Series Confessions: Confession or Discovery
Title: Confession or Discovery
Fandom: TW spoilers for season 2.
Pairing: Jack/Ianto implied.
Characters: Jack, Owen, Ianto.
Series/Sequel: Series- Confessions part 3
Summary: Ianto visits Owen.
Confession or Discovery
Ianto arrives at Owen’s flat at 5am the next morning. He lets himself in with the security key. Normally he would never use an official key for anything less than an emergency but these are exceptional circumstances.
Besides the alternative is to wake Owen, but after keeping him out late the night before he wants to give him a chance to sleep in. They had talked late into the night, mostly Jack extolling all of Owen’s virtues. The sweet little boy he’d been.
Ianto can actually picture that easily enough. Hell, since meeting him, Ianto’s been convinced he’s still a little boy, who does manage to have some rare moments of sweetness. Seeing him as such, it’s easier to step into the role of father. Well, one of his fathers.
Lets be honest, Jack sucks as a disciplinarian, even on the job. Ianto can be the controlling, neurotic parent. A role Ianto will actually enjoy, he thinks.
All the times he’s wanted to step in, on Owen’s behalf and to smack Owen when he’s being stupid, but he never thought it was his place. Except now it is, always has been.
Owen had been mostly quiet the whole time, except to occasionally correct one of Jack’s wild stories. He just kept staring at Ianto. He hadn’t tried to hide it even, although that would have been pretty hard to do given Ianto was staring at Owen just as hard.
They hadn’t even been awkward about it. The only awkwardness had actually been when Ianto said goodnight, first to his son- WOW- and then to his… whatever Jack is, was. Most awkward in that he wouldn’t stay with Jack or let Jack into his flat.
The whole night was surreal, but they’d all done well. In fact, Owen was taking all this disturbingly well.
Ianto decided to put that on a back burner, for now, as he pokes around Owen’s kitchen, disgusted both with the state of it and of the lack of proper food. Luckily he’d brought his own supplies, cleaning and food.
By the time Owen got up a couple of hours later, the kitchen was scrubbed top to bottom and there was a full breakfast waiting for him. He looks around, turns and re-enters his bedroom before trying again.
When he’s still greeted by the same sight he frowns. “So, dad’s in your world stalk?”
“No. They clean. They provide nutritious food and they make sure their children are turned out presentably.” Ianto doesn’t even look at Owen, just finishes laying the table before seating himself and tucking into his vegetarian breakfast.
“Turned out for what?”
“The way you’re dressed, Owen. Now, come and eat your breakfast.” This time he does look at him, with a bright if somewhat shy smile.
“Right. I did give you the rule about vegetarianism, didn’t I?”
“Yes. Don’t worry there is meet, but I have provided vegetables in the hopes of turning you into an omnivore.”
They share a smile as Owen sits beside him. “Hey, who was it gave who the lecture on eating a balanced diet after giving up meat?”
“Yes, you’re a very competent, capable and conscientious doctor, but you suck at taking care of yourself.”
“Is that suddenly your job now?” Owen asks, averting his gaze, for the first time truly unnerved.
“Owen, that has been my job since I moved to Cardiff. Now, I’m just getting extracurricular about it.” He smiles cheekily at his son.
Owen manages to smile back and goes back to eating his meal. “So, do you like have a word of the day calendar or something?”
“Huh?”
“Your fancy vocabulary, it’s just showing off is what it is.”
“But it works. It made you jealous, didn’t it?”
They smile and eat the rest of the meal in silence.
After breakfast, Ianto insists they both do the dishes, during which he explains the new layout of Owen’s kitchen. Owen is not hugely impressed by this but it’s nothing on his reaction to when Ianto follows him into his bedroom.
“What?”
“Your outfit.” Ianto isn’t looking at him again, instead he’s going through the wardrobe, tossing random pieces of clothes over his shoulder as he searches for the perfect outfit.
“I can dress myself. I’ve been doing it for years.”
“Yes.” The look Ianto gives Owen is clearly indulgent. “I have seen your attempts, I give you points for buttons and zippers and the right way round. In the physics of dressing you excel, sadly not in style.”
“Are you trying to say I have no style?”
“No, I’m not trying.”
Ianto has found something that meets his criteria and hands it to Owen. Who in turn stands there staring at the outfit. “And I’m just letting you because?”
“I’m pissed off. At Jack, for the moment. You want me to not be pissed at you or I’ll bully him into bullying you.”
“Okay, I can see that.”
At the office, everyone gapes at Owen. Ianto has chosen a dress shirt in a deep charcoal, offset with smart black, tailored trousers and a leather boxter jacket. As they recover the girls whistle and Jack smiles.
The Captain signals both men to join him in his office.
They enter together and Jack holds Owen in place as he circles him. “Okay, I like. You look fantastic, but why the wardrobe change?”
Owen pouts, “What, exactly, was wrong with what I usually wear?”
Jack looks panicked and quickly back pedals, “Nothing, no. You just look, eh, extra nice?”
“Asking, are you?”
Ianto perches on Jack’s desk and laughs. “I picked his outfit.”
Jack turns to look at his boyfriend, he even approaches, well a few steps at least. “You were at his flat? He won’t even let me in his flat.” Now, Jack’s pouting, but not too much as Ianto pats the desk next to him.
Owen watches his parents sit next to each other on the desk, sickened by the soppy sweetness, then he realises what Jack just said. “Oi, how did you get in?”
Ianto rolls his eyes, “I used the security key.”
The other two stare at him in shock until he starts to squirm.
“Ooh, Ianto Jones abusing your power and position?”
Jack laughs, as Owen’s comment makes Ianto blush. He does take pity on him though, mostly because he’s hoping to have pity taken on him. “So, you picked Owen’s outfit, is this going to be a recurring event?”
“Hopefully it won’t be necessary. We’re taking him shopping today-”
“You’re what?”
Owen’s reaction is nothing in compared to Jack’s, “We’re what now?”
“Well, when I say we I mean me. You will be staying here with the girls and working. Your contribution to the event will be purely monetary. Your money, not Torchwood’s.”
Jack’s back to pouting, “Why don’t I get to come along?”
It’s Owen who answers, “You want to leave those two alone, without any explanation?”
“Well, they are capable-”
“Yeah, but they won’t be working. They’ll be spying.” Ianto nods along with Owen and Jack frowns.
“They wouldn’t do that, they… actually, they would, wouldn’t they.”
Smirking, Ianto holds out his hand to his boyfriend. A hand that is filled with Jack’s wallet almost immediately, if somewhat grudgingly.
“You two have fun and no fighting.” Jack manages to get that out with a smile, but as Owen leaves the room he holds Ianto back. “Are you okay with… No, that’s a stupid question.” He sighs and starts again, “Are you and I, are we okay?”
“No, Jack, we’re not.” Jack turns away, but Ianto grasps his face in his hands and turns him back. “I do hope we will be, though. Right now, Jack, I’m still processing, I’m playing dress up and cooking and cleaning and lets be honest, that’s what I always do for everyone, including Owen. For me it’s the easiest way to start being a father I guess.”
Jack mirrors Ianto’s grip on him with his lover. “We have a great son and I’ve already seen him become a better person since he got to meet you, you will be and have already been a great dad. I would like to see us be a great family, though.”
Ianto lets go and steps back, “I need time.”
Jack lets him go and watches the two men leave the Hub. He ignores the girls’ questioning looks and even their blatant questions later and tries to at least get some work done. Okay, so he does spend a lot of his ‘working’ day checking their progress on the CCTV, but who could really blame him.
When the two men eventually return, several hours of shopping and a leisurely lunch later, they both seem to be in good humour. Even if they do spend the next hour avoiding each other. When Jack corners Owen about that his son responds that they just need some breathing space but that they’re doing fine.
In the late afternoon, Ianto makes a round of coffees and passes them out to everyone but Owen. He then returns to the kitchen, coming out with two cups and a small square package, wrapped in tissue paper.
The girls follow his progress to Owen’s desk where he leans against it, but a sharp cough from Jack gets their attention back on their work, well as much as it ever is. As for Jack, he restrains his urge to join his lover and son and retreats to his office.
“Here you go, Owen.” Ianto says handing over a mug.
“Thanks.” He takes a drink and sighs, “Perfect as always.”
Ianto laughs, “Sucking up?”
“Are you?” Owen asks, knowing he sounds suspicious.
Ianto shakes his head but the smile stays on his face. “I got you a present earlier.” He nudges the package over to Owen who excitedly rips the paper off.
Ianto shakes his head, indulgently this time, as he picks up the strays pieces and throws them in the bin. Owen frowns at his ‘gift’.
“A word a day?” Then he remembers their earlier conversation and laughs. “I already caved on the clothes, you want to change my vocabulary now?”
“Yes. But I’ll settle for improving it.” He nods at Owen and steps away from the desk. Just before he steps away though, he turns and leans close to Owen to whisper in his ear. “It has occurred to me that you are taking this remarkably well.” Owen opens his mouth to reply, but Ianto puts a hand on his shoulder, stilling and silencing him. “It has also occurred to me that you are my Doctor. My very skilled Doctor who no doubt knows his patients inside and out. Even down to their very DNA.” Owen gulps and opens his mouth again, but Ianto laughs. “I’m right, aren’t I? Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell him.”
Done, Ianto steps back and stands up, with one last nod and his devious, smirking son, he walks back to his Archives. Intent on getting some work done before the end of the day.