Disclaimer: Why is it drug addicts and computer aficionados are both called users?

Things to know: Gon/Killua. Takes place the first day Gon and Killua are in Yorknew.

Addiction
A person who is addicted to a particular substance, typically an illegal drug
or
an enthusiastic devotee of a specified thing or activity.

Yorknew City. A magnificent metropolis that attracts thousands of people on a regular basis, let alone when its famous auction takes place. Fortunes are made (and lost) in a single day, and it offers artifacts of unimaginable beauty and origins all gathered in one place to be admired for ten stunning days. Who wouldn't want to take a least one trip down to see it?

But that isn't all the city offers; it can't live off of its ten days of international fame alone. No, Yorknew has other attractions as well.

One library contains a copy of nearly every book ever written. Historical monuments that remember the suffering and courage of long-dead heroes are scattered around the city. The lush hotels on every street gives maximum comfort to the most weary traveler. Boutiques and clothing stores attract every self-proclaimed fashion enthusiast from around the world. Even the most common restaurant sells candies that melt on the customer's tongue, leaving them in a good mood for hours from the sheer warmth of the treat.

But out of all that, Killua chooses to visit the city's back alley casinos first. Go figure.

Killua dashes to one of the poker tables, a few of his tokens tumbling to the floor as he lets his pile spill out of his arms onto the table. He eagerly sits down at an open chair, the cocky smile on his face irking the other players. One man in particular, who seems to be at the edge of his rope judging by the desperate look in his eye, glares at him in a useless attempt at intimidation. Killua rolls his eyes, muffling a snicker when the man scowls. This'll be fun.

Gon trails behind, picking up the stray tokens before coming to a rest behind Killua's chair in silent resignation. He watches along with Killua as the cards are dealt, both of them managing to catch the briefest glimpse of the suit and number before it reaches its target, and wonders how long it'll take before Killua's accused of cheating. Again.

For all his curiosity, Killua can tell Gon's not exactly thrilled to be in the casino. If anything Gon wanted to go check out the square where they were supposed to meet Leorio and Kurapika, but he made a promise to Killua that he could pick a place to visit before they went to find a hotel. And Killua will never pass up any opportunity to gamble if he can help it.

Money has nothing to do with it; his winnings might as well be dirt. It's more feeling Killua gets that's the real payoff. He likes the anxiety curling uncomfortably in his gut as he judges his chances and the anticipation rolling through his body when their cards are revealed. He likes being able to go against the voice whispering in head that he can't be certain of his win the enemy is unknown just run away it's useless

Basically, he loves the feeling of taking risks.

Killua also loves that here, in dinky old casino, he can find another small way of defying Illumi, of getting a small victory every time he takes one of his foolish chances. He doesn't have to be one hundred percent sure of himself. Errors are okay!

It's amazing to be able to relax after years of mindless obeying and hours of having to be perfect. It's like a breath of fresh air to be here. (Well, figuratively speaking. He's still getting used to the body odor and smoke that always seems to hang around casinos. The guy beside him is a particularly potent mix of BO and beer.)

Then there's the side enjoyment of limits and the strange, thrilling feeling of not being in control of his feelings for a moment. How far he push them, and how far can he push himself? How many times he can crush them before someone snaps? How far before he himself gets angry? How much can he push the envelope until it breaks?

Apparently not long.

Twenty minutes and two fist fights later, Gon starts to consider the possibility that maybe they shouldn't have stopped at a casino, even if his friend insisted. He's starting to get worried. Killua's gotten a glaze over his eyes that reminds Gon of the relieved, half-drunk look of sailors that would sometimes stop at Whale Island.

They'd stumble into a bar after long months on the sea with that same gleam as Killua and come out completely and utterly gone. Stumbling around like newborn cows instead of the trained professions they were, imposing anyone unfortunate enough to pass them an outlandish story about a ten-foot fish that nearly sank the ship or challenging them to some ridiculous game. If they won, they'd just keep at it, boasting about their victory. If they lost and started a fight...more than one sailor would leave Whale Island with a black eye if they pissed off the wrong people.

Gon had hated dealing with them. He'd had to find alternative ways to get them to leave Mito or his grandma alone since he couldn't beat them at their games when he was younger, which meant bribing them with food or whatever else he was carrying with him. When he got older, he just started helping the other locals hand out black eyes.

He really doesn't want to give Killua a black eye.

"Hey, Killua?" Gon gently puts his hand on the other's shoulder. After the fights, they relocated to a slot machine and Killua hasn't looked up once. "It's getting late, so why don't we—"

"One more time!" Killua insists, growling at the mismatched slots. All traces of his arrogant grin from poker are gone in his agitation, replaced with a scowl. "I got this. Just give it a sec."

...

It's another bust.

Killua slams his head into the machine, muttering threats into the slightly dented metal. The people occupying the seats next to him curiously look over, but they're quickly sucked back into their own, less-violent losses.

He savagely feeds the machine another coin; the lever groans pitifully under Killua's grip, nearly breaking off as he yanks it down. "Come on, come on…" Two cherries roll into place. He grips either side of the machine, nearly shaking it in anticipation. "Come on." He glares at the third slot in warning, demanding it to give him that last cherry he needs.

"…Dammit!"

Part of the metal frame breaks off in his palm.

"Kil-"

"I got this!" Another coin. "Just one more time, Gon," he insists, making a point to pull the abused lever with a much gentler this time.

Gon shakes his head. Words aren't working. At the rate Killua's going, they're going to be there all night! They need to meet their friends tomorrow! What he needs to do is figure out how to pry Killua away from that machine.

He starts forward, ready to simply pull Killua away from the machine, but he 's no way his friend'll come peacefully. Gon would basically have to wrestle him to the door, which will end up as an all-out fight. Knocking him out won't work either. As much faith as he has in his abilities, Gon's almost positive Killua would be able to block him. So what does that leave him with?

...A distraction? Some bribes? Those usually works with the drunken sailors back home.

"Hey, Killua? If we leave right now, I'll let you pick what we watch on TV tonight." Killua's eyes never leave the rotating slots. "We can eat chocolate for breakfast." He blinks. "And dinner." His ear twitches, but it's still not enough.

Come on, what'll get him over the edge? Um...

"I'll give you something better than chocolate,"Gon coaxes, trying to tempt Killua's curiously enough to override his gambling problem.

It works well enough at first. Killua finally turns his eyes from the still-spinning machine, studying Gon carefully for hints of a lie. "What could be better than chocolate?"

Gon smiles, his mind racing. What can he give Killua that's better than chocolate? He's not really carrying anything of value, and he doesn't know his way around Yorknew well enough to think of a place that sells anything good. So he's got nothing. Perfect.

"You'll just have to come find out. And no," Gon adds, seeing Killua lose interest, "it can't wait until later. I doubt you've had it before anyway." He throws in a touch of puppy dog eyes to move things along. He's started to notice he can convince Killua to do nearly anything, especially if he throws stealthy puppy dog eyes into the mix.

The eyes pay off. Killua makes sure Gon hears his reluctant sigh as he gets up, shoving the handful of tokens and coins he has left in his pocket. "This better be good," he mutters, lingering for a moment at the beat-up slot machine before following his friend.

Gon silently leads the way, a small smile on his face at his victory. They can finally go find a place to rest for the night. Of course now he has to figure out something better than chocolate to please Killua. If he can't deliver on his promise… well, Killua will forgive him eventually.

They're out the door and into the fresh air. Killua takes the lead, getting a few steps ahead of Gon before he turns around, blocking his friend's way. "So...where are we going?" he asks smartly, crossing arms with a particular air of smugness. He knows Gon's got nothing. He just wants to see what the other comes up with on the fly.

"Well, uh...it's a surprise! Yep, a surprise!" This'll give him more time! "In fact, it's such an awesome surprise I think we should wait until we meet up with Leorio and Kurapika. They'll be jealous!"Gon beams at Killua, some of his relief showing through.

Bingo. "Then I guess another hour here wouldn't hurt." Killua smirks, already reaching into his pocket for a coin as he starts back towards the building. That gleam is already springing back into his eyes, flashing dangerously in the dim streetlights.

Oh no! They are not spending another minute or Jenny here!

Gon's brain kicks into overdrive as he steps forward to intercept Killua, blocking his path. Puppy dog eyes probably won't work now that he already used them a few moments ago, and Killua's curiously can no longer be appealed to. That leaves a distraction.

He needs something big. Something enormous. Something so unexpected and out in left field Killua will have to stop, rethink his mindset back to the situation, and completely forget about gambling. It always worked with the sailors! But what in the world can Gon do that's so earth-shatteringly bizarre? It's not like he can just bring out one of his odd-looking animal friends from Whale Island anymore! An attack won't work; Killua'd just dodge and weave around. Leaving him here would freak him out...but no. Gon's not abandoning his friend in a city neither of them are familiar with. What if they can't find each other later?

So what choice does that leave him with?

Gon stops thinking and goes to his instincts. When Killua makes a move to go around him, the other simple sidesteps into his way, putting his hands up to stop his friend. Killua tries to ignore the new obstacle in his path, but he only succeeds in tripping over Gon's feet as he's blocked again.

It becomes an awkward dance between the two, Killua constantly trying to move forward while Gon constantly finds new ways to position himself so Killua has to take a step back. For every one step onward, he takes two steps back, herded like some kind of sheep away from the casino. He'd be way angrier if Gon didn't have the uncanny ability to make it seem more like a game. There's still a little buzz of agitation every time he's cut off that's steadily rising to a grating level.

Killua takes an aggressive step to his right, trying to shove passed Gon, but all he manages is to nearly trip over him. And with Killua's face thisclose to Gon's, Gon finally knows what'll completely throw Killua off. It's brilliant!

Of course, Gon is the only one that thinks kissing his friend is a good distraction. But come on! What other way would he completely throw Killua off his game? There's no way he saw that coming!

Gon waits for his friend to react, not too sure what to do now that he's reached this point. It doesn't feel bad or anything— he kinda wants to lean so it's a bit more comfortable— but Killua seems to be having a small fit.

He takes a step back to disconnect from Gon before freezing, tension showing all throughout his body. His hands rise up, stopping half way before dropping back to his sides. He tries closing his eyes so he doesn't have to look at Gon's completely unaffected stare (Seriously, what the hell? Why doesn't he do something?), but that's even worse, so he opens them again and ends up in a staring contest with his friend, frozen.

What do I do? Killua thinks, near panicking. What's the right way to react to this?

His friend inadvertently solves the problem for him. Tired of being uncomfortable, Gon moves forward and unintentionally deepens the kiss, his lips fidgeting out of stiffness.

It's enough to snap Killua into action. He finally pulls away, looking everywhere but Gon. Gon, on the other hand, looks expectantly at Killua, noticing the small, predictable stain of red on his ears.

The taller lets out a harsh breath, seeming to gather himself before turning and walking aimlessly away from the casino.

"I'm not so sure that was better than chocolate," he tells Gon flippantly, but his whole tone is ruined by the unsteady note polluting his voice. It doesn't help Gon can still also see the red tinting the tips of his ears from behind.

"It was enough to get you to stop gambling," Gon points out teasingly, running up beside Killua. "And you were starting to—"

A stream of embarrassed stuttering fills the air to completely block out Gon's next words, a few death threats mixing in out of habit. It would've been just as effective— and childish— for Killua to stick his fingers in his ears and shout at the top of his lungs.

Killua cuts himself off and looks at Gon, giving him a half-hearted stink eye. "Just…never do that again…ever."

Gon sighs. "At least we'll be away from the casinos for awhile. Let's go find a place to stay."

When their aren't any casinos around, Killua has to find another way to get his "fix." It's not like they have the time or money to stop and gamble every night just for the sake of those wonderful sensations. Yeah, he can live without them, but if he has the opportunity to experience one of those feelings again, then he's going to take it. Even just one would suffice, and lucky for him he's staying with the perfect source.

Ever since Gon's little "distraction," something's been building in the pit of Killua's stomach anytime Gon gets just a little too close for comfort. He'd call it anxiety, but that word doesn't fit quite right; it implies something negative between them. It isn't a bad feeling, just…odd. Jarring and unmanageable.

As much as he hates to admit it, he kinda likes not knowing exactly what the feeling is and the out of control feeling it brings. It's the perfect stand in.

It doesn't take much. Small touches, walking closer, sitting closer... anything toeing the line of too close gives him that feeling in his stomach. Not too much though. For the most part it's just enough so that it's a small burn in his side. So he starts waiting longer before moving his hand and walking closer so their shoulders touch to see if Gon notices, all the while feeling that burn spread out through his body. He wants to see how long he can get away with it before one of them reacts. He wants to see how much can he push the envelope until it breaks.

How long can he gamble until the other player snaps?

Thanks to the people who left reviews/favored/alerted!

I got through the whole story without referring to anything as a drug or using the world addiction. I feel as though a small, personal battle has been won.