Chapter Text
Malcolm Graves was sitting at the barstand in one of the most famous taverns of Bilgewater, the Cutlass, feeling the light booze enter his body. He wasn't gonna get real drunk today, he just wanted to get enough alcohol into his body so he won't percieve his surroundings anymore and can peacefully sleep in a room he would take later in this tavern. So he just sat there sipping on his drink and waiting for the effect, he was tired.
He was tired and definitely not drunk enough for the next thing to happen. A silent, slim figure staggered towards the stool next to him and threw himself onto it with a dull thump. He wouldn't have noticed him if he would already have enough to drink but well, how long would he bother him anyways.
The slim man turned himself around to Malcolm with such drama and flow that his coat flew like a wave through the air. Malcolm couldn't see anything under that golden brimmed hat so he waited with bored patience until the man finally lifted his head and sparkled at him with his cyan blue glowing eyes, the stare mesmerising in a way Malcolm couldn't describe. They were a vortex of icy blue that seemed to get bigger with the passing time he spent staring into them, enveloping him in a cold haze. His dizzyness and blurry vision due to the booze didn't really help. Weird.
He eventually managed to squint his eyes because this bright dazzling light wasn't pleasant at all after he spent the whole evening in the dark bar and his eyes got used to it.
The stranger leaned towards his face and seemed to search for something there, confused how he should look concentrated with his drunk eyes. A few seconds passed until he seemingly found his answer he was searching for in Malcolms face, his face lit up like one of a child that just got his desired present. He made his eyes spark up again in a taunting way and began to tug on Malcolms moustache.
"Wanna play a round of Strippoker?", the stranger said and tried hard not to slur and grinned at him.
Malcolm just stared in return and furrowed his brows so hard he almost felt his face cramp.
" 'The hell", he could only blurt out and tried to turn away from him. He grabbed the hand which was tugging his moustache but all he really grabbed was air because the hand dodged his movent so fast that the momentum of his own hand threw him from his stool and he landed on the thankfully soft hay ground.
Goddamn I just wanna sleep
The stranger swang himself from his stool and approached Malcolm casually and smug looking. He straddled him without any complaint because Malcolm was busy rubbing the part of his head he hit when he fell. The man leaned over Malcolm and brought his mouth close to his ear and whispered into his ear:
"If you win I leave you alone with whatever business you planned, but if I win you gimme one more chance and we play Strippoker"
An disgruntled growl escaped Malcolm:
"Okay whatever"
The stranger smiled with another flash of his eyes and stood up to hold a hand out to Graves, almost throwing him down again with the strenght he pulled him up.
The hatted man flicked his hand behind Graves ear in a quick motion and showed him the key to a tavern room, Malcolm figured, which he somehow had summoned.
So that's what he is, fucking trickster. What has he got into.
He definitely hadn't had enough to drink this evening...
"I have a room here", the stranger said grinning,
No shit
swang around with his cape again and pulled Malcolm with him but he stood still.
"The fuck man, going into your room wasn't part of the deal!", he shouted outraged and tried to somehow get out of the hat-man's grip. But in another random wave of the strangers strenght he pulled Graves close to him and slammed him into the closest wall. His piercing icy stare showed no sign of booze this time.
"You said okay, whatever so I am obeying and doing whatever the fuck I want,", he smiled seductively:
"just one fair round Texas and you're free."
Malcolm already knew the guy would cheat, I mean he pulled a key outta Graves ear so why couldn't he just pull out a winning hand. Too bad Malcolm also knew a lot of tricks how to cheat at card games, was necessary to learn that living on the streets of Bilgewater. Even though he didn't have a sleight of hand he managed somehow.
He felt a wave of dominance enter him, he wanted to win against this stranger so he could finally shut his taunting mouth.
With a forceful controlled movement he swiched positions with the man, slammed him into the same wall and pulled up his hat so he couldn't hide anything beneath it.
"A fair round sounds good to me", he grinned devilishly, drawing out the "o".
Something in the strangers expression clicked, his eyes flashed and he snatched the hat out of Graves hand.
"Nobody touches the hat."
Graves took advantage of his distraction and stole his purse, this drunk he would only realise it come morning.
The stranger pushed him away and unlocked the inn room.
"For it to be a fair game u might need to take off that hat."
"Then strippoker isn't fair enough"
"As long as I win"
Stranger didn't answer he just swaggered towards the round wooden table and took off his shoulderplates and cape, leaving him with black skinny pants, a white shirt and a red vest with golden buttons. He slided sideways onto a chair and flicked his hand to summon a standard Bilgewater deck of cards. He shot a challanging glance to Graves which also took of his poncho, hanging it over the chair leaving him in his brownish pants and blue shirt.
With the same sleight of hand the stranger showed earlier he shuffled the cards and hold the deck out to Graves so he could cut the cards and as always he just cut approximately three-fourths of the deck. The stranger dealt the cards.
"Rules are: Someone folds the round doesn't count as won for the other but we continue playing til we both think we have the better hand."
Malcolm nodded.
First rounds passed with them having bad cards and folding. But after several rounds the five openly dealt cards were the ace of clubs, ace of diamonds, king of diamonds, seven of spades and eight of hearts. Malcolms cards were the ace of hearts and the two of diamonds. He just switched the two with the ace of spades he got from a spare deck and grinned in victory.
He threw his two aces on top of the five cards and awaited the reaction of the loser, which silently took his hat of, put his hat down and placed his cards opposite to Graves'. He was still silent for a moment until he began laughing uncontrollably.
Malcolm was blown off at the cards the stranger just put there, the same two cards he just threw onto the table but perfectly mirrored. He just pulled the same trick as Malcolm.
Trying to control his laughter the stranger said:
"Well and I also took your purse, now that u have mine u don't need yours any longer", he smiled mockingly.
Graves could only manage to snort before he pressed his face into his palms and began to tremble from chuckling.
"Didn't expect that for sure", he said and still was shaking with laughter.
The stranger finally stopped laughing: "But you're not that bad, I just realised my purse was gone when I took of my coat."
"U have a name?", Malcolm asked.
The trickster ascended from his chair and prowled over to sit on Malcolms side of the table, spreading his legs and taking off his fancy boots. He leaned onto Graves shoulders, flashed his eyes to a smoother tone and stared at him again:
"If u become my business partner, yes"
Malcolm needed a moment to process the accentuation put into the word business and swallowed.
"So how shall I call my partner?"
Same expression of a happy child appeared in the strangers face and he grinned, flashing his eyes just barely visible. Malcolm still didn't get how the hell he did that but it was still kinda fascinating.
"Twisted Fate", his voice switched to a soothing tone.
Graves pulled up his brows and looked at Twisted Fate reproachfully.
"Malcolm Graves, my real name, just call me Graves."
Soothing tone stayed:
"Malcolmmm...", he purred, trying to affect Graves somehow.
"Will u tell me your real name or not?", he definitely won't call him Twisted Fate that's a long ass name.
TF straddled Graves' lap, moving closer to his crotch he kissed his neck and breathed into his ear:
"Only if you give in to me"
Malcolm was unimpressed and sat there with no further reaction.
"Never."
TF ran his hands through Graves hair, losing himself in the flow of those strands he murmured:
"I get everyone"
Graves was silent again and just waited for TF to leave his lap. And he did, as soon as he found himself again in Graves hair and could pull away he lifted himself up and went over to the bed. With a blank face he said:
"U won't get a room at this hour and here's only one bed", the only thing TF did was wink at Graves. Then he proceeded to take off his clothes with just a little effort to look elegant, leaving him in only his underwear. He stood there for a glance at Graves, smirked and crawled under the blanket, getting comfortable and closing his eyes.
Graves was not impressed for sure but he actually didn't care at all if TF was there or not, he'd just sleep and whatever. So he undressed to his boxers aswell and lay down next to TF turning away from him. Could've slept on the ground for sure but he needed to show TF that he wasn't easy to get, if not impossible to get.
Last thing he heard that night was the same soothing voice of TF:
"Goodnight, Malcolm", purring again and drawing out the last "m".
Partner... what the fuck?