Killua is blocked off by Daniel, stopped from getting answers.

Saying Killua felt awkward that night, would be considered the understatement of the century. As they were laying in their bed, they didn't know how to react, let alone what to think. What exactly made that man tick…?

He was willing to be touched, to be this open, yet he still ran away even though he has said on numerous occasions he felt comfortable being around them. In what way did they feel comfortable, if they were willing to escape from their presence?

Iason has strictly warned him not to push Daniel, which they know they possibly did by crossing a border that night. But why did the man keep setting himself up to be in a position when he flat-out should've said no.

Was it the way they were asking…? That would've made sense. Maybe they should be putting an emphasis on their words, stating that the man can say no if there's some uncomfortableness in the situation. Killua was only pressing for more, because within that moment they felt they had a chance to continue exploring.

The man was hard while watching porn with Killua… Sure, he blamed it on the fact they were watching porn… But they did ask to see the man's penis, which Daniel could've denied the request. They didn't feel like they were demanding it from him.

Maybe they were just wording it in a way where Daniel felt, that he needed to show off his nakedness to Killua.

If that's true, they realise they were at fault and needed to apologise. But if there were other factors at play, there may be a bigger issue behind the scene… one they might not get the full picture to for a while.

Killua's eyes glanced down towards the stain left on their shirt by Daniel. It was proof of what happened that night. Bringing the shirt up to their nose, they gave a few whiffs, almost gagging from the scent.

It smelt stale… off…

There was a hint of familiarity, but given the distorted smell, it was hard to pin down. From what they've smelt, it's not something they wish to taste…

It could be something else that's being factored into smell, but until they figured out what was causing it, there was no point trying to figure what it was.

Killua took off their shirt, casting it off into the basket Daniel gave them to use for laundry. They'll wash it in the morning, maybe even try making breakfast as a form of apology. Something basic, not too difficult so they could dip their feet into cooking.

"~"

To say the following morning wasn't weird would be an understatement. The man knew he had forgotten his computer in Killua's room, that the laptop not only was left unlocked… the tab from the night before wouldn't have been closed.

He could walk in, finding Killua searching through categories, exploring the massive catalogue of porn. That's all he needed, was to walk in on Killua actually watching porn. Yet, when he got closer, he didn't find the alien in the room.

But the laptop was still there, unlocked…

It was there, still on the desk, untouched. If he were to walk in, he could grab it, close any tabs and be done with the situation. But as he stood at the boundary, contemplating on walking into Killua's privacy, he couldn't do it.

The idea made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to break Killua's trust, even though what he did last night, technically broke some of their trust. He can't fault the alien for asking what they did that night. They had a legitimate claim to encroaching on each other's trust…

However, what he did… running out of the room, that probably left a foul taste in Killua's trust.

He should apologise… but first, he needed to ask Killua for their permission to enter their room. The laptop did have some work files he needed. What's more, is some of those documents needed to remain private like client's notes.

Stepping away from the door frame, Daniel walked towards the living room, hoping to find Killua watching TV or something, what instead they found was a delectable scent wafting through the air. The man followed the trail, finding Killua in front of the stove, tossing something in the frying pan.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if Killua was distracted. The last thing he needed was to scare the living hell out of the alien, ultimately coating themselves in whatever they were tossing "Hey…"

Killua's ears twitched, the alien slowly turning to the sound, "Oh, hey…" The two fell into a semblance of awkwardness, neither one addressing the night before. It seems like they were both hesitating, for their own reason.

"So… what are you cooking?"

"I believe it's called scrambled eggs…"

"So, you don't know what you're cooking… should I… be worried about the house burning down."

Killua frown at the man assuming the worst, before anything bad was happening "I don't think so…" sticking out their tongue out at the man, they continued to pout.

Daniel found the situation humorous. For one, Killua has no tongue… for two, the hologram has an uncanny ability to replicate human mannerisms, "That's a little childish… cute even." He couldn't take back what he said, "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"It's fine…" Killua was quick to dismiss, "I'm used to you randomly saying things you didn't mean."

The two fell into silence, both sighing at the same time. It was like a sense of déjà vu, because the next thing they knew, they were both saying the same thing at the same time.

"I'm sorry about last night…"

"Look, sorry about last night…"

The man was about to open his mouth as Killua was about to, the two stopping before anything else could be said. Daniel pressed his hands together, "Before you say anything else, I want to apologise for… running away. I left you confused and unsure of how to possibly react to the situation."

"I wanted to apologise to, mainly for a different reason. Due to our… nature to be comfortable to talk with one another, and such… I pressed you in a way, possibly making you feel like you needed to act out."

"Killua, please drop that…"

"But I should-"

"DROP IT… please." The man pleaded with the alien, "It's not a topic I wish to divulge on any time soon… it was a mistake."

"Mistake… huh?" Killua was visibly hurt from the words. They didn't feel like it was a mistake, more of an accident. Though he supposes the two meant the same thing, except one sounded harsher than the other. Though tone could represent things in a different manner and the way he said mistake certainly sounded like the action was full of sorrow.

Though Killua doesn't know to what extent Daniel was sad, nor for what reason why he was that way.

"I didn't-"

"No, No… it's fine. I'll drop the case. I am sorry, if I pressed you to do something out of your comfort zone, but if it's just a mistake, I see there's more to this story than you're willing to say."

Daniel dug his fingers into his chest, now staring at the alien's whose sole attention was being focused on the pan before them. He couldn't take back his words… merely apologising wouldn't be enough. Not even saying I'm willing to talk later, could be a saving grace to this conversation. But now looking at the alien, their emotions felt like a burden, a pressing concern that needed to be rectified.

He paced himself, walking past Killua to open the cupboard next to them.

Killua raised an eye brow, the human now popping open a bottle.

Killua caught the scent, "Oh, what on earth is that…"

"It's my medication…" Daniel plucked a pill from the bottle, tossing it in his mouth before closing the lid.

As the man moved towards the fridge, Killua waved a hand in front of their face, "It doesn't smell that good. It smells like something akin to vomit."

"Well… this vomit, is what helps keep me sane." Taking a swig of water, he swallowed the pill.

"Well don't breathe on me any time soon… I might faint."

"Drama queen…" Daniel chuckled to himself, the alien only pouting from his words, not so much the reaction to the situation. When Killua faked gagging, the man rolled his eyes, "I'm serious… it helps regulate my mood."

"Well, maybe I should down the whole bottle since I'm being a drama queen…"

The man burst into laughter, "No… I didn't mean it like that." When the alien merely glanced in his direction, Daniel relented, "Alright, fine… if my emotions run high, I take one pill so it helps me calm down. As I got older, it wasn't as much of a problem as when I was a kid… mainly a teen. I didn't have to pop them because I was being rebellious, so my family resorted to drugging me up so I calmed down… No, it's a little more convoluted than that."

"You started popping pills as a teen because you're moody, how exactly is that complicated."

"Puberty is a hell of a thing. Especially for someone like me…"

"How so…?"

"Besides the random boners, checking people out… the whoo-ing of others, in my case guys… which was insanely difficult because most guys were straight. If you did find someone, but they weren't ready to come out, rumours of you could spread about having a boyfriend, you could even be labelled as the fag bicycle."

Killua looked at Daniel, confused by the new term "Fag Bicycle?"

"It's a slur… means the gay man who every guy got to take a ride on."

"So, a gay male slut…"

"Yeah…"

"Were you…? I'm asking because that's a random thing to be called."

"Sure, I was. However, I had only two partners, at least back then… and considering some of the people that called me that, they were even bigger whores than I was. One dude got with so many girls, he was called the shattered slut, because he was being dumped every week by a new girl. It was later found out he was being dumped because he was caught by one of his many new girlfriends, for having his lips wrapped around another dude's dick. The fact it didn't come out sooner… was amazing. Turns out he was Bi… he leaned towards men more than women. But I'll say this, it's not right to out someone out, to rip them out of the closet… UNLESS, it's the type of person to make everyone's life hell."

Daniel leaned against one of the walls, watching Killua's reaction as they continued to cook "If you're in a position of power, making bill after bill, fucking with people's lives, whether that's removing rights or protections… and it gets revealed that behind closed doors you like being drilled by thick dongs and moan like a whore about how much you like being fucked, yeah, you deserve to get outed."

"Oddly, specific…"

"There was… I believe it was a politician, he outwardly called for the blocking of gay marriage at one point. Later… much later, he got caught escaping out of a glass window… in the middle of a thirty-man gang bang raid."

"I assume that guy was caught."

"Prosecuted under the crimes he helped cement."

"Play with fire, you'll get burned…" Killua remarked, calmly.

"You used an idiom correctly; you're learning the way of the human tongue."

"Please don't joke about these kinds of things…"

"I'm not…" Daniel moved closer, hands reaching out to touch Killua. But at the last second, he pulled back his hands. No, any form of physical touch might make the situation even more difficult. It'll make his heart race, the actions of last night impossible to ignore… "You're getting better and soon no one would pick up on your different mannerisms."

"Thank, you…"

"You're welcome." Within that moment he did find himself wanting to hug Killua. Not just because of everything that has happened. He just wanted a moment to cherish the alien, to show they're appreciated. Instead, the man moved away.

"What about the other guy, the one about the teen? What happened with him…?"

"Last time I heard, he had a girlfriend."

"Uh, huh…"

"Not all bisexuals are like that… he was as one might call a closest case. It sucks… especially when you're raised in an environment to hate gay people… which I believe he was."

"Humans are so…" Killua rolled their free hand, trying to think of a way to describe human's lack of empathy. Not that they would know. Their family had none of that in stock, except for one of their younger sibilings.

"Prudish? Yeah, we know… I deal with enough people to know it's far from over. One day, people will eventually stop caring about who sleeps with who, but until then… I'm here to assist in mental needs."

"Right… I think I'm almost done."

"Let me see…" Daniel peeked over Killua's shoulder, completely forgetting about his need for distance. Killua's scrambled eggs looked good, a bit of herbs and spices colouring the otherwise yellow dish. It also smelt good and it didn't smell like it was burning either, meaning the alien has correctly guessed the right temperature to keep the heat, "pretty good on your first go."

"Thank you…"

Daniel noticed Killua had slightly turned away, purposing looking away from him. He was about to question it, till he saw the alien's pants was shifting. Something was moving… something long. As he was about to ask what that was, maybe another alien appendage he wasn't aware of, the uncomfortableness of being so close to Killua made him pull back "Sorry, I didn't mean to encroach on your personal space."

"It's… It's fine." Killua didn't dislike Daniel encroaching on his personal space, what they did dislike however, was the fact that the man was quick to assume so. They thought he was supposed to be someone who talks these things out with others… yet something was making him throw assumptions like it was going out of style.

How do they change this…? Was it something they must discuss, or is it something they should wait a bit for?

"So…" The man stretched out the word, trying to think about how to switch the conversation topic. He could go back to the food prep, "What ingredients did you use?"

The alien frowned. Maybe the time passed, but at least he was still willing to continue a sort of conversation with them "Besides eggs…? A bit of Butter a few herbs… the one labelled Italian and a bit of garlic powder, whatever that is."

"Nice… next time, use a bit of milk, it'll help make the scrambled eggs and bit creamier."

"Noted…" A few seconds of silenced passed before the alien spoke up once more "I think it's done."

Daniel grabbed a spoon from the drawer, scooping a little of the eggs up before dropping it in his mouth, "Oh, a little hot."

"Duh, it's been cooking…" Killua offered a childish smirk, a façade other than expressionless alien breaking through.

The man puffed out hot breaths of air, ignoring Killua's quick jab. It had a nice delicate texture. Not the best he's had, but for a first attempt, it was pretty good. He swallowed the contents before saying anything about the meal "For a first go, you did great."

"Good, I guess…"

Placing a hand on the alien's shoulder, he offered a smile alongside a thumbs up "I mean it. For a first go, getting used to human seasons, cooking ware and whatnot, you did excellent for a first go."

"Thanks…"

The man was about to remove the hand, but Killua moved it back, the man perplexed by the idea, "I don't dislike the idea of being touched… Unless I say it's out of bounds, don't assume."

The man stood stunned, unsure how to react. Why was Killua giving him this sort of response? Was it something he said… something he was doing unconsciously? He thought he was getting a little too close, too familiar with Killua's boundaries, unconsciously breaking all sorts of rules of familiarity.

But he was only assuming so… because the idea of breaking those rules made him uncomfortable. He guesses Killua kind of expected him to be a little open to the idea of being in close proximity, even touching each other in a normal way like a hand on one's shoulder… even a hug, "I'm sorry… you're right. I shouldn't have assumed the worse. Is it safe to assume it's okay to hug you since you didn't push me away that night."

"Of course…"

The man held Killua in his arms, trying to express his apology through a simple gesture of kindness.

The alien didn't know how to hug back, arms laying limply at their sides.

The man chuckled in response, "Oh right… you probably don't know how to hug back in response to the initial hugger." When Killua shrugged, the man simply stated, "Arms around my waist, like so." Daniel demonstrated what he meant, following it through by moving the alien's hands along the middle second of his upper back, "Do this with your hands and lean in… if you want, of course. Usually that's more so for close friends or-"

Killua leaned in, now resting their head on the human's chest.

Daniel melted into a warm smile. Or if you're intimately close with the other. The man returned to hugging Killua, waiting a minute or two before gesturing to their circumstance "The food is getting cold…"

"You're probably right…" Killua pulled away, a hand now to their chin, "Although, I would like a hug every now and then…"

"Certainly…"

The two shared a meal together, slowly rebuilding a friendship after the awkwardness last night.

"~"

During the conversation and eating, he couldn't exactly deny it was still a little awkward. But due to the conversation they just had, the hug… something about Killua tended to make everything click into place. Kind of like an old married couple, but different… close friends perhaps?

He'd even dare say best friends…

But what he felt for Killua internally, made it extremely difficult to hold back his assumptions. He wanted more… but he also feared having it. Things tend to change, especially when they both held a secret no one else should be allowed to know between them.

"Hey, Killua… I was wondering… sorry to go off topic here."

"Yeah…"

"May I have my laptop back?"

"Ahh… it's not glued down to the desk or something. You can take it back at any time. Oh, I didn't use it last night if that's what you're worried about."

"Right…" The ma felt awkward, "It's okay if you did. I won't chastise you."

"Can I ask you an honest question…?"

"Sure, I guess…"

"Why did you run out the room?"

"Killua, I-"

"I'm not expecting a deep dive into you psyche, or background information. Just a short answer. Was it something I did… said perhaps?"

"No…" The man bit their lip, unsure how to even talk about his feelings, let alone begin the conversation "none of that, it's… complicated."

"How so…"

The way Killua tilted his head, it was unbelievably cute. But he still didn't want to say anything… but when it came to replying, it felt like his throat was dry… "I…" Defeated, the man sighed, "I can't…"

"How about an equal exchange, you ask me an uncomfortable question or what you think would be an uncomfortable question… if I answer your question, can you answer mine?"

"Killua, it's not that it's just uncomfortable… it's a little more than that."

"What is it then?"

"It's-" The doorbell rang, pulling the man's attention away from the alien. He was a bit thankful for the distraction, but he was more confused about who would show up on his door step on a weekend, "I'll get that."

As Killua curse internally, Daniel headed for the door, ignoring Killua's request to answer their question. He'll have to apologise later. The moment he opened the door, he was half expecting someone he'd rather not talk to; he was half correct.

There standing before him was the one person who was bound to break him in his most vulnerable state of mind. Well, at least pry him for information he didn't really want to let go "Ah, Gon…?" Gon was here probably on Iason's half, after the conversation Killua and Iason had.

"Hiya, Daniel." Gon's brightest smile even in the early morning or afternoon was quite blinding to those who were unprepared for the gesture. He was dressed up as if he were about to go to a gym or running, which wasn't good news. Either he planned on taking him on an exercise campaign, one to the point where his legs would feel like Jell-O right after it or if he's lucky, Gon may have decided to visit after he had already gone exercising.

But considering he was still wearing comfortable gear for the gym, it's probably the former, rather than the later. Plus, he didn't stink of sweat, "What are you doing so early here? Usually, you text in advance before coming over…"

"I didn't want you to escape…" Gon stuck out his tongue in defiance, acting a little cheeky, "I'm kidding. I was in the area and I thought you might like to join me on a walk."

"A walk… you mean more like a cross country marathon run." Daniel crossed his arms, thinking more about Killua than himself. He rather not leave Killua alone for an hour. Not because he didn't trust them… he did, it's just they'll be bored on a weekend when there wasn't much, they could do… besides watching TV.

"I promise this time I'll only be a walk. Something interesting came up and I thought you might want to hear about it."

The man looked at Killua who was now poking their head around the corner.

"Hey Killua, long time no see."

"Hey, Gon… I met your partner… he's cool."

Gon smiled at the other, "I'm glad he's my loveable little nerd. Sorry I wasn't there to join you guys; I had a little date planned with Sakura. But I heard you guys had fun."

"We did…"

"Good, now can you help me convince Daniel to borrow him for an hour or two."

Killua now crossed their arms, "How do you suppose I convince a grown adult to do something they might want to do."

"Kill~u~ah."

Killua's eye twitched slightly, it's something his little sibling used to do with them whenever they wanted to get their way, except, it was sounded out a little differently in Valiskarian, rather than in the human native tongue "No…"

"Aww… Please Daniel, just for a bit."

"Fine… but we're not going on a power walk." Daniel stuck a finger right against Gon's nose, "got it?"

"Great, it's a date." The man joked.

"Not a date either, but I'll go get dressed. Wait here…"

When Daniel had left, Gon leaned closer to Killua "Iason told me what's going on. I'll probe him for details so that the two of you may have a better conversation."

Killua gave a thumbs up, "Thanks…"

"No tag teaming me, let's go." The man came around the corner, keys in hand "I know a nice quiet café close to here. It's only a few minutes' walk away."

"Great, lead the way…" Gon gestured to the door, with a wink in Killua's direction the two men left, Killua remaining glued to the spot, "I guess I need to keep myself busy."