Speak of the Devil // COMPLETED ✔

Trial By Fire And Sneaking Out Late At Night

They sojourned at Chrollo's museum before the match. They ate over food that did wonders to make Killua forget that his brother was having a sordid affair with the epitome of carnal sin.

And there sat Lust in the flesh: appearing like a ghastly imitation of the Grim Reaper with his all-black attire and inky hair. Sipping red wine, ears pink, and trying resolutely to ignore them all once the news of his origin came to the table.

"I suppose some of Hisoka's teasing makes more sense now," Chrollo admitted, and that was all he had to say on the matter.

"Do you dislike being suppressed?" Meruem asked from beside him, leaning on his armrest.

"I don't know any different," Chrollo admitted. "And... I'm anticipating it will be... an adjustment."

He didn't look at Illumi when he said it, but both of their ears were beet red.

"Illumi pointed out that my deal with Gon isn't very fair," Meruem explained. "I'd like to offer removing your rings, should I lose the match."

"A chess match?" Chrollo said, and so the lot explained the rules to him. He stared at Killua and Zeno in silence before gradually inching his attention back to Meruem. "If anything, this makes their odds worse."

"I'll play without your input," Meruem said.

"Oh. In which case..." Chrollo took a moment to consider the offer in detail.

Killua waited with baited breath for so long that his mouth started to water again at the memory of the food he'd just eaten, and so he went in for another serving. Gon stole a drumstick from his plate and dunked it in sauce before eating it whole. Killua had one such drumstick earlier and could confirm that there were bones involved.

"Okay. This seems like a fair trade-off," Chrollo agreed. "If you lose, I'll return to my domain."

"And if I win?" Meruem asked. At Chrollo's raised eyebrow, Meruem said, "Are you content losing your human?"

At the mention of him, Illumi looked up from where he'd been sloshing a bit too much gin into his glass. He paused to catch Chrollo's eye, wide-eyed, and looked pointedly away, blushing.

"We have an agreement," Chrollo said. "I can carry it out regardless of where I live."

"An agreement," Killua repeated. At Chrollo's squinted look, Killua rolled his eyes. "Why is it that Chrollo gets free-reign and meanwhile, you all have Gon on a tight leash like he's a toddler roaming Bloomingdale's?"

When Meruem didn't answer, Chrollo said, "Wrath has always been... difficult. No offense, Gon."

"A little taken."

"Wrath is like a wildfire. Healthy when running its status quo, but excessive and accidental fires can irrevocably decimate society and Nature alike," Chrollo explained.

"Once it starts, sometimes it doesn't stop," his grandfather said, "Think of Achilles."

"A bit too soon, Zeno," Meruem said, stiffly.

"Really," Killua said, but Meruem turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to him. "That's why you all voted Gon and Chrollo out? The Trojan War?"

"Hisoka's memories make a lot more sense now..." Chrollo said, tapping a finger to his chin.

"That was, like, eons ago. Did it even happen?"

"Watch it," Meruem sneered.

"Wow," Gon said, "they wrote the Iliad after me?"

"No, Gon, they wrote it after Achilles," Chrollo deadpanned. "Hisoka always said you had some weird bromance going on with Achilles and Pátroklos and that's why you were so upset."