Cardiff, Wales [log: Lorne; setting: some time this evening]

[likesthecoat]

Ianto hangs the Closed sign in the tourist office and locks the door. The fridge in their little kitchen is stocked for the night, though he makes a mental note to buy more coffee soon: everyone is mainlining the stuff, especially Gwen, as if she's afraid if she closes her eyes whatever tie Jack still has to earth will be broken.

He's managed to convince her to eat a few times, though. He considers that a minor triumph.

We can't make this better for each other, he thinks as he scans the Plass for Lorne, and feels a little guilty that he has a place of refuge--but not enough that he'll tell Lorne to go home.

[ooc: Sex in comments.]

Comments

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne has found himself a nice little spot on a pier (http://pics.livejournal.com/skidmo_fic/pic/0004zz4g/g8) to sketch for a while. It's got a good view of the Bay and the various buildings around it, and, most importantly, Ianto should be able to spot him from the Plass.

At the moment, he's huddled over a sketchbook in a blue sweatshirt he'd picked up that morning along with his jeans. He'd forgotten that Cardiff's winters were a little harsher than Atlantis's.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

He sees Lorne in a moment, and smiles at the sight of him. He walks to him and says, once he's within earshot, "Is this what you've been doing all day?"

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne looks up when he hears Ianto's voice and smiles. "I had lunch," he says. "And I went shopping for a while." He holds up a Top Shop bag as proof that he hasn't been freezing his ass off out here for quite the entire day.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"That's my boy," Ianto says quietly. "So clever." He sits on pilings beside Lorne and kisses his cheek. "Hi."

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne slides his pencil into the spiral binding of the sketchbook and slips his arm around Ianto's waist. "Hi," he says, turning his face to kiss Ianto's lips. "How you doin', babe?"

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Ianto shakes his head and looks out at the bay. "Tired. No, weary. But we're getting the hub repaired from all the damage yesterday, at least. Very slowly." He leans his head against Lorne's shoulder.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne nods and rubs his hand across Ianto's back, bringing it slowly up to Ianto's shoulder and squeezing it. "Ready to go home?" he asks, resting his head on Ianto's. "Or do you need to go back to the hub?"

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"Let's go home. The others have their supper and there's nothing more to be done tonight but sleep." He stays still for a moment, then pushes himself to his feet.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne quickly closes his book and puts it in his bag, standing and reaching for Ianto's hand. "Should we grab dinner somewhere first?"

It's painful to see Ianto like this, utterly exhausted and so...spent, but much less so than it would have been if he'd been light years away and unable to do anything to help.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"I was hoping you'd say that." He squeezes Lorne's hand. "There are a few restaurants in the Millennium Centre if you don't want to go far."

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

"Sounds great. What do you recommend?" He laces his fingers through Ianto's and leads him down the ramp off the pier.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"Brazz or One, if you want an actual meal. Crema's more of a coffee shop. Muffins and things." He leads Lorne to the Centre's front steps.

The rest of the world is going on as if nothing happened. He's noticed it, but no longer wonders at it. That's what people do. They go on.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

"How about an actual meal, then?" Part of this is concern that Ianto's not taking as good care of himself as he is the others, but part of it is also that Lorne is more than a little hungry himself. He wasn't lying about getting lunch, but all he'd done was pick up a sandwich from Tesco several hours ago. He'd wanted to be around if Ianto needed him.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"Let's go to One, then. It's a little less . . ." He waves a hand vaguely. He can't think of the word.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

"Upscale?" Lorne suggests with a gesture towards his very much casual attire. "Stuffy?"

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"Trendy," Ianto says with a faint smile. "Brazz is a good place for a first date." He pushes the door open.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne stops for a moment and cocks his head, looking at Ianto with a bemused smile. "Is this really our first date?"

Every once in a while he's struck by how completely unorthodox their relationship is.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"Is it? That wasn't what I was thinking . . . but yes, I suppose it is."

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

"Good thing I'm not prudish about kissing on first dates then, isn't it?" He gives Ianto a quick kiss before stepping inside, musing for a moment on how strange they must look: him in his jeans and sweatshirt (and combat boots, because he didn't think to bring different shoes) and Ianto looking dashing as always in his suit.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

"The last thing I'd call you is prudish," Ianto murmurs, blushing slightly, and then leads Lorne by the hand to the restaurant. "Of course," he adds in a low tone, "if it had taken a date to get you into bed, maybe I would have taken you on more dates."

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne grins at him. "Babe, it didn't even take meeting you to get me into bed. I'm that easy for you."

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Ianto smiles at him and starts to lean in, then remembers they're in public and stops himself. He squeezes Lorne's hand again. "I think we both were pretty easy for each other."

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne smirks a little when Ianto pulls back. Snogging in a restaurant is probably frowned upon in polite society, but it's awfully tempting. "I'm not complaining. I like you easy," he says with a wink.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Iatno presses his lips together to keep from laughing out loud, and says quietly, "Should we see if they do take-away?"

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Lorne shakes his head. "If we do that, we'll never have a proper first date. I can be good, if you can." He gives Ianto his most serious look. Or a close approximation of it.