Music List:
My Body is Your Party- Ciara
(Warm-up songs)
-Fetty Wap & KHS- Trap Queen (Ft Josh Levi) [KLYMVX& Samuraii remix] (suggested by Sockbootoo on Ao3)
-Electric - Jessica Andrea (suggested by Happinessxhunter on Ao3)


Bells and Whistles Chapter 28

Alluka Heights Chapter 3

Beating Cymbals


"So you want me to kill him?" Killua asked, snapping a banana in half. Gon had to laugh from the way Killua asked that in a near pleasant voice, hiding his absolute fury.

"You of all people should know thats how these processes work, Killua." Kurapika said. "You can't expect it to be different for Gon, and be upset that you can't shield Gon from that sort of cold indifference in the industry." Kurapika shrugged, taking an apple slice from his lunch box. Killua gave him a sharp look as Gon pouted.

"What do you mean? What's the process?" Gon asked.

"Well, for most singing companies, they don't really look for a singer songwriter." Melody said gently, taking an apple slice from Kurapika's lunch box too. "They look for potential talent in people who can sing- sing their songs with their ideal sound and look, a face to represent them, their company and idea."

"You mean, I might not ever get a chance to make my own music?" Gon asked. Killua rubbed Gon's shoulder while Kurapika shrugged.

"Maybe not with this company. Companies look for people with a certain sound to deliver their songs that have been carefully crafted and formulated to succeed with the bulk of consumers looking for catchy tunes. These companies have figured out blueprints of songs to appeal to the most amount of people to make the most amount of money. They make songs about anything from love, being an outsider, family, anything people can resonate with, even if the singer has no connection to the lyrics. Fans just want to hear their favorite voice- singing something that they can relate with and play on repeat when they're feeling sad or going through a breakup." Kurapika explained.

"That's so…! Empty!" Gon cried out, feeling wronged. "So… I coulda been anyone to them? They don't care about what I have to offer, just that I sing their songs?" Gon pouted. Melody grimaced at Kurapika who winced back at her.

"Poor Gon…" Alluka hummed quietly, putting her head on Killua's shoulder.

"That's not fair to you, Gon, everyone has to start somewhere." Killua said, patting Gon for his attention. "Not everyone has a record company behind them to allow them to do what they like and have creative freedom without having the scare of being let go for not following orders."

Gon frowned, propping his head up on his hands. That makes sense.

"Well…" Gon chuckled, putting a smile on his face so his friends aren't so worried anymore. "Then I better make sure I put in a lot of work, yea? So that one day I'll be a household name with fans around the world. I'll make this work, guys. Thanks for the support." Gon smiled at them and Gon was happy to see they looked reassured.

"We all believe in you, Gon." Melody said. Then the familiar lurking shape of the school's nurse came around their lunch table.

"Hey guys, how is everyone? On your lunch breaks too?" Leorio asked, giving Gon's hair a friendly ruffle.

"Leorio!" Gon grinned, happy to see someone who wasn't completely filled in on his song journey. It felt a bit overwhelming to have everyone look at him with that look in their eyes. "Yea, we're eating, what are you doing out here?" Gon asked. He saw Leorio's eyes flicker towards someone behind him and Gon glanced behind him to see Kurapika look very interested in whatever's in his lunch box, the tip of his ears pink.

"I was shopping last night and came across some snacks that reminded me of you guys. So, I came by to give you guys some- it should help you with any singing strain you had recently. Wouldn't want you guys to overwork yourselves after you come back from break." Leorio said, passing out honey drinks. The teens rang out thanks in varying enthusiasm. Alluka lit up from the gift, and Leorio raised a curious eyebrow at the newcomer and put on his kind smile.

"And who's this little lady? I don't think I had the pleasure of meeting you yet." Leorio said, holding his hand out to Alluka. She giggled as she shook his hand.

"Leorio, This is my little sister, Alluka." Killua said happily ripping open the top of the drink.

"Nice to meet you, Alluka. If you ever need any first aid help, questions or if you get any injuries during the school day, you can come to me, alright?" Leorio said. Alluka grinned happily and nodded. She knew people would be kinder than her family, but she is pleasantly surprised every time, to know people would care about her wellbeing. That they would encourage her to take care of herself or offer help when she needs it. She'll be sure to take him up on that.

"Yes sir, thank you." Alluka said as Leorio continued to pass the drinks. Leorio's hand lingered a little longer on the drink he was giving to Kurapika and Kurapika gave him a hard look before looking away.

"You've been taking care of yourself, right?" Leorio asked. It looked like he was talking to Kurapika but then directed his attention to Gon. Gon grinned.

"Yup! I haven't had any nodules since the last time I came to see you! Thanks Leorio!" Gon said.

"Anytime, you guys. And seriously. Come see me if you guys need anything, and I mean anything. I know I'm just a nurse to aid your guys' voice and performance injuries but I'm also a pretty good listener." Leorio said, eyes drifting to Kurapika again.

"Yes, of course." Kurapika said, looking to one side.

"Yea, we'll keep that in mind, old man." Killua said, halfway done with the honey drink already. Leorio nodded, looking like he wanted to say more before turning to go off. The brief silence following Leorio's departure was broken with Alluka giggled.

"He seems nice. I like your friends, Killua." Alluka said, giving a quick but meaningful glance towards Kurapika. Killua grinned and nudged Alluka.

"Shush, let's get to work practicing, you can come too, Gon!" Killua said, standing to go find a quiet place for them to go.

"This is so exciting, I wonder if we can go over street dance at some point during the semester, or learn about the counter beat dances, those were always the coolest looking…!" Gon said, removing his shirt and shaking his hair out. Killua was also changing, putting his clothing in the locker besides Gon's, as the boys' half of the class got ready for dance class.

Gon had gotten some dance instructions from Killua last year when he was getting ready for the Winter Showcase, and more instruction during his first music video debut as a background dancer. The professional and practical experience was fun to do but learning world dance styles from the Academy will include a wide breadth of different dance types he was excited to learn. Gon will be able to dabble in and learn everything from salsa to ballet to hip hop under professional instruction and with peers. Gon was so excited, he didn't even realize he was talking Killua's ear off as they changed into dance-appropriate attire described in the syllabus.

"And I'll get to move and warm up my… muscles for… the day…" Gon smiled sheepishly as he slowed down his rant and Killua looked over with a smile.

"What is it, Gon?" Killua asked with clear eyes and Gon blinked.

"I've kinda just been blabbering on without giving you much chance to reply, you must be tired of just listening to me…"

"Gon, there isn't a universe that I can think of that would make your infectious energy tiring." Killua smiled teasingly at Gon. Gon let out a small startled laugh at the affection. Gon can always get so surprised and caught off guard- he doesn't always remember that he's at a school where people actually want to hear him talk on and on about the things he's passionate about. That they are just as passionate if not more about what he loves to do- and that he surrounded himself with people who encourage him to be too.

" No universe you can think of?" Gon smiled with a lift in his voice as they began their short walk to the connected dance classroom. Killua scoffed, although it was obvious he was amused.

"Well, maybe in a universe where I don't like you so much." Killua hummed aloof, looking off. "But no, I was enjoying hearing you be excited over being able to dance this semester. It almost…. Makes me excited too." Killua admitted with a shrug.

"Almost!" Gon said, surprised, an invitation for Killua to continue. Killua hummed quietly, gathering his thoughts and Gon allowed him to, looking around at the other students that idled while waiting for class to start instead.

It was easy to spot the students who had focused on dance for their primary idol study, they were positioned by the dance bar at the mirrors, going through stretches that would hurt just to look at. They looked comfortable in this environment, talking to others amicably as they stretched their legs behind them. Those who had no interest or prior encounter with dancing shuffled uncomfortably, not knowing what to do with their bodies and were super aware of the wall-to-wall mirror that reflected their every move. Other idols used the mirror to pose and appreciate their appearance, something they held to high standards for their idol study.

"I'm pretty good at dancing." Killua finally said, bringing Gon's attention back to him easily. Gon did his best not to smile at how humble and embarrassed his boyfriend gets at these things. "But the path to get there was grueling and, of course as with everything concerning my family, the fun was sucked out of it." Killua said, shrugging his hands into his sweatpants pockets. Gon nodded, a soft frown on his face. Gon always hated knowing the things in life that should be considered free and creative were turned into something critical and intense for Killua. But that just meant Gon could now reinvent it with Killua, help Killua define it into something new and help him love it again.

"Well, then I'm happy you can still enjoy hearing me talk about it."

"Yea, to be honest, compared to singing, dancing was something I didn't completely hate when I had to do it during my studies. I don't mind it, and it can be fun. But being graded on it…" Killua scrunched his nose and Gon nodded, completely understanding.

"Almost depreciates what you value if what you considered good gets graded badly," Gon nodded, thinking back to his public school assignments. "But the fact you still think that it's fun is a start! I know I loved watching you dance when you would practice with me and when I watched your Zoldyck debut concert video. So let's have even more fun dancing together this semester, yea?" Gon smiled. Killua smiled and nodded.

"Got it."

"Ok, class, line up and stagger yourselves, make sure you can see yourselves in the mirror!" The teacher chirped with clipped vowels, walking in the room with a skip in her step that indicates the natural dance instincts within. "I'm Miss Kiriko and I'll be making sure you all get experience with what is involved in idol dancing and training." She said, stopping at the front of the class as they scrambled to her instructions, her orange hair tied in a high ponytail. She wore appropriate dance clothes similar to what she told students to wear on the syllabus, a black tank top and gray sweats, one pant leg rolled up to her knee. People quickly got into position ready for instructions and Killua and Gon positioned themselves near each other without being in each other's way and arm spans. "Let's start with warm up!" Miss Kiriko said, tapping a remote and bass, pop music spilled out the speakers. At least these were beats Killua could get behind.

The instructor led them through some basic After they finished the warm up stretches, Miss Kiriko had all the students sit along the wall facing perpendicular to the mirror. She gave an overview of the class and began role calling the students in attendant to make sure everyone who was suppose to be there was present. Many students sighed dreamily, happy hearing that Killua was in the class, excited for their turn to be in a class with him. Gon was surprised to get a similar reaction when he answered his name call, many students excited chatter to be in class with Gon.

"Ok, so I'm thinking instead of usual introduction, we let our bodies talk." Miss Kiriko said, giving the class a wink and spinning in a circle, adding a body wave at the end. "Everyone can come up and do improve to music, nothing too long or fancy- maybe a couple 8 counts or however long you wanna show off the moves that speak to you." She tapped her remote again to put on more freeform music. It was groovy with some beats that allowed for creativity in which beats to do the dance to. "Just warm up to get us all loose before we launch into the syllabus' schedule! Dont worry about dancing bad or good and don't be shy! I'll go first to kick us off." She performed her dance moves with practiced groove, her movements gliding and smooth, while mixing in hip hop vibes. The class clapped, happy with the skills their teacher showed, and she bowed.

"Ok, who will go first?" She asked with a fox smile.

Some of the try-hard first years stepped up first to try and show off their elite skills that they learned before coming to school- their dances that were usually performed to original Russian orchestras, or what they learned during traditional hispanic ballroom with the world's 3rd best dance instructor in Spain.

Killua rolled his eyes as he watched the students dance and he could see his emotions of irritation were mirrored in the dance teacher's almond shaped eyes. They were ignoring the beats and flow of the music in exchange for trying to show off their best moves. They were showing off while music was in the background, not using the music to show off.

"Yes, thank you all for coming up and dancing for us. Great moves, let's get some more dancers up here and show off what you can do…!" Miss Kiriko said, looking back at the other dancers that haven't come up yet. Her eyes locked on Killua's for a moment too long before continuing to scan the class. If she had her dance track upperclassmen here, she could have some good dance examples of what she was trying to demonstrate through this exercise, but she has beginners and 1st years on the dance track here. So her only hope was someone she knew was a well-rounded upperclassman that could show off what she was really looking for. But the Zoldyck was avoiding her eyes or when he met hers, it screamed indifference to this class exercise. Kiriko bounced with the beats watching a few more people show off some good moves without really listening to the music, but was sorely disappointed with what she was seeing.

"Thank you to everyone that came up to show off your own signature, I understand your dancing styles a little more. Very free and inspiring. I wanna see some moves from some of the upper classmen, show me some moves that match more closely to the music playing. Maybe Killua could give us an example?" Kiriko asked. The classes' below breath conversations seemed to quiet down even futher as they gave glances to the one guy they woud love to see work up close. Would he do it? They waited with bated breaths. Killua let out a small breath through his nose.

"I'll wait til we get an assignment first." Killua said. He's sure since she's asked this of him, she's no stranger to his dance style, so there was no need to 'introduce himself' through dancing right now. There was no motivation for his dancing and it makes him want to dance less with so many people watching, just wanting to absorb what he has to give with nothing in return. Kiriko looked disappointed. Killua refrained from narrowing his eyes, he would rather not have her challenge his decision to keep still for now. The class's conversation in the space between the silence slowly started to fill with bitter remarks about Killua still being stingy, still feeling too cool to participate in things like this. But before much anything happened, a hand thrusted up into the air, as seen in the wall to wall length mirror.

"I wanna go!" Gon grinned. The class's attention focused on Gon, the bitter atmosphere quickly dispersing like sugar to lemons. Killua also looked at Gon with surprise. Gon got some dancing instructions from Killua but it was far from comprehensive. He could look stupid up there, how could he volunteer? "I should represent for the upperclassmen. I think I might know what you're looking for!" Gon grinned, stepping forward.

The teacher nodded, and tried not to look too surprised. She didn't know too much about Gon, an up and coming idol who joined during the sophomore year of study. But he seems pretty confident…

"Whenever you're ready." She said. Gon let his head roll left and right in a stretch as he listened to the beats. He closed his eyes for a moment to let the music run through his limbs, and started dancing. He dropped to the ground on the beat, sweeping his leg up to stand again. He shifted side to side, throwing in a cross step, giving smirks and winks to himself in the mirror, freely having fun while he freestyles his b-boy styled dances. It was raw and unstructured, a rugged freestyle that was beautiful in the way that wasn't hit to be exactly right or standard's correct. He bounced on the ball of his foot to the other while switching up his arm moves to the music, shifting from dancing on one count to dance to the alternate beat, not sticking with one tempo for all his moves. Soon, the classmates were letting out whoops and surprised cheers as Gon hit moves on the beat with timed delivery and expressive motions. His quick dance freestyle was soon over and he bowed as the crowd applauded, pleasantly surprised having not expected much from him. Killua openly stared at Gon as he went back to Killua's side, panting a bit from adrenaline and exertion.

"I love dancing, it's just so much fun." Gon reiterated in the pause of Killua's silence. Killua blinked, taking that in.

"That was great, thank you Gon. What a great ball of energy there." The teacher complimented. She encouraged the remaining students who haven't done their introduction dances to come up, too. Killua leaned over to Gon, he could care less what those people were doing to butcher the beats.

"That was amazing Gon, I never seen you dance like that." Killua muttered to Gon.

"Well, I showed you some of my street dancing before, but that was before your instructions. So, I think the roughness evolved a little with what you taught me." Gon whispered back, his eyes on the next performing student, enraptured and eager to soak up as much experience as he could.

"Well… that was pretty impressive, you know you're not the best technical dancer. You coulda really embarrassed yourself. Or you might not have put out the dance that tells about yourself the best." Killua whispered, insistent. Gon should show more caution, really. Gon chuckled under his breath like Killua just said a funny joke.

"How I dance wouldn't define me, Killua. We're all here learning. Even the students confidently volunteering to go next might have a new and different dance they wanna show at the end of the semester, something they think is more themselves. You can't be scared of what people say when you show yourself off, it's something that's just a part of your journey for a moment. You're you, and what they think won't matter. That's why I'm interested in how these people are dancing now." Gon said, pointing out the next person who tried their hand at dancing more to the beat. They paused at moments while trying to catch the beats they wanted but they just jumped back in to the next move they wanted to land. "They're shaky, and not confident, but they're trying. It's like a language, dancing. And these are our conversations. We can't worry about what people will say when you dance. We should… dance like no one's watching." Gon hit him with one of his blinding smiles that makes Killua feel so seen and vulnerable. It looks like Killua was wrong again and he should actually be dancing with less caution, Killua thought sardonically in his head. What was he doing? Did he learn nothing last semester? Maybe being in this situation with his father's deal at home has made him bitter and cynical again, like he was grasping for any control in his life again. Well, he won't let the Zoldycks win. Gon said they sucked the fun out of it, but what it is now, that's up to Killua.

Killua stood up after the next person bowed and the class clapped. Miss Kiriko missed a clap as she watched Killua come to dance-center. Turning to the class and the mirror, Killua can see all of them are shocked, even Gon at his sudden movement, but Gon's expression quickly changed into excitement to see Killua show off in front of him. Killua closed his eyes and let out a breath. He knew what the teacher was hoping to see, and Killua knew he could show that off to her without much trouble.

Dance like no body's watching.

He could at least try. He wanted to show himself, not just what was expected.

"I'll introduce myself with my moves too." Killua said, trying not to clip his words from embarrassment. Miss Kiriko smiled pleased, shuffling the the next song.

~… Ah, oh, ah, ah , Yeah…

Killua rolled his neck to the soft sensual music. The beat started, maybe a bit slower than the others, but the alternating beats were still there to play with and make moves. He knew Miss Kiriko would probably skip it, since it's not an easy song to dance to so he made sure to show that he was feeling it so she would keep it. Killua only took a moment, trying his best to drown out the feeling of dozens of eyes boring into every move he makes, and just feel the bass static across his skin. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and felt the goosebumps race across his skin before he began dancing.

~My body is your party, baby. Nobody's invited but you, baby…

Killua dropped into the beat, giving powerful hip sways to either side, arms mirroring the movement like a walk in place. He half turned, performing some idol moves, arms fluid and footwork intricate with the beats. Some of the other students already gave a couple whistles. If Killua didn't have better stage training, his face would have broke out in a knwoing smirk watching Gon's face of surprise. But he kept it a proper half lidded look to match the tune of the song.

~I can do it slow now, tell me what you want. Baby, put your phone down, you should turn it off. 'Cause tonight it's going down, tell your boys it's going down, We in the zone now, don't stop…ooh!

Killua quickly switched up his movements to the beats, dancing to the two thirds rather than every other beat, his feet jumping together and his hands dragging up his body. He switched between slower sensual beat dancing and fast, hard idol dance moves, making a visual picture that made Killua's body buzz with excitment. Mirth. He was happy, he was happy dancing like himself, and he could scream from happiness that he was doing it.

~You can't keep your hands off me, touch me right there, rock my body! I can't keep my hands off you, your body is my party… I'm doing this little dance for you, You got me so excited! Now it's just me and you… Your body's my party, let's get it started, oh!

As the chorus sang out in harmony on the speakers, bass bumping through everyone's chest, Killua slowed his motions, like the music had a grip on his persons and plunged him in molasses, head tilted for a sensual look, and tension in all the right places for effect. Killua bowed at the end of the beats, having finished with a teasing body roll. The class applauded, happy to have seen it all. Killua grinned at the sea of adoring eyes, feeling like a shadow of what he could be if he allowed himself to be real more often. He liked the more sensual dances, they were fun to watch and more fun to show off. He was good at it, and it made him happy. So, he danced like no one else could see. And they liked it.

Gon went from excited to awed as he watched Killua. He has seen Killua dance before. For the Zoldcyk conceert and when they were working on Gon's dances for the winter Showcase, Gon has seen Killua dance besides him as a tutor and behind a screen, moving to rehearsed dances for millions. Gon feels like this is the first time he's seen Killua dance. Raw and improvised, right before his eyes, so close he could touch him. Gon felt electricity run across his skin, seeing Killua dance with fluid movements, body rolls, well placed snaps of his hips and wrists, this was like a spiritual experience. When he finished, for a moment, all Gon heard was his heart in his ears. He almost forgot how amazing it was to witness a Zoldyck perform.

The class was restless after that, letting out comments of how cool that was and Killua returned back to Gon's side, face red more from dancing rather than embarrassment. Gon didn't even know what to do with this feeling in his chest, grinning at him.

Miss Kiriko walked to the front of the class, clapping as well before turning to the others.

"Truly exemplary work, and a great way to transition to what we will be working on for the next block of the semester!" She said, and Killua was at least happy to hear that she wasn't making his dance a bigger deal than it had to be with more than a moment's praise. "Alright, then we'll move forward, as I want to teach you all about beats in songs. This will help all you idols when doing choreography or creating choreography for others. If you listen to beats and the different tempos you can pull out of a simple verse, it'll really elevate and build complexities on your dance moves. I know this might sound a little convoluted for now, but I'll walk you through it. We'll start with this song…" Miss Kiriko said, beginning to space the teens out in the room more before she started. Killua felt a small touch against his hand and he looked to see Gon looking at him with a large smile. Wow, how can Killua ever want to see anything else on Gon's face?

"That was really amazing Killua." Gon whispered as the teacher began to give instructions on beginners' simple two step. "I don't think you would ever admit it, but I think you like to impress people with your skills." He turned to the front as another song began to play. Killua let out a breath- a little like a scoff. Why does Gon think he can be perceptive? Anyone who wants a career in entertainment needs that sense to be watched, to please an audience and be more impressive than the next person. But Gon was right about him not about to admit it. He held a breath then released it, and began following the steps with the teacher.


I'll make this chapter shorter as I was having a real hard time writing it! Sorry for the delay! Good news, I'm going to be in the 2022 big bang, so look out for another story from me for that on Ao3!
Music List:
My Body is Your Party- Ciara
(Warm-up songs)
-Fetty Wap & KHS- Trap Queen (Ft Josh Levi) [KLYMVX& Samuraii remix] (suggested by Sockbootoo on Ao3)
-Electric - Jessica Andrea (suggested by Happinessxhunter on Ao3)