Sunnydale AU: Follow-up

[americas_son]

The frustrating thing is that everyone acts like nothing happened.

It's not surprising - it is, in fact, the standard Chandler family approach to anything out of the ordinary - but Cal had hoped that something would come of it. Wouldn't it be to everyone's benefit to teach him the basics of the real Sunnydale night life?

Apparently not. Mother emphasizes the importance of his curfew, and he finds some vials of holy water in his jacket pockets, but that's it. He's expected to leave matters in everyone else's hands, as always.

But Cal is, for the first time in his life, starting to think he's had about enough of that. Which is why he lingers at his locker after school one day not long after that eventful night, keeping an eye out for Sherlock.

(He's also tacitly expected to keep his distance from the Starks after the attempted shooting, but fuck that too.)

Comments

[if_inconvenient]

"My second encounter with a vampire. Holy water was all I had, and it proved insufficient. Luckily I am a trained martial artist and he was not. After that, I asked Tony to come up with something."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"- that is lucky."

Is that also a Sherlock Holmes thing?

[if_inconvenient]

"In a manner of speaking. After all, I am Sherlock Holmes."

So yes, yes it is.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal nods.

"I musta missed the one where he learned kung-fu."

And - all the other ones.

[if_inconvenient]

"In fact, thanks to poor research on dear Sir Arthur's part, he learned a martial art which does not exist. I substituted as necessary."

He smiles.

"You might do well to read them sometime. They're quite good, and I think you'll find they explain a lot about me."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal looks supremely doubtful at the prospect of reading - well, anything. Especially anything old.

"How many are there?"

[if_inconvenient]

"Four books. Five anthologies, totaling fifty-six short stories. But you can start with A Study in Scarlet and see how that strikes you."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

". . . Aren't there any movies?"

There are always movies. If Cal has learned one thing from English class, it's that there are always movies.

[if_inconvenient]

"I've never seen one. I am sure we are drowning in adaptations, most of them older than you are, but I prefer to stick to the original."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Of course he does.

"I'll look then."

Even an old movie is better than an old book.

[if_inconvenient]

"Try the bar. No doubt they have a better selection."

He manages to mostly avoid being condescending about that entirely illogical fear of books.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Books are bad for you. Like walking.

Cal brightens a bit.

"That's a good idea. From all kinds of worlds."

That could actually even be fun.

[if_inconvenient]

"Indeed."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"I'll ask next time."

Cal looks cheerful. "I bet there are ones from like, worlds of tentacles and stuff."

Or at least a crossover or two with Lovecraft.

[if_inconvenient]

"Well, I know there's a short story like that."

Oh, Neil Gaiman.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"There is?"

Sherlock should have said that first.

[if_inconvenient]

"There is. Modern. Worth reading, though. Read one of the originals and I'll tell you where to find it."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Modern?" Cal ponders this for a second, then says,

"I could just Google."

He sees what you are doing there, Sherlock.

[if_inconvenient]

"By all means. I wish you luck."

He is thinking that the information Cal has, while technically sufficient to produce a result, is also sufficient to produce a great deal of extraneous pornography along the way.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"I will."

If Sherlock is really lucky, Cal will print out the worst best of it to show him.

[if_inconvenient]

Sherlock will no doubt have a great deal to say about the characterisation. And the fact that he'll never claim not to be into that will say a great deal about Sherlock.

"Now—vampires?" he asks, opening up his laptop.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Right."

Cal shakes off thoughts of tentacled Holmes and refocuses.

"Vampires."

[if_inconvenient]

"If you can stand the requisite amount of reading," he says dryly, "you'll find plenty of information in there."

Yes, Sherlock created a searchable database of information on supernatural creatures. Wouldn't you?

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Who wouldn't?

"Computers are different."

Because they just are, that's why.

Also, this is important.

[if_inconvenient]

He decides not to mention right at this moment that the entire Sherlock Holmes canon can be found online in any number of places.