[keiko] NOT QUITE EASY
Title: not quite easy
Author: lily22
Word count: 775
Rating: PG
Character(s) or pairing(s): Hisoka, Illumi
Hisoka was a surprisingly tactile person: not physically, but in the way he used his nen to probe anything that came close enough to touch. It made sense that a master of illusion should mistrust his own senses, but this meant that he had the nasty of habit of being too free with his nen, trailing the sticky fingers of it wherever he pleased, without care for the residue he might leave behind.
As soon as Illumi entered the underground cavern of their testing site, he felt it on his skin, cobwebs of sensation that he knew he wouldn’t be able to brush off with a hand. By the time he had walked up to Hisoka, pins clacking and chattering as they struggled to hold all the artificial creases of his face into position, he knew he had already been made out.
"Well, well, Illu-chan," said Hisoka, smiling with a star on his cheek and unbearable cheek in his tone of voice. "I didn't expect to see you here, of all places~!"
Illumi touched one of his pins self-consciously. "What gave me away?"
"The outfit," said Hisoka sweetly. "Black vest, poofy red sleeves? I can't think of anyone else bold enough to pull off that look~"
"Really." Illumi indicated the clown's costume with a dismissive sweep of his gaze. "Given present company, I somehow don't feel I am dressed too outrageously."
"What, these old natty old things?" Hisoka plucked at a sleeve, sighing over an imaginary tear in the fabric with something like dissatisfaction on his face. "I was just thinking it was about time for a change. The colors are just too cold. I should really steal from your color scheme: warm is in this season."
"Of course. Jokes aside, though, am I really that obvious?" With skill born of practice, Illumi glanced clandestinely towards the other side of the cavern, where a heard of white hair bobbed to the easy rhythm of his skateboard.
“Hmm~” Hisoka peered much less discreetly into Illumi’s face before concluding, “It’s your bone structure. Something distinctive about the chin, I’d say.”
“The chin?”
“Or maybe the mouth,” Hisoka smirked.
Illumi put a hand to his face, traced the pattern of bumps and ridges down to his mouth. Well, if his disguise wasn’t good enough yet, there was really only one solution-
"Hmm~"
"What?" said Illumi.
"Hmm~. I really wish you wouldn't do that, Illu-chan," Hisoka murmured.
Illumi paused in the process of applying another pin to his face. "Do what?"
Hisoka shrugged, something strangely close to discomfort tightening his shoulders. "Pushing things into your own skin with such a blank expression… You really shouldn't do that to such a lovely face~"
"It's a disguise," Illumi pointed out, in case Hisoka really was that mentally deficient. It was a strange subject for him to be squeamish about. "Besides, you have no problem cutting up other people. Or yourself, for that matter."
"No, no, you're right, of course. Carry on." Hisoka pulled out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them, unease shadowing movements that should’ve been practiced and smooth. "Do you see any promising candidates, by the way? I expected quite a bit of talent from the Hunter Exam, but I’m a little disappointed so far. I do love to welcome beginners, you know."
"There's one." Illumi pointed with a pin, checking with a sidelong glance to see if Hisoka flinched. "That's my little brother, Killua. I'd be surprised if he doesn't make it to the end, unless I interfere."
"Oh?" Hisoka took a good look and licked his lips, lingeringly, like some hungry canine. "He does look like he has quite some... potential."
"Not just potential,” Illumi felt the need to defend. “Killu's already doing very well for himself in our family. He's just not ready to be out in the world just yet. I'm here to bring him back."
"Just like that? Won't you at least let him play a while first?"
"Not with you," said Illumi sharply. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything if he amused himself for a time with this supposed examination."
"I'd amuse him too," Hisoka promised with a grin. “Almost as much as I think he’d amuse me.”
"No, Illumi repeated. "This is not a discussion." He stuck the last pin through his mouth, effectively silencing their conversation.
"Fine, fine," Hisoka said, looking away quickly. "I kind of had my eye on one next to him, anyway. Now there’s potential~"
Illumi couldn’t really see what Hisoka found so special about the black-haired boy, but the only response he could give was a soft chatter of pins, almost like a laugh.
Author: lily22
Word count: 775
Rating: PG
Character(s) or pairing(s): Hisoka, Illumi
Hisoka was a surprisingly tactile person: not physically, but in the way he used his nen to probe anything that came close enough to touch. It made sense that a master of illusion should mistrust his own senses, but this meant that he had the nasty of habit of being too free with his nen, trailing the sticky fingers of it wherever he pleased, without care for the residue he might leave behind.
As soon as Illumi entered the underground cavern of their testing site, he felt it on his skin, cobwebs of sensation that he knew he wouldn’t be able to brush off with a hand. By the time he had walked up to Hisoka, pins clacking and chattering as they struggled to hold all the artificial creases of his face into position, he knew he had already been made out.
"Well, well, Illu-chan," said Hisoka, smiling with a star on his cheek and unbearable cheek in his tone of voice. "I didn't expect to see you here, of all places~!"
Illumi touched one of his pins self-consciously. "What gave me away?"
"The outfit," said Hisoka sweetly. "Black vest, poofy red sleeves? I can't think of anyone else bold enough to pull off that look~"
"Really." Illumi indicated the clown's costume with a dismissive sweep of his gaze. "Given present company, I somehow don't feel I am dressed too outrageously."
"What, these old natty old things?" Hisoka plucked at a sleeve, sighing over an imaginary tear in the fabric with something like dissatisfaction on his face. "I was just thinking it was about time for a change. The colors are just too cold. I should really steal from your color scheme: warm is in this season."
"Of course. Jokes aside, though, am I really that obvious?" With skill born of practice, Illumi glanced clandestinely towards the other side of the cavern, where a heard of white hair bobbed to the easy rhythm of his skateboard.
“Hmm~” Hisoka peered much less discreetly into Illumi’s face before concluding, “It’s your bone structure. Something distinctive about the chin, I’d say.”
“The chin?”
“Or maybe the mouth,” Hisoka smirked.
Illumi put a hand to his face, traced the pattern of bumps and ridges down to his mouth. Well, if his disguise wasn’t good enough yet, there was really only one solution-
"Hmm~"
"What?" said Illumi.
"Hmm~. I really wish you wouldn't do that, Illu-chan," Hisoka murmured.
Illumi paused in the process of applying another pin to his face. "Do what?"
Hisoka shrugged, something strangely close to discomfort tightening his shoulders. "Pushing things into your own skin with such a blank expression… You really shouldn't do that to such a lovely face~"
"It's a disguise," Illumi pointed out, in case Hisoka really was that mentally deficient. It was a strange subject for him to be squeamish about. "Besides, you have no problem cutting up other people. Or yourself, for that matter."
"No, no, you're right, of course. Carry on." Hisoka pulled out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them, unease shadowing movements that should’ve been practiced and smooth. "Do you see any promising candidates, by the way? I expected quite a bit of talent from the Hunter Exam, but I’m a little disappointed so far. I do love to welcome beginners, you know."
"There's one." Illumi pointed with a pin, checking with a sidelong glance to see if Hisoka flinched. "That's my little brother, Killua. I'd be surprised if he doesn't make it to the end, unless I interfere."
"Oh?" Hisoka took a good look and licked his lips, lingeringly, like some hungry canine. "He does look like he has quite some... potential."
"Not just potential,” Illumi felt the need to defend. “Killu's already doing very well for himself in our family. He's just not ready to be out in the world just yet. I'm here to bring him back."
"Just like that? Won't you at least let him play a while first?"
"Not with you," said Illumi sharply. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything if he amused himself for a time with this supposed examination."
"I'd amuse him too," Hisoka promised with a grin. “Almost as much as I think he’d amuse me.”
"No, Illumi repeated. "This is not a discussion." He stuck the last pin through his mouth, effectively silencing their conversation.
"Fine, fine," Hisoka said, looking away quickly. "I kind of had my eye on one next to him, anyway. Now there’s potential~"
Illumi couldn’t really see what Hisoka found so special about the black-haired boy, but the only response he could give was a soft chatter of pins, almost like a laugh.