The Thawing
Chuck never knew his heart could beat until he saw Her. Multi-chap about Chuck's first encounter with Blair. AU, CB.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
xoxo
Chuck's pissed. It's been a week since he stormed out of Blair's penthouse and she's only been on Gossip Girl one time since; apparently, Serena has taken Blair under her drunken wing.
He takes a drink of water and sets the bottle down before tossing a basketball to his best friend.
"Dude, everything exciting happens when I'm out of the city. Tell me again why you went all man-on-a-mission on Eleanor Waldorf?" Nate asks, releasing the basketball. "Nice! Another three for Archibald!"
Chuck retrieves the basketball and shoots it weakly towards the net. "Damn it," he mutters, watching as the ball bypasses the net and hits the wire fence. "I didn't go 'man-on-a-mission' on her. I simply told her that I was willing to bear bruised knuckles for Blair."
Nate laughs. "'Bear bruised knuckles'? Come on, man, we both know you would hire some beefcake to do your dirty work." He shoots the ball again, pleased as it drops through the net. "Besides, what do you even know about this Blair chick? She could be a closet psycho like Ted Bundy and you'd never know."
Chuck smirks. "Did you really compare an eighteen-year-old girl to Ted Bundy? Let's be real here, Nathaniel. And no, I don't know much about her, but I do know that she's different than any girl I've ever met."
"That's a pretty big statement for someone whose favorite pastimes include getting blow jobs from foreign girls," Nate says with a chuckle.
"I don't get it myself," Chuck confesses. "But I'm almost positive I fucked things up with her, so it doesn't matter anyways." He pulls his orange sweatband from his forehead and drops it to the ground. "I'm done playing. I'm not made for exercise."
"Why do you say that?" Nate asks.
"Have you seen my lay-up? It's terrible," Chuck answers, reaching for his water bottle.
Nate chuckles. "Yeah, it is pretty awful. But I meant with Blair. Why do you think you messed things up with her?"
Chuck takes a long drink of water. "I made a move on her knowing she has a boyfriend and when she got pissed at me, I told her she can forget she ever met me. Not the smoothest way to tell her I like her. "
"She has a boyfriend? Well, that's your problem right there, dude," Nate points out the obvious. "But, I mean, you're you and I'm sure you could do her anyways."
Chuck rolls his eyes. "Well, I know that. But there's something about her that intrigues me and it's not her looks. I'd like the chance to find out what that is, but this Casey of hers is going to make that difficult."
"Casey? Her boyfriend's name is Casey? I can't believe a guy with that name is even competition," Nate laughs in amusement, retrieving his phone from his gym bag.
"That's what I said," Chuck remarks.
"Speaking of…" Nate trails off as he reads a message on his phone. "Check this out, man."
Nate hands Chuck his phone and the latter is not pleased when he sees the latest Gossip Girl post.
Spotted: Blair Waldorf and a mystery hunk walking hand-in-hand. Who is he? You'll know when I know.
Until then, XOXO,
Gossip Girl
Chuck shakes his head. "Unbelievable," he mutters.
Sure, Casey has a girly name, but the picture Gossip Girl posts of him and Blair show that he is anything but girly. He's tall, muscled, and bronze, with short, wavy, blond hair. Dressed casual in light blue jeans and a loose white tee, the dude looks as if he could be a model.
What he doesn't look like is the type of man Blair Waldorf would be interested in, Chuck observes. In the picture, she's dressed in to the nines in a honeysuckle Nanette Lepore dress and nude Christian Louboutins. She looks stunning, like a goddess, and in Chuck's opinion, she should be with someone who puts as much into his appearance as she does, not some tanned jerk in ripped jeans and Hanes t-shirt.
"Sorry, man," Nate says.
"Me too," Chuck replies stoically.
The ringing of his phone interrupts Chuck's lamentation. The screen reads Lily and Chuck groans. "Hello, Lily," he answers.
"Hi Charles," his former step-mother returns, "I'm calling because I'm making a nice dinner tonight and I'd like you to come. Serena's bringing Daniel Humphrey and of course Eric will be there. It wouldn't be the same without you."
Bart and Lily may be divorced, but that hasn't stopped Lily from including him in van der Woodsen events and parties. Chuck considers Lily a surrogate mother of sorts, and is content to call her, Serena, and Eric his family. After all, while Bart is shacking up with his girlfriend of the month, Lily is inviting Chuck to family dinners.
"Of course. I'll be there at eight," Chuck answers. It'll be nice to talk about something other than curly-haired brunettes.
xoxo
"Charles, I'm so glad you came tonight," Lily remarks, pleased, as she steps to the side and lets Chuck inside.
A half-smile flickers across his face as he responds, "Thanks for inviting me."
"Oh, please, Charles, you're my son, and you're always welcome here," Lily smiles warmly before turning towards the kitchen and shouting, "Eric, take the duck out of the oven before it burns!"
She shoots Chuck an exasperated glance. "I knew I should have catered. I hope Eleanor likes her meat dry and crispy."
Chuck furrowed his brow. "Eleanor? As in Eleanor Waldorf?"
"Yes, I invited them over after I called you," Lily says hurriedly as she looks in the hallway mirror and fixes her hair. "Eleanor's daughter is new in town and has been hanging out with Serena. I thought it would be a nice gesture to help her become more familiar with some of the faces around here. She - ERIC! WHY IS THE SMOKE ALARM GOING OFF?!"
Lily neglects to finish her sentence as she rushes to the kitchen.
Fuck.
Chuck is officially miserable. He heads straight towards the liquor cabinet and pulls out a bottle of Glenfiddich, convinced that the universe is playing some cosmic joke on him. He pours a glass of the amber liquid and downs it all in one desperate gulp.
"Thirsty much?" Serena asks in amusement as she leans against the doorway.
"Very funny," he says dryly, wincing as the scotch burns his throat.
Dan Humphrey suddenly appears next to Serena, his arm wrapping around her waist. "How's it goin'?" he asks Chuck, with a casual wave, not that he actually cared. The two men couldn't be more different from one another.
"Just wonderful," Chuck answers before downing another glass.
Serena moves from the doorway and Dan follows. They both sit on the couch and Serena leans against Dan's chest, her waves cascading down her shoulders like a golden waterfall. "Seriously, Chuck, what's up? You're drinking mom's liquor like it's water."
"If Eleanor Waldorf is coming to dinner tonight, I'm going to need to be drunk," Chuck says bluntly.
Serena gives him a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, Blair told me you stopped by. I still can't believe you gave her a ride home. That was uncharacteristically nice of you."
"I had ulterior motives," Chuck smirks as Serena shakes her head.
"Tell me you didn't."
"Didn't what? Hike her dress up and fuck like her like a dog in heat?"
"Oh my god, Chuck, ew!" Serena shrieks. Dan chuckles at her reaction.
"He's kidding, Serena," Dan assures her. "At least I, uh, think he is. Right, Chuck?"
Chuck stares into his glass, swirling the liquid absentmindedly. "Unfortunately."
In the background, Erik is helping Lily set the table and Chuck takes this opportunity to stop the current conversation, moving to the dining room and taking a large platter of rolls from Lily's hands. "I've got it," he mutters.
All of a sudden, a knock sounds at the door and Chuck looks for the nearest window. Free-falling can't be worse than the fate that awaits him, right?
"Hello, Eleanor, Cyrus! So nice to see you! And Blair, you look lovely! Come in," Lily greets the family before turning to Blair's boyfriend and extending her hand. "You must be Casey. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The adults exchange pleasantries for a few minutes before assembling around the dining room table. To Chuck's dismay, Casey sits directly in front of him. Chuck glowers as Blair's boyfriend flashes his pearly whites and shakes hands with his friends and family.
"Yes, Casey's going to be joining the Erik and Daniel at St. Jude's this year," Eleanor announces, apparently letting the fact that Chuck is sitting at the table slip her mind. "Isn't that right, Casey?"
The blond flushes, grinning. "Er… yeah. Blair and I've been together since grade school, so y'know, I couldn't just let her take off," Casey answers in an English accent.
The adults chuckle as Casey puts an arm around Blair's shoulders. The latter smiles at her boyfriend warmly and Chuck snorts, shaking his head. Serena kicks him under the table, giving him a chastising look. Chuck shrugs innocently and sips his scotch.
"So Blair, how did you and Casey meet?" Lily asks.
Blair scoops a sparse amount of burnt vegetables on her plate and a tiny piece of duck. "I bullied him in sixth grade because he dyed his hair blue. It wasn't the most romantic start to a relationship," she admits with a laugh.
"Hey now, I can't help that I was edgy for a twelve-year-old," Casey adds, "but I eventually wooed her in the schoolyard with an ice pop and a Lanvin headband."
Blair flushes and touches her hand to the blue headband. "It's my favorite to this day," she remarks.
Chuck rolls his eyes. You've got to be kidding me.
"Yes, and Casey's parents are quite well-off. His father's the best record producer in England and his mother designs couture in Paris. Quite the luxurious upbringing Casey had, isn't that right?" Eleanor boasts, shooting Chuck a withering glare.
Casey grows red, clearly embarrassed. "Um… yeah, I suppose."
"Mother, stop," Blair interjects.
"Yeah, let's eat," Eric pipes up, giving Blair a knowing smile. "Say, mom, this duck isn't all that bad!"
Lily shakes her head and says with a laugh, "It is all that bad. I truly won't be offended if none of you want to eat it."
"Oh thank god," Eric exhales, as everyone at the table sets their silverware aside in relief.
Lily heads into the kitchen and can be heard talking on the phone. "It's Lily… Burnt dinner… That's perfect… Caviar, of course… Thank you so much, John… I will… Okay, goodbye."
Twenty minutes pass and a knock at the door sounds. Lily stands up abruptly. "Thank goodness for friends in high places. Who likes sushi?" she asks before retrieving the take-out from the delivery man. "Freshly made at Nobu by my favorite chef!"
Chuck sits back in his chair as Dan helps Lily clear the ruined food from the table, replacing it with fresh California rolls and other assorted Asian delicacies.
"This is more like it!" Cyrus exclaims enthusiastically. "Not that I didn't enjoy your duck, Lily – it was…"
"Atrocious," Serena finishes his sentence with a laugh.
Chuck doesn't bother to eat. Instead, he watches the interaction between Blair and Casey. She places six rolls on her boyfriend's plate along with caviar, and takes only two rolls for herself, nothing more, nothing less.
"Not hungry, Waldorf?" Chuck can't help himself; he hasn't spoken to her all evening.
Blair looks up at him, startled. "Excuse me?"
Casey smiles. "Blair's always been a light eater," he informs Chuck.
Chuck takes a sip of scotch. "I'm sorry, unless Blair has magically turned into a blond-haired Englishman, I'm quite certain that my question wasn't directed towards you."
"Chuck!" Serena hisses at him while Dan pretends to avoid the conversation all together, fumbling with his chopsticks.
"What, sis? I was merely assuming that Blair had a voice of her own," Chuck remarks nonchalantly.
Blair crosses her arms. "I do have a voice of my own, Bass, and to answer your question, no, I'm not hungry because the sight of your horrid green suit ruined my appetite."
Chuck smirks. He's gotten a reaction out of her; that's better than nothing.
The rest of the dinner passes quickly, with the adults chattering about some upcoming social event, Serena being charmed by Dan's terrible jokes, and Casey talking quietly into a glum-looking Blair's ear. Chuck observes Blair shake her head as Casey whispers into her ear, gesturing to her plate.
"How long have you had a thing for her?" Eric asks in a low voice, leaning over towards Chuck.
Chuck looks at Eric, surprised. This kid is the most perceptive human being he's ever met. "Since the moment I first set eyes on her," Chuck confesses.
xoxo
So, how did you guys like Casey? I have to admit, I kind of find his character kind of charming (not as charming as Chuckles, of course). Anyways, a rather important question: would you all prefer the entire story to be in Chuck's POV, or would you want Blair's POV as well? I'm debating about this for the next chapter.
