Series Confessions: I Confess... No Honestly
Title: I Confess… No Honestly.
Fandom: TW spoilers for season 2.
Pairing: Jack/Ianto implied.
Characters: Jack, Owen and Ianto
Series/Sequel: Series- Confessions part 2
Summary: Ianto is told the truth.
Previous part-
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=lorrabe&keyword=Confessions&filter=all
I Confess… No Honestly.
Ianto takes a lot of things with Jack as unavoidable. His bad jokes, bad manners, continuous flirtations, his crush on Gwen. And his attachment to Owen.
As if Ianto doesn’t know how often Jack drags Owen off with him for ‘surveillance’. He always knew he wouldn’t be the only one for Jack, he’s not that lucky. But there is something in the way the other two men are acting since they got back from lunch. Plus, Owen keeps shooting him the strangest glances. Looks filled with an assortment of emotions, including confusion and guilt.
Therefore, it is not an eager or happy Ianto who follows Jack’s orders to send the girls home early. After seeing them out, he takes a deep breath to steady himself before heading in to Jack’s office. He’s not quite sure what his Captain wants, especially since he knows Jack is currently cloistered in his office, with Owen.
Usually, Jack would be wanting to fool around, but Ianto draws the line at Owen. It’s not, as one might expect, because he found Owen repellent, but more because he saw Owen as something of an annoying older brother. They bicker and tease each other, and yes, occasionally, try to kill each other, but that’s just how they are. That’s their relationship. The idea of Owen as… well, it didn’t bare thinking about.
He wasn’t naïve though, whatever was between Jack and Owen ran deep. It was intense. So, either Jack wanted a threesome he was never going to get, or Ianto was about to get dumped.
Not a good way for the Welshman to end his day.
Entering the room, Ianto is somewhat amused to see Owen jump to his feet, a guilty expression on his face. Sometimes, Owen seems like nothing more than a naughty toddler with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Still, he is quite touchy and this is going to be an awkward enough encounter without putting Owen on the defensive, so Ianto strains to suppress his smile.
“Eh, Ianto… I…” Jack runs a hand through his hair, a sign of a nervousness Ianto’s never seen in him before.
“I’ll just be heading home for the-” Owen doesn’t get to finish.
“Don’t you dare! I need you here. I need you to help with…” As strange as Jack’s exclamation is, the weird and vague hand gesture is even more so.
“It’s private, Jack. You need to tell him. It’s nothing to do with me.”
“It has everything to do with you! It’s about you- literally.”
Ianto watches them shout back and forth for a few more minutes, Owen adamant he should leave and Jack just as sure he should stay. They’re bickering about privacy and rights and God knows what else. Finally he’s had enough and steps between them, to be in both men’s line of sight, “Should I leave. Give you some time to yourselves?”
“What? No!” Okay, so there’s at least one thing they agree on.
“Well, then, perhaps you would like to get to the point, Jack.” Ianto makes himself meet Jack’s eyes, expression impassive.
“I suppose, yes. Well…”
A full three minute of silence passes before Owen throws his arms up in disgust and himself back into his chair. “This is bloody wonderful. I get to spend the night watching you splutter and stutter. When you can even talk, that is.”
Jack eyes Owen with narrowed eyes, “I don’t see you doing any better!”
“He’s not my boyfriend. And it’s not my secret.”
Ianto sighs, “How about I make this easier?”
They both stare at him, obviously confused. “How?” Jack asks.
“This is obviously about you two.”
“Eh, in what way?” Owen asks, with a nervous edge to his voice.
Ianto smiles, gently, at Owen. “I’m not stupid. There is some connection between you, there always has been. And today, today something changed. It’s like it’s more intense. Whatever you did over lunch, it changed something.”
Jack smiles broadly, “I knew there was a reason I liked you. Well, several. Dozens even.”
Ianto doesn’t even look at Jack, though, and that worries the Captain. “Yes, sir.” His voice is starting to sound strained. “But, we were talking about you and Owen.”
Owen is the one to narrow his eyes at Ianto this time. “What are you saying, T- Ianto?”
“Nothing. I’m more implying it than saying it.”
Owen smiles at that. “Well, what are you implying?”
“That you and Jack will be very happy toget-”
Jack collapses in his chair at the same time as Owen leaps to his feet. The younger man is indignant in his protests even as the older one just laughs. “He is- I’m not! Ew. That is so wrong. To even, how could you even think that?”
Ianto is confused now. Owen sounds horrified by the very idea and Jack’s laughter sounds almost relieved. “You’re not? But… then how do you explain your relationship?”
Jack stands and walks to Ianto’s side, taking his hands in his. “Owen is… he’s my son.”
“Oh, oh. Actually,” Ianto says with a frown on his face, “I can see that.”
Owen snorts, “I don’t want to know what similarities you see, do I?”
Ianto just smiles at him, then turns back to Jack, “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
“Well, yes.” Owen coughs. “No. No, actually, yes. Just not all I wanted to tell you. The other thing is about his other father.”
“Other father? He has more than one?”
Owen’s turn to supply an answer, knowing his father will only procrastinate some more. “Dad here is from the 51st century. By then humans have evolved to the point males can get pregnant too. He’s a bit of an extra special freak that way.”
Jack sticks his tongue out at Owen for the freak comment, but Ianto frowns and then smirks. “Wouldn’t that mean, as his son, you’re the same kind of freak? At least in that way?”
Owen’s eyes widen in abject horror. “I never thought of it like that!”
Jack rolls his eyes, “You’re a doctor, how could you not have figured that out?”
Ianto’s hands are still in Jack’s and the Captain has been rubbing his thumbs in soothing circles over the younger man’s wrists. Ianto smiles at this and looks Jack in the eye. “So, the other father?”
Jack smiles back. “Is you.”
Ianto stares blankly at him.
There is a silence that stretches out uncomfortably.
“I had your baby. Our baby. And yes, sorry, it’s Owen.”
Still nothing from the Welshman. Owen moves to their side and waves a hand in front of Ianto’s face. Finally, a reaction. “No.”
“Eh, yes.”
“No.”
Jack looks pleadingly at his son.
“Look, Ianto, mate, it is true.”
Ianto pulls his hands from Jack’s and himself away from both of them. Arms wrapping around himself for comfort. “I don’t appreciate being made a fool of Jack.”
“I’m not! I swear.” Jack takes a deep breath. “I was pregnant when I left. I didn’t know or I’d never have… Due to, well, circumstances I left him in the past. Raised him. And here he is. Our son. I even gave him a Welsh name.”
Jack is trying to put his arms around a shaking Ianto, to no avail. Ianto won’t even let Jack touch him. Jack turns to Owen again as Ianto just shakes his head at his lover’s claim.
“He… He ran away to the Doctor, you know Timelord, Torchwood enemy number one that guy. Anyway, an old buddy of the Doctor’s tried to destroy the Earth, managed to conquer it even. While he ruled, for a whole year I might add, he delighted in torturing-”
“Owen. Stop. Please.” Jack interrupts, but Owen puts a hand on his father’s arm.
“Shut up. Now, as I was saying, he delighted in torturing and tormenting the Doctor’s friends. Jack. But dad doesn’t die. He let Jack give birth, to me, and then killed the baby. He captured us, the team, and killed us. Me as well. Double shot on that one.” There are tears running down Owen’s face as he continues, steadily meeting Ianto’s gaze. As for Jack he has pulled his son into a tight embrace, as though scared he will be snatch away any moment. “Dad saw all that. Lived through all that and a helluva lot more. Then they saved the world. The Doctor and Jack and some girl named Martha. They reversed everything the Master, the bastard of a bad guy, did. So, dad had me, again.”
Owen breaks eye contact with Ianto to look at his father, squeezing his arm reassuringly. Then back to his story. “As you can imagine, he’s a bit screwed up over the whole thing. He thinks, not fit to be a father. And he already had me.”
Jack decides Ianto deserves to hear this from him. Owen shouldn’t be fighting all his battles for him, “Years ago, I showed up on my own doorstep with a baby, Owen. All I gave myself by way of explanation was one memory of you, Welsh vowels and suits and just how much I love you, and that I wasn’t able to take care of him.” Jack shrugs as he thinks back on that surreal experience. “It’s really a sign of how weird my life is that it barely registered with me as weird.”
Ianto steps forward to Jack, “Our son? Our baby?” His voice wavers as he says it. Smack! “How could you? You bastard. My child! You stole my child!” He kisses Jack, deep and passionate and loving (so much so an uncomfortable Owen pulls away from them). “How could you go through all that and not… I love you, you’re supposed to let me help with these things!” Smack! “Don’t think just ‘cause I said that I forgive you or anything.”
“Told you so!” Owen singsongs.
Slowly and with a deep breath, Ianto turns to face Owen. “Owen… I,”
“Don’t smack him!” Jack quickly protests. Both turn to look at him and he shrugs, “Just in case you were thinking it. I only told him today who his father was. He actually took it amazingly well.”
Ianto quirks an eyebrow at Jack, “It is in some way bad news?”
Owen sniggers at Jack’s wide-eyed terror. “No, no! Of course… shit.” He stammers to a halt and looks away.
Ianto turns back to Owen and smirks, Owen sniggers again.
“My son?”
“Eh, yeah.” He says nervously.
“Well, in that case- you’re a slut, a drunkard and a slob. And I intend to put a stop to that.”
“What? But-”
“No buts. From now on you eat and drink responsibly, you will stop leading Tosh around by the nose and date the poor, besotted girl and you will learn to pick up after yourself.” Owen stares Gobsmacked and then Ianto smiles at him, “Of course, you are also a good man and a good friend and I can’t think of any grown adult I know I’d rather find out I’m the father of.”
Owen smirks. “Bet you never thought you’d ever have to use a sentence like that. But let me tell you now, I put my foot down at vegetarianism and starching my bloody boxers!”
Ianto rolls his eyes, “I do not starch my boxers.”
“And no suits! I look like a complete twat in a suit.”
Ianto smirks, “We can discuss it over dinner.”
“Dinner? But-” Ianto turns to Jack again as he speaks.
“I am taking my son to dinner. You, I suppose can come, since I want to know everything about his past, but that doesn’t mean I’m talking to you.”
Jack smirks, “So, just listening to me then?”
Ianto smiles, “I could change my mind and just take Owen.” He raises his eyebrow questioningly at Jack. Who shakes his head no and mimes locking his mouth up and throwing away the key. Ianto’s eyebrow goes further and Jack gulps, then smiles. He bends down to the floor behind him and stands back up, pretending to hold something in his hand.
There’s nothing there, but Jack hands the nothing to a smiling Ianto. Who nods and puts the nothing in his pocket.
“What the hell?” Owen asks.
Ianto turns to his, GAH, son. “The key to his mouth.”
Owen laughs out loud and his dad once more sticks his tongue out at him.