Fffc Bingo Card - Interior decorating

[m_findlow]

Title: Interior decorating 
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Gwen, Ianto, Jack
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,000 words
Content notes: none 
Author notes: Written for Bingo Card Prompt 64 - Lipstick at fffc
Summary: Gwen and Ianto arrive home to a shocking sight. 

Gwen was ready to just about collapse as her feet finally demanded no more walking. She was glad that she and Ianto Ianto were only a few feet away from salvation in the form of Ianto's kitchen. A coffee and curling her feet under her on their sofa was exactly what she needed after their exhausting day of shopping. Ianto could outdo the best of his opposite gender when it came to the endurance required for the all day shopping adventure. It was Gwen who was struggling to keep pace, and who'd probably spent twice as long testing out the relative comfort of new sofas in the shop just as an excuse to sit down. 

‘I don't know about you,’ she said as Ianto was slipping the key in the lock, ‘but I'm going to need a coffee to recover.’ 

He smiled, arms laden with bags. ‘I think I can find the energy for that.’ 

‘And hopefully Jack has worn out Anwen.’ She didn't think she could add a hyperactive child into the mix. 

‘More likely the other way around,’ he replied, pushing open the door and letting them inside. 

‘Oh my God,’ Gwen breathed. ‘What the hell? Ianto, I…’ her hands went to her mouth as she found herself utterly speechless at the sight that met them. Ianto's beautiful house with its pristine white walls that had never seen so much as a spec of dirt grace their surface were now streaked in horrific red markings. If she hadn't already known who the culprit was, she might have been convinced that a devil had entered Ianto's house and left terrible wicca symbols all over their home, marking it as a place of evil and darkness. 

‘I genuinely don't know what to say,’ Gwen uttered, still half in shock at the state of things. She knew just how house proud Ianto was. Ever since he'd bought the house, it had been his pride and joy, working on it in every spare hour of his days to bring it from a nineteen eighties two storey run down terrace to a fresh, modern space full of light with a beautiful courtyard deck and garden. She had no idea where he'd found the time for it, repainting, recarpeting, renovating the bathroom and kitchen, and filling it full of comfortable furniture. The end result however was well worth it. Whilst the pair of them had lived here for years now, it was clearly still Ianto's. Every piece of furniture and picture on the walls, -excepting perhaps the abstract painting of the two nude lesbians that sat over their fireplace, which was clearly Jack's contribution to their unique life together- screamed of his exemplary taste in all things. Now that lovely, neat house had its walls and furniture covered with streaks and whorls of bright red lipstick. 

‘How?’ Gwen exclaimed, knowing her daughter must have been responsible. ‘I've never let her near my handbag. Most of the time there's never any lipstick in there.’ 

Ianto's expression was perplexingly calm considering. ‘Gwen, I think we can both level here. If you're wearing that shade of lipstick then I think we need to sit down and have a serious talk.’ 

Gwen nodded, her overtired brain realising he was right. She hadn't worn lipstick that garishly red in years. Not since she'd been sent undercover to work as a shop assistant in the most tawdry department store haunted by something alien. It had been the only way to fit in with the staff who were themselves as outmoded as the store they worked in. She might have described it as hooker red, because she couldn't imagine anyone other than a sex worker thinking it was an appropriate shade to wear. And now that hideous colour was all over the walls and everything else as well, including their cream coloured sofa. 

‘I don't understand,’ Gwen said. ‘She's never even so much as used a crayon on our walls. What on earth would possess her to suddenly do this?’ She didn't care what Rhys said. Sometimes kids just needed a smack as punishment for their bad behaviour. When she found Anwen. Come to think of it, where was her daughter? And where was Jack? He was meant to be looking after her. 

Suddenly a mousey brown haired little girl came running down the hall. ‘Uncle Ianto!’ she cried as she practically ran into his legs before he picked her up. 

‘Hello! What have you been doing?’ 

‘Colouring,’ she replied, holding up a tube of lipstick in her hand. 

‘I can see that,’ he replied. Gwen couldn't believe how calm he was. She'd have been raging by now. He took the lipstick tube from her hand and studied it. ‘Is Uncle Jack here?’ 

She pointed towards a door at the side of the end of that hall, the one that led to their laundry and side access to their garage. He carried her towards it, and Gwen followed behind. 

Jack was in the garage, hidden behind a maze of boxes. 

‘Jack?’ 

‘Oh, hi! You're back.’

‘Yes, we're back. Making a mess, I see?’ 

‘Cleaning out our garage,’ Jack replied. ‘Who knew we had this much stuff.’ 

‘And you were keeping an eye on Anwen?’ 

Jack waved a hand. ‘She's been colouring in and keeping me company.’ 

Gwen caught Ianto's eyes drift across to several open boxes that looked to be full of sparkly Halloween costumes. ‘Mmm,’ he hummed. ‘She found your drag queen make-up and has been colouring in our house.’ 

Jack's head flew up. ‘What?’ 

‘That shade of red looks a lot better on you than it does our walls.’ 

Gwen chewed her lip. Ianto was calm now but she imagined he had a bollocking in store for Jack once less innocent ears were no longer present. She had her own for him as well. So much for babysitting. 

‘Lucky you're cleaning out,’ Ianto said. ‘It'll leave lots of room for all that paint you'll need to redo our walls.’