Log with Ianto: Date Night

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It was strange, really, how much effort Sulu had put into preparing for this date with Ianto. His usual modus operandi was to comb back his hair a bit, throw on a tee-shirt and jeans and just, well, show up. No flowers, no chocolates, no presents, just a casual sort of attitude that usually worked wonders to make the whole situation less stressful for both parties.

But. Ianto was not part of his usual style and Sulu found himself taking twice as long getting ready as he did for anyone else. Hell, he'd even went shopping for clothes he'd never normally wear (with Gwen, who he was pretty sure enjoyed putting him through the wringer when it came to Ianto), put effort into how his hair looked, took three double-glances in the mirror - Jesus. It was only a date.

With Ianto. The guy who had this uncanny ability to make him feel like his awkward fifteen-year-old self just by grabbing his hand.

At least he had an excuse for the gift - he'd told Ianto that he'd bring him a plant, and it was Ianto's birthday present, anyway, so it wasn't like this was specifically date-related. He could still pretend to be at least a little casual about these kinds of things. You know, despite the fact that his stomach twisted into knots as soon as he called Ianto to make sure that no last-minute Torchwood business had come up.

World hopping, luckily, did nothing to mess up his hair (not that you could really mess up the generic look it always fell into when he tried to style it), nor did it cause the plant he had in hand to wither, wilt, or otherwise be destroyed. He'd gone out of his way to find a nice pot for it, something a little more futuristic than traditional terracotta, since Ianto would appreciate that more than tradition. Hopefully.

After all, this whole date was pretty traditional. Sulu even went for the front-door approach, which he hadn't done since his girlfriend in senior year of high school. He shook himself out a bit for a second, minding the plant, so he could get rid of some of the jitters he was feeling, and then rolled his eyes at his own idiocy and just went for knocking on the door, before he could get himself even more worked up than he already was.

Comments

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Sulu continued to grin lazily at Ianto, wanting to kiss the other more than anything in that moment, when he was blushing so hard and being so damned cute, managing to play off his surprise pretty well, all things considered. "There's plenty of hope for you, Ianto Jones. At least, I'm hoping so."

Again, Sulu accepted his drink with a thank you, both to the waiter as he set it down and to Ianto as he slid it over to Sulu. He laughed at the toast, because honestly, he couldn't imagine Ianto striking out. After all, Ianto had never had Romulan ale or Saurian brandy, and neither of those things tasted nearly as good as most beers or ales. Though, he imagined he probably could have asked Scotty for some tips on various European drinks. He probably should have.

Lifting his own glass briefly, Sulu took a very professional gulp, then one more for good luck, because that was the only way hops really helped ease his nerves. "Not bad," he grinned after swallowing, "I think you found another talent."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto, who had waited until he'd gotten a reaction from Sulu about the drink, let himself relax enough to take a few swallows of his own. And alright, maybe he drank that bit down a little faster than he normally would have, but really, anything that he could take to make himself stop looking like a fool was worth forgoing the savoring of the flavors.

"I'm glad," Ianto said, "that I don't have to hang up my hat as a successful entertainer, and instead can add 'has good eye for ales' onto my list of attributes, then." He smiled at Sulu over his glass, before taking another couple swallows, the bitterness of the dark ale familiar and not unlike that of coffee, which was perhaps the reason he ordered brews like this in the first place, because he liked to stick to what he was familiar with.

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Sulu laughed. "When the food gets here, we'll be able to tell if you know how to pick out snacks as well." After all, he'd figured from the name of the dish that it was something like a sampler platter, which was fine by him. Ianto would be lucky with that one, he wagered, since there was bound to be something there to satisfy Sulu's hunger.

"I have to tell you," he started after drinking down more of his ale, fixing Ianto with a completely honest look, "I'm really glad that we got to do this, and I'm really sorry that it took so long."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto dropped his eyes to the table, the look Sulu was giving him so open that he had to look away, or else risk getting stuck staring back at the other man. "It's not your fault that it took as long as it did," Ianto said, moving to play with a droplet of water on the table. "I mean, if UNIT hadn't been here, this would have happened two weeks ago, even, so. I suppose that I should be apologizing to you two, for making you wait that extra bit."

"I... I'm glad that we got to do this too, though," Ianto said, still not being able to look up at Sulu, but at least keeping his voice steady and honest. "I... Honestly, even though we'd set the date, it still sometimes felt like it was never going to happen. It wasn't until you called to make sure that we were still on for tonight that I fully realized that, y'know. It was actually happening." He smiled, ducking his head bashfully. "It's still hard to believe, really, even though, well. Here we are, and all."

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"At the very least, I deserve at least partial responsibility," Sulu said, understanding Ianto's glance away this time and therefore not feeling like he needed to draw his attention back. He instead took a moment to continue working on draining his glass, getting down to half pretty quickly.

"I know what you mean, though," he said with a grin, "I mean, as far as we're concerned - this isn't too different from other times we've hung out. It's just that this time..." Was different. He wanted to kiss Ianto, or touch him, or something. He wanted to throw compliments at him so his face would be perpetually red.

It was hard to think that this all happened because of some leather jacket - and really, it wasn't only the jacket. He'd tried his hand at flirting with Ianto the first time they'd met face to face, after all - not too much, since he'd known at least peripherally about Jack - and then after Ianto had said that his relationship with Jack was not the end-all, be-all... Well. That had definitely opened some previously closed doors. Not that he'd noticed them - not until they'd headed out into Cardiff and Sulu had made the mistake of finding those gorgeous jeans for Ianto and a jacket for himself.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto nodded, understanding where Sulu was going there. He took a few more gulps of his drink, easily catching up to where Sulu was in his glass as well. "It's just that this time it's an actual date, and we both know it is," Ianto said, finishing Sulu's sentence. It was a date, and that meant that there were boundaries that they had had up before that now it... Now it would be okay to push them. And that thought was both frightening and invigorating, really. He took a few more big swallows of his drink, before continuing.

"I guess..." Ianto continued. "I guess that the fact that it actually has a title, and it isn't just another time that we're hanging out, that's the reason why it's so nerve-wracking. I mean. The pair of us," he said, smiling down at the table. "We both were on about how we wanted to do things right. Now that we're actually doing it, it's... It's a bit intimidating really. I mean. There's a lot that we could screw up, here, yeah?" Okay, so. Maybe the alcohol was doing its job to help him loosen up a bit.

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"A lot we could screw up?" Sulu laughed, shaking his head, "I think you mean a lot I could screw up. You might stumble over your words, but at least you never have to eat them." He smiled wryly at his drink and then shrugged, throwing back the rest like someone who knew exactly how to drink, so long as you didn't want to taste anything.

"Seriously, though, we shouldn't be letting it bother us. I mean, so what if it's a date?" He grinned at Ianto now, "We both want this to work, right? Logically, then, we're already doing everything we can to make it work. So worrying is just kind of counter productive." He paused, then made a face and added, "Not that me mentally repeating that all the time has stopped me, but still."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto raised an eyebrow as Sulu tossed back his drink, but he didn't comment on it. He understood that at the moment, having the social lubrication of the alcohol was a lot more important than savoring the subtleties of the brew of ale. If Sulu were to toss back another of his drinks just as fast, though, then Ianto might speak up, if only to save the other from, well. Exactly what he'd said he would, when Sulu mentioned he was easily affected by alcohol. "Well, that's just because I've never made a verbal misstep, yet. It's not like I'm incapable of doing them. I mean, I say the wrong thing to Jack all the time. I just, well. Either it's harder to do that to you, or I've just gotten lucky, really."

"But no," he said in response to Sulu's statement, "we shouldn't be letting it get to us." He smiled, taking another couple of swallows of his drink. "But we are. It's... It's alright though. It's just going to take a little practice, you know? To get it so that, y'know, dates like this are 'like old hat' to us, as they say. That, and," he downed the rest of his glass as well, "perhaps another round of ales, yeah? That is, for this date, at least."

[parked]

It really was just harder to make a mistake with Sulu, when it came to most conversation. He was remarkably casual about most things, to the point where people sometimes had trouble accepting the fact that he was all right with whatever was happening, and that translated to his personal and romantic life. He wasn't going to say that aloud, though; it sounded a lot like boasting in Sulu's mind, and he really didn't want to be that kind of person.

"Another round sounds great," he said with a smile, "I promise, I'm not planning on getting drunk on you, either, so you don't have to worry about that." He shook his head, "And - it'll take some practice, I guess, yeah. I just hate it when I can't get the hang of things right away." He laughed, "That's why I hate 3D chess."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"3D chess?" Ianto asked. "I mean. Maybe this is my era talking, but. There's still 'chess' in the title. How is it any different from, y'know, chess on a board, then? Or do you hate regular chess as well then, too?" he asked, with a grin.

At that moment, the waiter came by with their starter platter. Ianto thanked the waiter for it, asking for refills of both of their ales, taking a guess in that Sulu wanted another pint of the same as he had earlier--he certainly hadn't said anything otherwise, and Ianto was starting to discover that he really was easy to please on these things. "Well, in the meantime, here's our food. I think you should be able to tell what everything is, but just in case, there's buffalo chicken wings, spicy prawns, chicken nuggets, and chips," Ianto said, indicating each food as he mentioned it. And it was quite a pile of food at that.

"I, ehm. I thought we might start you out easy first, so. No Welsh traditional food like steak and kidney pie or laverbread just quite yet, although the second you might actually enjoy. I certainly like it. So," he motioned to the food, "eat what you like. If we need more, than we can always order it, yeah?" Ianto took an onion ring off of the platter and put it on a smaller, separate plate to cool. "So. You were going to tell me about 3D chess? I've heard word that you hate it..." he said, joking, urging the conversation on.

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Sulu's expression brightened a bit when the food came, because - well, let's face it. He was a 21-year-old man who rarely got to eat bar food nowadays. Plus, he hadn't had prawns in years, so he was pretty glad to be able to try the 21st century variety. He picked out a few prawns and put them on his own side plate, grinning at Ianto. "Laverbread?" It didn't sound particularly appetizing, but if Ianto liked it, Sulu would try it.

"Oh, and yeah - 3D chess is, it's like regular chess but instead of the board on one level, you have three main levels, plus two smaller levels that have two boards. One person starts on the top level, while the other person starts on the bottom." He tried to describe the board while using his hands to indicate where the levels would go, making a face. "I can't seem to get the hang of it; it's got a few too many levels for me to work with, is all."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto took a bite of his onion ring, and decided that it was still a little too hot to really enjoy, yet, so he shoveled some chips onto his plate to cool down as well, reaching for the vinegar to smother them with (some things never changed). "Laverbread is..." He laughed. "Well, it doesn't sound like the most healthy or appetizing of foods, but I promise you it's actually pretty good. It's essentially...well. Laver is a type of seaweed. You take the laver and you boil it for a while, then mince it into a paste and well, fry it. Generally with bacon and cockles. It's, well. It's about as Welsh a dish as you can get, and it kind of looks like green mud paste, really, but I like it," Ianto said, with a smile and a shrug.

Ianto listened attentively to Sulu's description of 3D chess, trying to make sense of it. It was hard, though, because he was more inclined to pay attention to watching Sulu explain it than actually listening to how it worked, really. "Well. It's fine if you can't get it. I mean, you can't be good at everything, yeah? And you're a botanist and a pilot, not a maths specialist. I'd imagine that they are pretty separated from one other," he said, with a smile, as he reached to take another sip from his water.

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Sulu raised an eyebrow at the description of laverbread, giving Ianto a skeptical look as he munched on a prawn. The fact that it was a bit too hot for actual eating didn't seem to phase him too much. "I'm not sure that I can agree on that, but. One of these days you can make me try it, and I won't complain unless it's terrible," he laughed.

Admittedly, Sulu didn't like the idea of not being good at everything. Then again, he was a determined sort of guy, and it wasn't his style to admit to that kind of thing, whether or not it was true about him. He needed to be more humble, he knew. "I know, but. I'm - I'm sort of good at physics, so you'd think I could figure out something that takes place on multiple planes." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter - I'm the one who's growing live produce instead of replicated produce. 3D chess can't do that."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto laughed at the look that Sulu gave him at the description of the laverbread. "Oi," he said, looking mock offended, "you're Japanese, you have absolutely no right to give me that sort of a look over anything, especially seaweed. I know for a fact that there are plenty of stranger, more disgusting things out there that I could be trying to force on you, thanks very much."

He smiled at Sulu's statement about the produce. "No, I can't imagine that 3D chess would be able to grow produce. Or do very much of anything else at all, all things considered," he teased. "Still, though, that's admirable. Being able to grow your own food, and all. I mean, sure, you guys have replicators and all, but. Does everyone have that? And beside that, I don't really understand the logic behind eating the fake, not-quite-right replicated produce when with a little effort, you could have the real thing."

"I mean," he said, munching on his onion ring, "I understand that being out on a mission like you are is a little different, but I'm sure that people who have much more of an opportunity to grow their own food don't. It's like that now, even."

[parked]

"We don't boil and mince seaweed and eat it with... whatever cockles are." (Obviously, Sulu knew biologically what they were, but he also knew he'd never want to eat them, so they had to be something else.) He laughed nonetheless, though, sort of pleased that Ianto seemed to be relaxing pretty quickly with the introduction of some food and drinks into the mix.

"Oh," Sulu said at the reference to replicated food. "I might just be a little picky. Replicators pretty much exactly produce food how it's supposed to be, I just like the idea of growing and harvesting my own things. Most people don't have to farm when it comes to food, but there are a lot of farming communities nonetheless, because we have the opportunity to bring food to everyone that way. Replicators and the like pretty much wiped out famine, but that doesn't stop people from wanting to make sure our food supply is never too short, you know?" He laughed, "Just in case."

[torchwoodteaboy]

The waiter came by with their second round of drinks, and Ianto thanked him for them, taking another sip of ale before continuing. "Oh, come off it. Cockles are mollusks. Little clams, really. Don't ask me why they call them that, though, I really couldn't tell you. Sounds awful, doesn't it?" He made a face, laughing slightly. "Almost as bad as 'laverbread'." Okay, yes. Ianto was more relaxed, thanks to the alcohol. He took another long drink of his ale, enjoying himself, the brew, and the company.

He ate some of his chips as he listened to Sulu talk about replicated food. He'd honestly forgotten the whole bit about there not being any famine in the world anymore, that no one out there was starving. It was hard to remember that, well, at least Sulu's future was a better place, when there were still some really pretty horrible conditions going on right at that very moment. "Must be nice," Ianto said, after a moment, "living like that. Never having to really want for material goods, at any rate. Certainly better than working yourself to death just to scrape by. Not... Not that I do that, with a job like Torchwood," he said, flushing a little, "but still. My...my sister still lives in an estate, and all."

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"I really can't say anything about weird foods," Sulu said with a smile, "Culturally speaking, we have some pretty bizarre stuff ourselves. My grandmother still eats nattō, even though there are more appetizing options available with the invention of replicators."

Sulu admittedly felt a little self-conscious about the differences between his universe and Ianto's. It was against the prime directive, for one (not that that had mattered before); he also had to wonder if it was a little disparaging for Ianto to hear about how much better the 23rd century was than the 21st, when it came to things like disease and famine. It wasn't a time he'd ever get to see - not unless Sulu brought him there.

He'd just have to do that when he had the chance, he supposed. "It is nice," he admitted slowly. "Everyone wants to make the whole community better, rather than focus on themselves. There are still the odd collectors, places that use credits - because there are still things that need to be manufactured, after all, and manufacturing costs money, especially with imports - but it isn't the same as here." He shrugged, offering Ianto a smile before taking a small drink from his glass. "I have to admit, though, I do like it here." He added with a wink, "The company's pretty amazing."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"'Nattō'?" Ianto questioned. "Dare I even ask what that might be? It sounds... Well, maybe I'm just inferring, there. Since you already mentioned bizarre foods and said that there were more appetizing alternatives, I'm not quite sure what to think about it." He worked on finishing the chips on his plate, nabbing one of the prawns in the process.

He listened again to what Sulu had to say about the future. It did sound nice. It didn't really upset him about the conditions that they had now, though. After all, it was all part of the progression, right? Ianto just understood that they hadn't gotten to that level yet, there in the 21st century. They were from different universes, but maybe this universe would achieve the replicator too, or something a lot like it, and figure out its own way to solve these problems. Sure, Ianto wouldn't be around then, but it was still interesting to think about.

Ianto blushed at the company comment, though. Apparently the alcohol hadn't quite gotten that reaction to go away. Ianto didn't suppose that it would, though. Probably ever. "Well," Ianto said, looking down at his ale as he took a sip and blushed at Sulu, "I'm glad you enjoy it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure if you still enjoy the company, you'll keep coming back, yeah?"

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"It's fermented soybeans, basically. It smells and has a very... specific taste; I can't really stand it, but like I said, my grandmother likes it. It's got lots of protein, which is good, but it just looks terrible." He made a face and pulled some chips onto his plate, shaking his head. "So at least you like your weird cultural dishes," he laughed.

Taking another drink of his ale, Sulu couldn't help but smirk at the reaction he was getting out of Ianto. Apparently, drinking wasn't completely getting rid of that blush, which Sulu really couldn't mind. After all, he really liked how it looked on Ianto. "That's the idea," he said. "Good company means more return trips. And now, apparently, we have an easier way for me to do that, thanks to Jack's present." Wasn't that getting awfully close to breaking into a conversation about Ianto's unusual (for his time) relationships, though? Sulu couldn't find it in him to care too much. "It doesn't hurt that you know how to pick out drinks for me, though," he added with a laugh.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto made a face as he tried to imagine eating fermented anything. "It sounds lovely, really," he said, sarcastically. He took another long drink of his ale as well, almost already halfway finished with the second pint. "Makes you wonder whoever came up with an idea to eat something like that. You're right, though. At least I like laverbread," he said, with a smile. He wasn't going to mention jellied eels--those were disgusting, and anyway, they were technically English, not Welsh, even if they did serve them at some places in Wales as well.

He smiled and blushed some more at Sulu's agreeing to his statement. "Well, then," he said. "I... I guess that means that I'll just have to keep picking the right drinks for you, then. To keep you coming back, and all." He played with his glass, keeping his eyes to the table. "And yeah. With the portkey, it... It should be easier to do things like this. At least, the getting here part, anyway. It can work in reverse, too, although like I said before, you'd probably have to swing by and pick me up, that way."

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Sulu kept the fact that he enjoyed Durian ice cream and ginger candies to himself, since explaining what a Durian was would definitely make him seem pretty crazy. Then again, sometimes his own family thought he was crazy, and not just for the kinds of foods he liked, so.

"I wouldn't be opposed to picking you up to take you to the ship," Sulu said mildly, smiling at Ianto even as the other avoided eye-contact. It was a little strange for Sulu, who was used to people looking him in the eyes when they talked to him, mostly because that was how it worked in Starfleet. You kept your eyes on each other, so you wouldn't miss anything. Ancient Japanese culture found it offensive, sure, but Sulu really wasn't from the 21st century, despite all the things that still "technically" applied.

"We'd just have to find you a uniform to get you so you could come around incognito. It wouldn't be too hard, actually. But," he laughed, "You can't really go out to eat on a starship." He thought it over, "Though, next time we get some shoreleave, it might be fun."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"No, you can't go out to eat on a starship," Ianto said, "but you can eat in. You have offered to take me to the recreation room and see what that's like, after all." Ianto fiddled with his napkin, eating a couple of chips and trying to plan out what he wanted to say exactly at that moment.

"You know, you wouldn't have to do anything special for me or anything, yeah? I mean. I've taken you out shopping, yes, but. I mean, we've gone over to mine and eaten soup before. It's not like that was some sort of grandiose dinner reservation or anything like that. I mean, even this place," Ianto said, motioning to the establishment around them, "is only really special because...well, of the occasion and all," he finished, blushing, embarrassed that he'd say something like that.

"Although..." he indulged himself a little bit, finally looking up at Sulu. "Did you say 'the next time you get shoreleave'? As in...inviting me to a foreign planet...that type of shoreleave?" Somehow Ianto didn't think that they stopped by the Earth in the Enterprise until they were done with their mission, which meant that... It had to be a foreign planet that Sulu was talking about, right?

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Sulu had offered to take Ianto around the Enterprise, and in all honesty, he really liked the idea. It'd be nice to show Ianto the places he'd only really seen once, and maybe to show off a little of his commanding abilities when it came to telling ensigns what to do. He always seemed to be following Ianto's lead, whether because they were in Ianto's century or his workplace, and he wanted to try his hand at being the leader one of these days.

He smiled at Ianto's question, examining a prawn with much nonchalance. "Well, yeah. I mean I thought you might like to visit one of the places we get to visit as Starfleet officers. I'll definitely have to find you some kind of uniform, though, since I can't exactly bring non-personnel onto an alien planet." He shrugged, "I mean. If you wanted to, that is."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"'If you wanted to'..." Ianto repeated, incredulously. "Are you kidding me? Of course I'd want to. I'd love to. I mean. How many times in my life am I going to get an opportunity to travel...travel the world, much less to another planet. I mean," Ianto said, shaking his head and laughing a little. "I haven't even been to America yet. To... To be able to go to another planet..."

He shook his head, really not believing that Sulu had even offered, much less the fact that he was serious about it too. "You're right about the uniform, though. I mean. I'll probably stand out as it is, with all the gaping and general disbelief of actually being there, a uniform to help blend in would be preferred. Although," he said, cocking his head and smiling at Sulu, gently though, to show that he wasn't poking fun where fun shouldn't be poked, "I'd generally prefer it if you picked a planet to show me where there wouldn't be things running around, trying to eat me. No space bears if you can help it, yeah?"

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Sulu had known from the start that Ianto would jump at the opportunity to see another planet; he'd known it from the moment he'd first shown the other man the bridge, several months ago, before a date was even an option. He grinned at Ianto's ultimatums and his concerns, almost not noticing that he was actually thinking to himself, I could really get used to this. Where the this was Ianto, and getting used to things for Sulu meant that he was thinking of something long-term. Longer than he'd thought of before this had all started.

It was a little shocking, actually, to think that so suddenly - not only that, but to not even really notice he was thinking it at first, because it just seemed so right for the situation. He chewed his lip, then realized what he was doing and smiled instead, shaking his head. "No, I promise," he said finally, "No space bears or anything. I'll keep an eye out for the perfect planet, and we can steer clear of the other officers so you won't have to hide any gaping."