Right Place, Right Time
wanted to write something with a little more humor in it but there’s still dark shit because phantom troupe
Warnings: mentions of death
“There's trouble, boss.”
Phinks' voice cut through the chatter of the busy casino. Chrollo didn't look up at first, relaying a few more instructions to Shalnark via text. 'Trouble' wasn't unexpected; as much as Chrollo could plan ahead, human nature could be unpredictable and would usually cause a few bumps in the road when it came to their heists.
“What sort of trouble?” Chrollo asked as he pocketed the cellphone.
“A Zoldyck.”
Ah.... That was a bit more trouble than usual.
Chrollo's gaze followed that of Phinks and Shizuku. Looking down at them from a second balcony stood Illumi, his face devoid of emotion as the black void within his eyes took in the group.
The second Chrollo made eye contact with him, Illumi gestured to his left with a sharp jerk of his head before walking off in the same direction.
“Does he want to fight away from the guests?” Shizuku asked.
“Maybe,” said Chrollo. He began to walk in the direction Illumi had gone, signaling for Shizuku and Phinks to follow. The three of them walked up one of the staircases located to the side. Phinks pulled on the collar of his suit every so often, while Shizuku walked slightly slower due to the heels that she wasn't used to wearing. But Chrollo could sense that the two were anticipating a fight (Phinks likely ready to use it as an excuse to get out of the fancy suit he hated so much).
“But it may not come to a fight with him,” Chrollo told them.
“Don't the Zoldycks hate us?” Phinks asked.
“Silva hates me specifically,” Chrollo corrected, “but Illumi can be reasoned with.”
Phinks snorted a bit at that, but didn't say anything else. Shizuku then asked what Silva Zoldyck had done to the troupe, to which Phinks gave a brief summary of the incident that had happened years prior. A very brief summary, but he knew there was no point in getting into details since Shizuku would forget almost immediately; this wasn't even the first time she had asked.
Perhaps he should have expected that one of the Zoldycks would be present – it was the opening night for this particular high-end gambling hall. But with how stingy the owner had been rumored to be, he would have thought that the price of a Zoldyck assassin as a security guard would have been more than she was willing to spend.
If it was Zeno or Silva there would be no chance of ending things amicably: Zeno was dedicated to his work and wouldn't be moved by a bribe or any words that Chrollo could offer. And Chrollo and Silva shared a very mutual hatred of one another, so a fight would have been inevitable in that case.
But Illumi, while also just as dedicated to his family as his father and grandfather, could be convinced to stand down if Chrollo could name a good enough price and ensure that the Zoldyck name wouldn't be tarnished in any way. The Zoldycks successfully completed every job they took on, but they couldn't be held accountable if their client terminated the contract before they could complete it. It had happened once before, in an instance where a man had hired Illumi to assassinate Pakunoda. Illumi agreed to hold off on going through with the hit for a short while in exchange for twice the amount the man had paid him for and to allow the troupe the time needed to get to the client and release him from the contract.
Though it would be nicer to just get to Illumi's client and kill her off, there was no chance Illumi would allow them to do that while still under his contract. And Illumi would be happier if he was able to leave with twice the amount of jenny he had been promised.
Illumi was waiting at the end of a hall that had fewer people in it, pointedly looking at him before entering into what looked to be a darkened room. Chrollo pulled out his phone to text an order for the troupe to wait as he spoke to Phinks and Shizuku.
“You two wait out here,” he ordered.
Phinks looked as though he wanted to question him on that, but he held his tongue, crossing his arms as he gave a sharp nod in acknowledgment. If Shizuku felt that his actions were questionable, she didn't betray that fact to him.
Leaving the two of them behind, Chrollo made his way to the door Illumi had entered and pulled it open.
This room was darker than the rest of the casino, and without the electric lights that brightened the building and the bodies of the customers that increased the temperature with their own body heat, it was much cooler in the room as well.
It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light, but when they did, he saw that Illumi was leaning against a smaller circular table, toying with one of his needles as he watched Chrollo enter.
“I thought you didn't like the body-guarding jobs,” Chrollo said as the door behind him slowly swung shut.
“I owed my brother for his assistance on my last assignment,” Illumi explained, “so I'm filling in for him.”
Chrollo nodded, though he didn't particularly care all that much. Whatever the reason, the presence of a Zoldyck would hinder things. Best to get straight to the point.
“How much are you being paid for this job?” Chrollo asked.
Illumi's eyebrows raised slightly.
“You think you can pay me off?”
“It worked once before.”
“So it did,” Illumi conceded, “but it would start to look suspicious if I accepted your offer too many times, no? It would be a problem if people thought the Zoldycks could be bought out. Our reputation is everything.”
“Well, you can't help it if your client decides that your services aren't needed and lets you go, now can you?”
“Another inexplicable 'termination' with a job that involved the Phantom Troupe?” Illumi asked, “father was annoyed that I did that last time, though he was more annoyed that I took the job in the first place.”
Illumi sighed.
“But again, doing that too often would look strange, and I will not do anything to harm our business reputation.”
“Very few people knew about the previous hit on Pakunoda,” said Chrollo, “there would be few who would notice a particular pattern, and I think the two of us are both inclined to avoid an unnecessary fight if possible.”
“True. Killing you and the rest of your group would take some time. And it wouldn't be worth the amount that woman is offering. Really, she's low-balling us. I don't know what Milluki was thinking when he took this job. Didn't even make her pay upfront.”
“Then we can come to an agreement?” Chrollo asked.
Illumi closed his eyes in thought, his fingers still twirling around that needle. He was considering it.
Chrollo waited in silence. Trying to push Illumi to do one thing was unproductive and could possibly make him decide to fight after all, though he was certain that Illumi was already willing to take him up on the offer since the assassin hadn't sent his needles flying the second Chrollo walked in. Pulling out his phone, Chrollo checked the time: 8:54 PM. He had planned for this particular operation to begin at 9:15. The owner was part of a group that had begun to throttle the livelihood of Meteor City, and tonight she was the host of a party for that group that was taking place in the upper floors while celebrating the successful opening night of her casino. The main purpose was to send a message: kill the group and anyone else in the building so the rest of the world knew not to interfere with the business of his Meteor City. Whatever valuables they collected would just be bonuses for the troupe to divide amongst themselves.
Though Chrollo rarely went back to the city these days, it was beneficial for him if the city still existed. And though he would never admit it out loud, there was of that sentimental feeling of wanting to protect his old home, as harsh and cruel as it had been for him growing up.
Illumi opened his eyes and looked to Chrollo.
“3 billion and I'll leave.”
“That's quite a lot,” said Chrollo, “much more than I paid last time. Why such a steep increase?”
“So it's worth my while.”
Chrollo mulled it for a bit, checking his phone again: 8:57. He certainly had the funds to pay Illumi's price, but it did feel like he was being somewhat taken advantage of in this case. Still keeping an eye on Illumi, Chrollo couldn't help but notice that the assassin seemed to have something else on his mind that he was considering. Then, like he had come to a decision, he sat up a bit straighter as he addressed Chrollo again.
“There's one more thing,” Illumi said.
“Something more than 3 billion jenny, Illumi?”
“Just some time; give me four minutes before you start.”
Chrollo hummed. Illumi didn't need that much time to vacate a building like this. Was it an attempt to set some kind of trap? No, that was unlikely. It would be far too obvious and Illumi wouldn't go to such lengths unless he was being paid to do so. Still, he couldn't help but be a little curious as to what Illumi would need that time for.
“Why four minutes?”
“Personal reasons.”
Ah. He should have sensed something like that would be the answer.
“A lot can happen in even a single minute, Illumi. And you want four?”
“Four minutes is unreasonable?”
“Not enough to end this deal, but I may want you to lower your price a bit.”
“Are you trying to haggle with me?”
Illumi frowned a little when Chrollo smiled at him.
“Maybe just by 60 million or so,” Chrollo said.
“So you'd rather pay two billion, nine hundred and forty million?” Illumi asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It's still more than you'll get if you keep your current contract, correct?”
Chrollo saw the corners of Illumi's mouth turn upwards ever so slightly, a small smirk on his face as he closed his eyes again and considered the offer.
“That's true. Even taking that out I'd still be much better off.”
Chrollo checked the time and found it to be 9:01 PM. If Illumi came to a decision soon the troupe's operation could still go as planned.
“Very well,” Illumi said after a moment of thought, “transfer me the money first.”
With a nod, Chrollo accessed one of his bank accounts through his phone, bringing up the necessary amount and transferring it to the account number Illumi gave him. Within a few minutes, the transaction was completed. Illumi seemed rather pleased with himself, Chrollo noted.
“Perhaps you should stay in here for a moment,” Chrollo said, “Shalnark is upstairs. I can order him to take control of the owner and have her officially fire you. Then there won't be any issues with your family, correct?”
“That won't be necessary,” Illumi answered.
“Oh?”
“I got fired before you got here.”
“..... Excuse me?”
There was a flat tone to Chrollo's voice that made Illumi chuckle as the latter continued “that woman felt like she was wasting her money, but she was pressured to hire one of the Zoldycks at the behest of her guests. Seems to me like she was looking for an excuse to get out of paying the full fee. Apparently I was 'unprofessional'. But I'm glad I caught sight of you, otherwise this evening would have been more of a loss for me.”
Chrollo said nothing at first. Illumi had been careful with his wording, Chrollo realized, and it hadn't occurred to him to ask if Illumi was still under contract.
The funds weren't that important to Chrollo, but he couldn't help but feel rather miffed. Had he known that the assassin was currently out of a job, there wouldn't have been a reason to pay a higher price than normal; Illumi would have been left between going home empty-handed or with whatever Chrollo would have been willing to give him.
But then again, how could he have anticipated that a Zoldyck would have gotten fired?
Realizing that he had been played, Chrollo checked his phone again: 9:07. At least they'd still be able to start on time.
“Your four minutes start now,” he said.
Nodding, Illumi stood from where he'd been leaning against the table. He made his way through the room, past Chrollo and to the door that lead to the hall where Phinks and Shizuku waited.
“Perhaps you could humor me,” Chrollo said as he walked by, “it shouldn't take you four minutes to exit a place like this. What exactly are those personal reasons?”
Illumi chuckled a bit as he placed his hand on the knob.
“I suppose you can see for yourself if you decide to watch me leave.”
With that, Illumi left, the door swinging shut.
Standing alone in the dark room, Chrollo wasn't sure what to make of Illumi's behavior. He was used to the assassin being more straight-forward. He was secretive, yes, but there was something about the way he had acted just now that seemed a bit more.... Playful.
Illumi and Hisoka had known each other before Chrollo had met the long-haired man, and the two had seemed like they were in frequent contact. Perhaps, Chrollo mused, some of Hisoka's less-than-ideal qualities were rubbing off on Illumi.
Phinks and Shizuku approached him immediately after he also exited the room.
“It looked like he was leaving,” Shizuku said, “were you able to talk him down?”
“Yes. It was more expensive than it needed to be, but he'll be leaving shortly,” Chrollo answered as he nodded at her.
“He required four minutes before we began, so we'll be able to stay on schedule,” he continued as he looked at his phone again. 9:08.
The two spiders nodded (though Phinks seemed somewhat disappointed to not have a chance to fight Illumi) and Chrollo updated the rest of the troupe. The three of them slowly began to walk back to the main hall before coming to a stop at one of the balcony's. Below them the crowd had only managed to have grow larger as more people had entered to try their luck in the new gambling hall. For the majority of the crowd it seemed to be more of a pastime as they looked more well-to-do, but there were a few individuals who already appeared to be reaching a point of desperation, sweating nervously while they looked to the indifferent dealers.
A grand clock at the top of the hall showed the time to be nearing 9:10, and they had yet to see Illumi leave the building.
“Why did he want four minutes?” Shizuku asked.
“He wouldn't say,” Chrollo answered her.
“Hm. I wonder what it was,” Shizuku said.
“It seems he wanted to collect some woman before we got started,” Phinks suddenly said.
“Huh?”
Both Chrollo and Shizuku looked to where Phinks was looking. Within the crowd they saw Illumi walking through, accompanied by you. He held your hand as he lead you through the throng of guests, and you were giggling at something he had said while you intertwined your fingers with his. Illumi smiled back at you as he continued to pull you forward.
It was not a sight Chrollo had anticipated, nor was he expecting to see the darkened marks on your neck when he squinted. Marks that could've been made by Illumi's mouth.
Remembering that Illumi had said he'd been terminated for being unprofessional, and suddenly the reason for his firing became clear.
“That's just a civilian, right?” Phinks asked, “what does he want with her?”
“I guess he doesn't want to leave her here to die,” said Shizuku, “that's sweet.”
Chrollo continued to watch as the two of you made it to the other end of the hall. When you were finally out of the crowd, you went to wrap your arm around the one that had been leading you, smiling up at him as you two continued your way to the entrance. There weren't many who could touch one of the Zoldycks like that and live to tell the tale. Phinks was most likely right in his assessment; you weren't anything special. You probably had no idea who the person was that you were so happily walking off with or how dangerous he was.
Illumi said something and smiled at you before the two of you began walking again, but Chrollo didn't miss the little warning glance the assassin had sent in his direction.
As Shizuku and Phinks talked amongst themselves on what all that was about, Chrollo found himself unsure of what to think of this particular turn of events.
Evidently to Illumi, you were worth at least 60 million jenny.
You had come to this event on behalf of your friend Kiki, who had been invited by her cousin who had wanted to spend a milestone birthday at the casino. Places like this had never done much for you; the odds were always stacked in favor of the house and you didn't want to lose your hard-earned cash by gambling it away. You only came to do a favor for your friend, and yet about an hour into the evening, she had left you to chat up someone at the bar, leaving you with a group of people you only vaguely knew in an even bigger sea of strangers. Most ignored you, but there was the occasional middle-aged man who would eye you up and make you feel uncomfortable enough that you felt like you needed to leave the general area.
And then you ran into him.
The handsome man with long black hair and dark eyes who'd been walking about. He caught your attention like he'd caught the attention of most of the people around him, though they had seemed more content to watch him and gossip about him from afar. Maybe it was because no one else was going for it, maybe it was because you were slightly jealous that Kiki had managed to find an actual date for the night, or maybe you were just tired of the gross older men that kept ogling you and you wanted to be able to enjoy yourself with someone that you were actually in to. Regardless of whatever it was that made you do it, you approached the man and asked if he wanted to get a drink with you.
He hadn't wanted any drinks, but your boldness had impressed him enough that he wanted to talk with you. In private. Leading you away from the crowd and noise, he took you to a staff-only hallway where he introduced himself as Illumi. You introduced yourself to him, and the two of you managed to hit it off, having a lengthy conversation that ended when he kissed you suddenly. It seemed like something that had been spur-of-the-moment for him, and he pulled away from you to ask if you had liked it. Your answer was to pull him back onto your lips.
Your make-out session had culminated in him pushing you against the wall while he sucked hickeys into the skin of your neck.
And then you got caught.
You were expecting that you'd both get kicked out, but Illumi had been asked to accompany some of the casino staff while you were taken back to the main hall. Being that they were more concerned about Illumi, they left you there while you tried to hide the marks Illumi had left behind. You hadn't been sure if you would see him again; you didn't realize that he'd been working for the casino, and you were worried that you had cost him his job.
So it was unexpected when he appeared before you and asked you to leave with him.
But you said 'yes' without any hesitation.
You slid into the backseat of the car that had pulled up, Illumi coming in after you.
“The Palazzo,” Illumi instructed the driver.
Wait....
“Isn't that the really expensive hotel on the riverfront?” you asked Illumi.
“Yes. I've been staying there,” he answered.
You were amazed that he had the cash to be able to stay at a place like that. Then worry hit you.
“I got you fired, didn't I? Are you sure that isn't an issue?”
With that same small smile you had seen several times now since he'd opened up to you, Illumi smiled back at you.
“I got a better payout leaving like I did than if I had stayed. So don't worry, there's no issue.”
That eased your worries a bit, and you settled yourself into the seat as the car began to pull forward. You glanced back at the illuminated casino as you drove off, and another pang of guilt hit you.
“What's wrong?” Illumi asked.
“I left my friend without telling her anything,” you said as you pulled out your phone, “I should text her about where I'm going.”
“Mm. Yes, that would be a good idea.”
Illumi's tone was always rather flat, so you didn't notice that he seemed slightly displeased as you messaged Kiki to let her know you had left. It seemed like she'd found her own date, so hopefully she wouldn't be too mad at you. It wasn't like she'd been left alone.
The instant you hit 'send', you turned your attention back to Illumi.
“Think she'll get it in time? The reception was a little spotty in some places,” you said.
“It was fine, but don't worry about that.”
With that, Illumi pulled you into his lap while you yelped. You wanted to protest, seeing as you two were in a moving vehicle and the driver could tell what the two of you were doing. Illumi held you securely, however, and when you looked to the front of the car, you found that a sheet of tinted glass now separated the front from the back. The driver must have been able to read the mood.
“Don't worry about what's going on back there,” Illumi told you, “from this point on, all I want for you to focus on is me.”
His order made you blush, and you shyly answered with an “okay” before his lips were on you.
The casino and the people inside it were the last things on your mind that night.