Disclaimer: I don't own anything Torchwood, including the boys.

A/N: Thank you to my wonderful beta jolinarjackson. You are an amazing beta who really goes all out to help make this story so much better. On that note, I've been a bad girl and added a few things after my beta saw the story so all mistakes are mine. Also, thanks to kerrjmf for adding a little spice of an idea to this chapter.

Thank you all for the amazing response to the last chapter! I was so excited to get so many alerts and comments I decided to be nice and post this chapter a day early. Thank you for all the wonderful support!

Chapter 4 – Thursday Evening

Ianto felt nervous about his stag party tonight. Not that he even wanted it in the first place but Lisa insisted he needed 'bloke time,' whatever that meant. Now, he worried about how those invited would interact.

First, there were his old Oxford friends Jack and Owen, both well educated and highly successful with a totally insane streak. He hoped they wouldn't strip and run around Cardiff naked; he really didn't want to end up in a heddlu cell tonight.

Then there were his step-sister Gwen's police force partner, Andy, and her boyfriend, Rhys, a manager of a haulage firm. He didn't know Andy well except that he had a major crush on Gwen. Rhys was a good bloke to drink and watch rugby with. Actually, he didn't remember ever doing anything else with him. Rhys also invited Banana Boat, he'd never met the bloke before but it's not like he had control over anything anyway… so Banana joined the party.

Rhiannon, his sister, insisted he invite her husband, Johnny. He was a menial worker, currently unemployed, very Welsh kind of bloke, if hot-headed and a bit prejudiced. He worried about Jack getting punched for flirting or Owen for insulting him.

Lastly, Lisa invited Mickey from her work at the advertising agency whom Ianto had met only once before. He wasn't sure why Lisa would force someone on him aside from her hoping he'd make a new friend. Bugger.

The introductions were easy enough after which everyone sat watching each other and drinking their pints in an uncomfortable silence.

To break the ice, Jack went up to the bar and bought two rounds of whiskey shots for everyone. "Cheers!"

Rhys snickered. "You just want to get us pissed as fast as possible."

Owen retorted playfully, "So he can have his wicked ways with all of us!"

Uncomfortable silence flowed around the group again until Johnny broke it. "You're a gay boy taking it up the arse?"

"Johnny!" Ianto scolded. "It doesn't matter. This is my night and if you don't fucking like it then leave."

Johnny looked chastised and Ianto felt bad all of a sudden realizing that Johnny never meant to be mean. He probably just tried to make conversation in his little thought out, brush manner.

Also, he may have been a tad touchy on the subject because of his new confusing feel... no, he was definitely just standing up for Jack, his best friend. Yup, just that.

"Sorry, Jack, mate. Didn't mean to be rude."

"No harm done." Jack looked around the awkward group and raised his glass, smiling wide. "To Ianto and his beautiful fiancé, may they have a wonderful wedding and an even better life together!"

Jack always knew how to start a party...

"Well, cheers!"

"Cheers!" they chorused and slammed shots of whiskey.

The rough atmosphere started to dissolve as each man in turn toasted Ianto. They had to buy more whiskey before the toasting was over after which they were all on their merry way to total inebriation.

Ianto would have been embarrassed about being the center of attention, he liked to be the wall flower, watching others while keeping a safe distance away (even in his more wild days he still liked to be in the background), but he was glad for the distraction.

The men who seemingly had little in common started to mingle comfortably with each other.

Jack and Mickey seemed to be involved in a serious discussion about "selling sex" (really, Jack?) by global corporations that spiraled down into a debate regarding girls' used panties being sold in Japanese vending machines (they were both for it but Jack wanted boys' underpants included in there as well).

Johnny and Owen found that they both had rough personalities and reduced themselves into giggling girls as they tried to demonstrate their knowledge of vulgar language by a "curse off" competition. Johnny's unfair advantage showed when he started cursing in Welsh which prompted Owen to accuse him of cheating. The tense situation was diffused by another round of pints.

It seemed that even Rhys was able to subdue his jealousy for the night (he knew about Andy's crush on Gwen) and had a few pints with him.

Comfortable in his invisibility, Ianto leaned back and watched the interactions as he slammed pint after pint. The more alcohol he consumed, the more he was able to repress doubts scratching at his stomach, the fear that he was making a mistake, the uncertainty of who he was and what he wanted that plagued him every day.

He was a master of disguising emotions. He hated his job, never wanting to come back to Cardiff in the first place, but he went to work every day with a professional mask on. He was sick and tired of pretending, he took another shot of whiskey.

The entire time Jack talked to Mickey, he sat close to Ianto in the crowded bar and their thighs touched. Ianto wanted to run away and hide because it made him want... something. He wanted heat, wanted closer, wanted more... so he stayed in place while slamming another drink.

He loved Lisa, he really did, but sometimes he felt trapped. She wanted to buy a house, place down permanent roots, and build a family. He knew he wasn't ready, yet. Someday he'd like that but not now. He was terrified to tell her. He took a huge gulp from his pint.

He didn't notice the signs of trouble coming from Johnny until it was too late, catching bits and pieces of his conversation with Owen that included words like "embarrassing," "Uni," "naked," and "blackmail." He was sitting at the furthest end of the table from the two men and paled at Owen's devious expression.

Suddenly, it seemed like the whole table honed in on the same key words because everyone grew silent and stared at Owen while he was already in the middle of his story. "... so Harkness managed to get the acrobat twins on this. Poor teaboy had no idea about the supposed birthday present. Imagine acrobat twins, all that flexibility, and lots of frosting! A whole tub of frosting!"

He wished he could disappear beneath the ground as a blush tinged his cheeks. Those twins really were hot and wrestling in a tub of frosting had become a new kink but really, this was a need to know story. Jack swung his leg to nudge Ianto's thigh, smiling slightly, and then rescued him. "Ianto wasn't the only shocked one there. Owen got a nice face full of frosting while trying to lick at very inappropriate places. The twins were very… amenable."

The men whooped and cheered at Owen, Ianto was forgotten for the moment and very grateful to his best friend for the diversion.

"You're one to speak, Harkness; the least innocent one of us all. I remember you joining them in the tub of frosting, naked wresting! The twins were very appreciative."

Jack raised his glass. "How could I miss an opportunity like that!"

Johnny asked confused, "Aren't you gay?"

Jack chuckled. "Mostly, but I can be flexible."

The entire group laughed. Ianto always wondered why he seemed to embarrass so easily while Jack could turn the same events into making him seem even cooler than before. It had to be his dashing magnetism; one couldn't help but like him.

Andy asked with a baffled look on his face, "Wait, who's teaboy?"

Owen responded, "Oi! Jonesey is teaboy."

Johnny was interested. "How'd he get that nickname?"

"No!" Ianto chimed in. "Only Owen calls-s me that 'cause he's a prat."

"He's so bloody proper and uptight. Served us like a butler when we'd visit their flat. He'd make us put all drinks on coasters and never let us rest our feet on the coffee table."

"Sod off! I don't even drink tea, I only make coffee for those I like and you're off the list, Owen, unless you call me the Coffee King."

"Oi! I'm really hurting here, teaboy."

"Show you what instant tastes like...," mumbled Ianto.

Owen continued like he hadn't heard a word, "And a pissed Ianto is so much fun! Down goes the teaboy persona, the stoic butler, and out comes wild man. I dared him once to pickpocket a copper."

Andy, a copper, of course was interested in this story. "So what happened?"

"He stole the bloke's badge and left it on the floor of the loo. How he did it when he could barely walk himself and get away with it, I'd never know. That bloke's got ninja powers; he can sneak up on anyone."

Again, they were all laughing and Ianto decided that he was just way too drunk to care anymore. "Harper, I remember a few destroyed laptops. He'd be so involved in playing his video games, I'd come up to him to ask something and he'd jump so high and spill anything he was drinking on his expensive machines."

"Like I said, ninja powers."

Mickey smirked. "Can he fight like a ninja too?"

Jack answered, "Oh, you have no idea. He defended me from a mugger once. We were in a club and I went out for a smoke. He thought I was taking too long and went to check on me. I was grateful 'cause when he found me, this bloke was holding a gun to my head demanding all my money. The robber wouldn't believe me that all I had was twenty quid on me."

The table was all silent waiting for the rest of Jack's story. Ianto couldn't help but blush again.

"So, Ianto came down the alley, shouting at the guy. He yelled for the guy to let me go. The mugger turned the gun on Ianto but my brave Ianto just kept coming, yelling at the attacker that he didn't have the balls to pull the trigger. He charged at the guy that way until he was a hand width from the gun. Then he pulled it out of the attacker's grip and the bloke ran." Jack looked straight into Ianto's glazed over smoky-blue eyes with a genuine smile. "He is my hero."

The guys cheered and toasted to Ianto's bravery. Meanwhile, the Welshman still felt uncomfortable with all the attention as he silently excused himself to the loo.

And of course Jack followed.

Ianto stared at his swimming image in the mirror. His body swayed from side to side as he clung to the side of the sink. God, he was pissed.

Jack settled in next to him, looking into his mirror image's eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you but you know you are. My hero, I mean. You saved my life."

"He wasn't gonna shoot anyway. T'was nothing."

"Ianto..." Jack clutched his hand, entwining their fingers together. "Thank you."

They held on for about a minute, staring at the eyes of each other's reflections, before Ianto shrugged him off. "Gotta use the toilet."

Jack was already gone when he was done.

When Ianto came outside, he was startled by a pale, Welsh naked arse running past by him before quickly disappearing into the crowd. He blinked a few times from shock… was that Banana? Naked?

He either imagined it or Banana Boat, their Banana Boat, just streaked. After a few moments he shrugged his shoulders, maybe he had too much to drink after all.

Approaching their table, he noticed Jack was the first brave soul on stage attempting karaoke with Yellow Submarine by The Beatles; he had the whole bar singing along to his amazing vocals.

Then Owen and Johnny surprised him not just with their newfound friendship but a musical number (he didn't know either watched musicals), a duet singing Pretty Women from Sweeney Todd.

Mickey joined the fun reducing the whole bar to a sing along with his rendition of We Will Rock You by Queen.

After another round of whiskey shots Rhys yelled out drunkenly, "Yanntoooe! You need to s-sing up there!"

"No w-way!" He paled and shook his head, panicking. Jack pressed up against his body and whispered into his ear, leaving Ianto's entire body shivering from (excitement) nerves, "Come on, you have a gorgeous voice and you know it."

They were all drunk (although Jack seemed to be almost sober). Ianto giggled, he was so pissed. Could he really do it? Was he pissed enough to perform?

"What s-song, Jack?"

Jack grabbed his sleeve and dragged him away. "Let's pick one!"

Ianto really couldn't help himself, he was giggling like a teenage school girl with a crush. The alcohol was making his brain fuzzy and Jack smelled so good, so good. His hand placed on his arm burned through the fabric, all heat (desire) and the adrenaline from the coming up performance coursed through his veins... so he laughed some more, existing in a wonderful state of delirium.

And as he giggled (couldn't stop even though he tried) while flipping through the songs, he chose The Boy is Mine by Brandy and Monica to sing with Jack as a duet. Sniggering, he thought it'd be funny. After the night was over, he'd swear it was Jack's choice, but sub-consciously would know to the contrary.

Nervous about getting on stage, Jack bought him another shot beforehand, which he slammed. How many was that already?

Grabbing Jack's hand as his friend led him on stage, he didn't let go for the entire song. Nausea churned within his stomach, stabbing pain and rats gnawing at his insides but he survived through it. Proud of himself for getting through (most of) the song with minimal giggling, he smiled sweetly at Jack.

Thankfully, the whole bar was just as drunk and they received cheers and whistles at the end.

After his duet with Ianto, Jack caught up with Owen, who'd been doing surprisingly well tonight with not being an intoxicated mess. They stood at the bar together, waiting for their latest drink orders.

Jack asked, "Owen, that's a rum and coke?"

"Actually, just a coke. I've been... trying."

Jack ruffled his hair. "Proud of you."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep your hands to yourself, Harkness."

The rest of the event was a noisy, chaotic haze as his mates laughed, drunk some more, and told amazing (and hopefully at least some of them made up) stories. Banana finally joined up with them again (was he even missing?) clothed, but Ianto still wondered if he really saw the man's naked arse earlier that evening. Eventually all the men, one by one, said their goodbyes and Jack was left alone with a very drunk Ianto to take back to his flat.

A/N: Next chapter will be all about Jack and drunken Ianto!