torchwoodteaboy | [RL WITH SULU]

Entry tags:

[RL WITH SULU]

It'd been a week. A week since that first day that he'd come back from the hospital, and Sulu had had to help him around his flat. A week, most of which he'd spent in a sort of semi-conscious, fatigued and weary state, shuffling about trying to get the necessary things done, but only just succeeding. As Ianto sat on the edge of his bed, just having gotten up from what had been his second nap of the day, and not feeling any better after having taken it, the world spinning around him from having sat up too fast, even though he'd paced himself and been extra careful not to, Ianto had the sinking feeling that in that whole week, he hadn't gotten better at all. Sulu had stuck around until his leave had been up, like he said he would, and then once he'd left, Jack had popped in a few times during the day to help out with chores (he was surprisingly good at doing the dishes and the laundry) and then at night to lie with him (even if Jack didn't sleep and Ianto felt like he was wasting the other man's time). And yet. In that whole week, nothing had changed. Nothing had gotten better. And Ianto was getting sick and tired of being sick and tired, and Jack was great to have around, but. He didn't really understand what it was like to be ill, and sometimes that wore on Ianto even more than not having him around at all.

And now, as the sun was setting, and Jack was off on a sudden call to London, Gwen doing god knows what with Rhys, Ianto wasn't about to disturb their peace, it was all starting to get at Ianto. The darkness was creeping in, and he was beginning to think that maybe he wasn't getting better at all. That maybe he'd never get better. Maybe this was how things would be, from now on. Maybe the darkness really would come for him, because it didn't seem like it would ever really let him go again, and Ianto swallowed against the swell of panic rising in his stomach. He... He couldn't do this. He knew that he didn't want to bother Sulu. That he had specifically refrained from calling him out of the blue for anything since he'd left to go back to his ship, instead waiting for Sulu himself to make the first contact, but. He. He really needed someone there with him. Someone real. Someone who understood and could chase the demons away like he promised he would. And so Ianto did the only thing that he could think of to help, and pulled out his phone to dial the number to Sulu's comm.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ianto leaned into Sulu's hand in his hair, enjoying the feeling of the other man's touch, but then Sulu had to go and question whether his flat had central heating or not, and it set Ianto off laughing. "Central heating? In a flat like this in Grangetown?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at the other man and chuckling, shaking his head. "I'm lucky I've even got radiators that even produce any heat whatsoever, really." He laughed again, and then smiled at Sulu, realizing that Sulu probably had no idea about radiators. He didn't now if they existed in Sulu's time, but he was willing to bet that they didn't, or if they did, then they probably worked the way that they were supposed to. "Radiators, they... They don't really distribute the heat all that much further than a couple feet away."

"No, it's alright," he said. "Unless we want it sweltering in here, there's really not much to do about the heating. Besides, it's my own personal heating system that needs to be turned up, not the flat. John suggested that maybe a hot bath might help, but..." He trailed off, shrugging.

Edited 2010-11-20 02:22 (UTC)

Sulu made a face as Ianto laughed at his question, though he was taking it in good humor. "Hey, I don't know what you have, that's why I asked." He simply hadn't realized that central heating wasn't universally installed in this era, and he felt a little stupid for having assumed it, considering the state of the flat and the neighborhood in general.

Really, though, sweltering wouldn't be so bad, he imagined. After all, he could deal with heat; it was Ianto's comfort he was worried about. He blinked at the suggestion John had offered, considering it for a few moments. That was a decent idea, really. Ianto seemed a little hesitant about the idea, or maybe he just didn't think it would do any good. "But what?" he asked, prompting Ianto to continue.

Ianto turned his head, partially hiding his face against Sulu's shoulder as he started to blush again, cursing the fact that even when he was ill, he could still blush as readily as any other time. "I... I mean, well. I wouldn't want to leave you waiting around the flat by yourself while I took a bath, I guess. And well. I suppose you could come and sit with me in the bathroom if you wanted to. Unless..."

An idea flashed in Ianto's mind, that maybe they could both go in the tub as well, but. He didn't even have the slightest idea how he would suggest such a thing. It wasn't really like he was going asking the other man to be intimate with him, not in any sort of sex kind of way. He wasn't up for anything even remotely close to sex at that point in time. But. The physical comfort and presence...it would be nice. He couldn't even imagine how he'd go about asking Sulu what his thoughts on the matter were, though.

Sulu could feel the heat of Ianto's blush radiate through his shirt, a sharp contrast from the cold he was starting to get uneasily used to. He didn't always understand Ianto's embarrassment, considering all they'd done already, but his mind was so far away from anything remotely intimate that any idea other than sitting there in the room with him seemed distant and silly.

Still, at Ianto's trailing sentence, the idea came rushing to him himself; he wasn't sure if it was what Ianto wanted to suggest, and he didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but... It had been a while since they'd done anything that even resembled being close. He knew that Ianto wasn't well enough for anything, not really, and he honestly couldn't find the drive himself after the last few weeks of being on an emotional roller coaster, but still.

He smiled in curiosity, deciding to see where Ianto was going before he put his own two cents in, and repeated, "Unless...?"

Ianto knew that Sulu knew he was blushing, he could hear it in the other man's tone of voice, and yet he did nothing to pick his head up from where he was hiding his face against Sulu's shoulder. Just because the other man knew that he was blushing didn't mean that it was suddenly an less embarrassing to be blushing in the first place. And of course Sulu was asking him to elaborate on his statement there. True, he had trailed off rather abruptly, but. That's generally what people did when they were trying to say something that they really couldn't get themselves to say out loud, they trailed off.

"Unless," he continued, only a few steps above stuttering at the other man. "I mean. Unless. You... You wouldn't have to just. Y'know. Keep me company. You could--you could...keep me company, or." He pressed his face more firmly against Sulu's shoulder, blushing harder. "Never mind. It. It was just a thought. Forget. Forget I even started saying anything, there..."

Sulu hid the laughter he felt at Ianto's stammering explanation, and then felt just a bit guilty for making Ianto so flustered to begin with. He couldn't help it, though; Ianto was adorable when he stammered, and Sulu really couldn't help but enjoy the fact that he was returning to that sort of habit. It was nice. Nice, and also reassuring that Sulu had actually thought up the same thing Ianto was now hesitating to say.

He almost continued to play stupid, just to get a little more out of Ianto, but really. He liked the idea, and Ianto seemed to like the idea - he was suggesting it, after all - and he couldn't imagine being that mean to the other man right now. So, he smoothed back Ianto's hair and nodded. "I'd like that," he said, smiling at Ianto's face buried in his shoulder. "To keep you company, I mean."

Ianto sighed heavily into the fabric of Sulu's shirt. He had a sneaking suspicion that maybe Sulu had figured it out before he'd prompted him to go on, just by the fact that his tone didn't sound surprised that that was what Ianto'd been getting at, but. He gave him the benefit of the doubt, there.

"Okay. Good. That's... I'd like that too." Obviously. Since he'd been the one to suggest it. He made a little noise of frustration, not moving to pick his head up from hiding it. "You know. It's stupid that I'm more embarrassed of asking you to do that than the idea of just doing it in the first place. I mean. I shouldn't be embarrassed in the first place, I'm 27 years old, and I should be able to handle a simple question, but. There it is. Honestly," he sighed, "I don't know how you put up with me, sometimes."

Sulu shifted a bit, twisting to move his shoulder away from Ianto, hand moving to cup his cheek and guide his face up. "It's easy to put up with you," he said honestly, before adding with a smile, "Besides, I like how flustered you get over things like this. I missed it." And he didn't just mean while Ianto had been gone - he meant even now, it was so hard for them to have moments like this, and he was just glad that they weren't gone completely.

"C'mon," he said, realizing that he might be getting too serious about what should probably stay upbeat, "Let's see if we can't warm you up and get you feeling a bit better. Okay?"

Ianto let out a breath that could possibly be classified as another sigh if it were a bit louder, and gave Sulu the faintest of smiles, his cheeks still flushed bright red. This was nice. This was...this was normal. Sulu making him flustered, him being flustered. If he ignored the fact that he was freezing and that just the thought of climbing up the stairs made him feel exhausted, it was just the same as what used to be.

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "You just want me out of my clothes," he said, deciding that if things really were going to be normal, he'd try his hand at joking around again. He hoped that Sulu'd appreciate the effort. Not that he minded the more serious moments they were having lately, but. He'd take awkward joking over awkward silence any day.

"I always want you out of your clothes," Sulu said with deceptive ease. Granted, it wasn't a lie, but still. Sulu and Ianto both knew that this was going to be one of the most platonic baths any two people could ever take together. At least, that was what Sulu knew. "But this was your idea. If anything, it means you want me out of my uniform." ...Which probably wasn't a bad idea. He was going to need to get a change of clothes here, somewhere along the way.

Still, they could take things one step at a time. For now, they could worry about getting upstairs to the bathroom, and how, exactly, they were going to settle into the tub. "Are you feeling up to trying that out now?" he asked, casually but sincerely, because he knew that Ianto sometimes had trouble with the stairs. "Or do you want to sit for a while longer?"

"Well...you are pretty fit," Ianto said in response, the tiny smile on his face morphing into a tiny smirk, before he shook his head, smiling again. It was pretty obvious to both of them that there wouldn't be anything even remotely along the lines as the usual things that two consenting adults got up to when all of their clothes came off. It really was just going to be an attempt to get Ianto warmer. Sulu was just going to be getting warmer in the process as well. It was cold enough outside for a warm bath to sound good to just about anyone, really.

Ianto lowered his eyes at Sulu's questioning, though, recognizing that the other man was being sincere with him there, and figuring that it wouldn't be too horrible if he allowed himself to be open back to him, just for a little while. "Honestly," he said, "the longer we wait, the more likely I'm going to end up falling asleep on you, so... Sooner rather than later would probably be the better option, here."

Sulu found himself blushing just a little at Ianto's compliment, even if it wasn't an option at the moment to take that sort of compliment further. It was still nice to have Ianto flirting with him again, even if it was just slightly.

He also understood what Ianto was saying about how tired he really was, and honestly, it just made him more sure of their new plan. He'd much rather be there with Ianto, in case he ended up falling asleep in the the tub. That'd probably be one of the worst things that could happen at this point. "All right, yeah," he said, smiling at Ianto, "Then we'll head up now. Then," he laughed, "We can tackle how we're going to actually fit both of us in your tub."

Ianto's blush, which had started to dissipate a little by then, came back. Probably not as full force as it had before, but he definitely colored at Sulu's mention of trying to fit them both into the tub. "It's...it's possible," he said. "I mean, Jack and I have fit in there before, and we..." They hadn't just had a nice relaxing soak like Sulu and Ianto had planned at that moment, but instead more of a... Well. It had been a night full of excitement, that was for sure. Ianto'd almost knocked himself out on the tap three times, but it's been worth it in the end.

He shook his head to clear his mind of any and all thoughts even remotely along the lines of that night with him and Jack. "Yeah. We... We both could fit together in there, so. It's possible. I mean. Neither of us is going to be able to stretch out or anything like that, but... Yeah," he finished, lamely.

Sulu grinned and raised an eyebrow at Ianto's rambling response to that question, amused at the fact that Ianto was clearly remembering something that was a bit more involved than going for a soak. "Well, I'm definitely not as broad shouldered as Captain Jack, so we should be okay. That's a relief, at least." And yes, he was using Jack's title just for effect.

With a small groan as his body slightly resisted his movement, Sulu pushed the blankets aside and stood, holding his hands out for Ianto, to help him up once he was free of the blankets as well. "Okay, well. I've got to prove I can be just as convenient as Jack, then, when it comes to fitting in small places." He winked, fully aware of how overly coy he was being at the moment and not being able to care. He was just glad that he could say these kinds of things to Ianto now and not feel terrible for it.

Ianto paused and rolled his eyes at Sulu as he winked down at him from where he stood, holding his hands out to help him stand up. "Honestly, you're just as bad as he is," he scolded, gently though, blushing, obviously not being serious about it. "The pair of you..." Ianto appreciated how at ease Sulu was being at that moment, though. It'd been the first time he'd seen the other man wink and really joking around since everything had happened, and he didn't realize that he'd missed their usual bantering until just then.

Pushing the blankets aside as well, Ianto realized how much colder the air was than it had been while he was mostly shielded from it by the protection of the blankets' warmth. Unable to control a shiver, he reached up to grab Sulu's hands, and then, once he had a firm grip, used the other man's support to lever himself up from the couch. He frowned, unhappy with how much of an effort just standing up had been, and he wasn't looking forward to the stairs. Speaking of the stairs, Ianto looked over at them, sighing in defeat as he prepared himself to make the trek up. "Don't suppose you could carry me up them..." he joked, not really believing that that was an option at all.

"I can be just as bad as him," Sulu corrected as he helped Ianto stand, "I just manage to hide it better." It really was nice, he realized, to be able to do this again. This was one of those things that he'd missed - and sure, yes, he could tease and banter with pretty much anybody, but they wouldn't be Ianto, and it wouldn't be the same. He wanted to kiss Ianto for the sheer fact that he was himself, and that he was there, but he thought that maybe that should wait until after they'd gotten past the stairs.

Shaking his head a little, he smiled sympathetically at Ianto. "Sorry. I think the risk of me falling and cracking both our heads open is a little bit greater than the chance I won't, so I'm going to have to say no. I'll help you up, though. Here, hold onto me for support."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Ianto shut his eyes for a moment, steeling himself. It was embarrassing, to have trouble doing something as simple as climbing the stairs, but there was an issue of balance and endurance that Ianto really just didn't have any more, not since he'd returned from the hospital, so he was going to have to just accept Sulu's help or be stuck on the bottom floor for the night. As it was, there was absolutely no way he was coming back down after this bath. He opened his eyes again, shooting a quick glance around to see if he was forgetting anything he might need, before he nodded.

Lacing his arm around Sulu's, gripping the railing with his other hand, they slowly made their way up the stairs. It was awkward, and Ianto was self-conscious of the fact that it was awkward, but there was really very little he could do about it. When they reached the top, Ianto stopped in the hallway and leaned against Sulu as everything swayed for a moment from the effort that had taken, before it righted itself again. He sighed deeply. "Well, we made it," he said lightly, trying to cover for how awkward he felt again in that moment.

Sulu made sure that his footing was sure and his balance firm as he helped Ianto up the stairs, trying to take as much of Ianto's weight off of Ianto himself as they moved upwards. He figured quickly that Ianto wouldn't be making a return trip that night, but he hoped that if he needed anything he wouldn't hesitate to ask.

Once they reached the landing and Ianto leaned into him, Sulu wrapped both arms around him and smiled at him reassuringly. "We did. That wasn't so bad, though, was it?" He was honestly curious, and his hand moved to rub Ianto's back gently. He couldn't help but be at least a little worried about how winded Ianto was over the walk up the stairs, even though he knew that bringing too much attention to it would just make Ianto even more self-conscious.

Ianto relaxed into Sulu's arms around him, allowing himself to accept the support the other man was giving him because...why not. He was offering, and Ianto was feeling like he needed all the help he could get in that moment. He shrugged at Sulu's questioning him, though. "It could've been worse," he said, mildly. Though honestly, it had been pretty trying. More so than usual. Probably something to do with the fact that he'd been up and down them several times on his own that day, which had been tiring work.

After he took a moment, he leaned back and gave Sulu a slight smile, trying his hardest not to start shivering again. He missed the blankets already, and it'd only been a few minutes without them. "Alright, well. Shall we, then?" he asked, nodding towards the bathroom, his smile turning a little sheepish. Despite how embarrassing and exhausting the stairs had been, he was looking forward to this next part.

Edited 2010-11-20 07:36 (UTC)

At least Ianto wasn't letting the question get him down; Sulu had worried that he might've put another dent in their relatively upbeat mood at the moment. "Good," he said, smiling and nodding at Ianto's question. Of course they should; he could feel Ianto starting to shiver again, and he wanted to help him keep as warm as possible. Besides, they would be together, and he was sincerely hoping that he wouldn't say anything to ruin whatever mood taking a bath with Ianto could have.

Taking Ianto's arm again, he lead him to the bathroom, making an effort to not physically help Ianto unless he needed it. He didn't want to give off the impression that he thought Ianto needed his help, that was for sure. "Do you want to trust me with the tap this time, or do you not want to risk me making the water too hot or too cold for you?"

Ianto stood back and gave Sulu a small smile. "I think I can trust you with the taps. It's pretty straightforward, after all, you should be able to manage. C is for cold, and H is for hot, and all. And you don't even have to exert yourself and switch on the shower. It's really just as simple as that." Alright, so Ianto was being a little bit dry with his humor. He hoped Sulu didn't mind too much, though he did back off a little once he realized how he was being.

"Honestly, just make it a temperature that's comfortably warm for you. I'm so cold that anything above room temperature is going to feel pretty hot, so. It'll take some adjusting, regardless. ...warm for you, though. If it starts to get hot by your standards, then it'll definitely be hot by mine, and all." He smiled, this time a bit more sincerely. "D'you think you can handle that?"

Sulu couldn't find it in him to be offended by Ianto's dry humor at the moment, because honestly, it was true. Sulu wasn't familiar with the tap, and he'd made that clear the first time they'd showered together, so he figured he deserved a little teasing. "Okay, okay," he groused, smiling to show that he wasn't offended in the slightest, "Yeah, I think I've got it."

Leading Ianto into the bathroom, Sulu moved away from him to contemplate the tap, plugging the tub before twisting the dials until the water was (what he hoped to be) comfortably hot for the both of them. He quietly held back the vague feeling of accomplishment, embarrassed that something so simple could make him feel good. But, then again, he only ever had to press a few buttons and all the guesswork was taken care of. "See? I've got it covered. You just have to let me know when you want me to turn it off."

Ianto moved to sit down on the toilet lid, not really wanting to stay standing nor feeling all that comfortable standing there watching Sulu. He smiled at Sulu's obvious sense of accomplishment in having gotten the taps working properly. "I see you have," he said, in response. "Well done, there." He wasn't being mean about it, though. He thought it was honestly pretty charming that Sulu was just learning about all of these things that were commonplace in the 21st century. Like tub taps, and radiators, and the sorts. "You're going to turn into a regular old historian, if you keep spending enough time around here in the 21st century," he mused.

As for the tub, though. "I'd say...fill it up three fourth's of the way? There needs to be enough room at the top so that the two of us in there don't displace enough water to make the thing overflow, but. I'd prefer to be able to have it as full as we can get it before that point, so there's more water to soak in, yeah?"

Sulu blushed a little, embarrassed that he was so transparent, and turned to check on the water temperature before sitting on the edge of the tub. He knew that Ianto was being sincere with his comments, so at least he didn't feel like he was being completely mocked. That was something, he thought wryly. "I'm not opposed to that," he said with good humor in his voice, "It seems like sticking around here doesn't have any cons, so long as you don't mind me getting overly excited about things."

He nodded at Ianto's instructions for the water level; if he wanted as much in it as possible, then that's what he would get. And he knew, also, that they were going to have to undress before too long - and then he wondered how awkward this really was going to be. It was one thing to take a bath with someone; it was another to soak in a bath with them. He figured that they would just have to deal with it as they went, and with any luck, Ianto would feel better after they were through.

Ianto smiled at Sulu's comment about being excited about things. "I don't mind in the least," he said. "At least you have a reason to be excited about it all. Jack's been here for ages, and he still gets all worked up about some really pretty common, everyday things. Like... Like kitchen appliances, and the likes. You should have heard his ranting once he encountered an ice maker for the first time. He was absolutely hopeless with it. Couldn't figure out how to make it work, then couldn't figure out how to switch it to the option he wanted, and then never let us hear the end of it afterward. You're much better behaved at not understanding things, believe me."

Ianto realized that they were going to have to get undressed pretty soon as well, and that that would be when things started to get more awkward with this situation. Which was one of the reasons he was putting off taking off his clothes for as long as he could until the bath was ready. The other reason being that it was cold and he really didn't fancy sitting around naked while he waited for the tub to fill up.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject