40:32

Ianto paid the delivery girl with a smile and watched her leave before locking up the tourist office and shutting everything down. He took the bag of egg rolls down to the Hub, not entirely sure what he was doing, but for once in his life just going with it. He said he'd bring egg rolls, so he had egg rolls. He wasn't sure what Jack would read into it, wasn't sure what he wanted Jack to read into it, if anything, but he pushed away his tendency to think too much and tried to relax. It was just Jack, just a simple game with his boss. A distraction from the heartbreaks and horrors of Torchwood.

Everyone had left, just as the night before, and Ianto made his way to Jack's office to find him already pouring two drinks. He turned with a bright smile and offered Ianto a glass; Ianto in turn offered the bag of egg rolls.

"Brilliant!" Jack exclaimed. "Perfect for a game of chess."

"Chess, sir?" asked Ianto, immediately earning himself a look of reprimand. "Sorry. I didn't know you played, Jack. I've never seen a chess set around."

"It's been put away for a very long time. Do you play?" asked Jack, heading toward the nearby table where he had set up a chess board, the elaborate pieces made from what looked like ivory, intricately carved in a variety of strange alien shapes. It was a beautiful set, old and well-worn but obviously taken care of. Ianto vaguely wondered where—or when—Jack had acquired it.

"A bit," he finally shrugged in reply. He actually took off his jacket this time; chess would require a lot more concentration than cards. He'd grown up watching his father play cards and had spent years perfecting his own poker face to hide behind the carefully constructed lies he'd lived for so long. Cards were easy. Chess…chess required strategy. Not just planning and organization, which Ianto had in spades, but tactics. Having seen Jack make tough decisions and brutal sacrifices for his job, Ianto suspected Jack knew more about strategy and tactics than just about anyone; he hoped no money was on the line.

"Do you need a refresher?" Jack asked. He set down his drink with the egg rolls, then removed his braces and let them hang down. Ianto raised an eyebrow; Jack saw and grinned again. "Could be a long game," he offered. "Or it could be a short one, and then I'll be ready for bed."

Ianto rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned his waistcoat, determined to at least give Jack half a run at it, even if it had been years since he had played. He took a rather large sip of his drink—brandy this time, not as much his taste as the whiskey he kept Jack's cabinet stocked with—but anything would do at this point.

"No, I'll be fine," he finally replied, setting down his drink and studying the board with what he hoped was more assurance than he felt. He glanced up and gave Jack the most confident smile he could. "What's the stopwatch for then?"

Jack leaned forward. "How long it takes you to lose," he said, his voice low. Ianto nodded; he was almost guaranteed to lose, given his relative inexperience at the game and the gut feeling he had that Jack was likely quite good. Still, he'd give it his best. It wasn't about the actual game of chess, anyway. Ianto knew perfectly well there was more going on than just chess; he just wasn't sure what it was he had started down in the morgue the night before. Once again, he decided to just go with it.

"Any money?" asked Ianto.

Jack shook his head. "I don't need to win it back to prove anything."

Ianto swallowed, but raised an eyebrow in defiance. "Good, because I already spent it."

Jack laughed and motioned at Ianto to make the first move. He tried to remember a good way to open, but was fairly certain he botched it from the start.

Which was why, forty minutes and thirty-two seconds later, Jack was able to crow "Checkmate!" and toss his hands up in boyish victory. The egg rolls remained untouched, though they had both poured a second glass that Ianto now raised in gracious defeat.

"You've obviously played quite a bit," he offered, only slightly disappointed to have lost. He had tried, but Jack's experience had won out. Jack knew when to move, when to wait, what to sacrifice to win. Just as cards played to Ianto's strengths, so this game played to Jack's.

"I used to. It's good exercise for the mind," Jack replied.

"No wonder my head hurts then," Ianto murmured. He finished his drink and stood to leave. "It was a good game. Thanks, Jack."

"I enjoyed it," Jack replied, and Ianto suspected Jack wasn't just referring to chess from the look on his face. Ianto nodded slowly as he rolled down his sleeves and pulled his jacket back on.

"Me too," he replied softly, but for some reason he couldn't meet Jack's eyes.

"Your turn tomorrow," Jack said, standing and following him to the door. Ianto turned and gave him a quizzical look.

"My turn?"

"Something from your list."

"Right. My list." He didn't actually have a list, but he wasn't going to let Jack know if Jack wanted to continue their odd little game of back and forth. Really, he had just been trying to distract him—both of them, maybe—from the loss of Suzie and the near loss of Gwen. He had not expected it to become a nightly thing. "I'll have to think of something good then."

Jack leaned a bit closer. "I've got plenty of ideas if you don't."

"Oh, I do," Ianto replied, refusing to back down. He met Jack's eyes and held them. "I do. Good night, Jack."

"Good night, Ianto."

He left the Hub, knowing full well what that last exchange had been, but not really caring. It had been almost…exciting. So what if he enjoyed flirting with Jack a bit. Jack was his boss, but Ianto knew there was more to it than that. Jack had given him a job when he'd been desperate, offered forgiveness when he'd betrayed that position, shown him tentative friendship and support as he'd worked through those awful weeks after Lisa's death. He wasn't sure what it was, the connection that seemed to have sprung up between them, but it was there and it was growing. Ianto enjoyed it, and he wasn't going to let it go, even if it meant a little bit of flirting.

No, he was going to come up with something for tomorrow night.

Author's Note:

Chapters will be short, more like drabbles. And again—relatively innocent, just so you know what to expect, muhahaha. I'm just trying something different and a bit lighter than my other two chaptered stories so bear with me. Well, it does get serious by the end, but still. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!