Mononoke Casino

3

Fox leant against the closed door and scanned the room, wondering where the other three had taken off too. They had to be somewhere close, and it was unlikely they'd gone outside, Karma was literally half naked and soaked in alcohol. He spotted Kanna leaning against a pillar, and he was about to walk over when he saw a door open in the corner of his eye. Blaine slipped through and when it closed, Fox realised why he'd never seen it before. It was the same colour as the wall, and it had no handle since it swung inwards. Fox decided to chance it and follow Blaine. As he got closer, a small black sign became visible- "STAFF ONLY". 

"I'm staff now, I guess." Fox told himself, and he gently pressed his fingertips to the door, the hinges creaking a little as it opened. He blinked in the change of light- it had been dim in the casino, but now the night had properly fallen and it was dark out. The door led outside, to a snug little circular canopy surrounded by shrubbery, a low wooden fence enclosing it all, looking out towards the neon-lit city. There were several piles of boxes and giant signs leaning against the left wall, and Blaine was stood with his elbows on the fence, a cigarette between his fingers. Fox blushed hard and started to stutter an apology, but Blaine was more surprised to see him than angry. He turned to face the city again and took a long drag, with Fox awkwardly holding the door open. Neither of them saw Karma walk past and then slip inside. He walked right past Fox and slid between the signs and the wall. Fox was too busy worrying to notice. Blaine turned around again and grabbed Fox's elbow, pulling him away from the door. "You can't tell Kanna." he said, tapping his ash and staring straight into Fox's eyes. "I lost a bet to her, but I couldn't kick the habit.". He looked out to the city again, the wind blowing his smoke around them both. Fox stepped up to the fence as well, leaning on his elbows like Blaine and turning his head to look up at him. "What was the bet?" he asked, and Blaine started to laugh. "Really, it was nothing. It was just a side bet. If Kanna won, then I quit my bad habit," he took another drag, "and if I won, she had to stop sleeping around for gambling money.". Fox looked shocked. Kanna was seriously... doing that for money? His thoughts were interrupted by Blaine blowing smoke in his face. "You can't tell her, ok?" he grinned, and Fox shook his head. "I want something in return." he inched a little closer, trying to be intimidating, although he was quite a bit shorter. 

Fox was not expecting Blaine to kiss him. 

He tasted smoky, of course, but his lips were soft and his touch was gentle, cupping Fox's cheek as he deepened the kiss. Blaine pulled away and put out his cigarette under the heel of his shoe. "I'll do your initiation with you. Just get in the cupboard at 10:30 tomorrow night, ok? I'll come in after and get Kate to see me, simple as. Just don't tell Kanna I went back on my word.". Blaine swiftly climbed over the fence, sticking his hands into his pockets and disappearing around the corner of the building. Something told Fox that he shouldn't follow him, so he went back into the casino. He still had money to blow, that's what he came here for in the first place. He played a couple games of cards, but everyone looked at him strangely. They were wary of his moves, and no one made any risky bets. It had to be because he'd just been at a table with Blaine, right? He didn't look that out of place, surely. He won a couple of times, but lost a whole lot more. He even played against Kanna once, and she decimated everyone, winning every round, but then she dumped all of her chips in Fox's hands and grinned. "At least I'm not a smoker." she whispered, and it took Fox a second to process what she'd just said. By the time he understood, she had disappeared. He had to tell himself that he'd just question her later, and so he played until he had next to nothing left. He was about to leave when another waiter offered him a drink. Going by his name tag, this would be the same Lucas that Kate had mentioned. He smiled at Fox, a genuine smile- or a really convincing fake one. Either way, Fox couldn't tell. He kept walking and stepped outside. It was colder outside now, and according to his watch, just past 1am.