Cards Struck By Needles [Hisoillu]

The Bathroom

"Say, why were you basically running for your life before you stopped here in the woods, Illumi?" Hisoka asked. "That doesn't concern you." Illumi replied curtly. "Mmmm but it does, because we both just got attacked, but the only reason I'm here is because I followed you." "You're creepy; besides, shouldn't we be focusing on finding out why the phantom troupe sent us a lousy attack?"

"We?" Hisoka smirked. "You want us to find out about the phantom troupe together?" He chirped, with the thought of having someone else to work with running through his mind. "I guess so." Illumi answered, monotonously as usual. "Does that make us allies?"

Illumi thought for a moment about Hisoka's question. Even though they had just met, Illumi knew Hisoka was different from anyone he knew, and something about him made him let loose a little, and feel safe; like a feeling of trust. "Yes." He then replied. Illumi had never had an ally before; he was used to always working alone, when he was sent on missions to kill specific targets by his parents. Illumi relied on himself since as long as he could remember.

"First we need to find out where the troupe is currently located, so we can find them and-" "What do we do when we face them though?" Illumi asked Hisoka. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." "No. We need a plan." "Oh yeah? Well mine is the best we've got at the moment. Let's get out of here." Illumi nodded. and the two of them made their way out of the woods.

"I know where to go." Said Hisoka. "Where?" Asked Illumi. "You'll see." Hisoka replied, as the two of them exited the woods. As they were walking, none of them said a word to the other, but for some reason, it wasn't awkward.

Hisoka led Illumi to a nearby village, but in reality he didn't actually know where he was going. He only knew that he wanted to take Illumi to somewhere peaceful, so they could get to know each other properly. While roaming the village, Hisoka spotted a small cafe that looked promising. They walked over to it. "Wait a minute, a cafe?" Illumi asked, confused. Hisoka smiled at him, as he opened the door for him. Illumi walked inside. "Well, have a seat." Hisoka told Illumi. Illumi glanced around, found two seats next to the window, and sat down. Hisoka sat next to him. "Why did you bring me here?" Illumi asked. "I would like to get to know you, personally." Hisoka replied. "There's nothing personal about alliances." "Oh, but of course there is; how are we supposed to work alongside each other if we don't know anything about one another?" "Fine. What do you even need to know so badly anyway?" "I have a bunch of questions, but let's order something first, shall we?" Hisoka said while picking up a menu. Illumi got one for himself too. He then decided on a a blueberry muffin, while Hisoka chose a black coffee, before ordering for both of them. "So, why did you run away into the woods; who were you even running from?" Hisoka asked, eagerly wanting to know; but his expression quickly changed when he saw Illumi. Illumi had tears welling up in his eyes, he struggled to speak, he felt suffocated, thinking of the reasons he left home. Hisoka grabbed Illumi's trembling hands, and led Illumi into the dimly lit bathroom of the cafe. Illumi panted heavily, his face became red as a tomato as he sunk to the floor against the bathroom wall. "You're having a panic attack, Illumi." Hisoka told him. "It's ok." He told Illumi repeatedly. "This used to happen to me all the time as a child; you are going to get through this." Hisoka reassured Illumi; he was crouched down in front of Illumi, his hands on Illumi's shoulders. He looked deeply into Illumi's endless eyes, with worry and understanding. A tear dropped from Illumi's eye; Hisoka used his finger to wipe the tear from Illumi's cheek, making sure he didn't hurt Illumi with his sharp nails. "Listen to me, Illumi; I want you to look around the room, and tell me what you see." It was a strange request, but Illumi was desperate for a distraction in that moment. "I see the porcelain sink; the metal door, the white matte tiles; I see you." Illumi said. Oddly, focusing on the things around him had helped him calm down. Hisoka smiled gently. Soon both of them stood back up, and Hisoka wrapped his strong arms around Illumi, engulfing him a warm and comforting hug. Illumi had never experienced this kind of embrace before, and even though he was a bit ashamed, he hugged Hisoka back slightly.