Sunnydale AU: let's try that again

[americas_son]

The Milliways vacation was, Cal thinks, exactly what they all needed. He definitely came home to discover that things seemed a lot more manageable than they had before he left for New York, and not just because Obadiah Stane will officially never be his damn problem again.

(Peter, he knows, suspects that something happened while Cal was away, but Cal calmly ignores his less-than-subtle hints for an explanation. What would he even tell Peter?

Although he does kind of love imagining the look on Peter's face if he found out exactly how far Cal was out of his reach, and for how long.)

There's more time for life beyond the household now, and so it is that Cal is resuming something resembling regular visits to the Stark residence once more.

Comments

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal is undeterred. If you start with one story, it's best to stick with it no matter what.

"Thanks."

[toblameforit]

"You are so full of it," Tony says cheerfully.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but I won."

Story. Sticking to it.

(Laughing, but sticking to it.)

[if_inconvenient]

"You certainly won the trophy of most brazen liar in the car."

He pauses delicately.

[toblameforit]

And Tony, as predicted, bursts out laughing.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal keeps laughing, saying,

"Yeah, for the next five minutes, maybe."

[toblameforit]

"Try never. Ever. At all."

[toblameforit]

"—Holy shit, you nearly fooled me with that one."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

- there is an extra second or two of silence as Cal, who is after all sitting with both Sherlock and Tony to his left, untangles what just happened.

"Okay, that was fucking weird," he says finally. He's seen Sherlock's Tony impression before, of course, but not with Tony actually in the room.

(Or the car.)

It's disorienting.

"You win."

[if_inconvenient]

"You see? And not once did I need to say it."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Except that you just did," Cal points out.

Sort of. Technically.

[if_inconvenient]

"Only by implication."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"I hate to break it to you," Cal tells him, "but gloating counts. That was kinda my point before."

Honestly.

[if_inconvenient]

"Whereas my point, as delivered through Tony, was that asserting victory does not often create it and can in fact be a sign of its absence. But I would be remiss if I refused to acknowledge the truth of the matter simply for the sake of achieving the moral high ground. I did, after all, win."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal doesn't even miss a beat.

"Like I said. Gloating counts."

Never let logic get in the way of your argument.

[toblameforit]

"You guys are hilarious," Tony comments. "It's like you're having two completely different conversations."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"I'm having the one that makes sense," Cal says. "I don't know what Sherlock's doing."

Enjoying the sound of his own voice, presumably.

[toblameforit]

"Nope, I'm gonna have to go with Sherry on this one."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, 'cause you live with him."

Sherlock probably knows a hundred different ways to kill a person in his sleep. And way, way more than a hundred of just generally making his life annoying. So clearly Tony is just being practical.

[if_inconvenient]

"Oh, believe me, when he thinks I am wrong he says so. At great length."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Now you're just ganging up on me."

He doesn't sound hugely upset about this.

[toblameforit]

Tony snickers.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"I'm just saying," Cal - uh, says.

[toblameforit]

"Yeah, I noticed."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal gives him an innocent and mildly put-upon look.