Iason meets Gon and Sakura, as Killua and Daniel share a glimpse into an unknown past.

Prompt

Boy

It was a wonderful sunny day, a bag slung over his shoulder, a smile being faked until he could make it. Even now he was reluctant, but if Leorio says it would be best for him, he'd accept that it was maybe best for him.

He felt his hand rattle at the thought of meeting someone new, which Leorio just happens knows isn't the frightening bit, oh no, it was who his brother was introducing him to. He knows Gon as the friend whom almost died, who went head first into danger.

Yes, he has changed over the course of his near-death experience, but that still wasn't frightening. It was what Leorio said. He has no sense of boundaries… He doesn't know how to be comfortable around someone who has no sense of boundaries. Over time he might be comfortable, but right now… that was the scariest thing about his introduction to his brother's friends.

Iason calmed his nerves, clenching his fist to stop the shaking. Hit or miss, Gon and Sakura will be his new protectors so-to-speak, they'll be the ones he travels the world with from now on.

Leorio knew something was up, the slight shaking and façade Iason was putting up. "You know you can be yourself around him…"

"I- I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, the slight shaking, the terror in your eyes. Clearly, you are pretending to be… relaxed."

Iason flinched slightly, the doctor's perception, something to fear in his older brother. But it's all his fault for making out Gon to be some Angle with death looming behind him, death mixed with no boundaries. "Well, it's your fault."

"MY FAULT?!"

"You described him as some angel, with no boundaries, and a constant battle thirst for danger."

"Angel, huh?"

"That's the only thing you took from that sentence?!"

Leorio burst into laughter, a wobble in his next step thanks to a rock that broke his sense-of-balance. He, however, paid no mind to it, instead of continuing even with the accidental shaky step, "No, I'm sorry for how you picture him from my description. But I promise you, he'd accept whatever you throw at him. Set the boundaries, and he'll understand, as well as try to avoid stepping on your toes when he can…"

Leorio stopped, pointing across the park to where two lone children stood, one wearing all green attire and another wearing a checkered red and black skirt, and a nice frilly white shirt. From his angle, she kinda looked cute, but then he was also too far to tell. Neither had noticed them, which was a plus.

But the one in the green get up, that had to be Gon. He was wearing green jeans with possibly hunting boots, and sort of stylish dark and light green checkered shirt. Iason was still shaking, but now mostly because of Gon's choice of clothing style. All green was a bit too much for him.

At least when compared to his own casual attire; a basic light-brown capri pants, white V-neck shirt and dark-blue open sleeveless hoody. He was completely, and utterly basic when compared to them.

He'd have to wait until he personally meets Gon and Sakura for the first time before he judges them.

Leorio didn't bother waiting for Iason to prepare himself for what was about to happen. A wave and a scream was the only warning his brother was going to get. "Goooon!"

The moment Leorio yelled out the boy's name, Iason's heart rate spiked. There was a gentle breeze, Gon's hair shifting as he turned around. A bright wide-eyed boy, caramel coloured eye looking directly at his brother. It felt like an eternity passed by what was once a confused expression melding into a huge smile, bright, and radiant like his eyes.

A warm blush spread across the boy's cheeks, his thoughts even surprising him within the moment. But they didn't stop there, the next second, his brain was delayed, Gon's scream catching him off guard "Leorio!"

Gon bolted right past him, running into Leorio's arms. The man forced to drop everything to catch the boy in his arms, hugging him tightly. It hadn't been that long since they last saw each other, but Gon always gave 110% per cent, and with the possibility of this being the last time they see each other, for a while, maybe even never, Gon's reaction made sense.

He clung onto Gon for at least a minute before he was forced to introduce his brother whose jaw dropped out of surprise. "Gon, I want you to meet my brother! Iason Paladiknight…"

Within a split second, Gon dis-latched his arms from Leorio, instead to jump into the younger boy's arms.

Being lifting into the sky, Iason protested, his words and mind clearly not thinking everything through. He was a jumbling mess, one part of his mind saying the thing he was thinking, "Ahhh, WAIT! WAIT! My body is not ready to be hugged by a cute guy?!" The other part of his mind kicked in at his initial reaction, now freaking out for saying what he thought, rather than what he wanted to really say. DID I REALLY SAY THAT OUT LOUD?! I can't believe I said that out loud! He was so fast I barely had time to react from his ungodly flashbang smile!

Gon giggled at the boy's words, hugging him closely like he had done so with Leorio "Thanks, but you're cute as well! It's nice to finally meet you!"

Oh my god, the cute guy called me cute! Iason panicked at his second thought, now glaring at his brother who was now laughing hysterically. He can't continue on this, he'll die from either Gon crushing him to death, or the shock of the situation. Looking towards his brother, he sent him a silent plea. You can't leave me like this! SAVE ME! MAKE HIM UNHAND!

Leorio never turned to look at him, too busy laughing his ass off. Fine, two can play this game! "Daddy, save me!"

Leorio stopped to now glare at his younger brother, "I'm not your dad, I'm only 9 years older than you!"

Gon broke out into laughter, the sounds reverberating in Iason chest before he could finally be placed down. It felt sweet, warm to the touch, like his radiating smile which was now in full view, as blinding as the morning glow. Leorio wasn't wrong about the boy's smile, it was like a flash bang went off in his face.

"Hi, I'm Gon!" The boy offered out his hand, Iason taking it to shake it. Why Gon didn't lead like this, he had no clue, but at least it was better than his initial reaction. He was more mellow, relaxed now, "Iason…"

Gon's smile didn't let up, reaching out to bring Sakura closer which at some point during the boy's man-handling session had joined them. And now that the two of them were side-by-side, he felt he could rectify some problems from his initial view.

The person by Gon's side was not a girl, but rather a boy, a very androgynous looking boy, who was cross-dressing as a girl. Actually, now that he thought about it, is it really cross-dressing if the boy could pass off as a girl as well? Or maybe it was a girl disguised as a guy, disguising as a girl.

He'd just have to wait to rectify the confusion.

What was more important now that he focused on the two, was Gon's shirt, clearly, this was his first attempt at trying to be stylish. Under that green jacket, was a white and green striped shirt. But then again, who was he to judge. He wasn't the fashion police.

"I'm Sakura, Gon's boyfriend, by the way, it's nice to meet you…" Sakura offered his hand with a smile, Iason taking it within his own. At least he more on the normal side as opposed to Gon who just jumped into his arms to hug him. "Ignore the big dork, he acts without thinking sometimes…"

"SAKURA…" The boy whine, Iason forced to stop himself from giggling. He hadn't expected Sakura to diss his boyfriend.

"So," Iason felt a little relieved to hear Gon's taken, as well as embarrassed also, considering his sudden outburst earlier, "Gon's normally like that…"

"Sometimes worse…"

"Sakura!"

Iason looked at Leorio, pleading, NO mentally begging Leorio to change his mind. He couldn't be with a guy worse than his initial reaction. The hugging, in particular, he can't just randomly adjust to that within a day. It took him time to even consider the possibility of letting Leorio hug him to sleep.

Leorio smirked at the reaction, the boy now forced to look away in horror. My life has officially ended… He wanted to see this as being his new life, but staying with Gon was now looking like a terrible decision. He swallowed his pride to offer a fake smile "Really, I don't know if I can be comfortable being hugged randomly like that."

"Oh," Sakura noticed the slight flinch, the way Gon hugged him certainly did a number on his posture "IF you're uncomfortable-"

"Yeah," Gon stepped closer to Iason, taking the boy's hands within his own "just let me know if I do anything uncomfortable, Leorio told me you liked being hugged, specifically when you sleep."

"He did, did he…" The boy's eyes shifted slowly, now glaring at his older brother with a defiant, 'what else do you tell him?' look. Why would Leorio even say that to Gon, the most comfortable person on the planet, that he was comfortable being hugged?

Leorio, on the other hand, looked away, a slight cheeky expression, really trying to pretend that he didn't know what Gon was talking about.

"Although…" Gon prodded his cheek, a warm smile gracing his lips, "hugging you did remind me of when my Aunty Mito used to hug me as a child; it was warm… welcoming… It felt like I was hugging a giant teddy bear."

Iason's cheeks flushed red from the compliment, now really forced to look away. If he wasn't mortified before, he defiantly was now. The person he considered was cute had told him his hugs felt warm and nostalgic, welcoming even.

He definitely needed to set up some sort of boundaries "Well, Leorio was wrong…" Iason internally bit his lip, hoping that it didn't come back to bite him in the butt later, "I don't like being hugged… at all."

Gon offers an apologetic smile, now looking at Sakura for guidance. The boy sighed, "Sorry about that. You don't have to worry about him doing that again. He learns from his mistakes pretty fast. Is there anything else you would like to warn us about…?"

"No, not at all," Iason muttered to quickly for his own liking. It wasn't that he wanted to prove himself to Leorio, or even himself. He just didn't feel right accepting some random person he just met for the first time, to hold him as he sleeps. No matter who he was friends with, or how cute he was.

Also, he felt like he would be pushing himself into Sakura and Gon's relationship. Just by a brief reaction, the way they looked into each other's eyes as they spoke, they really liked each other, more than friends. Sure, Sakura declared he was Gon's boyfriend, but the way Gon smiled and how awkwardly Sakura had said it, told him that he wasn't used to saying it… at least saying it first.

It wasn't that they loved each other which ultimately deterred him to not butt into their life as much, but the motive of how much they truly cared. Where Gon seemed to act irrational, Sakura grounded Gon back to reality. He can't break that…

Leorio frowned slightly, hoping that Iason wasn't pushing himself to act a certain way. He just hoped that he breaks that shell for his own sake, and allow both Sakura and Gon to step into his life as friends, "Alright, boys. Iason," The man knelt next to his brother, wrapping his arms around Iason, "You know the drill. Eat everything, call me at least once a night, be safe and…"

The man leaned forward, whispering into the boy's ear. He knew that Gon would most likely hear everything, but he hoped the boy would listen without acting upon his words, "Don't be afraid to ask for anything…"

Iason so badly wished he could clutch onto Leorio, pulling him in for that hug, but he just said he didn't feel comfortable being hugged for any reason. Leorio was just doing this out of spite, to prove a point. But he won't fall into this trap. Arms remaining at his side, the boy spoke, "Alright, I'll just be here… with Huggy Mcgee over here…"

Leorio chuckled before removing his arms, a warm smile directed at his brother "He's not that bad. You'll eventually come around to it…"

Hopefully not, Iason mused to himself, kind of afraid to be comfortable enough to the point, Gon is able to sneak up on him, hugging him on every chance he can get. "Shouldn't you go? You have a meeting to attend… and a friend to help…"

"Right, right," Leorio sighed, running his fingers through Iason's hair, ruffling a few strands in every direction "You be good. Also, remember what I taught you… be safe…" on that note, Leorio took away his hand, walking away, towards his new goal.

Iason was now on his own, feeling a little guilt building in the back of his mind. But he swallowed his true feelings, turning to Gon and Sakura, his new companions "Alright, so… where are we going."

Gon tilted his head slightly, looking towards Sakura, then back to the boy "I know I have no…"

"Tact…" Sakura butted in for him, Gon smiling as he continued "tact when it comes to this. But, you should hug Leorio while you can."

Iason panicked "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

Gon frowned slightly, running fingers through the back of his hair "You looked like you really wanted to hug him. I kind of understand now… you remind me of someone I know. Two people actually, and why you don't want to be hugged by Sakura or myself, but that doesn't mean I'll be upset, so you should hug Leorio now while you have the chance…"

Iason bit his lip, hiding his features away from the boy, so Sakura stepped in, taking the boy's hands within his own, "I'm sure it'll mean a lot to Leorio, but I'm sure the same could be said for yourself… don't come with us, until you feel like you've solved your last regret."

Iason's mouth hung open, emotions bubbling inside him. They saw through one of his lies, only because another friend of theirs had been through the same thing. Clenching his jaw, Iason dropped his bags, turning around to go after his older brother, "Leorio, wait!"

Leorio stopped turning around, only to see Iason running after him the man forced to pull his hands out his pocket before Iason was leaping into his arms. Leorio captured his brother in his arms, holding him close, one hand pressed against the boy's head while the other braces his back.

The man cracked a warm smile, Iason quietly sobbing in his neck. There were no tears, just a noise which the boy showed that he would really miss his older big brother, the one he really wanted to be around. Taken back by the noise, the man held on for as long as Iason needed…

That was until Iason made a joke "Look after your boyfriend, Kurapika!"

"He's NOT my BOYFRIEND, BRAT!"

"~"

"Ow, ow, OW!"

"Stop it, you big baby…" Killua mused, fingers sliding along the joint he purposely broke earlier, a frown slowly forming. Yes, had hurt Daniel, but that was the least of his concerns. He wants Daniel to become stronger, strong enough to fulfil his old purpose. The boy wanted to be strong enough to protect Killua…

But if he continued to remain stronger than Daniel, well… there was no point Daniel becoming a martyr for him… not when he deeply cares about him. He just can't show it now, except for these rare occurrences where it made sense "So clearly, I've broken your arm as well as your guard. Tsk, tsk, you didn't control your aura properly…"

"Oh, I did… you just have insane physical strength."

The retort made Killua guffaw, his smile warming as his touches slid upward, stopping only once Daniel tensed too much.

"Can you stop feeling me up?"

"I'm not feeling you up! I just want to know how badly I broke your arm, perv!"

"I'm not the one whom…" the boy made a walking gesture with his free hand, pretending as though his fingers were legs for his imaginary scenario, "is sensually running his fingers across my skin."

"I could back more bones if you like!"

"I'm good…"

"Good…" Killua sighed, placing one wrist on the joint, the other, under the boy's arms "Ok, clench your jaw, this is going to hurt…"

"How-"

"If touching it hurts lightly, imagine what popping it back into its joint will feel like."

Daniel closed his mouth, looking away with a faint blush. Honestly, he had no clue why, but Killua caring this much for a broken arm gave him butterflies in his chest, even though the boy who originally broke his arm, was trying to fix it in the first place. He has experienced this before, realigning his joint with his father Nathaniel, during his training. But he didn't remember his father touching him this much. Maybe Killua wasn't as experienced with broken bones.

"Ready…?"

"Yes…"

"On the count of three. Three…"

There was a satisfying bone cracking noise, followed by a second one right after as Killua forced the joint back into place. Daniel let out a loud 'fuck', his arm now reaching over to rub the bruise that would soon be forming. "Thank you…" Daniel muttered as he continued to rub the spot, making Killua smile in the process.

That page in his journal forced him to look away, pouting a little from how a stupid page he apparently wrote would affect him. Or maybe it was just Killua's charm. He huffed at the bad internal joke, instead offering a smile of his own "So… now that my arm's not broken. What are we going to do now?"

"Well, we are not training for a week, but…" Killua looked away awkwardly, wondering how he was going to bring up the topic without triggering Daniel? The best option was to play with what he saw earlier, which is kind of… weird he must admit, "I wanted to say that it looks like you've improved a little. Between the training, I've witnessed, and how you fought with me, it's more…" Killua rolled his wrist, wondering how he should put it, or whether Daniel will finish his statement for him?

"Fluid…?"

"I was going to say less robotic, but that works too…"

Daniel let out a short laugh, a smile widening at the gesture "Yeah, I really don't know… but fighting you just felt… natural. As if…" Daniel closed his mouth for a moment, really thinking the situation over. He can't recall a single moment, where the person he was with, matched the boy he was currently with. At least in his own opinion.

Yes, he wrote about 'Killua' in his journal, and there have been consistencies with the 'Killua' he has been travelling with now. But that was a reason to raise alarm, to not just accept his lost all these memories, and accept this new Killua without reason…

Even if they had a few similarities…

"Nah, that's highly unlikely."

"What is…?" Killua raised an eyebrow, wondering if this was a moment in time where Daniel was going to accept the possibility of Killua being his boyfriends. It's not like he's oblivious to the boy's random blushing here and there. It made him smile inwardly.

"It was just a… stupid thought…" He looked at Killua, trying to find something to distract himself with. Something other than the boy's eyes he was now finding himself getting lost in, "So… how did you become stronger? At least from my fighting experience, you're way stronger than Gon."

"Who?" Killua found himself having to turn away. Shit, an unconscious compliment! It's ok… you can do this! Fake it, until you make it!

"He's a… friend, I've made a mistake with. But that's for another day. Gon managed to take on a Chimera Ant on his own. Sure, he nearly died in the process… but he wasn't in the right mindset at the time. From what I assumed your sister has not told you, he had a near-death experience, gaining the ultimate power, at the cost of his own Nen…"

"Sounds like a dumb move…"

"It is… It was… But at the same time, the new-found power was able to trump a Chimera Ant even stronger than himself. I could stand against one, but only with help. Hell, I almost sacrificed my life to… save the one I deeply cared about…" The one for some reason, I can no longer remember…

"Huh…" Killua mused, turning away with a weak smile. Daniel might just accept what he has to say. Every day, he's been questioning his lost thoughts, so, maybe, just maybe… he might accept, what he has to say to Daniel.

Actually, now he looks back on it. Daniel was no different than what he was when they first met. He had a strange pull back then towards Daniel, only now, Killua knew why. The boy snorted at the idea, that Daniel might be a star-crossed lover, fighting to become Killua's heart's desire… or Soulmate. It was evident now, even if it made his cheeks flush at the idea.

Shifting his attention Killua walked over to his sister, resting a hand against her head, they might have bored her to death, or she over excited herself to the point she collapsed from tiredness. Either way, now looking at his watch, they should be heading back. With a smile, Killua gently rocked his sister awake, her sleepy eyes fluttering as her brother came into view.

"Hey sleepy, we're leaving now… want me to carry you?" Alluka yawned, followed by a quick nod as her head slowly bopped once more, struggling to stay awake.

Killua ruffled her hair before picking her up, making sure to keep her head resting against his back. It made it more comfortable for his sister to sleep. "Is it ok if you carry our stuff…?"

"Huh?!" Daniel looked up, a little confused now. It was only once he saw Alluka that he realised what was going on, "Oh yeah, sure."

With a silent, nod Killua began to walk, Daniel just behind him, pondering his own thoughts and feelings.

"~"

Killua placed Alluka in bed, letting her sleep until it was time to eat. Moving around in the kitchen, Killua flipped through a couple of pages, trying to find a recipe he could work with.

He hummed quietly, making sure not to wake his sister with too much noise. With Daniel being the kind to accidentally poison his friends with his terrible cooking skills, it was up to Killua to actually pick up on some cooking habits so they didn't spend all their money on eating out.

At least they got their Hunter's License, as well as any contracts they could pick up. That could keep them going until they figure out where they really want to go, as well do. Killua worked on chopping the ingredients, his eyes looking up at Daniel every so often.

He saw the boy buried in his journal, his knee propping up the book as he rolled the shoulder Killua had broken earlier that day. The boy didn't let his eyes linger for long, afraid that Daniel would find him staring. But at the same time, rather than being bored of the absolute silence, he made some small talk "So, you like studying, huh…?"

"I would say more trying to perfect… But you're not exactly wrong either… I like to write, find faults with my talents where I can. Ironically, I get my ability ideas from horror stories…"

"You don't say…" Killua hummed, Daniel's Shadowy hand's idea came from Hades, maybe even brought upon from the name of the entrance to the Zoldyck mansion. The hands that dragged the dead down to Tartarus… but now they were replaced with tendrils, something that came from possibly an HP Lovecraft novel.

But he couldn't bring that up, at least the part about the hands. So, his only option as of now was to talk about the tendrils "H. P. Lovecraft…?"

"Oh, so you're a horror fan too?"

"No, I just play a lot of games. But, I can't exactly deny I was forced to read more… technical material. H. P. Lovecraft just happened to be a part of that long list of books I've read. Though in my own opinion, it's not really difficult, just unnerving with the amount of unusual language he uses. Like the word Gibbous."

"Yeah… I managed to read The Call of Cthulhu when I was about eleven."

"Eight for me…"

Daniel scoffed at the idea, having learned that Killua excelled at everything he has done. He'll find something his better at with Killua… one day! Head tilting slightly in Killua's direction, the boy made a joke "It seems you went through all kinds of torture as a child."

Killua stopped, looking up in surprise at Daniel, the boy already returning to his book. Did his ears deceive him? He could've sworn Daniel let loose a piece of information he shouldn't be privy too. "What do you mean by You went through all kinds of torture as a child…?"

"Huh?!"

"You just said I've must have been through all kinds of torture as a child…"

"I did…?" Daniel quirked an eyebrow, wondering why he said that out of nowhere. Wiping a stray tear from his eye, he found himself frowning for unknown reasons, "I don't remember saying that. You must be imagining things! I'm going…" the boy stood up abruptly, wanting to change not only his location but the topic as well immediately. "I'm going to just go have a shower, get changed, and then help you out in the kitchen with whatever you need me to do."

"But-"

The door closed behind Daniel before Killua could protest. His eyes narrowing slightly, biting a lip at the boy's reaction. That wasn't just unusual, it was out of character, but pushing Daniel might only make the situation worse. When the frying pan spat oil, Killua was forced to return back to the meal, now more worried than ever.

Was Tempest's ability that affected Daniel cracking, weakening as the days go past, or did one of Daniel's memories momentarily return. Shifting his wrist, Killua grit his teeth at the possibility of the situation worsening as the days went by. Hopefully, his confession will further crack the barrier in a good way, because if Daniel couldn't remember on his own, would his old memories clash with the new once, leaving him a broken mess, or…

Would Daniel break free, returning to who he once was…?

Killua brought his gaze back to the food, forcing his mind to focus on that rather than burning all the ingredients. It's just a few days until the dance, the moment he finally reveals his feelings. He just hopes Daniel won't break until then.

"~"

Daniel hit his back against the door with a light thud, sliding down it as his eyes still shook at the revelation. What was going on with him? Why did he say whatever Killua had asked he said?

He felt so confused, broken at the news, and unless he sorted out his jumbling mess of feelings, he might not last long. He needed to delve into his journal, to find out if his ever reference Killua unconsciously like he had with the first page.

Whatever Killua is doing to him, this wasn't like any Manipulator he has fought against. The boy could wield electricity, which meant he's a Transmuter by default. The moment that dance came around, he needed to discover whatever Killua was doing to him…