americas_son | Sunnydale AU: An Illicit Visit (no, not that kind)

Entry tags:

Sunnydale AU: An Illicit Visit (no, not that kind)

There is some definite disapproval going on in the Chandler compound over Cal's refusing to go along with the implicit decision that the Starks (especially Sherlock) are not the best company for him. It's not the first time he's pushed such a ruling - far from it - but this is something of a special case. Whether it's the shooting or the fact that Sherlock and his identity issues are generally glossed over in proper society with "He just couldn't handle his parents' death, the poor thing, at least his brother is made of sterner stuff" that causes greater concern . . .

Well. Cal has the feeling his knows the answer to that.

His own accidental death could at least be used to the Chandlers' advantage, after all.

The obvious response to all of this is, of course, to invite Sherlock over to visit.

"We'll have to sneak if we don't want to spend twenty minutes listening to Mother, though."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Relaxation," he deadpans. "What a peculiar concept."

It's often hard to tell if Sherlock Holmes is joking, but it's not often that he's not entirely sure himself.

Cal's expression eases into a wry half-smile.

"Yeah," he says, "you should try it sometime."

"I find the violin lends me a close approximation."

Cal shrugs a bit.

"Whatever works."

He is totally open-minded about people's substance of choice!

"But I confess it is an alien notion to me."

Actually it's alien to his whole family. Tony doesn't have it quite so bad, but he still thinks of relaxing as what you do in between the fun stuff. And Jarvis, of course, is only ever one-third sleeping at most (except for major hardware upgrades) and therefore describes himself as being at rest either all the time or none of it.

"You have to take a break sometimes," Cal says. "You'd go crazy if you didn't."

There is a brief pause in which Cal remembers who he is talking to.

He doesn't actually say That would explain a lot, but maybe he doesn't have to.

Sherlock laughs.

"In that case, Tony ought to be naming himself after a fictional engineer any day now. Or perhaps he would take a more historical route. He'd make a fine Nikola Tesla."

"The guy who invented the Tesla coil?"

The demonstration of this bit of technology during freshman year at the private school he used to go to is one of the very, very few things from any of his science classes that Cal actually remembers.

"Precisely."

Cal will be looking somewhat pleased with himself for remembering that now.

"They showed it to us when I was a freshman," he says. "Pretty cool."

"Yes, rather. He was a remarkable fellow."

And that's - pretty much all Cal has to contribute to this subject, so he changes.

"Okay," he says. "This relaxing thing. We're gonna try it." He points toward the bookcase. "Pick a movie. Then we'll watch it."

Sherlock can think of it as an experiment!

"I'm gonna hit the bathroom while you do that."

He laughs.

"Oh, by all means."

Laughter wasn't really part of the response Cal might have expected, but whatever. Surely spending the next two hours watching a movie and not doing anything will be good for Sherlock.

Especially since he can search those shelves all day and he'll never find anything even vaguely "intelligent" or "thought-provoking." (Unless those thoughts are, "I'm sorry, is this supposed to make sense?")

Cal heads for the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind him. As you do.

While he is sorely tempted to step out into the bar and grab something that might be worth his attention, he decides to give up and play along. He picks something that looks suitably nonsensical.

Speaking of the bar, once Cal has finished his business and opens the bathroom door, it's not his bedroom he finds on the other side. He briefly considers closing the door again to see if Milliways will go away, but decides against it. This is the first time since the bar has appeared since he agreed to check out a Sherlock Holmes movie, so this seems like fortuitous timing to him.

(Milliways is like that.)

He discovers quickly that asking Bar for a list of Holmes movies is not as useful as he would think, or so the resultant heavy three-ring binder would attest.

He blinks at it.

Down the bar, somebody laughs.

It's - simultaneously familiar and yet unfamiliar enough for Cal to glance up.

And do a double-take.

And then a second double-take as his brain tries to catch up.

Fascinating.

"Afternoon," he says, raising his eyebrows.

Well, it's obviously Sherlock and not Tony, even Cal can tell that much. (Of course, it could always be another double, this is Milliways, but that's too many options for Cal to deal with right now. Besides - it's obviously Sherlock, being even more . . . Sherlock-y than the one back in his room.)

A timeline thing? He's heard those happen here. Okay. He can work with that.

"Hi," he says, glancing back at his door.

"What is your name, young man? Something tells me you already know mine."

And he's from California. Coincidence? The connection is tenuous. More data.

. . .

. . . okay. Maybe not a timeline thing. Unless Sherlock is messing with him.

"Uh," he says. "Yeah. Cal Chandler."

"And you know me on sight but you don't, in fact, know me. Most curious." He pats Bar. "Oh, just give him something suitably ironic, would you?"

A DVD case appears on top of the binder. Holmes raises his eyebrows again.

"That," he says, dry as dust, "certainly qualifies."

That - clears things up and confuses them further all at once.

Well played, Bar.

Cal picks up the DVD case and studies it, glancing at the Sherlock who he is now pretty sure is not, in fact, messing with him.

"You're from one of the movies," he concludes. (Aren't you supposed to not say shit like that in Milliways? Oh well, too late.)

"Apparently so," Holmes agrees.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject