Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"All-in."

The neat pile of remaining poker chips was pushed towards the middle of the table.
Chance let his coin move like fluid through his fingers quietly. A cocky smirk is on his face.

The crowd of people clamoured around the table whispered amongst eachother, some talking about things unrelated to the game.

"Raise!" An opponent rang, shoving about 10000 studs worth of chips forwards. That was risky of them.
Their body language is a little nervous, the way they're fumbling with the tablecloth gently.

"..Fold."

"Fold."
Two people felt their hands weren't good enough and played it safe.

"I'm all-in."

Chance's smirk faltered slightly as he glanced up at the other player who went all-in. Sitting opposite of Chance, right in front of him.
That person gives him the creeps. It's as if his bluff was seen straight through by that guy.
The gambler pocketed their coin now.

"All-in, huh?" Chance didn't let his confidence fall apart. They sound perfectly fine.

"Is your hand as good as you advertise it to be?"
A smooth; nearly dangerous voice shone through the noise around them- The man in fancy attire sitting before Chance had spoken up, nearly teasing.
He looks like he'd be part of some mafia or a gang. Why would they care, though?
Chance is here for the game.

2 million studs is a lot, and that's the pot. If Chance ends up having a better hand than this guy, he could win BIG.
Full house. He's done for if the guy has anything better than a full house.

Better than nothing.

"Final betting round!" The announcer called out.

"I fold."
The second last opponent left had folded their cards and placed them down. Seems like they don't wanna keep playing in this. It'd make no sense since both players have gone all-in, and since everybody else folded as well.

"Showdown!"

"Remaining people reveal your cards!"

Everyone watched with anticipation.
Chance is excited. This is the thrill of the gamble that he's here to feel. Exactly what he needs.

Chance placed his cards face up. So did the other person.
The thick, card stock paper made a quiet sound followed by the sound of air being displaced. The mere sound sent chills through Chance.

Royal flush.

People from around cheered at the winner. Whoever that guy is. Honestly he doesn't even care.
Chance didn't hear much of anything. He just stared down at his opponent's cards, nodding slightly in respect. In the zone.

"Dang." Chance let out a quiet stressed chuckle.
He'd just lost about whatever money he had left in his bank account, ignoring the amount of debt he's in.

He was about to stand up when the man had stopped him with his words.

"Do you want a chance to get back what you lost?"

Chance considered it. But he just shrugged it off with a grin on his face. Nevermind the fact that he lost all his earnings.
"Nah. It's fine. I think im done for the night."
Now he got up, though his left buttcheek a little numb from sitting still in the same position for too long.

"But you're never really done for the night, are you?"
The shady guy continued to speak, WHAT THE HECK DOES HE MEAN BY THAT???
"Well this time i am. Goodnight, sir."
Chance gave a slight bow before walking off, fishing himself through the crowded casino. A grimace found itself on their face as they thought about what he said.

He's trying to get to the bar. There he'll spend whatever he has left of his pocket money on overpriced drinks.
Luckily he left at least 5000 studs in his pockets specifically for drinks and food. He's done with gambling for the night. At least he thinks so.

Chance enjoys navigating through casinos. This casino is one he doesn't frequently go to, but he likes the layout.
The smell of money here is more prominent than in other places, but that's mostly because of the stink rich people who let go of their money easier than they earnt it.

The tang of money is one the gambler enjoys. Even more the smell of fresh playing cards. Oh and lavender smell is alright too in his opinion but why should he care.

Bright neon lights reflected in his shades as he neared the bar with those neon LED light decorations surrounding the place.

Finally arriving at the bar, he sat down on a stool. It appears to be expensive- quality dyed leather comfortably set over some sort of soft cushioning. The barstool is made of wood, attached to the B&W tiled floor.
The tiles are big, tiles you would see in the hallways of some houses. Not those small bathroom tiles but also not those slightly bigger kitchen tiles.

Now that he's inside here, the lighting is warmer, less glaring. Comfortable.

He tapped his coin gently against the ceramic countertop out of boredom while checking his socials on his phone.

Eventually a bartender approached.
"Anything i could get you, sir?" They approached.
Bartender seems to be a robot. Seems pretty humanoid.
Looks like the avarage robloxian with a few robotic features. It has some sort of screen on its face. Hard to explain.

"Hmm. I dunnoooo.."
Chance dragged his words out, unable to decide. So he just went with something simple.
"A vodka screw would suffice i guess. And also a shot? Pretty please with a roulette ball on top??"

"Any juice preferences?" The android seemed to process, a little icon appearing on the screen on its face.

"Orange juice is just fine, but please make it sweet."
The gambler doesn't enjoy bitter orange juice. It makes his mouth tingle in a weird way, and he doesn't really enjoy that feeling.

"Alright."

In less than a minute his drink was mixed. Robot automation is surprisingly efficient. The drink might not have that made by hand taste though.

"Enjoy!"

Now alone, Chance sipped at his screwdriver. mmm.. The orange juice isn't bitter. Theres a perfect amount of lime in it. A little heavy on the vodka though.

Feels like a human made drink. What did they put in that machine, a soul?

Anyways.
He pocketed his phone and adjusted his fedora slightly. The headphones had no music playing on them due to the drained battery.

Instead they listened to the quiet jazz playing in the bar.

Drinks were finished with haste.
1 shot turned to 5 shots very quickly. Maybe hes got much less self control than he'd like to admit.
A quiet drinker.

Alcohol let a warm feeling spread through his entire body. The numbing effect of drinking.

The warm synthetic light in front him bounced off his shades as he glanced around, a little disoriented.
His eyes darted around in a sluggish manner as he took in his surroundings once more.

The bar has filled up a little since he arrived here.
A person had even sat down next to him, but it's unclear since when they sat here?

Chance glanced down at his pockets where his phone is located, which had been ringing repeatedly these past few minutes.
He ignored it and just paid for the drinks, leaving the money on the table before heading to leave.

He pushed himself off the seat. Chance staggered as they attempted to walk off, although their gait awkward and shuffling.

They felt a hand dragging them back which nearly made them teeter to the floor.

"Didn't you forget something?"
A group of 4 people had stopped Chance. They dragged him off into a more desolate corner of the bar, further away from any help.

"??wha-.. huh??" Chance narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely visible gesture behind those shades.
"I dont mean to cause any trouble." He slurred in a quiet whisper, his breath heavy and reeking of alcohol.

"Trouble? you owe money."
One of them pushed him against the wall, digging an elbow into his chest.
His shaky vision managed to land on this person in front of him. He can barely make out their features. They're hooded and their face is concealed by shadows.

"We're here to collect payment." Another one rung out from behind the person pinning him to the wall. "And from what it looks like, you dont have anything to pay us back with."

"How do you plan to fix that issue?"

"I dont.. what??..huh??"
Chance slurred. He's too out of it right now.
The group seemed to discuss something. The nearly bankrupt gambler couldn't make anything out of it.

"Sounds good."
They turned their heads back to him.

The hooded person in front of him seemed to pull something out of their pocket.
Chance caught a glimpse of it but couldn't tell what it was supposed to be.

Shortly after he felt a sharp pain hit his neck, followed by a chilling sensation spreading through his bloodstream.

Now out cold.

Chapter Text

The distant hum of a motor and the constant shaking of the vehicle on the bumpy road was all that filled the silence. One wouldn't forget to count the eventual flicker of a lightbulb straining to stay on with minimal electricity.
Chance had timed that noise to happening once every 10/20 seconds depending on the speed of the vehicle.
ding. then some shaky lightbulb noise. ding ding.

Darkness surrounded him due to something wrapping around his head tightly, some sort of thing to prevent him from peeking.
Resting on his wrists is lukewarm metal, not as cold as it was way before this. Handcuffs? They do jingle jangle a little.
Something is placed in his mouth. Chance thinks that's a sock or a cloth?.. Usually it's one of those two. Tape is ineffective so that's a huge no.
He cant really move his legs around either.
It's impossible to do anything, effectively getting rid of all meanings of a struggle.

Blindfolded, gagged and restrained.
Man, this actually sucks. Top 10 worst situations Chance has found themself in. Outcome doesn't even seem that predictable.
Seems like Lady Luck isn't on his side right now.
He'd give anything to understand the situation.

Dread settled on his spine as he tried to figure some way out of this.
Honestly, he doesn't even know what's going on or where he's being taken. There are a few suspicions on who he could've upset for this to happen, but otherwise??..

it feels like he's being brought to his execution.

Nothing here gave him any clues. All he knows is that he's in some sort of van with a few other individuals.
He's not even sure if they're also in a similar situation or if its just the people who put him in this vehicle in the first place.

His accessories have been taken away aswell, his head devoid of that familiar and comfortable pressure or weight.

Eventually one of the people there took the blindfold off. Chance was hit hard by the light after being in darkness for a while. A side effect of the sedatives is photosensitivity. It'll go away eventually.

It's not even that bright back here.

Chance threw a few glances around here and there. He's the only person here getting abducted. That's too bad, he would've loved some non-malicious company.
The gag sat in his mouth, soaked in drool and wrapped around his head with an uncomfortable tightness.

The floor of this van is stained with old blood in some areas, the attempts made to clean it very poor.
Not a very good sight right now. The gambler tore his eyes away from that.

Not including the previous, the van does look pretty nice. There are basically no windows, although that should be obvious.
There's a large plastic bottle filled with diesel for emergencies, along with a huge butane canister just sitting there. It might be empty.

Eventually Chance looked back at the people around him.
".."

Him and his abductors held eye contact for a pretty long moment. It's hard to figure out much of their identity because this stranger has a ski mask on paired with a hood. He can only see their eyes.
Deja vu. He can swear hes seen this person before.

"It's your fault you didn't pay back your debts to us. You wouldn't be in this situation if you had."
The feminine voice- although more masculine than feminine - brought it all together.
He recognised them as the person from before he passed out. They all wear similar attire, but that one was all up in his space, so that's how he knew.

It's all foggy, but he remembers fractions of moments that happened somewhere in time. Attempting to recall more just leaves him with a headache worse than the one he currently has.

"We're going to take you somewhere. There you'll be cleaned up, dressed and prepared for the auction. I suggest that you stay on your best behaviour so that you seem more desirable to the bidders."

Chance nearly rolled his eyes at that, though a quiet scoff did leave his mouth. That earned him a condescending chuckle from them.

"Did i mention that whatever amount you're sold for, will pay your debts?"

Although that doesn't really hold much importance to Chance, it'd be nice to have some - if not all - of his owed money taken care of.
The car rumbled, sending his body back and forth a little.
The road doesn't seem to have the texture of asphalt, which suggests that they're going through a forest or country roads.
That lightbulb flickered and went out for a longer moment, surrounding them all in darkness.

Time to think over his options.

---

Smoking a cigarette on the balcony while on a call, Mafioso couldn't find a moment of rest even during his evening break.
His goons had kinda messed up on their previous task, now Contractee and Soldier are in the hands of an opposing family after an ambush.

"Yeah, yeah. Just leave them unharmed and I'll give you back yours."
Frustration creeped into his voice as he grew more impatient —
"If i see ONE scratch on any of them, it's over. Got it? They have to be in mint condition, if not I'll harm your little underboss and your 2 soldiers."
He gripped his cellphone tighter, with the impulse to throw it. That didn't happen just yet though.
His sound grew raspy.

"They'll have some damage from the shipping."
The voice of another mob boss rung through the phone speaker, slightly sarcastic.

It's not often that deals like this are made. Usually they're just killed off after being interrogated.
But both sides have something important to the other side, which makes this exchange unusual.

"I'm hanging up now."

Mafioso dropped the call, fingers nearly digging into the burner phone as he pressed the button to drop the call.

Lately he's been more on edge due to the upcoming drug trade, and this situation isn't helping in any way. He hasn't had time for anything lately, now he has less than enough time to even sleep.

The cigarette was put out on the thick metal railing of the balcony, ash flying away with the cool breeze.

The door behind him opened gently, light footsteps going towards him.
"Boss?" Caporegime and Consigliere stopped right next to him. He barely turned his head to them. They spoke in unison, a melancholic haze to their voices.

"What is it now?" That came off a little more rough than he'd meant it. Mafioso needs to calm his nerves.

"When are they coming back?" Consigliere questioned, adjusting his hat a lil.
The two clearly ache for the missing group members like kids yearning to get a prize at the dentist.

"For convenience, around midnight."

"Playing video-games is boring without the rest." Caporegime complained, giving his boss a glare through his specs. He and Consigliere have played games together earlier but its not the same when they're incomplete.

"Yeah. I need Soldier yelling in my ears for me to focus on the game."
Consigliere huffed, folding his arms with a pout. His expression is comparable to that of a frustrated baby.

"They'll be back by tomorrow. Stop whining."
He turned around, back facing the railing.

Mafioso felt the wind in his hair, current against his fedora, which is loose on his head.
He dragged a hand over his face, yawning. A good night's sleep would be really nice. But of course he has to stay up until midnight. He'd love to just send a few of his people there just for him to nap, but that risk really shouldn't be taken.

"They've been gone for a while now." Caporegime spoke up after a few long moments of silence.
"Do you think they're at least getting fed?"

"Shut up. You two are making me nauseous."
He waved his hand slightly in a gesture towards the door, mumbling.
"Go back inside. Rest until 4 AM."

"But Boss...It's not even 20 yet.!" One of them complained. Mafioso doesn't even care who it was anymore at this point, he's just getting tired of their complaints.

"Sleep or else both of you are going to have extended patrol time." He ordered, this time more clearly and with more incentive.

"oh well in that case-.."
Caporegime dashed towards the balcony door.
He waited for Consigliere, but was disappointed as he saw him standing still.

"Make sure you get some rest after you finish up your last duties, Boss. Don't go sleepless." Consigliere spoke in a hushed tone. He seems worried.

From the door Caporegime couldn't see or hear what Consigliere was whispering to Mafioso, so he assumed that he was just making more argument.
Though that was disproved when Mafioso just gave a calm nod, no retort or anything, just turning back around, resting his arms on the balcony edges as he took in the view.

Consigliere followed Caporegime out. The two went to go sleep.

The door closed behind the two, squeaking loudly.
"D'you think they're fine?" Caporegime asked.
"I'd hope so. Contractee owes me lunch, and i will not let him die until i get that food." Consigliere responded, deadpan.

"Pff. What're you gonna do, dig 'im out of his grave?" He laughed in response to Consigliere's remark, nearly giving him a slap on his shoulder.

"Nah. Too much effort."
He shrugged.

The two walked in direction to the sleeping quarters.
The Manor is pretty big, so it'll take minimum 2-3 minutes.

"Hopefully we don't cancel that thing tomorrow. It's always fun seeing what they offer there."
Consigliere walked with his hands behind his back.

---

After a while, the car stopped.
Chance had the blindfold put back over his eyes, likely to prevent him from seeing the place and its layout in order to avoid an easy escape.

The opening of the back doors could be heard right as someone helped him up and out of the van.
His steps were unsure and cautious, cause he can't really see. Tried to navigate using the textures of the floor beneath him, and that kinda worked.

He was pushed down off the van, since he'd hesitated too much on stepping down.
The landing was far from graceful. He faceplanted into the floor, sharp pebbles sticking in his face.

Someone lifted him back up by his coat. He felt like a helpless puppy.
Stumbling back onto his feet, he followed after, steps shuffling in the rocky floor.

"Stairs. Watch out. Don't fall."

Figuring out how to get up the steps was something he had to figure out by himself.
When he made it up, now on the porch, he was brought inside.

The air in here is warm, unlike the biting chill from the outside.
It smells like weed and air freshener in here.
Though, that smell did dissappear the deeper he eas brought into this building. Now it smells like mold and rot.

Chance was dragged into some room, where the blindfold, handcuffs and gag were removed.
His mouth felt sore.

He looked around a little. Its an empty room, no lights, no window. There are a few others inside, although sleeping.

"You'll get your items soon. For now rest."

He was pushed inside, before pitch black surrounded him once more.

Chance is already starting to get tired of this.