milliways_bar | (no subject)

"I wouldn't go that far," Lorne says.

"Not, of course, that you need my approval. You celebrate your birthday however you want. Really, it's none of my business."

Ianto smirks and has more cupcake. "You want details, I have to assume. You want me to say, oh . . . 'I want John to take me in a manly fashion until I pass out from ecstasy, as I deserve it on my birthday.'"

Don't let the suit fool you. He's a naughty, naughty boy.

"Well, it sure seems like a better way to celebrate than just a date," Lorne says, smiling and not admitting any such thing as wanting details.

Him? Gossip? Never.

"So, I'm assuming, since you do actually want a date, that you've worked out your 'sleeping with people you don't talk to' problem?"

Ianto makes a see-saw motion with his hand. Kinda-sorta.

"We're . . . something more than friends who fuck, something less than boyfriends. All a bit up in the air at the moment."

Lorne shrugs and makes a 'could be worse' sort of face. "It's somewhere to start, at least. Are you...satisfied with that?"

'Or am I gonna have to kick someone's ass for fucking around with a friend of mine' is rather implied in his tone of voice. He gets protective. Some people think it's a flaw.

"I've no complaints." He pauses a moment, then says more quietly, "I've forgot how much I like being special to someone. It's . . . good."

Lorne smiles a private sort of smile. "Yeah...it is."

Ianto smiles too, quiet and private, and says, "So that's how things are with me."

"You're someone's special someone? Sounds like things are pretty good then."

"Yes," Ianto says. "I rather think I am.

"And like I said, I've no complaints. He's a bit rough around the edges but I think we fit, nonetheless."

"Well, you're pretty smooth yourself," Lorne says. "You probably complement each other pretty well."

Ianto chuckles. "Smooth. Thank you."

"Smooth in the sense of being as far from rough around the edges as you can get," Lorne amends.

"So this guy...John, you said? What's he like, other than rough?" Mmm...innuendo...

"I figured that's what you meant. I've been called a lot of things but never smooth. I like it.

"He's . . ." He has to stop and think of the right words. "He's older than me by a bit. Very gruff, but with a tender side. A better man than he thinks he is.

"It's likely you'll meet him if you hang around here enough--his name is Constantine. John Constantine. Approach with caution, but I'd daresay being on his good side is well worth it."

"I'll keep an eye out for him," Lorne says. "And I'll try not to get on his bad side."

"Yellow raincoat, blond hair, usually smoking. Or drinking. Or smoking and drinking."

"Yellow raincoat," Lorne repeats. "Got it. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

Ianto nods and sips his coffee. "And you? I take it all's still well."

"Pretty well, yeah. Things were a bit tricky for a while, but everything seems to be back to normal now."

"Tricky how? If you don't mind my asking."

"Well for starters," Lorne begins, "my CO thought it would be a good idea for him, his whole team, the head of the city and both ranking members of the science staff, under the ocean to an untested drilling platform, leaving me in charge of the city."

Bitter? Lorne? ...okay, yeah.

"And then I came here to find out that I'd been here while I was gone. Only not me. A future, alternate me.

"It was...really weird."

Eyebrow of DOOM.

"Untested underwater drilling? Jesus.

"How'd people take it, with this alternate you?"

"Yep. At least ten thousand years old, too."

He shrugs. "Seems like people were okay with it. It's hard to tell though, and I don't want to ask too many questions. Time travel gets tricky sometimes."

"I've heard that," Ianto mutters a bit darkly. "I think the more amazing part, really, is that you were able to come back."

Lorne's eyebrow is not of DOOM. It is of Friendly Concern.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how that works actually. Apparently there was some question as to whether or not I would." He smiles mischievously. "Jack was pretty happy to see me at any rate."