p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Chapter 8 - It's a date/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"While both men walked down the busy streets of Yorkshin, Illumi was getting a little concerned. Hisoka had offered to choose the restaurant where they'd be dining together and he had accepted that without hesitation. But then, after a few minutes of what seemed to be aimless walking, the assassin had started to wonder if letting his roommate make that choice for them was wise./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They were not in the upscale part of the town and he felt like another one of his partner's antics was on its way. He should have guessed it, after all, Hisoka wasn't particularly known for his refinement. Illumi was starting to feel overdressed for this dinner, while his forest green dress shirt matched Hisoka's dark red one, he knew better than to trust on the clown for style. Where on earth was he taking him?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Here," Hisoka said finally as if he was some sort of mind reader, but when Illumi looked up, there was nothing but an old looking house in front of /"What do you mean here?" he answered, cocking his head to the /"You'll have to wait and see," the magician was delighted with his friend's confusion. "Do you trust me, dear?"br /"No"br /"Yeah, you do," he smiled and opened the door for his friend to enter. Behind the heavy wooden frame, there was nothing that wouldn't belong to a wealthy home gracefully placed in the entrance /"Walk with me," Hisoka asked, and both men began shortening the distance between them and the second door at the end of the long /"Let me surprise you with what's behind door number two," he said with a gesturing hand in the air. Driven by curiosity, Illumi obliged and turned the knob to open the door. Behind it, a soft piano was playing what seemed a bittersweet piece and a receptionist was waiting for them besides a luxurious bar. When they approached the young woman, Illumi wasn't giving her all of his attention as he was concentrating on the surroundings. A few feet after the bar, there were a few tables where people were having a lavish meal. The music came from an actual pianist who played like there was nobody else in the room. Everything, including the general mood of the place, was to his liking./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Do you have room for us, sweetie?" Hisoka asked the girl, looking right into her eyesbr /"I can accommodate you in the garden if you like," she said, /"That would be almost as perfect as your smile"br /"Fo-follow me please!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Illumi thought about how Hisoka was used to use his sex appeal to get special treatment. He was no stranger to employing his acting skills to lure a target but it never came so naturally to him. On the contrary, Hisoka was seemingly made for it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"While they were following the flustered woman, Illumi noticed how propper and elegant Hisoka was acting. He even said thank you after arriving at the table which by the way, was gorgeous. Set in the center of a winter garden, surrounded by modern paintings and delicate flowers on multiple strategic places. The dim lights accentuated Hisoka's red hair and made his golden eyes glisten, or something like that, Illumi thought while taking his seat./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When their waiter offered them the wine selection. Illumi tried to take it but Hisoka beat him to it and pleasantly surprised him after choosing a red La Rioja. Did he always know this much about wine or was he mocking him in some twisted way? He decided to wait and see how the evening unfolded before jumping into conclusions./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After a delicious gourmet dinner and almost four bottles of wine which were drained like water, they found themselves engaging in casual conversation. Even though alcohol had little to no effect on Illumi, all that red was starting to go to his cheeks. Hisoka on the other hand seemed slightly intoxicated. The exhaustion of the day was showing in his eyes. But he was smiling still, playing with the rim of the delicate /"Is my face that intriguing dear?" Hisoka asked, after noticing the assassin staring at /"What?" he noticed the way he had been looking at the clown's every feature. From the golden eyes, always sharp and witty, to the soft lips which were most of the time contorted into a sardonic smile. Hisoka seemed different that night, softer, nostalgic even, and he couldn't help himself to try to decipher that /Of course, when Hisoka asked him about it he felt mortified and couldn't come up with a proper answer. "Excuse me," he said, standing up from his chair, and without another word, he walked straight to the bathroom listening to Hisoka's laughter blending with the piano in the background./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Illumi looked at him in the golden riveted mirror, he looked embarrassed. What the fuck was happening? When Hisoka had asked him to dinner he imagined somewhere loud and greasy, quick bite, cheap liquor, and hitting home early, but this? This was so uncharacteristic of him. Was it all a joke? Will he ask him to pay for all of this? He was getting visibly frustrated, controlling himself was harder every day, especially around Hisoka. He hated that. Assassins do not have friends for a reason and this was it. After regaining his stoic self back and fighting the urge to stick a needle in his face to make it stay like that, he returned to the table./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"All the remaining wine glasses were gone now and Hisoka was looking at the sky. "It's a beautiful night outside, don't you agree?"br /"Yes, it is"br /Hisoka was disappointed to see his favorite Zoldyck back to his cold exterior, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he had been trying to get an emotion out of him from day one and it took years for him to break him in the slightest. He had found that Illu's greatest weakness was his family, especially his brother, Killua. But he was tired of making him react to that, maybe in the future, he would do it again just to see what happens, yet he wanted him to show a wide array of emotions besides anger and /"Wanna go for a walk before we head home?" he asked, standing up and fixing his /"We have to return walking anyway"br /"I know, but, just walking aimlessly for a while seems interesting"br /"Are you trying to lure me into a trap?"br /"Oh sweetheart, you have no idea" he answered, and bit his bottom /"Stop playing and let's get the check" Illumi was glad he got his pay immediately after his mission was over, that classy dinner sure would be /"That's been taken care of," Hisoka said, as they both started to walk toward the /"Did you sleep with the waitress or something?"br /"How rude!" He paused. "although..." he turned around to wink at her. "You never know, better make sure she saves us a table for next time"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Their nonchalant stroll was starting to seem uncharacteristic of them. Illumi seemed pleased and that was, for once, all that Hsoka wanted that night. His Zoldyck porcelain figurine was having trouble adjusting to his new life away from luxury and what he considered a family so he wanted to show him it wasn't that bad. Illu's parents were monstrous to him, of course, he admired Silva's raw strength and he knew better than to get on Kikyo's wrong side, but they had damaged Illumi far worse than he knew before./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When they first met, Hisoka was working as an entertainer on a traveling circus that happened to arrive at Padokia. One night he spotted a boy wandering around the premises, he'd never seen someone wearing such a cold expression before, yet he couldn't help but think that he was the saddest boy he'd ever met. He wanted nothing but to make him smile but one of his co-workers told him to avoid messing with him since he was one of the Zoldycks. Of course, that made Hisoka chase after him even more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After months of what he thought was secretly trailing him, he could finally see him, right when he was killing a poor bastard. Hisoka was marveled. But to his utter surprise, the boy didn't seem to have felt anything about what he had done. "You almost make me fail, that is not acceptable," He said, in a surprisingly joyful tone. Hisoka wasn't sure what had just happened right before his eyes, but he was sure that the boy was someone truly extraordinary./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Over the years, he always found a way to return to his side, to see him and spend some time with him. A decade later, a friendship of the most bizarre kind arose between them, but Hisoka wanted more. Even if Illumi never felt the way he did, even if the assassin could never be his, he still hadn't gotten his ultimate and most innocent wish. A smile./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Their night walk led them through the streets, both in comfortable silence, although Illumi was getting concerned about the clown's attitude change. What was it now? Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice how he kept walking closer to Hisoka, brushing his shoulder from time to time, or if he did, he didn't care. Everything was different somehow, Hisoka wasn't feeling like himself and Illumi knew nothing about emotions to be able to figure it out. He didn't even know why out of a sudden he cared so much about it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They saw lights glimmering around the corner and walked toward them as if led by instinct. As they got closer they noticed it was a carnival-style amusement park settled on the pier./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well look at that!" Hisoka exclaimed, looking excited all of a sudden. "We have to go there, come" He grabbed Illumi by the arm and sprinted to the entrance. The assassin was compliant for a change, at least Hisoka's arm was still in its /"Are you serious about going to a place like this?" Illumi said, looking at the crowded luminous space visibly /"Yeah, don't you like it? I forgot who I was talking too, of course, you don't consider amusement parks amusing, you edge-lord"br /"Actually…" He paused, regretting that impulsive /"What? Are you a clown fetishist or something? 'Cause that could be arranged ya' know?"br /"No I… what? No!" Illumi was getting upset, why couldn't Hisoka take anything seriously? "I was going to say that I have never been in a place like this, so I do not have a formal opinion about it"br /"Oh, my sweet baby!" Hisoka acted horrified, "We need to fix that, come on"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"At the entrance, a funny looking guy welcomed them and explained that even though it was free, they could buy a ticket for the lottery that would be held later that night. Illumi couldn't care less about it, but his friend convinced him that it would be fun to try so they bought one. Hisoka gave the little piece of paper to Illumi "for luck", he said, but also for safekeeping./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Colorful stands and booths were set along the side of the wooden pier but the games weren't appealing to them. Illumi contemplated the lottery ticket in his hand, it had the date stamped on it, June 6th. That made an uncertain bell ring inside his head, but he couldn't pinpoint the reason behind it. "What are those?" he asked, looking at the game /"Silly games, they're no fun if you're skilled enough, and the prizes are not worth the effort in my opinion"br /"I see" Illumi paused in front of the entrance to the haunted house and tried to peek inside. "And this?"br /"A place full of dummies trying to scare people," Hisoka laughed. "Actually if you go in, you might be the scariest thing inside"br /"Do you think I am frightening?"br /"Most people might think so," he turned to face him. "But I think you're fascinating"br /"I see" Illumi had never been called fascinating before, he reserved that word for unusual findings that fueled his curiosity, he wondered if his friend thought of him in such a /"I am failing to find the amusement in this park" he replied, after a few /"Wait, we're almost there, see? that's where I'm taking you"br /Illumi looked up and saw a gigantic Ferris wheel spinning against the night sky. That seemed pretty boring to him but since the night had proven to develop in such a distinct way, he decided to give it a try./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The line wasn't long, and soon enough they found themselves sitting inside the hanging cage. "Come sit next to me, dear," Hisoka said, as he scooched over to the /"Why?"br /"The view is better if you're facing this way"br /It was surprising at first, but the assassin stood up and took Hisoka's offer. The view was better from that spot he discovered as the wheel started turning, taking them up into the silence, away from all the mundane noises that lingered on the surface still./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Thank you," Hisoka said, out of the /"What are you thanking me for?br /"I don't like this particular date, you know?" His eyes were lost in the sky. "But I might enjoy it from now on"br /"What is so particular about this date?"br /"It's my birthday"br /"Oh!" Illumi didn't know what to say, after all those years he couldn't remember Hisoka's birthday, was that wrong? Hisoka must have felt bad about it, but instead, he invited him on this sort of night out. It wasn't like him to feel guilty or responsible for other people's feelings, but the grip of remorse was holding him by the /"I am sorry for not remembering," he said, /Hisoka was shocked, he turned his head to face the other man and he noticed his features were showing a great deal of sadness. That was a new one. "Illu… don't…"br /"Happy birthday Hisoka" he answered, without letting his friend finish his sentence. But the strangest of it all was the sweet, honest smile that came across the assassin's lips./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"For the first time in his life, Hisoka was speechless./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Silence and shock lasted longer than he thought, but Hisoka wanted to frame that mental photograph in the walls of his mind. That simple gesture right there was the perfect birthday gift he didn't even ask for. The night was wonderfully lit by the multitude of blinding buildings and streets beneath them, but the ultimate view was right by his side./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Do you like the view from here?," he asked Illumi, who was already looking out in every /"I have seen the city from this height before," he said, in a soft voice. "But it is amusing, I like it up here, it is darker"br /"Do you see the people down there?" Hisoka asked and Illumi noded. "They cherish the light, they love it 'cause it blinds them," Hisoka wasn't looking at the night sky, his attention was centered on the man sitting inches away from him. "It's easy to be marveled at something bright and shiny, but the truth is, underneath that fascination, lies a horrific fear."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Hisoka noticed how his friend seemed relaxed for a change and their shoulders were touching. The soft contact and calm breathing of the assassin led him on, he kept /"They fear darkness, 'cause in the dark, there's nothing but emptiness if you don't know better."br /"Are you afraid of the dark?"br /"I'm not, I love it," his voice was deep and almost near to a whisper. "Darkness can hold you in its tight embrace and make you it's prisoner, it is beautiful and infinite and when you learn to lose yourself in it, everything else becomes irrelevant."br /Illumi was impressed by the clown's words, he had described his feelings in a way no other could ever have. He turned his head to the side, noticing the closeness of their bodies but putting no effort into changing /Hisoka met his eyes, his glorious black eyes. They were softer now, /"Illumi, my dear, you are darkness to me," He said. "You are the void and I'm your willing victim"br /The eldest Zoldyck son was blushing, even though the night at the top of the Ferris wheel managed to hide it quite well. He was lost for words, but he wanted to answer. All those mixed up feelings he'd been having were kind of making sense now. But after such heartfelt speech, there wasn't much he could say. He couldn't just say something like 'thank you' even though he was grateful, and any other attempt at a sentence just didn't make /Suddenly, like instinct taking over, the assassin shortened the distance between them and pressed his lips against Hisoka's. The magician hesitated for a second, but immediately kissed him back, letting the other man take the /The kiss was soft and innocent at first but powered by what seemed to be repressed desire, Illumi increased the pressure and used his tongue to part his friend's mouth open. They were both enjoying the rush of the moment, discovering the taste of the other as the subtle summer breeze clashed against their flustered skin./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Hisoka's cell phone rang and Illumi ended what he had started. With his back against the seat, he was more confused than ever in his life but doing his best to hide it. "Hello?" Hisoka took the call, he needed to distract himself if they were leaving with their clothes on. After a few seconds of a monosyllabic conversation, he hung up and saw that his porcelain doll was back to his mechanical state. "That was Chrollo," he said, breaking the tension and somehow adding a new kind of awkwardness to the whole /"You run errands for the spider king now?" At least Illumi hadn't lost his touch with /"Something like that" Illumi couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'll find something that he wants, which will benefit me in the long run of course"br /"And what exactly is that?"br /"A nen healer," silence and jealousy impregnated the air. "If he gets rid of that curse, then I'll be able to fight him"br /"Where will you find someone like that"br /"I'll be going to Greed Island tonight," he said, knowing how much he'd rather stay. "I'll keep an eye on your little brother while I'm there"br /"Tonight?!" Illumi was visibly angry. "So the rat calls and suddenly you run to him?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Ferris wheel stopped, the ride was over. Both men stepped out of the cage in utter silence. Illumi mortified by his outburst and Hisoka gloating in his friend's jealousy and knowing that he got what he wanted and then /"I'll be back soon," they kept walking in the direction of Heaven's Arena, neither remembering the lottery ticket they bought earlier giving the latest /When they were back in the apartment, Hisoka rummaged through his drawers and changed into his regular fighting attire. Illumi on the contrary was sitting on the bed, feeling embarrassed and humiliated. Of course, the clown would do this, always admiring Chrollo and wanting to fight him to death, it infuriated him, so when Hisoka was ready to go he did what he knew best./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The magician felt a slight prick at the bottom of his skull, he knew what was happening, and suddenly his body became limp. "Seriously Illu? now?"br /"Shut up, don't make me pin down your throat"br /"But…"br /"I said shut up" Illumi controlled Hisoka's body like a puppet, made him stand up and face him. "The spider calls and you run, but just like that you better run back here"br /Hisoka knew better than to laugh, but his smile was wide and his eyes were glowing with desire. "If you don't I'll kill you before you get the chance to fight him"br /"You know just the right words to turn me on, babe" Illumi didn't answer, he was determined and Hisoka loved it, he decided to give the man what he wanted. "I'll run to do this because it has a personal gain to me, and I'll run back home 'cause I can't wait to kiss you again"br /Illumi noded, then proceeded to walk away in perfect silence, releasing his needle right before leaving the /Hisoka clashed against the floor and after a few seconds his limbs regained mobility. He went straight to the front door and noticed Illumi making some coffee for himself in the kitchen. Reality suddenly was perfect and the echoes of his past trauma were distant and minute. "Bye babe, missing you already," he said merrily. But just as the door slammed right behind him, he thought he heard a whisper saying "me too" but that probably was his overly active imagination. Right?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"While both men walked down the busy streets of Yorkshin, Illumi was getting a little concerned. Hisoka had offered to choose the restaurant where they'd be dining together and he had accepted that without hesitation. But then, after a few minutes of what seemed to be aimless walking, the assassin had started to wonder if letting his roommate make that choice for them was wise./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They were not in the upscale part of the town and he felt like another one of his partner's antics was on its way. He should have guessed it, after all, Hisoka wasn't particularly known for his refinement. Illumi was starting to feel overdressed for this dinner, while his forest green dress shirt matched Hisoka's dark red one, he knew better than to trust on the clown for style. Where on earth was he taking him?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Here," Hisoka said finally as if he was some sort of mind reader, but when Illumi looked up, there was nothing but an old looking house in front of /"What do you mean here?" he answered, cocking his head to the /"You'll have to wait and see," the magician was delighted with his friend's confusion. "Do you trust me, dear?"br /"No"br /"Yeah, you do," he smiled and opened the door for his friend to enter. Behind the heavy wooden frame, there was nothing that wouldn't belong to a wealthy home gracefully placed in the entrance /"Walk with me," Hisoka asked, and both men began shortening the distance between them and the second door at the end of the long /"Let me surprise you with what's behind door number two," he said with a gesturing hand in the air. Driven by curiosity, Illumi obliged and turned the knob to open the door. Behind it, a soft piano was playing what seemed a bittersweet piece and a receptionist was waiting for them besides a luxurious bar. When they approached the young woman, Illumi wasn't giving her all of his attention as he was concentrating on the surroundings. A few feet after the bar, there were a few tables where people were having a lavish meal. The music came from an actual pianist who played like there was nobody else in the room. Everything, including the general mood of the place, was to his liking./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Do you have room for us, sweetie?" Hisoka asked the girl, looking right into her eyesbr /"I can accommodate you in the garden if you like," she said, /"That would be almost as perfect as your smile"br /"Fo-follow me please!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Illumi thought about how Hisoka was used to use his sex appeal to get special treatment. He was no stranger to employing his acting skills to lure a target but it never came so naturally to him. On the contrary, Hisoka was seemingly made for it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"While they were following the flustered woman, Illumi noticed how propper and elegant Hisoka was acting. He even said thank you after arriving at the table which by the way, was gorgeous. Set in the center of a winter garden, surrounded by modern paintings and delicate flowers on multiple strategic places. The dim lights accentuated Hisoka's red hair and made his golden eyes glisten, or something like that, Illumi thought while taking his seat./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When their waiter offered them the wine selection. Illumi tried to take it but Hisoka beat him to it and pleasantly surprised him after choosing a red La Rioja. Did he always know this much about wine or was he mocking him in some twisted way? He decided to wait and see how the evening unfolded before jumping into conclusions./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After a delicious gourmet dinner and almost four bottles of wine which were drained like water, they found themselves engaging in casual conversation. Even though alcohol had little to no effect on Illumi, all that red was starting to go to his cheeks. Hisoka on the other hand seemed slightly intoxicated. The exhaustion of the day was showing in his eyes. But he was smiling still, playing with the rim of the delicate /"Is my face that intriguing dear?" Hisoka asked, after noticing the assassin staring at /"What?" he noticed the way he had been looking at the clown's every feature. From the golden eyes, always sharp and witty, to the soft lips which were most of the time contorted into a sardonic smile. Hisoka seemed different that night, softer, nostalgic even, and he couldn't help himself to try to decipher that /Of course, when Hisoka asked him about it he felt mortified and couldn't come up with a proper answer. "Excuse me," he said, standing up from his chair, and without another word, he walked straight to the bathroom listening to Hisoka's laughter blending with the piano in the background./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Illumi looked at him in the golden riveted mirror, he looked embarrassed. What the fuck was happening? When Hisoka had asked him to dinner he imagined somewhere loud and greasy, quick bite, cheap liquor, and hitting home early, but this? This was so uncharacteristic of him. Was it all a joke? Will he ask him to pay for all of this? He was getting visibly frustrated, controlling himself was harder every day, especially around Hisoka. He hated that. Assassins do not have friends for a reason and this was it. After regaining his stoic self back and fighting the urge to stick a needle in his face to make it stay like that, he returned to the table./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"All the remaining wine glasses were gone now and Hisoka was looking at the sky. "It's a beautiful night outside, don't you agree?"br /"Yes, it is"br /Hisoka was disappointed to see his favorite Zoldyck back to his cold exterior, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he had been trying to get an emotion out of him from day one and it took years for him to break him in the slightest. He had found that Illu's greatest weakness was his family, especially his brother, Killua. But he was tired of making him react to that, maybe in the future, he would do it again just to see what happens, yet he wanted him to show a wide array of emotions besides anger and /"Wanna go for a walk before we head home?" he asked, standing up and fixing his /"We have to return walking anyway"br /"I know, but, just walking aimlessly for a while seems interesting"br /"Are you trying to lure me into a trap?"br /"Oh sweetheart, you have no idea" he answered, and bit his bottom /"Stop playing and let's get the check" Illumi was glad he got his pay immediately after his mission was over, that classy dinner sure would be /"That's been taken care of," Hisoka said, as they both started to walk toward the /"Did you sleep with the waitress or something?"br /"How rude!" He paused. "although..." he turned around to wink at her. "You never know, better make sure she saves us a table for next time"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Their nonchalant stroll was starting to seem uncharacteristic of them. Illumi seemed pleased and that was, for once, all that Hsoka wanted that night. His Zoldyck porcelain figurine was having trouble adjusting to his new life away from luxury and what he considered a family so he wanted to show him it wasn't that bad. Illu's parents were monstrous to him, of course, he admired Silva's raw strength and he knew better than to get on Kikyo's wrong side, but they had damaged Illumi far worse than he knew before./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When they first met, Hisoka was working as an entertainer on a traveling circus that happened to arrive at Padokia. One night he spotted a boy wandering around the premises, he'd never seen someone wearing such a cold expression before, yet he couldn't help but think that he was the saddest boy he'd ever met. He wanted nothing but to make him smile but one of his co-workers told him to avoid messing with him since he was one of the Zoldycks. Of course, that made Hisoka chase after him even more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After months of what he thought was secretly trailing him, he could finally see him, right when he was killing a poor bastard. Hisoka was marveled. But to his utter surprise, the boy didn't seem to have felt anything about what he had done. "You almost make me fail, that is not acceptable," He said, in a surprisingly joyful tone. Hisoka wasn't sure what had just happened right before his eyes, but he was sure that the boy was someone truly extraordinary./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Over the years, he always found a way to return to his side, to see him and spend some time with him. A decade later, a friendship of the most bizarre kind arose between them, but Hisoka wanted more. Even if Illumi never felt the way he did, even if the assassin could never be his, he still hadn't gotten his ultimate and most innocent wish. A smile./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Their night walk led them through the streets, both in comfortable silence, although Illumi was getting concerned about the clown's attitude change. What was it now? Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice how he kept walking closer to Hisoka, brushing his shoulder from time to time, or if he did, he didn't care. Everything was different somehow, Hisoka wasn't feeling like himself and Illumi knew nothing about emotions to be able to figure it out. He didn't even know why out of a sudden he cared so much about it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They saw lights glimmering around the corner and walked toward them as if led by instinct. As they got closer they noticed it was a carnival-style amusement park settled on the pier./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well look at that!" Hisoka exclaimed, looking excited all of a sudden. "We have to go there, come" He grabbed Illumi by the arm and sprinted to the entrance. The assassin was compliant for a change, at least Hisoka's arm was still in its /"Are you serious about going to a place like this?" Illumi said, looking at the crowded luminous space visibly /"Yeah, don't you like it? I forgot who I was talking too, of course, you don't consider amusement parks amusing, you edge-lord"br /"Actually…" He paused, regretting that impulsive /"What? Are you a clown fetishist or something? 'Cause that could be arranged ya' know?"br /"No I… what? No!" Illumi was getting upset, why couldn't Hisoka take anything seriously? "I was going to say that I have never been in a place like this, so I do not have a formal opinion about it"br /"Oh, my sweet baby!" Hisoka acted horrified, "We need to fix that, come on"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"At the entrance, a funny looking guy welcomed them and explained that even though it was free, they could buy a ticket for the lottery that would be held later that night. Illumi couldn't care less about it, but his friend convinced him that it would be fun to try so they bought one. Hisoka gave the little piece of paper to Illumi "for luck", he said, but also for safekeeping./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Colorful stands and booths were set along the side of the wooden pier but the games weren't appealing to them. Illumi contemplated the lottery ticket in his hand, it had the date stamped on it, June 6th. That made an uncertain bell ring inside his head, but he couldn't pinpoint the reason behind it. "What are those?" he asked, looking at the game /"Silly games, they're no fun if you're skilled enough, and the prizes are not worth the effort in my opinion"br /"I see" Illumi paused in front of the entrance to the haunted house and tried to peek inside. "And this?"br /"A place full of dummies trying to scare people," Hisoka laughed. "Actually if you go in, you might be the scariest thing inside"br /"Do you think I am frightening?"br /"Most people might think so," he turned to face him. "But I think you're fascinating"br /"I see" Illumi had never been called fascinating before, he reserved that word for unusual findings that fueled his curiosity, he wondered if his friend thought of him in such a /"I am failing to find the amusement in this park" he replied, after a few /"Wait, we're almost there, see? that's where I'm taking you"br /Illumi looked up and saw a gigantic Ferris wheel spinning against the night sky. That seemed pretty boring to him but since the night had proven to develop in such a distinct way, he decided to give it a try./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The line wasn't long, and soon enough they found themselves sitting inside the hanging cage. "Come sit next to me, dear," Hisoka said, as he scooched over to the /"Why?"br /"The view is better if you're facing this way"br /It was surprising at first, but the assassin stood up and took Hisoka's offer. The view was better from that spot he discovered as the wheel started turning, taking them up into the silence, away from all the mundane noises that lingered on the surface still./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Thank you," Hisoka said, out of the /"What are you thanking me for?br /"I don't like this particular date, you know?" His eyes were lost in the sky. "But I might enjoy it from now on"br /"What is so particular about this date?"br /"It's my birthday"br /"Oh!" Illumi didn't know what to say, after all those years he couldn't remember Hisoka's birthday, was that wrong? Hisoka must have felt bad about it, but instead, he invited him on this sort of night out. It wasn't like him to feel guilty or responsible for other people's feelings, but the grip of remorse was holding him by the /"I am sorry for not remembering," he said, /Hisoka was shocked, he turned his head to face the other man and he noticed his features were showing a great deal of sadness. That was a new one. "Illu… don't…"br /"Happy birthday Hisoka" he answered, without letting his friend finish his sentence. But the strangest of it all was the sweet, honest smile that came across the assassin's lips./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"For the first time in his life, Hisoka was speechless./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Silence and shock lasted longer than he thought, but Hisoka wanted to frame that mental photograph in the walls of his mind. That simple gesture right there was the perfect birthday gift he didn't even ask for. The night was wonderfully lit by the multitude of blinding buildings and streets beneath them, but the ultimate view was right by his side./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Do you like the view from here?," he asked Illumi, who was already looking out in every /"I have seen the city from this height before," he said, in a soft voice. "But it is amusing, I like it up here, it is darker"br /"Do you see the people down there?" Hisoka asked and Illumi noded. "They cherish the light, they love it 'cause it blinds them," Hisoka wasn't looking at the night sky, his attention was centered on the man sitting inches away from him. "It's easy to be marveled at something bright and shiny, but the truth is, underneath that fascination, lies a horrific fear."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Hisoka noticed how his friend seemed relaxed for a change and their shoulders were touching. The soft contact and calm breathing of the assassin led him on, he kept /"They fear darkness, 'cause in the dark, there's nothing but emptiness if you don't know better."br /"Are you afraid of the dark?"br /"I'm not, I love it," his voice was deep and almost near to a whisper. "Darkness can hold you in its tight embrace and make you it's prisoner, it is beautiful and infinite and when you learn to lose yourself in it, everything else becomes irrelevant."br /Illumi was impressed by the clown's words, he had described his feelings in a way no other could ever have. He turned his head to the side, noticing the closeness of their bodies but putting no effort into changing /Hisoka met his eyes, his glorious black eyes. They were softer now, /"Illumi, my dear, you are darkness to me," He said. "You are the void and I'm your willing victim"br /The eldest Zoldyck son was blushing, even though the night at the top of the Ferris wheel managed to hide it quite well. He was lost for words, but he wanted to answer. All those mixed up feelings he'd been having were kind of making sense now. But after such heartfelt speech, there wasn't much he could say. He couldn't just say something like 'thank you' even though he was grateful, and any other attempt at a sentence just didn't make /Suddenly, like instinct taking over, the assassin shortened the distance between them and pressed his lips against Hisoka's. The magician hesitated for a second, but immediately kissed him back, letting the other man take the /The kiss was soft and innocent at first but powered by what seemed to be repressed desire, Illumi increased the pressure and used his tongue to part his friend's mouth open. They were both enjoying the rush of the moment, discovering the taste of the other as the subtle summer breeze clashed against their flustered skin./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Hisoka's cell phone rang and Illumi ended what he had started. With his back against the seat, he was more confused than ever in his life but doing his best to hide it. "Hello?" Hisoka took the call, he needed to distract himself if they were leaving with their clothes on. After a few seconds of a monosyllabic conversation, he hung up and saw that his porcelain doll was back to his mechanical state. "That was Chrollo," he said, breaking the tension and somehow adding a new kind of awkwardness to the whole /"You run errands for the spider king now?" At least Illumi hadn't lost his touch with /"Something like that" Illumi couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'll find something that he wants, which will benefit me in the long run of course"br /"And what exactly is that?"br /"A nen healer," silence and jealousy impregnated the air. "If he gets rid of that curse, then I'll be able to fight him"br /"Where will you find someone like that"br /"I'll be going to Greed Island tonight," he said, knowing how much he'd rather stay. "I'll keep an eye on your little brother while I'm there"br /"Tonight?!" Illumi was visibly angry. "So the rat calls and suddenly you run to him?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Ferris wheel stopped, the ride was over. Both men stepped out of the cage in utter silence. Illumi mortified by his outburst and Hisoka gloating in his friend's jealousy and knowing that he got what he wanted and then /"I'll be back soon," they kept walking in the direction of Heaven's Arena, neither remembering the lottery ticket they bought earlier giving the latest /When they were back in the apartment, Hisoka rummaged through his drawers and changed into his regular fighting attire. Illumi on the contrary was sitting on the bed, feeling embarrassed and humiliated. Of course, the clown would do this, always admiring Chrollo and wanting to fight him to death, it infuriated him, so when Hisoka was ready to go he did what he knew best./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The magician felt a slight prick at the bottom of his skull, he knew what was happening, and suddenly his body became limp. "Seriously Illu? now?"br /"Shut up, don't make me pin down your throat"br /"But…"br /"I said shut up" Illumi controlled Hisoka's body like a puppet, made him stand up and face him. "The spider calls and you run, but just like that you better run back here"br /Hisoka knew better than to laugh, but his smile was wide and his eyes were glowing with desire. "If you don't I'll kill you before you get the chance to fight him"br /"You know just the right words to turn me on, babe" Illumi didn't answer, he was determined and Hisoka loved it, he decided to give the man what he wanted. "I'll run to do this because it has a personal gain to me, and I'll run back home 'cause I can't wait to kiss you again"br /Illumi noded, then proceeded to walk away in perfect silence, releasing his needle right before leaving the /Hisoka clashed against the floor and after a few seconds his limbs regained mobility. He went straight to the front door and noticed Illumi making some coffee for himself in the kitchen. Reality suddenly was perfect and the echoes of his past trauma were distant and minute. "Bye babe, missing you already," he said merrily. But just as the door slammed right behind him, he thought he heard a whisper saying "me too" but that probably was his overly active imagination. Right?/p