[ dextera wants to completely close this distance between them, to be warm against guren’s chest, but he can’t do that for as long as this punishment has them locked apart. ]
...?
[ he does move closer, though, just enough that it’s obvious he listened, and he glances up at guren without lifting his head too much.
[ this, he genuinely didn’t expect, and he’s lifting his head properly now as some of the sadness in his eyes gives way to surprise instead—guren’s fancy military jacket! he does associate it inexorably with guren, for obvious reasons, and having it around his shoulders is thus a comfort.
he tightens it, and he nods, but... something...
he wants to give guren something too, but he doesn’t know what. it’s not right that guren should be the one to comfort him when this is, after all, guren’s punishment.
so once he’s sure the jacket is balanced on his shoulders, he unhooks one of the bright red bracelets around his wrists, and offers it out to guren urgently.
[...He doesn't expect that. So, they're both left stunned, he guesses, as his eyes widen and he can't stop himself. It's brief, at least, and then he's reaching to take that bracelet, bringing it close to himself, his fingertips just appreciating the surface of it, first.]
A trade, huh?
[He lets out a short laugh, rolling up his right sleeve just enough and then hooking it on. At least it's for his wrist, that fits fine. He rolls up his other sleeve just to match.]
It doesn't look as good on me. [Jokes will lighten anything]
[ dextera doesn’t exactly think that’s true. there’s something... pleasant, warm, about seeing guren wear something that belongs to him. it’s just a bracelet, but dextera can feel the lightness on his own wrist now, and he knows exactly what it must feel like on guren’s. it’s like a bond, all the better because dextera still has one that matches. ]
... [ dextera manages to smile, just a little. ] Not true.
[There's a small grin forming on Guren's face, and he steps forward just a little, testing that forced distance between them. That fondness is clear in his eyes again, a little sharper.]
If you ask me, you pull off the jacket better, too. And you won't tear it up like me.
[He laughs, though, and his steps take him past Dextera, across his room to look at that gay embroidery, and then at the chess board.]
[ dextera turns to watch him walk, but luckily, his eyes are on the bracelet instead of watching guren look at the gay embroidery. he thinks it’s nice, though—he likes the colors, and thinks nothing of the motif. ]
...heh heh.
[ he does want to play a game, and if they’re occupying themselves, then it’s easy to ignore, to forget, that they can’t touch. ]
dextera laughs again, and even without his laptop conveniently nearby, there’s no way they’re going to let each other run over time. he’s up for the challenge, needless to say.
he holds up all ten fingers—now that they’ve done ten seconds once, he’s sure guren will want to try again until he’s mastered it. ]
[He wants to see Dextera open it up, and he really wants to push himself with the ten second timer. He's sure Dextera will time him just right. The best part is, Dextera will get to admire Guren's bracelet adorned wrist as he makes moves. Isn't that fun?]
It's been a little while, but I think I've got this.
[ dextera is absolutely going to admire guren’s wrist, and he even shifts so that the jacket is resting more naturally across his shoulders. he doesn’t wear it, because he already has a coat on, but it’s fine if he uses it like a cute little cape, instead.
he nods, and without even needing to think about it, he takes his first move. already, he’s thinking several moves ahead—if only he could put those tactics to use in the real world. ]
Don't sign for me to start when I can tell it's my turn.
[Punk! But his complaint continues into his move, so it's clearly not what he's focusing on. The moves. And maybe a little of Dextera making a military jacket too cute. That's his secret.
Ten seconds. On average, he's using about 7 now. Sometimes, he takes the full ten to be sure. Other times, he knows instantly what he wants to do. It all depends on how far ahead he's thinking, how he's trying to remember Dextera's patterns in his movements, and how he's trying to apply his own techniques to it.
It's always a close match in the beginning. Towards the end, sometimes they can be close, and other times not so much, but that's the fun of it, and Guren sure is having fun. It's really like they can forget how they can't touch right now, like this.]
[ dextera loves it, when he can see guren having fun. guren always has so much on his mind—even now, especially now, with that punishment hanging over their heads, and any moment that dextera can help him forget is a moment well-spent. ]
...
[ he pushes a piece into place, and catches guren’s attention. ]
Five turns.
[ an extremely confident warning, because he’s a punk. ]
[Five turns. Five turns, he says!! Guren is almost surprised by how confident Dextera is, but he's expecting it more and more.]
Fuck you.
[The fondest fuck you there ever was, as he moves one of his pieces in the most aggressive way possible. He's trying to line up what Dextera's thinking, where he's going with this, how to cut him off, and it's exhilarating, and Dextera teasing him along the way only adds to it, of course.
Five turns. If he can even push it to losing in a different number, he'll take that as a victory.]
[ dextera always has a good time, playing chess—even with ryo, it was fun, because ryo understood the game like someone who has been studying it. though, with guren, dextera has to stay on his toes, and that unpredictability makes it more fun than ever before.
even when guren uses coarse language in dextera’s christian home, he seems amused, and when he moves his next piece, he very pointedly lowers the counter to four.
this competitive, cheeky side of dextera—guren brings it out more and more. ]
[It's like a good fight, playing chess with Dextera. It's nostalgic and new all at once, and thinking back on how far he's come is always nice. He always wants to provide a nice challenge for Dextera... but here he is, pinned, four turns of ten seconds each to go.
He pushes away the distracting thoughts of how he wants to wrestle Dextera to the ground himself after this match, regardless of the victor, because he won't be able to do that, and instead lets his hand hover over the board as he thinks.
Ten whole seconds, and he makes his move, captures one of Dextera's pieces. He's going to be using all of the seconds of Dextera's turns to think, as well, but with how used to this it all is, Guren doubts they'll be the full ten each. It's more limited.
His eyes flick back across the board to meet Dextera's, anyway, because he wants to see them.]
[ dextera has no idea that guren wants to fight him, but it’s for the best, because if he thought about that, it might distract him from this very careful plan he has laid out. he does notice guren’s eyes on him, and when he glances up to meet that gaze, his own expression is fond—even with the sharp glint of a challenge as he claims guren’s bishop.
a little more, and he’ll have his king in check, and it seems like there’s no way for guren to get out of that.
it’s fun, though, playing this to the end. guren has gotten much better with the ten second limit, and dextera thinks it won’t be long before he does manage to overpower him. the next game they play, maybe... ]
[The only problem is, the more he gets excited, the more it hurts. This energy has nowhere to go, he's getting more distracted. The room is already just Dextera and this chess board, and now, each turn he's losing, he's paying attention to his own moves less. He's given up, because if he pressed on with all of his energy, it might hurt too much to reach the end and not be able to move his hand across the board and grab at Dextera's arm, his face, anything.
His gaze gets too sharp, too heavy on Dextera, but he can't bring himself to move it away.
So, his last few turns are just long stares, and then moves that don't matter. It's a little unfortunate, but he wasn't going to be able to make it out of this, anyway. He lost, five turns from the end.]
[ dextera can’t touch guren, because guren can’t touch him, but they’ve already established that things can cross the distance just fine.
so when he moves his last piece to take guren’s king, he overshoots it, just enough to touch guren’s hand with the heel of the piece—and he smiles, not exactly apologetic, but maybe wistful for not being able to touch him properly.
[Hey. Hey. Stop that right now. Except Guren doesn't want him to stop at all. It's so painful, but it makes him laugh even still, since it's lighter than the heavy feelings he was allowing to build up. He takes his King and flicks it right at Dextera.]
Alright, you win, don't rub it in. You're lucky I can't touch you right now.
[How's that for a threat that's heterosexual in every way]
[ dextera laughs, and this time there’s an apology in his tone, but the kind that suggests he’s not really sorry. he wants to touch guren more than ever now that he knows he can’t, but just having him here is good too. ]
Safe.
[ when they get touch back—when, not if, surely when—then dextera will greet him with another one of those hugs he’s become so fond of, the same kind that they’ve shared a few times now since being separated. ]
[ One of those hugs sounds pretty damn nice right now, though Guren won’t admit it. He stares down at the board, instead, with his captured pieces missing, and tries to work out where he lost. Ugh, everything makes him want touch more. ]
[ dextera starts to reach out for his hand, which is perhaps not even something he would have done if they could touch, but he redirects himself at the last moment to point to one of his own captured pieces, on guren's side. it had probably seemed like such a victory at the time, but...! ]
[ It had seemed simple, believable, and Dextera’s face hadn’t shown him much different. He needs to catch things like this better, trust nothing. Now, his hands squeezing together, his eyes on Dextera, he hums. ]
[ a part of him was worried that guren would be mad that dextera tricked him! luckily, however, he just seems fired up—and motivation is something that dextera can gladly work with. after a pause, and a small sigh of relief, he nods.
this is much better than worrying about not being able to touch each other, their minds occupied by chess instead. and, with a time limit, they can play dozens of games with their afternoon, if they want to. dextera is a whole lot less busy than guren, and such a day sounds beyond perfect to him.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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...?
[ he does move closer, though, just enough that it’s obvious he listened, and he glances up at guren without lifting his head too much.
he is so sad. his big eyes? the saddest. ]
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...Until it's back to normal, you can hang onto this.
[There. Optimism. A promise, a gift...]
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[ this, he genuinely didn’t expect, and he’s lifting his head properly now as some of the sadness in his eyes gives way to surprise instead—guren’s fancy military jacket! he does associate it inexorably with guren, for obvious reasons, and having it around his shoulders is thus a comfort.
he tightens it, and he nods, but... something...
he wants to give guren something too, but he doesn’t know what. it’s not right that guren should be the one to comfort him when this is, after all, guren’s punishment.
so once he’s sure the jacket is balanced on his shoulders, he unhooks one of the bright red bracelets around his wrists, and offers it out to guren urgently.
take it! ]
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A trade, huh?
[He lets out a short laugh, rolling up his right sleeve just enough and then hooking it on. At least it's for his wrist, that fits fine. He rolls up his other sleeve just to match.]
It doesn't look as good on me. [Jokes will lighten anything]
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... [ dextera manages to smile, just a little. ] Not true.
[ you look sexy in red, guren ]
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[There's a small grin forming on Guren's face, and he steps forward just a little, testing that forced distance between them. That fondness is clear in his eyes again, a little sharper.]
If you ask me, you pull off the jacket better, too. And you won't tear it up like me.
[He laughs, though, and his steps take him past Dextera, across his room to look at that gay embroidery, and then at the chess board.]
Want to play a game?
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...heh heh.
[ he does want to play a game, and if they’re occupying themselves, then it’s easy to ignore, to forget, that they can’t touch. ]
Good luck.
[ there has never been a sassier pair of hands ]
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I'm gonna wipe that smug little smile off your face. Come on. Let's do it timed again.
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dextera laughs again, and even without his laptop conveniently nearby, there’s no way they’re going to let each other run over time. he’s up for the challenge, needless to say.
he holds up all ten fingers—now that they’ve done ten seconds once, he’s sure guren will want to try again until he’s mastered it. ]
...?
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[He wants to see Dextera open it up, and he really wants to push himself with the ten second timer. He's sure Dextera will time him just right. The best part is, Dextera will get to admire Guren's bracelet adorned wrist as he makes moves. Isn't that fun?]
It's been a little while, but I think I've got this.
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he nods, and without even needing to think about it, he takes his first move. already, he’s thinking several moves ahead—if only he could put those tactics to use in the real world. ]
Go ahead.
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[Punk! But his complaint continues into his move, so it's clearly not what he's focusing on. The moves. And maybe a little of Dextera making a military jacket too cute. That's his secret.
Ten seconds. On average, he's using about 7 now. Sometimes, he takes the full ten to be sure. Other times, he knows instantly what he wants to do. It all depends on how far ahead he's thinking, how he's trying to remember Dextera's patterns in his movements, and how he's trying to apply his own techniques to it.
It's always a close match in the beginning. Towards the end, sometimes they can be close, and other times not so much, but that's the fun of it, and Guren sure is having fun. It's really like they can forget how they can't touch right now, like this.]
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...
[ he pushes a piece into place, and catches guren’s attention. ]
Five turns.
[ an extremely confident warning, because he’s a punk. ]
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Fuck you.
[The fondest fuck you there ever was, as he moves one of his pieces in the most aggressive way possible. He's trying to line up what Dextera's thinking, where he's going with this, how to cut him off, and it's exhilarating, and Dextera teasing him along the way only adds to it, of course.
Five turns. If he can even push it to losing in a different number, he'll take that as a victory.]
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even when guren uses coarse language in dextera’s christian home, he seems amused, and when he moves his next piece, he very pointedly lowers the counter to four.
this competitive, cheeky side of dextera—guren brings it out more and more. ]
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He pushes away the distracting thoughts of how he wants to wrestle Dextera to the ground himself after this match, regardless of the victor, because he won't be able to do that, and instead lets his hand hover over the board as he thinks.
Ten whole seconds, and he makes his move, captures one of Dextera's pieces. He's going to be using all of the seconds of Dextera's turns to think, as well, but with how used to this it all is, Guren doubts they'll be the full ten each. It's more limited.
His eyes flick back across the board to meet Dextera's, anyway, because he wants to see them.]
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a little more, and he’ll have his king in check, and it seems like there’s no way for guren to get out of that.
it’s fun, though, playing this to the end. guren has gotten much better with the ten second limit, and dextera thinks it won’t be long before he does manage to overpower him. the next game they play, maybe... ]
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His gaze gets too sharp, too heavy on Dextera, but he can't bring himself to move it away.
So, his last few turns are just long stares, and then moves that don't matter. It's a little unfortunate, but he wasn't going to be able to make it out of this, anyway. He lost, five turns from the end.]
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so when he moves his last piece to take guren’s king, he overshoots it, just enough to touch guren’s hand with the heel of the piece—and he smiles, not exactly apologetic, but maybe wistful for not being able to touch him properly.
of course, that’s checkmate. ]
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Alright, you win, don't rub it in. You're lucky I can't touch you right now.
[How's that for a threat that's heterosexual in every way]
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Safe.
[ when they get touch back—when, not if, surely when—then dextera will greet him with another one of those hugs he’s become so fond of, the same kind that they’ve shared a few times now since being separated. ]
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Show me, mister five turns.
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Bait.
[ as it turns out, dextera is devious. ]
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[ It had seemed simple, believable, and Dextera’s face hadn’t shown him much different. He needs to catch things like this better, trust nothing. Now, his hands squeezing together, his eyes on Dextera, he hums. ]
Let’s go again.
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this is much better than worrying about not being able to touch each other, their minds occupied by chess instead. and, with a time limit, they can play dozens of games with their afternoon, if they want to. dextera is a whole lot less busy than guren, and such a day sounds beyond perfect to him.
YOUR ASS IS GRASS, GUREN ]
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