Summary: Y/N is friends and secretly in love with Benny Watts, the former USA champion in chess, but knows that she probably doesn't have any chances for him. Benny gets to know about Y/N's chess playing skills by accident, and that spices things up a bit.

Pairing: Benny Watts x fem!reader

Characters: Benny Watts, Y/N (female, she/her), Beth Harmon (mentioned)

A/N: I still can't look at him without laughing- I'm sorry but that moustache is horrible.

Warnings: the title sounds like a horror movie, and still trying to learn to write for everyone again

Word count: 1.3k

---

The air at the tournament hall was full of tension as two players were competing against each other - one was the former USA champion, and the other was a promising new chess player around. They weren't really competing about anything serious, the newbie was just curious to see if Benny Watts was really so skilled as they claimed he was.

You were sitting near their table, biting into your knuckles as you watched them play. Benny winning should have been obvious, but this newbie was way smarter than anyone thought he would be. The guy had some skill after all. But eventually, he made a major mistake which made Benny an opportunity to force his Queen to move back from checkmate range, putting her under threat again soon afterwards.

The young man groaned when it happened, staring angrily at Benny who looked over at him and smirked. "Looks like I won."

The gathering around the table started to walk away from the scene, some telling the newbie that he's got a promising career in front of him, but he just shrugged them all off, marching away from the scene.

You walked up to Benny, raising your eyebrows at the newbie. "Sore loser, that one." you mumbled under your breath before glancing at Benny curiously. "Did he really struggle his way so far along the game?"

Benny chuckled. "To be honest, I let him think so. You saw how he reacted to losing after thinking he would win, imagine how it would have been if I had taken the first chance when he made his first mistake?"

"He probably would have lashed out even worse." you agreed and sighed as Benny stood up from his chair.

"Care to join me for a drink?" he asked, adjusting his coat and you smiled as you nodded happily.

It was always nice to spend time with Benny, he had been your friend since you had been little kids, and occasionally you joined him as he traveled around USA or Canada attending chess tournaments. It was nice sitting with him for hours in his car, listening to radio and talking about everything, staying in motels to sleep.

There was one problem though. You were neck deep in love with Benny, and spending so much time with him didn't exactly help it. It was intoxicating and you always felt like walking on clouds when he looked at you. And when you slept, you couldn't help but dream how it would be if one day, he would pull you aside after he won a tournament and just... tell you that he had loved you ever since he met you and that he would like you to ask to be his girlfriend.

You knew that would never happen, he probably saw you as a sister or something, but still, you kept those thoughts alive in your head because they made you happy. Sometimes you thought you saw something flash in his eyes when he looked at you - could he possibly see your feelings? Could he have fallen for you too? But you always shook the wishful thinking away, reminding yourself that it happening was highly unlikely.

Growing up with him had taught you a thing or two in chess too, but you never wanted to play against him despite his many attempts to convince you. Maybe you were scared of being humiliated by him, him laughing at you, others laughing at you for losing, or just fearing he'd wordlessly be disappointed on how bad you are in playing against him. You knew he would never humiliate you or laugh at you and would glare badly at anyone who would, but your brains always liked to bully you with that imagery. Or maybe there was a chance of you winning, and your face would be all over newspapers for being unknown, never competed in tournaments and defeating a former USA champion.

"An unknown girl defeated the former USA champion Benny Watts", it didn't sound very tempting either.

You left the tournament after another couple of hours, and maybe you were feeling crazy today, when you and Benny had settled down in another motel a few hours earlier than you had originally planned, and Benny had asked you if you would want to try and play.

"We played last time when we were kids, and I've seen you play with everyone else. I know you're scared of having an audience, but there are no spectators here, curtains are drawn, you have nothing to be afraid of." he said, and you sighed.

"Okay. One time, but you won't laugh when I lose this one," you agreed, giving into his request as you sat down at the small table, watching as Benny spread the board out.

Benny frowned at your words. "I wouldn't laugh at you. What are you talking about?"

"I just... never mind. Let's just play." you mumbled, your cheeks heating up from embarrassment as Benny looked at you. "I can take the black side."

"Fine with me." he nodded, placing his white pawns on the board. You set up yours, and leaned back, looking at the chess clock. "Ready?"

"Yes." You muttered and Benny made the first move, moving one of his knights. You looked around the board for a moment, before moving your own pawn.

—

It hadn't even been half an hour before you had trapped him in a stalemate situation, forcing him to concede defeat to you, his queen falling over.

"Wait, really?" you frowned and then looked at him, your frown disappearing as you sighed. "You made yourself lose on purpose so I wouldn't feel bad, didn't you?"

He raised his eyebrows, shaking his head and chuckling. "No, I didn't. I went easy on you at first, but then actually played my hardest when you had tricked me to give up my rook."

Your frown returned, staring at the board. "Did I actually win? I thought you're gonna pull out some trick again."

Benny shook his head slowly, leaning forward with a smile. "You won. And I gotta say, I'm impressed."

You sat there in silence for a moment more, before he cleared his throat. "I'll buy you dinner, alright? We didn't get to eat today after that little sandwich at the reception today."

You grinned at him, nodding happily as he stood up from his seat, reaching out and offering his arm to you as you got off your chair. You took it, hooking your arm through his, feeling like a couple for a moment, and the old lady at the reception desk praising your "young love" definitely made your cheeks burn even hotter, and when you glanced at Benny, you saw he was slightly red too.

So the rest of the night went by your dreams about dating Benny someday intesifying as you ate and Benny told you that he always enjoys spending time with you and is grateful that you joined him in tournaments, briefly laying his hand on top of yours on the table.

Maybe one day, one day soon, you would actually be real couple. This day felt like it somehow made you closer, and all because you finally agreed to play one game of chess against him. It had been a silly fear of feeling humiliated, being laughed at and people knowing what you did not have talent in, which would never happen even if you had lost within three moves.

Night fell slowly, briefly dyeing the sky orange and yellow, and then stars began to peek out in the clear blackness above. And for you, that was the most beautiful night in a long while.