"What did you say?" His mind was a bit groggy. The last thing he remembered was watching the window of her flat fog up while he wrote messages on it. Ianto was sure he should have been paying attention.

"I asked if I was boring you." Lisa's voice was impatient, as though she already knew the answer.

"How could you tell a thing like that?"

"Oh, I don't know. It might be that you almost drooled heavily on one of my throw pillows." Lisa's foot tapped against her chair.

"What time is it?" Ianto looked around, still slightly groggy and moving the pillow with rose centers around, back to its proper place.

Lisa groaned. "We're going to have to buy you a watch, Ianto."

Ianto shook his head. "Never wear one. I'd just end up losing it."

It occurred to Ianto that from an outside point, this whole friendship and conversation thing that they had going could look amazingly like sex. After all, Ianto had spent the entire night alone in Lisa's flat in Lisa's room on Lisa's bed, several times. To Frederico, it was sex; no matter how much Ianto argued. But Ianto couldn't even bring himself to think about that. True, she was exhilarating and gorgeous. Most importantly, she was intelligent. She was the perfect woman, if only for Ianto. He craved time with her but didn't exactly crave her.

"And here I thought you were the perfect gentlemen."

"Well," Ianto yawned, "even perfect gentlemen get tired occasionally. And it's not as though I didn't know you were working on a screensaver to compete over the current one. Further, I knew it was possible but I never had the time nor the inclination to pursue it."

"Which makes me what?" Lisa quirked an eyebrow in his direction.

"Lovely…I mean, smart." Ianto caught himself before he jumped up. It would never do to kiss her now. Ianto found himself wanting to rise and take her arm. He wanted to touch her, but just briefly. Then he wanted to be blessedly normal for just an instant. He didn't want to talk of things like screen savers any longer. Ianto wanted to speak of waffles or eggs, coffee with sugars. Ianto wanted to discuss issues in the newspaper. Ianto wanted very badly to kiss her and to love her.

"Nice save. But if you're not going to pay attention, then I'm just going to start over."

Ianto had an idea. "Waffles!"

"What was that?"

"I mean…I'll return shortly."

Lisa shrugged and returned to her keystrokes, rapid-fire clicking assaulting Ianto's sleep deficit and the fog on his brain. Two months since the party and she hasn't approached me once about dating, he thought. I'd best take matters into my own hands then.

There was an odd sort of dawn light floating sharply in from the windows, past the curtains made of a sheer deep blue material. Moving quickly past the kitchen and out the door, he shut it. After a time, Ianto found himself knocking against her front door.

During the first interim, there was no response. The second time he heard Lisa call his name, as though she hadn't noticed the absence. The third knock witnessed a hesitant coming. The door mercifully opened and a startled Lisa blinked as she witnessed the flowers coming across the doorstep in Ianto's hand.

"So…you came around knocking with flowers? You were just here."

"Well, yes, but flowers are generally how one pick's up a person for a first date, is it not?"

"Date? Isn't that what we've been doing all this time?"

Ianto looked around for a vase. "Well, don't you think we might as well make it official?" His gaze centered on Lisa. "You're gorgeous and smart, the perfect woman for me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you. Now, I know of this place that makes waffles. They're rather noisy, however, this early…."

Ianto was stunned, almost losing the grip on his flowers. Lisa was bringing herself forward to kiss him.

Prompt 56: Breakfast

Sub-Title: Dates to Remember (Part 1)