torchwoodteaboy | [RL WITH SULU]

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[RL WITH SULU]

Ianto lay in his bed upstairs, a book laying face down on his chest. He had been trying to read for the better part of an hour, but had found himself drifting more often than not, and on the third read-through of the same page he'd given up and just put it down. And he'd been drifting since then as well, not really awake enough to be doing anything other than just lying there, not really tired enough to really go to sleep. More and more each day, while no one else was around, he found himself in this sort of a state, a sort of standby mode that was disturbing in the fact that it didn't really bother him. That nothing really bothered him anymore, because he really couldn't dredge up enough energy to be bothered about it.

He brought a hand up to his face, running it across his eyes. He...he couldn't keep lying to himself like this. At first he thought it had simply been his imagination, that things were just progressing slowly, that was all. For all that he had worried that things wouldn't get better, he had hoped that they would, Sulu continuously helping him be optimistic in that fact, and so the fact that he was going backwards, now, getting worse, it... It was crushing. And he had no idea what he was going to do about it. No idea. The even worse fact of the matter was that he was slowly convincing himself that there was nothing to do about it. That he'd never get better. That it was too late, and he couldn't do anything about it now even if he tried. Which was the mindset he kept spiraling down and dragging himself out of as it approached that time when Sulu would be making his appearance for the night.

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Squeezing Ianto's hand briefly before letting go, Sulu picked up his own mug and took another sip. He couldn't tell Ianto that they would wait, that it wouldn't be so bad and that Ianto didn't have to be worried, because honestly he probably would anyway. And it wasn't going to be easy or nice, but at least they could actually talk. Sulu had known that Ianto wasn't exactly stellar at communication, but this was going to be the point where he'd have to draw the line. Sulu didn't need to know everything about Ianto's life, but he did need to know if he could help.

But, that was the future, and right now all they really had was this moment right here, with tea and each other. Sulu couldn't bring himself to think about it much more than that; he'd get in touch with McCoy once they were settled in, arrange for a time tomorrow to see him, and then... And then it was up to McCoy. Thankfully, he was the one man Sulu could trust with this above all others. "It's all going to be fine," he said finally, before shrugging helplessly at the two of them, wearing an embarrassed smile. "In the meantime, though, do we need something to eat, or," he looked to Ianto, "Do you just want to get some sleep?"

Ianto shrugged, taking his hand back to wrap around his mug. "I'm not exactly hungry," he said softly, deciding that it'd be best to be honest with them from this point on. Jack shot him a look, but it was unnecessary, because he was already opening his mouth to continue, "but...I should eat. And you should too," he said, looking at the two of them. Ianto knew better than to tell them to put him to bed and then eat without him, especially now that...well. He'd prefer to have them there with him too, just in case, so.

Jack took a large swallow of tea, before moving to stand up. Ianto thought for a second that he was leaving again, but then he was heading to the cupboards, and his heart rate slowed down again. "Let me handle this, kids," he said, lightly. "I think I can probably do something with what we've got here."

Ianto nodded, grateful, before turning back to Sulu. "Jack's...surprisingly good at cooking," he said, smiling at Sulu. "Just. Don't pay too much attention to what sorts of combination are going into whatever he's doing. It's best not to know."

Sulu raised an eyebrow at that, though he wasn't particularly surprised. Jack seemed like the kind of guy who was simply able to do these sorts of things, cooking and the like. Considering the warning, though, Sulu had a feeling Jack didn't particularly subscribe to typical Earth customs when it came to what went with what.

Grinning at Ianto, he shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I don't think I'll mind much," he told him, "After all, I'm used to Tellar delivery, and some of the combinations they have there are a little weird by traditional standards." Still, it was delicious. He thought for a moment about how he'd get to take Ianto to some of the alien cuisine restaurants in San Francisco, when things were fixed, and it made him grin a little wider and a little more sincerely. It'd be fun. Of course, he still had to figure out if he could do it at all... but one thing at a time.

Jack went to the cupboard, grabbing a pot and sticking it in the sink, filling it up to just the right amount of water, before sticking it on the burner. When all else failed, there was always pasta of some sort, and everyone liked pasta, didn't they? At least, Jack figured as much. Never mind the fact that he'd make a sauce that wasn't exactly what anyone would call normal, it was still just pasta in the end, right? Jack went about setting things up, leaving Ianto to do the talking, finding something calming in just going through the motions of doing something normal like that.

Ianto sat forward in his chair, propping his arm on the table, and his head on his hand, cocking his head at Sulu. "'Tellar delivery'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's that, then?" He shook his head, smiling slightly. "And here I was thinking that ordering Indian cuisine was adventurous..."

Sulu laughed at that, knowing full well that Indian food was probably less safe to eat than Tellar delivery but unwilling to say so. It wouldn't do to ruin the mystique of alien cuisine, would it? "It's what Chinese delivery is to actual Chinese cuisine, really. Except instead of the Chinese, it's the Tellarites. It's mostly vegetarian. Usually, Tellar cuisine is served raw, but like all good fast-food type things, they tend to at least char or bake the dishes a little."

He grinned. "If you get meat in a dish, though, it's usually some kind of canine." He knew that would throw Ianto for a loop, and that's why he made sure to point it out. Sure, it would have been fun to keep it from Ianto, but he really didn't want to make the other man eat something without knowing what it was. "It's the service that's really the most difficult part. Tellarites are big on arguing and debating, so you can get into a bit of a fight before you get to place an order at all." He shrugged, smiling, "The food's good, though, so most people put up with it."

Ianto made a face at Sulu, trying to decide what made him question it more, the part about eating dogs, (or anything related to dogs for that matter), or the part about having to fight with them before you could get a meal of vegetables and dog. "...maybe I'll just stick to Chinese and Indian," Ianto said, quirking a little smile at the other man. He wasn't that sure about eating canines, and he could have vegetables any time. "Leave all of that sort of thing to you, and all."

"Dog isn't half bad," Jack piped up, from the stove.

Ianto shot a look over his shoulder at Jack. "I am never going to trust you to cook meat for me ever again, if you say things like that," he said. Jack shrugged, throwing a, "Not like I could find something like that at the market, anyway," over his shoulder, before turning back to his work. Ianto just shook his head. He supposed...if it tasted good, he wouldn't mind too much. He'd just prefer not to know what he was eating, if it came down to that, though.

"It really isn't that bad," Sulu said, smiling sympathetically at Ianto, "But I still prefer their vegetarian dishes. I don't like that the place I usually get food from doesn't always tell you what kind of canine you're eating." Still, if Ianto didn't want to eat it, there wasn't much Sulu could do to convince him otherwise. Ianto was pretty stubborn, after all.

Still. It'd be fun to have him come around and try some of the things the 23rd century had to offer. He'd just have to figure out if it was possible. Really, anything was possible at this point, though - once Ianto was better (and he would get better, he had to keep reminding himself that), Sulu could find out about warping all the way home. Or world-hopping, which was far more likely.

"Either way, like I was saying, whatever he could come up with probably won't be any sketchier than Tellar delivery."

Ianto shook his head, making a face. "You know, nothing you're saying here is making anything about that sound any more appealing at all, really," he said. He smiled at Sulu bringing it back to Jack's cooking, though, as the main topic of conversation. "Yeah," he said, "I... Jack's made some pretty interesting dishes, but I wouldn't call any of them sketchy, or anything. I mean. He's making them with ingredients that I have around the flat, so I know that there's nothing I wouldn't eat going in there, or anything."

"There isn't going to be anything too surprising about this, either," Jack said. "It's just pasta." Which they did have, when Jack grew up. Some things never got old, after all.

Ianto gave Sulu a pointed look. "Just pasta, he says," Ianto pointed out, making it obvious that 'just pasta' isn't going to be what Jack will eventually serve at all.

Sulu responded with a face of his own, pouting a bit over-dramatically at Ianto. "I thought the fact that it was alien cuisine would be enough to outweigh all the weird parts," he said, before laughing a bit and shaking his head and looking over at Jack. Sulu knew just as well as Ianto did that pasta made by a man who was used to 51st century cuisine was not going to be just pasta. Unless marinara sauce was truly the end-all-be-all of red sauces.

"I've had plenty of pasta dishes that I was really not allowed to ask what was in them, thank you," he said with a bit of a smirk, "So while I seriously doubt what you're making is just pasta, I'll have to agree that it's not going to be anything that bad."

"C'mon," Jack said, messing about with something in a frying pan that started to smell really good. Spicy, but not in a hot kind of way. "Back me up here, Ianto. Have I ever made you anything bad? Anything that was too horrible to even finish?"

Ianto...had to say that no, he really hadn't. So he shook his head. "No, actually, he... He's telling the truth. I don't know why you're going off on me about this, though. I believe you, Jack. And I'm not saying that you're going to make us anything horrible, I've even complimented your skills. I just... I know that you never make 'just' anything." That he never did or was 'just' anything. Jack was too big and too loud and to alive to ever have 'just' anything even apply to him, after all.

Jack shrugged. "You'll like this," he said, to the pair of them. "I've made it for you before, so it's not like I'm just throwing something new at you, here. I'll..." he said, pausing as he dug through Ianto's spice cabinet, "I'll have to improvise a little, because you don't have the same things you did then, but. It should be just as good."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Just so you clean up after yourself, I don't suppose I really care." Which was...odd. Ianto usually did the cleaning up, if Jack cooked. And yet. Well. He really didn't have the option, anymore. He swallowed, instinctively going for another sip of tea to save him from spiraling down that train of thought.

Sulu held up his hands. "I'm not saying it won't be good, don't worry. I'm just saying that it'd have to be really weird for it to throw me off." And it was true, really. He didn't doubt Jack's ability to cook, not really. The fact that he could improvise was sign enough of his talents; Sulu wouldn't dare stray from a recipe, unless he was absolutely sure what he was doing was also some version of the same recipe.

Really, it was almost surprising how non-adventurous he was when it came to more mundane things than flying or fighting. Outside of Starfleet, he realized, he was kind of boring. Oh well; at least Ianto wouldn't care too much about that, right? "Don't worry," he added to Jack, "I'll help you clean up so it actually gets done." They needed to let Ianto rest, after all... and in truth, he couldn't clean if he tried, anyway.

Ianto knew that Sulu was offering to help Jack because he couldn't, and he appreciated it. It wouldn't be fair to make Jack cook and clean all by himself. And honestly if he could help Jack clean up, he would, but the simple matter of it was that he couldn't so. He was going to have to leave it to the two of them, and try not to feel too guilty about the fact.

He smiled slightly at Sulu, a little sadly, because he just couldn't hide the fact that he knew that he wasn't in his best form, there, couldn't hide the fact that he did feel more than a little useless, with the pair of them having to wait on him as they did. Hell, he was going to have to get one of them to carry him back up the stairs to bed, when the time came, to...to take him to the bathroom to get ready... He didn't like being like this. Yet another reason why he needed to get better.

"...I thought you said that you didn't do dishes," Ianto said, smirking a little as he teased Sulu, to try and lighten his own mood a little. Sulu had told him something like that, after all, once he'd first come home. Just because he was sick didn't mean that his memory was going too.

Sulu smiled helplessly at Ianto and held up his hands. "I'm a military man, Ianto, I can't let a captain do all the cleaning. That wouldn't be right." Which wasn't really true, because everyone knew Jim did his own share of cleaning up proverbial messes, but still. The fact was that he didn't want to leave the entire thing to Jack. And if Jack had some help cleaning - well, then Jack could take Ianto up the stairs and save Ianto the embarrassment of knowing someone was watching him be carried.

He was proud enough to know what kinds of things would annoy or embarrass another proud man, and he knew that that would be one of them. So, he'd do the dishes just this once, and let Jack have some time alone with Ianto while he did so. It seemed like a pretty good plan, so long as Jack didn't end up getting angry at Ianto again.

Ianto smiled softly, nodding at Sulu. "I know," he said. And he did know. Not only did he know that Sulu was covering for the real reason that he was going to help cleanup, but he knew why he was doing it, and he was grateful for it. Not that he minded Sulu taking care of him, it was just. He felt like he'd let the other man down, and he wanted to give him a break from taking care of him, really. At least for a minute or two. Let Jack shoulder some of it, let the two of them share, between them. Not for the first time, he was glad that they had each other, and that he wasn't just leaving either one of them on their own to have to deal with this.

"I guess I should have asked this before," Jack said, from the stove, as he went to strain the pasta in the sink, "but you don't have any food allergies, right? I'd hate to accidentally end up putting you in the hospital as well," he said, with a pointed look over his shoulder. That would really be all he needed, the pair of them ill and with only him to be able to do anything about either of them. No, Jack didn't think he could handle any more sorts of medical emergencies any time soon.

Sulu honestly didn't mind taking care of Ianto, not when he was this sick. Really, even when perfectly healthy, Sulu wouldn't mind doing these sorts of things for the other man. He wasn't prone to doting on people, so when he met someone he really did want to do things for, it sometimes was a little strange. Still, he threw himself into it from the beginning of this whole debacle, and he would continue to dote relentlessly until Ianto really didn't need it any more.

"No," he said in response to Jack's question, grinning. "As far as I've ever known, I've got no allergies whatsoever. You're good to go, captain." At least, hopefully Sulu didn't end up having some kind of allergic reaction to something Jack was using. That really would be just great.

Edited 2010-12-08 07:37 (UTC)

Jack shot a smile back at Sulu before turning back to what he was doing. "Good to know," he said. "You better not be lying to me, though. I didn't use anything too out there, here, so it should be okay." Jack put the noodles back into the pot, added in the spice sauce, and then went to the refrigerator for one more ingredient, coming back with the sour cream and adding liberally to it before putting that away and stirring.

"Well," he said, giving a little smirk to Sulu, "since you're going to help me, Lieutenant, how about grabbing some plates for this?" He nodded to the cabinet where they were, just in case Sulu didn't know by then, although he couldn't imagine why he wouldn't know, considering how much time he'd spent with Ianto in his flat in the last few weeks or so. He stirred the pot, the action honestly making a rather interesting sound, what with the sour cream sauce, but. It still smelled heavenly, and Ianto found himself being a lot more hungry than he'd previously thought he was, even after that piece of toast.

Sulu gave Jack a lazy salute and stood up, shooting Ianto a smile before heading over to the cabinet to get out plates for the three of them. This was the kind of thing people usually expected out of these kinds of relationships, at least for his time, he figured. Sort of symbiotic, with each person filling in a different part of the whole. And it was nice, especially now that he felt that much closer to both Ianto and Jack than he had before. He also knew that he would be able to give the two of them space in a heartbeat, and that the same was true the other way around.

It really wasn't bad at all, and he was not going to let anything take it from him. He put the plates beside the stovetop, making a face at the noise the food was making despite how good it smelled. "At least dog doesn't squelch when you grill it," he said with a grin, looking to Ianto.

Ianto shot Sulu a look that clearly said not to push it at the same time that Jack turned to send a look of his own, that just dared him to keep insulting the food that Jack had spent...yeah, alright, all of maybe 10 minutes, not even, making. Still, though. "Careful there, Lieutenant," he said, the look not leaving his face. "It isn't exactly wise to insult the chef, especially before he's even served you yet."

Jack moved, dishing out the food equally between the three plates. "For that," he said, "you're going to have to finish it, even if you don't like it. Because squelchy or not, it is food, and it's the only thing I'm making tonight, so you're going to eat it and enjoy it, too. Are we clear?" he asked, shooting Sulu another look that did say that he was joking, sort of. He really would bully him in to eating it all if he didn't like it, though. Because...really, it was the sour cream. Any sort of food that had sour cream sauce made that sound. Jack was proud of his concoction, and would swear by it, and yes, even if it did make some interesting sounds when he stirred it, it still would taste just the same.

"Here," he said, handing him two plates, one for Sulu himself and the other for Ianto, and sticking forks into the noodles in both of them, "serve."

"You know, I don't remember saying I doubted your skills or how good this was going to be," Sulu said with a lopsided smile, "And I intend on cleaning my plate." Truthfully, he really couldn't see it turning out too bad, and though normally he'd try to smooth things over... he had to admit that tonight he was a little high strung. Rolling with whatever he was thinking was just easier, even if it hurt Jack's feelings. Really, the man was going to have to get used to his joking around eventually.

Still, he took the plates with a "sir, yes sir," because if they were going to be using their ranks like this, he was going to go full out, and then he brought them over to the table, setting one in front of Ianto before settling down in one of the seats next to him with his own plate.

Jack stuck a fork in his own plate and carried it over to the table. It was nice to think back and compare this to the last time the three of them had sat down in Ianto's kitchen, but that's as far as the comparison ended. Because Jack had been the one sick that time, and truthfully that was just a cold. Just a community virus, something that they were guaranteed to get over in a couple of days at the most. This, though. This was something different. Because here there was no guarantee that things would work out the way that they had wanted them to. There was no guarantee that they couldn't just treat the symptoms and make sure Ianto was comfortable as he...

No. Jack shook himself. He couldn't think like that. This would work, and he'd get Ianto back for good...and then he'd most likely stick him in bubble wrap or something and never let him out into the world again. Certainly not into Torchwood. Of course, like hell Ianto would stand for that, but. He could try, at least. He would try, once Ianto got well enough that arguing with him wouldn't make him afraid of accidentally killing him, that is.

"Well, dig in," Jack said. "It's not nearly as nice once you've let it get cold." And true to form, Jack did exactly that, and tucked into the food, pleased with the fact that it'd come out as well as it had, considering the fact that he'd been more than a little distracted making it. It said something about how Jack was feeling that he wasn't shoveling it down like he normally did, but then Ianto supposed that maybe Sulu wouldn't know about Jack's normally questionable table manners anyway. Even if he had shared a meal with the man before, it certainly wouldn't have been a time when Jack was in full form, or anything even remotely close.

Sulu admittedly knew nothing of Jack's various moods and habits; at least, he knew nothing useful, given the only prolonged contact he'd had with him was during the time Ianto had been dead. He hoped none of those moods or habits were normal for the other man. So when he noticed some amount of reserve in Jack's mannerisms, he didn't know what to attribute it to - politeness, habit or his mood?

It didn't matter, Sulu decided, doing a good job of not slurping his noodles like an ass. The food was good and Sulu enjoyed the company, so come what may, he was going to enjoy the moment for what it was. Besides, there would be time tomorrow to worry and fret, and probably time tonight. He smiled at Jack, knowing full well that for him, there was no future time. He was worrying and fretting and preparing himself for the worst even as he ate. "Very nice, captain. My compliments to your cooking abilities."

Jack shrugged absentmindedly, pausing in his eating to say, "Thanks, I do try," before continuing. Ianto watched the pair of them, doing his own eating while he did so. Sulu seemed to be doing alright, at the moment, key word being seemed, but Jack... Ianto could see him struggling. Even though he was smiling and getting through the conversation and all, he... Ianto supposed there wasn't enough tea in the world to fix Jack's mood, especially now that he'd thrown him this curveball as well.

So he complimented Jack as well, eating the food quietly. And even though he didn't finish it, like he normally would have, he ate most of it, which was good enough for Jack. Showing the other man that he wasn't forcing himself to do anything, and that he was feeling under the weather at the same time; even without words, he was being honest, which Jack appreciated, as he stood to clear the table after they'd finished. He tossed what was left of the food (because who knew when the next time anyone would be in this flat--maybe Ianto'd come back later in the day after he'd seen Doctor McCoy, or maybe he...maybe he wouldn't), and put the dishes in the sink.

Sulu knew that the conversation they were holding while eating was superficial at best, but it was better than the potential awkward silence they could have met with if they didn't at least try to talk. After all, the act of simply pretending things were all right for this short time was better than bemoaning the fact that everything was going horribly wrong.

When Jack stood and started clearing the plates, Sulu smiled a little at Ianto before speaking up. "Don't bother with the dishes," he said, pushing his chair back to stand himself. "I'll take care of it, since you were the one to cook." And he would take his time, too, but there was no way to convey that simply through tone. He wasn't sure, either, how he should mention the idea of Jack taking Ianto upstairs, but he couldn't exactly trust them to breach that topic of conversation, so... "How are you feeling, Ianto?" he tried.

Ianto smiled as Sulu stood to help Jack with the cleanup, still slightly amused by the two of them working together in such a domestic way as cooking and doing the dishes, but when Sulu asked his question, that faltered a little. He lowered his gaze to the table, lacing his hands together in his lap as he answered--truthfully, this time. He was going to have to do just about everything he could to regain their trust, but he'd do it. He'd do it in a heartbeat.

"...cold," he answered, softly, a bit sadly, "and. And tired." As if that impromptu nap he'd taken hadn't done anything at all, as if he were right back where he started, before all of this had happened, that bleary half-awake state that he'd been in all day. He'd kept up the conversation while they'd been eating, when necessary, but the more he'd eaten, the more tired he'd become. He'd gotten tired after a large meal before--everyone had--but this was different, and he knew it.

Jack turned, leaning back against the counter as he looked at the other two for a moment. He thought he could see where Sulu was going, with this questioning and offering to do the dishes himself, so Jack spoke up, hoping he guessed right. "I could take you upstairs, then. Get you settled in for the night. It'll definitely be a lot more comfortable and a lot warmer falling asleep in your bed, with all those blankets, than doing it again here at the table. If that's alright with Sulu, here," he said, turning to shoot a questioning look at Sulu, as if to ask if he'd followed the other man's prompting correctly there. A look that Ianto, luckily, was just too tired to notice.

Sulu shrugged noncommittally as he shot Jack an appreciative look, the slight smile on his face enough indication that yes, he'd read right there, and that was exactly what Sulu had planned. He was glad that Jack had understood his meaning, because he'd really hate to have to spell it out but at the same time, he would have done it if he'd had to. This could be the last chance Jack got to spend some time alone with Ianto for a while, if McCoy needed to keep him for too long.

"Works for me," he said, "I have to take care of the kettle, anyway, since that was my responsibility from the start. I..." And for a moment, he thought that maybe he should leave; let the two of them have the night and then take Ianto to McCoy the next day, or whenever the hell McCoy allowed him to be taken in. He knew his hesitation was showing but he tried to push past it. "I can be up in a few minutes."

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