SPIDER BITE
In which Kurapika is captured by the Phantom Troupe. Implied/referenced sexual content (thus the M-rating), but no actual smut.

The first time Kurapika saw a spider, he let it live. It crawled up the length of his wall and stayed there, privy to the cracks there from shakes in sky and earth. He watched it for the longest moment before taking it off the wall, and putting it outside, where it was gone as quickly as he looked away. In a way, he supposed he'd been doing it a favour, supposed mercy was something to be grateful for, then.

(Before, he hadn't known there were things worse than dying.)

When he thought about it, he could only think of how stupid and naive he'd been. There was a spider trapped in the mosaic of his walls and he'd set it free. Mercy, and justice. They were black and white as far as he could see, without the slightest hint of bleeding together. Kurapika clenched his hands so tight they drew blood.

"You could kill me," Kurapika told him, drawing patterns into the skin of his palm, tracing the indentations his nails left behind. Chrollo took his arm and pulled it away, and Kurapika let his arm hang limp against the bed. "Right now."

At once he was conscious of the red marks around his neck and collarbones that trailed down his torso until they stopped right at his hips. Chrollo lay back against the bed and stayed quiet, one hand going to run its way through Kurapika's hair. He shuddered away and instead stared at the network of veins running beneath his own skin, the web pulsing with hot blood. Spider's curse.

"Stop talking."

Kurapika looked at him again, and noted he'd rolled onto his stomach. He was hard muscles and sharp lines, and he had to wonder how Chrollo packed it all into his frame. The scars seemed to writhe away when he saw them, patterns of white lightning battles had bit away into his skin.

(Spider's curse.)

Kurapika raised a hand to his eyes. "I'm more useful to you dead. You can't guarantee I won't try to kill you."

Chrollo did not look up, only put his hand on Kurapika's thigh where it stayed. He shuddered again, but this time, he did not move. "I'll take my chances."

(Chrollo didn't make bets he had intentions of losing.)

The next time a spider made its home with him, Kurapika would crush it.