Well, here we are folks. The final chapter. Saved it until today because I don't know if the new episode today is going to tear my heart out again or not and I wanted something fluffy to dull the pain. At least it was nice and didn't last week, but I guess Togashi just wanted to give us a break after episode 131 to get our hearts put back in so he could tear it out again later.

With this done I'll be working on a bunch of other stories now, a couple in particular I'm rather excited to do (War-fic featuring betrayal, friendship and so many characters from the show is the one I want to do most right now), so be sure to watch out for those.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter. I would love to though.

Chapter 25: EndedXUpXHere

Killua buried his face in the other's shirt over his stomach and curled up into a ball, closing his eyes and listening to the rain and thunder outside. Gon dipped his hand in the silvery head of hair and started scratching softly, playing with his hair somewhat in the process. Feeling Killua relax significantly, he decided to ask rather than just interrupting the silence without warning.

"Do you mind if I turn on the TV? I promise to keep it low."

"Whatever," came a small, muffled and tired whisper from the other.

Gon had to keep from letting out a small laugh as the lips of his friend moved his shirt, tickling his stomach some when he spoke. He smiled, though, as Killua sounded so small, tired and serene at the moment. He did have a rough day, after all, so Gon was happy his friend could finally relax now. The spiky-haired teen almost didn't want to turn on the TV for fear of ruining the other's comfort, but wanted to check the news in case the storm got any worse. Grabbing the remote on the armrest of the couch, he switched on the television set and jumped slightly at the high volume he was not expecting it to switch on with.

"S-s-sorry! I didn't know it was that loud last time it was on." Feeling Killua tense harshly in his lap, he fumbled with the remote in his free hand and turned it down quickly. "Sorry, Killua."

Gon felt bad when he felt the heat of Killua's breath pass through his shirt, knowing the other just sighed. He felt worse still when the silver-haired boy did not relax, but stayed tensed up in his lap. He took his hand out of the silver head of hair and brought it down to the other's curled up back, rubbing up and down in an attempt to soothe him like Aunt Mito used to do whenever he felt bad. It seemed to work as Killua slowly reclined into his touch, so Gon turned the TV down a little lower to try to make him happier.

When he was sure his friend was content, he turned his attention to the television. He continued to rub the other's back softly as he listened to the woman on the weather channel inform them about the severe thunderstorm, rolling blackouts and light flooding on the streets.

"Go get some candles or something, and one of the battery radios. The power will probably go out here soon, too," Killua's muffled voice interrupted the quiet peace, sounding sad now.

Gon shook his head. "I'll deal with it when that happens then. You just relax."

"I don't mind," Killua retorted, his tone contradicting his words. He was already moving to get off the other when he continued, "I don't care, in fact."

Gon hugged the pale-skinned teen as he tried to move away, holding him close. "Nooo!"

"What the-" Killua started, struggling against the embrace. "Let go you idiot!"

"No way!" Gon protested. "Just relax, Killua."

Killua grunted from his position, face smashed against his friend's chest. "How the hell am I supposed to do that when I can't even breathe?!"

"Oh," Gon said as he released the other, "sorry."

Killua switched positions with his legs after a long glare, putting them in Gon's lap instead and lying his head on the arm rest on the other side. Gon gave a whine of obvious disappointment, wanting him to be the other way around. He even tried to reach for the other's hair, but it was too far out of reach.

"Killuaaa, I can't even reach you from here!" Gon complained. "Wouldn't you rather be over here with me?"

"Yeah? Well maybe you'll think of that next time you try to suffocate me," Killua retorted. "Feel free to try to suffocate my feet all you want, though."

He accentuated that last statement by wiggling his toes inside his socks. Gon watched them move for that short moment, then decided to take that as an open invitation to play with them.

"Okay!"

The spiky-haired teen took hold of the other's feet and pulled one of the socks off. Killua's eyes shot open when he realized what his friend was attempting to do. He tried to pull his feet back, but it was too late as Gon already had a grip one of his ankles.

"Gon, I swear on all that is holy, no one will ever find your body if you do this. I will personally make sure of that," Killua warned him, flipping over on his stomach to try to twist out of his captor's hold on him. "I. Will. Kill. You."

"I'll take my chances," Gon retorted, grinning from ear to ear as he played with the other's toes.

Killua struggled harder when he heard that his threats fell on stupid, rather than deaf, ears. He twisted every which way to break free, but could not get out. The only thing he was accomplishing now was causing a small skin burn to his ankle from the friction of twisting it around in his friend's hand.

Gon tightened his grip, finding it pretty difficult to hold on at this point. He began lightly tickling the sole of Killua's foot with his free hand, laughing softly at all this fuss when they both knew the pale-skinned boy was not even very ticklish in the first place.

"It's not like I'm going to cut it off or anything," Gon commented on his friend's desperation when he began struggling even harder.

To his extreme surprise, Gon heard muffled laughter coming from the other end of the sofa. He couldn't believe his eyes, seeing Killua laughing into the armrest. He was surprised because as far as he knew, Killua had never been ticklish. He would only complain that it felt weird.

"But I tried his sides all the time, and that never worked," Gon thought, amused at this new fact.

The amusement was short-lived, however, when Killua's other foot connected with his chin. Gon let go of his friend in shock, grabbing his jaw. He was about to complain about the pain when he was pressed into the couch, being smothered by one of the pillows. For a few seconds he feared Killua might actually kill him right here and now, but was relieved when the 'tool of murder' was removed from his face. He gasped for air and looked up at the other, who was straddling him now, with wide eyes and a disbelieving look.

"Oh please, I know for a fact you can hold your breath longer than that," Killua said, crossing his arms and glaring down at him. "And don't pretend I didn't warn you."

Gon took a few more deep breaths before he began chuckling.

Killua stared down at him, confused about what was suddenly funny. "What?"

Gon just continued to laugh, causing Killua to get frustrated. He didn't understand what was so funny all of a sudden.

"Gon, wha-"

He was cut off when the spiky-haired boy pulled him down into a hug. Killua groaned, thinking that Gon was far too into hugs today. Definitely more so than other days. Maybe that wasn't all bad, though, he supposed.

"You didn't take some drugs from some guy when you ran away from me today, did you?" Killua questioned, only half-joking.

"Nah," Gon replied through the dying laughter, hugging the semi-helpless teen tighter. "I just thought it was funny how you can scare me even though you would never hurt me."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Killua mumbled. He reluctantly relaxed into the embrace, propped his head under Gon's chin, rested his cheek on the other's chest and closed his eyes.

"Huh?" Gon questioned, not hearing what his friend said.

"Nothing," Killua answered a little too quickly, but it went unnoticed by the other.

Gon shrugged it off and looked back over at the television, seeing that it had moved on to commercials now. He looked around the room distractedly, at the front door, down at Mike lying on the floor below them, up at the ceiling...

"Stop," Killua broke the silence, clearly annoyed.

"Sorry," Gon said, burying his face in his favorite head of silver hair. "Commercials make me bored."

Killua gave a quiet, disinterested 'hmm' to the other. His eyes shot open and his face turned slightly red when he heard a loud sniff from his friend. He looked up at Gon, mouth hanging open some.

"Did you just..." he trailed off, his voice dripping with disbelief "...sniff my hair?"

"Uh huh!" Gon answered, smiling as if nothing was wrong at all. "It smells really good, just like you."

"You're so weird." Killua hid his face in his arms. "Do you even hear yourself when you talk?"

"I'm pretty sure I can." Gon gave a small hum in thought, tapping his chin with his index finger. "Yeah, for sure. Why?"

"I don't think he really understands what I'm talking about," Killua thought, peeling Gon's arms off and rolling over the edge to land on his hands and knees on the floor.

Mike's head and ears raised in surprise when the silver-haired boy landed right next to him.

"Wait, where are you going?" Gon asked the other, who was snatching his sock out from under the spiky-haired teen's back. "What did I do now?"

"Nothing," Killua answered, putting his sock back on and getting up. He gave a long groan as he stretched, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips when he felt his back pop. "I thought Mito might be back soon, so I didn't put up the rest of the food. But it doesn't look like she'll be here for a while, so I'm going to put it away now."

"Oh, alright." Gon crossed his arms over his stomach, still lying on his back on the couch. He didn't want Killua to go, even if it was only for a minute.

Killua placed the lids on all the bowls, wrapped what was left of the roast in tin foil and pushed around the various foods in the fridge to make room for what was to be put in. He stood back and made sure everything was in at least a half decent order, then shut the fridge and looked around the kitchen. He opened drawers and cabinets, moving into the living room and looking around there as well.

"What are you looking for?"

"Candles, lighter, matches or flashlight," Killua answered off-handedly, still giving a slow sweep of the room with his eyes. He spotted the cordless radio on the fireplace, calling it out to the other as he picked it up. "Battery radio."

He tossed it over the back of the couch and heard a resounding thud echo through the room, followed closely by a loud yelp and a soft whine from Mike.

"Killua! That hurt!" Gon called from his spot on the sofa, holding his forehead where the radio landed. Mike was trying to lick the spot, but couldn't get through the teen's hands to the bruise.

Killua came around and looked down at the other, hands on his hips with a confused expression. "I thought for sure you would have caught that. Your reflexes can't be that slow."

"I didn't think I had to be on guard from you throwing stuff at me!"

"I guess." Killua bent down, removing his friend's hands, and inspected the bump. "It's not that bad, either way. I'd be more worried if your head wasn't so hollow."

He frowned. "You don't have to be mean about it, you know."

"I'm just kidding," Killua said, laughing a little. "Sort of."

Gon continued to frown, clearly not amused, until Killua gave a small kiss to his forehead. When the other pulled back he smiled then, forgetting about the insults.

"It still hurts a little," Gon said, attempting to get another.

"Oh, really?" Killua asked, standing up straight. "Well, sucks to be you I guess."

"But Killua!"

"The doctor has done all he can do," Killua said, walking away. "I'm afraid you can no longer be saved. Sorry."

Gon gave a low whine and looked over the back of the couch, watching his friend go up the stairs and disappear from sight. Gon couldn't understand what Killua was so worried about. Even if they had light they would have nothing to do with it. If it were up to Gon, they would just huddle together until the storm was over and not move an inch. He plopped back down on the couch and let his arms fall limp, one on his abdomen and the other over the edge. Mike nudged his hand, trying to force the boy to pet him. Gon began petting him softly, staring out the window and thinking about Aunt Mito.

"Hey, I got pretty much everything," Killua said on his way down the stairs with an armful of oversized candles, a box of matches in one hand and a flashlight in the other. When he came around the sofa and placed it all on the small table he noticed Gon inattentively staring out the window, which slightly worried him. "Gon?"

"Huh?" Gon snapped out of his thoughts, looking up at the other. "Sorry, what?"

"What's up? Something on your mind?"

"Oh." He turned his attention back to the window. "I'm just worried about Aunt Mito still. It's not really safe out there right now."

"I'm telling you she's fine, Gon. Heck, she's probably saving someone else right now."

"Yeah, probably," he replied sadly, still not taking his eyes off the window.

Killua hummed, grabbing his friend's arm and giving it a gentle tug. "Come on."

Gon looked up confusedly. "What?"

"Come on," he said, giving another pull. "Come brush your teeth so we don't have to worry about it later, then we'll wait for Mito to come back."

"I thought you said she was fine?" Gon questioned worriedly, causing Killua to sigh.

"She is, I know she is," he retorted as he crouched down in front of the other. "But even if you believe me you're still worried, huh?"

Gon looked away in thought for a moment. When he turned back he nodded to the other.

"Then come on," Killua said. "Brush your teeth and we'll sit by the window beside the door and wait for her. Alright? We'll be able to see her on the sidewalk from there. We'll know the second she's home."

"Good idea!" Gon said as he jumped up and ran to the stairs excitedly.

Killua smiled and followed him, albeit not as enthusiastically. This wouldn't exactly be his idea of fun, but if it made Gon feel better then he would be happy to do it. When he hopped up the stairs and was half down the hall he already heard running water and brushing noises. Entering the bathroom he leaned back against the wall behind the other and watched, knowing that Gon would probably try to go too fast and not do a good job so he could go quicker. When he looked at the cup by the sink that they keep their toothbrushes in he frowned deeply.

"Gon, turn around," he said slowly, staring at the boy in the mirror.

Gon stopped brushing and complied, cocking his head to the side when he faced Killua. "Wha-"

"You're using my brush!" Killua shouted, pointing at him accusingly. "Again!"

"Oh," Gon said as he looked down at the brush in his hand, noticing that this was indeed not his brush after all. Holding it out for the other to take back he hung his head slightly in shame, the toothbrush dripping with toothpaste foam and saliva. "Sorry."

"Just-" Killua stared at the tool, utterly disgusted at the sight right now. He held up a hand and looked away, shutting his eyes so he wouldn't have to see it anymore. He started for the door as he muttered, "-finish brushing."

Gon shrugged and turned back to the sink, continuing to brush. After a few more minutes he rinsed off the brush and put it back in the cup with the other two. He looked around, realizing he didn't have a cup to put water in and rinse with. He leaned forward and turned his head sideways, about to try to catch the running water in his mouth, but was pulled backwards by the back of his hair. Crying out, he looked to the mirror and saw the reflection of the pale-skinned teen holding an empty cup.

"You're not an animal, and this isn't a water fountain," Killua chastised, filling the cup with water and aggressively shoving it back in his face. He turned the water off and reminded his friend, "We have these for a reason."

Gon took the cup, holding the back of his head where Killua had pulled at his hair so harshly, and stuck his tongue out at the reflection of his retreating friend's back in the mirror. He was startled when a pill bottle hit the back of his head. He spun around to see Killua by the open medicine cabinet with one hand on his waist. The other hand brandished another pill bottle that he was tossing up and down, prepared to be thrown at any given moment.

"The medicine cabinet has a mirror. That lets me see the other mirror, which lets me see your face, moron. As much as I would hate to, I will damage that face if you do that again."

Gon looked at the mirror in front of the sink, and could indeed see the medicine cabinet clearly from here. No doubt you could see the reflection of whatever the other mirror was reflecting from there. He really hadn't thought of that.

Taking in some of the water from the cup, he swished it around his mouth for a while before spitting it out. He poured the rest out in the sink and turned around, seeing that the other had disappeared. He exited the bathroom calling his friend's name and looking around. When he trotted down the stairs he found the other lying on his back in front of the window, arms behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. He walked to and sat beside him, staring out of the window in front of them.

"Do you really think she's okay?"

Killua glanced at him and sat up on his elbows. "Gon, I'm telling you she's fine. She's a fighter, there's no way she would let something happen to her when she wants to come home to us still."

"I want to go out and find her," Gon said, his gaze turning stern.

"No. No, no and again no. It's one thing when I can't say no to him over stupid things, but this is not happening," Killua thought, sitting up straight and grabbing the other's chin. He forced Gon to look at him and pointed at the window when he said, "Gon, you are not going out there. You wouldn't even know where to find her. In fact, you can never even remember how to get to where she works, which would be the first place to start. Not only that, but by the time you actually get there through all of this," he waved his hand at the window, "she will have probably come back already. Or else you'll just get yourself trapped there with her. Then what will you have accomplished?"

Gon looked down in thought. He knew Killua was probably right, he usually was, but he wanted to go and find her. He looked back out the window when the other moved his hold to his arm. "I guess nothing."

"Exactly, so just wait. If she isn't here an hour after the storm ends, I'll even go out looking with you," Killua told him, still holding on to his arm in a subconscious fear that he would make a run for the door. He thought for a second, then decided to add time when he remember traffic would probably be terrible with everyone trying to get home at once. "Actually, two hours tops. I'll even set a timer or something when it ends, okay?"

Gon looked at him sadly. "Even if it's really late?"

"Even if it's 4 in the morning. So just calm down, okay?"

He seemed satisfied enough by that to be able to quell his urge to go out searching, for now anyway. He looked back out the window, watching the street and sidewalk, unwaivered by everything else around him.

Killua stood up and went towards the stairs to go their room. When he entered he grabbed a blanket off their bed, a couple of pillows and a book he read whenever Gon was busy with something else. He figured this could be a long night, so he might as well make sure they have everything they need. Taking all those objects downstairs and to their spot in front of the window, he tossed both pillows in Gon's lap and the blanket on his head.

Gon peeled the blanket off and look around curiously to see the pillows in his lap, the book that was dropped beside him on the floor, the strewn candles left about and the flashlight that was tossed to his side.

"Killua, what are you doing?"

He pointed to each object as he spoke, "Candles and matches, in case the power goes out. Flashlight, in case something happens to the candles. Book, boredom. Blanket, if you get cold. Pillows, because we might have to sleep down here. Battery radio, so we can know what's happening if the power goes out."

Gon gave a small 'oh' as he looked over each object, picking up the book and giving it a displeased look. "But I don't like reading."

"Who ever said it was for you?" Killua questioned, snatching the book out of his hands and taking a pillow from his lap.

Mike strolled by and took the other pillow as Gon watched the other settling down, trotting off and setting it down beside the front door. He curled up on it and lied his head down, waiting for the final member of the house to return.

Gon reached down and swiped at air as he tried to grab his own pillow, then looked at his lap when he felt nothing there. He looked around the room, confused, and spotted Mike on it. He pointed at the dog as he whined to the other, "Killua, Mike took mine!"

Killua was lying on his back on the floor, head on his pillow and holding the open book in front of his face in the air. He moved the book and tilted his head down slightly, spotting his dog sleeping on Gon's pillow by the door. "Huh. Yep, he sure did."

Gon frowned at the other teen, who had already moved his book back in place and continued reading as if this situation was no big deal at all. He returned to staring out the window, a bit miffed at losing the pillow he was going to use as a cushion to sit on. After a while the hard floor began taking a toll on his hind, causing pain from sitting there for so long. The discomfort must have been somewhat obvious in some way, because his vision was taken over by the sight of a pillow that was shoved in front of his face.

"Here," Killua said, holding the cushion out with one arm and holding his book open as he continued to read with the other.

Gon took it and stared at it a moment, then looked back at the other. "But now you don't have anything to put your head on."

Killua shrugged, still not looking away from the piece of literature. "Oh well."

The spiky-haired boy smiled as he thought of something. After putting the cushion under himself he called the other's name to get his attention and held his arms out as if wanting a hug, smiling brightly at him. "Come here."

Killua stared at him skeptically, slowly turning back to his book as he murmured, "Yeaaah..no."

"Come on!" Gon patted one of his legs as an invitation for the other to come over. "You need something to lie on, and I want to hold you. So this way we can both get what we want!"

Killua brought the book closer to his face to try to hide the very light blush he got when the other talked about holding him. "I'm fine, really."

"But..." Gon tried to think of something, anything to get him to come over. He didn't want his companion to be uncomfortable over there. "Your head must still hurt from today, you don't want to keep it on that hard floor do you? I'll even give you a kiss if you come over!"

Killua pressed his face further into his book at hearing that last compromise. "My head is fine!"

"Well if you won't come over here, I'll come over there," Gon told him as a final warning, pouting at the other.

He looked up from his book, thinking about the situation for a moment and deciding there was no way out of this. It wasn't that he didn't like the affection, it was just that if he didn't initiate it himself it felt kind of weird to receive. Though his partner loved the affection, and Killua wasn't exactly common in initiating things, so he was often some what forced into it by the other.

With a small sigh he closed his book, leaving a finger between the pages to not lose his place, and crawled on all fours the short distance to the other teen. He stopped in front of him, pushed his legs open and sat between them with his back against him. Lying his head back on the other's shoulder, he bent his knees up some like Gon had his own and opened his book back up as the spiky-haired teen wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"There, happy?" Killua asked a bit scornfully, even though he was far more comfortable and content now.

Gon smiled and nuzzled the other's hair with his cheek lovingly. "Yeah."

Killua turned his head upwards when Gon poked him lightly, assuming the boy wanted his attention. When he looked up he didn't even have time to react as foreign lips pressed down on his without warning. His eyes widened briefly at the unexpected action, but settled into it shortly and closed his eyes slowly. It didn't last too long, but when the other pulled back Killua's mouth was left hanging just barely open. He opened his eyes and looked at Gon's smiling face questioningly.

"What was that for?"

"I said I'd give you a kiss if you came over, didn't I?"

The pale-skinned teen stared at him a moment longer, then returned to his book mumbling something about never thinking anything through.

Gon hugged him closer and rested his cheek on top of the head of silver hair, turning his gaze back to the window and watching the outside intently. After a long while of waiting he noticed the storm had actually began to calm rather rapidly. He just realized he hadn't even heard thunder in quite some time, being entirely focused on watching for his Aunt's car to pull up or for her to walk up to the house, and the lightning decreased drastically. He cheered up some at knowing that the storm was finally beginning to end, and hoped that Aunt Mito would be on the way already.

Another hour and a half passed with the only sounds being the whisper of lightning cracking in the far distance, light drops of rain still pelting against the roof and window, and Killua flipping pages every so often. Gon's eyes began drooping and he let out a small yawn.

Killua wanted to inform him that in thirty more minutes he would allow the other to go out searching, reluctantly, but after hearing his yawn thought that maybe he could get the other to just go to sleep. He was sure that by the time they woke up in the morning that Mito would be home. That thought was cancelled, however, when the sound of a car pulling up and both Gon and Mike's heads perked up. He huffed in annoyance as he had got to an important climax in the story of the book he was reading, but now the moment was ruined and he felt there was no point in continuing. Snapping his book shut, he decided he would just re-read the last couple of pages and build back up to that moment next time he got a chance to read.

He could practically feel the other bouncing in place with joy as they both saw the woman rushing up to the door through the rain, trying not to get too soaked. When the sound of a key turning the lock resounded through the room Mike began barking wildly. When she entered the home Mike almost immediately jumped up on his hind legs repeatedly to greet her.

"No! Down Mike!" she shouted at him, pointing at the ground. She scanned the room and saw her two boys huddled together on the floor the same way they had been for hours, letting out a breath of relief at knowing that they were alright and not even questioning their extremely close proximity. "Are you both okay? Did you get home alright?"

Gon nodded happily, beaming at her, and Killua waved lazily as he answered, "Nothing we couldn't handle."

"Where's Palm?"

"There was some kind of family emergency and she had to go. Must have been pretty bad if she willingly went out in that storm," Killua answered before Gon could tell a terrible lie and screw it all up.

"Oh, I hope everything is alright," she said, taking her coat off and hanging it on the hook by the door. "How was your day?"

"It was a really-"

"-eventful day," Killua interrupted the teen holding him, not wanting to worry Mito with all the things that went wrong today. "But we made the best of it, right Gon?"

"Yeah, like-"

"Having gym today, no tests or anything, so on so forth," Killua interrupted once more, causing Mito to become suspicious.

"Killua, are you trying to hide something from me?" she questioned, crossing her arms and staring him down and causing Killua to squirm in Gon's arms nervously.

He averted his gaze to the side, knowing if he looked directly in her eyes that she would call him out on any lie he told. "No, ma'am."

"Then let Gon finish," she said, moving her gaze to him. "What else happened today?"

"Well..Killua hurt his hand and his head and had to go to the nurse, and we forgot his skateboard at school, we missed the bus and couldn't call you. Killua got mad because you couldn't answer and threw stuff, we visited Kurapika and he gave us an umbrella so we could go home. Palm was already making dinner when we got here, we saved you some by the way, then we waited by the door for you to come home after we ate and Palm left because I was really worried that something happened to you." He paused, looking up and placing a finger on his chin in thought. "I think that's it."

Mito stared blankly at them for a while after hearing the story, Gon still in thought and Killua braced for some type of outburst over everything that she was told. He was surprised when she rolled her eyes and began walking to the kitchen, presumably to get the food that was saved for her.

"You boys, still getting in as much trouble as ever," she mumbled as she went. "Well go get ready for bed, it's already late. I'll clean up all that stuff on the floor."

"Oh! Killua and I kissed, too!" Gon shouted out to her, beaming. "A few times actually. I knew I was forgetting something."

The kitchen went dead silent, where Mito previously broke that silence by retrieving her food from the fridge, and Killua's face came crashing down into his hands. He thought they were in the clear, he believed Gon was smart enough to exclude that part when he didn't say anything about it. He didn't know how Mito was going to react to this, and did not want to take the risk of finding out anytime soon at all.

Though it was also pretty embarrassing to have something like that just thrown out into the open for anyone to hear.

They heard the sounds begin in the kitchen once more and saw Mito emerge when the sound of the microwave being activated resounded through area. She sat down in the middle of the sofa and patted the two spots on either side, signaling for the two to come and sit beside her. Gon released the other and they went to sit on either side of her. Killua was hanging his head dejectedly and Gon was searching her face curiously.

"I'm a little shocked, but I can't say I'm too surprised," she began. "We aren't talking about a simple kiss on the cheek, huh?"

"Nope," Gon answered, shaking his head. "How come?"

Killua sat rigidly, afraid of what was going to come out of this conversation. Was she going to separate them now? Make them live in separate rooms? Say they couldn't sleep together anymore? Or worst of all, get rid of him as she did not approve of a relationship between the pair?

"Well I don't have any problem with it, but you two are going to have to make a few compromises."

"Here it comes," Killua thought, hiding his depressed facial expression behind his hair. "The changes..."

"Like what?" Gon questioned, furrowing his brows.

"You can still sleep together, but no fooling around as long as you're under my roof. Period. If you want to stay out longer than curfew for a date you have to ask first, and you have to promise to not let other people put you down for being together."

Killua looked up, shocked and surprised at the easy acceptance. When he turned his gaze towards her he saw her looking at him more specifically. "Y-yeah, of course. I wouldn't let other people take me away from him or stay out that late anyway, and I..don't think we're ready for that yet."

She looked over at Gon, who nodded eagerly in agreement with a bright smile, and patted them both on one leg each. "Alright, you two enjoy each other then. But go to bed for the night, it's already past eleven."

They stood up simultaneously and Gon went to the stairs, heading towards their room. Killua went over by the window to get the pillow and blanket, making sure to grab the pillow Mike took to the door as well, and pulled his book under an arm. When he had all that gathered up he made his way to the stairs, but froze for a moment at the sound of Mito's voice before continuing on his way to his room.

"Be sure to take care of him. You know how difficult he can be."

"Yeah, but I'm willing to put up with him. I won't let anything happen to him as long as I can help it," he replied on his way up the steps. "I'm stuck with him, after all, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He heard rummaging coming from their room on his way down the hall, and entered seeing Gon halfway under the bed. Coming around the bed he softly poked the other's butt with his foot, causing the boy to jump and hit his head on the underside of the bed with a loud thud.

Gon quickly crawled out from under the bed, rubbing the top of his head where he hit it, and looked up while sitting on his knees.

"Ah! There they are!" he exclaimed, pointing at the bed accessories in Killua's arms. "I couldn't find them. Guess I forgot we took them downstairs."

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Killua retorted, walking around him and dropping everything on their bed.

The spiky-haired teen stuck out the tip of his tongue, standing up and watching Killua place the pillows at the head of the bed. They changed into their sleep clothes and got in bed, Killua plopping down face first into his pillow and not even bothering to pull the cover over himself. Gon reached over to the nightstand by the edge of the bed and set the alarm on their clock.

"It's almost midnight, Killua.

Killua rolled his head to the side slightly to glance at the other, though it turned out as more of a glare than a glance. "So what? I already said I don't care about tomorrow."

"Well I do," Gon retorted, scooting close to him and pulling the cover up to their shoulders. "I want tomorrow to be special!"

"You don't have to do anything about it..it really isn't that important..."

"But I want toooo!" Gon whined loudly, kicking his legs vigorously in a childish manner.

"Alright, alright!" Killua said, grabbing the other's shoulders to try to get him to stop. "Fine! Jeez, just shut up and you can do whatever. I don't care."

Gon smiled and snuggled up to his bed partner, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Killua's neck. "Cool! But I'll have to go to the store. Maybe Aunt Mito will let us skip school tomorrow."

Killua lowered his chin down into the other's hair. "I doubt it."

"If we ask nicely she might! I think we should try."

Killua sighed lightly, knowing this was the 'before bed banter' that he was always forced into. Every. Single. Night. "If you want, but I'm telling you she probably won't go for it."

"I'm going to ask her in the morning," Gon said, seemingly not even hearing the other's subtle protests. He pulled back and smiled at his companion. "I'll beg her if I have to."

Killua stared back at him for a moment, then turned his head away. "Whatever."

Still feeling Gon's eyes on him, he pulled the cover over his head to try to hide from the gaze. He hated being stared at for so long. He internally sighed when he felt the covers shifting, knowing that the other was following him under no doubt.

"Just go to sleep, Gon."

"Stay up with me, Killua!"

Killua growled lightly at him. He narrowed his eyes and commanded, "Stay outside the cover, I'll stay inside, that way you don't get tempted to talk to me." He really didn't have the patience for this tonight. He closed his eyes and waited for the other to leave his hiding place.

"But I don't want you out of my sight, Killua..."

His eyes snapped open and he stared at seemingly nothing for a moment, letting what he just heard sink in, then focused his gaze on the other.

"...I always want you to be the last thing I see before I fall asleep. No matter what," Gon explained, slightly sleepily, as he rested his hand on Killua's cheek.

"Wh-what are you talking about, idiot?" Killua questioned, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu for some reason.

"I don't know. I just really like when we hang out, and being around you. I like it when you're the last thing I see before I fall asleep because you're so beautiful!" Gon said, touching their foreheads together. "Especially your face."

Killua was, to say the least, completely and utterly flustered. This definitely didn't happen in the night he remembered. "Wasn't he supposed to say he liked my hair or something?"

"G-Gon, stop being s-so embarrassing..."

"But I'm just telling you the truth," Gon said as he ghosted his lips over Killua's. He could feel the other's lips just barely as his own moved when he spoke, "Because I love you, Killua. I really do."

Killua was about to speak when the alarm going off interrupted his train of thought, signaling that it was now midnight.

Age 16

"I'm really glad I found you and Aunt Mito brought you with us. Happy birthday, Killua," Gon whispered, closing his eyes and getting rid of the near-nonexistent distance between their mouths.

"I bet I'm more glad than you are about it, Gon," Killua thought, closing his eyes slowly and kissing Gon back.

"I love you, too."

I hope you all have enjoyed this ride with me, and will join me on many more.

Until next time!

Don't feel obligated to give a good review, I accept good and bad alike, so don't hold back. Though I prefer any review to none at all. Constructive criticism is very much welcomed.

Thank you for reading.