Heroes Fic: Army Chess
Title: Army Chess
Author: caffeinified
Fandom: Heroes
Characters/Pairing: Nathan, Simon, Monty
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don't own them. It's just for fun.
Summary: Oneshot: Nostalgic Nathan with his boys piece.
“Daddy, Monty won’t play right. He’s just moving the pieces ‘round the board.”
Nathan stopped halfway to his home office to look to the table where both boys sat. On the table top was a chess board. “Teaching Monty to play chess?” It had only been a few months ago that he had taught Simon the game.
His eldest son nodded enthusiastically. “Was trying to but he’s just playing like the pieces are chasing each other.” As if on cue, Monty lifted the bishop and held it up in the air emitting a loud growl.
A grin smoothed over Nathan’s lips as he walked into the room and set down the papers he was carrying. With two hands under Monty’s arms he lifted him up and took his seat. He set the little boy in his lap and Monty was perfectly content with that, leaning back against his father. “Well it is kind of like they’re chasing each other, isn’t it?” He began to put the pieces in their place on his side of the black and white checkered board.
Simon beamed and followed suit, lining up the pieces on his side of the board. “This isn’t wizard’s chess.”
“Wizard’s chess?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah, like in the books. Where Harry and Ron and Hermoine have to play chess. And the pieces are huge and they destroy each other.” If the words weren’t descriptive enough, Simon’s exuberance throughout the explanation more than made up for it; wide eyes and a wave of his arms. The boy even made what could have been an exploding sound effect which Monty promptly mimicked.
“I see.” But he didn’t, not really. Some names that he didn’t know and a small description out of context wasn’t enough to clue him in. “How about Monty and me against you?”
Simon nodded. “Just don’t let Monty pretend like the pieces are army men.”
“No army chess.” Nathan dipped his head, lips close to Monty’s head of curly hair. “Think we can handle that?”
The little boy nodded but then quickly posed the question. “And then after this we can play army chess?”
“After we play real chess we’ll play army chess.” Nathan agreed around a small smile.
“Can I make the first move?” Simon asked.
Nathan answered with a slight nod. “Go ahead.” They made it through five minutes of normal play before Monty reached out to grab the knight and held him in the air. The young boy made another exploding sound and the piece came crashing down on the board, knocking all the other pieces askew.
“Monntyyyyy….”
“It’s okay. We can play normal chess anytime right? We’ll play some army chess.” Nathan arched both brows amusedly and picked up the king.
“Army chess!!” Monty exclaimed excitedly as he picked up two chess pieces. “Pretend like all the black squares explode!”
Begrudgingly, Simon fisted two pieces from his side of the board. “Like land mines?” At Monty’s nod, the older brother continued. “And pretend like the one dad’s holding is the big bad Overlord!”
“I’m the evil one?” Nathan asked, only to be answered with two overly emphatic nods. “Okay and I’m trying to blow up all of the good guys… but only if they walk on the black squares.”
“So we gotta stay on the white ones, kay Monty?” Simon got on his knees in the chair and started rearranging all the pieces with Monty. “Black’s always bad and white’s always good, right dad?”
“Not always.” Shaking his head, Nathan pressed his lips together in thought for a moment. There was always an exception to the rule. The world was filled with gray too, but this was army chess, not life. “For army chess it is though… unless we change our minds.”
“Kay, black’s evil.” Simon nodded.
Monty giggled and scooted one of the pieces onto a black square. Both boys looked expectantly up to their father with two pairs of wide, playful eyes.
Taking the cue, Nathan lifted the king chess piece. “How dare you step on my land. You will be destroyed!”
Both boys erupted in a fit of giggles. “Hide!” Monty squeaked.
“Take cover!” Simon ducked under the table and Monty followed suit, sliding off of his fathers’ lap under the table.
“You can’t hide from me! No one steps foot on my land and gets away with it.” Nathan spoke around a smile and started sliding down from the chair to the floor. “You’ll convert to black or-“
“Or you’ll tickle us?”
Nathan chuckled and set the chess piece back on the chess board, the game forgotten. He reached out to both boys who obviously wanted to be tickled. “An evil Overlord who tickles? Whoever heard of that?” Whoever indeed… Black or white, his reign as evil Overlord or super hero always ended in tickling.
Author: caffeinified
Fandom: Heroes
Characters/Pairing: Nathan, Simon, Monty
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don't own them. It's just for fun.
Summary: Oneshot: Nostalgic Nathan with his boys piece.
“Daddy, Monty won’t play right. He’s just moving the pieces ‘round the board.”
Nathan stopped halfway to his home office to look to the table where both boys sat. On the table top was a chess board. “Teaching Monty to play chess?” It had only been a few months ago that he had taught Simon the game.
His eldest son nodded enthusiastically. “Was trying to but he’s just playing like the pieces are chasing each other.” As if on cue, Monty lifted the bishop and held it up in the air emitting a loud growl.
A grin smoothed over Nathan’s lips as he walked into the room and set down the papers he was carrying. With two hands under Monty’s arms he lifted him up and took his seat. He set the little boy in his lap and Monty was perfectly content with that, leaning back against his father. “Well it is kind of like they’re chasing each other, isn’t it?” He began to put the pieces in their place on his side of the black and white checkered board.
Simon beamed and followed suit, lining up the pieces on his side of the board. “This isn’t wizard’s chess.”
“Wizard’s chess?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah, like in the books. Where Harry and Ron and Hermoine have to play chess. And the pieces are huge and they destroy each other.” If the words weren’t descriptive enough, Simon’s exuberance throughout the explanation more than made up for it; wide eyes and a wave of his arms. The boy even made what could have been an exploding sound effect which Monty promptly mimicked.
“I see.” But he didn’t, not really. Some names that he didn’t know and a small description out of context wasn’t enough to clue him in. “How about Monty and me against you?”
Simon nodded. “Just don’t let Monty pretend like the pieces are army men.”
“No army chess.” Nathan dipped his head, lips close to Monty’s head of curly hair. “Think we can handle that?”
The little boy nodded but then quickly posed the question. “And then after this we can play army chess?”
“After we play real chess we’ll play army chess.” Nathan agreed around a small smile.
“Can I make the first move?” Simon asked.
Nathan answered with a slight nod. “Go ahead.” They made it through five minutes of normal play before Monty reached out to grab the knight and held him in the air. The young boy made another exploding sound and the piece came crashing down on the board, knocking all the other pieces askew.
“Monntyyyyy….”
“It’s okay. We can play normal chess anytime right? We’ll play some army chess.” Nathan arched both brows amusedly and picked up the king.
“Army chess!!” Monty exclaimed excitedly as he picked up two chess pieces. “Pretend like all the black squares explode!”
Begrudgingly, Simon fisted two pieces from his side of the board. “Like land mines?” At Monty’s nod, the older brother continued. “And pretend like the one dad’s holding is the big bad Overlord!”
“I’m the evil one?” Nathan asked, only to be answered with two overly emphatic nods. “Okay and I’m trying to blow up all of the good guys… but only if they walk on the black squares.”
“So we gotta stay on the white ones, kay Monty?” Simon got on his knees in the chair and started rearranging all the pieces with Monty. “Black’s always bad and white’s always good, right dad?”
“Not always.” Shaking his head, Nathan pressed his lips together in thought for a moment. There was always an exception to the rule. The world was filled with gray too, but this was army chess, not life. “For army chess it is though… unless we change our minds.”
“Kay, black’s evil.” Simon nodded.
Monty giggled and scooted one of the pieces onto a black square. Both boys looked expectantly up to their father with two pairs of wide, playful eyes.
Taking the cue, Nathan lifted the king chess piece. “How dare you step on my land. You will be destroyed!”
Both boys erupted in a fit of giggles. “Hide!” Monty squeaked.
“Take cover!” Simon ducked under the table and Monty followed suit, sliding off of his fathers’ lap under the table.
“You can’t hide from me! No one steps foot on my land and gets away with it.” Nathan spoke around a smile and started sliding down from the chair to the floor. “You’ll convert to black or-“
“Or you’ll tickle us?”
Nathan chuckled and set the chess piece back on the chess board, the game forgotten. He reached out to both boys who obviously wanted to be tickled. “An evil Overlord who tickles? Whoever heard of that?” Whoever indeed… Black or white, his reign as evil Overlord or super hero always ended in tickling.