LLEWELYN (Ianto Jones) + JAMES (Jack Harkness)
PG-13 for kissing & awkward | complete
The last few hours of Llewelyn's shift had been a bit of a blur. He'd been busy scheduling rafting and biking tours for various guests and have to wave off Tallula when she showed up. Finally, things had quieted down and he'd escaped to the break room with her. He was nervous, because apparently this was a date. And he didn't know what he was doing. It was a date with a guy. And yes, it was a good looking guy and a guy who made him blush and be flustered. And he wanted this to be a date and he wanted to kiss him, but what if it didn't work out or he didn't like it. Tallula had brought two outfit and while one seemed more to her taste than Llewelyn's, he'd opted for something simple - slacks and a dress shirt rolled up at the sleeve. After pestering her for advice until his shift ended, he made his way out of the resort, trying not to pace outside the doors of the resort as he waited for James.
James had managed to distract himself for most of the day with planning for the upcoming academic year. He always tried to get it done as early as possible and most years he was always scrambling in the last few weeks. It wouldn’t be so bad but he liked to change up his course just a little each year. Hit the key points but add in different extra bits based on feedback from his students about what they’d liked and didn’t like. He wasn’t sure how successful he’d been today, for despite his best efforts, he’d found his thoughts wandering to Llewelyn more often than not. He’d been flirting with intent for a while now and today had presented the first really good opportunity for a first, light date. He’d suspected since he’d begun flirting that Llewelyn might not have much experience with men before and he’d been proven right in their private conversation. He made a mental note to keep it nice and light tonight and not to push. He’d like a second date after all and he wouldn’t get it if he came on too strong.
Just after 5pm, he changed into the spare good shirt he kept in his office, put on the vintage RAAF coat he’d bought in a thrift shop in England years ago and made his way up to the resort, knowing the walk would chew up most of the time between now and 5.30pm. When he got there, he saw that Llewelyn was waiting for him and he grinned as he closed the gap between them. “Hi. You look great. Ready to go?”
Llewelyn fussed awkwardly with whether to shake hands or what and settled on shoving his hands in his pockets as his eyes lingered on James’ outfit. Wearing a coat like that should look ridiculous, especially in the summer (even if a Colorado summer wa mild) but somehow James not only pulled it off but managed to make it look good. “Hi.. yes.. ready..” He stammered, cheeks flushing and wondering not for the first time what the hell he was doing.
James loved making Llewelyn blush, mostly because he looked utterly gorgeous when he did. Also the stammering was cute. He hadn’t made someone do that in a while. Well, other than the occasional student but that wasn’t deliberate. “Shall we walk down? It’s a beautiful evening.” He smiled and debated offering his arm. He decided not to, not when Llewelyn was clearly so nervous about this date being with a man. “How was work? Any odd ones today?”
Llewelyn might have been staring a bit too long at James because he didn't respond right away, distracted by the other man's mouth and their earlier conversation about tongues and goodnight kisses. "Sorry, what was that? Work.. oh no, I mean, there was one couple wanting to know if I knew of a place that would take them out moose or bear riding, but that was about it. And the kids asking me if I knew of a bar in town that didn't card…"
James pretended to be oblivious to the fact that Llewelyn had been staring at his mouth. It looked like his chances of getting a goodnight kiss might be pretty good. He decided to lick them them for good measure to see what reaction he got then he got distracted by what had been said. “Moose or bear riding? They either have a death wish or they’re just terminally stupid.” He laughed. “Though I’d like to see them try either.” The news about the kids just made him roll his eyes and chuckle. “We’re a college town. If the bars were that strict on carding, I would have so many students turn up to class hungover.”
Llewelyn flushed and coughed when James licked his lips, tearing his gaze away from James and towards the mountains, feeling his neck getting warm.
"I'd vote for terminally stupid," he said with a smile. "And I do my best not to encourage underage drinking. How about you? Ready for the semester to start?"
James laughed, partly at Llewelyn’s reaction, which was just as delightful as he’d expected, and partly at what he’d said. “I’m never really ready for the semester to start. I don’t think any teacher is. I think I spend the first week or two cursing Jacen for waving the job in front of me but it should be fun once every gets over the return to school blues.”
There was something about James’ laugh that made Llewelyn smile and light up, and he found himself wanting to make James laugh and smile some more. Maybe Lulu was right and he did like penis. Or maybe he just liked James. He wasn’t sure yet, but that’s why they were going on a date. For ice cream. And there might be tongue.
“Are you teaching anything interesting this semester?”
“Mostly the same old thing,” James said as they walked along. “Though I’ve introduced a full unit on women in war since it’s been one of the most consistently popular highlights I’ve done over the last few years. Thought it was about time I made it official.” He was tempted to take Llewelyn’s hand but settled for allowing their knuckles to brush against each other. “I’ve been thinking of maybe doing a couple of public lectures on the subject as well.”
There was a spark of something when James’ knuckles brushed his and Llewelyn licked his lips in response, trying to keep his attention on what James was saying. “I imagine you’d get a good audience for those…”
“I think so,” James said with a nod. “It’s a popular subject and one not a lot of people know about. You should have seen some of the stuff I found when I got a look into the files at the War Office in London a while back.” He chuckled. “The men were all off fighting so the women were doing a lot of the very interesting work.” He looked over at Llewellyn and grinned. “Would you come if I spoke?”
"London's overrated," Llewelyn muttered under his breath and then nearly sputtered at James' words. How was he going to get through an entire date with this man. "Yes- I mean, if my schedule allows…"
Llewelyn scrubbed a hand over his face. He was completely failing at playing it cool. He looked up as they approached the ice cream parlor, grateful for the distraction. "So… ice cream?"
James was hard pressed not to laugh at Llewelyn’s splutter. He was also hard pressed not to push the man back against the nearest wall and just kiss the hell out of him for being so adorably flustered. But he wouldn’t. Not yet anyway. He might just frighten the man off if he did it now.
“Ice cream,” he said, holding the door open for Llewelyn. “My treat. What flavours were you after?”
Llewelyn probably wouldn't have minded being pressed up against a wall, but he was too nervous to consider the possibility. "I'm a sucker for anything chocolate flavoured," he said with a flush as he stepped inside and examined the offerings. "Although sometimes it's worth going for the flavour of the month."
“I’ll keep that in mind,” James said, cocking his eyebrow and grinning wickedly as he followed Llewelyn into the shop. He also made a mental note to make sure he had some chocolate topping in the pantry. Hopefully he might just get to put it to some use beyond the boring and mundane sometime soon. He looked over the various type of flavours. “Flavour of the month can be fun. At least when it’s not vanilla.” He shot a cheeky look at the other man. “I’ve never been a vanilla sort of guy.”
“I figured as much. You seem the kinky, experienced sort.” Llewelyn flushed bright red at the words that came out of his mouth, burying his face in his hands. “Please stop me from putting my foot in my mouth..”
James laughed heartily at Llewelyn’s slip of the tongue, pleased with both the comment and the surge of hope that it gave him. The other man might be a little uncertain and nervous but it seemed like his subconscious was right on board with the whole idea. “How is it that you know me so well and this is only our first date?”
“You’re like a male version of Lulu with the dashing good looks, the lack of filter, the innuendo…” the young Welshman trailed off. This might be their first date but he’d seen James around enough that he’d had time to observe him (and to check him out and imagine what lay hidden under that coat).
“Deductive reasoning, if you will.”
Then they were being served and Ianto ordered salted caramel swirl and blueberry in a cup before motioning to James to order. Of course, they hadn’t established who would pay and despite scouring the Internet none of the ‘So you think you’re gay’ resources he’d found talked about who paid for ice cream on the first date, leaving him to pull out his wallet in readiness.
James laugh again and pretended to preen at the comment. Well, it was mostly pretending. There was some actual preening going on as well. He didn’t consider himself an overly vain man but it was always nice to know that the object of your affections found you attractive. “I was doing my own deductive reasoning, I’ll have you know. Mine was that any man who wears a suit as well as you do has to have some very interesting hidden depths. Still waters run deep and all that.”
He quickly placed his own order - raspberry and chilli chocolate - and then waved for Llewelyn to put away his wallet. “My treat. I’m the one who asked you out after all.”
Llewelyn arched an eyebrow at James’ choices, exciting to be sure. “Are you sure? It’s no trouble…” he insisted as he pulled out a few bills and handed them to the college student at the register.
At James’ comment, he felt the blush creeping up his neck. “No hidden depths, I’m afraid… I’m really not all that interesting. And the job requires me to always put my best face forward as it were..”
James waved him away again and quickly handed over enough to cover both their ice creams to the student at the register. “No, absolutely not,” he said with a smile. “I’d be pretty poor date if I asked you to pay.”
He raised an eyebrow and gave Llewelyn an assessing look. “You wear tailored suits, none of this off the rack stuff, and you don’t have hidden depths? I beg to differ.” He smiled appreciatively, unconcerned with admitting that he’d been eying the other man closely enough to know his suits were that well tailored.
“My father was a tailor,” Llewelyn said simply as he shrugged and blushed slightly. “Besides, off the rack suits don’t look good on anyone. And you have quite the sartorial sense yourself.””
“What this old thing?” James said, gesturing to the coat he was wearing. “Emphasis on the old. Found it in a thrift shop in London. Seemed an absolute crime to leave it there.” He paused to accept his ice cream from the student, flashing them a quick, absent smile of thanks that had them blushing. He didn’t notice. His attention was on the man with him. “We make a pretty dashing pair, don’t we?”
Llewelyn was fairly certain that he should just accept the fact that he was going to be crimson for the majority of the evening. Instead he glanced at the icecream in his hand and took a spoonful, getting caramel on his lips and licking it off with his tongue.
"That's just ridiculous… I don't hold a candle to you."
James’ brain stuttered when Llewelyn licked the ice cream off his lips and he had to firmly curtail his urge to lean forward and lick it off for himself. He had a suspicion Llewelyn wouldn’t mind but they were still in the middle of the shop. “Don’t sell yourself so short. You’re gorgeous.”
Llewelyn flushed again, leading the way out of the shop and out towards one of the tables in the evening sunshine. "Flattery is completely unnecessary, James…" he said, shaking his head as he took a seat and stretched out his legs. "You know, most men wouldn't be wearing a WWII wool coat in the middle of the summer…"
James shook his head. “It’s not flattery if it’s true. You’re a very handsome man.” He sat down next to Llewelyn and ate a spoonful of his ice cream before tipping his head up into the sun. “I’ll do a lot for the aesthetic,” he said with a grin. “That and I don’t really feel the heat unless it gets bad. The cold however? That’s another matter.”
Llewelyn watched James closely, distracted by the man's good looks and thinking too much about his mouth. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing you’re in Colorado and not Canada then… I imagine that coat would keep you warm on a cold night though..”
“Why do you think I applied for the position here when Jacen waved it in front of me,” James said with a grin. He took another spoonful of ice cream then licked it off the spoon. Quite deliberately. “Keeps me warm during the day. I like to find other ways to keep warm at night.”
Llewelyn coughed, cheeks turning pink as he tried - and failed - to stare at James' mouth. He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Is everything an innuendo with you? I swear, you're worse than Lulu…" he said, shaking his head. "Although I suppose I can't say too much about doing things for aesthetic reasons. I do wear a three piece suit throughout the summer.
“Not everything,” James said with a grin. “I keep it out of my classes as much as I can.” Not that he always succeeded or so he’d been told but it came so easily that sometimes he had to work to turn it off. “And you wear that suit really well. Besides, it looks extremely professional and people like it. I’ve seen it.”
"Well, that's probably for the best. I imagine the university policies are tricky around that." Llewelyn took another bite of ice cream, not noticing the caramel that got caught on his lip. "My father always said people treat you better when you look better. Besides, I can't imagine coming to work in cargo shorts and a tshirt."
James nodded. “Not just university policies. Mine too. Students are off limits.” His attention was caught by the splotch of caramel on Llewelyn’s lip and for a moment he teetered on the brink, caught between telling him or just taking action, and completely unaware of what Llewelyn was saying. Then he fell over that brink and reached out. He cupped Llewellyn’s cheek and swiped up the caramel with his thumb. He pulled his hand away and sucked the caramel off his thumb.
“Mmm, nice,” he said with a tiny smirk.
Llewelyn was fairly certain he stopped breathing when James touched his face. Okay, Lulu was right. Definitely a crush. He lips parted, unsure if he wanted to speak or suck on James' thumb and then the hand was gone and for lack of anything better, he spoke. "Lulu said I can cancel our dinner plans if things are going well and I don't want to presume anything but I don't want to go home." The words came out in a jumbled rush and Llewelyn looked a bit shocked.
"I'm sorry, I'm absolute rubbish at this. I ought to just go home and watch something on Netflix in my pyjamas."
James gave a low, delighted laugh. “You’re doing just fine, Llewelyn.” He brushed his fingers over the other man’s cheek. “And I don’t want you to go home either.” He leaned forward a little. “We could finish our ice cream, maybe go for a walk, get something to eat…” He leaned forward a little further, intent but still keeping things light and warm, willing to let Llewelyn drive how far this went. “Or we could skip the walk, get some take away and go to my place.”
Llewelyn licked his lips in anticipation and closed his eyes before closing the distance between them and brushing his lips against James', ice cream falling from his hand. James tasted like ice cream and something else he couldn't quite name. He pulled back, running his finger over his lips. "Take away…" he said, voice slightly hoarse as he swallowed hard. "Let's do take away."
James closed his eyes at the soft, barely-there kiss and smiled faintly. He liked that. He liked a lot of things when it came to affection and sex but he didn’t often get kissed like that. It was nice. He opened his eyes when Llewelyn retreated and placed his ice cream on the table. “Take away sounds great.” He caught Llewelyn’s hand as he got to his feet and tugged gently. “Come on. I’m in the mood for something a hell of a lot better than ice cream.”
Llewelyn half stumbled towards James' arms as he got to his feet. "Please," he said, squeezing James' hand. "I feel like I'm just going to continue making an arse of myself and I'd rather not do that in public."
James steadied Llewelyn then reeled him in close with an arm around his waist. “You’re doing just fine,” he said before leaning in and kissing him again. He kept it soft and gentle but with just a hint of a nip to his bottom lip as a promise for more as he pulled away. “Let’s go.”