Chapter 2

It was the following day, and a gentle knock at his door caused Jack to look up from the document he had been reading intently. He smiled warmly at the suited figure standing tentatively in the doorway.

"Ianto, hey. Come in and sit down," Jack said in what he hoped was a welcoming tone.

Jack watched the Welshman as he cautiously entered and sat down in the chair opposite Jack's desk. He gazed at Jack almost suspiciously, a slight frown creasing his brow. Jack couldn't help but notice the tension in the way the other man was sitting. It was all too clear that he didn't want to be there.

Jack continued to smile, hoping to put Ianto at ease. "I was just thinking I could really use a coffee. Do you want one too?" he asked.

"Yes, all right," Ianto replied cautiously, his frown still firmly in place.

Jack jumped up and made his way to the door. "Be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere… Oh, how do you like it?"

"Black, no sugar," Ianto answered tersely without turning to meet Jack's gaze.

Jack grinned. "Straight up. A man after my own heart."

He dashed out of his office before Ianto could respond.

Several minutes later, Jack returned with two steaming mugs. Ianto appeared not to have moved an inch. He was still sitting ramrod straight, his hands neatly folded in his lap.

Jack placed a mug on the desk in front of him. "Here you go," he said easily and received a muttered 'thanks' in reply.

Closing the office door behind them, Jack sat down at his desk and took a generous sip from his mug. He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing contently as the strong rich flavour enveloped his senses. He then looked across at Ianto and pointedly directed his gaze towards the untouched mug. Ianto was looking at the mug with disdain and what Jack thought might have been a hint of confusion.

Jack took the opportunity to study the man in front of him. It surprised him to realise he'd never really done that before. He'd been introduced to Ianto and seen him around the office often enough, but the man had seemed aloof and uninterested in even the barest minimum of social pleasantries. Jack knew that Ianto was highly respected by his colleagues and was considered to be the company's best and brightest. He'd never heard anyone say a bad word about the Welshman, but he wasn't sure if Ianto was particularly well liked either. He was the consummate professional, but he seemed to be distant and detached.

Ianto Jones was tall and lean, bordering perhaps on being a little too thin, especially compared to Jack's somewhat more robust build. He was the same height as Jack, about six feet tall, give or take half an inch. But Jack had failed to fully realise until now that Ianto was also devilishly handsome. His immaculately styled, short, dark brown hair framed a startlingly pale face. His skin was smooth and almost flawless. Blue-grey eyes were complimented by prominent cheek bones, soft pink lips, and a button shaped nose. He was wearing a sharply tailored charcoal grey pin-stripe suit with a sapphire blue shirt, accompanied by a tasteful blue and grey diagonally striped tie. A slight hint of an alluring cologne permeated the air. Perfectly trimmed sideburns completed his look.

Every aspect of Ianto's appearance spoke of a fastidious, and quite possibly, obsessive nature. It almost seemed that he was trying too hard, that the slightest imperfection would be considered a transgression of the highest order.

Jack took considerable pride in his own appearance and grooming, but next to Ianto he felt almost shabby by comparison. Jack wasn't modest about his own looks. He knew that most people considered him to be extremely handsome with his chiseled jaw line, captivating smile, deep blue eyes, and thick dark hair. He was striking, and people took notice of him. Ianto was no less striking, but his appeal was more subtle, requiring a closer look to truly appreciate his attractiveness.

Jack felt a sudden desire to ruffle up this prim, suited man, to see him just a little bit disheveled and off-balance. He was fairly sure any such attempt would earn him a broken nose at the very least. Ianto was clearly not a man to be trifled with. There was a sense of steeliness about him, almost bordering on ruthlessness. Jack decided that this was not a man you wanted as your enemy.

Looking even closer, he noticed the small freckle sitting off-centre on the bridge of Ianto's nose. He couldn't help but think how adorable it looked. But beyond that, he could see some cracks in the impassive mask. The dark smudges under the piercing eyes suggested a lack of sleep, possibly insomnia, and faint lines at the outer edges of those eyes should not have been visible in someone as young as the Welshman. Ianto could not have been more than twenty-eight years old, and while his features had an almost boyish quality to them, he seemed world weary and jaded.

But Jack was most taken aback by the eyes that stared back at him. Ianto's eyes betrayed a deep and pervasive sadness, a dark torment that Ianto was keeping hidden from the world.

There was no doubt that he was looking at a brilliant and clever man, an astute and observant man who knew everything that was going on around him, but there was something wrong with him. Ianto Jones was broken.

Ianto eventually reached for the coffee and took a small, cautious sip. After a long, tense moment he finally spoke. "Not bad," he allowed.

"I'm not just a pretty face you know," Jack said with a playful wink.

Ianto raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow and the slightest hint of amusement ghosted over his lips. Jack felt his breath hitch in response.

"Apparently not," Ianto returned coolly.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" Jack asked as he squared his shoulders and met the other man's emotionless gaze.

If Ianto had an issue with him, he needed to deal with it now. Given that the younger man had hardly spoken to him since the day Jack had arrived, he didn't understand what the man could have against him. Perhaps Ianto felt threatened by the newcomer, but Ianto didn't look like a man who would feel threatened by anyone. Perhaps he was simply repulsed by what he perceived as a flirtatious and obnoxious American. Or perhaps he thought that Jack simply wasn't worthy of his attention.

"I don't know you, Jack," Ianto replied matter-of-factly.

"No, you don't. Well, not yet anyway." Jack attempted to add a flirtatious tone to the words, but Ianto seemed to be completely immune to his charms.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and Jack eventually relented. "So, down to business. Everyone knows about the new project. It's going to be a major step forward for the company. And Alex has put me in charge of it."

Jack paused and waited for a reaction from the other man, but Ianto merely gave a slight nod of his head and continued to look at Jack impassively.

"I need to put together a team to work on it with me," Jack paused as he considered Ianto and started to wonder if this could be a severe mistake. Perhaps even a fatal one. He had no doubt that Ianto could make things very difficult for him if he wanted to.

"Everyone says you're the best," Jack continued evenly. "I want you on my team."

Ianto's eyes widened slightly. "Alex agreed to this?" he asked.

"Actually, he recommended you. Very highly. He said I'm going to need you onboard."

"So, I'll be working for you?" Ianto queried, ignoring the compliment.

"Yes." Jack nodded.

"Should I call you 'Sir' then?" Ianto asked archly.

Jack felt his breath catch again as his attention was drawn to Ianto's rich voice and captivating accent. Since arriving in Wales, Jack had quickly realised that he was rather enamoured with Welsh vowels.

Pulling himself out of his reverie, Jack chuckled at the snarky question. Ianto Jones was a piece of work, but apparently he wasn't quite as lifeless as he first appeared.

"Kinky, but no," he replied with a smile. "Jack is fine."

"You'll be the technical lead on the team," he continued. "I'll be relying on you heavily. Think of it more that we'll be working together. A partnership of sorts. You'll be my right hand man."

Ianto didn't respond to that. He just continued to look at Jack while giving nothing away. Jack felt like he wanted to squirm like an errant school boy under the intense scrutiny.

He tried again. "All I ask is that you give me a chance. If you decide you really can't work with me, we can talk to Alex, and you can move onto something else."

Ianto seemed to consider this. "Okay," he said finally.

"So we have a deal?" Jack pressed.

Ianto nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yes," he confirmed.

Jack almost sighed with relief as he felt the tension throughout his body begin to dissipate. "Great. I know you've got some work to wrap up first, but I'd like to finalise the rest of the team soon. I have some ideas, but I'd like your input. Can we meet tomorrow?"

"That's fine." Ianto stood and started moving towards the door. "Is that all, Jack?"

"Yeah, thanks. Oh, and Ianto?"

Ianto paused and turned back to face him. "What would you have done if I'd said yes?" Jack asked.

Ianto tilted his head slightly and looked confused. "When you asked if you should call me 'Sir'," Jack clarified with a sly grin.

Jack saw what he hoped was amusement tug at the corners of Ianto's mouth. "I'd have told you to bugger off."

Jack laughed as he watched the enigmatic Welshman retreat from his office. Suddenly this project was looking a whole lot more interesting.