milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Lazy Lucifer, sitting on a barstool with supper and a piratical purring kitten curled cutely on his shoulder.

Okay, quitting the awesomely awful alliteration now, alas.

Anyway. The eyepatch is flipped up, and the pirate's hat is set at a jaunty angle, not least because Shreddie keeps batting at it fascinatedly. Sam is tolerating this for now, even smiling - well, it tickles. And besides, it's kind of fun.

You live here long enough, you get used to Milliways' quirks. Most of them, anyway. Come bother the nautical Lucifer.

[Tiny tag: Pomona, Cal Chandler]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Innocently, "I'll bet he did."

What?

Cal gives him a scathing look. This is a very serious issue and requires immediate defense, especially since Cal continues not to think that the Ianto/John bartending kiss was hot in the least.

"He's not interested. He said. Why would be be interested in someone who looks like his boss, anyway?"

That would just be ridiculous.

Sam is equally sure that any instance of Ianto kissing someone could ever possibly be even slightly hot.

"I can't imagine." Somehow, Sam contrives to say this straight-faced.

"Exactly," Cal says firmly. He sips his coffee with care, eyeing Sam and swallowing quickly just in case.

Sam does at least wait until Cal's drunk, this time.

"Although, if you give me a couple of minutes I'm sure I could manage a reasonably long list of reasons..."

"- I'm sure you could. But he said he's not. Good enough for me."

Cal's tone indicates that he's not playing anymore. The friendship with Ianto is comfortable and uncomplicated by sexual bullshit and he really needs it to stay that way. He's more than got his hands full with the confusion that comes with Sam.

For that matter, he's just as soon avoid any circumstances in which Sam might offer a list of Jack Harkness's virtues, though he's not currently acknowledging that as a reason. Some things you just don't think about.

That's okay. Sam is well aware that Jack Harkness has no virtue at all.

"Who said I was talking about Ianto?"

Confused pause as Cal is distracted from impending serious business by - well. Confusion.

"Weren't we - just - ?"

"Well." Laughing, "Not just Ianto, anyway."

"Oh." More coffee. Cal is used to discovering that the conversation he was having doesn't seem to be the one that the other person was having, but it's always discomfiting. Though it doesn't generally draw the kind of scorn here that it used to draw at home, which is nice.

All the same, he'll let Sam take over conversationally for a moment, till Cal catches up again.

Sam smiles at him, eyes dancing. "Dork."

Blink. "What?" Slightly defensive. He didn't do anything!

Right?

"Calm down." He leans over to thread his fingers through Cal's hair.

"I'm only teasing."

"I'm calm!" As clearly demonstrated by the exclamation point!

But the punctuation is Sam's fault. Has anyone in the history of the multiverse ever calmed down when told to do so?

Notably, however, Cal is not nearly worked up enough to offer any sort of objection to being touched.

Eyebrow.

This time, though, Sam doesn't say anything, just keeps moving his fingers through Cal's hair.

Cal colors a little and glances away.

"Sorry," he mutters.

Wryly, "It's all right, Cal."

Cal nods in acknowledgment. He's not sure what he did anyway, except get confused, but sometimes that's enough to owe someone an apology. Or at least act like you think you do.

He sips his coffee and tries to look normal.

"Not that I'm sure what you're apologising for, but anyway. I was just teasing."

He reaches for his own drink, taking a sip of rum.

What, Sam reads minds, too?

. . . actually, that is not out of the realm of possibility in this place. Surely it would have come up before now with Sam, though.

So Cal just glances up and says,

"It's usually a safe bet. Nobody ever complains about being apologized to."

Only when he's really trying. He's pretty damn good at reading Cal, though.

Lightly, "Want to bet?"

Cal rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure you could find something to bitch about," he says, smirking a little.

"I'm very imaginative," Sam agrees, laughing slightly.

"I've always got ideas."

This time Cal's voice is very dry.

"Yes, I know."

"Think you'll find a way to soldier on?"

Sam's own voice is light, but there's a faint, more serious undertone there.