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Kitty doesn't like to call himself a good gambler. In fact, he doesn't like calling himself a gambler at all.
It's not the best conversation starter or finisher. It's much easier to say that he's unemployed, or looking for a job, and the reason he has more funds that usual for his age is because of an estranged family member that coincidentally died and left their inheritance to him. And that excuse only works because he's an only child. He's sure if he did have a sibling, that hypothetical family member would never choose him over them.
Back to the topic on hand, though, he's not a good gambler. In his opinion, no one is a 'good gambler'. It's not a reliable skill, like dancing or sports. You just need luck. And he's got a lot of luck, a lot of money, a lot of nerve, and a lot of time to kill.
So no, Kitty isn't a good gambler. But that doesn't mean his favourite place can't be a casino.
The one he frequents is privately run, still big, but much more discreet than the loud stereotypes of Las Vegas or the dingy ones you'd find on the street that would just be chock full of old men on slot machines. It's velvet and leather, polished tables and regulars, where you're forced to laugh when you lose it all because doing otherwise would get you banned and treated like gum under a shoe. Mature. Perfect.
He has an eye for the aesthetics, what can he say?
This doesn't mean he won't walk in with a lollipop in his mouth, though, nowhere near dressed for the occasion, his earrings swinging and trainers scuffed among the expensive suits and bedazzled wrists. He has a brand to uphold, himself, after all. Besides, the house hosts know him by now. They won't do anything more than shake their heads and ask for his member's ID. It's not like they talk to him much anyway.
Yes, sometimes he laughs a little when a new hire scoffs at the code name he's chosen, but that's about it.
Still, they treat him with respect, so he does too, for the most part. Nod at the bouncer, let the attendants lead him to his usual empty game table, tell them that no, he wouldn't like to play a different game this time, chat with the dealer instead of betting, tip Felix when he comes around with a free drink. It's a routine. Honestly, he'd get bored if it wasn't for the entertainment.
This is where Kitty admits that he doesn't actually come here for gambling.
Yes, he's played before. Just enough every time to make sure that he doesn't get asked politely to leave — or kicked out, in fancier words. His real goal is to maximise his soda intake. And, of course, watch.
The casino is a fancy place, but that doesn't mean it holds fancy people. They may look the part — pull it off well, in fact — but Kitty's always been good at reading people. So he sips and watches forced smiles, held tongues, eyes full of resentment, hands that itch to grab the dealer by the collar, but instead clap, congratulating others in the politest tone they can muster. Something about the look in someone's eyes when they can't do anything about their failure but watch. It's even better when someone does lose their composure, dragged out kicking and cursing with raw hatred on their face. It's cruel, but it's entertainment nonetheless.
Besides, when even that gets too repetitive, he always has Chan.
Chan's not exactly an old friend. Not really a 'friend' at all. Their relationship is pure convenience; Kitty wanted a good dealer to kick back with, and if his people-reading skills are any good, Chan wanted somewhere to relax at work, too. So here they were, acting like they weren't crazy for trusting each other in a casino of all places.
"Kitty," the aforementioned dealer starts, and Kitty sighs, peeling his eyes away from the table next to them. He's shuffling cards expertly, his name tag sparkling under the chandeliers. "you know you still haven't played a game today. You've got about ten minutes before Seungmin-ah starts giving you weird looks."
"I was enjoying myself, you know?" Despite the whiny drawl in his voice, he's smiling, and picking up the orange chip and sliding it across the table is second nature. "Fine. Is a few rounds of blackjack alright?"
"It's always blackjack with you."
"Well, it's fun!"
"You're so lucky Jisung likes you."
As expected, Kitty loses. When he simply shakes Chan's hand after the games, though, the dealer raises an eyebrow, and Kitty makes a show of fishing out one of the crisp notes in his pocket before handing it over to Chan, wiping away non-existent tears. Distantly, he hears a harsh release of breath from another table barely close enough to eavesdrop on, and suddenly the matter of handing over his losses is secondary as he twists his head. If he was paying attention, he knows he'd hear an exasperated sigh from his favourite dealer.
The woman on his left is clearly agitated, but she's doing a good job of hiding it from everyone else, so Kitty congratulates her inwardly. The clenched fists under the table are expertly concealed from her dealer, someone Kitty instantly recognises as Jeongin, a dealer he'd had a few times before deciding that Chan would be his go-to. He can't hear any more, considering the distance and the volume they're speaking at, but if the disgustingly large amount of brown chips that gets pushed into the centre is anything to go by, Jeongin successfully convinced her into one more round. Kitty beams once he notices the faces on the other patrons, clearly affronted by the display, and he grins even more when a friend of hers even tries to place their hand on her shoulder just to be batted away by the woman herself.
Kitty would bet three times more than the stack in front of her that she'll lose. The only thing he can bother to think of as he takes a swig from his cup is that it's a shame she's this dumb with this much money. It really is perfect.
In fact, the scene is so entrancing that he doesn't even notice someone else slipping into one of the empty seats next to him until Chan's voice pierces his way through Kitty's brain-fog.
"I've seen you around, but I don't believe we've met before, sir."
Kitty perks up, just short of slamming his glass back down on the side of the table as he swivels around to size up the newcomer. The table they're at is far enough from the entrance to be unappetising to any patrons, so the person sitting down now must either be new or desperate—
Oh.
The other man had been courteous and sat opposite him, but Kitty kind of hated him for that, right now, considering how he looked. Blonde hair (dyed, clearly, the dark roots were a giveaway), toned arms, the whole package wrapped off in a clearly expensive suit. A suit that still had the faint smell of smoke and coffee clinging to it, like he'd come straight from work, really, and Kitty honestly hated the smell of smoke, but he found himself stomaching it easily just because of the man the scent was rolling off of.
…This was absurd. He doesn't even know this guy's name.
"Apologies. I'd been meaning to acquaint myself earlier," the man starts, pocketing his member's ID and reaching out to shaking Chan's hand. "I'm Mi— Tiger. Pleasure to meet you."
Well, he knows his name now. Even if it wasn't his real one.
Chan smiles, the customer service one that always makes Kitty shiver just a tad in disgust, then nods towards him. It takes Kitty a few moments to realise that he's being dragged into the conversation against his will. "It's nice to meet you too, Tiger. This is Kitty. He's a regular here."
"Don't introduce me like I'm some gambling addict, hyung! I'm here for a different reason, you know this." Kitty doesn't even try to resist the urge to roll his eyes that rushes through him, finger running over the rim of his glass as he lays against the smooth surface of the table. Tiger doesn't seem to mind though, and Kitty swears he hears a laugh from the other, hidden under an exhale of breath. His eyes narrow.
"It's nice to meet you regardless. Do you always walk into places like this like you've completely disregarded the dress code?"
Kitty yawns. "Duh? 'Course I do. Dress codes are stupid, anyways."
The huff of laughter that comes out of the man in front of him isn't hidden this time, and Kitty tilts his head from his position on the table, the smirk now on Tiger's face crooked from his position. He looks silly.
"Admirable." And somehow, someway, Tiger's smile gets even dopier, tilting his head the same way as Kitty's with a lazy grin. "Maybe I should take a page out of your book."
Oh, he likes this one.
Chan clears his throat then. Terrible timing, in Kitty's opinion. He was fully ready to grab this guy by the collar and get him somewhere a little more private. "Was there any game you were interested in playing, Tiger-ssi? This is a poker table, so if you wanted the roulette tables, they're closer to the front."
Tiger waves him away, eyes still on Kitty and grin still on his face. Kitty is trying very hard not to cheer out loud right now. "Nope. I think I'd like to be here right now. Is poker alright with you?"
Kitty's heart drops a little. That's definitely a problem.
Considering he doesn't gamble that much, Kitty has never played poker. He's watched people play enough to learn the various versions and rules, sure — it's his favourite game to watch, to be honest — but that doesn't mean he's ever felt like playing it. Way too much risk, in his opinion. Yes, he thinks he's lucky, but he hasn't felt like testing that theory before.
He might feel like testing it now, though.
Kitty knows it's a terrible idea to bet on a game you've never played before. Chan knows this too, if the look he's trying to give him is anything to go by, but surprisingly, he can't bring himself to care. He'd like the chance to stare at Tiger a little more. What harm would a few games do, anyways?
"Look, I don't play poker all that much," he starts, and he almost feels bad knowing the relieved look on Chan's face is about to be wiped off by his next words, "so how about we do one casual game? No stakes, just using the chips as points. After that, I'll see how I feel about actually betting."
When Tiger shrugs, drumming his fingers on the table, Kitty almost feels like cheering. "Fine by me. Chan?"
"…Right. I'll get you both dealt in."
Kitty tries mouthing a sorry Chan's way, but the dealer is too busy shuffling the deck, trying and failing to hide the exasperated look on all of his features. He really does feel bad, honest! There are just more pressing matters right now. At least, he hopes they're pressing. Really hopes.
Despite 'feeling bad', though, when Chan motions for Kitty to cut the deck, he still makes a show of it, pretending to really consider where he wanted to split, and then simply taking a random card from the middle and placing it on top instead.
"There. It's split."
"Kitty."
"What? I did something with the deck, like you wanted!"
"He has, in fact, done something with the deck," Tiger replies, and Kitty nods sagely in response, which makes Tiger cough just to try and hide another laugh. It's cute.
Chan, however, does not find it cute at all. Kitty's pretty sure he might even be fighting the urge to clock out right now. "…If you say so. How's a round of Texas Hold'em for you two? One blind."
After a salute from Kitty and a curt nod from Tiger, Chan passes out the cards, very pointedly sliding the card Kitty had placed on top towards him, to which Kitty blows him an extra special kiss. Chan bats it away, which really hurts Kitty's feelings, for your information, but they do have a game to play, so he'll forgive him. For now.
"Pre-flop. Check your cards, keep them hidden. Kitty, you're on the left, so start the bet. One won is one point, maximum for both of you is fifteen million."
Now, it's only a practice game, and right now, Kitty barely has a chance of getting a high straight, judging by the ten of spades and king of diamonds in his hand. He could easily just bet a small amount, get a feel for the game like he said he would, or better yet, check and let Tiger set the bet. But he doesn't really feel like doing that today. He's got a good-looking guy in front of him, and he wants to know how far he can push him.
So Kitty slides two brown chips across the table, beaming. "All in. Fifteen million points, please."
Chan gapes at him, as expected, but he's much too focused on Tiger's reaction to care right now. The man looks surprised for a second — a millisecond, more like — and then breaks out into a wide grin, leaning backwards in his chair.
"We haven't even— You do know this is a practice game, right?" Oh, right. Chan's here.
"Yeah, exactly! Therefore, I can bet however much I want. No repercussions. And I want to get to actually using my money faster. Right, Tiger?"
"Sure, Kitty." Suddenly, Kitty is incredibly happy about his choice of code name. The way Tiger says it feels way too good. "Call. I'll go all in, too."
"Okay. Okay, cool, whatever…" Chan mutters to himself, and Kitty snickers as Tiger pushes his own chips forward. "Flop incoming."
Going all in this early was, frankly, an incredibly shit idea. But, once again, it's a practice game, so Kitty couldn't care less. To be honest, he's kind of glad it might look like he's losing. Now he gets to see what he's pretty sure is Tiger's attempt at not looking like he's won. He's not too bad at it.
"Turn."
Kitty swears he sees Tiger's eyes flash with something, but he can't be bothered to look at the cards right now. He probably has won then. Good for him. Might as well make him feel a little better about himself.
"Well, there's no point hiding these now, is there?" Kitty taps his cards, and Tiger shrugs, smirking. "Wanna show 'em?"
"On the river, kitty. Be patient."
…That 'kitty' sounded a little different.
Kitty sits up taller at the sound of it, expression bordering on incredulous, but Chan is already turning over the next card and— holy shit he has a straight?
Oh, shit, he has a straight.
He was barely paying attention and suddenly a jack of hearts just… falls into his lap. Unprompted. A pair of nines and a queen are all lined up next to it, and maybe going all in was a good idea. He knew he was lucky, but this is absurd.
"Kitty." Tiger's voice brings him out of his momentary silence, and wow, he'll suck at poker if he doesn't rein that in. "I said on the river, didn't I?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." So he flips his cards over at the same time as Tiger, rolling his eyes. "See? I was listening—"
…They have the same cards.
Kitty blinks. Blinks again. Stares at the overturned ten of clubs and king of hearts on the other side of the table. Shares a look with Tiger to confirm that yes, they're both seeing the same thing.
What the fuck?
"Chan, are you sure you shuffled these properly?" Because if the four cards in front of him aren't either strategically placed or some hallucination, he's going to do something drastic.
But Chan just shrugs, clearly as confused as the both of them. "I'm a professional dealer, Kitty, of course I shuffled properly. It's just a tie. We can't exactly split the pot, since you have the same amount… I guess we'll just go again?"
"No."
They both blurt the word out at the same time, glancing at each other for another brief second before Tiger continues. Kitty can tell he's trying to keep his voice neutral. The knowledge makes him preen, just a little.
"We could just… move on, I mean. Bet for real. Only if Kitty's alright with—"
"I'm so alright with it. Like— super alright. Really alright with it. If it's okay, of course!"
"Jeez." Chan looks disturbed for a brief few seconds, then shakes his head, muttering something that Kitty can't quite catch, before gesturing at the cards strewn about on the table.
So they play.
The good thing about playing with Tiger is that Kitty gets to learn. He learns that Tiger isn't one for small talk during games. He learns his eye twitches ever so slightly when a risky move he's making doesn't pay off. He learns that his fingers drum the table when he gets sick of waiting for Kitty to make a move. He learns that the supposed 'no small talk' rule can be bypassed if he frames his questions a certain way.
The bad thing is that he's absurdly lucky. He might even be luckier than him.
…No, it's not that.
It surprises him that he's saying this willingly, but Tiger's a good gambler. Skilled. He has a knack for it that Kitty had convinced himself didn't exist in anyone. It almost feels like a slap to the face, sitting there and watching him. Like he exists just to prove him wrong, a perfect match, all to get him riled up. It's working alarmingly well.
Kitty loses quite a lot of money that night, but he feels like he's gained something more important in return. He's always been a little greedy, though.
The decision to get up halfway through another round is as spontaneous as it is necessary.
"Sorry," he started, sliding his long finished lollipop out of his mouth and eyeing Chan as the dealer raises an eyebrow, gaze flicking to the stacks of chips he still has left. "need the toilet. Keep my seat warm. Might not be back for a while."
"Why are you acting like you're going off to die?"
"I might be!" He punctuates the sentence with a much-too-hard clap on Chan's shoulder, and he takes the opportunity of Chan crying out in pain to stare straight at Tiger, hoping the subconscious message gets across. If it does, he doesn't know. Tiger keeps his face as neutral as ever, even while Kitty walks over and gives him a softer pat before moving away.
Welp, if it didn't work, he tried his best. He'll give him ten minutes.
Waiting in front of the toilet door and checking his phone like a loser is what Kitty has been reduced to now. Grading the weird looks people give him as they pass by is getting boring. At one point Hyunjin even notices him as he walks past, clearly on break. He sticks his tongue out at him. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He'd understand.
Just when Kitty is about to cut his losses and head back, though, he hears a familiar voice clear their throat in front of him, and he glances up from his phone, eyes questioning.
"What took you so long?"
"I could ask you the same question," Tiger shoots back, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall next to Kitty. "You were gone so long I had to desert Chan to come look for you."
Kitty tilts his head up, smirking when Tiger has to raise his gaze ever so slightly just to keep eye contact. "Well, you've found me. What are you gonna do about it?"
"I wasn't under the impression I was meant to do anything at all." His eyes tell a different story, though, sparkling with something Kitty had only seen in them at the poker table, so he's fairly sure he's just teasing him, waiting for some reaction.
He rolls his eyes. He has to do everything himself, doesn't he?
Grabbing onto Tiger's wrist is easy. Leading him away is the harder part, apparently, when his whole arm tenses at the contact, refusing to move even an inch. Kitty stares at him. He stares back.
When Tiger sighs and lets himself be dragged away, somewhere in Kitty's mind, a firework goes off. Maybe not just one, actually. Definitely multiple.
"So!" Kitty starts, pushing open a door a little further down the room with a large 'staff only' sign plastered over it, a long corridor awaiting them inside, "You come here often?"
"Terrible attempt at small talk."
"In my defence, I didn't think I'd get this far."
"Why not? You seemed pretty confident in yourself before."
"Well, poker is different, isn't it?" It's the last sentence he gets out before they slip into the room at the end of the hallway, a small cupboard that Kitty knows is used for deck storage and a safe he'd been too busy to try and get into. It's unfortunate that he's about to be busy this time around, too.
He turns around, locking eyes with Tiger for a millisecond, and then he's getting pushed against the wall suddenly, the force strong enough to jostle a stack of shelves next to him. The angle is awkward, with his hand wedged in the corner to stabilise himself, but he can't exactly bring himself to care right now, not with the man in front of him staring him down like he's not sure if he's meant to know what he's doing or be completely clueless. A giggle slips out of him, his free hand resting on Tiger's shoulder.
"Eager, aren't you?"
"I could say the same for you. You're not going to ask for my name or anything?"
"Do I need it?" Kitty tilts his head, genuinely confused, but Tiger just rolls his eyes. It takes a groan of annoyance for him to take the hint, and he scoffs one more time before finally leaning in.
Kitty can feel the fireworks again. This time, though, they've made a home in his chest, The first press of lips is soft, but then Kitty is leaning back to catch his breath and it's like a switch in Tiger shifts, because he's pulling him back in just as quickly as he pushed him.
When Tiger's tongue slips its way past the seam of his lips, the fireworks turn into full-blown explosions.
He tastes like heat and caffeine and something vaguely caramelised, like the puddings Kitty will pick up at the convenience store, and that notion just makes the moan trapped in his throat force its way out, Tiger swallowing the sound like he's been starved of it his whole life. He's not sure how long they stand there, or when Tiger's hands found their way to his waist, but Kitty will be denying any claims of him whining when Tiger finally pulls away, a small smile on his face.
"It's Minho."
Kitty stills for a few seconds, processing, then bursts into laughter.
Tiger's smile before is still on his face, tinted pink, but a drop of confusion has wormed its way into the feature, and it just makes Kitty laugh even harder, leaning back against the wall he was just being pinned too.
"I'm… a little lost?" But Kitty doesn't reply for another minute, still trying to catch his breath, hunched over like he'd run a marathon. When he does gain the composure to look up, there are tears caught in his eyes and his ears are bright red.
"Hi, Minho, nice to meet you! I'm Minho!"
"Oh. Oh!" Tiger snickers, hiding his grin in his hand. "Well, um, I'm Lee Minho?"
"Shut up! I'm Lee Minho, too!"
"You're kidding." Kitty just shakes his head, body visibly shaking from the active effort it takes to not burst into hysterics again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, there are neurons going haywire with the knowledge that this coincidence is probably not one to overlook. Neither is their first match, or how they've only crossed paths once, this first meeting in general is crazy in hindsight. Hell, even their code names match, in a way.
He's not going to delve into anything remotely soulmate related until this guy has started kissing him again, though.
"Okay, this will be way too weird if we're the same age, too. Twenty-four?"
"No, thankfully. Twenty-seven."
"Thank god." Kitty breathes out a sigh of relief, one that makes Tiger snicker again and turn his head away to hide his smile. Well, it least it can't get any weirder. "Are we done with introductions, now?"
"I guess so."
"Great. Get back here." He's not sure why Tiger keeps letting him pull him around like this, but he's not complaining, especially not when he's sure the harsh bite to the bottom of his lip is meant to be his punishment. If it is, Tiger really sucks at giving them.
There's a nip on his bottom lip again, and then Tiger's pulling away to tug on the neckline of shirt, and teeth graze his skin, the shiver running through him a stark contrast to the heat in his stomach. A graze, a bite that has him whining, a lick in apology. A bite further down, Kitty's hands tightening around Tiger's locks of hair, a soft kiss that somehow makes Kitty's limbs feel heavier than anything else has.
"Tiger, come on—"
"I'm older, you know? Hyung should be just fine."
"Yeah, hyung's great, hyung's awesome, actually— can you hurry up?"
"Didn't I say be patient before?" Kitty can hear the smile in the other's voice, and he'd groan about it if he wasn't preoccupied with pushing Tiger's head a little further up, sighing in relief when the other gets the message and sucks on the underside of his jaw, hissing when he moves up and there's a shot of pain on the, and when Tiger's mouth finds his again it's with a fire that he wasn't ready for. He knew he liked how Tiger tasted the first time, but this was insane—
"Oi!"
The voice on the other side of the door startles the two of them immediately. Kitty, however, recovers quickly, all thanks to the pure rage flowing though his veins at the moment.
"Yah, Seo Changbin! What do you think you're doing, huh?"
"Someone spilled beer on my deck, why else would I be here? How about you stop bringing your damn flings into the closet!"
"I've been out for years, actually," Tiger fires back, and it's here, at this exact moment, that Kitty realises that this might be the best guy he's ever kissed in his life. Which makes him wonder why he didn't realise sooner, to be honest. "but sorry for the inconvenience."
"Oh, no, you're off the hook, man," says Changbin, who has now peeked his head through the door to death-stare at Kitty, "it's this guy I've got a problem with."
"Maybe you should have better security. Plus, Jisung said I'm allowed in whenever I want."
"That little— Jisung!" And he's off. Thankfully. He can't believe he just got cock-blocked by Changbin of all people. He might cry.
"Who's Jisung?"
"His boss," Kitty huffs, running his fingers along the marks Tiger just gave him. He needs them to sting so he stays in the mood, okay?
"Okay…" Tiger starts, and Kitty doesn't understand the slightly bitter look on his face until he speaks his next words, "What about the fact that you've brought other people here?"
Hold on. Is he… jealous?
"It was one guy. Barely important." He doesn't need to know that one guy was Chan. Besides, it's not like they fucked. "Why? You don't feel special anymore?"
"Never said that, kitty." But his ears are bright red, and he's turned away like he's having trouble convincing himself of the supposed fact as well, so Kitty knows he's spot on. He grins, trying and failing to shove down the fireworks that are still being set off, rattling around in his ribcage.
"At least take me out to dinner before staking a claim on me, hyung."
"Okay, I'll do that." Tiger swivels back around, then, and he looks so serious that Kitty almost breaks out into laughter. Stuffing that down into just a short huff is a feat in and of itself, too, but he manages this time, slinging his arms around Tiger's neck to bring him down into another kiss, whispering his next words against his lips.
"And take me home, of course."
"I'll do that, too. Right now, actually."
Perfect.