m_findlow

Title: Passing muster
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto/Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Challenge 504 - Past Challenges Revisited & Challenge 201 - Pass at slashthedrabble
Summary: Jack and Ianto reach another milestone in their relationship.

Jack clambered into the driver's seat and let out a huge breath, before looking across at Ianto.

'So, did I pass?'

'Sometimes it's impossible to tell with my sister,' Ianto began, 'but I think we can say yes.'

In truth, he'd know more tomorrow when she'd make the obligatory phone call to give him her full assessment. That was just how she operated. Not that she was backwards in telling you what she thought, but she seemed to have a special reserve solely for her opinions on Ianto and his life choices, one rather was best served when she was delivering them at distance without fear of retribution.

Jack let out another breath and smiled. 'You have no idea how glad I am to hear that,' he said. 'I've been a nervous wreck all night. The last thing I wanted to do was make a bad first impression.'

The former part of Jack's admission caught Ianto by surprise. Nervous? Well, yes, it was his sister, and that made Ianto himself nervous. He'd never been good a familial relations, and bringing home girlfriends to meet his family had always been fraught with peril. He expected some of them might get scared off, his sister peppering them with questions.

Meeting Jack was different though. He wanted her to like him more than he'd ever wanted anything. It was more important than the world not ending. He needed there to be an absolute, unequivocal approval of the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn't bear the thought of giving one of them up for the other, or having any sort of open discord between them.

If Jack had been nervous about the exchange, he certainly hadn't shown it. If anything, Ianto thought he was about as relaxed as Jack got. He was jovial and polite, answered questions with just the right mix of humility and typical Jack Harkness bravado. At no point did he turn grim or melancholic when Rhiannon asked them about the work they really did at Torchwood, instead praising the team and their efforts, but neither did he sugar coat it. Ianto appreciated that. He sister was the sort of person who would see right through any bullshit Jack tried to serve up. Instead he'd been honest and open, taking an equal amount of interest in her and the family, earning the sort of tired sighs from Rhiannon that Ianto never bothered to ask those self same questions. The only thing that had seemed unnaturally put on were Jack's table manners, vastly improved from their usual habits. It gave Ianto no small amount of pleasure knowing Jack had been just as nervous as he had been.

'I really like your sister,' Jack said. 'She's got a good heart. I wish we'd done this sooner.'

'You were perfect,' Ianto said, reaching across and kissing him.

There was a rap on the window. 'Oi, d'you two want some of this leftover cheesecake to take home?'