#listen man i got his whole childhood and stuff plotted out (until more info is revealed and i gotta change it again) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ugdohyun · 3 years

Text

let’s get it 😤

mun info

name/alias: ej age: 18 + pronouns: she/her/hers timezone: est (gmt-5? 4? wtf is daylights savings???) discord: cozyboy#6004 little trivia fact: tbh i’m a k-hiphop/rnb junkie so watch me pretend like i can rock lol

character info

character name: nam dohyun age: 25 zodiac sign: cancer (meh, is this even accurate? tbd) group/band/position: singer & rhythm guitarist for CTRL info links or quick points about your character: half-baked stats and bio are up. apologies for the messy messy bio; messy me was racing against the app deadline lmao. so instead, here are way too many tldr points about the boy:

background

born to a borderline chaebol mother and a borderline b-list rockstar father who really shouldn’t have gotten married at all; but it’s a shotgun wedding made possible by the conception of ~yours truly~

his dad is quite literally terrible and among many things, a serial adulterer. the man leaves (more like kicked out at last...) when dohyun is no older than ten. nam is actually his mother’s last name, which he takes thereafter

does dohyun have daddy issues, you might ask? ermmm well, let’s just say he doesn’t even know or remember the man well enough to hate or miss him so it’s whatever

spoiled growing up b/c his family pities how he’s fatherless. but probably they’re more worried that if they don’t ‘love him enough’ (read: expensive gifts and lots of nagging) dohyun will end up like his good-for-nothing father *shudders in rich grandparent* ... but he just plays this weird leverage game with them to do whatever he wants, running around with his ragtag bands and whatnot

in reality, there’s a lot of gaslighting in both directions. an implicit cloud of blame and pity looms over dohyun’s head, like ‘damn if u didn’t pop into ur mommy’s womb, none of this would have ever happened.’ idk, he’s a living reminder of the most shameful thing that’s happened to this family. everyone’s hoping that dohyun’s not like his dad but deep inside, they kinda believe he’s fated to suck anyways...

prime piece of evidence no. 1: why the hell is he doing this rockstar thing ??? dohyun realizes it’s pretty shitty to do this to his mom and whoever else but... it just feels right. ‘music is my life’ yadada but it’s also just fun, and he thinks he’s pretty good at it. the continued chain of success and unexpected fame from his various musical stints seem to agree. sure he had to burn some bridges and breach a whole lot of trust with his family to get where he is but come on -- they thought he was going to be a huge bust anyways, no? just meeting expectations!

personality

dohyun can be... other-worldly. 4d, sure. he’s in his own realm a lot of the time. like everyone else around him is on one orbit? he’s on a one-man spaceship vibing on another. doesn’t mean he’s clueless though; he’s actually extremely perceptive (just cancer things... or the result of sussing and being sussed out by his family his entire life) but will pretend like he doesn’t notice things b/c it’s more convenient to not care

often told he has a natural charisma which helps as as a performer, i guess. but more than likely it’s just (1) his face (ngl he knows he’s pretty) or (2) people stick around b/c they want to see what wack ass shit he’s going to do or say next. definitely a bit of a showman in that regard. anyways, he’s probably a fun guy to be around?

his whole ‘larger than life’ public image is not fake per say, but dohyun in intimate settings is more of a grandpa soul than you’d think. gets very excited and also very existentially tired about things rather quickly. probably an introvert at heart who is way too talented at being an extrovert

funky antics and ‘cool kid’ vibes largely hide the fact that he does have aspirations / desires (he’s serious about his music and what he’s doing in the indie scene; ctrl is hitting big and he’s seemingly getting places) as well as really dark thoughts and insecurities shh

super open guy without actually being open. definitely that guy you think you know really well until you really start to think about it... and realize you really don’t know him at all. damn. he’ll often listen to others and lend them a shoulder to lean on or pour them a shot, but will never seek it out for himself. really his upbringing has made it difficult for him to receive affection or care without being skeptical af or feeling like he’s being pitied

he’s got a lot of growing and soul-searching to do / i’m still figuring stuff out and would love for u all to be part of it <3

wanted connections

umm page to come eventually but some quick ideas i’d like to see for dohyun:

ctrl bandmates! so many fun dynamics and moments we should figure out -- very ready to make all the other bands jealous heh

a real trooper friend and confidant who doesn’t give up on him, even when he’s being a little dodgy shit

a squad to just set hongdae on fire with -- not literally but figuratively. like live for the nights you won’t remember ayy

exes, flames, 'are we just friends?’, one-sided(?) crushes, and any variants. dohyun is entranced by the idea of love but is trash at it in practice (genetics, right? an empty excuse for his actual rship problems lol). definitely breaks hearts but gets his own smashed way harder so it’s even, okay?!

i really dig a good childhood friends trope; whether that’s like friends to lovers(?) or enemies or rivals or ‘how the hell are you two friends’ or whatever

someone he keeps running into in the most awkward or embarrassing situations only

someone who sees through his bs; and vice versa

musical collaborators, rivalries, mutual fans, anything really; “um i think i liked you better on stage / you are not what i expected” moments?

an antagonist. sorry this is vague af, but point being: i’m good with ‘negative’ plots too!

i swear i’m better at this 1-on-1, so please! let’s chat it up!

#UG.TALK #//ooc

9 notes · View notes

saemple · 4 years

Text

intro !!!

back on my bs... ( or hopefully off of it?! ) i present: mister saem. if you’d like to plot, just leave a like and i will hit you up !!! anyways, enjoy this intro while i work on his pages! <3

━♡ guess the 24 YEAR OLD AUGUST baby just arrived to dallyeog! it makes sense, because HWANG SAEM is just as CHARMING as the month of AUGUST. wait, why do they remind me of IM CHANGKYUN? beyond that, they seemed PASSIONATE & QUICK-WITTED upon first glance. i heard someone say they’re sort of HOTHEADED & STUBBORN. i hope they get acquainted here in APARTMENT #8 / FLOOR 4 ; they seem to have a lot going on with HIS job as COLLEGE TUTOR.

basic info.

name: hwang saem.

nickname: saem (it’s alraedy short?!) / english name: sam.

pronouns: he / him.

age: 24.

date of birth: 08.08.

zodiac sign: leo .

occupation: robotics student / tutor.

hobbies: gaming, surfing the interwebz, hanging around the library.

background.

saem was born as an only child in seoul in the month of august - up until he was 16 everything seemed to go flawlessly in his life, even being one of the best in his class; really nothing much to complain about - besides being considered a nerd, but that wasn’t too bad for him.

while his parents got divorced, saem grew up to be quite modest and feels like he had a good enough childhood. he doesn’t see his father a whole lot, which only makes his relation with his mother better.

knowing that he had to try his best to get a scholarship for university, he studied dilligently during the last few years of high school - often sacrificing his social life or hobbies: securing his future was more important.

he chose to study robotics as it was something that had fascinated him since he was a little boy - who wouldn’t want to study something like that?! he sees the opportunity of being able to research and create in this field as a blessing.

just like the month of august represents the nostalgic feeling of summer coming to an end, saem is always awaiting something new to come, maybe something or someone to turn his life around to make it more exciting as it is right now !

now he mostly just spends his time in class, studying or giving extra tutoring to other students to help them through their seminars with ease.

he has always been more on the quiet side, a better listener than talker - mostly due to his upbringing; parents often busy, separated and mostly just minding their own business. at some point the focus shifted from family affairs to just making money and surviving, his mother easily overworking herself since his father had ditched.

before he got to tutoring, saem was doing small mundane jobs like being a barista at the local college coffee shop, at a crafts store or being a clerk in the supermarket down the street - nothing that would buffer his curriculum too much, so he was rather glad to have gotten offered this job at university.

in his free time he loves to play online games and being on voice with his online friends!

yeah, so, basically ! he is just a normal man thrown into this chaotic world, trying to make the best of things even though everything feels so mundane sometimes !

characteristics.

even though saem has been on the quiet side of life, he does tend to leave a good impression on others: he knows how to present himself and he is always polite, sometimes maybe even a bit annoying trying to show off his ‘wisdom’.

he loves receiving compliments and never misses a chance to try and get one out of others - he just enjoys the attention.

saem’s ‘aura’ is usually warm and comfortable, like sitting by a crackling fire - most people enjoy spending time with him as he usually knows how to make others feel at ease.

he is very passionate about what he does and isn’t afraid of showing off his strengths, or to dominate tasks thrown at him.

saem cares a lot for other people and has a huge heart, he would give his shirt off his back to others if they really needed it; he also extremely generous with his time and affection, always trying to do his best for others.

due to his confidence in himself, he also tends to be a great cheerleader for those around him, easily encouraging others to improve themselves or get something done.

on a negative side; saem is easy to get taken advantage of since he is so big-hearted.

apart from that, his strong-will can also be easily mistaken for stubborness; he always wants to achieve his goals and go all the way - often only focusing on one task until it is done, often also just taken the independent way even if it would be better with teamwork.

criticism is a no-no and makes him pout super easy.

wanted connections.

gamer friends: he often plays games at night and sometimes even streams / uploads his content onto youtube; not like anyone watches those, but maybe ... ? anyway, you could be best friends online and not even know you live in the same apartment building!

the fixer: saem is a professional at breaking stuff – or maybe the building is just cursed, however it seems like every week it is something else; a lightbulb going out, the oven not working, the microwave acting up. your muse is good at fixing those kind of things, but it is slowly getting ridiculous...

party animals: saem really isn’t the type of dude to go out and party, but your muse somehow can always convince this lightweight to have one drink too much and enjoy the night.

the smell of coffee: someone keeps brewing this delicious-smelling bean juice... but where will the smell lead saem to? and will they give him a good old cup of coffee for free?

the robot: while saem isn’t quite there yet, he does have a few little friends at home; nothing spectacular since, after all, bigger machines are more important. however, he does enjoy making small, useless robots - that usually do not work. so when one escapes his apartment and makes its way down the hallway to know on your muses door, he is rendered speechless - does it have a mind of its own?

childhood best friends: someone he grew up with, who he could always lean his head on their shoulder without questions asked! and now living together in the same place?! sounds like a dream come true.

penpals: someone he exchanges little notes with - maybe they use it as some sort of diary system?

#dallyeog:intro

6 notes · View notes

yacshij · 5 years

Text

Hello, I’m Lumi!!! Let’s just take a moment to watch this attempt of an introduction get super awkward because it has been literally years since I’ve done this. hOWEVER, I am super excited to be here and present my child to you. I’ll probably have a bio or something of the sort up for him soon, but let’s be realistic, i’m slow, so who knows when soon’s gonna be... for the time being, I’m gonna leave some info on him under the cut, also a few ideas of wanted connections and such. If you’d like to plot, feel free to hit me up or like this and I’ll come to you as soon as I see it!

( zhang yixing, cismale, he/his ) — Welcome back, SHI YAO. I’m surprised you’re still a FIELD AGENT! Congrats! You’re TWENTY-SEVEN years old? Our agents usually don’t last that long! :O I see you’ve been given an IRISH SETTER. Funny how it seems they work harder than you! Can’t wait for another lovely day of you being PATIENT. Though, if we’re being honest, we really know you’re more SECRETIVE. Welp, have a good at work, Agent JONQUIL. I really don’t care! I’m a robot, I have no feelings. ( lumi, 23, gmt-3, she/her )

BACKSTORY

Yao doesn’t know his biological parents. Why they didn’t keep him, is anyone’s guess; he never had anyone who knew about what really happened, no family whatsoever to tell him anything about where he’d come from and why he’d end up somewhere so fucked up.

He was raised by a man he always took for his grandfather. A compulsive drinker and gambler, a man who was always involved in some kind of trouble. His childhood wasn’t the brightest, that being so, he didn’t have the best education and they were always jumping around the country, running away from debt collectors and the law. Or trying to, at least.

At this point, his life was nothing but a big lie. With them moving around so much came the need of fabricated stories and a lot of pretending to sustain them. Every month they were someone different and had a different background. Even though with time Yao got really good at the whole pretending thing, he also realized there was never room for a real him.

When he was 16, however, things took an ugly turn. After a few years of successfuly dodging their pursuers, they came to a point where there was no running away anymore. His grandfather knowing this, gave Yao all the money they had left, a passport, a backpack and a name. It was the end of the line for him, but for Yao, it could be his chance of getting out of that life and maybe do something good with it.

Yao ended up in Seoul, Korea, at the front door of a lady he’d never seen or heard anything of. She took him in as if he was her own son, however, as if she’d known him her whole life; she gave him a bed to sleep, food to eat, clean clothes and a place that quickly started to feel a lot like home. She became a mother to him. He finally got the chance to properly go to school and have a decent part-time job, to have friends; he finally had the chance to figure out things for himself, to figure out who he was. A fresh new start, just for him.

Just a couple of years after, when he was about to turn 19, he was approached by Hwarang to join the organization, and he accepted because it seemed like a good turn of events, considering everything. (he doesn’t know it, but his mother was a former hwarang member. and also the lady who practically adopted him, and she knew his mother. so he received the offer probably just because of her. but will he ever know abou this. who knows.)

After joining the organization, he made it his life. He was very devoted to his training and did the most, you know, not to suck and lose the opportunity. At first he didn’t know how to feel about the whole idea, but nowadays he’s very passionate and committed to the job.

Outside Hwarang he leads a pretty normal life, lives in a small apartment with his Irish Setter, her name is Eva and she’s the most precious and important thing to him (and to me).

PERSONALITY

Yao is very eloquent, and although quiet in nature, he’s not shy. It takes a lot to get on his nerves and you better not get on his nerves, because it doesn’t get pretty when he’s angry. He doesn’t like confrontation or anything like that, but he doesn’t let people talk shit to him, if he needs to stand up for himself (or someone he knows and cares about) he will.

He doesn’t trust people. It comes without a surprise, I’d say. He grew up around people that were always sidestepping certain subjects whenever he asked about, people who never told the truth, people who lied to get what they wanted, etc. Even though he knows there are good, true people out there, he just can’t fully trust. He’s very insecure about this, actually, that people are always hiding something, or pretending to like him for whatever reason; it never feels real. My poor insecure child.

Speaking of hiding. Yao doesn’t talk about his past. He doesn’t talk about his life in general; that doesn’t apply just to co-workers or people he barely knows, it applies to friends too. And it also isn’t about him not wanting to talk about, it’s just that 1) he doesn’t often feel like he has anything interesting to share and 2) nobody asked, so he takes it as a hint that he probably shouldn’t tell.

Yao’s very observant and he pays attention to a lot. Even small details. He doesn’t tend to forget that easily, as well, so if somebody tells him their favorite ice cream flavor today, chances are he’ll remember even months later. Deep down, he makes the effort to remember because he likes to impress people with these little things.

He’s a good shoulder to cry on, a good person to tell a secret to, to vent, a good person to tell all your embarrassing stuff, the best friend to call drunk at night, to share compromising stories/pictures, because he would never judge or spread anything about it.

On that note, he hates gossip. Irrelevant, but throwing this info out there for whoever wants to know.

Also, Yao was born on January 10th, 1991. A whole Capricorn. And bisexual.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

Gimme best friends. Wheter someone he’s known since training days or someone he met after graduating but became fast friends. OR BOTH. There’s always room for more than one best friend.

I’d also love to have that unlikely friendship, where they’re so different in all aspects, but in some way ended up getting real close. Neither knows how it happened, but it’s not like they’re complaining.

Someone that maybe isn’t actually a close friend, who he goes after to talk when he needs to get something out of his chest or just need the company until he feels better. Pretty vague, but basically someone that listens and understands without asking a lot of questions. Something like that.

I would also love a flirtationship.

A carnal relationship. It's just sex, it's always been just sex and it's always gonna be just sex. or will it

Give me someone that actually gets on his nerves. Someone that seriously or just playfully enjoys irritating him, that likes to go against everything he says or anything of the sort. at this point i need this ajdhkeh i need this connection in my life. (it can also work for a friend. or enemies with benefits ~cof cof~anyone?~cofs~)

An ex would also be nice. But I’m not gonna specify if they ended on good terms or bad terms, because that would be nice to develop depending on their personalities and dynamics, so if anyone’s interested, we can discuss it

I know these are just a few and there’s probably a lot more that could be added here, but for now, I’m leaving at that. I know I was pretty vague with the connections as well, but it’s actually because this is just the very basic, I like to discuss it in more detail when we plot, in case anyone’s interested. We can brainstorm, mix two connections, come up with a new one that fits better for the muses, so no worries. come plot and there’s gonna be a lot of ideas for everyone!!!!

#hwarangintro #sorry if this is a mess #i probably forgot a few things #but i hope it's at least decent #okay now i'm gonna read the other intros #and stop talking in the tags askljalj bYE

8 notes · View notes

davidcarner · 6 years

Text

Aces, Charles Ch 2, Know When To Walk Away

A/N: (Me before Ch 1 to a couple of friends) No, I shouldn't do this, no one will like it. (3 hours later) You were right, I was wrong…So we're here, for the second chapter. Two things, there will be some angst, in fact this chapter ends with some angst, but IT'S ME. No third party, no stupid love triangle, just life stuff getting in the way. Give it a bit to breathe, I know exactly how it ends, we'll just all enjoy the time together. (There will probably be all sorts of fluff by the end) Second, my brain thinks, Chuck and Sarah, but in this fic, she is Jenny Burton. So if you see Sarah, send me a PM, tweet, tumblr, something, because I messed up, and those who look it over did too.

Also, if you're not familiar with poker, the names I use are actual poker players, and their histories are arcuate as far as I can corroborate. It's time for Aces, Charles Ch 2, Know When to Walk Away.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, or poker, but I do prefer Razz when I play…

Chuck sat in the car and watched as the Las Vegas strip went by. He could have taken a plane back, but he liked to ride in the car, it let him think, let his mind wander, that's where some of his best game ideas came from. He thought back to his childhood, to his mom and dad. He thought about the day his sister got that fateful call about their parents who died serving their country. He thought about how members of the government had stepped in and kept Ellie and himself from ending up in a foster home. He thought about how the man currently driving, John Casey, agreed to be the foster parent to the two Bartowski children, and somehow, the man who preferred to communicate through grunting had become a father figure to him, and to Ellie.

He thought about Stanford and the time he had there. He thought briefly about Bryce and Jill. He hoped they were happy, and then a moment later he hoped they had some type of venereal disease. He left Stanford with his degree, and he and his little bearded friend had come up with a couple of video game ideas, the biggest one called The Intersect. It was an RPG, featuring a nerd who had a computer program upload into his head, but you could only access information as you leveled up. It's sequel, The Intersect 2.0, included physical combat skills. He and Morgan had made a killing off of the idea.

With money flowing in hand over fist, and Chuck now overseeing many employees, he was becoming quite famous. Fame had it's advantages and disadvantages…Chuck now had many women who wanted to date him, that was an advantage, Chuck now had many women who wanted to date him, that was a disadvantage. He had no idea who was out for his money, and who wasn't. Casey had taken over his social life because of this, and Chuck was positive this was some sort of punishment for crimes he had committed in a previous life.

Casey vetted everyone Chuck wanted to date. He had to believe that government agents weren't vetted this much. Chuck tried to talk to Ellie about it, but she was siding with Casey on this one. Casey wasn't completely overboard…yeah he was. It was Casey, and one thing about John Casey, whatever he did, he was going to do it well. Chuck thought it was going to take presidential approval and an act of congress for him to play in the high stakes game in Bobby's room. He didn't know how many phone calls were made as soon as he stepped foot in the door, but he hadn't been expecting one of the players to show up…Jenny Burton.

Chuck loved poker, it was math, luck, and adrenaline. He didn't like to be scared for his life, but Chuck did enjoy excitement, the uncertainty, and even the small sense of adventure. The math, just made his inner nerd squee with joy, and the luck…it just spiked the adrenaline. To make all the right plays and still get drawn out on…it was so awful when you were the one getting drawn out on, but it was like mana from heaven when you drew out on someone else. As much as Chuck loved poker, he really started to enjoy it more when Jenny Burton, "The Ice Queen," was seen on ESPN all last summer at the World Series of Poker Main Event. Her ability to read people and make moves was eliciting the name Stu Unger, the man many considered to be the greatest No Limit Hold 'em poker player of all time. It wasn't that Chuck didn't think she was attractive, no the woman was beautiful, but she had an ability that he just respected. The story of a former card dealer that had worked her game slowly over the years, grinding to become one of the best in the world, it was awe inspiring. He had admiration and respect for her that words couldn't convey.

When Chuck entered Bobby's Room, he had expected some of the names, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Scotty Nguyen, Johnny Chan, Billy Baxter, and many others, but when Jenny Burton walked through the door and sat down beside him…Chuck didn't know what to do. The first few hands, he folded, just to see how she would play. She made money over the first several hands, without ever showing her cards, and when she did, she had the goods. Chuck knew better. He knew she was appearing tight early. He studied every move she made, because the only way to get better is to study, especially when the master was teaching a class right beside him.

There were always rumors about Jenny. She had a problem at blackjack, or roulette, at least that was the rumor. She was frequently seen in the low money games grinding, building her bankroll, and no one knew why, because they rarely saw her lose, and when they did it was never in consecutive sessions. Why couldn't she hang on to her bankroll, no one knew? Drugs were another belief, but as Chuck watched her, she abstained from alcohol at the table, and always did her best to stay away from the cigarette smoke. After a few minutes, he couldn't believe the cocaine rumors, so where did her money go, because she was a machine. She went head to head with some of the best NLH players in the world, and won.

As the night went on, Chuck found himself winning, and winning big. He was the big winner, and the second biggest was Jenny. She seemed almost personally affronted by it as well; he was sure it was because he was an amateur. She wasn't mean to him, or showed him any disrespect, but every time she looked at his stack, she would shake her head.

"My eyes are up here," Chuck said once to her when they were both out of a hand. Jenny was caught off guard, and nearly choked on her water she was drinking. "I see you admiring my stack."

"It is a very nice stack," she said, laughing.

"You gonna take it to dinner first?" he said. "I'm sorry, I've never played this many straight hours, and I'm making terrible, inappropriate jokes." She studied him a moment and then leaned in.

"Tip from a pro, never tell someone that," she said. "Don't give anyone that edge." She leaned back. Chuck nodded.

"Thank you," he said.

"When I win it later, I'll treat it right," she said, winking at him. She waited until he was taking a drink before saying it, making Chuck nearly choke on his water. They shared a smile, and then the cards came out, and it was back to business.

"Will you shut up back there!" Casey yelled, pulling Chuck out of his thoughts.

"What are you talking about, Casey?" he asked. "I haven't said a word."

"Your lady feelings are about to smother me," Casey said. "What happened a pretty girl tell you you're good at poker?"

"Nope, played right beside Jenny Burton all night, and busted her," Chuck said.

"You're happy you busted a lady?" Casey asked. Chuck opened his mouth to speak and then shut it, knowing there was nothing he could say to this one. "Moron." Casey didn't say anything for a few miles and Chuck started to go back to his thoughts when Casey started back up. "You mean Jenny Burton, WSOP Main Event Final Table, Jenny Burton, you busted her at a cash game?"

"Yes," Chuck said.

"Bartowski, she's a poker player, she was probably smiling at you to get you to make some bigger bets so you could buy her groceries for the next few years," Casey said. Chuck stayed quiet. "Fine, I'll vette her."

"Casey, do you have to vette every woman I see? You do know that the majority of them don't want me for my money."

"Chuck," Casey began, and he knew this was serious, because he rarely called him Chuck. "Even if it was only one in a hundred that wanted you for your money I'd do it, to protect you."

"Thank you, Casey," Chuck began.

"But, it's probably only one in a hundred that don't want you for your money," Casey continued.

"And, there it is," Chuck said. "A perfectly heartfelt moment…Caseyfied."

}o{

Chuck sat in a meeting listening. He usually came in dressed in what many would call business casual. It was a video game company in LA, some employees came in wearing shorts, a tank top, and flip flops, and he didn't care. All he cared about was what they could produce, and what they produced was hit after video game hit. Today, Chuck didn't care. He hadn't shaved in days, he was wearing an Atari tee shirt, jeans, and his Chucks. It had been almost two months since the night at Bobby's Room. He kept thinking Jenny would come after him to win her money back, but she hadn't called. He had heard she was following the World Poker Tour, not to play in tournaments, but to hit some of the cash games. How much of a bankroll did she need to challenge him?

"What do you think, Chuck?" Morgan asked.

"I think Intersect 3.0 won't happen unless we can think of a better plot than the nerd is turned into a Bond like character. Having to play the games at the casinos, seduction, but not over the top, just enough to tranq or get info, but we can't have sex in the games. The other two weren't mature and this can't be either. Also you'd need to include a skill set for driving; cars, boats, airplanes, and of course, a jet pack," Chuck said, staring out the window the whole time. The room was silent and Chuck turned back to see everyone scribbling furiously.

"YOU ARE A GENIUS!" Morgan yelled. Chuck sat there, confused.

"Uh, licensing?" Chuck said.

"I'll run it by our lawyers, but I don't think it will be a problem, especially since we're using our own character, very special agent Charles Carmichael," Morgan said. "Okay, folks, you know what to do." With that, everyone filed out, and Chuck went to looking back out the window.

"I know that look," a voice said from the door. Chuck looked over and smiled. There stood a lanky, taller, richer, retired nerd. "I had the same look on my face just before I called it and cashed in."

"There's no excitement," Chuck said. "However, I am not rolling in money like you are Phil." Phil Gordon had joined Netsys Technologies as their first employee, and had made a bundle when it was acquired by Cisco Systems in 1996. In 1997, he retired to travel and play poker. To say Chuck was a little jealous was an understatement.

"If you're standing still, you're moving backwards," Phil said. Chuck grinned at him. "Let's go to the Bike, I want to talk with you."

"We can talk here," Chuck said, grinning.

"Yeah, but I can make some more money there," he said.

}o{

"You seriously should enter some of the limit tournaments," Phil said later. "I mean you are a genius at Razz." Chuck shrugged. The two had played for hours, with no actual talk between them. They were up several thousand dollars, and Chuck wondered what it would be like just doing this every day. It was a fun distraction, but he was still missing something.

"So Vegas has been talking about you," Phil said. Chuck gave him a look. "People are losing money hand over fist with prop bets about when you're coming back."

"So you're here to win a prop bet?" Chuck asked, grinning, and raking in another pot.

"Nope, I've already lost," Phil said. "Chuck, talk to me, I get both of these worlds. I know how lonely things can be, and I've heard what happened in Bobby's Room. You melted the Ice Queen, and everyone is in shock."

"I don't know what you mean." Chuck said, shrugging.

"Don't quit your day job for poker," Phil said, laughing. "You are terrible at lying." Chuck couldn't help but laugh. "You got to her, and no one…Chuck, NO ONE, has been able to get to her. You said more to her in five minutes than anyone has in five years." Chuck looked at him. Phil grinned. "Some of us got a copy of the surveillance video after you left, and you can hear what you two said." Phil started putting his chips in a carrier to go cash out. "Do you have the stones to make the move? You've won at everything else, you're looking for your greatest challenge?"

"Phil, I'm not after some fling," Chuck said.

"Do you think I'd be here if you were?" Phil asked, humor in his eyes. "Chuck, you're one of the best guys I know. That lady, has been through something, but she opened up to you. Make the move. Go all-in. I'll see you. I need to get back to Vegas, the WPT starts tomorrow and I need to see about winning a tournament."

"Good luck, Phil," Chuck said. Phil stood, paused, and laid a hand on Chuck's shoulder.

"She's reloaded her bank roll," he said, and left. Chuck sat there, until the dealer asked him what he wanted to do. He folded, cashed out, and went home.

}o{

Chuck walked in the door to his townhouse.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Casey yelled.

"Good to see you to, Honey," Chuck said. Casey was watching a war documentary. "I got us a couple of steaks," he said, showing him the bag. "And, baked potatoes." Casey grunted and followed him to the kitchen.

"Chuck, how am I supposed to protect you if you don't tell me where you go?" Casey growled. Chuck turned to him.

"Phil Gordon and I went to the Bike to play cards and talk," he said. Casey rolled his eyes.

"Did you get your lady feelings sorted out, or are you gonna mope more?" Casey asked. Chuck was shocked. "You do remember my job."

"Casey, what you are doing is so outside your job description," Chuck began.

"Then fire me," Casey snapped. Chuck gave him a look of "are you serious?"

"Casey, even if I fired you, you'd do it all anyway and help yourself to my beer, hotpockets, and TV whenever you want," Chuck said. Casey looked a tiny bit ashamed…or maybe it was gas.

"Yeah, I would," Casey said. "You've been hurt enough, kid. I know, I know, I go too far, but kid, if you get your heart broke again…I'm afraid you wouldn't make it."

"Casey, that may be the sweetest thing-" Chuck began.

"And then this plush gig would be over," Casey finished, taking a swig of beer giving Chuck a look.

"And, there it is," Chuck said, taking his own swig of beer but knowing what Casey actually meant. "Another moment Caseyfied." The two stood silently for a moment, a comfortable silence. How one emotionally stunted man had been so changed by the two Bartowskis, he would never know. Ellie and Chuck were Casey's kids, and he was going to protect them from all the heartache he could. However, if he kept this up, Chuck would resent him. Casey sighed.

"I find nothing terrible on her," Casey said. Chuck started to ask who, but Casey just gave him the, "I'm not an idiot look." "She's a poker player, and I think she hasn't called because she wants a whale, on her turf. Yeah you stay in a luxury hotel room, but it's not home for you , and it gives her the slightest edge and that's what makes the great ones. Call her, because if you don't I'm not going to be able to take dealing with you over Christmas. It's bad enough I got to watch those stupid Twilight Zone marathons anyway," Casey complained, wandering off.

"I love you too, Casey," Chuck said, smiling at the other man walking off. He grunted, and kept going. Chuck pulled out his phone and made the call.

}o{

Jenny looked down at her phone, and saw who it was. Part of her was excited; this might fix all her problems, another part of her….it wasn't excited at all, in fact, this is exactly why she hadn't called him.

"Hello," Jenny said.

"Jenny, Chuck Bartowski," he said.

"Who?" she asked, grinning.

"You know, Chuck Bartowski, the guy you gave way too much money to for his iPod," Chuck said, hoping to make her laugh. He sat there wondering if he said too much. A soft laugh came over the phone.

"I don't know if you're aware of this Chuck, but I have this thing called caller ID, and it tells me who is calling," she said, grinning.

"So you were messing with me," he said.

"Yep, if you're not in my phone, I don't answer," she said.

"Glad I'm in there," he said, and clanged his head against the wall immediately. He shouldn't have said that. He knew better.

"Don't do anything stupid, and you'll stay in there," she answered. She closed her eyes. What was she thinking, was that flirting!? She needed to change the subject quickly. "So did you call me to gloat about scamming me for this iPod?"

"The reason I'm calling is there's a cash game gonna start in a few days at the Bike, and I wanted to see if you wanted a chance to win some of your money back."

"LA?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"There's some games going on here starting tomorrow," she offered.

"Oh," Chuck said, thinking back to what Casey said. "I can't really get down there right now." Chuck lied, he knew he could get down there, but she said she'd come see him, was Casey right?

"Sorry, Chuck, still haven't built back my bankroll enough to feel comfortable coming up there with it," she said. "You know how it goes, ebbs and flows, right now is an ebb." Chuck was silent a second. Why would Phil lie to him? Answer, he didn't. Casey was right. She was only after him because he was a whale and she thought he was easy pickings on her turf. This was about a poker game, and nothing more.

"Okay, well, good luck, if you ever manage to build it back up, let me know," he said, a bit coolly. Jenny heard it in his voice, he knew he didn't trust her. Chuck Bartowski shouldn't trust her, hell, no one should trust her. No one should trust any Burton, ever. Or, maybe she was wrong. Maybe he had gotten through but didn't deserve to. The one guy that made her way through her defenses, she was sure was the right guy, and now, she was wrong. That never happened. She had to end this, for both of their sakes.

"Good-bye, Chuck," she said.

"Bye," he said and hung up. She started messing with her phone.

"What are you doing?" the guy with her asked. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a roll of bills and handed it to him.

"This make us even?" she asked. He started counting and she kept messing with her phone until she was satisfied. He looked up and nodded. "I deleted that guy's contact, that way I won't know his number if he calls back and won't answer. I'll listen to his message, but I'll probably just delete it. I was wrong about him, it doesn't happen often, but I was wrong about him."

"I'd say you are wrong about people more than that," the guy said, looking at the roll of money she just handed him. Jenny shook her head.

"No, I'm not wrong about him," she said, head nodding toward the money. "I know exactly what he is, I just can't get away from his problem." The guy raised his eyebrows as if to say, "what can you do." She shrugged, and he got up and left. Jenny sat there for a minute.

"Back to grinding," she thought. She would go hit the $1/$2 NL tables, again. She hated having to restart her bankroll, but what else could she do. "Damn him," she thought. The problem was, she wasn't sure which him she meant.

A/N: If every one of you wants to start a review with, "I'm not happy with you right now," I understand. (IT'S ME, it will be okay) I'm going to go hide now…Take Care, till next time.

#Chuck #Sarah #fanfic #fanfiction #Charah #Aces Charles

1 note · View note