Speak of the Devil // COMPLETED ✔

Killua's Three Wishes

Killua's piercing was a topic of great interest at the breakfast table Thursday morning before class. He ate in relative silence as Gon helped clean the kitchen and, gradually, the others came down to eat. His grandfather was at the head of the table with his newspaper spread out.

"Morning," he greeted Chrollo, who sighed in reply. "Bad night?"

"One of the better ones thus far," Chrollo said. Gon passed him a cup of coffee. "Thanks."

"I made it."

"I retract my thanks until further notice." Chrollo took a sip, let the taste melt in, and said, "Acceptable. Thank you."

Gon beamed. "You're welcome. I'm getting better at it, aren't I?" Gon's face squeezed as Chrollo ruffled his hair affectionately.

When Chrollo joined them at the table, only then did he look at Killua and a cough sputtered on the rim of his mug. He dabbed his face for coffee, drink aborted.

Killua gave him a dry stare from over his homework. Chrollo was too busy staring at Gon, though, and silently gesturing with his eyes to Killua's ear.

Gon, oblivious, shrugged and went back to the sink.

A swift trill of footsteps flew down the stairs, circled the banister, and swept into the kitchen with a slap of both of his hands on either side of the archway. Hisoka leant in with a low and slow, " Goooood morni—"

The word was aborted the second Killua looked at him.

After a second stuck frozen, Hisoka's hands dropped to his sides. He straightened. "Gon, I need to speak with you outside," Hisoka said.

"Why me?"

Hisoka mocked and mimicked Gon's words back at him. Gon stuck his tongue out at him but when Hisoka snapped his fingers and pointed resolutely at the door, Gon complied. He let Hisoka drag him to the patio with a hand to his bicep. Hisoka only paused to grab the pack of cigarettes off the kitchen counter.

"Did something happen?" his grandfather asked, glancing over his shoulder after them.

"Nothing... strictly life threatening, so I don't think you need to worry about it," Chrollo said.

"Oh, good. That makes me feel so much better."

Chrollo took a short, stiff sip of his coffee before setting it aside to say, "Killua, did Gon explain the properties of Prince Meruem's gold?"

Killua felt sick before he even said anything. "I get the feeling he downplayed some of it."

"Yeah. I get that feeling too," Chrollo said with a terse breath. He glanced at Killua's grandfather and said, "Killua's wearing one of Meruem's piercings."

His grandfather's paper folded down to get a better look at Killua. He tipped his glasses down, peered over the rim, and put them back up. "I noticed that earlier. It looks good, Killua."

"Thanks."

Chrollo pressed his middle finger to his temple. His eye bags were more prominent now. "Meruem can trace any gold he owns. He knows who has it at any point in time. You'd think that because he has a lot of it —more than you can even fathom—many people would own it. That isn't the case. If he had a phone book of names of everyone he's lent gold to, it would be less than two hundred."

"Of... all time," Killua reiterated.

"Yes. Of all time."

"Okay," Killua said. His heart was pounding so hard he heard it in his swollen, freshly pierced ear. "Okay. I see the issue."