"No," Ianto said, shaking his head and this time Ianto was the one to run his thumb across the back of Sulu's hand, which was surprisingly soft. Perhaps a little too soft, definitely not like what Ianto'd imagine Sulu's real hands to feel like. He was a pilot and a botanist who liked to do fencing in his spare time, after all. Ianto imagined that meant he'd have harder hands than Ianto himself, not softer ones like the woman he was at the moment. "I... I don't think this is. I mean, if anything, maybe... Maybe this'll actually help matters. As. As silly as that sounds. I mean. It's got us sitting down and talking to each other, after all, yeah? And well. I really don't mind the cuffs so much, so far."

Of course, there were going to be more awkward moments than what they'd experienced, especially the longer that this virus lasted. But they'd cross those bridges when they came to them. For that moment, there was just the here and now, and the fact that Sulu...seemed to want this as much as Ianto did, which was strange for him to even think about. "Explore it further, and see how it works out," Ianto repeated slowly, trying to think about what exactly the words meant. "Yeah, I... I'd like that. I mean. Exploring it further. Although." He blushed. "I hope that it does work out. I mean. I... I trust that it won't fail. I have to. And I mean. If... If we both want it to work out, then. It... It will, right?"