chuck fic: i think i see a glimmer
i think i see a glimmer
Without him in it, Chuck's room emerges as a new landscape. chuck/sarah, pg, 1070 words. spoilers for chuck vs. the ring.
[This was my first venture into Chuck fic and what can I say, I really liked it. I know this is short but I'm hoping to write more soon. I hope you enjoy! ♥]
Without him in it, Chuck's room emerges as a new landscape. Sarah's been here so many times over the past two years, but rarely alone. Never without a mission.
She can just barely hear the sound of the faucet as Chuck brushes his teeth. It's a weird feeling, sitting on his bed with nothing to do. She's just waiting for him to come back to her. Even in her head, the phrase has a strange turn. She lifts her hair off the back of her neck, twisting it a little. For the past ten years she's been running, fighting, scheming. It's inertia.
On the beach she'd thought it would be easy, a little nod at Bryce and she'd stay in this life. It seems farther away than this afternoon.
"You okay?" Chuck's voice is low but it's enough to startle her. He's leaning on the doorframe, almost like everything is normal. She catches his eye and watches his lips twitch into a smile. He'll know if she lies.
"It's been a long day," she says, smoothing her fingers against his bed. "And tomorrow's going to be busy."
"Good thing even Beckman needs her sleep." He's looking at her like he wants to say more. It's a familiar expression.
"We caught her off guard." She looks away from him and glances around the room. There are a half-dozen bugs hidden throughout. The Tron poster. The comic books in a pile on the nightstand. "She'll be briefing us early tomorrow."
Chuck rubs the back of his neck, Orion's wrist computer still on his arm. It's a contrast to his undershirt and the curls in his hair. You look like a real spy, she'd said this morning, like it meant something or nothing at all. She was going to stay in Burbank and let the world save itself.
She presses her fingertips into the comforter, watching the ten little dents form from the weight of her hands.
"Okay, Sarah, you know I trust you, but right now I'm not sure I believe you. So I'm going to ask you again. Are you okay?" Chuck puts extra emphasis on the last three words, practically spitting them out. She almost laughs.
"Just tell me. Why did you upload the new Intersect?" It's not the answer he wanted, but the words come out of her mouth before she can realize that. "You wanted a normal life and it was finally yours, Chuck."
When she looks up at his face she can't read it. That's a new thing -- Chuck Bartowski has always been transparent. But now she doesn't know what he's thinking. It makes him seem a thousand feet away, instead of a few steps across his bedroom.
"You were going to stay." She flinches. They're not the words she expects to hear. She hadn't told him. It didn't matter after he uploaded the Intersect again. She focuses on the ten little dents in the comforter. She's staying, now.
"Bryce told me," Chuck continues, "And I don't know, maybe he was lying, but I like to think that Bryce wouldn't lie in his last few minutes alive. And..."
The sentence trails off. Sarah looks up at him, notices for the first time the way his head is haloed by the light in the hallway.
He held her hands the entire ride home and kept whispering "I'm so sorry Sarah" at every red light until she'd almost forgotten what he was apologizing for. She'd focused on the texture of his fingers against hers. Casey had taken care of Bryce's body. She'd tried not to think about it, just focused on Chuck's hands wrapped around hers.
"He was right," she says now, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was going to stay."
"You were going to stay." Chuck repeats the words like he doesn't really believe them. "You were going to stay. Really?"
"You uploaded the Intersect, Chuck. I'm not going anywhere." She feels her hands tensing into fists before she's fully aware of the action. "I'm staying in Burbank now."
"You were going to stay." He takes a step towards the bed. Towards her. "Don't you get it? That's why I had to upload the Intersect."
"What do you mean?" She tilts back her head so she can look him in the eye. He stares right back at her and there's something new about him, something different.
"Every day you go to work at Orange Orange and you save my life at least once a week and you pretend like it's all right. But don't you get tired of protecting me?"
He takes another step towards her. He's close enough to touch.
"It's my job." The words sound tired, though. She's trying not to yawn. Today could have been stretched out to fit an entire week.
"Hey, I just quit the Buy More." He's smiled at her like this before. Usually she looks away. "I could use a new job, Sarah."
"We don't know how the new Intersect works. You can't --"
There are fingers on her lips. Chuck's fingers.
"Tomorrow we'll find out. You know Beckman knows. Or my dad. But do you want to wake them up in the middle of the night?"
Despite everything, Chuck is smiling at her. And she can feel her lips under his fingers, curling upwards.
"They'll probably tell us everything before we can fix a cup of coffee, even. Although I don't know why they'd want to do that."
He takes another step towards her, and moves his hand so it's resting against her cheek.
"Chuck, you're the asset. There are a half-dozen bugs in this room. We can't --"
But Chuck just keeps smiling at her, closer and closer until his lips are on hers. They're a little chapped and she needs to push him away but her arms are around his neck and she can taste his toothpaste on her tongue and she's been picturing this in her head a few too many times.
"We can," he says against her lips. "Just tonight, Sarah."
He sits next to her on the bed, turning her to face him.
All she can see is his face, brown eyes and curly hair. His arms are wrapped around her waist and for all her training she can't help from leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I was going to stay," she sighs. The words come out muffled against his t-shirt.
Sometimes she forgets anybody can hear.
The room goes dark as Chuck turns off the light and when he kisses her again (just tonight, Sarah), she forgets to care.
Without him in it, Chuck's room emerges as a new landscape. chuck/sarah, pg, 1070 words. spoilers for chuck vs. the ring.
[This was my first venture into Chuck fic and what can I say, I really liked it. I know this is short but I'm hoping to write more soon. I hope you enjoy! ♥]
Without him in it, Chuck's room emerges as a new landscape. Sarah's been here so many times over the past two years, but rarely alone. Never without a mission.
She can just barely hear the sound of the faucet as Chuck brushes his teeth. It's a weird feeling, sitting on his bed with nothing to do. She's just waiting for him to come back to her. Even in her head, the phrase has a strange turn. She lifts her hair off the back of her neck, twisting it a little. For the past ten years she's been running, fighting, scheming. It's inertia.
On the beach she'd thought it would be easy, a little nod at Bryce and she'd stay in this life. It seems farther away than this afternoon.
"You okay?" Chuck's voice is low but it's enough to startle her. He's leaning on the doorframe, almost like everything is normal. She catches his eye and watches his lips twitch into a smile. He'll know if she lies.
"It's been a long day," she says, smoothing her fingers against his bed. "And tomorrow's going to be busy."
"Good thing even Beckman needs her sleep." He's looking at her like he wants to say more. It's a familiar expression.
"We caught her off guard." She looks away from him and glances around the room. There are a half-dozen bugs hidden throughout. The Tron poster. The comic books in a pile on the nightstand. "She'll be briefing us early tomorrow."
Chuck rubs the back of his neck, Orion's wrist computer still on his arm. It's a contrast to his undershirt and the curls in his hair. You look like a real spy, she'd said this morning, like it meant something or nothing at all. She was going to stay in Burbank and let the world save itself.
She presses her fingertips into the comforter, watching the ten little dents form from the weight of her hands.
"Okay, Sarah, you know I trust you, but right now I'm not sure I believe you. So I'm going to ask you again. Are you okay?" Chuck puts extra emphasis on the last three words, practically spitting them out. She almost laughs.
"Just tell me. Why did you upload the new Intersect?" It's not the answer he wanted, but the words come out of her mouth before she can realize that. "You wanted a normal life and it was finally yours, Chuck."
When she looks up at his face she can't read it. That's a new thing -- Chuck Bartowski has always been transparent. But now she doesn't know what he's thinking. It makes him seem a thousand feet away, instead of a few steps across his bedroom.
"You were going to stay." She flinches. They're not the words she expects to hear. She hadn't told him. It didn't matter after he uploaded the Intersect again. She focuses on the ten little dents in the comforter. She's staying, now.
"Bryce told me," Chuck continues, "And I don't know, maybe he was lying, but I like to think that Bryce wouldn't lie in his last few minutes alive. And..."
The sentence trails off. Sarah looks up at him, notices for the first time the way his head is haloed by the light in the hallway.
He held her hands the entire ride home and kept whispering "I'm so sorry Sarah" at every red light until she'd almost forgotten what he was apologizing for. She'd focused on the texture of his fingers against hers. Casey had taken care of Bryce's body. She'd tried not to think about it, just focused on Chuck's hands wrapped around hers.
"He was right," she says now, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was going to stay."
"You were going to stay." Chuck repeats the words like he doesn't really believe them. "You were going to stay. Really?"
"You uploaded the Intersect, Chuck. I'm not going anywhere." She feels her hands tensing into fists before she's fully aware of the action. "I'm staying in Burbank now."
"You were going to stay." He takes a step towards the bed. Towards her. "Don't you get it? That's why I had to upload the Intersect."
"What do you mean?" She tilts back her head so she can look him in the eye. He stares right back at her and there's something new about him, something different.
"Every day you go to work at Orange Orange and you save my life at least once a week and you pretend like it's all right. But don't you get tired of protecting me?"
He takes another step towards her. He's close enough to touch.
"It's my job." The words sound tired, though. She's trying not to yawn. Today could have been stretched out to fit an entire week.
"Hey, I just quit the Buy More." He's smiled at her like this before. Usually she looks away. "I could use a new job, Sarah."
"We don't know how the new Intersect works. You can't --"
There are fingers on her lips. Chuck's fingers.
"Tomorrow we'll find out. You know Beckman knows. Or my dad. But do you want to wake them up in the middle of the night?"
Despite everything, Chuck is smiling at her. And she can feel her lips under his fingers, curling upwards.
"They'll probably tell us everything before we can fix a cup of coffee, even. Although I don't know why they'd want to do that."
He takes another step towards her, and moves his hand so it's resting against her cheek.
"Chuck, you're the asset. There are a half-dozen bugs in this room. We can't --"
But Chuck just keeps smiling at her, closer and closer until his lips are on hers. They're a little chapped and she needs to push him away but her arms are around his neck and she can taste his toothpaste on her tongue and she's been picturing this in her head a few too many times.
"We can," he says against her lips. "Just tonight, Sarah."
He sits next to her on the bed, turning her to face him.
All she can see is his face, brown eyes and curly hair. His arms are wrapped around her waist and for all her training she can't help from leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I was going to stay," she sighs. The words come out muffled against his t-shirt.
Sometimes she forgets anybody can hear.
The room goes dark as Chuck turns off the light and when he kisses her again (just tonight, Sarah), she forgets to care.