Gon felt as though he had just run a marathon and was still recovering days later. The emotional energy of explaining everything (on top of the fit he had that morning after Killua left for class) wore him down into nothing but a tired bean on the floor, cradling his guitar. When the conversation ran dry, and all was out in the open—aside from Killua's profession, that is—Killua suggested that they end the visitation period.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Knuckle sighed. He gave Gon a pat on the back and said, "Thanks for telling us, albeit after... having your arm twisted about it."

"Yeah, thanks for listening," Gon yawned from the ground, eyes closed. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"You better promise up, bub," Knuckle said, holding his pinkie out. Gon shook it with his own pinkie, and that was that.

Knuckle and Zushi left to put their shoes on in the foyer, which brought Ikalgo over to Gon as Killua watched from the kitchen, his arms folded over his chest, and his annoyance with Ikalgo simmering over the surface of his expression. Ikalgo eyed him from over Gon's head and it took an immeasurable amount of effort not to flip the guy off.

Ikalgo looked down at Gon and said, "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

Gon swallowed hard. He glanced back at Killua, and then at the front door where Knuckle and Zushi waved farewell and left. He really didn't want to take this to his bedroom, so he clasped Ikalgo around the wrist and pulled him to the foyer.

At the door, he didn't bother with shoes. Ikalgo ducked down to grab his sneakers before following after Gon, his wrist falling back to his side. The moment the front door shut behind them, Killua pushed off of the counter and hurried across the wood, skidded down the hallway, and went to the front door to press his ear to the wood and listen.

Gon went to the window at the end of the apartment corridor. There, he hopped up onto the ledge and said, "What'd you want to talk about?"

Ikalgo stuffed his bandaged hands into his pockets and shrugged, glancing back at the door as he said, "Oh, I don't know, the fact that you're living with your boyfriend? "

Gon frowned, brow furrowed. If his forehead could hurt anymore, it would. "I don't see why it concerns you," he said.

"It doesn't, but I'm worried about you, Gon. And I have a feeling that one of your reasons for hiding this is so that your mom doesn't find out," Ikalgo said, and the thought of Aunt Mito finding out about all of this made it feel like Gon's stomach acid was eating its way up his esophagus.

He swallowed it down, tense.

"If you're hiding things from the people you care about, is it really such a good thing?" Ikalgo asked, and Gon said nothing.

He knew it was irrational for him to hide this from his friends, and in the end, it felt like Ikalgo was just another excuse to keep people from finding out that he was living with Killua and—on top of all of that—was crushing on the guy .

"I didn't want to make you feel bad about this—we know now so there's no point in regretting not saying anything earlier. The more people who know, the more backup you have if things go south," Ikalgo said, and Gon glanced up at him, eyes glassy with tears. Ikalgo offered a weak smile and said, "It sucks being stuck with an ex—even if you have separate rooms. And I'm not saying you and Killua will even get to that point, but... just saying, that'll really fuck a guy up. It's not good for either party."

"You say that like you have experience in the subject," Gon said, pursing his lips.

Ikalgo laughed, shaking his head. He stepped up to the windowsill beside Gon and leant against it. "Sort of. My mom—she tends to jump from apartment-to-apartment depending on who she's dating. I never really got to see that since my abue took me in. She's never really had... stability . Let's put it that way."

"I never knew," Gon confessed. He remembered asking Aunt Mito about Ikalgo's mother, back when he was a kid. She held equal disdain for Ikalgo's mother as she did for Ging Freecss.

"Yeah, not exactly a topic for casual conversation," he said, and Gon smiled, rubbing a hand under his eyes as he did.

As they were sitting there, a set of footsteps came up the stairs to their floor. Gon looked up at the sight of a woman stepping into view, glancing at the number on their neighbor's door, and then towards Gon and Ikalgo. She didn't look familiar, so Gon assumed she was a visitor.

"Hi," Gon said, smiling despite how crusty his face felt from crying earlier.

"Oh, hello," she said. She lowered her phone and tipped her head to the side as she looked at Gon and said, "You... must be Gon, right?"

Gon blinked, startled. He never met this woman before—he'd remember someone as beautiful as her if he had, anyway. She was dressed up in a neat suit and pencil skirt, and she came equipped with a paper grocery bag.

"I, um, yes?" Gon said, straightening a bit as she walked up to them.

She held her hand out to him and said, "Sorry, it's just—You look so much like my boss. Alluka's also told me about you. Canary."

Gon's heart stilled in his chest as he clasped onto her hand. His mind wound instantly back to the day Gon woke Killua up in a panicked stupor, kicking him directly in the ribcage. It spiraled back to Canary's comment about her boss, and Gon thought to himself, Oh, right, Canary works for Ging .

"N-Nice to meet you. Killua's inside," Gon said.

The moment Canary thanked him and went to the door, Gon was on his feet in a panic. He wanted to see what Canary needed with Killua, if only to confirm his suspicions. He looked back at Ikalgo with an apologetic smile and said, "Let's... talk about this later."

"Okay," he said, but before Gon could go, he caught Gon by the wrist and said, "What did she mean about her boss?"

"She works for Ging," Gon explained, and pulled away to follow after Canary through the apartment door, leaving a baffled Ikalgo behind.

Gon slipped inside and shut the door behind them. He pressed his back to the door, dangerously close to Canary and her grocery bag as she slipped off her heels. She glanced back at him with a smile before stepping into the hall. Gon stared after her, only then releasing the breath that was caught in his chest.

"Killua!" Canary called out, glancing into the bathroom was she strolled past. "I'm just dropping some things off—Did you get my text?"

Gon jogged down the hallway, chasing after her as she emerged into the living space. The living space was empty, as was the kitchen, the bathroom, and—as Canary peeked in—so was Gon's room.

Canary turned around with a frown, lips pursed, the grocery bag balanced in her arms. "He's not in there," she said.

"Maybe... he stepped out?" Gon said.

"I didn't see him... these two kids let me in—unless there's a back door. That might be it," she sighed. She nudged the grocery bag onto the table and said, "Well, this'll make my trip super quick then. Alluka's been on a baking spree, so I brought over some choice items . We've got banana muffins, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, bread . I never understood the art of making bread."

She pulled a loaf of what looked like sourdough from the bag. It was covered in wax paper and Canary put it to her nose, eyes closed, and took a whiff of it. She held it out to Gon, who hesitantly sniffed it. Fresh .

"That's good, huh?" she said, smiling. "Killua loves Alluka's sourdough. I mean, I love it too, but if she's mad at me she doesn't let me have it. Which is why you two get this loaf."

Gon saw the conversational opening and took it. "Why would she be mad at you?" he asked, frowning.

Canary sighed as she pulled out the pumpkin bread. "Same old, same old. I've got a trip coming up for work, so I'll be in New York for a month. Alluka's a homebody and she doesn't like change."

"Why doesn't she come with you?" Gon asked.

"Mostly because she's worried about leaving Killua," she said. She folded up the paper bag and smiled at Gon. "Otherwise I'm sure she'd consider it. She's worried about him—but she's glad he's got you around."

She paused to study Gon, her smile slipping. Gon offered encouragement back in the form of a bright grin and said, "Well, we've got three years of uni left. I'll still be here after you guys get back from New York."

She laughed, and Gon's heart lightened a little. He didn't like the idea of Killua's sister fighting with her wife. "I don't doubt it. But in the meantime, she can be pissy at me. It's not like I'll leave for New York and never come back," she said as she strolled past Gon. She gave him a pat on the shoulder as she wandered back to the hallway.

As she slipped on her heels, she said, "Tell Killua I stopped by, all right?"

"Of course," Gon said, and showed her out so that he could lock the door behind her.

After the door shut, he realized just how much chaos he endured before noon. He put a hand to his forehead and sighed, "It feels like two entire days just happened."

He wandered back to the living room, only to leap with a shriek of terror at the sight of a body peaking out from under the kotatsu, arms splayed out. His heart leapt from his chest as he realized it was Killua, lying there with his dead eyes on the ceiling.

"Is she gone?" Killua asked.

"Yeah, I—Were you under there the whole time?" Gon squeaked, jittery and all levels of shook .

Killua rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair, making it stick up at all angles as he groaned and said, "Yeah—I panicked."

Gon wanted to laugh if he wasn't still recovering. "Wow, Killua Zoldyck panicking? A rare occurrence," he teased. He joined Killua at the kotatsu and leant his arms against the table. Killua sat up and leant on his hand, closer to the corner where Gon was sitting with his legs crossed under the table.

Killua's hair turned floppy now that gravity was upon it again. He pushed it back and said, "Yeah, don't get used to it."

"Do you..." Gon started, only to halt when Killua met his eyes. The striking blue felt like a needle straight through Gon's soul as he looked down at his hands and thought to himself, DON'T ASK! "Did... something happen with you and Canary?" FUCK!

Thankfully, all Killua responded with was a scoff and said, "What does that mean?"

Gon's shoulders tensed, a blush spreading up from his neck and to his cheeks. Killua noticed it instantly, his smug expression fading. "Wh-Why are you blushing?" he stammered, and Gon fiddled with his fingers over the tabletop, refusing to look up. "Nothing's happened between—me and Canary? What the hell, Gon—"

Gon couldn't even deny the relief that swept through him. Among other things, the primary concern on his mind was the fact that Canary was Killua's sister's wife . He couldn't imagine the drama that would ensue.

Killua leant against the table, squinting at Gon. "What made you think that?"

At this, Gon's blush became opaque. He ducked his head down against his forearms and hid his mouth behind them as he muttered the answer, scowling across the room.

Killua leant closer and said, "Speak up, you bastard."

"That—That time I woke you up in the morning," Gon said, glancing sparingly at Killua. Killua was watching him, eyes wide and attentive. "You were half-awake and you, um, said her name. And then kissed me."

Shock fractured across Killua's face. Gon put a hand to the side of his own flaming cheek and looked away, thinking back to the kiss—however minor and insignificant it really was. It was his first innocent kiss, but it couldn't in any way be compared to what Killua had showed him just the other day. When Killua showed him that innocent little pecks were just a minuscule fraction of what they were capable of.

"I—" Killua started, voice cracking. He cleared his throat when Gon looked up at him. He looked away and said, "Sorry. For kissing you without your permission."

That... wasn't what I expected , Gon thought, eyes wide. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because it was a dick move? I don't know?" Killua said, ears pink. "Just because I was half-asleep doesn't—Whatever. And where Canary's concerned, she doesn't matter now. I used to—I used to have a crush on her when I was in high school, but I'm over it. It doesn't matter now."

"You say that like it does matter."

Killua rolled his eyes. "It does matter because you think she'll interfere with my infatuation with you, is that it?"

Gon let out an absurd noise and gave in to his future career as a squeaker toy. "That—! That isn't it!" he cried, despite how grateful he was that Killua was being honest with him. The mystery of Canary was solved at long last, and yet he was still flustered about it.

Killua leant towards him, a grin spreading across his lips. "Is it really so difficult to believe that I like you more than Canary?" he asked, as if Gon couldn't blush any more.

"Y-Yes! She's beautiful—"

"Sure, but she can't play the guitar—"

"P-Plenty of people can play the guitar—" I'm not special .

"—or the accordion?" Killua said, and Gon flustered, a stammering mess.

"That—The accordion isn't attractive," he pouted, frowning at Killua.

"On the contrary," he all but purred, sending a shiver up Gon's spine. His eyes slid down from Gon's, past his lips, and to his hands, which clasped onto his forearms as Killua checked him out. He held his breath. What could he possibly say to make the accordion appealing ? he thought.

"It takes skilled fingers to be able to play the accordion."

Gon reacted without thinking. He slapped a hand over Killua's forehead and shoved him away, shrieking, "Sh-Shut up!" as Killua fell back, laughing. "You're so embarrassing! Those are all just instruments I play."

"Fine," Killua said, leaning back in. He propped his chin up on his hand and smiled, saying, "You want me to continue?"

Gon knew it would only make him blush more, but after the day he had... this was the lightest he felt since before his encounter with Leol. "Please," he whispered, his grip tightening on his arms.

Killua reached forward. His fingers grazed Gon's, pulling them from where he had a death-grip on his elbow. Killua clasped his fingers over Gon's. They were warm and calloused—far from soft, but entirely Killua's. Gon looked down at them as Killua said, "I like being able to tease you. Canary never blushes or gets flustered or... embarrassed . I like that you aren't too serious. It's refreshing."

Gon bit his lip and, after a moment, Killua opened his mouth to continue. Gon went instead. "I... like that you're so confident. I wish I had your confidence." He glanced up at Killua, who watched Gon with wide, blue eyes. Gon scratched the side of his face with his free hand and said, "And I also like that you're so level-headed. Well, most of the time. You feel so much wiser because of it. Even though we're only eighteen..."

"Perks of having gone through shit," Killua said, and Gon laughed a little. Killua smiled.

"I also like that you play the piano," Gon confessed in one quick breath. He broke into a grin as Killua laughed. "I like that we can make cool music together. I wanna produce more music with you—even if you are a hard-ass in the studio."

Killua smiled and said, "If I wasn't a hard-ass, you'd fuck around in the studio for ten minutes and call it good."

"Would not," Gon pouted.

They fell quiet, smiling like idiots and holding hands over the table. After a brief moment of silence, Killua broke it to ask, "Are you gonna get the dorm room?"

Gon looked up at him, expression shifting from shock to a somber frown. He shook his head. "I don't think so. Unless—I mean, unless you don't want to live with me. Which is okay! I don't mind, I get why it might cause problems and I know you wanted a single bedroom apartment so—"

"No, I want to live with you," Killua said, and before Gon could go on, he added, "I just want to make sure you're comfortable living with me. I wasn't sure if I overstepped boundaries or made you uncomfortable—I figured that was why you wanted to move."

"I never said I wanted to move," Gon insisted, shaking his head.

The two of them visibly relaxed. All of the tension they had built up over the past several days effectively dissipated. The uncertainty about their living situation was dispelled—Killua no longer had to worry about breaking the lease and finding a new place, and Gon no longer had to worry about the security of his position at Killua's side.

Long after they both fell quiet, Killua's hand still clasped over Gon's fingers, Gon's quiet voice spoke up, "I like when you kiss me."

Killua's heart stammered in his chest. He watched the way Gon bit his lip, looking at their joined hands. Killua straightened, slightly, so he could lean against the table, just above Gon's eye level. Gon's eyes followed him as he hesitated several inches away. He could smell Gon's mint toothpaste on his breath.

Killua sucked in a deep breath and asked, "Do you want me to kiss you now?"

Gon nodded, wordless. When Killua dipped forward, Gon met him halfway, remembering how kissing meant that he needed to relax his lips, and in doing so, they softened against Killua's and melted together in a slow, easing pull. Killua pushed in again, tipping his head to the side as Gon braced his hand against the edge of the table and leant into it, pushing up on his knees as Killua's hand found his hair. Gon's fingers tightened around Killua's hand when he felt Killua's tongue drag along his lips as he pulled away.

They released, slightly winded, and eyes lidded as they stared at one another from over the corner of the kotatsu.

Killua ruffled his hand through Gon's hair. Gon's nose wrinkled up. "There. Ask me whenever—preferably not when I have morning breath," Killua said.

"'K-Kay," Gon rasped, dropping back onto the floor as Killua pushed to his feet. He watched Killua walk off to grab his backpack, leaving Gon's hand uncovered on the table, still warm from when Killua held it all that time.

a/n: I changed my username since I rebranded across the board today hehe you can find me on Twitter under kornspiracy if that's something you're into hehe