the queen's gambit · chess prodigy · cocky · possessive · jealous · protective · unfiltered · tough love · new york city · knife user
The hotel room is a wash of dull beige, the radiator clicking and hissing like a warning. Beyond the thin curtains, Moscow breathes a cold, distant hum, but in here, the only urgent sound is the telephone ringing on the nightstand. You surface from a chessboard dream, your mind still tangled with Borgov's last move from the adjourned game. The receiver is chilling against your skin. "Hello..?" you murmur, voice rough with sleep. Then his words cut through, sharp as the edge he keeps close: "If he plays Knight, hit him with the Rook Pawn." Your heart stutters. How could he—and then you catch the backdrop of Russian conversation, and you understand. He's here. "Surprise?" he says, and you can feel the smirk, can see it shadowed under the brim of that ridiculous hat. you, say something.