A/N: So one night I started realising that there were some parallels between Ianto and Jack's relationship and John and Sherlock's.

This is just one of them.

"Well, well, well, the famous John Watson. Nice to meet you at last."

John looked up from his glass into the face of the American who'd addressed him.

"How do you know who I am?" His eyebrows rose. "Oh, is it my blog, have you read my blog?"

"Yeah...something like that." There was a cough from behind the American and a second man stepped forward. The American rested a hand on the small of his back for a moment.

"Of course, how could I forget?" The man with him rolled his eyes. "This is Ianto," he winked at Ianto, "Looks good in a suit, right?" Ianto reached forward smiling and offered a hand. John shook it hesitantly.

"Um, good to meet you? I'm John."

"Yes, I know, I'm afraid." Ianto smiled widely. The other man laughed.

"I'll get us some drinks. You want your usual?" Ianto nodded.

"I'm Jack, by the way." He too offered a hand. John shook it, even more confused, before Jack sauntered over to the bar.

"Sorry about him. He gets a bit...excited," Ianto explained, his eyes following Jack to the bar, distracted. The corners of his lips twitched upwards before he looked back to John. "Anyone sat here?" Ianto gestured to an empty chair.

"Hmm? Oh, no, no, please, sit down." Ianto did.

"I didn't know anyone outside of Scotland Yard really read my blog."

"Oh, you know, you hear things along the grapevine. And it really is interesting what Google can come up with sometimes..." Ianto lied smoothly. John nodded, recalling one time when he'd searched for a recipe for pasta and ended up on a German knitting website.

Then followed a silence in which Ianto kept smiling at John, his friendliness slightly unnerving. He quickly thought of something to say to break whatever atmosphere was gathering between them.

"You're a little bit far from home, aren't you?" Ianto kept smiling.

"Got a bit of business to sort out. Don't usually get called out to London much, though." John waited for him to continue, to give him some clue why he was here, but it seemed Ianto was finished.

They sat in completely awkward silence for a few seconds before John cleared his throat and shifted in his chair.

"So, are you two, uh..." He cleared his throat again before adding, "Sorry, sorry, that was totally inappropriate of me to a-"

"Yes. Yes, we're...together," Ianto cut in, smiling wider.

"Oh, right, um, good, good. Fine. I mean, uh good for you, gay and, and..."

"I'm...I'm not gay per se."

"So um," another clearing of his throat, "bisexual, whatever, good..." Oh god, why am I-

"See, I'm not really bi either." Ianto's expression of vague amusement only confused John more. His eyebrows furrowed but Ianto was looking over John's shoulder somewhere, slightly glassy-eyed and temporarily missed John's confusion.

"Oh." John muttered after a moment, deciding he understood basically nothing about this strange encounter and accepting that fact. Ianto's focus snapped back to John.

"It's like…like there's just the one exception. And it's him," he explained softly. John felt his body relax with his exhale.

"Yeah, I...I know what you mean."