[Havemercy] Payback
Title: Payback
Fandom: Havemercy
Characters: Thom, Dragon Corps
Rating: PG
Word Count: 577
Summary: In all honesty, he had expected most of the others to cheat as well (and some of them did), but from what he could tell, none could count cards.
Notes: Written for chikapus, who suggested once that Thom would probably be pretty good at poker. Even if I know nothing about playing it.
It was incredibly risky, what Thom was doing. A persistent voice in the back of his head told him it was too dangerous to try, but Thom was determined; he’d been surprised that the Corps had let him join in their game, but he knew it was probably because they didn’t think he’d be any threat at all, just an easy win that they could push around. And that was precisely why Thom was doing it - like he was going to just give up such an opportunity as this.
“I’m out,” Niall said, sighing dramatically and standing up. There were only a few people left in the game now: Rook (because no one wanted to call him on his cheating, and if he wasn’t cheating then you knew you were just playing particularly badly), Jeannot (who wasn’t even interested in cards, but took a slight pleasure in letting everyone know that he was better at it than them), and, to most people’s surprise and Rook’s chagrin, Thom. Needless to say, Rook wasn’t taking this very well.
“You’ve got to be cheating,” he accused, clearly unbothered by outing other people as cheaters.
Thom looked at Rook as calmly and innocently as he could over the top of his cards. “What makes you say that?”
Rook slammed a fist against the table. “No way can you fucking be winning.”
Thom didn’t dare reply, instead glancing over at Jeannot, who merely returned the look with his customary bored expression in situations such as these. Rook causing a scene was nothing new. Thom shrugged.
“Beginner’s luck?” he suggested modestly.
Rook glared at him, but motioned for Balfour to deal the next cards.
Licking his lips nervously, Thom watched Balfour’s gloved hands flip the cards carefully, hoping to whatever gods were out there that Rook didn’t catch the fact that he was indeed cheating. In all honesty, he had expected most of the others to cheat as well (and some of them did), but from what he could tell, none could count cards. Not even Rook. Thom had a hard time trying not to smile when he had figured this out.
He glanced at his new hand of cards. Well that was completely useless. But Rook should have an even more useless hand. Thom looked over at Jeannot. Jeannot might win this one. But that was all right; Jeannot was hardly as bad as the rest of them. He didn’t mind if Jeannot won as long as Rook didn’t.
Thom let out a groan. Now he was thinking like them. Clearly he had stayed in the Airman much too long.
Rook, however, interpreted Thom’s noise as a sign of displeasure about his current hand, and grinned.
Things just went downhill for him from there. By the time Jeannot announced that the game was over, Rook was way past his last nerve, and Thom found himself much richer than he had ever imagined gaining from a card game (and in possession of a very inappropriate magazine that he was probably going to give back to Compagnon as soon as possible).
As Thom gathered up his winnings, watching Rook shout angrily at Balfour like this was all his fault, he decided that this was pretty good payback for his treatment by the Corps thus far. Unfortunately, that treatment probably wasn’t going to get any better now.
He’d accept the risks though. It was worth seeing Rook so frazzled that he walked into a door.
end
Fandom: Havemercy
Characters: Thom, Dragon Corps
Rating: PG
Word Count: 577
Summary: In all honesty, he had expected most of the others to cheat as well (and some of them did), but from what he could tell, none could count cards.
Notes: Written for chikapus, who suggested once that Thom would probably be pretty good at poker. Even if I know nothing about playing it.
It was incredibly risky, what Thom was doing. A persistent voice in the back of his head told him it was too dangerous to try, but Thom was determined; he’d been surprised that the Corps had let him join in their game, but he knew it was probably because they didn’t think he’d be any threat at all, just an easy win that they could push around. And that was precisely why Thom was doing it - like he was going to just give up such an opportunity as this.
“I’m out,” Niall said, sighing dramatically and standing up. There were only a few people left in the game now: Rook (because no one wanted to call him on his cheating, and if he wasn’t cheating then you knew you were just playing particularly badly), Jeannot (who wasn’t even interested in cards, but took a slight pleasure in letting everyone know that he was better at it than them), and, to most people’s surprise and Rook’s chagrin, Thom. Needless to say, Rook wasn’t taking this very well.
“You’ve got to be cheating,” he accused, clearly unbothered by outing other people as cheaters.
Thom looked at Rook as calmly and innocently as he could over the top of his cards. “What makes you say that?”
Rook slammed a fist against the table. “No way can you fucking be winning.”
Thom didn’t dare reply, instead glancing over at Jeannot, who merely returned the look with his customary bored expression in situations such as these. Rook causing a scene was nothing new. Thom shrugged.
“Beginner’s luck?” he suggested modestly.
Rook glared at him, but motioned for Balfour to deal the next cards.
Licking his lips nervously, Thom watched Balfour’s gloved hands flip the cards carefully, hoping to whatever gods were out there that Rook didn’t catch the fact that he was indeed cheating. In all honesty, he had expected most of the others to cheat as well (and some of them did), but from what he could tell, none could count cards. Not even Rook. Thom had a hard time trying not to smile when he had figured this out.
He glanced at his new hand of cards. Well that was completely useless. But Rook should have an even more useless hand. Thom looked over at Jeannot. Jeannot might win this one. But that was all right; Jeannot was hardly as bad as the rest of them. He didn’t mind if Jeannot won as long as Rook didn’t.
Thom let out a groan. Now he was thinking like them. Clearly he had stayed in the Airman much too long.
Rook, however, interpreted Thom’s noise as a sign of displeasure about his current hand, and grinned.
Things just went downhill for him from there. By the time Jeannot announced that the game was over, Rook was way past his last nerve, and Thom found himself much richer than he had ever imagined gaining from a card game (and in possession of a very inappropriate magazine that he was probably going to give back to Compagnon as soon as possible).
As Thom gathered up his winnings, watching Rook shout angrily at Balfour like this was all his fault, he decided that this was pretty good payback for his treatment by the Corps thus far. Unfortunately, that treatment probably wasn’t going to get any better now.
He’d accept the risks though. It was worth seeing Rook so frazzled that he walked into a door.
end