God, I hate parties.

Seriously, Killua hated parties. He wasn't sure why he'd agreed to come in the first place, that had been a very stupid move on his part. Ikalgo had been bugging the shit out of him, but he should have just said no!

Killua sat, annoyed, on the couch as utter chaos raged around him. Ikalgo had moved out of his dorm now that the first semester was over, and was exploiting his new apartment to the best of his ability. Killua went to Yorknew University too, so of course he'd heard Ikalgo's bragging all throughout exam week. And, naturally, he and Ikalgo were in most of the same classes, making Killua susceptible to being invited to the party he spontaneously decided to throw on the literal last day of the semester. Seriously, if that stupid assed physics exam hadn't fallen on the last day then Killua wouldn't be in this mess! He'd have been off campus and far away from anyone trying to make him be social!

Physics. The work of Satan himself.

And disco balls, those too. The little cheap ones with different color flashing lights that they sold at Walmart.

Killua massaged his temple as he watched a dense crowd of people jump up and down in the center of Ikalgo's living room. They were blasting Marriah Carey's infamous christmas song and screaming the lyrics at the tops of their lungs.

If there was one thing Killua hated more than a party, it was a Christmas party.

Killua didn't like Christmas, it was just too much! Everyone always obsessed over everything, and it was like the entire world decided that it was time to revolve around presents and lights and screaming annoying lyrics. The guys in the apartment next to Killua's had put so many lights on their miniscule balcony that the obnoxious red and green forced its way through Killua's blinds and kept him up at night. And it was only, like, two days after Thanksgiving!

That alone was enough to make Killua declare his undying hatred for the entire holiday.

The silver haired male glanced down to his plastic cup. He swirled its murky contents, the surface reflecting the blue, flashing string lights Ikalgo had hung all over the ceiling. The only good party was a party where Killua could get drunk enough not to be grumpy, but his apartment was off campus so he didn't have the luxury of drinking himself silly (driving existed, unfortunately).

Responsibility. How disgusting.

Ikalgo's apartment complex was technically still on the campus, right on the edge and within reach of everyone who suffered the misfortune of living in the dorms. He was also just a sophomore (like Killua), and was one of the few underclassmen with the opportunity to bring a ton of alcohol into a party without getting busted by an RA.

The party had been tolerable at first, but when Knuckle brought all his hyper friends things had gotten real chaotic real fast. There was such a dense crowd of people in front of Killua that he couldn't get off the couch! (Actually, he was just too lazy to force his way through the drunken bodies. Not to mention the fact that Ikalgo would most definitely bitch and complain if Killua tried to leave without a good excuse).

Killua groaned dramatically, throwing his head back against Ikalgo's cheap couch cushions. The music was too loud, the lights were too bright, and all the screaming was hurting his ears! It was far too crazy in here!

Like a saving grace, Killua's phone buzzed.

The nineteen year old snapped to attention with a wicked grin. He flipped on his phone, and found a Snapchat notification from Alluka. Yes!

Killua raised his plastic cup to his lips, and downed the rest of the stale-tasting beer. He then tossed the empty cup over the back of the couch (Ikalgo's punishment for dragging him here) and stood up.

"Killuaaaa! Where are you going?!"

Yup, just as he suspected.

The young man in question glanced sassily over his shoulder at Ikalgo. The short, dark skinned guy was sending Killua the most pitiful puppy-eyed glance known to mankind. No one could say no to that face. Except Killua. He could, because he had a perfect voucher.

The silver haired menace sent his best fake-apologetic smile Ikalgo's way, and held up his phone to show his friend the Snap from Alluka. "Alluka needs me to help her! She's closing on her own again and needs my help loading up her car."

"Awww, you're such a good big brother!" Ikalgo wailed, red dyed dreadlocks swaying around his shoulders as he lurched over to Killua to slap him across the back. "Go! Save your sister! We'll cherish your memory!"

Killua snorted, bumping shoulders with his drunken friend. "Yeah, you too buddy."

"Cheers to Killua!" Ikalgo screamed, thrusting a bottle of cheap vodka up into the air.

The entire apartment erupted into ear rattling cheers, and Killua quickly beelined for the door. The dancing resumed once his honorary cheer of departure had ended, and Killua was relieved to step into the hall to the door where the deafening noise of the party was muted.

That didn't mean this part of the apartment was empty, no, not by a long shot. The entire place was jam packed, Ikalgo threw one hell of a party. He'd lit up each room with different colored LED strips, and the halls were lit up with red. People chattered amongst themselves, standing shoulder to shoulder with solo cups in every hand.

Killua had almost made it to the door, he was at the home stretch. Only a little bit of hallway-turned-jungle left to go.

"Killua!" came an enthusiastic call, to which the silver haired male ignored. He ducked under Knuckle's reaching arm. He wasn't in the mood for his stupid drunk-hugging right now. Killua deftly spun out of Knuckle's clumsy reach–

Only to run into someone else's back.

The person startled when Killua ran into them, almost toppling over. Killua squeaked in surprise and annoyance when some random girl accidentally elbowed him in the back, and he and the stranger were shoved down the step in the tiny foyer and out the propped door.

Killua gasped in horror as he tripped over the step, but whoever this other person was managed to catch him by the elbow. "Thanks," Killua mumbled, blowing his bangs out of his eyes as he glanced up to see who'd just saved him from busting his ass.

"Sure, it was nothing," the guy slurred, his hand flopping in a lazy gesture. Oh, fabulous, he was completely wasted. The guy was a good several inches taller than Killua, with wild black hair and shocking amber eyes.

Killua rolled his eyes, it wasn't fair if everyone else got to be drunk and he didn't! This party was stupid, he hated it. "Well, nice knowing 'ya," Killua said curtly, making to turn down the hall.

"No! Wait!" the drunk guy gasped.

Killua shot him an annoyed glare. "What?"

The guy was gawking up at the door frame over their heads, "You can't leave yet! Look! It's a mistletoe!"

Killua flicked his eyes above him, and he looked upon the mistletoe with a distaste potent enough to make little kids cry. "In-fucking-credible," he deadpanned, "Whatever shall we do now?"

"We can't break 'da rules!" the amber eyes dude slurred with a flash of a grin.

Killua choked on his own spit, suddenly overcome with a shockwave of mortal fear–

The drunk guy was too swift to avoid. He slipped his hand behind Killua's head, and just like that leaned down and kissed him right on the mouth. Killua's eyes were wide and unblinking, he completely froze up. The guy's lips were warm against his, and even though he was totally drunk his kiss was soft and almost sweet.

It was over as soon as it began, and before Killua knew it the guy had drawn back and was giving him this blinding grin. "Yay! M'rry Christmass!"

Killua's face flushed pink, he didn't know what to do–

The guy cocked his head to one side, "Woah, ur eyes are really pretty."

Killua choked, "Wha–"

"Hey! Dude, what the hell are you doing?!" exclaimed a blonde girl in a frilly hot pink hoodie. She marched up to the doorway and grabbed the guy by the shoulder. "Stop harassing people!" she commanded, roughly tugging him back into the apartment.

Killua watched, still frozen on the spot, as the guy with amber eyes was dragged into the crowd. He waved happily at Killua as he disappeared, and the silver haired male was left gawking - his fingers reaching up to brush his lips - and trapped with the knowledge that his first kiss had just been stolen by some random drunk guy at a goddamn Christmas party.

Killua's eyes fluttered as he jerked himself out of his stupor, "What the fu–"

…

The next day, Killua was sitting on his bed tying his shoes for work. He'd been up till 2 in the fucking morning last night, and now he had to be at work by 9.

Fuck Killua's life.

The silver haired male grumpily fumbled with his shoe laces. The semester had just officially ended, and Killua's life was already obstructed by working. He lived in an apartment off campus, half way between Yorknew University and the boutique Alluka worked at downtown. It was also the closest place he could find to Beanz, the overpriced coffee shop Killua worked at obsessively over breaks.

Today was Killua's first day back on the job, as he'd taken his last exam of the semester yesterday at noon. Then he'd made the mistake of getting convinced to go to Ikalgo's party, where he'd been–

"AhhhhhHHHHH! Stop thinking about it!" Killua yelled at himself, quickly sitting up and slapping his hands over his burning face. Pale fingers parted to reveal wavering blue eyes, reflected in the mirror hanging on the wall in his bedroom.

No, he was NOT going to think about it! He was not! If he didn't acknowledge it than it had never happened in the first place–

Killua's phone vibrated, and he was a flash of silvery hair as he lurched to his nightstand to answer.

"Alluka!" he gasped into the receiver.

"Hello, brother!" his angelic sister chirped, right before her voice turned devious, "How'd the rest of your party go? After I sent you a fake cry for help to get you out of it~"

"Alluka! It was fucking terrible!" Killua all but yelled. He marched out of his bedroom, grabbing wallet and shoving it into his back pocket on the way out.

"Oh?" Alluka asked, always desperate for whatever drama Killua had gotten himself into.

"It was really loud and crazy like I said," Killua explained as he stormed through his kitchen. He snatched his forest green apron and baseball cap off their hooks by the door, and yanked his keys out of their glass bowl in the foyer as he stomped out the door, locking it behind him.

"I got your Snap, and I said bye to Ikalgo and was on my way out. There were people fucking everywhere, and I had to fucking swim to get through his hallway. The lighting was all red and it was so stuffy and stunk like alcohol!"

"Sounds enjoyable," Alluka snorted.

"Yeah, definitely," Killua said sarcastically, "Enjoyable is the exact word I'd use to describe that experience."

"What happened?" Alluka prompted.

Killua slipped through the door into the stairwell of his apartment building. He ran down the stairs, his residual embarrassment and stress from the incident last night making him walk fast as hell.

"I'd finally made it to the end of Ikalgo's hallway. You've seen his apartment, that skinny little hall from the front door to the living room?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, so I'm finally getting to the door, which is propped open with a fucking rock by the way, and right when I'm about to escape you know who shows up?"

"Who?"

"Knuckle! Him and his stupid drunk-hugging ass!"

Alluka cackled on the other side of the line.

Killua burst out the side door of his apartment building, marching across the shitty little parking lot for his car. "So I evade him like the badass I am–"

"-Naturally," Alluka agreed.

"And after I get away from him I bump into this other guy, and this is where it all just goes to fucking shit!"

"Tell me!" Alluka squealed.

Killua unlocked his car and slammed himself into the driver's seat. With a dramatic groan he slammed the door behind him and bonked his forehead against the steering wheel a couple of times. He started the thing up, and then drove out of the parking lot with one hand on the wheel and the other holding his phone against his ear.

"So I run into this guy, and luckily we don't fall, but then some clumsy bitch bumps into me and pushes us out the door! I almost fell and busted my fucking ass! But this guy catches me so I don't just die on the spot. I thank this guy for saving my life, cause I'm just polite like that, and that's when I see that he's totally fucking wasted! So he says 'your welcome' or some shit like that, and then I turn to leave cause I'm like, 'that's awkward,' but then he stops me before I can get the fuck out of there!"

"What did he do?" Alluka gasped.

Killua gave a dramatic fake sob, drowning in embarrassment and horror. "He tells me that I can't leave yet, and you know what? You know why I can't leave yet?"

"What?! Why?!"

"Ikalgo hung a stupid fucking mistletoe in the doorframe!"

Alluka was crying laughing on the other end of the line. Killua ground his jaw, face flushing scarlet.

"And then this bitch KISSES me! Yeah! He just fucking kisses me! So we don't, and these are his exact words, 'break the rules.'"

"Oh my GOD," Alluka squealed.

"Stop laughing! This is a crisis, Alluka!"

"He kissed you! Brother, you had your first kiss! What, did it taste like cheap beer and vomit? Oh my gosh, are you in love?!"

"Stop it! It's nothing like that! It was just some random drunk idiot! It doesn't even matter! It was just really fucking annoying! I was able to get out of there after that, but it was SO EMBARRASSING!"

"Do you know his name?! What's he look like?!"

Alluka was enjoying this far too much.

Killua rolled his eyes, "I don't know who the fuck he is. I can't even remember his face, honestly." (Killua could, in fact, remember the guy's face. In vivid detail, actually).

"Liar~" Alluka snickered.

"Shut up! It doesn't matter!" Killua protested.

"What are you thinking? Brother, how was it?"

It was soft and strangely warm…

"It was just a kiss," Killua retorted. "Nothing special about it."

He said my eyes were pretty, and his glowed like fire…

"Did you call off work to sit at home and hide in the closet?" Alluka teased.

"No! Why would I call off work for that? And I did not appreciate that joke, asshole!"

Alluka giggled.

"We already know I'm gay, I'm not hiding in any closets."

"So it really was just a random kiss? I don't get to meet my big brother's new boyfriend?" Alluka pouted.

"No, for the last time it didn't mean anything! It was just inconvenient, is all. If I never see him again in my life then it'll be too soon!"

"Awww, big brother you're so cute!"

"Whatever," Killua grumbled as he pulled into Beanz's parking lot. "Well, I just made it to work so I've gotta let you go."

"Love you brother! Have a great day!"

"Yeah, I'll try. Love you too."

…

When Killua entered the doors of the Beanz coffee shop, he brought a dark haze of "grump" in with him. They didn't open until 10, but of course Killua was stuck opening the store because Zepile hated him.

Killua yawned his way through the swinging door to the back-of-house, and begrudgingly scanned his thumbprint to clock in. The stupid machine lit up with an overly cheerful graphic of red and green confetti, welcoming him to his next twelve hours of suffering. At least he'd get an hour break… though it was a measly attempt at appeasing him.

"Do you like the new welcome animation?" Zepile asked, leaning back in his chair to peek at Killua from his desk in the office.

A pair of rage filled sapphire eyes fixed their power upon Zepile.

The brunette just laughed. Dick.

"It's Christmas themed!"

"Yeah, no shit," Killua snorted as he tied his apron around his waist and shoved his hat over his unruly silver main.

"Aw, don't be like that!" came a cry from the kitchen. It was Leorio, one of the managers. He was busy powdering all the new Christmas-themed pastries as he got ready to open the store. "Where's your Christmas spirit?!"

"Busy fucking your mom," Killua retorted.

Leorio immediately took offense, "What?! Don't be such a little shit, it's Christmas! Put on a happy face like the lord intended!"

A smile worked its way across Killua's previously moody face; annoying Leorio always served to cheer him up. "If the lord intended anything he'd intend your ass to be fatter."

Leorio's jaw dropped in horror, but - before he could indulge in his morningly screaming math - Killua slipped back to the front. He marched through the swinging door with a proud smirk on his face, and ducked under the counter to stock all the dumb shit that needed stocking.

"Killua, goodmorning."

The silver haired male turned to face Kurapika, the best manager at Beanz (in Killua's opinion along with everyone else's).

"Hey," Killua responded casually.

"Are you ready to close with me tonight?" the blonde teased.

"Yeah, I'm always down for working twelve fucking hours."

"I'm glad you're feeling optimistic!" the gray eyed menace said cheerfully. They patted Killua on the shoulder while passing behind him to get to the registers, "You're working the counter today, so you've got lots to look forward to~"

Killua snapped his head to follow Kurapika so fast it almost snapped. "What?! Why?! You can't make me talk to people! Put me on the drive through! Who took my place?!"

"Don't yell at me, I don't make the schedules," Kurapika snorted.

Killua grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "My day is officially ruined," he complained dramatically.

…

Killua's shift dragged his feet, and he must have checked the clock at least a thousand times today. It was finally two o'clock, and the constant influx of people had calmed down. Now that morning and lunch were done for, the rest of the day would be relatively chill. Not many people got coffee in the late afternoon, not even in Yorknew City.

Working the counter was the worst because Killua was forced to put on a pretty smile and be nice to people. He didn't have act all squeaky and polite when he was speaking over a headset, and he'd never forgive Zepile for alternating who got to work the counter versus the drive.

Workplace fairness Killua's ass.

Beanz was pretty boujee for a coffee joint. It sat right down the block from Mainstreet, so there were constantly customers darting in and out. Killua shifted his weight, watching the cars and pedestrians pass back and forth out the front window. Everyone was bundled up in scarves and overly intricate coats. It was getting pretty windy out, and Killua had a feeling he'd regret not grabbing his jacket this morning.

Ikalgo danced his way through the door to the back, a wild grin on his face and his complementary caramel frappuccino in hand.

He waved cheerfully at Killua as he twirled his car key around his finger, "See ya!"

Killua flipped him off.

The dark skinned male cackled, and marched his lucky ass out the door. Killua watched his friend leave with an increasing case of jealousy. Why did Ikalgo get to leave while he had to stay and close?! This was no fun, closing was boring without Ikalgo!

Killua sighed melodramatically as he waved to Ikalgo's retreating car out the front window.

"Seven hours to go?" Chrollo mused from the drive through corner.

"Yup," Killua agreed, popping the p.

Himself and Chrollo groaned in misery.

"Don't be like that," Kurapika reassured, making their manager-rounds to be sure no one was slacking. "Palm leaves at three, and you can take her place on drive."

"Fuck yeah!" Killua cheered, leaning over to slap his hand against Chrollo's.

Palm closed the drive window, having just finished handing someone their overpriced coffee. She whimpered to herself, and rubbed circles into her temples. "One more hour. Just one more hour."

"You shouldn't have drunk so much at the party, Palm~" Killua taunted.

She shot him a steely glare, though not possessing the energy to argue. Chrollo watched Kurapika retreat to the back, and swiftly pulled out his phone. He leaned against the wall, positioning himself just right so that the managers wouldn't be able to see him from the cameras. Palm did the same.

Lucky jerks.

Such was another perk of working the drive through, while Killua was stuck within full view of Kurapika and Zepile from the office. He'd be able to get away with it if it were only Leorio and Meleoron on duty, but a fortunate combination such as that was simply too much for a Saturday shift, apparently.

"Damn, they just dropped another update on Greed Island," Chrollo read aloud.

"Seriously?" Killua asked. "They expanded the map last month!"

"It's a Christmas event," Palm said, eyes squinting to read the post (she refused to wear her glasses, and spent too much money on shoes and alcohol to afford contacts). "They've added an entire new Island to the map, but it will close on Christmas Day. They also added snow and several new achievements and items."

Chrollo snickered, "Now every single avatar will wear a Santa hat. There's no way to turn it off, a game-wide Christmas take-over has begun!"

Killua rolled his eyes. "Are you shitting me? Greed Island is my unhealthy coping mechanism, how am I supposed to escape all this Christmas bullshit now?" he complained.

"Why do you hate Christmas so much, dude?" Chrollo snorted.

"It's too heterosexual for my liking," Killua declared.

Palm rolled her eyes, "I'm calling bull. Where'd you get that idea? Christmas is for everyone!"

"Yeah, how do you not like Christmas?" Chrollo added.

Killua blew his bangs out of his eyes, "We have this conversation every year! It's just not my thing. The entire concept annoys me. It's too over the top and capitalized." He punctuated his words by flicking one of the boughs on the mini-Christmas trees occupying the counter.

"Ew, controversial opinions," Palm gasped facetiously.

Killua huffed, and turned back to face the store.

Beanz wasn't the largest coffee shop there was, but the outrageous pricing made up for their inability to host too many customers at once. The floors were dark colored hardwood, and the walls were painted in a dark gray. It was furnished with industrial lighting, tables, and chairs, with accents of dark green sprinkled about.

It always smelled like coffee beans, which Killua supposed wasn't the worst scent around. Zepile was a tyrant with assigning hours, but each employee got a free coffee and the equivalent of a meal for every shift. It wasn't the worst job out there. It was easy, and the pay was great. Killua's only complaint was how many strangers he had to be civil towards.

Only problem was - now, that is - Beanz had been infested with the disease known as Christmas. The second Thanksgiving had ended Zepile, Leorio, and Meleoron had gone all out. They'd put up a pencil tree, strung lights from the ceiling, draped garland anywhere they could reach - you name it, they'd done it. Kurapika had even rewritten the entire menu in red and green.

Killua could vomit. His only positive comment was that there were no mistletoes hanging around…

The tell tale ring of the bell on the door assaulted Killua's ears. He took a deep breath, suppressing the expression of infernal rage that had befallen his face at the thought of having to serve another customer.

He straightened his back, forced himself to look welcoming, and readied his customer-voice.

With the wind at his back, a tall looking dude hurried into the store. He was wearing an enormous puffy coat and had a tacky, red, Christmas themed scarf tied around his neck. He fixed his eyes on the menu as he approached the counter, eyes that were a flaming amber hue–

hOly MoThEr of cHriSt–

No-

FUCK! No, this wasn't happening. This was NOT happening!

It was the guy! It was the fucking guy from the party! The guy who'd kissed Killua, and holy shit he was approaching the counter and Killua's brain had lost all ability to function–

Clear as day, there he was. His hair was as wild as Killua had remembered, and his tan face was flushed from the cold. His eyes were bright and expressive, possessing a sharpness that hadn't been there when he'd been drunk.

The only thing Killua's mind was capable of doing was replaying the moment he'd kissed him over and over and over. Killua was gonna lose his mind! What was he gonna do?! He couldn't take this guy's order! How was he going to say a single fucking word when this was the guy that had kissed him?! For the first time?!

Killua wanted to die. He wanted to die RIGHT now and melt into a puddle on the floor where NO ONE would see or speak to him EVER again!

What's he gonna say?

Does–

Does he remember?

He was really fucking drunk, maybe he forgot!

I really hope he forgot, because I'm not gonna be able to handle it if he remembers–

"Hello!" the guy chirped as he walked up to the counter.

"Uh, hi," Killua managed. Willherecognizemewillherecognizemewillherecognizeme–

Killua watched the guy's face like a hawk. He hunted for something, ANYTHING, that hinted towards him remembering the kiss. Fuck, Killua couldn't handle an awkward conversation like that right now! And especially not with Kurapika, Palm, AND Leorio all here to witness it! Chrollo and Zepile would have his back, but the other three were vicious. Where was his emotional-support-Ikalgo?! Where was he?! Killua couldn't handle this–

"Can I get a mocha frappuccino with two extra shots of espresso and no whip?"

"Yeah, sure," Killua choked out. He called the guy's order up on the tablet, and kept flicking his eyes up to the guy's face. This was the most terrifying experience of Killua's entire life. He was DAMNED lucky that he wasn't blushing right now.

"Oh my gosh, you guys have Christmas stuff?" he gasped, those fire colored eyes sparkling as he took in the change to the menu.

"Yeah, unfortu–" Killua quickly covered his 'unfortunately' with a cough. This was not going to turn into a conversation, because that would increase the chances of him recognizing Killua, or worse, remembering the kiss.

The amber eyed dude was practically bouncing from foot to foot. His face was lit up in a grin, a similar grin to the one he'd given Killua after kissing him without permission. "You have Christmas tree cookies, and croissants in red glaze, and brownies shaped like bells…"

Killua tuned him out. He already knew what the contents of the menu were, and didn't need to listen to the guy read them out loud like some sort of five year old. Killua was tight as a wire, and had half a mind to cover the mlm pride flag pin on his apron. He didn't want to give this guy any hints in regards to kissing other dudes. Namely Killua.

The suspense was driving him up a wall.

It was starting to seem like he'd been too drunk to remember…

But if that was the case…

"Oh! I know!" the guy chirped, "Can I have two chocolate chip cookies and one bar of gingerbread?"

"Of course," Killua said on autopilot, prodding at his tablet. "Will that be for here or to-go?"

"To-go!"

If that's the case… then why do I kind of wish he remembered?

Wait–

What the fuck?!

Killua obliterated that thought and banished it to the depths of hell.

But even so…

I have to check and see if he remembers. I have to be sure, because I won't be able to sleep ever again if I don't get closure about this stupid fucking shit.

"That'll be $32.89," Killua told him (See? Overpriced as fuck).

"Okay!" was the overly cheerful response.

Chrollo, bored from standing in the drive, moved to start making the guy's coffee and get his order together. God bless Chrollo, he was a gift to the cruel earth.

"I'm gonna bother you," the guy joked as he pulled out his wallet, "I've got some cash to get rid of."

Killua ignored him, still trying to figure out what he needed to ask to be sure he really had forgotten. Like, seriously. He'd KISSED someone! How could he just forget something like that?! Even if he had been totally wasted. He didn't seem hungover like Palm was. Was he a freak of nature like Ikalgo? Too big of a bundle of positivity and joy to be taken down by hangovers? Or was he on an insane amount of painkillers right now?

"I've worked registers too, so I know how annoying it is when people pay cash!" the guy chattered. "Swiping a card is so much easier than having to count!"

Yeah, you say this as you're counting cash.

"Here you go!" the guy said, passing Killua a stack of bills.

The silver haired male swiftly counted the cash, $40. Mostly in fives and ones.

"Wow, you're really fast at counting!"

Killua flicked his eyes to the guy from beneath silver lashes. Why does he talk so much? "Practice, I guess," Killua mumbled. What should I say? What do I ask that doesn't seem too obvious?

"Have you worked here for long?" the guy asked. "I haven't seen you before!"

"I work on breaks," Killua answered. He hasn't seen me before. That means he forgot. Great.

"Are you a student too?!" the guy gasped. "Where do you go? I go to Yorknew University!"

"Yeah, same," Killua said. "Your change is seven dollars and eleven cents."

The guy held his hand out, and Killua made absolutely sure to pass the change over without brushing their fingers together.

"Thanks!" he chirped.

"You want a receipt?"

"Sure!"

Killua ripped it off and handed it to him.

"You go to Yorknew University also?" the guy said, continuing his chattering. "That's so cool! We're twins! What year are you?"

"I'm a sophomore," Killua grunted. Chrollo passed the guy's coffee to him, and Killua handed it over the counter.

"That's crazy! I'm a sophomore too!" the guy exclaimed as he took the coffee. "I can't believe I've never met you before! My name's Gon!"

Gon?

"I'm Killua," the silver haired male said offhandedly as he took the bag of sweet crap Chrollo had put together. He passed them over the counter.

"That's a super cool name!" the guy - Gon - gushed as he took the rest of his order. "It's really nice to meet you!"

"Yeah," Killua responded.

"Hopefully I'll see you around sometime!" Gon chirped.

Killua flashed a peace sign as Gon turned and hurried back the way he'd come. He watched until the taller male had gone out the door and disappeared down the street. Killua then caught himself just staring at the door, and quickly blinked himself out of it.

Fuck. I can't believe that just happened!

Of all the fucking things–

The guy that kissed me, his name is Gon, and he was too drunk last night to remember.

That's good.

Yeah, this is perfect!

If he doesn't remember, then it might as well have never happened.

Now I can completely forget about that kiss, and move on with my life.

With that, Killua rubbed his hands over his face and then went to wipe some tables off. He was more than happy to never see that Gon guy ever again, and he made a point to ignore the tiny part of him that was a little sad that his first kiss hadn't meant anything to the guy who'd taken it… Yeah, cause that was stupid. This was all resolved now, thank fucking god.

…

A week passed, and Killua didn't see Gon again.

And that was a good thing!

Or at least, that's what Killua told himself. He continued his life just like normal, and had been working every single day - from open to close - for the duration of that entire week. He needed the money, and it was a more than welcome distraction from… well… Now that's where Killua's problem arises.

For some stupid fucking reason, Killua couldn't stop thinking about Gon!

He'd had this problem the night after the party, but he thought that once he confirmed that Gon didn't remember the kiss he could move on from it as if it had never happened! But no! Because apparently that would be too easy!

Every since that stupid fucking afternoon when Gon showed up at the coffee shop, he'd been stuck in Killua's brain. For some reason, Killua's traitorous mind was puzzled over the fact that Gon didn't remember the kiss.

Sure, it was a kiss, but still! It didn't mean anything! And it shouldn't mean anything!

They didn't even know each other!

So why… was Killua suddenly so hung up over Gon?

The kiss had been inconvenient and nonconsensual! Gon had been completely drunk, and had only wanted to kiss Killua in the first place because of the stupid fucking mistletoe that Ikalgo had hung up! He hadn't kissed Killua cause he liked him or found him attractive, it was all just a drunken impulse!

"Woah, ur eyes are really pretty."

…Okay, Killua needed to stop thinking about that! So what if Gon had called his eyes pretty?! He'd been fucking drunk! You say dumb stuff under the influence of alcohol! What, was Killua stuck thinking about him just because he'd given him one meaningless compliment? Was Killua really that desperate?!

No! He wasn't!

Had his first kiss really meant that much to him?! So much that he couldn't stop thinking about Gon's stupid smile and his stupid flame-colored eyes?

No! Killua did NOT like Gon, and that was NOT what this was! He was just… pent up because of the shock of it all! Yeah! That was definitely what it was! He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss because he'd never done anything like that before! It wasn't because of Gon. Gon had– he had nothing to do with it! Nothing at all…

Not how friendly he was…

Or how he'd seemed to glow with joy…

No, it was nothing like that.

Gon just… seemed so… nice.

And Killua couldn't get him out of his head.