There were some days that just, inexplicably, felt good. Like everything was right in the universe. For Chuck, today was one of those days. It had been a few weeks since the fiasco with Casey's ex-girlfriend; he hadn't had a flash since, and it had given Team Bartowski the chance to relax a little in the immediate aftermath. But the lack of flashes was only an incidental part of Chuck's rightness with the universe. In fact, Chuck might even go so far as to say that he could flash right now and he'd still be feeling pretty good.
Ellie was happy - happier than she'd been in a long time, especially after the weirdness between her and Awesome on their anniversary (weirdness which Bryce was still refusing to elaborate upon) - and she and Devon were giving new meaning to the phrase nauseatingly in love. Morgan and Anna were also going strong, and being in a relationship actually suited his oldest friend. Casey was still being his usual gruff, aloof self, but he smiled a little more around Chuck and didn't seem inclined towards tearing quite so many spines out of rude customers at the Buy More. Sarah was still as extraordinary as ever, apt to show up every now and then to spend her breaks with him, just talking like friends should.
And, speaking of friends, there was Bryce. There was always Bryce. Since chuck had taken an unwilling dive from a hotel balcony into the swimming pool and given his best friend "a goddamn heart attack" (Bryce's words), they'd fallen back into their old pattern of (probably slightly worrying) interdependency. Chuck hadn't been spending all his time with Bryce - he still marathoned Kung Fu movies and played video games with Morgan, spent a lot of time with Ellie and occasionally Sarah - but they did spend a lot of their free time in the other's orbits.
Not that Chuck's happiness with the universe was correlated with how much time he spent with Bryce.
In the last two weeks, they'd played half a dozen rounds of Gotcha (all of which Chuck lost), learned that Bryce's accuracy with a gun did not carry over to mini golf, and had absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about the seven foot tall teddy bear that mysteriously delivered itself to Casey's front door. Honestly, they had no idea. They weren't even in Burbank at the time. Or, at least, that was their story and they we're sticking to it.
But, all silliness with his best friend aside, Chuck was feeling good.
He'd been able to relax and act like the nerd he was and he hadn't had to pretend or lie any more than he absolutely had to. Chuck had been able to just be Chuck. It was something that he hadn't had the luxury of doing in what felt like far too long.
.
Even Jeff and Lester couldn't put a dent in his sunny outlook today. They'd ordered in shawarma again - which, technically, wasn't against store policy - but the video camera Jeff had been operating definitely was. And yet, Chuck was still smiling. He would be lying if he said he didn't have the urge to bang their heads off the desk, but that was his usual feeling upon immediately greeting the pair, so he didn't let it phase him.
But, just because Chuck was in a good mood, that didn't mean he was going to let them get away with unprofessional behaviour. "Fellas," he called, walking over to the pair. "What are you guys doing? Or have you forgotten about Big Mike's policy on 'mammary cam'?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Chuck," Jeff lied. Badly. Seriously, he was a worse liar than Chuck was.
Chuck glanced instead to Jeff's partner-in-crime. "He doesn't know what I'm talking about? That's so weird." He paused, looking back to Jeff. "So, you didn't just remove the offending video from the camcorder and hand it to Lester, who is now hiding it behind his back?"
"What?" Lester laughed it off. "My feelings are hurt, Charles. After all these years," Lester held up his empty hands, "where is the trust, my friend?"
"In Jeff's sweaty palms, along with the amateur consumer porn," Chuck replied easily.
Fortunately, Jeff and Lester (and their amateur consumer porn) were saved by the unusual appearance of Captain Awesome into the Buy More. Honestly, Chuck couldn't think of any reason Devon would come and see him. They got along all right and he really liked the guy, but Chuck wouldn't exactly call them close.
"If this is about the Klingon dictionary on the coffee table, that's Bryce's and I'll ask him to bring it back to his place." Technically, it was both of theirs, but there was no need for Devon to know exactly how deeply nerdy Chuck was.
"Ellie figured," Devon grinned, smile turning a little less awesomely intense. "Uh, that's not why I came here."
Chuck guessed as much, beginning to lead Devon through the store. "Well, what can I do for you?"
"Chuck, I was," Devon broke off, clearing his throat. And, if Chuck didn't know any better, he might say Devon almost looked nervous. "I was hoping to talk to you about Ellie."
Judging by the serious tone and the way Devon didn't meet his eyes, Chuck knew this was important. "Yeah," he said instantly. "Yeah. Of course."
"Well, you know, ever since, um," Devon finally looked up, a smile on his lips. "Ever since we've been dating, I've come to think of you as that little brother I never had."
Chuck felt a warmth glow in his chest at the reminder of the family that he and his sister had cultivated on their own. Nevertheless, something did niggle at him beneath the happiness. "Don't you have two younger brothers?"
Devon laughed a little too cheerfully. "Indeed. Indeed." He clapped his hands together. "But you seem like someone who can offer sage wisdom in confusing times, and-"
Chuck glanced away, uncertain under the face of Devon's honest regard. There was a quip about telling Bryce that on his lips. One that faded away as he caught sight of the bug hidden amongst the memory cards.
"I don't know how to put it into words, really," Devon was saying.
"That's a bug," Chuck announced, pointing to the memory cards near Devon's shoulder.
Devon turned around, brushing at his clothes and muttering about hating spiders and them being fuzzy little bastards.
Chuck snagged the bug from the display, reassuring Devon that he'd gotten the bug. "Can you excuse me for just a sec?" Chuck asked, already ducking away. "I think I just saw a kid crawling into an oven over in home appliances."
He stormed into the back of the Buy More, ignoring Jeff and Lester who were undoubtedly up to something that would give Chuck a headache soon enough. Chuck knocked through the doors to the storage room, a glare ready for his NSA handler.
"You're getting sloppy, Casey," Chuck called, the NSA major just continuing to dismantle boxes. "I understand that you have some perverse desire to listen to everybody, but you really need to be more careful when hiding your hugs."
Casey finally deigned to look at him, a familiar irritated frown on his face. "What are you lip-smacking about, Bartowski?"
"I just found this on one of our product displays," Chuck announced, holding up the bug. "And it wasn't very well hidden, I might add. Normally, I'm a fan of your craftsmanship, if not your methods."
Casey took the bug, silently examining it.
"Look, all I'm saying is that something like this discovered by someone less in the know than me could spell trouble."
Casey smirked. "You worry about that supercomputer in your brain. Let me worry about the spy stuff, huh?" The Major smirked wider, clapping him on the shoulder. "Don't you have some made up reason to go irritate Larkin?"
Honestly? Chuck would love to go and see Bryce right now. Unfortunately, his best friend wasn't due in until lunchtime. Something about a top secret Fulcrum briefing with Beckman and Graham and some actual Intersect reports he was apparently a little behind in. He did, however, take the time to text Bryce his sandwich request for lunch and to tease him about leaving their stuff at Ellie and Awesome's. Bryce fired back a quick reply, passive aggressively promising to bring pasta with him, adding a promise to see him soon.
.
Chuck returned to the main floor, looking for Devon to find out what had driven him to the Buy More on his rare day off. It was a little disconcerting to have Devon wanting a brotherly talk, especially when he could literally catch Chuck at home during any of the hours he wasn't busy with Bryce at his place. Instead, he found Morgan; drumming his hands on the desk and grinning far too brightly at the sight of him.
"There's the best buddy of mine," Morgan called, Chuck frowning as he approached. "What's up? Okay. Saw an Infinity Ward mail in the trash, and I'm guessing that means you got a pre-release demo of the next Call of Duty game?"
"Ah, yeah," Chuck grinned, shuddering at the memories that rushed into him. "But the last time I leant you a game sampler, it ended up all over the internet. So, this one's gonna stay in my locker, and you can play it when you get some adult supervision."
"Adult super...?" Morgan trailed off, disbelieving. "Chuck, I'm almost at the age where I should get my prostate checked annually. Okay, surely I can be trusted with an advance copy of the next greatest video game on the planet."
As usual, Chuck was a little disturbed by his friend's phrasing. He decided to avoid the conversation altogether. "Have you seen Awesome?"
"Over by the Home Theatre Room," Morgan sighed. "You better not let the Accountant play before me!"
Chuck pretended he didn't hear Morgan's parting comment, ducking around to see his sister's boyfriend reclined on one of the armchairs.
"Hey, sorry about that," Chuck apologized, sitting down himself. "False alarm, it turned out. Anyway, the kid did not end up defrosting himself as it turns out. So, uh, what's going on?"
Devon, who appeared to be on the brink of hyperventilating, stared up at the ceiling. "This is one of those rare moments when things are not kosher, Chuck," the doctor announced. "Oh, man. This is harder than I thought."
Two things, both not awesome, popped into Chuck's head. First, was that Ellie and Awesome were tired of Chuck third-wheeling their lives and wanted him to move out. Unlikely, but the better of the two scenarios. At least this way, he could maybe move in with Bryce and his limitless supply of excellent coffee and patience with Chuck's Chuckness. The other possibility was that Devon had put together the pieces and worked out that Chuck was a spy. And that was really, really not good.
Really, really not good. Not good in the way that meant that the CIA might change their minds about not dumping him in some black hole padded cell with only his thoughts and occasionally Beckman for company. No Ellie, no Morgan, no Bryce.
Mentally throwing his panic into a small padded cell in the back of his mind, Chuck pasted an approximation of a concerned frown on his face. "Go... Go on. I'm listening."
Devon settled his chair in the upright position, turning to face Chuck. "Right well. I've been thinking a lot about the way things are between me and your sister."
This was about Ellie? Oh thank God. It was about Ellie.
Chuck paused his internal hallelujah chorus. It better be a good thing about Ellie. Because if Awesome was about to tell Chuck he was going to break up with his big sister, well, Chuck's best friend was a CIA trained assassin who was apparently very, very good at that part of his job. He was sure Bryce wouldn't mind doing him a little favour.
"And you're the man in- in Ellie's family," Devon continued, nervous but not resolute in the way Chuck noticed in break-up talks. "So, I was wondering... Can I have your permission?" Devon pulled a ring box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "Can I marry Ellie?"
"Wow," Chuck breathed, a little surprised. Okay, a lot surprised. "That's quite a rock you got there."
Devon stared at him, barely breathing. "Is that a yes? Dude?"
"Yes! Yes!" Chuck blurted, loud and high. "Sorry. You just kind of wah! You know with the blang right in. Yes." Chuck patted Devon's shoulder. "You have my blessing. You don't need it, but you've got it."
"Thank you," Devon grinned, happy, happy. "It's been in my family for years. This was my great-grandmother's. You think she'll like it?"
"Like it?" Chuck repeated, askance. "She'll love it. I'm just not sure she'll be able to lift her hand anymore."
Ellie was going to get proposed to. And then she was going to get married. And- Chuck had known this was going to be a good day. He couldn't wait for Ellie to tell him all about it.
Devon laughed, giddy on the thoughts of his future. "Oh, one other thing. Ellie is a bloodhound when it comes to these kind of things. If I keep this in the apartment, she will smell diamond." Chuck found himself holding the ring box. "Can you hold onto this just for a day or so, man? I mean, just until I figure out how to pop the question?"
Chuck muttered out something in the vague negative. Trusting him with something as priceless as his sister's future engagement ring? No way. Unfortunately, Devon just hauled him into a hug and left the ring in his hands.
"Thank you, bro," Devon grinned. "Hey, pretty soon I'm gonna mean that literally."
Chuck could only stand there, staring at Devon's retreating back and the ring in his hand. Then he pulled out his phone and texted Bryce. His friend's latest message said he was going to be a little late, but Chuck needed backup for this.
Because this? This was huge. Ellie was going to get married.
.
.
"This had better be important," Bryce sighed, entering the temporarily closed Wienerlicious. "Chuck just texted. Said he needs me." He slipped his sunglasses into his pocket, glaring pointedly at Casey. "So, if we could make this quick?"
Sarah caught his eye, her expression blank but for the way her lips curled down slightly. "We have a problem," she offered, voice quiet. She held up a bug; a bug that Bryce did not recognise as among the batches they'd set up in the Buy More or Chuck's home.
Ice settled into Bryce's veins. "Where did you find that?"
"Chuck found it," Casey growled, jaw clenched. "In the Buy More."
In the Buy More. Where he and Chuck worked. Where they occasionally held whispered conversations about the Intersect and their lives. "Well, shit."
"Yeah," Sarah agreed wholeheartedly. "We're about to be on with Beckman and the Director. If you want to join?"
Bryce did not want to join. As a matter of fact, Bryce wanted to March over to the Buy More, drag Chuck out of there and keep him safe and secure in Bryce's apartment. Unfortunately, that was not a feasible long-term plan. It wasn't even a feasible short-term plan. So, he nodded curtly and came around the counter to stand next to Sarah.
In short time, but far too slow for Bryce's peace of mind, their bosses appeared on the laptop screen.
"The bug Chuck found is a GLG-20," Beckman announced, Director Graham's gaze dropping to below the screen. "One of the most advanced counter-espionage listening devices in the CIA arsenal."
"This is a CIA design?" Sarah asked, confused.
"Figures," Casey snorted.
Bryce, personally, didn't care where it came from. He was more concerned with who put it in the Buy More and what the hell they thought they were doing.
Graham finally turned to look at them. "The GLG-20 is a low-power transmitter. In order to avoid detection, it has a maximum range of about twenty yards."
Beckman seamlessly picked up the conversation. "Which means there's probably a receiver hidden somewhere in the Buy More."
Graham glanced briefly at Bryce, something like apology hidden in his gaze. "We believe it has recently become a favourite of the Fulcrum agents."
Chuck.
Bryce registered his tense muscles, the half step he'd taken towards the door and the Buy More.
Fulcrum. Of course.
"So, you're telling us that the secret cabal that abducted Larkin and came within a hair of figuring out that Chuck is the Intersect is now skulking around the Buy More?" Casey summarised, his tone so conversational Bryce itched to see him bleed.
This was Chuck's safety he was being so casual about. His best friend's safety. And Fulcrum. Fulcrum, who could make people do things that they'd never- who could manipulate and coerce and- this was Chuck. His Chuck.
"We need you to locate that receiver and find the person who planted it," Graham ordered.
"You have forty-eight hours," Beckman continued coldly. "If you cannot identify the enemy operative in that time, we will have no choice but to relocate Chuck to a secure government holding facility."
"Bartowski's time as a civilian may be coming to an end."
"You can't do that," Bryce heard someone say. Someone who sounded remarkably like Bryce did. "This is why I'm here, isn't it? To take the fall for Chuck if Fulcrum comes looking. You can't take him away from his life."
"You are there as added protection," Beckman acknowledged. "But they discovered the truth once before. We cannot rule out that this bug has picked up on our deception."
Graham nodded his agreement, continuing as if Bryce had never interrupted. "For their own safety, his family may never see Chuck again."
The call terminated with it's usual cheerful beep, silence falling in the Wienerlicious.
Through the blood pulsing in his ears, Bryce heard Casey say something about searching the Buy More for the receiver. Sarah's voice was soothing and gentle in her response. But it was all white noise. Static under the roiling beat of his anger and helplessness. Red tinged his vision, the black screen of the laptop mocking him; taunting him with the orders that had left the speakers moments before.
He couldn't challenge the orders, not outright. And he didn't have time to fly to Washington and voice his displeasure face-to-face with Beckman and Graham. But that didn't mean he couldn't do anything.
He picked up the laptop, spun on his heel and pitched it straight into the nearest vat of boiling hot oil. The satisfaction was dim and short-lived, but it felt good for a moment.
Bryce stared at the hissing oil and the laptop it was slowly destroying, feeling his hands shake. For years he'd trained his body to give no reaction, but this was Chuck. He stared into the oil for another long moment, breathing deeply, schooling his features back to their usual calm mask. Then, he turned and faced Sarah and Casey's quickly blank faces.
"If the time comes, I'm taking him in," Bryce announced, brooking no disagreement.
Sarah made a noise of disagreement. "You're emotionally compromised-"
"Yeah," Bryce gritted out, clenching his fist tighter at his side. "But he's my best friend. And I'm the reason he's in this mess. I'm taking him in."
Casey and Sarah wisely offered no further objections, undoubtedly using their skills to know that doing so would just piss him off. Bryce favoured them with a fake smile, nodding his head. Then, with a final smirk at what had once been Sarah's laptop, Bryce vaulted over the desk, picked up the sandwiches he'd bought, and strode out the doors.
.
Chuck was waiting for him in the Buy More break room, bouncing on his heels and practically fizzing with excitement. Bryce tamped down on the almost uncontrollable urge to grab his wrist and tow him from the store, forcing himself to focus on Chuck, right there in front of him.
"Hey, buddy," Chuck grinned, hazel eyes warming at the sight of him. "You will not believe the news I have for you."
Chuck wouldn't believe the news Bryce had either, but Bryce had no intention of telling him any time soon.
Bryce let himself smile, the crooked grin he saved for his friend. "What's Morgan done this time?" he asked lazily, leaning against the table.
Chuck shook his head, smile growing impossibly brighter. He crossed to his locker, pulling out a small, red box. "Think fast."
Bryce caught the box out of the air, opening the slightly creaky lid. A glittering diamond ring sat nestled in a bed of red velvet; beautiful, antique, expensive. It was going to look perfect on Ellie's finger.
"Buddy, I'm flattered," Bryce teased, finding honest amusement warming his chest. "But the state of California doesn't allow two men to marry each other."
"Oh shut up," Chuck laughed, a hint of pink colouring his cheeks. He took the ring back from Bryce, locking it away once more. "It was Awesome's great grandmother's. He's going to ask Ellie."
"Ellie's going to get married," Bryce said, smiling as he tasted the words.
And, Chuck was not going to miss it. His best friend was going to see her proposed to, help to plan the wedding, walk her down the aisle. Bryce swore it, even if he had to do something stupid; even if he had to call in all the kinds of reinforcements the CIA didn't like, Chuck Bartowski was not going to miss his sister's life.
"Ellie's going to be Mrs Captain Awesome," Chuck agreed, smile threatening to split his face.
Bryce smiled back, his fear and helplessness knocked away by the sheer force of Chuck's happiness. "Well," he drawled, easy and casual. "That sounds like a good reason to celebrate. Tonight, I'm cooking, we'll finally have that Batman marathon and we'll turn off all our phones and pretend we don't exist."
"Sounds good," Chuck agreed, reaching for his sandwich. Then, as Bryce sat down opposite him, his hazel eyes pinned him in place. "Now, how about you tell me what was so bad about your briefings today that made you need your comfort movies?"
Bryce froze, just for a second, faltering as he reached for his own lunch. He had forgotten that Chuck knew him better than anyone. "I watch Batman all the time when I'm happy," Bryce shot back, the logic irrefutable.
Chuck hummed and agreement, swallowing a bite of sandwich. "True, but I know you, Bryce, something's wrong."
Bryce nodded. He couldn't not. But he couldn't- he wasn't ready to hurt Chuck, to scare him. So, he compromised.
"I'll tell you tomorrow," he promised, tapping Chuck's foot under the table. "I promise. I just-"
"Need tonight," Chuck finished, shadows flickering over his eyes. Bryce nodded, grateful that he was doing this when he could pretend to be eating and didn't have to speak. "Fine," Chuck agreed. "Just, promise me you're not leaving."
"Oh, buddy," Bryce smirked, sharp and resolute. "I'm not going anywhere you're not."