A/N - This is dedicated to my best friend, Ray, who inspired this story when he called me his better boyfriend.

OOO

Tosh was hunched over her computer, trying to get the latest update to the translation program working properly. For some bizarre reason, it was correctly identifying which of the hundreds of possible alien languages in the database matched the test samples but converting the results into Old English. The 0.024 seconds needed to translate from Old English into Modern English was inefficient and unacceptable.

She sighed and began studying the code, searching line by line for the mistake. Tosh had almost traced down the error when a hand landing softly on her shoulder startled her. She gave a soft yelp, looking up quickly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Ianto said contritely.

She smiled and pulled off her glasses. "It's okay. I thought I was the only one here."

He turned and leaned against her desk, looking tiredly down at her. "I've been working in the archives waiting for Jack to finish up so we can go back to the flat. I'm too exhausted and too ravenous to wait on him any longer. I'll just pop into his office and let him know I'm heading home."

"Jack left over an hour ago."

"Oh." He looked and sounded slightly annoyed.

"He did say something about stopping to pick up groceries and needing to take care of some things." When he didn't respond, she said, "It's a shame he's going to be in London for your birthday. Maybe he's planning to surprise you with a home cooked dinner tonight to make up for that."

He was not at all convincing when he responded with, "Yeah, that's probably it." He straightened up and gave her a sad smile. "I'm knackered. See you tomorrow, Tosh."

"Ianto, is everything okay?"

His sad smile tightened. "Of course. Everything's perfect."

She watched as he walked with slumped shoulders through the cog wheel door. No, everything isn't perfect. It's anything but perfect. She looked at the time, grabbed her purse, and rushed out of the Hub without stopping to power down the computers. I have just enough time to make it to the shops before they close. Mentally making a long list of everything she wanted to pick up, she hoped against hope that none of it would be needed.

The next day Tosh kept glancing at the time, chewing on her bottom lip worriedly. She'd sent Ianto a simple "Happy Birthday" text when she woke up. There had been no text or call in return, and, as the morning started shifting to afternoon, he still hadn't shown up for work. Tosh considered calling him but thought, hoped really, that he'd listened to her advice and was taking a day off. When Owen and Gwen started grumbling about being hungry, she waved them off when they invited her to join them, deciding to forego lunch in case Ianto made an appearance.

Fifteen minutes after their departure, the cog wheel began rolling open. Through the entrance stormed Ianto, fists tightly clenched, a livid flush to his face, his body language clearly displaying the message Don't mess with me today. He strode immediately to the kitchenette, not even bothering to acknowledge her.

Tosh set her glasses aside and quickly stood. Sounds of cabinet doors being yanked violently opened and then forcefully slammed shut issued from the kitchen, followed quickly by the metallic clang of what could only be the silver serving tray being crashed against the countertop.

"Last night didn't go well?" she asked softly as soon as she joined him.

Ianto gave a harsh snort, tightened his already fisted hands, and then bent his head down wearily. "You could say that." She waited, knowing that he didn't need to be rushed. "This thing with Jack, it's ... it's not working."

She walked over to him, gently laying a hand on his arm. "Come on, let's get out of here. We'll take a stroll and you can tell me all about it."

He nodded, slow and despondent, as if burdened with the weight of the world. Silence reigned until they were out in the bright sunshine and had wandered over to their favorite spot overlooking the marina.

"Talk to me, Ianto."

He was gazing at an outgoing fishing boat, a wistful expression painted on his face. "When Jack came back, when he asked me out on a date, I thought things would be different." His voice became forceful, certain. "And it was. Things were better. He treated me as if I mattered, as if he cared about me."

"And now?"

Ianto snorted. "Now we've gone back to how it was before. I'm just a convenience, a fun little bit on the side. Last night is a good example. I got back to the flat. Nearly falling flat on my face, I might add, because Jack had set his suitcase right in front of the door with no thought that I might trip over it. And there he was, watching telly and eating pasta. All he said was 'Oops.' Oops!," Ianto grumbled. "I went into the kitchen, which was the usual mess that follows when Jack cooks, to find that he hadn't even fixed enough for me. Then as I was looking at the disaster that was formally my kitchen, he comes in, sets his dirty plate on the counter, and tells me he's going to bed because he needed a few hours sleep before UNIT picked him up for the London conference."

"And what did you do?" she asked.

"What else could I do?" he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "I started washing up because Jack can't make a simple pasta dish without dirtying every pot and pan in the flat. I made something to eat with the one egg and the half-off tomato left in the fridge and then cleaned up the flat. Once I finally rolled into bed, Jack woke me an hour later." Tosh would have laughed, if the conversation wasn't so serious, at Ianto's attempt at imitating Jack's American-tinged accent. "Hey, birthday boy. How about I give you a blowjob?"

"He didn't!"

Ianto looked incensed as he replied, "He certainly did. I shucked a pillow at him, called him an arsehole, and told him to get the hell out of my flat." The sadness returned. "Like I said Tosh, I don't think Jack and I are going to work out."

She tilted her head to look into his eyes. "Are you certain about this?"

He shook his head and turned to look out over the marina. "No, but I don't like how things are between us and I don't see that changing anytime soon."

Tosh tucked her arm around his, tugging him gently away from the marina. "That's fair so tell me, are you willing to keep trying to make it work?"

"I don't know, Tosh. I don't know how much more I can give."

She set the direction of their walk. "Relationships don't just happen. It takes work. It takes effort. You have to compromise and be willing to adapt. Relationships aren't about what you get out of them but what you give."

Ianto angrily barked, "That's the problem! I don't know what else I can give to make this work."

"That's exactly the problem, as I see it," she responded calmly. "Ianto you've been doing all the giving. Have you even given Jack an opportunity to do anything for you? Have you ever lingered in bed so he can fix breakfast for both of you? Have you ever asked him to fix dinner or do the washing up?"

He stopped mid-step. "He did try washing up a few times but ...," his voice trailed off quietly.

"But he didn't do it to your standards, am I right?"

He nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I went behind him and did it properly. And he stopped offering to help out."

"So you didn't really give Jack an opportunity to do anything for you and you weren't willing to compromise your standards which made Jack feel like he'd never measure up so he quit trying."

"I ... I," He smiled down at her fondly. "When did you get so smart?"

She laughed, a bit sad and cheerless. "When you live a sad and lonely life, you do the next best thing. You watch and observe the people around you. You take note of what they're doing right and where they are going wrong with their relationship. That way, should you finally meet the right person, you're better prepared to make it work."

"It'll happen for you, Tosh," he gave her hand a tight squeeze. "There's someone out there who will recognize what a special and amazing person you are."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe but today isn't about me. It's about you, birthday boy. So, we are taking the rest of the day off, going back to my flat where I have the makings for mimosas, snacks that cover the five necessary food groups for a friends day in - sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and, most important, chocolate-y. And while we drink ourselves silly and stuff ourselves on unhealthy foods, we'll watch your favorite DVDs and laugh the night away."

Chuckling, Ianto said, "You're really amazing. You're a better boyfriend than my boyfriend is."

There was a moment of shock and then Tosh burst out laughing. "Very high praise, indeed."

"The highest, Tosh," he said sincerely. "The very highest."

TBC