Paparazzi

Sharp Shooter

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: Mild language and shounen-ai, KilluaxGon.


A trio, two teenagers and one adult, walked along the crowded streets of Sirap in search of a decent café. Strangers might have questioned why one of the three, a spiky haired teen, kept his hand tight around the tail of the scarf flowing from around the elder man's neck. Unbeknownst to them, the boy had gone through hell and back just to find this one man. In fact, they had missed the struggle between the two when the younger had tried to thread his arm around the bigger man's arm, to make sure that he couldn't take off easily. That's how desperate the boy was to ensure that the man would stay by his side.

Trailing slightly behind the two, a silver haired teen watched with a slight smile. Gon had finally cornered his father, thanks to some of Killua's connections giving him a heads up on the pro hunter's location. They had reunited with only a limited amount of nen restraint necessary. It actually surprised Killua how little Ging had struggled against his 'capture'. Maybe he was just as excited to meet his son as Gon was to meet his father?

"You're such a persistent brat," Ging grumbled as Gon continued to ramble on about his journey to find him.

Maybe not. Killua felt the urge to karate chop the man in the back of the neck and run off with his friend, this guy was so not worth all of their time and effort. Ging was the complete opposite of Gon; while he'd yet to crack his serious, pissed off façade even the slightest, all Gon had done was grin like a maniac. Gon walked with a joyful skip to his step and Ging almost seemed to be dragging his feet. Although, Killua did have to admit the sheer determination Ging held to stay irritated at the boy even while Gon's undeniable charm was on full blast greatly paralleled that of his son's.

"Let's go in this one!" Gon suggested, tugging his father through the café door.

"Sure," Ging voiced dully, adding under his breath," Maybe you'll shut up when you get some food."

Killua stood beside Ging with his arms crossed. "I wouldn't bet on it." He spoke from experience, as he'd been the victim of Gon's half chewed food many a times when his enthusiastic friend was in the middle of telling a 'really good' story.

Since Gon was busy ordering food and chatting absently with the cashier about how 'amazingly awesome today is!' Ging found an open moment to find out about this kid his son had called his best friend. "So how'd you get to know Gon?" He questioned, dark eyes piercing up at Killua as if he were in the middle of an interrogation.

"The hunter exam," Killua answered nonchalantly, staring straight ahead to avoid the scrutinizing look.

Ging nodded. "Are you two the same age?"

"Yeah."

"So that means you're both …." Ging paused.

Killua was about to snap at the man for not knowing his own son's age, when he caught sight of Ging's hands. He was trying to cover them with his cloak so as not to show the fact that he was using his fingers to count. Was Ging, one of the most famous, world renowned hunters, seriously using his fingers to count? Killua blinked. Turning his attention to the other teen, he observed Gon using the exact same counting method as he tried to figure out if he'd have enough money for all of their food.

Killua's eyes widened in shock and his mouth fell open. "Oh my god," he managed to get out.

Both Freeces turned their attention to him at the same time they both said "What?"

Shaking his head Killua tried to rid himself of the mirror image he'd just seen. "Nothing," he said, keeping his face expressionless.

So these two were more alike than he'd originally thought.

Ging continued to stare at Killua oddly, but spoke emotionlessly," You two are both eighteen, then?"

He received a nod in reply, as Killua was intent on the food his traveling companion was trying to balance on his own. Just before a drink could fall from its perch on top of a plate full of food, Killua grabbed it, taking the plate along with it. Gon shot him a grateful smile then headed off in the direction of an empty table. Killua followed, eyes focused on his best friend. Ging watched the two unnoticed.

As they took their seats, Gon began his chatter again. "So did you hear me and Killua are second star hunters now?" He asked, excitement flowing from his words.

"I heard that," Ging said with a nod. He took a bite of his sandwich before continuing," That's impressive; I was only a first start hunter myself at your age."

Killua noticed a distinct light spark in Gon's eyes at his father's praise.

"Well, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have if it weren't for Killua," Gon said, laughing at the blush that crept over the ex-assassin's face," Not that he would agree, he's way too modest!"

"I'm not modest, it's just not true," Killua grumbled, hiding from the attention behind a mouth full of food.

Ging's gaze flicked between his son and Killua. "Killua tells me you two met at the hunter exam. You've been traveling together ever since?" He asked.

"Yep," Gon said matter-of-factly.

"You haven't taken a break from each other, even to spend time with girlfriends …?" Ging's question sounded harmless, but both teen's could sense the real meaning behind the words.

Suddenly, Killua felt self conscious about the way his and Gon's arms were touching and the way they picked at each other's dishes. Did their actions stand out that much? It would've drawn too much attention to scoot his chair away from Gon, so instead he settled for staring down at the table. No one had ever questioned their relationship before; all the people close to the two had just accepted that it would always be Gon and Killua together, that they were happiest with each other. But now, with the way Ging seemed to be judging them – how was Gon going to react? He knew he shouldn't have, but at that moment Killua felt insecure with himself.

Beside him, Gon's grin suddenly shrunk into a thin line. "Nope, it's just been me and Killua. Do you have a problem with that?" His voice held an edge normally reserved for the select few who managed to really piss off the normally happy-go-lucky boy.

Ging seemed slightly taken aback by the change. For the first time since their meeting he broke his emotionless mask and let a small smile slip onto his face. "I'm not judging you," he said, keeping his tone light," I was just curious."

"Well now that you know, I have to tell you about the time me and Killua went to rescue an endangered species of porpoise from extinction!" Gon's mood bounced back to normal with the elasticity of a rubber band.

But the Zoldyk heir didn't posses the same ability. The rest of the day he spoke in only one word responses and kept his eyes down cast during their whole tour of the famous city. Killua was still brooding when Ging received an urgent call, he was needed in another continent and had to leave immediately. Gon tried to hide the disappointment, but with just a glance Killua could see how crushed the ebony haired teen was by the news. Phone numbers were exchanged, and Gon convinced his father after much argument that they would meet up again as soon as Ging finished with his business.

Watching his father's back as it disappeared into the crowd of people, Gon finally let his face fall from the smile he'd been holding in place. "One day isn't enough time to make up for eighteen years apart," He said softly, his voice reflecting his sadness.

Killua pulled his one and only into a warm and comforting embrace. The smaller male returned the hug with intensity that only someone who felt emotions as passionately as Gon did could. Killua completely forgot all the other things on his mind as he let his chin rest on top of Gon's head, glad that the other teen's hair had been tamed enough that it no longer spiked to such an incredible height. Instead, it was shorter and provided a nice cushion. The sun had set, but Sirap was lit up from street lamps and store lights so that the whole city twinkled. Smiling and taking in a deep breath of cold night air, Killua realized just how stupid he was – Gon and him were right, so what if everybody didn't approve?

Moving his head so that he could peer up at the deep-in-thought Killua, Gon's own smile returned to its comfortable position resting on his lips. "Let's go back to the hotel," he said, his voice light once again.

Breaking the embrace, Killua nodded. The two walked side by side with their hands in their coat pockets to protect them from the night chill. A companionable silence fell around them as they took in the sights of the beautiful city at night. They wound through the streets until they reached the tall building that held the room they were staying in. It was then that a thought struck Gon.

"That's right! Finding Ging made me forget about our bet!" He said as they walked through the doors of the hotel.

Killua grinned. "Oh yeah, I was hoping you would. I can't believe you even made that bet – you're going to be so upset when you lose!"

The competiveness the two held sparked. Both held determination to beat the other and neither would accept defeat.

"What do you mean lose? As soon as I figure out the cheats you're using, I'm going to so win!" Gon declared loudly.

"Ha! I don't have to use cheats in Immortal Combatt to beat you!" Killua said boastfully, but the cat smile on his face said otherwise.

"We'll just have to see about that," Gon said, arms crossed defiantly.

---

"Damn! Seriously? Seriously?!"

A slightly maniacal laugh filled the room of 534 as yet more cursing followed. As promised, once Gon had found out the cheats Killua had been using to beat him in the video game he began to win. Killua, to say the least, was not taking it well. He was fuming with anger and frustration as Gon continued to beat him fight after fight. He could not lose! If he did, that meant he'd have to give up control of their money to Gon which meant he couldn't buy excessive amounts of snacks until he managed to win back control of the credit card.

Killua let out a growl. "What the hell! Did you find some cheats of your own, because I swear that move is not possible!"

Gon let out another cackle, refusing to reveal just how he was able to win. They had been playing Immortal Combatt for nearly two hours straight and were being extremely loud while doing it.

"Ugh, I'm done!" Killua moaned, dropping onto the bed with exhaustion.

Setting his controller down, Gon walked over to the defeated teen. "You admit I win?"

Killua shut his eyes. "Yeah, I admit you win."

"And you admit I have complete control over the money?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's all yours."

"And you also admit I should be inducted as a god into the Immortal Combatt hall of fame?"

One eye opened to glare at the hunter. "You're pushing it," Killua warned.

Gon plopped onto the bed beside him. "It's just, I don't normally beat you at video games," He said apologetically.

"Well don't get used to it," Killua said through a rather large yawn," Next time, I'll win … For sure …"

Glancing down, Gon couldn't help but laugh at his best friend's passed out form. Killua continued to sleep even as Gon shoved his large frame to one side of the bed so that he could also climb in. He turned the light off and then fought to pull the covers from underneath Killua before snuggling underneath them.

"'Night," he whispered before falling asleep with a smile planted on his face.

---

Wake up, go to the bathroom, do normal exercise routine, take shower, poke and jab Killua until he wakes up, exercise with him, then eat breakfast; Gon's morning routine rarely differed from this pattern. Today was no exception as he finished off his well balanced and nutritious breakfast. Across the small table provided in the hotel room, Killua was busy drenching his already sugar packed cereal with even more of the sweet substance. It was easy to come to the conclusion that Killua was indeed addicted to the stuff, as Gon had yet to see his partner go a morning without some form of sugar covered food product.

"You know what?" Killua said around a mouthful of food.

Gon was reading a recent letter from his Aunt Mito. "Hm?" He asked, not looking up.

Killua pointed his spoon at the other teen as he spoke," We get to go on vacation."

That caught Gon's attention. Looking up from the letter, he raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

Chewing and then swallowing his food, Killua informed," You said after we found Ging, we got to go on vacation."

Scrunching his eyebrows together in thought, Gon tried to remember making this particular promise. A light bulb 'dinged' in his head as his mind fell on the memory of a long train ride a couple months earlier when Killua had been complaining that they never had any free time. Feeling guilty of dragging someone so dear to his heart along with him in such a selfish quest, Gon had made the promise in hopes of making up for all the trouble Killua had to deal with.

Gon nodded in acknowledgment of the agreement. "Where did you have in mind?" he asked. He thought the question was innocent enough, but upon seeing the devilish smirk that grew on Killua's face, he began to second guess himself.

"One word: casino!"

Rolling his eyes, Gon focused his attention back on his aunt's letter. "I don't know … "he said, in disagreement of the idea fully.

"Let me explain first!" Killua interrupted hastily," This isn't any ordinary casino!"

Setting the letter down on the table, Gon gave the silver haired teen his undivided attention. He crossed his arms over his stomach, silently saying 'this had better be pretty damn good.' He knew how Killua got when he was around gambling and he didn't like it, so it was going to take a lot of persuasion to convince him going to a casino was a good idea.

Killua inwardly grinned, because now that he'd hooked him, it was going to be easy to reel Gon in to the idea. "Well, first, the casino I have in mind is near the ocean, in Sael, which means swimming and fishing for you." Through the expression on Gon's face, Killua could tell he'd made a big impact, but he needed a little more incentive to fully get him to agree. "Also, the hotel adjoined to the casino that we would be staying at is rumored to have some of the best food."

Gon's entire face lit up. "You know the way to my heart too well!" he said with a chuckle. "We can go, but you're going to have a limit on the jenny you use, okay?"

Before he had the chance to negotiate on terms, Killua was distracted by the sudden influx of activity on their hotel floor. He exchanged a look with Gon to make sure the other teen felt the odd presence also and was answered with a slight tilt of his head. Standing up so that they could tense themselves for a fight if needed, both professional hunters trained their eyes on the room's door while following the mass of movement with their nen. Tension thick enough to cut settled over them and sweat began to trickle from their foreheads from the intensity of the situation.

But instead of an attack, a rapt at the door was all that the two were met with. Of course, they could hear without using nen the commotion going on outside their door, but whoever was out there had no negative aura and so was deemed semi safe. Killua shot a questioning look to his companion that Gon responded to with a shrug. Still alert, Killua soundlessly stepped to the door and reached for the handle. As he moved to open the door, he and Gon both prepared themselves for whatever awaited them.

Nothing could have prepared them for what was outside that door.

Killua jumped back with the reflexes of a cat, his eyes wide in shock and horror, at the sight in front of him.

"It's really him! And look, there's Gon, too!"

Voices flooded the hunter's ears and they were momentarily blinded by the flash of dozens of cameras.

"Who the hell are you people?" Killua asked threateningly, but was promptly ignored.

Men and women alike shoved against each other to get a better view of Killua and Gon. Despite the pushing, they also held recorders and microphones in the air as they shouted questions into the room.

"Is it true that the two most successful hunters of this generation are actually a couple?"

"Mr. Zoldyk, sir, is it true you and Gon are romantically involved?"

"Are you two really boyfriends?"

They were answered by the room's door slamming shut in their faces. Taking in deep breathes of air; Killua quickly locked the door before taking a step away just to be safe. Gon remained silent behind him, mouth hanging open in surprise. The pair couldn't have been caught more off guard.

Stepping up to his side, Gon continued to stare at the door that was the only thing saving him and Killua from the onslaught of questions and pictures. "Killua, why is the paparazzi outside our hotel room door?' Gon asked low enough so that he could only be heard by the man beside him.

"And how do they know?" Killua asked back, also staring at the same spot as Gon.

From outside they could hear shouts for them to open the door again to answer questions and make statements.

"How high up is this room?" Killua asked, filled with fear at the mere thought of opening the door again.

"Fifth floor, too high," Gon informed quickly," And no, there are no ledges or any foot holds. We're trapped with that mob blocking our only exit."

Taking a moment more to fully clear his mind, Killua turned calmly to Gon. "Okay, we've been in worse situations then this," he said reassuring both Gon and himself," You pack everything up while I call and arrange a cab and air ship tickets to Sael."

Gon nodded, his expression was clean of every emotion except seriousness. He hurried with his job, which was thankfully quickly done since they were so used to traveling around. Unfortunately, Killua took longer to arrange everything and during that extra time the paparazzi outside began to grow restless. They started pounding on the door and shouting, making Gon flinch. He had known the news treated hunters like celebrities, but never had he planned to be the subject of their attention aside from the progress he and Killua made to improve the world.

Hanging up his cell phone and shoving it back into his pocket, Killua faced the door as if facing a firing squad. "I'll use ren, that should scare off most of them. The rest we'll just have to move out of the way ourselves."

Gon held his fishing pole out in front of him as if it were a shield. "Okay," he said, then turned to Killua with the up most serious face and added," And if I don't make it out of this alive, I love you."

Leave it up to Gon to lighten up a dire situation. "Love you, too," Killua said, a small smile pressed on his lips which Gon couldn't help but return.

With fierce determination, they turned back to the door. Killua began releasing nen and waited for a large portion of the group to leave before bracing himself to open the door. As soon as it was open, and the few brave people left behind started yelling questions and snapping pictures again, Gon rushed out. He used his fishing pole to force a pathway large enough for him and Killua to pass through out of the crowd. As soon as they were through they ran as fast as they could to the flight of stairs that would take them to the lobby, as it was faster then taking the elevator.

When they reached the lobby, both mentally winced at the mob of people waiting downstairs after having been scared away by the ren. They had forgotten they would be in the lobby also, blocking their way to the outside. With courage few men could claim, Gon and Killua ran head first into the group headed directly for the doors to the outside where the cab could be seen waiting. Some hands clutched at them to stop them, but the two were far too strong to even notice the attempts of stopping them.

As they raced out the door and to the cab, Killua flung open the vehicle's door and jumped in, followed shortly by Gon. "Drive!" He ordered, barely giving the other teen time to shut the cab's door before they were speeding away.

When a safe distance was put between the hunters and the mob of paparazzi, Gon and Killua fell back into their seats with relief. Ignoring the cab driver, Gon grabbed hold of Killua's hand; to be sure he was really there.

"That's the scariest enemy we've ever faced, hands down," he said, tightening his grip.

Killua shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going to find whoever told them about us, and personally ..." And thus the teen went off on a rant on how exactly he was going to cause the snitch pain and torment Zoldyk style.

His eyes focused on the scenes of Sirap passing by outside the window, Gon wracked his mind for an answer as to who could have possibly been so cruel as to tell the media of his and Killua's relationship. Could it have been someone as simple as one of their passed cab drivers, who like the present one, had seen them share an intimate moment? Or was it someone close to them? Gon couldn't believe that, but whoever it was had been able to say where they were staying, so that had to count towards something.

Letting out a deep sigh, Gon leaned against Killua for wordless support. Somehow he knew this whole ordeal had just begun.


A/N: Do not let anyone tell you music is not influential - I have a great dislike for Lady GaGa's music and look what happened!

And, yeah, I would love to hear opinions on this peice of work, so don't be afraid to click that button below ...