Gon took a long drink through this fun plastic tube called a straw. Where had these been all his life? Seriously! He was drinking peach tea, and it was amazing! The four of them had stopped at the restaurant section of the 123rd floor. They still had about 45 minutes till Kurapika's fight, and had taken this chance to stop for snacks.

Killua had forced Gon not to eat a burger again… so he was just eating a pretzel.

But that wasn't fair at all cause Killua was eating a chocolate ice cream sundae again!

The 199th floor. I moved pretty far! But still.

The hybrid sighed, attracting the curious gazes of his three companions.

"What?" Killua asked, spoon hanging out of his mouth.

"It's just really bugging me!" Gon answered. "If I hadn't held back so much I could have dragged us offsite…"

"Hey!" Leorio called out, pointing at Gon with a fried mozzarella stick. "No need to brag!"

Killua snickered. "That's what you get for not using your toxin, idiot~" He spooned up another bite of ice cream crowned in silky whipped cream. "Don't worry, I won't hold back in my fight. We'll be outta this dump in no time~"

Gon pouted in his mischievous friend's direction, and the Valkyrie merely met him with a cat-like expression.

"Don't feel bad, Gon," Kurapika comforted.

"Yeah, you're only losing!" Killua taunted, only to get a glance of disapproval from the blonde.

"It is actually for the best that you held back enough to keep us on site," the Elf continued.

"Oh, they're really that strong huh?" Leorio retorted, ego hurting.

"Why's that, Kurapika?" Gon asked, curious.

The tawny eyed man passed the pamphlet he had been glancing through over the table. "Look at all these fun things to do! It would be too much of a hassle to trek all the way back to the Arena itself to participate in them, so in holding back you gave us a chance to do a little sightseeing!"

"Sightseeing?" Gon murmured as he looked down at the pamphlet. He hadn't gotten the chance to look at it yet (Killua had decided to play keep-away when he had tried). His amber eyes blew wide, there were so many exciting advertisements! "Woah! There's an entire zoo!"

"A zoo?" Killua asked skeptically, leaning over to read over Gon's shoulder. "Holy fucking shit there's a chocolate store!"

"Killua, please mind your language, there are children present," Kurapika said, glancing apologetically at a nearby woman with her three year old daughter.

"I'll mind my language in hell, LOOK!"

"Killua, don't point so hard you'll rip the page!" Gon exclaimed as he held the packet out of the suddenly hyper Valkyrie's reach.

"We have to go!" the silver haired boy declared, tail wagging behind him like a dog.

"There's a skydiving activity at the top floor!" Gon gasped. "Oh my gosh we've gotta do that!"

Killua waved his spoon around dismissively. "It's not that big of a deal, take it from me. Jumping off cliffs really isn't that mind blowing. What is mind blowing is chocolate stores!"

"Yeah, let's avoid skydiving," Leorio grumbled, looking a little pale.

"Afraid of heights, Leorio?" Kurapika asked with a smirk, beating Killua to the punch.

"No, of course not! I just… don't think we should let Gon do something like that, yeah! Knowing him, he'd wanna go without a parachute!"

"Woah! That does sound like a way more fun way to do it!" Gon exclaimed, eyes sparkling and adrenaline starting to buzz in anticipation.

"See!" Leorio yelled.

Kurapika shook his head. "So skydiving is off the list."

"Aw man!" Gon whined.

"For the best," Killua drawled.

"What else is there…" Gon trailed off as he flipped through the pages.

"Nothing as cool as a CHOCOLATE STORE," Killua advertised once again.

"There's a movie theater! What's that?"

"It's a dark room with a giant television and expensive audio equipment. They play newly released movies much like a play in a theater," Kurapika answered.

"That sounds fun! Let's do that!" Leorio said.

"Come on, old man," Killua complained. "We already have a tv in the room!"

"There's a giant trampoline park with a huge ropes course!" Gon declared before Leorio and Killua could start another bickering match. "What's a trampoline?"

"It's a mesh like platform that lets you jump high up in the air, it's very fun believe it or not," Kurapika answered. "I saw that advertisement as well. They even have climbing walls and indoor zip lining."

"Well if Mamapika is impressed then it must be badass!" Killua exclaimed. "Let's do that one! What else is there?"

"Okay! Um…" Gon flipped through more pages.

"There's a planetarium!"

"Boring~" Killua sighed.

"The biggest library in Yorknew City!"

"I've had enough library for a lifetime," Killua grumbled.

"Oh, well shit," Gon said as his eyes narrowed in realization. "I agree."

The two boys shared a knowing glance.

"UM," Leorio prompted.

"Did you just curse, Gon?" Kurapika choked out.

"He curses!" Killua explained while slinging his arm around Gon's shoulders. He tapped Gon's shoulder twice, and the hybrid grinned, understanding.

"Yeah! I say fuck all the time!" Gon declared in a round two of the cursing conversation he'd had with Killua.

Kurapika and Leorio's chins hit the table, and the two younger boys dissolved into hysterics. "Well what were you remembering that's extreme enough to curse about?!" Leorio yelled in his goofy voice. Kurapika leaned forward across the table with the Goblin, not scolding him for screaming in public but instead agreeing with the question.

Gon and Killua shared another glance.

"That's kind of a long story…" Gon sighed.

"Cat girls were involved." Killua said. "You don't wanna know."

"And corsets!" Gon added, only to be slapped upside the head by Killua.

"It wasn't a corset, for the last time!" the Valkyrie said through gritted teeth, face flaming. Gon cackled, having had this argument too many times to count. Kurapika watched the two boys dissolve into another silly wrestling match, confusion in his tawny eyes.

"Cat girls?!" Leorio demanded. "If cat girls were involved then of course I wanna know!"

"We're just royalty in some feline metropolis up in the mountains, it's a really involved story," Killua said with a smirk while flopping his hand in Leorio's direction.

"We'll tell you all about it later! I even broke five ribs!" Gon added with a snicker.

I'm starting to get why Killua likes annoying people so much, their faces are so funny!

Leorio and Kurapika floundered for words, and the two boys went back to flipping through the pamphlet. Conversation officially over. The Goblin and the Elf shared a glance, silently agreeing that they would be dragging this story out of the Valkyrie and the hybrid no matter what. Whatever it was just sounded so… outlandish. What could Gon and Killua possibly have gotten themselves into that involved corsets, libraries, and broken ribs?!

"There's an exotic greenhouse!" Gon gasped.

"No, boring," Killua rejected.

"But there are trees from alien planets! And flowers from the moon of Chimera!"

"Like I said, boring!"

"Aw man… look! There's this really cool looking thing called a water park! Look how big those slides are!"

"Woah!" Killua said, leaning in to get a closer look. "Okay, now that actually looks pretty cool."

"So we'll be going to the trampoline park and the water park?" Leorio clarified. "Those both sound pretty energetic to me…"

"Exercise will be good for your bones, old man," Killua taunted, getting the bird from Leorio.

"Don't forget about the chocolate store! Killua wants to go there!" Gon added.

The hybrid glanced over at Killua with a smile, to find that the sapphire eyed boy was already looking his way. He had some emotion in his eyes, and his cheeks were a little bit pink. Or was that just the light? Once Gon had looked over at him, Killua quickly broke eye contact.

"Yeah! Can't forget the chocolate!" he said quickly.

His tail is twisting around. He does that when he's feeling anxious or embarrassed.

What's that all about?

He's DEFINITELY hiding something.

"There are hot tubs and a lazy river included in the water park. There is both an indoor and outdoor section, so it won't be all slides and thrill seeking," Kurapika assured the Goblin. "Also, the chocolate store is part of an entire mall. There are all kinds of stores, we'll have to go there to pick up some bathing suits for the water park."

"Are there clothes stores?" Killua asked, ears perking up.

"Dozens, actually," Kurapika answered with a chuckle.

"Oh, fuck yes!" Killua exclaimed with a fist in the air. "I've been needing a wardrobe update! Not to mention you," he said as he flicked Gon in the forehead. "You only have one outfit!"

"What's wrong with only having one outfit?" Gon grumbled as he rubbed his forehead.

"It's unsanitary! Just because you don't get all stinky like a human doesn't mean you only need one outfit! Look how dirty your jacket is!" Killua nagged while lifting up a sleeve of Gon's jacket.

"I just washed it yesterday!" Gon protested.

"Still! You can't just wear green every day of your life! You'd think Radella and Desdemona had converted you to the fashionable side of society, but I guess not. Looks like all those court clothes did nothing for your condition."

"But I like green!" Gon exclaimed.

"You have 10,000 gold now! Do something with it!" Killua scolded while poking Gon's forehead.

"I guess a little shopping wouldn't hurt," Gon sighed, knowing that fighting back was futile.

"Good! So you agree!" Killua said victoriously. The Valkyrie then looked over at Kurapika. "We wanna go to the mall, the water park, and the trampoline place!"

"Sounds lovely," Kurapika said. "We'll complete our rookie debuts and schedule our next fights so we can plan accordingly."

"Killua!" Gon exclaimed as he grabbed his friend's shoulders. "This means you have to hold back! We have to stay on site so we can do all this fun stuff!"

"Hold back?" Killua complained, jumping at the opportunity to be difficult.

"Yes! You have to! Otherwise we won't be able to go to the chocolate store!"

Those sapphire eyes flashed. "You make a good point… I suppose I'll do as you say~"

"Yay!" Gon cheered, and dragged Killua to his feet to dance in circles around the table.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Killua stuttered, stumbling to keep up with Gon's hyper steps.

"Celebrating!" Gon declared before pulling Killua into a waltz. With one hand on Killua's waist and the other holding their arms out to the side he stepped in threes, dancing along to the music still stuck in his head. "Just like at the ball!" Gon pointed out so that only Killua could hear.

"Uh, yeah," the Valkyrie breathed as he placed his hand lightly on Gon's shoulder.

"Damn!" Leorio cat called. "Look at those dance moves! My son's a player!"

Gon laughed out loud at the joke and spun himself and Killua in an elegant circle. They were starting to gather an audience.

"Your son?" Kurapika asked with a smile and a quirked brow.

"Yeah! If Killua is your son then Gon is mine!" Leorio declared proudly.

Several bystanders cheered when Gon pulled Killua through a complicated move, and the Valkyrie angled his head so his bangs covered his eyes. Gon laughed good naturedly, Killua got embarrassed so easily! He brought the dance to a close, not wanting to embarrass his friend too much. Gon bowed and pulled Killua along with him. Their small crowd cheered and clapped, a few of them tossing bronze and silver coins their way. One person even tossed a flower.

Gon stood back up and waved, giving them a blinding grin. The crowd dissipated, and with a practiced sweep of his foot the hybrid tossed the small collection of coins into the air and caught them in his fist. With his other hand he snatched the flower out of the air and presented it to Killua with a joking bow.

"My lady," he said with a flourish.

"Who are you calling a lady?" Killua retorted as he snatched the flower from Gon's hand.

The horned boy stood back up and laughed. Playing around with Killua was so fun! It was so cool that those nice people had given them money and flowers! Gon loved entertaining people and making them happy!

The two boys returned to their table as Leorio and Kurapika gave another round of applause. Gon stuffed the handful of coins into his pocket, and saw Killua slip the flower into his.

Aw, he's keeping it!

Kurapika and Leorio commended the two on their dance moves, and Killua had a bit of a fit when he was told that some of the audience had been recording. Before Gon knew it, snack time was over and it was off to the stadiums. He was super excited to see how much Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua would win! But he was even more excited for all the fun stuff they were planning!

…

Killua sighed to himself as he walked down the hallway towards the cash out desk… where he knew none other than Rohan was sitting. His, Leorio's, and Kurapika's fights had all been particularly uneventful. They had made good selections. It was interesting, really. Not only did your fighting ability and public morale affect your performance in Heavan's Arena, but your ability to select easy fights played a role as well.

Kurapika had been moved from floor 123 to floor 152, and was rewarded with 80,000 in silver (which equaled about 4,000 in gold).

Leorio progressed from floor 72 to floor 86, and was rewarded 5,000 in bronze.

It was interesting seeing the way floor levels affected compensation in action. Kurapika really had the right idea with speed running the Arena. Killua trusted the Elf, sure. But it was still nice to see his words proven.

Killua was about to see how far up he went. After analyzing Gon's fight, he had placed very specific dampers on his strength and had held back the correct amount. If he had been successful (which he knew he had) then the Valkyrie would be moved up to floor 199 along with Gon. Just one floor away from being moved off site.

"Killuuuaaaa!" came a voice from around the corner. The Valkyrie felt a smile slip across his face as Gon came running up to him with Kurapika and Leorio following behind him at a normal pace. The silver haired boy's stomach gave a familiar flip as Gon slung his arm across his shoulders and danced them around in a circle. He was always so full of energy!

That's one of the reasons I like him so much… he's such a ball of positivity and light.

It's blinding.

"Your fight was so cool!" Gon exclaimed. "That Veerin guy was so intimidating!"

"He was boring," Killua corrected. "I still haven't had a real fight yet! Fighting that Skinwalker was way more fun, and he was a nasty-ass!"

Gon chuckled as he released Killua, "Yeah I guess so. I hope once we move off site the fights will get more interesting!" The Valkyrie pretended he didn't feel sad when Gon's arm left his shoulders.

"I guarantee they will," Kurapika said, arriving beside the two boys. "The off-site point is positioned at the 200th floor for a reason. It is in all likelihood that we may even run into a few Spiders from that point on." The Elf's voice got dark towards the end, and that shadow crossed over his eyes.

Leorio bumped Kurapika with his shoulder. "Don't worry about those bastards! They'll get what's comin' to 'em! They have four entire badasses to fight! We'll make them regret killing your clan!"

"...Yes," Kurapika murmured, thoughts dancing in those tawny depths.

Killua followed Leorio's lead, they needed to get Mamapika's thoughts off these awful topics. "Come on! We've got some money to collect!"

Killua walked over to Rohan's desk with the others in tow. The happy Fae waved cheerfully at him in greeting, and the Valkyrie glared. His stupid Fae skin was doing that stupid glowing thing, like it was a reflective prism, sparkling like diamonds held up to the sun. His eyes also had that stupid Fae glow. His features were so annoyingly perfect, and his smile was the tasteful stroke of a painter's brush.

Faeries glowed. It was so annoying. Were they really that great? No! No they weren't! Valkyries were WAY cooler, but the fact of the matter was that Fae were technically above Killua in the blood hierarchy. Was that part of the reason Killua couldn't stand Rohan?

Absolutely.

Killua detested it when people were above him, he did not respect authority in the slightest. Leftovers from growing up on Kukuroo Mountain and being constantly under the thumb of his parents.

In the blood hierarchy, there were three Superior Humanoids. These were the three species that were stronger than all the rest by a clean gap, with the most powerful blood and the most dominating aura. The Superior Humanoids were the Fae, the Valkyries, and the Chimera Ants.

There was no specific second or third spot… however. It was indisputably agreed upon that the Fae were the all-powerful species. They were stronger than both the Valkyries and the Chimera Ants combined. They could easily take over the world and rule over all. Luckily, the Fae were egotistical creatures that kept to themselves. They were egotistical to the point that they didn't mingle between subspecies! The two subspecies, Seelie and Unseelie, lived in separate courts, isolated from the rest of the world. They sat in their "superior civilizations" and ignored the rest of the world. And Killua HATED that one of those Faerie bastards was right there in front of him.

If he released his aura then Killua would actually have to put effort into resisting it!

Killua grumbled as he met Rohan's welcoming and happy gaze. Unfortunately, Rohan did not command Killua's outright hatred. If he was here, in Yorknew City of all places and working such a menial job, then he clearly did not possess that Faerie sense of superiority. Rohan was a decent humanoid, unlike the rest of his kind. Killua offhandedly wondered if he was Seelie or Unseelie… but then again he didn't care (the true reason was that he didn't know the difference, but he didn't like admitting when he didn't know things).

"Would you happen to be Killua?" Rohan asked in a joking tone, he already knew it was Killua.

"The one and only," the silver haired boy grunted.

"Wonderful! Congratulations on your win!" The Fae tossed a handful of glitter and confetti up in the air just as he had with Gon. Killua hated to admit it… but it was kind of a nice gesture. Something about being showered with glitter felt celebratory. The other cash-out desk workers were boring and serious, Killua had learned this first hand on Kurapika and Leorio's floors.

But that didn't mean that he liked Rohan! No, definitely not!

He was annoying!

And annoyingly attractive!

And Gon noticed how attractive he was…

"Hello Gon! Kurapika! Leorio!" Rohan said as he leaned over the desk with a wave.

"Hi Rohan!" Gon responded with a grin and an energetic wave. Kurapika and Leorio smiled and waved as well, and Kurapika had to step on Leorio's foot before he made a comment… likely having to do with their dick conversation that morning.

"You already know how this works, so I don't get to give my speech! Sad," Rohan said with a fake pout at the end. "But no matter! You earned a total of 120 battle points! The exact same as Gon! And you have moved to the 199th floor, just like Gon!"

"Yay, you did it Killua!" Gon cheered with a little victory dance.

"Of course I did," the Valkyrie bragged. "Now how much did I win, old man?"

"Old man!" Killua felt a smirk coming on, he couldn't wait to see the annoyance on Rohans' face when— "I thank you for noticing my age!" he declared with a bow and a winning smile.

"Eh?" Killua found himself asking with his smirk twitching in aggravation.

He's not mad?!

"I do happen to be 347 years old, thank you again for noticing!" Rohan said while straightening back up.

Oh yeah. Stupid Fae shit. They live like forever and it's considered respectful to acknowledge one who is older than you.

Damn it! I forgot about that stupid crap.

So much for wiping that grin off his face…

"As for your winnings, you received a whopping total of 210 compensation points!"

"210?! That's more than Gon!" Killua exclaimed with widened eyes and a victorious grin slipping over his features.

"Yes!" Rohan said. "And your grand total is 15,000 in gold!"

"15,000? Oh fuck yes! That's awesome!" Killua yelled as he leaned across the counter, tail swishing behind him with pleasure. "I'll be able to buy so much shit with that!"

"As you should!" Rohan encouraged, leaning forward as well. "Shopping day!"

"You read my mind!" Killua grinned at Rohan and then turned around to look at his friends. "This guy gets it!"

"How did you get more than I did if we got the same amount of battle points?!" Gon whined.

"I'm just better!" Killua bragged with a cat face and a lift of his chin.

"One of the sections on the compensation point totaling graph is audience hype!" Rohan explained. "It seems that the audience took a greater liking to Killua!"

Killua grinned evilly over at Gon, remembering the screaming fangirls and fanboys when he had decapitated Veerin in one fell swoop. "It's cause I'm hotter than you~" Killua taunted. "Crowds love a pretty face~"

Gon grumbled in defeat, and then perked up as he accepted it. "Well, they're not wrong about that!" he commented offhandedly with a smile in Killua's direction.

Killua's face heated up and his stomach gave a flip, he gasped through his nose in surprise. He thinks I'm–

"Oh, come on!" Leorio said, pulling Killua out of his stupor. "We all know that I'M the hottest of all of us!"

"Keep on dreaming, Leorio," Kurapika sighed.

As the two of them dissolved into a bickering match, Killua turned back to Rohan.

"Here is your card!" Rohan said as he handed the metallic rectangle over the table. Killua took it and weighed it up and down in his hand. It had a satisfying weight, and was so polished that he could see his reflection in it. "Your balance is 15,000 gold, and sure to increase exponentially with each win!"

"Thanks, old man," Killua said with a grin, this time saying old man in a nice way rather than a teasing way with Leorio.

"Of course! Now before you go on your merry way, it seems that there is something you're missing!"

"A gold star?" Killua prompted with a wag of his tail.

"Yes! Correct! That earns you TWO gold stars!"

"Oh, hell yeah!"

The Valkyrie laughed as Rohan placed one star on his nose and the other on his forehead in a gap in his bands. "Let it be known that you are today's champion of champions!" Rohan declared.

"Yay!" Killua cheered, Rohan's happiness contagious.

"Yay is right! Now run along now, you have money to spend! Make sure to spend some for me!" Rohan said with a wave.

"Will do!" Killua called over his shoulder as he and the others walked down the hall. When they turned the corner, Killua was still walking with a spring in his step, and had moved his gold stars to the front of his shirt.

"Not fair! You got two!" Gon complained.

"It's cause I'm better! Rohan noticed, like the dignified gentleman he is, and acted accordingly!" Killua teased.

The two of them fell into another playful argument, and Kurapika and Leorio watched in amusement.

"It seems even Killua is not immune to Rohan's charm," Kurapika teased.

"What?!" Killua demanded, turning around to attack his assailant.

"You hated him this morning," the blonde pointed out with a chuckle.

"Oh, shut up blondey," Killua grumbled.

…

Once they arrived back at the hotel room, they opened their scheduling apps to sign up for their next battles. Gon and Killua's nearest openings were in three days, which Kurapika declared was perfect. Now they could dedicate one day for each activity. Leorio and Kurapika would schedule their next fights three days in advance as well, and they would have another fight day on the fourth day.

Killua sighed as he settled down in bed, Gon's pillow hugged against his chest. It was a sorry replacement for the real thing, but it helped Killua sleep nonetheless. Killua was painfully aware of how sad he looked… or at least he thought it was sad. He had stolen his friend's pillow cause he was too head over heels to even fall asleep without him.

But it was for the best that they were in separate rooms. Killua didn't think he could handle Gon snuggling up next to him each and every night. But still. He couldn't help but miss his presence by his side… Killua shut his eyes and pretended that Gon was there behind him. He imagined Gon wrapping his arms around him and surrounding him in his warm embrace... He imagined the soothing beating of his heart against Killua's chest... He imagined the soft tickle of Gon's breath against his ear... It made his heart feel all warm, but also cold at the same time.

Because Gon was not there.

And Gon was his friend… Killua shouldn't be thinking these things.

But still. He couldn't help it.

AN: A fairy, plural fairies, are the tiny dudes that live in gardens. A fae, plural faeries, are the big dudes that live in courts.

is there a Black Butler reference in here? yes, yes there is. it just fit so well with the flow of dialogue, I couldn't help myself :')