This was a dream. Was it real? Was any of this seriously happening? Killua's entire world had turned into a sparkling dreamscape of touches and playful remarks. A week spent drifting through space, constantly in and out of the anti-gravity training facility.

It felt like they were kids again. It felt like those first weeks they'd gotten to know each other. Running in between the trunks of those enormous trees, their only care making it through the mountains to Yorknew City. Before any enormous monster snakes to defeat. Before 400 levels of brutal combat. Before all the pain, all those impossible situations and complicated feelings.

Back then, it had been nothing but that fresh breath of freedom.

Killua finally released from the imprisonment of his own mind to wander the world as he pleased.

Gon finally having crossed that gaping canyon of grief and darkness, on the other side and once again having his eyes opened to the wonderful world around him.

That freedom had been incredible. Killua had gotten a taste of it once again, when they'd finally made it out of the mountains. On the way to the underground tunnel that would take them to an enormous city of sights and sadness to come.

But it hadn't been the same as before. No, because once they'd left the Neko-Village, Killua had been locked under this oppressive blanket of feelings and thought. What was this growing within him? He was hanging out with Gon same as always… only now there was this fluttering feeling. There was a beast growing within him, and Killua did not understand what it was.

The seeds of that immense monster had been planted during those weeks of travel between the Hidden Oasis and the Neko-Village. That had been the time… Killua was sure of it. He had fallen for Gon over the course of those days. Those fun afternoons running among the trees, those quiet nights by the fire with Gon's back pressed flush against his.

That had been the greatest time of Killua's life… he had found a friend. A true companion, the person he never wanted to let go of. The person he wanted to spend the rest of his days with. He never could have known it at the time, but this goofy boy that had convinced Killua to run away with him would bring Killua along on the greatest adventure he ever could have imagined.

Not a literal adventure, though they had seen their fair share of exciting things.

An emotional adventure.

An adventure of the heart and soul.

Killua had found his match in Gon, the love of his life and the light to his darkness. Gon was everything Killua had needed, and everything he never wanted to let go of. For the first time in almost an entire year, Killua was finally free of those cumbersome chains.

Chains placed upon him by Illumi and his own insecurities. Killua was in love with Gon, and he wanted to scream it aloud for all to hear. He wanted everyone in the world to know that Gon was his, and that no one else could have him.

The thing he wanted more than anything else, however, was for Gon to proclaim Killua his.

Finally accepting his love for this idiot was such a breath of fresh air, yes, but that longed for reciprocation… the longing Killua felt for that incredible reassurance could not be put into words. He wanted to hear it from Gon's lips, he wanted to be drawn up into Gon's embrace where he could finally feel like he truly belonged.

Because his home was in Gon. His home was not on Kukuroo Mountain. Not in the Neko-Village, or even under the protective wing of Kurapika. His home was wherever Gon was, and simply traversing the halls of this glorious edifice was simply not enough.

Killua wanted to open the doors, sink his toes into the soft carpets. He wanted to run his hands across the furniture, memorize each and every light switch and oil lamp by heart. He wanted to lounge on the day beds, slouch against the office chairs, and carve his name into the exposed wood in the attic.

He wanted to be welcomed in full within Gon, in mind and body and soul.

Loving Gon was like drowning in a boiling pool of lava. It was like being sucked into the gaping maw of a black hole. It was like falling from the sky for all eternity…

After all this time of forcing himself to watch and wait, to shove all these feelings inside where they'd never see the light of day - Killua was ready. He was ready to accept Gon wholly and unconditionally, and he wanted it more than his lungs craved for air.

Killua shoved the last of his things into his pack, and activated the magnets to latch it to the back of his suit. Oxygen tank, backpack, helmet under his arm. It was time. They were finally heading out.

Ging and Pariston were bickering in the other room about something or the other. They were always at each other's throats, a dance of wills so incredibly different from Gon and Killua's.

The Valkyrie glanced over his shoulder to where Gon was clipping his fishing rod into a strap meant for carry on swords. So random. So blatantly unique as he fought against the grain. Gon was his own person, marching to the beat of his own drum. It brought a smile to the assassin's lips, and affection buzzed in his heart. But you know what?

Killua didn't hide it.

He didn't force down the bubbles rising up in his chest, pushing his lips to spill all of those soft words. He didn't fight against the pink tint to his cheeks, or the way his shoulders slackened as he swooned. He didn't wrap his tail around his leg to stifle its affectionate swaying, and he didn't hide his melty blue eyes beneath the curtain of his bangs.

So when Gon turned around to face him?

He was met with the full force of everything that was Killua. Everything that was ready to welcome him home, and all those unspoken words that hovered on the edge of their every waking interaction.

So Gon's breath caught visibly in his throat. He stumbled, feet losing their usual practiced confidence. His tan cheeks flushed, and his mouth floundered as he struggled to remember what he had been about to say.

Killua laughed, musical and light.

He knew exactly what he was doing to Gon.

He knew exactly what the hybrid was feeling, because he'd been feeling those exact same things for an entire year.

Gon's face flushed further, he squirmed on his feet. He was utterly speechless, completely defeated in the face of the Valkyrie's unvetted joy. Killua barely managed to prevent himself from sparking across the room in a flash of electricity and just squeezing the daylights out of him.

Killua grinned at the hybrid, swishing his tail playfully behind him. "You ready to go?"

Gon shook himself out of his stupor. "Y-Yeah!"

"Old men!" Killua yelled to the other room, "Hurry up! We've been docked for 45 minutes now! If you don't hurry up we're gonna miss the stop!"

"Mind your own damn business, Princess!" Ging snapped. "We'll be ready when we're ready!"
"Okay~ But we're leaving you," Killua taunted in a sing-song voice, taking slow and audible steps towards the door. Gon slipped to his side, exasperation written all over his face.

"Give us five minutes!" Pariston chirped, always the agreeable one.

"We'll be in the lobby!" Killua called, grabbing Gon by the hand and tugging him out the door.

Killua, egged on by this fuzzy halo of all encompassing joy, spun Gon against his chest. He grinned down at his shorter companion, and reached down to the strap around Gon's upper thigh to steal a vial of his blood. Allowing his hand to just barely graze past his ass as he slipped it out of its pouch, he placed the vial in his mouth and broke it with his teeth.

Very aware of the shiver that ran up Gon's spine from his passing touch.

Godspeed activated with a flurry of sparks, and within the span of three seconds the two of them were in the lobby. Killua released Gon from his hold, the hybrid stumbling backwards as the electrical armor faded away, static jumping from one spike of hair to the other.

"You've gotta warn me, next time!" he whined, dizzy on his feet and still a blushing mess from Killua pulling him so close. "I wasn't ready."

Killua snickered, and walked lazily towards the umbilical gateway that led to the inner workings of Thyrane's interplanetary rest stop. Gon followed along with a huff, even more inclined to stay glued to Killua's side than ever before.

He walked close, close enough that Killua's tail brushed against his leg as it swayed. They might as well have been walking right on top of each other, testing the other's boundaries and seeing just how hard they had to push to get the other flustered and scrambling.

Say it.

Every light brush of Killua's tail against Gon's hip.

Say it.

Every time Killua openly enveloped Gon in his loving gaze.

Say it.

Every scandalous embrace Killua pulled his blushing friend into, the activation of Godspeed just now a prime example.

Say it.

All of it was a challenge, a beckoning hand. A constant message that Killua knew what he was thinking, and that his confession was more than welcomed. Neither of them had explicitly said anything, but this entire week had been spent stomping across boundaries in the sand and seeing just how far they could push before breaking.

Obviously Gon wasn't always timid like this, it was simply crucial that Killua get a head start. Otherwise he'd lose his cool headed bravado with the drop of a hat…

Killua loved Gon more than anything, and he was more than ready to take that final step.

However… there was that constant and nagging fear. That taste of bile in his throat. That bundle of nerves that would keep the words lodged in Killua's throat, never to fully formulate. He was scared, as much as he hated to admit it. He wanted this more than anything, but after all they'd been through… such a change in their relationship was daunting to say the least.

Not to mention the fact that Killua royally sucked at expressing his emotions.

He could flirt, tease, and drop suggestive comments in his sleep. But something about lowering that protective curtain of humor made him balk… freeze up. With these playful touches, the understood barrier of "all-in-good-fun," Killua could dance on the outskirts of this dark pool of steamy and suffocating mess.

Was he afraid of commitment? Perhaps.

Afraid of being hurt? Definitely.

But more than anything else… he was scared of rejection. Even now. Even when Gon was practically eating him with his eyes. Even as Gon jumped at any and every excuse to drape himself from Killua's shoulders. Even when Gon eyed him up and down, embarrassing him on purpose and teasing him with that promise of "if you say it, I'll say it."

Killua didn't think he had the capacity to make the first move.

He had no idea what the fuck he would even do in that situation.

Apparently he could fantasize over intimacy all he wanted, but couldn't initiate for the death of him. It was like having an incredible art piece in mind… but being stuck with a broken pencil and no means of sharpening the lead.

Killua was a complete total mess.

And he was more than aware of that fact.

But he'd been waiting for ages now, and he wasn't about to dirty his feet by marching across the puddle of messy emotions between them. No, that would be Gon's job. Gon was stubborn as all hell, but he was also incredibly impulsive.

Killua would get Gon to confess first.

Both because he was too damn chicken, and also because he just wanted to see Gon scramble.

It was cute.

Gon skipped through the umbilical gateway, more than happy to follow Ging's lead. He hadn't had the best opinions of Ging as of late - as in during the duration of his time with Kite and up until they'd actually ran into him at Nesting and Sky - but something about his willingness to always take the helm was strangely endearing.

He was completely impossible, and would never commit to compromise in any way or form, but he was oddly charismatic. In his own… Ging… way. He genuinely wanted to lead, he genuinely wanted to help others. For the overarching purpose of flaunting his intelligence and experience, sure, but the sentiment was still there.

Accepting Ging as a friend rather than a father was the greatest rhythm Gon could have ever relaxed himself into. He would always have that bitter bite of pain in knowing that this was the man who had abandoned him as a child, but now that he'd gotten to know Ging and understand how he worked and what made him tick, he was able to understand why that decision had been made. As well as how Ging could care about him while wanting nothing to do with him at the same time.

As friends, none of those messy father-son requirements had to be met. They could just come as they were. They were both free spirits, though their morals and virtues were on complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

It was… refreshing. To follow Ging's lead like this.

Gon found that he really did respect and look up to him. That didn't mean that he wanted to follow in his footsteps, per say, but he was drawn to his knowledge. This laid back means of executing the complicated waltz they called life.

"Whelp," Ging announced, "Welcome to Thyrane! It isn't much, but what it lacks in class it makes up for in heart."

Thyrane could hardly be considered a moon. If anything, it was nothing more than an abnormally large rock. The refuel station took up the entire moon's surface, allowing hundreds of enormous ships access. However… the actual station part of the refuel station was… underwhelming, to say the least.

Gon supposed that his time on the Black Whale had spoiled him. Not every space ship and station was as obnoxiously luxurious as that vessel. It may as well have been a floating hotel. It reminded Gon of Heaven's Square, just in spaceship form.

The station was a hollowed out space, carved directly into the moon's surface. The floors were made of a mismatched patchwork of metal, in all different colors and shades of decay. The walls weren't much better off, and the lighting was haphazardly installed and clearly finicky at best.

There were utility stores and weapon shops set up on the outer walls, as well as a couple of restaurants. The four of them had to wear their helmets, because the default atmosphere on Thyrane was majority CO2. Deadly to any animalia-based being. They were a couple light years from Nesseraq, so it made sense. Not every planet's atmosphere was the same, and neither was every alien species' respiratory system… if they even had one to begin with.

Gon found that life off Overworld was easy to grow accustomed to. If anything, it was easier to process… if that even made sense. Sure, Gon was currently walking blindly into new and foreign locations every single day. He was traveling so far away from his home planet that the majority of the general population didn't even know what the difference between a hybrid and a pure-blood was.

But Gon was used to being bombarded with crazy sights and experiences at this point. Overworld had so much crazy shit shoved into a single planet that you could travel for a single day and discover at least 10 new and strange things. Overworld hosted such an incredibly diverse population, and out here where the alien's resided, each planet consisted of only one species.

So it was easier to get used to, Gon guessed.

Ging led Gon, Killua, and Pariston towards the far corner of the station, where a series of tables had been set up.

"We're jumping ships," Ging explained, "So we'll have to go over here to where the ships-for-hire are. We'll buy a ticket with whoever is going to Hallah. A word of caution, we are traveling in close proximity to Chimera, so we'll have to travel using less legitimate channels. Don't have high expectations for this leg of the journey."

"Yeah, yeah," Killua sighed, "We get it."

"Do you?" Ging shot back, sounding oddly serious.

Gon and Killua shared a quizzical glance, then shrugged it off.

"We're boarding another person's ship. So we'll be playing by their rules, I hope you're prepared for that," Ging explained.

Killua grumpily slung his arms behind his head. "I grew up on Kukuroo Mountain, I don't think anywhere can be worse than that."

Ging grumbled, admitting defeat. "Alright then, if you say so."

Gon stepped a little closer to Killua, their shoulders pressed together as they walked. He hated all that crap the Valkyrie had been forced to deal with. A tail wrapped gently around Gon's leg, a silent thanks for being there. The hybrid felt a soft smile breaking across his face. He'd always be there for Killua. As long as Gon was around, he'd see to it that Killua never suffered again.

The four males walked up and down the aisles of desks, hastily thrown together as their pilots tried to earn some quick cash. Spaceships were expensive, and not exactly easy to manufacture. If you had one, the best way to make it worth its while was to make some money off it.

Ging hummed in satisfaction, and approached a crew boasting a trip to Layack.

The captain stood at attention, sitting up straighter when he saw Ging's confident strut. Out in space, aura wasn't what got you respect. It was your confidence, the way you held yourself. Gon liked that. Sure, his aura would still have the same effect. All alien species had the same level of aura, and that level was far below his own. It was just Overworld that was weird with all its higher and lower aura levels (not to mention different species and subspecies). But just the knowledge that he wouldn't be judged at all for his blood or his aura made him happy.

The crew was dressed in matching suits of black and navy, with heavily tinted helmets that Gon couldn't see through. The captain had a golden marking on his breast, showing off his status. According to the advertisements set up on their table, they owned a civilian cruiser and were looking for any new hitchhikers. They had a few open slots remaining, and boasted a high quality ship with individual lodging for each passenger.

Good quality for a ship taking such a dangerous route.

It kind of rubbed Gon the wrong way. He had a feeling that something about this deal wouldn't be as good as it was letting on.

"You guys stopping at Hallah?" Ging asked, getting right to the point.

"Yup," the captain grunted. "That'll be our first refuel. You interested?"

"Yes, actually," Ging said, giving the captain a lopsided smirk. "How much for passage to Hallah?"

Ging and the captain debated price rates for a couple of minutes, and within half an hour the ship was ready to leave. With four in total, Ging's group had taken up the remaining slots on the ship. They'd arrived just in the nick of time. There weren't any other ships traveling directly to Hallah, they'd gotten very lucky and saved a whole bunch of time.

The crew led the four males out of the station and into the docking tract. It was a long winding tube stretching around the moon several times. It was made entirely of glass, with a conveyor belt in the floor and hundreds of docking and fuel stations.

Gon watched out the windows as they rode along, gawking at the view. The surface of Thyrane was uninteresting, just a cratered hunk of rock. It almost looked like the bones of an inactive volcano. What was built around the planet was interesting. There were giant structures, housing gallons upon gallons of fuel and complex equipment to serve a wide variety of different ship models.

The sky was completely black, with the looming form of a dead planet hanging on the horizon. Outside was empty and cold, the landscape dotted with colossal cruisers and ships, all with the winding docking tract humming its way between them.

It took another half an hour to finally make it to their desired fuel pump, and soon enough Gon was walking through the umbilical gateway of their next ship.

The main lobby of the ship was a whole lot more cramped than the Black Whale had been. The walls were made of this silvery gray material, and the entire place was just a winding maze of hallways and rooms. The crew dispersed upon entering, off to get the ship up and running.

The captain led Gon, Killua, Ging, and Pariston into a large room with a bunch of complicated machinery.

"Metal detectors?" Gon asked, cocking his head to one side and remembering all the security measures taken in Heaven's Arena.

"Not quite," the captain responded, unlatching his helmet and taking it off.

Gon was taken aback, the captain was an Elf! He was from Overworld?! He shook his head, ruffling his hair and stretching his neck. His elongated ears peeked through shafts of icy white hair, he was an Ice Pike Elf. What was he doing all the way out here?! Didn't most crews consist of alien species?!

"I know what you're thinking," the captain chuckled as his four newest customers ripped their helmets off and gawked at him suspiciously. "What's an Elf like him doing all the way out here, am I right? Though I could ask the same of the four of you. A set of hybrids, by the look of things. Out here looking for a new place to call home? That's what drove me all the way out here. Overworld can be brutal. I couldn't handle the constant violence."

"Understandable," Ging said slowly. "The Ice Pikes have been at war for the past hundred years, after all. But that's hardly a reason to come all the way out here. You could have moved to a different area. The North Western Quarter is a living hell, but the Southern Hemisphere isn't bad at all."

"True," the captain sighed. "But I wanted a change of pace. So I met up with an alien looking for some new hires, and left the planet." He walked over to the jungle of machinery. Ging's group followed, staying alert. There was something in this man's tone of voice… he was up to something.

"It's been great, really has," he murmured. "But peace can never last. Not when that evil lurks just on the other side of the Hayway sector."

He was talking about the Moon of Chimera.

With a heavy hearted sigh, the Elf flipped on one of those huge machines. "I know the Chimeras only recently dissolved into war, but they've been getting more and more violent for the past several years now. They're getting gutsy. They're pushing the boundaries of the Peace Agreements. A couple years back, we were boarded by a group of travelers. We had assumed they were Glleevians. We were wrong. They were Chimeras, and they… killed our captain. It was hard, but our crew is tough. We carry on! No matter what."

The Elf gave Ging a chilling look. "But we can't be too careful."

Gon frowned. He didn't like that look. He'd gotten it far too many times in his travels. An expression of fear, an expression of paranoia. A fear of being dominated, a fear of being torn down by an opposing aura or presence. That was the type of person to kill a hybrid who had a stronger aura than they were "supposed to." That was the type of person to band together and try to wipe out powerful subspecies.

The type of person who would create an army of child bombs, simply to eradicate the world of an "opressive species."

"I'm sure you understand," the captain said, two more crew mates drifting into the room and getting the machines calibrated. "You really never know these days," he chuckled. "With all this damned inbreeding, your own eyes can't be trusted."

Gon's frown deepened. So he was one of those types. The type to hate hybrids because of how they clouded the water. Gon had thought space was devoid of people like this. He'd thought that aliens didn't care! It seemed that Overworld's rot was just too potent to keep itself to a single planet.

"You never know who's a Chimera," the captain muttered through gritted teeth, his eyes fiery and full of hatred. "So we take certain… precautions, to ensure our safety and the safety of our passengers. We ask that you step through this machine, and have your blood read. It won't hurt, it's just so we can be sure we don't have any problematic situations brewing."

"What do you mean by that?" Gon asked, his frustration seeping into his words. Killua was stiffened at his side. Neither of them liked where this was going.

Ging gave Gon a look. "Don't resist. Just go along with it," he instructed. "It's not a big deal. We'll prove to him that we aren't a problem. We just have to show that we aren't Chimeras."

Killua's tail tightened around Gon's leg, before uncoiling and settling at his side.

"I doubt it's that simple," the touch said.

Gon nodded, agreeing.

"I'll go first!" Pariston volunteered, stepping forward.

Gon tensed. How would they react when they discovered that Pariston was a Demon? If they were this distrusting of a group of hybrids who clearly didn't hold Chimera Blood, then how would they react to someone like Pariston?

He crossed through the arch-like machine, the blue light of an inspective laser sliding over his form as he crossed through. The machine whirred to life, and Gon watched carefully as the crewmates inspected the readings running across the screens.

One of the crewmates nodded, "He's clean. 99% human, the rest is too faint to detect."

The captain nodded, "Good. You may pass," he said to Pariston.

The Demon grinned, and Gon blinked in surprise.

That's right. Demon's were incredible with their glamours, he must have altered his body so much that the reader couldn't pick up the Demon in him. Gon frowned. He didn't know what the other part of him was… he knew it resided in his second form, but also in his strange features. Would the rest of his blood be revealed? Did he have a way of hiding it?

Ging watched Gon watch the reader. "Unseelie blood has a habit of hiding itself. The subspecies is tricky like that. Especially when he holds two forms. If he crossed through the barrier in his true form, it would read 100% Unseelie Fae, inaccurate, but the sheer power of Her Mark eludes technology. If he walks through as he is now, it will read 50% human and Terran Elf, with the other 50% diluted by a default blanket. Means the rest of his gene pool was swallowed up by basic arrangements like human and Terran, leaving him only with the capabilities of those two species. Since he doesn't hold access to any Unseelie power without shifting, it won't show up on the reader. I hope he has the mind to keep his biochemical at rest.

If he activated either that or the neurotoxin… then the reader would pick up on the Unseelie power, and he'd get a completely accurate reading.

And that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?"

Gon held his breath, and passed through the reader.

He turned around once he crossed through, heart racing in his chest. Were they about to announce the other 50% of his blood? Ging looked so relaxed… so he didn't think so. But still. What would they say? How was it possible that Ging was so unbothered by all this? Had he done something to the machine?

"25% human, 25% Terran Elf, the other 50% diluted by a default blanket and therefore undistinguishable," one of the crewmates announced.

Gon deflated.

He couldn't decide if he was relieved or annoyed.

This was why it had been impossible to ascertain his species all this time, after all. Being half plain-blooded allowed whatever the hell else was within him to remain hidden away.

The captain nodded at Gon, and then beckoned for Ging to cross through.

"50% human, 50% Terran Elf."

The captain nodded, "Two fellow elven peoples. It's a pleasure."

"Yeah, you're quite the ray of sunshine," Ging muttered, earning an elbow in the ribs from Gon. They needed to keep the captain on their good side, dammit! They'd all been fine so far… but the reader had announced human blood for all of them.

Killua… he was a different story.

"Go ahead," the captain said, seeming relaxed now that the other three had been "clean" in his eyes. He was clearly expecting more human blood from Killua. Likely some cryptid as well, from the tail and the ears. Due to the suit, he couldn't see the barb or the tattoos.

Gon was concerned.

Killua met Gon's gaze, blue eyes determined. He then walked through the reader.

The numbers rolled across the screen, and the reaction of the crewmates was immediate. They gasped, leaning forward to get a closer look. The one closer to Killua stared at him in horror, and hid behind the other crewmate.

"What? What is it?" the captain demanded, looking back and forth between Killua - whose face was an unreadable mask - and the terrified crewmates.

"He's– it's– He's 100% Dragonite Valkyrie!"

The captain jumped, scrambling away from Killua. "What?!"

Killua gave the three an annoyed glance. "I don't know what your problem is. I don't bite."

"He's still carnivorous!" the captain snarled, "What's his reading?!"

"He has not consumed another humanoid within the past six months! He appears to be docile."

Killua growled low in his throat, Gon glanced over at him sympathetically. He wasn't some dangerous creature that had happened to be domesticated. Why were they calling him "docile?"

The captain relaxed. "Alright. Good."

"Happy now?" Killua snapped.

The elven man ran a hand through his hair. "Yes. Just allow us to run a couple more tests. We must assure the safety of our passengers, you see."

Killua aggressively rolled his eyes. "Fine, just make it quick."

The captain gave Killua a derogatory glance. "As if it were up to you."

Gon glared, "What's that supposed to–"

The captain clapped his hands, and all of a sudden an army of crewmates flooded the room. They surrounded Killua, closing him in and gripping his arms and tail.

"Hey, what the hell?!" the Valkyrie snapped, a growl in his throat but not fighting back. He knew that starting a fight in this situation would be a very bad move.

"I'm sure we won't find anything, but just until we're done," the captain explained, leading the army of crewmates restraining Killua out the door and down the hallway.

"Hey!" Gon yelled, "Killua!" He jerked forward, where were they taking him?! Ging grabbed his arm.

"Gon. No. It's okay. They're not going to do anything."

Gon snarled, reluctantly calming down.

"Where are they taking him?" he asked the two crewmates at the machine.

"Just down to our CT scanner," one of them responded as she shut down the machine.

"He's just being walked through some safety precautions, nothing will happen to him," the other reassured.

"Why would they need a CT scan of Killua?" Gon muttered, on edge. He was scared. He hadn't been separated from Killua like this sense they'd split up while in Yorknew City… he didn't like it. It was sending an uncomfortable prickle up and down his spine.

He needed to protect Killua.

He needed to defend him.

"Likely to check the status of his wings," Ging answered calmly, hand still around Gon's arm to prevent him from running off. "Dragonite wings are powerful, especially when mixed with Valkyrie blood. When they find that his wings are permanently sealed, he'll likely gain their favor."

Gon growled. "I still don't like it."

"Believe me." Gon looked up at Ging, who's amber eyes matched Gon's in ferocity and rage. "Neither do I."

Forty-five tense minutes passed.

Gon was tight as a wire, ready to snap at any given moment. Himself, Ging, and Pariston were sitting on one of the room's medical counters. As they'd been informed during their wait, this was actually the infirmary. They just kept the blood scanner in here as well.

The hybrid's leg was bouncing. He didn't like this. Why was it taking so long?

Suddenly the door slid open.

Gon leapt to his feet, a rush of frantic adrenaline sending a flush to his cheeks. "Killua!"

Two crewmates, wearing those navy suits with black tinted helmets, walked into the room. They then stepped to the side, bordering the door. Revealing Killua.

Gon's face contorted into a mixture of shock and horror.

This was fine?

This was their definition of "nothing happening to him?!"

Killua was completely bare, they had stripped him of his backpack, his suit, his helmet, and all of the clothes underneath. The only thing covering him was a measly sheet of cloth over his crotch, tied around his waist by a rubber string.

His tattoos strained the eye, absorbing the fluorescent light and making it seem like part of him just wasn't there. Normally Gon would have found himself a blushing mess with Killua wearing practically nothing, but not like this.

Not when he was being contained like this.

Because around his face was a mask. Not a medical mask or a cloth mask.

A restraining mask.

A fucking muzzle.

It was metallic and blocky, strapped uncomfortably around Killua's ears and folding them down at an uncomfortable angle.

But that wasn't all. They couldn't stop at this humiliation. Not at stripping him down and gagging him like a rabid dog.

No, they'd placed restraints around his arms and tail.

Large, blocky restraints, encasing his forearms and the tip of his tail as well as a foot of its length. The restraints were hunks of metal, restraining his most powerful weapons, his claws and that deadly barb.

"Killua?" Gon breathed, frozen in horror. Ging and Pariston the same.

The captain waltzed into the room, standing beside Killua and looking proud of himself.

Killua's face was not visible, the lower half obstructed by the muzzle and his eyes hidden behind his bangs. But one thing was apparently clear.

Killua was pissed.

The Valkyrie walked forward, his bare feet patting against the cold metal floor. He stopped in front of Gon. Still staring at the ground. But now Gon could see through his bangs. He could see the pits of rage boiling in those sapphire depths.

A wave of anger crashed over Gon.

So powerful it sparked his biochemical to action all on its own.

"I'm gonna kill them," he snarled, already drawing a vial of blood from his belt.

Killua stepped in front of him, stopping him with a shoulder.

"No," he said, low and calm. "This is fine."

Gon's rage boiled over, his breathing picking up speed. "What?! How is this fine?! They have you tied up like some sort of fucking animal!"

Killua glanced over at Gon, eyes pleading him to calm down.

Turn your biochemical off, Killua said silently. Or else they'll do this to you too.

"It's not a problem," he said out loud.

Ging and Pariston relaxed from where they'd been tensed up, just as ready to murder as Gon had been.

No one should have to be restrained like this.

It was inhumane.

Humiliating.

Gon took a deep breath, closing his eyes and taking a second to calm down. He dismissed his biochemical, stopping what he now realized would have been a full transformation. He would have destroyed the entire ship from the inside out.

"What," Gon ground out, glaring the smug captain down. "The hell. Is this?"

Look at this asshole. So fucking proud of himself of lowering Killua like this. He probably thought that gagging him and restraining him put them on equal footing. Laughable. Real fucking funny! Jokes on him. Those restraints may as well have been made of paper for Killua. This was nothing more than a false sense of superiority. Seeing Killua stripped down and tied up like this probably gave him pleasure.

Disgusting.

Gon fucking hated his ass.

"Simply a safety precaution," the bastard responded. "We can never be too careful with beings of his caliber. You never know when he might snap. To be sure that all of our passengers feel safe, we restrain all high ranking humanoids in this way. It's only fair."

Gon was clenching his fists so hard that his veins were visible from all the way across the room. He wasn't even halfway transformed, but he could feel his tail within him. Thrashing. Begging to pop their heads like grapes with the force of its blow. This is probably what Killua's wings felt like when they rattled the walls of their cage.

"So you're telling me," Gon growled. "That you've tied him up like a rabid dog. Simply because his blood outranks yours. How fucking twisted is your vision? Do you seriously believe that Killua is a danger to the passengers on this ship? Just because he's a Dragonite Valkyrie. He'd never hurt anyone."

"Again, we can never be too careful," the man said.

"You make me sick," Gon snarled.

"Gon," Killua murmured. "I don't have to wear it all the time. Just when we leave the room. To make sure the other passengers feel safe."

"Feel safe? That's just a lousy excuse."

"I know," Killua whispered, lowering his voice so only Gon could hear. "But these are their rules. Remember what Ging said? It's their ship. As aggravating as this may be, we're not in a position to fight back. We're the ones who need them. Besides, it'll only be until we reach Hallah."

Gon took another deep breath, and looked back up at the captain.

"Okay," he murmured to Killua. "I'm calm now."

"Are we all settled down?" the captain asked, his words rattling Gon's mind like the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

"Yeah," Gon ground out.

"Wonderful! Now, I'll show the four of you to your room. This way please."

Ging and Pariston slowly followed him, giving Killua sympathetic glances as they passed.

For once… Pariston didn't have a smirk on his face.

He looked ticked.

That said a lot.

Gon and Killua hung back.

"Are you sure this is alright?" Gon asked, voice strained. This was making him want to cry. He hated seeing Killua treated like this. He hated it so much.

Killua's eyes crinkled up at the corners… he was giving Gon a smile.

That made Gon want to cry all the more.

"Yeah, it's okay. It's just a mask and some handcuffs, right?" He turned to follow after Ging and Pariston. "Just don't walk behind me," he snorted.

Confused, Gon followed after Killua–

Only to get an eyeful of his bare ass.

They really had only thought to cover his dick, huh?

Gon choked on air, face flushing red. He quickly averted his gaze, and sped walked to get in front of Killua. Doing his best to get that image out of his mind, and definitely NOT starting to get hard because of it.

Stupid Gon.

Stupid Gon and his stupid dirty brain.

Stupid Killua and his stupid hot ass–

The assassin's laughter - at Gon's expense - echoed against the walls of the hallway. The hybrid had calmed down… for now, but he didn't like this. He really didn't. He hoped they arrived at Hallah fast, because if he had to see that stupid captain's face one more time he wouldn't be able to stop himself from ripping his head clean off.