Work Text:
1
Something's wrong.
Although it was only for a very short moment, Hisoka noticed that Illumi was a beat too slow. The tip of his opponent's sword grazed the end of Illumi's hair. However, the next second, Illumi's needle pierced through the opponent's head, leaving him paralyzed and unable to move.
Looking at the barely perceptible stubble on Illumi's hair, Hisoka suppressed his displeasure—he had just wanted to chop the dirty hand that dared to touch Illumi's hair into mincemeat with playing cards—and casually asked, "Work's done, Illu, wanna grab a drink?"
He was prepared to be rejected, just like countless times before; there was no harm in asking anyway.
"OK."
Hearing Illumi's answer, Hisoka was convinced.
Something must be wrong.
2
Bar.
They went back to their rooms to change into casual clothes, found seats on bar stools at the bar, and Hisoka watched Illumi down his first glass of whiskey in one gulp, and whistled inwardly.
“Illu, it’s not that I don’t want to see you drunk,” Hisoka said, taking a sip of his cocktail, “but you know, the night is young.”
"Drunk?" Illumi looked at him expressionlessly. "Hisoka, have you ever considered that the mechanism by which alcohol affects the body is basically the same as that of poison?"
He did indeed have this suspicion; getting Illumi, who had been trained to tolerate poison since childhood, to become promiscuous after drinking alcohol would require an unimaginable amount. "How would you know if you don't try?" Hisoka smiled and beckoned the bartender over.
"Sir, would you like another drink?"
“Of course,” Hisoka answered first, putting his hand on Illumi’s shoulder. “Can you take good care of this gentleman tonight and keep his cup full?”
"Of course." The bartender gave a knowing smile.
Illumi watched coldly and slapped Hisoka's hand away.
“Illumi is as aloof as ever.” Hisoka sighed, watching Illumi pick up his glass. “But the way you’re drinking today has saved me a lot of trouble. Let me make it clear beforehand, I’m not exactly a gentleman.”
Illu didn't comment on this, and Hisoka sighed inwardly, realizing that trying to flirt with Illu was a huge mistake.
"So, how are your family members doing lately?" Hisoka decided to start from there.
"Don't mention my family." It seems he guessed right.
"What's it like to be the older brother of four younger brothers? You know, I'm an only child." Being an only child is an overstatement; more accurately, he's an orphan, but Hisoka doesn't intend to dwell on it.
“Nothing special. I’m older than them all. I’ve been helping my parents train them since they were born.”
"So, you've gotten used to this feeling of being an older brother like a father?" Rather than getting used to it, it's more like enjoying it, isn't it, Mr. Control Freak? Hisoka thought to himself.
"The eldest brother is like a father? That's an interesting saying."
"I heard Killua is the heir?"
"Correct." Anyway, it's not some family secret.
"I'm curious, was the word 'heir' etched on his forehead from birth?"
"Heh," Illumi chuckled softly. "Not quite, but you know, a child's character is formed by age three. He's Mother's favorite."
"Oh?" He's your favorite too, isn't it? Hisoka wisely decided not to say it aloud. "How's the training for the heir going?"
“Hmm, it’s a bit complicated.” Illumi’s lips twitched slightly. “But it’s alright, we have a special method.”
"Oh?" Now Hisoka was genuinely interested. "Like what?"
Illumi fell silent; neither a smooth nor awkward change of topic was within his grasp. Just when Hisoka thought he would never receive a reply, he suddenly smiled with relief: "For example, using my needles."
Hisoka carefully considered whether it would be more beneficial to delve deeper into the topic or to stop here.
"Is it a manipulation-type ability? Like giving them hints when controlling puppets?" Hisoka decided to take a gamble.
"Hmm." Illumi's approving gaze flashed briefly, as if to say, "You're very perceptive," but he was reluctant to offer direct praise.
Hisoka carefully considered the methods of controlling puppets he had witnessed throughout his combat career. Most of them were destructive and irreversible, meaning the complete destruction of consciousness. But obviously, Illumi wouldn't do such a thing to his beloved younger brother. Well, at least it didn't seem so for now. He decided to try his luck again, since today seemed to be his lucky day: "If it's an implanted needle, does that mean that one day it can be pulled out?"
A deathly silence fell. A dangerous glint flashed in Illumi's lifeless eyes.
"Of course, I mean BY you, when the training has yielded results?" Hisoka went a step further, his tone deliberately casual, but his eyes were fixed on Illumi's reaction. He knew perfectly well that they had been together these past few days, and Illumi hadn't had time to help Killua remove the needles.
Illumi simply looked at the empty space before him and raised the cup to his lips.
“Actually, I’ve always been curious,” Hisoka broke the silence, “with so many sons in your family, haven’t you ever worried about something like a succession battle breaking out, like in those short dramas?”
"Have you been watching too many 'bread and butter' videos?" Illumi seemed amused by the imagined scenarios of Hisoka watching short videos. "In terms of work, our family relationship is more like a partnership."
"So you've never considered becoming the next head of the Zoldyck family—the chairman of the partners?" In Hisoka's opinion, Killua had absolutely no interest in this.
"..." Illumi couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth again. He had drunk quite a bit and found Hisoka's words more interesting than ever before. "No, that's meaningless. When our family members disagree, we don't gather together for a meeting to vote. We follow our own positions and carry out our own ideas with all our might until a winner is decided. As long as it doesn't harm family members' lives, the means are unlimited."
"Oh, that's incredibly tasteful," Hisoka genuinely complimented. "So, as the head of your family, you don't really have any real power?"
Illumi laughed: "When I was very young, my mother told me that power appears to come from superiors, but actually comes from subordinates." His power came from Killua's cooperation.
Wow, you can learn something new from the manipulators every day.
3
It wasn't until Hisoka said, "Let's get out of here," that Illumi stood up. He felt dizzy and had to grab the bar to steady himself. Only then did he realize that he was more drunk than he had imagined.
Half of it was thanks to the bartender perfectly keeping his promise, and the other half was thanks to Hisoka being an unexpectedly good conversationalist.
Hisoka paid off the staggering bill and leaned over to help him, but was stopped by his hand.
"Can you walk by yourself?" Hisoka asked instead.
He tried his best to control his legs, but they started to wobble as soon as he took a step.
Hisoka chuckled softly and stepped forward to support his waist. This time he didn't refuse; what did it matter? He certainly didn't want to be alone tonight anyway.
He was about the same height as Hisoka, but because of Hisoka's high heels, he could just rest his head on Hisoka's shoulder.
“It seems we’ve successfully completed a drug resistance experiment today,” Hisoka whispered in his ear.
He felt his cheeks and earlobes burning uncontrollably. When he opened his eyes, everything around him seemed to be spinning.
"Close your eyes, Illu." Hisoka said with unprecedented gentleness, "I will take good care of you."
He dragged his legs along, following Hisoka's lead, his breath brushing against Hisoka's neck. He knew Hisoka was hard. He felt secretly pleased with himself.
The next time he opened his eyes, he was already at the door of his room.
Hisoka's hand remained on his waist, making no further move: "I guess, that’s it?"
He turned around in disbelief, wrapped his arms around Hisoka's neck, looked up into the other's golden eyes, and rubbed his hips against the other's hard genitals: "I guess, you really are a gentleman, huh?"
Hisoka immediately apologized in his mind for his earlier internal criticism of Illumi's lack of flirting skills.
The door opened and closed in one smooth motion.
Hisoka pressed him against the closed door, his tongue probing into Illu's lips, chasing his soft tongue tip. Illu's whole body was limp, and he couldn't muster any strength.
Hisoka lifted his shirt, and he obediently raised his hands, letting Hisoka help him remove the shirt from his head. His long hair was lifted up and then fell down, enveloping the two of them.
Hisoka's tongue kissed him from his lower lip to his chin, then down his neck to his navel. He couldn't help but groan. Hisoka had already unzipped his pants, which hung down to his knees, and his lower body was enveloped in warmth.
But no matter how meticulously Hisoka took care of him, he realized that the excessive alcohol consumption was preventing him from getting an erection.
Hisoka eventually realized this, letting out a frustrated grumble.
He couldn't help but laugh, and reached out to help Hisoka up—mostly symbolically, his hand brushing against Hisoka's arm.
Hisoka looked up at him.
"Never mind the front."
"Is this alright?" Hisoka stood up. "Is this what you want?"
He didn't answer, but instead took Hisoka's fingers and licked them until they were wet.
He knelt on the bed, his hands supporting him beneath him. Hisoka was fucking him while kissing him from the back of his neck down to his tailbone. His eyes were closed, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably from the overwhelming sensory stimulation.
“Illu, you’re all red,” Hisoka murmured back in his ear, “Your earlobes are so cutely red.”
He seemed to have no control over anything, neither his current body nor his beloved younger brother, but he didn't want to stop.
Hisoka flipped him over, looked at his face, lifted his legs high, bent his body into an almost impossible position, and thrust into him again.
"Illu, your flexibility is the best I've ever seen."
He was provoked by those words, and unable to bear it any longer, he pulled the other person down and covered his mouth with his own.
The night is still young.
4
The next morning.
Illumi opened his eyes and found his head resting on Hisoka's chest. He moved, and Hisoka woke up as well.
"What?" Illumi complained, "You're still not gone?"
"I didn't want to come across as someone who just ate and ran," Hisoka said, looking extremely aggrieved. "Besides, my bed manners have always been legendary."
These words struck a nerve with Illumi, and he immediately tried to sit up, but the intense headache from his hangover forced him back onto the pillow.
Hisoka seized the opportunity to flip over and straddle Illu, restraining the latter's hands as he tried to resist: "Don't worry, Illu, power only comes from superiors on the surface."
He leaned down and noticed the other's slightly parted lips. He then decided to deepen what he had intended as a kiss on Illu's lips into a French kiss.
In the brief moment when he was overwhelmed by Illu's enthusiasm, he thought that he must thank Killua next time he saw him.