Just Imagine...

Ianto and Jack's Fabulous Date Night

Sam knew about the date before Ianto did. Jack had needed to talk to someone about it. He'd considered Gwen first but he'd seen her excitement at being engaged and been overwhelmed with guilt and regret that he'd been unable to witness the night Rhys proposed. So Gwen was out, Jack didn't want to bother her with his stupid, tortured heart.
Sam might be a little harsh, but she was his renther. She always knew just what to say to make him feel better.
"Sam?" He asked quietly when he found her working on a sketch of Myfanwy at her desk. Myfanwy had become one of her favourite subjects recently, as she was almost always close by and a perfect way to get a realistic drawing of a prehistoric animal. Sam looked up as Jack approached her, then smiled. 
"Hey Jacksie," she murmured, standing up to give him a kiss on the cheek, though Jack noticed with an internal wince how heavily she leaned on her cane, "what's up?"
"I wanted to talk to you," Jack said, "in private."
"Sure," Sam replied, shrugging, "Millennium Centre roof?"
"You can't climb."
"I could try."
"No. I'm not risking you injuring yourself worse."
"Have some faith in me, son! I'm not ancient, I just popped out my knee chasing a Weevil. It'll heal."
"I'd still rather talk in my office. I... feel more comfortable there."
Sam raised an eyebrow disbelievingly.
"I know you're making an excuse so I don't have to climb up to the roof with you," she said, "but I'm gonna ignore that. Fine. We'll do it your way." 
She jerked her head in the direction of his office and limped to the door. She gave no indication of how much pain she was in but her stride gave her away. Jack followed her with a heavy heart.
"So," Sam murmured once Jack had closed the office door, sitting on the edge of his desk, "what did you wanna talk to me about?"
"I..." Jack began, sweating, "n-never mind, it's dumb, forget about it-"
"No, Jacksie," Sam said sternly, "that won't work with me and you know it. Tell me what's on your mind."
Jack smiled, feeling tears in the corners of his eyes. He'd missed Sam so much, especially her blatant ways of reminding him that she cared about his feelings. He sniffed.
"I wanna ask Ianto out on a date." He murmured shyly, dropping his gaze.
"So why don't you?" Sam asked gently.
"I'm nervous."
"So? It's okay to be nervous. I was nervous the first time I asked your Dada out on a date."
"What did you say?"
"Something stupid and grovelling."
"Well that's helpful."
"Hey now, there's no right or wrong way to do it as long as you're the honest, beautiful, sweet person you are. And you will be. And Ianto will see that."
Sam had stood up now to smooth out Jack's bangs, her fingers lightly caressing his scalp.
"Just go for it," she said encouragingly, "you'll do great." She grinned, and the shine in her emerald eyes filled Jack with warmth and confidence from head to toe.

Unfortunately, Jack and Ianto hadn't actually been able to go on their date until the next night, although technically it was still the night Jack had asked him out, since time had reset, but Jack had wanted their first evening back together to be something huge, something exciting, something fun. Instead, they'd stayed in a hotel room, and all the pain Jack had suffered by the Master's hand had bubbled up, and Jack had wept while he and Ianto had sex. Ianto was very understanding though - he kept checking in on Jack, making sure he was okay, holding onto him while they slept and listening intently to the jokes he told that morning as they had breakfast. It wasn't fair, Ianto was simply too good for Jack and he knew it. Which was why he'd wanted to make their first proper date as amazing as possible, but of course, the Rift - and John Hart - had gotten in the way.
The next day, however, went smoother. Ianto didn't know it but Jack spent every spare minute making sure everything was perfect - booking the best table at one of Cardiff's finest restaurants, making movie reservations for a romcom Ianto had said he was interested in, buying chocolates, candles, flowers, and champagne for later - he'd even consulted his parents on the matter (which was a bad idea, Jack had discovered. It just became a bickering match between the two of them. "You never did anything this extravagant for me, Sam!" "What're you yappin' about? I do this kinda stuff for you all the time!" "You haven't recently." "Because I'm WORKING at a job with the CRAZIEST HOURS IN EXISTENCE! Whaddya want from me, baby?").
But once that was all settled, and everything was the way Jack wanted it, he finally took a moment to relax and just breathe. That is, until Sam poked her head through Jack's office door.
"Hey, Jacksie?" She asked, "you're goin back to Yan's place after your date, right?"
"Yes," Jack said slowly, "why?"
"Just make sure the walls there are a little thicker than the ones in the hotel we stayed at last night."
"What??"
"Listen, kay? When the walls of a building that multiple people are living in are not made of strong... sound-proof material... the people who might possibly be trying to sleep in the next room over... might hear any potential... loud vocalizations from whatever activities you're doing."
"Oh my God, you were-"
"I didn't have much choice in the matter! In fact I would've preferred not to hear it. But, what the two of you do in the bed - or wherever you do it - when you're alone is your own business. Just make sure you don't get Ianto kicked out because of... noise complaints or whatever. M'kay?"
Jack stared at her.
"Mom. Do you realize how far away this is from helping me?" He said flatly.
"Just making a suggestion!" Sam exclaimed, putting one hand up, "and it might also be a good idea to close the curtains, cuz ya never know who's got a pair of binoculars-"
"MOM!" Jack cut her off.
"Okay, okay, I'm goin'," Sam murmured, taking a step back, "good luck on your date. Although you won't need it. But do you have condoms?"
"We're not teenagers, Mom."
"Still, safety first."
"Please leave. All I want to do tonight is treat Ianto the way he deserves to be treated, while I try to forget about last night."
Sam huffed a laugh.
"So will I." She said, shutting his office door behind her.

"Soooo?" Sam said the next morning as soon as Ianto answered her call.
"So?" Ianto echoed, confused.
"Huh? Yeah? Soooooo?" Sam practically sang.
"Sam, is someone pointing a gun at you?" Ianto asked dryly.
"No! I'm calling to ask how your evening went!" Sam exclaimed, "how was Jack? Was he nervous? Did you have fun?"
"Why are you interrogating me?" Ianto laughed, "and if you wanna talk to Jack, he's right here."
He offered the phone to Jack, who was eating messily made pancakes at the kitchen table in his underwear, before Sam could reply.
"It's your renther." He told Jack with a smug grin. Jack sighed, rolling his eyes, and took the phone from him.
"Hi Mom," he murmured, "and before you ask, no. There were no noise complaints."