Disclaimer: I do not own HunterXHunter

Unbearable heat swathed over Gon's body, blazing through him like an uncontrolled wildfire. His skin was slick with sweat and his damp clothes clung tightly along the contours of his body. The fleece blanket covering him acted as a layer of insulation, trapping all the heat inside with him. He felt like he was in a furnace yet as soon as he stuck so much as a few toes outside of his personal oven, a chill rattled his bones and he quickly withdrew his foot back to where it was safe within the cocoon. Though he was warm he couldn't stop shivering and his teeth chattered together on their own. Gon weakly tugged his blanket over his head so he was completely covered.

The unrelenting fever made him feel groggy and tired. He just wanted to sleep but those memories were becoming persistent and it was getting to the point where the more he absorbed the worse he felt. Perhaps the incoming rate was too much for his mind to handle, similar to a multilane highway narrowing into a single road. His body was becoming increasingly congested with too much information and it would require time for adjustment.

Quiet voices whispered back and forth in the background, quiet enough that a normal person wouldn't be able to pick up on what was being said, but with Gon's finely tuned hearing he could pick up on some of it. Soma and Erina were engaged in a heated discussion and probably thought he was still asleep.

Soma: "This doesn't feel right. We should tell him. Or at least-"

Erina: "No, absolutely not."

Soma: "He deserves answers…"

Erina: "What he does or doesn't deserve doesn't matter. He needs to figure it out on his own."

Soma: "I guess you're right. I don't like it though."

What are they talking about? Do they know what happened to me? Are they… my enemies!?

Weakly, he tried to push himself up so he could confront them, but his strength was negligible at best and he could barely move. Though he was frustrated and distressed, he was increasingly overwhelmed with the weight of exhaustion pushing down on his consciousness. He wasn't ready to go back to sleep, but whatever sickness it was that overtook him had other plans.

xxxx

Pew! Pew! Pew! The little grey spaceship continued its clumsy, linear voyage through space as it mercilessly pummeled multicolored enemy ships with its missiles. It was only stage four, and while the enemy ships had the advantage in numbers, grace and speed they posed no threat to Gon who had become an expert over the past two weeks. He would not be taken down so early in the game, not with the high score on the line.

He watched as a row of green enemy ships formed a circle above his ship and rained down missiles upon him as they rotated clockwise. He dodged effortlessly while simultaneously destroying each ship with an attack of his own. A blue ship flanked him from the left, trying to capture his spacecraft but he dodged that too and took it out with a well-timed attack. The enemies were coming in faster now in a dizzying array of missiles and suicide pods. Gon furrowed his brow and clutched the joystick tightly while he focused on dodging and attacking his targets.

Daily escapes to the arcade across the street had become a part of Gon's routine. It was a necessary break from the stringent schedule Hisoka had him following now that they were working together on the mission. Each day they would wake up before dawn, eat breakfast and go for a run. Breakfast generally occurred in the hotel's café but occasionally Hisoka cooked for them instead. When they finished their run, they went directly to the gym where the magician would coach him through an intense workout session with only a small break for lunch in the middle.

By the time they were finished it was early evening and Gon had just enough time to take a shower before the pair would scout out the city and eventually have dinner. After their meal Hisoka would report in with his contact while Gon made his way to the arcade.

Hisoka refused to admit it, but Gon felt certain his insistence on training him stemmed from genuine concern for the teen's wellbeing now that he was actively participating in his mission. It didn't feel necessary though because Hisoka only permitted him to assist from the sidelines. The teen tried in vain to change his mind, citing his bet with Killua. Of course, Hisoka was quick to point out that it didn't apply because he never agreed to anything nor would he have had he been there at the time of the wager.

Speaking of which, his bet with Killua was a bit of a sore subject now that he knew Killua wasn't actually going to let him help. The morning after the assassin left to pursue his target, he sent a text to Gon that said he was sorry and that he would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to him during the mission. Gon still felt bitter about the whole thing, and even more so when he realized he fell for Hisoka's well planned distraction to keep him home the night of the festival. It appeared that having his best friend on speaking terms with Hisoka was just as much of a hinderance as the alternative had been.

Instead of raging at them for their deception, Gon decided he would take matters into his own hands and prove to them that they were wrong. He wasn't weak and he could still handle whatever the enemy had to throw at him, even without his Nen. As a result, he only spent a third of his free time at the arcade, with the rest being dedicated to finding the group of acolytes on his own.

Quickly, Gon shook his head to dispel the deep-seated anger he felt towards that whole situation. His gaze shifted to the top of the screen, glancing at the game's high score to help him refocus his attention to his current goal. He didn't want to just overcome that score, he wanted to demolish it. The stages were increasing in difficulty with more enemies, all of which attacked at a higher frequency then in previous levels. He was at level 8 now and this was as far as he'd managed to get at any point. He had one life left and was frantically dodging and attacking the enemy ships.

When he thought he was in the clear, having just barely gotten his ship out of the way of a particularly heavy barrage of missiles, an unexpected enemy appeared and blew him up with its first shot. The cheeky game had the balls to display "You Failed" in big letters on the screen, making Gon's fingers itch to deposit another coin and prove the bastard wrong. His gaze swung to the clock on the wall before coming back to glare at the mocking screen.

Damnit. I'm out of time.

With a deep breath he released the joystick and stepped away from the game. It was time to focus on the mission. After coming up empty handed the past few evenings, he decided to try something a little different that night. Hisoka wasn't aware but when he was on the phone with his contact the previous night Gon had been listening in on the conversation. He knew exactly where they would be meeting and planned to listen in for any relevant information.

Sparing one last heated glare toward the damnable game that had bested him once again, Gon strolled out of the arcade and made his way to the park. It would have been pitch dark outside had it not been for the illuminating glow of lights plastered throughout the nocturnal city. Without the warmth of the sun the air had a chilly bite to it so Gon zipped his moss green sweater up and covered his head with its hood.

Given it was Saturday night there were throngs of people navigating through the city, making their way to their various destinations. Gon passed a group of young women, their colorful skirts and blouses hugging the smooth curves of their figures, revealing just enough to draw in attention but not so much as to appear desperate. The air about them was predatory while their excited expressions radiated mischief. Their footwear was what really caught Gon's eye though. Their feet were dressed in anything from black leather boots to sandals, all with killer heels spiking down to support their weight.

It reminded Gon of Hisoka and his peculiar choice in footwear. Shoes with those kinds of heels were difficult to walk in let alone to wear while engaged in combat. He even asked Hisoka about it, but the magician only said something about them being a necessary part of his persona, whatever that meant. Much to Hisoka's amusement, the teen tried them on once out of curiosity. They threw his center of gravity off so much that he practically fell on his face and the fact that they were way too big didn't help the situation at all.

Gon continued toward the park, trying his best to blend in with the crowd and be as inconspicuous as possible. Upon arriving to the outskirts of the park, Gon searched for a private area where he could mask his scent. He knew Hisoka likely wouldn't be using his en to ensure no one was tipped off to his private conversation. The teen just needed to blend in with the environment like he did at the exam. If he was able to get away with it once he could do it again.

He grabbed handfuls of dirt and leaves from the surrounding area and rubbed it all over his clothing, hair, and exposed skin. Once satisfied with the earthy odor covering his body, he crept as close as he dared to the area of the park where Hisoka should have been before scampering up a nearby tree for additional cover.

From his vantage point he could see Hisoka sitting on a park bench, legs crossed and resting one arm along the backside of the bench. Sitting next to him was an older male, maybe in his late forties. His salt and pepper hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and he wore a long black cloak that flowed down his frame to rest against the leather of his black boots. The man certainly blended in more then Hisoka, but then again, the magician never really cared about that. Blending in simply meant a missed opportunity for a good fight. Gon was just close enough to pick up on their conversation and he listened keenly for important information.

"How is it that despite your position in this cult you have yet to provide me with any relevant information? You know how I feel about toys that lose their value." While his tone was light, Hisoka's expression gave away his irritation.

The man appeared unfazed by Hisoka's threat. "Everyone involved with that operation has been given express permission to act independently. No one knows what they are up to except for them."

"Hmm, and I wonder why that would be? Perhaps it's because you weren't very careful and now they know they have a mole. What do you think Iori? Could that be it?"

"Your passive aggressive behavior makes you really hard to work with, you know that?"

"And your ineptitude makes you killable. The question is should we get it over with now or after you've made more mistakes." With that a single card appeared in the magician's hand and he pressed it threateningly against his contact's jugular.

Iori remained unflustered despite his circumstances. Whether or not a card was currently cutting into his neck was a non-issue for him and instead he continued the conversation like it wasn't there. "I do have some information that may be of value to you. Its vague at best but you may be able to do something with it."

"Go on…"

"There's been chatter suggesting they are planning to gather soon. It has something to do with summiting and the moon but I'm not sure what the connection is."

Gon furrowed his brow, considering what he had heard. He felt like he could remember something that had to do with those things, it was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't seem to pull the memory forward.

"Summiting and the moon…. Is that really the best you have to offer? What exactly am I to do with that information?"

"I believe it relates to the location of where they plan to gather. Potentially, if you could figure it out you might be able to get the entire group in one go. I also know there will be some kind of signal to mark their exact location. A light or something."

A soft sigh escaped from the magician and his hand shook ever so slightly, like he was trying to control his desire to kill Iori on the spot. "Its fortunate for you that you're my only in with the cult at the moment or you'd be dying in a pool of your own blood by now." He lowered his card, disappointed that he would not be killing the troublesome man that night. "Get me something more concrete by tomorrow night or it'll be your last."

Slowly getting up from his spot on the bench, Iori turned slightly to address the magician. "You say that every night, yet I'm still here. I'm not too worried." With that he vanished with a card jutting out of the ground right where he had been standing a moment prior.

Gon watched as Hisoka walked over to the card and pulled it out of the soil. It disappeared in his hand just as suddenly as it had appeared while the magician left with an annoyed grunt. The teen wasn't sure if Hisoka actually intended to kill Iori or not, but it did seem like the man was running out of patience for his contact.

He knew he would need to make his way back to the hotel soon because it would be out of character for him to stay out so late and he did not want Hisoka to become suspicious of his extracurricular activities. Still, he remained seated along the branch, pondering those two words.

Summiting and the moon. What do they have to do with each other? Summiting has to do with mountains and the moon has to do with… the moon…. Ugh. Well the moon comes out at night…

Suddenly the teen shot up, his eyes brimming with excitement as the connection finally dawned on him. He remembered the second day of the light festival and the show the recruiter put on for everybody. He talked about mountains to the east and there was in fact a mountainous region in that direction. And the moon in the story was full so they must be planning to meet in the mountains during the next full moon, probably at midnight since that's when the spirits came out.

Pleased with himself and his ability to figure it out on his own, Gon smiled brightly while happily humming as he made his way back to the hotel. This couldn't have gone any better and now he'd be able to find them on his own and show everyone just how competent he was. The full moon was only one day away and, on that day, he would make his way to their meeting and verify their location. Next, he'd text Hisoka for back up so he could take care of getting the information out of them. It couldn't have been more perfect.

xxxx

When Gon returned to his hotel room he found Hisoka relaxing out on the balcony, staring into the abyss of steel and glass while casually sipping at the amber liquid in his crystal tumbler. He seemed surprisingly relaxed given not even ten minutes ago he looked like he was ready to kill someone. He noticed Gon immediately and smiled at the teen before taking note of the inch-thick layer of dirt coating him.

"Did you fall again, little fruit?" His amused tone held just a hint of curiosity.

Having completely forgotten how dirty he was after trying to hide his scent, Gon was relieved to not need to come up with a believable excuse on his own. He wasn't very good at lying so this simplified things for him.

"Yeah, I wasn't paying enough attention I guess." He moved to take a seat next to Hisoka, stopping when he felt the man's warm hand grasp his wrist. He tugged on his arm, pulling Gon to eye level before softly kissing those luscious lips. The teen only blushed a little, finally becoming used to Hisoka's possessive displays of affection. If he were being honest, he'd have to admit he enjoyed it, the contact proving to him time and time again that he had evolved into something important to the man. Something that wasn't just a convenient fuck but instead much more permanent.

When their lips parted the magician pulled Gon the rest of the way onto his lap, turning him so his back was flush against his chest and his cute spikey hair rested just below his chin. They sat quietly like that for a while, not needing words to congest the air between them. Their breaths were in synch, the combined warmth of the bodies was more then enough to protect them against the chilly night air. They felt at peace.

Eventually, Hisoka broke their mutual silence. "I've been thinking about what will happen when this mission is over-"

A sense of foreboding clouded over Gon as he heard those words, doubt and uncertainty burrowing into his skin. Hisoka has never outright admitted his feelings but instead he made them apparent through his actions. It was those small expressions of affection, the way he treated Gon's body during their nightly trysts, and the way he looked at him with such longing and desire. Despite all of this, those words resurfaced all of Gon's worries about what he actually wanted from him and whether what they had was real or just another illusion that Gon fell for.

"-and I think you should choose our next adventure." Hisoka looked expectantly at Gon, interested to see how the boy would react to the idea of them sticking together beyond their time in Swardani City.

The teen's hazel eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that to be where he was going with the conversation. "Wait, what? You want to… go on another adventure together?"

"I've already told you I won't let you leave so now that I've claimed you, I think planning for what will happen after this seems like the next step."

Gon could feel his heart pounding in his chest, this revelation almost validating everything he thought was happening between them. It almost felt too good to be true, but he couldn't think of a single reason why Hisoka would lead him on when he's been more or less upfront about everything from the beginning.

He swallowed hard, the butterflies in his stomach making it difficult to speak. "You'll really let me pick what we do next?"

A low chuckle rumbled through Hisoka's chest, the delight on his fruit's face being too much for words. "I fully intend to resume my search for the spiders but that will be dangerous, and I can't bring you along without your nen. It won't take them long to realize they could use you against me and I can't have any distractions. Once you've recovered your nen then I will go after them. Until then, I'll allow you to chose something for us to do."

"You still want to go after the spiders, even after what happened at Heaven's Arena?" The teen had heard about that incident and how Hisoka had died and then somehow came back to life. He didn't like the idea of Hisoka getting blown up like that again.

Hisoka's amusement drained from his face as he suddenly became uncharacteristically serious. "Especially after what happened at Heaven's Arena."

"What if I never get my nen back?" This was a concern that weighed heavily on Gon's heart, especially after everyone had brushed him off as too weak to fend for himself.

"I'm unconcerned, I know you will revive it one day. And when that day comes, we can resume our battle." At the concerned look on Gon's face Hisoka laughed and added in, "not to the death of course. I enjoy playing with you too much and I can't play with you if you're dead."

"Eh… I'm not sure that makes me feel better. Besides, who said you'll be the one to win?"

"We both know I'll win." Hisoka's tone was confident, the idea of their battle turning out any other way was incomprehensible.

Gon stuck his tongue out in response, unimpressed with Hisoka's cocky insistence that his victory was the only possible outcome of their match. "You know what, I think I'd like to go visit Aunt Mito at Whale Island. That's where I grew up." He thought for a moment, his lips tugging into a small frown. "You'd be nice, right?"

Intrigued by the prospect of visiting the land that nurtured Gon, Hisoka couldn't help but imagine Gon as a toddler, swinging around in the trees, making friends with all the animals, and unintentionally preparing his body for combat.

Yes, I would like that very much….

"Hisoka?"

"Hmm? Yes, I'll TRY to be nice." Hisoka was much less concerned about meeting his aunt as he was with watching Gon flourish in his natural element. He couldn't think of a better next step. It could even be possible that returning to his home where he was most comfortable would help him with his nen. An island would likely contain a variety of biomes, making it ideal for training.

Their candid moment stirred up all kinds of feelings for Gon and strengthened his resolve to get an exact answer from the magician. "Hisoka?"

"Yes Gon?"

"I uh…. I really like you!" Gon closed his eyes as he made his declaration, not wanting to see Hisoka's likely mocking expression.

For some reason Gon's confession startled the magician. He hadn't expected such a thing from his fruit, yet those words made him feel a completeness he didn't know he was missing. He ruffled Gon's hair, entertained by the little twigs and leaves that fell out of Gon's black mane as he did so.

"Hey!" Gon opened his eyes to find deep golden irises staring back at him. They held a certain warmth and fondness that he wasn't accustomed to finding there.

Hisoka wanted to return Gon's declaration, but for some reason his mouth refused to form the necessary words. Instead he settled for "I feel the same about you, little fruit."

That will have to be enough for now.

To Gon, it felt like a great weight had finally lifted from his chest and even though Hisoka's response was not as specific as he had hoped, it was more then enough to satisfy his needs. He turned around in Hisoka's lap so he was facing him. In a rare moment of bravery, he touched his fingertips to the star painted under Hisoka's eye and gingerly traced its outline, and then repeated the action around the teardrop. Finally, his touch rested over the soft skin of Hisoka's lips, his arousal growing when the magician's pink tongue darted out to lick his fingers.

He felt the older man's hand pressing gently against his neck, bringing him in closer until their lips pressed together. Emboldened by his desire, Gon licked at Hisoka's lips until the man opened his mouth enough for him to enter. He tasted of whiskey and apples and Gon found himself craving even more of that taste as he continued his exploration.

With Gon straddling Hisoka's lap, they continued their heated kiss under the dusky, star littered sky. As Hisoka lifted Gon's shirt over his head and pressed hot kisses all over his heated flesh Gon felt a certain rightness that he hadn't felt since losing his nen. He watched as Hisoka went to remove his own shirt, admiring the way his muscles contracted and relaxed beneath his pale skin. Their lips hungrily met once more, this time with Hisoka commanding his dominance over Gon as their tongues intertwined and their bodies pressed together, trying to meld into one. It wasn't long before their clothing was scattered across the balcony, their breathy pants turning to pleasurable moans and whispers of lust. The dangers ahead of them took a back seat as they shared in their moment of bliss, not realizing just how close that danger really was.