on's class let out just before dinnertime, and when he returned to the apartment, he had opened to find the lights on. When he arrived to an empty apartment, though, his hope dampened. He was alone again.

Gon sighed as he balanced his backpack and guitar bag in the foyer. He slipped his shoes off and locked the front door behind him. It was already dark—damn the winter months—and the apartment felt hollow with the street lights streaming in through the blinds. The blue, eerie shadows dissipated the instant Gon flicked on the overhead light.

He set his backpack on the kitchen table chair. Killua had come with furniture, but it wasn't enough to fill the sheer size of the apartment.

We'll need to go shopping, Gon thought as he went to his room. There was a sleeping bag on the ground from the night before, and Gon crawled on top of it, laid his guitar on the ground next to him, and hugged the neck of it for as long as it took for him to fall asleep—mostly by accident, of course.

He slept through what would have been dinner and didn't wake until a key turned in the front door. He startled to attention with a gasp, shoving himself up from the sleeping bag and twisting around to the open bedroom door. The living room lights were still on, and so he saw the moment Killua walked in, sluggish and tired, at midnight.

"Welcome home," Gon chimed, albeit hoarse with sleep, from his room.

Killua jerked with a start, eyes wide. Oh, right, he had a roommate. His shoulders slumped with a low curse, shoving his backpack onto the ground beside the table. He put his hands over his face and groaned, "Don't—scare me like that, Christ."

"Sorry," Gon said, hushed and guilty. He left his room and realized instantly that his stomach hurt so much because he was painfully hungry. He clutched at his stomach and sighed. "Are you hungry at all?" he asked.

"Starving," Killua confessed, and Gon brightened instantly.

"We should order something! I haven't had dinner yet," he said. He reached for the refrigerator door handle, and as he did, Killua peered around him to see the very empty refrigerator. "And we haven't gone grocery shopping yet. Aye, yai yai, that's gonna be expensive..."

"Don't remind me," Killua groaned, rolling his eyes away from the horror scene. He slumped against the kitchen table and reached for his phone. "I'd be down for pizza."

"Domino's?" Gon suggested, and Killua agreed.

As they waited for the pizza to arrive, the atmosphere of the apartment diminished to nothing more than a sense of awkward tension. Gon wanted to go back to his room, but Killua stayed out at the kitchen table. Perhaps they needed to talk things over? They did need to go shopping...

"Hey, Killua," Gon started, perched at the head of the table. Killua looked up from his phone. Gon's heart leapt into his throat at the look of murder in Killua's icy blue eyes. He swallowed hard, ignoring every visual he had of theory class that day. "I'm thinking maybe... this weekend we could go shopping? Maybe get a futon or something..."

"I'm not going shopping with you," Killua deadpanned, and Gon's hopes and dreams plummeted. "Just pick something out and we'll go halfsies. I don't care."

"Really?" Gon huffed. "But going to Ikea together would be so much fun."

"Not a chance."

"Why not?"

Killua sighed as he set his phone on the table, hooked an arm over the back of his chair, and said, "I just don't want to be seen in public with you, alright? We don't know each other and I'm not comfortable with it."

All of the dismal energy in the pit of Gon's hungry stomach flared up then out of sheer anger. He crossed his arms and turned away with a scowl, seething, "I don't get it—you've got such an attitude. I don't see why half of our class is head over heels for you."

He didn't miss the way Killua's mouth fell open then, or how he blinked dumbly at Gon for several silent seconds. He cleared his throat, shifted uncomfortably, and said with a low, nervous grin, "Yeah right. I don't know where you heard that, but it isn't true."

Killua wasn't dumb, though. He preferred to play dumb and blamed it on his training with Kurapika when it came to talking to customers. Play dumb, and only act like you know what's happening if it's for the benefit of getting a client flustered. Killua wasn't looking to call people out on their bullshit—he knew when his peers were checking him out—but he wasn't about to start that conversation.

Someone once asked him out to a house party last semester. Killua had meant to play dumb, but instead said, "I don't know what that means," and left.

He tended to play Too Dumb too often.

Gon floundered before erupting with an explosive, "You've got a whole fanclub! Are you seriously telling me you didn't notice when everyone was looking at you in theory today?"

Killua's eye twitched. He was still hung up on the fact that Gon talked about him with their classmates. "There's a reason I sit at the back of the class," Killua hissed. "And you talked to your 'friends' about me?"

"I didn't bring it up! They brought it up, and they also mentioned that you're..." The rest dissolved into a sheepish mutter. Gon's ears turned pink.

"I'm what?"

"Bi," Gon hissed.

Killua couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sometimes he wondered why he was bisexual. It wasn't his fault that he was attracted to the worst gender in existence (men) but there he was, batting for both teams.

He also dreaded the fact that the class knew this about him and it was all because of the first week of fall semester when a guy asked him out and followed up with, "But if you aren't gay, then I'm fine being friends," and Killua responded, "That isn't the issue—I swing both ways, just not your way."

And now everyone in the music theory major knew he was bisexual.

Great.

"Is that why you're nervous rooming with me?" Gon asked, ducking his head. "Because people might talk?"

"That's not a concern," he said, standing and grabbing his phone from the table. He pushed away as Gon watched him leave. "Because I'm not—nor will I ever be—interested in you."

Gon's jaw dropped to his lap. He wanted to tackle Killua to the ground right then and there, but instead, he just sat there, dumbfounded, sitting on the only piece of furniture in the shared living space of their apartment.

Killua leaned out of his bedroom door and said, "Tell me when the pizza gets here," before shutting the door.

Gon clenched his hands into fists on top of the table. He gave them a good, solid slam before shoving to his feet. He glared in the direction of Killua's closed bedroom door before grabbing his backpack and marching to his own room. Two could play at this game.

***

Prior to their first class, Gon visited the coffee shop down the road and, by complete coincidence, bumped into Killua there as well. Gon's trip to the coffee shop was swifter—what with his car to help transport him—and so he hadn't realized that Killua left the apartment an hour earlier to sip his mocha in peace. Killua's bedroom door was shut, so Gon merely assumed that Killua was sleeping in and that they didn't, in fact, have their first Tuesday class together.

And, so, when Gon waltzed down the sidewalk to the coffee shop just down the road, he was more than surprised by the sight of Killua sitting at the countertop along the street-side windows, a travel mug to his lips.

Killua looked up from his computer and his eyes stilled on Gon, who froze mid-step, eyes wide and stuck on Killua through the glass store front.

Gon pointed to him, as if to say, "Aha! Cryptid spotted!"

Killua turned away, nose in the air, and cup to his lips as if to say, "You dare look at me, peasant?"

Gon's hand swung to his side, scoffing under his breath. He glared at Killua one last time before making his way to the door. He pushed inside and climbed the short set of stairs to the main floor of that narrow, small coffee shop where he and Killua had first seen each other.

The coffee shop was rustic with stained wood countertops and cabinets and iron-framed stools and chairs. Gon passed by the pastry glass and tried his best to ignore the Smoking Hot Piece Of Ass sitting at the front window (Killua Zoldyck). It was an immensely difficult task, one that Gon's self-control could be proud of.

But hot damn, Gon's brain was splitting in two directions—one towards the cash register, and the other hyper-aware of Killua sitting at the window. Gon pinched his fingers to his bottom lip where he took to worrying it between his teeth. This was too much for one gay boy to handle, truly. A coffee shop? It was the ultimate Meet Cute location! Prime Partner-Searching Territory.

"Sir?" the cashier said, head tipped to the side.

Gon blinked, startled. "Oh, sorry. I'll get a matcha latte, please."

She tapped Gon's order into the computer and, after paying, set to work on his drink. Gon caught himself glancing at the back of Killua's head and only did so when the barista leant over and said, "Cute, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Gon squeaked, alarmed.

The barista gestured to Killua and rose her eyebrows at Gon. "That one over there."

Gon wanted to shrivel up and die.

"Oh, no, I was just, um... looking at the decorations," Gon said, putting his eyes back to the vaulted ceiling where old barn wooden planks lined the walls.

"Uh-huh, sure hun," she said.

Gon laughed and went to the counter alongside the espresso machine. He leant his forearms against it and asked, "What's your name?"

"Biscuit," she said with a bright smile that made her look like an absolute doll with her round cheeks. "But everyone just calls me Bisky."

Gon gave a soft nod, still smiling wide. "Well, Bisky, nice to meet you. I imagine you'll be seeing a lot more of me here."

"And why's that? You move in near here?"

"Yeah, actually. Just down the street," Gon said.

They engaged in small talk until the exact moment Gon heard Killua shut his laptop. Bisky slid over a cup of green tea to Gon, who took it with one hand as his eyes followed Killua's exit from the coffee shop. The instant Killua was gone, walking past the glass store front, Bisky snapped her fingers in Gon's face.

"Just ask the fella out," she hissed at him.

Gon startled, alarmed, and waved his hand with a dismissive, awkward laugh. "Oh, no, it's not like that. Really!"

"It never hurt anyone to try."

"No, I'm... pretty sure it has," Gon argued. "You'd be surprised by what's emotionally damaging."

She snapped her fingers again, this time, directly in front of Gon's nose. He leant back to avoid getting hit. "That isn't the attitude I'm looking for, mister. Seize the opportunity, dammit."

Gon laughed again, smiling wide. "I shouldn't. We're, uh—" She's a barista, not a student! "—we're actually roommates. Random roommates, so we don't know each other very well yet."

Bisky put a hand on her hip and hummed in understanding, peering at Gon from down her nose with a devilish glint in her narrowed eyes. "Ah, I see how it is..." she sang, her pursed lips spreading into a wide smile. "You are in a perfect position, Gon."

She read his name off of the cup in his hands. Gon glanced at it and laughed, saying, "Uh, yeah, I don't think so. We aren't exactly roommates by choice."

"By fate then?" Bisky suggested, leaning an elbow to the counter.

"Not likely," he giggled. He raised the tea up and said, "Have a nice day, Bisky."

"You as well," she said with a lovesick sigh. Gon smiled as he left the coffee shop, fully aware that Bisky had her eyes on him as he crossed in front of the coffee shop window on his way to his car.

That café experience was practice, though, for when Gon actually saw Killua in class that day. It was easier for him to ignore Killua after the café incident, and he succeeded in keeping his eyes to himself until class ended and he was lulled into Zushi's affectionate attention as the guy said, "I'd love to see your apartment."

Knuckle pitched in instantly. "Yeah, it must be nice having a whole-ass apartment."

Gon smiled, sheepishly, and couldn't quite say anything on the matter without fearing he'd let Killua's name slip. Instead, he did something far worse.

"So do you have a roommate?" Zushi asked.

Gon's immediate response, knowing that Killua would shit a brick if he gave away the roommate situation, went as follows: "No. I just... have a one bedroom apartment."

Zushi threw his arms up with a triumphant laugh. "That's perfect! We could hang out at your place!"

Shit.

"As much as I'd love to show you guys my apartment... it's just... a real mess right now," Gon said, the guilt seeping into every word that escaped his mouth. And here he thought he'd have the Socializing Hot Spot of all of the dorms and apartments alike.

That was no longer the case, so long as he wanted to stay on Killua's Good Side (not that the guy had many good sides—aside from looks, that is).

Zushi slumped with a groan and muttered, "Fine, I guess that makes sense."

"Well, if you guys ever wanna stop by my dorm, I'm in the athlete hall," Knuckle said, shouldering his backpack as the three of them lingered in the lecture hall.

Gon tipped his head to the side, scratching at his hair. "Athlete hall?"

"Oh, yeah! Hatsu Hall—student athletes get priority in that dorm," Zushi explained. He clapped his hands together, smiling wide. "Best facility on campus! They've got huge rooms and heat in the winter."

Knuckle put his thumbs up and Gon squinted at them both. "So... not all of the dorms get heat in the winter?"

"Oh, we do—it's just... drafty," Zushi explained. He pointed to Knuckle and added, "His dorm's pretty rad. Single dorm for a single man."

"And ready to mingle, as the kids say," Knuckle said with a shimmy of his shoulders. Zushi gave him a smack on the arm and as the two of them bickered, Gon caught sight of Killua passing their group on his way out of the lecture hall.

Gon stared after him. Killua was wearing a scarf that day, and the plaid, tasseled ends ruffled behind him as one of the guys in their class held the door for him. Killua didn't acknowledge the guy, but the guy surely acknowledged him—after the fact, when one of his friends leant in to whisper something about Killua when he was gone.

"Killua's pretty popular, huh?" Gon commented. He glanced back at Knuckle and Zushi, who ceased their banter the instant Killua's name was mentioned.

Zushi put both hands out, gasping. "Did I miss it? Oh, fuck, I missed it."

Gon's heart stopped. "Missed what?"

Knuckle thumped him on the chest and said, "Killua's ass, bro. We keep our eyes and ears peeled for that shit."

Gon's heart dropped. Right, duh, of course it wasn't anything important. He threw his head back and groaned in annoyance as Zushi crumpled in defeat. "My streak—!" Zushi cried, dramatic and falling to his knees. He dropped his fists onto the back of the seat ahead of them, eyes down until the exact moment he threw his head back and sobbed, "Why—?!"

"It—! It's not that important, is it?!" Gon cried, but something in his brain—he knew exactly what part of his brain—told him that it was important.

"A travesty," Knuckle said with a firm nod, eyes closed, solemn.

"It isn't!" Gon exclaimed, and Zushi emphasized his disappointment by banging his fist against the seat again, head down against his forearm. He groaned and stepped over Zushi's legs as he headed for the stairs. "Well, on that note... I'm heading home. New guitar and all that, so..."

Zushi put a hand to his heart, leaning back once more to reach out to Gon and say, "Tell her I love her."

"My... guitar?" Gon said, raising an eyebrow. Zushi nodded, brushing away fake, nonexistent tears. "My guitar's a guy, dude. His name's Melvin."

Knuckle blinked, startled, and leaned in for clarity. "You... named a guitar Melvin?"

Gon folded his arms, pouting. Melvin held a lot of memories for him—specifically, every memory that shattered on the pavement at the community college. "Okay, well, Melvin 2.0," he clarified.

"Aw, that's cute," Zushi said.

"Is that sarcasm? I can't tell," Gon pouted, shoulders bunched up.

Knuckle gave Gon a firm clap on the shoulder and followed up with a reassuring shake. "Well, give Melvin 2.0 my best. I'll see ya later, dude."

And then, the most glorious thing happened. Knuckle put out a hand to Gon, and Gon had seen it everyone other than extended to him. He stared at Knuckle's hand for a moment, completely in shock. A bro shake, he thought, hands shaking with excitement.

He pulled a hand out from where he had them folded tightly to his chest. He clasped on to Knuckle's firm grip, their thumbs hooked together. If it was possible for Gon to feel lightheaded from how happy he was, then he certainly experienced it when their shoulders touched and the bro-hug released.

Gon continued to stare at his hand as he left the classroom. He stared at it all the way out of the building, down the street, and to the parking ramp where his car was. He clenched his fingers into a fist and, leaping into the parking ramp, thrust it to the air.

"FUCK YEAH!" he screamed, kicking his feet out like a leprechaun. He laughed, twirling, and spinning off of the curb and across the asphalt. At the trunk of his car, he braced both feet on the ground and threw both fists down in front of him, all but foaming at the mouth with unadulterated joy.

"I'm a bro now," he seethed.

Just as he rose both fists up, eyes heading to the sky, he stopped, stilled, half-crouched like a gremlin in the middle of that godforsaken parking lot where he caught sight of a familiar, white-haired guy staring at him from the far end of the aisle.

Gon froze.

Killua stared, for a moment, before shaking his head and turning away to pretend he hadn't seen a thing.

Killua scratched his finger to his temple, scoffing a little under his breath. He was far enough away that Gon could only hear his boots receeding as he wandered up the ramp to the top floor. He circled around the second story ramp and, at the third, saw the sky stretched over the ramp exit. He made this trek too many times for his thighs to ache anymore from the walk—but then again, he could possibly blame that on his training at The Phantom.

Killua walked to the back of the parking structure where, against the cement hedge circumnavigating the structure, he found Kurapika leaning against it. He slowed upon approaching the car, watching Kurapika from over the hood. As Kurapika took a slow drag of his cigarette, Killua crossed his arms and glanced back at the ramp to ensure no one was watching them. Few students flocked to the third floor of this parking structure, and if they did, it was because they commuted and were bound to stay on campus until the wee hours of the night.