Chuck's gaze went exactly where she intended to, and his eyes darkened. "And you, of course, are dressed to distract. And to make sure I have other things on my mind." From the once-over he gave her it was definitely working.
"And although arguing with you is a pleasure." His voice dropped to those low and dark tones, implying pleasures other than arguing. "I wanted to clear a few things up first."
Of course he'd have an idea of what she was doing and why. As much as she hated to admit it, he did understand her better than anyone else, save perhaps for Serena. But there was some pleasure in him knowing anyway and it still working. This was still an effective plan.
"Clear away." She smirked, taking a drink of the martini she had been enjoying while waiting for his arrival.
"The thing I've put a lot of work into and regret the most?" Chuck stepped forward to loom over her raised one eyebrow. "Trying, foolishly, to give you the relationship you wanted. And sleeping my way through the UES because the one person I really wanted was the one person off limits."
Oh. That. That was a punch in the gut for her and one of her larger vulnerabilities. The relationship had been something she wanted and held to, even when he pushed her away after his father died. What was said in jest became a real topic, brought out in only the way Chuck Bass could bring it out.
"I fought and fought for it, but it was too much for you, apparently." Her voice is soft, not accusatory. Apparently they really were going to discuss this.
"You going out with Nate was eventually too much for both of us, but he broke first." They were talking at cross purposes of course. "But I tried to give you what you wanted." And he was being an idiot for not picking up what she meant.
"Is this an apology? From Chuck Bass?" She wanted to try and lighten the moment, if only to give herself a chance to flee as she always did. It was the easier option than facing the hurt that she had to admit he caused her. "I just wanted to hear the words, but they scared you too much. 'Chuck and Blair going to the movies', 'Chuck and Blair holding hands', remember?"
"What you wanted was three words, eight letters." Chuck's voice was flat. "I'm..." He shook his head. "Chuck and Blair go to the opera sounds far more like us." He swallowed.
"I never did tell you why I went to Thailand, did I?" There was little tone in his voice, although Blair might notice the self-loathing.
She waited, uncertain if he would actually say he was sorry, but it seemed to break off before managing. Chuck and Blair going to the opera, that did sound like them, while scheming or kissing in the box. She swallowed, not wanting to think too much about that image.
His laugh was harsh. "The sex has always been best with you. I wanted to see who, if anyone would come after me. Especially my parents." He was barely looking at her, his voice bitter. "They're both alive."
She had come after him so many times before, but when he disappeared, she hadn't made the trip to follow him. It was Jack who went to get him, Jack who held her dirty secret over her head.
But that news made her jaw almost drop. "Who? Your parents? Are you high?"
"I can put work in and I can follow a money trail. And I've officially inherited all the bank accounts." Chuck's tone was dry.
"There's a money trail in my mother's name that started shortly after I was born. She's been paid off." His tone was bitter. "And Bart put ten million through a shell network to disappear it a couple of months before his death. Enough to live comfortably and not quite enough for the IRS to care. And he's been using the account since."
"Doesn't this all sound a bit too soap opera-ish to you? Or something out of one of those penny romance novels? Why would Bart pay off your mother? I thought she died?" And given how deeply that affected Chuck growing up, why would someone lie about that to their child?
"Why would Bart disappear? I thought- he and Lily were fine, right?"
"More soap opera-ish than Gossip Girl*? Or than Serena begging her mother to marry Bart so she wouldn't be Dan's brother?" Chuck shrugged, his tone darkly amused. "And I don't know except he wanted her to stay away. He actually admitted to me she was alive when he was drunk a couple of times but was furious when I mentioned it when he was sober."
"And Bart and Lily fine?" He snorted. "Didn't Serena tell you about the dossiers? She was seeing Brooklyn Senior behind Bart's back, and he was keeping Lily, Serena, and Eric under surveillance and dossiers compiled on all of them."
* Do we go with the show here with it's choice of Dan as GG? Also the admitting drunk is to solve a couple of continuity errors because they didn't decide she was dead until part way into S1.
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breakfastattiffanys) wrote2020-12-13 09:20 pm
Re: TFLN Overflow
"And although arguing with you is a pleasure." His voice dropped to those low and dark tones, implying pleasures other than arguing. "I wanted to clear a few things up first."
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"Clear away." She smirked, taking a drink of the martini she had been enjoying while waiting for his arrival.
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"I fought and fought for it, but it was too much for you, apparently." Her voice is soft, not accusatory. Apparently they really were going to discuss this.
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"I never did tell you why I went to Thailand, did I?" There was little tone in his voice, although Blair might notice the self-loathing.
OOC: A touch of incoming headcanon.
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"No, I assumed for the sex."
ooc: Bring it!
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But that news made her jaw almost drop. "Who? Your parents? Are you high?"
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"There's a money trail in my mother's name that started shortly after I was born. She's been paid off." His tone was bitter. "And Bart put ten million through a shell network to disappear it a couple of months before his death. Enough to live comfortably and not quite enough for the IRS to care. And he's been using the account since."
OOC: And the only headcanon is Chuck knowing.
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"Why would Bart disappear? I thought- he and Lily were fine, right?"
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"And Bart and Lily fine?" He snorted. "Didn't Serena tell you about the dossiers? She was seeing Brooklyn Senior behind Bart's back, and he was keeping Lily, Serena, and Eric under surveillance and dossiers compiled on all of them."
* Do we go with the show here with it's choice of Dan as GG? Also the admitting drunk is to solve a couple of continuity errors because they didn't decide she was dead until part way into S1.