SUMMARY: valko learns the hard way that trusting his mischievous darling during a game of uno is a terrible idea.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: yes, i've heard about the cancellation and there are various ways to prevent valko from being removed. there is still hope left that they might just postpone his release or bring him back fully. for those who don't know what to do, you can sign the petition (this is one of the ones that i found but do leave some more in the comments if you found others) https://www.ipetitions.com/p/bring-back-valko-as-a-love-interest-as-it-was-intended/, boycotting the game on play store and writing to their email official to ask for his return. no matter the results, i will continue to write for him. also, i apologize if it doesn't suit his character entirely.
MASTERLIST & REQUESTS: before you go, have a glass of wine or better yet, recommend a good bottle. any kind of message is always a delight.
Valko should have seen it coming. His mischievous darling was always up to something one way or another—not that he was any better himself.
It had been raining since earlier that day, leaving the world outside cloaked in gray skies and the steady patter of rain against the windows. There wasn't much to do indoors, and the last thing he wanted was for you to catch a cold by wandering outside. Of course, he could always slip away for a breath of fresh air in his wolf form if he truly wished, but why would he? The thought of leaving you alone, even for a little while, held no appeal to him.
Instead, the two of you had spent the afternoon curled up together, eventually drifting into a nap. Valko had rested his head comfortably against your chest while his strong arms remained securely wrapped around your waist, his hands settling shamelessly lower around your hips and ass. Clingy? Absolutely. But you wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, he made for an excellent source of warmth on such a cold day, his body heat enough to keep the chill at bay.
Now that the two of you had finally woken up, the rain outside showed no signs of stopping. With little else to occupy the long afternoon, Valko stretched lazily before turning to you with a grin.
"How about a game?" he suggested, already reaching for the deck. More specifically, a game of UNO.
You couldn't help but smile, a knowing glint flashing across your face as you accepted the cards. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
Valko only chuckled, assuming it was nothing more than confidence.
Ha! If only he knew. You quickly hid the wicked little smirk threatening to spread across your face, lowering your gaze as the beginnings of a devious plan took shape in your mind.
Within your circle, you were infamous for one very specific talent: cheating at UNO. No one had ever managed to out-cheat you, and no one had ever caught you enough times to stop you. Your methods were shameless, and ridiculously effective. Valko, blissfully unaware of the challenge he had just accepted, was about to learn that firsthand.
You volunteered to shuffle the deck, your fingers moving expertly through the cards while secretly memorizing a few key ones as they flashed past. Most importantly, you kept track of the wild cards and the draw four cards. To sell the act, you put on the performance of a slightly clumsy shuffler. Sure enough, a handful of cards "accidentally" slipped from your hands and scattered across the floor.
"Oh, oops," you mumbled innocently.
As you crouched to gather them, you palmed one of the wild cards, keeping it concealed beneath your hand before slipping it out of sight. By the time you stood back up, the deck looked perfectly complete to anyone who wasn't paying impossibly close attention. Wearing your most innocent smile, you began dealing out the cards to Valko, as though nothing at all had happened.
First step accomplished. Now, it was time to actually play.
The first few rounds went by exactly as they should. You made a point of playing normally, occasionally pretending to hesitate over which card to put down, even sighing dramatically whenever Valko seemed to gain the upper hand. It was all part of the act. If you cheated too early, he'd start paying attention.
Valko, meanwhile, looked far too pleased with himself. "You sure you know what you're doing, troublemaker?" he teased with a grin, tossing down another card. "Starting to think all that confidence was just talk."
You merely shrugged, hiding a smile as you drew another card from the pile. "Maybe."
Inside, though, you were practically cackling. Perfect. Let him think he was winning. Let him lower his guard. The more confident he became, the less he'd pay attention—and that was exactly what you wanted.
After all, every great cheater knew one thing: the trick wasn't cheating. It was making sure no one ever realized you were doing it. And by the time Valko figured it out-if he figured it out at all- it would already be far too late.
As his attention stayed fixed on the cards in his hand, you casually let a couple of your worst ones slip from your lap to the floor. The movement was so small, so effortless, that it was easy to miss—especially when you had something much more interesting to keep his eyes on.
You rested your chin in your palm and let out a small, defeated sigh. "I don't think I'm very good at this at all," you admitted, pouting just enough to make it believable. "You're a lot better than I expected."
Valko's ears perked ever so slightly at the compliment, his grin only growing wider.
You tilted your head, smiling sweetly. "Maybe if you win... I can think of a reward to give you later."
That earned his full attention. "What kind of reward?" he asked without missing a beat, his focus wavering.
You simply shrugged, feigning innocence. "You'll have to earn it first."
Valko's ears perked immediately, his grin widening as his thoughts were clearly no longer entirely on the game. Exactly as you'd hoped.
Taking advantage of the brief distraction, you quietly nudged the discarded cards farther beneath the table with the tip of your foot before returning your full attention to the match. By the time Valko looked back at you, your expression was as innocent as ever, as though you'd been doing nothing but waiting patiently for his next move.
Not long after, the results of your hard work began to show.
Your hand steadily shrank while Valko remained blissfully unaware of how suspiciously fast it was happening. Before long, you were down to your last two cards.
Then one. "UNO," you announced sweetly, holding up your final card with a smile.
Valko blinked. "Wait, what?"
You couldn't help the smug grin tugging at your lips as he hurriedly checked his own hand, only to realize he still had far more cards left than you did. The look on his face was almost enough to make you laugh.
Then, you dramatically placed down your final card.
"I win." You leaned back against the couch, looking entirely too pleased with yourself.
"...No, you don't." Valko frowned at the discard pile before looking back at you, as if expecting the cards to somehow rearrange themselves.
"I just did." You gave him an innocent shrug, your smile only growing.
His eyes flickered from your empty hands to your face, narrowing ever so slightly. He knew that look. He knew that expression was never as innocent as it seemed.
"You cheated." He pointed an accusing finger at you, though there was far more amusement than annoyance in his voice.
"I don't know how," Valko muttered, scooting closer until he was practically pressed against your side, one arm instinctively slipping around your waist. His gaze remained fixed on you, searching for even the smallest hint of guilt. "But you definitely cheated."
You only laughed, pinching his cheek before leaning into him just as much as he leaned into you.
"Can you prove it?" you asked, tilting your head innocently.
"...No." He clicked his tongue, clearly frustrated that he had no evidence to support his claim.
"Then I guess I won fair and square." You beamed up at him, looking far too proud of yourself.
Valko let out an exaggerated sigh before resting his chin atop your head, his arms tightening around your waist despite his obvious defeat. He stayed like that for a moment, quietly replaying the entire game in his mind while his thumb absentmindedly traced slow circles against your side.
"I want a rematch," he finally declared, lifting his head just enough to look at you.
"Already?" You raised a brow, unable to hide your grin.
"I'm not letting my little troublemaker get away with cheating twice." He lightly pinched your side in retaliation, earning a squeak and a laugh from you.
"You still can't prove I cheated." You nudged his shoulder with yours, looking entirely unbothered.
"I'll figure it out eventually." His lips curled into a determined grin, though he made no move to let you go.
You stuck your tongue out. But Valko simply pulled you even closer until you were nearly sitting in his lap, burying his face against your shoulder with a dramatic huff.
You giggled, card game long forgotten as you wrapped your arms around him in return, gently running your fingers through his hair while the rain continued to fall softly against the windows.
