"Get up!"
Killua blinked with bleary eyes, the white light stinging them. He sat up in bed feeling a bit confused, he didn't remember falling asleep, though there wasn't anything else he could do in that small room. His father stood in the doorway, regarding him with more judgement than usual. This confused him as well; he didn't do anything to warrant this reaction, atleast not in the past days, he spent all his time in his punishment room after all. It was possible his parents were still angry at him because of the incident at school, but he came here on his own hoping he could make up for it like that.
"Come with me," Silva instructed him and he obliged, following his father through the dark corridors of the basement up into the study.
He wasn't too surprised to see his mother there as well but her presence certainly didn't make him calmer.
"Sit down!" Was his father's next instruction and he did as he was told, taking a seat on the chair in front of Silva's desk while the head of the family sat down on the other side .
The atmostphere was too formal; Killua had no idea what was going to happen. If they wanted to scold or punish him, they would have done it already, without coming all the way up to the study and sit down to talk. The situation was quite unnerving but he didn't let it show, keeping eye contact with his father, his pokerface on.
"Say, Killua," his father clasped his hands on the desk, "are we treating you badly?"
"Uhm…" was all Killua could manage for he didn't expect this question at all. Well, no, saying you treat me like shit would be closer to the truth to be honest wasn't an aswer his parents would be pleased with, so he remained quiet.
"I admit, we are stricter with you sometimes," Silva went on and Killua was grateful that he learned to keep a neutral expression while talking to his parents, "but you leave us no other choice, seeing how you tend to stray from the right path."
So now I'm the one to blame, huh?
"We aren't doing it because we like it; you should know that, Killu!" Kikyo added. "It's for your sake!"
"Yeah, sure!" Killua snorted, unable to control himself. "It's totally normal to beat up your kid just for his sake, I get it!"
"Watch your mouth!" Silva raised his voice, fists slamming on the table. "This is exactly what we were talking about! If you would show respect towards us and do as we say, we wouldn't have to do this either! Why can't you be obedient and well-mannered, like your brother?"
"Because I don't want to do that!" Killua raised his voice as well, though it probably wasn't the best decision. Still, he hated being compared to others. "I don't care about the company and heritage and whatsoever! If my brother is so much better than me, why do I have to inherit the business? He would be a better candidate to be honest."
"That's not for you to decide! Also, I would be glad if you wouldn't tell your teachers, that we are treating you badly, because it's not true and it harms our reputation."
"What?" Killua just blinked at his parents, this follow up didn't make any sense to him. "What do you mean by that?"
"This is hardly the time to play games, Killua," Silva shot a warning look at him.
"I'm not playing; I really don't know what you're talking about," He shook his head, keeping eye contact with the older Zoldyck.
"Your homeroom teacher came by earlier this afternoon because you were absent in the past days and she suspected that we are keeping you from attending classes and don't treat you the way we should."
"She did?" Killua blinked again, confusion mixing into his surprise.
"Indeed, she did," Killua could hear from Silva's tone that his father wans't too happy about that. "So, are you still saying you don't know what I am talking about?"
"I am. I'm never talking about personal things, besides I shouldn't even talk to anyone there you know…"
"Not that you are too eager to keep that promise," Silva pointed out, and Killua choose to remain silent, he wasn't sure his father would find his remark funny. "But if it wasn't you, where did she get that idea from?"
"I don't know. I didn't say a word, that's for sure," Killua said looking straight into his father's eye. They held a short staring contest, Silva then let out a small sigh.
"From tomorrow on you are going to school again," the older Zoldyck said, "and make sure to tell your teacher that we are not treating you poorly, so there is no need to come here nor for her nor for Mr. Netero."
The way Silva said Netero's name made Killua raise an eyebrow. "You know the chairman?"
"He and your grandfather are old acquaintances," his father gave a short nod.
He had to stop himself from letting out a low whistle. The chairman seemed to be overly bored sitting around in his office, an ordinary old man, but if he knew his grandfather, that meant he was an important person – the Zoldycks were always picky with choosing their acquaintances. It would probably harm the family's reputation a lot if the chairman would find out about the Zoldycks child raising methods (like locking them away as punishment or give them a good beating and so on).
"You are dismissed. Go to your room, I will send there Gotoh with your dinner," his father waved his hand, practically shooing him out of the room.
He didn't have to be told twice, Killua left the study, heading to his room with quick steps. He expected it to be messy and dirty, he wasn't there for almost a week after all, but it was neatly cleaned, his bed made, waiting for him to slump headfirst into the freshly changed sheets. After spending his nights on that uncomfortable bed he gladly inhaled the lingering scent of the fabric softener, cuddling the blanket, enjoying the fact that he is finally lying in his own bed. Whoever cleaned his room and changed the sheets had to be praised for it, he mentally took a note to give a Chocorobo as offering for the gods later.
After finishing his dinner (finally he could eat as much as he wanted) he got his laptop and nestled himself in bed. He just had to check his blog before going to sleep, he wasn't online for too many days after all, he was dying to scroll through his dashboard and watching cat videos. But as much as he wanted to spend more time on the internet he couldn't do so, being sated in a comfy bed made his eyelids droop and he could barely keep himself awake. Turning it off he put his laptop to the side, switching off the lights on the nightstand and making himself comfortable for the night.
Tomorrow he finally could leave the house – going to school never sounded so appealing. Besides…
Tomorrow he could finally see Gon.
With that in mind he fell asleep.
Gliding through the morning crowd and watching as people jump out of his way and swing their fists at him was really entertaining, Killua found. It's been a while since the last time he came to school on his skateboard, he almost forgot how nice it felt when the wind ruffled his hair. Doing a few tricks he noticed elementary school kids gaping and pointing at him while their moms shot disapproving glares towards him, he smirked and passed them getting extra close just to make them shriek.
The temperature was a bit cooler than when he came to school last time, the cold air stinging his cheeks, but he didn't mind. Nothing bothered him this morning, everything was better than being locked away.
He truly believed so until he reached school. Lot of students crowded around the gate, waiting for their friends, chatting, not wanting to go inside yet. A lot of them looked up at the sound of his skateboard approaching, a lot of small daggers have been shot at him after they saw who it was. He shrugged it off; it wasn't something he wasn't used to so he just passed the crowd and flipped his skateboard upwards, snatching it mid air and bringing it to his side in one swift move. He didn't care about the others, but knowing that Gon had class in the other end of the building bothered him more than he dared to admit – it meant he'll be alone for a while and that wasn't cool at all.
"Killua, wait a minute please!"
Biscuit called out to him as he was about to leave class. The addressed stopped at the door, turning around and reluctantly strolling back into the room with growing uneasiness in his stomach since his teacher wore a serious expression. She waited till the last student left the room, closed the door and looked Killua straight in the eyes.
"Maybe you know that I visited your house yesterday," she started while studying Killua's face with searching eyes. When her student didn't respond, she went on, "I asked your parents where you are, since you were absent for a long time and I don't remember getting called by them that you are sick." Her words were met with silence once again, Killua staring back at her with a blank face. "They told me that you wanted to take a small break and they granted you this wish."
Killua wished Biscuit wouldn't stare at him so directly, so he can pinch himself to stiffle the treacherous snort that was about to escape him. His parents sure had a different view of the world around them…
"They said you were in your room. Is that true?" Biscuit continued with the interrogation.
The one-sided conversation went into a dangerous direction, but Killua tried to keep his neutral expression. Not trusting his voice he just nodded.
"What were you doing?"
Oh nothing, just chillin' in my personal punishment room and enjoying the boredom and lack of anything I like, no big deal!
"Nothing in particular," Killua shrugged, ignoring his internal voice. "Can I go now? It's lunchbreak, and I'm hungry," he knew he wasn't too polite, but he was eager to get out of the classroom and his teacher's sight.
Biscuit watched him in silence for a few moments, then let out a long sigh. "You are dismissed," she said in a resigned tone. "But Killua," she called out one last time, the seriousness from before completely gone from her features and voice, "I see it's hard for you to talk about it, but if you have problems at home you can come and talk to me about them anytime. I'm sure we can find a solution together!"
Killua was taken aback though he tried to hide it. They held eye contact for a short while, but he found this was worse than her stern expression. Looking into her caring eyes made it more difficult to keep silent about the matter and he really didn't want anyone to know about his relationship with his family.
"I'm fine, but thanks!" He turned around and darted out of the room, before she could mess with his head more.
He was upset. How did she know? Normally, if a student was absent the teachers didn't care about it, or maybe they called the parents and that was it. But she came to visit his house and – concluding from what his parents told him the other day – she questioned them with the suspition that they don't treat him well. There wasn't too much beating since he started school because he tried his best to behave, he was sure his father wouldn't hesitate to take him out of school if he did something that wasn't for their liking. And even if there was something, he never let it show, and the fact that he didn't have friends came in handy at times like this, he didn't have to make up excuses for avoiding others. Now it was more difficult with observant people like Gon and Kurapika around him, but he kept his pokerface. He saw them watching him with the same worry in their eyes as in Biscuit's, but they never questioned him. He thought he was safe, but maybe he was wrong all along – maybe they knew? But how did they catch on?
"KILLUAAAAAA!" A loud cry of his name snapped him out of his fretting, and before he could do anything he was glomped with a heavy force from behind, the impact almost making them topple over.
"Slow down idiot, we're going to fall!" Killua growled, softly elbowing what appeared to be Gon.
"I can't help it!" Gon's whine was muffled by Killua's back. "I missed you so much that I couldn't hold back!"
"Will you stop being so embarrassing?" Killua screeched, shaking his friend off and pulling away from him with flaming cheeks. He almost forgot how blunt Gon was. Almost. "Do you even…" The words froze in his throat as he turned around to face the other, a cold silence settling between them.
"What the hell happened to you?" Killua muttered, dread filling his stomach once again. Gon's right cheek was one big blue bruise, swollen and – judging from its vivid colour – fresh.
Gon's face writhed but it seemed like it wasn't becausen of the pain, it looked like Gon was… ashamed. When their eyes met he could see the regret in the other's features, and it was really unnerving him. What could have happened while he wasn't here to stop his reckless idiot of a friend?
"Well…" Gon squirmed, gaze flickering to the side. He was clearly uncomfortable.
Killua glanced around as well, noticing several students staring at Gon's swollen cheek, making it difficult to have a private conversation, so he grabbed the shorter teen's arm and dragged him away. They stopped at a deserted floor, Killua letting go of Gon and turning to face him.
"Tell me!" He ordered.
Gon swallowed hard, the moiton making his face twist in pain again. "Yeah, I have to tell you… but I guess you know it already…"
"What? Know what?" Killua started worrying more and more. "You think I'd ask, if I'd know, dumbass?"
"You don't know?" Gon's eyes widened in bewilderment. "I thought they already told you about it…"
"Who? What are you talking about?" Killua was completely confused by now.
"Your parents. That I went to your house the day before yesterday," Gon looked him in the eyes for the first time since they met.
Killua froze. "You did what? How did you even get my address?"
"From Miss Krueger. She gave it to me and I headed there right after school, but Mr. Zebro didn't let me in. I really wanted to know that you're okay so I scaled the fence but there a guard hit me with her cane in the face and chased me away."
Killua felt his knees buckling, he staggered backwards, leaning against the wall to keep himself upright. Sweeping his bangs form his eyes he looked at Gon – his black haired friend stood at the same spot looking still ashamed of himself. After the cold fear he felt hot anger boiling inside of him, because seriously, this grade of idiocy was too much, even for Gon.
"What the hell were you thinking, you reckless idiot?!" He shouted the end of his question. Gon winced but didn't say a word, bearing the harsh words he probably thought he deserved. "Do you know how lucky you were, that Canary found you and not Mike? Mike would have torn you into shreds!" Killua let out a shaky exhale, memories of the unlucky robber their guard dog found sooner than Canary filling his mind. "Why did you do this?"
"I was worried!" Gon cried out. "You said yourself that you'll get into trouble for the thing with Kurapika, didn't you? Besides I know that you got into a fight with your brother because of me! And then… and then you didn't come to school for so many days! When I tried to call you, your brother answered the phone instead of you!"
"You talked to Illumi?" Killua blurted out, his knees finally giving out. He slid down the wall to fall on his butt, cold sweat rolling down his temple.
"See! This is exactly why I was worried!" Gon pointed at him probably meaning the fear that made Killua go numb. The black haired boy kneeled down in front of him, his eyes soft. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when your brother was here. You're always supporting me and I wanted to do the same for you, but all I did was making everything worse…" Gon let out a small breath, shaking his head like he himself couldn't believe how stupid he acted. "That guard, Canary said the same."
Killua just sat on the floor, looking past Gon. Now it all made sense – it was Gon who made Biscuit aware of his situation and seeing how Gon ended up after his visit, she went there to check up on the Zoldycks as well.
"Killua please!" Gon pleaded, leaning closer and grabbing his arms. "I know you have problems, but you're keeping them all to yourself! I want to help you, so please tell me!" To emphasise his words, he slightly shook Killua's arms.
Killua looked into Gon's eyes. They were too intense for him even when he was calm and collected, but now, when he barely recovered from the shock of knowing Gon and Illumi interacted he couldn't handle them. He let is head fall back as he let out a long exhale. He didn't have any choice right? Gon knew already, right? Besides he already got Gon involved into this, so he owed him an explanation.
Looking back at Gon he swallowed hard – the thought of revieling all the abuse he received in the past made his throat go dry.
"Okay," he whispered. "But promise me not to do or say anything when I'm done. And don't tell anyone!"
"But Killua, you might need an adults help!"
"Gon please!" Killua's voice cracked and it made Gon stop immediately.
"Okay," the black haired boy nodded. "I promise I won't do anything! So please, tell me!"
Killua nodded as well. Looking past Gon again, he started talking.
A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for the long wait, everyone! I had the first half of the fic in my drafts since the end of August, but you know, work...
BUT! I have vacation next week so I might be able to update another chapter! Yay!
Killua is back! And he will tell Gon about his family? Wow! (Somehow my Killua chapters are always longer than the Gon chapters - I'm not biased you know? Not at all. Uhm... shit)
Also some of you suspected that Gon showing up at the Zoldyck estate would cause a huge mess, and it was tempting to write, but I didn't want to make too much drama. There will be enough of that later on anyway (if I ever get to the point to write it of course, ahaha oops)
(I'm sorry, I'm tired and talking stupid things orz)
Guess who has birthday today (10.18)? It's meeeeee!
Anyway, thank you so much for reading (and sticking to this fic)! You guys are the best!
