The next day, Killua woke up to the knowledge that Gon had already left for class. The apartment was quiet as Killua awoke to the ungodly sound of his alarm blaring. And, when he checked in the fridge, there was still a container left for him from two days prior when Gon prepared food for the week.

I should really pay him for groceries , Killua thought as he packed his backpack and took off for class.

When he got to class, though, Gon's usual spot was left empty between Zushi and Knuckle.

Killua paused at the stairs, a perturbed feeling sinking into his gut. Something was off, and he wouldn't realize until after sitting in contemplation all through lecture. It was only after class that Zushi would catch up to him just outside of the classroom to say, "Have you heard from Gon?"

Killua paused in the hallway. A few students glanced at them and Killua felt distinctly watched as he said, "Not today, why?" He dragged his eyes back over to Zushi, who turned bashful in an instant, looking down at his feet, cheeks flushed.

Knuckle emerged from the classroom behind them, saying, "Gon sends good morning texts to the group chat and he didn't today."

Of fucking course he does , Killua thought, resisting the urge to snicker. "Yeah, I haven't heard from him today. Sorry."

The three of them walked towards the doors as Zushi said, "Are you gonna see him later today? I was thinking about going over to his place—"

"Yeah, I'll see him later today," Killua said, mostly because he still wasn't quite comfortable with visitors. If anyone snooped around his room, he didn't exactly have a safe to store his lingerie for work.

He pushed open the door and stepped out, only to startle at the sight of that familiar Mexican bastard Ikalgo sitting on the stone ledge. Not only that, but his hands were bandaged up and initially, Killua chalked it off as a pole vaulting thing. If he knew anything about working a pole, it was that blisters were a bitch.

Ikalgo perked up at the sight of them and glanced behind them. Yet another visitor for the idiot , Killua thought, sighing.

"He's not here," Killua said.

"I just wanted to check in with him," Ikalgo said, hopping off of the ledge.

Killua rolled his eyes, hands in his pockets. "Is that a new euphemism for ' stalk '?"

Ikalgo squinted at him and said, "No. After what happened yesterday I figured he might not be doing too great."

"What do you mean?" Knuckle said. "I saw him when he went to check out the dorms and he looked fine."

Killua's mind screeched to a halt at Knuckle's insinuation. He glanced at Knuckle, who's attention was on Ikalgo. Zushi looked between all three of them and, after assessing Killua's narrowed eyes, said, "What do you mean, 'checking out the dorms'?"

"Apparently there's an opening," Knuckle said. "Someone's roommate left this semester."

Killua didn't have long to process that before Ikalgo sighed and said, "Fat chance he'll go for it. There was a guy from his old community college that seemed interested in the room. Some guy who threw his guitar out a window."

" What? Here?!" Zushi cried, horrified.

"No, not here. Last semester," Ikalgo said. "It sounded like he had a rough go of it last semester. I got Leol to back off—Leol from discus," he explained to Knuckle, who's eyes widened.

"Gon knows Leol?" he said, shocked. "He looked rough at practice this morning."

Killua's eyes dropped to Ikalgo's hands. He looked up and caught the guy's eye and said, "What'd he say to Gon?"

"I can't repeat it," he said, and it certainly didn't take Killua a jump and a leap to come to the conclusion that the fight Ikalgo got in was worth it.

It wasn't nearly as bizarre to Killua as he might have thought, but it was none the less unnerving and infuriating to hear. He was used to snide remarks considering his profession, and he had flagged down Machi on more than one occasion to deal with vocal customers, but he had gotten into the habit of trusting his coworkers to take care of their own affairs. He had spent a good couple weeks nervous for the sake of the other dancers, but after watching Kurapika backhand a guy for good reason, he relaxed a little. They could handle themselves just fine.

But Gon wasn't a dancer, and he certainly wasn't equipped with the hardy backbone of a stripper when it came to crude comments, no matter what they were.

"We should check in on Gon," Zushi said. "Just to see if he's all right."

"You mean he didn't come to class today?" Ikalgo asked, and Zushi and Knuckle shook their heads. Ikalgo looked to Killua, who grew more and more anxious of the fact that he was, quite literally, the last person to suspect that something was off. He was certain Zushi and Knuckle came to that conclusion before class even began that morning, but Killua didn't realize until after finding Gon's seat empty.

He thought about what Knuckle had said about Gon looking at a dorm room. Is he planning on moving out? he thought, guilt draining the color from his face. Is he really that uncomfortable living with me?

"Will you come with us if we go to Gon's apartment?" Zushi said, and Killua blinked, realizing that the guy was talking to him .

"I—Um, yes. I have a key," he said, and Zushi smiled and started ahead, catching up to Knuckle on their way to the bus.

Ikalgo lingered back for Killua, and as Killua caught up, the guy trailed along beside him, his bandaged hands tucked away in his pockets. They walked in silence until Knuckle and Zushi were farther ahead so Ikalgo could say, "I find it odd that you acted so surprised about what happened to Gon. Aren't you two dating?"

"We are," he bit out through clenched teeth. "Gon doesn't have to share every little thing with me."

"This isn't exactly ' little '," Ikalgo said, and Killua wanted to punch something—preferably Ikalgo's face.

"I know it isn't. But if Gon doesn't want to talk about it, I don't want to make the situation worse," he said, and that was true. Some people coped better by avoiding conversation about it. He and Gon weren't exactly on the sort of terms that warranted transparency anyway, but he at least hoped that Gon would speak up if he really wanted Killua to know there was a problem.

But he never told you that he was planning on moving out so soon , his irrationality reminded him, and the guilt continued to fester.

Maybe he really doesn't like you .

"Maybe he doesn't trust you," Ikalgo said.

Killua sighed, looking out at the road as he muttered, "Yeah, maybe. Maybe not with this."

"Then what does he trust you with?" Ikalgo said as they slowed at the bus stop. The bus approached as Killua brandished the keys to his apartment and waved it in Ikalgo's face. Ikalgo narrowed his eyes at Killua as the four of them boarded the bus and paid their respective fares.

Killua stood during the ride, his shoulder pressed to one of the poles, arms crossed. Across the walkway, Ikalgo clasped a hand on one of the handholds over their heads, looking like a total douche canoe with his partially-undone button up and bomber jacket. They eyed each other like mortal enemies do in the Wild West at a tavern, preferably with tumble weeds for special effects. Zushi side-eyed Knuckle and whispered, "Geez," to which Knuckle replied, "Louise."

At their designated stop, Killua tugged on the string and was the first to step out of the bus. He hopped to the pavement and led the march across the street to the apartment.

He let them all into the building, his nerves in a disarray. He always shut his bedroom door out of paranoia, and the toothbrushes were fine now that everyone thought they were dating. What else was he missing? He supposed his name on the prepped meal containers made sense—but would they even look in the fridge?

He shook his head. You're overthinking it , he told himself as he reached their floor. He pulled out the key to their door and unlocked it.

Through the crack in the door, they heard the muffled sound of music playing across the apartment. Gon's bedroom door was open, just a crack, and Gon's limp body was sprawled over the floor with his head flopped off of the stairs. He had Melvin 2.0 in his arms, gently strumming off-beat to Bohemian Rhapsody as he sang, " No escape from re-al-ity... Open your eyes... Look up to the skies and see... I'm just a poor boy—I need no sympathy— "

He glanced back—or rather, upside down—at Killua in the foyer backed by Ikalgo, Zushi, and Knuckle.

Gon yelped, startled, and bolted upright. His bum lost balance on the steps and he tumbled back, flinging Melvin 2.0 into the air to avoid impact. He hit the living room floor with a thud and a groan, his guitar held at arm's length over his head.

"Uh... hey," Zushi said, weakly. He stepped past Killua, slipping his shoes off as he went, and Knuckle and Ikalgo followed suit. Killua rubbed a hand against his chin and contemplated the bizarre state they found Gon in. "You weren't in class today and we wanted to check in on you."

Gon laid back on the floorboards and put Melvin 2.0 back to his stomach, his fingers laying flat on the strings. He tapped away a hollow set of notes on the frets and sighed, "I overslept."

"That's okay," Knuckle said, crouching down beside Gon. Gon stared at the ceiling past Knuckle's head and, after a few seconds of dreadful silence, his bottom lip began to waver.

Tears bubbled up over his lashes as he turned onto his side, hugging Melvin 2.0 as Knuckle cooed and patted his hair. "S-Sorry," Gon rasped, taking a shaky breath in as he sat up just far enough for Knuckle to put his knee to the ground and hug the idiot.

Killua's nerves jolted at the sound of Gon's restrained, muffled breaths against Knuckle's shirt. He hesitated next to Ikalgo as his heart shattered into a million pieces on the ground. For a moment, he forgot what his role was supposed to be and lost complete sight of what he was supposed to do in this situation. He wasn't equipped to comfort people. Wasn't it weird for them to all gather around and just watch?

He moved forward just as Ikalgo did. They both paused to look at each other, and that second of hesitation felt like an invitation for Killua to go first. He was, after all, Gon's fake boyfriend.

He crouched down beside Gon and rubbed a hand across his back. Zushi asked where the tissues were, and Killua directed him to the bathroom. As he did, Ikalgo walked up the steps to where Gon had his bed sheets sprawled out across the wood. He started folding them up and picking up the discarded pillows along the way.

Ikalgo fetched a pillow from the kitchen where, an hour before, Gon had checked it across the room in a fit of frustration. He set the stack of blankets on the kitchen table and went in search of a glass—crying was dehydrating, after all. Before defaulting to the faucet, he checked the fridge for a filtered pitcher, and when he found none, he shut the door and paused at the flap of paper pinned by a magnet to the fridge.

Ikalgo hesitated, the glass in hand. He glanced back at the living room as Zushi came scurrying in with the tissue box. He looked back at the paper titled " Roommate Agreement " and thought, But Gon doesn't have a roommate?

His eyes stilled at Killua's name under the second rule: "Killua reserves primary bathroom access after midnight". The image of Killua flashing his keys in Ikalgo's face came to mind.

He glanced at Gon's open bedroom door, and then again several paces over to the closed door at the top of the stairs.

He caught a glimpse of Gon whispering, "I hate crying," and it snapped him back into gear. He went to the faucet and finished pouring the glass, his mind wrapping endlessly around the question, Why is Gon living with his boyfriend? and why would he lie about it?

"I don't think anyone likes crying," Killua said, and Gon laughed miserably against a tissue. "Do you always play Queen when you feel shitty?"

Gon laughed again and moaned, "Aw, stop it. So mean."

Knuckle cleared his throat and, with one arm extended like he was on stage, sang with progressive dramatics, "Didn't mean to make you cry—If I'm not back again this time tomorrow—! CARRY ON, CARRY—!" Gon shut him up but shoving the tissue box in his face.

Ikalgo sat on the steps near them and held the glass out to Gon, who thanked him, mostly recovered now aside from the pink tinge to his nose and eyes.

If he has a roommate, why would he move to the dorms just to get another roommate? Ikalgo thought.

"I, um, I take it you all know what happened then," Gon said, glancing at Zushi before looking down at the water glass.

"Yeah, Ikalgo told us," he said.

"I thought they might have known," Ikalgo said, and Gon smiled a little. "Sorry—I should have asked."

"It's fine," Gon said. He shook his head a little and said, "Better, actually. I'd rather not talk about it anyway."

"I'd like to ask something else, though," Ikalgo said, clasping his hands around his knees. Gon looked up from the glass to meet his eyes. "Do you have a roommate?"

Gon blinked, confused. He took a sip of water and said, "No, why do you ask?"

Ikalgo looked at Killua, who stilled, his hand still on Gon's back. "Then why is your name on the roommate agreement sheet on the refrigerator?"

Gon's heart came to a full stop there in the middle of the living room, staring wide-eyed at Ikalgo. He felt Knuckle retract with shock, or maybe confusion, as Killua lowered his forehead to his hand and cursed, "Fuck."

"Wait—What are you talking about?" Zushi said, and Gon flinched, glancing back as Zushi was already halfway to the kitchen, racing to the refrigerator. He tore the paper off of the door, sending the magnet scattering across the tiles as he turned the paper around and read the list over.

"It's—It's not what you think," Gon started, weakly. He grimaced when Killua gave him a deadpanned look out of the corner of his eye. "O-Okay, maybe it is what you think..."

"Are you two even dating?" Ikalgo asked.

"Yes," Gon said at the same time Killua said, "No." They both looked at each other, eyes wide. Killua swallowed hard and said nothing, so Gon clarified, closing his eyes. "It's complicated."

"Why... would you lie about being roommates?" Zushi asked, holding the paper up for Knuckle to see. He pointed off to Gon's room and said, "And you two share a bed together?!"

" No , Christ, I have my own room," Killua said, gesturing to the closed door. That seemed to pacify Zushi, but did little to stop a tick from forming against Ikalgo's tightened jaw.

Ikalgo turned to Gon and said, "Why would you live with him?"

Killua rolled his eyes as Gon hesitated to speak. "Wow, you make me sound like such a great person," Killua said, and Ikalgo glared at him.

"I just find it interesting that you're living with someone who you're dating—or not, depending on whether you two clarify that bit. Isn't this your first apartment, Gon?"

"Yes, and that's why this is so embarrassing," Gon groaned, slapping his hands over his face. "We were scammed. We both thought we were signing leases for a one bedroom apartment. We didn't exactly sign up to be roommates."

"Okay, and then that other bit... about dating..." Zushi prompted.

Before Gon could say a word, Killua put an arm around his shoulders and said, "We're dating as far as anyone's concerned—which it doesn't, concern any of you." With that, he looked pointedly at Ikalgo, who gritted his teeth, his bandaged hands poised beneath his chin.

Gon turned beet red. "Can we stop talking about the dating thing? It's really irrelevant right now—"

"It's completely relevant," Zushi squeaked, eyes wide. "First you don't tell me you're dating Zoldyck here, and now you fail to mention that you've been living together? "

Gon looked to Knuckle for backup, but Knuckle simply rubbed a hand over his mouth and said, grimacing, "It's a bad look, fam."

Gon's shoulders slumped under the weight of Killua's arm. The warmth from Killua's body only seemed to amplify the scent of his deodorant and cologne, and before he could get too high off of it, Ikalgo gestured with both hands and said, "When did you two meet?"

"I don't think that concerns you," Killua said through clenched teeth.

"So this semester," Zushi concluded.

"I really don't think you should be living with your significant other—especially when you two first met just over a month ago. Am I the only one who thinks this is a problem?" Ikalgo said.

"Yeah, and tell that to the scumbag who scammed us," Killua said, and he would have, too, if he ever came within spitting distance of Pariston Hill again. He hadn't seen the guy since the dinner party, and wouldn't likely see him around the club again after Machi and Chrollo got an earful about what a horrific experience that was.

"I've thought about it," Gon confessed, "but Killua and I aren't really—" He paused, glancing at Killua.

When their eyes met, Killua dropped his arm from Gon's back as he reconsidered everything that brought him back to the apartment that morning. The reason Gon ever crossed paths with that bastard from community college was because of the open space at the dorms.

Gon swallowed hard, looking at his lap. "I... do really like you. I guess I'm just hesitant because we're roommates. And I've never had a boyfriend. I don't want things to change."

"You do realize I'll still be the same asshole when I'm your boyfriend, right?" Killua said. Gon's eyes snapped up to his, and he looked away, rubbing at his hair. " If I'm your boyfriend. And I've... never really dated before."

" WHAT?! " Zushi screamed at the top of his lungs, and Killua thought his heart just about flung itself through his ribcage. Zushi recovered with a huff and said, "That wasn't me I swear."

"That surprises me," Gon said. Sure, he had a chat with Kurapika about it, but he had chalked up Kurapika's comments as unconfirmed theories.

"Why?" Killua said.

"Because... you're so good at flirting," Gon confessed, cheeks bright red as he ducked his head.

Killua thought to himself, Does this idiot realize what strippers do for a living? He would have said it out loud, too, if the idiot's friends weren't all staring at them like they were on the stage of some live soap opera. The compliment had his ears firing up as he pushed off of the ground and muttered, "That's because you're easy to fluster."

He grabbed the tissue box and tossed it onto the kitchen table, passing Zushi as he went. He wouldn't have been surprised if the guy had his phone out recording this whole affair, but by some stroke of luck, he didn't.

Gon stammered, flustered, and hid his face behind his knees and whined, "That—! That's no fair!"

"Have you guys looked into the landlord to get your lease business sorted out?" Knuckle asked.