milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Ianto was on his way home when the door opened to Milliways.

(It was meant to be an Indian place. He wanted a kebab.)

He sighs, not really in the mood for socializing, but he has never refused an entry to Milliways when it's come and isn't going to start now.

He gets supper from the bar and sits in a booth near the back of the enormous room where he can eat and spread out his work.

He is not hiding. Perish the thought. He'd just rather not be noticed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"How would you do it, in my place? Walk up to your boss and say, 'Look, there's this thing between us, I can't ignore it anymore'? I can't think of much more terrifying, and I've faced Daleks."

"Well, no," Lorne says, assuming Daleks to be somewhere on par with Wraith Queens. "But if I did that to my boss, I'd pretty much be guaranteed not to have a job in the morning for many, many reasons.

"But if I were you...I guess I'd probably do just about that, yeah. Or at least say, 'Look, I like you, okay? And I want to see if anything comes of this.'" He shrugs. "Or something like that."

Ianto's chuckle is dry as a soda cracker. "Last time I did that he said, choose, now.

"Not sure it's the right path to take."

"Yeah, but if Jack said that, you'd have no problem," Lorne points out.

"That's true," Ianto admits. "Different person, different results."

He sighs. "Still scares me."

Lorne nods. "Can't help you there." Which is probably harder for him than it would be for most people.

"'sall right. I don't expect anyone else to fix me."

"It's not exactly something that needs to be fixed," Lorne says. "Everyone's scared in these situations."

"Even you? I'd find that hard to believe, you're so . . . contented."

Lorne laughs a little. It always amuses him that Ianto seems to think he's got it all figured out.

"Even me. Of course, it's different with Jack...my Jack."

"Because your Jack doesn't shag anyone so long as they're gorgeous enough, I'll bet."

Lorne offers him a concerned eyebrow. "Well, yeah, I suppose that would be different. Mostly I was just thinking that we were sleeping together before I knew how I felt about him."

"Oh." Faaaaint blush. "Well, yes. That is a different situation."

Lorne smiles a little. Ianto's blush is awfully cute. "I'd say, though, that if your Jack will shag anyone so long as they're gorgeous enough, you've got a pretty good chance of him at least wanting to give it a shot with you."

"Oh, don't say stuff like that," Ianto says, covering his face with his hands. "It's so embarrassing."

"What?" Lorne asks, smiling a little more. "That you're good-looking? It's true."

"I know--I mean, I know people think so. I'd just rather think I'm more interesting than that."

"Well, I had hoped you already knew that," Lorne says, frowning a little. "You're far more interesting than that."

"You would be surprised," Ianto says, lowering his hands to rest his chin on them, "how many people seem to think they can own me, and how surprised they are to find I have different ideas on the subject.

"Jack might sleep with me once because I'm pretty, but I'd rather give him reasons to come back."

"I'm sure he already has reasons to come back," Lorne says, seriously.

Ianto shrugs. "Maybe. He is my favorite person to talk to, outside of this place."

"Well, that's something, then," Lorne says. "It's a start, yeah?"

"Yeah . . . still don't know if it's enough, though. Jack's . . . not like other people."

Lorne nods. "But he's a friend, right? He cares about you?"

"Yeah," Ianto says quietly. "I think that's fair to say."