Log with Ianto: Date Night

[parked]

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.

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[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto smiled and led him out of the pub and into the street. It had gotten colder, and there was the definite smell of rain in the air, but it seemed to have fallen and stopped for that moment. Ianto didn't know whether he was grateful for that, or disappointed, honestly. Ever since that day in the rain he'd... Well, he'd appreciated it a lot more than he had previously. It was still something of a nuisance, though, considering how often it happened.

The drive back was short and pleasant. Ianto mused on feeding Myfanwy, explaining how they sometimes let her out into the countryside to terrorize the sheep and stretch her wings, and how they'd created the special 'barbecue' sauce to indicate what she could and couldn't eat, as a way of training her not to eat the computers or, well, Torchwood members in general. He might have been babbling a little, but it was because he was trying not to focus on the fact that they were going to be alone together. After their date. And how that usually meant, well... It meant that something might happen.

It wasn't until Ianto was unlocking his door to the house that he really paused, his brain glitching a bit, stuck halfway between extremely excited and extremely nervous about all of this. "Ehm," he said, "do... Do you want to come in for a bit, then?" he asked, blushing. "Before... Before you have to go back, that is..."

[parked]

Sulu listened to everything Ianto said, finding the whole process of owning and caring for Myfanwy really interesting and, like Ianto did, a good distraction from the fact that they were going to be alone in Ianto's flat shortly. And... the fact that Sulu, since the moment he got into the car for the ride back, had a serious longing to just reach over and kiss the other man. He was comfortably buzzed, which only made it harder to distract himself from that thought.

Once they reached the front door, Sulu noticed a hesitation in Ianto's step, and he had a moment of pause himself before Ianto asked the question that he'd been partially expecting since they left the restaurant. He knew he probably shouldn't, because he might say something stupid or make a mistake, but. "Yeah, sure," he said easily, because it could never be said that Sulu didn't like taking risks. "I'd like that."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto smiled back at him, and let him in the door, tossing his keys on the table in the hall put there specifically for that purpose. He would try and offer a refreshment, but. They'd just gone out to eat, and they really shouldn't have much more to drink if they weren't wanting to regret it all later...

Shit. What... What to do? "Would..." he started, stumbling over his words, the alcohol's liquid courage effect abandoning him in that moment, "would you like something to drink? I mean... There's. I've got water, or. There's always coffee..." Ianto could have kicked himself. Offering coffee? It was like a default, or something, for him. It would give him something to do to be less awkward, but. Sulu was probably fine the way he was in that moment. Ianto just suddenly had no idea where to go from there, so. He was fretting, like he was known to do.

[parked]

Sulu followed Ianto in, hands in his front pockets as a preventitive measure against him trying to grab Ianto. He should be polite and patient, and probably only get the sort of making out they'd already done - which was fine by Sulu, really.

He could tell from the stammering, and from Ianto's expression, that the other was more nervous than he probably wanted to be; it was probably for good reason, but Sulu's immediate thought was that he was expecting Sulu to be expecting something, which really just wasn't the case. He almost said yes to the coffee, just because it seemed like the thing Ianto chose to do when he felt awkward, but as he opened his mouth, he changed his mind.

Reaching for Ianto's hand, he shook his head. "I'm good. Relax, okay?" He smiled reassuringly, and gave Ianto a tug towards the couch. "If you want to make coffee," he added after a moment, "I mean, if it helps you relax, I wouldn't say no, but I. Sort of just want to relax with you for a little bit."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Sulu really didn't need to tug Ianto that hard to send him following after him to the couch. Ianto was pretty much floundering, there, and was immensely grateful that Sulu had recognized that and reached out to save him from himself yet again. Ianto let out a breath, willing some of the nervous tension out of him, and tried to do as Sulu instructed and just relax.

He shook his head, smiling sheepishly. "No, it's... It's alright. I. I don't have to make coffee all the time. It's just kind of my default," he explained, gripping Sulu's hand back. "I. Relaxing with you would be good. I mean. I want to." If he could relax in that moment, yikes. He seemed to be responding well to Sulu patiently and gently taking charge of the situation, though, so. Maybe more of that could happen?

His knees knocked against the edge of the sofa, and instinctively, he sat down, Sulu's hand still in his, tugging the other man gently down with him despite the fact that it was Sulu who'd led them there in the first place. "Sorry," he apologized, "I. This is my first time bringing a date home like this in a long time. I. I guess whatever level of suave I used to have is pretty much zero, at the moment," he said, with a little smile.

[parked]

"I got that," Sulu said with a hint of humor in his voice, "But don't worry. I like your coffee, so I don't get put off or anything by you offering to make it." He sat easily, almost immediately letting his head droop so that it was resting on Ianto's shoulder, pulling their intertwined hands onto their knees. As much as he wanted to grab hold of Ianto and kiss him and possibly never leave, he was surprisingly comfortable with just this level of affection for the time-being.

When Ianto apologized, though, Sulu moved his head to look at the other, smiling fondly. "I don't need you to be suave or anything like that. Just remember that it's me you're with, not some blind date." After all, Sulu and Ianto actually knew each other. There was no reason to be awkward, as far as Sulu could see. (That hadn't stopped him from being nervous all night, of course, but Sulu was trying to practice what he preached, at least.)

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto smiled a little at Sulu's little bit a of joking. "I should hope you like it," he said quietly, joking back at him and relaxing a little more as Sulu laid his head on his shoulder. "If you don't like my coffee then I'm afraid there's no hope for you and the beverage ever working out."

At Sulu's telling him to remember that it was just him that Ianto was with, he ducked his head, blushing, before turning to look up at Sulu bashfully. "I think it's because I know you that it's making me this anxious, honestly," he said, sheepishly. "I mean. I don't want to mess up what we already have, as it is. And then, well. I'm ridiculously excited about what there could be to come. With a blind date, there really wouldn't be any sort of expectation there, but with you..." He laughed, shaking his head, squeezing Sulu's hand. "You really do make me feel like some silly teenager with their first crush, you know. It would be awfully embarrassing, if. If I didn't enjoy your company as much as I do."

[parked]

Ianto's honesty made Sulu blush a little himself, smile turning into a dumb grin and hand squeezing Ianto's back. It took him a minute to compose himself enough to say anything, because it had been a while since anyone had ever said anything like that to him.

"Ianto," he finally said, sitting up to twist on the couch, so he could be facing the other man, "You're not going to mess up anything. If anything, you should be worrying about me messing it up." He leaned forward a bit, then paused and said, "But at least I know that I'm returning the favor, making you feel like that." After all, that was pretty much how Sulu had been feeling about this from the get-go.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto smiled, turning to face Sulu a bit more than he had been as well, leaning forward, cocking his head to look up at Sulu a bit sideways, still a bit bashful, especially at the fact that he'd just made the other man blush, which he didn't think happened all to often. At least not as often as he blushed himself, that was.

Ianto... He wanted to kiss Sulu. Or he wanted Sulu to kiss him. He didn't really know which, but. He wanted something to happen there. He just had too much happy, nervous energy pent up inside him, and it was going to drive him up the wall if he waited and nothing happened. He reached out a hand to play with the lapels of Sulu's blazer, admiring the fabric, using it as a distraction so that he wouldn't be staring at Sulu from what really wasn't all that far away, considering how close they were sitting. "It's nice to know that we're in the same boat here, nerves-wise," Ianto said, softly. "I'd hate to be the only one looking a fool in all of this, after all."

[parked]

Ianto's hand on his jacket made him pause, half-expecting the other to use his grip as a method of pulling Sulu closer, then made him smile. That faint tinge on his cheeks that Ianto had put on him stayed right where it was, and he almost closed his eyes, sort of basking in the closeness.

The tone of Ianto's voice made Sulu exhale a sigh, enjoying the low quality. On top of Ianto's blushing, he apparently also had a thing for his voice. And his eyes, which was now where he looked, and possibly his mouth too -

"You haven't looked like a fool to me," he said slowly, then decided to hell with it and leaned in to capture Ianto's mouth in a soft kiss.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto sighed into the kiss, simultaneously relaxing into it and clutching at Sulu's jacket at the same time. He'd been nervously waiting for this, then he wanted it, and now that it was actually happening... Ianto loved it. It wasn't the first time that they'd kissed, but it was their first kiss after having gone on a date, and well. That had to be something entirely different, right?

He brought his other hand up to rest on Sulu's shoulder, almost on his neck, just bracing himself there, gathering courage from the solid presence of the other man underneath his hands. He was very glad that his mouth was otherwise preoccupied in that moment, because he'd probably be saying some pretty stupid things, otherwise. Like how he was pretty sure that if he could, he would be floating in that moment, how high he was on life. And how much he really did like Sulu, which was actually sort of frightening to him, considering the fact that they'd really only been on one date so far, and this was only the second time they'd kissed.

[parked]

Sulu shifted to lean closer, keeping the kiss soft, relishing in it more than he had the last time they'd kissed. Not to say he hadn't thoroughly enjoyed it, but this - it was different. It was romantic and not desperate or anxious, fueled only by the nerves they had when it came to this new change in their relationship, the dating and the flirting and the hand-holding. Before, kissing had been the way to assure both of them that everything was all right; this was more par-for-the-course, more... understandable. After all, not everyone made out just to make sure that the other was really there.

Sulu slid an arm around Ianto's shoulders, both to keep him close and to encourage him forward; his other hand reached across them to rest against Ianto's neck and jaw, putting just a little more pressure into the kiss - it was still definitely lighter than the one they'd shared before, but there was absolutely no trace of hesitance.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto did pull forward, both because of Sulu's arm around his shoulders and just because he wanted to, clutching at Sulu's blazer all the while, finding that it was convenient to have something like that to hold on to.

This was nice. Softer than Ianto was used to, usually. Not that Jack wasn't capable of being quiet and gentle about these things, but. That was usually more for when one of the two of them needed comfort, and not just because they could. He and Jack definitely enjoyed each other's company, and well, each other, but. Not like this. This was different. This was...

Ianto couldn't put his finger on it exactly. It's not like he liked one of them over the other. True, he'd known Jack for longer, and he knew that he probably actually really was in love with Jack, but. He still couldn't in his right consciousness say that he liked Jack better than Sulu, because they just brought out different sides to him. Ianto tilted his head into the kiss, gently urging Sulu on. He wasn't quite ready to step up and take the reins himself just yet, but he certainly didn't mind Sulu doing it for him.

[parked]

The last thing Sulu wanted to do right now was let himself get carried away; he'd had enough to drink and liked Ianto enough that it was a distinct possibility for that to happen, but he didn't want to rush this. There was something about Ianto that made Sulu want to do everything slow and carefully, something that made moments like this seem almost better than the more intense ones; despite the fact that he really, really enjoyed that sort of thing too.

With a small noise of satisfaction, Sulu allowed himself to deepen the kiss a bit, running his tongue along Ianto's mouth, pressing a bit. This slow movement made Sulu both want to push forward and pin Ianto to the couch cushions, but he was going to be respectful, damn it. They'd only just gotten back from a date, after all.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto let out a noise somewhere between humming and a sigh, and instinctively relaxed his jaw, opening his mouth a little, basically giving Sulu free rein to take this kiss however far he saw fit. It also showed Sulu that in that moment, Ianto trusted him a great deal to take things as far as they should go, and not too much further. He was, for his part, going to try and keep a similar eye on things, too. He didn't really want things to get all that heated, because he wasn't really sure that this was the time to start anything like that, but. He did like kissing the other really rather a lot. Especially in this moment, with Sulu's tongue warm against his lips, not pushing things too hard or too fast, but going exactly at the pace that the two of them seemed to unconsciously agree was appropriate.

Ianto slid his hand up to run through Sulu's hair, maybe mussing it a little, but enjoying the feeling of it between his fingers. He liked the fact that he could be doing something with his hands that was relatively innocent while this whole kissing thing was going on, after all. He just had so much pent-up excitement about this kiss, it was hard to sit still and just let it happen without doing something like that.

[parked]

Sulu took the hint Ianto gave him and deepened the kiss, moving his hand to drape over the back of Ianto's neck, threading his fingers through the hair there. God, but did he like to kiss Ianto. He was surprised, thinking about it now, that he'd managed to go so many months without so much as a thought of doing this, before that day in the rain. He berated himself, even though he knew he had put on his blinders because he'd thought Ianto and Jack were in a closed relationship, not an open one like it had turned out. He could have been doing this for a while. Possibly, at least.

He couldn't hold back a moaning sort of sound at the feel of Ianto's fingers in his hair, finding his arm pulling Ianto a fraction closer to him. He couldn't help himself, really; it felt so nice to have Ianto this close, and he didn't want it to end.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto's eyes fluttered shut as Sulu's hand threaded through his hair. Right. Sulu's hands. His wonderful hands. Ianto had forgotten how much he enjoyed them, how much he had enjoyed them the last time the two of them had kissed each other. It was all kind of a blur--the number one emotion being relief in Ianto's mind, rather than desire or excitement, like the sensations that he was getting in that moment instead.

Sulu's moan at Ianto's touch went straight through Ianto. He really rather liked that noise, especially when Sulu did it. He allowed himself to be pulled closer to the other man, not resisting it in the very least, but going right along with the motion, as he kissed Sulu back, with just as equal depth and fervor as he was receiving from the other man. His other hand, previously having been clutching at Sulu's jacket, moved to lay flat on his chest, just bracing himself there as they kissed.

[parked]

Sulu was starting to suspect that there might be too many layers of clothing between his skin and Ianto's hand. Of course, he knew that it was a good thing, that it was keeping him from getting too out of control, but at the same time, he wished he could feel Ianto's hands on his skin. He sighed and settled for what he had, humming as Ianto's hand touched his chest, even through the layers of clothes.

He couldn't even think to separate for air; it was too good, too amazing, to think about breaking the kiss, and so he just inhaled through his nose, humming into Ianto's mouth a little as he shifted closer, shifting to pull his arm away from Ianto's shoulders and wrap it now around his waist. He wished there was a way he could stay like this for a long time. (Part of him imagined the community would eventually do it for them, so he made a point to not wish too hard. Didn't want to give it any ideas. ...Then, he realized that he was thinking the community could hear his thoughts and forgot the whole thing in favor of focusing on how Ianto's mouth and body felt against him.)

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto kept getting pulled closer and pulled closer to Sulu, and while he loved kissing him like that, he just couldn't get the angle right, what with Sulu sitting sideways like he was. Luckily enough for Ianto, the way that he himself was sitting was good enough for him to get a little bit of leverage, and moving his hand from Sulu's chest to Sulu's thigh, hooking his other hand a little more firmly around Sulu's head, he leaned forward enough to push Sulu backwards into the armrest that he knew to be behind the other man, capturing his lips in a firm and hungry kiss.

It wasn't until a few moments after that he really realized how he was positioned, how he had just sort of shot forward out of nowhere to go this far, and most of all, that his hand was perilously close to Sulu's groin. He moved his hand to the sofa beside Sulu, pulling away from the kiss abruptly and putting his forehead against the other man's shoulder. Shit. So much for taking it slow. Whether it was because of his nerves or the alcohol or what, Ianto had practically jumped in Sulu's clothes with him in that moment. He just stayed there like that, for a few seconds, catching his breath. "God, I..." he started, shaking his head against Sulu's shoulder, hiding the magnificent blush that had started to bloom there. "I'm sorry. That was... I didn't meant to..." He let out a groan, only this time one of distress, rather than pleasure.

[parked]

Sulu made a surprised noise at the sudden move, tightening his hold as Ianto pushed him backwards and effectively pinned him against the couch. He hadn't expected the other to take control, much less take over like this, but Ianto was kissing him so eagerly and Sulu really couldn't find it in himself to complain, though he had to resist fidgeting.

The kiss ended just as suddenly as it had intensified, and Sulu realized probably only moments after Ianto did that maybe this was just a little too much for them at the moment. Sulu stroked Ianto's hair with one hand, his other sliding up his back more so that it was in less of a flirtatious area, and more of a comforting one. He had to blink at the apology, though, because honestly? That had been totally all right. Maybe not in the long run, but at the moment, at least...

"Hey," he said quietly, "Don't worry about it. I'm not complaining." After all, he wasn't clambering to escape Ianto's grasp, now was he?

[torchwoodteaboy]

"That's just the problem though," Ianto said into Sulu's shoulder. "It's too soon. I... I want to. God, do I want to, but." He buried his face further into Sulu's shoulder, finding the hand in his hair actually very comforting, rather than arousing like it might otherwise have been. Especially considering the fact that moments earlier, Ianto had been all but prepared to jump Sulu.

"I... We need to take things slower than that. As much... As much as either of us would enjoy it, it's probably not a very good idea." He turned his head into Sulu's neck, flushing warm against the skin there, just enjoying the feeling of being so close to the other man. "I'm not sure that, well. If we keep going like that, that I'd really be able to stop myself, when it mattered. I... I'm not a saint," he said, chuckling slightly.

[parked]

Sulu restrained himself from moving around any, lying relaxed against the couch as Ianto talked. He knew that the two of them wanted to take things slow, as slow as possible, and he had no problem with that. He just hadn't wanted Ianto to apologize for something that was really not a problem - sure, it was a little much for right now, but someday...

"I know," he said after a minute. "We're going to take this at a pace we're both comfortable with." He hesitated, then smiled to himself and said, "Who wants to go out with a saint? That'd be boring."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto let out a breath, not quite a laugh, but close enough to count as something of the sort. He realized that he was pretty much leaning across Sulu, trapping him against the side of the sofa, and yet. He really didn't feel like moving whatsoever, not yet. "I guess it would be, wouldn't it?" he asked, amused. "Things would get pretty old pretty fast like that, I'd imagine," he said.

He shifted, making himself more comfortable and turning himself sideways a little bit as he leaned against Sulu. "I'm pretty comfortable with this," he said, in response to Sulu's statement about the pace that they were setting. "I mean. I like this sort of thing. If you do, that is. Just, y'know. Being together. I mean. The other stuff is nice too, but. This is safe and nice." He smiled, knowing that Sulu couldn't see it, but would probably be able to hear it in his voice. "I feel like I won't be able to get myself into as much trouble like this, really."

[parked]

Sulu moved his arms obligingly for Ianto's shifting, though he was unable to stop running his fingers through the other's hair. It was nice, after all, and he really liked how it felt. He really liked how all of this felt - it wasn't a let down to go from making out to this, since Sulu hadn't been expecting anything anyway, and he really did like just lying there with Ianto.

"I like it too," he said easily, "Don't worry. I like this just as much as anything. I'm with you, after all." He really thought he should stop with the cheesy lines, but he couldn't help himself; they were true, after all. "But," he said, "This isn't necessarily safe." With his grin evident in his tone, he said, "I could push you off the couch, and I'm sure that would hurt at least a bit." Not that he would.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Yeah," Ianto said, blushing at how honest Sulu's words were, when he said them. "That's good, then. Because well. I'd rather like to be able to do this more often. Since the pair of us both like it, and all. I mean. You're really quite comfortable to lie around with, really. Certainly better than if I were just lying on the couch by myself, and all. Got my own personal heat source, like this," he mused. Which was also nice. Ianto tended to run cold, and it was nice to have someone else there to share body heat with.

Ianto turned his head to look up at Sulu as much as he could from the position he wasn't going to move himself from anytime soon, raising an eyebrow and smirking at the other man. "You wouldn't dare," he said, moving a hand to poke Sulu in the ribs. "I'd just take you with me. Use you for a landing cushion, or something," he joked.