Chapter 2

There he was, trying to look casual at the restaurant's counter. He was failing, of course. It seemed he could only be misleading if he were smiling and tonight he was not smiling. He was thinking while pretending he wasn't thinking. It was obvious even from the other end of the establishment. Jack had felt pity for him back then, just as he felt pity now while reliving the memory.

Ianto's fingers nervously tapped the countertop, but his take-out order didn't respond to their call. Instead he was being forced to wait whilst Jack was hitting on a waitress in a far corner. Of all the places to get food, they both wound up here. Sometimes fate just wasn't fair to Ianto, Jack thought as he approached the other man. Actually, it seemed fate had it in for poor Ianto, but that was a thought Jack didn't like. It slowed the scene playing out around him, conflicting memories confounding the chip. The blip was minor as this memory won out. Besides, things were going to work out tonight for the Welshman. This was why Jack had chosen this evening to experience again.

A well-placed smack on Ianto's back and nervousness was quickly replaced by annoyance.

"Hey Ianto," Jack said with a toothy grin.

"Uh, Jack," came the uneasy reply. "So, um…"

Jack laughed as hard as he had the first time. "Relax. A night off shouldn't be stressful, you know."

Sometimes these memories were difficult. There were so many other things Jack wished he could say now, so many things he'd rather do, but changes to the script weren't allowed. He always had to reenact things as they had happened, no improvements.

"Right. Well um." Ianto spread out his hands before pushing himself away from the counter, and then came the smile. It was fairly disarming and Captain Harkness got a full view of it. "Have a good night, Jack."

It was his turn to feel slightly nervous. This wasn't the reaction he had expected at the time. The smile had thrown him and there didn't seem to be any clues to how Ianto really felt. At least Jack couldn't see them back then. He began to explain the situation for a reason he couldn't understand. "She's been flirting with me for two weeks and finally dumped her bodybuilder boyfriend last night, and—"

The younger man waved him off.

"I know how this relationship works," Ianto said calmly. "I get it. And Marissa should be a good shag, if what I've overheard here is true." His smile got bigger, betraying the feelings Jack now knew dwelled within. "You've mentioned her before, you know."

"Well, yeah, you know, don't want you out of the loop," Jack said, pretending this wasn't awkward. Ianto was managing better than he was. "Good to know you understand. Don't want things to be weird."

The take-out order was finally ready. Their conversation was halted as the food was paid for.

"Don't come in too early tomorrow," Jack said as Ianto turned to leave, bag in hand. "Might be a late night for me."

The news was handled well, all things considered. Ianto stopped and looked back at Jack. The smile was gone, his lips sucked in. The expression was well-known now, but had been foreign back then. There were things Ianto wanted to say, but felt he couldn't.

They stood there. Both were waiting for the words to come. Ianto looked around briefly before stepping closer to Jack. His voice was almost a whisper as he spoke. "Just, um, if you could not wear your coat while you're, um…" he cleared his throat as if he couldn't say the actual word.

Jack smiled. "Only wear it for you."

Relief was evident by the grin he was trying to reign in. "Right, good."

"How about tomorrow night I wear the suit and you wear the coat," the elder of the pair said with a wag of his eyebrows.

The young man nodded once before heading to the exit. "Tomorrow then."

Jack had to spend the next hour with Marissa, only to discover she wasn't as broken up with her bodybuilder beau as she'd claimed and that he was a jealous man with a wicked left hook. This was a fault of the alien memory chip replaying this night for Jack—one couldn't skip over parts. He had to endure her yammering and teasing the whole time knowing exactly how it would end: with lots of frustration and a temporary black eye and broken nose.

After the incident he called Ianto and that made reliving the whole evening worth it. Not only did Torchwood's administrator live nearby, he didn't care about the late hour or why Jack was coming to him. Instead he took it in stride, like always. His patience and understanding more than welcome that night. The pair talked, joked about Jack striking out (or being struck out, as the case had been). And when the words ran out, their lips kept speaking. What had begun as a cool night became quite heated and neither man minded.

"Jack!"

The loud voice ended the vision abruptly. Jack scanned his office, frantically searching for what had jarred him from his private escape. His heart was still racing and his skin still felt hot when he spotted Gwen nearing his office.

"Jack," she called again.

He quickly removed the chip from his temple and threw it into his desk drawer as she entered the room.

Whatever she'd been about to say died on her tongue when she saw her boss. Gwen looked around the office before speaking. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just having a great dream about these triplets I used to know. They weren't really triplets except on stage, but what they could do—"

"Right," Gwen cut him off. "That explains why you didn't answer the phone."

"What's up?"

"Rhys had gone for more diapers and said he spotted a blowfish. I think it's the one we've been looking for and, since he's got work in the mornin' and that means I've got to be home, I was hoping you could hunt it."

"Not a problem. Give me the coordinates and go home," he said getting up. A hunt would probably help with the frustration he was feeling.

"I've already called Mel. She'll meet you there," Gwen continued.

Of course, she called Mel, the woman who'd been prattling on about her brother, Isaac. The ladies seemed determined to get him dating again, or at least shagging. He wasn't against the idea and the brother was hot, but his feelings for Ianto had made him hesitate. This was the reason the memory of that night at the restaurant had been on his mind lately.

"And after we might just swing by Isaac's, if he's up," Jack said with a wink. A meeting might lead to a few dates, but it wouldn't become serious.

Gwen smiled, probably thinking he was finally giving in. He wasn't. Jack had just needed to remember how his relationship with Ianto had worked.

He got it now. Ushering Gwen out with him, Jack left his coat hanging on its rack, just in case.