Will My Arms Be Strong Enough 20/45
Title: Will My Arms Be Strong Enough? 20/45
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: More fluff, this time in the form of a Christmas double-date!
Chapter 20
“John, have you seen my hairdryer?” Nick shouted from the bathroom.
“You have a hairdryer?” John asked, only to give a very unmanly shriek as a wet hand towel hit him in the face. “Hey, come on, I was just joking! It’s in the right hand side of the cabinet.”
He waited until he heard the familiar roar of the hairdryer before turning away and muttering, “Just don’t ask me to help you find your hair straighteners.”
That, however, earned him a toothbrush to the back of his head. “How did you hear that?” he demanded, but at that moment the doorbell rang, so he went to answer it with Nick’s teasing laughter ringing in his ears.
He almost passed out with relief when, instead of Jack and Ianto, a snow-covered Catrin was stood on the doorstep. But his relief quickly faded at the first words out of her mouth.
“Why do you have a wet towel on your shoulder?”
“Your charming brother threw it at me when I teased him for having a hairdryer,” grumbled John, but without a hint of malice.
The bathroom door clicked open. “John, who’s out there?” shouted Nick, before coming out wearing nothing more than a pair of dark grey trousers and with his hair still damp. Water droplets were shining and dripping over his bare chest, but he didn’t seem bothered that his sister was standing in front of him. Instead, he merely tossed out a cheerful smile and a wave, fighting back the urge to giggle when he saw that John’s eyes had almost bugged out of his head.
Catrin, however, turned pink enough for both of them. “For God’s sake, Nick, put a shirt on!”
“Really?” asked John once he had managed to get his voice back. Catrin rolled her eyes and fixed her brother with a glare as he grinned at both of them.
My God, John thought. He’s worse than I am.
And that certainly seemed to be true as Nick smirked and, tipping him a huge wink, walked away with the slow strut of a catwalk model, flaunting himself for all he was worth.
“Bloody tease,” he grumbled.
“That’s what going to university can do to you,” answered Catrin with a sigh. “He used to be the angel that he looks like before that.”
John nodded. “I know exactly what you mean,” he answered. “I used to be a sweet and innocent lad before I went away to university.” He ignored the laugh that came from the bedroom.
Catrin chuckled. “Right, well…you two have fun tonight.”
“We will - if the other two ever get here,” answered John with a wry smile. “I bet they’re actually just having sex on the floor of Ianto’s flat at this very moment.”
“Most probably,” answered Nick as he emerged again, this time wearing a royal blue shirt and running a brush through his hair. “Where’s my jacket?”
“Your leather one?” asked John.
“No! I may clown around a bit…oh, okay, a lot, but I’m not stupid. I’ll freeze to death if I wear that one. No, I meant the blue denim one with the sheepskin lining.”
“It’s in the cupboard, then; I seem to recall you dumped it on the floor when you came back from Ianto’s. I think it’s still covered in bits of tinsel.”
Catrin laughed out loud. “You two are getting very domestic,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t think anyone could domesticate me,” answered John, laughing. It was true; not even Jack had been able to truly domesticate him. “And, from what I’ve seen of him, I seriously doubt that anyone could really domesticate your brother.”
“No, I guess not. I don’t think even Alison and the kids could have domesticated him. I mean, he was totally besotted with her, but he could never really do domestic. He still hasn’t completely learned how to cook.”
“Well, cooking can be a no-go area for us too,” answered John, hoping to steer the conversation away from uncomfortable topics. “It starts off fine, but…well, come on, have you seen the guy? How do you expect me to keep my hands to myself? He just makes me lose control!”
“I didn’t need to know that.”
“Sorry.”
~*~
“Mmm…Jack,” moaned Ianto, struggling to fasten the buttons on his shirt, “Jack, come on…we’ve got to go…they’ll be wondering -”
“Not if I know John, he won’t,” smiled Jack as he leaned over to slide his hand further up Ianto’s shirt, pressing him back into the car seat. “He takes ages to get ready…”
“Yes, but…” Ianto groaned as Jack’s hand started to massage his chest. “Jack…we’ve got the reservations…we really…oh, God…we should…ah…”
“You like that, do you?” asked Jack. “You like feeling me touch you and -”
“No!” shouted Ianto. “I mean, yes, but…your mobile is on the seat and it’s vibrating under me.”
“Oh!” Jack reached out and slipped his hand underneath Ianto’s body, drawing out the item in question. “It’s John,” he whispered, still teasing Ianto’s chest as he answered. “Yes…what? Oh…right, yeah okay.” He hung up, looking annoyed and surprised.
“They’re ready aren’t they?” smirked Ianto.
“We’ll finish this later,” growled Jack, before leaning over to steal another kiss. Ianto responded for a few minutes, before quickly realising that, if this carried on, they would never get out of the car. Quickly, but gently, he pushed Jack away and opened the door, wincing slightly against the gales of snow which clung to his hair and coat.
Jack looked disappointed for several moments, before finally admitting defeat and climbing out of the car. However, his expression shifted to one of pure bliss as the snow began to swirl around him, coating his eyelashes in a thick dusting.
Ianto stared at him and laughed. “Jack, what on earth are you doing?”
“I like snow,” answered Jack. “It’s cold and…fluffy.”
“Fluffy?” repeated Ianto, raising an eyebrow. “Jack, Persian cats are fluffy, furry rugs are fluffy, hell, even tinsel can be fluffy. But snow?” He shook his head. “Jack, what time are you from?”
Jack’s eyes snapped open in surprise. He and Ianto stared at each other incredulously for several minutes before bursting into slightly hysterical laughter and collapsing in each other’s arms. They held each other close, rubbing their cold noses together, and were still laughing when John and Nick came downstairs and joined them.
“Should I even bother to ask?” chuckled John, raising his eyebrows.
“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you,” replied Ianto. He smiled broadly at them, only to frown slightly as he took in the two men in front of him. “Nick, where’s your scarf?”
Nick blinked. “What? Oh…I had to get rid of it after the trip to the country. I couldn’t get the mud out of it to save my life.”
“Nick!” shouted Ianto, looking exasperated. “I thought you, of all people, would know better than to do that, especially after how ill you were! And why have you got your hands in your pockets?”
“Oh…I had to get rid of my gloves as well,” answered Nick sheepishly. “They were a right mess. And for goodness sake,” he added as Ianto looked ready to start ranting again, “will you give it a rest? It was a long time ago and I’m fine now. Now, can we just go before this stupid snow gets permanently glued to my glasses?”
Jack nodded. “Come on then,” he said, holding the doors open. John smiled and stepped aside, allowing Nick to go in first, before sitting next to him and brushing snow off his sleeve.
Ianto rolled his eyes as he sat in the front passenger seat. “Do you two reckon you can keep your hands off each other for one night?” he asked.
John and Nick looked at each other. “Sure,” they said in unison, although the blazing look in Nick’s hazel eyes said something completely different.
Jack, who was watching in the rear view mirror, chuckled silently.
~*~
Two hours later…
“It’s nice and warm in here,” remarked John, staring at the roaring fire beside their table. “You almost wouldn’t think that there’s a blizzard outside.”
“Well, that is the idea,” replied Ianto as he snuggled against Jack’s chest, chuckling as the older man fed him a bite of his enormous slice of chocolate cake. “Oh, God, that’s amazing…” he murmured, giving a deep sigh of contentment as he let his arm trail around Jack’s neck, gently rubbing his fingers against his lover’s shoulder, smiling at the deep moans he received in return.
John watched them, shaking his head in amusement. He also smiled as he realised that he could finally watch them happy together without feeling a hint of jealousy. Now, all he could feel was happiness that Jack had finally found someone who understood him as well as Ianto did - someone who could give him what he needed; love and, most importantly, support. Sighing, he leaned backwards against the wooden bench, feeling content for the first time in years.
But he was quickly jerked back to earth when he felt something warm resting on top of his thigh. Frowning, he straightened up slightly and started to look around to find out what was going on. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Nick giving him a tiny, but very cheeky, smile before turning away again quickly. And at that moment, he realised that their hands were no longer linked under the table…but surely he wouldn’t…
“You okay, Nick?” asked Jack. “You just twitched.”
“I’m fine,” answered Nick, calmly. “Just got…pins and needles, that’s all.” He smiled cheerfully, but under the table, his hand began to calmly trace patterns up John’s thigh, patterns which the former Time Agent soon realised were actually words.
If they can’t keep their hands to themselves, why should we?
“Pins and needles?” he said, impressed that his voice didn’t squeak. “Well…just shake them off, can’t you?” he added as he calmly removed Nick’s wandering hand and squeezed it in his own, possibly a little harder than necessary.
“That’s a good idea,” answered Nick, not flinching at all. John breathed out a sigh of relief, only for it to turn into a gasp when he felt something sliding up his leg and stroking his calf - something he quickly realised was the young doctor’s foot. Flicking his eyes downwards, he saw that, while Nick’s hand was still firmly ensconced in his own, he had managed to kick off one of his shoes and he was currently twitching his foot (still in its sock) up John’s calf and smiling.
“There, that’s working,” he said. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem,” said John, forcing himself not to grit his teeth. Unfortunately, he had been so focused on the problem of that wandering foot that he had completely missed the fact that Nick’s hand had slipped free again. Now, however, that hand was calmly moving over his thigh once again - and again, it was tracing a message.
But you know I’ve not got pins and needles…not in my feet, anyway…
Sighing, John fumbled in his pocket and drew out a small notepad and pen. He scribbled down a message of his own and showed it to Nick under the table. What is up with you?
Nick raised his eyebrows a fraction and, with only the barest hint of a smirk, he wrapped one arm around John’s waist and pulled him close until John was practically sitting in his lap. In slight desperation, the former Time Agent looked around, but Jack and Ianto were too busy feeding each other to notice the torment he was in. And he knew that his troubles were only going to increase when he heard Nick laugh quietly from behind him. Sure enough, a moment later, his hastily scribbled question was answered as the young man showed him exactly what was up.
“Shit,” whispered John, feeling his self-control slowly diminishing. He took a deep slow breath, which instantly turned into a gasp when Nick’s wandering hand slipped beneath the table and began to slowly unfasten the button at the top of his jeans, before slowly creeping inside and -
At that point, he leapt up as if he’d been burnt. “I’m just going to the gents,” he panted before bolting down the corridor. He located the right door, burst inside and leaned on the sink, panting heavily to try and ease the throbbing pain in his trousers.
“Fuck!” he cursed, slamming his hand against the sink and closing his eyes as he tried with all his might to rid himself of his not-so little problem. Unfortunately, he quickly realised that was not going to be happening when a pair of arms snaked their way around his waist. He groaned as he breathed in a familiar scent.
“You are a right pain in the ass, Nick Jones,” he ground out.
“So I can see,” answered Nick with another smirk as he leaned over and cupped the front of John’s trousers. “So I can see indeed…”
John squeaked and wriggled away. “You are not playing fair!” he snapped.
“Of course I’m not playing fair. I’m a Jones.”
“Come on, Nick,” implored John. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, and you’ll probably never hear me say it again, but…can you just take it easy for tonight?”
“Where would be the fun in that?” asked Nick. He was still smiling, but there was a slight edge to his voice. “Come on, you can’t say you don’t want me.”
“I do!” exclaimed John. “God, Nick, I’ve wanted you since the first moment I looked at you!”
“Then why wait?” asked Nick, raising his eyebrows. ”Look, if you’re worried about Jack and Ianto, then…well, fuck them, is all I can say.”
“Don’t tempt me,” answered John, as his mouth twitched and his eyes sparkled.
Nick chuckled. “That’s my John!” he said, before he mentally cringed. Since when had he started thinking of the man as his John? They’d barely been together for a month, far too short a time for anyone to be making sweeping statements like that.
John, however, didn’t seem to have noticed. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, Nick.”
“Make what harder than it already is? Come on, John; it’s so simple. You want me, and I know for a fact that I want you. It is,” he pushed John up against the sink, before pressing himself against him as well, “as simple,” he was now unbuttoning John’s shirt and nipping at his neck, “as that.”
~*~
“Is it just me, or have the others been gone for a while now?” asked Ianto. “I mean, we finished eating the cake about,” he checked his watch, “twenty minutes ago.”
Jack shrugged and finished paying the bill. “Don’t worry about them, I’m sure they’re fine,” he said. “And besides, it gives me more time to do this.” With a small giggle, he wrapped his arms around Ianto’s waist and continued to dust his face liberally with kisses.
Ianto, however, managed to wriggle away. “Jack, look outside. The snow’s getting heavier and heavier; in another twenty minutes, we might not be able to see to drive safely. I’m going to -” but his sentence was interrupted as the two men in question arrived, with Nick looking around as he hastily tucked his shirt into his trousers, looking down to hide the increased colour in his cheeks.
“Where have you two been?” asked Ianto, frowning at them.
“We were just getting a few drinks,” said John smoothly. “But Nick got a little sidetracked when he saw this really hot guy there. I had to distract him before he did something really stupid.”
“How did you distract him?” asked Jack, fighting back a smirk as he saw Nick smiling - no, leering was a more accurate description.
Ianto groaned. “You two…you can’t keep out of each other’s pants for one night, can you?”
The two men looked at each other. “No!” they replied in unison.
~*~
“Well, it certainly was a good night,” said Jack as he dusted the snow off his coat and tossed it onto the hook beside the door. “And, between you and me, I think that John’s finally got it into his head that Nick’s more than a match for him.”
Ianto chuckled. “Nick could be more than a match for anyone - including you and John together.” He blushed slightly at the shocked expression on Jack’s face and quickly added, “But you’re right; tonight was a good night. In fact,” and here, he paused, thinking. “I don’t want it to end.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jack. Instead of answering, Ianto merely took his hand and led him into the middle of the room. Then, without a word, he bent down and there was the soft ‘click’ of a plug being switched on. Moments later, the room was bathed in the soft flickering glow of hundreds of tiny fairy lights, white ones decorating the walls and coloured ones on the enormous Christmas tree, illuminating the decorations and the thickly falling snow outside the window. Moments later, soft music began to play and the next thing he knew, Ianto was standing in front of him, his eyes shining with love.
“Dance with me.”
“Always,” whispered Jack as he wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist and breathed in the scent of his hair, swaying softly in time to the music.
“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening.
In the lane, snow is glistening.
A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.”
“Thank you for tonight, Jack,” Ianto whispered. “It was…it was perfect.”
“Gone away is the bluebird.
Here to stay is a new bird.
He sings a love song,
As we go along,
Walking in a winter wonderland.”
Jack smiled. “It’s what I’m here for,” he whispered.
***
Next Time: With only two days to go until Christmas Day, two members of the team are panicking when they realise that they haven’t found the right gift for their other half! What madness could take place when Jack and Nick go Christmas shopping together?
And if you're wondering what John and Nick got up to in the gents, then you can find out here! http://anduria-trianys.livejournal.com/19387.html#cutid1