It was endearing, how much effort Ianto was putting into trying to not show his nervousness in front of Sulu. He talked as much as he could about any particular topic, which was a good way to cover your anxiety, but the fact was that Ianto realized that was what he was doing, more often than not, and then he'd blush and stammer to a halt.

Sulu nearly reached out to give Ianto's hand a reassuring squeeze, but he decided that that probably wouldn't help Ianto's nerves any - not in this public a place. Which was bizarre to think about, really; he'd never had to consider these kinds of things when it came to dating someone. He never had to think twice about touching his date, or kissing them or anything like that. He was pretty sure this century was just very much ass-backwards, and he knew it would eventually get sorted out. But by then -

"Don't worry about it," Sulu said with a grin, "I'm not complaining. I like it when you get tongue-tied. And besides, it's not like I go out all the time, myself. I'm not exactly relaxed right now - that's what the alcohol's for."