Sunnydale AU: and nothing even blew up

[americas_son]

Cal isn't sure which took longer: the speeches at the graduation ceremony, or the gathering his mother had planned after. At least the monotony of the party was broken up by Grahame's calmly stealing the spotlight to announce his new job with some law firm in LA.

Cal kind of has to admire his style there.

But, whatever, either way it's finally all over, and now he's pulling up in front of Tina's house to pick her up and head over to the Stark residence for the real party.

Comments

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"That's good. You guys don't get along? Or are you just happy for him?"

She's guessing the former.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"We don't get along."

He pauses.

"It's kind of a long story. I, uh." He thinks for a second about telling Tina -

"I don't really talk about it."

- but he's not ready yet. He likes her, a lot, and he trusts her more instinctively than he thinks he's ever trusted anyone, but the only person he's ever told the real story about Grahame to is Sherlock. And he had to be so drunk he could barely see before he could do it.

He shrugs. "But it'll be better for everyone. It's a law firm, he'll get to screw people over, he'll love it."

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like a win-win situation."

She knows Cal well enough by now to know he'll tell her things when he's ready to. Especially if it's something he doesn't want to talk about.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

And that's a large part of why he trusts her. She gets it. She understands things. She takes him seriously.

He looks over and smiles at her.

"Definitely."

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

She smiles back. He can't know that she appreciates him for much the same reasons.

"Just us is Sherlock, Tony, you, and me then, right?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Cal says. "Well, and Jarvis. He's the computer."

It's a measure of how accustomed he's become to Jarvis that he doesn't fully realize how weird that might sound.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

Wait, what?

"The computer? You mean like a robot?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

- oh. Right. That weird.

"No, he's an AI," Cal says. "Artificial Intelligence. He runs the house."

Which they are getting closer to; Cal pulls into the long driveway as he speaks.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Is this a rich kid thing I don't understand? Because it sounds like something from the Matrix."

Oh... wow. That's a nice house.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"He's kind of like HAL from 2001," Cal explains, "only he's not going to try to kill us."

Pause.

"And don't tell him I said that."

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Your secret is safe with me."

HAL. Amazing. Oh well. As long as he's not going to kill them, she can roll with it.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal parks. Tina's door pops open. Cal rolls his eyes.

"You ready?"

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Oh, hell yeah. Should I be worried that the car is flirting with me?" she asks, patting the dashboard before she gets out.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal laughs as he gets out himself.

"Just don't get in alone," he says, "and you should be fine."

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

She gives him a funny look.

"You are joking, right? Because sometimes I really can't tell."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal smiles sheepishly.

"Yeah, that was a joke. Sorry."

He's pretty sure Tony wouldn't create an evil kidnapper car.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"It's really okay. But after a conversation about an artificial intelligence you call by name, I have to check."

She takes his hand as they walk up the sidewalk to the door.

[poeticterms]

Which, speaking of artificial intelligence, unlocks as they approach.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal opens the door and steps back for Tina to go in first.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Maybe I have some weird magnetic field? With all the doors opening for me all the time?"

She walks in, glancing back at Cal and smiling.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal comes in behind her and closes the door.

"Jarvis always does that. If he didn't, I'd know something was wrong."

He's entirely serious about that.

[poeticterms]

Speaking of things being wrong, usually Jarvis speaks up around now.

Then again, usually Cal comes in alone.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Oh, that's cool."

She thinks.

If someone offers her a choice of pills to take, she is so out of here.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

Cal raises his voice slightly to address . . . the ceiling, apparently, as he tends to do when he talks to Jarvis.

"Hey, Jarvis, where is everyone?"

[toblameforit]

"Right here," says Tony, poking his head out of the basement stairs. "Don't worry about Jarvis, he's just shy. I think Sherry's upstairs having a moment with his violin. Who wants beer?"