Speak of the Devil // COMPLETED ✔

Deal With The Devil

Illumi thought he was being sly when he returned to the room, but within seconds of entering, Meruem's eyes were on him.

"You saw Chrollo," Meruem said.

Illumi closed his eyes and swore low and slow under his breath. He turned, reminiscent of the one time his mother caught him sneaking in after curfew, and faced Meruem with a tight smile. "And what makes you say that."

Meruem tapped a finger to the juncture of his trapezius and neck through the hood of his sweatshirt.

Illumi's hand slapped to his throat, covering the mark. "Rude."

"And your thoughts just betrayed you. I'm not interested in seeing that, thank you very much," Meruem said, turning away.

Below him, Gon just barely managed to rise. It was the first time he'd been properly vertical in three days, and he rose like Frankenstein from the dead.

"Easy now," Meruem said.

"I'm awake," Gon said, groggy, and not sounding very awake at all. He unwound his hand from Meruem's so that he could clasp onto Meruem's shoulder instead and say to no one in particular, "I'm here."

"You are."

"Where's Killua."

"Straight to the point," Illumi droned, arms folded. He glanced over his shoulder to where Killua was still fast asleep on the couch. "Killua, your boyfriend's awake."

Killua jerked as if a bucket of cold water hit him upside the head in the wrong direction. He clasped onto the back of the couch, searching for Illumi's voice standing over him with a judgmental stare.

"Yeah, that would wake you up," Illumi said.

"Fuck off," Killua said, scrubbing a hand over his cheek to check for drool. He was in the clear, though he really was missing toothpaste right about now.

Not that—Not that needing toothpaste had anything to do with properly seeing Gon again.

"Killua?" Gon said from the windowsill, pushing against the cushion as if to stand. Meruem was there to ease him into it, and though his body flickered out of focus for a moment like bad TV reception, he was once again solid.

"Y-You're awake," Killua said, stumbling forward and over the armrest. His feet hit the floor, staggering, as Gon broke away from Meruem to reach for him.

Killua grabbed hold of Gon's arms, steadying them both. Gon's skin was firm against his own and his temperature had gone down enough for Killua to withstand. He scanned over the places Gon's tattoos used to be—they were smudged and worn, like graphite letters on weathered and revisited parchment.

"Your tattoos are dissolving," Killua said.

"Oh. I guess so," Gon said, glancing to Meruem.

"You don't need them anymore," Meruem said, and then with slight hesitance and a quieter voice, added, "At least, covering yourself with clothes won't be enough to control your temptation anymore."

Gon's expression shattered. Eyes glassy, Gon looked quickly to Killua, who was just relieved Gon's anger hadn't returned as swiftly as it did when he first woke.

Gon's grip on his arms loosened, but Killua held fast. "I don't feel it," Killua reassured.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll tell you when I do."

"You may not know it," Meruem said, to which Gon's worries dissolved into an annoyed eye-roll. "Genuine sin from a Prince's raw power will be as easy as breathing."