Hello again, lovely human beings. Before we begin the chapter, I just want to sincerely apologize for putting this story on hiatus without saying anything. Thanks to a series of extremely traumatic events, my mental health flopped and I found myself unable to continue working on this story. Those of you who know me personally are aware that I usually vent out my emotions through my writing, but the content of this story in particular was so dark and complex that it was actually making me feel worse rather than better. This past two months, I've been working on a different story for the Demon Slayer fandom that was helping me cope with what I was dealing with. It took me quite some time, but I pulled myself together well enough to continue working on this.

PLEASE NOTE: This chapter is a little shorter than usual. I did that on purpose. Since it's been two months since the last update, I was trying to ease myself back into the plot rather than fling myself in guns blazing. I hope you like it! Again, I'm very sorry for the wait.

It was so quiet you'd be able to hear a pin drop.

Illumi took a sip from the intricately painted glass in his hands, feeling the slight burn of liquor sliding down his throat. He almost couldn't believe what he'd just gotten himself into. He'd had an agenda for everything he wanted to do while he was alive, but pissing his father off was not one of those things.

He was sitting on a marble-topped counter in the kitchen, his back pressed against the wall behind him. His abysmal black eyes slowly wandered from the front door set into the far-right corner to the large window on the left, then back again. He was careful not to let his gaze linger on anything for longer than a couple seconds at a time because Hisoka had not taken his eyes off him for the past fifteen minutes now. The magician was smart enough to follow Illumi's gaze and pinpoint any and everything that seemed to capture the ravenet's attention.

"Good grief, you remind me of those sentinels you see outside of public political events and things." Hisoka suddenly remarked, from where he was sprawled on the white couch in a rather provocative position.

"And I had no idea you were capable of being quiet for longer than five minutes at a time." Illumi replied calmly, as he raised his half-empty glass to his lips.

Hisoka watched this movement very closely, smirking a little at the way Illumi's soft, pink lips formed a perfect o around the rim of the cup. You can probably guess the sort of lewd thoughts that were running through Hisoka's head right then, but he was smart enough to avoid voicing them. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "Is it a good or a bad change? I can start talking more often if you really want me to."

"I like it when you're quiet. Keep it that way." was Illumi's terse response.

"Tch. Brat."

The tiniest hint of a playful smile touched Illumi's face. It was strange; ever since seeing his brother again and agreeing to a romantic relationship with Hisoka, the young assassin had felt the urge to smile a lot more. He couldn't tell if he should be concerned, disgusted, or if he should just go with it and see what happened. Letting situations spin wildly out of control was something he had been doing a lot lately, and he wasn't sure what he thought of it just yet.

Meanwhile, Hisoka was honestly over the moon with joy. He'd never really had a serious relationship before; he'd only ever had temporary fuck-buddies and powerful rivals before (sometimes, he even had a mixture of both those things.) Something about the idea of having something he could call his very own was extremely alluring. He was excited to see where a more intimate, committed relationship with this quirky, overly strict assassin would lead them.

Saki was curled up in a little ball at the foot of the couch, either napping or pretending to be asleep so nobody would bother her. She had grown a couple of inches, which made Illumi sad because he knew she'd be too big to carry around within the next six months or so.

Hisoka reached down and patted her head, being careful not to scratch her with his dangerously sharp fingernails. He couldn't help but wonder when Silva would come back. The monstrous brute of a man was known for being selfish beyond belief and he wasn't stupid enough to let one of the most talented, dangerous assassins in the world escape him without a fight. Although Killua was the Zoldyck family's top priority, they weren't about to lose their eldest son either. Theoretically speaking, if they couldn't get Killua back, Illumi would take his place and inherit the business.

But since both of them insist on being difficult... well, things are gonna be interesting around here for a little while. Hisoka thought to himself.

All of a sudden, Illumi slid off the counter and stood upright, turning around to wash the glass he'd been using. "You really should put a shirt on, you know." he called over his shoulder.

"But why?" Hisoka asked, voice adopting a playful tone.

"Because it's not modest. Knowing you, I'm not really surprised, but still."

"Darling, when have I ever given a single flying fuck about modesty?"

"That's exactly my point."

Hisoka chuckled and shook his head slightly. "I don't have to do anything you say, so the answer is no. On the other hand, you should go around shirtless more often. I don't think I've ever seen you that way."

"I intend to keep it that way." Illumi said, turning around and making his way into the front room so he could sit on the floor with Saki.

Hisoka watched the young assassin enter the room, taking in every graceful movement with a predatory glint in his amber eyes. "Well now, that's no fun. People look ten times better without their clothes."

"Is this a sorry attempt at flirting with me? If so, it's not working."

"I take it back. You're no fun."

Before Illumi could drop to the floor, Hisoka caught him by the arm. As expected, Illumi tensed up so suddenly that one would think he had just seen a ghost. He turned his riveting gaze on the magician a second later, raising one eyebrow in a silent question. What is it? What do you want?

Hisoka couldn't help but chuckle as he tugged the assassin closer. "Still not used to me?"

"No, and I don't think I ever will be." Illumi understood what was expected of him and dropped onto the couch, crossing one leg over the other. "Why do you always insist on keeping me close? What is the point? And, more importantly, what's the appeal?"

"Oh, lots of reasons." Hisoka hummed, sitting up and taking hold of the assassin's shoulders. "Who wouldn't want to keep a pretty thing like you within arm's reach? Turn around, I want to braid your hair."

Illumi frowned and obediently turned so his back was facing the magician. Almost immediately, large hands began gathering up each and every strand of long, perfectly straight black hair. Hisoka's fingers would occasionally brush against the nape of Illumi's neck, causing a tiny tremor to run through the young Zoldyck's body. He was still so unused to gentle touches that he genuinely expected some sort of pain each and every time something made contact with his skin. He wasn't sure how long it would take before he became completely used to being touched. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if he ever would reach that point.

"Relax, darling." Hisoka suddenly said. "You're so tense."

"Sorry." Illumi mumbled, trying and failing to stop sitting like he was made of metal.

"C'mere for a second." all of a sudden, Hisoka's muscular arms wrapped around Illumi's waist, pulling him flush against his chest. Illumi immediately squeaked out a protest, but the magician shushed him and nuzzled the back of his neck, moving his hair out of the way in order to do so. "You're so absolutely rigid that if I were to squeeze you right now I'd probably snap your spine."

"Why is it that you only ever think about either bedding me or doing horribly violent things to me?" Illumi wondered, his voice high and unconcerned.

"Who wouldn't?" Hisoka asked back, pressing a feather-light kiss to Illumi's nape.

"W-What the-…!" Illumi was sorely tempted to throw his head back in hopes that it would break Hisoka's nose. "Do you really need to do that?"

"Yes. Stop asking so many questions."

"But..."

"Just shut up and relax, dammit."

"Alright, alright. Jeez."

Illumi quieted down after that, though his eyes were narrowed and his hands were clenched tightly in his lap, fully prepared to reach for a needle if he felt it was necessary. He could feel the redhead's warm breath against the back of his neck, and he wasn't sure if it disturbed him or made him want to lean back into Hisoka's embrace. The ravenet decided to settle for a compromise, and tentatively placed his hand over the magician's forearm, which was still hooked around his waist.

Hisoka felt the light press of Illumi's hand and frowned slightly, unsure whether or not he should believe that his little assassin was actually trying to reciprocate affection. Such a thing was so unheard of that he honestly didn't think it was possible. But when Illumi didn't push Hisoka's arms away and simply stayed exactly where he was, the magician couldn't stop a smile from creeping onto his face.

It's not much, he's only putting his hand over my arm. But that's as good a start as any. He thought to himself, beginning to weave Illumi's hair into a traditional braid.

Over the past couple days, it had become clear that Illumi's capacity to feel and express emotion was returning. This had only become apparent through very little things, like the fact his black eyes no longer seemed so cold and desolate. Every so often, his lips would twitch as if he were trying not to smile. It may not seem like much, but to Hisoka, it was a huge breakthrough. He'd been dealing with nothing short of a human robot ever since he first met the assassin, so getting to see little bits and pieces of Illumi's true personality beneath his cold exterior – the personality that his parents had forced him to bury deep down within himself – was like winning the lottery.

"Your brother should be coming back any day now. We need to let him know that your father's around. He's being hunted down too, so it's important information to have." Hisoka remarked.

"Yeah, I know." Illumi sighed through his nose, drawing his knees up to his chest and propping his chin up on them. "I don't really want to though. He might run away again, and... call me controlling, but I don't really want that."

"Doesn't seem controlling at all in the sense that you're talking about. Before when you were trying to manipulate him into wanting to go back home willingly was definitely controlling. But all I'm seeing now is someone who wants to make amends with his little brother." Hisoka replied, tying off the tight braid he'd made with a black elastic that was practically invisible against Illumi's hair.

"That's exactly what I want. I've been a terrible big brother."

"I'm afraid I can't disagree to that."

"If I apologize, do you think Kil will forgive me?"

"I don't know, Illu-chan. He might, but he also might not. It's up to him. In my own opinion, I think you have a pretty good chance since he did agree to come back here."

Illumi was silent for a moment, processing everything he'd been told. The very thought of being hated by his beloved little brother was sickening. He had seen "normal" people taking care of their younger siblings, especially adults with siblings that were still children, and couldn't help but notice that they almost always looked happy. He wanted to be that way too.

"Do you have any siblings, Hisoka?" Illumi asked.

Hisoka smirked and shook his head slightly, pulling the assassin back against his chest. "I can't say I remember. If I did, they were so weak and pathetic that they weren't worthy of my attention. Yours are much more interesting than any family member I may have had."

"May have? Goodness, everyone comes from a family of sorts. People don't just spring up out of the ground."

"That is factually correct."

"Are you being serious?" Illumi twisted to look up at the magician, blinking at him curiously. "Did you forget your entire family?"

Hisoka just clicked his tongue and decided not to answer. Where he came from wasn't important. He'd surpassed them all anyway, they weren't relevant in his mind anymore. Changing the subject was the best option at this point.

"You know, I think it's safe to say you're a permanent resident here. I'll have to go officiate that with the owners of the tower." Hisoka remarked. "Unless of course you're planning on going elsewhere, which I highly doubt. Chrollo says he thinks you're going to move on the first chance you get because I'm a creep."

Illumi's brow furrowed slightly. "No, I'm not planning on leaving for the time being. And Chrollo's right, you are a creep, but I'm used to it."

For some reason, that made Hisoka feel incredibly happy. It wasn't often he met someone who not only acknowledged him for what he was, but accepted it as well. He was usually given a wide berth by everyone except his crazy fangirls who just wanted to hook up with him because he had such a bizarre, pleasure-driven, borderline lustful personality.

"That's good. I wouldn't want you to go anywhere. This tower would seem incredibly dull and lonely without you."

Just so y'all know, I have a clear idea of where the story is going to go from here. This chapter may have seemed more fluffy than normal, but the mature content will begin again very soon.

Because of schoolwork and the like, I may not be able to update more often than once a week. I'll try my best to be consistent, but the most I can promise is that I won't put this story on hiatus again without letting you guys know. Thank you very much for your patience! I love you all so very much, thank you for all the positive comments and support. It means a lot to me. Please take care of yourselves and have a wonderful day.