Torchwood: Fanfic: Essential home maintenance

[m_findlow]

Title: Essential home maintenance
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, OCs
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 671 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Any, any, up on a ladder, cleaning gutters" at fic_promptly
Summary: Jack has his orders to clean, whether he likes it or not

'What's Daddy doing?' Tom asked, taking his thumb out of his mouth just long enough to ask the question, before shoving it back in, teddy gripped tightly in his other arm. Ianto picked him up and pulled the thumb out, trying the break his three year old's bad habit. Neither of the girls had this habit and he wasn't sure why Tom persisted with it.

'Daddy is cleaning out the gutters, because I've been asking him to do it for weeks, and I finally figured out what I have to do to get him to do it.'

He couldn't very well tell his son that he'd threatened to withhold sex until it was done. It had the desired effect though. With work and kids, there was very little time or energy left for canoodling between the sheets these says, but when the opportunity did present itself, it was too precious to ignore.

There was something so enjoyable about watching his husband perched up on the ladder, mucking out their gutters into a large bucket. It didn't hurt that from down here, he had a very good view of Jack's arse.

'It's disgusting up here!' Jack yelled down.

'Told you so.'

'I can't believe how much crap is in here!'

'Ooh, Daddy used a naught word!' Sian said, trundling past on her trike across the lawn.

'Yes, he did, sweetie.'

'Does Daddy get a smack?'

'Yep.'

Satisfied, she trundled back off, following her sister around on her own own trike

'Make sure you stay away from the bottom of the ladder, sweetie,' he called out. Kids had no sense for danger, which was why he was out here, keeping an eye on them while they played. Jack had no sense for danger either, which is why he was also out here keeping an eye on him. He didn't want the kids watching their dad fall off a ladder and hurting himself, or worse. They weren't nearly old enough yet to be told about their Daddies' unique condition.

'Why does Daddy need to clean the gudders?' Tom asked, mispronouncing the word.

'So that we can hang the Christmas lights.' Tom's little face lit up at the mention of Christmas. 'We're going to have the best lights in the whole street. How's that sound?'

'Clean, Daddy!' Tom yelled as loud as he could. 'I want Christmas lights!'

Jack paused, grabbing the edge of the roof and looking down at them, muck covering him to his elbows and spattered on his face. 'Why do I get the feeling I'm being emotionally blackmailed, here?'

'Because you are,' Ianto replied. 'Didn't you tell me you'd do anything for the kids?'

'Yeah, but I meant cool stuff, like throwing myself in front of a bus, or stopping a weevil with my bare hands.'

'They're three, Jack. They wouldn't understand it even if you did throw yourself in front of a weevil.'

'Weevils in the cereal,' Eleri sang as she pedaled past. That was another lie. Don't tell them about big scary monsters living in the sewers. They thought weevils were little bugs that lived in the box of rice bubbles, and that Jack checked the box every morning before breakfast, smashing any that he found.

'You could help, you know,' Jack complained.

'And who'd keep an eye on these three? Besides, we've got to go to the shops. I want to buy the new lights before the store sells out of all the good ones.'

'You're leaving me here?'

'You've got plenty to get on with,' Ianto replied. 'There's still the back of the house and the sides.'

'But we're not hanging lights there.'

'I know, but the gutters still need cleaning.'

'Clean, Daddy!' Tom yelled again. Ianto kissed him, before opening the car door and seating him inside, calling for the girls to put their bikes away and hop in the car as well.

Jack groaned and turned back to the task in front of him. Given his marching orders by a three year old. How humiliating.

Comments

[bk_forever]

I'm sure Jack's hard work will be worth it, and he'll be rewarded as soon as Ianto can find the time and energy.

[m-findlow.livejournal.com]

That's true, he just may have to wait a while. Putting up lots of Christmas lights is going to take time, and then there's the Christmas baking, wrapping presents, taking the kids down the street to look at all the other lights...