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

[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?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Great," Cal says sourly. "How are you doing?"

[toblameforit]

"Peachy, if we're playing the sarcasm game."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"It is kind of a dumb question," Cal says. "Either way."

Cal's not okay. Tony's doing badly. They both know it. And Cal definitely knows that Tony doesn't need to hear his real, unvarnished answer.

[toblameforit]

"Fine, so we can be not okay together."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like a plan."

He shifts his hold on his coffee, cradling the mug in both hands.

"There's nothing new to do right now, anyway."

And he's sick of looking at that goddamn list. He's spent so long staring at it that half the words don't even make sense anymore.

[toblameforit]

Tony sets down his empty mug.

If he sees the list, he's not at a good angle to read it and he's not in the habit of spying on other people's paperwork. That's Sherry's job.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

All of which is just as well, because Cal has completely forgotten the . . . artistic expression . . . he exercised on it late last night, when he was too tired to think anymore.

"You ready for tomorrow?"

[toblameforit]

"Yep."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal nods a little.

"Good," he says. "The press conference sucks the most. Just - don't take questions. It's easier."

[toblameforit]

"Oh, believe me, I won't."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Good," Cal says again.

"The body's all taken care of, so after that, all you have to worry about is the funeral."

The normal part. The part everyone has to deal with anyway. Cal got lucky on that - Mother took over, and he was all too glad to let her. Most of it was preplanned, anyway, because that's how the Chandlers operate.

[toblameforit]

"Sherry's got that part," he admits. "Me, I'm figuring out the company. Fuck. I know I said I could go to high school and be a CEO, but that doesn't mean I wanna."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

This part is easier to talk about. Cal doesn't have to pick his way around his hatred for Stane, and he doesn't have to think about Sherlock.

He makes a sympathetic face and sips his coffee.

"No ideas on anyone who can help you out with that?" he asks.

[toblameforit]

"Nope. I mean, I'm sure there's a ton of people who'd love the job, but..." He shrugs eloquently.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Cal says. "Well. If there's anything you think I might be able to do . . ."

He shrugs a little, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

"Stark Industries is about to become socially relevant again." To put it mildly.

[toblameforit]

Tony snorts. "No kidding. You can help Sherry stop me from punching anybody who acts like an asshole about it. It'll be a two-man job."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Sounds fun," Cal says dryly. "I'm in."