It was stupid to be sad. He had a beautiful woman waiting for him. A beautiful woman he was growing increasingly sure he could handle, because he had a lot of steam to blow off, and pushing himself past his unknown limits sounded like the release he'd been craving.

But his body jolted. Gon's hand wrapped around his arm, pulled him to a sudden stop and wrenched his wrist so he'd turn around, "Neh, Killua…" It was annoying when he thought he'd walk away from this conversation looking all cool, but he allowed it, "... What can she do for you that I can't?"

He paused, and processed. And processed. He sat in a state of disbelief for a solid four seconds before he muttered out an undignified "H-Huh? I-Idiot! What are you saying? Isn't that obvious?!"

Gon's chin tilted down, eyes glued to the floor. He was thinking hard, too hard for Gon. The pure, wondrous eyes he'd come to love so deeply pooled with fear, something deep, something that made him squeeze his wrist hard enough to bruise, if he let him, "Killua… why am I not good enough? Why do you need somebody else?"

"Stupid…" The word was out of his mouth before he could even think to say it. It was just that natural. "W-What do you think? I… I've been talking about that sort of thing a lot, haven't I?" A woman's touch, a woman's whining with her back arched, colored lips pursed and wet, like they always had been in the films. He might have gone a little overboard in his enthusiasm for pleasures of the flesh the last day and a half, at least he'd thought so (in more efforts to inspire a reaction- irritation, interest, disgust, anything he could latch onto and overanalyze). He hadn't exactly hid his flavors in the past, but he'd thought for sure that he'd made the why of a sexual partner painfully clear. He ducked his head, tried to avoid Gon's gaze even when its fire burned, hissed, lit him on fire, ears turning red. "I'm surprised you don't know about that stuff, Gon! Did you ever pay attention to the women you went out with? Geez! I feel sorry for those hags!"

Maybe he was rambling, so what? He'd always thought Gon was the more learned in the nature of man and woman and bed (or lack thereof). He'd been on tons of dates with tons of adult women all throughout his time on Whale Island so he had to know what he was talking about, right? Had to have experienced what Killua had only ever imagined (until tonight!). It was something that still kept him wondering sometimes when he couldn't sleep, stewing in bitter jealousy of women he'd never meet for doing things to Gon he never could. He'd hoped tonight would be the start of those ruminations seeping away like condensation from boiling water. But not if Gon didn't let him get back to his table. And why?! Why did he pick the worst possible times to get stubborn? Any idiot could take one good look at the situation, blindfolded, and figure out why a woman was necessary.

Gon seemed unbothered by the insinuation, "I did pay attention. They taught me how to dance, and cook, and-"

He was almost surprised by the sound of his own laughter, "Thank goodness, then! There's hope for you, yet! Look, I promise I won't go anywhere. I'm just blowing off some steam! You can understand that, right? I'll come back, just like I always do." He rubbed at the back of his neck, prayed his bangs hid the embarrassment, sure, but also the adoration for this idiot he called his partner, his friend, his constant other half. "Now let go, okay? I have a date to get back to-!" He pulled at his wrist, tried to get Gon to let go, but-

"W-Wha-?!"

Gon fought him, tugged him closer so suddenly that he stumbled on his way into his chest. Gon frowned down at him like he'd done it on purpose, and maybe he had. If he'd done this just a few years ago, they'd have knocked heads, and that would have been fine, expected for them, even. But no, not anymore, right now, with Gon a few inches taller. That fear was still there in acidic yellow, simmering instead of boiling. He hated how easy it was to get lost just watching Gon's face, get swept up in his determination and his beauty, how easy it would be to melt into Gon's arms and bury his face in his neck, if he let himself, which he never did. But his self-restraint was being tested, here, and the longer Gon held one of his hands to his heart and squeezed his arm, the more likely it was that he'd cave and do something he would regret- hell something both of them would regret, "Killua, you really want to mate with someone that badly?"

He babbled for a moment, mate? Who the hell called it…?

"G-Gon, w-what the hell are you talking about? Don't just grab at me like that! Oi, Gon! L-Let go…"

Gon seemed to pause, consider what to do next. He closed his eyes, then after a moment hummed and nodded once, like he'd come to some simple conclusion. "Follow me." That was different from their song and dance- Gon said something stupid, he rebuked it, and Gon either pouted and relented or spit at the ground and got louder. He didn't know why, now, Gon was glancing around the empty hall with dead-set eyes and pinched brows. That spelled trouble.

That was the face Gon made when there was a war to be waged, a castle to storm.

He swallowed, opening his mouth to once again make an attempt to get back to his date when Gon said "Now is as good a time as any! Think any of these private party rooms are unlocked?"

Gon took him by the hand again, and for some reason… he followed. He was confused, and smitten, and anxious, and confused! No idea why Gon was dragging him through halls and halls of locked doors. He knew because Gon was passively reaching for every handle, pulling and leisurely releasing when the door didn't budge. Locked. He tugged at another handle. Locked. Killua stumbled. Locked.

And it was not their usual song and dance… but it also kind of was, wasn't it? Again, just like always, he was following Gon despite having better things to do, lost to his whim and wiles and that smile, and he was so, so in love. He stared at Gon's back, openly, too struck by the tempering in altitude of them, of their relationship, but stuck in the floor because nothing had changed, nothing at all. It really wasn't like Gon to grab at him, whisper to him like he was making promises when Gon made promises emphatically and gloriously, and right now he wasn't even sure what he'd been promised. It wasn't like Gon to touch him like that, to take his wrists to make him pliant like his own nen. When Gon touched him, most of the time, up until now, it was to clasp hands, punch his arm, carry him home, wrap an arm around his shoulders and laugh with him. The Gon holding his hand now had looked at him like a ghost he couldn't touch while he yelled about Killua, you can't kiss her like that.

He reached up and touched his messed hair, coarse with the gel and hairspray he'd so anxiously applied to his hair, standing for an hour in the bathroom mirror. He figured he must look more like himself, now.

"You don't look very much like Killua."

Bastard.

Gon pulled at the next handle, blinking when it came open, "Here!"

"Gon, what-?"

It was one of the private rooms, all right. Luxurious couch that curled into the arm on one gold-plated side, purple cushions even darker under the low flaxen light of the room. A dance floor to their left, a balcony overlooking the wild, outstretching garden in moonlight; the double-wide doors parted to let the chill air in, and Gon squeezed his hand. "Ah, there's a supply closet! Hold on, Killua!"

"Oi! Gon-!"

But he was already off, in a blur too fast for people who weren't him to see. He watched as Gon dug through the scraps of the supply closet, eyes narrowed in a deep focus, arms raised above his head as he grabbed at whatever box was at the top of the shelf. He opened his mouth to ask? Maybe? But Gon was already shifting in blurs across the room, setting up LED candles along the arms of the couch, the end table, the coffee table, the floor in alternating patterns of height. He raised an eyebrow and Gon was on the dance floor, hitting a remote against the palm of his hand until the stereo turned on. Loud, consuming piano keys echoed by a chorus of high-strung violins, then obnoxious distorted synthesizers, until slow, calming jazz filled the walls of the room like honey filled a bottle. Gon's smile was small but full of cream-eating-cat satisfaction.

He turned to walk back to him, where he still stood shifting from foot-to-foot by the couch. He didn't know what to do with his hands. He stuck them in his pockets again, glaring at Gon as he approached with a still-small smile, boots ticking down against the floor. And he swore Gon was strutting. He'd never seen his legs move that way before, or his eyes narrow with innocent confidence instead of god-challenging determination. He'd never seen Gon smile at him like he knew a secret, and he'd never felt more cornered by (not an instinct to run but) an emotion in his life, "Gon, what is all of this?"

"Killua," and the way Gon said his name then sent a shock straight through his spine, caught his breath, made parts of him that were uncouth stand at attention. The way Gon said his name was low, soft, dragged by his lips and emphasized every syllable. And that smile, that damned smile only got larger, and Gon's eyes were narrowing lazily. He thought he might, and it made his heart skip a beat at the realization, have the look of a king eyeing his lioness after the hunt. He jumped when Gon's hands wrapped around his forearms, slipping down until he pulled Killua's hands from his pockets. Killua kept his eyes on the tile floor, trying to ignore the heat blooming under his skin. But he couldn't avoid Gon's gaze for very long.

"Oi, Gon! Quit being so cryptic and just tell me what the hell you're doing!"

"Killua," Oh, he said his name like that again. "We're going to mate."

Gon pressed onward, one foot between his legs as he pushed him gently back, back, back into the couch. He fell, wincing more from surprise than ouch as the back of his head hit the armrest. He tilted his chin and Gon was climbing on top of him, smiling just as innocently as he would have if they'd been discussing where to eat dinner. One knee between his legs with his arms crowding him, hand gripping the headrest, thumb brushing a curl in his hair. Gon… the gentle tremor of Gon's hands should have been reassuring (he was nervous, too; he made Gon nervous, too), but it only made his skin light up in places it just hadn't before- his legs, his chest, his stomach, heat blooming in beat with his ever-pounding heart, Not again. He couldn't take him saying his name like that, not one more time, but there was this breathless, trembling tinge to it. He inched down, and Killua backed away, avoided him until his head was pressed right up against the rest. Gon closed in, and oh, his eyes couldn't decide where to go, Gon's honey speckled lights or his lips, "Killua…"

"Gon…" His hot breath on his parted lips, noses brushing as Gon's lips grew slick with thirst. He hovered there for a moment, head tilting in little ways that made it clear he wanted to devour him with just one kiss. He tried to wake himself up, pressed his hands to Gon's chest, but it only encouraged him- Gon was dangerously close, barely, almost unnoticeably brushing against his panting lips. The yellow in his eyes burned like wild, blazing fire to wood, and he growled. He growled?! "Gon, w-w-wait a second!" But Gon was persistent. When he tried to push him away, he seemed to push back harder, "W-Where is this coming from? A-Are you that desperate? Hah! C'mon, you think I'm gonna be a good replacement for a girl?"

"Yes," Gon's determined eyes narrowed.

"What!? Stupid! Get off me!" He pushed him back more fiercely, now, and Gon fought him with equal tenacity, grimacing right back when he scowled up at him.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Gon, c'mon! I have a date to get back to, you know!"

Gon's scowl deepened, and he yelled as loudly as he could, because it blew his closest eardrum "Well you're on a date with me now! Is that not good enough?" And he paused, and the limbs and fists that had been flying before retracted, and somehow his hands ended up right where they started, pressed to Gon's chest. But he could focus a little more, enough that he noticed the steady, erratic thrum of Gon's heart under his hands. It beat in time with his, he knew that instinctively, and yet it surprised him. Gon's scowl was teetering, lips wobbling in small waves as his eyebrows pinched. His dangerously narrowed eyes shut, then opened again, glossy in that flaxen low light over their heads. He bared his teeth, but there was no threat, just… befuddlement, the annoyed kind.

Gon whined and hung his head, squeezed the armrest so harshly that he heard the fabric squeeze under his grip. He winced, and his lips parted but he didn't know what to say. He couldn't see his eyes anymore, didn't know what this emotion he was dealing with was. (Was this a side of Gon he hadn't seen before?) "Why is she allowed to see this side of you and I'm not?"

His eyes widened, and Gon looked him in the eyes, steady and true, and when he leaned forward, he didn't bat him away, this time, "I want to see all of Killua's sides! If you're going to look like this, it should be for me."

"Should be for…? Gon," He readjusted, pressed down on his elbows to shimmy himself up, but it only brought Gon's face closer, and he relented, but clicked his tongue, buried under the sound the laughter that was bubbling, "You know, Gon, it sounds like you're jealous!"

And Gon seemed to freeze. Eyes that were so full of fire seemed to go entirely blank. The scowl disappeared in a pure, straight-lipped daze. Gon blinked, and blinked. Killua stared back, trying not to lose the teasing grin, but the longer the silence carried on the more it fell to a scowl. Gon eventually stopped blinking, instead staring off into the distance despite looking directly at Killua's face. Seconds carried to a full minute, and he felt his patience waning. It was supposed to be a joke! He scowled as Gon's painfully blank face turned red the way a thermostat blows, smoke steaming from his ears. Vaguely, he thought he heard a kettle calling. "Oi, Gon!"

Gon laughed (giggled? Did Gon just giggle?) and raised a hand to scratch at his cheek, "Ah… sorry, Killua. I was just thinking."

I could tell. Killua crossed his arms, very strictly paying no attention to how Gon's body was still very much pressed up against his and the friction that sitting up caused. Gon was, after all, still sitting pretty in his lap. A shiver ran down his spine, "If you think any harder, you'll blow a fuse."

"Ki-llu-a!" Gon whined, and he snickered.

He pressed his fingers to Gon's forehead and smiled at the way he seemed to cool, "Neh, Gon, there are some things even best friends don't share, you know." The fingers at Gon's forehead parted to wag three times. He stuck his nose in the air and avoided staring Gon directly in the face, because the words kind of hurt, and Gon couldn't, and shouldn't, know that, "A lover is a lover. Even a best friend doesn't know what you're like with a lover."

He opened one eye, squinted at Gon as his lips curved in a pout, processing. He leaned back on his knees, retracting both hands so they laid at his lap. He seemed to mull over that, running the words over in his head. He knew it would take a moment, maybe two. Gon was just like that. He was rash, and bold, and excitable, hardly pausing to think, never really felt the need to, never been punished for it. Probably, and he smiled at this, because he'd always been there to pick up after him, save him, care for him and protect him. Gon didn't have to think because he was always overthinking for both of them, making excuses for Gon with that never-ending stream of self-aware consciousness. This was a silly little misunderstanding. This idiot, his best friend in the whole wide world, whom he cared about and loved more than (almost) anybody else, understood this new horizon as a threat- nobody else was allowed to know Killua better than he did, and he understood that. He got pretty jealous when Gon made new friends, too. He took a breath and breathed out through his nose, shaking his head, "Gon-"

"Neh, Killua?"

Killua blinked, "Mmm?"

Gon nodded once, no longer looking at all confused. The hands that balled in his lap reached out, to his surprise, and boxed him in again, fingers wrapping around the armrest. Gon leaned forward, and his breath in was as sharp as his claws as he moved back to escape. But again, that led to his neck against the rest, Gon straddling, hovering over him. And Gon looked so smug, eyebrow raised, eyes narrowed like a challenge. His heart hit his chest so hard that he worried Gon felt it as he pressed up against him, laid him down like a war trophy and grinned. He felt his lips wobble, "Maybe I wanna be your lover."

And oh, oh… his lips slipped under Gon's, trembling as he took his bottom lip between his teeth and pulled until he could draw the moan out. His whole body was red-hot, and he was so embarrassed, but Gon still swiped his tongue against his open mouth and pressed him into the cushions. He didn't know he'd shut his eyes until Gon pulled a breath away, "The sailors are the ones who taught me what you're talking about, Killua," beyond the narrowness of his hooded eyes, he could see the smirk on Gon's face. One hand pressed to his throat. Gon's thumb brushed against the dip between his veins and he croaked as Gon leaned down to bite at the space. Beyond it, Gon dipped to his collarbone, open lips, grazing teeth, and he bit down at the skin. He stuttered as Gon sucked hard enough at the flesh to leave a bruise, biting down, pinning him still as he writhed under his weight. Gon spoke, and the vibration sent a shiver down his back, "They told me that foxbears mate every season, you know? That when a male finds his female, he doesn't court any other foxbear."

And that sounded like nonsense. What did foxbears have to do with Gon pinning him to a couch? What did foxbears have to do with Gon's teeth on his throat, or the hand they'd replaced running along his chest painfully like tracing the lines of a painting, and what did foxbears have to do with that same hand drifting down and gripping the clasp of his belt and

"A-Ah!" He lurched as Gon rubbed at him sternly, like he was daring him in so many squeezing, tugging caresses to try and run away again, like this was a punishment for the tux, like he was making a point.

"Foxbears mate for life."

"Gon!" What was he doing? One hand was in Gon's hair, and it was coarse like Mito complained about, but it felt good under his fingers when he pulled, and Gon seemed to appreciate the touch if the Killua in his ear, breathless and open-mouthed was any indication, or the stern way he palmed him once, twice, thumb brushing back and forth over the seam. He didn't know when his eyes shut again, but they must have been squeezed because he couldn't see the flaxen lights above; every motion of Gon's hands- one now digging nails into his hip- felt like steeping tea as it grew potent, as this redness pooled in his stomach like blood in water. Gon's fingers ran waves in soft circles on his inner thigh, so painfully sweet; torture for the sake of torture, he was sure, as he squirmed and Gon used more of his weight to pin him.

Gon hissed at the friction, and if he hadn't known him so well, he might have missed the way it seethed like the sound he made when he was struggling to hold back. He inhaled at the realization, moaned embarrassingly loud when Gon grabbed him by the hips and brushed right up against him in a calculated, deliberate thrust and geez, was this Gon holding back? "O-Oh, Gon…"

"Killua…" And that name was strangled on Gon's lips, a trace of disbelief buried under thick, suffocating heat. His eyes squeezed shut, lips curled, every breath labored with every new sensation. A bead of sweat began to pool at the edge of his hairline, and he took one, maybe three shallow breaths before he grinded down again, and he knew the hands in Gon's hair were tugging like hell, because he couldn't help the way his body wound like a pressed spring. He bit back most of the embarrassing noises his throat threatened to unleash, but what came out was a still-greatly-undignified whimper that made Gon growl again. He nearly retracted a hand just to slap it over his mouth. What was he really using the hand at Gon's shoulder for, anyway? Oh, steeling himself when his body felt three layers of skin lighter. Gon began to thrust steadily, and yes, his hips were moving in rhythm, ever-fervently following Gon's whims again. Gon exhaled, and though it was labored, there was no squeamish sound, "When they mate, you know what they do?"

"W...What? When what mates?"

"Foxbears, Killua."

"O-Oh, r-right~!" Gon's thumbs circled the dip of his inner thighs where they met his hips. He could be forgiven for the way every touch left him breathless. And oh, yes Gon chuckled into his ear, and it was low and sexy but it was still so alight and sweet, just like him.

"When foxbears mate, Killua, he pins her down like this," He gestured by squeezing Killua's hips in his hands, curving until he was grabbing him at the haft, taking control, holding him right where he wanted him, "And he bites her neck," Gon gave a demonstrable nibble to the skin right at the crook between his shoulder and his jaw, nothing compared to the wet mess of a bruise he'd left on his chest. Gon thrusted up again, and his chin tilted almost as if Gon had predicted it, because his face was in Gon's hair, muffling him as he marked him up like a bedpost. His legs bent with nowhere to go, and Gon thrusted again, severely, like a warning.

"Hah! Gon!" This wasn't at all what he'd thought Gon would be like. Nowhere in sight was his gentle nature, or his curiosity. This was not Gon exploring him, asking him questions- does this feel good? Is this okay? This was a wild animal on top of him, rutting him into the couch so hard that he was seeing stars.

"Ahh, w-when… when he's got her under him, when she's ready and he knows it-" Gon's composure broke, steady words tapering off into a quivering exhale. And it was so much, so much to hear Gon falling apart like that on top of him, for him, even when he was yet to do anything at all, "Killua. When she's ready, he bends her over and pulls her open," He swallowed as Gon's hands did just that, gripped him under the hips and lifted him until he had no choice but to wrap his ankles around his waist. Gon gasped in his ear, pressed light kisses to the skin he'd only just started to abuse, eyelashes brushing every bite mark and bruise; Killua thought, in the back of his mind, Gon might have been scenting him.

Gon squeezed his hilt in his hands and breathed into his throat, "...and they rut for hours. He'll never, ever have another. This foxbear he's pinned down and-" Gon seemed to pause here, thoughtful, "...fucked… that's his mate. She's it for him for the rest of his life, and he's it for her." His eyes widened abnormally, comically so at the use of the expletive, if only because he'd never, ever heard Gon use any phrase like that. It wasn't a huge jump, his fog-addled mind could even provide the thought, if Gon was pulling on his history with the Whale Island sailors to seduce him. And that's really- this hit him with a start- what was happening here. Gon was seducing him. Genuinely. Truly. He was talking really big, detailing exactly what he was going to do to him right there on this couch in this swanky restaurant private room. He was inferring that he was making Killua his mate, his only mate, the creature he'd- according to foxbear nature of sailor terminology- fuck senselessly down to the time they pass this world. Gon was talking dirty.

And he couldn't help it. He laughed. Not loudly, just truly, pressing one hand to his face as the absurdity of that idea hit him. His Gon. Sweet, good, righteous, selfish Gon was trying to have his way with him.

Gon blinked, eyes going wide at what was clearly an unexpected reaction to his little speech. He had sympathy; the poor guy probably wasn't sure if he should be angry or hurt. Maybe humiliated. Nah, he shook his head, "K-Killua?"

"Gon," he set his hand back at Gon's shoulder, letting the fingers tangled in Gon's now-wild hair to drift and cup his cheek, just as gentle as the love he held. Gon blinked back at him, again, though the instinctual panic had dissipated. He smiled up at him, and he tried, with every inch of love in him, to portray just how he adored the idiot about to, yes, mate with him, "You don't look very much like Gon right now."

Please, he prayed to himself, let Gon see exactly what he did there.

And yeah, the wheels turned for a few minutes. Gon had to register what he'd said, but the twinkle in his eyes then told him he'd got it. Gon smiled, leaned down, and Killua swore his heart filled his throat as Gon brushed his nose up against his, once, twice, then pressed him down until their foreheads joined, "Ki-llu-a! Just because it's a side of me you haven't seen doesn't mean it isn't me."

He chuckled, and Gon laughed, too, and they kissed with their noses again and again, until Gon hummed (and it was bright, and happy, like a dog whining as they trot over to a treat). Gon pulled away, searching for his gaze until he had his full attention. His eyes were warm, sweet honey that swam in low light, relaxed like sunshine on the beach, consuming like cream swallowing the coco powder Gon stirred to make hot chocolate. Heat pooled in his stomach, skin felt tight, and he tried to hide the way his face flushed under scrutiny by dipping his chin to his chest. He felt his jaw brush the bruise Gon had left, dammit, and the heat came in another wave that resulted in a hard, stubborn swallow that was definitely not hiding a mewl. Gon exhaled through his nose, and somehow that summer glow got thermal. Gon's hand reached up and brushed his hair out of his face, thumb brushing the bridge of his nose as he pulled his bangs back, and it was not lost on him that it was reminiscent of the way he'd gelled it back before. Gon snickered, "I wish I'd left it alone. I wanna see what Killua's hair looks like when I fuck him into a pillow."

"HAH!" He snorted, shoving both his hands in Gon's face, and Gon croaked at the force, and he was laughing so hard, "S-Stop it! Stop saying that word! It isn't like you at all, stupid!"

"Ki-llu-a~!" Gon grabbed at his hands, grinning as they smushed and pushed his face, then pinned them over their heads, awkwardly holding them over the armrest, shaking with laughter, "Just because it's a side of me you haven't seen doesn't mean it isn't me!"

"Haaah! Don't act all tough, stupid! Like you can back that up! Talk to me normally!"

And challenge lit Gon's eyes, then, fiery protest curling his lips in a toothy, predatory smile. He gulped, hard, and backed up into the couch as far as he could, all at once not sure he'd accurately called Gon's bluff. Gon moved in on him, grin only splitting wider as he invaded his space with malicious intent, "Neh, Killua?"

"Y...Yes?"

Gon nodded to their position, then dipped down until his dark eyes, lit like embers, were the only thing he could see; though he could vaguely make out the upward twitch of his lips as they drifted apart and spoke in low, husky baritone, "Turn over."

He'd been taking an awfully long time, this hot date of hers. She wasn't oblivious to the way he'd scowled at the interruption, nor oblivious to the way he'd taken that stranger dangling from the tree by the collar and hoisted him off into the hall. This disruption likely was, in fact, no stranger to her date. Her best guess was a well-meaning friend, perhaps one more experienced in the dating realm than she'd assessed her date to be. She smiled and hummed to herself; yes, her pretty boy was inexperienced, which was going to make tonight all the more fun! He wanted so desperately for her to buy that he knew what he was doing, and that was so cute and so sweet, but he was a fumbling mess and she knew she could ruin him. As soon as he got back, she'd pursue him the way she'd intended to all night, side-stepping whatever good advice his friend would give him that he'd poorly enact. She'd slip her foot out of her heel to play with his shins, maybe play around and rub along his thighs, if she got the feeling it wouldn't startle him. She worried he was a bit too much like a cat, accepting affection only when he initiated it. She could appreciate a macho approach, but she'd have to reel it in so she wouldn't scare him off. Maybe just squeeze his hand, then? Maybe bat her eyelashes and play up her femininity? He seemed to melt a bit when she talked a lot, rather than freeze when she was more forward.

Oh he really was so cute. She wanted to skip this dinner already and take him home and ride him until he saw stars. Maybe, if she was lucky, he'd be a long term lover. She could see herself putting out for this boy, going on vacation to cities he just happened to travel to, making it a point to meet up for dinner every now and then. Any excuse to see that gorgeous face of his was a good one.

There was a clacking on the ground, heels on the tile, and she perked up, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Ah! It's okay I-!" She paused, trying to take in Killua's x-tremely disheveled appearance. He approached the table nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets, but everything else about him screamed tornado. His shirt and tux were wrinkled, fabric bunched the way a shirt was if she left it in her hamper for too long. The tie he'd worn was missing entirely, which might not have been so odd if the tux jacket wasn't covered in what appeared to be cushion stuffing? It was all over his clothes, and it seemed to spill from his fingers, too, like he'd taken a cat's claws to a pillow and pulled its tail. It stuck to the end of his tux, filled his now wild, frizzy, slovenly hair. His hair! It stuck out frantically at all sides, but most of it jutted out to the back of his head, as though he'd taken a fistful of his hair and just yanked and heaved at it with incredible force.

His face was a bright, inflamed red, and she wondered vaguely if he'd gotten into a fight with this friend of his. It contrasted with his bright blue eyes and pale skin, made the swelling stand out all the more. Hell, even his eyes were pink and swollen. Had he been crying? Had that stranger been a friend at all? Then again, on closer inspection, he certainly hadn't been punched. The redness was too out-stretching, radius too wide, only enveloping half of his pretty face. No, it was more like he pressed his face against a carpet and dragged it to give himself rugburn. He seemed self-conscious of this, shoulders up high as if to tug the collar of his shirt upward when the tie was no longer there to do it. He paused at the table's side, but didn't sit. He looked like he considered it, but the twitch in his eye and the shuffle to the other foot told her he considered it a feat. He almost seemed annoyed at this, like he'd been inconvenienced despite this being the same booth he'd claimed before. He made a move to get in, then paused, wincing and choking before he straightened up and resigned himself to standing, "Killua?"

"A-Ah, Adalet, listen…" He scratched at the back of his neck, which she now realized was also inflamed and- covered in bruises? He really had gotten into a fight! The half of Killua's face that wasn't already red was blooming with pink, from his ears to what she could see of his neck (more bruises, scattered everywhere), "I'm afraid I can't have dinner tonight. Something uh… came up." He said those words with gritted teeth, like it was a joke he didn't find particularly funny, despite his low chuckle, "This was great, and you're-" he gulped "- so… awesome and…" She raised an eyebrow, watched the way a shiver wracked his body like she was glaring at him, which she definitely wasn't. She was more confused than anything! He grew more tense, looking over his shoulder like the damn mafia was on his tail. She almost didn't doubt that. Killua did say he moved around a lot, "I'm really sorry about this, but I-I-I don't think I can do this tonight."

"It's okay! Um, did you want to reschedule?"

Killua chuckled and opened his mouth to respond, but another shiver came over him, and he grew pale, like the fear of god had struck him, "Ah, I-I w-would! B-But I d-don't think…" He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, lips wobbling. Then he reached into his pocket and slammed two dinner's worth of jenny on the table and screamed: "SORRY ABOUT THIS, BYE!"

She blinked and turned around as he bolted for the door, walking so fast she thought he was racing another diner. It was here that she noticed, however, the slight limp in his leg. She blinked.

"Ah, well, I'll have a good meal, then."

Told y'all Gon would fix it! How do you feel about how he did it? Poor Killua wasn't expecting all of that passion from his best friend. In my mind, Gon is gonna be insatiable for a while after this 😂

"He doesn't love me", yes he does, and now he can't keep his hands off you, Killua. Also, cheers to anybody who can piece together why Killua seems so... scared talking to Adalet~ ;D It ain't 'cause he's scared of her!

I imagine them getting back to the hotel room goes a little like-

Alluka: Big Brother, you're back!

Killua:... yep, sure am.

Alluka: I thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow morning!

Killua: Ah, well... *glaring at Gon* Me, too.

Gon, totally unbothered by the glare: Alluka-chan, why don't you take my room, tonight? I ordered you some room service. You said you wanted steak, right?

Killua: ?!

Alluka, happily skipping to the other room: Nanika and I love steak!

Killua: What? What?!

Gon: Neh, Killua. You said you'd be busy all night, right? So, let's keep busy until the morning.

Killua: O/_/O

Just a reminder that this chapter was posted here on tumblr two weeks earlier!

[httpscolondashdash]iamwhelmed . tumblr . com[dash]post/666214770572165120/adolescence-x-greed-part-iii-rated-mature

As are all of my multi-chapter fics!