AN- Uptown Girl as far as I'm aware belongs to Billy Joel and Green Green Grass of Home belongs to Tom Jones...or at least that's what internet tells me. Since I am neither of these men, I'm just borrowing the songs. XD

A massive Thank you! for everyone who's been reading this, it means a lot.

To Rietta, for cracking her sparkly marshmallow whip and making me write my essays! Diolch yn fawr, Caru'ch!

Chapter 7- Now he's looking for a downtown man

Rhys was watching Ianto closely as they sat in a dark corner of the local pub. They'd been coming to 'Garland Grove' for years: the pub was owned by a local family whom everyone knew well. The family themselves had been to the commitment ceremonies of all six of them: Gwen and Rhys; Tosh and Owen; and Jack and Ianto.

"So, did you turn yourself into a string quartet and sing for Jack?"

Ianto chuckled. "No, but I left a card and a rose in his room. He got me a card as well."

Rhys's eyes widened. "Did he now?"

"Yeah, it was nice as well. He didn't say anything extravagant in it, but it was nice..."

Rhys smiled. "Did you thank him?"

"I've not seen him to thank him. And anyway, thanking him would just lead to sex when we were together."

Rhys snorted. "I don't think he'd complain."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."

"You're sure of what?" Rhys and Ianto were jolted out of their conversation by the voice that had suddenly cropped up out of nowhere. They found themselves staring at a grinning Owen Harper who rolled his eyes and inclined his head in the direction of a table at the other side of the pub, where Jack sat drawing circles in the condensation that was rolling off the glass and onto the table.

"Coming?" Owen asked, as he was already walking off.

Rhys shared a look with Ianto before they both grabbed their pints and strolled over to the table, Rhys sitting down beside Jack to save the uncomfortable moment of Ianto and Jack having to sit next to each other and not touch. Once everyone was settled, silence descended on the table, each not sure what to say to the other.

Jack eyed the three men he was sat with and almost laughed out loud when he realised they didn't know what to say to either him or Ianto. Smirking to himself, he ducked his head and began to sing under his breath.

"The old home town looks the same as I step down from the train, and there to meet me is my Mama and Papa. Down the road I look and there runs Mary: hair of gold and lips like cherries. It's good to touch the green, green grass of home."

Rhys's sharp hearing picked up what Jack was singing and he began to chuckle before throwing his arm around Jack's shoulder and belting out the next verse with Jack, who, encouraged, began to sing louder.

"Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly. It's good to touch the green, green grass of home. The old house is still standing tho' the paint is cracked and dry, and there's that old oak tree I used to play on. Down the lane I walk with my sweet Mary, hair of gold and lips like cherries. It's good to touch the green, green grass of home."

By the end, Owen and Ianto had also joined in. Rather than carry on, Jack laughed and shook his head. "Do you think we can have conversation now? I don't recall signing a contract to become a cabaret singer."

"Oh, but you'd do good cabaret!" Owen teased as he nudged Ianto, who was humming the rest of the song. "Did you not teach Harkness here the national anthem?"

Ianto snorted. "And have him massacre the Welsh language?"

Jack chuckled. "If there's one thing I'll never be able to do, it's speak Welsh fluently."

"Jack, repeat after me…" Rhys smirked and opened his mouth to give Jack a dirty limerick in Welsh; only to have the American slap his hand over the Welshman's mouth and shake his head.

"If you do, Ianto will kill you; and then me for murdering the language. And I like listening to those beautiful Welsh vowels, so I'd like to be alive."

Ianto grinned. "I won't kill you... only maim."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I won't even dignify that one with an answer."

"It's better than Ianto attempting to be a string quartet..." Rhys grinned.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "A string quartet? But there's only one of him!"

"Rhys suggested it," Ianto winked.

"In what conte-"

Before Owen could finish, Jack shoved a twenty at him.

"Will you get the next round in before this continues?"

Owen grinned and grabbed Rhys. "Come along Williams, you can help me."

Rhys rolled his eyes but dutifully followed the over-confident, sarcastic doctor, leaving Jack and Ianto alone at the table.

Jack rolled his eyes after them and shook his head affectionately. "Listen, I just... I wanted to thank you for the card and the rose, they're lovely."

Ianto smiled softly. "Yeah... and thank you for my card."

"You're welcome."

Owen and Rhys returned some five minutes later, carrying drinks, crisps and nuts between them.

"So…" Owen grinned. "This string quartet?"


Ianto awoke the following morning to what sounded like singing coming from the main area of the flat he and Jack shared. Glancing at the clock and deciding it was far to late to roll over and go back to sleep, he stumbled to his feet and went to investigate the noise. From the bedroom doorway, he found himself gaping at Jack, who was dressed for work and watering the potted plants they had dotted around the room.

"Uptown girl- you know I can't afford to buy her pearls; but maybe someday when my ship comes in, she'll understand what kind of guy I've been, and then I'll win..." Jack was so caught up in the song he seemed to have forgotten that he was watering the plants, until Ianto appeared and removed the plant from under the stream of water.

"You can start killing the next one now!"

"Shit, is it dead?"

"Either that, or it doesn't need watering till the fifty-first century!"

"Oh," Jack grinned wickedly, "so I made it immortal!"

"Yes Jack, things become immortal when you kill them... It's why I let you kill it; I thought it would keep you company after I've 'made you immortal'!" Ianto rolled his eyes at the water that was dripping down the window sill and onto the floor.

"Sorry." Jack smiled apologetically. "Please don't make me immortal... I'll be good!"

Ianto laughed out loud, and it didn't take Jack long to join in.


Fourteen days, 30 minutes and too many seconds to bother counting had passed since Jack had told Ianto that it was completely over. He was tired of fighting. He'd always love him; and even now, covered in grease, dirt and stinking of cleaning materials, Ianto was gorgeous. Jack would always believe so.

He watched as Ianto bent down over the stove and groaned. 'Fuck me pants,' Jack thought as he set the cardboard coffee cup on the table and sat down, pulling the laptop towards him and rattling off several e-mails to various companies. He wanted to get away for awhile, once Ianto and he were sorted... He'd applied for a job in Tokyo, a four month long project. Four months to move on... Four months to get over Ianto. Thinking about it, Jack didn't think it was possible to get over Ianto... but still, he could at least try.

Try he would, it was also the one word he was constantly chanting through his head as he watched Ianto clean the kitchen, 'fuck me pants' clinging to him in all the right places. And his top half looked pretty damn good too, in an old t-shirt of Jacks from university which read 'University of Wales, Cardiff Institute' on the front and then on the back 'Business and Finance'. Jack unconsciously placed his pen into the cardboard cup of coffee and began to slowly turn the cup with the pen. Watching Ianto clean had always been one Jack's favourite pastimes, and he figured that as long as Ianto didn't catch him staring, he was free to continue.

"Don't cave, don't cave, don't cave, don't do it Jack!" Jack began muttering under his breath. "Don't let the gorgeous, sexy, attractive, stunning, edible Welshmen get to you... Think Tosh... Tosh naked..." Jack groaned when he felt his arousal stirring, ignoring all thoughts of Tosh naked. He began twirling the cup with the pen again, not noticing the vigorous stirring was causing problems, especially with the coffee in the cup.

Ianto knew Jack was watching him; he could feel Jacks stare boring into him. Chuckling to himself, he thought back to what Tosh had said to him: 'Fight for him, Ianto.' And fight for him Ianto would. Smirking, he deliberately spilt water on the t-shirt and smirked when he felt the shirt begin to cling to him. He knew the affect it would have on Jack.

It was a few minutes later when Jack groaned and Ianto stifled the chuckle and spun to face Jack quickly.

"I didn't know you found- ow!" He stopped when the coffee cup Jack has been twirling flew off the table and hit Ianto solidly in the chest.

Jack and Ianto gaped at each other for a moment before Jack sprung into action, diving for a cool cloth. Ianto was unaware of Jack's movement, all he could think of was his and Jack's first meeting in university ten years ago.

"Did... did you just throw coffee on me... again?" Ianto rounded on Jack, gaping.

Jack dropped the cloth at the sound of Ianto's voice... it wasn't angry. Looking up he saw Ianto was smiling. God, he'd missed that smile!

"I believe I did, Mister Jones." Jack smirked briefly, then picked the cloth up again. "Shirt off, Ianto; that's gonna burn."

"It's cold coffee, Jack."

"Really?" Jack asked. "I could've sworn... How long have I been home?"

"Well you were starring at me for forty minutes."

Jack blushed. "Sorry."

Ianto smiled and moved close to Jack, resting his hands on Jack's shoulders. "If I'd wanted you to stop I would have told you to."

"Really?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Ianto nodded.

At the same time they both suddenly realised how close they had got, but neither one moved back.

"We shouldn't..." Ianto murmured.

"No..." Jack whispered, but still neither one moved. Instead Ianto moved closer. Their lips were almost touching when the door barged open and Ianto's mum breezed in.

"Ianto, love, I've brought groceries!"