i want a fic where mel recoils in personal conversations not only because intimate interactions and difficult discussions tend to be uncomfortable for her in general but because she's learned how many people lie just to save face. how many people will blanket the truth just to spare her feelings. how most of the time she lags when expected to respond because the truth and the lies overlap and it causes her to stumble out a less than ideal reply because it's all so loud.

i want a fic where mel expects it from everyone and thus, when frank trails after her like a puppy on her very first day in the pitt, she knows not to believe a word out of his mouth. twenty-nine years have gone by, summers and winters and some of the worst events in mel's life, and she can't show bias towards frank just because he's handsome and skilled and attentive.

but the problem that mel discovers is that, no, frank isn't like the rest.

when he sits on the floor with her in the staff lounge, while she's overwhelmed and raking her fingers through crosby's fur, while frank says you're a sensitive person.. this is a.. tough place for sensitive people, all mel can do is stare at him. she thought it'd been a fluke, all the hours before, while they worked side by side, everyone's thoughts folding over one another that he'd been in the mix, too. but there's no extra little voice when he talks, nor after. just silence following his spoken words.

Same thing with the drug test. Lab Tech Montgomery Smith wants to be in that bathroom looking at Frank’s dick even less than Frank wants to go through it. If Frank gets cagey and awkward and apologetic or whatever, it only makes this situation worse, this situation that’ll continue weekly for 5 years. So he takes the wind out of the discomfort. I love it!

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Ahhahhahahahhahahahahahhahhaaa.. *deep breath*

AHHHAHAHHAHHAAAA..!!

What if he brings it up to Mel sometime (she doesn't even know chess.com exists) and she's like "Oh, my grandpa taught me when I was a child, but it's been like two decades since the last time I played".

He offers to remind her how to play - in his place, of course. He has such a nice set of pieces! He can cook her dinner too. And maybe a movie after and -

Of course she says yes.

He is vibrating out of his skin when the day comes. He decides to be gentle but not coddle her in his lessons - Mel would never forgive him if he was condescending with her. She will catch up soon enough, she's smart. He's sure she is a graceful loser.

But. After the first game. She keeps DEMOLISHING him. He's astounded. After her third win in a row, he can't help himself:

"What the fuck, Mel??"

She at least looks sheepish.

"I'm sorry. My grandpa was like 15th in the american ranking when he was playing competitively. We would play for hours every weekend while I was young. I should've mentioned it"