Rating: PG-13 to 15 (for this part)
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Ianto, Griffin, Niamh, the Jones Family; Jack/Ianto
Spoilers: None
Warnings: M/M kissing; Mild violence; Surly!Ianto
Summary: A normal christmas day was never right until traditions were fulfilled. Torchwood intruding and annoying little sisters were just two of Ianto's and he really isn't in the mood for celebrating.

*Disclaimer: I don't own the boys, they belong to GDL, JB and RTD... I do own the relatives and offspring though

Christmas, Honestly?

Part 1

Ianto's breath was coming short and fast as pain blossomed from the gashes down his chest, sending ripples of pain through him. He balled a fist and brought it crashing down on the side of the table he was still lying on.

"Hey, hey! Uncalled for, tea-boy." Owen scowled at him and handed him the industrial strength pain killers he'd been fetching.

Ianto knocked them back with the end of his coffee and glowered at the medic. It was Christmas day and he'd been attacked by a weevil in the very early hours. Owen ignored his bad mood and continued cleaning and dressing the newly stitched claw marks.

He grimaced slightly at the vertical gashes moving from Ianto's neck down his side to his hip. Whilst the young man had suffered worse at the hands of the weevils, this was still on the unpleasant side.

"How're you feeling?" Jack asked carefully, walking down the steps and over to him, taking his hand as he perched next to him. Ianto said nothing and just glowered at him as well. Jack raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Don't even begin to think that you can stay at home."

Ianto growled slightly and scowled again. Finally, he flicked out his phone and dialled his sister's number. "Bryn?"

"Ianto!" His sisters voice was a welcome sound and Ianto guessed that she'd already been up for several hours already – even though it was eight in the morning.

"There's been a complication." Ianto managed to grind out as his jaw clenched at another wave of pain.

"What kind of 'complication'?" Her voice was sceptical, though he liked to think there was also an undercurrent of concern.

"A complication of the painful and partially debilitating kind." Ianto sighed heavily and closed his eyes as the spasm left his shoulder and chest.

"Been having too much fun in the early hours?" This time, it was layered with innuendo, and he could almost see her wiggling her eyebrows.

"You could say that." Ianto couldn't help but smile, silently wishing that the cause of his annoyance had been what Bryn was referring to – it was Christmas after all.

"Well then, I'll blame Jack later." She said lightly. Ianto laughed bitterly and Jack stood up in front of him, pulling him a little closer. Ianto closed his eyes and rested his forehead against him.

"Sadly, it wasn't that kind of 'fun'." Ianto replied.

"Oh… You're okay though, right?" Now was the turn for concern and confusion.

"I will be once the painkillers kick in." Ianto assured her, feeling Jack's arm move around his waist. He'd sensed Jack's upset over the weevil attack the moment he'd found him leaning against the alley wall. Torchwood had a horrible way on making it's mark at Christmas.

"How bad is it?" Bryn whispered, both of them having heard loud footsteps on the floor above.

"I might be ruining Christmas the moment I step into the house." Ianto sighed, and even to Bryn he sounded dejected. Still, she laughed.

"Oh well, they'll get over it! At least you'll be walking in." The tension had left her voice as she laughed again. Despite everything, Ianto managed to find some comfort in the sound.

"Everyone's still expecting me then?" He tried, resignation already creeping into his words. He'd tried to warn his parents not to get too excited about them visiting on Christmas, but they'd had none of it.

"Oh yes!" She almost yelled, to the point that even Jack heard it. She stills reminds me of him, he thought with a smile.

"And there's no way I can bow out?" Ianto tried for the final time.

"None." There was a grin of triumph on Bryn's face that was so large Ianto could see it through the phone line.

"Okay, see you later." He sighed, trying to make himself sound a little happier.

"In a bit!" Bryn said happily before disconnecting the call.

Ianto snapped the phone closed and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose gently as he took several deep, slow breaths. The painkillers were kicking in, but were nowhere near enough at the moment. Jack squeezed his shoulder gently and Ianto leaned his forehead against his lover's stomach again, taking comfort from the feeling of Jack's fingers running across his tense shoulders.

Ianto flinched as Owen gave him a couple of shots – a tetanus booster and a low dose of morphine. There was a moment of tension in the young man before he sighed in bliss. Jack struggled to keep a straight face, having heard the sound on many occasions already. Owen glanced at him and screwed his face up. That was a mental image he really didn't need on Christmas day.

He began unrolling a bandage, and with Jack's help, Ianto's entire torso was strapped up to both hold the gauze over the gashes and to support the bruised side.

"Okay, you're all done." Owen said with a slight sigh, snapping his surgical gloves off and flinging them into the bin in the corner. "Nothing strenuous, keep them dry, change the bandage once a day, come back in ten days for a wound check. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Ianto said a little sarcastically, saluting Owen with a sideways look.

"I would say avoid alcohol as well, but seeing as it's Christmas, I'll let you have a drink or two. Not too many please." Owen said with a warning. Ianto sighed, but nodded, swinging his legs off the table and allowing Jack to help him into a clean t-shirt.

He pulled himself to his feet and clutched his bruised side instinctively, his knees weakening a little. Jack caught him just in time and together, they made their way back up to the desk area.

Griffin quickly wriggled free of Tosh's arms and ran over to Ianto, stopping just in front of his parents as he noted the way Ianto was leaning on Jack. Griff looked up with concern and Ianto pushed away from Jack gently and bent down, pulling the little boy into a hug with him good side.

"It's all okay, don't worry." Griff stroked his neck gently and nodded, letting Jack take his hand and lead him back to where his things were.

"Thanks, Tosh." Ianto sighed as he got back to his feet and headed to the sofa. The woman hadn't needed to come in, but Jack had called her with an update and she'd arrived in time to help Jack with the kids whilst Ianto was being fixed up.

"It's not a problem." She hugged him gently and pecked him on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Ianto!"

He chuckled and smiled, looking up see Jack moving back towards him now wearing his coat. He took another deep breath and took Griffin's hand as Jack picked up the still drowsy little girl curled up on the sofa.

*

They made a stop at home to collect some presents and the day's supplies – as well as for them both to change into clean and 'normal' clothes. It made the young man smile to see that Jacks till insisted on changing into twenty first century clothes when they visited his relatives.

A couple of hours later and they were setting off.

Ianto was surprisingly quiet in the car, spending the journey with his eyes closed and his right hand still cradling his bruised and slashed left side. No matter what he wore, he couldn't cover up the ends of the gashes, as they extended up his neck an inch or so.

He felt Jack's hand squeeze his thigh gently and rolled his head to smile at him.

"Feeling any better?" He asked quietly.

"Well… I think Owen added in some sedative to my painkillers." He smiled and Jack chuckled. That had been his idea – to get Ianto safely to his parent's house with the minimum amount of strain on his already frazzled mind.

The rest of the journey passed in much the same way, Ianto looking back to check on Griffin – who was still acutely aware that he'd been injured – and Niamh – who was off in her own little world, as usual.

As they pulled up on the drive, Bryn and Ellen came rushing out of the house to help. Jack must've forewarned them that Ianto was almost out of commission, as they took both of the kids and left Jack and Ianto with presents they'd bought for the family.

They'd already decided that their presents for each other would be given on boxing-day, a private moment that no one would intrude on – no matter how unconsciously.

Jack let Ianto lead the way, noting how the young man's breathing was still a little shallow, how his posture was giving away the amount of pain he was in when he moved. He sighed and shifted the bags in his hands, taking Ianto's with his now free one.

Lydia appeared in the hallway and embraced Jack tightly before turning to look at Ianto.

"What's wrong?" She said with a frown, reaching out to touch the dressing on Ianto's neck with her fingertips. Ianto flinched away unconsciously and grimaced apologetically as she patted his arm instead, worry evident in her eyes.

"You don't really want to know." Ianto said wryly, letting her guide them into the front room, where the fire was built up and burning warmly.

He smiled in earnest as he saw the decorations around the room – the large, full Christmas tree covered in the seemingly timeless decorations from his childhood, the strings of Christmas cards hung along the tops of the walls and the various tea-light decorations on the mantelpiece.

Mercifully, the sofa had been left open for them, and Jack sat down where Ianto could lean on him and most likely fall asleep later on in the day.

"How's your day been so far then, son?" Eli asked with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Ianto looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Eventful, to say the least." He managed to reply, tugging his hoody up a bit to cover top of the dressing that was sticking out of his t-shirt collar. He glanced over at his mother, who was sitting with pursed lips and a disapproving frown. "Mam, I'm fine, honestly."

"Griffin? I have something for you that was dropped off here yesterday." Eli piped up, dispelling the tension between mother and son for the time being. The little boy looked around, puzzled and the old man handed him a medium sized rectangle.

He carefully peeled back the paper in the way he'd so obviously inherited off Ianto – something which made Jack groan and roll his eyes when his lover did it – and yelled in delight when he revealed the storybook within.

Ianto watched with a smile as the little boy clambered onto Eli's lap and hugged him.

Thus began the flow of presents, carried out mainly by Bryn and Ellen who had taken up their usual seats by the tree.

At several points during the proceedings, Jack had been forced to nudge Ianto towards the awake end of the consciousness scale. The sedatives were obviously a little strong, not to mention he'd been awake since six the previous morning.

Ianto, on the other hand, was more than content to watch everyone enjoying themselves – particularly Niamh and Griffin. With Jack's arms around him, it was all too easy to close his eyes and drift off.

When he was hit in the face by a rather soft and squishy package, he jerked awake and fumbled to catch the package before it could fall. Once the sudden commotion was over, he glared over the top of the present at his sisters, now laughing unashamedly.

"Does 'letting Ianto sleep' not classify as a good present then?" He asked with a slight scowl. That was quickly remedied by Jack pressing a little harder than necessary on a particularly tender bruise on his hip. Ianto yelped and looked apologetic before opening the present carefully.

The first layer peeled back to reveal another layer beneath, in a different colour. Realisation hit him sluggishly as he remembered all those Christmas' through his childhood and teens.

"Treasure hunt time?" He looked up with a crooked smile at his mother, who grinned knowingly. Ianto sighed and shook his head a little as he ripped through to the last layer, finding a new, checkered shirt within the paper with a note.

Now for the fun part!

It was in Bryn's stylish yet haphazard writing and he rolled his eyes, handing Jack the shirt and taking the note, flipping it over to reveal the first clue.