Word count - 3818
The sound of your ringtone awoke you from your sleep. Drowsily taping around your new bed for the source, you found it beside your right hip. bringing the phone to your face, you squinted at the bright light as you tried to read the contact
"kurapika..." you mumbled, still half asleep. you set the phone back down trying to ignore it. they could just call back another time, it's not anyone important like leorio or... KURAPIKA?!
you hastily answered the phone recalling the name you muttered a few seconds ago. you were surprised he even called you at all.
"kurapika! you finally called me back!" you shouted causing him to hold the phone slightly away from his ear on the other end
"Yeah, sorry, I've been busy. leorio told me what happened, are you alright?" he clearly expressed his concern
so he can answer leorios calls but not mine? rude. "Yep, perfectly fine." you lied feeling the small sharp pain in your leg.
"well, that's good to hear" he responded. you began to say something, but he spoke before you "I'm back in York New, I'm actually with Leorio right now." oh.
"that's good! why do you sound disappointed?" you put him on speakerphone, tossing it onto the nightstand
"I'm not." he lied." something is off. "I was just calling to make sure you were alright, and to invite you down here for tomorrow."
"is something wrong?" you asked re-making the bed
"Just come down, I'll explain everything when you get here." he dodged the question but answered it for you anyway in his tone. so something is wrong.
"oh, ok sure. what time?" you tried to sound like you weren't having an anxiety attack. you hated when people told you that they needed to tell you something or show you something but don't tell you what. in other words, you didn't like surprises.
"I'll text you the address and everything, see you soon." he dismissed the phone call, hanging up before you could agree.
you stared at your phone resting on the nightstand, wondering what he needed to talk about. did someone die? is he dying? is leorio ok? All of these thoughts swarmed your head like a crib mobile.
when your bed was made, you went into the bathroom to clean yourself up. a long shower was fitting for the rainy weather, so you took an hour one.
afterwards, you dressed in a hoodie and cargo pants, as you only planned to do housework today.
taking a taxi, you rode into town and hit the casual stores looking for home decor, and of course groceries. you stumbled across a pet section and considered getting a kitten or a puppy one day. you took a mental note of that.
while you were out, you felt lonely. you didn't mind being alone, but you despised feeling alone. you realized you needed to branch out, and eventually make new friends who weren't kids or ruthless killers that barely had time to hang out.
maybe hitting another bar soon would help you make new friends.
when you arrived back home, you decorated your bathrooms, stored the laundry room, and stocked your very first groceries. you had just finished setting up your living room when the doorbell rang. you weren't expecting anyone, and you're sure nobody close to you knows your address yet. so you suspected that it was a neighbour welcoming you.
you trotted across the living room to the front door, not even thinking to check the ring camera system you have set up. in your defence, you were still getting used to the home. it's only been a day.
when you opened the door, nobody greeted you. you looked left and right, even checked your blind spots doing a 360, but didn't see anyone. you were about to close the door when you noticed a small black gift box, with a red bow wrapped around it at your feet.
you thought it was odd that your neighbour couldn't just give it to you themselves, but maybe they had social anxiety or something.
You took one last look around before you shrugged it off, took the box into your house, and locked the door
carrying it to your kitchen, you sat down on the kitchen island to open it.
the bow fell delicately as you undid it. carefully opening the top, there is a small note written in bright red ink along a black cue card. it says "I apologize for the other night, I hope this gift is enough for you to forgive me."
you read the note over and over. so it wasn't a neighbour. you sighed deeply, realizing this had to be from either hisoka or illumi as you'd already seen chrollo's handwriting.
if they found your address this quickly, hisoka either followed you like the creep he is or illumi tracked you down. either way, you hated the idea of both those assumptions.
looking beneath the note, laid a small baize jewelry box. you carefully picked it up for your eye-view. hesitantly opening it, you couldn't believe what your eyes were catching. inside the box is a pair of gorgeous, breathtaking diamond earnings.
you set the box down in shock. there's no way. they must have cost a fortune! you grasped the box once again and took out an earring. it was stunning, and not fake. you could practically smell the metallic stone.
you held it ever so delicately like it would jump from your hands or run away
"do you like it?" a voice appeared around the corner of your living room, causing you to scream the loudest you've ever scrum.
you held up your hands in defence at the stranger, who wasn't so strange once you caught a clear eye view of them. it was illumi.
Your face loosened slightly, feeling relieved that at least it was someone you knew.
"illumi?? you scared me half to death! what are you doing here!? a-and how'd you find me?" you questioned backing up. he was creeping you out a bit. you knew that was illumis basic personality; being a creep, but he was in your new house. how long had he been standing there?
"sorry. didn't mean to scare you." he closed some distance between the two of you, but was still far enough. "my father told me women like jewelry, do you like it?" he asked again
you didn't know what emotion to feel right now, as a result, your facial expression presented them all. you were creeped out, a little mad, confused and at the same time pleased. very oddly pleased.
you decided to be rational with illumi and to let him down easily.
"Ilu," you tried to find words, as he only stood there staring at you. For the first time, his eyes weren't entirely blank. did he look slightly...excited? "these are gorgeous but,"
"But what?' he tried to rush your words
"but you're not going to bribe me with diamond earrings. I can't accept this." you placed the earring back into the box and handed it to illumi "You need to leave, I'm sorry." you apologized not entirely meaning it
you placed a hand on his back slightly redirecting him to the door. "no." he stopped you, turning around. "I was...wrong" his face struggled to find emotion. "and I'm sorry."
you paused hearing those words come from him. you realized he's genuinely being nice. so you decided to hear him out.
"ok..?" you responded trying to push more words out of him
"I'm taking you-" he cleared his throat "Would you allow me to take you out on a date?" he asked as he dismissed the box to his pant pocket
you thought about his question. illumi was being...sweet? which was more than odd. maybe he impaled you with one of his needles and you're being manipulated right now. or maybe, he's just sorry, and finally realized what a dick he's been. you decided to give him a chance, you'd only live once, so what was there to lose?
"fine. where to?" you placed a hand on your hip
"how about to a museum and a movie afterwards? tonight at 7?" illumi offered like he already had it planned.
"ok but-"
"great! I will pick you up then." he interrupted, and swiftly left your house
"...weird." You looked down, and the diamond earring box stood where he once was. sneaky bitch. peaking out the door to see if illumi was still in sight to take the box back, he was nowhere to be found.
you placed the diamond earrings in a safe place inside your bedroom. there was no way you'd be wearing those in public. at least not yet.
looking at the time displayed on your phone, it was only 3 o'clock, so you had a few hours to spare before you had to get this date over with.
if you were being honest, you only said yes because you pitied illumi for some reason. even after all of the shit he's done to you, the way he spoke to you, and threatened you, pity was what you felt.
maybe it was the way he presented himself. something was telling you that there's more to him. maybe he's not that dense after all. How bad could he be?
And he looked dedicated. he spoke of his father so highly, did he ask his dad for advice? your stomach sank knowing that a family of assassins now probably know who you are. minus killua.
it was weird to picture you on a date with illumi, but a movie and touring a museum didn't seem boring. As long as the movie wasn't a romantic one, you'd be fine.
you took some time for yourself, plopping down on your living room couch to watch some Netflix. there wasn't anything better to do.
you currently didn't need to look for a job, your house was paid off, errands were done for the day, and you have a hunter's license. So you just enjoyed the peace while you could.
you still had half a mil remaining from the money illumi paid you, so you wouldn't be needing a job for a little while.
you felt something drip down your jawline. wiping it away, it felt wet and kinda sticky.
you unconsciously wiped it on your shirt. it's just drool...huh?! fuck I fell asleep! your head flung up looking for a clock "6:17?!"
the sun was practically almost set, the only light being provided was the last bit of sunlight shining through your back door.
you sprinted upstairs to your room, not thinking to turn off the tv that was still playing.
being late was one of your pet peeves for others, but somehow you always managed to do it yourself. hypocrite. at least you didn't need to look too good, so you had enough time to get ready.
you quickly threw on some mom jeans, and a hoodie for your outfit. rushing through the rest, you quickly did some basic makeup, and your hair the way you liked it
looking at the time it read 7:02. illumi was late. weird. right when you began to have second thoughts, the doorbell rang.
you opened the door to illumi, who was classically dressed. not in the usual clothes that hisoka would design for him at times. He wore a long-sleeve white blouse and black dress pants. nothing too much, but nothing boring. It fit him perfectly. it was interesting to see him dressed differently.
"ah, you used the door for once," you said sarcastically
"Would you prefer me to enter elsewhere?" illumis eyes wandered looking for another entrance, overlooking your clear sarcasm
you stared blankly for a moment, waiting for him to laugh and say he was joking, but he didn't. "nevermind, let's just go."
illumi led you to his car parked out front, and he brought attention to the elephant in the room as the two of you entered the vehicle. "sorry about being late. I had some business to take care of" he started the car, not waiting for you to fasten your seatbelt, and sped off.
you braced yourself a bit, quickly putting on the seatbelt "It's alright, you weren't too late." you observed illumi and wondered the exact business he was talking about. Did he just kill someone? Or was it a simple meeting with a client? Maybe both?
Before you became too curious, you cleared your throat to start a new conversation "So, where is this museum we're going to?"
"It's near zaban city. about an hour's drive from here, but we'll arrive in 30 minutes" he stated "It's one of my favourites."
you nodded in response a bit intrigued. you didn't expect that from him at all. He likes
Museums? don't judge a book by its cover I guess.
"the movie is in the same area. you like horror?" he asked, taking a sharp turn
"I don't mind it" you slightly smiled
"Good." illumi pressed on the gas a bit more. why is it that everyone you know dangerously drives?
the drive was shorter than an hour, just like illumi implied. he parked the car like it was a toy before this large, beautifully displayed building. you could already tell why he loved it so much.
he got out of the car and waited for you to walk beside him. he caught you staring at it like it was your first time seeing a building. "it has six floors. Each level has its own theme." he informed you
his words only caused your excitement to grow "Is the museum based on anything specific?"
"No, just everything and anything. However, my favourite floor is the fourth." he didn't explain further, which made you curious
"Why?" you poked
he only glanced at you, with the slightest mischievous face. "you will see."
illumi walked ahead of you, hinting for you to quicken your pace. to be honest, it's cute to watch him excitedly explore one of his favourite interests. this probably was not his second time being back here. he was just happy to show you around.
the two of you walked through the large double doors, and the inside was far more beautiful. there were elevators parallel from one another to your left and right, a double staircase far before you, a front desk to your left, and a small seating area to your right.
Behind the staircase was more, but your eyes couldn't stretch that far to know what was there.
"Where would you like to start?" he asked reaching for your eye view
"a- how about we go from bottom to top?" you suggested, still taking in the scene before you.
"Okay." he agreed
you and illumi took the elevator down the to ground floor. Which was a mistake. it was far too awkward, you swore you could hear a pin drop overtop the crappy elevator music. you assumed he suspected that you were uncomfortable considering what happened the last time you guys were in an elevator together...
Thankfully, there were three strangers with you which made it a bit less awkward. you tried to remember that his actions then, were part of the reason why he was taking you on this date. He wanted to make up for it.
the two of you made uneasy eye contact that didn't last for more than a second. finally, the doors parted, and you were the first to exit.
you squinted your eyes at the bright LED lights that addressed you. "oh, should have warned you. this entire floor is powered by LED." illumi approached behind you
this museum must've cost millions to assemble. you were surrounded by glass walls, and behind them were animal artifacts, that ranged from 2ft, all the way to 30.
"Y/n" illumi drew your attention from down a hallway.
you followed him into a live aquarium, displayed above your head and below your feet. all around you was sea life. sea turtles, tropical fish, coral reefs, crabs, sting rays, jellyfish, and more. everywhere you looked. if this was "mini", then what was big in illumis eyes?
"alluring, isn't it?" illumi said, and you nodded slowly agreeing.
the two of you stayed on the first floor for about a half hour. exploring everything you possibly could. there was a small section for children to place their hands into, illumi teased you by holding up a starfish to your face, as you didn't want to place your hands on any of the creatures.
A little kid ended up throwing up across the room, and that was your cue to leave this floor.
moving upstairs where the main lobby was, beyond it were famous paintings. it was a small section compared to what you had just seen, but it was enough for the museum.
most of the artwork was pretty impressive, others you didn't quite understand, but illumi explained them all to you anyways.
You asked illumi to take pictures of you in front of your favourites, and he did.
Halfway through the floor, you came up with the idea to guess what the painting was about and have illumi tell you yes or no. Most of it was easy, others stressed you the fuck out.
"Hmm." you analyzed a specific one. "Is it a dog?"
"No" illumi said crossing his arms
"A waterfall?" your voice grew high from stress
"Uh, no." he said again
"Ok. Just tell me," you said finally giving up after a good ten minutes
"It's just abstract," he told you
You felt dumb. "Just abstract?"
"Mhm. means nothing. Well, not that I know of." he shrugged
You sighed beating yourself at your own game, and the two of you moved onto the third floor.
taking the stairs, illumi informed you that it was a children's level. you wanted to explore it anyways but didn't discover much. only that kids are annoying. well, most of them.
finally, the fourth level arrived, and illumi grinned. this level had a dark abyss. the lights were tinted, and the walls were either grey or black.
"This" illumi walked slightly ahead of you "is the ossuary level." he presented with an open arm. Oh god.
"ossuaries? like cremated bodies? human skeletal remains? abandoned things?" you got the heebie-jeebies but pushed down the feeling. of course, this is his favourite level
he nodded proudly "Everything is real."
you did find this stuff interesting, but you couldn't shake the fact that it was all real. it was creepy to think that you were staring at someone's body parts.
"Now this room," illumi led you through a double door "has the walls of a real torture chamber, made by Kruker Ives himself." his eyes widened in amusement as he told the backstory. the room wasn't any larger than your bedroom. there were displays along the centre, and beige brick walls surrounding you.
"Who?" you dared to ask
"Kruker ives." illumi stated the name again as if it'd help you understand the context. you stared at him blankly, and he caught the hint for once. "He lured men and women, all ages above 17, to this tomb where he tortured them." he fantasized
"Oh." you mumbled, "why?" you asked looking at an exhibit of victims' fingerprints
illumi shrugged "No reason. just for fun, I guess" Putting his attention on you, he noticed your uneasy demeanour "You alright?"
"What? oh yeah, just a little uncomfortable" you admit
"Was it something I said?" he asked
"Something like that." you said, seeing a display behind him with human skulls
"Why don't we go upstairs then? I think you'll like it" thank god. you sighed in relief, happy to get out of that area.
taking the elevator up to the filth floor, you caught a comfortable atmosphere when the doors opened. you read the sign before you, walking out of the elevator which read "Level 5, astronomy"
you loved astronomy. the day would never come when you'd be able to comprehend the math that came along with it all, but you did admire everything else. how did illumi know?
"astronomy...ilu how did you know I like this stuff?" you looked back at illumi who had a slight smile on his cheek
"I caught you staring at the night sky. more than three times the night of our mission." he put a hand into his pocket to relax his arm. illumi knew you'd enjoy this level, which was one of the main reasons why he wanted to visit this museum again. he didn't disclose that information to you.
Plus, he just wanted to see you have a good time by the hands of him after the way he treated you. Illumi was aware of his horrible social skills, and manipulation intentions. truth is, when he got to know you a bit, he couldn't help but feel...attracted to you. and when illumi gets attached to things or people... god save anyone who gets in his way.
he believed that no matter how hard he tried to change his ways, he couldn't. it's all he's ever known. it's who he is. so he reached out to his father for some advice. Silva was his name. Even though Silva was the one who made illumi this way, it was his only option. Silva told illumi things from his own experience with love interests. illumi didn't understand most of it, but he wanted to try anyway. for you.
he watched as you admired the 3D abstracts of planets. especially the unidentified ones. he was having a hard time comprehending what he felt right now. he tried channelling it, forcing him to daydream a bit. it almost felt like he was lying in his bed at home. a soft feeling. a safe one. that's what he felt when he looked at you. safe.
if he tried to describe that to you, he knew he'd fail miserably. so instead, the only way he could express that to you was the ways that he has. by forcing you, manipulating you, keeping you close by, using you. so right now at this moment, this was him trying a different approach to express that. and it seemed to him that it was working.
you ended up exploring the astronomy floor for an hour. it was now almost 10 pm, and the movie was at 10:30 pm. Since you both wanted to be early and catch a seat, you decided to skip the 6th floor.
illumi informed you that it was a world history area consisting of planes hanging from the ceiling, articles, abstracts from the world wars, etc. he offered to bring you back one day to see it.
even though you didn't want to come on this date, you adored it so far.