Log with Ianto: The Proof is in the Pudding

[parked]

Sulu knew that this was one of those Terrible, Horrible, Rotten, No Good ideas that he was occasionally prone to having. He was grounded, after all; inviting Ianto over to prove that he wasn't just making up the things he'd been talking about was kind of pointless if you couldn't get to the car to prove any of it.

Still, he'd heard his parents leave to visit his aunt in Bakersfield, so... why not? It wasn't like they'd notice - he was really good at hiding his tracks. So, he'd invited Ianto out to prove that his universe really was all he'd said it was. It was the least he could do to prove he was seriously as awesome as he made himself out to be, after all. So, he waited in his room for the inevitable worldhopping Ianto Jones, wondering if that was too specific a place but figuring that worldhopping itself was already pretty specific an art.

Comments

[torchwoodteaboy]

Tacky as some of the things may have been, if Ianto had known how advanced they were, hell. He might have actually been tempted to go for things like the snowglobes with real snow, tacky as they may have been to someone from the time and area. Real snow was certainly a step up from what was normally just a handful of glitter, after all.

Ianto's attention was focused more on the explanation of the symbol, more on the symbol itself. He didn't miss the look asking about it got him, but at least Sulu was explaining it to him, instead of just looking like he was silly for asking. "The Starfleet insignia..." Ianto repeated, reaching out to trace the pattern, inlayed over the porcelain of a coffee mug. "That's really a big point for this area, then. The fact that the Academy is here. I mean." He motioned around. "Obviously, it's not the only thing here, but..." He trailed off and looked back at the pattern.

"You seem to know a lot about this Starfleet, then," he remarked, casually, after a moment. When Sulu had mentioned wanting to pilot spacecraft, Ianto had had no idea that that had meant joining up, or anything. He had no idea how things worked in this day and age and universe, after all.

[parked]

Sulu shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest - it was maybe a little defensive posturing, but he couldn't help it. He was usually pretty private when it came to the things he was planning on doing about his future, and Starfleet was definitely something he wanted in his future.

He'd talked about it on the community before, though, he knew, so it wasn't that big a deal. Not really, at least. "Yeah, well. It's hard not to know about it, when you live here. Besides, I've... been considering joining. Kind of." Kind of seriously, that was.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto tried his best to keep from raising an eyebrow at that. Really, he shouldn't be surprised that the other would be considering joining an organization all about flying into space, considering Sulu seemed to be all about all sorts of flying, if his boasting about being able to fly just about anything was anything to go by. It seemed to be sort of a big deal for him to say that, though, going by his posture. Ianto didn't want to screw up the fact that the other kid had said anything at all with some sort of flippant quip or comment.

"...it sounds like something that would be right up your alley, honestly," Ianto replied, after a moment of thought.

[parked]

"Yeah?" Sulu couldn't help but sound (and feel) a little surprised, maybe even a little relieved. It wasn't necessarily an uncommon decision to try and get into Starfleet, but it was difficult and involving and, yeah, okay, maybe his parents weren't going to be really open to it. But the fact that even someone who didn't know what Starfleet really was thought it sounded like something he would do was kind of reassuring in a way.

"Well." He realized he hadn't really said anything else, and his face flushed a little as he tried to save himself there. "I mean. It's just an idea, right now. I'm still working on it. It's not easy to get in."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto cocked his head to the side, looking at Sulu for a moment, before turning his gaze back to the memorabilia. He wanted to ask more, but. He wondered if that were alright, if Sulu minded. Well, he hadn't seemed to mind any of the other times he'd asked him about it, so. Why not.

"Yeah?" he asked, casually. "Isn't it? What would you have to worry about to get in?" He was genuinely curious about it, and Sulu seemed...to actually really be into this whole Starfleet thing, so. He didn't think that the other would mind too much about him asking the questions he was at that moment. He hoped not, at least.

[parked]

"Well..." Sulu didn't mind. He pretended like it was something he was debating about, but it really wasn't - not completely. There were bits of him that knew that it was going to be hard, maybe even too hard, to get into the Academy and get to a point where he'd be comfortable at in Starfleet, but those parts of him were outnumbered by the part of him that knew he could do it, and that he wanted to do it, and why shouldn't he do it?

"Like, there are tests to qualify into tests to qualify into the Academy. You have to make your way from basic quizzes to full physical exams, then to basic tests of endurance and skill to see if you can even make it in the school itself. It's really competitive - a lot of people want to be in Starfleet, not just from Earth. All the other Federation planets have people just like me who want to get into the Academy, and so it can get tough. And then..." He shrugged. "Even after you get in, making it through the classes and tests is supposed to be even more competitive. Everyone's... you know, trying to outdo the other people in their class. Starfleet is for the best, after all." Though, honestly? Talking about it made him excited for it. He was up for a challenge - and even if he didn't make it, he'd have at least tried. That was better than nothing, he guessed.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto nodded at the right points in the explanation, trying to understand the level of difficulty the other was really going to have to face if he really were going to try and get into the school. Which...it sounded like he was, going from the tone of voice that he got into whenever he started talking about even Starfleet itself.

Poking through a few things, here and there, normal touristy type things, like puzzles with pictures of the San Francisco skyscape, or the bridge, miniature models of the bridge or the carousel, things like that, Ianto kept pressing on the conversation. "Is there any reason why you wouldn't try, though? I mean, it sounds hard, but." He shot a look at the other boy. "Dunno. You don't seem like the type to not even try, I s'pose," he said, before flushing and turning back to the souvenirs he was poking through.

[parked]

Sulu ran a hand through his hair, trying to hide how embarrassed he was by the compliment - well, sort-of compliment, but still. Sulu took it that way. "Well. I'm not that type, I guess. I'm just... The only thing that's really making it a hard decision is my parents. It's something I have to like... talk to them about, but I'm not too sure how they're gonna deal with it. You know?"

He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Y'know, nothing really screams 23rd century like the Starfleet insignia, that's for sure."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto nodded. Sulu's parents seemed like nice enough people, even if he was technically grounded at the moment. Well. Sulu hadn't really said a word against them so far, which was really what Ianto was basing his opinion on it all off of at that moment. Just about anyone was better than his Tad though, as far as Ianto was concerned. And if Sulu's parents trusted him enough to leave him home alone even when he was grounded, well... "It'd be worth it to at least talk to them about it. I mean. They aren't...I dunno, openly hating of Starfleet or anything like that, are they?" he asked.

And then, after Sulu's added words, a slow smile spread across Ianto's face. "...no, I don't suppose that anything would, would it," he said, before turning back to look through all of the things that were printed with Starfleet insignias and the likes.

[parked]

Sulu really was going to talk to his parents, really he was. But not now, obviously; he had to make sure he got away with breaking curfew, first. He grinned back at Ianto and moved around him to lean against a clear section of the wall as Ianto browsed through the Starfleet souvenirs. He thought some of them were pretty good, honestly; tacky, sure, but it would work really well for what they were looking for.

"Got any idea of what you're looking for?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Not a clue," Ianto said, honestly, as he poked through the various memorabilia. The snow globes were cool, but. Ianto didn't really have anywhere to put them, and it'd probably get broken anyway. He needed something that he could keep hidden, something that wouldn't make him feel guilty that he was having the other boy pay for, something...

And then a flash of gold caught his eye. A pocket watch, shaped like the Starfleet insignia. It wasn't anything that people would really question him about, but was still foreign enough that Ianto would know exactly what it represented. The best part of it was that if his Tad found it, he'd probably give him shit about the shape of the thing, but the fact that he had a pocket watch might actually impress him. Well. Not impress, because he never seemed to be able to do anything right in his eyes, but. At least he wouldn't be told off about it. He had to wonder what the other boy would think as he pointed to it.

"...that," he said, decidedly.

[parked]

Sulu did raise an eyebrow at that, though it was only briefly. It was a little bit of a mix between classy and tacky, he thought; someone who had one of those was definitely a tourist, but he knew it was probably better than a snowglobe or tee shirt. More... elegant, or something. He didn't really like watches, especially classic analog ones, but hey. ...Did they even have digital ones in Ianto's time?

He nodded. "Yeah? So we're going with the Starfleet watch?" He clearly had no problem with it - his question was more prodding than anything, like he was trying to ask why Ianto was picking that without sounding like he was asking that.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto blushed at the prodding, nodding and closing off his expression a little, because...honestly, he was embarrassed about it. "Yeah," he said, chewing on his lip a little and turning his eyes down and to the side, his voice a bit stiff and defensive. "I...like watches. And. I wanted to find something from the future that I could use, so..."

The more he tried to defend himself and his choice, the more embarrassed he got about it. "Look, you. You don't have to get it for me. It's a silly idea anyway, and. You don't have to, never mind that I even mentioned it." And flushing deeply, he turned and took a step away, fully intending on fleeing the tourist shop that they were in and...he didn't know what after that, he wasn't exactly sure, but he just wanted to run away and hide.

[parked]

"What?" Sulu wasn't exactly sure when he'd raised Ianto's hackles, but it was pretty obvious that, just like he'd gotten defensive over Starfleet, Ianto was getting defensive over this whole watch thing. He reached out before he thought about it, grabbing Ianto's arm and gently tugging him. "Hey man, it's not like it's super overpriced or anything. If that's something you want, then how's it silly?" After all, he wasn't really able to judge; he... had a thing about plants. At least watches were useful.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto felt his cheeks burning at the other boy's stopping him and tugging him back. Reluctantly, he stopped and turned, but he kept his eyes lowered, away from the other boy. "Because..." he said, but he couldn't think of a reason. He just felt like...well. Pocket watches weren't very cool things to have as a teenager, and. Even though he wanted it, the idea of being judged about it, questioned about it, was way beyond embarrassing for him. Calling attention to the fact that it was a little weird, and that 15-year-old boys weren't supposed to be into things like that, and yet. "Dunno," he said, shrugging, knowing that he was being difficult but not really being able to help himself. He just felt...awkward for the fact that it was just another way that he stood out from being 'normal' to the other boy, and everything.

[parked]

Sulu made a face, though it only lasted for a moment, because he just didn't understand what the hell was irking Ianto about the watch. He thought it was cool enough; he wasn't big on analog, but hey, it wasn't like a pocket watch would be as cool if it was digital. And Ianto seemed to like it, so...

"Well, if you don't know why it's silly, then it isn't. Right? So... let's get it. Especially if it's gonna be more useful than anything else."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto saw the face, and once more he was reluctant to keep asking for the watch when now not only was his choice silly, but now he was being silly about it as well. "It's because... Look. I'm. It's a pocket watch. Kids aren't supposed to like things like that," he said, his eyes firmly planted on the ground now. "And. It's probably expensive. So. Never mind, forget I even asked," he said. Even though...he really wanted that watch. Nothing else in the store, or anywhere for that matter, would be as perfect a souvenir for him. But he was feeling more than a little self conscious about his decision, and... God, this was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous, but he couldn't help it.

[parked]

Normally, Sulu would just let something like this slide; he knew that it could just make it worse to try and convince someone to change their mind... But Ianto really seemed to have liked that watch, and even more than that, he seemed upset to give it up.

So, giving up on the idea of looking at least a little cool to the other boy, Sulu ducked his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Look," he said, "It's not stupid. I mean... I think it's cool. ...Cooler than me, you know. ...like, I like gardening. That's not really a cool thing. ...Yeah.". Ugh. He wondered if he should just take the other home at this point, with how dumb he was feeling about making Ianto feel stupid.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto lifted his head to look up at Sulu reluctantly, but the other boy's reassurances...were kind of reassuring, actually. He was still blushing pretty hard, but at least he was looking the other boy in the eyes, right? "...you do?" Ianto asked softly, reluctantly. He hoped that the other boy wasn't just making up lies to try and make him feel better about the fact that he liked things like pocket watches and suits and...gentlemanly type things. He'd tell whoever asked that it was because he liked spies and James Bond and that sort of thing, but. He really did like them even without that sort of connotation.

But. Gardening wasn't that cool either. Definitely not something normal kids liked either. So if that was true, then. Maybe it was okay. Maybe he could... "You really like gardening?"

[parked]

Sulu couldn't help but scowl a little at Ianto's tone, but he still nodded as he looked away, awkwardly. "Yeah," he said, "I mean. Not just gardening. I like plants, like... All kinds, not just flowers or whatever." He shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal, nothing to worry about, totally cool. Not that it was, but he could pretend.

"So... Don't worry about it. It might not be cool to everyone, but it's cool to me." That, at least, was true.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"...it is?" Ianto asked, honestly. He reached out, running a finger along the outline of the boxes of one of the watches, idly. Ianto didn't really have any judgment of the fact that Sulu liked plants. Sure, plants weren't really Ianto's thing, but. If Sulu liked them, he wasn't going to frown on that fact or anything. In the reverse situation of Sulu at that moment, he wasn't going to laugh or poke fun at the other boy's likes and dislikes.

After a moment, Ianto nodded, calming down a little from his moment that he'd had earlier. "If..." he started out, trailing off, before starting over again. He turned his eyes down at the ground, and blushed harder again, but at least he wasn't running away anymore. "If...you wouldn't mind, I kind of...really like pocket watches..." he said, tracing the edge of a box again.

[parked]

At least Sulu seemed to realize that Ianto was calming down, thankfully, so he didn't push the issue one way or another. Instead, he just reached out to pick up a box, smiling at Ianto. "I definitely don't mind. I wouldn't have offered to buy you something if I was going to turn you down on the thing you like, you know?" He nodded towards the register. "Besides, it's cool. Just... If it stops, or breaks or something? You might not be able to take it to a shop or anything." He shrugged. "I dunno for sure, but I think '200 years worth of technological advancement' applies to watches as much as anything. Y'know?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto nodded, blushing slightly still as he did so. "Yeah, I... I guess I'll just have to get you to take it somewhere for me, if it does stop working or something, then. If... If that's alright, that is? I mean. If I can't get it to work on my own, then. It'd be better to have it serviced than just let it sit around and be useless. But. I mean, if it's not, that's fine too. You wouldn't have to. It's nice to look at, regardless."

Ianto shuffled his feet for a moment, before speaking up again. "Thank you," he said. He wasn't sure if he was thanking him for not making fun of him, or for buying it for him, or convincing him not to back off on his decision, or sharing that he was just as much of a geek as Ianto himself was...but regardless. He was grateful for the other boy in that moment, and yes. He was awkward about it, but. He was awkward about pretty much everything in that moment, so. No change there.

[parked]

Sulu shuffled his feet a bit, turning towards the register. He didn't really know how to react to Ianto's gratitude; he knew it was no big deal, or at least that it shouldn't be a big deal, but after the awkward moment they'd had, it felt like the appreciation was for more than just the watch. So, he just waved a hand and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, and yeah, I can get it fixed and stuff. It'll be okay, so... yeah, really, just don't worry about it."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Yeah, alright..." Ianto realized how awkward the pair of them were being about the whole situation, so rather than furthering how awkward that conversation was going, he just nodded and stood back to let the other boy pay for him. He was glad that he wasn't the one playing the host--he would have been a poor one, comparatively. He didn't really have that much money to speak of--maybe enough for the pair of them to go out to lunch to a pretty cheap chip shop, but other than that... No souvenirs or anything like that. If Sulu took him up on his offer to visit 21st century Wales, Ianto had to hope that the other boy would understand why he didn't get exactly the same treatment. Sulu's family seemed pretty rich, at least compared to Ianto's, and what's more, he seemed to be on better terms with them than Ianto.