Chapter Text
Luck always runs dry.
Even the biggest winner eventually falls; of course Meeple had to learn that the hard way, through a single series of lost Starrcade games. Their temper had flared to life after being defeated and insulted. Next there was an argument, ending with a thrown punch that seemingly caused the world to erupt. And then… well, they didn’t want to think about what happened next.
Losing their job made the future harder to think about.
With a small sigh, they put a pawn hand on their cheek, which was dented and dripping with oil. They pulled it away as their face began to burn, and they looked at their now soaked hand. Fuck, how hard had they been hit…? That was yet another thing they didn’t know.
Meeple sat up on the sidewalk and turned to the glass doors of the Starrcade. A large “SORRY! TEMPORARILY CLOSED” sign was poorly taped to one of the doors, and through the glass they could see Rico walking around, panicking as he looked at the ruin around him. Just a few feet away was Meeple’s staff ID — disabled and thrown out by 8-Bit after the incident, lying discarded on the ground along with a plastic bag containing their other belongings. They stood up with a weak groan, muttering a string of curses before grabbing it off the ground.
A couple of seconds passed. Meeple’s hand returned to their cheek as they stared up at the neon lights of their workplace. Well, former workplace; it was very clear they were not going to be welcomed back again. From the inside of the building, Rico shot them a harsh glare before turning away abruptly. He went back to examining the damaged arcade machines — leaving Meeple standing, alone and rejected, out in the cold evening air.
"Damn it, what the fuck did I get myself into...?"
They tore their gaze away from the illuminated entrance, looking up into the multicolor sky as their feelings became borderline overwhelming. They'd just lost everything, from their four-digit winning streak to their job at their favorite place, and two of their only friends... everything was gone now, all because of their pride, all because of their faded luck, all because of some fucking odds they were made to manipulate. But of course they'd fuck up and it would all go wrong, because Meeple was a fucking failure...
Something in Meeple's mechanical heart strained against their chest. Their face blazed with pain as tears rolled down their battered cheek. Slowly, they began to walk away, their footsteps on the pavement ringing in their hearing sensors. Their mind raced with unanswered questions: What am I going to do now? Why is the only thing I'm good at gone? How will I get gems for rent, for food, for fucking staying alive? Why do I-
Another thought formed in their mind, causing Meeple to stop walking to process it. They knew it wasn't reasonable or logical, but fuck it: it seemed like it could fix their problems. Sure, they were nearly certain that their luck was gone, but it wouldn't — couldn't — hurt to push it. Besides, this idea could get them some gems, assuming everything worked out, and it was a great way to deal with their feelings, maybe have a little fun too...
Meeple wiped the tears forming in their eyes as they took their phone out to dial a ride.
Meeple sunk into the leather seat of the taxi, watching as the vibrant colors of Starr Park turned into a blur. They sped along the streets, filled with bright fluorescent lights and the sounds of Brawlers laughing and talking together. The sights, the sounds — they all brought Meeple’s racing mind back to the Starrcade. As if on cue, their cheek began to burn again; they brought a pawn hand to it as they bit their lip and closed their eyes.
Suddenly, their hands were back on the joystick and plastic buttons of the machine, a two-player fighting game flashing on the CRT. Meeple’s circuits hummed as they grinned, snickering to themselves while flicking and tapping the controls like second nature... because, well, it totally was to them. An extra input here, and a quick score change there, and anything gaming related always went their way.
Until, of course, it didn't.
They stared in disbelief at their side of the arcade screen, displaying a "you lose" in large crimson font. Meeple tapped their hand against the body of the machine; this shouldn't have happened, all of their little cheats should have helped them. An incomprehensible word appeared on their head panel as they blinked: once, twice, then looked up at the ceiling.
"Ha! I beat you! Aren't you supposed to be fucking good at this?"
Meeple remembered turning to the other person, but they'd forgotten what he’d looked like. They did, however, recall the words they had said to him: "Okay, calm down, you won, whatever." In reality, they were pissed they lost; however getting into an argument during work wouldn't look the best on them.
"Shut up! You're so bad at this it's fucking crazy." A loud scoff followed. "Fucking dumbass."
Meeple's cheek burned harder, and they held a breath as the situation continued playing out in their head.
"Seriously, calm down... you did win. That's fine.” With an exasperated sigh, Meeple approached the person, holding out their hand as a gesture of genuine acceptance. “Good for you.”
What happened next was too fast.
First came a harsh shove that sent Meeple to the carpeted floor of the arcade. Next came a surge of hard feelings in their systems, overriding any sort of righteousness they had left. Then, without another word, they stood up, walking over to him before turning his taunts into a scream of pain.
Meeple didn’t expect him to retaliate with more force.
In seconds, they’d ended up on that same floor again; they got up and everything went out of control from there. They couldn’t count how many punches were thrown, how many bystanders were screaming in fear, how many arcade machines they'd destroyed during the incident. Eventually, Rico and 8-Bit rushed in to stop the fight, prying Meeple and the other person away from each other. 8-Bit worked on dragging the other away, while Rico stayed behind to deal with Meeple.
“MEEPLE, WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? THIS IS GOING TO COST US EVERYTHING!” Time slowed when Rico roughly grabbed their shoulder, dragging them along the oil and blood-stained floor before opening the entrance. “Get out. Now. Don’t come back here, ever.”
A stuttered gasp left Meeple’s mouth. “Rico, please, I’m so fucking sorry I-“
”GET THE FUCK OUT.”
Rico shoved Meeple down, watching as they collapsed onto the sidewalk before slamming the doors. Seconds later, 8-Bit opened them again, staring Meeple down with pure rage in his eyes. Seeing him, they began to cry, every word out of their mouth becoming choked. ”8-Bit please I’m begging you-“
Meeple’s things clattered onto the rocky pavement, along with their de-activated Starrcade staff card.
The doors closed.
Regret stabbed at their chest, but Meeple swallowed it down. They sat up, snapping out of their thought train with a small exhale. From the stained, smudged taxi window, they stared out blankly as the world outside began to slow before stopping completely. Meeple grabbed the plastic bag before exiting the car, mumbling a "thank you" as their feet hit the ground. They turned to watch the car take a turn out of the lot and drive away, waiting until the taillights dissolved into the distance before staring up at the glowing letters overhead.
Starr Park Casino.
Meeple cursed themselves in their head; why did they ever decide this was a good idea...? They took another glance in the direction their ride had left, wondering if it was too late to go back home and pretend this never happened. A part of them knew there was no point, though, and Meeple sighed before turning to the entrance.
Bright, colorful lights. Glass double doors.
Everything reminded them of the Starrcade again, even if they'd came here to forget it all. Forget their regret, their mistakes, their thoughts that had led them here in the first place... forget how much of a failure they were, and try everything — try their luck — all over again.
That's why they were here, wasn't it?
Meeple took their staff card out, flipping it over in their hand before hurling it into a trash can. They took a breath, then walked into the casino — their circuits humming quietly.
Starr Park Casino flooded with voices.
Everywhere Meeple turned, people were making noise. Some swore angrily as they stared down yet another unlucky slot roll, while some cheered and bragged as they stacked up their earnings. However, they didn't say a word out loud; instead all the noise was in their head, simultaneously telling themselves "this was not the best idea" and "this is going to work out."
Meeple hoped the latter thought was correct.
They held their bag closer to their chest as they continued their walk, examining every game they could possibly play. Slots — no, they weren't in the mood for that. Poker would be fine, but it wasn't exactly their favorite. The remaining common sense in their head helped eliminate purely luck based games. Then their eyes fell upon a blackjack table, and they shrugged. Not bad. It was a game they were decent at playing, with a good amount of luck for testing the waters. After a good amount of mental debate, they approached a seat at the table; their mind locking in their decision as they sat down.
Then, the dealer turned around to face them, and Meeple almost fell over in their chair.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
"Hey, good evening! How's everything been?" he asked, causing their systems to surge with warmth.
Damn, he has a cute fucking voice too!
They sat there, still in shock, then blinked, realizing that they should respond.
"Yeah, fine, uh… thank you..." Meeple's face flushed as they covered their cheek before reading the name off of the dealer's jacket. "...Larry."
Meeple cursed themselves in their mind again, hoping they didn’t sound awkward. They brought their hand away from their face and tried looking tough — which ended up being a mistake. Larry’s eyes traveled to their dented cheek, and he gasped softly.
”Are you sure you’re okay…? That looks really painful…”
They held a breath as their eyes met the dealer's. Instantly, they felt... somehow, safe. Comforted, like someone really cared about them. Seen, felt, heard — even if they'd only said a few words.
"I'm alright..." lied Meeple; however as they continued looking into Larry's eyes, which were shining with concern, they let out a sigh. "Well, actually not really. I... um, putting things short, I kinda... you know... lost my job today."
So much for coming here to forget.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Larry bit his lip. He looked down at the playing cards in front of him, fidgeting with his hands before staring back at Meeple. His soft, sympathetic smile sent them into a panic; their panel glitched out as they desperately sought a response.
“Yeah… thanks.” Meeple shifted in their seat, breaking eye contact to glance at Larry's body. He was undeniably hot: combined with the way he talked, it all sent their systems spinning. A cooling fan inside of their chest kicked on, and someone laughed quietly in response. They looked up to see the dealer blushing back at them, and their heart briefly stopped before beating in overdrive.
"...what?"
It was Larry's turn to look flustered. "I just, uh... n-nothing." He looked to the others sitting with Meeple at the table, clearly annoyed that the game hadn't started yet. "Alright, let's play."
Meeple held a breath, praying that their skill was enough and the odds could be in their favor. If this was going to be the Starrcade all over again, then they were truly a failure; there’d be no point in doing anything.
But just by meeting Larry, they knew something had changed. They knew they were lucky now, because there was no other explanation for how they’d met.
Luck never runs away.
Even the biggest loser eventually gets redeemed; of course Meeple couldn't stop winning everything, no matter what they'd called or what their hand was.
They bet everything they had, and it kept working.
Their chips continued to stack, higher and higher, until their total amount became uncountable. After pushing all of their earnings into the betting pool for yet another round, they took their last remaining chip and flicked it into the air, catching it as Larry turned to them. He eyed their cards — a Queen and a 9 — before asking them the same question that had netted them so much.
"Are you going to stand or...?"
Larry didn't finish his question before Meeple grinned, their eyes glimmering with confidence. They downed most of the beer they'd ordered before talking, their gaze completely focused on him.
"I'm gonna hit that, Larry," they told him, laughing as everyone around them gasped. "What? I'm going to win..."
"...whatever you say." The dealer chuckled back at their slightly slurred words, his face tinted pink as he drew a card from the box. He put the card down in front of Meeple, immediately realizing what just happened as their smile got bigger.
"See? Told you." They smacked their hands together as they confirmed their 21, then flashed a heart on their panel. "Thanks, Larry, you're the best."
At their words, his siren light flickered on, and he stuttered over his words. "But it was- that was all luck, I didn't even really do anything-"
Meeple winked at Larry, quickly causing his breath to hitch and consequently shutting him up. After attempting to calm himself down, he turned to all of the other players — watching as, one by one, their hands all broke.
"Well, looks like you're against me now." Meeple snorted, drinking the rest of the glass before leaning back in their chair. "Don't make me lose, pretty boy."
Larry brought a hand to his face in a poor attempt to cover the blush growing on it. His heart pounded, its beat filling the air with a sudden tension. For a second, nothing moved; then, slowly, he turned over his hole card to reveal... an 8. Larry's gaze went to the now flipped card, then to his face up 9, then to Meeple's sparkling eyes.
"You beat me again," sighed Larry, acting as if he was tired of Meeple winning everything — though his tone betrayed the act. They raised a pawn hand in the air triumphantly as he pushed their payout toward them; instantly, they stuck their other hand into their pile of chips and began counting them.
50, 100, 200, 500 thousand gems.
Meeple couldn't believe their luck. They let out a laugh, then blew a kiss to Larry before plunging their pawns into the mountain.
Fuck the Starrcade, Meeple told themselves, knowing they'd came here to forget but, right now, not caring about that at all. I'm the Mighty Meeple! I'm a fucking winner! This is more than enough! I-
"Hey, excuse me, can I talk with you for a second...?"
The sound of Larry's voice sent Meeple hurling back to reality. They brought their hands out of the pile before looking up and noticing the other players sitting with them had left.
"Wait, what...?"
Larry noticed their confusion, showing another soft smile at their suddenly quiet words. "Oh, I told them to go. After all, I do need to speak with you... privately."
Meeple's pulse raced. "...wait, wha-"
"But first, let me..." Larry slid their mountain of chips toward him, and they watched as he converted them to a smaller amount of brown chips. "There, that should make things easier for you."
They blinked. "Uh, thank you... now what do you want to talk about...?"
Larry walked over to Meeple before sitting down next to them, both of them blushing. "I don't think I ever got your name..."
A beat in their heart was skipped over. "...it's Meeple..."
"Well, Meeple, uh... I just have something to say to you." They nodded, tapping a hand against the table nervously; Larry took it as a sign to keep going. "You've been really lucky tonight, and it's a bit, you know... unusual. I don't really think you're cheating, but, I mean... I don't know for sure."
Meeple's rapid pulse faded; they looked over at Larry in disbelief. "I'm not cheating, Larry. I swear. I'm just... lucky."
They exhaled slowly. That felt strange to say, especially after what had happened a few hours ago.
So much for coming here to forget.
Larry nodded in response. "I believe you, Meeple. But, you know, it's really suspicious, and-“
”-you’re gonna kick me out?”
There was a piercing silence. Larry put a hand on Meeple’s shoulder pad before muttering the rest of his sentence.
“That’s what should happen. But-“
Instantly, Meeple pulled away, glaring at Larry as shock flooded his face. They stood up, leaving the dealer in a clear state of panic. “Okay, then I’ll just leave. I don’t want to cause any more problems today.”
They took their things from the floor before starting for the exit. Larry panicked, struggling to get any words out but clearly desperate to say something — anything.
”MEEPLE, WAIT!”
A shout escaped his lips, making them glance back. Then, as if remembering something, they turned back toward the table and began to walk toward it.
“Thanks for reminding me,” they said, reaching out to grab the chips they had accumulated. He watched in silence as they fell into Meeple’s plastic bag, knowing that the second they walked away it was over.
”I- I wasn’t done, I was going to tell you I’d let you stay if I got a payment-“
Meeple scoffed loudly. ”Fuck no, Larry. You’re not getting any of this.”
Dread crashed over Larry’s systems; no, that was the wrong thing to say. The last of the chips fell into their bag, and they turned away again. As their footsteps echoed through Larry’s hearing receptors, he felt something inside him sink; losing Meeple felt wrong, and bad, and he needed them to stay-
“I don’t want the gems, Meeple.”
Seconds passed. Larry's mouth hung open as Meeple turned around. No one moved, and the weight of his words hung in the air.
"You don't- wait, then you... you want-"
Oh.
Oh.
Well, that made everything a lot better.
Minutes passed. In a fit of racing heartbeats, flushed faces, and glitching circuits, the two gazed at each other — both of them knowing where this was about to go yet not wanting to hold anything back. Meeple returned to Larry, their face lighting up as they dropped their bag on the floor before leaning against the casino table.
The dealer stood up, his legs wobbling slightly. "So is that a yes?"
"What else would it be, pretty boy? I need you."
They moaned as Larry pinned their body against the table before pressing his body against theirs. Their lips immediately parted, allowing his tongue to slip through; he grabbed their waist as he deepened the kiss. Heat snuck into the two's systems as Meeple gripped his shoulders, making sounds of pure bliss any time they tasted their shared breaths. Leaving him was impossible, not after realizing how alive they felt with him by their side. They knew they'd came here to forget — but now they didn't want to, if losing it all at the Starrcade led to... this.
Larry's hands loosened around Meeple's waist as he pulled away, his lips barely brushing against theirs. "I don't think you know what you've done to me."
His words made desire grow in their crotch, and they let out a low whine. Their head spun from how close he was from their mouth; their breath fumbled in their lungs as words spilled out. "I- oh god I love you Larry..."
"Look at you, so desperate," he chuckled, inching teasingly close to their lips. "I love you too, Meeple."
Larry knew people were staring at him, but in this moment it was the least of his concerns. The colorful lights around him fell away as Meeple's tongue quickly slid into his mouth, drawing him into another hungry kiss. Their combined sounds bounced around the walls of the casino, only growing into a crescendo as the heat dominating their systems turned to lust.
It felt as if multiple heavenly hours had passed before the second kiss ended, leaving them both panting. Larry's breath hit Meeple's dented cheek — his breath hot against their already burning face. They stuttered his name out with every exhale, sending a wave of crackling tension coursing through the air.
"Larry... damn it, I want you so, so fucking bad..." At their words, Larry began to grind his hardening cock against Meeple's crotch, earning a deafening cry of pleasure from them. "Yes, fuck, pretty boy please...!"
"What do you want from your pretty boy, Meeple?" asked Larry. A string of pleasured sounds left their mouth. "Use your words."
They weren't sure if their voice box could even form a comprehensible word, but they needed to try. "Larry, I... I need your cock in me..."
He grinned at their strained response before setting them on the floor, hastily fumbling with the plating on their crotch before exposing their vagina. The casino air hit their wet folds; Meeple moaned out as Larry's eyes shone with lust.
"That's more like it, sweetheart." They could feel themselves getting wetter from his use of the pet name. After watching them writhe on the floor from the anticipation, Larry slid one of his compartments up and pulled out his dick — short, yet thick, with a bead of pre-cum sitting on the tip. It seemed to sparkle under the neon lights; Meeple's lust-drunk eyes fell to his cock.
"Holy shit..."
Meeple's hips raised from the floor, a silent plea for Larry to fuck them already. Clearly, they didn't mind that the two had just met today... but to be fair, the dealer didn't mind either.
They were both lucky to have found each other.
His eyes traveled down to their desperate face, and he positioned himself to line up with their clit. After rubbing it against their entrance, he suddenly drove into them — letting his name fill the room.
"FUCK, LARRY!" Meeple screamed in ecstasy underneath him, their panel flashing with curses as he buried himself inside their pussy. He pulled out, teasing their entrance before slamming into them again, sending another euphoric cry ricocheting around. Their hand found his side, learning the fast rhythm of his hips before bucking their own in time with his thrusts.
"You love this, hm?" giggled Larry, watching as their entire system drowned in pure pleasure. God, Meeple looked so hot underneath him; even their dented cheek looked attractive. It was all making him want them even more.
"Y-yes I do Larry, please don't- don't stop..."
He redoubled his efforts, snapping his hips at a rate that stole Meeple’s breath away. They moaned out again, the noise fading into the quiet; by this point the voices of the casino had dissolved. Every person was staring at the animalistic scene playing out, but the two only found this made the moment sexier.
A contented, breathy sigh left Larry’s lips, and he put a hand on his lover’s shoulder. He felt the warmth radiating from their body, felt how it vibrated from the force of their groans and screams. “Oh, I don’t want to stop, baby.”
Meeple watched his cock disappear into their vagina, letting out a low rumble as he buried himself inside them. “Fuck… don’t… I’m so close, Larry…”
“Already?” Larry laughed as his hands roamed their body. “You’re so needy.”
Their heart threatened to burst from their chest: his soft touch and harsh thrusts simultaneously occurring made their stomach knot tighter. A response played at their lips, but they couldn’t get it out; only sharp exhales and choked words of arousal made it out.
Larry continued ramming his hips into Meeple; however his pace was slowing considerably, and they knew he was close. Their systems had gone haywire as they felt his cock pulsing in them in time to their shared heartbeat. A wave of heat bloomed over their clit as Larry panted out Meeple’s name, the hand that rested on their shoulder gripping it again before caressing their body.
The way his hands felt against them made everything spin. The knot in their stomach strained, its pressure unyielding and growing by the second. Inside them, Larry's dick throbbed, sending waves of euphoria and anticipation through Meeple.
"Meeple, I think I'm... oh, oh god-"
With a final thrust, Larry buried himself completely inside their cunt. A rasped scream left his lungs as he threw himself back, filling Meeple to the brim with his artificial cum. Their breaths became quivers; the overhead neon lights became stars. Meeple was swimming in ecstasy, and the waters were flooding out every other feeling in the world.
"...pretty boy, holy fucking hell, it's gonna- I'm gonna-"
Another hoarse shout carried through the air, shaking the foundation of the casino. Their back arched off the floor as their walls clenched around the dealer's cock. Cum shot out of their pussy, landing all over his dick and thighs, but neither of them minded.
"Oh, that felt so good," breathed Larry, pulling out of Meeple and watching as his fluids splattered onto the ground. His eyes moved to their cunt, taking in how it leaked with his cum — his face flushing somehow harder. Then he laid down next to Meeple, putting his head on their burning chest. "I love you, Meeple."
The tears lining their eyes faded, and they turn their head to look into Larry’s sparkling blue eyes. They put a pawn hand on his siren, smiling as it lit up just from the contact. “Larry… I love you too.”
Slowly, the sounds of the casino returned, although clearly quieter than before. Something in the air had changed — there was more tension, more feeling.
The two cuddled with each other, and Larry’s breathing slowed as Meeple’s pulse pounded in his sensors. After wiping off most of the cum from his body, he shifted to wrap a hand around their waist. Words left his mouth, coming out as a low, teasing murmur.
”Looks like I got my payment, baby, so you’re welcome to stay.”
The sound of footsteps suddenly pierced the air, but it was drowned out by the two chuckling.
“Thanks, pretty boy.”
The dealer swallowed; that would still get him no matter how many times Meeple called him that. He grinned before talking. “So… are you down for another round of blackjack?”
The footsteps subsided. Meeple looked at the mess on the floor, shrugging before smirking and giving Larry a reply.
”Why wouldn’t I be, pretty boy?”