Author's Notes:
PAIRINGS: Leorio/Kurapika (Leopika). Hisoka/Kurapika (Hisopika).
RATING: Mature. Violent content. Sexual content.
SPOILERS? Yes, until chapter 390 of the Hunter x Hunter manga by Yoshihiro Togashi. You may want to click off until you've caught up with the Succession War Arc, or have decided that you don't care. I do attempt to explain the context for the uninitiated.
Special thanks to Caasi, without whose friendship, support, and razor-sharp insight I might not have summoned the energy to continue this story.
Chapter 31: Black curtains, black blood
Kurapika is tugging on his trousers, a question about his partner's next arrangement to meet Illumi halfway out his mouth, but Hisoka isn't listening now. Hisoka is barging from the employees' bedroom with an unbridled excitement that he usually reserves for murder missions.
"Guess what!" Hisoka, naked from the waist up, blurts out to the occupants of the living room.
When neither Bill nor Basho can bring themselves to respond to Hisoka's enthusiasm with anything but mute suspicion, Melody is the one who speaks up. "What is it, Hisoka?"
Before Hisoka can reply, he's jerked down to much a lower level as someone from behind yanks him by the ear.
It's Kurapika — the buttons of his shirt all misaligned in his hurry to catch up. "Hisoka! What did I tell you about appearing shirtless in front of royalty?! You're a disgrace!" Even though the queen only giggles and claims to take zero offense to Hisoka's partial nakedness, Kurapika is all earnest apologies. "Forgive him for this indiscretion, Queen Oito. I'm afraid that Hisoka hasn't had many opportunities to rub elbows with persons of your rank and affluence, at least not in a civilized context. . . ."
Then she and Hisoka may very well come from similar backgrounds, the queen muses, matchless in her magnanimity. Pray, what is the good news that Hisoka is yearning to share?
When Kurapika releases Hisoka's ear, Hisoka is still beaming, undeterred by his partner's all too familiar penchant for violence. "Can I tell them our secret?" he murmurs, his eyes sparkling as they take in Kurapika's rumpled hair and altogether ruffled exterior.
"Tell them whatever you want, but cover yourself up first. Remember who owns that now." Seconds pass as Kurapika sears Hisoka to the spot with brown eyes bordering on scarlet. Hisoka can sense himself reflexively leaning in, when Kurapika's chained hand suddenly springs out and whips cloth against Hisoka's bare chest.
It's Hisoka's shirt. Seems like Kurapika had the presence of mind to retrieve it from the floor before bolting from the bedroom. The shirt is crumpled still — Kurapika balled up the cloth in his fist as he screwed Hisoka into the mattress. That was before he peeled off the shirt to suck on Hisoka's skin, raising rosebuds all over that pale expanse.
Come to think of it, these hickeys may be why Kurapika is so set on getting Hisoka to cover up. Hisoka tries to shoot his partner a sneaky smile, but Kurapika has sidled to the far side of the room in an attempt to surreptitiously rearrange his own haphazard buttoning situation.
Hisoka dons his shirt before he faces the others again. "Romance is in the air," he intones, voice melodic. "After weeks of dancing around his irrepressible attraction to my statuesque figure and skull-crushing strength, Kurapika has officially asked me to enter into an exclusive sexual relationship with him, and I've graciously deigned to accept. Henceforth, you may refer to Kurapika as Mrs. Morow, and refer to me as —"
"Can you not be a clown for even five seconds?" Kurapika interrupts with a groan, then turns to the rest to clarify. "Hisoka and I are boyfriends now. That's what this joker's trying to say. In an ideal situation, we wouldn't feel the need to publicize such a private matter between us, but as it stands, we're sick of stealing away on dates and having to justify our absence afterward. Rest assured that we're more determined than ever to secure the survival of the 14th Prince. On that front, absolutely nothing has changed."
In the wake of this explanation, silence permeates the 14th Prince's quarters. Bill and Basho gape at each other, the latter marginally more stricken than the former, while Melody looks with concern at Queen Oito. The queen's lips are tightly set, and she blinks rapidly as she hands over Prince Woble to Shimano beside her. She excuses herself then departs for the solitude of her bedroom.
Kurapika sighs. "I should probably speak with her."
"Yes, I think that's a good idea," Melody says quietly.
On his way to the queen's bedroom, Kurapika stops to ask Hisoka a question. "You're heading out to meet your best friend, I presume?"
"That's the plan. I'll let him know that my lower half is officially closed for business, don't worry."
"Mention the Kakin mafia families to him," Kurapika instructs. "See whether his manipulative prowess can influence his companions to deal with those tiresome factions on our behalf. That should distract the critters for a while, and eliminate a plethora of unpredictable variables to boot. We can't risk allowing extraneous factors to get in our way later."
"Sounds fun," Hisoka croons. "Are you certain I can't take care of the Kakin mafia myself? I'd be happy to. You know I'd do anything for my boyfriend."
"I need you here. I have bigger things in store for you. Come back to me by midnight."
In full view of everyone in the living room, Hisoka leans in to kiss him. He expects Kurapika to pull away, to wipe his mouth. Instead, Kurapika kisses him back with his usual greedy fervor.
Hisoka eventually has to unhook Kurapika's nails from his nape so that they can both get back to business. Hisoka is rewarded with another impatient flicker of scarlet for his trouble. While he's no longer working overtime to trigger that coveted color, he still shivers in pleasure whenever he's blessed with a glimpse.
"You'll show me all the big things you have in store for me tonight, won't you?" Hisoka asks.
"You know it."
Hisoka pulls him in for a brief hug then pushes him off toward the queen's bedroom. Hisoka waggles his eyebrows at Bill, Basho, and Melody — relishing the disgust, outrage, and misery laid bare on their faces — before heading for the exit.
"Let me get this straight. You've had ample opportunity by now to rush the 14th Prince's quarters and overpower Kurapika and me with your numbers. That's not the Phantom Troupe's endgame then, right?"
From across the table, Hisoka leans forward to study the tarry pools of his so-called best friend's eyes, but no solution to the myriad mysteries surrounding him appears to be forthcoming.
"You say you want to get things straight, but is anything ever straight with you, Hisoka?" Illumi says lightly.
"Perhaps you should leave the fruity jokes to me, unless you want little Kalluto here to get the wrong idea. He may presume that my rainbow-hued flamboyance is rubbing off on his eldest brother."
"Pretend I'm not here," Kalluto pipes up from the corner of the cabin, where he's attacking a sheet of paper with an unwieldy pair of scissors. "Just warn me before you start sucking each other's faces so that I can make my escape."
Hisoka turns back to Illumi. "Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to tell you what I think went down, and you're going to listen and entertain me with your wonderfully emotionless face."
Illumi stares at him, expectant.
"Here's what happened," Hisoka begins. "The Spiders concocted the plan to extend the Succession War and to ensure that the entire Kakin contingent rides the Black Whale all the way to the Dark Continent. Their motives for doing so are irrelevant for my and my partner's purposes, but understanding Chrollo as I do, he most likely desires a full cast of characters to participate in his next requiem. Given that he's mourning two deaths at present, we can expect at least twice the bombast, as compared with his last performance in Yorknew City for the late Number 11."
Hisoka pauses to shift on his chair. His backside is still stinging, sore from his lover's onslaught earlier.
Hisoka resumes talking. "You were a godsend to the Troupe. They needed a new Manipulator to replace the one I'd strung like a broken puppet, and there you were, ready to worm your way into their ranks. You Manipulated Giuliano of the 6th Prince's camp and made him spill the Hunter Association's secrets to the king of Kakin. And how did you discover their secrets? You were obviously listening in on the meetings of those foolish Zodiacs. With the help of little Kalluto here, I'm guessing." Hisoka's eyes wander over to the child in question.
"No comment," Kalluto mutters, not glancing up from his new paper doll, which is shaped suspiciously like a jester with pointy boots.
"No comment is a comment, Kalluto," Illumi deadpans. "Keep telling me your theory, Hisoka. I'm meant to be entertaining you, but I do believe that the reverse is happening here."
"While spying on one of the Zodiac Twelve's political meetings," Hisoka continues, "you heard about the plan for Kurapika and me to capture the Hunter traitor in the 6th Prince's quarters. The Spiders set a trap for us then, with your generous assistance. You Manipulated the members of the 6th Prince's camp by commanding them to kill any intruders. As for the traitor himself, he was instructed to commit suicide if either Kurapika or I came into contact with him. Of course, I swiftly prevented that by extracting your telltale needles." Hisoka unearths one of the needles from his pocket and twirls it lazily around his long fingers. "So? Am I right?"
"I'm amazed that you came up with a story so painstakingly detailed," Illumi answers.
"I can't take all the credit. My boyfriend figured out most of it."
"Boyfriend," Illumi repeats. "No, I'm not even going to ask."
"Kurapika is cute as a button, and he fucks like a dream." Hisoka sighs with an expression of complete contentment. "Why, are you jealous?"
"Jealous? If I even had a heart, all I'd feel is pity for the poor soul unlucky enough to wind up in bed with you."
"Hey, are you two going to keep talking about that icky stuff?" Kalluto butts in, crumpling his latest paper doll in his clenched fingers. "Should I leave the room now?"
"No need," Illumi tells his youngest brother. "Hisoka is returning to the first tier soon."
"Just one thing, Illumi," Hisoka implores. "Tell me one thing, then I'll quit subjecting you and Kalluto to this torture."
"Torture," Illumi echoes. "That's a good word for it. Don't be mistaken — death is the Troupe's endgame. However, they won't let the two of you go until they back you into a corner and break you down into useless husks of your former selves. So you and your boyfriend, you better watch your backs."
When Hisoka returns to the 14th Prince's quarters before midnight, his boyfriend is still conferring with Queen Oito in her bedroom. Hisoka is just about to knock on the door when Kurapika emerges, looking pensive.
"You've been alone with the queen for hours!" Hisoka says with mock indignance. "We haven't even been a couple for a single day, and you're already cheating on me?"
Kurapika's eyes wander upward to Hisoka's face. "I learned so many interesting things from her this evening. Most notably, about the Seed. . . ." His voice trails off as he leans his back against the door and rubs his chin contemplatively.
"The seed? You didn't nut in the queen, did you? Boyfriends or not, I doubt that I'll ever be ready to raise a royal stepchild with you."
Kurapika's eyes crinkle as he releases one of his near-extinct bursts of genuine laughter. Hisoka watches, an uncommon warmth spreading over his chest at the sight.
Still chuckling, Kurapika bumps his fist against Hisoka's abdomen. "Stop messing around and collect your cards. We're going out."
Hisoka perks up. "Where are we going?"
"We're having a date. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"Might I propose a suggestion then? Before we take our date outside, can we date in the employees' bedroom first? I want to date you so fucking hard that we break the bed in half."
Kurapika shakes his head. "Melody's in there, sleeping. We can't right now."
"We can be quiet. We won't make a single sound."
"This is Melody we're talking about. She hears everything. Every creak of the bed, every slurping stroke of the tongue. We'll probably give her nightmares."
"The bathroom, then?" Hisoka offers. "You always look so sexy when you watch yourself in the mirror as I demolish you from behind."
Kurapika counters with his own suggestion. "How about this? If you manage to make this a good date, we'll stop by the ice room on the way back. You can do whatever you want with me then."
"A thrilling prospect. Okay, I'll bite. What exactly does a good date entail?"
"We'll play a game," Kurapika says. "I'll send out my chain, and we'll see what sort of hideous insect I can reel back in. Then you'll toy with the insect to amuse me."
"Then I'll crush out the insect? Will a dead insect amuse you as much as a breathing, squirming one?"
Kurapika shrugs. "This time, the fate of our prey is your sole prerogative. The most important rule is this: if you get even a single drop of the insect's blood on my skin or clothes, you lose right away. Game over. Got that?"
Hisoka grins. "Got it. This will be an easy victory for me."
Hisoka knows this insect's name, but Kurapika has made it a point to never find out. Kurapika may have heard its name a few times before, spoken by his young friends two years ago now, but he's attempting to repress those memories, the same way that he's convincing his own brain to perceive the critter as only a critter, and not as it really is.
Writhing. Moaning. A mess of splintered bones and mangled skin.
Hisoka idly snaps off the elastic holding back the insect's hair, and black curtains billow out over either side of the gaunt face. The insect can no longer make any radical movements, but it manages to shake back its hair in order to direct a dark gaze toward where Kurapika observes from a calculated distance away.
For all its rasp, the critter's voice is heavy with fury. "You think he doesn't know about you? He knows all about you. We warned him about you. He knows you're coming for him."
"Yes, yes. Danchou knows we're out to get him. Why don't we make sure he knows that we came for you first?" With the Ace of Clubs, Hisoka cleaves down into the insect's skin, into the dead center of the tattooed spider with the number 1.
Blood blooms like liquefied iron from the spider torn asunder. Dark, almost black. Black curtains, black eyes, black blood.
The bile is creeping up Kurapika's throat again. He chokes back the bitterness to address Hisoka. "Enough amusement for tonight. End this game now."
Kurapika turns away as his partner deals the killing blow. Once Kurapika senses that the restraints of Chain Jail have slackened, he permits the silver links to diffuse into nothingness.
Hisoka carefully licks his fingers clean before he wraps his arm around Kurapika and squeezes his shoulder. Kurapika tries not to flinch.
Hisoka's tone is eager. "This was a good date, wasn't it?"
Kurapika forces his lips to curl up into a smile before he faces Hisoka. "Yes, the very best."
When Hisoka kisses him, Kurapika closes his eyes — red still ringing his black contacts — and tries to lose himself in it. The darkness does help, somewhat.
"I'm ready for my prize now," Hisoka purrs against his mouth.
