Bad Company Blues - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 3: slow night, so long

A/N: You're not going to like Bucky, Loki, OR Scott in this chapter. Please don't go after me too hard about the mechanics of the poker game. I watched an entire game for this chapter and it was boring as hell so I fudged the rules to speed things up.

For the record: I am fully aware that people are written out of character, especially Scott. In an AU, you only have so many people to use. Also, it's an AU, why are we caring about canon?

I borrowed some of the tattooing stuff from what (little) I know about the Vory v Zakone and fudged the details. I'm oddly fascinated by the Russian mafia and I've seen Eastern Promises an embarrassing amount of times.

Bucky plays the first game with Eden set firmly on his lap. He's got a shit hand, but he's good at bluffing. So good that Scott and Loki fold. She'll give Bucky one compliment - he's got a hell of a poker face.

Eden watches Loki and Scott's hands as they hold their cards. Heavily tattooed. Typical for Russian gangsters. Hydra's symbol is prominent on the backs of their hands, along with crosses, a spider tattoo between their thumb and forefingers, and stars.

Both of them will be covered in them from head to toe depending on how long they've been in the brotherhood.

Tattooing is a ritualistic and sacred practice to Hydra. Once you're in, you're in for life. The tattoos are a commitment. There have been a few who have managed to escape with their lives, but they often have to go into hiding. If Hydra kills one of their own, they remove any prominent tattoos from the corpse, shaming the man and deeming him unworthy of dying as one of them.

Scott and Loki are looking at her like they want to eat her alive while they play. It might be why they're both losing.

Eden decides to lean into the "girlfriend" role with Bucky a little more, running her hands through his hair and tossing him flirtatious glances when he wins a hand. He doesn't seem to like it, but he fakes it well enough. It makes her angry to have to do this, but he wanted her to play by his rules, and she can be a good actress when she wants to be.

The end of the first game is tense. Bucky's eyes scan the table while Loki and Scott assess their hands. Bucky has one ace, and not much else. If he has any anxiety at all, he doesn't let it show. Eden has to admit, his bluffing skills are impressive. The pot is up to a thousand dollars now. Bucky decides to make things interesting.

"All in," he replies, shoving his chips in.

The pot is so high that nobody wants to risk anything. Scott sighs and runs a hand through his hair. It's dishevelled and he looks stressed out. Eden would feel bad, but these guys are cold-blooded killers. Sharon isn't actively looking for them. Yet. Their posters are just up in case anyone happens to cross them. She tends to stay out of Hydra's business unless she has to get involved. Same with the Sokovians. Rumlow is a different story. He became public enemy number one for bounty hunters and every gangster in Chicago the minute he decided to target Zemo's family.

"Fuck, man. I fold," Scott sighs.

He slams his cards on the table face down.

"Me too," Loki replies. He stares at Bucky. "Barnes? What've you got?"

Bucky lays his shitty cards on the table. Aces high. He grins while Loki and Scott swear under their breath and down their drinks.

"This is bullshit," Scott replies. "How the fuck did you do that?"

Loki silences him with a wave of his hand. Eden wonders how they work together. Loki is clearly in charge, but doesn't seem to like Scott all that much. She's gathered that from the last twenty minutes that they've been sitting at this table.