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Chapter Text

Of all the places Sova has ever been sent on missions, a casino in Rabat, Morocco was definitely the one that made him feel the most uncomfortable. Sova never liked these types of places, full of dishonest and evil people, who did everything to win and manipulate people weaker than them.

But unfortunately for Sova, his honor and dedication would never allow him to refuse a mission given by Brimstone. So even reluctantly he accepted this mission without complaining, that's how he ended up in this casino.

His objective was to investigate and find out more about the mysterious owner of the place, a man who went by the code name of Cypher, this man besides being the owner of the most famous casino on the African continent was an excellent player and an information broker.

In addition Cypher had a business partner named Fade, a mysterious and terrifying radiant who always seemed to know everyone's deepest fear.

Right at the entrance Sova felt that he was being watched and that sent shivers down his spine, but in an attempt to ignore this strange feeling he started looking for his target, after all, a casino owner must hide very well to not be the target of his enemies.

Sova was so focused on his thoughts that he almost didn't notice a soft touch on his shoulders, when he turned around the hunter came face to face with a mysterious man shorter than him and who wore a mask and an elegant white suit with blue and gold details, plus a hat with the same colors.

- Good night Sova, welcome to my casino I'm Cypher and I believe you're looking for me.- said the man, or rather, Cypher in a playful but also strangely soft tone.

Hearing his name coming out of that man's mouth Sova was in a state of shock, how did Cypher know about this or the mission?

His surprise must have been obvious, after all Cypher started laughing and replied:

- Captain Brimstone should urgently hire someone to make a decent security system to protect his agents' information, it was so easy to get the information that it was almost boring. - said Cypher as if hacking the system of an international military organization with the Valorant protocol was the easiest thing in the world - that's how I learned about your mission, so I thought we'd get to the fun part soon.

- Fun part? - asked Sova who was still in shock, that man was more danger than he could imagine.

-Yes, after all you're here for the information and I'm looking for something to get me out of the boredom that life in this casino has become - Cypher then extended his hands and started touching Sova's neck in a soft and provocative way - let's go make a deal my dear, let's play a game you can be anyone you like, if you win I surrender to the Valorant protocol and give you all the information you want .... but if I win you will belong to me, thus becoming my pet.

That man seemed to take some pleasure in scaring Sova who was once again paralyzed, but even so that was the only option they had at that moment, any other type of approach with Cypher seemed in vain.

-Alright Cypher, let's play - Cypher upon hearing this let out a small moan of joy, Sova hated to admit that he found the noise cute - but it will be fair game, no secrets, lies or tricks.

-All for you my owl.

Cypher then took Sova to a game room, a place where they had several different types of games and most of them either had the possibility of cheating or Sova didn't know how to play.

Until suddenly Sova saw a chessboard, finally a game he knew how to win.

-All right Cypher, we're going to play chess. - said Sova confidently, he was going to win this match and complete his mission.

-Chess ? Great choice my owl, after all this is my favorite game and apparently yours too. - said Cypher happily.

This statement scared Sova a little, but even so he remained confident, the match then began and at first everything seemed to be under control, but suddenly he began to lose overwhelmingly.

After a long match the result couldn't be more obvious, Cypher won impressively, Sova was once again in a state of shock never in his life had he suffered such a crushing defeat before.

Cypher then started laughing once more at Sova's shocked face.

-Game over my owl and how I won you know what that means - Cypher then approached Sova and put a collar on the hunter's neck - don't worry my dear, I promise I'll be a great owner for you.

Sova when he felt the metal of the collar around his neck began to shake, that he was too humiliating for him, how could he fulfill his mission that way? How was he going to explain this situation to Brimstone and the rest of the team?

Sova's life would definitely change from that moment on and it's all because of one damn game.

Chapter Text

The noise of his cell phone ringing was what woke Sova from his deep sleep, for a few moments the hunter was confused when he realized that he was not in his room but in a room elsewhere, much more chic than the ones they had in the base , until after a while finally the memories of the previous night came back in his mind.

He had lost to Cypher and now as punishment he would have to be the information broker's 'pet', that was so ridiculous for Sova, so humiliating, his pride was hurt in many ways.

But unlike what he imagined Cypher did not humiliate him after the match, quite the contrary, he was very kind to Sova and patiently explained how things worked in that crazy place.

Different from all the other casinos in this one there was a kind of 'society' different from all the others that existed beyond the walls of the place, and just like every society there was a kind of social hierarchy, here the strongest are those who are excellent at betting , while the weakest are those who lose bets.

The best bettors are called: elite bettors and have almost absolute power in this place. The worst players become pets and become property of the casino and elite players.

Pets are also prohibited from leaving the casino, after all, many have already tried to escape this fate.

Sova thought this whole system was absurd and asked Cypher if he had created all these rules.

-Of course not my owl, after all I am against some rules of this place - said Cypher while taking Sova to his new room - but unfortunately even being the current owner here, some things cannot be changed, and the rules are one of them .

-Even so, this is still unfair, why don't people here realize that? - asked Sova indignantly.

-Because most people don't really care about others, they are only interested in themselves.

-It's still unfair anyway.

Cypher then started to laugh softly and Sova didn't understand what the joke was.

-You are a person who cares so much about others even being in an equal situation or even worse, this is so fascinating to me, I don't think I've ever met someone as sincere and honest as you my owl - said Cypher as soon as they finally arrived in front of the bedroom door - it seems that with you by my side things are finally going to be interesting again in my life.

Cypher then gave Sova the room keys and walked away, thus leaving the hunter alone in his new room.

The room was much bigger than any Sova had ever had in his life, the bed was too big for just one person and there were several expensive objects scattered around the room.

On the dresser table were his suitcase along with his other things, but strangely Cypher also left Sova's cell phone with him.

Sova found that strange after all all pets were forbidden to have contact with the outside world, why would Cypher let him have access to something that could help him get out of that place?

Was Cypher some kind of sadist who liked to give people false hope?

It didn't matter now, after all Sova needed to face his new reality and tell Brimstone that he had failed in his mission and that he was in an embarrassing situation to say the least. This had never happened before, after all, every time Sova called the captain it was to inform him that the mission had been completed or that everything was going well.

Taking out his cell phone, the hunter quickly called the captain, although deep down he was hoping he wouldn't pick up.

-Sova, I'm glad you managed to do it counting on us, after all it's been hours since the last time you called that the team was getting worried - said Brimstone quickly, after all he was relieved that Sova finally managed to call - but I knew you would able to get to Rabat and execute the mission without a hitch, I would expect nothing less from our best agent.

Shit, Brimstone thought the mission had been completed, before calling Sova he was already afraid of the captain's reaction, but now hearing those words his fear was even greater.

-Commander... I'm sorry to inform you... but the mission wasn't finished yet - Sova said gathering all the courage he still had left - unfortunately there were some... problems today and I'll have to stay here for a while longer.

-For how long ?

-I don't know yet, but I promise I'll find a way to solve this problem.

-Sova ... do you by any chance need reinforcements? If you need I can send some other agents to help you.

-NO, no need to worry Brimstone, I can handle the situation myself. - last thing Sova needed right now is to be seen by some of his colleagues in this humiliating situation - I need to hang up now, bye.

Sova then quickly hung up the phone, how was he going to escape this situation? This was all madness, but he'd find a way.

Chapter Text

Some ancient stories say that the four kings in the deck are representations of four great kings in human history: King David, King Alexander the Great, King Charlemagne, and King Julius Caesar.

Despite being just a legend, it shows exactly what a king should be, he should be someone who represents power, intelligence and the capacity for leadership and influence over other people.

In that casino Cypher was the king and Sova learned that in his first days in that place with his new life.

Cypher was not someone who had people's respect because of his physical strength but rather because of his enormous intelligence and his ability to manipulate. It's scary how he could destroy a person using just a few words.

But at the same time Cypher was also someone kind and quite playful with the people he was friends with. A great example was his friendship with Fade, his partner in crime and one of the good people who had Cypher's almost complete trust.

Another great example was Sova himself, during one of his first nights at the casino the Russian began to be harassed by a politician from the European parliament who was passing through Morocco.

At first Sova just ignored that man, but after a while the presence of that idiot started to bother him a lot.

-Well, well, I've been with several Russians in my life, but I've never seen one as beautiful as you. - said the man in yet another failed attempt to flirt with Sova.

-Sir, please, I already asked you to stop disturbing my work - said Sova with a clear annoyance in his voice - besides I'm not interested.

Sova then turned to leave but felt the chain on his collar being pulled, that bastard was pulling the chain with the intention of making him submit to his will.

-I'm sorry to inform you, dear, but you are just a pet and as such you must obey the orders of humans like me. - the man now had a sadistic smile on his face, after all he knew that they had the power in their hands and that no one would stop him from doing whatever he wanted with Sova.

Nobody, with the exception of one person.

Suddenly a hand began to squeeze the politician's neck, Sova and he then realized that it was Cypher who, despite always wearing a mask that hid his face, it was obvious that at that moment beneath it was a huge macabre smile.

The man released the chain from Sova's collar, but that didn't stop Cypher from continuing to squeeze his neck.

-Good evening Mr Congressman, I hope your stay at our casino is wonderful - said Cypher with an obvious false joy in his voice - however I heard complaints that you were harassing and bothering other customers and employees, and apparently the complaints they were right.

At that moment everyone was looking at them, Cypher's mere presence was capable of changing the environment around him and it was obvious to everyone that that man was screwed for messing with one of his toys in his perfect kingdom.

-This bastard is not an employee or a customer, he is a damn pet and as a human I have the right to do whatever I want with him and...

-SHUT UP - Cypher said loudly, the spy rarely raised his voice and usually spoke with a lower tone than normal, so it was definitely obvious to everyone that that man was dead.

-That man you just harassed is not just a simple pet - Cypher then tightened his grip on the man's neck - he is my pet and a personal friend, so I suggest you never mess with him again.

The man's face then began to turn blue from the lack of oxygen and he knew that no one would save him, after all no one in that casino was crazy or brave enough to challenge Cypher's authority.

But to everyone's surprise, Cypher let go of the man's neck and threw him to the ground.

-I suggest you leave here quickly, sir, after all, you don't want your beautiful wife and your beloved children to receive a very special video that shows you having sex with your secretary and your gardener on the sofa at home.

After hearing that the man quickly disappeared from there, no one questioned how Cypher knew that information and everyone went back to doing what they were doing before.

With the exception of Sova who was still on the ground in shock at what happened, Cypher then extended his arm to the Russian and asked:

-Is everything okay with you, dear?

All his life Sova hated being called dear, only his grandmother could call him that, and when he was called that way by someone other than her, he got a look of contempt and hatred. But for some reason Cypher calling him sweet didn't bother him, on the contrary it made him feel happy and with red cheeks.

-I... I'm fine - said Sova as he stood up with the help of Cypher - I'm just shocked, I can usually defend myself in this type of situation, but as they had never used a collar before, he caught me in my blind spot.

Cypher then chuckled a little and began to caress Sova's face with his hands, hands that the Russian found very sexy.

-In fact, no one is and should never be used to wearing a collar, but I can't help but think that it looks sexy on you, my little owl.

(just remember that Sova is much taller than Cypher, so the fact that he calls him a little owl is funny)

Sova once again felt his face turn red, if it had been anyone else he wouldn't have liked those words, but Cypher managed to dominate his mind in an incredible way.

It was from that day on that Sova and Cypher became closer and started to develop a friendship that little by little they both ended up developing feelings for each other, but neither of them had the courage to express their feelings.

But what Sova didn't realize was that he had forgotten to report on the progress of the mission, so Brimstone began to get very worried.

Therefore, in an attempt to find out how Sova was doing, he sent reinforcements for the mission.

That was another quiet night at Cypher's casino, Sova was making his "master's" favorite tea when the kitchen doors opened.

- I'm sorry to have to disturb our routine, dear, but tonight we will have a very special visit. - said Cypher who had an amusement in his tone of voice.

- Who is this special person who was able to catch your attention? - Sova asked as they both left the kitchen and went to the main hall.

Cypher rarely had guests and didn't like to be disturbed either.

-Let's say he's an acquaintance of yours.

Sova had a look of doubt on his face, but it quickly turned into one of surprise when he saw a familiar face among the casino goers.

Chamber was the reinforcement that had been sent and Sova knew that it would be a long night because of the Frenchman's presence.