Speak of the Devil // COMPLETED ✔

Queen's Gambit: The Sequel: The Movie

Risks weren't Illumi's preference, especially without a proper endgame in mind, but the only endgame he saw was Gon fucking up this chess match irreversibly.

And that just wouldn't do.

He'd spent every moment since the deal was made trying not to think about it. After a week spent in the same house as Meruem, he still hadn't a proper clue as to Meruem's mental map of him. How much he thought, imagined, dreamed bled into Meruem's consciousness... It was beyond Illumi.

And, so he vowed not to think of it at all until he absolutely needed to. Luckily, he had Chrollo to occupy every part of his brain before Killua relinquished Gon's undivided attention.

Illumi snuck to their bedroom after visiting Chrollo and found Killua asleep. He padded away in search of Gon, who could be found scantily clothed in the pool room with a towel around his waist. He was sitting at a table brooding over what appeared to be a waterlogged chessboard.

Gon looked up before Illumi made it past the threshold. In fact, Illumi was lingering just out of sight. Gon's hand lowered from beneath his chin.

"What are you doing here?"

"You can read my mind, can't you?" he asked. At Gon's hesitation, he said, "As well as Killua?"

"Kind of," he admitted. As Illumi approached, he caught Gon's wince. "I try not to, though. Trust me."

Illumi pulled back the chair Killua had once occupied. He swatted a hand across the pieces, scattering them as Gon let out an offended, "Hey!"

"So you have some control over it, then."

Gon glared at him as he picked up fallen pieces from the floor. "I just try really hard with you."

"Fair."

"Why?" Gon asked, but the thought was already forming in Illumi's head. "Oh."

"Yeah," Illumi said. "I just got done interrogating Chrollo." Among other things.

"Stop it," Gon said, hands over his ears.

Illumi rolled his eyes. "I was just asking about his rings, what with the prospect of Meruem removing them. He said they're used as protection against other beings."

"That's true..." Gon's eyes were searching as they parsed out Illumi's thoughts. "And I suppose he'd asked to put rings on all of you so that I can't read your minds during the match. I wouldn't be able to read your mind."

"Which is why you need to be the one to suggest it," Illumi said. At Gon's raised eyebrow, Illumi said, "You have an affinity for reading Killua and Zeno's mind. Nothing about me."

"But I can—"

"Lie," Illumi hissed, leaning against the table. "We're in Hell—or is lying beneath you, too?"

Gon's wide, childlike eyes blinked, slowly, before nodding. "I... guess I can."

"Good." Illumi stood.

"Wait—Don't you want to play a match?" Gon asked.

"No." To punctuate this, he swatted the pieces again, this time losing some to the water.

"You're such an ass."

Illumi left without dignifying him with a response. If he was to spectate the game freely without Meruem's rings, this was the only way he could think to do it.

The odds still weren't in their favor, though. A part of Illumi wondered that this plan was only capable of working if Meruem consciously allowed it. And he did—and whether Meruem was aware of it or not was still a mystery to Illumi.