9.

Jack didn't know when exactly alcohol had been consumed, but his head sure as hell remembered that it had been … and in masses. He groaned and buried himself underneath the thin duvet Ianto had given him for his bed in the attic. The sun shining through the window was torture for his eyes, and the knock on the door that had woken him seemed too loud in his ears. "What?!"

"School," Ianto answered from outside. "Come on."

"I'm not going. I'm sick," Jack replied, praying that Ianto would leave it at that.

The door opened.

"Oh fuck, Jesus …," Jack groaned.

Ianto gagged. "Oh my … it smells like a distillery in here. Are you drunk?" He hurried over to the window and opened it wide. "I thought barkeepers weren't supposed to drink on the job."

Jack pulled the duvet over his head. "Go away."

"You've got school in one hour," Ianto said. Jack heard him pause and wait, then his muttered, "I can't believe this." Another pause, and then Ianto pulled the duvet away from Jack's head, staring down at him with his arms crossed and a frown marring his boyish face. "How much did you have?"

Jack winced. "None of your business."

"It is my business if I have to be worried about you dying from alcohol poisoning while I'm at work."

Jack closed his eyes, trying to ignore him.

Ianto sighed deeply and seemed to soften. He sat on the edge of the bed and put a tentative hand on Jack's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Piss off," Jack snapped, shrugging the hand off. "You're just scared they'll learn the truth and that you'll get the 10b back, so don't pretend to be worried about me."

"Are you stupid?" Ianto asked in disbelief. "Are you accusing me of not caring about you? Seriously, I'm sorry that you're having a hard time ..."

"I'm not a teacher!" Jack moaned.

"... but that's no reason to doubt yourself. The 10b isn't easy, but you chose this job. So go and do it. Besides, I do like you." When Jack blinked up at Ianto in surprise at the words, he found him blushing and biting his lip. "That's the reason I'm worried about you," he added and got up. "Stay home today. Think about everything. You have the potential to be a really great teacher if you just apply yourself."

Jack stared at him, shocked at the sincere words.

Ianto stared back for a moment before ducking his head. "Well … do me a favour and try to look in on Mica, yeah? She doesn't feel well today, either, and is staying home."

With that, he nodded at Jack and left. Jack was still dumbstruck about Ianto's words. He repeated them in his head over and again, wondering if there could be a grain of truth in them. Finally, though, sleep claimed him again.

xxx

By the time Jack woke up again, it was eleven and his head didn't feel better.

He shuffled into the kitchen to take some aspirin and then into the loo, and was on his way back to bed when he remembered vaguely that he was supposed to check on Mica. Through the slightly ajar door to her room, he could hear her talking. She didn't sound very sick. He pushed open the door to surprise her … and froze.

Mica was sitting at her desk in a room that couldn't have been more cliché for a girl her age, her laptop open in front of her and her friend Emma looking at her through the web-cam.

And both of them had plastic bags over their heads and pressed to their faces.

"I think that's a stupid method," Emma was just saying. "I'd take pills and we should … Mica, somebody's behind you!"

Mica whirled around, almost toppling out of her chair.

Jack kept staring at her. "What the hell?"

Mica ripped the bag off her head. "What are you doing here?"

"Why do you have a plastic bag over your head?"

Mica swallowed. "We're doing profile pics for Facebook," she said and smiled awkwardly.

Emma nodded, also taking off the bag.

Jack frowned. "Don't fuck with me!" He looked at Emma. "Were you trying to kill yourselves?"

Emma's eyes filled with tears, then she sobbed. "Please don't tell my parents, Mr. Harkness. Please."

Mica got up, nervously fiddling with the bag and her hair. "We just … wanted to know what it's like."

"I didn't want to do this. You talked me into it," Emma said.

Mica turned to the laptop, enraged. "You said yourself that you think you're ugly!"

"Yes, but you started that suicide shit! Just because you're in love with Bernie!"

Mica slapped the laptop shut and threw herself on her bed, burying her face in her pillow.

Jack sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for this. "Are you mad? Your uncle would have ripped my balls off if he'd come home to find you dead!" Mica sobbed loudly and curled up even further. Jack took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Right," he said, "your family's dead and Bernie won't shag you, but that's no reason to kill yourself."

"I've got nobody!"

"You've got your uncle, stuck up as he is!"

Mica sniffled and peered at Jack through strands of her dark hair. "But I want Bernie. And he wants me, which he would have realised when I wouldn't have come to Annie's party tonight and he would have found out I was dead."

"You chicks are fucking complicated," Jack replied. "And don't be an ungrateful little shit, your uncle is doing all he can for you. He even said no to some fancy job in London to be here. And if you want Bernie, then don't run around in these god-awful shirts and baggy jeans as if you're waiting for your sex change. You're not that ugly."

"Yes, I am!" Mica answered and hid in her pillow again.

Jack cursed and decided that he'd reached the end of his rope. "Okay, I'm getting dressed and then we're going out."

"No!"

"Not interested! Go wash your face. I certainly won't be stopped by some PC who thinks I'm abducting you!"

xxx

"Where are we going?" Mica asked for the fourth time when Jack stopped the car in front of the Exotic. She looked around fearfully, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Getting you the kind of advice your uncle can't give you," Jack answered and got out of the car. The sun was drilling into his eyes and not even the sunglasses seemed to be able to deter it. He quickly made for the entrance to the Exotic, which was still closed at this hour. The doors were open, though. The days were used to clean up from the previous night and many of the girls hung around the bar even at this hour, having nowhere else to go.

Mica followed him inside hesitantly, looking around warily.

"Come on," Jack said waving her onwards. "Gwen!" he called, seeing her practice at one of the poles. The music was only turned on very low and all the lights were on, taking away everything that could be called exotic about the bar.

Gwen waved at him and jumped off the stage to approach, giving Jack a kiss on the lips in greeting. "What's up, baby? Who is the kid?"

"I know her from school. Could you make something out of her? There's a party on tonight and she wants to impress someone."

Gwen looked Mica up and down, tugging her dark hair into a casual knot. "I always like a challenge." She turned towards the bar. "Sheila, get me my make-up kit!" She put one finger under Mica's chin and lifted her head a bit, then brushed through her hair, lifting it away from her face. "Cheekbones I would die for." Sheila set a big silver suitcase on the table next to them.

Mica looked at Jack, slightly alarmed.

"Don't worry," Jack said. "She's a prostitute, she knows what men like."

Gwen nodded and smiled at Mica. "Want a drink? Or some cocaine?"

Mica shook her head, startled.

xxx

"And I really look okay?" Mica asked.

Jack switched on the light inside the car, looking her up and down pointedly. "You're a bit young for me but if I were Bernie, I'd say you look shaggable."

Mica smiled shyly. Gwen had given her a tight red dress that complimented her pale skin perfectly, and a pair of red high heels. Her dark hair was done up casually, some strands falling into her face. Gwen's make-up was flawless, accentuating Mica's high cheekbones and big, blue eyes.

Jack smirked. "Don't tell your uncle I said that." He looked at the block of flats they'd parked in front of. Some youths were sitting on the stairs leading inside, the door was wide open, and loud music poured through the windows. It was dark now and some of the street lights were broken or flickering, giving the area a run-down look that was only heightened by trash on the street and graffiti on the walls.

"I didn't mean what I said," Mica admitted and Jack looked at her questioningly. "About Uncle Ianto." She shrugged. "I know he's trying but he's sad, too, about … my family. I just … didn't want to heap more problems on him."

"Your uncle's all right," Jack replied. "Bit of a pansy but all right." He looked back towards the party. "Okay, you go in there, you play it cool and – most importantly – you ignore Bernie."

Mica's eyes widened. "Ignore him?"

"Yes, completely. He will approach you."

Mica smiled. "Okay."

"And I'll pick you up at eleven. You better be standing out waiting on time."

She opened the car door and paused.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

Mica looked at him, then she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Mr. Harkness."

Jack waved her off and Mica left. He felt his cheeks burn and scoffed at himself, shifting in the seat to get ready to drive on. He saw Bernie stare after Mica as she went inside and couldn't help but grin. Then he replayed their conversation in his head and snorted. "I'll pick you up at eleven? Be on time?" he echoed his own words. "I'm such a dork."

xxx

Ianto's bag hit the kitchen table with enough force to rattle the plates Jack had set out for a late dinner. Ianto's eyebrows drew together and his eyes got a murderous look. "She is where?"

"A party," Jack answered, leaning against the fridge.

Ianto got out his mobile. "No, absolutely not. She was off sick today."

"Not really sick."

"Why would you let her go to a party!?" Ianto asked angrily.

Jack snagged the phone from his hand. "She wanted to go."

"She lied to me about being sick."

"The last thing she needs right now is you yelling at her."

"You had no right to make this decision on my behalf, Jack!" Ianto said angrily.

"God, calm down. I'll pick her up at eleven."

"That is not the point! She is not your daughter or your niece. She isn't anything for you!"

"And yet I'm the one that had to stop her from killing herself!"

Ianto stared at him. "What?"

"She's unhappy because her parents are gone and she's into Bernie. She thinks he doesn't return her feelings and she can't talk to you about it."

Ianto sank back against the table, his shaky hands grabbing the edge. "I'm always here for her."

Jack sighed and softened his voice. "She knows that, but she's becoming an adult and doesn't want to burden you any further."

Ianto put his face in his hands. "Oh, God." Jack was a bit startled to see tears in Ianto's eyes when he looked up again. "How did I ever think I could do this?"

"Come on," Jack said. "You're doing fine."

"She's suicidal!"

"She's a teenager, they all are!" Jack grabbed Ianto's shoulders and got him to sit in one of the chairs, taking a seat opposite him. He ran his hands through his hair tiredly. "God! I have a hangover, I'm really not in the mood to do family therapy today." Ianto wiped his eyes. He suddenly looked much younger, less enthusiastic, just tired and lost. Jack's heart seemed to miss a beat. The wave of sympathy he felt was surprising for him, but he was too exhausted to fight it. He reached over the table and took one of Ianto's hands. "She's okay. That suicide thing … I don't think she was really going to go through with it."

Ianto gripped his hand tightly, nodding. "Yeah. Okay."

Jack squeezed his fingers. "You're doing fine. And youth welfare services will see that when they come to check on you."

Ianto looked at him. "Thank you, Jack."

Jack hesitated when the words formed, but he let them be heard. "You're welcome."