Title: Surprising gift
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,100 words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Written for Challenge 526 - Festive
Summary: An early Christmas gift isn’t as exciting as Jack had hoped.



The hub was quiet for once, which Jack always considered an ill omen, but with the strings of coloured lights gently twinkling here and there, he could almost believe that for just a little while nothing might go wrong.

Jack was on his own, having let the rest of the team take the afternoon off to go Christmas shopping. It was too good an opportunity to pass on, never knowing when things might start up again. Everyone's mood was always better when the pressure of gift buying had been safely ticked off the list before that next world ending threat reared its head.

Hearing the cogwheel door alarms and lights go off surprised him. Who had given up on the department stores already? Owen, most likely. He was the biggest grinch of all.

‘Owen, is that you?’ Jack called out.

‘Nope. Just me,’ came Ianto's dulcet Welsh timbre. Jack didn’t have to wait long before Ianto was there in his doorway, a shopping bag looped on his elbow.

‘You look like you’ve had a successful afternoon of retail therapy.’

‘More or less,’ Ianto replied. Ianto held the bag aloft. ‘I got you one of your presents today.’

That piqued Jack’s interest. He was always fascinated how Ianto could continue to find things that made good gifts for a man who’d seen more Christmases than any other living soul. ‘Hopefully more than one,’ Jack teased.

‘Well, yes. But this one you get to have early.’

‘Ooh! You know I love a good present. Especially one I don't have to wait for.’

‘It's not wrapped, but you only destroy the wrapping in any event,’ Ianto said, holding out a bag which Jack promptly snatched up. ‘See? You'd rip the bag apart if it wasn't plastic.’

‘Hush,’ Jack said, intently focused on unveiling this special early gift. His expression changed however when he tugged out the wooly red object and held it up for inspection. It was a jumper, but it was spoiled by the rows of twee Christmas themed motifs running back and forth all over it. It was one of those hideous jumpers that Brits were so fond of, and Jack couldn't understand what mental breakdown had possessed Ianto to buy such a thing.

Jack raised an eyebrow at his lover. ‘Was there a hold up at the shops? A prisoner gift exchange, perhaps? You got out of there with whatever you could?’ Maybe this was just a big practical joke, meant to taunt Jack for getting excited about early presents.

‘I bought that for you. Picked it out especially. You'll need it for Christmas day lunch at my sister's.’ He pulled out a second one from the bag. ‘Here's mine,’ he said, holding up a second jumper. ‘Needs a quick wash and a press after a year stuffed at the back of the wardrobe, but otherwise still good. See, now we'll match.’

Jack cringed at the garment in his hands. ‘This is the ugliest jumper I've ever seen, and I lived through the seventies.’

‘It's not even close and you know it.’

‘Well, it deserves an honourable mention then.’

Ianto rolled his eyes. ‘It was the only one in your size. Well, the only one that wasn't awfully cheesy. Trust me, there were worse designs than this one.’

Jack looked up at him. ‘Are you calling me fat? Seriously?’

Ianto didn't even blink. ‘A few less donuts wouldn’t hurt, that's all I'm saying.’

Jack let the insult slide. He hadn't gotten that comfortable in their relationship. He frowned at the jumper again. ‘You can't seriously expect me to wear this.’ He'd be a laughing stock. He'd been all excited about being invited to Christmas lunch with Ianto's family for the first time, but what kind of impression would he leave dressed in this? He was Captain Jack Harkness, after all.

‘It’s a family tradition.’

Jack met his gaze. ‘Your family is insane.’

Ianto smirked. ‘Oh, I see you've met them.’

‘Har har.’ Jack held up the jumper and compared it to the other one. ‘How come yours isn’t as ugly? It's a nice shade of blue and everything.’ If anything, Jack should have had blue, since red was, and always had been, Ianto's colour.’

‘It also has the words “Cardiff City Bluebirds” all over it. It was a present three years ago. Johnny thought it would get me to go to a game with him. If I don't wear it, I'll only get even more stick. Like I said, it’s tradition.’

‘Better than cheesy snowmen and grinning reindeer.’

Ianto took the jumper back. ‘It's fine margins, trust me. But every year we all wear silly festive jumpers for Christmas lunch and far be it from me to break a decades old tradition for the sake of your wounded pride.’

‘Why is this suddenly my fault?’

‘Why Ianto, what a lovely festive knitted jumper you’ve got there. Won't it be lovely to be silly for a day and wear these to your sister’s place. No, instead you laughed at me and asked me if I got mugged in a charity shop.’

‘On the balance of probabilities, I think my version was closer to the truth.’

Ianto tossed the jumper at his head, Jack barely managing to catch it before it smacked him on the face. ‘Hey!’

‘Just for once I'm begging you to do something daggy and normal. For someone who loves to hang up the lights and tinsel as much as you do, I'm surprised you don't have a whole trunk full of tacky Christmas jumpers.’

Jack's eyes narrowed. ‘My self respect gets resurrected each time I die.’ Ianto tossed his own jumper at Jack's head, and this time Jack had his hands full and wasn’t able to stop it hitting him.

‘You can always cancel your plans to join us,’ Ianto said, laying out the emotional blackmail. He knew how important a milestone this was. The odd weeknight dinner was one thing, but Christmas was a big deal. Christmas made everything properly official.

‘No way.’ Jack was many things, but he wasn’t a quitter. And quitting on Ianto’s family would be the greatest shame of all. If he could survive being buried alive for two thousand years, he could surely survive one day of humiliating clothing.

‘We’ll all look silly,’ Ianto assured him. ‘That’s the point. If you can’t be silly and festive with your family, who can you?’

Ianto had a point. It was just a bunch of silly wool. Christmas together like a real family was more important. ‘Thanks,’ he finally said. ‘It’s the best present ever.’