Cheating the House [Joshua/Kohaku]

The night was a comfortable time to be out and about, enjoying the cool breeze and the silence of Rukongai streets. Unfortunately for Kohaku, he was not allowed to at the moment. Instead, he was trapped inside a gambling house with a bunch drunk men betting away their kon in hopes of beating Tsubine Shirazumi’s professional dealer. Like that was going to happen. It was rare that the house had to pay out.

Occasionally, however, someone thought they were being cheated or tried pulling in their own loaded dice, or something stupid like that, and Kohaku had to shut that shit down. That is why he stood in the doorway, keeping it open to let cool air through. Too much body heat in one room made Kohaku want to rip someone’s eyes out, so this was the better choice. And of course… here he came again…

Kohaku was sure he was a fucking cheater. Even if he didn’t win all the time, Joshua Jehanna won more often than anyone else. He claimed it was luck, but Kohaku knew better. He just needed to finally catch the stupid red-head in the act. Kohaku blamed the hat… Seeing Joshua approach the gambling house, Kohaku glared at him, making it real clear that he planned to watch the bastard all night.

Cheater. Every single time, the guy stopped to chat, talking about the weather or the luck of the house for the night. Kohaku rolled his eyes as the Shinigami did it again. It was almost always rowdy inside. How as this a question?

“Same as always Jehanna,” Kohaku said, standing straight. “Hat off. New rule. Caught few too many of you cheaters sleight of handing. Might even convince him to make you idiots cut your hair. Bet your kind’ll stop coming around then.”

Just then two other guards dragged a struggling patron out, moving between Jehanna and Kohaku. The man had clearly been caught cheating. “Heh… Any other district and all you cheaters would get your hands cut off, or worse…”

"Tch… What the hell are you on about?” Kohaku glared, his hand tightening around his sword at those implications. “You sound stupid, trying to say I’m gay or seething. You bring up walking around naked and try to spin that shit on me? I didn’t say nothing like that, fuckwit. Besides, with that shit you’re wearing, you don’t have to worry about anyone mistaking you for hetero. Why don’t you try convincing other people that you don’t like taking it from behind; I’m not interested.”

Kohaku was ready to take this to the next level if Josh decided to try him further. However, something caught his eye. Inside the building, a certain person raised an eyebrow at him. Kohaku rolled his eyes and looked out toward the street. He removed his hand from his zanpakuto and leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. “Whatever… Get lost you sneak-thief. Lucky the boss is watching.”

If there was anything Kohaku did not like, it was undeserved Shinigami confidence that borderlined arrogance, and that was all he felt coming off of Joshua any time they crossed paths. If it weren’t for Sozen’s preference toward good business days, the two might have come to blows. Unfortunately, Kohaku was pushed to backing off. The young man rolled his eyes and said nothing else to Joshua. He kept quiet and continued watching the street and any new patrons that approached.

With the night going smoothly, Kohaku almost forgot about the red-head inside. It wasn’t until someone stood up and began yelling that his attention was caught. Kohaku raised an eyebrow and watched. Maybe Joshua would get a good punch in the jaw. Doubtful. The man was a member of the Gotei after all, meaning he graduated Shino Academy and had more skill than any of the ruffians in here. Even though he didn’t like the guy, Kohaku knew he wasn’t the type to cause trouble.

So, he watched Joshua finish it. The drunkard ended up being shot passed Kohaku, who smirked as he hit the dirt. At least the night would end with some entertainment. Too bad it was Joshua that did it. The temptation to ruin Joshua’s flow by sticking out his leg and tripping him while he walked passed was high, but Kohaku decided against it. Luckily for Joshua, he was protecting Tsubine’s establishment now. “Stay down, fool. Or get your ass kicked by the Shinigami.”

The drunkard rolled over to look up at both of them from the dirt. Kohaku recognized him; he often got drunk around here and failed to impress the women. ‘Guess he was stupid enough to take it too far this time…’ With both men standing above him though, they were an intimidating duo. The man whimpered, fearful of their retaliation as he got up and tried running away. Kohaku thought to hit him with another Sho, but he had not used kido in a while. “Hit him again…” he said, eyeing Joshua, seeing if he’d actually take something that sounded like an order from him.

Ha! Kohaku won. He finally got Joshua to listen to something he said. As he looked at the back of the fleeing idiot, he smirked and chuckled, though it wasn’t the man he was chuckling at. It was at his victory. He looked back to Joshua and leaned against the wall once more. A quick glance inside at the rest of the patrons in the gambling house and he was able to relax. “Weak minds and weak backs.”

“I’m not the only one here that doesn’t like you,” Kohaku brought up. “Most people don’t, but they’re not honest about it. You’re a Shinigami, so they expect you to arrest them, abuse your power, all that same shit we get from you Gotei fuckers. But Sozen…” Kohaku gestured toward the man that had stopped him before. “He thinks you Shinigami are sellouts, especially if originally from the Rukongai.”

"You're gonna do whatever you want, but as long as you bend for the Gotei, ain't no reason to trust the smiles you see here." Probably the longest Kohaku has ever spoken to Josh, but he felt it worth saying. Now, how much of it was true? Kohaku seemed to believe it, and that gave the claim some believability. However, there seemed a second meaning behind his words, a kinder message being hinted.