Just Imagine...

Eat Your Vegetables

"C'mon, Danny," Jack murmured encouragingly, "you need to eat these so you can grow up and be a big strong boy."
"No," Danny grumbled, turning his head away as Jack moved the tiny spoon closer to his mouth, "don't like it!"
Jack sighed, closing his eyes and trying to keep his patience. He didn't remember it ever being this difficult to get Gabby to eat her vegetables. Danny, however, was a different story.
"This feels... strangely familiar." He said, staring at the back of Ianto's head in the kitchen. Ianto turned around from making coffee at this.
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"I recall having to tell you to eat your vegetables too." Jack answered.
"I don't think you told me," Ianto chuckled, "it was more of an awkward suggestion."
"No it wasn't!"
"Yes it was. Don't you remember?"

Ianto always seemed so pale and sickly. That worried Jack, and not only because Torchwood was a job you needed to stay healthy for.
Admittedly, and embarrassingly, Jack felt he was beginning to form a crush on the young Ianto Jones. He had such soft looking lips and beautiful sky blue eyes.
Jack wanted to let him know that he cared about him. That he didn't just see him as the one who cleaned up all their messes.
"Uhh, hey Ianto," he murmured awkwardly, walking up behind Ianto and causing him to jump, "do you... have a spare minute?"
Ianto paused, not turning around.
"I usually don't," he said simply, "do you need something? Coffee?"
"Um, no," Jack replied, following Ianto to the coffee machine, "I just... wanted to talk for a second. Ask about how you're doing."
"I'm doing fine." Ianto said with a slightly forced-looking smile.
Well duh. Jack was probably giving him the creeps.
"That's good to hear," Jack said, smiling shyly back, "but, uhh... sometimes I worry about your eating habits. When you do eat it's just coffee and pizza."
"Pardon?" Ianto asked, frowning.
"Listen, I care about you- your health. I really do. And umm... make sure you're eating your veggies, okay?"
Jack backed up slowly, not breaking eye contact, and almost tripped over Owen's skateboard that he'd left in the middle of the floor again.
"Are you alright?" Ianto asked.
"Oh yeah!" Jack exclaimed, "perfect!"
He scurried back into his office before Ianto could say anything more, leaving him blinking in shock.
"IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT-" Jack scolded himself once the door was closed behind him.
"Hey Jack...sie..." Sam murmured, stepping into the office and looking mildly concerned over seeing Jack hunched behind his desk, "you good?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No." Jack groaned.

Ianto was laughing by now and Jack rolled his eyes.
"I was just trying to show you I cared," he grumbled, "you're welcome."
Ianto just kept giggling as he walked into the dining room where Jack was still kneeling in front of Danny's high chair and kissed his forehead, doing the same to Danny.
"I know you were, Jack," he murmured, "thank you. Want me to try feeding Danny?"
"Sure." Jack huffed, standing up and handing the spoonful of vegetable-mush to Ianto.
Jack was halfway to the living room, about to check on Gabby, who was playing outside in the yard with the cat, when Ianto spoke again.
"Maybe I should try awkwardly stuttering over my words to get him to eat this."
Jack bit his lip furiously, then turned around and raced back over to Ianto, pinning him to the floor and tickling him.
"OKAY OKAY I'M SORRY I WAS JOKING!!" Ianto exclaimed through hysterical laughter, "JACK, STOP!"
Danny was giggling and clapping his little hands, both out of amusement and the fact that this was a distraction from him having to eat the vegetable baby food.
"You're such an idiot." Ianto chuckled, pushing Jack away from him and sitting back up.
"An idiot who loves you." Jack cooed, leaning in with puckered lips. Ianto rolled his eyes, smiling, then humoured him and gave him another kiss.
They'd come so far from those early, awkward days when they had both been too shy to have a proper conversation. And Jack couldn't be happier about it.