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

[toblameforit]

"The first one?"

[if_inconvenient]

"Oh, no," Sherlock contributes. "Definitely the second."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I'm gonna go with Sherlock on this one."

When in doubt.

[if_inconvenient]

He laughs.

[toblameforit]

"You're both assholes."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"That's why you like us so much."

Oh, here's their waiter! He is ready to take their orders.

[toblameforit]

Good thing Tony is not busy giggling. In contrast to some people at this table.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Sorry," Cal says dryly, "we don't let him out in public very often."

The waiter chuckles gamely.

[if_inconvenient]

Loftily ignoring Cal's insinuations, Sherlock orders his and Tony's pizza.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal makes his own order, and the waiter thanks them and takes off.

[toblameforit]

"Why do you always do that?" he wonders.

[if_inconvenient]

"Because you are always so slow."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"I guess you'll have to be faster for dessert," Cal puts in.

[if_inconvenient]

"Perhaps if you don't distract him by disparaging my sanity."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Nah," Cal says. "I pretty much got that out of my system months ago."

[if_inconvenient]

"Oh, I see."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"What?"

It's true!

[if_inconvenient]

"And I thought Tony had a short memory. Remarkable."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"There is nothing wrong with my memory."

Objectively speaking, this is also true. Why bother remembering a weak, off-the-cuff joke made entirely on social reflex?

[toblameforit]

"You called him nuts, like, half a minute ago," Tony puts in. "To the waiter."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal looks blank for half a second, then realizes.

"What, that? That didn't even mean anything. That was just -" He gestures vaguely. "People like when you make jokes. When you - bring them in on it."

[toblameforit]

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"It's called social skills," Cal says, a little stiffly. "You could try it sometime."

[if_inconvenient]

"Oh, don't worry. If I required people to think before they spoke I would have washed my hands of Tony long ago."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal relaxes, the corner of his mouth turning up.