#Beth x Benny fanfic

[the-fiction-witch]

Red Head

Media The Queens Gambit

Character Benny Watts

Couple Benny X Reader (Red Head) & Benny X Beth

Rating Flirty (Mild Smut Implications)

I sat at my table in my apartment hoping my wicked little plan was going to work as I intended. Across my apartment Beth sat sorting her suitcase for the four days she'd be here between the Ohio tournament and Paris, she had intended to get a hotel but I offered my living room to her. It wasn't the case I was feeling nice I did have a point to doing so, I was trying to Coax Y/n over as I know she can be a little... jealous. So as soon as she finds out I have a lady here she'll be over which is really what I want. I miss Y/n so so much, I knew I missed her the moment I got back through the basement door, as all I wanted was to see her sweet Y/E/C eyes and cute red curls. To wrap my arms around her waist and give her a billion kisses. I miss her so badly, but I knew why we were apart. We were young and in love so happy and excited and then... things happened, and I knocked her up. It made our relationship very strained even if we both still loved each other so deeply that we needed time apart she moved out about six months into her pregnancy and I had been visiting her as much as I could. Once our little angel was born we agreed to spend as much time as could to see our sweet girl as much as possible. I had to work still so I'd been off on tournaments and championships so I hadn't seen Y/n or our daughter for almost two months! That's like half her little life I've missed! But now I'm home... the only thing I want is Y/n and my daughter back in my arms where they belong, forever this time. But... if it doesn't work... I have Beth. which will do I guess I know I should think better about Beth, she is nice I guess but honestly... I'd trade the world to have Y/n and Ila back. 

Maybe if Y/n sees me with another lady she might get jealous and realize how much she misses me too. I can hope! 

I sat not paying much attention to Beth and her business, and I perked up as the phone rang. So I cleared my throat and picked up the phone,

"Hello?"

"Hi Watts," her sweet voice comes through the phone, 

I knew her call was coming it's like she has a sixth sense, for this type of stuff. So I smiled and replied, "Hello Y/n,"

"I need a favour,"

"Oh? enlighten me?" 

"Sitter cancelled and I have a double shift today so can I-"

"Don't even sweat it, ohh actually give me a sec," I told her playfully, I moved the phone but made sure it was close enough Y/n would still hear me, "Beth?" I asked,

"Yes?" she asked looking up to me,

"you alright with my daughter coming to stay for the night?"

"Ohh... uhh yeah sure," she shrugged, 

"Good," I nodded before I returned to the phone, "Yeah no problem bring her by and I'll look after her,"

"You sure if you have a visitor?"

"I'm sure, bring her over. I'll see you soon," 

"Alright see you soon," 

I hung up the phone,

"How old is your daughter?" Beth asked,

"She's four months," I smiled,

"ohh, still a baby," she said a little nervous, "Never been around babies,"

"Awww Ila is a beautiful well behaved little angel," I smiled, 

"Ila?"

"Ila. Ila Watts. She's perfect,"

"I never imagined you... as a dad?"

"Well, it happens," I shrug, "And... I don't know, I think I'm kinda... made to be a dad," 

It wasn't long until the door knocked so I fixed my hair and ran to the door opening it up to let her in. Y/n stood beyond my door, in her little white sneakers, her flesh-tone stockings, her little white dress with her cardigan and bag over her shoulder, her sweet red hair in little curls around her shoulders, her sweet Y/E/C eyes and freckles across her face. And in her arms! the sweetest little baby ever! her cute little pale skin and freckles and Y/E/C eyes just like her mother but she had my hair and my nose Y/n had dressed her in a cute little purple dress with little pink butterflies and put her blonde hair in a braid,

"Awwww hello, my sweet little love! My beautiful little Ila," I cooed taking her to pull her to my chest and give her all the cuddles and kisses I'd be saving for her since I saw her last, 

"Hello Benny," Y/n playfully rolled her eyes,

"Hello Y/n," I blushed giving her cheek a kiss praying she would return it and she did which turned my cheeks red, 

We both came in Y/n put Ila's bag on the table as I carried Ila on my hip giving her lots of kisses which made her giggle, 

"You saw her three weeks ago," Y/n laughed,

"Yeah that's three weeks," I chuckled, "You are getting so big now," I cooed, 

"I take it this is the Beth Harmon I have read about," Y/n turned her attention to Beth the two coming almost squaring each other up, 

"You must be Y/n Watts," Beth offered her hand,

Y/n chuckled, "Just Y/n," she said shaking her hand, 

"Ohh... sorry I-"

"It's fine," 

"You two aren't then..."

"No, no... we took time apart just before Ila was born,"

"Yeah, but we share looking after this little lady," I cooed, 

"Her milk's in her bag, her little bear is in the bag, of course, I'll be back at six," Y/n explained, 

"I know, have a good shift, Y/n," I smiled,

"I will have fun Ila sweetheart," she kissed Ila, "Nice to meet you, Beth," She said giving her a wave before she headed out of the apartment and off to work, 

"She's nice," Beth nodded,

"Yeah she's lovely," I nodded trying not to blush, 

"Can I hold her?" Beth asked looking at Ila,

"Aww of course," I cooed, "Ila Watts, this is Beth Harmon." I smiled, "Beth this is Ila," 

"Hello," Beth did her best to smile but Ila wasn't overly bothered about her, 

"Just put your hand under her butt, and under her head there you go," I smiled as I handed Ila over to Beth, she seemed unsure but smiled at little Ila,

"Awww she's so cute,"

"She is isn't she, the most beautiful girl in the world," I cooed, 

But Ila began to squirm and cry, 

"Ohh what did I do?"

"Awww come here little lovely lady, come to daddy," I took Ila back and she happily calmed down, 

"Sorry..."

"It's alright she just probably wanted a cuddle with Daddy," I smiled, 

I finished feeding Ila her bottle and began to bounce her on my shoulder to burp her, 

"You're really good with her," Beth smiled as she sat on the airbed, 

"Thanks," I smiled as I finally burped Ila so I laid her in the crib, 

"You look... really handsome with a baby," 

"I do?" I raised an eyebrow as I sat down with her and we each had a drink,

"Yeah," she smiled, "it's really cute how good you are with her,"

"Thanks," I blushed a little, 

"So..." she smiled moving a little closer and brushing her fingers through my hair, "I notice, Y/n and I do have something in common?"

"Ohh?"

"You got a thing for redheads Benny?"

"...Maybe," 

"Well your little angel's sleeping soundly and she's not getting picked up till tomorrow right?"

"...Yeah, true," I smirked a little, 

"Shall we?" She encouraged, 

I thought about it for a while, I couldn't not think about Y/n but admittedly... Y/n has been gone for a while now, and maybe it would be better for me to just try someone else. "Alright," I smirked back taking her hand and giving it a small kiss before heading her to my room, 

I lay gasping, sweat across my body as Beth turned over and went to sleep. It was fun, and Intense but... I felt sick. 

I felt like a dick, I know Y/n and I aren't together but... I felt so strange, I felt like I was cheating on her. And it didn't help, even if I had been on my own a while this didn't help it just made me miss Y/n even more. I wanted her body in my hands, her lips on my own, I wanted her! Not beth... Nothing wrong with Beth she's great but... I want Y/n. I Barely slept at all just tossing and turning trying not to think about what I did. I suppose it had a small silver lining, I know now... I am not going to be able to get over Y/n. 

Ila began to cry so I got up and slipped some clothes on going out and soothing her back to sleep, I kissed her little blonde head as she drifted away again.

"I'm sorry Ila, Daddy did a bad thing." I whispered, "And Mummy is not going to be happy with Daddy." 

I stayed up watching over Ila until the door knocked so I went and got it opening it wide to see Y/n tired from her double shift.

"Hey," she smiled kissing my cheek,

"Hey," I sighed letting her in, 

"You okay?"

"Yeah... tired."

"Ohh she kept you up?"

"No, no she was an angel as always,"

"Good, Awww sleeping like a little log," she chuckled as she went to the crib, 

"Y/n-"

"Yeah?" She asked giving Ila a little stoke in her crib not wanting to wake her, "Such a beautiful little baby, you were good for daddy?"

"Y/n Please. I need to tell you something?" I sighed crossing my arms over my chest,

"What is it?" She stood noticing how serious I was, 

I went to open my mouth but the bedroom door opened to Beth in my shirt from last night with messy hair, Y/ns eyes met her, and then she flicked them to me, without a word. She knew. 

"Morning," Beth yawned,

I could see the rage building in Y/n so I very quickly grabbed my wallet, 

"Beth. Ughhh run down to the corner store and ughh grab some cigarettes," I told her as I know she smokes handing her some money, 

"I have half a -" she began,

"Beth. Please." I pleaded with her, she looked between me and Y/n and took the money, she went into the bedroom and got some different clothes on all while we waited without a word, She came out and kissed my cheek but I didn't give her a reaction. 

"Back in a sec," she says,"

"Take your time." I told her, The moment the door closed, "I can explain."

"I don't want to hear it," she said packing up Ila's things, 

"No, no no." I stopped her, "Please... please just listen to me I swear I can explain,"

"I don't want to hear it benny," she said our voices hushed so as to not wake Ila but still angry, 

"Please just hear me out,"

"You had sex with her?"

"yes I did But-"

"No, but there is not but-"

"Yes, there is! Please I did it I admit that but I feel so bad about it it's destroying me I should never have done it I was being so stupid!"

"Yes, you were!"

"I know! I know! Please will you ever forgive me!"

"No!"

"No! please, Y/n!"

"You had sex with some girl while our infant daughter slept in her crib, less than two feet away, I don't know what would be worse the door was open she could have seen, heard, god knows what. Closed! she is four months something could have happened to her,"

"The door was open but only a crack! and I listened for her crying the whole time we were super quiet so as to not wake her. But that's not important right now-"

"It's very important Benny!" she complained "You had sex with a woman five feet from our infant!"

"This! This is what you're concerned about! She was safe she was fine, aren't you infatuated I cheated on you!"

"Not really,"

"what do you mean not really!"

"We are split up Benny!"

"So!"

"So it's not cheating if we're not together!"

"But I feel terrible, I betrayed you, I regret everything I did, please"

"This is what you are concerned over! benny we're not together you can fuck who you want I don't care I care when our daughter is in earshot!"

"Why!"

"So you don't traumatize our infant daughter!"

"No! why don't you care? I cheated on you! I had felt sick to my stomach the moment I did it! I still love you, you know I do, and I know you still love me, it was a huge huge mistake and I would do anything to undo it..." I explained tears flooding down my face, "Please... please... I- I can't be without you, the woman I love the mother of my child, I felt like throwing up to think about what I've done. I want you. I only want you. Please forgive me... Please... forgive me, let me do whatever it takes to make it up to you and please.... please Y/n... give me back my family." 

"You're family?"

"You and me and Ila."

"you slept with-

"I know. I know. Please... I'll walk barefoot through glass for you. I'll climb the Empire State Building naked. I'll swim from New Jersey to Dover. Please! She's my daughter... and you're my girl. I am so so sorry, I should have thrown away every invitation that came while you were pregnant, I should have never left your side, I should have helped you work through all your feelings, I have missed half of her life... and I don't want to miss another second of it. And I want to share every single moment of her life with you." 

"That doesn't excuse what you've done..."

"I know." I told her stroking her cheek, "But I swear to you, I would do the impossible for Ila. And I would do the impossible for you." 

"That's just it... it's impossible," she said going to the crib,

"No! NOOOO! No, you can't please!" I begged, "Reject me if you must if you really can't face what I have done. But please... please Y/n I beg of you. Don't take her. She's my daughter, my angel, my baby girl, please! you can't take her, you can't just take her, please! Please... even if you reject me even if you hate me please just let me see her..." I begged, "Please just let me see my daughter,"

"I don't think she should be anywhere near her sex pervert of a father for a while,"

"NOOO! Please!" I broke down, "You have no right! you can't just take her! she's my daughter!"

"And she's mine too!"

"You are not just taking her!"

"What makes you think you should keep her! you've been gone half her life and as soon as you come back you spent your time with someone else so clearly you don't want her around!"

"I said I'm sorry! The only person I want around is you, BUT you -"

"Don't you dare blame me for this! You ran off and left me while I was pregnant!"

"To make money! To afford our baby!"

"and when you get back the first thing you do is shack up with her!"

"I'd have shacked up with you if you were here!"

"Ohh so it's purely whoever is close enough?"

"No! that's not what I-" I sighed, "Y/n... I love you. I am sorry for what I did. I regret it completely. I will never even think of doing something like this again. I want to be with you. I want to be with Ila. I will literally have sex with you every day to make you trust me. and I would becuase your fucking gorgeous! nothing on her. You know why I slept with her! really! the real answer! cause she's a redhead. and it went through my mind in the short seconds she flirted with me that if I turned her over and just looked at her from the back with her red hair for a brief moment I could think it's YOU! Happy! You are happy you made me admit I am a fucking degenerate! That I love my ex that fucking much that I could have slept with any woman from her to Ohio in the last week but no I slept with Beth.  the one Other redhead I know! Becuase I am that down bad about you! I brought her hear literally to make you jealous! to try and get over you and I can't! I did it! it doesn't work! I still love you, I still want you and I would rather DIE than not have you!" 

She grabbed my face and kissed me, I was shocked given how much of a rant I just went on, but I am not complaining I grabbed her body and savoured every single thing. Her skin, her lips, her smell, her taste. I never wanted to let her go, I grabbed her thighs and picked her up wrapping her legs around me as I carried her to bed our lips never even separating until I dropped her on the bed. I went to pull open my draw to grab surprisingly my second condom of the last twenty-four hours but she slapped my hand,

"Don't you dare?" She smirked, "You know that's not how I like you,"

"Alright... just how you love me," I smirked pulling her back into the kiss.

I smiled holding Y/n close and peppering her with all the kisses I could manage, 

"I wonder where Beth is?" She spoke up,

"...Hu..." I sighed, "I hadn't even thought about that... She'll be fine," I shrug, 

"Alright," She chuckled trying to go but I pulled her closer,

"No. My Y/n."

"I'm getting Ila,"

"Ohhh... yes! fetch the angel!" I cooed,

She climbed out and fetched little Ila climbing back into bed I wrapped my arms around the two of them, and... for the first time in months, I felt happy again. I felt complete. I felt like everything was right. The three of us snuggled together in my bed, the world could end in this moment and I would welcome it with a smile, as I have my world in my arms. 

"I love you both so much,"

"I love you too Benny,"

"Does this mean... it's happening?"

"What's happening?" she chuckled,

"We're getting back together?" 

"... I don't know Benny,"

"Y/n, please. you know I'll do anything to make you forgive me. I am a dick for everything I've done. But I want you girls in my life. I need you."

"How about this... a couple of months, visiting. while I think it over?"

"...Okay," I nodded, 

I sat with my book trying to keep my mind awake this late when the phone rang, I rolled my eyes assuming it was Beth. 

I had been... distant with her. We hadn't done anything since that night nothing had happened the rest of her days with me in New York and I had no intention of doing anything with her at all ever again all while I waited for Y/n... she wanted time so I gave her it, Ila had been visiting all month and I felt more in love every second I was with them. I wanted to bolt over and just take them in my arms but I gave her time. 

I went and grabbed the phone expecting her flirty tone but,

"Hello?"

"Hi, Watts."

"Y/n! Hi sweetie."

"Hi, is it a good time to talk?"

"Yeah of course what's up?"

"I uhh... I made a decision,"

"You did," I became nervous given her tone, "what is it?"

"Well... I have, now you need to-"

"Y/n. You know I love you. And I want you back as my girlfriend you know I -"

"Benny please listen,"

"Okay... sorry..."

"I went to the doctor today," 

"You did! is Ila okay!"

"Ila is fine it was for me."

"Oh... are you okay?"

"Yeah just a blood test and stuff but uhh they found something out,"

"What did they find out?"

"... Benny I'm pregnant."

"wha- what!"

"I'm pregnant."

"H-h-h-ho-ho-how- how is that-" I stuttered, "Oh my god we didn't use a condom..."

"Yeah,"

"Please don't take this the wrong-"

"yes, it's yours."

"Ohh thank god. sorry, I-"

"It's okay, natural for you to ask, So I'm pregnant again..." she sighed, "So  I know my answer"

"Which is?"

"I want to come home..."

"You do?" I got teary,

"Is that okay with you?"

"It's more than okay with me," I smiled, "Come home Y/n, and I promise I will be here for you, and Ila, and for our little one."

"Are you sure?"

"Y/n. I love you. I want you home. Our home. I want us to be together again."

"Okay, see you in an hour,"

"See you soon," I smiled blowing her a kiss and she blew me one too before I hung up the phone, but almost immediately I picked it back up and dialled the number it took a while but it soon answered,

"Hello?"

"Hey Beth,"

"ohh Hi, Benny,"

"So uhh... I need a word,"

"About what?"

"This... this isn't going to work, it's been fun, but you're so far away in Kentucky and I have Ila to think about it's just... it's not going to work you can find someone else to go to Moscow with you,"

"Ohh... yeah I understand, thanks for telling me I guess rather than just leaving me hanging,"

"Yeah I didn't want to be a dick about it, but your a really great girl I'm sure you'll find someone better than me,"

"Thanks, Benny,"

"you're welcome, Bye Beth."

"Bye, Benny,"

I hung up and I couldn't hold back my smile I went to the bedroom and dug through my drawer grabbing the little box I had bought when we first found out about Ila... but Y/n never gave me a chance to give it to her. I changed my shirt and did my hair and soon enough I heard the door so I rushed over with the box in my pocket and opened the door to see Y/n with Ila in her arms.

"Hi Benny,"

"Hi," I smiled giving her lips a soft kiss and she happily returned it, I kissed Ila and took her from Y/n taking her to her high chair while Y/n threw her bag on the bed and Ila's bag by the crib, "How are you for stuff?"

"Good for two weeks, we can start the move-in from there,"

"Perfect," I smiled, "Y/n..."

"Yes, Benny?"

"I uhh I have a little gift for you,"

"Ohh? Pizza? cause I am starving?"

"No" I laughed, "But we can get pizza," I smiled, "Y/n." I took her hand and gave it a soft kiss, "I love you beyond measure, when you left it broke me, all I wanted was you back in my arms, we have a beautiful little girl together and she's everything I ever wanted. I made mistakes I admit that and I am happy to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I've told Beth it's never happening again and it's over even if it never really began... and now... we get another little one. I have Ila. and soon we'll have another sweet baby. I have everything I need to be happy,"

"And now you have me too,"

"I do... but I need you to be one more thing, My wife."

"Benny you-"

"Please Y/n, will you marry me?" I asked offering her the little box she took it and opened it to see the sweet white diamond I got for her what felt like so long ago now, "I understand if you need time to-"

"Yes."

"wh- what?"

"yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

"Ohh Y/n! I love you so much!" I hugged her as tight as I could,

"I love you too Benny!" she began to cry so I pulled back kissed her tears and slipped the ring on her finger, we both blushed hard and shared our first sweet kiss as an engaged couple only to be interrupted by Ila crying we chuckled and shared a small kiss before I picked Ila up in my arms and I held Ila, Y/n and my hand on Y/n's stomach and our slowly growing baby, 

"I have all that matters to me, in my arms right now. and I am never letting any of it go again." 

[ilreleonewikiart]

Beth Harmon’s outfts on CLM part 1

finally, after almost a year I finally finished my illustration collection of all the outfits that Beth wore during the first part of the story!!!!

I’m very happy of this goal, cause the fashion is a big part of my story and it needed some proper illustrations for express that. 

I know that most of my readers preferred another type of update, especially after a such long hiatus, but I can assure you that this fic is not dead and that just now I’m working on the next chapter. Anyway I will soon make a proper post on  CLM  WIKI to explain better this situation. 

In the meantime go and check out my instagram account !!!

[ilreleonewikia13]

Hey! hello everyone look at that, I am not dead!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything about CLM, so that's why I decided to write this special post as if it were a kind of newsletter to explain to you all what's been going on these past few months to shed some light on the current status of my fanfic.

The original one was published on CLM wiki on AO3, but I wanted to post it even here so everyone can read it.

To make a long story short when I last greeted you by saying that because of my exams I had a lot of time to devote to writing the new chapter, I sincerely intended to be back by the beginning of September. But fate had other plans for me, because - in the middle of my summer session - I got an email from my university informing me that I have been accepted to go on Erasmus in September and thus in less than a month I was supposed to leave for Belgium. To make a long story short, in less than 30 days I had to prepare the documents for the trip, look for and find accommodation from home, get the tickets: it was so hectic and unexpected that I even almost didn't leave at all! But in the end I made it and I am writing this post to you in my room in Belgium.

So I hope that some way all this can give a justification for my so prolonged essence: this is to tell you that the break I took from writing was not due to the fact that I did not want to continue but for logistical reasons I just did not have the time nor the psychological state to put myself to work on this story. However, I made all this nice introduction to announce that I am finally working on the writing of chapter 15 and that if all goes well I will finish it by mid-November and maybe publish it before the end of the month I will try to make it as long as possible so that this very long wait of almost three months will be lowered for me. This last chapter that closes the third part of this story is quite an important watershed and there will be some very intense and powerful moments even stronger than the previous chapter. So this fanfic will not be left to itself , even if it has been on hiatus for longer than I had planned: Beth and Benny will be back very soon and with almost normal rhythm even if seeing how the world goes here and how the bureaucracy of Italian universities goes I am not promising anything...so fingers crossed and see you soon!

I would still like to spend a few words to thank all those readers who have been waiting and who whenever they could have scrolled over the Beth x Benny tag to check if there was a new update and who with perseverance have been waiting for the continuation. I hope you read this post and know how much your love has been one of the regions why I go on to write and create new stories. Your support is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life

[javajunkieao3]

Benny/Beth Fic:  Landline

Benny is done with Beth Harmon.  Yeah, he helped her out in Russia, but that was different.  It was the Russians.  Helping her out was practically him doing his patriotic duty.  But, now the game is over and she's off taking her third or fourth curtain call, giving as many interviews as a Beatle, and he's back to forgetting her.  Beth Harmon had given him more grief in the few months they had spent together than the rest of his twenty-some years.  Good riddance.

Except, he still reads every article.  Listens to every interview.  When he goes into his front closet he sees that damn air mattress, and suddenly he’s thinking about the one time they made love on it instead of his bed, laughing when it popped a leak.  He doesn’t even know why he has the mattress anymore, but he doesn’t throw it away.  Just like he doesn’t throw away the scarf that she used to wear in her hair.  He found it under his bed a week after she left and stuffed it in the top of his dresser.  Each time he took it out it got pushed further back into the drawer, suppressed much like his own feelings.

“You could call her,” Cleo offers one afternoon.  She says it casually between puffs of her cigarette, like it isn’t an entirely preposterous suggestion.  Which, it is.  

“I don’t want to call her.”

Cleo tips her head back and sighs, “Why are men so dimwitted?”  He doesn’t know who she’s supposed to be talking to.  It’s only them in the apartment.  She sets him with a look and says, “You want to call her, Benny.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.  Because you love her.  And when you love someone, you always want to call.”  She takes another drag of her cigarette, flicking her bangs away from her eyes.  “Look, I’ll be the first to say I always thought you were too in love with yourself to love anyone else.  In fact, I have said that.  But, Benny, darling, you are in love.”

He begins to say that she is wrong, but he can’t finish the sentence.  Instead he goes into Cleo’s purse and pulls out her pack of cigarettes.  As he lights himself one, Cleo says, “You better replace that.”

“Even if I did love her, it doesn’t matter,” Benny says, taking a quick drag from the cigarette.  “She could have called all this time.  She hasn’t.”

“What is it you said last time you two spoke just by yourselves?”  Cleo asks slowly.  “Don’t call again?”

“I wasn’t in the wrong.  She drank herself in a stupor and then just thought I would be there for her like nothing had happened.”

“It’s complicated,” Cleo concedes.  “But, are you really happy sitting here not calling her?”

---

Nearly 700 miles away in Lexington, Kentucky, Beth sits at her kitchen table with Jolene and asks her, “You’ve been in love, right?”

Jolene looks over at her with surprise.  “Well, I sure as shit better be considering I’m about to get married.”

Beth grins.  The lawyer at Jolene’s office had actually left his wife, as promised, and he and Jolene were set to be married later that year.

“I thought I was before,” Beth says, wrapping her hand around a mug of tea.  It’s orange pekoe, one of the rare traditions she kept of her childhood.  “And maybe I was.  How do you know?”

Jolene takes a deep breath.  “I guess you just sort of do.  Like you know those chess moves of yours.”

Beth immediately shakes her head and says, “No, chess I understand.  This doesn’t make sense.”

Jolene leans back in her chair, a smile ghosting on her mouth, and she says, “Who are you in love with?”

“It’s no one,” Beth says quickly.

“No, see you don’t get to pull that shit with me,” Jolene says, leaning forward. “You forget that I know you.  So, spit it out.”

There’s no use fighting Jolene, so Beth tells her, “Benny Watts.  But, I don’t even know if I actually love him.”

“If you have to ask the question, the answer is yes,” Jolene says sagely.  “So, this Benny guy.  Does he have a phone?”

“He does,” Beth says, taking a sip of tea.  

“I don’t see the problem then.”

“We have a sort of complicated past,” Beth says.  “And it seemed like maybe things were getting better after Russia, but I haven’t heard from him.”

“Well then, how about you pick up the phone yourself and call him?”  Beth isn’t convinced, and Jolene says, “It’s 1969, Beth.  It’s time to woman up.”

---

Over the ensuing week, Benny and Beth both consider calling the other and both decide against it.  They make excuses.  Compelling ones, too.  They create entire arguments for why calling was not the right move and, besides, if the other one really wanted to talk to them so damn much, they could pick up the phone.

And then one night they both decide to call, except Beth does it five seconds sooner and Benny starts with surprise when the phone rings below his hand.  He picks up the phone and says, “Hello?”

“Benny.”

“Beth.”

In that moment, they both forget everything they had planned on saying, but Beth can hear the way his breath quickens and so can he .  Benny can almost picture her twisting the phone cord around her finger in the nervous way she did.  There is something oddly intimate about being on a landline, listening to someone else breath, and it has to be that which makes Benny say what he says next.  

“You know, Cleo said something funny a few days ago,” Benny says.  “She said I’m in love with you.  Which is ridiculous.”

Beth has to catch her breath before she says, “It’s funny, my friend Jolene thinks I’m in love with you, too.  It’s totally ridiculous.”

They talk well into the night, Beth bringing the phone over with her to the couch, stretching the cord nearly to its breaking point, and curls up against the arm of the couch.  She falls asleep while they are still talking and wakes up to a knock on her door.  The phone is off the hook and she places it back in the cradle, propping it on the end table.  She doesn’t glance in the mirror as she walks by, but wishes she had when she opens the door and sees him.

“Benny?”

He answers with a kiss, his arms winding around her waist.  When they pull apart she sees how tired he looks, but his eyes are bright.

“Did you drive all night?”

“There wasn’t a flight until this afternoon,” he says, smoothing her hair away fro her face.  “I didn’t want to wait that long.”

Somehow, it seemed perfectly in character for Benny to decide on a dime to drive across the country.  

“So, you’re here.”

“Yeah, I am.”

Beth doesn’t hesitate before kissing him again, nudging the door shut behind him.

** I am going to run out of ways for them to reunite soon, but until then, I hope you keep enjoying these! **

[follow-my-literature]

Requested by: Anon  ONE SHOT

I’ve known Benny since I was 9. I met him at my first chess tournament. We didn’t get along at all and spent most of the first few years taunting each other. However, as time went on and we both reached our teen years, I started to notice just how handsome he had become. The next few years were spent playing an odd, flirting game.

He was the first person I got drunk with. Sneaking a bottle of whisky during one of the chess competitions. I remember the way his lips felt against mine when he suddenly kissed me that night. Falling asleep in each others arms. But we have never spoken of it. I’m not even sure it was real, I could have dreamed it all up.

Until...our last competition. We had been celebrating with our fellow chess players when eventually it was just Benny and I. The clock behind the bar read 1:30 am. When I got the bartenders attention, he quickly brought the bottle of Black Label whiskey over and refilled my glass. The feeling of Benny’s hand suddenly sliding up my leg, startled me, but none the less sending pleasant shocks of electricity through me. All it took was the brush of his beautiful lips against my ear and all my secrets came tumbling out of my mouth....

Y/N POV

“How could I let this happen?” You question Beth as she just gives you a sly smirk. “I mean, of all people...Benny Watts?!”

“Do you really want me to answer you or is that a rhetorical question?” She giggles as my eyes trail down the bar towards the slim blonde I’ve known for most of my life. 

“Oh shut up.” I hiss taking the last swig of whiskey in front of me. Letting out a heavy sigh I motion to the bartender while Beth and I are joined by the twins Matt and Mike. Soon getting lost in their in-depth conversation about the future of chess.

“White has the advantage. Since it always has the first move, it always has the advantage.” Mike explains. 

“Well that’s rather basic information, don’t you think?” I hear Beth reply.

“I read that when computers learn to play chess, and play against other computers, white will always win because of the first move.” Mike adds in. “Like tic-tac-toe?” I question. Only half listening however. After my slow realization that Benny is the one I can’t forget about, I find it hard to keep my eyes off of him. As the evening wears on the bar slowly thins out. Matt, Mike, and Beth having wished me good-night several drinks ago. Leaving, to my surprise, just Mr. Benny Watts and I. The clock behind the bar reads 1:30 am and I motion to the bartender. Who quickly brings over the bottle of Black Label Whiskey. 

“Leave the bottle please.” I murmur to him and he gives me a slight nod of the head. The feeling of Benny’s hand suddenly sliding up my leg, startles me, but none the less sending pleasant shocks of electricity through me. I’m unsure when he moved stools to sit next to me, since at the beginning of the night, he was at the complete opposite side of the bar. My eyes meet his brown ones and it’s as if the world suddenly stops. My chest burns and all my emotions flood to the surface. 

“Hey gorgeous. Been a long time.” His beautiful lips brush against my ear as he leans in and that is all it takes to send a shiver down my spine. I wrap my arms around his neck as his arms grip me around my waist. Hoisting me off the barstool to spin me around. 

“Benny! I’ve missed you. I thought you were ignoring me before.”

“How could I ever do such a thing to you?”  

Placing me back on my feet, his brown pools gazing into my eyes. They hold a look of such love I feel my cheeks heat up. Embarrassment takes over and I drop my arms before I turn back to my drink. Quickly finishing what’s in my glass before filling several more. Once I’ve steadied my nerves, I take a deep breath and finally bring myself to look back towards Benny.

“Is there something you wanna say love?” He questions. He’s known me far too long to bother attempting a lie so I just shake my head. 

“Maybe...not here?” My voice is much smaller than I want but as I look up at Benny through my eyelashes I see him smiling.

“Wanna go back to my room? We can talk there.” He whispers so only I can hear him. I nod and take his warm outstretched hand, letting him guide me away from the bar towards the elevators. I’ve spent many a night in Benny’s rooms over the course of our friendship. Playing chess and talking. Letting the hours slip by without fear of consequences. However, tonight feels different somehow. The butterflies in my stomach go wild the closer we get and I’m starting to doubt if I’ll be able to tell him. 

I feel the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in my abdomen. Tension grows in my face and limbs, my mind replaying the last attack. My breathing becomes more rapid, more shallow. The thoughts accelerating inside my head. I want them to slow so I can breathe but they won't. My breaths come in sharper more ragged gasps and I feel like I’m about to black out. Benny notices my ghostly white face, knowing what’s about to come. To be honest Benny is the only person I have ever let see me this way and right now I can’t be more thankful.

He wraps his long trench coat around my trembling body, pushing me forward into the elevator. All the while taking a protective stance behind me. Blocking anyone’s prying eyes. Once the doors close and my ragged breathing is all that can be heard, he gently pulls me against his warm form. Wrapping his arms around me like he never has before. I cling to him as my body trembles uncontrollably. His one hand starts rubbing small circles on my back in a soothing way, so I close my eyes and let his scent intoxicate me. My heart hammering against my ribcage. 

“This is our floor love.” Benny states as the elevator doors swing open. When I don’t move he let’s out a small chuckle. Easily picking me up like a bride, causing a small squeal escape my lips as I tighten my arms around his neck with my eyes still closed. To any unaware reporter I’m sure this would look like more than it is. Luckily, Benny and I have been friends for so long that our shenanigans are old news in the chess community. As Benny works the door to his room, I brave a glance at him and can’t help but be in awe of this boy.

My heartbeat feels like it’s jumping out of my chest causing me to internally shake my head. Beth was right, I have been lying to myself. I’ve had feelings for Benny since that one night so long ago. When we stole that horribly cheap bottle of alcohol and got drunk together. It had been the first time either of us had ever had that much to drink, which led to things getting a little out of hand. Sometimes I find myself thinking about the feel of his touch or the taste of his lips. As of late though, sometimes has become at least once a day. With these thoughts in my head I can feel my anxiety slowly start to ebb away. 

“I’m gonna go run you a hot bath.” Benny starts. Placing me softly on the bed with my arms still wrapped around his neck. My breathing has finally become somewhat normal and I know it’s now or never. Just as Benny goes to pull away from me I slide my hands down to the collar of his trench coat, grip it lightly in my hands, and pull his lips to mine. At first I don’t feel him react to me. Making a fresh wave of anxiety wash over me. I must have taken him off guard however, because soon I feel his hand weave its way into my hair and his tongue graze my bottom lip; allowing him permission to kiss me deeper.

In the moment of the kiss our chemistry becomes an ever-bright flame. One steeped in passion. On his lips is the promise of realness, of his primal desire, and the sweetness of maybe even something real. Finally breaking the kiss when we both need to come up for air. 

“Well, that’s the most appreciative thank you that I have ever gotten for offering to run a bath.” He chuckles, resting his forehead against mine. 

“Benny....I-” but he cuts me off with his lips again. Slowly leaning me down against the bed. Unable to control myself I wrap my legs around him, pulling him as close to me as I can. Lightly placing kisses from his lips to his jaw and down his long neck. My hands tug at his coat, letting him know I need more. I’m so lost in my feelings that when my lips trail back to his earlobe, it slips out between breaths. “I love you.” 

He breaks apart from me as he rips off his trench coat. His hat having fallen off before as he placed me on the bed. When I bring myself to meet his brown orbs they are full of an emotion I have never seen before. His voice light. “Do you remember the first night we got drunk together?” I nod my head without saying a word. “I knew then that I loved you.” My eyes widen but he continues. A slight blush building in his face.

“I love everything about you, and I'm not a guy who says that lightly. I'm a guy who has faked love his entire life. I'm a guy who thought love was just something idiots felt. You have a hold on my heart that I can not break if I wanted to. And there have been times when I wanted to. No matter how many women I’m with, I barely see their faces. Because when I'm inside someone, there's only one face I see. I only dated Beth because I was lonely. Because I got tired of the endless disconnect, but it was just a sad time-out. I can not stop loving you any more than I can stop breathing. I'm hopelessly, irretrievably in love with you. Always have been.” 

His confession, as odd as it may be, causes me to break into a smile. I wrap my arms around his neck again before I finally just let all my emotions spill out. “Run your hands up my bare arms, not slow but fast. Send the electricity I need to jump start my heart. Let your hands cover my skin with soft lips following. To be in your arms is love, safety, and passion too. It is how you bring me back to life, revive what was lost, and restore what was shattered. I’d be nowhere without you.” And with that, the two of you pulled each other close. Falling into bed together as hastily as humanly possible. The drinks I had earlier making me bolder. Our lips and hands touch as much skin as we can; clothing quickly finding their way to the carpeted hotel floor. Both of us lost in the passion we have denied ourselves for far too long...

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙙

[peachysquirt]

Sweet Dreams, KY

by: twentytwentytwo

Fandom- The Queen’s Gambit

ao3

Beth x Benny

Summary-

'Benny couldn’t go back in time and find a way to Russia. But he sure as hell could drive to Kentucky.'

or Benny drives to Kentucky to meet Beth after she wins the World Championship. Featuring a super in love Benny, a sober Beth, and absolutely no sleeping in living rooms.

COMPLETED ONESHOT ♣︎ 1318 words

Rating-

I adore the idea of Benny driving 11 hours from NY to KY just to see beth after she won. If Netflix ever decide to make a s2 I hope they focus on Benny a lot more or develop Beth & his relationship. This was adorable, bravo :)

Review- 8/10

Link

[swiftjiara]

i’m 100% obessesed with the queen’s gambit and anya taylor joy

PS.: please someone send me beth x benny fanfic recomendantion

[criminalromantic]

Under The Weather (Beth Harmon x Benny Watts)

Summary:  What happens when Beth wakes up in Benny's apartment one day, feeling absolutely horrible, with a runny nose, weak voice, and possibly a fever? Benny is there to make it better.

Read on AO3

[dialectica-esoterica]

sooo ure super mysterious and the only work that i know from u is ur AMAZINGLY written Nocturne series. i was just curious as to how u became such a good writer?? its clear to me that u definitely had a lot of experience writing before. ur writing has a sense of assuredness that i rarely see in other fanfics. love from the philippines <3 (also i am refreshing everyday waiting for the third chapter AHHH)

Hi! Thank you for reaching out, your feedback means the world ❤️ I’m so grateful to you for reading it!

I do have quite a bit of experience writing - but the reality is that Beth and Benny mostly write themselves. I think if you can tap into the characterization, the rest comes easily. I would highly recommend trying this pair to anyone who is considering writing fics for the first time because they’re so natural and intuitive.

Third chapter of Symbiosis is up now and it’s 🔥 if I do say so myself.

[sixelxven]

I'm writing a benny watts x male oc fic,, would anyone want to beta read it and maybe discuss it with me? do yall have like a discord server or something i could join? thanks

[ilreleonewikia13]

COWBOY LIKE ME : P R O L O G U E ↴ - The Slave Defence -

“Mom” started the teenager pulling the woman's hand away from his hair, which she was trying to stroke as a sign of affection; “you know that I don’t want to be called like that…”.

She knew that he hated that name, and more importantly he hated to be commiserated: he wasn’t some kind of poor kitten who failed to reach a fucking bought; he was Benny Watts.

He was the youngest US chess Champion of the history: the one who was able to earn the right to participate to the Nationals just thirteen months after had gained the title of International Master at age of sixteen, after had beat up all those old mummies that always looked at him, with their mockery faces, from top to bottom; as if he was some kind of joke came there just to entertain them and not a real player. For all those years Benny’s main goal was to prove at the Federation - but most importantly to his father - that he deserved his pedestal and that for him chess wasn’t just a hobby: it was his life, his purpose, his dream.

[javajunkieao3]

Beth/Benny Fic:  Being Alive - Part 5

When Benny meets Jolene.

Beth is half asleep when the phone rings on her nightstand.  She just bought a phone for the bedroom a few weeks ago, and since then, she seemed to get twice as many calls.  Benny groans, covering his eyes with his hand, and says, “You know, we got a lot less calls before you brought a phone in here.”

           “Please spare me your bedrooms are not for phones lecture,” Beth says, nudging his arm affectionately before she reaches over him and grabs the phone.  Draped over his torso, Beth answers the phone, shooting him a playful look when he pinches her side.

           “Hello?”

           “Beth, I need you to do me a favor.”

           “Jolene,” Beth says happily, picking up the phone cradle and sitting back on her side of the bed.  Benny nudges the cord behind his pillow and then proceeds to close his eyes again.  “What do you need?”

           “A witness for my wedding.”

           “Your wedding is next month,” Beth says, not understanding.  Jolene's married lawyer kept his word and left his wife for her, and they were supposed to get married at the end of the next month.  

           “Well, it was next month, but now it’s this afternoon,” Jolene says.  “Al’s family isn’t too keen on him marrying a black woman. Like I’m not the best thing to happen to him.”

           “Of course, you are,” Beth says.  Jolene had always been the best of people, even when Beth hadn’t really understood what that meant.

           “So, we’re saying fuck ‘em, and just doing the justice of the peace route.”

           “What time do you need me?”  Beth asks immediately.

           “We’re meeting at the courthouse at noon.”

           “I’ll be there.”

           Beth hangs up the phone and asks Benny, “Do you want to go to a courthouse wedding?”

           Benny opens one eye.  “What exactly are you asking me?”

           “My friend Jolene is getting married this afternoon and I’m going to be her witness.”

           “I thought she was getting married next month.”

           “Change of plans,” Beth says simply, climbing out of bed.  She walks over to her closet and starts going through her dresses.  “I don’t know what to wear to a courthouse wedding.”

           “I’d say the rule is probably still no white.”

           “I know that,” she says, already combing through the various hangers with military-like precision.  Something occurs to her, and she looks back at Benny.  “You don’t have a suit.”

           “So what?”  He’s lying in bed with his arms crossed behind his head, and he looks so positively cute that she almost forgets all about the afternoon and climbs back into bed with him, but she can’t have that.  This is Jolene and she knows her friend is already not getting the wedding she had originally wanted.  Benny is getting a suit.

           “Ben Snyders opens at 9.  We’ll find you something there.”

           “I don’t need a suit.  I have my black coat.  That’s good enough.”

           “You shouldn’t even have that black coat anymore,” she tosses over her shoulder, attention back to her closet.

           “Stay away from my coat, Beth.  You already made me throw away the hat.”

           “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

           “It is.”

           “I promise to not touch your coat,” she says, turning back around.  “But, you need a suit.”

           He studies her face for a moment and then says, “This is important to you, isn’t it.”

           It’s not a question, but a statement, and she nods.

           “Okay,” he says.  “I’ll get a suit.”

----

           At 11:45 a.m., Beth and Benny stand outside of the courthouse waiting for the bride and groom.  Beth turns to Benny and smooths down the collar of his suit jacket, smiling to herself.

           “You could try to look less smug,” Benny teases.

           “I just think you look very handsome.”

           “And you look beautiful.”

           Beth isn’t typically a fan of public displays of affection, but she leans in and kisses him softly, lingering with her mouth against his until she hears Jolene call her name.  She pulls away and turns toward her friend’s voice, surprise registering on her face when she sees the pair.  Al is dressed in a traditional black suit.  Beside him, Jolene is wearing a deep red silk jumpsuit.

           “Aren’t brides supposed to wear white?”  Beth asks with confusion.

           “That’s what they want you to think.”

           “Who’s they?”  Benny asks.

           “The patriarchy.  The white is supposed to be about the bride’s virginity or some shit like that.  And, I’m no virgin.  So, I thought I’d just dress for me.  And Al. This is his favorite outfit of mine.”

           “It really is,” Al echoes, and when he looks at Jolene, Beth can see that he’s telling the truth.  Jolene softens in a way that Beth hadn’t seen before, and then Jolene looks over at Benny and says to Beth, “So, you finally threw one of those chess boys a bone?”

           Beth grins.  “This is Benny.”

           “I know who he is,” Jolene says.  “I read about you, Benny Watts.  You’re almost as impressive as my girl, Beth.”

           Beth knows that Benny can be sensitive to the comparison, and she says, “Jolene’s biased.”

           To her surprise, Benny shakes his head and says, “No, I’m pretty sure she’s right.”

           Beth meets his gaze and she can feel her cheeks flush.  Jolene grins wide.  “I like you, Benny.”

----

           Beth didn’t have many courthouse weddings with which to compare Jolene and Al’s, but if she had to guess, their wedding easily ranked in the top-five.  Both the bride and groom prepared their own vows, and Beth noticed even Benny looking somewhat emotional as Jolene read from her folded up piece of notebook paper, her hands shaking.  The union was sealed with a kiss, and then they went to a nearby diner to celebrate. They all order burgers and drinks, and when Benny looks appraisingly at her chocolate shake, she wordlessly trades her shake for his green river, and then tells him, “This means you can’t complain when I eat your fries.”

           “I think that’s a fair trade.”

           Beth does, in fact, eat a good portion of fries, and after the plates are cleared, Jolene pointedly asks, “So, when are you two walking down the aisle?”

           Beth chokes on her drink and Benny says, “I can’t really say we’ve thought about it.”

           “You do want to get married someday, don’t you?”

           Beth is almost afraid to look at Benny, but then he says, “Sure, if it was the right person.”  He stands up, putting his napkin on his seat, and says, “I’m going to head to the bathroom.  I’ll be right back.”

           “I’ll come with you,” Al says.

           When they are out of earshot, Jolene says, “You do realize he was talking about you, right?”

           “You don’t know that.”

           “That boy is in love with you.”

           Beth smiles slightly, but then it dims when she thinks about how she still hasn’t been able to say it back.  Jolene reads into her silence and says, “I know it can scary.  Being loved like that.  I felt the same way with Al.  We’re not used to it.”

           “It’s not that,” Beth says.  “I haven’t been able to say it back.”

           Beth expected some tough advice from her friend, but instead she says, “You’ll say it in your own time.   Something tells me that boy will wait.”

----

           When they say goodbye, Beth gives Jolene a tight hug, feeling uncharacteristically emotional.  Jolene kisses her cheek and says, “Thank you for being here, today.”

           “Of course.  We’re family, right?”

           Jolene nods, and Beth notices that her eyes are glassy, too.  “Damn right, we are.”

           While Al gives Beth an awkward half-hug, Jolene wraps her arms around Benny and murmurs, “You hurt her, I hurt you. Butter knife straight to the balls.”

           Benny pulls away, somewhat startled, and nods. “That is a very specific threat.”

           “A vague threat does no one any good.”  Just as swiftly as the threat came, Jolene grins beatifically.  “Thank you for coming to my wedding.”

           He walks over to Beth, and as they head back to her car, he says, “So, that was Jolene.”

           “That’s Jolene.”

           “She’s kind of intimidating.”

           Beth looks over at him and says, “She threatened you, didn’t she?”

           “Yes.  And in a very graphic manner.  I’m about as impressed as I am intimidated.”

           Beth grins.  “Sounds just about right.”

[swanimagines]

Hey :) I wanted to send something for the spamming event ^-^ first tho: I totally understand you asking for feedback, but I'd prefer to reblog on my fanfic blog, not this one. but in the reblog I'll make it clear I was the requester ;)

So... I was thinking since you write for queen's gambit and like Benny watts... A oneshot or headcanon for a reader who also is really good at chess, but doesn't like tournaments and even though she's friends (and secretly totally in love with Benny who sort of feels the same) with Benny, refuses to play him. Until one day he convinces her to play against him and she wins (even though he was really trying to beat her) and he's really impressed.

If this is too detailed, feel free to strip it down to a level you feel comfortable with!

Fandom: The Queen's Gambit

Summary: Y/N is friends and secretly in love with Benny Watts, the former USA champion in chess, but knows that she probably doesn’t have any chances for him. Benny gets to know about Y/N’s chess playing skills by accident, and that spices things up a bit.

Pairing: Benny Watts x fem!reader

Characters: Benny Watts, Y/N (female, she/her), Beth Harmon (mentioned)

A/N: I still can't look at him without laughing- I'm sorry but that moustache is horrible.

Alsoooo I'm so excited to finally publish this since you're an awesome writer yourself and and and!! These three requests you sent during my spamming event are all awesome ideas and I can't wait to get my hands on the next 2! So I hope you like this 🥰 And yeah ofc, I understand you want to keep fanfics apart from your "regular" blog, and that's what side blogs are for! To post/reblog stuff that doesn't fit to your main blog. As long as you do reblog or at least reply as the requester, it's all good and I won't scowl at you next time around 😂 But with you, I already know you'll reblog/give feedback and don't just like. There has been an awful amount of people who only like their requested fics and I'm always frustrated when that happens. But well, I won't do their request next time then unless they show their appreciation.

Warnings: the title sounds like a horror movie, and still trying to learn to write for everyone again

Word count: 1.3k

LET'S PLAY

The air at the tournament hall was full of tension as two players were competing against each other - one was the former USA champion, and the other was a promising new chess player around. They weren't really competing about anything serious, the newbie was just curious to see if Benny Watts was really so skilled as they claimed he was.

You were sitting near their table, biting into your knuckles as you watched them play. Benny winning should have been obvious, but this newbie was way smarter than anyone thought he would be. The guy had some skill after all. But eventually, he made a major mistake which made Benny an opportunity to force his Queen to move back from checkmate range, putting her under threat again soon afterwards.

The young man groaned when it happened, staring angrily at Benny who looked over at him and smirked. "Looks like I won."

The gathering around the table started to walk away from the scene, some telling the newbie that he's got a promising career in front of him, but he just shrugged them all off, marching away from the scene.

You walked up to Benny, raising your eyebrows at the newbie. "Sore loser, that one." you mumbled under your breath before glancing at Benny curiously. "Did he really struggle his way so far along the game?"

Benny chuckled. "To be honest, I let him think so. You saw how he reacted to losing after thinking he would win, imagine how it would have been if I had taken the first chance when he made his first mistake?"

"He probably would have lashed out even worse." you agreed and sighed as Benny stood up from his chair.

"Care to join me for a drink?" he asked, adjusting his coat and you smiled as you nodded happily.

It was always nice to spend time with Benny, he had been your friend since you had been little kids, and occasionally you joined him as he traveled around USA or Canada attending chess tournaments. It was nice sitting with him for hours in his car, listening to radio and talking about everything, staying in motels to sleep.

There was one problem though. You were neck deep in love with Benny, and spending so much time with him didn't exactly help it. It was intoxicating and you always felt like walking on clouds when he looked at you. And when you slept, you couldn't help but dream how it would be if one day, he would pull you aside after he won a tournament and just... tell you that he had loved you ever since he met you and that he would like you to ask to be his girlfriend.

You knew that would never happen, he probably saw you as a sister or something, but still, you kept those thoughts alive in your head because they made you happy. Sometimes you thought you saw something flash in his eyes when he looked at you - could he possibly see your feelings? Could he have fallen for you too? But you always shook the wishful thinking away, reminding yourself that it happening was highly unlikely.

Growing up with him had taught you a thing or two in chess too, but you never wanted to play against him despite his many attempts to convince you. Maybe you were scared of being humiliated by him, him laughing at you, others laughing at you for losing, or just fearing he'd wordlessly be disappointed on how bad you are in playing against him. You knew he would never humiliate you or laugh at you and would glare badly at anyone who would, but your brains always liked to bully you with that imagery. Or maybe there was a chance of you winning, and your face would be all over newspapers for being unknown, never competed in tournaments and defeating a former USA champion.

"An unknown girl defeated the former USA champion Benny Watts", it didn't sound very tempting either.

You left the tournament after another couple of hours, and maybe you were feeling crazy today, when you and Benny had settled down in another motel a few hours earlier than you had originally planned, and Benny had asked you if you would want to try and play.

"We played last time when we were kids, and I've seen you play with everyone else. I know you're scared of having an audience, but there are no spectators here, curtains are drawn, you have nothing to be afraid of." he said, and you sighed.

"Okay. One time, but you won't laugh when I lose this one," you agreed, giving into his request as you sat down at the small table, watching as Benny spread the board out.

Benny frowned at your words. "I wouldn't laugh at you. What are you talking about?"

"I just... never mind. Let's just play." you mumbled, your cheeks heating up from embarrassment as Benny looked at you. "I can take the black side."

"Fine with me." he nodded, placing his white pawns on the board. You set up yours, and leaned back, looking at the chess clock. "Ready?"

"Yes." You muttered and Benny made the first move, moving one of his knights. You looked around the board for a moment, before moving your own pawn.

---

It hadn't even been half an hour before you had trapped him in a stalemate situation, forcing him to concede defeat to you, his queen falling over.

"Wait, really?" you frowned and then looked at him, your frown disappearing as you sighed. "You made yourself lose on purpose so I wouldn't feel bad, didn't you?"

He raised his eyebrows, shaking his head and chuckling. "No, I didn't. I went easy on you at first, but then actually played my hardest when you had tricked me to give up my rook."

Your frown returned, staring at the board. "Did I actually win? I thought you're gonna pull out some trick again."

Benny shook his head slowly, leaning forward with a smile. "You won. And I gotta say, I'm impressed."

You sat there in silence for a moment more, before he cleared his throat. "I'll buy you dinner, alright? We didn't get to eat today after that little sandwich at the reception today."

You grinned at him, nodding happily as he stood up from his seat, reaching out and offering his arm to you as you got off your chair. You took it, hooking your arm through his, feeling like a couple for a moment, and the old lady at the reception desk praising your "young love" definitely made your cheeks burn even hotter, and when you glanced at Benny, you saw he was slightly red too.

So the rest of the night went by your dreams about dating Benny someday intesifying as you ate and Benny told you that he always enjoys spending time with you and is grateful that you joined him in tournaments, briefly laying his hand on top of yours on the table.

Maybe one day, one day soon, you would actually be real couple. This day felt like it somehow made you closer, and all because you finally agreed to play one game of chess against him. It had been a silly fear of feeling humiliated, being laughed at and people knowing what you did not have talent in, which would never happen even if you had lost within three moves.

Night fell slowly, briefly dyeing the sky orange and yellow, and then stars began to peek out in the clear blackness above. And for you, that was the most beautiful night in a long while.

---

Tags: @amirahiddleston @starkeysslut @bookfrog242 @katherinepetrovawife @scandalous-chaos @peter-parkers-cullen-nerd // send in an ask to be added, and specify which of my fandoms you want to be tagged on! Don’t just say “can you add me to your taglist” as I can’t know what taglists do you mean by that!! ALSO IF YOU WON’T INTERACT BEYOND LIKING, I’LL EVENTUALLY TAKE YOU OFF THE LIST!!

[tricksters-captain]

Benny Watts/The Queens Gambit imagines - From Pawn to Pen Part 1

AN: So I watched the Queens Gambit in one day and I am officially obsessed with it. And how dare it bring back my crush on Thomas Brodie Sangster... Due to this... Have a fanfic...

Overall Summary: You’re a young journalist for Chess Review, with a love for chess and a desire for knowledge. One day at a tournament, you come across the famous Benny Watts...

Pairing(s): Benny Watts x reader

Word Count: 2,504

Warnings: (I know nothing about chess except what the show taught me so bare that in mind), none really

Another state, another tournament. 

Your work had you travel round to even the smallest of Chess Tournaments to try and get the dirt on up and coming chess players or already existing champions. 

You inhaled the familiar smell of a hotel lobby, taking in your surroundings as people bustled about the place. 

It was one of the bigger tournaments fortunately and so you were hoping to run into some champions which tend to give you better pages which equals better pay. 

You walked up to the front desk, your eyes scanning the small tables as far as the eye could see where chess boards were being studied in case you recognised any chess players. 

You did but they were all the standard normies that showed their faces at these events. No one noteworthy yet. 

“Can I help you?” The slim man behind the desk with slicked back red hair flashed you a toothy smile as he greeted you. 

“(Y/n)(Y/l/n).” You introduced yourself and the man soon flicked through his booking sheets to find your reservation. 

“Room 209. If you just head down this hall to the elevators, it’s on the second floor.” The man pointed towards the elevators where you managed to spot the flash of bright auburn hair entering one of them. 

Beth Harmon. 

You smiled with relief as you started to sew the piece in your head already. 

“Thank you.” You took the key and made your way down to elevators. 

As the elevator door dinged open, some commotion by the entrance of the lobby caught your attention. 

The peak of leather through the crowd told you who it was. 

Benny Watts. 

Even better. You now had two top chess players you could focus on. 

You decided to let the celebrity champion settle into his hotel before you mobbed him as a journalist and you also needed to freshen up after travelling. 

You travelled so much that you barely bothered with your apartment. It was mostly rented out to other people besides holidays like Christmas where you actually could return home. 

Everything you had was basically in two large suitcases which you dragged across the United States and Europe following chess players around. 

You mainly liked travelling around Europe. You previously worked for a Parisian chess magazine but this year you took an offer to work for Chess Review which brought you back to the states. 

You had mostly done smaller tournaments all year round so hadn’t had the pleasure in meeting Benny Watts or Beth Harmon yet. 

Benny Watts had been one of the biggest names in chess for years now and Beth Harmon was a rapid rising star. 

You knew this would be your big break in Chess Review to stop being handed the small tournaments and to document the important ones like the US Open. 

You opened the door to your hotel room and smiled when you saw how nice it actually was. 

You had stayed in some crap holes recently. 

You dumped your suitcases to one side and immediately turned on the shower so you could relax your cramped muscles and feel a bit cleaner.

You undressed and let the hot water cascade down your back, covering your hair and face as you tipped your head backwards. 

You took your time in there before getting out and blow drying your hair. 

By the time you had washed, done your hair and make up again; it was time to pick a dress for the evening so you could go get something to eat. 

You went for your favourite navy blue skirt and cream sweater, both hugged you nicely but were still modest, before slipping on some shoes. 

You took a small purse to put your room key in and then left for the restaurant/bar that was in the hotel.

The restaurant was filled with chess players and spectators all buzzing with excitement about this weekend. 

You managed to find a small table away from the majority of the hustle and tucked yourself away with your notepad. 

You liked being a fly on the wall most of the time. You enjoyed observing, studying and learning about people. ‘People watching’ as some would call it. 

The waiter brought over the cocktail you had ordered along with some grapes, cheese and crackers to munch on. 

After writing some of the thoughts down that came to you in the shower, you looked up to see who was around you. 

There was no sign of Beth Harmon which wasn’t unusual as she was known for practising in her room before tournaments. 

You scanned the groups before your eyes stopped on him. Benny Watts. 

His slick blonde hair fell slightly by his eye, his hat on his lap as he talked to the surrounding fans and admirers. 

The man loved talking about himself and loved talking about Chess even more. 

You watched him for a moment, the way his eyes were alight as he laughed amongst his peers. 

Benny must've felt someone was watching him because a second later, his eyes met yours for a brief moment. 

You looked down and pretended to write something down as Benny turned his chin this time to look at you again. 

You were used to being invisible and in that moment you felt extremely seen. 

However, the man didn’t move from his chair or even look another time after that. 

You popped a grape in your mouth before taking a large sip of your drink. You’d have to talk to him tomorrow and you knew that but for the first time, you actually felt the bubbles of nerves rise in stomach.

“May I buy you a drink?” A voice brought you from your thoughts and you looked up to see Henry Cavilla, one of the regular American chess players whom you believed you’d seen only two months before in Denver. 

“I’m fine, thank you.” You declined politely but the man sat down anyway, joining you at your table. 

“I insist.” Henry’s smile spread widely on his lips as he waved a waiter over. “I saw you in Denver. You’re a journalist, am I right?” 

“Yes. For Chess Review.” You had to hide your irritation at his boldness.

“How long you been doing that?” The man asked, 

“Well I’ve been a journalist for three years, but I’ve only been at Chess Review for 6 months.” You admitted honestly as the man ordered two drinks for the table. 

“What’s a beautiful girl like you doing reporting on chess? Thought you’d be more into what Beth Harmon was wearing than her Sicilian defence.” 

“I could ask you a similar thing? What’s a mediocre, chino wearing, middle aged   misogynist doing at a chess tournament where Beth Harmon and Benny Watts are playing?” You couldn’t help but let the words slip out of your mouth, slapping the man right round the face. 

You watched the man’s smile drop following a small burst of laughter echoing through the restaurant. 

Your head snapped round to see it was Benny Watts laughing, staring directly at your table. He must’ve heard what you said despite the rest of the restaurant noise. 

“Listen here, sweetheart, you’re just a skirt hired to keep your boss man happy and to fuck the chess players into a one page interview so you can get your paycheck to fund your morning after pill from planned parenthood and buy yourself some clean panties you’d sooner have off anyways.” You hit a nerve with what you said and he seemed to hit one right back.   

You threw the two new drinks in the mans face, causing most of the restaurant to stop and stare at the commotion as he jumped to his feet to retaliate. 

You snatched your notebook and fled the scene before anything worse could happen or you get thrown out of the tournament all together. 

You fell back onto your bed, kicking your shoes off as you did. 

It wasn’t unusual for men to be putting you down, especially in the chess world and the journalist world but tonight you just weren't having any of it. 

You groaned as you pushed your hair out of your face, replaying the event in your head. The way everyone stared after you threw the drinks in his face. 

You did not need to be the centre of attention this weekend. 

You put yourself to bed with the television playing so you could stop scolding yourself in your head and distract yourself to finally get some sleep. 

The next morning you woke up early, getting ready quickly and making sure you had everything you needed for a full day of reporting. 

You skipped breakfast, only taking a black coffee before you entered the battle field.

The chess boards were still being set up and from across the room you spotted the familiar hair colour that belonged to Beth Harmon. 

“Beth? Beth Harmon?” You crossed the room to greet her. “I’m (Y/n)(Y/l/n) from Chess Review. I was wondering if I could get an opening statement before the tournament goes ahead this weekend?” You asked politely, trying your best not to attack her verbally this early in the morning, 

“Uh, of course. I’m feeling very confident this weekend that I’ll quickly rise to the top, concluding the tournament opposite Benny Watts.” Beth admitted, 

“Are you scared of Benny Watts?” You asked, 

“Scared? No. I am merely curious to see how our game goes.” Beth admits. 

“Well, good luck, Beth. I hope to catch up with you sometime this weekend for a brief interview of how you play your games if you don’t mind?” You asked politely, silently begging she’d say yes. 

“I’ll speak with you tomorrow night. It’ll be the middle of the tournament so there’ll be plenty to talk about.” Beth was extremely nice in offering her time and you took it gratefully. 

You left the girl to her own company and returned to the lobby where you could see a crowd already gathering. 

“Mr Watts.” You spotted the leather jacket and hat as the man entered the breakfast room. 

The man turned when he heard his name being called across the lobby and you quickly jogged to catch up to him. 

“You’re the girl from last night who put Henry Cavilla in his place?” Benny Watts smirked at you as he recalled the previous nights events. 

“Um.” You felt your cheeks flush in embarrassment. “I was just wondering if I could get a statement before the tournament began?” 

“You’re a reporter?” Benny cocked his eyebrow at you, his eyes scanning you up and down shamelessly. 

“Yes. For Chess Review.” You informed him. 

“Follow me.” Benny nodded his head sideways towards the table he was heading to and you did as you were told. 

“I was wondering how you were feeling about this weekend and possibly going up against Beth Harmon?” You asked as you sat yourself down opposite the man. 

“I won’t be possibly going up against Beth Harmon. I fully expect to be going up against her. Out of everyone here, she is the only person I see as potential competition.” Benny admitted, picking up his knife and fork as his breakfast was set down on the table. 

“Are you sure there’s no one else? Harry Beltik went into his tournament in Kentucky assuming no one but Cullen was any competition to him and yet Beth Harmon came along.” You stated, jotting down some notes to avoid watching the man eat. 

“Well then, they’ll just have to surprise me.” His eyes locked onto yours when he spoke. His lip just edging into a smirk. 

“Thank you for your statement.” You felt your stomach flip and you jumped to your feet, gathering your things. 

“Would you not like a full interview or was the three sentence statement enough?” Benny cocked his head round as you began to leave. 

“It was four, actually.” You corrected him, tapping your notepad with your pen. 

The man huffed out a short chuckle. 

“I’d be grateful for an interview later on this weekend, Mr Watts, if you don’t mind?” 

“I’ll find you when I’m ready.” Benny told you and from the look in his eyes, that’s what he really meant. 

The day went by quicker than expected, it was impossible to watch every game of the day so you watched Beth’s and Benny’s and you filled yourself in with the plays of any others that would make good press. 

You loved watching the game being played, you always tried to predict the outcome and 9 times out of 10 you got it correct except with Beth Harmon and Benny Watts.

They surprised you and it was thrilling to watch. You admired Harmon’s intuition and her attacks. Watts had always been an interesting watch all through his career but you’d only seen him play a handful of times in person before today.

In the evening, you received a call from the big bosses asking how everything was going. 

“I have an interview set up with Beth Harmon and Benny Watts.” You told them with confidence. 

“Good girl. Now get those interviews done quickly and send me a draft as soon as you can.” Your boss ordered before ending the call. 

You sighed, running a hand over your tired face. 

You picked up the bottle of wine you had in a metal cooler to see it was empty. Room service had taken so long to bring it up previously, you decided to just slip your slippers on and head down to the bar to get one final glass of wine before bed. 

You were wearing a nightie so you pulled a coat on over the top in case you bumped into anyone.

As you walked down the hall, you could hear the familiar voice of Benny Watts behind you. 

He was spewing some chess facts to whoever he was with as he walked. 

You peaked behind your shoulder to see he was heading to his room which was three doors up from yours. 

He spotted you too. 

You went into the elevator to head down to the bar. 

The bar was still busy despite the time and you had to wait for your wine. 

You took the glass and returned to your room. 

Your eyes couldn’t help but linger on the hotel room of Mr Benny Watts as you thought of tomorrows games. 

“You’re not stalking me, are you?” Benny startled you as he came up from behind. 

“Jesus...” You gasped, spinning round to face him. 

“Trying to get the dirt on who I’m sleeping with?” The man cocked his eyebrow, his hands tucked in his tight jeans. 

“Seems like the other way round since you keep appearing behind me.” You referred to earlier. 

“Maybe you just like being in my way?” You couldn’t deny that Benny Watts, the Benny Watts, was flirting with you right now. 

“Goodnight Mr Watts. Good luck tomorrow.” You gripped your door handle tightly. 

“Please, call me Benny.” 

(NEXT PART HERE)

[masterelrond]

tagged by @creativerocket-jpg, thank you!!

three ships:

Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier from the X-men,

Beth/Benny from The Queen's Gambit,

and Chloe Decker/Lucifer from Lucifer!

last song: Bad Ideas by Tessa Violet

currently watching: Money Heist (it's amazing you need to see it, i even started learning spanish on duolingo because of it fjdjdhsv) and rewatching Lucifer!

currently reading: nothing atm, i mostly just read fanfics in my free time nowadays, but the last book i read was the silmarillion

currently craving: a haircut. it's gotten so long i might just chop it off myself, not caring how fucked up it'll look i just want short hair again

tags: i'm gonna tag the most recent people in my notifications and @ anyone who feels like doing it!!

@captainbookamir @mossself @nyneas @sweet-bea-blossom @stanboromir @dreamsdescent

[criminalromantic]

Benny: H-hey Cleo? Is it done?

Cleo: Is what done?

Benny: Uh, t-the “Beth Harmon x Reader Fanfic” you were working on?

Cleo: You really like Beth that much, huh?

Benny: *blushes* Kinda