Jack liked being high up. He could watch the people going by, unaware that every day he and the rest of his team were risking their lives to protect them. He liked watching people live normal lives whilst he couldn't.

Jack was for once not watching the people below. Instead he was sat right on the edge of the roof, legs dangling off the edge, head tilted back, watching the clouds whizzing by, pushed by a strong wind.

The hatch in the roof swung open and Ianto's head slid into view. A mug of coffee was held in one hand, Jack's coat in the other.

"I thought you might be a bit cold, Sir," said Ianto, gently placing the mug next Jack's left hand and draping his coat over his shoulders.

"Thanks, Ianto," as Ianto moved back towards the hatch Jack threw out a hand to stop him "why don't you stay and talk to me for a bit?"

"Okay, Sir," Ianto stepped neatly over to the other side of Jack and sat down, swinging his legs gracefully to hang off the edge of the roof "What would you like to talk about."

"Well, firstly, from now on you are going to call me Jack. I'm sick of being Sir. Secondly, Alex called."

"Alex, as in Alex Ridell?"

"Yeah, when you were out dealing with the latest weevil. He asked if you could call him back," Jack glanced at Ianto to check his reaction; it was one of polite interest.

"Oh, right. Did he say what he wanted?"

"When I asked he said it was private. Are you two, you know, together?"

Ianto spluttered for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Me and Alex? No. He's not gay. We know each other from when I worked in Torchwood One. He was Harriet Jones' right hand man. I was the one that the government contacted if they needed a favour."

"You really were a big shot back there weren't you?" Jack said, lightly teasing.

"Yes I was. And now I'm just the tea boy," Ianto's tone was as light as Jack's had been but Jack knew how much his own words hurt him.

"Don't be silly. You're so much more than that."

"Huh. Yeah right."

"Yes. It is right!" said Jack determinately "think of it like this. I'm the head. Gwen's the heart. Tosh and Owen are the arms and, if I'm being nice, maybe a bit of the head too. But you, you're… you're…"

"Do let me know if you want to finish that sentence," Ianto joked.

"Hush you! I know what you are. You're the skin."

"Wow! I'm skin. What a lovely analogy, Sir. Would you care to expand or just leave it at that?"

"There's no need to be snarky. I just meant that you hold us all together and that without you we be a mess really."

Ianto's eyes widened almost imperceptibly and he turned sideways to look at him properly.

"Since when was Captain Jack Harkness really a sweetie underneath?" Ianto said, poking Jack gently in the side.

To Ianto's great surprise Jack squirmed away from Ianto's finger with a small but unmistakeable giggle.

"Don't," he murmured, batting Ianto's hand away.

"Are you ticklish?"

"Maybe. But don't you even think about tickling me. I could fire you, you know."

"Hmmm, yes you could, but then you'd all fall apart and be a complete mess. And then aliens will take over the world and it'd be your entire fault for being ticklish."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Jack sipped his coffee and Ianto watched the tiny dot like people moving around beneath them. A cold breeze blew across the bay and made Ianto shiver. Almost instantly, Jack was squished right next to him and had thrown one side of his coat over Ianto's shoulders so they were sharing it.

"It's cold out here," he said "you always need to bring a coat."

"I think you'll find that I'm the one that brought a coat."

"And then, like an idiot, you gave it to me," Jack proclaimed smugly.

"If you're going to be silly then I'm going back in," said Ianto, shrugging off Jack's coat and shifting his arms round so he could clamber to his feet.

"Now who's being silly? You're going to stay right here and talk to me," Jack said, looping an arm round Ianto's waist and pinning him to his side.

Ianto squirmed for a moment before giving into the inevitable and relaxing in Jack's grip.

"Now there's something that has piqued my interest," Jack continued, as though Ianto hadn't tried to leave "you said that Alex isn't gay. You didn't say that you aren't. Are you?"

"You read way too much into things, Sir," said Ianto shifting uncomfortably before somehow managing to slip out of Jack's grasp and stand up.

"Ianto, what's wrong?" Jack asked concerned, reaching out a hand to try and take Ianto's.

"Don't, Sir, just don't."

Before Jack could say another word Ianto was across the roof and though the hatch.

Sighing and wondering what he had done wrong, Jack turned back to watching the clouds.

OOOOOO

A/N: It's so long since I wrote anything Torchwoody. I'm sorry if you don't like this. I'll try and write more soon. Any suggestions about what people want to happen?