Yes, I head-canon that occasionally Jin plays chess with the Devil.


*Chess*


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Jin looks at the chess board with the marble pieces.

Hmm, that king would look better with our image instead, Devil muses. And the queen? Nina.

"As you wish." Jin replies, rolling his eyes waiting for the devil to magically change the forms of the chess pieces. When he can't, Jin snorts.

I'm the king. Not you. Jin thinks.

"Did you say something?" Nina asks as she dips inside the room. Then the chess board captures her attention.

"How is the boy?" Jin asks.

"Suya is still in grief. Needs to be rehoused." Nina says. "But at least Alisa is making progress with him."

Jin nods. It wasn't his idea to keep him preoccupied with the android but Nina's. It was a nice gesture of her to be so considerate even though it was not in her job description to take care of a kid. Jin appreciated it. The situation might have been awkward for her but she did not quit her contract and leave. She never let it be known that she didn't want Tetsuya with them. Jin suspected it was primarily because Nina respected his decision to shelter the boy. He wonders if she knows she's not as cold as she thinks. If he mentioned it to her, would she accept it? That she too was human and not a machine. That would be an interesting conversation for later. When the time was right. Jin looks at the chessboard.

"Play with me?" He asks her. No one played with him before. He needed a challenge. Jin also wants to know if she's as mentally skilled as she is physically. She probably was. But still. He was curious to see if she could beat him in his favourite game.

She hesitates before walking inside the room. He knows it's a ridiculous request, considering he was meant to give her more serious tasks. She stands before him for a moment, dressed in a gold poloneck and a black mini skirt adorned with white calligraphy. It was a rare occurrence for Nina to wear skirts. He likes how her legs looked in tights. Jin forces himself to look at her face before thinking about how strong those pretty legs were. Her immaculate blonde hair was up in her signature ponytail. Her lips were painted a soft rose colour. Jin catches himself staring.

Nina sits opposite him. "Alright, let's go."

Failure is something Nina doesn't like so Jin offers to teach her. "If you lose, you can cook me a meal." Jin tells her. "Deal?"

She narrows her eyes.

"Deal."

Jin sighs in relief.

It keeps their minds off the terror outside and sometimes, Tetsuya crawls out of his grief sometimes to watch them play. Jin always caught him wondering aimlessly around the penthouse. Eat, Sleep, Grieve and Sleep. A routine that Jin had tried once. Still, he didn't have the heart to send him out there just yet. Not until the boy healed. Tetsuya sits silently, watching with eager eyes as Nina raises the Queen piece.

She was good but not as strategic as Jin. "Your planning skills could use some work." Jin tells her, holding back from smiling.

Nina huffs at him over the boy's head. A slight scowl on her face satisfies him.

"Don't forget to cook for me too! Tetsuya says.

Jin supresses a smirk. The boy was as cheeky as he was.

Nina doesn't give up so Jin keeps teaching her on her nights off, amazed by her dedication to beat him. Each time she plays with him, she gets better and he gets a nice cooked meal. Chicken Paprikash, Afghani lamb shank with rice, Pide, Thai curry, things he hadn't tried before but enriched his senses. A part of him secretly wishes she never beats him so she'd always cook for him. But it was important that she defeated him and got good at this. He knows this makes her feel alive just as much as it does to him. He hopes she understands why he is so eager to play with her. Each time the game is longer, Nina serves simpler dishes like a charcuterie board to remind him that his end was near.

"If I beat you, you cook for me." Nina challenges with a smirk.

Challenge accepted.

It's not long when she knocks his last remaining piece down. Jin feels his heart swell with pride. Tetsuya laughs. The first they'd heard him do so.

"Well done Nina I'm impressed." He says with sincerity.

He catches her mask almost slipping as her face softens. It was a blink and you'll miss it moment. Nina quickly puts her poker face back on.

"You sound proud. Now get cooking," She orders and folds her arms.

"I don't know how to cook." Jin states with a shrug. "I was never taught."

"I can teach you!" Tetsuya offers.

Jin and Nina both look at him. What could a boy of ten years know about cooking?

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