Work Text:
2001-08-14 01:20
The whisky running down his throat was absent of any burn.
Hisoka swallowed again, slower this time. Yet nothing came, only a muted aftertaste clinging to his tongue. Touching his throat, he pressed his fingers against the hollow just beneath the jaw. The rubber required a bit more time to fully settle in. Maybe then, it could replicate the same feeling.
Illumi wasn't coming.
Well, Hisoka expected so, as the man didn't give any promises. He sighed, it seemed like he would be alone tonight too. Which was unfortunate, because he couldn’t sleep. Not after he came that close to death, without seizing the hold that life had on him.
He had always assigned that state of weakness to others, never to himself. Yet at the final bits, life gave him a reality check that he could never have foreseen. Chrollo had been turning all the odds, and he had been too consumed by lust to see through. The fruit of many years of chasing and effort was him getting mocked by his own arrogance.
He had to start from the bottom now, picking the legs till he got to the head. Only after finishing it all over could he have a one to one.
Hisoka swirled his drink lazily, watching it catch the light. After a quiet moment, he pushed back his chair. He left the lounge and walked the polished decks toward his cabin. The door eased shut behind him with a soft click, sealing him inside.
His lips curled as he felt a familiar presence.
“I thought you wouldn’t come,” Hisoka spoke towards the balcony.
The tall silhouette that stood there answered without taking a look back. “I saw someone disguised as you and got curious.”
Hisoka's eyes creased with a smile. It was a voice that he knew from the heart.
“Sounds like Danchou's idea.” He walked up, swallowing the distance between them. “How did you tell that it's not me?”
“He was wearing a tracksuit,” Illumi answered dryly before he turned his back and found himself face to face with his fiance. “Will you pursue him?”
Hisoka leant down to press a kiss upon his forehead, breathing in the quiet warmth of his skin. “I'll wait for now,” he answered, drifting his hands slowly through the dark fall of hair.
Illumi's lips parted slightly in confusion. The moonlight's rays hit his empty eyes like the dark ocean below.
“Did you start the tub?” Hisoka asked, glancing towards the bathroom, where the sound of overflowing water came from.
“Mhm. It should be full now, shall we?”
02:00
“That was nice.” Illumi threw himself onto the bed, with a soft sigh escaping him. “I have to use common bathrooms at tier three,” he complained, wrinkling his nose.
Hisoka picked up and folded their clothes aside. Then he turned and sat besides him. “Are cabins really that bad down there?”
Illumi shifted, rearranging his position so Hisoka could sit more comfortably. “I’m staying at the police station.”
Hisoka raised a brow, though his voice stayed mild. “Did you get arrested?”
“Apparently not.” He paused. "That was my intent, though.”
Hisoka studied him patiently. “Is it for the contract you don’t tell me about?”
“I’m sure you already figured it out,” Illumi dismissed.
Hisoka’s fingers slipped into that long hair, combing down through the strands until they lay straight across Illumi’s back. “I have my guesses,” he murmured, “but a little indulgence wouldn’t hurt.”
"Someone else asked about it too,” Illumi blurted as if it just struck him.
“Who?”
“The cow.”
“The cow?” Hisoka repeated.
“From the Zodiacs,” Illumi clarified, lifting both hands to make horns above his head. “He was the one to arrest me.”
“Well, what did you tell him?”
“I directly said I will remain on the tier for business purposes.” He sounded proud of that. “I’m an honest man, after all.”
“Honest isn’t the word I’d use,” Hisoka teased, tilting his head slightly against Illumi's shoulder. That earned only a subtle sign of amusement at the lover's mouth, with his eyes remaining still.
“Oh, I also told the cow about spiders.”
Now there was an unsettling smile growing on Illumi's face, and Hisoka couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a joke or not. “Right, how's it with the troupe?” he tried.
“It’s okay. Chrollo doesn't suspect me." Illumi shrugged.
“What about Machi? Her senses are sharp.”
“She can’t be that sharp. She trusted you that day.”
“Well, I guess you won't expect that from someone who was just resuscitated.”
Illumi's reply came without a beat. “Still, it was stupid of her to trust you, even if you were already dead.”
Hisoka smiled, that was certainly ironic coming from Illumi himself. “So tell me, Illumi, why do you trust me?"
“Of course I don’t trust you,” he responded with cold detachment.
For some reason, his tone set Hisoka off. It reminded him of how the man talked to his brother in the hunter exam. His aura suddenly spiked, pinning Illumi against the wall. He locked his fingers around Illumi's throat, forcing him to look directly into his eyes. He leant in so near that his words felt like a whisper against Illumi's skin. “You talk like you have placed a tiny needle in my skull.”
Illumi was close to tears from the lack of breath, yet there was no panic in the dark eyes. Instead, he met Hisoka's gaze with a strange assurance. “Perhaps I have,” Illumi said, and even starved of air, he found delight in the suggestion. “But that wouldn’t ensure everything.”
For a moment Hisoka held him there, studying the face that refused to break. Then he gave a rough laugh and released his grip.
Illumi slid an inch down the wall before catching himself. “You are the type to savour your favourite for last,” he muttered, after a few coughs.
“So you presume to hold that title,” Hisoka mocked him. “Getting too confident, aren't we? Just to remind you, I'm a changed man now-"
Illumi cut in, not letting him finish. “No, you are not. If you were, you would've killed her too while you were at it.”
Hisoka’s brow pulled tight. Seriously, did Illumi really think that?
“Also, I knew you would get salty after getting humiliated like that," he added as if it were a mere matter of fact.
Hisoka stared at him accusingly. “You watched it?”
“Grandpa and I were curious. I could have won my bet with him if you were not so full of yourself.”
"So cruel.”
“It's the truth. You don't believe you’ll die in my hands either.”
“I wouldn't oppose it.” Hisoka’s voice softened, and his playful smile could not hide that. “I'm not going down without a proper fight though.”
“You can't provoke me into such a thing,” Illumi replied, his tone still being far from heated, “Not unless you strike at my family first.” He shifted his weight and settled astride Hisoka. His hands braced against the mattress, enclosing the other man. “And believe me,” he added, “you’ll be long dead before it can come to that.”
Okay, maybe Illumi’s words held some truth. Not completely, and definitely not the last part, but whatever bullshit comeback Hisoka had for it dissolved into silence when Illumi’s tongue pressed against his.
06:12
“Hisoka, wake up.”
“What happened?” He muttered, his voice thick with sleep.
“I'm leaving.”
Hisoka stirred, lifting his head instinctively, leaning in for a morning kiss.
Illumi recoiled and pushed his head away. “No, not for that. It's about your question.”
Hisoka blinked, trying to catch up.
“You asked me why I trust you.” Illumi said slowly, as if explaining something to a child.
Then he fell silent, searching for his words as if they were lying scattered before him. “Mindless loyalty isn't hard to get. But the thing is, the more mindless a puppet is, the weaker it becomes, and the weaker it is, the sooner it rots.” He had been absentmindedly tracing his hands along the heads of his needles, but now he stopped. “If I want you to last long in the game, I have to accept the possibility of betrayal.”
Illumi exhaled in relief. “Alright. I feel lighter having said it. See you.” He turned and walked away without looking back.
Hisoka watched him leave, the words slowly making their way through his drowsy state. Illumi had already vanished when it finally struck him, leaving Hisoka with no other option.
Meanwhile, the Central Police Station
Kalluto woke up to his brother’s phone buzzing with a notification. Groaning, he reached over, assuming it was some routine business message. Illumi wasn’t back yet, so there was no harm in checking.
From: Hisoka
I love you too, darling~♡
In a flash of disgust, he hurled the phone from his window into the ocean, watching it hit the water with a comical splash.