Chapter Text
“No, Gon, you don’t understand! I won’t go!” Killua groans. He rests his cheek on a pale palm. “I can’t do it again, I refuse.”
“But you have to,” Gon reminds, trying to think of possible solutions for his friend and failing.
“No shit!”
It being the family vacation that the Zoldyck’s attend every year without fail, of course; it’s been the focus of Killua’s complaints for the past week. His friend got out of going last year because he suddenly came down with a frightening “sickness” that left Killua’s mother close to tears; said sickness was the result of two fingers stuck down his throat and a broken thermometer. After successfully playing off bad stomach flu, Killua got to spend the duration of his newly acquired free time at Gon’s, completely vomit-free.
Unfortunately, Kikyo seems intent on forcing Killua to go this year and make up for his previous absence. Killua told Gon that she seems even more excited this year, fuck, and Gon isn’t quite sure what that implies.
Today Gon had been struggling through his overdue math homework when Killua suddenly burst into his room uninvited, rambling something about stupid fucking family vacation and stupid fucking parents . This forced him to put away his unfinished paper and console an increasingly aggravated and whiny Killua Zoldyck, which is not very fun to do.
Killua makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat and Gon winces. “It’s so stupid. Being with them for that long is just… suffocating. Illumi always rides my ass about becoming the heir to the family business instead of, I dunno, relaxing on a vacation? ”
All Gon can do is let out a sympathetic little mhm , trying to be soothing.
“I wish you could go,” Killua admits, sounding sullen. “Maybe then it would be tolerable. But of course only family and their partners are allowed, because god hates me. Isn’t that such shit? None of us even have significant others! I mean, Illumi might have something going on with this guy named Hisoka, but he isn’t allowed either ‘cause…”
His friend’s rant slowly dies off and Gon glances at him in surprise, thinking that Killua must have forgotten the reason why. A devious smile is making its way across Killua’s face, eyes suddenly wide; Gon is distantly reminded of a cat that caught a canary and it’s terrifying .
“Gon, that’s it!” Killua exclaims wildly. “ You’re my boyfriend! Why didn’t I think of it sooner?”
Gon blinks. “I am?” He’s not exactly opposed to the statement, but it is a bit sudden.
“Not literally , stupid. Just for the vacation!”
A frown tugs at the ends of Gon’s lips. He’s had his fair share of shitty ideas, okay, but surely Killua isn’t insinuating what he thinks he is, right?
“Are you really suggesting I go as your fake boyfriend?”
Killua springs up from the desk chair to join Gon on the bed, nodding vigorously; the action is so violent that it bounces his thin bangs. The blankets shift as Killua makes himself comfortable.
“I can’t tell if you are joking,” Gon says honestly. “Your family actually hates me.”
“They haven’t even met you!”
“They don’t have to! They know I’m the kid who always sneaks in your room and steals you away for days at a time.”
“Stop being an idiot,” Killua huffs. “It’s not that bad. Won’t you do this for me? I’ll go insane if i have to deal with them by myself again!” He takes a quick peek at Gon’s unimpressed stare and crumbles a little bit. “Oh, come on! I’ll owe you one, I swear. Seriously, anything you want.”
The bribe does get Gon’s attention. It’s rare for Killua to want to owe anyone for something, no matter how small and insignificant. Killua has this weird complex with doing favors for friends that Gon cannot grasp no matter how many times he tries to understand it. Although the thought of pretending to be in love with his best friend in front of a family he hasn’t become acquainted with sounds like shit, being able to force Killua to do Gon’s homework for the rest of the year is tempting. He would be guaranteed A’s for the next semester, even disregarding his testing scores.
Just thinking about not having to go to summer school for the third year in a row is enough to make Gon salivate. That settles it, then.
“Fine,” Gon finally gives in. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“I knew you would agree!” Killua says gleefully and Gon feels his eyebrow twitch in response. Cocky shit. “We leave tomorrow and stay there for three days!”
Gon’s jaw drops and he reaches an arm out to swipe at his friend. “ Tomorrow ? Killua!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Killua laughs, easily leaping up and dancing around his swing. He grabs his phone and heads for the bedroom door. “I should have mentioned that first, I know. I gotta run though, I need to tell Dad that I’m bringing you.”
Killua’s halfway out of the room when Gon calls to his back. “Wait, won’t he question why you haven’t said anything sooner?”
A head of white fluff peeks back in. “No, I’ll just tell him we were keeping shit down low, or something. God, just let me take care of it!”
Gon doesn’t have time to argue before Killua is already dashing down the hall. He can faintly hear him giving his goodbyes to Mito before the front door slams shut. Gon groans out loud before forcing himself up and off the bed, walking over to the small closet in the wall.
Better start packing.
—
The next time Gon sees Killua is the following day during their quiet ride to the Zoldyck’s winter cottage. Gon had packed everything that Killua listed in a text sent a couple of hours after he left, his suitcase stuffed into the back of an overflowing car. Killua’s been abnormally silent, the enthusiasm from yesterday long disappeared, and his grip on the car steering wheel is tight. Gon’s almost afraid to break the silence; he wonders if this sudden mood swing has anything to do with not only revealing that Killua magically has a boyfriend to his parents, but also convincing them to let Gon tag along. He doubts it went as smoothly as it did in the Freecss household.
Mito had been ecstatic that Gon was leaving, even on such short notice.
(“Oh, Gon!” She gushed, laughing in delight. “That’s so kind of Killua to invite you! To Masadora no less, I hear it is just stunning this time of year. I’m so jealous! Here, let me help you pack.”)
Gon suspects that Silva wasn’t as easy to convince, yet Killua made no such complaints. The radio hums in the background as he looks out the window, long plains flying by in a stretch of green. The ride isn’t taking that long, as Masadora isn’t actually that far. Gon’s never been, however, because the city has a reputation of being… pricey. Like, really expensive, and Gon isn’t even surprised by the fact that the Zoldyck’s own a separate residence there.
When they are nearing around thirty minutes of drive time left and Killua still hasn’t spoken, Gon finally caves. “Are you nervous?”
Killua’s eyes never leave the empty road. “No.”
“I can tell when you’re lying. Did something go wrong yesterday?”
“No!” He snaps. “That's the problem . My parents believed me too easily.”
Gon frowns a little bit. Shouldn’t that be a good thing? “I’m not following.”
The knuckles on the dark steering wheel are an alarming shade of white, even more so than Killua’s regular pale complexion. Gon’s mildly surprised that there’s still enough blood flow in his hands to keep the vehicle from violently jerking and crashing.
“Of course you aren’t,” Killua huffs, agitated. “My parents and brothers are all amazing liars, Gon. In their profession you have to be; you can’t be a lawyer who defends murderers and abusers and shit by using the truth. I mean, they can lie and can detect lies as easily as breathing.”
Killua pauses to inhale deeply and Gon tries to absorb this new information; he was aware of the Zoldyck family business, obviously, from how often his friend complained about said family nagging him into joining it. Gon never really knew the specifics, however, and is mildly uncomfortable but not surprised at the finer details.
“I just think I underestimated how convincing we really have to be, you know?” Killua continues in a whisper. “The decision to make you come with us was so impulsive , I really shouldn’t have done it.”
Gon doesn’t know how to respond to that. Usually, the older of the two teens is the one to make bad choices and regret them later; seeing this behavior from Killua is kind of startling. Unlike his friend, thinking ahead and meticulously planning out events isn’t really Gon’s forte.
I’m probably rubbing off on Killua , he fleetingly thinks. Gon forces the thought out of his head before he accidentally starts laughing during such a tense moment.
“Okay, how about this,” Gon starts, attempting to sound soothing. “Would it make you feel more confident if we established some ground rules?”
Killua bites his lip. “Like what?”
“Oh, you know,” He dismissively waves a hand. “Things we can and can’t talk about, boundaries, the regular ordeal. Backstories and stuff, to make us convince them easier,” Killua makes no motion to respond, and Gon sighs before continuing. “For example , if I kissed you, would that be fine?”
There’s an uncomfortably long silence as Killua processes the words, and Gon turns his head to gauge the reaction of the other.
“Woah,” He says, slightly concerned at the face the blond is making. His expression is twisted tight, sour as if he bit into a lemon. “If you don’t want to do that stuff, it’s fine. I can just make up a lie about how you’re, like, a prude or something.”
“Oh, go to hell,” Killua suddenly sneers; Gon’s slight teasing is always enough to ground Killua when his head floats into the clouds. “We can do it, idiot! Ugh. I’m not a prude.”
Gon lifts his hands in mock-defense despite Killua’s eyes not leaving the road long enough to see it. He stifles a laugh behind closed lips. “Alright, alright. If kissing goes, then other shit is good, right? Hand holding? The whole shebang?”
Another pause as Killua purses his lips before hesitantly nodding. Gon looks back towards the road, satisfied with the response no matter how painstakingly slow it was to confirm. It’s not like this is new information anyway; Killua had some idea as to what he was signing up for when he asked Gon to come in the first place. Gon bets Killua was just too embarrassed to bring up the conversation himself.
“I mean,” Killua starts. “Don’t mention obvious stuff though. Like, the fact that we aren’t even real, clearly. As for backstories though, I don’t know. I didn’t even think about it. I was… preoccupied.”
Gon shrugs, unbothered. He is the one with more dating experience out of the two of them, he thinks, so he can’t really blame Killua for forgetting the need for details like that. “’Kay, I can handle it. Anything else?”
“Um,” He says, eyes darting around in a way that could be excused by checking mirrors, but Gon has the sneaking suspicion that it’s not only that. “No, not really. I—I trust you, you know?”
A warm, fuzzy feeling sinks low into Gon’s stomach at the admission. He smiles briefly to himself, saying nothing. Killua’s voice had a note of finality to it, and he knew that the conversation was over.
The rest of the ride is spent in silence not as tense as the one before, right up until they pull into what Gon assumes is the driveway of the place they are staying. His jaw instantly drops at the size of the cottage, which seems less like a winter residence and more like the Zoldyck mansion back home. He eyes the other expensive cars in the driveway and concludes they must be the last ones to get there.
Gon takes a peek at Killua, whose face has gone abruptly grim again and sends him a cheerful smile. That is all the encouragement that Killua needs to park the car with a huff and get out of the vehicle, slamming his door with just a bit more force than necessary. Gon follows suit, albeit more gently.
They grab their first load of luggage from the truck and make their way up to the front door. The building is rather monotone looking, the only color being from the extensive array of flowers planted as far as Gon can see. In the distance, he spots a small trail decorated with benches and a shallow creek, most likely feeding into some nearby pond or lake. He did bring his fishing pole, so the thought is exciting.
Killua stops in front of the entrance and whips around to face him. The door looks suspiciously threatening, for some reason, and Gon can feel the dark paint looming over them. It doesn’t seem very… welcoming, but Killua has yelled at Gon for judging “auras” before, so he refrains from voicing the thought out loud.
“It’s not too late to turn back,” Killua says a bit frantically, voice fast with panic. He, too, is staring at the door with a queasy face. “Honestly. We could just hop back in the car-”
“Will you cut it out?” Gon interrupts. He tries his best to not roll his eyes. “You are scaring the shit out of me. Open the door already.”
Killua sighs, setting down a heavy suitcase to reach his hand up to the door. Before his fist can make contact with the wood, however, it swings open to reveal a tall woman with boldly shaped glasses and a frilly hat. She’s dressed in a ruffled gown that reminds Gon of something he would see in history books; strangely enough, she somehow makes it work. He distantly wonders if the rest of the family is this eccentric.
“Killua, dear!” She exclaims, wildly throwing her hands around him and pressing a kiss everywhere on his face that she can reach. Gon watches with barely-concealed amusement as Killua grimaces, the faint outlines of lipstick stains reaching everywhere but his actual lips.
“Mom,” He says, not pushing her away but not welcoming the touch either. “Mom, quit, it’s embarrassing.” His face is starting to turn a slight shade of pink, making the shine from the lipstick almost blend in with his skin.
“Oh, don’t be silly,” His mother says, positively beaming. She turns to face Gon, and every trace of mirth escapes his expression in the nick of time. “You must be Gon, right? My name is Kikyo, I’m Killua’s mother.”
Gon smiles politely, the face he uses when deliberately sucking up that makes all of his teachers melt. “That’s me! It’s a pleasure,” He nods towards the house. “You have such a lovely place, here.”
Kikyo giggles, loud and high-pitched. Killua flinches at the shrill tone, trying to no avail to wipe off the remnants of makeup on his still-flushed face. He succeeds in smudging it around and making it streak.
“Well aren’t you a charmer,” She comments, adjusting her large glasses. Kikyo looks down at their luggage on the porch and then peeks over Gon’s shoulder to eye the rest by Killua’s car. “Okay, sweethearts, don’t even worry about this, alright? I’ll have the boys get it while you introduce Gon to everyone.” She turns her head to the dark interior of the house and shouts a sharp they’re here!
Almost instantaneously, a young, feminine child appears at Kikyo’s side. They blink at Gon owlishly and Gon blinks back. He had no idea Killua had such a younger sibling, as they don’t look more than fourteen. They’re wearing a beautiful, flowy top with large sleeves, designed pink accents matching the color of their eyes. There’s a homemade and surprisingly intricate paper necklace hanging around a pale neck and Gon determines that yes, the rest of the family is this eccentric .
“Oh, Kalluto dear, there you are. Gon, this is Kalluto, Killua’s youngest brother. Kallu, will you go get Milluki and grab their luggage?”
Kalluto nods, staying quiet. Gon grins toothily at him and he stares for a second before gently quirking up one side of his mouth and snatching the bags straight out of Gon’s grip. Gon gasps at his now-empty hands, and barely has time to call a quick thank you before the child disappears around a corner inside.
Killua snickers at his surprised expression. “Sorry, they’re just like that.”
Gon just nods, and Kikyo instantly ushers them inside, snatching the suitcase Killua was lugging right out of his hold as well. She heads down a hallway and stops at a large, opened door. “Father is in the living room!” She calls, not looking behind her.
Gon is distracted from staring at her disappearing figure by a person materializing in his peripheral, and he turns towards the other doorway to see a large man taking up most of its area. He is the most normal-looking thus far, wearing only a basic shirt and sweats. His hair is the same dark black as both Kikyo’s and the small boy earlier. Kalluto peeks from around him, nearly half his size.
“‘Sup,” Killua greets, smile looking surprisingly genuine. He gestures towards Gon. “This is Gon. Gon, this is piggy.”
“Piggy?” Gon parrots. He glances at the rather plain person in front of him. That can’t possibly be his actual name, right? Judging by the shit-eating grin on his friend’s face, it’s doubtful.
The man hisses and swats at Killua, who easily dodges. “ Milluki! My name is Milluki , you stupid shit!”
“Shh!” Killua hushes, giggling. “No swearing in front of the children, piggy.” He gestures towards Kalluto; they just stare, unblinking. The youngest slinks away to head for the rest of the luggage, dragging Milluki by a fist in his shirt. Milluki gives Gon a curt nod and lets himself be pulled away, simultaneously flipping Killua off and slamming the door shut.
Killua turns to Gon. “Alright, two out of four siblings down. Those were the easiest ones.”
“Four? You haven’t told me about half of these people already!”
It’s true. Gon has only heard about Killua’s manipulative and over-bearing oldest brother, Illumi, and his sister, Alluka. The other teen talks about Alluka the most; it’s clear he loves her dearly, and there have been many times where Killua has ranted about his family being assholes to her that Gon can recall in detail. It’s become less apparent over the years, though, so Gon can only assume that their family dynamic has gotten better.
“Focus, Gon,” Killua snaps his fingers in front of Gon’s eyes. “Now is the real challenge, okay? Prepare yourself. Put on your best act in front of the people you are about to meet. Otherwise, I’m sneaking away during the night and leaving you here.”
The threat sounds empty, although you can never be too sure with Killua. Gon gives him an easy smile and quickly reaches for his hand to thread their fingers together. Killua stiffens at the unexpected touch but quickly relaxes when Gon gives a reassuring squeeze. Killua’s palm is cool, his slender fingers slotting along with Gon’s with somehow unpracticed ease; Gon’s first thought is huh, a perfect fit, but the idea fades as soon as it appears.
Killua leads him into a large common area where Gon has to resist gaping at the sheer size. The area just oozes wealth, with lavish, plush couches and high-definition televisions scattered across the room. There’s what looks like a kitchen and dining room connected to the right, and Gon can see thick marble counters glitter from white lights. To his left, a couple of large bookcases hold hundreds of novels that Gon has never even heard of; next to it seems to be a large stand of boardgames. Gon’s eyes glance up to find a fucking chandelier , and he really can’t believe this place is real.
He lets himself be dragged over to a seating area where three men sit, Gon being too distracted to even notice them there at first. Two of them, the oldest looking ones, both have light hair; the eldest’s could rival Killua’s, though Gon doesn’t know if that is mostly due to age or not. The third and most young-looking man has the same raven hair as everyone else he has previously met. The stark differences in this family’s hair color are amusingly unnatural.
They stop with their quiet conversation when the two teens finally stand before them, and all three rise to their feet as well.
“Grandson,” The senior greets. Gon instantly likes the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Grandpa,” Killua replies. He nods towards the man. “Gon, this is my grandfather, Zeno. There is my dad, Silva, and my brother Illumi.”
Gon gives a little wave with his free hand. He prays that his hair isn’t a mess. “It’s nice meeting you all, thank you for inviting me.”
There is a tense, awkward moment of silence as Killua’s family studies him closely. Gon feels a varying degree of hostility coming from each of them: hardly any on Zeno’s side, but an overwhelming amount from Killua’s brother. Gon half-hopes Illumi is feeling the same vibe from him, as well; just based on his friend’s comments, he can tell he already won’t like the other.
The moment is broken when Zeno chuckles, wispy facial hair bouncing with the movement. He seems to be the easy-going type. Silva also briefly smiles.
“No, Gon, thank you for joining us,” Silva corrects. His eyes snake down to where Gon and Killua’s hands are intertwined, and Gon feels Killua’s begin to sweat. It’s almost funny.
Zeno hums in agreement. “Yes, thank you. We were all ecstatic to hear that Killua was finally bringing someone home. It seems like forever now that he’s floated around the house in that teenage love sort of way, but I never actually thought he-”
“Grandpa!” Killua cuts him off with a hiss. Gon glances at him, surprised at the outburst. He really wasn’t taking too much of the old man’s words to heart, anyway; the minute he mentioned that everyone was ecstatic at Killua getting a boyfriend when Illumi was glaring at him like that made Zeno lose all credibility. It’s clear that not all of the Zoldyck’s are too fond of this idea. He rubs a thumb against Killua’s hand regardless, trying to soothe away the bout of aggravation. Killua’s palm slowly goes limp in his hold.
The old man just snickers again, sitting back down on the couch with his attention now diverted to the television. Silva and Illumi follow suit. Gon takes a peek at the screen but minutely scrunches his nose when he realizes they are watching a true-crime documentary. Not his style.
“Killua!” A feminine voice suddenly shouts, sounding closer and closer the more they drag out the word. Killua abruptly wiggles out of Gon’s grip and turns to accept a flying hug from a short girl in a flowing pink dress. Her eyes are almost as beautiful as Killua’s.
“Alluka,” He says into her hair, grinning brightly. “Where have you been, huh? Where was my warm welcome?”
She pushes him away and snorts. “Shut up. I was unpacking, that’s all. This is your warm welcome.” Alluka turns to beam at Gon instead, and he feels frozen by such a sweet expression. “You’re Gon, right? Gosh, you’re even cuter than I thought! I was so curious to see what brother’s type was! He won’t shut up about you, you know it?”
Gon wants to choke out thanks but finds his throat too closed up to do so. The girl doesn’t give him a moment to collect himself, however, before she flings herself at him , too; Gon is a little stunned by the arms suddenly thrown around his neck, but gently reciprocates the touch anyway. He knows his cheeks are turning pink and hopes that the tan shade of his skin can hide it, if only temporarily.
Alluka lets go of him almost as fast as she grabbed onto him, and Gon feels himself getting whiplash from the change in pace. “Killua, I had no idea you had a thing for hunks!” She gasps, giving Gon a long glance over. Gon can’t even help the incredulous laugh that escapes his lips; he would have never guessed Killua and Alluka were related from her boldness and outright confidence.
“Oh my fucking god,” Killua groans, covering his face with his hand. He ignores Silva’s warning of language . “Why are you all so embarrassing? Stop talking about that. Zero shame in this family, I swear.”
Alluka just giggles. She puts a dainty hand on each of their backs and starts to usher them towards the kitchen with surprising strength. “Come on, you guys were late. It’s our day to make dinner.”
Gon allows himself to be pulled away, sending a farewell smile over his shoulder at Zeno and Silva. Illumi has still made no moves to greet him kindly, let alone speak in Gon’s presence, so he figures the sentiment may not be appreciated.
While cooking with Alluka (she said Killua is not allowed to make food for anyone, so he sits by the island and watches), Gon learns a lot about the Zoldyck’s. He finally memorizes the birth order of Killua’s siblings and is slightly surprised to discover that his friend has, like, the opposite of middle child syndrome. Alluka talks about herself for a bit before making it a mission to embarrass Killua as much as possible; Alluka describes the reason why Killua is banned from cooking in-depth, which turns out to be because he set the stove on fire after attempting to make his own chocorobots just a year ago. Killua stays appropriately sulky throughout the entire explanation, only butting in to complain that how was I supposed to know that plastic melts in the oven?
Gon can’t help but be… surprised. Not at the fact that Killua used salt instead of sugar to make homemade chocolate, unfortunately, but at the air of normalcy that he is sensing. Judging by the way his friend utterly dreaded being with his family, Gon would have thought that this trip would be a lot tenser still; he’s pleasantly surprised at how light his chest feels. Alluka includes him in the conversation as if she’s known him for years, though Gon guesses that might be closer to the truth than expected. If Killua talks about him as much as Alluka, then she is bound to know at least a little bit about Gon.
The girl is even more likable than he originally thought. Though his friend spoke nothing but praise of her, Gon is still amazed at how incredibly bubbly and charming she is. Gon momentarily wonders where she got such an extroverted personality.
He’s also shocked at how easy it is to feel comfortable here. The sound of bubbling pasta water drowns out the hum of the television in the family room, and things didn’t even get awkward when Kalluto snuck in to taste-test the sauce with nothing more than their finger; the youngest sibling gave a tiny nod in approval and slunk out of the room without another word. Though he’s stuck in a house with people that he just met today, Gon is at ease; he trusts Killua and vice versa. Pretending to be his boyfriend is a breeze, as nothing has actually changed . Doing this for three days doesn’t sound so bad if it requires such minimal effort.
At least, that’s how he feels up until the family sits in the large dining room to eat together.
Silva and Zeno are, unsurprisingly, at the heads of the table. Gon is squeezed in the middle of Killua and Milluki, who piles almost half of the spaghetti on his plate; Gon’s stomach tightens at the number of noodles threatening to spill off the side. The rest of the family sits across from him, and out of the corner of his eye Gon catches Alluka and Kalluto sharing something under the table. Under further inspection, Gon realizes it’s a chocolate bar that’s being discreetly broken into small pieces and shoved into mouths quickly. Killua must notice, too, because he glares at them with an intensity that could rival the suns.
“So, Gon,” Kikyo starts, delicately dabbing the side of her mouth with a cloth. “Tell us a little bit about yourself. I think it’s a crime that we hadn’t even heard of your existence until yesterday!” There’s an affirming sound from Illumi, and it’s clear that he is the most suspicious of this new relationship.
Gon freezes in the middle of taking a large bite of spaghetti as the family watches him. He quickly chews and swallows, smiling sheepishly. “Ah, I am sorry for that inconvenience. Killua just thought it would be best to keep things a bit hush until we were sure, you know?” He lies easily through his teeth. Gon prays that this statement matches the reason that Killua told his family the day before. “As for me though, well. There’s not much to know, really.”
“How modest!” She giggles. Gon breathes a sigh of relief. Kikyo opens her mouth to say something else, but Illumi cuts her off before any words escape.
“How about any plans for your future, then?” He asks in a bored drawl. It’s the first time he has spoken in Gon’s presence, and his voice is like smooth honey.
Gon instantly starts sweating. He expected the talk , of course, but this soon ? And from Illumi? How cruel.
“What a loaded question,” Gon nervously jokes. It incites a laugh from Zeno and an unattractive snort from Milluki, which he takes as encouragement.
“Let me be more specific, then. Do you have any occupation goals at the moment?”
Gon blinks. He had assumed the question was about his future with Killua , not what his dream job was. He takes a peek at the blond next to him; Killua is staring down at his plate, grip on his fork just a tad bit tight as he pushes around the pasta.
“Okay,” Gon says, drawing out the word. This is kind of random, but whatever. “In that case, I do! I’ve wanted to become a biologist for a long time now, the kind that travels around the world in search of new species, you know? My father was the same.”
Alluka hums from down the table. “Wow, that’s so awesome!”
“And impractical, don’t you think?” Illumi comments, evidently a rhetorical question. His tone is surprisingly standoffish and Gon’s eyes widen. “Killu’s going to be taking over our business as a lawyer, you know. It would be rather embarrassing for the Zoldyck heir to have his significant other be-”
“I know you aren’t talking,” Killua interjects, gritting out the words from beneath clenched teeth. “ Your significant other is literally a clown for children’s birthday parties! We are not doing this right now.”
“He is not my-”
“Enough,” Silva finally speaks up. He’s calmly twirling his fork in the spaghetti. “There’s no need to scare the poor boy off.” The older man faces Gon. “Forgive Illumi, we all just truly want the best for Killua.”
Kikyo bobs her head in agreement. “Of course we do! Illumi, such serious conversations do not belong at the dinner table. Let’s talk about something a bit more light-hearted, please.”
Gon feels a little chill at the underlying threat of discussing these subjects later, but is grateful for their interruption regardless. He envies the ones at the dinner table who are simply minding their own business, namely Kalluto and Milluki. There’s an obnoxious slurping sound coming from the side of him, and Gon watches as Milluki reaches a hand out to spoon more noodles onto his plate.
“I know!” Alluka calls, gathering the attention of the table. “How did you two get together? Killua refused to tell me when I asked yesterday, but I need to know!”
Gon sends an alarmed look Killua’s way but the other boy doesn’t even spare him a fleeting glance. “Maybe it’s because you are so damn nosy. Mind your own business, nerd.”
“Shut up, you’re so secretive! Now spill.”
Killua sighs dramatically and Gon can’t help his eyebrows raising slightly in preparation for the lie his friend is about to tell. Killua doesn’t look worried at all, his face relaxed.
“Fine, fine. Remember a couple of months ago when I went to that carnival? The one by Yorknew? Gon took me there. It was super fun, we went on all the rides and played all the games. Gon tried to win me this cat stuffed animal, but it was so rigged that neither of us could get it.”
This is… true, actually. Gon can remember the frustration from that game as if it happened just yesterday. He isn’t sure what Killua is thinking, using a real memory like this.
“That’s beside the point though,” Killua continues as he pokes his spaghetti. There’s a small smile on his face, a dreamy kind that Gon hasn’t seen before. “Since it was the last day of the carnival, they had a bunch of fireworks at night. Me and Gon were sitting on the top of the Ferris wheel, with all the fireworks going off, right? And he kinda slid closer and, uh. Yeah.”
“Kissed you?” Alluka squeals in delight, eyes large with excitement.
“Ew, don’t say it out loud,” Killua groans. Contrary to his words, his voice is still thick and syrupy with what Gon can only describe as adoration . The kind of drawl that infatuated people have. Gon is amazed at how realistic the lie sounds, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was there himself, he would have believed every word coming out of Killua’s mouth. The only part that didn’t happen was the kiss, anyway. Gon really can’t remember if that memory was as romantic as it sounds.
Milluki makes a retching noise, and Gon briefly thinks that he’s finally choking on the copious amounts of pasta he’s inhaled. He had nearly forgotten that the rest of the Zoldyck’s were still sitting at the table.
“That is so cliche, it’s seriously disgusting,” Milluki gags, sending a disapproving look Gon’s way. Gon belatedly realizes he should probably take mock-offense, and then takes real offense when Milluki doesn’t give Killua the same treatment. Like, okay, how is that fair?
“Sounds like someone’s bitter,” Killua hisses, leaning around Gon to stare at Milluki. His previously fond tone fell into a flat, sarcastic sound. “At least I can get a date. Where’s your plus-one, huh? They get lost on the way here?”
His older brother, thankfully, does not rise to the bait, instead choosing to take a large bite of garlic bread and delicately flip Killua off in the process. Gon is mildly impressed by the technique.
“Well, I thought it was adorable, personally,” Kikyo comments. The rest of the family nod their heads, save Illumi. Gon sheepishly smiles at her and prepares to give thanks, but Killua abruptly standing up halts the notion.
“I think I’m going to go unpack and lay down,” He announces, skin starting to flush. “It’s been an eventful day, y’know?”
They all watch as he picks up his plate and heads out the door. Gon listens with furrowed eyebrows as a plate clinks in the kitchen sink and the footsteps lead towards where they originally came in. Gon realizes the family is staring at him expectantly and he startles a bit.
“Right, right,” Gon says hastily. They are boyfriends , damnit, obviously he would be presumed to go with Killua. “I suppose I’ll take my leave too, then. Sleep well!”
Gon practically runs out of the room, barely remembering to put away his plate, and reaches the door he thinks is theirs. He doesn’t bother knocking; it opens to Killua rifling through his bags, face impassive.
The bedroom is, like everything else that the Zoldyck’s reside in, astonishingly large. It must be the size of Auto Mito’s and his room combined. There’s another door to what Gon assumes is a private bath, with a wall of mirrored closet doors that he is sure cost a fortune. His eyes finally settle on the main interest of the room: a spacious king-sized bed that would easily fit three people.
“Wait,” Gon frowns, noticing the dilemma. “We are sharing a bed?”
“Don’t be dumb. Couples sleep together, moron.”
Gon just sticks his tongue out in response. “I’m allowed to be surprised! They don’t think that we will…”
Killua finally looks up and shoots him a mortified grimace at the insinuation. “And risk literally any of my family members seeing that? I would rather fucking die, thank you, and my parents know that,” He starts searching through his suitcase again. “Besides, it’s not like I chose this. I hate sleeping next to you—you snore too loud.”
“Oh, sure, I’m the pain to sleep with,” Gon says, sarcastic. “Last time we slept together, I woke up freezing because you took all the covers, blanket-hogger!”
Killua simply shrugs his shoulders and smirks. The little shit is aware of his kleptomaniac-like tendencies while unconscious and probably feels no need to apologize for them. Gon rolls his eyes and jumps on the bed, sighing out loud at how soft it is. He didn’t realize how tired he was until the pressure of the day left his shoulders at the door, despite it being rather early still.
“So,” Gon starts again, closing his eyes. “A kiss on top of the Ferris wheel, huh?”
“If you keep talking, I’ll fuck you up,” Killua threatens instantly. Gon can practically hear the blush that his friend is sporting and can only imagine how embarrassed he is. Gon laughs regardless.
“Okay, okay, gosh. It was pretty cute, actually.” Gon cracks an eye open to make sure that Killua won’t attempt to smother him with a pillow, but Killua is facing away from him, most likely in an attempt to hide his face. It’s quiet for a moment.
“At least get under the blanket if you are going to sleep already,” Killua finally mutters, changing the subject. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Gon hums an affirmative and sleepily slips the blankets over his body. The material of the sheets is luxurious, to say the very least, and Gon swears that this is the most comfortable pillow he has ever rested his head on. Unconsciousness pulls at him in heavy tendrils but refuses to let him completely sink under—it’s only when Killua finally returns from bathing to slink underneath the covers next to him that his body relaxes enough to fully rest.
It’s the steady rhythm of Killua’s soft breathing and the scent of his tea tree shampoo that allows Gon to finally drift off into a dreamless sleep.