Sunnydale AU: such an old-fashioned word

[americas_son]

Three days after Stane's death, the worst of the work is over. The fake death is set up and scheduled for tomorrow; all that remains is the execution.

So to speak.

Cal is at the desk in his room going over it all one last time, just to be sure, when Danielle knocks and tells him he has a visitor.

"Tony Stark to see you, sir."

Cal kind of saw this coming, sooner or later. He sits back and stretches. "Okay, yeah. Send him in."

Comments

[toblameforit]

Okay, the direct approach it is. He's no good at anything else, anyway.

"You haven't talked to Sherry since he told you."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"It's only been a couple of days."

He already knows that there's no real excuse. It's pathetic to direct all his messages through Jarvis - he knows it and he can tell even Jarvis thinks so, though he hasn't said anything.

None of that stops him from getting ready to go on the defensive anyway.

[toblameforit]

"Okay," he says, "you remember when I said I was acting like a dad talking to his daughter's boyfriend?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Annoyance crosses Cal's face.

"Yeah," he says, "that was very clever."

[toblameforit]

"This is the part where I tell you not to break his heart."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"I'm not actually dating him," Cal points out.

[toblameforit]

"Don't be a dumbass."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Why not?" Cal asks. "It always seems to work out better for everyone when I am."

It's always come back to that; everyone is happier when Cal doesn't think.

[toblameforit]

"Because if you fuck this one up I'm the guy who's gonna have to pick up the pieces. And you don't seriously think Sherry likes you better when you've got your head up your ass."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

The door opens before Cal can answer, and Danielle places a tray with coffee for two and the appropriate condiments onto the desk.

"Anything else, sir?" If she notices the tension in the room, there's no sign of it. Not noticing things that shouldn't be noticed is a prized quality in a Chandler employee.

"No. Thanks."

She nods and leaves. Cal turns his outward focus to fixing his coffee.

"I'm not going to," he says, not looking up from the sugar he's stirring in. His tone is milder than before, though; the interruption has given him a chance to get that much under control. "It hasn't been that long."

[toblameforit]

"Okay." He shrugs, reaching for the other coffee. "Fine. It's just—you're the first person he told."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal does look up at that.

It probably shouldn't surprise him into silence, given that he knows he's the first friend Sherlock has had (one of countless little things he's had to reconsider in a whole new light), but it does anyway.

[toblameforit]

"You know, I know, he knows, Jarvis knows. Obie knew. That's it. And I only told Obie 'cause he knew me growing up and he wasn't gonna buy that Sherry was hiding under a rock the whole time."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

The humans in the room, Cal thinks.

"I - hadn't really thought about that," he admits.

[toblameforit]

"So what I'm saying is, this is kind of a big deal."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

Cal turns back to his mug, adding cream.

"I do know that."

Just because it's a surprise doesn't mean he thought they shouted it from the rooftops, or something.

[toblameforit]

Again: "Okay."

He takes a sip of his coffee.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

With his coffee to his satisfaction, Cal sips it carefully. He pauses, moves to put the mug back down. Changes his mind.

"I told him I'd need some time," he says finally.

[toblameforit]

Tony shrugs, and drains the cup.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal recognizes the tactic - just keep quiet, and force your opponent to fill the silence. It's a good one, especially against Cal; recognizing it doesn't make him able to build any kind of resistance to it.

"He's still my best friend. I haven't - that hasn't changed."

[toblameforit]

Quietly: "Good."

Tony isn't that subtle, not now, not on purpose. Tony just manages, once in a while, to shut up when he has nothing to say.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal usually knows better than to attribute such deliberate maneuverings to the few people he considers friends - they are friends in part because they don't do that kind of thing, not to him.

But he's strained, and tired, and quietly angry in ways he can't or won't quantify, and it's affecting his thinking.

"I - I know I should . . ." He trails off for a moment, then leaves the sentence incomplete in favor of a new one: "I just - I can't, right now."

[toblameforit]

He nods.

"All right."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal sighs, a long, heavy exhalation, and sags back into his chair.

[toblameforit]

Wryly: "You okay?"