torchwoodteaboy | [RL WITH SULU]

Sulu smiled gently at Ianto, understandingly. If he'd fallen down the stairs - Sulu couldn't even imagine it. "I can do all of that, then. I'm sure I can make something that'll fill you up without being too much." Which, inevitably, would be toast with jam, or something like that. Still, better than nothing.

At Ianto's comment about Jack and his question as to whether or not Sulu would stay, he nodded. "And yeah, of course I'll stay. So long as you want me to stay, I'll be here. Just remember that if you want me to leave," he added, not really believing it would happen but wanting to keep the option on the table for Ianto, "All you have to do is ask. But until then, we'll keep Jack calm together. I think I've gotten an idea of how to do it now, at least." He shifted to his knees, getting ready to stand. "Ready to get back to bed, then?"

Ianto nodded, grateful that Sulu was offering to keep him company, and to help be a peacekeeper for Jack, knowing that the other man was a bit unpredictable, especially when he got emotional, so it could go any number of ways and Ianto really didn't have the strength to get up and chase after him if Jack's first reaction turns out to be to run away. Ianto watched Sulu shifting in front of him, knowing that he was going to have to get up soon and kind of dreading it. He was cold on the floor, but it was still sort of comfortable, and even though the bed wasn't really that far away...it seemed pretty far to him. But he nodded nonetheless, because. Well, the other choice was just staying sitting there in the hallway, and he wasn't going to do that when there was a nice warm bed just in the other room.

"Yeah, I... I think so," he said, forcing himself to stay honest with the other man, and therefore not just outright agreeing that yes, he was fine, let's just do this. "I'm going to need a hand getting up, though," he said. "The ground is a lot further down than you might think it is..."

Sulu nodded again. He wasn't expecting Ianto to be able to stand on his own - he hadn't realized it, really, but he'd been helping Ianto up more and more in the last few days. It just hadn't occurred to him until now how much he'd been helping. Still, Ianto was being honest with him now, and Sulu wasn't going to reject him now that he was telling him truthfully that he was going to need help.

"Okay, then, I've got you." He pushed himself up to his feet, before bending to hold out his hands to help Ianto up. Truthfully, after the last time, he was a little worried about Ianto standing, but at least this time they'd be more prepared for it, one way or another. His hands found Ianto's and he pulled him up as slowly and as smoothly as he could, considering how hard it was to do either when you were trying to haul someone to their feet.

Ianto tried his hardest to help Sulu get him up, so it wasn't just the other man lifting him from a sitting position into a standing one. He had to feel at least somewhat like he was helping, even if it was only marginal. As soon as he was standing up, though, Ianto instantly regretted it. Not that he really wanted to stay sitting on the floor in the hallway, it's just that once he was standing again, those white pins of light started to swim through his vision once more, and the blood started rushing to his ears.

Still...he had to try. And the bed was only just right there. Surely he could make it, right? He nodded to Sulu after a few moments of standing there in the hallway, and they started slowly toward the bedroom, Ianto leaning heavily against the other man. They'd only gotten a few steps, just crossing the threshold into the bedroom, though, when that tunneling sensation started happening again, blackness instantly swooping over his vision, his breath speeding up and his heart racing to try and get the blood moving fast enough, but it was no use and it was all Ianto could do to say "...again. I..." before for the second time in less than half an hour, Ianto completely blacked out, leaning into Sulu as he lost consciousness completely.

Luckily, this time Sulu saw it coming, from the way Ianto leaned into him and the way his breath sped up suddenly. "Okay," he said, quickly, though it was useless to say much of anything as Ianto collapsed against him. He staggered slightly before regaining his footing and held Ianto up against him for a moment or two, just holding him close and feeling out his pulse.

Walking wasn't working anymore. Ianto couldn't take more than a few steps before he went down. Sulu knew that he was going to panic if he thought about that for too long, and so he carefully locked it away and instead shifted Ianto's weight in his arms, hooking an arm under his knees and lifting him up. Ianto was light - too light, really - and so Sulu had barely any trouble carrying him the last few steps to the bed. He settled him down before pulling the covers back, shifting the pillow under his head better before sitting down on the edge of the mattress, reaching out to touch Ianto's cheek. He was fine. He would be fine. They just needed to make a few calls.

A minute or so later, a bit longer than the last time he'd been out but only just, Ianto started to come around again, taking in a deep breath and making a low noise as he regained both consciousness and sensation. He noticed that he wasn't on the floor anymore, that he was lying down and wherever he was, he was comfortable and warmer than he had been before. And there was something warm against his cheek as well. After a moment of adjusting, just lying there breathing, the rushing sound in his ears slowly fading away, he opened his eyes and looked around, looked up at Sulu sitting on the edge of the mattress bedside him, the pressure on his cheek now recognizable as Sulu's hand.

Ianto's blue eyes saddened as he stared up at the other man, apologetically. "I'm sorry," he said, quietly. Yes, he knew he was supposed to be optimistic, but. He couldn't help but feel the need to apologize. That he was this bad, that he'd let things get this bad before he told the other man, that he was even in a situation such as this--for a lot of reasons, really. "How did...?" he asked trailing off, although it was obvious that he was wondering how he made it to the bed, when he only vaguely remembered coming in the door.

Sulu smiled sympathetically at Ianto, brushing his hand along Ianto's cheek and over his ear. He could tell that the other man was dismayed to find he'd passed out again, but at least Sulu had been prepared this time. Things would be fixed, soon enough, and then they could put this all behind them.

"It's okay," he said, "I had to do a little carrying, but I figured you wouldn't mind so long as you got to bed all right. When you're better, though, we're going to have to take you out to dinner and get your weight back up. You're a little light." Which was, honestly, a normal part of being sick. Sulu was worried, but at least it was something he could handle. They could both handle. "When you're feeling a little less faint, I'll head back to my cabin and get some tea for you. And... if you want, I'll bring you a phone. If you want to get a hold of Jack."

Ianto lowered his eyes, sighing. He really was going to have to talk to Jack. He couldn't just go disappearing on him, couldn't just head off to the Enterprise and not tell him why he was going, in case... In case he didn't come back. He owed Jack that much. He owed Sulu that much, especially if... If they made the trip, and it didn't work, and if...if he ended up dying up there, under McCoy's supervision, then. He didn't want Jack to blame Sulu for it. He didn't want Jack to have to find out that something had happened to him the way that Sulu had, when he was by himself and when there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Yeah, alright," he said, after a moment. "I... I think I've got to ask him over, though, like I said. This... This really isn't a conversation that I can just drop on him over the phone, after all. And..." He raised his eyes up to look at Sulu again. "I want you to help me tell him. You...you know what he's like, when he's upset, yeah? I...I don't really have the energy to deal with that alone. Even with your magic healing tea," he said, with a small smile. The tea would make him feel a lot better, at least temporarily, after all. "I'm lucky that you've got such a useful hobby." And job for that matter, as well as the fact that he was from the future, but Ianto wasn't going to go into that. Not yet, at least.

"Yeah," Sulu said, because really, he did understand. He knew that things like this - lying to someone you cared for, even if it was to protect them from getting hurt - it wasn't something you could just work into a conversation. "I'll be here, of course. We'll make sure he doesn't try to storm off." Seriously. That reaction worked for some problems, and it probably did wonders when someone of a lower rank said something idiotic, but in situations like this? Sulu wasn't sure that running away would help, even if it was Jack's particular brand of running.

He took another moment or two to just let himself ease into the next topic mentally, and then said, "I want you to know, though. After we get this fixed, I'm... I'm not going to forget about this. We're going to need to talk about it, but I want to wait until after you're feeling better. Jack... won't have that kind of patience, and I'm not going to lay my own problems on top." He ran his thumb over Ianto's cheekbone. "But this isn't going to make me think any less of you, all right? So when I do get pissed off, later, at least remember that. Even though I think it was a stupid thing to do, I can sort of understand it." He smiled, realizing he was already sort of starting on Ianto and wanting to cut that off before it got too far. "For now, I'm only worried about helping you. Get some rest while I go make you some tea and... probably only toast, but still. Something to eat, at least. Do you want anything on it?"

Ianto lowered his eyes at Sulu's new topic. He knew that he wasn't going to get off so easily for this. That he shouldn't get off that easily for it, and that if...no. When they fixed this, he deserved all the scolding that Sulu had in store. He knew that he did. He knew that what he'd done was stupid and didn't really make sense, but he wasn't really making sense at the moment. It was hard to think, hard to function when he was tired all the time, sick all the time, and when Sulu and Jack had looked so relieved that he was back again...he hadn't wanted to ruin that. But he nodded. "...thank you," he said quietly. "For saying you're not going to join in on anything Jack might say. I...I understand how much you might want to..."

At the mention of food, his stomach did its best attempt at being hungry. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let Ianto know that yes, food would probably be a good thing. He didn't like this being waited on thing, but he didn't really have a choice, so he kept his eyes lowered as he responded. "There should still be some jam in the refrigerator, if it's not too much trouble..." he said, his voice still quiet.

Still smiling gently, Sulu leaned in to kiss Ianto softly, keeping it light and brief. "No trouble at all," he said, "I'll take care of it for you. And I won't join in with Jack, promise." He shook his head at the idea; he had a feeling Jack was going to either have plenty to say or nothing to say about Ianto's situation, and if it was the former, he would be making every effort to keep Ianto from having to suffer through too much.

He stood after a minute more of just being close to Ianto, looking around for a moment before deciding that it'd be easier to pop by his cabin before he made the toast. "I'm going to head back to my cabin first, and then I'll be downstairs. I'll let you know when I'm back, so you're not wondering, all right?"

Ianto nodded. He wouldn't be really all that bothered by the other man leaving him alone for the little while, which said something about exactly how he was feeling--too tired and weary to even be afraid of the dark anymore, because he just couldn't summon enough energy to be bothered. "Yeah, alright," he said, managing a little smile back to him before sighing.

"...could you give me the phone before you go, then?" he asked. "I left the mobile on the bureau." He motioned across the room to where his mobile sat on the top of the dresser, next to his collection of keys. He'd put it there the night before, not needing it, and then he hadn't thought to get it when he'd gotten up earlier in the day, not getting any calls so not really even thinking about needing it with in reach. "I... I'll give Jack a call to come over, while you're out. Who knows where he is, it might take him a while to get here, and..." He trailed off. He didn't really know how long he was going to be able to wait, if he needed to. Better just have Jack start heading over while Sulu was out and about, he supposed, so that they both wouldn't be stuck waiting after Sulu came back.

Sulu went to the dresser and picked up Ianto's mobile, weighing it in his hand as he moved back. Really, as far as 21st century technology went, they'd gotten pretty far by this year. He brought it to Ianto, handing it over as he said, "It'll be all right, don't worry. We'll... keep him from getting too upset. I'm not going to let him make this any worse for you right now than it already is." He leaned over and kissed Ianto's forehead. "I'll only be a few minutes," he said before stepping back, sticking his hand in his pocket and pressing his fingers to the portkey.

He was then in his cabin, and he took a moment to go to the sink in his bathroom, splashing some water on his face before covering it with his hands. Okay. He could do this, and more than that, he would have to do this. He knew that if Ianto didn't get better, if this was permanent - or if this was just the beginning of the inevitable all over again - he wouldn't be able to handle it. He'd never be able to look anyone in the eye again, for being so stupid as to think this could work...

But it had worked and it would continue to work. Sulu had to be sure of that. He had to. He couldn't do this if he wasn't one hundred percent sure of himself. So, he dried off his face and went to his desk, digging out the dry purple leaves he'd kept from the last time he'd tried this particular tea out. He couldn't think of anything else to bring and so he used the portkey once more, arriving back in the hall. Before he went up to check on Ianto, he set the water to boil on the stovetop and dug around for the strainer Ianto had around somewhere. That all settled, he went upstairs, standing in the doorway of the bedroom in case Ianto wanted some privacy or was still on the phone. "Back," he said.

After Sulu portkeyed away, Ianto lay there staring up at the ceiling for a few moments. Sulu had found out. He was getting worse. He was going to have to tell Jack. They were going to go and see McCoy and see what they could do about getting him better. What if that didn't work? Sulu promised that he'd go straight the Doctor for answers. But the Doctor didn't know anything--Ianto'd already asked. The other man had been just as clueless as him, and besides, ever since that strange video post, the Doctor hadn't been around on the community. Like before, they were going to have to do this themselves, without any help of the one man with the power to just go back and fix everything.

Sighing, Ianto grabbed his mobile, pushing himself up a little to be propped up against the headboard with his pillow, feeling the smallest bit triumphant because he could still do that himself, at least. That's where the good feelings stopped, though, because...he was going to have to tell Jack. He was going to have to convince the other man to come around and not let him know that anything was the matter until he could talk to him in person, in case...in case Jack did decide to run from this. He thumbed through his contacts (even though Jack was on speed dial), finding the number he wanted and pausing, sitting there for a good moment just staring at the screen, gathering his courage. There wasn't any use waiting around, though. He had to do this, so he might as well get it over with. He hit send, and slowly brought the mobile up to his ear.

It rang. And rang. Ianto was convinced that he was going to get put through to voice mail before finally, Jack answered. "Hey," Jack's voice rang, on the other side of the line.

"Hey," Ianto said, biting his lip.

"What's up?" Jack asked. He...didn't sound particularly busy, which Ianto was grateful for. Still, he felt the need to ask, nonetheless.

"I, ehm. Where are you? Are you busy? There's something that I... I need you to come by for." Well. There was, technically.

"I'm out in Caerphilly, there've been some claims about the Castle that I'm investigating." Jack paused, speaking to someone else with him on the other line, explaining that he was just stepping out to take a phone call and giving Ianto time to wince at his pronunciation of the town name. "Isn't your young helmsman around?" Jack asked after a moment, and Ianto could hear the grin in his voice. "Are you really sure you want me there crashing the party?"

"Yeah," Ianto said, not even hesitating. "I... I do." He heard Sulu moving around downstairs, and was instantly grateful for the man's presence in the flat, even if he wasn't right there with him at that moment.

Jack paused, and Ianto could all but hear the wheels turning in his head. "Is there something wrong, Ianto?" he asked.

Ianto took in a breath, letting it out slowly so that his voice wouldn't shake too much while he answered. "I think it'd be better if you just came over, Jack. You...it's no hurry. I just. I need to see you."

"You're really not giving me any sort of vote of confidence there, Ianto," Jack said, firmly, the concern evident in his voice.

"Just come, Jack. If you need me to tell you to come now, then I will, but really. You know I don't usually ask for anything, so. I... I need you to be here. Soon, if possible."

Jack was silent on the other side of the line, and for a moment Ianto thought that the call had dropped, before he spoke up again. "Yeah, alright," Jack said. "I can be there in half an hour, give or take. But you're talking when I get there. You can't just say things like that and not expect me to want an explanation."

"Yeah, I know," Ianto said. He heard Sulu coming up the stairs, and quick shot a glance over to the door as he stuck his head in. "And I will. I promise. I'll see you then, yeah?"

"Yeah," Jack said. He sounded wary. Ianto wanted nothing more than to disappear right there and then. "See you then." He hung up, leaving Ianto with a dial tone on the other side. He sat there, not moving for a moment, the phone pressed against his ear, before slowly bringing it down and hanging it up. He sat there, staring at the phone in his hands for a few seconds, before speaking up to Sulu. "...I'm not so sure I can do this," he said, letting himself sound every bit as terrified about talking to Jack as he really was.

Sulu caught the goodbyes and saw the blank sort of expression on Ianto's face as he slowly hung up after Jack. He knew he'd hear the kettle from the bedroom, and so he took a moment to come and sit on the edge of the bed, taking the phone from his hands and putting it on the bedside table before taking both of Ianto's hands in his own.

"You're going to have to do this," he told Ianto honestly, not wanting to sugar coat the situation. He knew Ianto wouldn't believe him, anyway. "But I'm going to be right here for you. I'll try to keep it from being too much for you. All you have to do is let me know and I'll handle it for you, all right?" He paused, then smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure Jack will get over it. He'll have to, after all. Now... Do you want to be up here for this, or downstairs?"

Ianto raised an eyebrow at Sulu, although he was infinitely glad in that moment that the other man was there with him, that he had him there to be as kind and understanding as he was, and that although he probably wanted to scold him as much as Jack undoubtedly was going to, he was holding off and attending to him before that. He gave a little smile back to Sulu.

"I don't know if you should be asking me whether I want to be anywhere, or rather asking yourself whether or not you can get me up and down those stairs. Because...that's the only way I'm going to get there," he said, ducking his head, blushing, embarrassed, but finally willing to admit to the fact. "Although...if you think you can, it might be better if you could take me downstairs. I... This conversation with Jack might go better down there, after all." He shrugged. "It's really up to you, though," he said, "and whether you think you can do that or not."

Sulu laughed a little at that, shaking his head. "If you want to be downstairs, then I'll take you downstairs," he said with a little bit of overt determination, mostly to be funny more than out of seriousness. Still, he was sure he could carry Ianto down the stairs; after picking him up the first time and seeing just how light he was, he figured it wouldn't be too hard. He'd just have to go slow.

"It'll be easier if we can get him to have some of the tea, too," he added, before pushing the covers aside and, all pretense aside, slipped his arms under Ianto's shoulders and his knees and lifted him out of the bed with nothing more than a sharp inhalation of air. "Which I'm getting ready as we speak."

Sulu moved faster than Ianto's brain could really process, and it was all he could do not to let out a noise of surprise at how easily the other man just picked him up. He hadn't been conscious the last time Sulu'd done this, so it was sort of a first for him. Still, he couldn't keep himself from automatically wrapping his arms around Sulu's neck, holding on loosely, but enough so that he felt better than just being lofted about like that.

Ianto blushed at the fact that...he sort of liked being picked up like this, but that he'd really rather prefer it if he had the option of walking, rather than no choice in the matter whatsoever. He took a deep calming breath, and let himself trust that Sulu knew what he was doing, there. "Good luck getting Jack to drink any more tea," he said, quietly, a bit wryly. "He knows that something's up. I don't think he'll want any refreshments or anything until he gets his answers..."

Sulu couldn't really shrug in this position, and so instead he settled for a jokingly dismissive sort of tone as he moved them towards the hall. "Doesn't mean we can't try, does it?" he asked. Sulu had to admit that he really did like the way Ianto's arms felt around his neck, and made a mental note to randomly scoop Ianto up when he was healthier. He had a feeling if he did it right, he could probably get a little shout of surprise out of him, and the thought made him grin.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Sulu heard the telltale sound of a kettle starting to come to a boil, and so he tightened his grip. "Try not to flail if it feels like you're going to fall, okay?" he requested with a little laugh, though he was being serious. "I can't promise I'll be able to hold on if you do." With that, he went to tackle the stairs, holding on to Ianto firmly and taking each step slowly.

"Well, we can try alright," Ianto said. "Doesn't mean he's going to accept it by any means. Although..." He half-shrugged, a full one not really possible to do while still holding on to Sulu's neck, and he didn't dare let go. "It is the good tea. Perhaps...he won't object as much to this kind. It did make him feel better the last time he had it. And it's definitely not as bad as the ginger," he said, with a slight smile.

At Sulu's tightening of his grip on him and his request, Ianto nodded. "Yeah, alright," Ianto said. He really didn't fancy being dropped down the stairs, so of course he did as Sulu told him, not flailing about and instead lying still in Sulu's arms, going so far as to even shut his eyes and rest his head against Sulu's shoulder. He trusted that Sulu would do everything he could not to knock him out on the wall, or drop him, or trip and end up killing them both, and instead just let himself be carried. Which was hard, for someone as proud as Ianto, but. He didn't mind so much, so long as it was Sulu seeing him in his moment of weakness. He wouldn't mind Jack either, but. Jack was going to have to find out first before he had anything remotely as nice with Jack as well.

"Definitely less of an acquired taste," Sulu admitted, knowing full well that the ginger tea he swore by wasn't always the easiest thing to drink. Still, it was useful - but not as useful as the tea he was about to make for them. He didn't say much about their situation until after he found the bottom stair, too focused on the idea of not falling over to really engage in much more conversation than what they'd already had. Once he found his footing, though, he paused to shift Ianto against him, craning his neck to give Ianto's hair a brief kiss.

"Okay, then. Do you want to be in the kitchen, or... I'm going to be making some toast for you, so maybe we should hang out in the kitchen until Jack gets here." Not to mention, it would be a safer place for them to be. If they were in the main sitting area, Jack would be more likely to reach the front door before Sulu could stop him, after all.

Ianto nodded. "Yeah, kitchen's probably the best. Better for eating, plus I can keep you company while you make the toast." He smirked a little bit. "Y'know, make sure you don't burn down my flat or anything like that. Don't think it's exactly possible, with a toaster, but then again Toshiko almost set the Hub on fire with an alien toaster, so I'm not going to take any chances here."

"Besides," he said, settling his head on Sulu's shoulder, adjusting the angle he was leaning it to make it more comfortable, "we both could probably use the company. Before Jack gets here, and well..." He sighed. "Before things inevitably get a lot more tense than they are right now." Then they'd ever be with just Sulu, Ianto guessed. "He tends to...well. He tends toward big reactions. Unless barely any reaction at all, but. Let's hope for the big one. At least that means he'll get over it..." Since Sulu had spent time with Jack while Ianto was gone, he'd know a bit better of how Jack got in moments like these. "I'm not looking forward to him being angry at me again," Ianto said, quietly.

Edited 2010-12-03 06:49 (UTC)

In all honesty, Sulu could understand the complications alien cookware could provide. He'd seen his share of strange devices that were supposed to do all sorts of things, but all he and his family ever made anything like that do was steam and possibly burn whatever they'd put in it. The fact that it was an "almost" in that situation was probably a good thing.

Moving through the flat, Sulu brought them into the kitchen and found Ianto a seat at the table, helping him sit down before cracking his knuckles as he turned to the now whistling kettle, taking it off the burner. He paused, then turned to face Ianto with a serious expression on his face. "All you have to do is tell me and I'll step in," he reiterated from before, "I'm serious. If he starts shouting and losing his temper, I'm not going to let him do anything stupid." Like throw a chair, or break something, or worst of all, run.

Once Ianto was seated down in the chair, he blushed all over again, not really minding the being carried part as much as he minded having to be put down somewhere. He watched Sulu moving about the kitchen, starting to deal with the water before turning back to him to talk. Ianto bit his lip, nodding. "Yeah, I... I'll tell you. Although. I mean, you'll be right there. I think you'll have a pretty good idea of when he's going off the deep end and when he isn't. Jack... Jack isn't subtle about these kinds of things, you know."

He sighed. "I've made him really angry before, a few times. I don't think that this'll get as bad as that..." He had a momentary flashback of Jack holding a gun to his head ('You execute her or I'll execute you both!'), but quickly brushed that away. "No," he said, shaking his head. "It definitely won't get as bad as that. But... I doubt it's going to be pretty. You've spent time with Jack. You must be at least partially aware of how...well. He's kind of like a force of nature. And sometimes that's good, and sometimes...well. It's not."

Edited 2010-12-03 07:18 (UTC)

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