blackjack

dragons & deals

january 1st 2018

3:21 A.M

Liam was pretty sure that Zayn was trying to  lose them in the streets of a drunken chinatown. 

 Not that Liam blamed him.  The streets were blocked off for the new years parade, dragons weaving in and out of streets, red and gold lanterns strung on shop and house windows, drunken people pushing past, causing a feeling of euphoria to hang in the air; there were people  making out in alleys, against walls, bright lights dancing against peoples features, their masks. Fireworks were bursting, bright lights of pink and green and blue spilling against the midnight black sky, creating exploding stars. 

There were necklaces glowing, and lighting peoples faces and bracelets making the world spin, lights from phones bright white against the neon colors. Liam was breathless, staring at people, staring at the sky, staring at Zayn.  His shifting hazel eyes surrounded by thick lashes the only thing you could see of his face, the rest covered by a snarling dragons mask.

"What was the name?" Zayn asked his mask pulled up to yell in Liam's ear, his cold breath on Liam's neck only chilling him more, making him shiver.

"Rumplestiltskin, I think."

Zayn quirked an eyebrow, pulling of his black leather gloves and handing them to Liam, "Really?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Liam said, pulling on the still warm gloves.

Zayn nodded over to a building with people pushing in and out of smiling, laughing, high as a kite, drunk, "Think that's it?"

Liam shrugged, smirking at Zayn, "Seems like it."

Zayn shook his head at him, laughing a bit, pulled his mask down, "Let's go then, Prince Charming."

                                                                           ~~~~~

Everyone was going crazy, Liam hardly able to hear the beat of a k-pop song over shouting people, choatic dancing. There were purple lights flashing, people grabbing eachother, others making out against walls, hardly anyone had much clothes on; people were taking shots at the bar which was covered in white powdered lines, people in angel outfits dancing like the devil. Nobody seeming to care.

Liam grinned at Zayn who had taken off his mask, leaving lines on his cheekbones where the mask had dug in, making Liam want to trace them, like he did with the scars on Zayn's back. Zayn looked back at him, a light shake of his head making Liam scrunch his nose, but still followed when he walked around tot the otherside of the bar.

The bartender, a guy that looked in his younger twenties with dark hair that was tied back in a man bun, dark blue dilated eyes, smirking as he spotted Zayn and Liam walking towards him.  

"Sān rénxíng?" The man asked, his voice rasped from yelling all night, leaning towards them. (I have translations in the A/N)

Liam looked over at Zayn, not knowing what the fuck had just been said, and feeling slight guilt at it. After all they where in one of the most diverse cities in America and he only knew Spanish and English? Not the best idea, especially when he was a thief.

"Bù," Zayn said, "wǒmen shì lái zuò shēngyì de."

The man frowned at him, stared for a bit before saying, "Nǐ shì nàxiē qiānjīndǐng xiǎng yào de rén ma?"

"Shì de."

The man jerked his head, and the boys glanced at eachother before following him up a set of stairs behind the bar, wooden paneling dark because of strobing purple lights. The man opened a red door at the end of the hallway, and sayed something to two figures Liam could hardly see on a couch. He gestured for Liam and Zayn to go through, and after they did closed the door behind them.

Two men were on the couch, one with long brunette hair, no trousers, green eyes full of laughter, as if he looked at life as a joke and everyone who came across him bowed down in the end. The other had brown feather hair, ocean blue eyes immediatly raking over Liam and Zayn, looking over them as if the were vases or an annoying child asking for candy. 

"You're the kids Harry asked for?" The blue eyed boy asked, giving a doubtful look in Liams direction.

"They're good for the job," The long haired man Liam was assuming was Harry drawled, lounging on the black couch not seeming to care he was just in boxers and a black and white flowered suit, letting a ciggarette dangle from his lips as he lit it.

"Styles?" Zayn asked, a small frown forming on his lips, his eyebrow quirked, "haven't heard from you in a while."

"There's a reason for that," Harry said, his voice dripping like honey, slow and smooth, exhaling a cloud of smoke in his face.

"There's also a reason you're here," blue eyed boy said, giving Styles a quick glare before returning his unrelenting gaze to Liam and Zayn.

"What reason is that?" Zayn asked, narrowed eyes on Styles who was looking Liam up and down critically.

"We have a job for you." 

Well, no shit, Sherlock, Liam thought, raising an eyebrow and laughing slightly.

"Something funny, darling?" Styles asked, head cocked to the side, playing with the edge of his flowered suit.

"No." Liam said bluntly, because good god, who did they think they were?

"We don't work for people we know," Zayn said, causing Liam to give him a quick glance that said, we know these shits? 

Zayn didn't answer the slightly worried, slightly peeved glance only shook his head and started towards the door, stopping only when Style's smooth voice said,

"You still owe me, Malik. "

Zayn audibly sighed, clearly pissed, before saying, "What's the job, Styles?"

Blue eyed boy smirked, pulling the ciggarette out of Styles mouth and taking a drag, "We need you for a heist."

Dramatic bitch, Liam thought, rolling his eyes.

                                                                       ~~~~

A/N:

Chinese (Simplified)

Sān rénxíng

Want a threesome? 

Bù

no

wǒmen shì lái zuò shēngyì de

we're here for business

Nǐ shì nàxiē qiānjīndǐng xiǎng yào de rén ma?"

you're the boys the jacks asked for?

Shì de

yeah

I know this is a short chapter, but I'm hoping the other ones will be longer.

So, yeah. constructive critisicm, please! Selah out xx

(1022 words)