if_inconvenient | (no subject)

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He has not spoken to Cal in six days.

It is a ridiculous measurement. Plenty of more important things have happened since then. Tony is now CEO of Stark Industries. Virginia Potts has, with some reservations, accepted a position as his personal assistant. She is already proving invaluable. The media seem to believe that the only interesting thing Obadiah Stane ever did was die, and Tony has indulged in several bouts of cathartic rage on the subject.

And yet.

He has not spoken to Cal in six days.

Every moment he has to spare, away from the minutiae of making Tony's job easier as best he can, finds Sherlock on the couch in his workroom playing the violin. He throws himself into the most challenging pieces he can find, and as soon as he has perfected every note he moves on immediately to the next.

But he doesn't keep count of how many new solos he has mastered this way. Another count entirely occupies that part of his attention.

He has not spoken to Cal in six days.

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Cal's expression does indeed turn a bit wry at Sherlock's choice of words, mainly because it sounds distinctly as though Sherlock is letting Cal know that he knows exactly what Cal is doing.

"That's good," he says. "I mean, I hadn't heard anything about it blowing up yet, so I figured as much."

"He's had a few people trouble him over his age and inexperience, but he troubles them right back, and they desist when they observe his results."

Cal smirks at the image of Tony "troubling" a group of self-important businessmen.

"Yeah, I'll bet he does," he says. "That's good. He needs to build a good reputation as fast as he can."

He'll need it when his first mistake is inevitably blown all of out of proportion.

"From what I hear, the entire Research and Development department would riot if anyone made a serious effort to depose him."

Cal laughs a little.

"Can't have that."

"Apparently they are already learning to love having an ultimate authority who understands them perfectly."

"Who wouldn't?" Cal asks.

It's a rhetorical question, but he wouldn't be surprised if Sherlock had an answer.

(God, he really has missed Sherlock.)

"Oh, anyone who was jealous of his accomplishments, for a start."

As he expected.

Cal laughs.

"Dear me, was that question rhetorical? My mistake."

"Yeah, but if you hadn't answered it, I would have been worried," Cal says affectionately.

Sherlock flashes a grin.

Cal smiles back.

(Does all that other stuff even really matter, anyway? Sherlock is more important than all that.)

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