Doing my first request for @Missinguim

Last year

You were known as a nerd. It didn't bother you a lot though. You just enjoyed the quiet life. Little did you know, there was another nerd...

It was math, and you sat alone, which you enjoyed. But this time it was different. Your math teacher just suddenly said that a new student was joining this classroom. Unfortunately, the only desk available to the student is right next to you. It's not that you didn't want the desk all to yourself, but you preferred to be alone. As expected, the teacher put him next to you, and surprisingly, he didn't talk to you.

'It's okay. I don't need to talk with him.' You thought. You started writing your next strategy to beat your next opponent in chess. He peeked over and to your surprise, he started asking you questions.

"Wow! You play chess?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess," You shrugged.

"My name is C/N. What's yours?"

"Y/N," You kept the sentence short, hoping to end the conversation but he continued.

"Well, Y/N. I hope to challenge you to a game of chess!"

You pondered for a moment. 'I guess a game of chess wouldn't hurt.'

...

"How!? How did you win with a pawn?" You asked in disbelief.

"Checkmate, Y/N. You're a formidable opponent," He grinned. "Remember, every single piece on the table is just as useful as each other."

"One more time!" You begged.

"Maybe tomorrow," he patted your head and walked away.

"He's really good," you muttered as you looked at him from a faraway distance. "That's it. I'm going to beat him one day."

In the present

The bell rang as it signified that it was recess. Your friends came to call you but you walked right past them. You were going to recess again to compete against your rival. He always finds a way to win; you couldn't why, but that doesn't matter. You needed to win. It was like an obsession.

Over the past year, both your and C/N's groups sorta combined. Like some people in your group were also in C/N's. Even though you couldn't beat C/N last year, this is a new year. You both sit next to each other in History class and you both hang out with C/N's group during recess. You still eat with your friends at your group's table, so they aren't too angry about you using your time to beat C/N in chess.

You were walking to the usual spot and saw C/N setting up the chess board. He spotted you and put on his smirk, as usual.

"Y/N."

"C/N," you mimicked his tone.

"So, back for the rematch, right? I don't think you'll beat me."

"Even so, I won't give up until I do. I challenge you to another game of chess," you challenged, pointing at his face.

"Challenge accepted Y/N."

You both sat down for a game of chess once again.

...

"Sigh, you win," you sighed. He cheered for himself as you both started to clean up the chess board.

"Still, you've improved since last year."

"Not enough to beat you though," You muttered.

"I know! You can try to qualify for the state competition for chess. You are good enough to do it. I'm already in it so you should try it out."

"I don't know...If I can't beat you, I won't be good enough for the state."

He elbowed your arms. "Come on Y/N. I know you can do this. Just try it out okay?"

You thought about it for a moment and hesitantly agreed. "Fine..."

...

It turned out you did qualify for the state competition. Not only that, but it came with a huge cash prize if you win the entire tournament. That only made you more determined to beat the tournament. To beat C/N.

...

It was the day of the tournament and you felt a surge of confidence. 'You can win this, Y/N.' You pep talked to yourself.

As you were talking to yourself, C/N popped up from behind.

"You ready Y/N?" you jumped at his sudden appearance.

"C/N! You scared me for a moment," you sighed in relief. "I think I am ready for the tournament."

"That's good!" You both stared at each other and didn't know what to say. You decided to keep it as that and walk away.

A hand suddenly grabbed your wrist.

"Wait." You turned around to look at him.

"Yes?"

"You better give it your all when we're going to compete against each other, okay?"

You smiled at him. "I will, C/N."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

...

"Y/N WINS."

"Y/N WINS AGAIN."

"Y/N WINS FOR THE THIRD TIME."

"Y/N IS NOW HEADING TO THE FINALS."

You were doing pretty well. Even though your opponents were outstanding, you still managed to break through. At this rate, you might be able to compete against C/N if-no, when he wins.

"C/N WINS."

"C/N WINS AGAIN."

"C/N WINS FOR THE THIRD TIME."

"C/N IS NOW HEADING TO THE FINALS."

The final match is going to be you against C/N and it's going to happen tomorrow. So when it was night, you went to your old storage box and took out your notebook, the notebook you used to write your strategies when you first met C/N. You flipped through the first few pages but then stopped on the page you never finished. 'I remember...this was when I tried to find a strategy to beat my next opponent.'

You caressed the pages. 'This time, I'll finish my strategy and best him.' You felt more determined.

And for that, you spent all night figuring out your strategy.

The Next Day...

You were about to step out to show yourself to the crowd but then someone interrupted you by grabbing your shoulders. You turned around to see one of the people you had beaten before in school: C/N's friend.

"Hey Y/N. Before you go, I think you should know something."

"What is it?" You asked coldly.

"Do you know why C/N wants to win this tournament?"

You didn't know why so you decided to ask. "Why?"

"Because he's doing it for his mom. His mother is extremely ill, so he's using the money to help his mom get better."

He never told you that though. 'Why? Why didn't he tell me?' But you kept your poker face up and told him straight in the face. "And what am I supposed to do about it?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm telling you to lose it for him. You do care about him, right? I care about him too."

You pursed your lips. 'I do, but...I promised him to give it my all.'

You looked away from him and went out to the table, where C/N was waiting for you.

When you saw him, you quickly averted your eyes from him. You both sat down and began the game. He kept staring at you and it kept making you think about what C/N's friend said to you. You mentally shook your head. 'Focus.' Looking at the chess board, you saw that everything was going accordingly to plan. 'Nearly there.' You finally got the opportunity to move that piece to checkmate C/N. You were about to grab the piece but stopped at the last millisecond. You remembered what C/N's friend told you:

"I'm telling you to lose it for him. You do care about him, right? I care about him too."

'I do but...I've always wanted to beat C/N. He told me to give it my all.'

You looked at him. He looked completely focused on the chess board and didn't see you looking at him. You cared about him so much. He taught you so many things about chess. 'He was always there when he needed me.' It's not the same as the way you care about your friends. You do care about your friends and C/N equally, but it feels different.

You shook your head. 'No, I care about him way too much to jeopardize his mother's safety.'

You quickly moved to a different piece and put it somewhere else. C/N raised his eyebrows. It seems like he knew that you could've checkmated him.

You did it so many times that most of your best pieces are away. You still had the piece that could checkmate him though. You were about to move a random piece again but then someone called you out.

"Y/N, are you doing this on purpose?" he asked. You couldn't see his face. You averted your eyes.

"I'm doing this for you," you mumbled.

"You promised," he whispered under his breath.

You continued. "Stop it. I'm doi-"

"You stop," he yelled at you. That was the first time he ever did so you quickly shut your mouth. "Don't pity me. If you knew, you should've still tried. Nothing matters. Not the outcome for tomorrow or what happened in the past. Right now, we're going against each other, that's all it matters. Don't you dare break your promise."

"I care for you. So much. That's why I did it," you whispered. His lips tightened.

"I know. I care about you. But right now, we're opponents, not friends. You've always thought of me as your rival, right? It's time to beat your rival, Y/N," he smiled softly.

You pursed your lips and moved the piece.

"Checkmate."

It was hard. He knew that as well, and that's why he looked at you, proud.

"Good job," he whispered so only you heard.

"Y/N WINS THE FINALS. IT WAS A HARD ONE BUT SHE MADE IT THROUGH IN THE END."

Everyone clapped for you both. And after that, everything went into a blur. You got the prized money, and C/N got the 2nd place trophy. In the end, you both gave it your all.

A few months later...

You were out near the cliff, looking at the beautiful sunset. You were waiting for C/N to come, but while you were waiting for him, you thought of what happened in the last two months.

After you won, you managed to convince your parents to use the money for C/N's mother to get better. C/N and his mom left the city so his mom could get better in the fresh air. While C/N was away, you had many interviews with people who were interested in your style of chess. As you answered, you had many thoughts of C/N. 'How was he doing?' You would constantly wonder about him. It was like an obsession, and you allowed those thoughts to come into your mind. You couldn't stop thinking about him.

"Why do you like chess? What motivated you to play chess?"

You looked out to the window and stared at the endless blue sky. You held the cup up to drink it.

"Chess requires a lot of critical thinking and strategy. It can also be fun at the same time. Motivation...he was the only one who could defeat me, so I did everything I could to beat him one day," You told the interviewer with nostalgia and smiled softly. "He was my one and only rival."

The interviewer flipped through the pages of her clipped notebook with her eyebrows creased. "From all of the other interviews you had, you would always refer to this one person as he or him. What is he like?"

"The best chess player I have ever met. I want to keep being by his side. He is the greatest friend I could ever have. I don't regret meeting him."

"I won't include this into the interview but the way you talk with him. It's like you don't think of him as a friend, but more than a friend."

You couldn't deny it at this point. Everything you felt that day was love. And that's why you decided to tell him how you felt today.

"Okay, Y/N. You just to tell him that and it's going to be okay. Nothing bad is gonna-

"Tell me what?" A voice creeped up from behind.

"Agh! I mean, hi C/N. How's it going?"

he chuckled and patted your head as he down next to you at the cliff. "Good. My mom's getting better."

You took a deep breath and looked at the sunset. 'He's here. Now's the time to say it.'

"C/N?"

"Hm?" He was also looking at the sunset.

"Do you remember the day we first met?"

"I do."

"Back then, I used to be an arrogant person. I even considered ignoring you when you asked me a question." He laughed.

"But after you beaten me, I started to work hard to beat you. And as time passed by, I started to feel differently about you as well. At first, I didn't know what that feeling was, but now, I think I do."

"Y/N, I-" You put a finger to his lips

"C/N, I love you. That's why I wanted to lose back then. I cared for you more than anything, and I want you to be happy."

You let go of his lips and looked at him, waiting for the answer. Even if he was going to reject you, it's fine. You wanted to hear his answer.

"Y/N...When we first met, I didn't know you were interested in chess. It wasn't until I saw that strategy you wrote, I knew that you would beat me one day. Every single time, I always beat you but you always get back up, better than before. You never gave up on yourself. You were determined to beat me. You still cared for me, despite our rivalry. That's why," he tucked your hair behind your ear and leaned in. "I love you too."

Yes, that's it guys. I think I would always remember this chapter. So many important things happened while writing this. I had so much fun writing it even though I didn't know how to play chess but I do know how to play xianqi. It's a bit similar to chess but it's much harder from what I heard. Anyways, hope you liked it. Please vote and follow me if you haven't gotten a chance to yet.