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.

Comments

[parked]

Sulu hadn't even realized films ever came in any mode other than "loud." Well, okay. That was a lie - Sulu knew, academically, from media history, that movies started without any integrated music and had to be accompanied by an orchestra or something, but he never really thought about it. So, admittedly he sounded a little more excited than most people would when he repeated, "Silent movies?" The idea was definitely intriguing.

Then again, so was the idea of staying in - Ianto cooking dinner? God, the mundane stuff really did sound amazing to him. "I'd like that," he said slowly, shifting a bit on his bed, sitting up to take off his jacket and loosen his tie, "The... dinner thing, I mean. And the television - all of it sounds good, honestly." He could only hope he didn't sound boring, or over-accommodating, by saying that.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Yeah," Ianto said, pleased with himself that he'd found something that seemed to excite the other man. "The Electro. It's an old movie theater in town, and every Saturday night they show old films. Old, silent films, that is. My T--" he stopped himself, lying about the place coming like second nature to him. He didn't want to lie to Sulu, though. He didn't lie to Jack, and he wouldn't lie to this man either. It only seemed fair. He expected the two of them to be honest with him as much as they could, as it were. "Torchwood helped them out," he started again, "so they'll probably let us get in for free. If you're interested in that sort of thing, that is."

On the contrary, Ianto didn't think any of that sounded boring at all. It... Well, Jack never did that sort of thing. The domestic scene. Sitting in, watching movies, eating dinner that they cooked together, enjoying each other's company while not really doing anything in particular. He... He missed that. He wanted that. And with Sulu, well. With Sulu, it was possible, and the idea of it sounded amazing. "Really? I'll... I'll keep that sort of thing in mind then, too. I mean. You'd have to excuse my hosting abilities, as it were. It's been a while since I've had anyone but Gwen over for dinner, and all." His blush seemed to be back to stay, as it were, but well. He didn't mind so much. This was a happy blush, after all.

[parked]

Sulu caught the pause, but he decided not to say anything about it. Ianto clearly wanted the conversation to go another direction, and Sulu wasn't about to stop it - he wasn't going to ruin a good night by being pushy. "Yeah, I would be. I mean, I've never actually seen a movie that didn't have sound already embedded in, you know? It doesn't really happen out here. I'd have to pull them from the national archives, and... well." He'd never though to.

He smiled at Ianto's apology, pulling off his vest before responding. "Don't worry about it. I'm really pretty easy to please when it comes to nights in. Worst comes to worst, just distract me with your television, since we don't exactly get the same programming in the 23rd century."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto smiled, leaning back against the armrest. "Alright, well. I'll add that to the list, then," he said, mentally making a note to start checking what sorts of movies the Electro will be playing in the next couple of months, to see if there's anything in particular that Sulu might be interested in seeing, and all. "After all, this'll probably be a lot more enjoyable than pulling something from the national archives. Considering it'll be shown live in a theater, with actual breaks for intermissions and all the wonders of theater refreshments and all."

At Sulu's mention of television programming, Ianto groaned. "Oh god, I really hope that by that time they've phased some of the crap we've got on here out. I'd hate to see some of these horrible reality television shows making it a decade, let alone 200 years into the future..."

[parked]

"Yeah," Sulu said, having also been unaware that old movies required intermissions, "It'll definitely be more fun down in Cardiff, rather than me having seen it in the dorms at the Academy, or in my cabin here and now." Plus, he'd be with Ianto. That was enough to make anything worth it - even a dusty old theater. (Actually, that might actually be a bonus to spending time with Ianto, but Sulu wasn't sure what to expect yet.)

Laughing, Sulu undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt a bit, finally able to relax now that the tie was out of the way. "Reality shows never go completely out of style. I'd like to say they're more mature and sophisticated, but some people love dirt dealings just as much now as they do in your time."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Hm. That's right, doing things on the Enterprise, be it in Sulu's room, or even visiting the cafeterias to see how the food replicators there worked, more things to add to the list. And well, possible planet visiting, but Ianto wasn't going to get his hopes up, in case that never amounted to anything. Jack had promised him the stars as well, as it were, and still so far all they had seen was planet-side, so. Ianto stood, figuring he might as well start getting ready for bed. Early day tomorrow, to make up for the fact that he'd asked for the entire night off today.

"You know," he said, as he climbed the stairs to get to his bedroom, "contrary to what you may believe, watching things in your cabin together might be interesting, too. Even if they are films that are recent here, pulled from the archives in your time. You know, so I don't get spoiled or anything. That could still be a good time, and all." Really, so long as they could spend the time together, Ianto was pretty sure he'd enjoy himself, which was a silly thought, but there it was.

Reaching his bedroom, he shucked off his jacket to hang back up, and took off the necklace he'd had on. "You've probably got a lot more inventive things out there then, though. A lot more to influence your viewing audience, what with actual space travel and aliens and what-have-you. I'd think that whatever you've got would be a lot more entertaining than now, but then again, I guess I'd be biased. Most of the stuff I find fascinating about your time is probably old hat to you, as it is."

[parked]

Sulu hadn't really considered his cabin to be a very good place for a date, honestly. He'd thought that there'd probably be more interesting things for Ianto to see in his time than the inside of his relatively bland living space, but...

"Probably wouldn't spoil you too badly if I showed you something from more my era - I'd have to set up a system in here, but those aren't exactly difficult." After all, it was sort of like a classic DVD player. Sort of. "And you have to realize - most of the stuff you have is fascinating to me. I mean, probably not in the same way, but still. It goes two ways, you know?" He smiled. "I'm entertained by the most mundane things, after all." It was true; cars, televisions and movie theaters were strange and exciting for Sulu - the same way things like alien plants and replicators were fascinating to Ianto.

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto balanced his phone between his cheek and his shoulder, careful not to press too hard so that he wasn't accidentally dialing any numbers or anything like that, so that he could start unbuttoning his shirt. "You don't think so?" Ianto asked, jumping at the chance to see something from the future. So long as there wasn't some sort of reference to something he really wasn't supposed to know about, Ianto figured that maybe Sulu was right, and it'd be okay.

Ianto laughed at Sulu's comment about the mundane, as he finished unbuttoning his shirt and shrugged it off, going to put it in the hamper. "Well. We're going to be pretty easy dates for each other to handle, then," he said, "considering the fact that we are so entertained by each other's mundane things. I've half a mind to bring you out grocery shopping with me, someday, just to see if you're lying or not, about this whole being 'entertained by the most mundane things' statement of yours."

[parked]

Sulu couldn't imagine what a popular movie from the last decade or so would touch on that Ianto didn't already know about - the Federation, aliens, Klingons, Starfleet, it was all stuff Sulu had already told him about. Sure, some historical dramas would have to be kept under wraps, but, well. Sulu was getting pretty good at bending the prime directive just shy of breaking point. "Nah, it'll be fine."

Sulu adopted a decidedly overzealous tone, grinning as he said, "Really? You'll take me grocery shopping? Will I get to handle the money?" Then he laughed, adding, "Truth be told, I actually don't go shopping at all, really, groceries or otherwise, so... Taking me to a market would probably entertain you for hours." He paused, then said, "But I refuse to handle any currency. I don't even have a handle on 21st century Earth coinage, and it's pretty simple over there."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto started on the buckle to his belt, undoing it and the fastenings on his jeans before stepping out of them and hanging them on the end of the bed, going to his bureau to find a t-shirt to put on to go to sleep. He wondered about Sulu's money comment, and then wondered how he might be able to stick Sulu in a situation where he would have to use the money, so that he could get the hang of it a little better. For something so small, it seemed a bit silly to get hung up on, but Ianto got the feeling that Sulu didn't like to look bad in front of people.

It wouldn't be the first time he'd shown someone who was out of their time around a grocery store, and well. He had sort of enjoyed it the last time, all of their reactions to everything. "Well... I'd certainly be more entertained than I usually am in a grocer's. It's not every day that I get to see these sorts of things through a different set of eyes, and all that. How different things are here from what they're like where you're from, I really can't tell you, but..." He took the phone away from his face for a second, pulling the shirt on before bringing his phone back to his ear. "Maybe I'd even let you pick something out for yourself, if you behaved," he teased, moving to sit on the edge of his bed.

[parked]

Sulu could practically hear Ianto's mind going, and he wasn't sure if he was going to like what he was contemplating. Still, he had to laugh as Ianto seriously considered taking him to a grocery store, of all things - it'd definitely give Sulu something to be a nerd about.

"Would you really?" Sulu asked, voice equally teasing, "That'd be so sweet of you. There's probably not a lot of ways to change a grocery store, but I have a feeling that it'll manage to be an entertaining experience anyway." He could only imagine how embarrassing he could be in a 21st century market... He was actually surprised to find that he was sort of looking forward to this potential date. He laughed. "How sad is it that I think this would actually make a good date?"

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto laughed, shaking his head despite the fact that Sulu couldn't see it as he moved to lay down across his bed, sprawling, the way the night had gone leaving him feeling oddly light and well. Happy with the way things were. Which he wouldn't say happened as often as it really should have, what with Torchwood and his life and all.

"About as sad as the fact that I'd probably be as excited to visit the cafeteria and mess hall on your ship with you as you would be to visit a grocery store and have dinner at home with me," he said, chuckling. "At least we're both pretty sadly easily entertained though, right? And... If it actually sounds like something you'd be interested in, maybe... Maybe we actually could, sometime. When we're both looking for a quiet night, that is," he said, smiling softly up at the ceiling, thinking about how ridiculous it was that something as simple and silly doing something like that could still make him happy. God, he really was turning into a teenage girl, here.

[parked]

"It'll make finding things to do a whole lot easier," Sulu said with a contented sigh, glad that it wasn't just him imagining something as mundane as shopping and dinner at Ianto's flat to be a good date. "And with our jobs, a quiet night is probably going to be our aim a lot of the time we're together."

After all - other people might like things like mountain climbing, going to concerts, doing all sorts of high-energy stuff when it came to dates, but Sulu was pretty sure that Torchwood and Starfleet were enough high-energy for the both of them. Between chasing down Weevils and exploring hostile alien territory, cooking dinner and watching television sounded far more appealing than any extreme sport or loud venue could.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Yeah," Ianto said, smiling at the image of the two of them eating in, and how nice and relaxing it would be to do something so normal as that. "I guess that those sorts of things would be more appealing. Dates are usually a break from the norm, right? Well, if your norm is like ours, then. The mundane just isn't quite as boring and well, mundane as it is for others, and all."

He looked at the alarm clock beside his bed, surprised at the time. How the heck had it gotten so late? Had they really been out together for that long? It hadn't seemed like it. Then again, there were all those silly sayings about time passing by a lot quicker when you're enjoying yourself, and well. Ianto really had enjoyed himself, from the minute Sulu'd showed up at his door up until now, on the phone with him. He supposed he'd have to let the other man go soon too, who knew how late it was over there, but. That meant that they'd have to really end the night for good, and well. It was almost sad to have to do that, really.

[parked]

It wasn't as though Sulu could ever regret joining Starfleet, but right now, he was imagining the things that he used to do as though they were fantasies, so it was at least good that Ianto felt the same way. He decided to say as much - he knew he'd need to go soon, and for some reason, he didn't want the night to end on some conversation about going to the market of all things.

"It's..." He trailed off, then started again, changing tactics. "I'm really glad that you... feel the same about this as I do. I mean, if you do. Staying in, and everything - it might be silly to you, I don't know." He fidgeted, toeing off his shoes and flinging them into the corner with his uniform boots. "I'm glad that staying in sounds good to you." That the mundane sounded good, that Ianto didn't want to go on adventures every time they were together. They would happen, he knew - their jobs basically called on sudden changes in plans, alterations to involve either alien hunts or skirmishes against enemy ships - but that didn't mean he wanted to seek them out. Not with Ianto - not with someone who made him feel content just sitting on the couch.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"I do," Ianto said, rolling on the bed to sit up again. "Feel the same way, that is. About staying in and all. Whether it sounds silly or not, I..." He took a breath, realizing he was getting embarrassingly sentimental here, but also realizing that well. He just didn't care, not anymore. Not since he felt so good about everything, in that moment. "I like spending time with you. I always have, but now that...now that we're dating, it's even more so."

"I mean. I mean what I say when I say that...well, I probably would be perfectly happy to just sleep in the same bed together sometimes, to just share quiet moments, and all. I..." he laughed, nervously, because he wasn't used to talking like this, he didn't know what it was in Sulu that brought things like this out. "So much in my life is big, and loud, and exciting that... I really am glad that it doesn't have to be that way, with you." He blushed. God, what was he even saying? Not that it wasn't all true, but. He felt more than a little exposed, having let that out in the open.

[parked]

"Well," Sulu said with a relieved laugh, "I hope I'm not completely unexciting. But - I'm glad it doesn't have to be like that, either. I could definitely use a little less excitement during my downtime." He'd been pulled out of a few days off already, with Klingon ships closing in on them at the most inopportune moments. He knew that could still happen while he was with Ianto, but all the same...

"I'm just glad that we can both..." Depend on each other, "You know. Feel comfortable enough with each other to want to do those kinds of things. Like... dinner and a rental, or something. Passing out together. I'm glad we can both enjoy that."

[torchwoodteaboy]

"No," Ianto said, smiling, "not completely unexciting. Honestly, there's more chance of me being unexciting than for you. I just meant that... That it doesn't have to be exciting all the time. And yeah. Like you said, that we feel comfortable enough to want those sorts of things from each other." It was more than just being comfortable with each other. Comfortable didn't make you do things like they were at that moment, hanging onto a conversation that they'd probably worn down a while ago, just because they didn't want to hang up and lose the connection between them.

Ianto sighed. "I... I should probably let you go," he said, forcing the words out. As much as he didn't want to hang up, he knew that he should. "I've really no idea what time it is there, but I imagine that regardless, it's probably a time when you should've been asleep a while ago, and. I don't want to be keeping you up, or anything."

[parked]

Sulu knew that Ianto was right; that they probably should be disconnecting soon, because both of them needed sleep, and Ianto probably was going to have to deal with Gwen and Jack tomorrow... He didn't really envy Ianto, in that particular facet.

But... He really was reluctant to hang up. "It's not that late," Sulu said, though it was sort of a lie - he needed to do some things before he could sleep, and the sooner he did them, the better. "And you're the only person I'd want to keep me up." He paused, then sighed and laughed a little. "But I know what you mean, and all right, all right. I'll let you go."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto lay back down on the bed, this time moving to lie down the right way rather than sideways, laughing softly back at Sulu. "Don't make me out to be the bad guy, here. It's not like I want to make you hang up, you know," he said. "I'm not trying to drive you away or anything like that." He shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable, figuring that once he hung up, he could just put the phone on the nightstand and go to sleep right then. He had to have an early start tomorrow, as it were. He'd had to leave some things that evening to be ready for their date, and if he didn't want to be completely behind, he was going to have to put in some extra hours.

"Honestly, if I could get away with staying up for however long it takes before we run out of things to say or one of us falls asleep, I would," Ianto said quietly. "I just. I don't want to keep you up too late, especially if you've got to get up and do work tomorrow morning, is all."

[parked]

"I know, I know," Sulu said, closing his eyes and smiling because, well. There was something ridiculously great about how normal this conversation was. It was the kind of thing he'd heard his friends do in high school with their dates - hesitate to hang up, try to think of reasons to keep talking even if they were walking into a class or an arcade...

"Both of us need to get up tomorrow morning," Sulu sighed, running a hand through his hair and keeping it there, staring at his ceiling. This part was always awkward, no matter what, and it didn't help that they'd already called attention to it. "I'll probably have to get into a dogfight with Klingon warbirds, you probably are going to have to save the world from some alien force... It's going to be a really busy day." Theoretically speaking, of course. For all either of them knew, tomorrow was going to be boring as hell.

[torchwoodteaboy]

"Yeah..." Ianto said, trying to imagine what a Klingon warbird really was, and whether that was as serious a problem as it sounded like it would be, when compared to saving the world from alien forces, like Torchwood would sometimes be forced to do. He shook his mind off that train of though. Not tonight. He wasn't going to worry about that tonight, not when everything had gone so well.

"Or at least save Gwen and Jack from truckloads of paperwork," he said, thinking about what he had left to do. "And... I'll probably have to take a drive out into the countryside, to let Myfanwy stretch her wings a bit. I should...probably be at least decently rested for that." Even if he were tired, his paranoia about driving in the Beacons might keep him awake and his eyes peeled, but. It would be stupid, to work for a Top Secret organization that fought aliens, and then die in a car crash because he just couldn't let Sulu go off the phone. Aside from the fact that he really liked being alive, he really wouldn't want to do that to Sulu or Jack, something as stupid that.

[parked]

"Yeah," Sulu repeated back, smiling slightly, "Taking a pet pterodactyl out for a jog in the park isn't exactly a 'wake up and go' kind of thing, I'd bet." He wondered over that; after all, well, you couldn't exactly put a leash on Myfanwy and tell her to heel, could you? What if she decided not to come back, one of those times?

He supposed it was more like falconry or something, rather than walking a dog. Which was... an interesting image in itself. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, realizing that he'd trailed off a little at some point. "Well, in that case, it looks like you're the one who needs the sleep. So... I can go - I should probably take a shower or something." He laughed, "I don't normally put product in to keep my hair from looking... how it normally looks, I hope you know."

[torchwoodteaboy]

Ianto chuckled. He...was used to using things like gel or mousse to keep himself stylish, but he definitely knew that it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. "Yeah, you should wash that out," he said, with a laugh. He should too, but he'd do it in the morning. It was part of his wake-up routine, a shower. "Though I do feel honored that you'd make such an effort for me. You did look pretty sharp today..." he said, with a smile.

Oh right. They were supposed to be hanging up soon. He had to force himself to keep from changing the subject to another topic, rather than wind the conversation down. "So. I... I guess that this is goodnight, then," Ianto said, sounding really rather reluctant to be saying so even to his own ears.

[parked]

Sulu smiled softly at the compliment, closing his eyes. "I'm glad you thought so. I tried to look good for you, after all." Which was a new thing for him, really. And he'd now set himself up to be always looking as good as he had tonight. Not that he really minded; after all... well. He didn't mind trying to look good for Ianto.

"I... guess it is," he said after a minute. He could tell that Ianto was reluctant to hang up, and Sulu wasn't much better; he wanted nothing more than to stay up late talking to Ianto about nothing at all. Sulu felt a sudden tightening in his chest, and he swallowed a bit thickly. "I'll - call you tomorrow, okay? Make sure you didn't lose your pet dinosaur, or have it carry you away."