Out of Place [Cobra Kai OC x Robby Keene]

128 - Checks and Balances

Why chess anyway..?

You know, I think I'm really starting to figure you out, Parker Reyes... check...

Check..!

Check again...

I swear, I'm gonna beat you one day, it's gonna happen...

Miguel is one person who can always find a way to put me in check, but never checkmate. There's always something missing... and maybe there's always something missing from him, because there's something I'm missing about myself.

"Check," Miguel says. I nod, surveying the board. I've been playing nice today. He brought the chess board here to Miyagi-Do and I just wanted a relaxing chess game before whatever we're doing today. What do I do here..? Well, first, I need to get out of check, but what after that..? Okay... I can set up a checkmate as I get out of check... and then- holy shit that would be a brutal way to win... he'd never see it coming. He'd've moved that queen by now if he had... but maybe that's the strategy here... go against what he thinks I plans on doing... just do it, Reyes-LaRusso, you're running out of time before everyone else gets here...

I set up the attack, successfully getting my king out of check in the process. Miguel makes his next move, unknowingly actually aiding in my plan. Then, in one more move, it's over.

"Checkmate," I say.

"No way," he says, looking down at the board sharply, eyes quickly scanning for anything that would make my declaration false. Upon finding none, he looks back up at me. "That came out of nowhere. How did you- holy shit."

"Sorry," I say, "I didn't want to do it unless I was in check."

"So you could've done that the whole time?" he asks. I suppose I could've. It definitely worked best at the time that I did it.

"Yeah... I guess I could've," I say. He shakes his head, but smiles.

"I don't know how you do it, Reina, you're just too good," Miguel says. It's my turn to shake my head.

"I've been doing this a long time, Mig," I say, "everything that's happened to you happened to me at some point. I used to lose every single game I played and I'd get so mad and confused."

"How did you start winning?"

"The same way I started winning in martial arts- by losing a lot and doing it for a long-ass time," I respond. He laughs a little. My relationship with chess is actually very similar to my relationship with martial arts now that I think about it. I've been doing both for a long time... and I've used both as coping methods... and I do both with Miguel! Let's focus on that one!

"Well you're really good at both of those things," he says, "if there's anyone who deserves to go to Barcelona, it's you."