I preface this with the warning that Chuck will do anything. Good, bad, disgusting, it is Chuck.
Nate is the hero so that leaves Chuck with being the anti-hero.
I'm much better with descriptions and thoughts than words so this chapter was very hard to write because it is dialogue heavy.
Enjoy.
Blair never knew that her rise to the top was not inevitable. Like the rest of her life, she imagined it like a movie where the curtain parted and she walked up the stairs of Constance Billiard with a soft light focused upon her and finally only her.
That was of course not how it had happened. Things rarely happened how Blair liked to remember they did but Chuck was alright with that. He knew his job was to make sure whatever came her way in the end it looked seamless.
Like it was always meant to be.
There were many people who did not want another sophomore ruling the school. Especially Serena's sidekick. Sure Blair had the money, the boyfriend, and the look but somehow Serena managed to define Blair's existence more than she did.
Regardless of who felt they were entitled to ruling Constance Billiard, Chuck wouldn't allow it. That wasn't part of the plan.
Blair had always wanted to queen and something as trivial as two juniors would not get in her way.
Or at least Chuck's.
He looked around the party he had found himself at. Starlite was the hottest bar in the Lower East Side and one never frequented by UESers. That was probably why they were there. A place away from the prying eyes of New York's elite.
Everyone let loose in the UES, they just made sure to do it somewhere cameras were banned. Gossip Girl didn't believe in hearsay.
Chuck smiled, Starlite had been one of those places but the fact that his father owned the development company which owned the bar meant certain rules could surely be broken.
He found his targets at the bar. They too had always been jealous of the spotlight Serena stood in and with the blonde gone they knew they were posed to take over Constance Billiard.
He smiled; nothing went down better than a scandal in the UES.
"Hello ladies." He placed himself between the two best friends.
"Chuck Bass…" they said together.
His reputation had preceded him once again.
He gently placed a kiss on each of their hands causing them to blush.
"I see I was not invited to the celebration."
One of the girls smiled and placed a hand on Chuck's thigh.
He was not surprised by her forwardness. No one on the UES was as innocent as they put forth, they simply made sure no one could catch them.
"There is no party without you now is there Bass?"
He gave her his devilish grin, "Indeed."
He ordered drinks for the two girls and a whiskey for himself.
"So what exactly are we celebrating?"
He sipped his drink while the girls drank them quickly in typical escapist fashion.
They hadn't even made it to the top and they were already starting to crumble.
"Isn't it obvious?" The other one responded as she played with the rim of her drink.
She was more calculating than her friend but Chuck had a few tricks up his sleeve.
"Please enlighten me…" he turned towards her slightly but his fingers continued to play with the fabric of her friends dress.
"Well, now that S is gone we were thinking those stairs at Constance Billiard were looking awfully empty," she paused catching Chuck's eyes, "Who better than us to take over the top spot?"
"My thoughts exactly. I was getting a little bored of S's antics. With you two, things would be interesting to say the least."
He signaled for another round of drinks.
"And how does this affect you?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I like to keep up on things. You never know when a favor may come in handy."
His fingers found themselves dancing along the upper thigh of her friend. Words with one, seduction with the other.
The girl giggled under her breath. His reputation preceded him on many levels.
The other one smiled at him, "Chuck Bass needing favors? I thought you would have at least had a more convincing argument."
"Who said I would be the one needing a favor?"
She looked surprised but hid it well by sipping the drink Chuck had bought.
A favor from him did have benefits. His father owned half of Manhattan and hotels in at least 12 different countries.
A favor from him meant certain doors would certainly open that were not even present before.
That was the thing about Chuck; he never made an offer anyone could resist.
She set the empty glass down, "And our part?"
He smiled at the two girls, a sparkle in his eyes.
"A dance?"
This is a travesty, this is a travesty,
Every sentiment has been contrived.
Palatable and so refined. Sugar sweet to appetize.
Two hours later the three of them stumbled towards the bathroom door. The feel of their skin against his hands so warm. Alcohol and sex. A habit he was sure he'd never be able to break.
The girls slipped into the room as Chuck held back for a moment.
He grabbed the arm of some clubgoer.
"Take a picture in 20 minutes. You can keep the phone and this," he slipped him a hundred dollar bill, "Just make sure to send it to Gossip Girl."
She was sitting alone at the large table in the Palace's private brunch room. He didn't even have to tell her Nate was running late. She always already knew.
"You made the front page of Gossip Girl. You should know she looks down on threesomes as I do."
He grinned at her and took a seat at the table, "Don't pass judgment until you have sampled the goods B. Threesomes can be very fulfilling if you are with the right partner."
He winked at her playfully.
"You are disgusting."
She picked a grape off her salad.
"You wouldn't have me any other way."
She looked at him for a moment and he looks away.
This was her Chuck. Good or bad.
He couldn't help but wonder if she would want him any other way. But then again she wouldn't be Blair if he was someone else.
"You'd think they'd be smarter. Only you can survive this kind of social disaster."
"Sometimes a reputation helps more than it hurts."
She shrugs her shoulders, "They'll probably never show their faces again."
She pauses for a moment, understanding fully the implications.
He sees it written on her face. The thrill of knowing she was at the top. Knowing that the spotlight was finally hers.
She won't admit it because she has no idea he already knows. She'd never know that he had set the stage for her entrance.
"They were starting to get on my nerves. Did you know one of their fathers knows Marc Jacobs? He got them his summer line early," she shook her head in disgust, "They couldn't even color coordinate. Fashion disasters but those bags got them points they did not deserve."
Nothing had ever been easy for Blair. That was a mistake people made when they judged her. No one knew how uncharmed her charmed life was at times.
These small victories were what kept her going. Knowing that sometimes things did fall into place like she had always imagined.
She picks up another grape before beaming at Chuck.
"Eleanor is finishing up the business deal for her new collection. She said she might even show at fashion week in Paris. She said I could come…"
She trails off and looks out the window so he doesn't see her eyes tear up.
He knows the part of the conversation she left out. She could only go to Paris if she looked like the models. Eleanor's criticism was often subtle but it was always there.
And that's how he knows it'll fall apart again.
"I may have to make a trip to Paris myself. I believe the threesome has its origins in France."
She rolls her eyes at him, only half serious, "You really are disgusting."
He takes a strawberry from the salad she's barely touched, "And you love me for it."
He stands and walks towards the door. Nate had just texted that he was on his way in.
"And B, if you were interested in learning the origins of the ménage a trois while exploring the city of lights I am always just a phone call away."
He looks back to see her smiling.
"In your dreams Bass."
He winks one last time before greeting Nate.
She really had no idea.
There is a path,
and to get where its leading,
you've got to be sharp and never bend easy
Dashboard Confessionals
So yeah, I told you. He will do anything. At least it was for Blair. That has to have some kind of redemptive value. And I really don't want it to seem like he took advantage of them. The girls consented to the act--though maybe not to the picture.
Characterizing Chuck was hard. I didn't have the words to describe his mannerisms but I hope you can imagine where they fit in.
Thoughts?