DISCLAIMER: this chapter contains mild sexual harassment. Proceed with caution.
Song: house of cards by BTS
I recommend you listen to have a vibe of the chapter
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"Did you bring your payment miss?"
The colorful lights of the casino tinted the scenery, making it seem like a friendlier situation than it really was. The sound of coins dropping and lively chatter buzzed around me, making me feel somewhat unsettled. The contaminated air of nicotine irritated my vision as I brought out the duffel bag that was hanging over my shoulder. I slightly zipped it down, giving the man a peek of the innumerable stacks of money that were hidden within the bag. His eyes widened slightly and he cleared his throat. It was clearly more than he expected. Truly I just wanted to get this over with.
I stared up at the man expectantly, waiting for him to snap out of his greed filled daze for the bag. Murmurs of complains hummed behind me. I was holding up the line. Why did people want to play this stupid game again? If you had no money it was practically suicide. Quite simple really. The line spread out from where I was stationed to practically the other side of the casino. It was quite an event. The establishment was adorned in several neon colors, focusing on the more black, red and white themes. It seemed to aim for the more 'retro' casino you would see in 90's movies , yet the neon twist gave it a more youthful vibe. I took out the entrance fee money, making sure there was an extra quantity for the man. I cleared my throat to recall his attention.
"Oh. I'll take that now" He murmured, snatching the stacks from my hands. Pathetic. He handed me what seemed like a badge. A carmine colored coin with the number one engraved in a golden tone, black embellishments adorning the border. Behind it a small "V.I.P" was carved. A bit of extra cash goes a long way. As soon as he allowed me to pass I rushed right into the event. Am I late? My gaze landed on the secluded table where the crowd resided. My task was to deliver the said money to this person and they would give me an item. Did I know what it was? Of course not. All I knew is that it laid under a black box with a silver engraving. I thought it was stupid that I wasn't allowed to know because then it would just be easier for our side to be scammed but I didn't care much. As long as I was paid my sum I was fine. I was just the delivery bird after all.
I was met with yet another line the moment I was going to sign up for the next round. A muscular woman stood in line with a clipboard, chocolate eyes flicking up and down my body. "Badge?" She asked. I brought out the carmine chip from my pocket and turned it to show the woman the loud and proud "V.I.P" engraved in it. She gave me an approving nod and pointed at a much shorter line besides the one I was currently in. I quickly switched over and was hit with the scent of expensive perfume and brand new clothing. The people around me were in the V.I.P line for a clear reason. They were filthy rich. I groaned slightly, imagining the type of lifestyle I would have if I had that kind of money. I definitely wouldn't be wasting it in some sleazy casino.
I looked around to locate the description that had been given to me. I couldn't find a person with matching features to the ones I had been informed of. I sighed, ready to move games to try in another area until a voice woke me up from my trail of thought. "Are you a spectator or are you going to partake in the gamble miss?" A man spoke up to me. I tried getting a look at the table where the players laid yet I couldn't see anything. The crowd was far too large. I didn't have much choice if I wanted to make sure they weren't here.
"I'll gamble"
I was led to a small table where three men sat. Many people huddled around them cheering and yelling incomprehensible nonsense. Another man clutched over the table held onto chips as if his life depended on it. Insults were hurled at him as he gripped on the small table. "No! I don't have that kind of money! Let me in another goddamn round I'll get it back!" He cried out. The other three men stared down at him blankly, no emotion to express whatsoever. My eyes landed in a particular man that was fiddling with one of his rings. He sat in the middle of the other two. Crimson eyes stared lifelessly at the begging man. Locks of ginger fell on his forehead, giving him a more relaxed look. His suit was a spotless white, a brand name I couldn't recognize adorned the collar. I paired the description I was given to the man I was staring at right now. That was my target.
His crimson stare flickered up to meet with mine. A playful smirked lifted his expression as a staff member was already beginning to drag the man that was causing a commotion away. "A new challenger has approached. Are you going to accept boys?" The voice of the woman that had been carrying the clipboard spoke up. The three of them stared back at her, nodding almost instantly. Their gazes looked dull and lifeless a few moments ago, yet now they suddenly took life. Their gazes flickered with amusement and intrigue, like a predator awaiting for its prey. Little did they know I was a predator as well.
I didn't care much for the other two. All my focus and attention landed on the ginger, the one I needed to make the trade with. I was placed to sit down across one of the boys. Melted gold eyes stared at me intensely, black tassels of hair falling on his forehead and covering part of his left eye and something I couldn't identify on his forehead. I avoided his stare, locking my own on the ginger. Had he caught up yet? Did he know it was me? I imagined he was told what I looked like. I didn't want to waste time on a stupid gamble, so my best shot was to try and grasp his attention throughout the game. The real question was: Is he actually going through with this dumb game? His gaze expressed nothing more but pure interest on what was lying on the table.
Rows upon rows of cups were lined down on the marble table. A woman dressed in flashy clothing stood front and center holding a bright silver orb in between her fingertips. The crowd cheered the moment she lifted it up as if it was some sort of trophy. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready for another round?!" She exclaimed in an obnoxiously cheerful tone. The crowd only seemed to grow wilder as the deafening screams increased. I swear I'll rip out their vocal chords if they don't stop screaming. Thankfully the silence died down the moment she lowered the orb. "Alright. You all know the rules but in case there are any newcomers I'll recap them real quick for ya!" She giggled, her eyes landing on me for a couple of seconds. I returned the stare, sending her a glare.
She then directed herself back to the crowd. "The game is very simple really! All you have to do is place a bet on the cup where the marble is shuffled in and try to guess correctly where it ends up! The shuffling goes by very quickly so you have to be attentive!" I scoffed silently. What type of fucking rules are those? It's basically pure luck. I skimmed over to observe the table. There was around thirty cups placed down. It would be almost impossible to guess correctly.
"Here on the table we have our beloved gamblers! Please give them a warm welcome. We also have a new challenger joining us today!" Everyone clapped and encouraged the males with cheers of names I didn't identify. The only name I could catch was Nathan. Was that my target? I made a mental note to never pick up another mission that left me blind to the facts. I sighed and crossed my arms, ready to begin whatever this stupid game was.
"Now place your bets!" The three males pondered in silence. I was just here to get my work done so I could choose randomly. But should I? They all seemed to be considerably wealthy. The chips on the table were many to say the least. If I actually put a bit of effort into this I might get more than I expected. I smirked. Perhaps this could be fun.
"Cup twenty three" the target spoke. The woman nodded and wrote it down in a board behind her. Part of the tension was lifted hence someone finally had spoken up. I stared at the cups in the table. If the woman starts shuffling from the corner.. it could land somewhere in the middle. I diverted my gaze to the cups in the middle region. For some reason the ones labeled fifteen and sixteen caught my attention. I held my tongue.
"Cup fifteen" The male with the golden gaze added. His posture seemed serene, relaxed even. How was he so calm with so much money on the line? I decided to announce my number last. I don't think they would have any problem with it. After all it was pretty obvious they were no amateurs in this. In their eyes I was just probably some random gambler that got there by chance. Another guess was written down on the big board.
Only two of us remained. Unlike the others his hair was unkept and his clothing seemed more to the messy side. His outfit still looked very expensive to me nonetheless. We both stared at the table in silence. I could basically cut the tension in the air with a knife. He stayed silent for quite a long time. If he doesn't choose that means I'll have to go first. I decided to swallow my oh so clever plan and announce my number first. I took a deep breath.
"Cup sixteen" we said in unison. Exciting murmurs erupted from the audience at the unexpected turn of events. I glanced at the woman for a hope of guidance on what to do in this situation. She smirked and faced the audience. "Oh my! It seems two gamblers have bet on the same cup. In this case we do what we call sudden death . Whoever bets the most money gets to keep the earnings if they guess correctly that is" The smirk she flashed us made me want to wipe it off her face. People here sure loved a good show.
I thought on how I was going to pull this stunt. The money I had with me was to pay off the mission. It wouldn't be smart to use it. I had nothing else on me though. I bit the inside of my cheek in search of a solution, staring back and forth at my rivals. The moment my gaze landed on the ginger, my target, he smiled. He was smiling at me. He gave me a quick, firm nod. His crimson eyes stared at us in amusement. Who would bet the most? The professional gambler or the undercover criminal? This confirmed my suspicions that he indeed knew who I was. The ginger was amused by the scene. He was in fact so amused he was willing to let me gamble away the money that was for him. What the actual fuck is wrong with him? That's when I realized. Right. These guys are loaded. As long as he has some fun he probably doesn't care how it's spent. I sighed. I had on me around eighty thousand. Would it be enough?
"Ten thousand" He was already betting a fuck ton right off the bat. I fidgeted in my seat. I was (y/n) (l/n) . I was not giving up.
"Fifteen thousand"
The audience gasped, getting the more worked up about this.
"Twenty thousand"
"Twenty five thousand"
We kept going. This was insane. What if we didn't even have the right cup? He was a professional and he seemed very invested on this number. I had to hold onto that faith and keep going.
"Forty thousand!" I exclaimed. How much longer can I keep raising numbers? I was starting to debate wether on letting him beat me or not. I was surprised to be met with silence. The woman clapped with glee. "Fantastic! Now let's get this show on the road" I could feel his gaze penetrating through my skin. It was not a nice feeling.
I noticed how the other males stared at me from the corner of their vision, probably because I looked like an asylum escapee. We all focused on the woman the moment she lifted the cup. She was just going to shuffle them. How hard can this be? I immediately swallowed my words the moment she threw the orb into the air, the smoke from several cigarettes fogging my view. She caught the orb with the cup and began shuffling the cups, moving one after the other in an inhumanly quick speed. I felt myself get lost after the first few seconds of this. Her quirk had to be speed related. It's impossible to naturally shuffle this fucking fast.
"Done!" She chirped, a veil of silence and tension falling upon us, wrapping and suffocating everyone in the room. We all stared intently in between the woman and the cups. All the numbers were all out of order now and I felt quite lightheaded from watching her work. "Alright" she walked closer to the cups. "Let's start now, shall we?" Her fingertips grazed over the different cups, picking at random. She lifted it, revealing nothing under it. My stomach churned in anxiety. Why the hell does committing crimes do nothing yet this does affect me? I imagined this was the addicting feeling people craved when gambling. It actually wasn't bad.
She lifted one cup after the other, leaving the audience in a mess of gasps , squeals and other weird bodily noises I couldn't stand. Finally her hand hovered over the cup labeled "twenty three" The one the ginger had chosen. "Oh?" She cooed "We're finally getting to the cups our gamblers have chosen!" She giggled like an excited child. She brought her hand down onto the cup, lifting it ever so slowly to taunt each and every one of us. A disappointed groan erupted from the crowd the moment there was nothing revealed under the cup.
The ginger simply clicked his tongue in annoyance. How wasn't he angry in loosing so much money? Sure, he didn't bet as much as I or the other guy did, but he still bet quite the sum of money. The woman coaxed the crowd into silence and once again went back to lifting cups. The process seemed to last an eternity. That was until her hand landed on my cup. I leaned forwards expectantly. Curiosity got the best of me. I didn't bother in hiding my interest.
She slowly but surely lifted the cup. My heart dropped. As the rim of the cup lifted a polished orb was revealed in all its glory. I had actually guessed correctly. The crowd burst into loud cries and cheers, rooting for my unexpected win. I smiled brightly, forgetting what I was even doing in the casino in the first place for a moment. "Seems like lady luck was on your side today! Beginners luck may I even dare to call it?" The woman cooed, recollecting the chips placed on the table to change them for their worth. A small rush of excited coursed through me. Touya and I could go out for something fun.. maybe even get a decent meal. Or I could buy him something! Several ideas came and left my head, filling me with a momentary euphoria. All of this stopped when the unkept male jerked upwards.
"What the fuck?! She cheated. There's no way a beginner like her could have won!" He yelled. It was then that I noticed he looked quite sleep deprived. Several flags went off in my head. This dude is a fucking nutso isn't he? I stood up as well, coming eye to eye level with him. "I played as fair and square as you did. There was nothing to cheat on" I growled. This only seemed to upset him further, hence his hands began to tremble. "You cheated! You're not taking my goddamn money!" He argued, holding his chips close the moment the woman went to take his. The woman took a sigh and stepped closer. "Sir, you lost fair and square. Hand over the chips or I will have to bring authorities into play" He ignored her warning and then stared me up and down, his gaze suddenly widening. It seemed as he had some sort of realization. His gaze shifted from the duffel bag I brought to me and then back to the bag. "You're one of them! You don't deserve that damn cash!"
I knew that guy was crazy, but not crazy enough to pull out a gun mid casino. You had to be a special kind of retarded to do that. Next thing I heard was the deafening sound of gunshots and a piercing scream. The woman laid lifeless on the ground, blood oozing from a dark hole embedded into her skull. I was shocked for a few seconds before my body reacted on its own. Several men and women leaped out from tables and started a wild fire. So this was a several party game. I wasn't the only one that came to get something out of this. I needed to get to safety, but I also needed to find the ginger that had blended into the crazed crowd. I glanced back at the woman for a second. I was no stranger to death. I couldn't say I felt bad for her. In fact, I was glad I didn't have to hear her annoyingly optimistic voice anymore.
Luckily the idiots seemed to have a bad aim, hence I heard screams that belonged to other people fill the room. Lives being plucked away like flowers, knowing those screams were supposed to be mine. A known rush of adrenaline ran through me. Heavy footsteps pursued me. I could see the deranged man from the corner of my eye. I tightened my grip around the duffel bag, ready to activate my quirk. Smoke began leaking out my pores, creating a thick cloud around the man that went after me. "That'll hold him off for a while.." I thought before hearing the familiar sound of panicked screams. They weren't the normal type of screams. It was the shrilling ones that made you cringe. The type that sounded like nails dragging down a chalkboard.
I smirked, rejoicing in my success. I saw how there was a hall close by with the word "exit" sprawled on a sign. That was my ticket out of this place. Although I didn't get to find the ginger, my life went before any of this bullshit. I had to get out of here before trying to pursue in finding him. Was he okay? The thought flashed through my mind as I aimlessly ran to the hall. He's fine. He always is. I reassured to myself. The neon "exit" was beginning to get closer by the second. The whistle of gunshots and screams of the now deceased filled the casino. The establishment reeked of iron and nicotine.
My hand reached for the door as I was suddenly yanked away and thrown into a wall. My body slammed against the hard concrete, my head taking the rough impact. A sharp sting attacked the back of my head yet before I could complain a sharp blade was pressed to my neck. My body gasped for air as the polished edge threatened to slice my skin open at any movement. A strong hand held a firm grasp of my wrists over my head. I squirmed and struggled to get away from him. I was to no avail, the knife was too close to my skin for me to move any further. Don't be an idiot (y/n) use it! Use it! My body froze at the encounter. I couldn't bring myself to activate my quirk. A sharp golden gaze pierced into my own. He was the one who bet for fifteen.. He's also part of this. I clenched my fists, preparing to activate my quirk. I wasn't going to let myself go like this.
"You damn" I hissed. He leaned down to my ear, dark ash locks trickling against my neck. The blade was still very much about to mutilate my neck. Every inch of my body burned in panic.
"Don't. Fucking. Move" he whispered roughly against my ear. I couldn't make out what happened. In a split second the knife was removed from my neck and I felt a warm pair of lips crash against my own. My mind spun in many different directions. Death, torture or even abduction were in my list of possible things that could happen to me. But a fucking kiss wasn't part of the plan. I struggled against his grip as he only tightened his hold, possibly bruising my wrists. He pressed me further back onto the wall as his tongue brushed against my lower lip, forcing me to allow him to deepen the kiss. I aimlessly thrashed my legs to no avail. His advance only lasted about a second or two before he pulled away. My chest rose and fell at a rapid speed, hyperventilating from the violation my body had just gone through.
I stared up at him in a paralyzing shock to see his honey colored eyes glow a dim orange along with some sort of embellishment in his forehead. What type of fucking quirk is that?! I had no idea what his intention was. But whatever he did with me definitely involved his quirk. My body began to gain some sense of reason as my reflexes began to kick in. I rose my elbow to meet it with his jaw. The split second before it could maybe contact with him he abruptly jerked away, shoving me to the side. "Watch out!" He yelled. I fell to my knees, scrambling up to see what he meant. Did he just help me?
A cerulean inferno shot from a considerable distance, hitting the male in the side. He hurled out a cry in pain and stumbled backwards. I scrambled to grab the duffel bag and incorporate myself, meeting eyes with the approaching hero.
His penetrating gaze landed on the honey eyed male. He kneeled down to bring his hand to his face. A deep scowl tainted his features. "Touch her again and I'll make sure your pretty face turns into ashes" he growled. The male stared up at Dabi in silence, not a single hint of emotion on his expression. He simply remained silent. Dabi stood up and came to me, grabbing my wrist roughly and tugging me to run. We scurried off a hall towards the emergency exit, which was empty due to the chaos unfolding inside the casino.
...
"What the actual fuck was that?!" Dabi exclaimed in an outraged manner. Cerulean sparks spilled from his hands, fading away the moment they came.
"I don't know! It just happened. Why weren't you with the others? You could have gotten hurt! I told you I could handle it" I argued. We were both livid from the events that took place just a few moments ago and arguing about it wasn't going to do us any good yet I couldn't help it. He was supposed to go with the others. Why did he come after me?
"But did you?"
I scoffed, following him through the exit once he opened the door. We then made a turn down a nearby alley and stopped once we were far enough to take a breath.
"Touché.." I murmured lowly, handing him the duffel bag. "At least we kept the money."
He lazily stared down at the bag, a disappointing gaze moving to me. "Do you really think I give a damn about that cash after what just happened?" I looked down. I couldn't bare to look at those eyes without feeling a jab of pain in my chest.
"What matters if that we handled it." He remained silent. We both knew there was no point in arguing over the manner. It came with the life of being a criminal.
"You're fucking insane" he muttered.
"And you're not?" I pressed with a smirk.
It's been 9 years ever since we ran away together. We left about a week after Touya had offered me the opportunity on my fourteenth birthday. Ever since then it's been us against the world. At first we were naive, blindly hoping that we could turn into some sort of heroes. We had hoped and blindly wished to the stars to be as great as heroes like All Might. We wished to save people and bring a smile to their faces. We would stay up countless nights just designing our hero costumes and bickering over possible names for ourselves. It was a dream- or at least it was mine. I never noticed how Touya threw that ideal away after some time. I held onto it for much longer than he did. He only saw reality much before me. I only noticed once he radically reformed himself. This took several forms, from dyeing his hair an ash black, letting his bandages go to show off all his scars on their worst state and his tender skin being slowly adorned by surgical staples and piercings. Before I knew it he baptized himself with a new name as well. I was the only one who could hold his true name in my lips.
It was many changes in a short span of time. He had already thrown away his identity as Touya Todoroki, but I still held on to (Y/N) (L/N). It was quite stupid actually, how badly I wanted to be a flimsy hero. My expectations were soon to be shattered. Once we began our lives on the streets of Japan, I saw first hand how selfish heroes could truly be and how fake their actions were. From how they pushed their fans away to how they only did things for the money. Reality slapped us both in the face. The hero industry was much darker than they let on. After that is when I threw away (Y/N) (L/N) as well, being reborn into the villains we are today.
We first started off small, robbing places here and there along with doing dirty tasks that Touya was able to find. Adults would pay us to steal, murder and sell for them. My innocence was ripped away from me as I watched Dabi commit his first murder, the brutal realization of life stabbing me in the chest. This was the life I had chosen. I regretted it for endless nights. It wasn't too soon until I found myself having to forcefully kill as well in order to survive. I grew to enjoy my lifestyle. I only saw villainy as a resource of income to live.. but then Stein arrived. The hero killer. The mentality he brought was something we need. It was something that opened our eyes to realize only true heroes deserved to live. A hero was supposed to be selfless and save others with a smile. Now the hero market was filled with nothing but selfish morons looking for fame. That time was when we realized that our fate was never to be heroes.
It was to become villains.
To rid the world of all plastic cookie cutter heroes. To dispose of all the ones who looked down upon others and placed their selfish heroism desires first. They just wanted the fame, the money. They wished to fulfill their fantasies through a flexible job where they could paint whatever image they wished for the public to eat up. They didn't care about humanity, they didn't care about safety. The term hero had been tainted for life after it became a popularity contest. We were going to change that.
After all, villains are just the victims who's stories were never told.
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IM ACTUALLY REALLY PROUD OF THIS CHAPTER?? It was so fun to write and I really did enjoy the setting! Hopefully it's better than all my previous chapters. So far it's my personal favorite.
Is it obvious I've been watching Kakegurui? My icon says it all.
I'd like to dedicate this to a fellow gamble Stan YumekoJabamiStan hence of the theme of this chapter!
Thank you to all that have commented and voted so far!