toblameforit | (no subject)

Tony is operating under no such constraints!

Obadiah's laughter probably doesn't need to be expressly calculated to make Cal feel icky inside, but it's safe to assume it is anyway.

Jesus.

But Cal's expression doesn't flicker. He just tosses his phone to Tony.

"Fine," he says lightly, "let's see how you do when you're distracted."

"You're on."

"Tony does love a challenge," Obadiah observes.

"And the sky is blue," Cal says, "and water is wet."

He casually reaches for one of the couch pillows.

"Where are you going with that, buddy?" he asks without looking up from the screen.

Cal looks innocent.

"I'm not going anywhere."

It's true.

"Because if you think I can't kick your ass and win at Tetris at the same time, think again."

He's completely bluffing.

Well, mostly bluffing.

Well, he can play Tetris and chuck pillows at the same time, anyway. Aiming is another matter entirely.

"I would never think something like that."

Cal makes a show of getting comfortable with the pillow, pulling his knees up and balancing it to rest his arms on.

See? No nefarious plans here.

"I'm busy playing Tetris, so I dunno who you're faking innocence for. Obie's sure as hell not buying it."

"Leave me out of this," he says with a smile.

"Yeah, leave him out of this."

Cal makes it sound like a joke, but it's not.

"I'm not seeing you distracting me," he points out. "At this rate I'm gonna beat your high score."

"I have a strategy," Cal says.

Ominously.

"Uh-huh."

"You'll see."

Cal changes position, stretched out with his head hanging back over the couch and his feet on the floor, pillow clasped over his stomach.

Isn't he glad they're leaving Obadiah out of this?

The change of position was deliberate. The other one was too comfortable, felt too much like he was hiding. He refuses to do that.

He knows exactly what he's opening himself up to here, but better that than to let himself start thinking like prey again.

"It's a really good one," he continues.

"Is it to do nothing and wait for me to go crazy trying to figure out what your plan is?"

"No," Cal says, with great scorn.

That kind of shit is for amateurs.

"'Cause that's what Sherry would do. But from Sherry it'd actually work."

Cal pauses to think about this for a second.

"Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to be trying to figure out some plan he had against me," he says reflectively.

"I know, right?"

He grins.

"That'd be pretty scary."

Pause.

"I'm not that scary."