Hello all! This is my first fic for Torchwood and this account. I really wanted to make an Owen/Ianto friendship fic, and this is the result. This is because I'm starting to love Owen a more and more (though he can still be an insufferable git sometimes). This takes place immediately after "Countrycide" and it's in Owen's POV. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, or (unfortunately) Ianto Jones. They belong to the mighty Beebeecee!.

"Jack, can we leave now?" I growled at my superior. I was looking, not at him but at a shaken Gwen as she hurried from the inn. She had a pained expression on her face as she passed between the two of us. I don't think any of us finished this day without being at least somewhat affected.

"Soon," Jack said softly. "But right now I need you to look at Ianto."

I glanced over at the tea-boy. He was just sitting there, rather normally, I might add. I voiced my opinion. "Why? He looks fine to me!" I grumbled. Jack knew and fully acknowledged that I was not on the best of terms with Ianto Jones.

Jack glared at me. "He he's refusing to see the paramedics, despite what happened to him. You're the doctor. Go do some doctoring, or whatever it is you do these days," he commanded.

I sighed, my retort dying in my throat. Truth was that I was feeling a bit guilty. I'd asked Jack about going after Tosh and Ianto earlier, but Jack said they weren't children. I hadn't argued after that, and look what happened to them. I shook my head ruefully. I didn't really like Ianto, but I felt just a pang of pity for him; just a bit.

I walked to the back of the SUV slowly. I decided to try and be nice to my coworker, maybe cheer him up a tad. He had, after all, almost been eaten. God, why do I get all the difficult jobs? I'm no good at this.

Ianto had parked himself in the back of the car quietly, his gaze on his dirty shoes. "Er, hey…" I began.

Either he didn't hear me, or he was ignoring me... probably ignoring me. Damn tea-boy! I thought, forgetting how I was trying, and not really succeeding, to be pleasant.

I coughed loudly, and Ianto decided to look at me. He had this face that made him look like some kicked puppy, though I guess in this situation, he kinda was. That look hadn't lasted long though, and he reverted back to his normal blank expression.

"What do you want, Owen?" he sighed resolutely. I snorted in my head. Well, if he didn't want my help! I thought for two seconds about turning around and leaving, but I could almost feel Jack's hawk-like stare on my back.

"Jack wanted me to, uh, check on you…" I finished lamely. Why me? My relationship, if you could call it that, with Ianto was more strained ever since that Cyberwoman incident. I guess it was that way with all of us.

"Did he?" he asked, almost spitefully. He turned his head away from me and fixed his sights on a tree. "Well, I'm fine."

I took a deep breath, mentally chiding myself for what I was going to do. "I see what you're doing, tea-boy! Don't think you can fool me." That may be the case, I thought, but I don't see what the hell I'm doing.

Said tea-boy stared at me incredulously as I opened my case for my medical equipment. "What?"

"You heard me." No! Don't go any further! You'll never be able to get back! Stop now! Noooooow! These voices in my head sounded really smart right then, and what did I do? I ignored them. "You're trying to make us all look bad, aren't you?" You're screwed. My mind finally established. "First you save Tosh, and now you're trying to act as if nothing happened! Trying to be all tough. Well, I can see right through it!" I'm spewing bullshit! I thought bitterly. I resigned myself to taking some bandages and applied them, wherever needed, on his face.

It was impossible to interpret the look on his face. Good going, Harper. Now he thinks you're loony! I continued, disregarding my own mind, "Just because it's your first field mission since…" I stopped short. Ianto looked at me, a desperate look on his face. Neither of us wanted to remember what happened last time. Jack had decided a month or so after Ianto had joined Torchwood Three that he'd like to see what Ianto was like on the field. It hadn't ended well for the two of us, needless to say. I cleared my throat nervously, and Ianto averted his eyes, both of us in silent agreement never to bring that up ever again. "Er, since… since then, yeah," I tried picking up where I left off. "It doesn't mean you have to show everyone up. Now take off your shirt," I finished abruptly.

I immediately covered my mouth. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks at how inappropriate that one sentence sounded, especially after I brought up his first field mission. Ianto's head immediately whipped around, his eyes locking on mine. He raised a questioning eyebrow at me, as if saying, "I didn't know you swung that way, Owen!" He complied, nonetheless, and I knew he knew what I meant, but I still felt the need to explain myself.

"I- um, y'know-" I blustered, "so I can, uh, fix you up 'n'… stuff…" I finished lamely. I hit myself mentally several times. Damn idiot! Argh!

"It's definitely not because you want to jump my sexy arse right now," Ianto deadpanned, his expression staying exactly the same. This was not helped by the fact that I was rubbing ointment on his chest. God, that man knew how to make a situation fucking awkward!

I stood there gaping at him for a few seconds, not believing that he, Ianto Jones, would say something like that, before replying, "In your dreams." My retort came a bit too late, though, and I saw the tea-boy smirking at me. Oh, I'm going to kill him! My inner Owen raged, yet I tried to end my job as agreeably as possible.

The rest of the time I patched him up was in a complete and really uncomfortable silence. Still, I could feel the heavy cloud of dread had somewhat dissipated.

"There!" I proclaimed, relieved, as I finished bandaging Ianto's wounds. I had nothing left to say, so I turned away from him.

I'd only taken one step before Ianto hastily spoke up, "Owen…"

"Yeah?" I said, twisting my neck slightly, keeping the Welshman just barely in my view.

"Thanks," he mumbled, somewhat timidly. That surprised me. I guess I was better at this than I thought I would be. Maybe I'd go see Tosh too.

"'S'my job, mate," I answered, facing forward once more, not really sure why I added that 'mate' to the end of my sentence.

"No, not-" he began, but I cut him off.

"Yeah, well I'm expecting to be getting a pretty damn good cup of coffee tomorrow." I sighed inwardly. Tomorrow, when things would be back to normal… 'Normal' being somewhat less than civil. Today, at least, things seemed to get just a bit better between us. But he was still Ianto and I was still Owen, and I didn't mind letting it show. "I don't like being disappointed, tea-boy. And I still don't like you," I added offhandedly, but I could feel the corners of my mouth twitching slightly, a small smile forming on my lips. I could almost feel him smiling too.

Now then…I walked briskly up to Jack once more. "I've done my good deed for the day; now get me out of this Godforsaken place!"

Well, there it is! Kinda an out there idea, this taking place so early in the series, but it was fun to write. I'm guessing Owen doesn't have much experience in these sorts of things. Anyhoo, reviews would make me feel so good!