toblameforit | (no subject)

(no subject)

So, there was that.

It's a whole hour before Tony realizes that there is somebody he can talk to about this besides Jarvis, who probably doesn't want to yet. He sends yet another email asking for Cal's phone number, which Jarvis provides.

Being Tony, he doesn't wait around pondering the social correctness of the call first. He just dials.

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"You're a saint. Tell Jarvis the number?"

Cal snorts.

"What, he's gonna need me to do that? Wouldn't it be easier for him to just monitor all the cellphone frequencies or whatever until a new one with Sherlock's name on it pops up?"

"Well, he could, but it'd be a little easier for him if you just said."

Cal laughs.

"Okay, I will."

"Awesome. So back to the girl."

"Right."

Priorities.

And Cal really doesn't want to talk about the ghost thing, anyway. There's not much he could even say about it to Tony.

"Practically the first thing he said about her to me was, 'She thinks."

And that, as far as Cal is concerned, says it all.

"Oh, man, he's got it bad." Tony laughs. "Good for him."

"Yeah, it's about time," Cal says.

"Seriously."

He decides it would be imprudent to mention any of Sherlock's other crushes, not least because one of them might be listening.

"I just, you know, hope it goes okay. I mean, I think it will, but on the other hand, she's pretty serious about her privacy and Sherry is... Sherry."

"Oh." Cal makes a face. "Yeah. I remember I had to tell him not to stalk Tina."

He has completely failed to ever mention that to Tina, though he doesn't think she'd mind now as much as she would have when it happened.

"Yeah. So, like, I know he'll try not to do anything too creepy, but..."

"Yeah," Cal says. "He doesn't always know where the line is. Or care."

This hadn't really occurred to him as an issue. Cal is used to being monitored. And he's used to Sherlock. He forgets that most people are neither.

"So that's probably gonna be a thing," he concludes.

"Yeah," Cal says again. "I'll try to help."

"Thanks."

"No problem," Cal says. "I mean, I'm the one who's gonna be here dealing with it if Irene shoots him down."

Which obviously is his sole motivation.

"...Her name isn't Irene," says Tony, with almost complete confidence.

Cal blinks, then laughs.

"No, it's Bella," he says. "I mean like Irene in the movie."

And probably also the books, but whatever, Cal's seen the movie and knows Tony has, too.

"I was telling Sherlock once ages ago about how he needed an Irene."

"Okay, yeah, thought so. Man, don't confuse me like that."

Cal snorts.

"Sorry," he says, sounding more amused than apologetic.

"Asshole," he says fondly.

Cal laughs.

"Why do you think I fit in so good with you guys?"

"Shut the fuck up."

But he's laughing, too.

There is only one possible answer to that.

"Make me."

...some people, Tony reminds himself, say that and don't mean it flirtatiously.

So he just giggles.