Fictions

[firesnap]

Title:  Four Times Jack Proposed A Threesome (And One Time He Didn't)
Author: firesnap
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Jack/Ianto/Gwen
Summary: Jack firmly believed that it could never hurt to at least ask. Multiple times.
Notes: This story hasn't been beta'd, as a warning. This is mostly just fluff. Fluffy, fluff to help me take my mind off of impending finals and doom. No smut, unfortunately, though I guess I could totally turn it into something smutty if I really wanted.
Contains: Language, unbeta'd writing.
Relevant Episodes: None really. Spans most of the series up to CoE. 
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all of its characters are owned by the BBC and Russell T. Davies. I make nothing from writing this and wouldn't take your filthy money if you offered it. All characters included and mention within are of legal age.



It'd be beautiful outside if it wasn't so damn cold. Jack patrolled around the small cabin he and his team was currently holed up in. They'd been out in the countryside for about six hours on a hunt and the sun, setting early in those cold winter months, was barely hanging above the horizon. A glyzen had been on the loose – a nasty beast that fed off heat sources. Particularly bad news on a spacecraft, or for people when it couldn't find a better source of heat. Jack had gunned it down about a half hour earlier, right before it had gotten its long translucent claws around Gwen's throat. Its corpse, the heat still dissipating from it in steamy bursts, was still on the ground cooling before they dared move it to the SUV.
 
Unfortunately, Jack's dramatic showdown happened after it had feasted itself on the generator of their cabin outpost and the battery of the SUV. Now, as the snow flurries drifted lazily to the ground, Jack checked the perimeter of their temporary shelter. Ianto had rented the cabin in case the hunt had lasted more than a day and Jack couldn't help but bless his foresight. There were stuck here for the night. It was too late to get any real help, and Tosh and Owen were stuck in Cardiff working on another case involving a sentient computer virus at a local hospital. Tosh had apparently trapped it on an MP3 player, but they were in for a long night of clearing up the mess it had left in its wake. Jack flinched as he recalled Gwen's tight, understanding smile as she told Tosh not to worry --- they'd be fine for the night. She and Ianto had packed some dinner. There was a fireplace. It'd be like camping and everyone knew how much Torchwood loved camping.
 
After that, she and Ianto had huffed off to find firewood and settle in for the evening. They left Jack in silence and feeling like, somehow, this was all his fault, which was ridiculous because he seemed to remember saving the day at a least one point. When they'd returned it was with closed off expressions and barely a nod in greeting.  So they were a little angry. As Ianto closed the door to the cabin – very nearly approaching the level of slamming, Jack tugged his coat closer and went about moving the alien corpse to the boot of their vehicle. They really couldn't hold it against him that he'd used the cabin generator to bait the thing. If he'd known it had already gotten the SUV well – actually, he probably would've still done the same. Maybe Gwen and Ianto were right to be a little huffy. Jack dumped off his heavy and slowly freezing friend, and sighed. He scanned the wooded scenery one last time. Nothing. There was no other monsters hiding in the dark and he'd stalled as long as he could. He headed in.

Inside the cabin, there was still a twinge of cold in the air. It faded the closer he got to the fire Gwen and Ianto had built, but lingered enough to hint at the long, miserable night that was to come. Gwen and Ianto were huddled near the fireplace in what looked like every blanket the cabin had provided. They had a small tray between them holding the scattered remains of a meal upon it. Bottles of water and juice. Sandwiches. A pot of beans that had probably been heated on the fire Now that was the dinner of champions. Jack locked the door, checked the windows and cautiously made his way over. He wasn't worried about any Welsh tempers flaring. Not at all. It was a courtesy to not startle anyone.

Ianto looked up and nodded a greeting as Jack approached. "Left you a sandwich, pack of crisps, whatever beans are still there." Jack smiled his thanks and settled between the two, helping himself to whatever food was left. They finished their meal in mostly silence. Gwen and Ianto told a couple of stories about what they'd rather be doing. Both answers were mostly anything as long as it was warm and didn't have to do with aliens. Finally, the food was gone and there was nothing left to do. Ianto stood up and stretched, the blanket falling around his arms to reveal his jeans and thick jumper. "Time for sleep. Gwen can take the bed.  Jack and I will take turns on watch and the sofa.” Ianto motioned toward the lumpy, ragged bunch of cushions and wood that made their shabby couch in the Hub look luxurious.
 
Jack huffed. There was no point in even pretending that's how things were going to go. Jack would take first ‘shift' on watch and let Ianto sleep through the night. Then he'd have to hear about how badly Ianto's back hurt the next day. "Not needed. I'm not tired and there's no more of those things. I've checked. You two take the bed. I'll keep watch. Stay warm."
 
After a grumbling debate, Gwen and Ianto finally agreed and shuffled off to bed. Jack settled in front of the fire and, jacket pulled tight around himself, stared absently at the flames while the others slept. He really wasn't tired. He didn't get tired. It'd been a long day, and his stomach still felt tense from how close the glyzen's claws had come to cutting into his little inner circle.  Gwen's neck seemed to be a calling card for anyone with a sharp knife and claws. Jack shifted. Now that he was thinking about it, the same applied for Ianto. It's like they wore signs saying “threaten here” and Jack felt the same panic grab him every time it happened. Every close call did nothing but remind him of what happened when he let his guard down. He was going to get someone killed if he didn't keep his head on straight and keep an eye on everyone.
 
"Jack?"
 
Ianto's voice snapped the silence of the cabin. Jack shook his head and let his maudlin thoughts disappear with the smoke of the fire. "Yeah?"
 
"Gwen's cold and she's too stubborn to say anything about it."

Jack pulled a face. “Is it that bad? Just… get cozy. I can watch if you want.”

A very undignified snort responded. “Right. Well. Her lips are a bit blue.”

Jack stood and his back popped as he stretched. He walked over to the bed where Gwen and Ianto were buried under a stack of blankets. Ianto was sitting half upright, propped on his elbows; Gwen had the blankets pulled up to her chin. Ianto had been right. Gwen was looking a little off.  "Her skin's cold. Even her hair is cold," Ianto half-whispered and Gwen shot him a glare.
 
"I'm fine," she mumbled. "Ianto's just annoyed that I woke him up."
 
"Your hands are like blocks of ice!"
 
Jack frowned and pulled the blanket down. Upon Gwen's neck was a small red scratch, particularly bright against her pale skin. "There's our problem," Jack said with a reassuring smile. "You got nicked by short, clawy and brutal earlier. Saps heat out of you."  When Gwen's eyes widened Jack chuckled. "You'll be fine. We just need to keep you warm."
 
Jack kicked off his clunky boots and slid out of his greatcoat, letting it fall to the floor despite Ianto's slightly indignant noise. "Scoot over kids, make room." Gwen looked ready to protest, but Ianto had already begun cajoling her closer to him near the far end of bed.
 
"He'll behave," Ianto assured her. "We'll kick him out once we get you warm, alright?"
 
"I'm holding you to that," Gwen sighed, exhaustion clearly marking itself in her voice.
 
Jack eased himself into the bed and under the small stockpile of blankets covering the other two occupants. The mattress creaked and whined in protest at the addition of another full sized adult, but eventually settled around them. Jack turned onto his side, pulling a blanket up farther on his waist, to face Gwen and Ianto. Gwen still laid on her back, bundled, with Ianto also turned into his side facing Jack. Ianto reached forward and placed his hand around the wrist Gwen had sitting on top of the blankets, exposed to the chill of the cabin air.  Jack smiled and covered Ianto's hand with his own and, through them, could feel the slow rise and fall of Gwen's chest.
 
Jack felt a stirring in his chest that was foreign to the point of discomfort. It tightened when Ianto grinned at him in that drowsy, dopey fashion he had before sleep. It shifted and expanded when Gwen sighed with pleasure as warmth started to return to her bones.
 
Oh. He remembered this feeling now. Contentment. Belonging.  He'd not felt like this in ages. As Jack glanced again at his companions, a wave of protectiveness also washed through him. Oh, and he hadn't felt that since he'd been with Rose and the Doctor. Part of a unit. Yeah. Jack liked the sound of that.
 
He smiled, full of his normal lazy charm and Ianto raised an eyebrow in response. "You know," Jack drawled. "I know one sure way to get everyone warmed up pretty quick."
 
Ianto rolled his eyes and Gwen groaned in dismay.
 
"You told me he'd behave!"
 
"I think he is? For him, I mean. He didn't just start removing anyone's clothes."
 
Gwen shook her head and nested down deeper into the bed. "Once I'm warm, I'm kicking you both out now."                                                                                 

---

                                  
Jack was panicking. Slightly. The alien, which even he hadn't recognized, had been slithering about the alley ways near St. John's for at least two days now. A postman had been found dead and the thing --slightly shorter than Jack and resembling a walking jellyfish man with teeth and poison -- had nearly taken off Ianto's head when they'd first started their investigation.  They'd gotten separated after that; what with Gwen trying to keep crowds back and Ianto ducking about to the South to try and help circle the beast. Jack somehow managed to get circled around and, at that point, thanked whatever fucking being was looking out for his ragtag group today. He ran into an open area at the sound of gunfire to see Gwen, beautiful and brilliant Gwen Cooper, firing uselessly at the jellyman. It hissed and swung a tentacle (there was something they hadn't seen yet) at Gwen, knocking her to the ground with her gun clattering a few feet away.
 
Jack screamed. He screamed because it was all he knew to do in the situation, and he ran as fast as he could toward Gwen. Panting, finally reaching his goal, he stood protectively in front of the stunned woman on the ground. The creature slithered closer and, without a second thought, Jack drew his weapon and fired his Webley, ineffectively, at the beast. It surged forward, whipping tentacles that Jack barely ducked in time, and Jack looked back at Gwen's dazed form for some kind of support. She was moving about at least, but didn't look prepared to flee just yet. Jack then saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him breathe a sigh of relief and his jaw stiffen simultaneously. Ianto was there. Brilliant Ianto with a stun gun in hand. As Ianto inched forward, Jack began to hurl threats at the jellyman and generally do what he could to distract the thing from Ianto's creeping approach. Suddenly, there was a holler, though Jack couldn't tell if it was from Ianto or the monster, and the smell of burning fruit filled the air as Ianto fired the stun gun directly into the creature's back. Ianto leapt back as the thing turned and swung at him in a jerking and disorientated manner. It staggered, then swung a weakened tentacle again with even less force than before.
 
That's when Jack noticed that it was…vibrating. Undulating? One of the two and neither word choice option filled Jack with anything other than foreboding.  He stumbled back, all the while yelling at Ianto to move-- to  get away and just get fucking safe. The noise attracted the jellyman's attention again and it started, slowly, toward Jack, vibrating more with each slither. Jack turned and hastily pulled Gwen up. He was half attempting to carry her despite her protests, when a low mournful noise cut through the air. Jack stopped dead in his tracks, still supporting Gwen, and he risked a glance back at the monster. Another cry tore through the Torchwood team and a bright light seemed to build from inside the creature's head area before --- pop. It was like the sound of twenty balloons going off at once. Jack clutched Gwen when she jumped at the noise, no longer fighting for a bit of distance from his arms.
 
The thing had exploded. Jack had just enough time to register this information before it began to rain. Not water, no, Torchwood was never that lucky. Bits of slimy jellyman were raining upon him and Gwen. He swore, loudly, and tried to duck Gwen's head under his coat. It was too late. They were both covered. Unlike water, these drops didn't slide down skin and clothes to reach the ground. No, each drop and splatter stuck to their skin to create a film that was instantly disgusting and uncomfortable.
 
A few moments of shocked silence passed as Gwen and Jack took in their newly jellied state. Then they heard a snort, and a cough, and turned their attention to the source of the noise.

Ianto Jones, immaculate clean Ianto Jones, was staring at them with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth. "I really wasn't expecting that."
 
Gwen pried herself from Jack and tried to run fingers through her hair, taking away clumps of alien along with tangles. She grimaced. "No, I don't think we were either."  Ianto apologized, looking nearly as sincere as he was amused about it, and Gwen waved a hand in acceptance. He'd stopped the alien at least.
 
Jack laughed, though it came off as forced even to his own ears. "I guess it was allergic to electricity." He scanned the scene and the mayhem, or lack of really, around them. "At least there's no clean up. The only bodies to move are either in police custody or coating us."
 
"I'm really sorry," Ianto repeated before frowning. He backed away a step when Jack moved toward him and looked toward where the SUV had been parked. "I'll get the SUV ready.  And some liners for the seats. We'll get you two back to the Hub and cleaned up. I'll even find some lunch." 
 
Gwen made a move as if to comfortingly pat Ianto on the arm and he ducked away as quickly as he could without coming off as aggressive about it. He was apparently not sorry enough to risk being covered in slime himself. Gwen caught onto this idea fairly quickly, and, looking conspiratorially in Jack's direction, opened her arms as if to wrap Ianto in a big embrace. Quick on his feet, Ianto darted away again, all the while scowling and checking his clothes for any possible splatters.. Watching his team at play, Jack couldn't help but smile at their spirits, and though it was a bit messy today, their accomplishments.
 
As Ianto disappeared into the nearby SUV to look for liners, Jack chuckled and called after him. "You could at least offer to scrub us clean. It'll be fun and...and you owe us!"
 
Ianto looked up at Jack, then at Gwen, and wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. No. You both smell a bit and I don't think I want to be around when you hit hot water."
 
Gwen couldn't help but laugh, but Jack lifted his arm to smell the slime clinging to his greatcoat. Oh. It smelled like a mixture of oysters and apples. Ianto may have a point.  "Raincheck?"
 
Ianto shrugged and Gwen rolled her eyes affectionately. At least they hadn't said no entirely.

---

Christmas was an odd time at Torchwood. They weren't in London so the yearly alien attacks didn't seem to affect them as much. One year, when asked  why they didn't pack up to help the Londoners. Jack had merely replied "someone is already on it" and left it at that. It put Team Torchwood in a strange tranquil period. No one in London was asking for reports, UNIT was busy and never harassed them, and usually whatever the Rift spit out was manageable enough compared to what usually fell from it.
 
This Christmas Eve it was just the three of them. It was their first Christmas as a trio instead of a full team.  They'd had a call earlier -- a simple collection of what were basically interstellar Duracells from the hands of a group of teenagers.  While Jack finished up the notes on the item, and Ianto packaged and stored them and other debris from the week away, Gwen disappeared. After about a half hour of silence, right when Jack had started to assume she'd worked out a deal  with Ianto to sneak out early, the proximity alarm went off. Ianto jogged upstairs from the archives to meet Gwen at the cog door. She was loaded down with carryout containers and wrapped gifts. Ianto took the food, and  the fragrance of rich Indian spices were already filling the Hub, while Gwen shuffled with her parcels to her workstation.  Jack came downstairs and put his hands on his hips.
 
"Now what did I say about having parties?"
 
Ianto reappeared with plates and utensils and set up a small spread of dinner by their raggedy couch in the main area. "I believe you said, 'Yanto, don't try to have parties when I'm not around. How could there be a party without me?'"
 
"Your accent is awful. I don't sound like that."
 
Gwen laughed and shoved a small, cheerfully wrapped gift into Jack's arm. "Hush, grab some food and pretend to be jolly."
 
Jack was, not-so-secretly, quite chuffed at their surprise holiday gathering. They had dinner together while exchanging stories from more memorable holidays past. Jack did most of the talking, but really, that was always expected. After the food was packed away, Ianto disappeared for a few moments and came back with a large bottle of spiced rum and a platter full of holiday biscuits. Jack raised an eyebrow at the alcohol and Ianto shrugged.
 
"It was going to go into something more festive, but I ran out of time. We'll make do, I imagine."
 
Jack and Gwen exchanged a look, and a grin, but said nothing as Ianto filled their glass tumblers. Ianto was so horrible at holding his liquor that it surpassed endearing and approached legendary. Give him ale or lager and he could outlast anyone at a bar, but any spirit rougher than that usually ended in a very short night for Ianto Jones.
 
Pushing aside future consequences, Ianto raised his glass. "To those who aren't here, to those who should be, and to those who are."
 
Gwen and Jack cheered and they all clanked their glasses together before swinging it back. It was a pleasant burn to Jack. Not as rough as whiskey or scotch, and with a hint of spice and vanilla that was perfect for a holiday evening. Ianto passed out refills while Gwen handed out gifts. 
 
They were fairly normal presents, but it wasn't about what was in the boxes for Jack. It was the fact that these two people, these two short lived and brilliant people, were spending a holiday with him. He got to watch them unwrap gifts (surprisingly, Ianto just tore through the paper -- "Rubbish is rubbish, it doesn't matter if it's folded neatly first."), and see Gwen's eyes light up brighter for others opening presents more than when she opened her own. Jack closed his eyes and tried to force the evening into some sort of long term memory storage. He took a deep breath and stayed like that until a gentle elbow to his side from Gwen shook him back to the present.
 
"You alright?"
 
"Yeah," Jack smiled. "Let's find some music. We'll take turns dancing."
 
An hour later and they were danced, talked and jolly'd out of doing much more than lounging. Jack sat on the couch by Gwen. Gwen currently had Ianto with his head firmly in her lap and his legs dangling over the other arm rest of the couch.
 
"I miss them," Ianto muttered.
 
"Tosh and Owen?" Gwen petted Ianto's hair, pulling the strands to stand up and about in the messy fashion that was currently popular.
 
"I miss a lot of people," Ianto admitted. "Them. The people I worked with in London. My parents. This time of year is hard."
 
Jack nodded and swigged the last of the rum from the bottle. "That's why we're here tonight. We miss the fallen and celebrate those still here."
 
"Yeah."
 
"Sometimes," Gwen began and her eyes flitted between looking at Jack, the floor, and Ianto before settling on a spot above Ianto's ear. "I feel guilty. I miss them. I miss them horribly. But… I'm so glad it wasn't either of you." At the last part of her admission, Gwen looked up and caught Jack's understanding gaze. Jack reached forward and cupped the side of Gwen's face to offer comfort and she leaned into the touch. Their bodies, like magnets, pulled to each other until they were breathing in the smell of rum and vanilla from the others' breath.
 
"You know," Jack began as his thumb gently rubbed Gwen's jawbone. "I could think of only one thing we could do to make this holiday better." His libido damned, but Jack felt justified in his request. It wasn't just about sex. It was about feeling alive instead of just existing, knowing these two people were alive and trying to affirm for them that he wouldn't leave. As long as they were here he'd try his best to be here with them.
 
Gwen's eyelids fluttered and her fingers carded through Ianto's hair. Ianto had his face buried in Gwen's stomach, nuzzling the soft flesh beneath her t-shirt. "Yeah," Gwen whispered. "You would have that on the brain." Jack chuckled when, instead of pulling away, Gwen leaned forward to brush her lips against the side of Jack's mouth and then pressed firmly against the center. Jack shifted and pulled Gwen closer in an attempt to deepen the kiss and ---
 
Ianto jolted upright, looking pale and red eyed. "I'm going to be sick," he half- mumbled before falling and stumbling off the couch toward the nearest waste bin. Jack and Gwen pulled apart as if struck by lightning and Jack jumped to his feet to comfort Ianto as he wretched curry and rum into the garbage. Jack's face twisted and he glanced back at Gwen to see a similar expression.
 
Well, Jack thought as he smoothed the hair on Ianto's forehead, at least it had been a good Christmas.

---

Jack had just saved the world. Well, the Doctor, and Donna, and somehow another Doctor had just saved the world from Daleks, but Jack had helped. He'd left his team in Cardiff to man the rift; and he'd been so proud of them when they'd interfaced with Team Tardis, offering to help pull the Earth home. He'd grinned like a proud parent showing off his kids and nudged Jackie and Rose with little whispers about how they were his "more attractive, Welsh version of Torchwood" They'd nodded and laughed, because everyone had been laughing, and continued to help save the world.
 
Now Jack was home and he couldn't help the swagger in his step as he hopped onto the invisible lift. This was the sort of mission he wished he'd gotten into more often. No one died. Everyone exchanged numbers after and made promises to have lunch at some point. It was more of a party than a crisis, even if the Doctor had seemed a little distant. Jack just assumed he didn't deal with emotions that well.
 
The first thing Jack saw as he glided down into the Hub was the husk of a Dalek sprawled across the floor. Jack's heart nearly stopped then and there. For a moment he had to actively work at getting air into his lungs, before he began to scan the rest of the Hub for his crew. He knew they were fine, logically, in the back of his mind. He had spoken with them before heading back to Cardiff. He'd seen them when they'd helped haul Earth home. However, it was harder to remember that when Jack was confronted with the sight of a dead Dalek and no Ianto or Gwen in his immediate vision. Finally, he spotted them by an unused work station, righting a shelf that had fallen during planetary move. Ianto's tie and waistcoat were gone, and Gwen had changed into one of Jack or Ianto's button-ups. They were both covered in dust and grime, but the Hub looked, on inspection, closer to normal than when Jack had left. Except for that Dalek.
 
Jack jumped off the lift when it was still about a foot and a half from the ground. He swallowed down any anxiety that still lingered in his bones, shouted a greeting and donned one of his best grins. Gwen and Ianto both looked up in smiled in their own ways. Ianto's was thinner and spoke more of amused affection and Gwen's lit up her face with childlike joy as she yelled and rushed into Jack's arms for a hug.
 
With a laugh, Jack lifted her off the ground and squeezed her tight. She was definitely wearing one of Ianto's shirts -- his scent and cologne still lingered in the material and mixed with Gwen's own unique smell. The combination made something heavy and indescribable coil in Jack's stomach. Jack vaguely recalled a hurried conversation after departing the Tardis about Hub recovery work and Gwen getting goo from the Hothouse all over her blouse. Apparently, she must've not had a spare change of clothes. Jack tried to focus his mind away from the image of Gwen in Ianto's shirt, and the way the sleeves hung gorgeously off her wrists, and back toward his homecoming. He placed Gwen back on the ground and opened his arms in a gesture of triumph.
 
"So I helped stop the end of all of reality," Jack smirked.
 
"And made it home in time for dinner," Ianto added.
 
"And UNIT is handling all of the cleanup for this operation. All that's left is a big heroic welcome."
 
Gwen nodded and went to her desk to gather bag and other belongings. Ianto finished piling items back onto the previously overturned shelf before joining Gwen by the computers. "And what do you suggest?" Ianto asked with a raised eyebrow.
 
"Traditionally, I believe the hero is welcome homed with open arms, less clothes, and a little of a celebratory orgy from his collection of grateful admirers. Just a little though, I'm not greedy."  Jack paused, as if considering his own request, and then pointed at Gwen. “However, if you want to leave the shirt on, I can work with that.”
 
Gwen laughed and took the arm Ianto offered her. "That sounds fantastic, Jack" she grinned.
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Yeah," Ianto agreed. "After you're done giving your statement to UNIT, see if the mayor is up for it. He's expecting a call before the end of the night."
 
Jack's face fell. "And where are you two going?"
 
"For a drink," Gwen answered as she tugged Ianto toward the exit. "We've not seen the sun in two days."
 
Jack was about to sulk when Ianto turned around and gave him a wink. "If the mayor turns you down, come round later. I can't promise you an orgy, but I'll at least give the big welcome back a go."
 
With a hop to his step, Jack saluted his departing staff and made for his office. If he hurried, he could get to Ianto's within an hour or two. His eye caught the main floor of the Hub and the Dalek remains again. Well, that needed to go first. Might be closer to three hours.

---

Gwen and Jack were sure, at first, Ianto had to have a concussion. There was no alien. No danger to Cardiff. The three of them were going out for a drink and, of all things, as Ianto was getting out of the SUV, a kid on a bike zoomed by far too quick and made Ianto lose his footing. Jack still winced at the memory of the crack noise Ianto's head made on impact with SUV.
 
Ianto, especially now that there was no staff doctor, was particularly stubborn about getting medical attention. He waved them both off, swearing he was fine but in no mood to drink. He wanted to go home and rest. Jack and Gwen had shot each other concerned looks as they'd helped Ianto back into the SUV, but didn't argue with him. Instead, they went home with him.
 
The three of them, tucked up in Ianto's bed, watching films had not been how Jack imagined his night was going to go. However, he had to admit it was a good time. Gwen had fussed once they'd gotten Ianto home. She sorted him out with painkillers for his budding headache, ice for the knot and bruise, and propped him up in bed with most of the pillows in the house. Jack was prepared to say goodnight after that, until she crawled up into bed next to Ianto and put her feet under the blankets. At Jack's surprised look, Gwen scowled.
 
"Rhys is out for the night. I told him I'd be out too and I'm not about to sit at home, alone, and worry when I could at least worry here with a DVD and company."
 
 Ianto chuckled and pointed to the binder of DVDs by the bed.  "Pick something out. I've got beer and maybe we can convince Jack to find us some dinner." At the onslaught of twin wide eyed Welsh kids giving him their best 'hopeful' expression, Jack stood no shot.
 
He sighed and waved a hand at them. "I'll go to that place on the corner. Pick up some pasta. You two don't move on my account."
 
When Jack returned, they apparently hadn't. At least not to do more than go fetch a few beers. They were watching Batman and Jack had to roll his eyes as he brought in bowls of fresh ziti. "Really? Am I not enough of a hero for you two anymore?"
 
Ianto took his food with a grateful smile and a mischievous twinkle to his eye. "Oh, I don't know. You don't stand about on roofs as much as you used to."
 
Gwen covered her mouth to muffle a giggle. "He does have the coat though. Bit like a cape."
 
"So true."
 
Jack sighed and motioned for everyone to shift so he could sit on the other side of Ianto. Here was something he hadn't done before and it was just so -- strangely normal. He, Gwen and Ianto huddled inside on a night when most other people were out. Lying in bed, eating takeaway Italian and watching television. If this was domestic, then Jack could definitely see its appeal. Though, he imagined, most people didn't picture their perfect domestic setting to involve two of their employees. And him. With preferably less clothes.
 
They finished their movie and Jack put up the dishes. When Ianto made it adamantly clear that he obviously didn't have a concussion, Gwen relented and allowed him a beer with their next DVD selection. Jack turned off all the lights but one warm glowing lamp in the corner and they pressed their bodies together to watch The Dark Knight.
 
Halfway through the film, Jack glanced over and bit back a smile. Gwen was lying with her head on Ianto's shoulder. He had one arm curled protectively around her and her hand had snaked its way up his t-shirt to rest on his stomach. Jack admired the sight as discreetly as he could and said nothing. Ten minutes later a shifting on the mattress made Jack look again. Now Gwen's leg had, too casually, been draped over Ianto's. The arm Ianto had wrapped around Gwen had now bunched up her loose fitting top and he was rubbing lazy circles on her waist and hip. They were both pointedly not looking at each other, or Jack, but now and then Gwen would sigh and nuzzle her nose and mouth against Ianto's neck.
 
Jack was no longer watching the movie. He turned onto his side and propped his head up on one arm to better watch the slow dance going on next to him. Eventually tiring of subtle pets and advances, Ianto squeezed Gwen closer to him and used his free hand to tilt her chin up. He kissed her then, both of their eyes sliding closed as they gave in to the warmth of the other. When they eventually came up for air, Gwen's arm snaked over to Ianto and she found Jack. She intertwined their fingers and gave him a tentative tug closer to them. Jack relented easily. Not eagerly though. He didn't want to break whatever magic spell or wish he'd been granted. He leaned over Ianto and pushed Gwen's dark fringe away from her face, kissing her forehead, then the soft pink of her mouth. She signed into his embrace and let her lips part into the kiss.
 
Because Jack didn't close his eyes, he didn't miss when Ianto's slid Gwen's bra free and he felt when Ianto's other hand traveled the planes of Jack's chest to tug his shirt out of his trousers. Jack broke the kiss and looked at his two companions. Gwen's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright; and Ianto looked like a perfect mixture of mischief and potential debauchery.
 
"I'm just going to ask, to clarify, for my sanity, is this really happening?"
 
"Shut up, Jack."
 
Jack's ears were filled with a buzzing noise, so he wasn't sure who said that, but he had to admit it was great advice.