Torchwood: Fanfic: Expecting

[m_findlow]

Title: Expecting
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Rhiannon
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,944 words
Content notes: Contains MPreg
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Any, any, My confession" at fic_promptly
Summary: Ianto has some big news to confess to his sister.

Rhiannon wasn't expecting the knock on the door. It was the middle of the afternoon, her golden time for getting stuff done, before the kids were dropped off home to cause chaos and undo all the tidying she'd done whilst they'd been away. What wasn't upended by them, would later be turned upside down by Johnny when he finally came home from work.

She pushed up from chair at the kitchen table, abandoning the box of leaflets she was stuffing into envelopes. A bit of extra cash on the side to supplement the three shifts a week at the local co-op. Money to set aside for Christmas presents.

If it's those bloody Jehovah's Witnesses again, she thought, padding to the door, ignoring the fact that she was still wearing her slippers underneath the bottoms of her jeans. She thrust open the door, ready to give them a serve.

'Oh, it's you,' she said, surprised to see her brother standing there.

'Don't sound so excited,' he said, stepping inside and giving her a quick peck on the cheek, before proceeding down the hall and into the living room.

'Bloody hell, what have you done, Ianto?' He never gave her a kiss, and he did look a little nervous.

'Nothing,' he replied. It wasn't exactly what he'd done, so much as it was what Jack had done.

'I seem to recall you canceling dinner with us this week. At the last,' she said. 'What's this then, special visit?'

Yes, he had cancelled dinner plans. He and Jack came over every fortnight, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to come over and tell her the news, knowing Jack wouldn't be able to help himself. This was something he really had to do himself. Part of him wished Jack were here, but Rhi was his sister, and somehow doing this one on one seemed the right thing. Plus, he had no idea now she'd react. Better Jack wasn't here in case it all went horribly wrong.

'Any chance of a cup of tea?' he asked, purposefully dissembling.

Rhiannon was not so easily taken in. 'You know where the kettle is.'

He rolled his eyes and proceeded to set out two mugs and teabags, knowing she had her eyes on him the entire time. Maybe she had x-ray vision. It would certainly save him a lot of trouble if she did. Why had he never noticed how long it took to boil this stupid kettle? Impatient, he added milk to the cups before it had even finished boiling, unable to wait a moment longer than he had to. Pouring in the water, he added a spoon. Let her fish out her own teabag, he decided.

He stood by the kitchen table and waited for her to sit down. 'Sit,' he said.

Instead she fixed him with a firm stare. 'Don't you think I'm going to sit down whilst you spill the beans on whatever is going on. I'm staying right here until you tell me.'

He let out a long breath. He'd rehearsed what he'd say this morning as he was making breakfast, and again in the car on the way over, but now that he was here, the words all disappeared from his brain.

'Okay,' he began, 'so, you know how Jack and I went travelling with The Doctor for a while, about a year ago?'

'You told me you were gone for two years, only I still don't get how that's possible seeing as it was only two weeks.'

'It's time travel Rhi, we've been through this. We can leave and come back pretty much exact the same time.'

'And you didn't think to come visit once in those two years?'

'It was two weeks! You didn't even notice we were gone!'

'Not the point,' she replied.

Ianto let out a vexed breath. This was going to be harder than he thought. 'Okay, so it was two years, and in that time the TARDIS made me like Jack so that I couldn't die.'

'That bit I remember,' she said. She still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. It was a hell of a thing to have to get used to, thinking that her brother would live forever. Most of the time, she chose not to think about it. He had Jack though, and that was something. At least he wouldn't be alone. Now she was worried though. When Ianto had come over to tell her that little piece of news, he'd been on her couch, his hand clasped in Jack's as he sat right next to him, a mixed expression of seriousness and joy. The look he was giving her now was something similar.

'Okay,' Ianto said. 'So, you also remember how I told you that sometimes travelling around time and space can have some, er, unexpected side effects?'

She reached out a hand and rested it on his arm. 'Are you telling me that you're dying?'

'No, nothing like that,' he said, quickly quelling her fears. 'I'm still me, still immortal, not going anywhere.'

'Oh, well that's a relief. You scared me there for a moment.'

'Rhi, I'm pregnant.' He blurted the words out so quickly they all blurred into one. He had to say it before he chickened out altogether. He also knew he wouldn't be able to hide it from her much longer anyway. Better to just spit it out and get it over with.

'You're what?' Rhiannon said, unsure she'd heard him right.

'I'm pregnant,' he said, slowing the words down, easier to say the second time around.

She blinked and then looked at him. There was a slight swell where his dark green jumper clung just a little more snugly against him than usual. He'd always been too skinny, and she delighted in telling him that constantly, forcing another potato into his plate, or a second serve of chocolate cake. She'd just put it down to him finally getting older and his metabolism not being able to keep up anymore. He still looked slim, but there was the early beginnings of the beer belly showing. She should know. Johnny had gone the same way once he hit thirty. Looking down at it again now, she realised it was no muffin top her brother was sporting. He unconsciously placed a hand on it

She sputtered. 'But... How?'

'Well, when two people love each other very much...'

She clipped him over the back of the ear. 'Ow!' he cried, raising a hand in his own defense.

'How?' she demanded. 'Men can't get pregnant.'

He sighed. 'It's like I said, travelling around space can do strange things to you.'

'Is it alien?' she said, glancing worriedly at his stomach.

'Human,' Ianto confirmed for her, pulling back his hand a little, but not letting go entirely. He found himself doing that more and more lately.

'And it's Jack's?'

'Definitely.' It felt so good saying that.

'So, how the hell did Jack get you pregnant?'

'Turns out he's not shooting blanks.'

She slapped him again. 'It's not funny!'

It kind of was, he thought, unable to stop grinning at his sister's angry expression. He'd been through so many emotions these past few weeks, and the reality of it all was finally starting to sink in for him. It was refreshing to be able to make light of it, just for a moment.

'Okay, okay,' he said, before she slapped him again. 'Is this any way to treat a pregnant person?' She gave him another annoyed stared, so he started talking again. 'Look, Jack says things kind of thing just happens sometimes. It's not anything specific either of us did or didn't do. If anything Jack explained that it should have been him, since his genetics are way more advanced, but...' he shrugged, 'nature does what it wants to do.'

Rhiannon looked at him again, agape. 'So, you're really having a baby?'

'Plural,' he replied.

Rhiannon frowned. 'What, you mean Jack's pregnant too?'

'No.' And here came the other part of the bombshell he came here to drop. 'It's triplets.'

'Oh my... God,' Rhiannon said, slipping down into the chair. He couldn't blame her for being shocked. He still felt a little woozy thinking about it, and when Jez had run the scan and told them the big news, Jack had dropped into a dead faint on the ground. Ianto hadn't stopped teasing him about it since, telling Jack that he was meant to be the fragile one in their relationship.

'Three?' she said.

'Really not shooting blanks,' Ianto replied. How Jack would crow about his fertility from now until the end of days.

Ianto sat down in the chair next to her and grabbed her hand. 'Rhi, I know it's a lot to process, but it's a good thing. Something we never thought we'd ever have. Yes, it's a bit of a shock, but it's a happy shock. I'm happy. Jack's happy. Okay, well actually, Jack's over the moon. I haven't been able to settle on any one particular emotion, but most of them are good. I hope you can be happy about this too.'

'Of course I'm happy for you, you daft sod! Is this why you cancelled tea, because you thought I'd notice and be mad?'

'Well, I wasn't sure if you'd notice, but the mad part sounds about right.' She hit him again, but this time it was much more playful. Truth be told, the morning sickness and associated nausea had put him off eating for weeks.

'Pregnant. Bloody hell. How far along?'

'Fifteen weeks.'

She laughed, looking down at his stomach. 'You're going to be huge.'

'I know.' It was half the reason Jez had done the scan a month early. He was showing far too much considering how far along he should have been, revealing the big secret much earlier. It was fine for now, but he was sure he'd be moaning about in the months to come.

'Can I?' she said, looking down at his lap. He wasn't really a touchy feeling person, but he supposed he'd gotten used to it, living with Jack. He nodded reluctantly. She placed a gentle hand on his stomach. It felt so warm. He felt his own hand snake over the top of it.

'This is really happening, isn't it? You're not just having me on?' she asked.

'How does the name Aunty Rhi sound?' he asked her.

'Johnny's going to wet himself when he finds out,' she said.

'Maybe I'll let Jack tell him, then.'

She smiled. 'Speaking of, is that why he's not here now? Too scared to face me and confess what he's done to my little brother?'

'No. I left him behind on purpose. Figured this was a family matter.'

'Well, Jack's as much family as anyone,' she replied, 'and from the look of things, that family is about to get a whole lot bigger.'

'It is going to be challenging fitting us all around this table at Christmas.'

Rhi suddenly did the math in her head, realising that come December, there'd be nine of them instead of six. Ianto smiled back at her, picking up his tea and sipping it. Rhiannon frowned, and stole the mug as soon as he put it back down on the table.

'Are you sure you should be having that? Too much caffeine isn't good for babies.'

'Oh, don't you start mothering me. It's bad enough putting up with Jack and all his fussing.'

He and Jack had already come to the conclusion that any children of theirs would be genetically predisposed to an addiction to caffeine. Besides, he'd just survived the Rhiannon Davies gauntlet. What harm was one cup of tea going to make?

Comments

[bk_forever]

I think Rhi took that rather well - better than Jack did! She's going to love being an auntie, and Mica and David are getting three cousins so I hope they'll be pleased too. Johnny will probably need a stiff drink when he's told.

I don't know what the fuss is these days about drinking tea when pregnant. Coffee, maybe, but I reckon mum got through a lot of tea when expecting my sister and then me. I was a tea drinker from a very early age, lol! Even if Ianto abstains from coffee throughout his pregnancy, his three will be coffee drinkers from the moment they can sneak a drink from ther parents' mugs!