So, this story came out of somewhere, not exactly sure where. I've written the first third or so, and am doing a little writing almost every day. So far it's about 15k, and still growing. I plan to post chapters about once a week, depending on my schedule. I don't have a Beta, so I'm doing the best I can trying to edit on my own. Please PM if you think I have a huge error to correct.

It should be noted that this story is EXTREMELY AU. I just wanted to play with the world a bit, but this is not going to have anything to do with aliens, the Doctor, etc.

Ianto Jones wasn't sure this morning could get any worse.

He'd woken up late, thanks in part to his forgetting to set his phone alarm, and proceeded to stumble around his shared flat in a panicked stupor, stubbing his toe in the process. His laptop did not get plugged in the night before, meaning he did not have access to the term paper he was planning on working on until it was charged. His roommate, Toshiko Sato, had used all of their marmalade with her breakfast, so he settled for a slice of cold pizza as he shuffled his feet into well worn shoes, scrambling to get out the door. If he rushed, he would be able to catch the bus, and only be slightly late for his first class.

Of course it was raining! He decided quickly that he didn't have time to head back up the stairs to their second level flat for an umbrella, let alone his coat. Ianto instead tucked his messenger bag against his side, and began a jog down the street towards the bus stop. Water was dripping down his face in seconds, plastering dark hair against his forehead. Up ahead he could see others running with the same plan he had. The streets weren't overly busy for this time of the morning, but he found himself dodging around people franticly as he tried to make his ride. He ignored their shouts to watch it and kept going.

Just as he neared the block where the bus stopped, the light in front of him changed, meaning he had to halt to allow opposite traffic to pass. He bounced on his toes in impatience, just wanting the damn signal to change back. The bus he needed to catch was at the end of the block ahead, and he just knew he wouldn't be able to reach it in time. The light eventually did change, but just as he began to run across the intersection to catch it, it pulled away from the curb. "Bloody hell!"

If Ianto would have been paying more attention, he would have noticed the car next to him blaze across the intersection, spraying water from a well formed puddle next to the sidewalk. It definitely had his attention by the time his entire left side was soaking wet.

"Oi! Well that's brilliant now isn't it!" He closed his eyes, wishing the ground would swallow him whole.

"Hello there," came the voice from his right. Ianto turned, and was greeted by a slightly older man, "Miss the bus?"

"You're observant," replied Ianto. He really was not in the mood to make small talk.

"I usually am," shrugged the stranger. He seemed to take no notice of Ianto's tone. "You did run past me a moment ago on the other side of the street. Nearly knocked me into traffic."

Ianto sighed, "Sorry about that." All that effort for nothing...

The man moved a little closer to him, and Ianto noticed the large umbrella he was carrying now extended over the both of them, shielding him from further rain. Ianto noted that they were dressed similarly, in dark fitted jeans and button down shirt. The man's was a dark navy, with peeks of a white undershirt beneath, contrasting with tanned skin and brown hair. A dark jacket cut away some of the chill, fitting the form as well. "I'm Jack Harkness."

"Jones. Ianto Jones."

"Nice to meet you Jones, Ianto Jones." Jack's eyes held his, a slight smirk on his face indicating his amusement. "You look like you could use a coffee."

"I'm late for class." And he was soaking wet, and he just wanted to crawl back into bed at this point, but since when were things going his way this morning anyway?

"All the more reason then. C'mon," Jack said, pushing Ianto's shoulder to initiate them moving down the sidewalk. "You must be freezing." Ianto tried to protest again, but gave up when he realized it would be useless to argue.

Fifteen minutes later Ianto found himself inside a coffee shop he sometimes visited. He let his new acquaintance lead him towards the back, where the owner had a fire lit in the hearth. Ianto dropped his damp bag on the floor and curled up with a large black coffee on the single chair, sipping gratefully at the warm beverage. He tried to ignore the uncomfortable, sticky feeling of wet clothing. Behind him the hustle of the early hour provided background noise. People shuffled in, bleary eyed and looking for their favorite drink, perking up at the smell of ground coffee beans and delicate pastries. Ianto loved these places; the sounds, the smells.

Jack dropped in a similar chair next to him, sipping his own beverage. The silence between them continued for a few more minutes before Ianto felt warm enough to begin interacting again. "So you're American?"

"Yep."

"What are you doing in Cardiff then?"

"I'm working on my MBA. You?"

"Bachelor's in English Literature, Welsh, and Law."

Jack's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Ambitious," he commented.

Ianto couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Required," he replied, and left it at that. 'My roommate is brilliant with computers. I don't know when she sleeps."

They smiled and continued to chat. Ianto learned that Jack was born and raised in the midwestern states, but left as soon as he turned legal age. His father had died when he was young, and his mother was primarily concerned with taking care of his younger brother, whom he was not very close to. Jack had spent some time in London, earning his undergraduate degree, before moving to Cardiff to work for an investment firm. His ultimate goal was to become a partner, which meant he needed to obtain at least his Masters, leading him to apply and become accepted in the last year. The program would likely take him just over a year, being that he also continued to work his current job full time, but the company was flexible in allowing him to continue his education. Jack was also very friendly in his mannerisms. He tended to smile a lot, and was a very flirtatious fellow.

His features upon further inspection were definitely engaging. Ianto found himself lost in blue eyes that were very expressive during their conversation. His haircut was slightly longer, allowing locks of brunette hair to rest lightly on his forehead, lending to a more boyish look. The timber of his voice was very welcoming and deep; more than once Ianto caught himself not really listening to anything but the sound.

Ianto couldn't believe it when he looked at the time and realized that it was almost midday. "I really should go. I can at least make my my afternoon course."

"Alright," Jack agreed, standing and stretching his body. "Hey, this was fun. Want to do this again sometime? You can regale me with some more of those Welsh vowels."

Ianto wasn't sure what to say to that. He could tell Jack was interested in more than coffee, but oddly enough, he found himself not caring. It had been a long time since he had made a new friend. They exchanged numbers, and Ianto left the shop with plans to meet up with Jack for coffee Thursday afternoon.

A couple of days later Ianto was enjoying a rare movie night with his roommate. She had declared she needed a break from her computer monitors, and proceeded to order them both a pizza. He picked the movie, and soon they were curled up on the couch trading jokes and munching on greasy slices. Their normally tidy living room was littered with parts from Tosh's latest project, half open books, and notes from Ianto's latest essay.

Tosh, a small Asian woman the same age as Ianto, met him during their first year at university. They had both spent the majority of that year laughing their way through ridiculous classes taught by overpaid and bored instructors, and when the time came for settling living arrangements for their second year, it had been an easy decision to move in together. She was sharp, loyal, and the best friend he had ever had. Her mother lived relatively close, and was sure to drop by occasionally, always ready to replenish their food supply or lend a supportive ear. That trend passed onto her daughter, who managed to take the time, despite her schedule, to spend bonding with Ianto, for which he was very grateful

"So, been courted by MIT or some other big institution yet?" he asked teasingly. She didn't respond, settling for a look that he knew all too well. "I'm shooting for Oxford to be banging down the door by year's end."

Tosh smiled, dimples forming in her round face, "I'm sure. Tell your dad yet that you have no desire to follow in his grand footsteps?"

"Please," Ianto replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin to remove the grease. "It was bad enough convincing him to let me come to CU in the first place. I'm just lucky he thinks that the double major will look good on applications to Law school in a couple of years."

One of the things he liked about Tosh was that she was observant, and knew to leave well enough alone when they hit one of his sore subjects. He didn't want to put a damper on their evening. They watched the movie for a few more minutes, munching on their dinner and sipping at their soda, a treat when they ordered pizza from the dive down the street. The bubbles on his tongue tingled as he set his now empty glass on their simple coffee table.

"How is your manuscript coming?"

Ianto scoffed and leaned back into the well worn cushions of their couch. "Terrible. I can't seem to make heads or tails of it these days."

There wasn't a time he didn't write. Ever since he could remember, Ianto had put his thoughts to paper, first in the form of a well loved leather journal his mother had given him, then into his computer. It was an outlet for him growing up, or a place to write an errant dream, the edges of which blurred if left to memory. He had come to Cardiff University in the hopes of making something out of it; journalism, blogging, or even publishing his own works into a novel. The bookshelves in his room were lined with great works of past and present, and he had always wanted to produce something that could be read after he was gone; a legacy.

Lately, he had been trying his hand at an actual story. It had originally been intended to be short, perhaps submitted to the college for entry into the student publication, but now, Ianto could feel he was on the cusp of something bigger. He didn't spend as much time exploring it as he wanted, as he was always a diligent student, but the time he did devote to it was important, making this roadblock even more aggravating.

"That must be frustrating."

"I'm sure it will pass. I just need to find a new way of looking at it."

Tosh nodded, accepting his answer. She leaned forward to place her plate on the table, and turned to him with a gleam in her eye. "Maybe bounce the idea off Jack this Thursday, yeah?"

She had taken to his story of the coffee encounter with enthusiasm, and was already scheming ways to get Ianto to introduce Jack to him. Ianto had always had a tough time making friends, so her interest was immediately piqued when he came home that Friday describing the events of the morning. He had kept his depiction brief, knowing Tosh had a flare for exaggerating the little details, but he knew she was happy that he had met someone worth seeing again. The only other friend he had had in Cardiff when they met had been his then girlfriend Lisa, but that crashed and burned early on in their first year. The solitude didn't particularly bother him all the time, as he was capable of keeping himself occupied, but he knew Tosh worried about him spending too much time on his own.

"Maybe. I'm sure he'll spend most of the time asking me intruding questions. I'm wondering if his directness is just his personality, or an American thing." He shrugged. "Either way, he was a good bloke to hang out with for a bit, so if we hit it off again, maybe I'll bring him around for you to meet."

"I'd love that!" she beamed.

"Fair warning," he smirked. "He came across as an outrageous flirt. I'm pretty sure if it's alive, he'll make an innuendo towards it."

"If you don't go after him I will," she replied, standing to retrieve their movie from the disc player. Ianto chose to ignore that comment. He didn't have anything against dating someone of the same sex, but was pretty sure he wasn't attracted to men. Jack belonged one hundred percent to this woman. "It's getting late; I think I might just turn in and deal with this mess in the morning."

Ianto stood and stretched, hearing a satisfying pop as his joints moved position. "Fine by me," he agreed. He picked up their plates and glasses, dumping them into their small kitchen on the way to his room. "Night."