Bryce and Morgan have two things in common.
One: They both love Chuck like a brother.
Two: They both have awkward, enormous crushes on his older sister.
Eleanor Fay Bartowski-Woodcomb is a beautiful, smart, kind, talented women, and when she visited Chuck at Stanford, Bryce fell in love a little.
Okay, a lot.
Apparently all the spy training and world travel in the universe can't make that go away, because when she walks into the Buy More Bryce feels nineteen again. His heart is pounding and the lights in the store seem brighter and...
Is that music he hears?
Ellie doesn't look happy to see him, but even with that sour look on her face, she's still a goddess.
"Bryce."
He smiles, big and charming. "Hi, Ellie."
"Where's Chuck?" she asks. No amount of his boyish charm is going to work on her. Partially because she's a newlywed, but mostly because Bryce stabbed her baby brother in the back.
"Break room," Bryce replies. "I'll...I can go..." He takes a step back and runs right into Lester.
"Watch it, Larkin," Lester snaps. "Don't damage the merchandise. You break it you bought it."
Bryce stumbles a little. "I don't even know what that means."
As he walks back to the break room, he sees Ellie roll her eyes.
Chuck looks up from the subway sandwich he's sharing with Morgan and grins. "Hey, buddy, what's up? You want some sandwich?"
Morgan gives Chuck an outraged, betrayed look, but says nothing.
"Your sister is here," Bryce says.
"Oh, okay," Chuck replies, getting to his feet and wiping his face. "Thanks." He grins at Bryce and heads out to meet up with Ellie, leaving Bryce alone in the break room with Morgan.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," Morgan says, still sitting down.
Bryce narrows his eyes and tilts his head. "I wasn't aware I was-"
"You're trying to Single White Female me."
"That would require at least one of us to be female," Bryce replies. "And last time I checked, I had man bits. And you definitely have too much body hair to be a woman."
"Very funny," Morgan snaps. "The point is Chuck is my best friend, and I'm his. Don't think you can replace me, because you can't."
Bryce wishes that he could sit Morgan down and explain things to him. It would make being here and being around the guy so much easier if he knew that Bryce and Sarah and Casey are all government spies, and that they're training Chuck to be one.
He can't though. So he'll deal.
"Look, Chuck's my friend, too," Bryce shrugs.
"Sure, Larkin," Morgan snaps. "You get him thrown out of school, steel his girl and you're his friend. I really believe you."
He's never touched Jill. He doesn't even like Jill. He didn't eve like Chuck with Jill.
"Things have changed," Bryce says. "I just hope one day you and I can be friends."
Morgan isn't buying it. Bryce doesn't blame him.
"If you hurt Chuck again, it is on."
Bryce nods. "Fair enough."
00000
"I still can't believe how nice you are to Bryce," Ellie grouses to her brother, and Chuck shrugs.
"Things have changed," Chuck says. "We're friends again."
"How does Sarah feel about all this?"
"I...we haven't really...it's complicated..."
Ellie gives him a pained look. "Oh, Chuck, please tell me Sarah and Bryce aren't exes..."
"Theyyyyyyy might have had a thing before I met Sarah," Chuck mutters. "But it's over now."
"Chuck!"
Chuck sighs. "I know. I have the worst luck ever, and it should have been predictable that the girl of my dreams has been with the guy everyone seems to wanna get with. But Bryce and I talked and he thinks Sarah wants me, so..."
"So, he's stepping aside."
"That's the impression I got."
Ellie frowns and hugs him. "I'll always be there for you, you know that, right?"
"Of course I do," Chuck replies, hugging her back.
Ellie sighs and pats his back.
00000
It's a late night game of Gotcha at the Buy More.
Chuck feels like a kid again, jumping around and doing rolls, dart gun in hand. He knows he should be taking this more seriously, because this is actually supposed to be part of his CIA training, but it just feels so lighthearted.
The Buy More is a much more open space the the library; not as tight to maneuver in, so it feels a little easier. Easier to hide, but harder to spot someone moving around.
"You're not gonna win this one, Larkin," Chuck calls. "No way am I losing to you again."
"We'll see," Bryce replies.
They dodge each other, and dive behind counters and shelves. Chuck fires off a shot and almost hits Bryce, but it's just shy.
"Nice!" Bryce cries. "Almost got me."
"You're not gettin' away," Chuck says. He prowls the store, almost the overnight lights guiding his way, and he leans around the Nerd Herd desk, to find Bryce.
But he's not holding the dart gun anymore.
Oh, no. That's a real honest-to-god gun.
Chuck's eyes widen and he looks up at Bryce.
"Dude. Really?"
"Sorry, Chuck."
"Come on, can't we talk about this?"
Bryce uncocks the gun and shakes his head. "You wanna live, you gotta take it from me."
Chuck's forgiven Bryce for everything that's happened. That doesn't mean he trusts the guy. There's still a billion things they haven't ever talked about.
"Bryce, this isn't funny."
"Who's being funny?" Bryce asks.
Chuck swallows and looks up into Bryce's eyes. Crystal blue, and expectant.
Bryce isn't like Sarah or Casey. Sarah will give him a pass. Casey will expect the least and sometimes the worst from Chuck.
Bryce expects only the best. Bryce expects perfection.
Chuck flashes then, and kicks Bryce's hand. It's accurate and swift and the gun goes flying into the air.
Chuck gets to his feet and does a flip over Bryce, landing and catching the gun. He detaches the cartridge.
"That was good," Bryce says. "Slow."
"What?" Chuck cries. "Slow? How was that slow?"
"You stopped to talk," Bryce says. "I'm your friend. I'll humor the chatting a little. A real bad guy would have just shot you."
"But you are my friend, not a real bad guy," Chuck points out.
"We're training, Chuck," Bryce argues. "I know you think this is really fun, but it needs to be hard work."
"Bryce-"
"If you don't start taking this more serious, Beckman is gonna get fed up and send you to Langley," Bryce says. "Away from Ellie, and Morgan and Casey and Sarah and me, and they'll train you just like they trained me, and the next thing you know-"
He stops. He's gone too far. He knows he's compromised here, and he's been able to ignore it thus far. He's known he was compromised since he woke up on Chuck's couch after being shot.
He knows.
"The next thing I know what?" Chuck asks.
"You'll be heartless," Bryce finishes quietly. "Like me."
And just like that, it dawns on Bryce that he's a little tired of being a spy.
Chuck gives him that look. That look that he gives when he wants to fix all the world's problems, but knows he can only tackle one at a time and he's found today's.
They stand in silence; Chuck awkwardly holding the gun and cartridge, and Bryce standing in front of him empty handed.
"I hate guns," Chuck says. He hands Bryce the two components and then pats his shoulder. "Let's go grab some crappy junk food from the 7-11 and go to the beach."
"We're not done training for the night," Bryce says.
"Yeah, we really are," Chuck replies. He shoves his hands into his pockets and heads for the exit.
Bryce watches him for a moment before walking after him.
"You talk to Sarah yet?"
"Uh...no. Not yet."
"Wussball."
Chuck sighs and nods. "Yeah. Okay. I'm a wussball. I admit it."