Tuesday.

Fuzzy tongue, thumping head. The light flicked on and the door closed.

Dehydrated, pulls the covers over his head. Last night still ringing in his ears. Ianto didn't make it home again last night. This wasn't his flat, the room was damp from its subterranean position, and the duvet smelled like Jack.

"Fuck'n hell…" he drawled from under the sheets.

"You do this to yourself." Came Jacks voice slightly muffled by the duvet, trying hard not to sound too much like his mother. He pulled the duvet back and Ianto grimaced, even the un-natural light of the room was too much for him.

An un-amused chuckle came from Ianto, "Heh-heh, cause I really wanted to go last night. How did I get yerh?"

Jack looked like he'd been up for hours, yet still didn't look tired. Did he really not have to sleep? Immortality must be really shit.

"You showed up about half one drunk as hell, and very suggestive I might add. Although you insisted I come up to the Plass and get you." Jack was holding a cup of coffee. Well, that was the least he could have done. Ianto sat up and took it. It was black and very sweet.

"Did anything happen?" He held the coffee away for a moment, before realising it was already a few minutes old, therefore safe to drink. Why had he put sugar in it?

Jack smiled and shook his head. "You passed out. After that I slipped you over my shoulder and listened to you snore all night."

"Yeah well, you made the bed so I got to lie in it."

"So how was it?" Jack sat beside him, wondering if he'd get his comeuppance for volunteering Ianto for last night. He'd already been called a knob as Ianto walked out the door.

"Singles night? I ended up coming back yer. Endeavour was rendered a little pointless, given the nature of the nights theme ." Ianto yawned. Last night was a blurry mess but waking up here had meant no undue conduct had taken place. "What's the time?"

"About five-thirty. And that was surprisingly cogent"

"Five thirty?" Ianto contemplated, passing his cup back to Jack." I'm desperately hung-over and you've woken me up at the crack of doom."

"Sorry, I'm not doing this for shits and giggles. We've got work to do. There's three cold bodies at Cathays cemetery."

Ianto flopped back down . "Only three?" He tried to quip, but from the lack of response he assumed they weren't the buried dead. "Can't they wait? They're not going to be any more dead by the time we get there. What's more I may well be."

"And with this attitude we'd never get anything done." Jack ripped the duvet off the bed . "Up, Shave, Eat… gargle. You've got about twenty minutes. "

More coffee. That was the driving thought now he was on his feet. He was so barely paying attention the cup almost overflowed.

Jack emerged from his office, holding his mobile in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. "You know for a twenty four seven organisation we don't do so well. Why the hell does no-one answer their phone before five? It took me eight tries to get Gwen."

"Because sane people with real jobs aren't up at stupid hours." Ianto spoke through another yawn, a waspish tone filtering through.

"Well, that accounts for Owen picking up before the first ring was over. " Jack smiled, "What's this bill for flowers on my desk?"

"Oh that. I got bored and thought I'd squander the company credit card on making a display of Daffodils that spell Cymru from space."

Jack laughed, "Cogent yet ridiculous."

"Well, I thought about something a little more anti-English but it's not really in the spirit of Torchwood."

Jack was tempted to retort, but was more interested in getting a real answer. "What's it for?"

"They're for Tosh. "It's" singular by the way"

Confusion appeared on Jacks face. He thought about it. He stood opposite Ianto and folded his arms. Cogs failed to turn.

"For the paper she wrote." Ianto explained, Jack looked at him blankly. "Got published. Jumping round very excited last week." Jack shook his head. "Is your brain deficient?"

"No need to be like that." Jack touched him on the arm, not accepting Ianto being hung-over as an excuse for being pissy, even if Jack's grammar was bad.

"Well, the only way you could have missed it was if you were blind and drastically impaired in the other four senses."

Bringing his other arm down, Jack touched Ianto on his side. "You keep this up and I'll bend you over my desk."

The mood shifted. Ianto's eyebrows raised and he smiled, "Oh these promises you make." Jack pulled him against him, taking a moment to squeeze his buttock. Tension turned in a completely different direction. Jesus. Ianto's heart started thumping against his ribs. His hands gripped Jack's sides. Strange, halted, knowing that if they started they wouldn't stop. Jack's breath against his cheek. His lips brushed against it but before anything could transpire the door rolled back and with a grimace and schoolboy chuckle Jack stood away.

"Morning," Owen announced coming through the door. "Ianto, you look like shit."

"And a good morning to you too." Ianto mumbled through his fuzzy tongue. Hands almost shaking as Jack walks away. Their eyes meet and Ianto smiles and almost swallows his lip.

" I could have sworn you weren't that drunk last night."

"I dunno, I don't remember." He half shrugged, not really caring about anything Owen said. Jack stood with a landline phone to his ear, waiting for it to stop ringing.

"You don't remember the blonde?" Owen asked, vaguely aware that he may be stirring something between Jack and Ianto. No way had Ianto made it in this morning. He must've already been there.

Jack chimed in, holding the phone away from his ear for a second, sounding slightly amused, and if Ianto hadn't known better slightly jealous. "There was a blonde?"

"Bloody gorgeous one. Tries it with boy wonder here and he throws her off. I'd love to be able to throw women away like that."

Jack failed to get through and started to leave Toshiko a message on her answer phone. He began to wonder what the hell her and Ianto had been drinking last night.

"I really don't remember." Ianto said, not really to anyone. It was much too distant to be regarded as a proper memory, it only really fell into place since that Owen mentioned it.

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts. The minute you get over twenty five it's all over."

"Speak for yourself. " Jack intoned as he hung the phone up . " I can't get Toshiko, I left her a message. Gwen's says to pick her up on the way. "

As Owen disappeared into the autopsy room to grab his bag, Jack walked back over to Ianto. "Blonde? I didn't think you were into Blondes."

Angry now. "O.K, so maybe there was. So what? You sent me there. I'd've much rather been here. What the hell did you send me out for anyway?"

"You've been here a lot lately..."

"Right. So you couldn't just tell me that." Ianto shook his head, didn't say what he was thinking and walked away.