(A/N: Omg this is by far the best chapter I have written so far HEHE I'M SO EXCITED!

Also, at this point... this fanfic is basically an xFem!Reader rather than gender neutral :( Sorry to the boys and non-binaries, it's just the route the story took me on. For those of you who don't identify as females, I hope you can still enjoy reading! I will still refer to (Y/N) as they/them)

Part 4
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Chapter 1

///

Your vision is fuzzy.

You try to blink past the blur, but each flicker of the eyelid sends an aching throb into your head. Not only that, but your wrists are cold and slightly numb, probably due to lack of blood circulation. You quickly realize, upon trying to stand up, that your hands are tied to something.

"Quite a predicament you and I are in, yes?"

Hisoka?!

Your head whips to the side, only to find the magician's slim figure sitting beside you. His hands are not tied, but rather, he's sitting calmly with his legs crossed in front of him on the stoney floor. His body faces forward, but his head is leaning back against the wall, tilted in your direction. The stretch of his neck attracts your eyes for an instant.

You focus on his eyes once again as the fuzziness fades away and ask, "What do you mean? What's going on?"

Hisoka sighs, then gestures around. The only light in the room comes from two ceiling bulbs, but they are dim against the dark walls and concrete floor. "We're in Illumi's basement. I told him a little secret of yours... I don't think he's too happy about it." Hisoka chuckles, then points to the opposite corner of the room.

There, with his presence cloaked so as to not attract your attention, stands Illumi, eyes dark and glaring.

You are at a loss for words. What secret? You don't have any secrets...

The text.

Is that what this is about? The mysterious client asking you to kill Killua—and offering a humongous sum for it? No, that can't be... how would Hisoka know about that? You did not tell a soul, let alone have time to respond to the client. You were too busy losing sleep over the fact that Hisoka and Illumi were meeting up.

Hisoka chuckles, then adds with a slow and subtly teasing tone, "I sacrificed myself to kill you."

Your mind is still racing, but his words make your rushing thoughts halt.

"(Y/N)." It is Illumi's voice this time, but it sounds different. Horrible. "I would prefer you simply admit to your promiscuous acts rather than requiring me to dig them out of you."

Promiscuous acts? What could he be talking about? Illumi already knows that you slept with Hisoka all that time ago...

"Would you like a hint—"

Hisoka is cut off as a yellow needle strikes the cuff of his shirt, pinning the cloth to the wall. With a frown, Hisoka glares at Illumi, who does not react.

"Hush, Hisoka. I am not talking to you right now," Illumi drawls. He looks at you once again. "Your stomach. That is your hint."

Your... stomach?

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about," you say, the words rushing out like water. "My stomach? Promiscuous? These words mean nothing to me... I really don't know what to say."

Illumi pauses. "Hisoka, are you sure that what you told me is true?"

"Quite sure, my dear Ill."

"Illumi, you already know that I slept with him," you say quickly, leaning forward against your bindings.

A rush of Illumi's bloodlust pounds into your chest so hard that you are forced back into the wall. You grunt and let the terrible, inescapable feeling of doom wash over you until it is gone.

"Warmer," Illumi says.

You blink for a moment, gathering your bearings. Hisoka and Illumi do not say anything else, so you assume it is your turn to talk again. "Well? Is anyone going to clue me in?"

"Ill, may I speak?"

Illumi is staring at the ground, arms crossed securely over his chest. "You may."

Hisoka glances at you, and he is not smirking, or smiling, or doing anything else with his lips.

"(Y/N), you're pregnant with my child."

///

Chrollo sits with his back against the wall, legs open on either side of his hips. He has his book open in the air before him, the pages flipping as though by an invisible hand. The room is empty, aside for a small rat gnawing on a bit of something in the corner. Chrollo would kill it, but, for the moment, he feels too humane to do such a thing. He sighs a bit, then lets his book close and shuts his eyes.

Chrollo can feel Machi's presence enter the room, but he cannot hear her footsteps. Without opening an eye, he says, "Hello, Machi."

"You wanted to see me?"

At this point, he cracks one eye open. "I did. Please, come sit."

Machi approaches Chrollo and sits across from him on the stoney ground. He is slightly elevated due to the position of his seat.

Machi's stomach is churning agonizingly. She stares up at Chrollo's glassy eyes, which loom with dark mystery. They seem to melt into her skull and electrify something that she did not know was there. Suddenly, she thinks of Hisoka, and the electric feeling dies away.

"What did you need to see me about?" she asks, leaning back on her palms.

"You let (Y/N) live."

Machi's body feels a brief high due to a shock of adrenaline. It settles quickly, and she swallows, trying hard not to appear nervous. "How did you find out?" she wonders meekly.

"I didn't." Chrollo's eyes linger on Machi's figure, then burn into her eyes. "I only said that to see your reaction, and it seems as though my suspicions were correct."

Fuck, Machi thinks. Despite having the best hunches, I make the most foolish mistakes.

But what she was truly dying to know was: what is Chrollo going to do about it?

Machi looks at her lap, ashamed. "Touché," she says, then proceeds to explain her actions, as if they will help her escape the frightening situation. "Illumi hit her with a needle, and she passed out. Of course, I could tell that she was still alive, but I was so stuck on the fact that he let her live that I did not stop him when he took her and ran." Machi paused and glanced up at Chrollo again, who was still staring at her. "Illumi Zoldyck is not one to spare lives."

"Yes," Chrollo agrees, "but your concerns for their relationship do not excuse your actions. There will be... consequences."

Machi's heart skips a beat, then fills with a lustful sensation, one that she often feels in Hisoka's presence. She submissively allows her head to bow and sits up so she is on her knees in front of Chrollo's midsection.

Chrollo chuckles, but it is a quiet sound, little more than an exhale. He places a hand on her head and begins stroking her hair. Then, with the other hand, he unzips his pants.