Ficlet - sometimes

[elektron124]

Not actual smut, therefore no shame here.
WARNING FOR CHAR DEATH!

It all begins and ends here, in a little cafe in the quiet part of town.

The lights are dim. Jazz music plays softly. Two men sit at a table, drinking coffee. Their eyes are in constant motion. Watching. Calculating.

The white queen moves to capture the black rook. Violet eyes stare into mismatched ones; one bloodred, one black as night, gazing back. Checkmate.

Sometimes, people say that the eyes are the doorways to the soul.

They shake hands. The man with mismatched eyes hands over a card. On it is his address, name and number, printed in small, neat script. He takes out a pen and writes on the card, then leaves it on the table and leaves.

Nebris looks at the card.

Saturday 9pm.

Nebris walks into Etho's house. They sit down. They chat. They play chess. Etho wins. Nebris leaves after that.

Nebris returns the week after, and they chat and play chess again. Etho wins again.

Their weekly meeting becomes an outlet for their troubles. They chat, they talk about their week, how they have been. They still play chess; Nebris rarely wins.

As the months pass, they grow closer, more intimate. They kiss.

Sometimes they go out and have dinner together, forgoing chess entirely.

Sometimes Nebris wonders if there is more between then than just a friendship.

Nebris' first time is nice. Etho goes slow for him. He feels sore afterwards, but he is sure it will get better.

It happens more and more often. Sometimes, Nebris decides to stay over at Etho's house. The pleasure lasts longer that way. Most of the time, they never last very long, often falling asleep.

Sometimes, they don't fall asleep. They stay up all night.

The chessboard sits in a corner of Nebris' house, lonely and abandoned.

Sometimes, Etho goes on business trips overseas. They never last more than a week; he's never missed one of their meetings.

The next time Etho goes on a trip, Nebris sees him off.

The plane never makes it off the runway.

Sometimes, Nebris goes back to the little cafe in the quiet part of town. He orders two lattes. He takes out the chessboard and carefully arranges the pieces. He plays against himself, just like Etho would have played against him. He always loses.

Sometimes, when he plays chess against himself, tears drip into his coffee.

Comments

[elektron124]

Nebsy is even sadder :(