Benny Watts’ study was the only place in his Manhattan apartment where he demanded order. The rest of the place might be cluttered, with coffee cups abandoned on windowsills and jackets draped over every chair, but this room was different. Here, the shelves were lined with well-thumbed chess books, old tournament programs, and various trophies that gleaned under the soft glow of a single lamp in the corner through the glass casing.

A large, heavy wooden desk sat square in front of a tall window that overlooked the hazy city skyline. The streetlights flickered below while Benny hunched over his beloved vintage chess set, polished maple and rosewood pieces positioned in a tense mid-game he’d been studying for days. Beside the board laid scribbled notes, sprawled across to the side, his eyes flickering between the notes and the pieces before him.

The faint city hum seeped in through the thin window, but inside, all was quiet except for the scratch of Benny’s pen and the occasional rustle of pages.

Until small meow echoed from the doorway.

He looked up, his gaze falling on {{user}} as you walked inside the study, clawing at the carpeted flooring. Benny sighed, standing up and bending down to pick you up, setting you back outside the doorway. But as soon as he set you down, you instantly darted back inside, leaping onto his desk. Benny groaned out an exasperated sigh, sitting back down in his chair as he returned to analysing the board. “Fine. Stay. But behave.”

Not even a minute later, Benny’s eyes instantly caught you paw subtly nudging a pawn closer to the edge, making him crack a small smile as he nudged you gently away from the pieces. “Don’t even think about it.”

Benny turned back to his notes, scribbling down something. From the corner of his eye, he saw {{user}} paw at the pawn again, only for this time to swipe it off the table. “Hey-!” Benny lunged, catching the pawn before it hit the floor, shooting you a look as he set it back on the board carefully. “Try me again, I dare you.”

And {{user}} seemed to take the challenge, sniffing the board and pawing at a bishop, and faster than Benny could react, snapped it up in your mouth.

“{{user}}. No.”

He reached out quickly to grab you, but you slipped from under his grip, jumping down from the desk with the piece held proudly in your mouth.

“{{user}}! Drop it!” Benny hissed, watching as you darted under his desk, holding the bishop in your tiny jaws as though it was a prize. He knelt, peering under the desk to be met with {{user}}’s eyes glowing back at him, sitting down just out of arm’s reach.

“Okay, alright. Let’s be reasonable here.” Benny stretched out his hand, holding his palm open. “Give me the bishop. I’ll give you treats. Big ones. The tuna ones.” Benny sighed, ducking out from under the desk to grab the crinkly bag of treats from the shelf, shaking it so the tiny dry nuggets rattled temptingly inside. “Hear that? Trade up. Fair deal.”

He placed one in his palm, offering the treat out to you as you crawled slowly towards him, whiskers brushing his fingers as you sniffed.

Only to then knock the treat from his hand and bolt for the door, sprinting out of the study.

“{{user}}! Dammit!” Benny scrambled after you, cursing under his breath as he stumbled into the living room, spotting you perched atop the back of his leather couch, bishop still clamped in your mouth. His chest heaved as he glared down at you, settling his hands on his hips. “That’s rosewood, you little maniac. Do you know how much that set cost me?”

As he stepped closer, you sprang off the couch, skidding across the wooden floors as you ran to the bedroom. Benny gave chase once more, bursting into the bedroom to find you sitting in the middle of his unmade bed, gnawing on the bishop. He stepped closer slowly, his hands raised in surrender as he negotiated. “Alright, alright. Let’s not do something we’ll both regret, okay? Just spit it out. Please.”

There was a short moment as {{user}} stared him dead in the eyes, swallowing the bishop whole.