Torchwood: Fanfic: Parenthood

[m_findlow]

Title: Parenthood
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Myfanwy
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 2,441 words
Content notes: Epilogue for my fic Trading places
Author notes: Written for badly_knitted's prompt "Torchwood, Myfanwy, Myf adopts a chick" at fic_promptly
Summary: The team's latest adventures give rise to a gift for Myfanwy

Ianto's mind was still hazy with sleep when he heard Jack mumble at him.

'Good morning, my rescuing knight in shining armour,' he said, squeezing him tightly.

That's when Ianto's brain woke up properly, remembering the past few days. Having to work with John Hart to save Jack from some kind of alien mafia, breaking into the Ministry of Defence to steal back something John had stolen, all nearly being killed, then blown up, and spending the better part of yesterday cleaning up the mess of alien corpses, and a six hour drive halfway across England and back to retrieve the SUV. Then he remembered what else had happened. He had a new charge locked down in the cells. He'd been so busy with everything else that he'd almost forgotten.

He bolted up out of bed and began pulling clothes out of the chest of drawers.

'Hey, what's the rush?' Jack complained, still lying in bed, watching him. 'I thought we were going to spend today making up for lost time.'

'Maybe later,' Ianto replied distractedly, laying a shirt and matching tie over the back of the chair, and heading for the bathroom.

'Maybe?' Jack repeated loudly. 'Who are you and what have you done with the real Ianto Jones?' he yelled at Ianto's retreating form.

Twenty minutes later, Jack was following Ianto down to the cells on sub-basement level three. In his hand Ianto was carrying a small bowl of chopped up banana. Jack thought it seemed an odd thing to feed to a weevil, and wondered what else could be down here. He'd only been gone three days. What had Ianto been up to?

'I meant to tell you yesterday,' Ianto began, 'but with all the cleanup and everything, I just clean forgot, pardon the pun.'

'Forgot what?' Jack said, sounding suspicious.

'When we were at the Ministry of Defence, I, well, I might have brought something back. I promise it's good though,' he added, seeing the look of concern on Jack's face. 'Come on,' he said, now breaking out into a smile, 'it's just down here.'

Jack came face to face with the cell door, seeing the tiny creature curled up in the corner, its head tucked underneath its wing, just like...

'Wait, is that?'

'Yep,' Ianto said, almost bouncing on his feet like an excited three year old, already deactivating the lock on the door.

'But, the Ministry of Defence?' Jack couldn't get his head around how that was even possible. How the hell did the Ministry of Defence end up with a dinosaur?

'Locked, in a tiny cage, in a lab, where they were going to do God only knows what to him,' Ianto said, scooping up the little pteranadon as it woke, cradling it in his arms. 'I couldn't just leave him there.'

Jack stared at the tiny little creature in his arms, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

'Hey little guy,' Ianto said, stroking him with a gentle finger. He squeaked in reply.

'Jack, this is Hywel.'

Jack couldn't the help but roll his eyes at his lover. He just loved naming things, and it only seemed appropriate to give their newest visitor a proper Welsh name.

Ianto spent a few more minutes just holding him as he squirmed around, trying to get settled into this strange new environment, and these odd people who weren't at all like the ones that had looked after him before. Last night he'd been freed from that tiny little cage, and now he had this huge space he didn't know what to do with. He didn't remember much about the place he'd been before that, only that there'd been others just like him in a big warm nest, and that his mum would come and bring him yummy treats and let him cuddle up under her wing. He didn't know where she was now and he missed her. All he knew was that this man was nice, and he petted him the same way his mum had.

Ianto caught Jack leaning against the wall with a dreamy look on his face as Ianto cradled Hywel in his arms.

'What are you doing?' Ianto asked.

'Nothing,' Jack replied, his voice equally distant. 'I was just thinking how you'll make a great dad someday.'

Ianto scoffed slightly at the remark. He worked for Torchwood. He'd be lucky to make it to his thirtieth birthday, let alone worry about what might come after that. Besides, he was with Jack. And for as long as Jack was planning on staying here, Ianto was going to spend whatever time he had with him, however long that might be. Fatherhood had not even come into the equation. He was in a relationship with another man. How was that going to work? It wasn't very likely unless he was going to adopt. Wouldn't that be ridiculous? Him and Jack, playing happy families with some poor adopted child between them and saving the world every other day? It was complete madness. Yet he found the dopey look on Jack's face so adorable that he pushed all of those thoughts aside for the time being. Whatever was going on inside Jack's head at that moment made him feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside regardless.

He sat down of the shelf in the holding cell, making himself comfortable whilst he indicated to Jack to pass him the bowl of food. The plate of food that had been left in the corner of the room yesterday remained untouched. He surmised that the poor little creature was probably too distressed to have gone exploring his new home, and how he'd been treated by those idiots at the Ministry of Defense was anybody's guess.

Hywel began to struggle slightly, stretching his tiny wings and flapping them about. Ianto made soothing shushing sounds and stroked the scaly skin on his back, effectively calming his agitation.

Jack picked up a piece of banana, popping it in his own mouth.

'Hey,' Ianto chastised.

'What? I'm hungry. You were so excited about coming down here that we haven't even had breakfast yet.'

Ianto rolled his eyes as Jack bent down to take another piece. Hywel watched him as well, this time squawking at him, as if understanding now that this was food and someone else was eating it. Jack's hand recoiled at the vengeful squeak.

'Gang up on me, why don't you?' Jack complained.

Ianto grinned, taking the banana in his hand again and offering it to Hywel. This time he greedily snaffled it.

'You know I was reading up on them,' Ianto said, 'and it turns out that archeologists believe their diet was comprised solely of fish. We've been feeding Myf fruit forever, as well as fish,' he commented.

'I wouldn't put too much stock in what archeologists think,' Jack replied. 'I don't think they're meant to eat chocolate either, but that's never stopped her. Plus, I bet they didn't have sexy Welshmen around in the cretaceous period that would cut it up into nice little pieces for them.'

'I suppose not.'

Hywel ate several more pieces before finally deciding he'd had enough, curling up in Ianto's arms. Jack sat down next to him.

'Do you want to hold him?'

'If you think he'll let me,' Jack replied.

Ianto carefully passed him across to Jack, and he gave a few little protesting squawks before Jack had him properly cradled, and he could settle back into a post breakfast nap. Jack had to admit that he was quite adorable for a scaly little dinosaur. He had a soft spot for Myf as well, but not in the same way as Ianto. Those two had been inseparable since day one, both having joined Torchwood at the same time, finding comfort in each other, he supposed. He gently ran a finger over Hywel's skin, tugging his tiny wing outwards and inspecting it whilst he was dozing.

'What are you doing?' Ianto asked, watching Jack's every move.

'Checking for injuries. You said this wasn't an isolated incident at the ministry?'

'Whole place lit up like a Christmas tree when I ran the scan. Who knows what else they're keeping there,' he said, reaching over and stroking Hywel's head, worried about what other living creatures might be incarcerated there. Weevils at a minimum no doubt, given their prevalence. He dreaded to think what kind of experiments they might conduct in the name of science and military intelligence. Weevils might be dangerous, but they didn't deserve that. They just wanted to be left alone.

'When Gwen's back on her feet, we'll be going over the place from top to bottom, and relieving them of anything they shouldn't have,' Jack confirmed.

'If it's alien, it's ours,' Ianto mumbled, leaning against Jack, repeating the old Torchwood One mantra.

'And for good reason,' he added.

Jack ran small circles on Hywel's back with a stray finger, and Ianto thought about how similar it was to the way Jack's hands ran circles on his own, enjoying the sensation that had a tendency to send him to sleep.

'He's so tiny,' Ianto remarked. 'How old do you think he is?'

'Pretty young, I'd say,' Jack replied, 'though I'm no expert. I'd say he's not long since hatched.'

'Poor little guy. Must miss his mum.'

'Lucky he had you to come and save him. Seems to be the order of the day,' he added, nudging him playfully, before leaning over for a kiss to show his own gratitude at being rescued.

They were interrupted as Jack's stomach growled loudly and Hywel woke up, squawking in an annoyed tone. Ianto chuckled.

'Hey, just because you've had breakfast, pal,' Jack moaned, passing him back to Ianto, where he proceeded to fall asleep again. Jack looked down at the tiny bundle.

'It's like we just adopted,' he said, beaming.

'I don't think we're ready to start a family,' Ianto replied, chuckling again, 'but I think I do know someone who might be.'

'Are you sure?' Jack asked, as they climbed upward to Myfanwy's eyrie.

'No,' he replied, 'but I think our chances are good. Unless you're planning on taking up full time care? Do you remember how protective she was when she stole that ostrich egg from the local zoo?'

'She nearly blew up the whole hub,' Jack said, recalling the nest she'd made for it inside the water tower, causing the rift machine to overheat, sending the glass mirrored panels tumbling off, crashing to the ground for weeks until they'd finally discovered the reason why.

'There's that,' Ianto conceded. 'But trying get that egg off her was nearly impossible. Owen sedated her in the end, and then we had to replace it with a rock for weeks until she realised it was never going to hatch.'

'That's some strong maternal instincts, there,' Jack commented.

As they reached the top of the entrance to her nest, Ianto stopped and looked back at Jack.

Stay here until I give you the all clear, he said, Jack still holding Hywel, now wrapped in a tiny blanket to keep him warm. Ianto proceeded forward with a bucket of water in one hand, and a pail of fruit and fish pieces in the other.

'Hey girl,' he called out. 'Bore da.'

Myf squawked and looked up at him, tottering over to let him stroke her head. She may have been prehistoric, and despite all of her often mischievous and sometimes downright naughty behaviour, she was highly intelligent, able to sense the mood of those who looked after her.

The last time she'd seen Ianto, day before yesterday, he'd been terribly distraught, barely spending even a few minutes to drop off fresh food and water, obviously in a hurry to be somewhere, promising her he'd be back. She didn't like seeing any of her chicks upset, especially him.

Today he seemed better, happy and content, and she could smell the other one on his clothes, his mate. That must be why he'd been upset. He was missing his mate, and now he was back. Satisfied that everything was okay, she began nosing at the bucket of fish. It smelled so good. He'd brought her some of her favourite fish today.

He let her fossick around in the bucket, picking out the bits she wanted, whilst he set about redistributing the straw in her nest, tidying it into comfy piles, and shifting any that was rotting or starting to smell to one side, to be cleared away and replaced later.

She was just dipping into the bucket of cool, clean water when she heard a muffled squeak that caught her attention. She screeched back. Ianto stopped what he was doing and came over to stroke her wings in that soothing way she liked.

'We've got a present for you, girl,' he said, calling out for Jack to come over slowly. Jack gave her his own greeting, carrying something she couldn't see, and passing it to Ianto. He gently unwrapped the coverings and the tiny creature squeaked again.

'Myf, this is Hywel,' he said, stroking its little head, and then stroking her's, trying not to show favouritism.

'He's all alone with no mum to look after him.'

Myf considered the tiny squeaking creature, realising that it looked like her when she saw herself in that shiny tree above her nest. He squeaked loudly and she squawked back.

'Ianto?' Jack said warily, keeping a close eye on Myf, ready to pull Ianto out of harm's way if it all went pear shaped.

'It's okay,' he said, gaze never leaving Myfanwy.

They squawked at each other again and Myf pushed her beak forward, nudging the little dinosaur. In response he flapped and squawked, tying to reach out his own beak toward her. Ianto unwrapped him completely, and slowly set him down in a thick pile of straw so they could get a better look at each other. Myf nudged his tiny wings, pushing them out one after the other, and checking under them, in much the same way Jack had done earlier. When she was happy, she nestled down in the straw around him and let him nuzzle her beak. Ianto came over and gave Myf a tender stroke.

'Diolch yn fawr,' he said. 'I knew you'd be a great mum.'

He retreated to let them spend some time together, knowing that Hywel was now in safe hands, or wings, at least.

Jack met him at the entrance to Myf's nest, wrapping his own arms around Ianto's waist and watching the new pair.

'Aw, don't you just love a happy ending?'

'I really do,' Ianto replied, smiling.

Comments

[bk_forever]

Awwww! Hywel is going to be loved and well cared for, Myf has been waiting a long time for a baby of her own and she's going to make the most of motherhood =)