AN: did i decide to name the chapters halfway through the fic? yes. yes i did.
I am sooo sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. Writer's block crawled from the cracks in the walls and I was just... stuck. I had intended to finish this before Christmas, but here we are in January so I guess that's not happening haha. I'll try to get the next chapter up in a more timely fashion! Here's my 8.7k apology 3
Killua spent his entire week dreading the arrival of Friday. The day when he had to go to another Christmas party, but also the day when he'd have to bring Gon into the belly of the beast: the coffee team from Beanz.
He and Gon had been hanging out every day after Killua's work. Gon had driven him to and from work every day, and they'd always find something or other to do before dropping Killua off and starting the cycle all over again. It was nice.
Gon was becoming a major character in the soap opera Killua considered his life, and (against his will) his feelings for the guy didn't seem to be going away anytime soon.
Luckily, Gon was real fucking dense and Killua was a master at concealing his emotions.
He was concerned, however, about this damn party. Because not only did Palm clearly have every intention of shoving Gon and Killua together, but adding Gon and Killua's chaotic coworkers together was bound to result in disaster. Namely for Killua.
Unfortunately, there was no way to get out of this. Gon was very excited, if you can imagine. He wouldn't stop chattering about how he was going to make sure this was the best Christmas party Killua would ever attend. Killua was almost certain that Gon had made a group chat with Ikalgo and Leorio and the three of them were scheming to make this very over the top and obnoxious.
And double unfortunately, Kurapika was a stern enforcer of the legal drinking age. No alcohol allowed. Buzzkill.
At the moment, Killua was getting ready for this stupid party. Alluka was helping him, because she was for some reason convinced that Killua's outfit could influence Gon's feelings for him.
Hey. If Killua could make Gon like him back with clothes alone… then he'd take that road in a heartbeat. But he and Gon were just friends. That was it, and Killua's feelings were locked in a box so deep and dark that not even Alluka was aware of them.
Although Killua feared she may have started suspecting his feelings…
"Okay, here me out. Waist coat."
"No," Killua rejected, slouching against his couch cushions with his arms and legs crossed. Alluka had spread an enormous array of clothing all over Killua's living room, determined to come up with the perfect outfit.
"Meanie," Alluka pouted, before tossing the waistcoat over her shoulder and resuming her hunt.
"We both know that I'll end up wearing jeans and a t-shirt," Killua drawled.
"No you will not!" Alluka protested. "This party is important! You must look stunning!"
Killua rolled his eyes, and pulled out his phone to respond to Gon's most recent Snap.
"Maybe we'd find something faster if you'd get off your ass and help me," Alluka chided.
"Maybe," Killua agreed, but didn't move.
Alluka huffed.
"It was your idea to help me. I didn't ask for this," Killua snorted.
"You're a real bitch, big brother."
"I try."
Killua tuned out his melodramatic sister. He opened the picture Gon had sent him. The raven was standing in the mirror with two different shirts in hand. "Which one?" he'd asked.
A smile tugged at Killua's lips. "the green one," he responded.
"Brother, put on these pants!" Alluka ordered, throwing a ball of fabric directly into Killua's face.
Killua unfolded them, finding a pair of tight purple jeans. He quirked a brow at Alluka.
"I have a vision, alright?!" she exclaimed.
"Okay then," Killua sighed, very skeptical. He stepped behind the couch and changed his pants, knowing that Alluka wouldn't turn around. Killua frowned down at the pants. They were tight, which he didn't mind, it was just the shade. Somewhat of a lilac, and relatively difficult to style with anything that wasn't black. "I don't want Chrollo and Palm calling me an emo fag in front of Gon," Killua complained.
Alluka barked a laugh, "Chrollo's one to talk. But don't worry! I'm a fashion designer, remember? You'll look so hot that Gon will be on his knees before you!"
Killua flushed at that mental image, then startled when Alluka turned around and caught his pink cheeks. He glared at her smirk, and managed to catch the next ball of clothing before it collided with his face.
Alluka had thrown over a black collared shirt. It was a women's shirt, so the cut was extremely inconvenient. There were no pockets (because women were not allowed to have pockets, apparently), no buttons on the cuffs, and the fabric on the sides of the shirt was slit, showing off the sides of the wearer's stomach. Killua tugged the shirt on. It was one of his favorites, with silky fabric that was almost opaque.
"Where are you going with this?" Killua asked skeptically. He looked fine in just the dress shirt and ass-hugging-jeans, but Alluka was still making a disaster of his living room.
"This!" Alluka declared as she shot to her feet.
Killua quirked a brow, she was holding a cropped knit sweater vest. The fabric was a dark purple, wouldn't that clash with the pants? He voiced his concerns.
"It's fine!" Alluka argued as she chucked the sweater at Killua's head.
The silver haired boy glared at her, but tugged the sweater on nonetheless.
"Killua Zoldyck!" Alluka shrieked all of a sudden, "These are mine!"
The older stood up and glanced up to see what his sister was on about. He smirked when he found Alluka holding the white boots she'd worn to their double date. He'd successfully stolen them from her closet~
"Are you sure? You found them in my apartment, didn't you?" Killua purred.
Alluka flipped Killua off, and then threw the shoes at him. "You're a dick, brother."
"So I can have them?" Killua asked as he caught the shoes.
"Just put the damn shoes on," Alluka pouted.
Killua cackled and obeyed. Yes! The boots were his! Once the ensemble was completed, Alluka dumped an excessive amount of silver chains and jewelry into Killua's hands. She ignored Killua's frown and started clipping the chains to his pockets and slipping rings onto his fingers.
"Five necklaces?" Killua complained.
"Over accessorization is a queer fashion statement!" Alluka declared. "Consider each piece of silver a charm! Gon will be drooling over you the second he sees you!"
"He's not a damn seagull," Killua grumbled, gazing off into the distance to try and will his blush away.
After an annoying amount of pinching and primping from Alluka (along with a hint of eyeliner, against Killua's protests), his sister gave his floofy hair one last fluff before nodding at her completed masterpiece.
Alluka placed her hands on Killua's shoulders, and looked him in the eye like some sort of fucking drill sargent. "Brother. With the power invested in me I declare that you shall successfully seduce that boi."
Killua squirmed out of Alluka's grip and marched over to grab his phone from the couch. "We're not seducing Gon, for the last time! It's just a damn work party!" Although I'll admit that with each passing day I wish I could seduce him more and more…
"Keep being negative if you want, brother," Alluka called in a singsong voice as she began cleaning up the mess she'd made of Killua's floor. "I'll put so many good vibes into the universe that Gon will jump you within five minutes!"
Killua opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a brisk knocking on his door. His stomach gave a wild flip of anxiety mixed with anticipation, and Killua scrambled to the front door to make sure he beat Alluka there.
In a mad dash the two Zoldyck siblings hurtled across the living room. Killua launched himself over the back of his couch and football-shouldered Alluka into the reclining chair, effectively destroying any chance at being defeated. He arrived at the door and immediately ripped it open, breathless and flushed from the sudden jerk to action.
The door swung violently open to reveal Gon jumping out of his skin in shock with his arm still raised to knock. "Jesus!" the raven gasped.
"Hi," Killua greeted breathlessly, right before Alluka skidded to a halt behind him.
"Hi, Gon!" Alluka said, a devious lilt in her voice. Killua glared over his shoulder at her, and was given a cat-like smirk in return.
"Hi Alluka!" Gon chirped. "And hi, Killua," his words stumbled a little and Killua did not miss how his eyes shot up and down his body for a quick second there.
"Hi," Killua said again… before mentally shooting himself in the head. Gon gave a little laugh, and Killua felt the heat start to climb to his cheeks. I'm so screwed.
Gon was wearing the green shirt that Killua had picked out for him. It was a button down flannel with black and brown plaid. He was wearing the shirt unbuttoned over a black hoodie, with a pair of blue jeans and those tacky green boots he couldn't seem to get enough of. If Killua's outfit was edgy-twink-shique, then Gon's was soft-lumberjack-fuckboy. Killua was not opposed.
"So," Alluka purred, thankfully breaking the awkward silence. "You better have my brother home by nine o'clock sharp!"
Gon startled a bit as he broke Killua's gaze, but shot Alluka a winning grin without pause. "You can count on me!" he declared while saluting like an absolute dork.
Killua rolled his eyes and began shoving Gon down the hallway. "I'll be back at three at the very least," he drawled. "Not that you'll still be here!"
"Don't press your luck!" Alluka threatened. "You'd better tell me everything that happens in excruciating detail! You stole that plus one from me!"
"Sorry!" Gon called over his shoulder, sounding genuinely remorseful.
"Ignore her," Killua muttered. He was doing his best to get Gon down the hallway before Alluka could say something embarrassing, but the idiot was dragging his feet!
"You're fine, Gon sweetie!" Alluka cooed. "Take care of my brother! MAKE SURE HE WEARS HIS HAT OUTSIDE!"
"Goodbye, Alluka!" Killua yelled concludingly as he shoved Gon through the door to the stairwell.
"Bye!" Gon added frantically, right before the door was slammed behind them.
"There, we escaped," Killua grumbled as he trotted down the stairs.
"Killua, I think you forgot your hat!" Gon gasped.
The silver harried male shot him a glare, to which the raven cracked a laugh.
"I don't need a damn hat," Killua ranted. "It would mess up my hair, anyways." He flicked his fingers through the strands that fell over his eyes. His hair had chosen this day of all days to wage war.
"Well we wouldn't want that," Gon snickered as they reached the bottom of the stairs. He then proceeded to lock one elbow around Killua's neck and ruffle the shit out of his hair.
"Hey! What the fuck, get off me!" Killua shrieked.
Gon cackled as he was slapped away, and darted out the door and away from Killua's reaching hands. Killua followed him in a huff, utterly flabbergasted and HIGHLY offended that Gon had the audacity to fuck up his hair.
The two of them stepped out onto the parking lot (or rather, Killua walked and Gon frolicked). There was still a hint of snow covering the ground. It was pretty late by now, with the sky stained a gothic purple and sheathed with stormy colored snow clouds. The buttery orange of streetlights danced across the patches of black ice that dotted the concrete, and Killua's nose burned as he hurried through the cold after Gon.
"I bet it's gonna snow again!" Gon declared as he fished his keys from his front pocket.
"Oh really?" Killua asked sarcastically as he flew a flurry out of his face. "I hate snow," he sighed dramatically.
"Don't lie, you love it!" Gon teased. He leaned over to try and mess up Killua's hair again, but was warded off with a threatening raise of Killua's fist. Gon's laugh echoed across the parking lot as he led Killua to a black, tinted 1970 Dodge Challenger.
"Damn, did Tsubone disown you?" Killua snorted.
"No!" Gon chirped, "I thought I'd bring my car instead of Tsubone because of how cold it is."
"That's never stopped you before," Killua muttered under his breath as he waited at the passenger door for Gon to unlock the car. The two of them stepped in, and Killua was shocked to find green LEDs lining the interior and expensive looking aftermarket speakers, gauges, and radio.
"Holy shit, dude," Killua exclaimed as Gon cranked the ignition and the car revved to life with a satisfying growl. "What is this, you're daddy's money?" he teased.
"No," Gon laughed awkwardly, "I bought this car all on my own!"
"All the fancy shit too?" Killua snorted, still in shock from Gon's taste in vehicles.
"Yup!" he nodded, paring his phone with the bluetooth and setting the LEDs to an atrocious Christmas green. "It's a Hellcat!"
"As if I know what that means?" Killua retorted.
Gon laughed and put the car in reverse. As he aggressively swung out of the parking spot, Killua discovered that Gon drove cars two times as recklessly as he did motorcycles. Killua came to question why he let this idiot drive him around in the first place. He casually gripped the armrests for dear life.
The radios blasted heavy drums and upbeat electric guitar. The bass made the entire car buzz, and Killua felt the noise in his ribcage. Gon nodded along to the music and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while occasionally reaching down to adjust the stick shift.
Killua's heart pumped in his chest, it was always so exciting riding with Gon. He peeked out the corner of his eye, and gazed at Gon's silhouette, illuminated by the jarring red of the traffic lights. His lips were turned up at the corners as he mouthed along to words growled into microphones, thankfully not Christmas themed this time.
That familiar buzzing stirred to life in Killua's chest, and he had to force himself to stop staring at Gon. Sitting in the seat of this car that Gon had apparently owned this entire time, Killua once again considered just how little he knew about the guy.
They were friends, sure, but knowing a person's food preferences and favorite style of music only brought you so far. Killua followed Gon on Instagram, but he rarely posted anything aside from random and very dank memes he put on his story.
There was so much to Gon that still remained a mystery, and this warmth tingling in the center of Killua's chest was urging him to learn more. He wanted to get closer with the guy… but did Gon feel the same way? And how much longer could Killua hold out as "just friends" while the memory of Gon's lips on his hovered at his shoulder like a devil whispering in his ear?
…
"After you," Gon said as he opened Killua's door with a flourish.
"Why thank you," the silver haired boy responded. He stepped out of the car and gave a bow. Gon shut the door behind him and returned the gesture.
Ikalgo's apartment complex sat on top of a parking garage. They'd be able to get away with leaving Gon's car here for a few hours… or at least theoretically. As long as no one called the cops it would be fine!
"Ikalgo's so lucky," Gon sighed as the two of them began the long trek to boy in question's floor. "His parking is so close! Zushi and I's complex doesn't even come with parking! We have to rent out spaces in a garage nearby."
"That sucks," Killua drawled. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets, but had to be careful not to disrupt all the chains Alluka had strung all over the place. He jingled like a ring of keys wherever he walked.
"Are you excited for the party?!" Gon gushed.
"As excited for a public gathering as I can be," Killua grumbled. "What are you and Leorio plotting?"
"We're not plotting anything," Gon giggled, "We were just collaborating to make sure the party was perfect! Kurapika wouldn't let us bring any alcohol though, sad."
Killua's stomach squirmed. "Alcohol, huh?" We've never talked about Gon's party-side. He's never brought it up. He probably doesn't even know I know what a heavy drinker he is.
"It'd be more fun if Kurapika weren't such a stick in the mud," Gon pouted.
"You like to drink?" Killua asked nonchalantly. This conversation felt like it was on dangerous waters. Not only were they returning to the place where they'd kissed, but they were talking about exactly what had led to that kiss.
"Yeah, when I'm in the mood," Gon mused.
When you're in the mood, huh? So you just feel like drinking so much you forget the whole night whenever it suits your fancy? Idiot.
"Do you go to a lot of parties?" Killua asked. I'm really tempting fate right now.
"Yeah! Knuckle throws all kinds of crazy stuff! All my friends are pretty crazy so we're always finding something exciting to do over the weekends!"
"Couldn't be me," Killua snorted.
"Aw, Killua's just shy!"
"Am not! I'm dragging your sorry ass to this party, aren't I?!"
"Perhaps," Gon snickered.
The two of them stepped out of the elevator, and approached Ikalgo's apartment. Killua was getting major deja vu at this point. He could almost still hear the blasting music and smell the reek of alcohol clinging to the air. The rock Ikalgo used to prop the door open was still sitting on the corner of the cheesy welcome mat.
Gon stepped up to the door, and Killua shadowed him as he rapped on the door to wait to be let in. Killua's stomach was in knots. Heat was crawling into his cheeks, and he was way too aware of Gon standing beside him.
It was right here. Gon kissed me right here. When it happened I wanted to die on the spot, but now I really wish he'd do it again. I'm scared to look up and see if the damn mistletoe is still hung…
"Hey Killua."
The boy in question startled and glanced up at Gon. Those fire colored eyes were gazing down at him with an unreadable expression. His face looked curious, but soft at the same time.
"Uh, yeah?" Fuck, stop blushing, he'll think something's up!
"You look really nice."
Right on cue, Killua's cheeks flushed bright red. "Huh?" he said stupidly. What was that all about?
Gon's lips turned up at the corners, and Killua SWORE that his eyes flicked down for a second, but before he could have an existential crisis (or a panic attack) the door was flung open to reveal a very excited Ikalgo.
"Killua! Gon! You're finally here, what took you so long?" he exclaimed while waving the two of them inside.
Killua shook himself and stumbled up the front step.
Gon's hand drifted to the small of his back, steadying him. "Careful, wouldn't wanna trip."
Killua's eyes flicked to his, which were still glazed over with that strange expression.
The fuck? What was that all about?
"Don't forget to take your shoes off!" Ikalgo commanded, breaking whatever… that had just been. Gon and Killua glanced up at Ikalgo, and then to the neat row of shoes lined up against the wall in the skinny hallway that served as the foyer.
The thundering of Killua's pulse in his own ears finally died down when the warmth of Gon's hand left his back. His skin was still tingling from the sensation of Gon's touch, but now Killua could process his surroundings. The colors of Ikalgo's LED strips, which were flashing lazily in red and green. The garland draped from literally every surface. The soft sound of vintage Christmas music drifting from the living room.
Killua stepped out of Alluka's boots, and walked with Gon down the hallway. All of a sudden Gon felt too close. Killua's heart was racing and his skin felt like it was buzzing with electricity. He felt like there was some sort of tension between them. But it was all in his head, right? He was the only one who knew there was anything to be flustered over in the first place.
The two of them entered the living room, and were immediately greeted by a chorus of cheers.
"Well it's about damn time!" Leorio retorted from where he was leaning against the mantle with a glass of something that Killua could only assume was liquor-free apple cider.
"What took you so long?" Chrollo asked, leaning his neck over the back of the couch to gaze at the two of them upside down. He had his phone in hand, and was very shamelessly playing Minecraft with his knees drawn up like some sort of toddler.
"You're looking a little flustered, Killua," Palm purred from her spot next to Chrollo. Although she was on Call of Duty rather than Minecraft. Not that big of an improvement, if you ask Killua… "Get a little distracted on the way here?"
Killua sputtered, "Don't be a weirdo! You should be talking to Gon, I'm not the one who drove!" He crossed his arms over his chest and marched over to the reclining chair to hide behind Kurapika, his work mother. He plopped down on the arm of the chair, and leaned against the blonde for moral support (he also needed to get the heck away from Gon before the guy noticed how red his face was).
"Sorry we're late!" the raven apologized. He was practically glowing, what the hell. "Killua asked for an extra hour to get ready!"
The silver haired boy scoffed, way to throw him under the bus! What a dickhead! Even if he was entirely accurate…
"Figures," Chrollo snorted, earning several laughs from around the room.
"Ignore them," Kurapika ordered as they draped their arm across Killua's shoulders. "We're glad you're here." Killua slouched against his work mom and flipped off everyone in the room.
The other party-goers were Meleoron, Zepile, and Ikalgo (duh). Meleoron was sitting under Ikalgo's thrift store Christmas tree for whatever reason, and Zepile was milling about in the middle of the room like the boring old man that he was. Ikalgo had assumed his place on the couch on the other side of Chrollo, and was likely playing Roblox or some shit.
So far the party looked pretty… chill. Killua approved.
"Don't just stand there, Gon," Zepile motioned, "Come on in!"
Oh shit, I forgot about Gon.
He had. Killua had left him behind the couch, where he'd stood like a lost and abandoned puppy.
"Oh, uh, thanks!" he said, only borderline awkwardly. He wandered over to Zepile's side, who gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"I think the only of us you haven't met are Meleoron, Kurapika, and Chrollo," Zepile mused, nodding to each of them in turn.
"I'm Gon! It's nice to meet you!"
Meleoron flashed a peace sign, while Chrollo didn't react in the slightest.
"It's wonderful to meet you as well," Kurapika responded with that smooth voice of theirs. "It's so great to see Killua socializing outside of the workplace." The boy in question flicked his mother in the arm, but only earned a sharp elbow in return. "How did the two of you meet? I've heard the exaggerated version from Palm and Killua, but I'd like to hear the story from your perspective."
Gon seemed to be a little flustered, a typical reaction to the glorious deity that was Kurapika. "Oh! I met Killua at Beanz, actually! We became friends when we learned that my roommate Zushi and his sister Alluka were dating, though!"
From there, the party was shockingly normal. Everything stayed relaxed, no one got into a screaming match, and most importantly there were no exaggerated plots to lock Gon and Killua in a closet together. Everything was… fine. It was enjoyable, and by far one of the least stressful Beanz gatherings that Killua had ever been to.
Conversation was easy. Palm and Chrollo stayed absorbed in their phones for the most part, so nothing chaotic started. It was revealed that the scheming Leorio, Ikalgo, and Gon had been up to was deciding on the perfect snack food to buy, so there was no disaster in store in that department.
The party was great. It was exactly Killua's speed! Dare he say he was having fun. Gon got along with everyone, even Leorio! It was awesome. Seeing Gon laughing and chatting with the people Killua spent hours on end with felt sort of intimate. Killua was showing Gon a major piece of his everyday life, and he liked to think that he was sharing his relationships with all these crazy people with Gon.
Yes, everything was pleasant.
Until it wasn't.
"Okay okay okay!" Ikalgo announced. He climbed onto the coffee table and held his hands up to gather everyone's attention. Killua glanced up from where he'd been watching Chrollo get his ass whooped by an Enderman, and Gon - who was sitting on the floor between Killua's knees - paused his debate with Leorio on whether or not a tomato actually counted as a fruit.
"It wouldn't be a proper Beanz party unless we played at least ONE party game!" Ikalgo declared.
Killua and Kurapika dissolved into exasperated groans, while Gon, Leorio, and Chrollo shot to attention like preschoolers at snack time.
"And since I hosted this time, I was given the honor of deciding on our activity of the evening!" Ikalgo bragged.
"Within reason, I'd hope," Palm retorted, not looking up from her phone.
"If it involves alcohol then I'm calling the cops," Kurapika drawled.
"Buzzkill!" Chrollo and Gon accused in unison.
"It's nothing like that, don't worry!" Ikalgo reassured with a flop of his hand. "It's super easy, and not to mention completely disaster proof!"
"So I don't get to punch Chrollo this time?" Palm pouted.
"That was rude, first of all," the dark haired male snapped at her.
"Hush!" Ikalgo interrupted, deftly preventing an oncoming screaming match. "Since Gon is new here, we'll be playing a simple game of hide and seek."
"Hide and seek?" Killua groaned just as half the room exploded into boisterous whoops and cheers.
"Fuck yeah!" Leorio screamed, "I'm the hiding MASTER!"
"Somehow I doubt that," Kurapika retorted.
"Are you sure your apartment is big enough?" Palm asked skeptically.
"The less hiding places the better!" Chrollo declared as he pumped his fists.
"WHO WANTS TO SEEK FIRST?!" Ikalgo yelled over the chaos.
"ME! ME! I'M ALREADY COUNTING! I'M ALREADY COUNTING!" Gon shrieked, scrambling to his feet so frantically that he shoved the couch back a few inches. He slapped his hands over his face and started very loudly counting to twenty.
"Oh my fuck, hurry!" Ikalgo screamed in terror, and just like that every person in the room was sprinting out of the living room. Even Kurapika! Killua watched his coworkers sprint off in a mixture of exasperation and disappointed-but-not-surprised. He rolled his eyes and halfheartedly walked into the kitchen, where he sat on the other side of the island.
"FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN, SEVENTEEN–"
Killua shook his head and snorted, why was Gon screaming like that? He was such a dork. Although, all of them were dorks for playing fucking hide and seek at a work party.
"-TWENTY! READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!"
Killua pressed his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing. Gon was so stupid, but it was so fucking cute. He waited quietly as Gon crept about the apartment. He had to hand it to the guy, for an obnoxious idiot he really knew how to be quiet when he wanted to.
I wonder where he'll look first? I'm the only one hiding in plain sight so I'm sure that–
"AHHH!"
Killua yelled like a bitch when Gon suddenly flung himself over the counter screaming like a maniac. He flopped onto the ground and grabbed onto Killua, shaking him back and forth like a total psycho and scaring the ever loving shit out of him.
"WHAT THE FUCK–" Killua screamed, reflexively slapping Gon across the face. He then froze and slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oh my god I'm so sorry-"
Gon quite literally couldn't breathe, he was laughing so hard. "You- you scream like a five year old girl!"
"Shut the fuck up, dickwad!" Killua sputtered, slapping Gon again, but this time on purpose. "Why the hell did you do that?! You scared the shit out of me!"
"That's what you get for not trying!"
"Not trying, my mom's bleached asshole! I could have pissed myself! God, you're too much, ya know that?!"
"Is your mom's asshole actually bleached?"
"That's what you decided to hear?! You're so annoying!" Killua lurched forward and shoved Gon against the floor. He didn't protest at all, his body entirely limp from laughter. Killua glared down at his idiot friend, who was still losing his shit.
"I'm crying!" Gon wheezed.
"The fuck you are," Killua hissed. He perched on Gon's waist and pushed at his face, his cheeks burning from the humiliation of scarring so easily. But god, if Gon's laugh wasn't addicting. Killua had always thought that his laugh was pretty, but his true, belly laugh was doing things to Killua's stomach.
I just wanna kiss him right now.
Okay, that was enough of THAT train of thought.
"Cut it the hell out already," Killua complained, his cheeks burning bright pink. He pulled Gon's hair until he shut the hell up. The raven shoved himself to a sitting position, and Killua blanched when he sat up and brought them nose to nose. He was so close that his face was all blurry, and Killua could feel his breath dusting his lips.
"You lost, Ki-llu-a~" Gon giggled.
"Idiot," the silver haired boy grumbled, using Gon's face as leverage as he pushed himself off his lap. "Come on, let's just hurry up and find everyone else."
"We have to scare all of them!" Gon declared.
"What are you saying, we?" Killua said, gazing off to the side to try and hide his blush. "If you're found you go and sit in the living room in defeat. No ratting the others out allowed."
"Awww," Gon pouted, sticking his bottom lip out like a child. "But I wanted to team up with Killua!"
"Well too bad! Maybe you shouldn't have found me so fast if you wanted me to stay in the game!" Killua accused. He grabbed onto the edge of the counter and pulled himself to his feet, then marched to the living room and plopped down on the couch.
Gon followed after him as he left the kitchen, still giggling to himself. Once Killua sat down, Gon crept off into the rest of the apartment. Every couple of minutes a blood curdling scream would echo against the walls when Gon found another person and scared the bejesus out of them.
Slowly the living room filled up with Killua's defeated and soul rattled coworkers, but he couldn't bring himself to join the conversation complaining about how good at hunting Gon was.
He was still trying to coach his cheeks to lose their color and his heart to stop racing in his chest.
What's this tightness in my gut? My chest feels so hot, it's like I'm gonna explode unless I don't kiss Gon in his stupid mouth. Why's he have to be so damn cute? And why do I have to be so down bad? This isn't fair.
With one final scream, Palm slunk to the living room looking very grumpy; with a very proud Gon prancing along after her.
"I found everyone!" Gon declared.
"Yeah, and I almost fucking pissed myself!" Leorio complained.
"You trying to give me a heart attack?!" Chrollo laughed.
Gon snickered, "It's not proper hide and seek without a brush with death!"
"I'd have to disagree," Kurapika snorted.
"Let's hurry and play again!" Gon declared, hopping excitedly up and down. "I wanna hide now!"
"I think we all heard Killua lose," Ikalgo teased.
"Oh shut up! I wasn't even trying that round," Killua pouted.
"Excuses, excuses!" Meleoron said in a sing-song voice.
"ONE, TWO–"
All the sorry bastards then screamed and scurried off to hide. Killua smirked in satisfaction as he listened to them thunder across the apartment in terror. All of Ikalgo's neighbors were probably very pissed off with him right about now!
"READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!" Killua yelled. He opened his eyes, and glanced around the room. He was buzzing with adrenaline. His skin was prickling with the need to get Gon back for that. He hadn't felt this playful in a long assed time.
Killua tramped through the apartment with a wicked grin on his face. "Hmmm, where could Gon be?" he called loudly. He listened for those bubbly little giggles that were bound to give him away.
He threw open the door to the tiny laundry closet, effectively foiling Palm's plans at a comeback.
Next he prodded Chrollo's ribs through the curtains in the living room, and his howls of laughter gave him away.
Kurapika was found next, holed up in the tub.
Zepile was hiding very uncreatively in Ikalgo's closet, and Ikalgo himself was lying face up on his bed.
Leorio had tried and failed to stuff himself into one of the kitchen cabinets, and Meleoron was standing in the shadows of the front hallway.
That left only Gon.
Killua tuned out the chatter of the others in the living room, and started his second sweep of the apartment. He'd checked every room, and was fairly certain that he'd checked every possible hiding place.
It seemed that Gon was just as passionate about hiding as he was about seeking.
Killua passed through the living room, and the others excitedly asked if he'd found Gon yet.
"I'll find his ass soon enough," Killua declared, and started his third sweep. Where the fuck could Gon be? He wasn't inside the dryer. He wasn't somehow in the crack between the fridge and the cabinets. He wasn't stuffed inside any of Ikalgo's dresser drawers. Hell, he wasn't even buried in the bottom of the hamper!
Where the actual fuck had he gone?!
Killua stood in the shadowy front hall with his hands on his hips. He'd checked everywhere. He didn't want to pass through the living room again, that would be admitting to all the others that he still hadn't found stupid Gon. But was he in the living room? Were all the others sitting and laughing at him because he hadn't seen the guy yet?
Competitiveness buzzed within Killua. He had to find this idiot. Where was he?
Killua turned on his heel to search the bedroom again, and his eyes flew open when he saw a shadow dart around the corner.
His lips turned up in a smirk.
Killua crept down the hallway, making absolutely certain that his footsteps were dead silent. The entire time he'd been making sure that he searched the house while being as noisy as possible. That way he either intimidated his targets or made them start laughing and reveal their hiding spot. However, his noise had left one crucial hiding spot perfectly open.
Unfortunately for Gon, Killua wasn't stupid.
With a grin breaking out across his face, Killua stood silently against the wall next to the bedroom door frame. He waited. He listened. Yes, Gon was a hunter but he was an assassin in the night!
Just as he'd intended, the fool fell for the trap and crept to the doorway to see if Killua had returned to the living room. The second Gon stepped out into the open, Killua launched himself into the room with a shout and tackled Gon into the bed.
The raven screamed in surprise, and Killua laughed victoriously as they crashed against the comforter. "Found you!" he shrieked through his laughter. "Thought you were sneaky, huh?! Following me around?!"
Gon's laughter burst from him like fireworks as he squirmed under Killua's weight. "You looked so confused!" he giggled.
"You can't fool me, Gon!" Killua threatened with a wild grin. He hunched over the raven, with an elbow on either side of his head. This close he could see the creases in the corners of Gon's eyes when he laughed, he could count the individual eyelashes. It would be so easy to capture those smiling lips, all he'd have to do was lean down.
But no.
Killua forced himself to stand up, and led the defeated Gon out of the shadowy bedroom.
"Took you long enough~" Palm teased, to which Killua flipped her off.
"Are you gonna try this round, Killua?" Ikalgo taunted, locking his arm around his friend's neck.
"Yeah, are you gonna pick a sucky hiding spot again, Ikalgo?" Killua shot back with a competitive grin.
"I guess we'll have to see!"
"Enough cuddling," Palm announced, "It's my turn!"
Everyone scurried off to hide. Killua sprinted through the apartment, a perfect hiding spot in mind. Gon had already proven to be the best seeker, as well as the best hider. He needed to beat him by staying hidden for longer! He'd show Gon!
One thing about Ikalgo's particular apartment was that his room was connected to one of the water heaters. It was a closet connected to the laundry closet, and there was just enough room between the cylindrical machine and the wall for the perfect hiding place. It was obscure as all hell, and through two sets of doors! Not to mention that Killua was the only person Ikalgo had blessed with the knowledge of this little hiding place! He'd win for sure!
Killua slipped into the laundry closet, seemingly claiming that hiding place as his own. With a wild smirk on his face, he then pushed aside the hangers and hangers of Ikalgo's jackets to reveal the doorway to his flawless hiding place. With Palm not even having counted to five yet, Killua slipped inside, and shut himself inside–
With Gon.
"Gon?!" Killua hissed in surprise when the slippery bastard wiggled his way through the door right as Killua shut it, leaving them in pitch darkness and the humming of the lurking appliance.
"Hi!" he whispered cheerfully.
"What the fuck are you doing in here?!" Killua demanded. There was hardly any room in here as it was! Killua was backed up to the wall, and Gon had somehow managed to shimmy his way in between Killua and the water heater. It was a very tight squeeze.
"I wanted to team up with you! Now we're hiding together!"
"You could have told me about this beforehand!" Killua hissed. "Had I known you were riding my coattails then I would have picked a bigger hiding place!"
"This one's fine!"
"Seriously?!"
"Palm will never find us in here!"
"Yeah, and we'll suffocate from lack of air before that happens!" Killua retorted. The closet was pitch black, and Killua was pressed uncomfortably close against Gon. They were squeezed chest to chest and hip to hip, and Killua didn't have anywhere to put his hands that wouldn't be on Gon. The guy was so damn close, his chin was practically hooked over Killua's head, and he clearly had no shame whatsoever because his hands were placed on Killua's hips.
"READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!" came Palm's muffled cry of warning from the other room.
"We've gotta be quiet!" Gon gasped.
Killua glared into the darkness and bit his tongue. They were so close. Gon's body heat was almost suffocating, and every part of him was touching Gon in some way or another. That pressure in his gut still hadn't released, and he was terrified that Gon could feel the racing of his heart through their clothes.
The two of them listened with wide eyes as Palm stomped past the laundry closet and into the bedroom, where she very loudly located Zepile, Chrollo, and Meleoron in quick precession.
Gon's breathing was loud and hot against Killua's ear. The tickling of his breath was sending shivers down his spine.
"Stop breathing so loud," Killua hissed.
"Sorry," Gon whispered, before shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Killua choked down a gasp of surprise when Gon's hips slid against his. All of a sudden he was uncomfortably aware of the fact that Gon's junk was pressed against his lower belly.
Shit.
A slow heat blossomed in Killua's gut and climbed lower. The pumping of his heart felt so much heavier, and his breaths turned shallow and fast. He breathed through his nose and struggled to get his head out of the gutter, but it was too late.
He was shoved into a crevice with Gon, and now that that can of worms had been opened it was never going to close back up.
Seconds dragged by, but Killua couldn't hear Palm or the commotion of the others anymore. The suspense was painful, and Gon's proximity and the threat of popping a boner was making it so much worse.
Think about Leorio on a tanning bed–
Think about Zushi trying to kiss Alluka–
Think about Palm putting on that stupid purple lipstick–
THINK ABOUT LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE–
It wasn't working, and Killua had to wonder if Gon was trying to make the situation even more arousing than it already was. Because the raven tilted his head a little to the side, causing his breath to brush the shell of Killua's ear and the side of his neck. He then squirmed again, and Killua squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think about anything but the weight of Gon's hands on his hips and the slide of friction across his groin.
A bead of sweat ran down Killua's temple, and that thickness in the air resurfaced from before. Killua licked his lips. How much longer were they going to have to stand in here? Why was this suddenly the most erotic situation he'd ever found himself in? Could Gon feel the electricity between them or was it just on Killua's end?
They'd been friends for a while now. How many times had Killua sat behind Gon on that damn motorcycle with his arms wrapped around his waist? Everywhere they touched felt like sparklers going off, the rise and fall of Gon's chest was painfully slow, and the silence was driving Killua out of his mind.
But the buzz he'd gotten from Gon's laughter and all the pent up feelings that Gon's body sparked in Killua's core were building up, and he couldn't stop thinking about the kiss and how much he wanted to do it again.
They were suffocatingly close, but it wasn't close enough.
Killua bit his tongue harder, and rested his hands on Gon's upper arms. The raven just barely startled at Killua's ghost of a touch, but he didn't pull away.
The air was so thick.
Killua's head was hot, and he decided to do something stupid.
He slowly slid his hands across Gon's biceps, moving his fingers up his arms to rest on his shoulders. Killua felt that breath hitch, or was it just his imagination?
How are you so stupid? How do you not remember?
Killua's thoughts felt like words screamed into a megaphone.
You kissed me before, you made me want you. Don't you want to do it again? I want to do it again.
Killua angled his chin towards Gon's face. His nose slid across the edge of Gon's jaw in the dark. His breathing felt ragged, the ache was so bad that it hurt–
"Gon, Killua! I give up, just come the hell out already!"
At the sound of Palm's voice, Killua jumped out of his skin. He was out of that closet within a split second. He and Gon stumbled into the hallway, where Palm yelled in shock and jumped half a foot into the air.
"Holy shit–" she yelled.
What was I doing?
"I thought I checked in there?!" Palm complained.
"Guess you didn't look hard enough!" Gon laughed breathlessly. He was avoiding looking at Killua. Not that Killua was doing anything different.
What the hell was I thinking?!
Killua sneakily readjusted his pants, where he was half hard and aching for… for–
Gon. He'd gotten all hot and bothered as a reaction to Gon.
DID I SERIOUSLY TRY TO MAKE OUT WITH GON IN A FUCKING CLOSET?!
Yes. Yes he had.
Fuck. This stupid little crush was a hell of a lot worse than Killua had thought it was. Either that… or it had just gotten a hell of a lot bigger.
Why am I such an idiot?! Gon's my friend! We're JUST friends! Nothing more! I don't even know if he's gay or not! Why am I such a disaster?! God, that can't happen again! I need to get whatever the hell this is under control. I can't ruin our friendship over my stupid messy feelings.
As Killua followed Palm and Gon back into the living room, he struggled to school his features into something inconspicuous. He willed himself to calm the hell down. He was at a work party and everything was totally normal.
He could go home and have an existential crisis about this later.
…
After several more rounds of hide and seek, everyone was royally tired out. It got to the point that everyone dreaded Gon playing as the seeker, because it was inevitable that he'd scare the fucking shit out of you.
It was hilarious watching his coworkers suffer at the hands of Gon, but Killua was relieved when the game finally came to a close.
After a couple more hours of chatter and drinking microwave hot chocolate, they decided it was about time to tap out.
"Fuck, I'm tired," Leorio talked through a gaping yawn.
"What is it, one?" Zepile chuckled.
"Damn, my phone's at 3%," Chrollo pouted.
"Don't play Minecraft all night and that won't happen," Kurapika drawled.
"I think it's about time we bring this year's Christmas bash to a close," Ikalgo sighed. "Get the fuck out of my house!"
"That was really fun, Ikalgo!" Gon declared, standing up from the couch and stretching his arms high over his head. "You ready to go, Killua?" he asked, glancing down and fully meeting Killua's gaze for the first time since their little escapade in the closet.
"Oh, y-yeah," Killua stuttered like a total moron.
"Soooo," Gon asked with a wild grin, "How do you rate the party?"
"Solid 8 out of 10," Killua yawned, grateful to fall back into their usual banter.
"So you enjoyed it?!"
"I guess you could say that."
"Yes! Killua had fun at a Christmas party!"
"Hell yeah!" Ikalgo yelled, slapping his hand against Chrollo's as they all wandered towards the front door.
"This doesn't count as a Christmas party," Killua argued.
"What?! Why not?!" Gon gasped, flabbergasted.
"We didn't do Christmas shit at all! It was a totally normal party!" Killua declared smugly.
"So the Christmas music and decorations meant nothing?" Palm drawled.
"Shut up, Palm, no one asked you," Killua shot back, earning a middle finger.
"I think Killua liked the party, he just doesn't want to admit that he had fun at a Christmas tradition," Gon huffed as he tugged on his shoes.
"Sounds about right," Kurapika laughed. They were the first to make it out the door, and hopped down the front step to hold it ajar for everyone. "It was lovely to meet you Gon, I had a wonderful time getting to know you."
"Yeah! You're really fun too, Kurapika!" he chirped.
"What about me, was I fun?" Leorio prodded as he stepped out the door, always one to fish for compliments.
"Yup!" Gon agreed.
"Score! Hell yeah!" Leorio cheered.
"Don't encourage him," Zepile smirked as he and Meleoron stepped outside with the others, "It'll just go to his head."
"Hey!" Leorio yelled.
Killua chuckled and shook his head. He laced up Alluka's killer boots and straightened to give Ikalgo a bro-hug on the way out. "Killer party, bruh."
"Had a sexy time, bruh," Ikalgo responded without hesitation.
The two of them pounded fists, and Killua turned to get the fuck out of Ikalgo's house as he'd been asked. As he turned to go, however, he was quickly distracted by a rising chaos level at the front stoop. Palm was trying to exit the apartment, but Leorio was screaming and pointing at the top of the door jam like there was a man-eating spider.
Palm, of course, freaked the fuck out and started swatting at her hair. Chrollo perked up from his phone and leaned over her shoulder to look for the culprit, already pulling a shoe off to kill whatever was terrorizing them this time. "Is it a spider? Where is it?" he demanded, ready for violence.
"BETTER, IT'S A MISTLETOE!" Leorio shrieked.
NO–
Gon immediately perked up, just as he had on that drunken night in this exact same location. "Oh my god! Chrollo and Palm have to kiss!"
"What? Ew!" they gagged in unison.
"I eat pussy, I don't don't kiss Wheezer bros!" Palm complained, shaking her hands around like a disgusted child.
"I can't kiss a girl, I'll get heterosexual cooties," Chrollo shuddered.
"You can't break the rules!" Gon declared, "Everyone under the mistletoe has to kiss!"
Palm and Chrollo shared a disgusted glance.
"The spirit of Christmas commands you!" Gon yelled, grinning like a fool and far too invested in this stupid shit. Unfortunately for Palm and Chrollo, Kurapika and Meleoron had started chanting "kiss" over and over, and Ikalgo was quick to join.
Killua smirked as he watched the two of them glare back at Gon, who had started all this nonsense. Killua cackled and yelled along with the chant, this was fucking amazing!
Chrollo and Palm deflated as they accepted defeat, and begrudgingly submitted to peer pressure. The two of them leaned forward and briskly kissed, to which everyone erupted into ear piercing screams of savage joy. Killua was losing his shit, this was so fucking funny! Gon was all but having a conniption fit, and Leorio was howling like a rabid animal.
"Yeah, real fucking funny, guys," Palm pouted, already wiping her mouth off on the sleeve of her sweater. "Why are all of my coworkers male," she grumbled in annoyance.
"How was it, Lucilfer?" Killua taunted Chrollo through his giggles. "Did Palm taste like spray tans and lip filler?" He marched forward to give him hell, but the guy deftly held Killua at arm's length.
"I don't know why you're so smug, Zoldyck," Chrollo complained, "Now you have to kiss Gon!"
Enter record screech sound effect here.
What–
If Killua's coworkers had been screaming like howler monkeys before, now they were impersonating TIE-fighters. Palm's mood took a hard 180, she was in a fucking frenzy– Kurapika was screaming like a fool and Leorio looked like he was two seconds away from busting a artery.
"No–" "YES!" Gon and Killua said in unison.
"What?!" Killua squeaked, whipping around to face Gon. He found the taller male wriggling about like a dog, his eyes were glowing and his grin was blinding.
"It's the mistletoe rule!" Gon yelled, "Killua we have to kiss!"
Killua swore that he blacked out for a second there–
"OH MY GOD," Ikalgo screamed.
"My tarot reading is coming true!" Palm squealed.
"Wait, WAIT," Killua protested, squirming in a frantic panic as Gon took him by the hands and tugged him under the dreaded doom-plant. "We– We can't kiss, that's weird–"
"It's okay!" Gon declared, "Palm and Chrollo kissed, right? It's a bro kiss!"
"A bro kiss!" Leorio wheezed.
"A bro kiss?" Killua choked.
"Are you ready?" Gon asked, eyes sparkling and that dazzling grin–
Killua's stomach gave a violent flop, it was happening– The kiss, it was happening again, but Gon wasn't drunk this time–
He was going to implode. Or explode. Or just have a straight up panic attack.
"Pucker up, Killua, Tik Tok is watching!" Palm cried.
"wAit–" Killua gasped, but his voice was lost in the utter chaos that raged like a hurricane around him. The screaming reached its loudest volume yet, and Killua's eyes blew wide as saucers as Gon moved his hands from Killua's fingers to cup his face. His face turned cherry red, and just like that, the mistletoe struck again.