[Lovers is the first word he was going to use, and he pauses as he thinks of more. Honestly, who needs a chess timer when they're distracted by this, instead. He makes a move.]
Or... boyfriends, if you want to say it like that.
[ “lovers” feels closer to his heart, to the reality of his feelings, but there’s something comforting in the simple straightforwardness of “boyfriends,” too.
he smiles. ]
I like… being your boyfriend.
[ so earnest it’s disgusting, honestly. already, dextera takes one of guren’s pieces. ]
[ maybe he is, but either way, guren’s fluster helps him forget that he’s worried about revealing this non-secret to his brother. he doesn’t know what he’s going to say, or when he’s going to say it, but for now, it’s fine. ]
[Be quiet, he says. But gosh, his face is still burning, but he can recover from this. Like he said, he'd been practicing...!! And so he makes his next move, and it's noticeably more focused.]
[The next move from Guren makes it seem like Dextera's didn't affect him at all— but he's got a good poker face, so who knows whether that's true.]
Izuku saw us, so I knew that... But I'm surprised Noct hasn't bothered me about it. [Weird.] Pretty sure my housemates have all guessed, by now, since you were over there when you came back, but I haven't actually told anyone.
[ dextera doesn’t elaborate on that at all, at least for a moment, since he’s busy squinting down at the board and trying to figure out what he wants to do next.
he’s not good at reading guren’s expressions, in a situation like this. he moves a piece, and it’s clear that he’s taking a moment to figure out what he wants. ]
[He meets that gaze for a few seconds before turning down to the board and thinking.]
But I like it, too. [It's hard to put it to words, or embarrassing, he guesses. But he likes people knowing. He definitely does. He moves his piece carefully, and smirks back up at Dextera.]
[ they’ve come a long way, haven’t they? not just in their relationship, which is obvious, but in the way they interact with each other, their willingness to be open about their feelings.
it’s nice. ]
…
[ dextera smiles to himself as he figures out where he wants to move his piece, and makes a bold decision. this is… chess flirting. ]
[This is chess flirting and Guren loves every minute of it, of course.]
That's an unusual move for you. Are you trying to throw me off guard? [Well, he's trying to do the same, though. This will be a game of unusual moves, and as he makes his next move, it becomes clear that his first couple of flustered moves weren't actually as clumsy as he pretended they were.]
[ dextera realizes he’s been baited with that next move, his eyes widening slightly as he sits back to look at the board in full. he’d fallen for it completely, with guren flustered, and now he’s walked himself into a position that could have been dangerous if he hadn’t caught himself. ]
Hmph.
[ what a pouty little sound, but he wouldn’t make that noise if he weren’t having fun. he’s annoyed with himself for wasting a move earlier, and so he takes a little longer to figure out how he wants to correct it.
it’ll take an attacking move that’s out of his usual defensive play, which is exactly what he does. ]
[There's that familiar thrill. It's always different, always improving, on both of their parts. And each time he can catch Dextera off guard enough to get him to react like that, it's a treasure. His fingers twitch as he laughs.]
Haha, now you're moving completely differently! You must be desperate.
[HE'S TOO INTO THIS... but anyway, he knows he has to keep up with crazy moves himself, or Dextera will quickly spin this over. He might still, anyway. But Guren is going to try his best. He makes his move with pointed confidence.]
[ ah, dextera knows how to counter this one. if he can bait guren in the right direction, he can pull the game back in his favor—but guren seems excited now, and he thinks better when he gets excited.
it’s fun. even if he loses, dextera thinks he’s going to like how this plays out. ]
Hm.
[ he’s trying to get guren to play his queen early. ]
[So now he's focused, huh. Guren has to be suspicious of every opening, of every clear trap that looks like an opening behind it— he can't trust anything he sees, with Dextera's tricky way of handling the patterns he's used to. That's what's so thrilling.
And he really, really wants to win this.
He won't keep taunting, because cockiness is a mistake. Instead, he's focused even if he's smirking and his eyes are practically on fire, and he does everything he can to avoid making moves too early. It means more extra bold moves on the side.]
[ dextera should have expected that guren wouldn’t fall for it. he’s not falling for anything, actually, which gets dextera’s mouth to curl in a smile. although he doesn’t get quite as heated about chess as guren does, there’s no denying that this is a form of foreplay for them both. how embarrassing it is to type that. ]
…
[ dextera’s poker face isn’t as good, when he’s this into it—and honestly, not trying to hide it at all in the first place. he bites his lip, realizing that guren dodging all his traps has put himself in a precarious position. not make or break, not yet, but he doesn’t have much of a choice anymore.
he’s going to gun for guren’s king directly with his knight, tapping down the piece a little too hard. ]
Take it.
[ he is literally daring guren to take his knight, like, with his hands and mouthing it and everything. ]
[Ohhh my god, he loves this? This is the best. This is the most he's seen Dextera react, which tells him that his "practice" is working and he can't let up at all, or he'll slip. But the smirk he gives is unbelievably heated, and he leans over the chess board, fingers pressing down over the piece that could take that knight, like he's considering it.
[ this is the heaviest pause in a game of chess that he’s ever experienced, and he has no idea how this happened, but he’s savoring it. he touches guren’s fingers over that piece, and glances down to the board as if urging him to look.
if guren leaves the knight, his king can be placed in check in a mere two turns, though there’s still a way out of it if he plays right. a strategic, if tense, path to take. if he takes it, dextera will be able to take his piece in return, leaving them, effectively, both defenseless and the game becomes a matter of boldness and time. it’s up to guren, whatever chase he wants to play. ]
[He says it with the most fondness one can have in those words, okay. He sees now, and his eyes narrow a little in his focus as he wiggles the piece below Dextera's hand. A challenge. It's a direct challenge, and requested in such a heated way, too.
He can't back down from that. He takes his knight.]
You think you're going to win, anyway, but it's not that easy. Go ahead, take mine.
since it seems like an inevitability, he takes guren’s piece, and just as dextera expected, it leaves the board open between them—now, it’s a matter of who can out-maneuver the other one first, stealing away the king that’s been left vulnerable on both sides.
[Dextera set this up well, this standoff, but Guren is on fire, too, and he's not about to just roll over. His eyes scan the board. There's no wasting turns in defending, now. It's all offense, bold moves that can get him to victory first.
It's probably too exciting for a game of chess. He makes his bold move, fingers lingering on the piece as he shoots Dextera a heated look.]
[ dextera looks pleased with himself anyway, a confident expression that suits him much better than that terrified, pleading look he was wearing when guren first walked in. he’s honestly not sure if he can win, for all that teasing he was doing—guren is better at the offensive game, even though dextera is the one who set up the situation for this in the first place.
he taps guren’s stupid fingers with the heel of the piece he picks up, shooing him off the board before he places his next move. it’s not what he would normally go for, in the endgame, but he doesn’t have much choice. ]
[It's all quiet focus, now. Guren can see an ending he wants, but that's dangerous, too— choosing one path in a game of bold offense is an easy way to forget himself and lose, but he's aware of that. There's no timer. He's taking his time evaluating what he can, and then he makes his move, one step closer to check, hidden behind the advance of another piece that could easily be moving to do the same.
Even if he wins this round, he knows Dextera will improve and push him on the next, likely win, and send Guren into a frustrated spiral of spending all of his free time thinking of how to do better. But, he likes that, in the end.
He likes this.
And this time his fingers find one of Dextera's pieces, tapping the top of it like a taunting little bitch as he whistles like he's impressed by it all.]
This is close. Are you going to throw this one away?
[ guren is such a bitch! dextera’s mouth twitches into the smallest frown, a pout, because he realizes that the plan he started off with has played to guren’s strengths. throwing away a piece now would give him an advantage if he’d done it earlier, but there aren’t enough moves left in this game to play that out to its full potential.
if he hadn’t dared guren to take that knight… ah, regrets. he clicks his tongue. ]
Hm!
[ a louder sound, and he pushes guren’s confident fingers away, although he moves a different piece. it’s delaying the inevitable. he’s going to lose, but his heart is still beating hard. he wants to play it to the end. ]
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We’re together. I know. Are we…
[ he moves a piece, before he finishes that thought, and then spells out the word as he’s still looking at the board. ]
”Lovers”?
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[Lovers is the first word he was going to use, and he pauses as he thinks of more. Honestly, who needs a chess timer when they're distracted by this, instead. He makes a move.]
Or... boyfriends, if you want to say it like that.
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he smiles. ]
I like… being your boyfriend.
[ so earnest it’s disgusting, honestly. already, dextera takes one of guren’s pieces. ]
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S-shut up, I know that! I feel the same, so don't make me keep saying it. You're trying to distract me to win.
[HELP HIM he can't even make his move yet]
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[ maybe he is, but either way, guren’s fluster helps him forget that he’s worried about revealing this non-secret to his brother. he doesn’t know what he’s going to say, or when he’s going to say it, but for now, it’s fine. ]
Hurry up.
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[Be quiet, he says. But gosh, his face is still burning, but he can recover from this. Like he said, he'd been practicing...!! And so he makes his next move, and it's noticeably more focused.]
...Have you told anyone at all?
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Noctis.
[ they’re bffs, after all—dextera needed to tell someone, he was so enthused. ]
Izuku guessed.
[ he slides a piece across the board, trying to cut off an advance. ]
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Izuku saw us, so I knew that... But I'm surprised Noct hasn't bothered me about it. [Weird.] Pretty sure my housemates have all guessed, by now, since you were over there when you came back, but I haven't actually told anyone.
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[ dextera doesn’t elaborate on that at all, at least for a moment, since he’s busy squinting down at the board and trying to figure out what he wants to do next.
he’s not good at reading guren’s expressions, in a situation like this. he moves a piece, and it’s clear that he’s taking a moment to figure out what he wants. ]
People knowing.
[ he looks up at guren’s face. ]
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[He meets that gaze for a few seconds before turning down to the board and thinking.]
But I like it, too. [It's hard to put it to words, or embarrassing, he guesses. But he likes people knowing. He definitely does. He moves his piece carefully, and smirks back up at Dextera.]
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it’s nice. ]
…
[ dextera smiles to himself as he figures out where he wants to move his piece, and makes a bold decision. this is… chess flirting. ]
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[This is chess flirting and Guren loves every minute of it, of course.]
That's an unusual move for you. Are you trying to throw me off guard? [Well, he's trying to do the same, though. This will be a game of unusual moves, and as he makes his next move, it becomes clear that his first couple of flustered moves weren't actually as clumsy as he pretended they were.]
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[ dextera realizes he’s been baited with that next move, his eyes widening slightly as he sits back to look at the board in full. he’d fallen for it completely, with guren flustered, and now he’s walked himself into a position that could have been dangerous if he hadn’t caught himself. ]
Hmph.
[ what a pouty little sound, but he wouldn’t make that noise if he weren’t having fun. he’s annoyed with himself for wasting a move earlier, and so he takes a little longer to figure out how he wants to correct it.
it’ll take an attacking move that’s out of his usual defensive play, which is exactly what he does. ]
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Haha, now you're moving completely differently! You must be desperate.
[HE'S TOO INTO THIS... but anyway, he knows he has to keep up with crazy moves himself, or Dextera will quickly spin this over. He might still, anyway. But Guren is going to try his best. He makes his move with pointed confidence.]
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it’s fun. even if he loses, dextera thinks he’s going to like how this plays out. ]
Hm.
[ he’s trying to get guren to play his queen early. ]
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And he really, really wants to win this.
He won't keep taunting, because cockiness is a mistake. Instead, he's focused even if he's smirking and his eyes are practically on fire, and he does everything he can to avoid making moves too early. It means more extra bold moves on the side.]
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…
[ dextera’s poker face isn’t as good, when he’s this into it—and honestly, not trying to hide it at all in the first place. he bites his lip, realizing that guren dodging all his traps has put himself in a precarious position. not make or break, not yet, but he doesn’t have much of a choice anymore.
he’s going to gun for guren’s king directly with his knight, tapping down the piece a little too hard. ]
Take it.
[ he is literally daring guren to take his knight, like, with his hands and mouthing it and everything. ]
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But he's got the game on full pause, otherwise.]
What're you going to do if I don't?
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[ this is the heaviest pause in a game of chess that he’s ever experienced, and he has no idea how this happened, but he’s savoring it. he touches guren’s fingers over that piece, and glances down to the board as if urging him to look.
if guren leaves the knight, his king can be placed in check in a mere two turns, though there’s still a way out of it if he plays right. a strategic, if tense, path to take. if he takes it, dextera will be able to take his piece in return, leaving them, effectively, both defenseless and the game becomes a matter of boldness and time. it’s up to guren, whatever chase he wants to play. ]
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[He says it with the most fondness one can have in those words, okay. He sees now, and his eyes narrow a little in his focus as he wiggles the piece below Dextera's hand. A challenge. It's a direct challenge, and requested in such a heated way, too.
He can't back down from that. He takes his knight.]
You think you're going to win, anyway, but it's not that easy. Go ahead, take mine.
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since it seems like an inevitability, he takes guren’s piece, and just as dextera expected, it leaves the board open between them—now, it’s a matter of who can out-maneuver the other one first, stealing away the king that’s been left vulnerable on both sides.
he sits back, cocking his head in invitation. ]
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It's probably too exciting for a game of chess. He makes his bold move, fingers lingering on the piece as he shoots Dextera a heated look.]
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[ dextera looks pleased with himself anyway, a confident expression that suits him much better than that terrified, pleading look he was wearing when guren first walked in. he’s honestly not sure if he can win, for all that teasing he was doing—guren is better at the offensive game, even though dextera is the one who set up the situation for this in the first place.
he taps guren’s stupid fingers with the heel of the piece he picks up, shooing him off the board before he places his next move. it’s not what he would normally go for, in the endgame, but he doesn’t have much choice. ]
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Even if he wins this round, he knows Dextera will improve and push him on the next, likely win, and send Guren into a frustrated spiral of spending all of his free time thinking of how to do better. But, he likes that, in the end.
He likes this.
And this time his fingers find one of Dextera's pieces, tapping the top of it like a taunting little bitch as he whistles like he's impressed by it all.]
This is close. Are you going to throw this one away?
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if he hadn’t dared guren to take that knight… ah, regrets. he clicks his tongue. ]
Hm!
[ a louder sound, and he pushes guren’s confident fingers away, although he moves a different piece. it’s delaying the inevitable. he’s going to lose, but his heart is still beating hard. he wants to play it to the end. ]
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