A/N: I have been reading "Almost Perfect" -The Torchwood novel- and Jack's determination for Ianto and him to discuss their feelings caught my attention. This is my first proper Torchwood fic and I'm actually pretty proud of it. I'm trying to bury myself in the past and AU and not think about CoE, this should help :) Please review and make me happy :) xx

Tonight

~0~

"Okay tonight. Seven thirty. Your place." Jack beamed, bringing his hands together and staring up at Ianto from behind his desk with childish optimism.

Ianto sighed. Jack had been at this for two weeks now. He'd suddenly decided at some point that he wanted to talk about 'feelings', and every time they'd had a moment alone together Jack had been trying to hassle Ianto in to having this 'talk'. Ianto, however, just didn't see the point, and had tried to avoid the Captain as much as possible, with little success unfortunately. Jack was adamant, and Ianto's reserve was beginning to wane.

"So you'd come over to my flat, use my kitchen to cook me dinner?"

"Well someone's possessive all of a sudden," Jack smirked "anyway the Hub's hardly romantic!"

"But you..." Ianto trailed off. For once, he couldn't think of a reply. He sighed and his arms fell to his sides defeated. Jack's eyes lit up with triumph as Ianto looked up at him with a smile in his eyes.

"Fine," He muttered quietly "Seven thirty."

~0~

Just as Ianto finished fastening the last button on his purple shirt, there was a loud knock at the door.

He decided to go tieless tonight, as he guessed that twenty minutes in to the evening he would be summoned to help Jack in the kitchen and he would then only have to take it off.

He walked in to the hallway and quickly checked his hair in the little mirror by the door and, when he was satisfied enough with his appearance he pulled the front door open to reveal Jack, in his usually attire, carrying several shopping bags and wearing a stupid grin on his handsome face.

Ianto raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly at Jack and allowed himself a moment to wonder just what he'd let himself in for.

"Can I come in?" Questioned Jack, still smiling childishly.

"As long as you promise not to burn my flat down." Said Ianto letting go of the door frame so as to unblock Jack's path.

"You know you should have more faith in my abilities," Jack warned, squeezing past Ianto in to the large flat, planting a kiss on the younger man's cheek as he went. "I once cooked for the Duchess of Kent."

Ianto turned in the door way and watched Jack make his way over to the kitchen area, dropping the carrier bags on to the counter-tops and shrugging off his greatcoat.

"Well I say 'cooked for her'; I stole a sandwich from her kitchens."

Ianto raised a questioning eyebrow at Jack.

"I hadn't eaten for two months! You know, needs must...anyway the point isI made that sandwich myself!"

"So we'll be eating a romantic meal of...sandwiches?" Said Ianto, closing the door behind him as he walked in to the kitchen-diner area. "Forgive me if I don't propose on the spot."

Instead of replying with a suggestive retort, Jack simply huffed and said "Are you going to let me cook dinner? Or are you going to stand there all night acting cynical and looking gorgeous? 'Cause it's very distracting."

"No, by all means," said Ianto, bowing his head towards the stove as if to say 'It's all yours'. "I'll find some music to put on."

"Good." Said Jack, rolling up his sleeves. "Oh, and you may as well open this while you're at it." He pulled an expensive looking bottle of red wine out of one of the bags and handed it to Ianto.

~0~

Ianto sat perched on a stool at his breakfast bar, watching as Jack squinted at instructions and glugged various sauces and oils in to the sizzling pan on the hob.

He took a sip from his glass of wine and stared in to the crimson liquid as he felt it slip smoothly down his throat.

It had been thirty minutes since Jack had begun cooking and, to Ianto's disbelief, he hadn't been asked for help of any kind yet.

This had given him some time to think. Unfortunately thinking had lead to questions he couldn't answer, questions that he couldn't keep bottled up anymore.

"Why are you doing this Jack?" He asked, still staring in to his wine.

Jack didn't turn around, instead he picked up the piece of paper with the recipe on and replied "Well it says that it's to bring out the flavour of the-"

"No. Not that. This. Why did you want to arrange all this and do all this?"

Now Jack did turn around, and Ianto looked up from his wine to stare in to the older man's eyes. Jack took a few steps forward.

"Why do you ask?" He said, "Do you not want to spend time together?"

"No, no it's not that, I mean, I want to spend time with you, of course I do...but, why are you so determined for us to talk about, well us?"

Jack leaned down slightly towards Ianto, his hand also coming down to caress Ianto's own which still held the wine glass loosely.

"Because although I'm immortal, that doesn't mean I want to spend my life stagnating."

He leaned in a captured Ianto's lips in a chaste kiss, which the younger man returned, though his heart wasn't really in it.

"Mm, anyway," Muttered Jack in to Ianto's mouth "I better start the pasta." He pressed another quick kiss to Ianto's lips and then moved back to the stove, reaching across to flick on the kettle. "It'll all be done soon."

Ianto smiled slightly and took another sip of his wine.

~0~

"There ya go." Beamed Jack, placing a plate of what looked like spaghetti Bolognese in front of Ianto, who was now sat at the dinner table. Two places had been laid at the small round table and a single white candle had been lit in the centre of it. Ianto had said it was cheesy, but jack had insisted it was romantic.

"Thanks." Said Ianto eyeing the meal, to his amazement, it actually looked quite nice. He told jack so and received a warm smile as Jack seated himself opposite him.

"Okay then," Said Jack, picking up his knife and fork "What d'ya think?"

Ianto picked up his own knife and fork and scooped up a small amount of the mince, he looked at the forkful of steaming food, then up at Jack, who was watching him happily. Ianto placed the forkful in his mouth a chewed it slightly. He looked up at Jack.

"It's really good!" He said, stunned that Jack had pulled it off.

Jack beamed and look relieved.

"You sure? You're not just being polite?"

Ianto shook his head and smiled, "Believe me, I'd tell you if I didn't like it."

"Yeah," breathed Jack; laughter in his voice. He paused for a second and then said "That's what I love about you."

Ianto glanced briefly at Jack; then stared back down at his food, gathering up another forkful. His cheeks were turning red and a small, embarrassed smile played at his lips.

Jack sighed quietly and set his knife and fork down slightly exasperated.

"C'mon Yan talk to me! How are you feeling, about us, about this?"

Ianto looked up at Jack, who was staring at him, pleading with his eyes. He set down his own knife and fork, the silence stretched on between them and Jack's gaze never left him.

"It's..." Ianto tried, "I..." He tried again, but this was hard. He rarely liked to talk about his own emotions, and to be honest, he wasn't even entirely sure just how he felt, or at least how to explain it.

Jack reached out a hand a clasped Ianto's own softly, running his thumb across the younger man's knuckles.

"Start from the beginning," He encouraged softly, "What's different?"

Ianto stared down at their entangled hands and accepted that there was no avoiding this anymore, he was just going to have to try.

He looked up at Jack.

"In the beginning..." He breathed, "It was, nothing really...just...sex, I guess...stress-relief..."

Jack did nothing. He simply stared in to Ianto's icy blue eyes, which were flitting around the room as he tried to find a way to articulate his feelings.

"And that was fine, great even...and then you left and..."

He trailed off and Jack squeezed his hand lightly.

"And then when you came back," Ianto picked up again, "I was so happy. We'd all missed you really...so much. Especially Gwen." He glanced at Jack, "Especially me."

He paused for a while and took a sip of wine.

"Then when you asked me out properly, I- well I was surprised. But it was good." He smiled reassuringly. Jack nodded again.

"I guess after that, we just got closer. Things had changed while you were away. I'd had time to grow and...Reflect. I suppose after that, we both knew where we stood and...What we wanted. It's been brilliant really; spending time with you, being with you. I've loved it."

Jack was smiling only slightly and Ianto sighed.

"Jack I- I just...you...I can't find the words Jack..."

Ianto looked up at Jack, who said "You wanna know how I feel?"

Ianto gave the smallest of nods and Jack moved his hand off of Ianto's, but only a little.

"I love you." He said, so sure and so clear.

"I love being with you, holding you, talking to you, kissing you. I tried so hard not to fall in love again; told myself I could never have a real relationship, not really. But..." He face broke in to a smile, a genuine smile, and he shook his head slightly as he breathed "Damn it Ianto Jones, you don't make it easy."

Ianto was smiling now. He couldn't help himself. He reached out and brushed his hand over jack's, which was still stretched across the table; then he brought both of his hands to rest in his lap, staring down at his plate again.

"Well?" Asked Jack, a little bit of the gladness gone from his voice.

Ianto kept his mouth shut and shook his head, still staring at the spaghetti.

"It's just too hard Jack. It's so weird and we're so...and our jobs and-" He was cut off as a pair of soft lips met his and suddenly he was being kissed. Jack was kissing him with such passion and heart and love, and he kissed back. Melting in to the kiss he lost himself in Jack. Their tongues dancing together, so tender but so sure.

They broke apart slightly; their foreheads still pressed together. Both still had their eyes closed and their warm breath mingled in the small space between their lips.

"I love you." Whispered Ianto with shaking breath. It was so quiet that Jack only just heard it over his own breathing. He smiled and pressed his forehead in to Ianto's just barely, making their noses rub together gently as Ianto opened his eyes and looked at Jack, who was staring at him. Soft turquoise irises staring endlessly in to crystal blue. Saying a million things which all amounted to that which had now been spoken.

Ianto let out a small, reassured breath and blinked slowly. Then his lips broke in to a soft, loving, genuine smile.

~0~

END