A/N: Here's an early update! Oh my, you all loved my Christmas gift so much so I decided to give another! There was a question in the last chapter's A/N and Kee-Rect answered correctly and the reward was this early spanking new chapter lol! Congrats Kee-Rect:)

Thanks for the support guys! And to the reviewers of last chapter, Thehisokalover, Kee-Rect, xXIvana BraginskiXx , AfricanQueenForever, Please send me messages , Panda Master X & kanakoyuki - arigato gozaimasu!

And to answer the question I got about something M-Rated "happening" in last chapter, haha yes even Hisoka had Gon believing that was the case but I'll give you a clue. Usually when things are going to go down, *wiggles eyebrows* I give a major warning at the top here (and maybe a clue at the end of a previous chapter too) so if you don't see it, you can rest assured that anything that may seem like it is about to happen, is usually Hisoka teasing Gon lol.

Disclaimer: Hunter x Hunter is the property of Yoshihiro Togashi. My property is not Hunter x Hunter...

Warnings: Rated M... for Mental Torture...hahaha just joking, there's no rating here. But honestly, the part about mental torture is right - Gon could give himself a headache from all that worrying XD

Chapter Eight: Apartment Hunting

"Ready to lose again? ~" Hisoka asked and when he did not receive the customary boastful response that he was expecting, he looked up to see that Gon, his eyes closed and head lolling backwards awkwardly, was fast asleep. He stared, momentarily surprised at how fast the young man had fallen asleep.

Wow...he was awake just a few minutes ago~

"Heh," Hisoka laughed briefly, smirking and looking down at Gon's prone figure as he stood up.

Mmm...yes~

He walked around the center table between them and stopped just short of Gon's legs. I can take advantage of you right now...

It would be so easy to...too easy to...

But I won't make my move tonight~

No…not when you're like this~

"Mmm~" Reaching out to caress Gon's warm, soft cheek, he whispered, "Sleep well my beautiful Apple-chan; I'll let you rest tonight. Today was an eventful day after all~"

XXX.

Gon yawned. The light coming through the window was shining directly on his face, making it difficult to sleep.

Wait. Sleep? When had I fallen asleep? And where am I? he thought in alarm, quickly sitting up to look around his unfamiliar surroundings. His head spun from the sudden movement but as his mental fog cleared, understanding dawned on him.

This must be the small bedroom of the suite we got at the hotel last night.

But how did I get here? Gon pondered, as the last thing he remembered doing was playing cards, not settling down to sleep. He fingered the soft blanket that had pooled in his lap on sitting up abruptly. Someone had to have brought him there...and covered him.

Someone…?

He inhaled sharply.

Hisoka.

No…

How come I didn't notice when I was moved?

Groaning, Gon felt incredibly disappointed with himself. He had sworn that he was going to be on constant alert around Hisoka but found that he was beginning to constantly drop his guard in the most critical moments.

It was after his shower the night before that he had done a little investigating and saw that the room they had gotten had only one bed and he'd been prepared to sleep on the couch, regardless of what the other might have said, in order to avoid any situations.

And after all of this…I can't believe that I left myself open to a possible attack…

What would I have done if he was in bed with me when I woke up?

Gon slapped his forehead.

So stupid.

But... nothing happened…maybe…

No…no…no! I can't let my guard down, I can't trust him.

Right?

Confusion riddled his thoughts. But why would Hisoka carry me to the bed…? He looked down at the blanket again. And why would he cover me?

Gon focused all of his mental energies on contemplating his situation and ultimately he came to his own conclusion that Hisoka was definitely up to something, something he couldn't quite understand.

Becoming increasingly frustrated, Gon frowned. I don't know what he's plotting!

"You're awake, I see~"

Gon was startled out of his thoughts as said man walked slowly into the small room to look down at him.

"I thought that you were never going to wake up... ~" Hisoka laughed and Gon blushed. "Come, we need to leave, let's find a place to have breakfast~"

"Breakfast?" Gon realized then, from the hollow feeling in his stomach that it had been a long time since his last meal. He brought a hand up to his tummy over the blanket and twisted his face as his stomach growled angrily.

Hisoka smiled at the slight blush on Gon's cheeks as his stomach growled. "You must be really hungry aren't you? ~"

Gon blushed harder, knowing that Hisoka was teasing him but did not reply.

"Well hurry up and get ready~" Hisoka turned away from him and back to the doorway. "I'm going to take you out for something delicious to eat and then we'll be meeting someone afterwards to look at apartments~"

"Okay…" Gon mumbled to Hisoka's back as the man walked off, hating that he was beginning to feel oddly comfortable in his presence.

XXX

Wow...that was great…

Gon rubbed his belly, feeling as if he was still in a daze. The breakfast display downstairs in the Hotel Beichitaku's luxurious dining room had been huge with a buffet selection consisting of choices from a porridge station, as well as a wide range of other foods like honey roasted ham, a variety of fresh juices, rustic breads, Isle of Mull Cheddar, fresh fruit and yoghurt. There was even something Hisoka called a compote.

It was all a bit overwhelming trying to choose from such an impressive selection but Hisoka had encouraged him to try it all so he had had a little of everything and was now pleasantly stuffed.

"Mmm…" Gon moaned contentedly and looked around. After breakfast and checking out of the hotel, they had met up with a guy who he assumed was the real estate agent Hisoka had told him about and together the three of them were now walking through the bustling hub of the city.

It was a weekday but the crowds were thick and although they bumped into him from every direction, Gon found that nothing captured his attention at the moment more than Hisoka. Not only had Hisoka been acting differently, but he was dressed casually and his hair was down. As such, Gon found himself staring at him a lot. It felt as if he was walking with a different person since Hisoka blended easily in with the people walking all around them, actually looking…

Normal, Gon thought, unable to believe that he was using such a word to describe Hisoka. Why is he looking so harmless and…

Just then Hisoka looked down at him. "So what do you think of this place? ~" he asked, gesturing at the tall building in front of them.

What? He's asking for my opinion?

This really can't be the same person.

Realizing that Hisoka was actually expecting a response, Gon looked up at the high-rise building towering in front of them. It was so tall that he could not see the top from where they stood on the pavement. "It looks good so far..."

"Great, then let's go in, shall we? ~"

Gon followed behind the two men as the real estate agent led the way to the apartment they'd be viewing.

"This is perfect~" Hisoka said after looking around a bit. He didn't seem to want to bother with the other man much longer than he had to.

As if sensing the silent question, Gon looked up to find the magician's eyes on him, waiting for his opinion. He hesitated a bit, quickly taking in the granite flooring and ceiling to floor windows. "I-I think it's perfect too..."

Why is he asking me?

Hisoka turned to the man. "Then it's settled. I'll buy it ~"

The Agent's eyes widened. "B-but this is for rent...and I—"

"Is there a problem?"

"Ah maybe…no I mean of course not sir, it's just that there are condos in this building available for purchase but this one is specified for rental. To purchase such a space with this kind of view is quite expensive and—"

"And?"

A small bead of sweat pearled on the man's forehead and he tapped at it with his handkerchief. "And…j-just give me a moment, I'll handle the arrangements, make up the papers and prepare for the transaction right away."

"Nice~"

Gon watched as Hisoka walked off with the man and turned back to the windows. He couldn't be concerned with what they were doing. That was Hisoka's problem. Right at that moment his main concern instead was to admire the amazing view from what he assumed would be their living room.

Our living room has the best view…I bet—

Blushing, Gon corrected himself immediately, THE living room. T.H.E.

What the hell.

When did I start lumping myself together with that person?

"This is crazy," he muttered as he distracted himself with the view once more. Being so high up reminded him of his room in Heavens Arena...or sitting atop the World Tree with Ging and he smiled.

The little smile lingered on his lips. Both of those places brought back nice memories for Gon. Memories of being with Killua and of meeting his dad for the first time.

"Nice to see that you're a fan of heights too... ~"

"Huh?" When had he come up behind him?

"The view~" Hisoka replied, pointing to the large window. "It's like you can see all of York Shin from up here~"

Gon turned back to the floor-length window he was currently standing in front of and smiled, taking in the beauty of the city that seemed to glow in the fading light of the setting sun. For once he was in agreement with Hisoka.

"Hey~" Hisoka called, breaking him out of his reverie. "Hungry? ~"

At that, Gon's stomach growled and he blushed.

They had been walking around for hours looking at a number of apartments...and being this late already, his hunger was understandable.

Regardless, he still felt embarrassed.

"Seems like I've guessed correctly~" Hisoka laughed and Gon blushed even redder. "Come on~" he encouraged. "I'll take you to a nice cafe. They have the best shrimp there, I'm sure that you'll like it~"

XXX

Gon looked around as they sat in the outdoor cafe, the cool evening breeze whistling past his ears. It was already dark and the city seemed to have come to life instead of falling asleep.

Hisoka was looking at him. "Are you okay? ~"

"Um...it's nothing..." Gon started, but on seeing the other's disbelieving look, decided to tell the truth. "Well, I was wondering why you would buy such an expensive apartment..."

"No reason..." Hisoka replied, then added," I liked the view...and I didn't want to bother with paying rent every month~"

He's so...fickle... Gon thought, speechless.

"Really..." he managed to mumble. Was it that simple, or was there more to it?

Gon analyzed Hisoka's calm demeanor and frowned. He wanted to not trust him, to remain constantly on guard around him, but it was so hard to do so when Hisoka seemed to be consistently acting on an innate, fickle whim.

I don't know what to do…

His hand clenched the fabric tablecloth tightly.

Why can't I—

Just then their food arrived and Gon was instantly distracted from his thoughts by the steaming plate of Garlic Butter Shrimp that was suddenly placed in front of him.

His eyes followed the waitress' movements as she refilled his water glass.

As she walked away, his gaze snapped back to the steaming platter and his anticipation mounted.

Oh my…

His keen sense of smell made it difficult to resist digging in but he took a moment to appreciate the wonderful smell wafting up to his nose.

Hisoka chuckled as he looked at the hunger that was clearly written all over Gon's face.

"Gon, if you're hungry, why don't you—" before he could finish his sentence, Gon had started eating at a speed that surprised him.

"Well…" he continued, eyebrows still raised at the way Gon was stuffing so much food into his mouth at such a pace without choking. "Seems like I won't be having any problems with you losing your appetite…~"

Gon looked up at him then, his cheeks puffed up with food. He swallowed most of it quickly. "You fay smufthing Hisoka?"

Hisoka put up one hand. "It wasn't important. Don't let me stop you~"

Shrugging, Gon went back to putting an end to his main course while Hisoka continued to watch him with the same surprised expression.

By the time they were finished with dinner, Gon had eaten three servings of the main course, one appetizer, a large salad and two different types of desserts before he was finally satisfied.

He had built up quite the tab at that restaurant café but Hisoka did not mind. Just seeing Gon satisfy his hunger when he thought that the young man would have been trying to escape him or refusing to eat was totally worth it in his opinion.

XXX

Later that night Gon was standing in front of the window in their new living room again.

Maybe I should put a chair here, he mused as he took in the view. It was much better than he could have imagined it would look like at night.

The view in the evening was beautiful but the night had a beauty of its own. The twinkling city lights looked like little stars that were pulled from the heavens and given different colours and their entire existence seemed to be shining just for him.

He smiled, feeling immeasurably happy to be witnessing such beauty.

"If you think that that's great, you should check out the view from the bedroom~" Hisoka said from his seat at the dining table.

"Really?" Gon asked excitedly, turning to meet the magician's gaze, only to turn away quickly when he came to a realization.

Oh no...I almost forgot! It's already night!

And…

I… I think this condo only has one bedroom!

Gon could feel the panic starting to set in at the prospect of sharing a bed with Hisoka. Why hadn't he thought of it before? There was no way that Hisoka would buy a condo with two bedrooms.

Shit…

His heart was beating rapidly, especially when he realized that the longer he deliberated in front of the window, the later it was getting.

Gon knew that he couldn't stay in front of that window forever. Sooner or later he would have to go to bed. And he doubted that he would be able to camp out on the couch indefinitely.

I'm stuck here.

I can't run forever…

Eventually he would come for me.

Finally growing tired of avoiding the inevitable, Gon headed for the bedroom, leaving Hisoka shuffling his cards in the dining room.

As he stood just inside the large room, he felt his stomach drop. There really was only one bedroom – and bed. It was a huge bed…but it still made him feel uncomfortable.

Gon had shared a bed many times with Killua in the past but now that he thought of sleeping next to Hisoka, he felt a level of uneasiness that he did not feel with Killua.

I can't share a bed with a person like that...

Gon was so taken aback by his current predicament that he did not even bother to look out through the sliding doors or walk out onto the private balcony to check the view. Instead he dashed between the sheets and pulled them over his head.

"What am I going to do?" he whispered to himself. "I can't possibly share a bed with that man..."

His heart thudded rapidly in his chest, getting more erratic as he heard footsteps approaching in the corridor.

Oh no…

His breathing slowed and his nerves were on edge as he strained his ears to listen to every sound.

The sound of steadily approaching footsteps suddenly stopped. Gon's heart skipped a beat. Hisoka was obviously standing in the doorway, looking at him.

Is he going to come in?

Does he know that I'm awake?

He trembled, bracing himself for the worst – sheets clutched tightly under white knuckles and bottom lip held firmly between his teeth.

The footsteps did not advance though.

On the contrary, when he heard them again, it sounded as if they were receding, indicating that Hisoka had walked away.

Gon continued to lie under the sheets, confused and still holding his breath…what exactly was going on? Why did Hisoka come to the bedroom just to look at him and then leave?

Maybe he knows that I'm awake and he's waiting for me to fall asleep to return?

What would happen then?

He really did not want to find out and decided then and there that he definitely was not going to let his guard down that night.

Just to be sure, Gon stayed up as long as he could, even sitting up and rocking back and forth when he felt the sleep creeping up on him but eventually his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open. Being swathed in such a comfortable bed surrounded by warm silk sheets worked against him…and in no time, before he recognized his waning volition to fight the need, he'd lost to the abyss of sleep.

XXX

The next morning, he woke with a start as if still alert from the previous night. Climbing out of bed reluctantly, he wandered through the condo, only to discover that Hisoka was not around.

Where exactly did he disappear to? Gon pondered to himself as every sound he made echoed through the empty space.

He didn't even bother trying to escape now that Hisoka was nowhere in sight. Without knowing where the other was, he reasoned that such an attempt was just too risky to make.

And with my bad luck, it would most likely end with another 'lesson', he thought, blushing. There was no way that he was going to provoke Hisoka this time.

Instead, Gon took advantage of the fact that the magician was not around to take a long shower in peace.

Finally coming to sit at the dining table, hair still dripping wet, Gon mulled over his thoughts. Why wasn't Hisoka taking advantage of him like before? It's not like he wanted him to...but it just didn't seem right that after literally ogling and trying to jump him for the past few days, that Hisoka had suddenly backed off.

Gon frowned.

The magician's hot and cold attitude had his emotions all over the place and he just did not know how to respond anymore – when to be on guard or when to relax.

Could this be a part of the man's plan?

Just then, the front door opened and said man entered. Even more surprising, it was clear that the reason for his absence was that he had been out buying them breakfast.

Wait…

Breakfast?

Gon couldn't believe what he was seeing as he eyed the parcel in Hisoka's hands warily. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Why would Hisoka go through the trouble of doing that?

Now honestly, this was all just too much and Gon was completely, without a doubt, at a loss for words.

A/N:

Um...Gon are you sure having another lesson from Hisoka if you get caught trying to run away again is really 'bad luck' as you say? Because that suspicious blush on your face says otherwise...

Hmmmmm what exactly is Hisoka up to? Playing mind games as usual? Do you think that this is all indeed part of his plan? Or is he just being nice to his fruit? lol. Gon's confusion as to why he's being so nice to him and his inability to figure out what Hisoka is possibly up to is leading to some emotions that he can't handle! Will he voice his concerns in the next chapter? Stay tuned! And don't forget to review :3 *