Tuesday: Alternate History
Good morning, everyone! Today’s Tuesday, and it’s meteorfire here with the latest theme of the day.
Today’s theme is Alternate History! How do things change when a certain event-either in their own personal history or in world history-is altered? What if the colonists lost in the Revolutionary War? Or continental drift never occurred? It can be as far back of ( Read more... )
Today’s theme is Alternate History! How do things change when a certain event-either in their own personal history or in world history-is altered? What if the colonists lost in the Revolutionary War? Or continental drift never occurred? It can be as far back of ( Read more... )
He settles on the latter. Thinks about gathering laundry together and getting that out of the way early (Laundry Day, in the Bartowski household, has always been Thursday - Bryce has been told - for reasons unknown, and so it has been - as he has no set "Laundry Day" - in his and Chuck's dorm room by default.)
Bryce isn't thinking about what he's actually doing, tidying up the room and hitting the play button on his and Chuck's shared answering machine, until a familiar voice says Chuck's name in a recording and turns Bryce's blood cold.
That voice makes the decision for him as to what Bryce will be doing with his day.
Part of it, anyway. Bryce meets with Flemming, telling him that he knows why the professor called Chuck last week, he knows that Chuck isn't cut out for the CIA, and he wants Chuck's recruitment to stop.
The meeting doesn't go as Bryce expected.
Mostly because Chuck isn't in the process of being recruited anymore...
He's signed himself up.
The next few hours of Bryce's life seem almost surreal. For all of the pride that Bryce feels in his own decision to accept an offer into the CIA, the thought of Chuck sparring against an upperclassman on the mats makes Bryce feel nervous. The thought of Chuck holding a gun - a real gun - makes Bryce queasy.
The thought of Chuck agreeing to all of this, somehow unbeknownst to Bryce, makes Bryce's pulse race. Why would Chuck - one of the kindest, gentlest people Bryce knows - sign up for a job that involves danger and violence... How could Chuck sign up without Bryce's noticing? Bryce is a relatively adept liar. Chuck wears his heart on his sleeve. Chuck is sincere to a fault; how is it that Bryce hasn't even noticed Chuck looking contemplative over this? This decision to sign away the nice, normal, safe life he's been living for good?
Bryce wonders if he's been paying Chuck too little attention since making that choice himself. Or maybe he's been paying Chuck too little attention all along... Maybe Bryce doesn't know Chuck at all.
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He's watching Chuck from the corner of his eye, half-hoping that Chuck won't visibly react and half-hoping that he will.
If Chuck reacts, Bryce's fears will be confirmed. Chuck's inability to keep a straight face when questioned by surprise won't recommend his skills as a potential spy, but at least Bryce will know for sure.
If Chuck doesn't react, Bryce will be torn between pretending that this means he's got it all wrong... and worrying about when Chuck became such a good liar. But at least Bryce will know that Chuck can hold his own.
The figure representing Chuck on the screen doesn't falter, Chuck's hands moving over his controller indeterred, but Chuck throws Bryce a quick look.
"Wha- Yeah. Yeah, uh... There was this test I aced in his class and he kind of wanted to talk about it. Where'd you hear that?"
Bryce is simultaneously disappointed and galvanized by Chuck's response - which he supposes he would have been no matter what Chuck told him.
"A test, huh?" Bryce says blandly, pushing buttons with little concern. He ignores Chuck's question completely. "I thought he might have been inviting you to a party... You know. The kind with togas."
"Ah, a Greek-themed kind of thing," Chuck says casually, giving Bryce the tiniest, briefest glimmer of hope.
And then he sets his controller aside, looks Bryce in the eye...
And grins. "I take it you've been to one," Chuck says. And then gushes, "Man, I hoped they got you too! I mean, they'd have to crazy to ask me and not you!"
"Chuck-"
"Bryce, this is amazing! Right?" Chuck even speaks sotto voce, although they're in their dorm room, like somebody might be listening in. Bryce's chest aches a little bit. "We'll be in the CIA together! How awesome is that?"
Bryce can't help but feel relieved - to find out that Chuck is just as Bryce has always believed him to be, hopeful and enthusiastic and perhaps just a little naïve - but he's afraid, anew, as well.
"Chuck... Spying isn't a game."
"I know. I know that... But it's still awesome! Bryce, we'll be able to help people! To save people! How could I say no that?"
To say that Chuck is naïve isn't to say that he isn't insightful. There's a pleading in his eyes and in his tone.
No... No, of course Chuck couldn't turn down the chance to save others, to be a hero.
But now that it's too late for Bryce to keep the CIA away from him...
Who can save Chuck?
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This is fantastic! Thank you! Love Chuck's excitement over saving lives, possibly with Bryce. Love Bryce so worried and protective over Chuck decision. Heh, I can't help wondering what it'll be like for Bryce when he sees that Chuck can get through those things (holding a gun, sparring, etc) with his own brand of Chuck-ness. ;)
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And oh, how tempting it is, to think there might have been happier endings for these two if this had happened, instead of Bryce getting things his way.
Loved this Bryce - protective instincts and all. Adored this Chuck - reaching for the awesome and the heroism and the being with Bryce forever.
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