did she eat?

“what?”

she wrinkled her nose as though it were a ridiculous question.

“i don’t know, i eat, like…” her eyes fell, and she fiddled with her fingers a bit, voice getting lower as she continued. “frozen dinners and... cup noodles.”

lulu had a lot of money, but had feared going out for so long, having been on the run, that she usually refused to step foot in restaurants—except on the very rare, very necessary occasion. she didn’t plan well enough to order food before she was starving, and couldn’t be assed to pick it up anyways. she had shit to do.

she looked back up, clarifying, “i'm just busy.”

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]briefly, he thinks back to their first meeting in the diner, to how lulu hadn't ordered anything then either. it wasn't odd then, but it certainly is now.

"frozen dinners and cup noodles."

he repeats, only slightly surprised and not at all judgmental because there was a time where he ate similar things. in fact, he still does, just far less frequent.

still, he sighs.

"let me buy you food sometime. real food."

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

hmm.

surprised at the offer, she finally redirected her attention to the board, acting at first as though she hadn’t even heard him.

then, eventually: “why? i have money.”

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]when nothing meets his question, he returns his attention to the board as well, unintentionally mirroring her yet again.

why?

"because i'd like to."

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

another ‘why’ lingered on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained from voicing it because she had gotten answers to similar questions before already. for some reason, they just didn’t stick very well.

theo enjoyed her company, and wanted to buy her food. could’ve been purely friendly, and she chose to see it as such.

she made another move to ignore her own quiet hesitation.

”okay.” a beat, and then, so as to not be rude for once: ”thanks.” but the tone was still slightly sharp, defensive. guarded, as it tended to be.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]because he enjoys her company. because frozen dinners and cup noodles, as delicious as they could be at times, aren't very nutritious. perhaps he'll have to teach her about nutrition as part of her training.

another reason floats to the forefront of his mind, but he chooses not to voice it.

he nods, not minding the sharpness behind her gratitude.

a piece is moved.

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

there was a short sigh. she shouldn’t think about this too hard. it didn’t matter.

she focused on the board again, sitting up to hover more over the desk at it. once decided on an attack, a piece moved. other than the light stamp of its foot, the silence was uninterrupted.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]she attacks, and he defends, doubling down on a position that he's confident he could hold.

he does little to disrupt the silence that surrounds them. it's comforting, as it usually is, and it's only interrupted when he goes to pour them a refill.

a refill from a bottle she got for him, specifically.

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

a familiar scenario off the board, too. no matter how many times theo had teeth gnashed at him, he remained rock-steady.

it was wearing her down some, little by little. she was almost passive at times, if only for being exhausted with trying to get a rise out of him. 

she continued her attack for now.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]eventually, the game comes close to an end, and predictably, despite his fortified defense, theo's losing, too pressured to do anything but to further solidify his hold.

and so, he speaks up, offering a compromise.

"draw?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

she looked up at him, brow deeply furrowed as though he’d said something incredibly dumb.

”never.”

another move.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]had he said something dumb? perhaps from her point of view, as it was only logical for him to offer a draw considering the position he's in.

not ideal, to say the least.

another move draws them closer to the end.

[attr="class","noodles"]Lulu Flint

he had moves left. this was no stalemate. why ever back someone into a corner without sinking your teeth in? no escape, only forfeit.

”checkmate.”

THEO BECKETT