After waiting a few moments to let Tosh return back upstairs, Ianto stood and found his way to the archives. He'd been meaning to check on J through M, and now was as good a time as any really. Archives didn't care much if you irrationally called them a twat. At least most of them didn't.

At half five Ianto stepped cautiously out of the archives stairwell and moved to the system of gangways that ran through the hub. Tosh looked up from packing her bag and gave him a smile.

"I'll see you in the morning." Ianto gave her a tight nod and a half attempted smile before ducking his head back down and moving to collect his satchel from beside the lounge couch. He only had an hour and a half to get back to his flat, change, and get to Newport. He was going to have to speed.

"Hey." Ianto looked up from sticking his hand down the crevasse of the couch cushions after one of his pens. Jack was leaning against the railing above, hands in his pockets.

"I'm heading out."

"I figured." Jack glanced at the bag.

"Is there anything I can do for you before, or can I go?" Ianto said, frowning at himself a bit for sounding so impatient. Jack shifted slightly but continued his passive observation.

"No. Just thought I'd check in before you go. Didn't see you around much today." Ianto avoided his eyes. At least, that's what it seemed like to Jack.

In reality, Ianto was feeling guilty. Yes, he'd stayed away from Jack. But he'd just wanted to avoid saying something stupid while he was in a mood. He had a tendency to get a bit bratty when he was like this.

"I was just down in the archives."

"Do you want to grab a coffee or something before you go home?"

"Look, Jack, I really do have to go. I'm meeting some friends at a pub in Newport." Ianto put the bag over his shoulder and chanced a look up at him. He was just standing there. But for some reason the straight posture made Ianto feel guilty.

"Alright. Have a good time."

"Thanks." Ianto mumbled. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Ianto pulled into the car park for the pub and saw a black motorbike. That meant that Mahmet was here too. He couldn't help feeling a little bit better.

It was nice to have a night out once in a while with his uni friends. It was disturbingly normal for him.

He stepped into the pub and scanned around.

"Yanno!" Tommy's loud voice carried over the noise of the room and Ianto nodded his head at him before heading to the booth they had claimed.

"Hi!" Moira slid from her seat and gave Ianto a tight hug. "It's good to see you. I was really glad when Tommy called and said that you were coming tonight. Thought I'd get stuck with Mah and him again and have to try and carry them back to ours all on my own."

"Yeah, yeah, stop gushing over the pretty boy." Mahmet teased. He gestured to the spot beside him and grabbed the pitcher of beer and an empty pint glass. "Now, Yanno, give me a hand here. Tommy's been trying to tell me that it's a good idea to try and buy a new office so that we can expand, but I keep telling him, what's the point in paying the extra rent if we don't even know if we're going to?"

"Look, you're showing it all wrong-"

"Am not!"

"You are, and you're an arse. What I meant was-"

Ianto smiled at Moira. Mahmet and Tommy had gone into business together after uni, and were actually doing well. But they rowed almost daily. Just the same as they had when he'd been flatmates with them.

"So. What does everyone want for supper?" Ianto interrupted loudly, holding the menu up across the table and not so subtly blocking off their conflict.

"Alright, alright mum. We'll behave. Oh. They've got cheesecake for pud." Tommy said enthusiastically. Mahmet laughed. And Moira kissed Tommy's temple.

"God love you Tom. Don't know why I do."

"It's my looks." Ianto couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.

"Hello?"

"Jack!" Jack pulled the phone away from his ear at the volume.

"Ianto? I thought you were out with your friends."

"Was. Am. Say hi to Jack all!" A chorus of hellos came fuzzily through the phone. Jack leaned back onto his pillow.

"Well hello." He waited, hoping Ianto would give him a clue to why he was calling.

"Look. Wanted to call. And Moira said I should." A call of 'I did' was heard in the background. "So I wanted to tell you sorry that I was a bit of a twat today. Just a bad mood, but now, I'm all better!"

"And sauced."

"I'll have you know I-" He heard a clattering and lost Ianto's voice, although he could hear exclamations.

"Oi, hello? Jack?" Ianto's voice returned.

"Here." Jack said, smiling slightly.

"Right. I'll have you know….I dropped my phone, and I might be a bit pissed."

"I see."

"Anyways, I got to go now. I'm going to sleep over at Tom's and I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright Yan."

"Good night Jack."

"Good night." Jack waited for him to hang up. But he still heard the soft breathing across the line.

"Yan. Everything alright?" He heard a soft sigh.

"S'not the same without your arms." Jack didn't know what to say. "Night Jack." The line closed and Jack snapped the phone shut, tucking it next to him under his pillow.

"Ugh. Bullocks." Ianto rolled over, almost falling off of Tom's couch as he reached for the cell phone ringing on the table. "H'lo?"

"Bore da Yanno. Did I wake you up?"

"Aoife?" Ianto rolled over onto his back again and lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the morning light.

"Yeah. Calling to check in. Make sure you're alive and such."

"I'm not sure right now."

"Did you go out last night?"

"That or I walked onto the M4 and got walloped by a transpo."

"So would I be right in assuming that other than right hung, you're alright?"

"It's hard to tell."

He could almost hear Aoife frowning on the other side of the line.

"What's happened then?"

"What?" Ianto managed to heave himself up into a sitting position.

"Something's up. You've got that…tone in your voice that you get."

"Aoife."

"Tell me, or I'll set Mum and Ainsley on you."

"You'll probably do that anyways." Ianto sighed. "Jack's back."

The line was quiet.

"Aoife?"

"Are you alright Yanno? Really honestly?" He smiled at the concern in her voice.

"Yeah. I'm alright. We're still working things out. So I dunno where we are. But I'm alright."

"You'd tell me if you weren't?"

"You'd know if I was lying." Ianto laughed, but winced at the sharpness it hit his head with.

"Hey, little brother. You should …give me shout some time. I don't want your welfare entirely on my phone bill, eh."

"I will."

"And Ianto…" He paused for a moment, considering the unusuality of Aoife's voice heavy with seriousness. "Don't be too nice. You are sometimes. And I like Jack. I do. But I don't want you to let him hurt you." Ianto pressed his hand along his temple.

"Love, Aoife."

"Love too brawd."

He hung up. Everything was complicated. More than it had even been with Jack gone. Aoife was telling him not to be too nice. Moira had told him to give Jack a chance. Tommy had jokingly told him to have a make-up shag, which had brought a look to Moira's face that said if he was lucky, that would be his fate at best tonight. And sleeping on the rug in the lounge was also a possibility. Jack seemed to be trying to make thing up to Ianto, but was afraid of misstepping. And Ianto just wanted everything to be easy. And to be next to Jack.