Category: AU
Disclaimer: not mine... I only wish.
Notes: As usual no betas. I just sat down and wrote the thing and
posted it... and it's late so forgive grammer and typos.
Pairing: H/Lu
Rating: PG
Series: Here we have another story in the Pleasure Boy series.
Han looked out over the seedy bar. Typical crowded, sleazy, dirty place. The clientele were smugglers, thieves... that sort. Just the sort of place he usually enjoyed. Except this time somehow Luke had talked him in to letting him come along. What the hell was he thinking? There was no way his boy should be in this place. Already there were quiet a few appreciative looks coming their direction. Unlike the first time he'd seen the kid, Luke was aware of the glances, looks, and a few blatant stares, and he shifted closer to Han. He wrapped his arm around the young man, snuggling him against his side. "Don't you go anywhere," he ordered softly. Luke just looked up and nodded, his eyes wide. The possessive action put an end to most of the looks, but not all of them, and Han didn't like the looks in the eyes of the few he could still see looking.
An hour later Han found himself in a high stakes sabbac game. Higher stakes then he liked, but there was no way to get out right now. He watched as one of the other men fluked out and the card that was about to destroy his own hand swirled and shifted in other gambler's hand, reforming into the queen of staves. Damn it. That was exactly what he'd needed.
"Sabbac!" the man exclaimed in delight. Most of the other players dispersed in disgust, and the winner disappeared swiftly, all his winnings in hand.
"One more hand," the big man seated across from Han rumbled as Han made to rise.
"I'm cleaned out," the smuggler shrugged.
"Ahhh... but you still have one valuable left in your possession," the man said, looking pointedly at Luke.
Han felt the boy move further behind him, as though hiding from the old man's lecherous gaze. "No way."
"I'll give you a two million stake on him."
"He is not a poker ante," Han snapped, getting angry as he felt Luke's light grip on him turn into a clinging hold.
"Five million."
"Look, buddy, I take it you don't understand Basic," the Captain growled. "No." Suddenly Luke was yanked away from him. Han whirled to find an enormous man holding his boy. "Let him go." All that accomplished was getting a tiny blaster raised to Luke's head.
"Now my final offer is ten million," the man smirked. "We will play this hand. If you win you can take your boy and go. If I win, you go. He stays with me."
Han glared, furious. "Fine," he snarled. "But your thug lets go of him now. He's mine and he's going to stay that way."
"Very well." The man waved to his guard, who released Luke. The boy flung himself instantly at his lover. "But if you fight when I win you'll just end up dead."
"You won't win," Han growled as he pulled his boy into his arms, pressing a comforting kiss against his temple.
He watched as the cards were dealt, his mind reeling. What the hell was he supposed to do? He couldn't lose Luke. He just couldn't. Suddenly he felt something pressing into his hand. Glancing down he saw Luke's hand covering his. When the kid slid his hand back up the Captain's arm he saw what was now in his hand. A skiffter! Flipping it carefully over he found it matched the cards they were playing with perfectly. Keeping it carefully concealed in his hand he reached to pick up the cards he'd been dealt deftly switching the skiffter with a normal card.
A skiffter was a really low way of cheating at Sabbac, but right now he didn't care. Unlike the normal cards, which shifted their faces at random, the skiffter would switch when tapped on the side. He watched as he other cards shifted and changed, keeping an eye on his opponent, who seem very pleased with his hand... Suddenly he was holding most of an Idiot's array. Cautiously he tapped the skiffter, hoping it would choose the right face quickly. Too many taps would be a dead give away, and if he waited too long the rest of his hand would change again and it would be gone.
The little card almost seemed to hear his thoughts because its first change brought the exact value he was missing. With a crow of delight from Luke he thrust the cards into the glowing field in front of him that would keep the cards from changing so long as they were within its boundaries. "Sabbac," he said quite calmly.
"What?!?" the man exclaimed. "Impossible, you cheated."
"Really?" Han drawled. "Shall we get the club authorities to examine the deck?"
"NO!" The second exclamation was louder then the first, confirming Han's suspicion that the deck had been rigged.
"Ahh. then you won't mind if I keep it as a souvenir?" the smuggler said. "Now about that ten million..."
Once the credits had been transferred Han leaned across the table. "Remember this the next time you try to fix the deck against someone," he hissed, and with that he arose amd wrapped an arm around Luke's shoulders and led him to the exit and outside.
"That will never happen again, Luke," the smuggler said in a low voice. The kid just nodded. "I shoulda protected you better than that."
"You couldn't have expected it," Luke said in a soft voice.
"But I should have, and I mean it. I don't know exactly how, but I'll make sure no one can ever take you away from me."