Sodium coloured lights twinkled across the blackened city streetscape, weaving lines around its features like a living breathing serpent. From up here, atop the Exchange Building, Ianto could see the entire city, just by turning and changing direction. It was the perfect vantage point from which to really take it all in.

The echo of the odd car or rowdy Cardiff resident bounced its way up between the buildings and met his ears. The rest was just a thrum of indistinguishable sound, like the buzzing of a nest of bees all going about their day. Even at this hour, people were clocking off from overtime and hitting the streets in search of a quick curry or a pint of lager. The city rarely slept these days and Ianto knew how it felt. He slept less and less, but he didn't feel tired anymore. His body had simply readjusted to five hours sleep, with the promise of the occasional Sunday lie in, which consisted of a series of one hours naps interspersed with snuggling and breakfast.

Life really wasn't anything like how'd he'd pictured it. He'd imagined a boring office job, being married with kids and an eye-watering mortgage, and trundling his way to middle age and a sizeable muffin top, one crisp packet at a time. He hadn't expected it to involve aliens, guns and regular bouts of life-endangering peril. Then again, he also hadn't expected life to be inordinately longer than expected. After a while of working for Torchwood, he'd arrived at the conclusion that he wasn't going to live very long. That was okay. So long as what he gave up meant that many more people - even if they were strangers - would enjoy far longer lives as a result. Selfishness just wasn't part of his genetic makeup. The prospect of now living forever still scared him some days, but he also knew from experience that time flew. Things changed slowly yet it all felt like it went by in the blink of an eye. Small wonder Jack held into and hankered for the past as much as he did. To him, it probably felt like only yesterday. Ianto hoped that he wouldn't become an anachronism, yearning for the days of the ballpoint pen and 4G internet.

'I was wondering where you'd gotten to,' Jack announced, appearing in the doorway of the fire escape as if he'd been summoned. 'I knew there was a reason I kept that tracker unit in your phone. Sorry, by the way,' he apologised. 'A little legacy left over from my days in charge. Plus, it doesn't hurt to be able to know where the boss is, you know, in case I need to run away and hide.'

Ianto smirked at Jack's assessment. He seemed perfectly capable of hiding from Ianto when it suited him. The trick, it seemed, was being able to hide away from Jack. There wasn't anywhere in the universe that man couldn't find him - something else he also knew from personal experience.

You weren't here looking for me, were you?' Jack asked.

' No. I came up here voluntarily.' He'd often gone looking for Jack when he went to stand on Cardiff's tallest rooftops, but he always gave him the time and space he needed, only intruding if he thought Jack was being self-destructive.

' Can I ask why? This,' he said, gesturing around at the rooftop crammed with its generators and air handling units blowing puffs of steam into the chill night sky, 'this is where I usually hang out.'

Ianto nodded. 'I know. Not your favourite spot, but I quite like it.' Jack's favourite had always been the Altolusso. The dizzying height and lack of actual roof - more of an architect's extrusion, drawn up in a manic fit of insanity - added an extra layer of drama that Jack unconsciously enjoyed. 'It really is beautiful from up here.'

Jack moved a few steps closer so that he was just behind Ianto. His presence was felt both by his proximity and that lingering scent that was so uniquely Jack. 'So, is there a reason why you're up here alone?'

Ianto slipped his hands into his trouser pockets and considered the question as he continued to peer out past the inner city landmarks and to the lesser twinkling suburbia behind. 'I was thinking about how you always come up here and look out over the city. I always wondered what it was that you saw differently.'

'And?'

'And you're right. It does look different now.' He blew out a breath, watching as it condensed into a cloud of white before finally dispersing into the night. 'How do I explain it?'

'Like you're looking at how the city should be, watching for the tiniest hint of something that isn't right, and knowing that keeping the city safe rests on your shoulders. And that if you miss that one little thing, the whole city could fall apart. All those people down there have no idea what it is that we do and how close they come to danger. It's our responsibility to keep it that way.'

He nodded solemnly. 'Yeah. Jack?'

'Mmm?'

He turned to face his lover. 'I don't think I'm ready for this. I can't be you.' He'd only been propositioned for the job as leader of Torchwood's new and more expanded global operations a few days ago. He'd accepted it without really considering what that actually meant. He was responsible for everything now, even Jack. A whole planet was depending on him to make good and right choices. Cardiff was just a microcosm of what he was faced with.

'Nobody is asking you to be me,' Jack replied. 'I'm asking you to be you. And you're wrong. You're not just ready for this. You were born for this. All I did was keep the lights on long enough for you to be ready.'

Ianto set his hands on his hips and puffed out another cloud of breath. 'You really think I can do this? Run Torchwood?'

'You think Gwen and I wouldn't have put you up for it otherwise? You don't know how many times we talked about it. It doesn't change us or our dynamic. The rift is still going to be there and it's still going to spit out junk and we're still going to have to deal with it. But Ianto, all that other stuff, the big dreams stuff - building a working relationship with UNIT and the KVI and everybody else, having feet on the ground in major cities, the Sanctuary Valley project, state of the art research division - hell, even having someone else file all the damn paperwork and pick up groceries… All of it. I know you want space and resources to start moving all of those ideas forward. This is me giving you a chance to make all of that a reality.'

'Whilst you run around Cardiff brandishing your gun and saving the day.' He wasn't sure yet if he'd miss that part of the job. He'd never been so fit in his life on account of all the running around they did. And it was a little bit exciting. There were certainly no dull days.

'Exactly!' Jack grinned. 'No change to normal operations whatsoever. But now you stop running around after me doing what I want, and instead you do what you want.'

'And who's going to run around after you doing what you want now?'

A little smile crept over his face. 'Oh, I'm sure I can find someone. Anyone. Everyone.' Jack hadn't conceded any of this authority, he'd simply given Ianto an even higher authority. How that would end up playing out between the two of them was yet to be tested. It would be strange not to be responsible for Jack's schedule and to do list. He'd still make the coffee, but that was purely on principle. His first act in office had to be to ensure the ongoing steady stream of quality coffee. The rest they'd figure out along the way.

Ianto looked back out over the city. Every last light in every last window, and every person in every room felt like his duty and his responsibility. 'It needs us.'

'Yes, it does,' Jack agreed. 'A bright new beginning for Torchwood that doesn't wait around for something to come to us. We bring Torchwood to it.'

Queen Victoria would have loved that idea, Ianto thought.

'What you really need, though,' Jack said, draping his coat over Ianto's shoulders, is a proper coat so that you can look all dashing and heroic when you come up here to brood.

'I'm not brooding!' He was pensive and contemplative, but he was definitely not brooding.

'Then just look dashing and heroic,' Jack said, accepting the argument. 'It's how leaders of Torchwood should look. And Ianto?'

'Yes?' he said, pulling Jack's coat tighter around him even as Jack's arms were also doing their best to return warmth to him.

'Just try not to stand so close to the edge. This city needs you and so do I.'