a bit of scuffling upstairs, Jack doesn't identify it as a canine sound, though it is distinctly different than the not entirely feline noises that Zaphod makes (whenever the Gallifreyan kitten chooses to make any whatsoever). There isn't an answer from Ears, which he finds strange but not entirely alarming, and Jack simply waits at the bottom of the stairs as he follows the sound of footsteps overhead and anticipates someone, perhaps his Gallifreyan lover, to appear on the upper landing.
Describing seeing Ianto there as a bit of a surprise, therefore, is an very big understatement. Jack must be a little dumbfounded, slightly agape, when Ianto hurries down the steps to greet him. Then there's kissing and a rather annoying banister between them that seems to be intent on preventing Jack from furthering the kiss as well as he'd like, but there's still Ianto and kissing and he's pleasantly confused by the time he pulls away and grins up at his husband. "Hi," Jack tries on the greeting a little simplistically, noting that it's both ill-fitting and perfect for the strange turn of events.
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Given a long enough timeline, Ianto might actually hazard leaping the banister, but while he might be able to fit into trousers he wore when he was eighteen, he doesn't quite have the agility anymore. He does, however, take an inordinate amount of pleasure in Jack's obvious - dumbfounded, even! - surprise, and leans against the banister when they've pulled apart, looking far too self-satisfied.
"Hi," Ianto greets in return, unable to stop his smile from turning into a little bit of a sneaky grin. "Hope you don't mind I let myself in."
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"That's why I gave you a key," he replies seriously, despite the large and especially bright grin curving his lips. Deciding that the banister really is a pain, Jack sidesteps the barrier entirely and steps up onto the first step, adding just a little height by comparison as he slides his arms around Ianto's waist. "I was hoping you'd let yourself in." It's more than the open honesty of the statement, if possible, as Jack had hoped that Ianto would let himself in, make himself at home, and had almost been too afraid to hope for it. It seemed to him, really, that Ianto had only been humoring him with the notion of moving in together, especially in this house, given the circumstances.
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Ianto was well enough aware that a little part of Jack did not, perhaps, believe him entirely ... and can't exactly blame him, since Ianto has given enough reasons over the years for Jack not to trust him. He knows that the trust is there during the most important moments, and it isn't as if he's lent enough credibility to the idea of them living together here in the past. If they want to get technical, this makes maybe half a dozen times he's even been here?
Ianto leans in for another kiss, keeping it brief, and tugs away to grab one of Jack's hands in his own. "I let myself in ... along with a few friends. I hope you don't mind." He nods indicatively up the stairs, and pulls Jack along to follow in his ascent.
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It isn't so much that Jack doesn't trust Ianto, because he does, but rather that he just can't - couldn't, maybe still doesn't - see this as a viable option that Ianto might actually consider. It's the disdain expressed for this house and Ianto's particular disinterest in, perhaps even further disdain of, Jack's other relationships that has him convinced.
"A few friends?" Jack asks, arching a brow at what Ianto might mean; it seems a little too quiet for a few friends to be about and Jack is familiar enough with Ianto's sense of humor to suspect otherwise. Twining his fingers with Ianto's, Jack lets his husband lead on upstairs, following closely. "I don't mind at all."
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"Mm," is all the non-committal answer Ianto seems inclined to give as he leads the way up the stairs, locating the room again out of good memory that will, with any luck, manage to become habit after a while. He pushes the door open and steps aside to let Jack enter first, before following along behind. The choice of décor is simple and not too far off from the bedroom in Ianto's house in London, furniture in dark wood and crisp sheets that someone could bounce a coin off of already on the bed, a familiar (not mauve, but paisley) duvet that did come from London folded down at the foot of the bed. It's obvious that a lot of forethought has been put into the matter, down to the arrangement of the furniture (to the woe of the delivery men), not just a random whim.
Ianto closes the door and then stands, leaning against it with an almost nervous sense of expectation. "What do you think?"
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The bedroom, décor and all, is as expected as it is not and Jack spends a moment trying to fathom the room, its contents, and the gorgeous man leaning against the door behind him. What does he think? Jack isn't quite sure and ends up, in lieu of bouncing a quarter, running his hand lightly over the cool, crisply folded linens on the bed, biding time until he can think of an appropriate response to the situation.
"It's gorgeous," he tries, turning away from the bed to face Ianto. "It's ... I didn't think you were serious." After a beat, Jack realizes how that sounds and tries not to stumble over his tongue while correcting himself. "I hoped you were, but I thought it was a fool's hope."
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Though he'd suspected as much of Jack's feelings on the matter, it's still a different thing entirely to hear them vocalized. Ianto tries to take it gracefully, with a rueful glance cast down at his feet, while he waits for Jack to finish the stilted sentences. "I wasn't sure at first," he admits, looking back up with a tentative smile in place. "There was too much going on when we talked about it. Then I took time to think."
Ianto steps forward, reaching to take Jack's hands in his own. "Walls aren't important, whether it's a house or a hole under your office. I can get past who's been in between them." He's made his peace with Kate, formed a tentative acquaintance with Ears. Leoben's a lost cause, but he's not living here, so Ianto isn't especially worried about it.
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It's different to vocalize them, actually, after so long of a lack of vocalization existing in their relationship. It's still new, despite being not so new at all, to feel free to express just what he feels exactly when he feels it to Ianto. Like everything with them now, it will take much longer to get used to.
"I don't want any of it to come between us," Jack murmurs, his attention falling to their linked hands as they dip in the bit of space left between them, and gives both of Ianto's hands a squeeze. "If you're sure, if this is what you want, I couldn't be happier." Leaning closer, he brushes his lips across Ianto's cheek. "I've missed you."
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Most appropriately, this is what Ianto wants in a long series of things he needs to do in order to accomplish what he really wants. He wants to be with Jack, he wants Jack to be happy, and getting over his own - often unnecessary - reservations is an important part of that process. And, to some degree, there's twenty-first century social tradition involved - aren't spouses meant to live together, after all? Having no one to go home to - on the rare occasion Jack did not make it back to London - was strange and disheartening.
"I've missed you, too," Ianto replies with conviction. He inches closer, leaning in to the - however chaste - kiss. "And I'm sure. If that ever even starts to change, I promise to tell you." He won't sit and linger, unhappy, here, if that's what it ends in. But Ianto very much hopes that it won't.
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