Sunnydale AU: don't go into the - never mind.

[americas_son]

Some students, when they hear the final bell ring, head to class right away.

Sometimes Cal is one of them, but not today. He was outside having a cigarette when the bell sounded, and he was too deep in thought to pay it much attention.

So he's slipping inside now, a few minutes late. The halls are already quiet, and he's keeping an eye out for any faculty members authorized to give detention as he makes his way toward his English class.

Comments

[poeticterms]

Not a faculty member, no, but there is someone opening a door marked BASEMENT at the other end of the hall.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal does a double-take.

. . . fucking seriously?

He's most the way down the hall toward the basement door when it occurs to him that he should probably go to the office and just report Stane for fucking intruding.

He doesn't. He'd rather deal with this himself.

[poeticterms]

Obadiah doesn't notice him; the door swings shut on the sound of footsteps headed down the stairs.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal has forgotten about watching out for teachers. He catches the door before it closes all the way, intent on going down the stairs himself.

[toblameforit]

Someone else comes around the corner at exactly that moment.

"...What," he says, eloquently.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal glances up, then looks back down the stairs. Then back at Tony.

"You don't know about this by any chance, do you?" he asks, keeping his voice low to avoid attracting attention.

[toblameforit]

"What I know is, I just ran into somebody who says they saw Obie here a minute ago and he said he was looking for me." He starts for the basement door. "I'm pretty sure he's not looking for me down there."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that figures.

Cal lets Tony go ahead of him and follows right behind.

"He definitely looked like he was looking for something."

Although what there could possibly be in a high school basement that would be of interest, Cal doesn't know.

[toblameforit]

He actually stops for a second just to turn around and give Cal a look.

"You know what's down here, right?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal pauses.

Judging from the look on Tony's face:

"Not just the boiler?"

[toblameforit]

"Hellmouth."

Tony turns back around and keeps going down the stairs.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Literally?"

Cal thought that was more of a Sunnydale-wide kind of thing. The thought of one specific location - at least, one small one - hadn't occurred to him.

He keeps following.

[toblameforit]

"Yep."

He seems more annoyed than worried—but he's definitely worried.

"Goddammit, what the fuck does he think he's doing?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Something the Sunnydale High security force - whatever that might be, Cal's not even sure if it exists - is probably not equipped to deal with.

"Maybe he's fixing the boiler," Cal mutters.

[toblameforit]

Tony snorts, opening the door at the bottom of the stairs.

[poeticterms]

Obadiah is kneeling on the floor, brushing with his hands at the dirt covering an ominous-looking diagram etched into the concrete. He doesn't look up; he doesn't seem to hear them.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal stares.

"Is that, like . . . X marks the spot?" he asks after a couple seconds.

He doesn't bother keeping his voice down anymore.

[toblameforit]

Tony is more direct.

"Obie, what in the name of fuck do you think you're doing with that?"

[poeticterms]

"Tony?"

Now he looks up.

"I saw a few things in your father's records," he says, casual as anything. "I thought I'd come have a look while I'm here."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

This is an entirely different situation from yesterday - Cal's a little out of his depth, and Tony is definitely the one who should be in charge.

That doesn't mean Cal is going to leave.

Or stay quiet. (It doesn't hurt to remind Stane that he's here, and paying attention, and filing things away.)

"Isn't that how bad horror movies usually start?"

[poeticterms]

He chuckles.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he says, which is not exactly a step up in bad horror movie terms. "You boys can go back upstairs. I'll just be a minute."

[toblameforit]

"I am not going back upstairs," he says, stepping forward. "Look, Obie, there is just no way this could possibly not end badly. Get off of there."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

If Tony isn't going, neither is Cal.

Even if getting far away from the ominous seal with the giant moron fucking around with it is probably the safe bet.

[poeticterms]

"I just want a closer look," he says patiently, turning back to the diagram. His fingertips brush a discoloration at the edge of one of the deep-carved lines; he leans closer to inspect it.

A circle of red fire springs up around him, accompanied by foul-smelling smoke and a distant, horrible scream.

[toblameforit]

"Obie!"

Despite the fact that it is by any logic exactly the thing he should not do, Tony sprints for the seal.