Stalemate.
That's how this game always ends between us.
So we set up the board again.
We can tell the others strategy right off. We've done this too many times.
You have black and I have white.
Bad guy vs. good guy.
You laugh every time I mention that.
Do you think that too? Do you laugh to cover it up?
Whenever I capture one of your pieces, I'll absent mindedly stick it in my mouth and suck it while I think of the next move. I can't help it. They look like chocolate.
Your hands, smoother than mine but not as ghostly pale, rub my white pieces. Long fingers skim them up and down gently as you concentrate.
Every move made is countered.
The air around us heats up as our 'genius minds' kick into overdrive.
Breath goes ragged, turns take longer.
Each of us probing and trying to conceal.
Steady hands just a nerve away from beginning to tremble.
Sweat glistening.
Seconds like hours, minutes gone in the blink of an eye.
Checkmate in sight then taken away.
Pushing each other, trying to pace ourselves.
Then nothing.
It always ends in a draw.
We clear the board again and I take my pieces back and set it up.
You complain about how unsanitary my habits are and clean up your pieces.
Then we start over.
Whenever someone decides to watch us, they always say it's like there's something going on behind the game.
We always give the same answer.
"Its just chess."
If something seems wrong, I only have the first two manga and skimmed through 3 and 4...
Sleep deprivation is sometimes good...