An hour and a half later, the Torchwood team decided to call it a night. There had been an awkward tension ever since Gwen and Owen's little dispute and eventually it became too much to bear. They left the bar and went their separate ways; Jack and Ianto back to the Hub, Gwen in the direction of her flat. Owen and Tosh were left alone. Jack had given them the next day off and Owen had no intention of going back to the cold, empty flat he called home…at least, not alone. His plan was to get utterly smashed and cop off. But then he looked across at Tosh, who was meandering slowly towards the nearest bus stop. She sighed as she sat on the little yellow bench. He hesitated, then approached her.
"Hey Tosh, do you fancy staying in town for a bit? I'm not going home yet and I was wondering…wondering, if you'd like to keep me company…" he asked, reluctantly. Tosh looked wary.
"Are you sure? I mean, you could've asked Gwen to stay…"
Owen flinched. "No, she has to get home to her precious fiancé. Anyway, I thought maybe we could spend some time to getting to know each other a bit better. I mean, we've working together for years and I know we don't get along too well, but…I don't know…" He trailed off. It was probably just the amount of alcohol he had consumed, but for some reason he wanted to get along with Tosh. It could be because Gwen had dented his confidence earlier on in the evening and he needed some reassurance that he wasn't an utter prick. And he knew that Tosh would never say hurtful things. She fancied him too much for that.
Tosh looked up at him. His face was half lit by the orange glow of a streetlamp but she could make out a sort of pleading in his eyes. It was the first time in years that Owen had shown any kind of interest in her, a moment she's hoped and prayed for…and now she was unsure?
"Yeah, why not? I don't really want to go home yet and we could do with learning a bit more about each other," she said casually. She didn't mention that she could easily write a book of everything she already knew about Owen, from the way he wrinkled his nose when he was confused to the triumphant grin he had when a job was done well. Every little thing was etched into her memory from years and watching and dreaming and finally, finally, he was ready to connect with her as a person. On the inside, she was ecstatic, but her exterior remained calm and collected. Owen smiled at her and she smiled back.
They spent several hours trawling round every bar Owen knew in Cardiff city centre. And Owen knew almost every bar there was within a ten-mile radius. They drank and talked and drank and laughed and drank and drank and drank. Tosh could hold her drink a lot better than Owen had expected, although she got slightly more giggly with each cocktail he bought for her. Eventually, they gave up. The only places they hadn't been were run-down and seedy-looking. Generally, this is where Owen would end his night. But tonight he was with Tosh, and he had to look out for her. Owen went to get a taxi while Tosh sat on a bench, trying to subdue the nausea rising inside her.
"Tosh! I've got you a taxi!" Owen called from further along the road. Tosh got unsteadily to her feet and tottered towards him. As she approached him, she lost her footing and fell into his arms. They stayed there for longer than was probably necessary, gazing at each other. Then slowly, ever so slowly, their lips got closer and closer together…
The next thing she knew, Tosh was falling through the front door of Owen's flat. As soon as they were inside, Owen slammed the door and they were plunged into darkness. His lips met hers as he pressed her up against the wall. He felt for the light switch and they both blinked when the lights came on. Owen began to kiss down Tosh's neck and along her shoulder as he unbuttoned her blouse and let it drop to the floor. Their lips locked again as they collapsed onto the couch. Tosh helped Owen take off his T-shirt, and then lay back as he gently kissed down her stomach, hands fumbling to remove her belt…