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.

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[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.

[parked]

Thankfully, Sulu wasn't picky enough to expect the same treatment; anything he could get in the 20th century, he would probably end up losing in his room anyway. Not that he'd want anything - he was sure there was some rule against it, and it'd be easier to hide breaking it if he was giving Ianto something to take with him, rather than him getting something he'd keep.

Sulu paid over the credit for the watch, then turned back to Ianto and grinned, holding out the box for Ianto to take. "There we go. So..." He nodded towards the door, "Do you want to maybe go get some ice cream, or something?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto took the box from Sulu with a nod of thanks and a smile, carefully sticking it into his pocket as he headed out of the store with Sulu. At the other boy's question, though, he fell silent for a moment, contemplating what sort of a response would be the most appropriate. He wasn't quite over his whole moment of feeling uncool back there, and anything to keep him from looking uncool again would be greatly appreciated.

"...we could," he said, cautiously. "...could I maybe get a milkshake instead, though?" he asked. God, even that was giving too much away. His sister never stopped making fun of him for the fact that he didn't like ice cream, and he was sure that once Sulu found out that he would as well. Because really, what sort of a person was he not to like ice cream? A milk shake was easier to handle, though, for some reason. He could let it melt until it was warm enough that it wasn't so cold anymore.

[parked]

"Sure," Sulu replied, not even noticing the tone after all the awkwardness before. "Or, uh, if you like it better, there are frozen yogurt places all over San Francisco, especially the pier. We're really big on it, but I don't know why." He made a face; ice cream was way better because it was supposed to be unhealthy for you. That was the point of eating it! "But yeah, I know one place with good milkshakes, so we can go there if you want." Anything to put the awkwardness behind them.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto shook his head. Frozen yogurt was just as bad. Anything that was solid and frozen really. Anything that would give him brain freeze and that he couldn't let melt until it was no longer cold enough not to threaten that anymore. "I... I'd prefer milkshakes, if that's alright. Although... I mean, most ice cream places can do both, right? You can have ice cream and I can have a shake and...we'll both be alright, yeah? I..."

Ianto felt silly for asking, and so. He decided that at risk to his own image, that he'd explain himself, because then he wouldn't be disappointing, then he'd just be...well. Dorky. Which he already was, considering the pocket watch and all. He'd basically submitted himself to that fate, now, though. "...ice cream gives me headaches," he said, awkwardly, but not sounding embarrassed as much as he could, just sounding...well. Resigned to the fact. "I. Prefer milkshakes. If...if that's alright, that is."

[parked]

For all of the things Ianto could have said, in all honesty that was the least strange. He knew there were species that just straight up couldn't have ice cream, and others that thought of ice cream as a declaration of war, so just getting brainfreeze from it wasn't anything too bad.

"It's cool, man. The place I know pretty much can make a milkshake out of anything, so they have a bunch of flavors anyway. You don't have to have anything you don't want." He jabbed a thumb back towards the end of the pier where they'd come in from. "You sound pretty down about it, though."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"...'make a milkshake out of anything'?" Ianto asked, cautiously. This was the future and with the technology that they had now, well. Who knew whether that was even an exaggeration or not. Ianto certainly didn't. For all he knew, they could make flavors that only aliens would like to eat, like...grass, or dirt or. Who knows, something weird. Whatever, Ianto didn't know the first thing about aliens, hwo was he to know what sorts of ice cream flavors they might enjoy.

At Sulu's comment about him being down about it, he shrugged. "Yeah, well. Not everyone as laid back about it as you are. Most people just think I'm being difficult. Or give me the whole, 'what d'you mean, y'don't like ice cream? What sorta kid are you are you anyway?'" he said, faking an accent with a thicker Welsh twist than his own. And well...even if he was imitating his father, Sulu would be none the wiser about that.

[parked]

"Yeah, like. Any ice cream they have, they can make a shake for it. And they have a lot of flavors, so..." He shrugged. Some places still refused to make shakes out of whatever they had, sticking to just a few flavors, but with the advent of replicators, it became hard to keep yourself traditional.

Sulu really didn't know that Ianto was imitating his dad; he just laughed and waved a hand. "Man, who cares. Like, we're practically adults," okay, a few years off for Sulu, but still, "We can like and not like whatever we want, y'know?" Of course, Sulu couldn't imagine not liking ice cream, but he wasn't going to say that to the other kid, that was for sure.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto laughed, shrugging at the 'practically adults' comment. "Well... I dunno about you, but. I've only got one more year before I'm legal to be doing mostly everything in the UK," he said, trying not to sound smug about that. Well, alright, so. It only was another year before he could order drinks in pubs legally, after all (not that anyone paid attention to that. Not that...he really got to go out to pubs, anyway).

"But yeah," he said, with a smile at the other boy, easing his way back into a more relaxed mood, "I... I guess you're right. We can do whatever we want, can't we?" With no adults around to dictate what they were doing, it...was pretty empowering, really.

[parked]

"It's still eighteen here," Sulu said, grousing good-naturedly. "But whatever, it's not like there are any adults around to tell me that, you know?" It wasn't like they were getting into any trouble - well, any trouble that their parents would hold against them. Then again, he had no idea what Ianto's family thought was bad for his age. "So... is there anything else you want to do, anyway? I mean, after ice cream?"