Torchwood: Fanfic: Casting off

[m_findlow]

Title: Casting off
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 814 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Any, any, casting off" at fic_promptly
Summary: Jack has a surprise for Ianto.

Ianto tottered into the living room, feeling tired. Everything ached. Feet, back, shoulders. This whole being pregnant thing was harder than it looked. He felt like a blob and moved about as elegantly as one. Six months and still such a long way to go. Just how much bigger was he going to get? He shuddered to think.

He caught Jack sitting on the sofa, quickly shoving something down the side and plumping a cushion over the top of it. He was quick, but not quick enough.

'What did you just hide?' Ianto asked.

'Nothing.'

Ianto quirked an eye at him. 'I'm pregnant, Jack, not stupid. Tell me what you're sitting on. If I find out you've been scoffing blocks of milk chocolate again, I'll be very upset. Do you know how hard it is trying to ignore the cravings?'

'I'm not hiding anything, I swear,' Jack insisted.

'Fine, then you won't mind me taking that extra cushion,' he said, quickly swiping it before Jack could tug it back. He reached down with his spare hand and pulled something out from the side of the sofa.

'What's this?' he said, staring at a pair of long metal sticks. 'Are these knitting needles?' He dropped the cushion on the sofa beside Jack and reached down again, this time picking up half a ball of wool. 'Care to explain? Or have you finally gone mad?'

Jack sighed, knowing he'd have to fess up. 'Sit,' he said, patting the sofa next to him. Ianto eased himself down, remembering how much easier it had been when he didn't have that large belly protruding from him. It did feel good though, finally taking off some of the weight from his back, resting a hand on his stomach.

'It was going to be a surprise,' Jack began, 'once I'd finished them.'

'Finished what?'

Jack reached further down the side of the sofa, pulling out the last hidden item, tucked down so deep Ianto hadn't even seen it. He grabbed it by each corner and held it out for Ianto.

'I'd just finished casting off when you came in.'

Ianto held it up. It was about eighteen inches square, in the palest shade of grey, almost white, and with an intricate pattern of diamonds throughout the knit.

'It's a baby blanket,' Jack said.

Ianto wondered if Jack would ever stop surprising him. It was just so delightfully thoughtful. 'I thought I was meant to be the clucky mothering one,' he chuckled, resting a hand on his belly.

'I can't help it,' Jack said, leaning over and wrapping his arms around Ianto, which was becoming more challenging by the day. 'It's just so...'

'Scary... terrifying... completely insane?'

'I was going to say exciting and wonderful.'

'That, too.'

Jack rested his head on Ianto's shoulder. 'I always imagined it would be me... you know, if any of this was possible.'

Ianto chuckled. 'I think this is the universe's way of telling me that my life is never meant to be normal ever again,' he replied. 'I'm not sorry, though. I just hope that it all works out okay.'

'You'll be a great dad, Ianto. I've seen you with your sister's kids. And you've got me.' Jack knew deep down that there would never be three kids more loved by any two people on this earth.

'Thank you,' Ianto said holding up the tiny blanket, admiring it again. 'It's just beautiful.' He reached up a hand and kissed Jack tenderly. He might not have been "clucky" as he liked to put it, but being pregnant had certainly made him a lot more amorous. Damn hormones. Not that Jack was complaining.

'Still two more to go,' Jack replied. 'I was thinking pale green and mauve. Since we don't know if it's boys or girls, or maybe both.'

Two more. Bloody hell, Ianto thought. One child wasn't enough. He'd and Jack had to go and create three. All at once. Jack would be crowing about his fertility for years to come.

Ianto spread out the tiny blanket across his belly. It was warm, and so very soft as he brushed a hand over the delicate pattern. 'I don't think my mum ever knitted anything. I think I had an aunt who maybe knitted.'

'I could teach you,' Jack offered. 'It's not hard.'

'It looks complicated to me,' Ianto said, admiring the pattern in the knit.

'It's just following instructions. Should be right up your alley. Once you know the stitches, it's just repeating them in combination. We'll be needing bigger sized blankets before long.'

'Well, I suppose we've still got four months for me to learn.'

'You'll love it,' Jack promised. 'I've got this pattern for these cute little booties that-'

Ianto silenced him with a kiss. There was only so much talk of knitting he could take without being totally turned on by Jack's endearing thoughtfulness.

Comments

[bk_forever]

I can see it now, the two of them sitting there knitting as Ianto gets bigger and bigger...

So sweet!