Subject Info: Beecher, Keller, O'Reily, Hill
Originally Posted to: secret_ids on LiveJournal
Feedback: rustlerdude@gmail.com
Notes: The secret_ids challenge was: somebody tells a lie, and somebody tells the truth. And it had to be set in canon. The stories were sent in anonymously and we had to try to identify the author by their writing. Most of the participants came up with really amazing stuff: stories with clever little twists, insightful character portraits, angsty, beautiful vignettes...

And I sent in... this. *g*

Draw

"You're up." Keller pushed the card pile down the table.

Hill squared the deck, then shuffled carefully. He began to deal, then paused a moment, shooting an arched-brow glance back at Keller before sliding a card in front of O'Reily."You really think they're fake?"

"They don't bounce right."

"Maybe she's just got a good bra?" Beecher asked, picking up his first card.

"Nah. Fake."

Hill shook his head as he continued to deal out the hand. "You think everything is fake."

"Hey, I just call 'em like I see 'em. And no..." Keller's eyes shifted down the table. "Not everything."

"If you two start, I'm outta here."

"Just bet."

"All right. Jesus, look at this pile of shit." O'Reily pushed two matchsticks toward the center of the table.

"See your two." Beecher added his matches to the pot.

"I'm in." Keller tossed two matches in.

"Me too." Hill added his before turning back to O'Reily. "Cards?"

"Fuck. Four."

"Look at you," Hill laughed, dealing out the replacement cards. "Who would have thought you'd suck so bad at poker? I figured you for a master cheater or something."

"He don't have to cheat. O'Reily's got an unlimited supply of matches."

"Fuck you, Keller."

"What, you think we've never noticed?" Beecher laughed. "You get them from the kitchen."

"I don't even know why I bother with you assholes," O'Reily scowled, picking up his cards.

"Plenty of other assholes in here to choose from," Beecher sniffed.

Hill chuckled. "Good point. Beecher, cards?"

"Three."

"Keller?"

"Two."

"And... the dealer takes two."

"You guys hear McManus is gonna end the porn ban?"

"What?" Beecher and Hill chorused in unison.

O'Reily grinned and slouched down into his seat. "Yeah. McManus' big campaign to earn our trust back, or some shit. Way I hear it, we should be able to start getting magazines in Em City again by the beginning of next month. They had some whole big staff meeting about it, with Warden Glynn and everything."

Keller glared over the tops of his cards. "O'Reily, quit with the coffeehousing and bet."

"Yeah, that's a bunch of horse shit, man. You're just trying to throw us off," muttered Hill.

"Fine. Fuck you. Fold." O'Reily tossed his cards, still face-down onto the table.

One corner of Keller's mouth tugged up into a smirk. "Stick to chess."

"Beecher, your bet," said Hill.

Beecher hummed absently as he studied his hand, drumming his fingers on the table before counting out seven matches and pushing them into the middle. Keller nodded silently, and added his seven matches.

"Okay, I'll call that..." Hill wheeled closer to the table, leaning in to flip his matches into the pot. "And, Beecher, what do you have?"

Beecher shrugged and revealed his cards. "Pair of nines."

Hill raised his eyebrows. "You bet seven sticks on a pair of nines?"

"I was still thinking about Miss Sally's tits, and porn," Beecher muttered.

Hill nodded once quickly. "Yeah, actually me too, kinda. Keller, what about you?"

"Full house, jacks and sevens."

"Damn, that's a good hand. I had three tens."

"Yep. Thank you," Keller leaned in to scoop up the pot of match sticks. "O'Reily, your deal."

"Whatever." O'Reily swept up the cards and began to shuffle.

"You know, I been thinking about it a little bit more."

"Thinking about..." Hill asked, picking up his hand, then throwing it down in disgust as the buzzer sounded, calling evening lockdown.

"Maybe they are real," Keller said, getting up from the table.

--FIN--