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Fanfic / You Wait and You Wonder Who'll Take On Your Odds

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''you wait and you wonder who'll take on your odds'' is a The Queen's Gambit fanfic by paperclipbitch, an author on Archive of Our Own. The story is complete.

In the wake of her victory at the 1968 Moscow Invitational, Beth takes some time away from chess to organize her life. As she tries to maintain her sobriety and re-enter the tournament scene, she finds herself plagued by endless speculation on her marital status in media coverage and fan mail. Someone suggests she get a fake husband and despite her vehement rejection of the notion, Beth is convinced by Benny that they should enter into a Marriage of Convenience. The story follows the ups and downs of their marriage with all their friends in supporting roles.


Tropes:

  • 10-Minute Retirement: Immediately following a disastrous match, Beth retreats to Kentucky to lick her wounds.
  • A Friend in Need: Townes helps Beth handle media damage control after a big disaster.
  • Beach Kiss: Happens at Coney Island.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: It is obvious to everyone that Benny and Beth have more feelings for each other than a fake marriage should necessitate and they refuse to admit it.
  • Beta Couple: Mike (one of the twins) and Susan act as the more stable foil to the main couple.
  • Birds of a Feather: Beth and Benny have a lot in common in terms of chess and the way they view things.
  • Bite of Affection: Several hickeys are featured.
  • Break His Heart to Save Him: Beth thinks she has to do this at one point.
  • Cake Toppers: The white king and queen chess pieces are used on the wedding cake.
  • Career Versus Man: The media and general public expect Beth to marry and become less career oriented. This is averted as she becomes even more career oriented post marriage. By the end of the fic, she proves to herself that she can have both.
  • Caretaker Reversal: Beth and Benny take turns in caring for the other when they are incapacitated.
  • Clothing Switch: When going to a concert, Beth wears Benny’s jeans and he wears her eyeliner.
  • Condescending Compassion: Beth gets letters from Disapproving Older Ladies who worry for her well being and happiness if she remains unmarried.
  • Continuation: Canon compliant follow up.
  • Double Standard: Beth's gender and marital status make up the majority of press coverage about her when it's irrelevant for any male chess Grandmaster.
  • Duet Bonding: Carpool karaoke.
  • Eating the Eye Candy: There is much appreciation of each other's wardrobe and appearance.
  • Everyone Can See It: Beth's friends tell her they've noticed improvements in her demeanor and Benny's.
  • Exiled to the Couch: Subverted. After a fight, Benny offers to take the couch, but Beth tells him not to be ridiculous.
  • Fake Relationship: Beth and Benny stage displays of affections for the benefit of the media.
  • Family of Choice: Beth spends time with people who care about her both in Kentucky and in New York. Jolene is referred to as Beth's sister.
  • Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Beth and Benny do this in interviews, like a lot.
  • Flashback Nightmare: Happens once near the end of the fic. Beth relives the car crash from Episode 1.
  • Foreshadowing
  • Forgotten First Meeting: Averted. Benny confesses to remembering their first meeting in Cincinnati in 1963.
  • Grand Romantic Gesture: When Benny flies to Kentucky to bring Beth back home.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Beth is upset when she hears Benny with another woman and angrily wonders who he bought condoms for when she stumbles across them in his possessions.
  • Happily Married: By the end of the fic, Beth realizes she's happy in her marriage with the help of observations by others.
  • Harem Genre: Subverted. The media falsely pairs Beth with every male character she is publicly seen with.
  • Her Boyfriend's Jacket: Beth briefly wears Benny's hat.
  • Hidden Heart of Gold: Benny quietly sends Jolene African-American literary works.
  • His and Hers: Beth and Benny have chess libraries that contain mostly the same books but with their own notes in the margins. They also have matching trophy collections.
  • Holding Hands: This happens in several scenes.
  • Hollywood Kiss: This is done several times for the benefit of cameras.
  • Honorable Marriage Proposal: Benny proposes they get married partly to salvage Beth's reputation from all the salacious rumors pairing her with their friends.
  • I Gave My Word: During the struggles in their relationship, Beth often thinks back to a handshake agreement between her and Benny. It fuels her resolve to not let their marriage fall apart.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Benny enters into a marriage of convenience with Beth despite still having feelings for her.
  • Inconvenient Attraction: This applies to both Beth and Benny towards each other.
  • Insatiable Newlyweds: Averted due to platonic marriage. Near the end, Benny proposes a second honeymoon so they can be insatiable newlyweds.
  • Interrupted Intimacy: Occurs in a studio dressing room.
  • It Doesn't Mean Anything: Beth's reaction to acts of intimacy between her and Benny.
  • It's Not You, It's Me: Beth believes herself to be incapable of romantic love. leading to her considering divorce at the end.
  • Kiss-Kiss-Slap: Make out session leads into an argument.
  • Like an Old Married Couple: Based on the way they bicker and know each other.
  • Long-Distance Relationship: Beth goes to Kentucky while Benny stays in New York after Vegas.
  • Love Confession: This happens with Beth and Benny at the end of the fic when they're in Moscow.
  • Love Hurts: True for both main characters.
  • Love Informant: Two days before Beth and Benny go to Russia, Townes calls Beth and informs her that Benny loves her.
  • Love Is a Weakness: Beth thinks she can't play chess well if she's in love.
  • Love Revelation Epiphany: After finding out about Benny's feelings for her, Beth begins to realize her own feelings for him.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Benny tells Beth how he managed to purposefully psyche her out in Vegas (episode 3).
  • Marriage of Convenience: Beth is experiencing period-typical sexism after her success in Moscow and quietly struggling to maintain her sobriety. Benny has a gambling problem. He proposes a fake marriage so they can train together and manage each other’s addictions while getting good press.
  • Mating Dance: Happens several times. Benny takes Beth dancing and they both get very into it.
  • The Nicknamer: Played with. Benny calls her pet names, claiming it's to help sell their lie but really he just likes to rile her up.
  • Not Good with Rejection: One of Beth's letter suitors confronts her in person at a chess tournament and injures her hand when she turns him down.
  • Now What?: Now that Beth has finally defeated Borgov, what's next for her?
  • Platonic Kissing: Occurs on several occasions on behalf of the audience.
  • Platonic Life-Partners: In line with marriage of convenience. They end up knowing each other better than anyone else. Averted by the end.
  • Power of Trust: When Jolene objects to Beth fake-marrying Benny, Beth reveals that she trusts Benny because they think alike and want the same things.
  • Recovered Addict: Beth.
  • Rejected Marriage Proposal: Beth gets offers of marriage in letters sent to her and she disregards them.
  • Remember That You Trust Me: When Townes tells Beth something, she decides what she must do by herself and keeps it a secret from Benny. He figures it out anyway and is upset about the secrecy.
  • Road Trip Plot: The fic features several road trips, some light hearted and some heavy.
  • Romantic Fake–Real Turn: By the end of the fic, Beth and Benny get together for real.
  • Rudely Hanging Up: Benny does this on several phone calls.
  • Self-Made Woman: Beth gets an agent and a studio contract in order to fund her career and control her publicity.
  • Sequel: The story follows canon and acts as a follow up.
  • Sickeningly Sweethearts: Applies to Mike and Susan, the Beta Couple.
  • Sleep Cute: Happens a few times. Beth and Benny fall asleep on each other's shoulders on planes.
  • Smooch of Victory: Happens when Benny wins the Boston tournament.
  • The Gambling Addict: Benny.
  • The Insomniac: Beth and Benny.
  • The Lady's Favor: Beth gifts Benny some cufflinks.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Benny tells Beth that she broke his heart when she chose getting drunk in Kentucky over him.
  • There Is Only One Bed: In Vegas.
  • Unable to Support a Wife: Averted. Beth earns considerably more than Benny and on a steadier basis. She also saves money and prevents him from gambling his earnings away.
  • Unconventional Wedding Dress: Beth wears a white pantsuit instead of a dress.
  • We Used to Be Friends: Beth and Benny at the start of the fic.
  • What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Beth has trouble realizing what being in love is like.
  • Will They or Won't They?: The question of whether or not their marriage will become real remains unanswered until the end.
  • With This Ring: Averted. Benny can't afford an engagement ring.
  • You Are Better Than You Think You Are: This applies to both Beth and Benny who are overly critical of themselves.
  • You Are Not Alone: When Beth is overwhelmed during an episode at her house, Benny shows up and she realizes she doesn't want to stay there alone.
  • You Go, Girl!: In an epistolary extract, a journalist notes that Beth has proven women can play chess just as well as men. Benny also tells her this in a phone call.
  • Zip Me Up: Beth asks Benny to zip up her dress.

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