Good Game

Date/Timing: 30 June 2016
Setting: J-Tech labs & Gottlieb/Reid quarters, Hong Kong Shatterdome; Hong Kong, China
retcon of "Sparkles"
NOTE: Hermann's met Chuck before ("Two and Two"), Edan hasn't; Chuck doesn't remember Hermann because he didn't see him for long and he's met so damn many people; Hermann remembers him because there aren't many pre-teen ginger geniuses in Shatterdomes.
.
Chuck skids around a third corner, dives through the first open door he sees, and slams it, hard. He leans against it, panting.
"You alright there, mate?"
Chuck looks up to find a couple of people watching him: a brunet from behind a computer screen, a ginger at a white board covered—
"You need a higher voltage at the start for that to work," he blurts.
Brunet gives him a once-over, goes back to typing.
Ginger blinks. "Wha?"
"Your circuit. Signal'll attenuate too much 'fore it reaches the end of the line to work."
Ginger turns back to the board, marker up. "Think one-twenty'll do the trick?"
"Eighty'll work."
Ginger erases the forty with the heel of their hand, squeaks in Chuck's eighty, and glows back around. "Thanks for that ...?"
"Chuck, he-him-his."
"Thanks a million, Chuck." Ginger sets down the marker, smiling. "Now, what can we do for you?"
Chuck ducks his head. "Nothin'."
Ginger cocks an eyebrow, perches on the corner of Brunet's desk—
Brunet rolls his eyes, but there's something sweet in it.
—swinging a foot. "Have to say, though, pink really isn't your colour: us gingers have to stick with purples and warmish tones or we either look sick or like we're blushing." Grins, "I'm Edan, by the way, and he's Doctor Gottlieb."
Chuck rubs his neck, mumbles, "Don't suppose either of you know how to fix this."
"I might, depending on exactly what it is."
Chuck sighs.
"Mind if I come closer and take a better look?"
Chuck shrugs.
Edan pushes off, strolls over, gently twists a bit of Chuck's pink, glittery hair between his fingers. "I think you're in luck. This looks like spray-on to me." Twists around, calls to Gottlieb, "Can I get a second opinion, Doctor?"
Gottlieb waves them over without looking up.
Chuck plods to the desk, Edan trailing him.
Gottlieb straightens his glasses, cards Chuck's hair for a few seconds. "Definitely spray-on. A little shampoo and you should be good as new." Smiles reassurance.
Chuck exhales tension, lets his shoulders slump.
"Now, do you want to head back to your room to take care of it, or should we smuggle you to ours?" asks Edan.
"I'd, uh, rather not go back, so, if you don't ...."
"Our pleasure. We need a break."
Gottlieb protests, "I need to—"
"Take a break," insists Edan. "That code will still be buggy in an hour and won't be needed before May."
Gottlieb sniffs, but hauls himself to standing. "We'll take the back way."
"Brilliant."
Off they go through a maze of narrow halls to a room in the general science barracks, Chuck dragging his feet the whole way to not get too far ahead of Gottlieb and his limp.
Edan works the door and bows them inside. "Washroom's back and to the left."
Chuck grunts, trudges on.
"Mind if I borrow the gentle stuff from your stash?"
"Go ahead."
Chuck leans on the sink.
"Excuse me." Edan nudges him out of the way, digs in the cabinet behind the mirror, pulls out a bottle labeled something like baby chamomile shampoo.
Chuck scowls at it.
"Don't worry, it doesn't smell fruity or anything." Edan passes over a towel. "Put that around your shoulders."
Chuck does.
Edan runs water in the sink, tests the temperature. "Alright. Stick your head under there and get it all wet."
Chuck sighs, does.
"I'll soap you up so we don't miss any spots, yea?"
Chuck grunts an affirmative.
Thin, strong, gentle fingers sink into Chuck's hair and massage his scalp.
Chuck stomps down a memory of Mum's hands—
"Right," says Edan. "Go ahead and straighten up."
Chuck does, resumes leaning on the sink.
"It's best to let that sit a couple of minutes."
Chuck grunts again.
Edan props himself against the door to the loo. "That was a great catch with that transformer. I really appreciate it. Saved me from looking like a fool in front the engineers."
Chuck mops some foam off his forehead with a corner of the towel. "If you're not an engineer, why're you designing relays anyway?"
"The Powers That Be decided that if I can analyze the output, I can /obviously build the sensor, too."
Chuck snorts, then, "What's it supposed to be sensing?"
"Breach radiation. To give us a heads-up when it's about to open. Apparently getting lucky once is enough to make me an expert."
Chuck straightens. "You're Doctor Reid! You built the Kaiju finder the Jaegers use!"
Edan laughs. "If you think /that's impressive, the guy making us tea coded the Jaeger OS kernal and most of their AI."
Chuck chokes, then stares open-mouthed.
"Close that up and let's get you rinsed," he chuckles.
Chuck blinks rapidly, sticks his head back under the faucet.
Thin, strong, gentle fingers sink into Chuck's hair and massage his scalp.
Pink and glitter swirl down the drain.
Chuck sighs with relief.
"Aaaaand we're done."
Chuck straightens, fluffs his hair with the towel.
"Let's have a look at ye."
Chuck drops the towel.
"A proper ginger again, thank God."
"Thanks," breathes Chuck.
"Now it's tea time~!"
They head to the common area, where Gottlieb's laid out a proper tea and waves him to take a seat.
He plunks down in a padded chair next to a side table with a chess board ready for a game.
"How do you take your tea, Mr Hansen?"
"Two sugars, no milk. Please."
Gottlieb tongs in the cubes, stirs, passes over a cup.
"Thanks."
Edan folds into the chair on the other side of the chess board, sprawls, accepts a cup from Gottlieb. "Thank you."
Gottlieb grunts, sips from a cup of his own.
Chuck gulps a mouthful.
Edan hums. "Perfect, as always."
Gottlieb ducks his head.
Chuck scans the space: decorated but comfy, like a proper home. He takes another drink, side-eyes Edan over the chess set.
"You fancy a game?"
"Sure."
"White or black?"
"Black."
Edan spins the board to put the dark pieces nearer Chuck, without the skeptical look he expects. He makes a move.
Chuck responds.
Edan studies the layout, carefully shifts his piece.
Chuck shoves another forward.
Edan frowns. Debates. Chooses and moves.
Chuck immediately counters.
Edan sips more tea, frowns at the game.
He's not gonna move anytime soon, so Chuck says, "How'd you guys know about this stuff? The dye."
"Older sisters," sighs Gottlieb. "Mine dyed me blue."
"Green," says Edan. "And purple. And cherry red." Plays another piece.
Chuck responds, snorts.
"You have the same sorta sibling problem today?"
"'m an only kid." Shifts. "This was Tams—Ranger Sevier and Mako."
Edan sits back, whistles. "It took a Ranger to hold you down? You're smart /and strong."
Chuck preens a bit.
"So you /must be the Chuck who's running circles around most of the Cadets without even really trying."
Chuck puffs out his chest.
"All that and a fellow ginger," says Edan, shaking his head. "Count me the first member of Team Chuck Hansen."
Chuck feels lighter and prouder than he has for /ages.
Edan, though, grimaces. "Hermann?"
Gottlieb focuses his attention.
"Have I made as big a hash of this as I think I have?"
Gottlieb flicks his eyes around the board. "It's worse than you're probably thinking," he drawls.
Edan huffs. "You wanna take over so Chuck can have a decent game?"
Gottlieb rolls his eyes, stands, 'shoos' at Edan, who stands, squeezes by, and drops into Gottlieb's abandoned chair.
"Let's see if I can salvage something from this mess you've left me."
"Best of luck, /leannan."
Gottlieb sniffs.
Of course Chuck wins, but Gottlieb makes a good show and very nearly pulls off a victory.
"Good game," says Chuck.
"Same to you, Mr Hansen."
"I'm never playing either of you again," declares Edan.
Both Chuck and Gottlieb laugh.
Category:Pages with comments
Category:CM: Sequel
2016 06 30
Category:Ficlet
Category:Hong Kong Shatterdome (setting)
Category:Chuck H
Category:Chuck H's POV
Category:Chuck H (ficlet)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Edan
Category:Edan (ficlet)
Category:Karla (mention)
Category:Fenella (mention)
Category:Tamsin (mention)
Category:Mako (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images