toblameforit | (no subject)

"Pff, who needs sleep?"

"You have been awake for nearly twenty-four hours by now, sir." Now he sounds reproachful. "If you do not stop drinking coffee before noon I will ask Sherlock to tie you to your bed."

Tony grins. "Yeah, yeah."

"See? Jarvis is totally right. You should get some rest."

She knew Jarvis had good sense.

(...Why is the computer the one with sense in this household?)

"I know. If you're worried about Sherlock running off and doing something stupid while you're asleep, I could seriously keep him busy with research and planning before he runs off. We need to do that anyway, and then you could get a nap at least."

She pauses a moment. "He might have told you about my twin brother, Alec. I know how it is to worry. You know?"

Actually he didn't, in so many words, but that is one set of dots Tony has no trouble connecting.

"Yeah," he says softly, hefting the coat and glancing to one side. "I just... yeah."

A long sigh.

"Trust me, he's gonna want to go buzzing off looking for more information as soon as he's had breakfast. At least with this, he can do it without getting his ass blown off, y'know?"

"Oh, right, I know. It's stalling the inevitable."

She shrugs. "Look, it's nothing to me if you don't want to get any sleep. It was just an option. I don't want Sherlock leaving here, period, not yet. So I can't help wanting to try and stall him."

He rubs his face with his free hand.

"For all I know," he says optimistically, "you might be better at it than I am."

"I'm different, anyway. So I might be able to make it work."

She'll cry, if she needs to. She will probably not be faking it, either.

"And if not, at least he'll have your coat."

"Yeah," he repeats, brightening a little.

"Sherlock is awake now," says Jarvis. After a short pause, he adds: "He says he will be downstairs in a few minutes, that he is glad Alyce is feeling better, and that Tony is a bloody idiot who should not be allowed caffeine."

Alyce covers her mouth in a vain attempt to hide the giggle.

"Jarvis is a bit of a gossip, isn't he?" she whispers.

"He totally is," Tony agrees, flashing a grin.

With Sherlock awake and on his way downstairs, some of Alyce's better mood begins to dwindle. She'd hoped against hope that Trixi might have texted her overnight with news or even forgiveness, but so far she's received nothing. If Sherlock does go out, and he finds Tom (and Alyce is pretty sure he will), and the coat doesn't work or something else happens to him... it will be partly her fault.

Of course, all of this is partly her fault.

The best she can do is make Sherlock take a little more time to listen to the information only she can give him.

"Okay, Project Stall the Detective is nearly a go." She fitfully twists a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Good luck."

He tosses the coat over the back of a kitchen chair—it's designed for Sherlock to run around getting himself in trouble in, so it can take quite a beating—and paces over to the coffee machine.

Surprisingly, he doesn't pour himself another cup.

"Thanks. I'll need it."

She doesn't pace, but that's only because she's got plenty of hair to twist.

Tony paces!

Up to the coffee machine. Over to the door. Around to the fridge. Past the table. Past the table the other way.

"I was under the impression that 'bouncing off the walls' was a largely figurative phrase," Sherlock comments from the doorway.

"Morning, Sherlock," Alyce says with a little wave. "I think Tony's drunk his weight in coffee since I've been up."

"If he had, he would be dead. Since he is still walking around, I must assume his caffeine intake has not exceeded the fatal dose. And is this the project Jarvis refuses to tell me anything about?"

"Yep!"

Beaming, he comes forward to scoop the coat up off the chair and hand it over.

"All yours, Sherry. Anti-magic coat. Holds up to lightning bolts and very small tornadoes. If you use it as an excuse to do something dumb, I'll kick your ass."

"I helped to test it. It's amazing. Spells just can't take hold."

She nods to Tony. "And you should listen to your brother on that last part."

He quirks a smile as he accepts it.

"Duly noted."

Tony shakes his head.

"Screw it," he announces, breezing out the door and ruffling Sherlock's hair along the way, "I'm going to sleep."

"Sleep well," Alyce calls out to Tony as he leaves.

Then she turns to Sherlock. She should probably change out of the pajamas and back into her red dress, but she's not about to leave the room.

"So you should have breakfast. I had a little already, but I'll stay and keep you company."

"Kind of you," he says a little absently, running his fingers down the sleeve of the coat.

When he looks up, it's with a wry little smile.

"Not such a grand adventure anymore," he confesses. "Tony must be worried. He does his best work under pressure, and this is exemplary."

"I'm worried, too," Alyce says.

"I'm rested and less terrified, but this is far from over. I need to tell you, god, so much. I mean, I have information about the other coven members, things Tom does, things he might try, weaknesses we might be able to use against him. I'm- I want to make things right, if I can, and I want to keep us safe. I want to keep you safe."

She's kicking herself for flouncing off last night. She should have done something stealthy to stay within the coven and protect him from her position there. She's never been good with plotting.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," she scoffs, fidgeting with her sleeve again.

"If it wasn't for me and my stupid friends, you wouldn't have to deal with any of this."