I hadn't planned on writing anything more after the first chapter but one day I was bored and wanted to write something easy and not too serious and this story came back to my mind, so I wrote a second chapter! I'll probably write more, but I don't know when (I definitely will, I'm having fun with this AU!)

I hope you'll like this, and don't forget to drop a comment to let me know what you thought of that story, it always helps a writer to have some comments! :)

"Did the hand work?" Ianto asked, genuinely interested. Except that he had whispered it in Jack's ear, without having warned him of his presence. Jack jumped and turned around, and Ianto had to catch his wrist and take a step to the right to avoid being impaled by a knife. Jack nervously laughed as he at last recognized the man holding him, clearly in a stronger position. He had been afraid to die, for a second, Ianto thought and smiled to himself.

"You're early," Jack said.

"So are you. And not that much, I'm right on time!"

Jack nodded in silence. After their... little quarrel, they had decided to see each other again. In a more pleasant atmosphere. Meaning, not with their common target witnessing them arguing over who would kill him, and more importantly, have his body.

They settled in a bar, quite crowded, on purpose. Jack brought the drinks as Ianto found a table.

"So, was the hand enough?" He asked again when Jack set a Guinness in front of him and sat down with a glass of water for himself. He stared at him in puzzlement then realised what Ianto was referring to and smiled.

"Yeah, they've seen worse. Me and my partner, we used to bring back less. Sometimes just to mess up with them," he added with a wink at Ianto. Ianto shook his head and hid a smile behind his glass, taking a slow sip.

"So... you have a partner?" He eventually asked, after playing with his pint for a while. Jack genuinely laughed, which made Ianto take a note that he loved that sound, then smiled when he realised it had been a serious question.

"Yeah, I had. He was pretty good at this. Maybe a bit too much. He got carried away."

"I'm sorry..."

"Oh he's not dead. I just don't see him around these days."

"Oh... okay..."

"I'm glad he isn't here any more, we had different views after a while, I kinda changed and he didn't. Kind of a psychopath if you want my opinion. Too much, I mean. But we're not really here to talk about him, are we? So, when did you start this job?" Jack asked, clearly willing to talk about something else than his former partner. Ianto shrugged and hesitated. Could they really talk about their jobs?

"Ten years ago," he eventually admitted.

"What do you mean? How old are you exactly?"

"Twenty-four. Does it matter?"

"What... but... your life?"

"What about my life?"

"Well you never had one! Why so young?"

"My father was involved in I don't know what between two important groups. One wasn't that much involved, but they wanted to do something. I was there, so they took me."

"Oh... I'm sorry Ianto... that's... sad," Jack said, putting a comforting hand on Ianto's forearm. Ianto didn't move and when he sipped his glass, he raised his other hand.

"It's okay. I still lived. I mean, I went to school and all," he said and played with his glass a while before looking at Jack.

"Oh okay... who do you work for? I mean you were only 14, it's... hard, I guess."

"Nice try but I won't tell you."

"It was worth a try. It's just to know if I should be concerned or not."

"Why would you be?"

"Some... agencies want me dead."

"What about yours?"

"Mine?" Jack scoffed. "I don't have one. Not any more."

"But I thought you..."

"I'm a loner. My partner didn't leave. I did. I disagreed on their methods and all. So they'd rather see me dead."

"But the other time..."

"It was a regular costumer."

"Does it pay well, being alone?"

"It's okay. I mean you need experience or else people will laugh at your face. But you can get a lot after a while. Some weeks are harder than others, but I'm not complaining."

"Why did you leave?"

"Told you, we were on different paths."

"So... they just let you leave?"

"Of course they didn't," Jack smiled. "I ran away."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm not. I'm waiting for them, I have unsettled business with them."

Ianto was silent for a second, because he didn't know how to interpret the sadness in Jack's voice coupled with a determined sparkle in his eyes. In the end he didn't try to read his expressions and kept talking. Jack quickly changed the subject back to Ianto who didn't say much more. They managed to talk about life, without going into too personal details – one never knew, they could both be spies investigating on the other – and time passed quickly, the sun setting down as they chatted.

Ianto noticed Jack's tendency to touch him, but he also realized he didn't really care if it was Jack. He liked the man, and that was a different feeling from before. At school, he had never made a lot of friends, maybe one or two, until his graduation from high school. At the organisation, it didn't feel like friendship. It was convenient people to talk to and that knew about his life. He didn't feel anything for any of them and he was sure half of them had been forced to talk to him, because he had been so young when kidnapped.

"Any chance of seeing you again?" Jack asked after a long silence, and Ianto snapped back to reality. They were standing outside, ready to leave each other.

"Oh I don't know if this is a good idea," he still said while all he wanted to do was see Jack a lot more than just those two times. "By the way, is Jack your real name?" He asked to avoid the next question or anything Jack was about to say.

"Of course not. But that's how everyone has been calling me for the past five years," he winked at Ianto with a wide smile that actually made Ianto blush. "Why? Is Ianto yours?"

"... Yeah," he shrugged, not sure if he was supposed to say this or not. But again he had never said any last name.

"Well I actually like it. Does this mean you trust me?"

"Hell no, but what could you do with my first name? I'm not the only Ianto living here. And you can't blackmail me about my family, I don't have one," Ianto sighed, sadness in his voice, and he regretted talking as soon as he saw Jack frowning. He played with his hands a bit, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"... I live in Cardiff. If you ever come back home, say hi," Jack eventually said, seeing how Ianto had suddenly retracted.

"I... don't have a home to go back to."

"I don't know, if you have a mission or wants to see the city you were born in..."

"I wasn't born in Cardiff?" Ianto suddenly said, not understanding.

"You sound Welsh..."

"I am, it doesn't mean I was born in Cardiff. This is Wales, we have more than one city," Ianto tried to sound annoyed or angry but he was smiling anyway.

"Well... Just come by and say hi?"

"We have no way of communication. I mean, not between us."

"I'm sure you'll figure this out. You already know how to contact me, don't you?"

"Then I'm sure we'll meet again," Ianto simply shrugged to answer, this time managing to contain his smile.

"Looking forward to it," Jack smiled as Ianto crossed the street with a short jog. Once on the other side, he turned and waved at Jack one last time before disappearing.