It was Jack Harkness' first day at his new school, Torchwood High, and he was worried more than excited. Torchwood High was a special school for exceptional students, and Jack already knew he wouldn't fit in. It wasn't that he didn't deserve his place, he had won his scholarship fair and square, but he had put months of studying towards it. It wasn't a gift, it was trying hard.
As he walked up to the wrought iron gates at the front of the school, he wondered if it was too late to run away, but nevertheless continued to the Headmaster's office.
Jack had met Mr. John Smith once before, when he received his scholarship, and liked him well enough. He was young and handsome with a seemingly permanent mad grin fixed on his face, and amazingly messy and spiky hair. Wearing red converse with his blue suit and long brown coat, he didn't look all that much like a headteacher.
Mr Smith greeted him with a trademark grin, and Jack smiled charmingly back.
"Hello, Jack Harkness, right? It's a pleasure to have you here"
"It's a pleasure to be here, sir"
"It's Mr Smith, or even John, but not Sir. It's bad enough when Ianto does it."
"Ianto?"
"A student. An incredibly gifted one. Very nice, but he incessantly calls me sir"
"Oh, uh...."
"Ah yes! Timetable!" He handed over a sheet of paper. "You have English with Miss Oswald, first. Just down the stairs and on your right".
"Thanks Mr Smith"

Jack walked into the classroom and was slightly surprised at how young the teacher was. For someone teaching at the most prestigious school in the country, all the staff he'd met seemed rather young.
There were about 30 people his age in the room, and he went to sit in the only empty seat, next to a boy in a suit.
"Anyone sitting here?"
"No....oh, you new?"
"Yeah. Jack Harkness"
"Jones. Ianto Jones."
So that was the boy who Mr Smith was talking about.
"Nice to meet you Jones, Ianto Jones"
Ianto laughed. "And you, Jack Harkness"

Before they could say any more, the teacher cleared her throat.
"Hello everybody, for those who don't know me, I am Clara Oswald,  your English teacher" she grinned at them.
"Now, despite the fact that most of you have known everyone here for four years, there are three newbies this year, so I would like everyone to introduced themselves, say one interesting thing, and the like."

A pretty brunette girl in a leather jacket and tight jeans, with a gap between her two front teeth and a cheerful smile, stood up.
"Gwen Cooper, and I have an incredibly annoying stepbrother"
Ianto snorted with laughter, and muttered sarcastically
"like we don't already know who that is."
He was Welsh, Jack realized, as was the girl, and he instantly felt a bit less insecure about his own accent.
He didn't realize he'd been lost in thought until Ianto stood up from next to him.
"Ianto Jones, as most of you know, I have an eidetic memory"

It was Jack's turn. He stood up awkwardly and spoke.
"Uh, hi, Jack Harkness, as you can probably tell,  I'm new from America, and back at home i was captain of both the soccer team and the chess club"
He sat back down, and Ianto smiled at him. He had a nice smile, and gorgeous blue eyes. His brown hair was cut short and neat, with just a hint of a curl, and his suit was form fitting, with a dark red shirt he looked insanely good in. Suits looked good on him.
As the last girl, pretty, with wild blonde curly hair, stood up, introducing herself as "River Song, and my parents teach here", Ianto nudged him and indicated a pair of similar looking boys. More than similar, they looked identical except for the fact that one was white-blonde, with messy hair, a hoodie, and the beginnings of a wispy goatee, and the other was wearing a suit, with his brown hair cut a lot neater.
"The masters twins" Ianto whispered. "Harold Saxon and  Masters. No idea what Masters' first name is, though. You need to be careful around them. Their parents split up and one twin went with each, but they still know each other so well it's freaky. Their grandad is Professor Yana"
"What does he teach" Jack whispered back, as he underlined the date and title on his paper.
"Biology. Mr Smith teaches Physics and Dr. Eleven teaches Chemistry."
"Okay, are they nice?"
"No, yes and yes. Professor Yana isn't but the others are"
"Any other teachers to watch out for?"
"Nope. The rest are all nice"
Ianto busied himself with his work, pen flying across the page, and Jack hurried to keep up.
The next lesson they had was Computing, with a teacher that everyone jokingly called Doctor Spock, and he didn't bother to correct them. He, again, didn't look much like a teacher, in a black leather jacket. Ianto led him over to sit with a Japanese looking girl, who excelled in the class. Ianto, sitting in between them, didn't do badly either, although he came nowhere near to the girl's talents. After Computing, it was maths with ex-soldier Mr Pink, and history with Mr Pond, who tried, and failed, to introduce himself as Mr Williams.
Then, it was lunch, and Jack was pleasantly surprised when Ianto led him over to sit with him at one of the tables. They were soon joined by the Japanese girl, Gwen Cooper from English, and a wide mouthed boy with a London accent and a leather jacket - something that seemed to be a trend.

"Okay Jack, you've met Tosh - Toshiko Sato, now let me introduce you to Owen Harper and the one woman I can nevet seem to get away from"
Gwen laughed. "You know you love me"
"Do I?" He joked, and for some inexplicable reason, Jack felt his heart sinking in his chest. They were together.
"My not-so-lovely stepsister, Gwen Cooper"

Wait,  what? Stepsister? His heart leaped.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Jack. Jack Harkness"
"Suzie will be here in a moment" Owen informed Ianto.  "She had to go see Miss Pond"
"Again?"
"Yup"
"Hang on" Jack cut in. "Who's Miss Pond?"
"School psychiatrist. Like a Therapist. She also teaches ethics and sociology"
"Why does she have to see her?"
"She's slightly unstable." Gwen said carefully, and before Jack could ask anything else, a dark haired girl came walking towards them.

She looked like she had once been really beautiful, but her curls hung limply, and her olive skin was sallow and pale from lack of sleep. Her eyes were dull with dark bags underneath. Ianto got up and hugged her before she sat down next to Owen.

"Suzie, meet Jack Harkness, Jack, meet Suzie Costello"
"Nice to meet you" she said, her voice subdued, and Owen rubbed her arm.
"That bad?" He smirked
"What do you think, Owen?" She spoke again angrily
"Jesus, calm down Su"
"I will not calm down, you aren't exactly the one who has to go to the fucking therapist"
"Hey hey, Suze, you need to calm down. I know you hate it, but you need to stick it out. Please, Suze. For us" Ianto said, his lilting accent soothing, and she nodded.
"I'm sorry, its just with him" she shot a dirty glare at Owen, "snarking at me"
Owen looked slightly abashed. "Sorry" he said begrudgingly, and Suzie nodded.
"It's okay"

"So," Gwen changed the subject.  "What electives are you taking, Jack?"
"I.....dunno.....what can you take?"
"Well, you need at least one advanced subject you're already taking, and at least one that you aren't. I'm doing performing arts, which is one of the more general ones. I'm also taking advanced Ethics."
"Extra computing" Tosh smiled, "and advanced maths. I'm also taking technology with Suzie"
"Yeah, technology. And extra physics"
Owen smiled, making his mouth look even bigger.
"I'm taking medicine, medical science, and advanced sciences"

Everyone, it seemed had to take two or three additional subjects.
"I'm taking extra English, maths, computing,  history and science, and I'm also taking technology, and basic medicine" Ianto grinned.

"Jesus" Jack breathed, and the others laughed, as if it was a common occurrence.
"I've been here a long time" Ianto explained. "Scholarship when I was nine"
"How?"
"Eidetic memory."
"Yeah, but, how?"
Suzie laughed for the first time  "he's just some genius....."
"No I'm not!"
"....who's too modest to admit it"
Ianto expressively rolled his eyes, before pulling out a Thermos.
"coffee, anyone?
"Please!"
"Yan, I could kiss you" Owen smirked, taking a grateful sip.

"You already have" Gwen was quick to remind him and he put his head in his hands.
"I was fucking drunk"
Ianto laughed, and Jack felt his hopes rise at just how unbothered he seemed by it.
"What did you do?"
"Kissed back, of course, then advised him to take kissing lessons. He kisses like a girl"
The girls didn't even look offended, but Jack spoke up.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Yeah, when you're gay and the only experience kissing a girl you've had is with one who's overdosed on crappy romance novels and seems to use Twilight as a guide for romance"

Tosh laughed, Gwen pouted, and Jack's heart leaped.
"You're gay?"
Ianto's eyes hardened.
"Problem? Because if so you can go and join the Masters twins.......oh wait, they have Hart, so if you have a problem with it you can go and sit alone"
"I don't have a problem with it." Jack said, almost scared at how cold Ianto had become.
"Good."
Gwen changed the subject. "Lisa isn't that bad. And anyway, I don't get your problem with Twilight"

Ianto rolled his eyes, as the other three rounded on her.
"He watches her sleep before he even knows her! It's slightly stalkerish and very creepy"
"Yeah, what Tosh said, and it's also really inaccurate portrayal of Vampires" Suzie, with her goth clothes and thick eyeliner, protested.
"But it's roma-"
"He fucking sparkles" Owen interrupted and Gwen shut up.
"Rhi dragged me to see the films. I was holding out for a Jacob and Edward relationship"

Jack and Owen laughed.
"That would work. I mean, the sparkles. How likely is it that he was straight. He's more camp than you were when I joined"
Ianto groaned, straightening his suit.
"Skinny jeans were a style choice I regret, but you can't talk. I was wearing them when a certain drunk man kissed me"
Owen buried his face in his hands again.

"So, where are you in the social ladder?" Jack looked at the group of seemingly misfits.
"Right at the top" Gwen replied proudly. "This school is focused on academical prowess, and that includes the social hierarchy. Toshie is known for her computer skills, Owen is the best at science and medicine here, but it's mainly Yan."

Ianto flushed slightly.
"Eidetic memory. It's no big deal". Gwen scoffed.
"Yeah, yeah, you - while incredibly annoying - have given me popularity by relationship, so yeah, it is a big deal"
Ianto rolled his eyes again, something that he seemed to do a lot.

"Well, the Masters' twins scare people, and you do intimidate them when you have to, so....." Tosh trailed off.
"Yeah, yeah. Just because im not scared by idle threats with no meaning behind them. Plus, Hart wants me, so they aren't going to hurt me"
"Hart?"
"John Hart. Joined last year. He calls me Eye Candy. Bloody annoying"

"John Hart?" Jack gaped. Hart had been a stupid mistake he had been glad to move on from.

"You know him?"
"Sadly, yes. I used to date him"
"You're gay?" Ianto failed to disguise the feeling in his voice.
"If you want to put it like that. I don't like labels. I've shagged girls, and probably will do again, but I prefer guys"
Ianto smiled. "I'm bi, if that's what you mean"

Jack looked at him again, taking in the tight fit of his suit and the red shirt. Red really was this colour.
"You.....uh.....seeing anyone,  now?"
"Nah"
"Good.....I mean.....uh....."

Ianto laughed, and kissed him softly.
"You want to go out sometime?"
"Yeah!"