JAWS

38 2 0
                                    

Sam and Jay had gone out for dinner with some of their high school friends. That left Jack, Hanna, Alexa, and Lucas alone at the house. Well, not exactly, Ianto was coming to visit. Jack loved it when Ianto came to his parents' house.
"IANTO!" The girls both squealed when the young man came in the front door, rushing to hug him.
"Hey!" Ianto exclaimed, kneeling down so they wouldn't knock him over, "your favourite babysitter's here!"
"Jack doesn't need a babysitter," Lucas spoke up from Jack's arms, "he's a grownup!"
Ianto smiled, standing back up.
"You're right, Lucas, he is a grownup," he said, "but I'm not sure he doesn't need a babysitter."
Jack gasped, mock-offended, and Ianto chuckled sweetly as the kids all giggled. Jack leaned forward in that moment to capture Ianto in a kiss.
"I've missed you." He murmured.
"Jack, you see me every day!" Ianto said, beaming.
"But not here, where you can relax and be yourself without any alien threats to deal with."
"I guess this place is peaceful. I enjoy coming here. But seeing you is my favourite part."
They leaned in for another kiss.
"Ew, Jack!" Lucas complained, covering his older brother's mouth with his stubby hands, "no more kisses! You're acting like Mama and Dada!" Ianto promptly burst out laughing as Jack tried to hide a smile behind an irritated eye roll. Then he snaked his arm around Ianto's waist and pulled him closer.
"An evening with my brother, my boyfriend, and my sisters," he sighed happily, "what more could I... wait. Hanna? Alexa? Where'd you two go?" He and Ianto turned around to see Hanna and Alexa rummaging through the stack of DVDs under the tv.
"I mentioned peace earlier?" Ianto murmured, "I think it's about to be shattered."
"I think you're right." Jack said as Hanna and Alexa scurried back over to them, Hanna clutching a movie in her hands.
"Jack, Ianto, can we watch this while Mom and Dada are gone? Please?" Alexa pleaded as Hanna held up the DVD case for the two men to see. It was Jaws, the classic picture of a young woman swimming with a massive shark only a few feet below her, waiting to strike.
"I dunno, guys," Jack said, "it's PG thirteen."
"I'm thirteen!" Hanna exclaimed indignantly.
"But your sister is only eleven." Ianto pointed out.
"Mom and Dada let me watch Jurassic Park." Alexa put in, frowning behind her slightly oversized glasses.
Jack and Ianto looked at each other for a moment.
"Great," Hanna muttered to Alexa, "they're doing that thing again, just like Mom and Dada." Alexa snickered.
"Alright," Jack sighed, deciding to ignore the comment, "we can watch it." The girls both cheered loudly.
"But," Ianto cut in, "you have to change into your pyjamas first and you're going right to bed once it's over, alright?"
"Okay, Ianto." Hanna and Alexa said in unison.
"You're good." Jack said to Ianto as his two little sisters ran off to their rooms.
"I know." Ianto responded with a sly smirk.
"If you get the popcorn ready, I'll put this one to bed, yeah?"
"No!" Lucas cut in, realizing Jack was about to put him to bed, "I wanna watch the movie too!"
"I dunno, Lukie," Jack murmured, "it's very scary, you'll have nightmares."
"Nuh-uh!" Lucas protested, "not me! I'm not scared of nothing!"
Jack shot Ianto, who was in the kitchen by now, a helpless look. He shrugged and mouthed "he'll probably fall asleep anyway".
"Okay," Jack murmured, "you can watch with us. Let's go get your pyjamas on."
"Yay!" Lucas yelled in Jack's ear as he carried him to his bedroom.
Ianto hummed to himself contentedly as he put a package of instant popcorn in the microwave. He loved evenings like this.
In a few minutes, Jack and Ianto were on the couch together, Jack bouncing Lucas on his knee, and Hanna and Alexa had come back in their pyjamas and sat on the floor after Hanna put the movie in.
"I've actually never seen Jaws before," Jack commented when the movie started, "I didn't have a lot of free time in the seventies." Ianto chuckled.
"Then prepare yourself." He said simply. Jack shot him a questioning look but didn't say anything.
They weren't even ten minutes into the movie when Lucas suddenly buried his face in Jack's shirt and whimpered "I'm scared." Ianto had seen this coming and based on the concerned (albeit slightly amused) look on Jack's face, he had too.
"It's okay, Lukie," he murmured, cuddling the little boy, "it's just a movie, nothing to be scared of." 
The screams of the poor woman on the screen continued as she was attacked, and Jack subconsciously (or perhaps not subconsciously) reached over to squeeze Ianto's hand. Ianto squeezed back, drawing reassuring circles on the back of his boyfriend's wrist.
As the movie went on, Alexa and eventually Hanna joined them on the couch, Alexa hugging Ianto around the neck and Hanna squeezing under one of Jack's arms. At that point, Jack and Ianto stopped paying attention to the movie and gave each other a long, loving look.
Ianto couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he and Jack had kids of their own, and he knew Jack was thinking the same thing. Forgetting about the shark on the screen entirely, the two of them leaned their heads together, breathing gentle, contented sighs.
Sam and Jay arrived home as the credits were rolling to find all five of them fast asleep, with popcorn scattered all over the floor.
"Look at this mess!" Jay exclaimed, "Jack and Ianto let them watch Jaws? What is going on here?!"
"Jay, shh," Sam said gently, "let 'em sleep. Besides, Jaws isn't that scary anyway, it's the most boring movie I've ever seen."
"You watched it when you were seventeen," Jay argued, "I was seven!"
"Well hey, maybe it wasn't a good idea, but look at 'em," Sam said, gesturing to the couch, "they must've had a good time if they're zonked out like this."
Jay let out an exasperated sigh.
"You're a bad influence on them." He said.
"Me?" Sam demanded, "staying up late to watch a scary movie is definitely a you thing, Mx Barone! Do I need to remind you of the time your book club read Dracula? Neither of us got any sleep that month!"
"That was not the same thing and you know it! There was a nude woman in this movie!"
"Just her silhouette... and a fine one at that."
"I don't like that, Sam."
Unbeknownst to Sam and Jay, Jack and Ianto were still awake and trying desperately not to laugh at the situation. When he was sure they wouldn't get caught, Jack leaned a little closer to press a kiss to Ianto's lips. He never wanted to let go of these memories.

Just Imagine... Where stories live. Discover now