Sulu winced, wanting so badly to regain some sort of control over the situation, to help Ianto as much as he could, to be able to leave the bridge and go to him, but he couldn't. He had a job, an important, duty-bound job to pilot a starship through uncharted territories, and it was a job he loved. And even if he didn't love it, even if it was the most trying thing in the universe, he wouldn't have a choice. He couldn't be AWOL.
Ianto hung up before Sulu could do any kind of reassuring; he almost called him back, but the timelock on the lift had run out and it shot up to the bridge, opening the doors before he could even do anything. He felt miserable, but he put on his usual attitude for the benefit of the rest of the crew, relieving the other helmsman before sliding into his seat. The worst part of it was, if there was no attack or sudden crisis, Sulu would have abandoned Ianto for four hours of nothing.
And that's exactly what it was. He'd hoped for a warbird to come out of nowhere, or for a crisis call to come in from one of the class M planets around them, but there was nothing, just space. The controls that normally made him feel so comfortable and at ease were just controls now, and the four hours dragged on for him. As soon as the Beta crew came in and he was relieved, Sulu was in the lift, taking it down with a few of the security members before veering off to his own room. He had no reason to change and so, as soon as he realized that he was alone, he shoved his hand in his pocket and pressed his fingers against the portkey, barely even stumbling as he went from one world to another, winding up somewhere in the hall. "Ianto?"
no subject
Ianto hung up before Sulu could do any kind of reassuring; he almost called him back, but the timelock on the lift had run out and it shot up to the bridge, opening the doors before he could even do anything. He felt miserable, but he put on his usual attitude for the benefit of the rest of the crew, relieving the other helmsman before sliding into his seat. The worst part of it was, if there was no attack or sudden crisis, Sulu would have abandoned Ianto for four hours of nothing.
And that's exactly what it was. He'd hoped for a warbird to come out of nowhere, or for a crisis call to come in from one of the class M planets around them, but there was nothing, just space. The controls that normally made him feel so comfortable and at ease were just controls now, and the four hours dragged on for him. As soon as the Beta crew came in and he was relieved, Sulu was in the lift, taking it down with a few of the security members before veering off to his own room. He had no reason to change and so, as soon as he realized that he was alone, he shoved his hand in his pocket and pressed his fingers against the portkey, barely even stumbling as he went from one world to another, winding up somewhere in the hall. "Ianto?"