A Genius Thrown to the Wolves

Goal Accomplished!! Ch. 24

Hisoka chuckled at his actions before realizing that Kiyotaka also had his tail out. In general he only had his ears out when it was just the two of them, but after the first time Hisoka had touched his tail, he never revealed it. Now here it was swaying back and forth in delight and on full display. Hisoka just had to seize the opportunity! How could he not? He slowly reached for the swaying appendage, touching tentatively. Kiyotaka had immediately the moment when even just the tips of the hairs were touched, and his tail jolted in surprise. Hisoka didn't want to force anything so he kept his hand still. It took a second but Kiyotaka's tail un-tensed and brushed along his hand. Hisoka was making sure to still be petting Kiyotaka's ears to hopefully draw away some of the stimulation from his tail so he could get used to it, and it was working, slower then Hisoka would have liked, but working. After a few minutes Hisoka moved his hand away from Kiyotaka's tail and began to softly scratch his back.

Finally Hisoka had the courage! He scratched from the top of Kiyotaka's back to the almost the tip of his tail, he didn't go to fast, and only mimicked how he'd seen Illumi petting a cat before he killed it. It surprised him though, as soon as his nails passed over the base of his tail where it meets his back, Kiyotaka's eyes had widened, which was by far the most expressive he'd seen them, and his mouth quivered before he covered it with both his hands. He'd buried his face in the crook of Hisoka's neek and his ears went back, tail ridged and for a brief moment he'd been made to what felt like forcibly arch his back. Despite this, he didn't retract his tail, instead, he only seemed to purr louder. Hisoka was absolutely pleased by this and began to scratch and massage Kiyotaka's back and tail.

Kiyotaka really only had one thought when all of this was going on, 'being praised is the best'. While the physical praise was greatly appreciated and hard to ignore, he relished in the verbal praise he was getting while gentle nails moved up and down his back, and calloused finger tips gently rubbed his ears. The word were soft and Hisoka's voice was deep, but what Kiyotaka loved even more then that, was knowing that it was all true. Hisoka meant every last word that was leaving his mouth and making it's way through Kiyotaka's ears. Kiyotaka could feel how calm Hisoka was, and still and flat his heartbeat was. He'd never experienced a moment of being purely and completely content. Everyday used to be struggle after struggle and test after test. He had to be the best but got no recognition for it, he only got harder work and harder tests. The only semblance of emotion and satisfaction he could get in the damned place was when another student was crushed, by him or another student, or his favorite, when they crushed themselves.

While Kiyotaka enjoyed seeing others in pain, it also infuriated him. He envyed them for being able to feel such things, to be so emotional that they could break so easily. He wanted to know what it was like, but he didn't. He wanted to be crushed, for his father's ideal to be crushed, but he couldn't stand the thought of losing. In the end he was his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Pathetic really. His existence was really pathetic.

Hisoka had noticed the change in Kiyotaka's mood and knew he must be thinking about something unpleasant. It made him wonder if it pertained to his slight episode before the tournament. Kiyotaka had almost slipped and told him something, but caught himself just before revealing anything super significant. Hisoka was slightly troubled by that, but figured the boy would trust him soon enough if they were able to be in this situation and him be comfortable and trusting enough to zone out. This really wasn't good though. What if someone saw him, the crazy, sadistic, detached, jester, what would happen to his reputation. He quite liked how he was regarded by most people who knew him or of him. At the same time, if rumor got around that he had gone soft, maybe people would come to challenge him, and he would get to fight without hardly lifting a finger. That was definitely a plus. He wasn't worried about Kioytaka because he could take care of himself. He knew that all to well. Either outcome was in his benefit so Hisoka decided not to do anything. He'd just let things happen how they happen and hope it might go to hell so he could have his fun.

Kiyotaka came out of his thoughts when he felt a pause in the movement behind his ears and sensed a curious aura coming from Hisoka. He looked up and saw a sadistic smile on his face, taking his turn to zone out. Kiyotaka took this moment to shift his position. He sat up and moved so he was straddling Hisoka's lap, and nuzzled his nose into the crook of his neck. He was completely against Hisoka's chest with his arms completely relaxed at his sides. After he'd shifted, he felt a hand move to continue rubbing his ears. Kiyotaka resumed his purring and took a deep breath in. "Like what you smell?~" Hisoka asked quietly. "I do." "Hmm, what do I smell like?" Kiyotaka took a minute to respond, Hisoka knowing he was obviously trying to give him a serious answer. Then it came. "I don't know what it is exactly." Then Kiyotaka started agin, "I used to read a lot in my free time-" he said, confusing Hisoka, "-in some of then, it would describe one of the characters walking into their place of residence or putting on a piece of clothing and describing a familiar smell." Kiyotaka paused. "I guess if I had to say you smelt like something, it'd be like that. Like home." Kiyotaka finally concluded.

Hisoka felt a single tear roll down his cheek before disappearing. He certainly wasn't expecting that, but it felt ... good. Hisoka concluded before wrapping his other arm around Kiyotaka and giving him a gentle squeeze bringing the boy as close to him as possible, taking his own whiff of the boy, making sure to never forget this moment or his scent.