"Gwen, are you and Rhys free for dinner tonight?" Jack asked, peering past the monitor to her face from where he stood behind her workstation.

"I suppose so. I hadn't really thought about it," she said, trying to concentrate on finishing up her paperwork without losing her place. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe the four of us could go out, get a bite – that sort of thing," he said, leaning on the edge of her desk.

"Could do, I suppose," she said with a smile. A night out sounded good to her. She submitted the report and picked up her mobile. Texting her husband, she found that he was already home and not doing much of anything. "What should I tell him?"

"Tell him to come by," Jack said. "We can hit the pub and just have a bite there and a beer or two. I'll go find Ianto." He left through the archway leading to the archives, taking the stairs two at a time. Searching each room, he finally found Ianto amidst a stack of boxes, folders piled up on open file cabinet drawers around him. He had taken his jacket off and stood with his sleeves rolled up. It was obvious he had been there for some time, judging by the mound of material stacked around him.

"Hey," Jack said softly, not wanting to startle Ianto. The other man had a look of utter concentration on his face. He held up a finger to Jack before turning in a circle, scanning the piles around him.

"Ah!" He exclaimed, pulling one towards him and filing a stack of papers before looking up again. "Yes?"

"Quitting time," Jack said with a smile as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"What's that?" Ianto asked. It had been so long since any of them had had a night off that he wouldn't recognize it if it came up and bit him. He was thrilled just to have a quiet enough day to get some long overdue filing done.

"The time when most normal people punch out and hit the pub," Jack said with a grin. "Want to act like a normal person?"

"Normal," Ianto mused, his brow furrowed as if trying to remember what that word meant. "How novel a concept! What did you have in mind?" He stacked several folders together before filing them away, placing a blank piece of paper in between them to mark his place before turning back to Jack.

"A double date with Gwen and Rhys," Jack said, one eyebrow raised. Ianto considered the idea for a moment before nodding.

"Sounds good. Let me wash up and get the dust of these files out of my hands." Ianto said as he made his way through the boxes and over to Jack. "A double date?"

"Yeah. Scared?" Jack taunted. Ianto rolled his eyes.

"Hardly." Ianto shook his head as he picked up his suit jacket and brushed by Jack. "Rhys wouldn't want to play the way you'd want him to." Jack chuckled as he trailed along behind Ianto, following him off to the washroom. Ianto washed his hands before taking his jacket and shaking it to remove any lingering dust. Jack was happy to just watch as he made himself presentable.

By the time they emerged from the archives, Gwen was shutting down her workstation. "Rhys will meet us up at the pub. Are we done here?"

"Yup, I'll just set the monitor and we can be off," Ianto said as he moved to a workstation and set up the rift monitor to warn them should something happen. "All set."

They made their way upstairs, though Gwen did seem rather cautious about stepping into the lift since it had been acting up again. Jack had to tug her on, telling her that there was nothing to worry about. They made it up to the top without incident and headed out of the office and around the corner of the pub, Gwen tucked between Jack and Ianto for warmth. Rhys was holding them a table.

"Evening, everyone!" Rhys said jovially, saluting them with a pint in his hand. Jack grinned before sitting opposite while Gwen sat next to her husband. Ianto was at the bar, getting them drinks which he carried back to the table. Jack accepted Ianto's choice for him. One beer wouldn't hurt tonight, and they all needed a night off.

"And how's the haulage business, Rhys?" Jack asked. The two men chatted work while Gwen and Ianto relaxed. It was so nice not to have to be somewhere. Gwen hoped it would last for a while. Eventually the barman came over to take their order, and they got their food not too long afterwards.

"Wow, this is good," Jack said as he took a bite of his shepherd's pie. The others agreed, digging into their meals. While Ianto had tried cooking from time to time, often he was too busy to shop for supplies, so they had reverted back to their old habits. They had been living on pizza and so many various forms of take-away on the run if they had eaten at all, that it seemed a novelty to actually sit down and have a meal. Life had gotten a bit easier for them all, and the fact that Gwen got home more helped. An easy camaraderie between the four had been forged over the past few weeks. More times than not Gwen bore the brunt of their teasing as the three ganged up on her. She tried to give as good as she got, but usually lost the battle under the weight of sheer numbers. It was a nice relaxing evening for a change.

Jack settled their bill and they made their way past the crowded room outside and back onto the Plass. "Off with you two lovebirds," He told the couple with a smile. "Sleep in if you can. The paperwork can wait."

"Says the man who doesn't like to do it," Ianto said drily. Jack made a face but didn't comment. Gwen gave them both a kiss on the cheek before taking Rhys' hand and heading towards home. Jack and made their way back to the Hub.

"My place or yours?" Ianto asked, pulling his keys out of his pocket. Jack gave him a lazy grin. "Hmmm, mine, I think." They had spent entirely too much time in the Hub the past few weeks. The two men walked back to the car park where Ianto's car waited. Ianto opened the door for Jack before making his way to the driver's side and letting himself in. As he started the car Jack rested a hand on his leg. He shifted before resting his hand on top of Jack's. They made the drive in silence, comfortable on the short drive home. He parked the car and they made their way up to his flat. The night was quiet. Either everyone was out or curled up in front of the telly. Opening the door, he let Jack enter first, then followed, closing and locking the door behind them. Jack wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist and kissed his neck. He leaned back into the embrace, closing his eyes while he enjoyed Jack's caresses.

"Coffee?" He asked, not really wanting any, but offering nonetheless.

"Uh uh," Jack murmured, not wanting to be distracted from the kisses he was trailing along Ianto's collar. "Bed." Ianto sighed in agreement. Pulling out of the embrace, he twined his fingers with Jack's and led him to the bedroom…

~*~