It was eleven o'clock at the Zaoldyeck mansion, and twenty-year-old Illumi was not feeling especially brotherly.
"Why are you under that blanket?"
No answer.
"Don't tell me you're cold."
"But I am cold..."
"Oh, Killu -"
"Hey! What are you doing with my blanket?"
Smiling lightly, the elder brother sat on the blanket. He looked relaxed, though Killua knew from hard experience that he was always prepared to fight. "It's not even cold in here."
"Give me back the blanket!"
"Or what?"
"I'll fight you for it -"
"You're being childish, Killu. That isn't the point of this exercise, and you know it."
"You aren't even allowed to assign exercises. Only -"
"You aren't allowed to tell me what to do, because I won't allow you to. Hasn't Mother told you never to fight when you're not sure you can win?"
Killua fell into his own fighting stance. "lllumi wa. Boku ni. Moufu o. Agete yo!" Give me back my blanket!
"You're eight now. You should be sleeping with the windows open anyway." To illustrate his point, Illumi went over to the window and gave it a small tug. "Ah... you've locked it. Unlock the window, Killu, or I will be forced to break it."
Killua lunged at the now seemingly unguarded blanket, grabbing a corner, and Illumi pulled on it for a few seconds, then nodded decisively.
"Let go of the blanket or I will be forced to break it."
Killua glared at his brother, breathing hard. "I don't need to have the windows open. I know how to handle cold."
"Oh? Prove it."
"I'll open the window if you give me my blanket."
"Deal."
Killua shrugged. "Now give me back the blanket."
"Unlock the window."
"I did." He's impressively fast... I was almost a year older than he by the time I could move like that.
"All right." Ilumi lay down on his bed across the room from Killua, apparently asleep. The blanket suddenly felt cold on top of Killua, and he kicked it off. The room seemed to get warmer, and Killua fell asleep.
###
"Ohayou, Killu!"
"naniii..." what is it?
"The sun is up. You should have woken an hour ago."
"I hardly slept two hours..."
"And? I left you alone well before midnight. It's only your fault that you neglected parts of your training while you were away."
"I want the blanket back..."
"What we're doing today for training will keep you nice and warm. Unless you'd like me to tell Mother what happened last night..."
"I'm up, I'm up."
Killua walked down the hall, extending and retracting his claws all the way. Someday he'd run far away from here, to a place where Illumi would never find him again.