You stare at him in silence, eyes widening to the size of saucers as you felt your heartbeat stop.

"Th-There! I said it. S-So stop bothering me about it." He quickly turns his back to you, about to grab the bloodied cloth on the table. "I'll go get a new one, so stay–"

"Don't leave!" You stood abruptly, enough to push back the chair you were seated on. Grabbing his hand in desperation, you didn't anticipate the sharp pain that engulfed your body immediately after. You tense up, face morphing into a pained expression as you lost balance and staggered forward.

"(Y/N)!" Killua immediately held you and cushioned your fall, letting you lean on his body. "Your injuries are going to reopen, you dummy." He sighs.

"I know, just... don't leave. Not yet..." you mumble, feeling the pain subside as you lean onto him even more, wrapping your arms around his torso.

Killua inhales sharply, growing conscious of how close you were. He could feel everything. Your loudly beating heart, the sound of your breathing, the way you tightly wrapped your arms around him, refusing to let go. He opens his mouth to speak, planning to scold you for being so reckless with your injuries, but no words came out. His logical mind went blank.

Meanwhile, you had no idea what came over you. One second, you were seated comfortably while trying not to move too much. The next second, however, you held Killua close, almost clinging onto him for dear life. 'I love you, (Y/N).' His words resonated in your head over and over.

"Y-You're not lying, are you?" you stammered, before immediately shutting your mouth. 'What am I saying?!'

"Why the hell would I lie about something that serious?" Killua replies, voice reduced to a whisper as he hugs you back. "I'm not Sanguis, you know?"

A small smile made its way to your face as you buried your head on his shoulder.

Killua places a hand on your head, combing his fingers through your hair in silence. You closed your eyes and relaxed into his touch, engulfed by his scent as you breathed in.

"I love you, too."

His hand froze in place, strands of your hair falling from his fingers. His whole body went rigid as he suppressed a gasp.

Opening your eyes, you slowly pulled back to look at Killua's face, seeing his red-tinted cheeks and his eyes wide with shock.

"U-Uhm... Killua...?" You furrow your brows in worry.

He stares at you for a split second, before averting his eyes and stiffly dropping his hands to his sides. He opens his mouth to speak but immediately closes it, lips pursing into a thin line as his cheeks grew even redder.

You cracked a smile, almost laughing at his reaction. He had the courage to confess, but when you do it, he becomes a complete mess? You found yourself staring fondly, leaning closer and closer to him until your faces were mere inches from each other. Gazing into his eyes, you see the uncertainty lingering in them before you finally closed the gap. You grabbed his shoulders for support as you kissed his lips, fluttering your eyes shut.

Killua normally had lightning-quick reflexes. But this time around, he just stood there, blinking in surprise. It took him at least a couple of seconds to register what just happened.

But when he finally did, his eyes softened. He cupped your cheeks, wasting no time in returning the kiss as he tilted his head.

You sighed in relief, tense nerves relaxing as you lost yourself in the warmth of his lips. You pulled yourself closer, wrapping your arms around his neck as you tiptoed ever-so-slightly. Your heart was beating so quickly against your chest. Or was it Killua's heartbeat as well?

He stroked your cheeks with his thumbs, before moving his hands down to the small of your back to pull your body even closer. It was getting hard to breathe, but neither of you really cared.

Finally, you pulled away, gasping for breath as you leaned against him. You could hear the sound of his erratic breaths as he runs his fingers through your hair once more.

"That's payback...! For earlier..." you mumbled in between breaths, a small smile making its way to your face as you turned your head to look at him.

He had the same smile, along with an incredibly gentle and loving look in his eyes. "Alright, fine. You got me," he replies, before lifting your head and pressing his lips against yours once more.

_ _ _

The sun's rays shone against your face, forcing your eyes open as you sat up from bed.

"Oww!" You immediately flinched, the injuries stinging even more than they did yesterday. You sigh. 'I guess this is what I get for moving around so much.' You looked down at the bandages wrapped around your body, smiling as you remembered what had transpired.

After the kiss, Killua convinced you to sit down to finish treating your wounds. He told you off for being reckless with your body... as he always did. You don't think that'll ever change, and honestly, you don't want it to.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. You were greeted by the sight of blue eyes and fluffy silver hair. "Oh, you're awake. I brought you some food." Killua comes in, walking over with a tray of food and taking a seat by your bedside.

Peering at the tray he held, you see all your favorite breakfast foods, freshly cooked. The inside of your mouth starts to water at the sight as you reach for a plate. "That looks so good–"

Killua immediately pulls the tray away from your hand, narrowing his eyes at you. "What makes you think I'm letting you touch this when you're too injured to feed yourself?"

'H-Huh?!'

Your eyes widened as you left your mouth agape. "I can still feed myself! What do you mean?!" you argued, lifting your right arm to prove a point. Unfortunately, searing pain shot across your forearm in waves. "Ow!"

Killua sighs. "Geez, you're impossible sometimes," he grumbles, though he very carefully prepares the food for you to eat. "Here. Open your mouth." He looks at you expectantly, holding a spoonful of food in front of you.

Your cheeks started to feel warm from embarrassment as you hesitantly opened your mouth. "Ahh~"

A small smirk tugs at his lips as he fed you. "Embarrassed now? You sure weren't like that after everything you did yesterday."

You averted your eyes, hiding the blush creeping on your face. Now that Killua no longer had to hide his feelings, he'll never miss an opportunity to tease and spoil you.

Killua chuckles softly, leaning over to kiss you on the cheek. "I'm just messing with you."

_ _ _

He patiently and carefully fed you until you were satisfied.

"Killua," you called for him, swallowing the last bite of food.

He hums in reply, clearing the bed and cleaning up any mess.

You gave him your brightest smile, rivaling that of the sun shining outside. "Thanks."

Killua stops for a second, taken aback as he stares at you.

"I know I don't have to say it, but..." you avert your eyes for a bit. "Thanks anyway... for everything."

Dead silence fills the room for a couple of seconds. Eventually, Killua clears his throat and looks away. "Uh... Y-Yeah..." he mumbles in reply, his face now a deep red as he continues cleaning up, back turned to you.

You stare at him, almost chuckling at his flustered state. No matter what happens, at the end of the day, he's still the same old Killua. The same old Killua who showed you the light, the wonders of life, and most importantly, what it meant to have friends.

And you absolutely love him for it.

___________________________