Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

12:34
?: Hello Kil, I think it's time for you to come back home now

13:11
I: Don't ignore me little brother. I know where you are and I will come to you if you don't answer

K: Ugh, fine. No, I won't go home with you

13:12
I: I guess will have to pick you up myself anyway. But that's not actually why I have contacted you

K: Then why did you?

I: I need you to do me a favour

13:13
K: Why would I do that?

I: Because I will owe you a favour of equal value

K: How do I know you won't "forget"?

13:24
I: I'll make you a Nen contract...

K: That important, is it?

I: It might be...

K: You'll have to elaborate on that

I: I will tell you if it is that important when I know for sure

K: ...

K: What is the favour?

13:25
I: I can't tell you before you agree to do it

K: Then I won't do it

13:27
I: Fine, I'll tell you if you promise to not let anyone you don't really trust know about it in any way

K: And those I do really trust?

I: I don't care if they know as long as they don't tell anyone else. If they do I will kill them and anyone they told

K: Hmmm... Alright, I will promise that no one I don't trust will know

K: Now, what kind of favour do you need from me so badly?

13:28
I: I need you to rent me a room for a day and sent a doctor there

K: Do that yourself

I: People I really don't want to know about this will get suspicious when they see I've paid for a room and a doctor

I: They have easier access to my account than most people

K: I will talk about this to my friends

I: ...

I: If that's necessary

13:36
K: We have decided that since you have decided to ask me for help, it is probably very important and has little to do with the family

K: So I will do it. But you have to send the contract to me the moment I send you the address

K: And you have to send a picture before so I can approve of the wording

I: Smart little brother. I really think it's time for you to leave those friends of yours behind and come back home, you can see that they are only holding you back, right?

K: Actually, I might just not do it

I: ...fine, I won't say anything about that until after the doctor was there

13:37
K: I guess that's the best I'll get

I: ...it is...for now

K: What?

I: Are you going to do it, or are you not?

K: I'll text you the address...

13:40
?: Hello Mr. Illumi Zoldyck! Are you going to force my friend back to your house again?

I: ...who are you and how do you have my number?

G: I am Killua's friend! I copied the number from his phone when he left it lying on the couch openly

I: How do I know that's true?

G: I will send you a picture of me with Killua's phone

I: No. Don't do that

G: Why?

13:41
I: Your picture in my phone would be very suspicious. I am going to delete this conversation and the one with Kil too

G: Couldn't you just delete the photo too?

I: No. Those are a lot easier to recover than text messages

13:42
G: Hmmm, ok. So I can't proof that I am who say...

I: I know who you are anyway.
You're the green one who invaded Kukuroo Mountain to free Kil

G: How!?

G: Oh, I see

I: Hmm, you are better than I thought

13:43
G: Why are you infront of the window and stalking us?!

G: And why didn't you ask your favour in person if you're already here?!

I: I just came here

I: And Kil is more at ease when I am not around and I wanted him to think clearly

I: Also, my being there itself practically counts as a threat to you

13:44
G: I guess that makes sense

G: Doesn't Killua sense you now though?

I: He currently does not react to my presence, but I could not be sure

13:45
G: Why are you still using Zetsu?

I: I do not wish to be noticed by anyone who could be dangerous to me. Being discovered here would be suspicious

G: Ok

13:51
G:What is a "Nen contract"?

I: Are you going through my little brother's text messages?

G: No, Killua showed them to me earlier when we were deciding

I: ... I guess that's ok then

13:53
G: Tell me what a "Nen contract" is!

G: Please

I: Can't you ask Kil?

G: But Killua is busy doing that favour for you...

I: ...

I: Fine

I: A Nen contract is a normal contact except it specifies that Nen can be used to enforce it. Those who sign it have to put their Nen into their signature and it will make them keep their end of the contract even if they don't want to

13:54
G: And you would sign something like that if that got Killua to do what you asked? This must be really important to you!

I: Like I said, it could be

G: Why don't you know if it is important?

13:58
I: I have a theory that needs to be tested. If it is proven right, it will put me and at least one other person in great danger

G: Wow, I didn't think you were going to answer after it took you so long to reply

I: I wasn't going to, but I changed my mind

G: Why?

I: It doesn't matter to me if you know, but you wanted to know, so I saw no good reason not to answer

I: It would of course do you good not to talk about it

G: Ok

14:02
G: I think Killua is done now

14:02
I: Your little green friend says you are done?

K: Why have you been talking to Gon?!

I: Oh, don't worry, nothing happened

I: And he texted me first

K: Why would he do that?

I: Ask him yourself

K: Fine.

14:03
K: The room is in a little hotel on the west side of Yorknew City. It's pretty far out. On Dekkasreet 12. Your room number is 8 under the name of Shinsaki Toko.

K: The doctor will be there at around 5 pm. and he'll have about 40 min for you.
His name is Dr. Yong and he owns a small doctor's office in the south west of the city, incase you want to do a background check.
The room will be yours until 10 am. tomorrow.

I: Ok.

I: I'll be there in a second with the contract

K: Didn't I tell you to sent it?

K: Ugh, fine

Only seconds later Illumi stands in the room holding a formal looking document.

Gon watches Killua take it from him to look through it, his shoulders very tense under Illumi's unwavering stare.
He looks at his friend's brother, but his face is just as expressionless as always.

Without a word, Killua walks over to the desk and lays the document next to the computer he had just used.
He quickly writes his name on it, then hands the pen to his black eyed brother. Illumi puts his signature, infused with Nen, next to Killua'a.
Gon hears him let out a slow, quiet breath, as if he'd held it in until now.

A moment later Illumi is gone again, leaving the contract behind.

"Now we just have to wait and find out what could be so important that my brother would ask me for help and make a Nen contract about it.
He didn't tell you anything about it when you texted him, did he?"
Killua looks at Gon, but he doesn't really seem to think so.

Gon smiles, happy to be able to surprise his friend.
"Well, he didn't say anything specific, but he did tell me he had a theory that could be very dangerous to him and another person if it's true."

The white haired boy's eyebrows raise.
"That's more than I expected. But then again, I already assumed as much and it doesn't really give us any new information."

"Even the part about another being in danger?"

"Ah, no. That is surprising, my brother doesn't usually work with others."

They sit on the couch in silence, puzzling over the strange situation, until Gon's head starts to hurt.

"Hey Killua, let's play some games."

"Sure."

Chapter Text

Illumi sits in his room for the night and ponders what he will do if he is right.

If he isn't, everything is fine and things can continue the way they are.
After a brief break for him to get healthy again.

But if he is, things would get very complicated. He would have to keep it from his parents, and he never kept anything from them.
And he would have to find out how it is possible at all, because it really isn't supposed to be.
He would have to make it up to Kil, because he would need his support.

How to do that, he has absolutely no idea, he has had a big part in making Kukuroo Mountain his sibling's living hell, after all. Not that it hasn't been his living hell too.

He would need a place where his family can't reach him, he would need to find a way for it to not look suspicious if he only comes "home" every once in a while and only for short periods of time.

If it ever happens, he would also need to find a way to hide that he and Killua are on ok terms.

Oh, he still needs to delete all those messages.
He takes his phone out and quickly does so.

14:25
?: Hello there~
How are you?

I: What do you want?

H: Ouch, not even a greeting~

I: ...

H: So~

H: You want a repeat of last Wednesday night?

I: No.

H: But I know you liked it >.<

I: Still no.

14:26
H: Fine~

H: There is a new floor master in the heavens arena. I want to see if she actually deserves to be there~

H: Come with me?

I: No.

H: You're so cold >.<

H: Won't you at least tell me why?

I: No

H: You didn't use a dot! Does that mean you don't hate me O.O

I: ...

H: Fine, fine, I'll leave you to it then. Do tell me if you change your mind~

After that Illumi goes back to trying to plan out a life that would be very uncertain and most definitely unpredictable.
He doesn't get very far despite spending several hours with it.

Then Dr. Yong is there. The moment he comes in he sets his huge suit case on the floor, opens it and presses a few buttons that change it into a weird machine with all kinds of different tools and lights on it.

"Hello Mr. Toko, I am Dr. Yong and I am here today because you noticed something very strange about your body? That is what your friend told me, I am sure you can give me more details."

"Yes. I only told him the barest minimum. I don't want people to know, that is why I had him call for me."

"Alright then, what is strange?"

"Well, I get nauseous sometimes, I have an almost constant headache, in some moments I really want to have one specific food to the point that I would get this weird, heavy, sensation in my chest that gets stronger the longer I go without it. The feeling often comes with a burning in my eyes. Sometimes it also comes at random times when I don't even want to eat anything. Other times I feel very light and everything is easy to do. There is also that one food that I simply can not eat anymore."

"Hm, those are indeed very strange symptoms. And you are sure that these are related to the same thing? There isn't one that might be there for an entirely different reason?"

"Very sure, yes."

"If you were a woman, I'd have said you are pregnant."
The doctor chuckles.
"So, what do you think might be going on?"

Illumi looks at him, the face he'd chosen for Shinsaki Toko serious.
"My theory is that I am indeed pregnant. My family is crazy enough to insert a uterus into my body and not tell me about it because there never was a period. It might have been 'activated' when certain fluids entered my body."

"Well, uh... I guess, we'll check that out."
He frowns.
"Lie down somewhere comfortable and I will get the ultrasound ready."

17:29
I: My theory has been proven correct. We need to talk about the family

K: I will not come home and I will not be the heir

I: That's not what I meant

K: ?

I: Come to the room, Kil

I: You can bring Gon if you must

K: How do I know you won't just take me back?

17:31
I: I don't know. A Nen contract doesn't work because it can only make me do something, not keep me from it...

K: I know

I: Don't you have any Idea?

K: You could invite a very strong neutral party

I: No, I don't want anyone listening in

K: I guess you have no way to make me trust you then

K: Can't we do it over text?

I: This is not a conversation for text.

K: It seems like we won't talk then

17:32
I: But it really is important and I will need you help

K: What makes you think I would help?

I: We never managed to make you heartless

K: That does not mean I care for what happens to you, after what you did to me

I: I know, but I am not the only one in danger and if you do not help another person will have to endure your pain

K: Are you threatening me with the lives of innocents? That definitely will not make me trust you

I: I am not, I won't be the one inflicting the pain. In fact, I'd rather they never be in pain

17:33
K: You care for someone? That's new

I: That's part of what we need to talk about

K: Who will be there with you?

I: I am alone. I already said I don't want anyone you don't trust to know about this

K: And people you trust?

I: I do not trust

K: Right, that was a stupid question

K: But why is it ok for me and those I trust to know then?

I: I can not do this alone and I know you care about certain things, so while I can not trust you with my life, I am able to trust you with another's

K: You not able to do something on your own? That's a first

I: ...

17:34
I: Talk to your green little friend

K: You know he'll say yes

I: And? Maybe he has good arguements that can convince you to come

K: He rarely has arguements for why he does things. He just does things. I am the one who finds reasons for why we should or shouldn't do something

17:35
I: ...

I: I already signed the contract, you know how important this is. And you could ask me to get you back out as the favour

K: But I do not want to go back at all. It would be a lot easier for them to find me afterwards

I: Alright, I guess I can't convince you then

K: ...

K: What are you planning?

I: Why?

K: You argued this much and now you're suddenly giving up even though it is so very important to you. You have got to have another plan

I: ...

I: You are right, Kil. But it doesn't seem like I am getting anywhere by arguing with you anymore. If you gave me a way to prove that I will not bring you back, I would. But like this, I have to find another way to get you to agree to talk to me

I: And it might be playing dirty, but I really need this to happen, so I will do pretty much anything to make it happen

K: Haaaahh fine. I'll come

I: That was a sudden change of heart...

17:36
K: At the end I was just making excuses not to come, because I know it is important and you gave me some good reasons for why it should be me, specifically

K: And you obviously didn't want the family to know about this, since you asked me for a favour and because you said it was ok If people I trusted knew

K: You know the family definitely aren't people I trust

K: And that Nen contract is pretty convincing

K: And Gon is reading over my shoulder and insisting I go

I: ...

I: To be honest, my other plan was just to message Gon, tell him why I want you to come and ask him to convince you. It seems he didn't need to be asked

K: ...

K: That is indeed playing dirty

K: But it is far more harmless than what I would have expected

17:37
I: So when will you be there?

K: We will be there in about half an hour

I: Ok

Chapter Text

When they are only one street away from the small hotel, Gon notices a surprising smell, mixed with his best friend's brother's and he starts to grin.
"I think this was the right thing to do."
Killua raises his eyebrows. "Why do you say that?"

"You'll see when we're there. Or you'll smell it first."
The grin stays on the brown eyed boy's face for the rest of the way and Killua doesn't get him to say what he is so happy about.

When Illumi opens the door for them, still in disguise, Gon is the first to walk in and he goes straight to the table covered in Pizza. He looks at his white haired friend and laughs at the wide blue eyes. "Your brother got us Pizza!"

"I can see that" Killua turns to his brother, "but why?"

"It is about dinner time now, and this is going to be a long evening."

The two friends look at each other, unsure of what to make of the situation then the ex assassin turns to the current assassin again.
"It's not poisoned?"
He sounds disbelieving.

"It's not. I'd smell it," answers the brown eyed boy in Illumi's stead.
Killua's eyebrows raise, but he doesn't say anything else and sits down next to his best friend, who promptly puts his hand on his thigh.

Gon can tell his best friend is trying not to react by the emotionless expression on his face that he only uses when he is hiding his feelings.
He is pleased his friend does not pull away though and starts to eat.
Illumi soon joins them and together they have a silent meal. While both Zoldyck brothers seem to be awkward in each other's presence, the brown eyed boy has a feeling that this is going to turn out great. He doesn't talk about it though, sensing that neither of the other two would appreciate it.
When the mountain of Pizza is devoured, they sit in silence a little while longer, the brothers looking at each other expectantly and Gon on the side, grinning from ear to ear, his hand still on Killua's leg, who doesn't even seem to notice it anymore.

The quiet soon becomes uncomfortable and the younger Zoldyck speaks up.
"So what is so important that you would sign a Nen contract for it?"

Black eyes stare at him steadily and Gon almost forgets to breath through the building tension.

"I was hoping to start somewhere else," he breathes a deep but quiet breath that the brown eyed boy thinks the friends were not supposed to hear, "but fine. As you already know I had a theory that I had to get tested by a doctor. I had been feeling weird this last week. I was nauseous -- Kil, you know why that alone is strange -- I had a constant headache, which is also very unusual, I suddenly absolutely hated pudding, and sometimes my eyes burned like they didn't since I was a little child when I did not get a specific food immediately. Sometimes I felt like there was a very heavy stone in my chest, which was mostly accompanied by the burning eyes, and sometimes I felt like I could lift off the ground and everything is easy. Since I had no idea what was going on I looked it up on on the internet -- I was not logged in so no one can track me, of course -- and it said those were symptoms for pregnancy."

Gon frowns.
"But Men can't get pregnant!"

Killua looks thoughtful.
"Typically not, but it is people with a uterus who can get pregnant. Males usually do not have one except they are trans."
He eyes his brother questioningly.

"I'm not. This never would have happened had I known about the possibility. I suspect the family decided to experiment with my body and since it was neither harmful nor functional they didn't think to tell me about it. I believe it has somehow recently been activated by certain bodily fluids."

Killua immediately goes deep red and he scoots away so the hand falls off his leg.
Gon looks at him, confused, until it dawns on him.
Mito had told m all about how babies are made of course, since that is a completely normal thing, and his friend is embarrassed by it, as he often is with compliments and casual touch.

He looks at Illumi, whose face is as expressionless as usual, but he can hear his breath is a little shallower and shorter than when they were eating.
He assumes he is probably nervous about his little brother's reaction to the information.

Killua soon recovers and scoots back with a quick look at Gon, who puts his hand back.
Tension leaves the white haired boy's shoulders and he eyes up the black eyed man.

"What exactly is the problem here? Just get an abortion."

"That would of course be the easiest option and I am not saying no just yet, but I do not want to."

"Why? This is very much going to stop you from doing you Job as normal."

"Obviously. But this an opportunity for me to learn how to be an actual human being, not just the killing machine I was trained to be."

The younger Zoldyck's eyes widen.
"What?! Aren't you the one who always says we do not need emotions, or friends, that we just need to do our jobs?"

"Yes, I believed that. And that it would harm us. But I have realized that even if emotions are not acknowledged, they still there in some way. For most people anyway, there are some who do not feel. And I see now that our, or my, job harms us on its own. The training, the suppression of emotions, the lack of a normal social life.
I have harmed you in the name of making you stronger. I guess it worked, but I don't know anymore if enduring the pain earlier only so it's a little easier later is truly worth it. After all, you were harmed either way. And as a child it is automatically worse than it would be as an adult."

Killua's whole body is suddenly very tense and his face is expressionless again, but there is something much darker in his eyes than there was earlier.
His friend has no idea what he is feeling or thinking, but can't be good, so he tightens his grip on his thigh.
Killua releases a breath, but he doesn't relax and he doesn't say anything.

"You must believe that I thought I was doing what was best for you. I trained you so mother wouldn't do the same things to you that she did to me. I did understand then that I did not wish for you to endure the same things I did. They did not experiment on you at least."

The older brother breathes a deep but quiet breath and Gon assumes that all this talk about training is affecting him too, even if they can't see it on his face, or in his posture like he can see it in Killua's.
The brown eyed boy thinks his breathing patterns may be the only way Illumi expresses his emotions. And he might not even know why his breathing is different now than it is usually.
Or maybe he himself doesn't even know his breathing changes and just trained himself to breath quietly in general. Gon is aware that probably almost no one else can hear it. Even Killua breathes more loudly.

"Besides all that, the job also means that I can not make choices for myself. In this situation for example I would have to abort, no question about it. But I want to keep it and there are few things I have ever wanted badly enough not to ignore them. The other was keeping my siblings safe, but that did not work out well."

The two boys sit quietly for a while, processing all the new information, but then Gon sees a logical flaw in the story.

"If you usually ignore what you want, why did you have sex with a guy?"
He cocks his head to the side, visibly confused. Both Zoldyck's breaths hitch and while the older calms down right after, so much so that his breath is slower and steadier than it was for the whole conversation before, Killua's face just turns red again. The green clad boy is happy to note that he stays in place this time.

"He had information on a target that was hard to track."

Gon is surprised to realise Illumi relaxes with this topic. He thinks it is to be expected though, as murder is pretty normal to the black eyed man.
He also thinks it's funny how differently the brothers react to the topic of sex and physical affection, although it makes him sad to think one of them sees it as a tool and the other is uncomfortable with it as he may not have experienced much affection at all.
Well, at least he can help Killua with that, he decides, and gives his friend's leg a squeeze.
Killua tenses again and Gon worries he might have gone too far, but his friend put his hand right behind the brown eyed boy's, his fingers touching the other's wrist.
Gon looks at him, but he is turned away and obviously trying to hide his blush. He takes Killua's hand in his and beams when he doesn't pull away.
He turns to Illumi who still has no expression on his face, but he does look back and forth between them and the green clad boy is sure he knows something is up. His breathing pattern stays the same though so he probably doesn't mind.

"So, what is the plan?"
The white haired boy goes back to his business attitude, not acknowledging their interlocked fingers.
Gon supposes that means it's fine.

"I need to distance myself from the family and get a home they can't find, to start with. Those are already pretty difficult."

"You could go on longer missions that are farther a way and not report back after every job you do?"

Illumi is silent at first.
"I think I have been doing that since you have been gone. There wasn't really anything that kept me there anymore. Perhaps these new thoughts about you and the family weren't all that sudden, I have had time to think and feel about things after all. Not that I would have noticed any kind of feeling.
It's also gotten tense at home, I may have been unconsciously uncomfortable."

"Yeah, that is much more likely than you suddenly deciding 'the family doesn't matter anymore, I'll go have a baby now'."
Killua says with furrowed brows. Gon laughs.

"I still do think the family matters. And I did not decide to get pregnant."

The brown eyed boy grins.
"But you did decide to keep it and to distance yourself from the family. At least the part that would harm a child."

The white haired boy frowns.
"You know, we could try to save the others too, none of them are living a good life. Not even Milluki, despite what he may believe. And if you aren't completely lost, they for sure aren't either. None of them were trained that intensely."

Both Zoldycks stare at each other and Gon squeezes his friend's hand to show support.
Illumi's breathing is a little shaky and the green clad boy has no idea whether that is from anger at Killua suggesting they take their siblings from their parents, hope that he might have all of them on his side, or maybe sadness that he couldn't protect them and now actually left them to deal with their mother's wrath and their fathers cold stare alone. Or maybe it was something else entirely. It must be a very strong emotion though.

"I do not think that that is a good idea right now."

Killua raises his eyebrows.
"But when there's enough distance between you and our parents and we have a house?"

"We?"

"I mean, if we're already going against our parents together and saving the rest of the Zoldyck siblings, we may as well live together. Or at least have a common home base, as a Hunter you don't stay in one place for long, usually. Besides, this way we can protect and take care of each other and the others."

"And all that despite your training?"

"Don't get me wrong, I haven't forgiven or forgotten that, it is unlikely I ever will, and I probably won't ever trust you, but I do think our siblings need to be saved and, as you said, I was never as heartless as all of you wanted me to be, so I will not leave any kid alone with you. And if we agree that our parents shouldn't have access to any more children, I think we can work together on that."

"I could care less about other children getting into their clutches."

"But if I help you with yours, you'll help me free any others? Besides, new ones could become dangerous."

"Fine " Illumi lets out a breath that Gon thinks would be a sigh from any other person.

"So, are you going to tell the father?"
The green clad boy cocks his head to the side, curious.

The older Zoldyck sucks in a breath, still quietly enough that his brother probably can't hear him, despite also having way above average hearing.
"I think that would be a bad idea, considering who he is."

"Why? Who is it?"

"Not a responsible adult."

"But we aren't adults at all!"

"But at least when it comes to certain things, you are much more responsible, and with you I actually know that you care. I can never be sure if he cares about anything."

"So who is it?"

"You'll probably find out at some point."
The black eyed man's tone suggests that the topic will not be discussed any further.

"Our talk is done now?"
Killua sounds slightly impatient.

Illumi's breathing pace slows quite a bit but the white haired boy's friend can't tell why.
Maybe he is sad that his brother wants to leave? Gon doesn't really believe he genuinely cares that much.

"Right, I'll contact you again when I have found a few potential houses."

Chapter Text

Not long after, the boys are on their way back to their own hotel room.

"Killua’s going to be an uncle!"
The green clad boy is ecstatic.

His white haired friend not so much.
"Ugh, this is so weird."

"I guess, but I think it's great!"

“What are we even supposed to do about this? Obviously us taking care of a baby is a better option than Illumi doing it, but we are kids ourselves. It’s not like we know how to take care of someone else. And it’s not like I had a normal childhood.”

“I had a pretty good one! We could ask aunt Mito for help!”

“That’s a possibility, but I don’t want to involve her too much. It would probably better to not involve anyone else for the moment.”
There is a troubled expression on his face that Gon can’t quite understand.

“Why not?”

“Well, for one thing, Illumi already doesn’t trust anyone and he doesn’t know her, so he can’t predict her. For another, it would put her in danger. The family would be made aware of her at some point or another and having their attention is rarely a good thing. They would use her to get to us. We are already involved with them.”

“Hm. Then what other options are there?”

Killua frowns as he thinks. “Maybe you could write down stuff you remember so we have some kind of base to work on. We can do some regular research on the Internet. We could also create an account on some platform and pretend to be a couple that’s about to have a baby and ask for advice.”

The next weeks, that’s exactly what they do, along with taking the odd hunter job to pay for their own room and food and speculating what man would have information on a target of Illumi’s that even the professional assassin, who was trained his whole life, found hard to find and exchange it for sexual favours from said assassin.

“He would have to be quite crazy to want that from my brother.”

Killua sounds quite certain about this, but Gon is confused.
“Why? He looks good enough.”

“Gon!” Killua is staring at him, his eyes wide and his mouth is slightly agape.

“What?”
Despite not knowing what there is to be shocked about, he is very amused by his friend’s reaction.
And happy about it, because it shows off his bright blue eyes. Though, excitement is by far the best expression on his face, as his eyes are not only very visible, but also sparkling, and it usually means they would be going on an adventure together.

“That’s my brother you’re talking about!”

“And? It’s true.”
Gon cocks his head to the side.

“People don’t call their best friend's brother good looking.”

“No? Why not?”
Gon never quite understands what ‘people’ have against being honest.

“I don’t want to explain this to you right now.”
He sighs, sounding somewhat frustrated but resigned. He turns away and continues on their way to buy groceries.

Gon shrugs.
“I don’t have to say it. Killua is much better looking anyway.”
And Killua’s face immediately turns red, as he knew it would.
He likes that expression on his friend a lot too.
It makes him look all warm and soft and pretty and it makes Gon want to hug him.
And it makes him want to grab his friend's face and force him to look at him, so Gon can see the colour on his cheeks better and admire the way it contrasts his eyes, but those are desires he is not entirely comfortable with, so he likes to ignore them.

“Anyway,” Killua says firmly, seemingly trying to ignore the compliment.
Though he has to know that Gon knows he is not succeeding. He never does.
“My brother is an assassin, and while they may not have known, they would have noticed something was off, Illumi doesn’t exactly behave like a normal person. Sometimes he tries, but that usually is more creepy than anything else.”

“So who do we know that would be that crazy?”

“What makes you think we know him?”

“He’d have to be pretty strong and be pretty important in some way to know that kind of information about one of Illumi’s targets. That means that we, as hunters, have a good chance of at least knowing about him.”

“Right.”
Killua frowns.

Gon frowns too, because he doesn’t like that expression on his friend’s face.
Sometimes it means he is worried, or worse, that he is having a nightmare.
This time it seems to just be his friend thinking though, so it’s all right.

“The only one I can think of right now is Hisoka.”
Gon hums, thinking hard.

The white haired boy makes a disgusted face.
“No, I do not want to imagine that.”

Gon giggles.
“He is really strong though, and he seems weirdly attracted by power. And he is certainly crazy enough to do something like that. Besides, he’s hung around Illumi a couple times already hasn’t he? Also, he has really specific information sometimes.”

Killua visibly cringes. “He does seem to fit all the criteria. I guess we’ll have to consider him.”

He still looks uncomfortable a couple of steps later, so Gon takes his hand and smiles at him.
The blue eyed boy blushes lightly and looks away, but he doesn’t take his hand away.
The green clad boy grins, happy to have distracted his friend from his discomfort, and to be holding his hand.

Almost two months of Killua trying to convince Gon, that Hisoka did not impregnate Illumi and Gon somehow being absolutely certain that he did, later, they were finally contacted again.

18:12
I: I have found a house. I will need your financial support

18:22
K: What kind of house did you find that you can’t buy yourself?!

I: One that is hard to find and easy to protect

I: I would have expected you to pay regardless. You mentioned using it as a home base

K: Right, makes sense

K: Can we all visit the place before we decide?

K: Maybe look for another one, to compare

I: Certainly

I: though I doubt we will find a better place

I: If you want to compare, you have to find the other one

K: right, seems fair

K: when can we visit?

I: In about a month there will be a ferry that will take us relatively close

I: the port is about a days walk away

K: I guess that is something that comes with it being hard to find

K: We will come

I: Who is with you?

18:23
K: Gon, obviously

I: Be at ‘Fairy Woods Train Station’ before 4:07 in the morning on the 21.

K: Ok

“You know of any high paying Jobs we can complete in less than a month?” asks Gon who’d been reading over his friend shoulder again.

“No, but we can ask Leorio and Kurapika, they might have an idea. If we have to we can look in the Hunters web, too.”

Gon nods.
“It would be nice to see our friends again, for a while.”

“I don’t think we will. We’d just be calling them, asking if they have any jobs we could do, not do it with them together.”
One of Killua’s eyebrows is pulled up. Gon always admires him for that, but also thinks it somehow makes him look cuter.

“Why not?”
Gon frowns.

“We need the money for ourselves.” Killua shrugs.

The brown eyed boy hums, then reaches for his friend’s hand.
“Well, let's do that tomorrow. Now we eat.”

“Right.”
The white haired boy lets himself be pulled to their little table.

Chapter Text

Leorio doesn’t know of any jobs they can do, but they are happy to talk about his internship with a traveling doctor, similar to doctor Yong, and a job they had done a while ago where they had been paid to get a huge animal out of a town not far from York New City and into the Fairy Woods where they had assumed it had come from.

Kurapika on the other hand tells them about a rich business woman who wants to take her “drag princess” boyfriend – Gon has no idea what that is, but Killua seems to, so it’s ok – to a charity gala on the north side of York New City, but does not feel like he will be safe without some hunter bodyguards to protect him.
The event itself is rather boring and the only thing of interest to them is that one overly polished guy that puts something in the drag princess’ drink, so they get rid of that and make sure the guy will never do it again. Miss Jovalin pays them enough to buy a small bus and doesn’t even seem to realise. Or she did and thought her boyfriend being safe from a creep was worth that much.

The rest of the month they spend by looking for various dangerous objects and bringing them from one rich person to another, and sometimes back to the first, and reading everything that can be found about parenting in the internet, while in an internet café because they didn’t want anyone to trace the searches back to them.

The day before they are supposed to meet with Illumi again they go to sleep at 5pm, then slept seven and a half hours so they could be at the tiny train station at the edge of the Fairy Wood that only had one track that was used three times a day.
They make sure they aren’t seen when three figures step out of the single train wagon and settle into one of five compartments.
They sit opposite to each other so they can both see outside and start eating chocolate and caramel bonbons, some of them with mint or cinnamon tastes.

“You know, Chrollo is also crazy and strong. And important to the underworld.”

“Ugh, Lua! Why won’t you just admit that it has to be Hisoka.”

Killua wrinkles his nose. “It doesn’t have to be him, it could be someone else. Like Chrollo.”

“But he’s totally ‘not a responsible adult’.” Gon tries to convince his best friend for what has to be the hundredth time. It has to be him, and if he can get Killua to admit that now, maybe it won’t be as much of a shock later. He is pretty sure his friend is just in denial right now.

“And Chollo is?” Killua’s eyebrows are up, showing of his eyes.

“I don’t know”, Gon admits, looking into his friends eyes and hoping for a moment he would never close them again.
He shakes his head and looks outside again. Weird thought.

“See?” Killua grins, and they laugh.

Gon loves hearing his friend laugh. And he also likes to hear his voice. “What do you think the house will be like?”

Killua hums and Gon looks over again to see him looking outside too, still smiling a little.
“Illumi said it’s easy to defend, so there is likely no forest around it as that would give attackers lots of cover and we would not see them coming. Also not on a grass field, attackers could come from all sides, and not somewhere close to any towns or villages, since we don’t want to be found. Maybe on top of a mountain, like the family, in an area with lots of mountains. Probably no big windows, except if there is a huge wall around it, and that would be too noticeable. It’s probably relatively small too, if it’s on a mountain.”

It is 7.36 am and the sun is starting to rise when they come into a small village.
Its train station has two tracks and is surrounded by bushes. Four teenagers are the only people getting on, but when the train starts moving again Illumi, is in their compartment. Killua goes from facing in the direction the train moves to facing the same way Gon does, sitting down next to him, and Illumi takes the seat that Killua left.
The two stare at each other unblinkingly for a while and Gon feels the tension rise, sees how Killua squares his shoulders and hears Illumi breathe just a little too slow and a little too forceful. Gon bumps his shoulder against Killua’s to show support and his friend leans against him, just a bit. He grins.

“Hello Killua’s brother! How are you?”
His voice stays cheerful when the solid black eyes are turned towards him and seem to scan him head to toe even though they are fixed on his face. He feels Killua relax a little.

“I am fine. How are you?”

“We are great! We’ve had a lot of fun exploring the city and playing games! Did you know there is a now game for the BuggeX console that let’s you eat fruit to gain powers? The powers only work for a few minutes but you can store the fruit so you can just eat it whenever you need it. Lua and I tried it out a couple weeks ago and have been playing ever since. The internet says there is one monster that drops an item that can prolong powers and you need that item if you want to defeat the Elder boss and we have been looking for it ever since, but in game we’ve never seen a trace of either of them.”

Illumi’s breathing returns to what Gon thinks is its normal rhythm and Killua relaxes a little more against him, though when Gon glances his way, he looks kind of confused. Gon doesn’t know why.

The train now stops about twice every hour in a small town or village, but they stay in their compartment and Gon continues to talk about things that have nothing to do with hunters or assassins. He rambles about this or that game, snack foods, regular foods and drinks, about animals and plants, about everything that comes to his mind. Illumi does not talk at all and Killua only answers direct questions, but that’s alright. He may like his friends voice, but his comfort is much more important, so if speaking makes him uncomfortable, Gon would rather he doesn’t.

It's two hours past noon when they reach a town that smells of fish when they get off the train, making sure nobody notices them.
They get bread rolls with fish on them for lunch, though Illumi avoids the fish and chooses eggs instead. His left nose wing wrinkles slightly when he looks at the fish.
The ferry leaves in about three hours, so for a while they sit – or stand, in Illumi’s case – on the pier and watch jellyfish, while Gon rambles about random things again.
He thinks this may be the most he has ever talked in one day. When the warmth of Killua’s shoulder once again rests against his, his whole body is filled with happiness and he can only stop himself from jumping up and running around by reminding himself that he will lose that point of contact if he does.

The ferry ride only takes about one hour, then they reach an island that Illumi says only has one town and a couple of villages, each village only having one road that leads to the town with the port.
Not too far from the town, the mountains begin, and that is where Illumi leads them, as Killua had predicted.
On the way, Illumi explains that the house is indeed on a mountain, but on the side of one, so you can’t see it from the other.
“There is no forest surrounding it, but we have to go through one to get there. It takes about twelve hours for us, though most would need about 48.”

As soon as they are sure they are not visible to the people of the town any more, they pick up the pace and run at their normal speed. They choose not to rest and instead sleep only when they are there.

They break out of the forest just in time to see the sun rising above the mountains, and for a moment, Gon just stops and stares in awe.

Killua stops next to him and Gon turns to see the gentle morning light reflected of his face, his eyes wide and sparkly, a soft smile on his lips. He wants to kiss him.

Abruptly he shakes his head and frowns at himself. What’s with all these weird thoughts lately?

They walk up to the mountains and it gets steeper and steeper until they have to climb. When they reach where one mountain seems to split from the other, they go into the split and around one mountain and after they climb about another three meters up, they reach a small terrasse with a huge stone wall on it and a heavy wooden door, that Illumi simply pushes open.
On the otherside, the rest of the terrasse is larger. There is a huge stone wall all around it and an even higher stone wall with large windows just above where the outer wall stops. There is another heavy wooden door, that seems to lead into the mountain.

Chapter Text

When Illumi pushes open the door, they can only see darkness at first. They step inside and when the door falls shut, the ceiling lights up. It’s slightly curved up and the light is a warm white.
The whole room is a little strange. The floor is made of anthracite tiles that glimmer slightly and the walls are white with a bit of a greenish tint to them.
Along the walls are heavy looking wooden cabinets and wardrobes and cupboards and chests.
On the left side a wide bench.
The walls next to the door leading outside and the one opposite to it are completely blank, except for a few nails that indicate there may have once been paintings.
Everything is covered in a heavy layer of dust.

Gon sneezes. Then sneezes again. “I think we’ll have to clean before we move in.”

“It’s not decided yet, we’re just here to check out if it’s a viable option.” Killua is looking around the room with a sceptical frown.

“It’s definitely not easy to find though.”

“Except that Illumi didn’t take long to find it.”

Illumi is not looking around the room, he is staring straight at Killua.
Now that Gon notices it, his friend’s shoulders seem a lot tenser then they were outside. Gon moves just a bit closer to him.

“The one who sells this place lives on the other side of the country in a big city. He used come here in his childhood during the summer, but he is old now and he says he would rather not be that far away from civilisation again. His family is dead. He gave me the only map that shows how to get here. He does not know who we are, has never heard our names. He never saw my real face.” As usual there is absolutely no inflection in his voice and the only part of his face that moves are his lips. His calm and steady breathing makes Gon think that Illumi believes nobody will find them here, though.
Not that he would even suggest coming here if he didn’t.

They make their way to the other side of the room where there is another heavy wooden door directly opposite the fist one. It’s a little smaller and the colour a little lighter though.

On the other side, a strange glass chandelier lights up. Strange because the glass itself seems to be the light source. Glass droplets ranging from fist sized to grape sized sparkle and throw weird shapes against the once again slightly green tinted walls.

“Wow.”
Gon is mesmerized. This house is already so fascinating.
Killua snickers at his obvious awe, but when Gon looks over his eyes shine too. Lua’s beautiful.
Illumi’s expression is the same as always, but the strange lighting makes even his face look softer.

Gon looks around to study the rest of the room. The ceiling here is a bit higher than before, but it isn’t curved.
Underneath the chandelier in the middle in the room is a fountain made of a greenish stone, but there is no water in it. It’s decorated with snakes and birds and fish and creatures Gon has never seen. They must be from fairy tales.

If there was water in it, it would reflect the light and make the room look even more ethereal.
The floor is just like the one in the first room, though there are some accent tiles of the same material as the fountain.
They also have animals and fairy tale creatures carved into them.
The whole room is slightly larger than the first one, but there is just as much dust.

There are four doors like the one they just came through, one on the left wall, two opposite of them on the other side of the fountain and one on the right wall. There is no furniture along the walls.

Gon skips over to the left door, Killua following behind.

The room behind it is quite anticlimactic, it’s a simple bathroom for guests. It’s smaller than both the other rooms and the ceiling is as high as in the entrance hall, without the curve. There is a toilet and a large, simple white sink with a mirror above it. The lamp at the top of it is just as wide and seems like it’s just a stipe of light.

It’s also covered in dust.

Behind the left of the two doors is a dining room, the table and the six chairs made of the same wood as the furniture in the entrance hall. It's the largest room yet.
The wall with the door and the one opposite are shorter than the other four that make the room an uneven hexagon rather than a rectangle.
The wall opposite to the door and the ones next to it have floor to ceiling windows as if they were already completely through the mountain.
Though, that's probably not true.
They show more mountains and large grassy fields on the left and the forest they came through on the right.
There is a longish chandelier above the table, similar to the one above the fountain, except droplets are smaller.

Just as all the rooms before, it’s covered in dust.

The walls are blank with nails in them, like in the entrance hall.

The wall to their left holds another door that leads to a kitchen. The cabinets are the same wood as the other furniture, but the counter top is the same material as the fountain. There is a simple metal sink with an area to put dishes to dry. The lights are stripes under the wooden cabinets hanging on the wall. There is a dishwasher that doesn’t fit the rest of the room at all. Gon thinks all rooms in this house are covered in dust.

Another door on the wall to the right of the window wall in the dining room leads to a large room in the shape of an octagon.

All walls in this room are the same length making it an even shape.
The wall to the right holds the door that Gon believes leads back to the fountain room.
The next wall is as blank as the dining room walls, though there is a large wooden chest standing against it.
Then there is a wall that holds another door.
The other four walls are windows, a dark green curtain hanging from the ceiling to the floor in front of them. Some of the windows can be opened.
Two light green snake lamps hang from each wall and along the window walls there are tall, standing uplights in each corner. Their light is greenish but warm and their stands look like gold.
In the middle of the room is a large dark green sofa that mimics the rooms shape, though the two sides closest to the windows are open and there are three armchairs instead. In the middle of that is a low table of the same wood as the other furniture with a golden candle holder on top of it.

Gon frowns.
It feels this room, and maybe the hose in general, is missing something.
He scans the room up and down, left to right, then lets his eyes linger outside.
“Plants! We need so many plants in here!”

Killua nods and looks around the room too.
“I think plants would make it more welcoming.”

Illumi just stares outside. If Gon didn’t know better, he would think he hadn’t heard them.

Gon is the first on the other side of the room, opening a door that leads to a smaller room.
There are only a few armchairs, a table, and a small glass chandelier.

The door opposite leads to a long and dark hallway without any lamps, so they have to leave the door open for light.
There are a lot of doors along the left wall of the hallway and Gon wants to explore all of them.

He is slightly disappointed to find they are mostly just copies of each other; a large bed without mattress, a wardrobe, a chest, a shelf, a desk and a window, a door to a bathroom with a bathtub and sink made of the same material as the fountain, a spacious shower and wall tiles that look just like the ones on the floor.

Gon is, however, excited about where the fourth door leads.
There are two stair cases, one up and one down. Downstairs are to two rooms, one full of cabinets and a washing machine, the other huge and empty with a stone floor.

“This is the perfect room to train in!”
The words echo. It makes Gon laugh.
He and Killua are going to spar right now!

But his friend’s shoulders are tense and his face expressionless. He stills.
Illumi's breathing pattern is also becoming less steady.
Neither of them seem to like this room a lot.

He frowns. He has to get them out of here.
Determined to lift the mood, he grabs both their hands and pulls them up the stairs again, until they’re on the top floor.

It has lots of rooms in different shapes and sizes, most of them look empty, but some are full of clutter.

Gon grins. This is the solution!
“Hey guys! Hide n’ seek, you hide!”

Killua grins back at him alreadz much more relaxed.
“You’ll never find me!”
Illumi takes a little longer, but when Gon starts counting, he is gone too.

Chapter Text

On their way back, Illumi is not with them.
Killua is a lot more relaxed but Gon still does most of the talking, taking the opportunity to ramble at his friend about all the things they can do with their new house.

“We haven’t even decided that we will buy it yet”, Killua cuts in.

The train is just leaving the station Illumi got on at on their way to the house.

“You think you can find a better place?”
It’s a genuine question, though Gon doesn’t believe there could be a better place for them than a house in the side of a mountain.
It’s in side of a mountain!
And it’s in the mountains, where they have so much to explore! Maybe there is a cave somewhere?
Though they don’t plan to stay there for long periods of time, just in between jobs and missions, quests to find his father, and all the other adventures they find in the world.

“I don’t know, it is a pretty great place for our purposes. But it would be stupid to just take it without even looking at other options.”

“Hm. But where would we even look for other options?”

“The hunter's web is a place where you can find a great many things.”

“Won’t we be tracked there or something?”

“Not if we do it right.”

14:18
H: Hello there, Illumi

I: Hisoka.

H: You actually responded! Are you finally starting to like me?

I: No.

I: What do you want?

H: I wanted to invite you to find out how strong that new “secret” society of Hunters in the east is

I: Why?

H: We haven’t done anything together in a while, I miss you~

I: No.

H: Also, your target the other night has ties to them

I: And?

H: You don’t want to find out why you had to kill him?

I: And involve myself further? No.

H: Alright, alright

H: Maybe you’re interested in doing something else with me?~

14:19
I: No, now go fight your secret society and stop bothering me

H: If you didn’t want me to ‘bother you’ you wouldn’t have replied~

I: I was hoping you would have something interesting to say. That was rather stupid of me, you never do.

H: Ouch. Why can’t you be nicer to me?

I: Why would I be?

H: We’re friends. Or maybe something else?~

I: No.

H: Fine. I’m coming~

I: Don’t.

When they get back to their room in York New, the first thing Gon and Killua do is drop all their things and get ready for bed. They had not gotten any sleep since before they went to visit the house and, while Killua would be fine if stayed up for another three days, neither of them see a point in that.

The next day starts with a hearty breakfast, before they are interupted. A message from Miss Jovalin has them hastily packing their things.

They are to meet her and her boyfriend in front of her York New penthouse, from where they are going to be driven to York New main station, then take the train to the other side of the country, where Miss Jovalin is to meet some rich guy for her business.
She had apparently decided they had done their Job well the last time and now wants to hire them as bodyguards again.
Gon and Killua have no reason to refuse her, but they have to scramble to get there in time.

“Room 035 is free from now on”, Killua tells the receptionist on their way out.
Gon is already sprinting around the next corner, knowing his friend will catch up.

They reach their destination only two minutes later.
Miss Jovalin’s usual entourage are expecting them.

“Hi! So nice to see you all again, I did not expect to!”
Gon’s cheerful exclamation pulls all their eyes towards him, while Killua behind him goes mostly unnoticed.

“Me neither.”
The apparent leader’s voice is dripping with disdain, though his face remains neutral.

Gon is reminded of Illumi’s constant expressionlessness. Both of the Zoldyck’s are lot better at being intimidating than this guy.

“In fact, I have told Miss Jovalin in no uncertain terms that she should not be hiring children to do our Job again.”

Killua steps up next to Gon, their fingers brushing together for a moment.
The fakest grin Gon had ever seen is plastered onto his face.

“We are delighted that she has chosen to ignore you.”

The man leans back just enough to be noticeable.

Gon grins too. A lot better at being intimidating.

A smartly dressed woman inserts herself at the man’s left side, standing just slightly in front of him.
She smiles politely and introduces herself, seemingly a direct opposite of the man’s greeting.
“Hi, my name is Haia Damsworth and I am one of Miss Jovalin’s assistants as well as this groups manager, so I will be your boss for the duration of your employment here. Don’t mind Rob, he’s just a grump.”
She holds out her hand.

Killua smiles back and shakes it.
“I’m Killua and I’ll be happy to help.”

“I’m Gon! We’re best friends.”

The polite mask of Damsworth’s doesn’t flinch, while Rob's disdain is now clearly visible.

Killua’s smile becomes slightly more genuine.
Gon feels a spark of warmth in his chest.

The others introduce themselves and Damsworth lists a bunch of rules that Gon doesn’t listen to.
Instead, he watches as his friend scrutinises the inhabitants of the room, lingering on a man to their left, a couple of meters behind Rob.
He looks the man up and down too, hoping to find what caught Killua’s attention.
The man’s watch is something more than it’s supposed to be, but he can't place it yet.

Their eyes meet. Gon grins at him.

Miss Jovalin, her boyfriend and another woman, who is probably also an assistant, come out of the penthouse.
Everyone gets into four identical black cars.
The drive to the train station takes only ten minutes.
It's oddly quiet, despite Gon doing his best to fill the silence with chatter.