The next few days went over pretty easily. Mikey still hadn't played a single game of chess since he confronted Gerard, but that was because he was catching up on his sleep. As it turned out, all of that pent up worrying about Gerard and Frank and himself really tired him out. He was using every second of free time trying to sleep.
Gerard talked to him like normal now, which was a big improvement. Mealtimes were a bit awkward, though, since neither of them were big talkers. Usually Frank kept conversations afloat. Mikey secretly hoped that they would find another friend to hang out with eventually, since the two of them were getting a little lonely with only having each other. No one could ever replace Frank, though, that was for sure.
About a week and a half after he confronted Gerard, Mikey went back to the rec hall to place himself in the next tournament. His challenger, he read on the board, was named Robert Bryar. Mikey didn't recognize the name from any of the previous tournaments, though he had been out of it for a little while, so maybe Bryar had just started playing while Mikey was gone. The game was set to start in half an hour, so Mikey sat himself down near the bookshelves and picked up a book that was on the table next to him.
Mikey was only a few pages into Pride and Prejudice when a man came up to him, standing right in front of him. Mikey looked up from his book when the man coughed.
He was a bit bigger than most of the men in the camp, but whether it was from muscle mass or not, Mikey couldn't tell. He was wearing a sweater that covered most of his body. Mikey knew some people got colder than others, but how was this dude that cold? Sure, it was cold outside, but the building was nice and warm.
"You're Mikey Way, correct?" The guy asked, his voice deep and clear. Mikey looked him in the eye and nodded slowly. He knew what this guy was trying to do, assert his dominance over Mikey, possibly for the game, possibly just for the power trip. But two could play at that game. Mikey was tired of people trying that with him. He had seniority over most of the people at the camp by now, and although he still looked frail and thin, he was getting quite a bit stronger. "I'm Bob Bryar. We're playing each other in a few minutes. I just thought i would introduce myself."Bryar stuck out his hand. Mikey shook it, making sure his grip was more firm than Bob's.
"How polite," Mikey smiled, fully aware how unnatural it looked on his usually solemn face. "Are you new to the tournament?"
"I used to be in the tournament when I was here for the Great War," Bryar said. "I thought I would join again to pass the time while I do my training again."
"They make you go through training again?" Mikey asked, quirking an eyebrow. This guy fought in World War One and wanted to fight again? He didn't look old enough to have been in that war, but maybe he was older than he looked and had lied about his age to enlist.
"Yeah, the equipment is different. And plus, it's been a few years. You forget things," Bob explained. "Doesn't mean I like it, though."
"I see," Mikey said, putting his book down on the table, leaving it open face down. He had no intention of ever picking it back up, and he knew it damaged the spine, but he really did not want this guy to think he was some kind of puny little boy like tons of other people at the camp had made him out to be.
"I guess I'll see you soon, then," Bob said after a little bit of silence. Mikey nodded silently and Bob left to go talk to someone else Mikey didn't recognize. Mikey closed his eyes for a second, thinking about how the game would go down. Bob seemed nice enough despite the patronizing aura he had to him. Hopefully he would be an easy win, though he really didn't seem like it. But half of the guys who seemed all macho and cunning outside of the game were really just terrible players once they had a board in front of them anyways, so Mikey wasn't really all that scared.
He spent the rest of the time leading up to the game people-watching. A few people came in to spectate the game, and they chatted as they waited for it to start. From what Mikey could pick up, they were mostly there because they knew Bob's story and wanted to see how this would turn out. Mikey really hoped he would win this, mainly because if Bob beat him, it would set him back pretty far in the leaderboard. And also because if he spent so much time trying to not be scrutinized by this guy just to lose to him, it would be tremendously embarrassing.
Eventually, the supervisor rang a bell and called for Michael and Robert to present themselves at the game table. Mikey got out of his seat and worked his way through the people waiting to watch the game. He sat down at the end of the table with the white pieces, since Bob was already there and had chosen the black pieces.
The game then started. Bob made the first kill, taking one of Mikey's pawns and then another, which was fine with Mikey, since the pawns weren't all that important. But then he took one of Mikey's knights, so Mikey took a bishop and a pawn from him. The game went on like that, both of them seeming to be keeping up with each other, but then Bob caught Mikey in a check, which startled Mikey. He didn't see it coming at all. He moved his king away, but then Bob got him in another check. Mikey stared at Bob's pieces, trying to understand why this was happening, when he recognized the strategy. It was the one Lindsey had taught him. He smiled to himself and moved his king away again, this time so that Bob couldn't easily get him.
Bob, unfortunately, only caught on to the fact that Mikey knew his strategy a few turns later. By that time, Mikey had set up a solid path to victory, and Bob didn't even realize when Mikey took his queen that he was so close to a check mate. Foolishly, he unblocked his king with a pawn to protect his remaining rook, ad Mikey moved to catch him in a checkmate.
Mikey smiled as he watched the look of disappointment and regret wash over Bob's face. He heard the small crowd (okay, it was more like half a dozen people) around them start to cheer. Mikey extended his hand to Bob, who reluctantly shook it.
"Good game," he said, making no effort to hide the snarkiness in his voice.
"Yeah," Bob said, and he sounded like he meant it. Mikey almost regretted being a little bit rude to him. It had been an entertaining game, after all, and Mikey didn't play because he wanted to win, he played for the distraction and fun that it gave him.
But then again, Bob had treated him the same way before the game, he didn't need any pity now that the game was over. As Mikey was presented with his reward, a box of doughnuts, Bob left the room, pardoning himself as he pushed people aside.
-
A day and a box of doughnuts eaten later, Gerard and Mikey were at the dining hall, eating lunch and talking about the first few chapters of A Tale of Two Cities, when Bob Bryar approached their table.
"Hey Mikey, is it okay if I sit here? I want to talk about yesterday's game," He asked from above them. Mikey's eyebrows flew up in surprise, but he answered a 'sure' anyways. This had happened a few times before, previous opponents who had lost to Mikey would want to chat with him about his strategy and how they could improve. Mikey wasn't too keen on letting Bob get better, since he almost beat Mikey, but he didn't have the heart to refuse. And plus, he didn't enter the competitions to win, he just wanted to have fun, which he did. "I just wanted to know how and why I lost so I can maybe win my next game."
Mikey swallowed the food he was chewing before speaking. "I recognized your strategy. It was one of the first ones I learned, actually. I knew how to get out of your hold, so I did. It was pretty simple, actually. I'm surprised you used it, considering how standard it is and how many people know how to escape it."
Bob sighed. "I guess that makes sense," he said, "I didn't do much reading on chess, I mainly developed my own strategy by playing. But I could see that you were going to beat me and were in the perfect position for me to do so, so I used the only book strategy I was confident in."
Mikey hummed, nodding. "And it backfired. Listen, these strategies aren't just to be used when they're convenient. You have to get used to when it's a good idea to play them and when it's not by practicing. For me at least, playing chess is half book studying and half real life experience," he explained. Bob nodded, taking in his words.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but do you think you could show me exactly what technique you used to beat me? You seem really knowledgeable and I don't really know anyone else here who plays that I'm not going to be challenging anytime soon," Bob said.
Mikey considered it for a second, looking to Gerard, whose face didn't seem to be hiding any secrets that would help him make his decision. He turned back to Bob, looking at his eyes. He seemed to be an okay guy now that he had warmed up to Mikey, and Mikey did kind of feel bad for beating him and being so condescending. Plus, maybe he would make friends with Bob and he and Gerard wouldn't feel so lonely, with it just being the two of them. "Sure," he smiled, "They say the best way to learn is to teach, don't they? And plus, I don't have anything to lose."
"Thank you so much," Bob said. "I guess I'll be out of your hair now."
Mikey watched as Bob got up and went back to where he was sitting before. "See you later!"
Once he was out of sight, Gerard turned to Mikey. "That the guy you won the doughnuts from beating?"
"Yeah," Mikey said. "I was kind of mean to him before the match but I feel kind of bad about it now. I guess this is my way of, like, making it up."
Gerard nodded. "He didn't seem like he had anything against you. I'm sure most people act like that before a match, right? You have to intimidate your opponent."
"Yeah, but he ended up being really good about losing and stuff," Mikey responded.
"I see," Gerard hummed. "Hey, if you ever want me to-"
They were interrupted by the announcement that lunch was over and that the drills would begin soon. Gerard got up and started throwing away his garbage without finishing his sentence. Mikey wondered why for a split second before brushing it aside and clearing his own spot on the table.
-
Mikey met with Bob the next day after they had finished their drills. They took a seat at one of the chess tables used for practice. Mikey spent most of the time explaining, but he knew that Bob was listening and following what he was saying respectfully. It felt good to be teaching somebody something. It had always been a pleasure of Mikey's to impart some of his knowledge onto other people, it made him feel smart and respected. He hadn't gotten to do it in a long while, however, since he was constantly in the position of the student around here.
It also made Mikey feel like he was learning, too. It made him feel more sure of his moves because he had to explain them to somebody else. It was also cool to think that nine months ago, he was being taught how to play by Lindsey, and now he was teaching somebody else. Maybe when he got back home, he would teach Gerard (the real Gerard) to play.
God, that sounded nice to Mikey. He missed Gerard so much, he missed the connection that they had as brothers. This Gerard, Neo-Gerard, wasn't very enthusiastic about chess, and Mikey doubted his brother back home would be, either. But since they were brothers, they got to force each other to do things that weren't always the most interesting sometimes. They had done it when they were growing up, when their parents wanted them to spend some time together. Gerard would teach Mikey all these things about art that he learned, and Mikey would teach him things he learned in school, little facts that he had found out. Mikey used to be a big fan of fun facts and weird stories, and would relay these to Gerard and their parents constantly. That was probably why their parents thought Mikey was so academically oriented even if he wasn't really.
Or maybe it was just that Mikey was the favourite child and they wanted to cling to anything that would show that he was better than Gerard. Really, when Mikey thought about it, he probably learned more from his brother's art lessons than Gerard do from knowing how to know when someone is lying.
After they finished their makeshift match of chess, Bob and Mikey sat at the table, pieces put back into place (Mikey always made sure to put the pieces back, setting up a chess board, especially when you were just starting to learn, was hard and frustrating). They chatted until the bell rung, letting them know that it was getting close to bed time, talking about life at the camp, Bob's family, what the battlefield would be like. Bob seemed to be a pretty honest man, taking no shit from anybody. The war had definitely worn him out, Mikey thought. His manner was very impatient and harsh, in a way that could come off as mean or cruel if you didn't want to pay real close attention. In reality, Bob was a nice man, thoughtful and insightful. He was just tired of the world. Mikey could relate.
Mikey liked Bob, even if at first he didn't. Bob was complex, just like everybody else. Mikey just lost sight of that when he first met him. He invited Bob to hang out later, with him and Gerard, and Bob accepted.
Later, after lights out, Gerard asked Mikey how his meeting with Bob went. Mikey told him it went great, and that he was starting to really like Bob despite their awkward beginning.
"You like him like that?" Gerard asked him. Mikey furrowed his brows.
"No. I don't think I could ever like someone like that, not here. Not just that Pete's back home, but my mind's just not in the right state to find someone attractive, you know? Not someone new, anyways," Mikey answered honestly. "Besides, I don't have as good luck as you do. Bob's nice, but I don't think he would be okay with... you know."
Saying that felt so completely foreign to Mikey. Before he was living in a time 200 years before his own, he could never imagine thinking someone was nice if you excused their homophobia, because he could never imagine excusing homophobia. He had never met anybody in 2034 who thought that homophobia was okay. He was sure they were out there, but they were usually shunned by society, along with what remained of neo-nazism and the KKK.
"The thing with falling for Frank, though, was that I didn't even know that it was okay. I didn't know that it was even possible that we would get to where we did," Gerard said. "So sometimes, your heart can't even consider whether or not it would be safe to feel that way. It just feels."
Mikey nodded, even though Gerard couldn't see. "Good night, Gerard.
"Good night, Mikey."
ughhhh another short chapter. i'm sorry. i love anti flag though. love me.