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

[toblameforit]

"Yeah. Thanks," he repeats softly.

A moment passes before he starts the engine.



Stress doesn't make Tony's driving worse. It makes it a lot more precise.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

He really should call Peter. But he doesn't know what to say. The truth sounds so stupid.

It can wait a few minutes anyway. Until they're out of the car and he can do it quietly, out of Tony's hearing.

[toblameforit]

It's a long, quiet ride.

When they reach the house, he slows down more than he needs to along the driveway.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

One thing Cal has learned in the last couple of weeks:

After you've said I'm sorry, it's okay, even preferable, to shut up and not say anything else. There's nothing to say, and maybe they don't want to hear you try.

So he doesn't worry about filling the silence in the car; he just sits and lets Tony focus on driving. When he feels the car slow down in the driveway, he glances over.

[toblameforit]

They coast gently past the front door, around the curve, and down the ramp into the garage—a vast cavernous space full of half-finished projects. Tony parks neatly at the end of the row of cars facing the entrance.

He shuts off the engine and gets out.

[poeticterms]

"Welcome home, sir."

Jarvis sounds more subdued than usual.

[toblameforit]

"Obie's dead," he says, very quietly.





A little louder: "Who's in charge of Stark Industries? I mean right now, who's fielding his calls while he's off playing family man?"

[poeticterms]

"A Miss Virginia Potts, sir. I've spoken with her before."

[toblameforit]

"Good. Get her on the phone. Tell her... I have no idea what the fuck you should tell her. If she knows what the Hellmouth is, you can tell her he fucking fell down it, 'cause that's what happened. Otherwise, we'll think of something." He rubs his face with both hands and finally looks at Cal, just to see what he's up to.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal got out of the car when Tony did, and has been leaning against listening to the conversation.

And it just so happens that he has a little recent experience explaining away disappearances.

"He's sick," he says. "He wouldn't go to the hospital to get checked out, so we brought my family doctor over, and now he's on bedrest with twenty-four hour nursing and strict orders to not so much as look a telephone. You're gonna need a story for the press sooner or later anyway, and Richard will back us up once I've talked to him because we pay him more for that than even a doctor should be making."

[toblameforit]

Tony closes his eyes and draws a long, slow breath, contemplating this.

Then he nods.

"Okay. Run with it. Thanks, Cal."

[poeticterms]

"Will do, sir. And I'll let you know directly the moment Sherlock is available."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal's cellphone chooses that moment to start ringing. Cal glances down to pull it out of his pocket, saying,

"That'll be Peter wanting to know why I left school grounds without calling him. I'll talk to him, then I'll call Richard."

[toblameforit]

"Sure. All right."

He stays where he is a moment longer, then starts pacing down the length of the workroom.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal wanders in the opposite direction, toward the mouth of the garage.

He answers his phone with,

"You're really not going to believe this."

[chandler-npc.livejournal.com]

"Tell me anyway," Peter answers, some of his irritation coming through.

He'd thought Cal was done with shit like this.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

. . . Cal tells him.

He does so quietly, mindful of Tony's presence.

[chandler-npc.livejournal.com]

There is a long and uncharacteristic moment of silence on Peter's end.

Finally he says, matter of factly,

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer person."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal has to clap his hand over his mouth to smother the unexpected snort of laughter.

"Don't."

[chandler-npc.livejournal.com]

Peter smirks and gives him a few seconds to recover.

"So I assume you'll be at the Stark residence until Sherlock gets back."

It's not a hard guess.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal swallows and straightens up.

"Yeah," he says. "Sherlock doesn't know yet, but I'm sure he'll get on the first flight back once he finds out, so it shouldn't be too long. Overnight, probably. If anything comes up, let me know."

He rubs a hand over his face, thinking.

"And, uh. Don't drop the watch outside right away. Someone might notice."

By which he means Tony might notice. If he's inclined to notice anything.

[chandler-npc.livejournal.com]

"Yes, sir, Mr Chandler."

This'll make for an interesting conversation next time he talks to Sherlock.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal wraps up the conversation, then ends the call and turns to see where Tony is.

[toblameforit]

The elevator doors are just closing behind him.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal nods to himself, then makes the promised call to Richard.

This one is slightly longer - they have to make sure they're both telling the same story, and that Richard understands that extending his services to the Starks in this one instance will net him a pleasantly-sized bonus in the near future.

When that's been taken care of, he puts his phone away and asks,

"Where'd he go, Jarvis?"