The hospital visits were always so wonderful to look forward to. It was with an inner sense of glee that Shoot McMahon would await them when visiting hours opened up. Despite the hell that he'd gone through during the mission, it was Knov's quick thinking that really saved his life, having a medical team ready in his nen room.

His lips curled up at either side ever so slightly, forming a small smile.

Out of all of things that could have possibly happened to the twenty-eight year old hunter, he'd ended up making friends.

And he couldn't wait to see their smiling faces again, despite him not actually saying this…ever. No, he was too shy to even do that.

Today was a special day actually…he was getting released from the hospital and his new roommate was coming to pick him up and escort him to their new shared place.

"You can't expect to be 100% by the time they let you out! They wait till you're pretty much not dieing anymore before they decide to let you go. But it's okay! Sensei thinks it's a good idea that we live together for the time being!", Knuckle beat his chest proudly, "And I have no problem looking out for my partner in crime!"

Shoot smiled a little more at the memory. The only real way to describe it was…sweet? Is that an accurate word? Perhaps…

He had no regrets on the decision to move in with Knuckle. Of course, he was hesitant at first when Knuckle suggested it because he didn't want to be a burden on his fellow UMA Hunter. Of course Knuckle was waving his arms frantically and saying that it wouldn't be any trouble.

Shoot sat up in his hospital bed, deciding to prepare for his hospital release and departure as best as he could manage without it being too uncomfortable.

Move in time, and Shoot felt pangs of guilt. He'd been watching as Knuckle took care of everything. Of course, Knuckle had insisted and wouldn't let up until they would agree on it. His reasoning was that Shoot needed even more rest and that it was doctor's orders.

On the couch of their living room space, Shoot wondered what else Knuckle would volunteer himself to do for him. He shuddered a little, "Knuckle…."

Heavy steps came thudding through from the kitchen until that pompadour came into view before the rest, "Yeah?"

"There are things I can do on my own you know…."

"Nonsense! I gotcha! It's no problem!"

"B-but…what I mean is….."

"HAH? Speak up! I can't hear you!", Knuckle stepped towards the couch and turned, sitting down next to his partner.

Shoot shifted slightly away, "What I mean is, I don't mind you doing something like cooking but for…personal things…"

Knuckle blinked, "Ooooh! Well didn't the doctors say you didn't have to be babied? I won't do anything awkward!"

"Uh….", how could he possibly explain that even the way Knuckle was sitting, spread out with one arm on the armrest and the other practically over his shoulders, was a little awkward in itself? It was at that moment that he smelled a peculiar odor, "What is that smell?"

Knuckled shot up from his spot and dashed for the kitchen, "OH SHIT IT'S BURNING!"

Shoot found it a little hard to not laugh softly. If every day would be like this, then perhaps he shouldn't be all that nervous. He'd been used to living alone so having someone else around was a nice change. It wouldn't have been welcome to the 'old' him, but this 'new' him who emerged from NGL a little braver, found that no one else but Knuckle was acceptable for the role of roommate.

When he sat down at their little black table to the soup, he blinked down at it.

"What's up?"

"Knuckle…what kind of soup is this?"

"MEAT!"

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"I added a bunch of different kinds of meat and veggies. If you eat a ton of meat, you gotta have the fiber to go with it you know what I'm sayin?"

Shoot just picked up the spoon, warily eyeing his soup before he shrugged. It may have looked bad, but it couldn't taste as bad as it looked. He saw Knuckle had already dug in. Getting a bit of the soup in the curvature of the spoon, noticing a lump of some sort of fat move in almost like an amoeba, he gulped before bringing the spoon up to eye level.

Nothing in it is moving….

He decided to take the first taste of Knuckles soup.

Knuckle was alarmed when Shoot had gone silent. He looked up, "H-HOLY SHIT!", getting up and dashing over, he turned the chair Shoot sat in and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him gently, "ARE YOU OKAY!?"

Shoot's stare was blank and lifeless, "I….I just tasted death again…."

Knuckle shook him harder, "OI YOU ASSHOLE MY SOUP IS NOT THAT BAD IS IT!?"

A little life returned to Shoot's eyes, "C-can we order take out….please!?"

Sitting on the couch and eating another slice of pizza, Shoot hunched forwards a bit and nibbled at the cheese hanging loosely from the slice.

It wasn't like he wanted to tell Knuckle that he was a terrible cook, but the taste, or lack of taste, in the soup had taken him by surprise. No….the soup had a taste. The only way to describe it was….dreadful….absolutely dreadful.

Knuckle had been pouting for a while about it. He was under the impression that it was decent…which was the scariest part. What the hell kind of sense of taste did Knuckle even have!? Or was it his pride that allowed him to think such a bad dish was even passable as food.

If Knuckle would have fed that to the chimera ants, we wouldn't have needed to fight them to kill them….

He looked up in wonder when Knuckle was suddenly in front of him, "K-Knuckle!?"

The man had tears in his eyes.

Shoot felt even more guilt in his gut. That's right…he's really sensitive about…

"It's okay Shoot! You'll have a normal sense of taste when you're 100% better!"

Shoot wanted to punch him. Instead, his mouth hung open in both shock and horror. HE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!

Knuckle sniffled, "I-I forgot….y-you're used to that hospital food! You don't remember what good food tastes like anymore! It's okay! I'll cook all of your meals until you're all better!"

OH MY GOD NO!

At that point….Shoot himself was ready to cry.

Knuckle hadn't the slightest clue why Shoot was actually tearing up. He sunk to his knees, giving his partner a big hug, "I am sooo sorry! The food was that bad!? It's okay Knuckle is here to help!"

N-nooooooooo…I can't tell him what I think. Bear with it Shoot…bear with it….

The sound of squish caught both hunters attention.

They both looked down to see that Shoot's pizza had been in the middle of their 'hug'.

Shoot stammered, "O..oh! I'm sorry about that!"

"Nah! It's fine! I'll just wash this out. I needed to take a shower anyway. I didn't after moving the stuff in here! Hahah!"

Shoot just continued to eye the pizza, "Ah…okay…could you let me go though?"

Knuckle pulled away quickly, "Uh…I'm not usually a night shower person though. I like showering in the mornings to get ready for the day."

Shoot shrugged, "I'm usually a night shower person, so that's okay with me. But you really should have showered after moving both of our things here…seriously."

Knuckle just cracked a wide grin, "Yeah well, nothing wrong with having a little bit of man funk on me in my own place, know what I'm saying?"

Shoot gave him a look of horror.

Knuckle laughed, "Oh geeze! I'm just kidding! Kidding! I'll go shower now!"

Shoot just watched him walk off, deciding not to say anything and throw away the pizza slice in favor or another slice.

The bathroom was connected directly to the bedroom, which Shoot had decided to check out for himself. He frowned when he'd given himself a tour and realized that there was only one bedroom and only one bed.

Well….we're grown men. It shouldn't be that much of a problem…and it's not like he likes me or anything. We're just under the same sensei…and went on the biggest mission of our lives together…and are now living together because everyone thinks I need someone to look after me until I fully recover

He sighed.

Nothing wrong with that.

He sat on the bed, deciding that he could get a bit of reading in before sleep. He'd curled up on one side of the bed, setting the book down with his hand before him and assumed a position comfortable for reading.

That was when he heard the strangest thing he'd ever heard in his life.

"Ooooooh yeah yeah baby! You rock my world!"

Shoot didn't have a moment to read from his bookmarked page before he shot a glance at the bathroom door.

"UH UH baby you're all I neeeeeeeeed!"

"What in the world…?", Shoot froze. Knuckle was….singing? In the shower? He shuddered. Oh please no….he does not have a good singing voice and what the hell kind of song is that!?

"Just give it to me baby! OH YEAH!"

Shoot was already at the door. This needed to stop and now…

"Yeah yeah! You rock my world you know you did! And everything I own I gi—"

"KNUCKLE!"

"Huh?", the voice came from the other side of the shower curtain.

Shoot didn't know how Knuckle could function with the amount of steam that built up just….everywhere….in the bathroom. And there was such a strong smell….was that his body wash?

"What's up Shoot?"

He wasn't sure where to begin, "W-what are you doing?"

"Oh! What kind of shower isn't pleasant when you sing? Damn the water feels good, the steam feels good, I'm getting all clean. It's a great feeling! Why would you not sing!?"

Shoot let go of the doorknob and facepalmed.

"You should try it sometime! Do you know the song?"

"N-no….I don't…."

"Oh it's by this dude named…."

"What's that smell that's so strong?"

"Oh…that's my shampoo and body wash? Isn't it amazing!?"

"It's strong…"

"I also have the same brand in cologne. Hey hey Shoot…."

"What?"

"Let me….Axe you a question! Ahahahah!"

"Could you just keep it down a little? Please. I'm reading."

"Oh? What are you reading?"

Shoot's face had gone red, "Uh…just a novel I never got to finish…"

Knuckle moved a bit of the curtain to peer out, "Why do you sound like a high school girl? Huh? What kind of book is it?"

Shoot had turned and bolted.

Knuckle blinked, "Hah….", then he went back to resume his nighttime shower. Minding his voice as he went back to singing while smoothing the shampoo through his hair.

Shoot had hidden the book and was already in bed by the time Knuckle had come out.

Without a word, Knuckle had gone to a dresser and pulled it open, deciding what nighttime gear to put on. He figured Shoot was probably already asleep. He usually went to bed in his birthday suit, but he figured he shouldn't do that with a roommate. He smiled as he pulled out the pajamas he desired and set to put them on.

Shoot was facing the wall when Knuckle had climbed onto the other side of the bed.

"Hey Shoot."

"Mmm?"

"So what kind of book is it? You don't want to tell me? You don't mind me…axe-ing?"

S-such a terrible pun…on your shampoo and body wash…

He shuddered, "I'd rather not."

"Awww c'mon why?"

"What are you….a twelve year old!?", Shoot maneuvered to turn over and the sight that met him caused him to freeze.

Knuckle blinked when Shoot exploded into laughter, "What?"

Shoot felt tears form as he laughed at Knuckle's pajamas.

Knuckle, in a hot pink top and pajama pants with brown dogs and paw prints imprinted all over them, was just confused. On top of that, he was on his side, holding his head up with a hand, elbow resting on the bed. His other hand at his hip and a knee bent up so a foot was planted on the sheet.

"Y-you…those are your pajamas!?"

Knuckle blushed, "SHIT MAN! Don't make fun of my pjs! What's wrong with them!?"

"A-are you," he couldn't stop laughing, "A-a five year old!? Oh my god!"

"OI!", his face was as pink as his pajamas. He waited until Shoot's laughter died down.

Reduced to giggles, Shoot heaved a sigh, "I just…I'm in a little bit of shock is all. I'm sorry."

Rather than stay annoyed, Knuckle let out a little chuckle himself, "Pfffft. You're cute when you're laughing like that. You ought to smile more."

Shoot just turned back over, hiding his face and lowering his voice, "I-it's a romance novel okay?"

"OOOOOOH!? Your book!?"

"Look…I just…it…has a good plot…."

He expected roaring laughter, instead he didn't hear anything.

Shoot turned back over, seeing Knuckle kept up his pose and had a wide grin as he exclaimed, "Draw me like one of your Yorknew girls!"

Shoot erupted into giggles again, this time Knuckle joining him.

Okay….so maybe living with Knuckle was an adjustment, but it wouldn't be all that bad. He just needed to cook or order breakfast in the morning.