Log with Ianto & Jack: Man! I Feel Like a Woman!
There were three things Sulu always expected when he woke up: some kind of alarm, his regulation sized bed and his regulation sheets. In his line of work, those were the only safe assumptions; for all anyone knew, they could be waking up to their timer alarms or the red alert alarms, or they could wake up on the floor after an attack - but they would always wake up near it.
Being that he was not really a morning person, it took Sulu a groggy minute of groaning and half-hearted stretching to realize that his three safety blankets? They weren't there. Instead, his bed felt - bigger, really, and... manlier. Really manly. Which felt weirder than the softer sheets, the metal bracelet around his wrist and the fact that he had hair in his eyes.
...Hair in his eyes.
Oh, Jesus. He knew what that meant -
Sulu snapped to attention and sat up, only to realize that he was now straddling someone, he was a girl, and he was in his boxers. And that was it. Part of him realized he was on top of Ianto, but the rest of him then followed suit and noticed that his free hand was on Jack's chest, and this was way out of his comfort zone.
Being that he was terrible at this whole "suddenly a girl thing," Sulu could only do one thing in that moment: he shrieked and tried to fling himself off the bed, despite the fact that he was handcuffed to Ianto. "SHIT!"
Being that he was not really a morning person, it took Sulu a groggy minute of groaning and half-hearted stretching to realize that his three safety blankets? They weren't there. Instead, his bed felt - bigger, really, and... manlier. Really manly. Which felt weirder than the softer sheets, the metal bracelet around his wrist and the fact that he had hair in his eyes.
...Hair in his eyes.
Oh, Jesus. He knew what that meant -
Sulu snapped to attention and sat up, only to realize that he was now straddling someone, he was a girl, and he was in his boxers. And that was it. Part of him realized he was on top of Ianto, but the rest of him then followed suit and noticed that his free hand was on Jack's chest, and this was way out of his comfort zone.
Being that he was terrible at this whole "suddenly a girl thing," Sulu could only do one thing in that moment: he shrieked and tried to fling himself off the bed, despite the fact that he was handcuffed to Ianto. "SHIT!"
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"If..." Ianto said, "if you'd like any food or anything, we could make something quickly, I suppose." He thought about it. "I'm afraid the only thing I've got in is bread for toast, but that's something at least. Anything more elaborate and Jack here might start chomping at the bit."
Jack shrugged, going serious for a moment. "We've got no idea what's going on out there, Ianto. There's nothing obvious on the horizon, but then none of it ever is obvious before it hits. That's why we monitor, try to catch things before they happen, get too out of control for us to handle." That was the idea, anyway. It was hard, with their organization stripped down to three. They really needed to start hiring more, but... Jack was reluctant to hire anyone else to watch get killed working for him. He'd even had moments where he contemplated Retconning both Gwen and Ianto into a time when they didn't know Torchwood, but not only was that dangerous in Ianto's case, it was also impractical. However much he wanted to spare them, he needed people there working for Torchwood. And more importantly, he needed them to be Ianto and Gwen, because despite how much he tried not to get attached, he'd come to love both of them, in their own way.
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"Whatever happens," he said, "It's not like you can't deal with it - or that I can't deal with it, or Jack." And maybe that meant more than he really meant it to, thinking it over, especially adding Jack's name like that. But it was true; whatever happened, now or later, they were all smart enough to not let it affect them. If it even affected them.
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Ianto sighed, finishing brewing his cup of coffee. He obviously wasn't going to get his quiet moment to sit and relax and enjoy his coffee this morning, so. "We might as well all just head out now. I..." he sighed again. "I just have to pick up a sheet from the linen closet upstairs, and then we can go."
"You know, Ianto," Jack said, sucking down more of his coffee as fast as he could (which Ianto could never understand how he could do), "you're fine without it. Really. We'll only be outside for the trip from your house to your car. Seems a lot of trouble to go through just for that, y'know?" Jack was as much interested in whether Sulu would back him up on this as he was in Ianto's reaction. Because while they'd been upstairs, Ianto...seemed to have relaxed a little bit. Which was definitely intriguing.
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He could understand why Ianto didn't want to leave without a shirt, he really could - especially with an Asian woman handcuffed to him - but at the same time, it really did seem pointless. Like Jack had pointed out, they'd only be outside for a few moments before climbing into the car, anyway. He briefly put his cuffed hand over Ianto's to catch his attention before agreeing with Jack (possibly at no surprise to either of them). "He's right, you know. I do understand why you might want to cover up, but you really shouldn't need to."
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He sighed. "Yeah, fine. Alright. I'll...I'll manage." It really shouldn't have been a problem for him at all, anyway. If Sulu could go outside in a different gender and not worry too much, Ianto supposed he could go out without a shirt. "I...I'm sorry about the coffee, too," Ianto apologized to Sulu. Jack, he didn't really care whether he burned himself or anything, Jack was always drinking his coffee too fast, but Sulu... "I...haven't any cream, I don't think, nor any appropriate traveling mugs or anything like that. I." He blushed, again. "I don't usually have anyone over to have to need either of them." Next time, he'd be more prepared, he thought. And blushed again, because that was assuming that there would be another morning with Sulu at his flat, and he wasn't sure he should really continue along that thought process any longer.
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And, really - good coffee, nice looking jeans... this morning could have been pretty great, if only he weren't a woman. He had to wonder if he'd get another shot at this whole situation - preferably without the handcuffs that couldn't be unlocked and the mixed up chromosomes. He knew he wouldn't be opposed to it - but. It'd be... The situation would have to be a little different, to get him to this point. The community wouldn't just drop him off in his sleep. It'd probably be one of the things Sulu and Ianto would have to talk about...
He shook his head to clear his thoughts, since they were sort of useless at the moment, looking up at Jack with a smile. "So, does this mean I get to experience your driving? Since," he lifted the hand attached to Ianto's, "I kind of have Ianto tied up, here."
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Ianto cradled his mug to his face as best he could, with only one hand, and looked at Jack. He knew it was hopeless, a lost cause to try and convince Jack that that might be a bad idea. "Jack... You know you're going to be driving my car, right? Not the SUV. No sirens to work with. If you're being too reckless, we are going to be pulled over."
Jack shrugs. "Relax. All I have to say is," he puts on his official voice, "Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood, authorization code: 474317," before speaking normally again, "and then make up some excuse about why we were joyriding through the center of Cardiff. Easy. I'm good at coming up with things on the spot, I've been doing it for years." And years, and years. Before Torchwood, he'd been a conman, and it was hard to be a conman if you weren't quick on your feet when it came to making up stories. Not that he lied to his friends, not often at least. He needed someone to be honest to, to make him feel more like a real person and not a fixed point in space and time. Even if even to Ianto, the person who knew the most about him, he was never completely honest. "Come on then, boys, drink up, and let's get this show on the road!"
Ianto rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee. He had a feeling that he was the only one who wasn't going to enjoy Jack's joyriding around the city. He thanked every deity he could think of that he wasn't the one who'd been changed into a woman, because really, womanly shrieking was really quite unbecoming. At least with his Y chromosome intact, he could keep it all inside his head.
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"Are you going to at least try not to kill us? Because I have a lot of things I still need to do." Like get his situation sorted out with the Enterprise. How could he hide where he was for this entire virus?
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"I'll try to keep a handle on things," Jack said, with a grin and a shrug. "I mean. I may come out of it all fine, but I'll have a hell of a time coming up with a new teaboy who's quite as great as our Mr. Jones right here, so. I guess I'll have to keep it in control, now won't I. Gwen'd never forgive me."
Ianto sipped his coffee, hoping to draw strength from it. He'd made his cup extra strong, because he knew he was going to need it, both for the situation and general, and for the oncoming car trip to the Hub. He didn't miss the apologetic look from Sulu, but he knew that the other man would probably enjoy it. He only hoped that Sulu was prepared to deal with being attached to him as he silently freaked out about Jack's driving, like he usually did. Maybe the white knuckles and clenched jaw would go unnoticed, though, who knew.
"Are we ready to go, then?" Jack asked, putting his mug in the sink for Ianto to deal with later. Ianto didn't mind. At least he'd put it in the sink, instead of left it somewhere annoying like he sometimes did. Ianto took a long drink of his coffee, finishing it while it was too hot, but the burning helped him focus. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," he answered, moving to put his mug in the sink as well. Jack grinned and all but bounced out the kitchen, grabbing the keys on the way out the front door. Ianto sighed again. What a day this was turning out to be.
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When Jack had officially stepped outside, Ianto had sighed. He looked up at Ianto, touching his hand again to get his attention, and said, "I'm sorry this is happening like it is. Are you okay?" Because, while Sulu was a woman, it was Ianto who had to deal with being stuck with him, and being stuck with Jack at the same time. It was already pretty clear that, given the chance, Sulu and Jack would very easily gang up on Ianto, and while that was a pleasant surprise for Sulu, he knew it might not be so pleasant for Ianto.
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"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm..." Ianto smiled slightly, trying to brush it all off, trying to not be affected by all of this, because really, he felt like he shouldn't be. He really shouldn't be fixated on the thought that it was Sulu attached to him, that he woke up with him and was probably going to have to go to sleep with him that night, that he was going to have to spend the entire day with him, and yet he, Ianto, who loved his solitude, really didn't mind so much at all. In some dark recess of his mind, he might actually enjoy all of this. "I'm alright," he said, finally. "C'mon." He cocked his head towards the door. "The sooner we get out there, the sooner we'll be done with this bloody car trip." He turned and started leading Sulu out, grabbing his house keys on the way out, taking a breath before stepping outside, hoping none of his neighbors were out at that hour to see him exiting the house with no shirt, handcuffed to an unknown woman, with another man waiting for them in the car.
Jack smiled at them from behind the wheel, hitting the button to unlock all the doors. "Hop on in," he said, though it sounded more like a command to Ianto.
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He took some initiative by maneuvering to open the door, before pausing for a moment. "How do you want to do this? Where should you sit?" he asked Ianto.
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"It doesn't matter to me, one way or the other. If you'd rather sit front, that's fine with me. It'll take some maneuvering, but I'll be fine in the back on my own," he lied. Okay, well. Not lied, exactly. If Sulu were in the back, he'd probably end up clinging to him if Jack got particularly adventurous, whereas...he'd probably end up with a death grip on the stead or the door or something, if he were to sit alone. He sure as hell wasn't going to give Sulu that information aloud, though, so. They were all adults here, and one little car ride alone in the back wasn't going to kill him. Hopefully.
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Besides, he liked the idea of sitting in back with Ianto. Jack would be driving, so it was likely that Ianto would be more capable of holding a conversation than the other man, and... well, he just figured he might as well use this time to his advantage.
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"You know, the centimeters from death at any given moment comment really isn't helping my nerves much," Ianto said, situating himself and buckling his seatbelt (another object that he'd definitely not encountered shirtless, before, and felt rather odd, all things considered.
"C'mon, Ianto," Jack said, pulling out onto the street and turning in the complete opposite direction of the Hub, "have I ever crashed a single vehicle that I was driving?"
Ianto looked at him. "You're not helping, either. You know, does the saying 'there's a first time for everything' mean anything to you?"
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"Seriously, Jack," Sulu added, "Try not to kill either of us." He really didn't sound worried at all, though; after all, he knew how to fly a giant space ship going at warp speed. He was pretty sure that Jack couldn't shock him in a gas-powered car.
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"Kill you? Nah," Jack said, weaving through traffic to catch the tail end of a yellow light, just before the red, "we're just going to have a bit of an adventure. You were the one who wanted a more exciting car ride, after all," he said with a smile. "Well, your wish is my command." And he kicked it up a gear. Ianto's car protested a little, but then obliged to Jack's commands. Ianto recognized that Jack was probably taking the longest way to get there in the fastest speed he could get away with, and he was not amused.
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"You're right, I did," he conceded, before glancing at Ianto to see if he was already on the verge of panicking, or if this was usual enough for him that he didn't panic about it much any more. He didn't know how Ianto really handled driving with Jack, after all.
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Jack, on the other hand, was enjoying driving Ianto's sedan. It definitely fit through more spaces that the SUV never could have. It was a shame there wasn't a siren on it, though. Maybe he could get one installed, though he wasn't sure that Ianto'd let him go near his car ever again. Jack did everything in his power to avoid red traffic lights, from switching lanes to taking sudden turns onto smaller side streets, weaving his way across the streets of Cardiff, a grin on his face the whole time, completely oblivious to his passenger in the backseat, rather enjoying the reactions from the other passenger, Sulu, instead.
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Still, he knew that Ianto was really not enjoying this - he could feel his grip on his hand and could see his face paling a little out of the corner of his eye. In between delighted laughter, he leaned over, sitting up a bit to get near his ear. "I'm right here, Ianto," he said, "Don't worry, it's going to be fine."
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"Yeah, right," Ianto said quietly, softly enough that Jack probably wouldn't hear him in the front. "I mean. Jack's never crashed yet, he says. I just. I wasn't kidding when I told you about that car accident ruining me forever for stunts like these." Ianto was fine with them when he was actually getting chased. The adrenaline was pumping, and he had something to focus on besides the reckless driving itself. He found himself feeling a lot more secure staring into Sulu's eyes, blue searching brown, rather than watching the road, though. His grip on Sulu's hand did nothing to loosen itself. "It's alright, though. I'll...really, I'll be fine. Once I'm out of the car."
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He kept his eyes on Ianto's for a few moments longer, squeezing his hand tightly without being uncomfortable, and then pulled back a bit, winking before twisting to look at Jack with a concerned look on his face. "Hey, take it easy on the turns, I'm getting sick. Unless you like girls puking in your hair."
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Ianto sincerely wanted to roll his eyes, but he decided to sigh instead, relaxing a little at Jack toning down the driving. He gave Sulu's hand a light squeeze back, to tell him that he knew that Sulu had just covered for him and made Jack slow down for Ianto's own benefit, not Sulu's. He also gave a small smile to the other man, to show him that he was grateful for Sulu going out of his way to speak up for him, when he wouldn't speak up for himself, there.
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Ianto's smile wasn't unusual to see but, for some reason, this one made Sulu feel better than he'd thought it would. Maybe it was because Ianto was grateful instead of upset with him for taking the reins like that, or maybe it was just because they were on the same side for the first time today, hand-in-hand in the back seat of the car. He wasn't sure; he didn't care, either. He just knew that Ianto's grateful smile made his stomach twist pleasantly, in a way he hoped to feel more.
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"Anyway, we're almost at the Hub. I guess it's alright if I take it easy from here on out. There are going to be a lot more police in this area, anyway." And he was right. A trip that should have taken them a bit of time was almost done, thanks to Jack's driving. Then again, he was the one who had chosen to drive the long way in the first place, so. "Besides, this is Ianto's car, not mine. As much as I might be into driving around some more, I don't think you'd be very happy with Sulu here getting sick all over your upholstery, would you Ianto?"
Ianto shook his head. "Hardly," he said, though in that moment, he was just playing along with the story that Sulu had fed Jack. He was going to have to thank Sulu out loud later, for it. His eyes met Jack's in the mirror. "What do you say that we keep our eyes on the road from now on, though, yeah?"
Jack grinned at Ianto in the mirror, throwing off a mock salute, before putting both hands properly on the wheel. "Yes, Mr. Jones," he said, in his best imitation of a chauffeur. Ianto rolled his eyes yet again. He was feeling better about the situation, now that Jack had calmed down his driving. He...still hadn't let go of Sulu yet, though. He wasn't sure that he wanted to. In fact, he was rather positive that he didn't.
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