Ging yawned, slouching further in the chair. He was sitting in the living room and judging Gon and Killua, who were training their Ten. The two of them were pretty good, he had to say. But still. He was way better!

Pariston leaned up against the wall and watched Ging watch the two of them. Having a person constantly watching you may have seemed to be incredibly unnerving, but after 19 straight years of Pariston's bullshit Ging had gotten used to it.

One thing that he wasn't used to, however, was whatever the fuck was going on between Gon and Killua.

Ging had left Gon back on Whale Island with Mito 19 years ago. Going on 20, pretty soon. When Ging had left Gon behind he had possessed every intention never to see him again. He didn't want to! Why would he want to have to own up to his actions like that?! Disgusting. So much effort!

Gon had found him, of course, because life would have been too easy if Ging had evaded his son indefinitely.

And of course he finds me the second before I leave the planet. I was so damn close to getting away from him! He never would have found me if he'd just missed the Black Whale… but NOPE! He's got that damned Valkyrie with him.

If it weren't for Killua, Gon probably would have missed Paris and I entirely.

And that's just the thing!

Ging hadn't wanted to meet Gon, but he CERTAINLY hadn't wanted to meet some friend of his. That was the equivalent of being caught by the authorities! The bad-parenting-authorities! Being thrown on the spot like that was so nerve wracking! And not to mention embarrassing!

So Gon had brought a friend with him.

Fine. It's not like Ging could get out of it now, Killua was already here and wrapped up in the mission. It's not like Ging had expected Gon not to have any friends. He was a cuddly kid! A very social person! Of course he'd have people hanging off his arms!

Had Ging expected a Valkyrie?

No.

The Crown Prince of the Dragonite Clan and Silva Zoldyck's son?

Hell no!

But the thing that had Ging the most shocked was whatever this was. "This" being how painfully infatuated Gon was with Killua, and vice versa. And how fucking oblivious they were to the reciprocated feelings of the other! Like come on! It was plain as fucking day!

Ging supposed it could be passed off as just VERY strong friendship… and sometimes he did have his doubts. But still. Ging was a genius, and he took great pride in his endless expanse of mental fortitude. Maybe it was just that Ging was way smarter than everyone else in existence!

But as much as he'd love to believe that, in actuality it came down to the fact that his son had not inherited a single ounce of that intelligence.

Gon was so.

Incredibly.

Stupid!

It seemed to Ging that Killua possessed all the brains between the two of them! Did Gon ever get a turn with the brain cell? No. No he did not. And because of that, he was completely unaware of how painfully thick the sexual tension was.

Ging narrowed his eyes, watching as Gon and Killua breathed in unison.

Sent ripples across their Ren in unison.

Made the flow of their Ten completely matched up–

Ging didn't know how the FUCK they were doing this, but they'd managed to get their hearts to beat at the exact same time! Ging could fucking hear it, and it was making him really fucking mad!

Oh, how Ging would just love to sit back, relax, and know that Gon had a best friend.

But he couldn't do that. Ging was NEVER one to sit back when there was shit to be done, especially when that shit inconvenienced him in any way or form!

Because OBVIOUSLY this was a far cry from just "friendship."

And that's what it was! The thing that Ging had least expected about his reunion with his abandoned child was getting involved in his son's love life.

Which was really fucking annoying. Ging was supposed to be the star of the show here! Gon was supposed to be drooling over his incredible coolness! Imitating him to the best of his ability and worshiping the ground he walked on!

But that wasn't the case, Gon was currently in the middle of trying to crawl into Killua's brain. Yeah. Ging wasn't stupid! He knew what the fuck Gon was trying to do! Believe it or not, but Ging had found his fair share of Sorcerer Matches in his lifetime! He knew what it felt like to merge Ren and sync up Ten meditation! And he also knew what it felt like to meld your mind with someone else's!

So here Gon was, too wrapped up with mind-fucking his Valkyrie Prince to give Ging - the STAR OF THIS ENTIRE MISSION - even a passing glance!

Was Ging jealous of his son's infatuation with his best friend?

Yes.

Was he aware of how incredibly petty and sad that was?

Also yes!

But if Ging Freecss was anything at all, he was a 5 star bitch!

Who did Gon think he was, trying to sit here and experience some epic romance with a literal Prince? While Ging was right fucking here?! Having to listen to his stupid racing heart beat and his "activities" in the bathroom at night?! Yeah! It was a small fucking hotel room! And Ging had ears! Just because Killua was a dunce didn't mean Ging was!

The audacity.

So, if it was the LAST thing he did, Ging was going to hurry this the fuck up.

Because watching all the lovey-dovey crap between them and all the "unrequited love" drama was really fucking annoying. But ALSO because Ging loved cleaning up other people's messes without their request, and this little love story was just begging to be ruined! It was about time he hurried this the fuck up!

Pariston chuckled, sensing Ging's chaotic thoughts. This was why the Demon loved hanging around him so much, Ging supposed. There was never a dull moment.

"So," Ging said, starting off nice and casual.

A shiver crossed Gon and Killua's shared Ren. They were at attention.

"How long have you two been together?" Ging smirked as the two of them visibly choked on air. Oh, he'd worded it that way on purpose, alright! He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Uh, we've been traveling together for just over a year now," Gon answered.

Damn. Why'd they have to be so skilled with their Magic control?! They'd completely concealed their mental scrambling from the other. For a pair of idiots that claimed to have the greatest bromance in existence they were pretty fucking good at concealing their feelings from one another. This would likely be tricky.

"Interesting," Ging hummed with a nod. "How'd you get together?"

Gon was trying so hard not to squirm that his eyebrow was twitching, this was so much fun!

"He showed up at the tavern I was working at and abducted me," Killua replied smoothly.

Gon sputtered, "I didn't abduct you!"

Killua snickered, "You may as well have~"

"No! I just asked if you wanted to come with me! But you said no and then ran for six hours straight to catch up when you changed your mind!"

"The definition of Stockholm syndrome."

"What?! I never kidnapped you! When were you ever my prisoner?!"

Their concentration was completely shattered by now, and Ging watched in amusement as they dropped their training and shot back and forth. Killua was pretty damn smooth, Ging had to say. The knowledge that Ging had been the catalyst to his son's current embarrassed state amused him to no end, but he had to admit that watching them flirt was almost as annoying as watching them get all cuddly in each other's minds.

Soon the two of them had completely forgotten about Ging's questioning, and were arguing about who's side some rando named Knov would be on.

Ging sighed in annoyance, leaning back against the chair. See?! This was exactly why their constant "we're-in-love-but-we'll-never-say-it-cause-we're-too-fucking-dense-and-insecure" pissed Ging off so much. It was like no one else was in the room!

Third wheel much? Ging hated feeling like a third wheel! Which was why he needed to shove them together so he could go back to being the center of attention! Ging rubbed his chin as he schemed up ways of embarrassing his son. It seemed that Killua was already trying to get Gon to catch a hint, but Gon was both too stupid to figure it out and too easily influenced by Killua's smoothness.

All Ging had to do was give Gon a bit of a push~

But in a bitchy way, of course.

"Okay! I'm your eternally wise teacher, so listen to what I say!"

Killua rolled his eyes. Ging was such a douche. The egotistical prick swiped his ID card at the door of some random room buried deep within the guts of the Black Whale. The door slid open with a hiss, and Ging led Gon, Killua, and Pariston into an enormous room that resembled a gymnasium.

The walls were all made of that smooth white stuff, and there were a bunch of grips and hand holds all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. There were a whole bunch of complicated looking controls on the wall by the door, as well as a huge case filled with suits made from some sort of slippery looking material.

"We've got about a week here on the Black Whale before we arrive on Thyrane," Ging explained, swiping his card to unlock the case full of weird clothes. "Before we get there, though, I'm gonna train you two in anti-gravity fighting and maneuvering. There's a whole ton of crap to learn, and we'll cover as much as we can. Anything we don't get to we'll just have to learn on the fly."

"Great. Sounds professional," Killua grunted.

"Hey!" Ging snapped, throwing a bundle of rubbery clothes into Killua's face. "No mouthing off to your Sensei! Now put that on."

Killua held up a skin suit that was kinda thick and slippery yet rubbery at the same time. "The hell even is this thing?" Killua complained, stretching at the sleeves and watching the suit contort.

"That, my friends, is a space suit," Ging answered, tossing one to Pariston.

"This is a space suit?!" Gon exclaimed. "But I thought they were all chunky and stuff!"

"Common misconception," Ging responded.

"Interstellar technology is a whole lot more advanced than the myths on Overworld would have you believe!" Pariston chirped.

Gon gawked at his suit, "How do I put it on?"

"Just unzip the back and step into it," Ging grumbled. "Not that complicated."

Gon stuck out his tongue and did just that. Killua glared at the rubbery thing, already hating it. He stuffed his feet into the foot holes, shoes and all. Shoving his arms in was so damned uncomfortable, he had to hold onto the sleeves of his turtleneck to make sure they didn't get all rumpled.

"I can't reach the zipper!" Gon whined in defeat. Killua rolled his eyes and went over to help him. He took a hold of the zipper and pulled it all the way up to where it met the back of Gon's neck. "Thanks, Killua!"

"Yeah, it's nothing," Killua mumbled, turning his attention back to his own suit. He had to slip his tail into a tail sleeve. Killua HATED tail sleeves. Once he'd finally gotten it all on and zipped it all up, it looked like he was wearing a baggy onesie.

Ging tossed a helmet to each of the younger males. "Put these on, once you hit the switch they'll sync with your suits they'll balance out and suction to your body."

Killua followed the instructions, hissing in shock when the suit squeezed tight around his entire body. He turned around grumpily to inspect his ass, which was very visible. In fact, everything was visible, save for a plate of armor over his groin. What the hell.

"Why're they so tight?" Killua complained.

"For flexibility. Not all space suits are this tight, but these are a model specifically designed for combat, and will be the one we'll be using on our mission," Ging explained, tossing a pair of oxygen tanks. "Put the straps on like backpacks, the suit's programmed to do the rest."

Killua followed the instructions, and promptly choked on air when a freezing blast of it shot into his nose.

Ging cackled like the evil bitch that he was, "Watch out for the air pressure! Staying conscious is key to survival, so the suits will regulate your breathing for you. If you pass out or stop breathing for any reason, the suit will keep you alive. We can't exactly perform CPR in space when we've all gotta keep our helmets on."

Gon stood rigid still, face focused as he clearly tried to force himself to stop breathing. He gasped in defeat, "That's so crazy! No matter how hard I try to hold my breath, the suit won't let me!"

"Cool isn't it?" Ging chirped.

"What if the suit gets waterlogged?" Killua asked, ruining the moment.

"You'd surely drown!" Pariston answered with a smile that was far too sweet given the context of his words.

"Stop being so negative!" Ging snapped at the Valkyrie and the Demon. "Now brace yourselves, I'm activating the artificial vacuum." The hybrid turned to the complicated control panel, and started messing with the buttons and switches. He swiped his card all of three times before suddenly Killua was floating

"Shit!" the Valkyrie snarled, flailing in thin air as he just… floated.

Gon was giggling like a child, "I'm flying!"

"This isn't flying!" Killua snapped, unable to control where he was going. If anything his efforts to use his tail to direct himself were just making it worse! He was just fucking spinning!

"Just stop moving!" Ging called from where he was floating off to the side.

"Easy for you to say!" Killua shouted.

"For today we're going to get used to how it feels in anti-gravity," Ging explained. "Float around! Get a feel for how it is. There's no friction whatsoever, so if you start moving you won't stop unless you hit the wall! Just remember that you'll have to learn how to fight like this."

"I'll save you, Killua!" Gon called from… somewhere. Everything was spinning! Killua felt like he was gonna fucking barf!

"Heads up!" Gon chirped, the only warning Killua got before Gon slammed into him and the two of them were sent hurdling over to the far wall.

The hybrid laughed as their helmets clinked against each other, Killua scrambling to grip onto his shoulders.

"Isn't this fun?" Gon cheered, holding onto Killua's waist.

"No! This is the opposite of fun!" Killua complained, having to suppress any motion in his tail. Otherwise they'd just start spinning again.

"I like it!" Gon snickered, hooking his foot under one of the metal rungs built into the wall. Killua kept his arms locked around Gon's shoulders, not wanting to go flying off in the other direction again. "It's okay to let go, you know," the hybrid chuckled.

Killua glared down at him, and Gon gave him a sheepish grin in return.

"It's floating in the air! Isn't that fun?" Gon prodded again.

"I've floated in the air my whole life," Killua grumbled. "This is like that, but stupid."

Gon threw his head back and laughed. Killua swooned a little. Gon was so beautiful when he laughed. He'd throw his head back, eyes shut and mouth open wide and happy. He never held anything back… never. He'd tell Killua whatever he was feeling, no matter what. He'd shared his deepest shame with Killua, trusted him with the world.

So why couldn't he just love Killua back? Was it really so much to ask?

"That's it?" Gon snorted. "It's just 'stupid?'"

Killua poked the glass of his helmet. "Yeah, you heard me! Stu~pid! Just like you!"

Gon's smile turned cunning. "Well if it's just like me then why don't you like it? You like me, don't you?"

Killua blew his cheeks out, trying to dispel his growing blush. "Who said I liked you?" he snapped… and then internally smacked himself. Why'd he always get all mean when he was supposed to be acting nice! Why would Gon fall for him if he was always being an asshole?!

Gon chuckled. "I dunno," he rubbed his hands slowly along Killua's hips, where the Valkyrie had locked his legs around Gon's stomach to keep from floating away. "Just a feeling, I guess~"

Killua's brain short circuited.

Is he–

Is this?!

"Just relax, Killua," Gon hummed, pushing off the wall and floating backwards through the air. He gently unwrapped Killua's arms from their death grip around his neck. "I love a hug as much as the next person, but you've just gotta let yourself be free." He spoke slow, silky.

No way–

There was no fucking way–

Gon slipped Killua's legs off his waist, and then interlaced their fingers. They floated backwards, suspended in the air as they floated over to the other wall. "Just let yourself have fun. There's nothing at all holding you back, you can do whatever you want like this."

Killua got a hold of himself, he couldn't let this chance slip away. He had to figure out if Gon was just joking around–

Or if it was something else.

Killua leaned forward until their helmets knocked together. "Anything at all?"

Gon froze up, and his cheeks turned red.

Killua was so happy right now he wanted to scream. Gods, he was so glad he'd gotten so good at being suggestive. He had a certain purple skinned menace to thank for that.

But also, he was just as frozen up as Gon. What was he supposed to do now?! He hadn't expected that to work!

If both of them were flustered right now than what the fuck did that mean–

"Hey," Ging complained from closer to the floor, "if you need us to leave you can just ask!"

The two boys startled, pushing back to arms length. It felt like miles away.

"It's nothing like that!" Gon exclaimed, words rushed.

Ging snorted. "Fine, whatever you say! Now get down here so I can show you how to use the jets in your suit to maneuver!"

"There's jets?!" Gon yelled, making Killua wince. He was so damn loud! "Where?!"

"You'll just have to come down here and see~ Are you capable of doing that?"

Gon tugged Killua close again, knocking the glass of their helmets together. "Sorry Killua," he said, voice dead serious and eyes burning with a competitive fire, right before he used Killua like a fucking step stool and kicked off him to propel himself towards the floor!

Killua yelled in surprise as he was sent tumbling for the ceiling. He hissed when he slammed uncomfortably against a metal hand hold. "You ASSHOLE!" the Valkyrie screamed.

Gon's musical laughter floated upwards, and Killua shook his head. Honestly. A grin split across his face, and the Valkyrie kicked off the ceiling.

I think this is gonna work.

I seriously think I can get Gon to fall for me.

Killua's chest felt like it was gonna explode, and his cuddly side just wanted to glue himself to Gon's side and squeeze him close. But his competitive side dictated that he needed to take his revenge on Gon and tenfold. Killua snickered evilly, Gon was gonna regret being born!