AN: Thank you to those of you who reviewed my last chapter already. I'm on a bit of a roll here, so don't be surprised if there isn't at least one more tonight.
Snow Update: It stopped for about two hours… then started again rather heavily… and now has apparently stopped again. However, its freezing outside, so I dread to think what state the roads will be in tomorrow. A second snow day for me will mean lots of fiction for you.
Please review you wonderful people you x
"Wow. This view is amazing." Ianto said as he stood in front of the ceiling to floor windows that filled most of two walls in Owen's apartment. Daylight was beginning to fade over Cardiff and in the late afternoon gloom the lights of the city sparkled before him. Snow was still visible and had coated the entire city in a thick blanket that would last for days to come.
"Do you want a beer? Please don't ask me for coffee – I only have instant and I know you wouldn't want to stoop that low. Plus it's been in the cupboard for years. With the amount I drink at work, I don't tend to drink it when I'm here." Owen called from the kitchen area.
Ianto smiled as he walked over. "Beers fine." He said as he brought his hand up to his shirt and loosened the tie he was still wearing before removing it all together and stuffing it into his suit jacket pocket before sliding that off and laying it on the back on one of the sofas. "What are you cooking? In fact scrap that – you can cook?" He asked surprised.
Owen grinned as he handed Ianto a bottle of beer. "Rather well." He admitted. "I used to cook for Katie all the time when she became ill, and after she… well I had to fend for myself. With the number of pizzas and Chinese food we get through when we're on duty, its nice to eat real food when I get the chance."
"We aren't the healthiest team ever are we?" Ianto mused. "It's a good job we run around as much as we do or we'd be the size of houses." He added with a smirk.
"Certainly is." Owen agreed as he pulled a selection of vegetables out from the fridge and began prepping them.
"Anything I can do?" Ianto asked taking a swig from his bottle.
"Nope I'm good. It's going to be lasagne – that okay?" Owen checked.
Ianto nodded as he slid onto a stool on the other side of the bench to Owen. "Can I ask about Katie?" He asked gently.
Owen nodded. "We met in a bar in London whilst I was working at the hospital there." He began, not looking up from his task. "She was gorgeous." He mused. "We began dating which was a huge thing for me – even then I didn't date because my work schedule would almost rival Torchwood. But she was special. We were together for three years when I proposed. Six months before we were due to be married she got sick. Her memory kept going. Not just little things like forgetting where she'd put her keys. Random things like how to make a cup of tea or where we lived. Sometimes even who I was." His voice caught in his throat but he shook it off as he continued. "She was in theatre when she died. Turns out it wasn't a tumour but an alien. That's how Jack found me, and how I in turn found Torchwood." He said with a false smile on his face as he looked up at Ianto.
"Owen I'm so sorry." Ianto said sincerely.
Owen nodded. "Me too." He said wistfully before shaking his head to clear the memory. "What about you? I spotted the photo of Lisa on your fridge today when you were in the bathroom. She was beautiful." He said carefully, remembering how Ianto had been after her death.
"She was. God knows what she was ever doing with me." Ianto smiled tightly as he took a swig from his bottle. "She worked at Canary Wharf as you know. We were together for about eighteen months before Torchwood fell." He spoke sombrely. "I was going to propose. We hadn't been together long, but I was going to propose because I loved her and she loved me back. I'm not that close to my family and she needed me and accepted me like nobody else ever had."
"Does your family still live around here?" Owen asked gently.
"My Sister lives in Cardiff with her husband, and I have a niece and nephew. My Mum left when I was five, and my Dad died the year I moved to London." Ianto said simply as he took another swig from his bottle.
"My Mum kicked me out when I was sixteen. She apparently loves me, but she doesn't like me all that much." Owen said as he placed a pan on the stove and turned on the heat.
"Was your plan for this evening to depress us both, or is this just an unfortunate turn of events?" Ianto asked.
Owen chuckled. "Okay lets not talk about our past anymore." He said. "Or work." He added.
"I have a question." Ianto said as he downed the last of his beer.
"Shoot." Owen said enthusiastically as he dropped some mince into the hot pan and began to brown it.
"Since when do you go for guys? Last time I checked you were a serial womaniser." Ianto pointed out.
"Last time I checked you only went for Jack." Owen replied.
"Owen." Ianto admonished gently. "I'm serious." He said.
"I am a serial womaniser Ianto, and I always have been. Apart from with Katie of course. Since when do I go for guys? Since you." Owen answered. "Only you."
Ianto's eyes widened slightly.
"Whilst we're on the admitting things though, if you are so convinced that I hate you why did you let me kiss you? Why did you kiss me back? Why are you even here?" Owen asked.
Ianto opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. He held his mouth open for a few seconds before closing it again. After a moment or so he answered. "I don't know." He said simply.
Owen sniggered. "Liar." He replied as he began constructing the lasagne.
Ianto chuckled. "I don't know why I let you kiss me. The reason I kissed you back was because I felt something when you kissed me. Something I never felt with Jack. I'm here because I want to know what it was." He confessed.
Owen placed the lasagne into the oven without looking at or speaking to Ianto. He wiped his hands on a nearby towel before tossing it onto the bench and rounding it swiftly. He placed a hand on either side of Ianto's face as he pulled him in for a fierce kiss, smiling into it as the Welshman twisted the in his seat and pulled him close.
Ianto spoke breathlessly as they parted. "You feel that?" He asked.
Owen nodded. "I feel that." He whispered.