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."

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[americas-son.livejournal.com]

His gaze falls on the list and the graffiti littered over it, and oh yeah, now he remembers. He casually picks it up and folds it in half, saying,

"- Did Sherlock ever tell you I ran into his double in there?"

[toblameforit]

"Yeah. He showed me the movie, too. Alternate universes are weird."

If that was a distraction technique, it worked like a charm.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

As a matter of fact, it was.

Cal opens a drawer in his desk enough to slip the paper inside.

"Seriously," he says. "Time travel."

("I'd think it'd be easier to say you travelled in time than to say, 'I'm gonna be the guy from the book.'")

He pauses, because suddenly, that seems a lot less bizarre.

[toblameforit]

"Actually, considering Milliways, time travel shouldn't be that big a stretch. But yeah, it's kinda different."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

". . . Yeah."

Cal glances up from shutting the drawer with a wry smile.

"But I guess I started it when I told him about the vampires, so."

[toblameforit]

Tony laughs.

"Yeah, I'll bet."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"To make sure he wasn't our Sherlock in the future," Cal finishes.

". . . Do you ever wonder sometimes if you're hallucinating your entire life? While you're sober, I mean?" It's an important distinction - Cal feels that wondering such a thing while high is totally normal.

[toblameforit]

"No, but I probably should."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal's answering laugh ends on a sigh, because all he can think at the moment is that he really, really wishes the past three days were one long bad trip, but that's one of those things he's not going to let himself say to Tony.

[toblameforit]

It's very possible that Tony is thinking something similar anyway.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Chances are, though, that Tony's version doesn't include certain discoveries about his best friend that he would really like to not have to deal with right now. (Or maybe ever.)

Cal picks his coffee back up. Either way, he's running out of things to say.

[toblameforit]

"All right. We good?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

Cal hesitates, running his free hand through his hair, then says,

"Tell Sherlock . . . tell Sherlock I'm gonna stop telling him shit through other people and talk to him myself. Soon. Before the funeral."

Maybe giving himself a deadline will help. Not wanting to deal with something doesn't mean he gets to avoid it forever. That's how he used to do things. Not anymore.

[toblameforit]

Tony snorts.

"Yes, I will tell him exactly that."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

The corner of Cal's mouth turns up wryly.

"Word for word, okay. Don't fuck it up."

[toblameforit]

"You got it."

He pushes his chair back.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal turns more serious again.

"Good luck tomorrow."

[toblameforit]

"Thanks," he says, glancing back as he gets to his feet and heads for the door.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Jarvis has all the details," Cal says. "You get lost, just ask him."

That's probably more of a reminder than anything else, but he says it anyway.

[toblameforit]

Wryly: "I always do."