Gon's exhaustion from the concert put him to bed at a decent hour, and woke him up at the semi-reasonable hour of ten in the morning. Killua was already awake, and when Gon stepped out into the open, Killua wouldn't have noticed were it not for the fact that Gon was wearing the sweatpants Killua had suggested he buy at Forever 21.

Killua turned away with a roll of his eyes, thinking, Damn, I know this guy's whole wardrobe now , and decided that it was annoying.

They left for Aldi's before both of them could be consumed by homework. Gon manned the cart while Killua wandered aimlessly through the aisles, disappeared, and reappeared only to drop something off in the cart. Each time, Killua found Gon in the produce section fondling fruits and vegetables.

"Dude, are you gonna spend an hour poking mangos? Get a move on," Killua said.

"It's serious stuff!" Gon insisted. He noted the egg carton Killua put in the cart and asked, "Did you check to see if the eggs are cracked?"

Killua stilled, cursed, and reluctantly went to the carton. He flipped it open, judged from the surface, and shut the carton. "They're fine. Just get the damn mango, dude. We don't have all day."

Gon shrugged and said, "Geez, alright, I'm getting the mango."

Gon stocked up on cooking supplies and large vegetables that took up an obnoxious amount of space in the cart. He obtained the largest bag of corn tortillas imaginable on top of rice and pinto beans, which Killua eyed suspiciously as they stacked their items onto the conveyer belt to the cash register.

True to his word, Gon paid for half of Killua's groceries, which Killua found hilarious in the sense that the twenty he gave Gon was now being used to pay for the other half of his own groceries.

They kept to themselves during the trip, for the most part, which meant that the drive was quiet and contemplative. Killua spent the entire time inadvertently assessing Gon's driving skills, which resembled an elderly lady who was not only cautious, but also spoke to herself. The idiot wouldn't shut up during the entire drive, and it was all narration of events that Killua found mediocre at best. "No, after you, good sir. This is a four-way stop and you stopped first so after you ."

Killua was more than ready to eat a fuck ton of bread once they got back to the apartment, but before he could do that, he became aware that Gon was actually going to cook.

And low key... Killua wanted in on that.

It started with Gon pulling out a pot the size of Chewbacca, which Killua had seen in the pantry and wondered what the hell could be cooked in that aside from a full-grown toddler. Killua stood near his bedroom door, a slice of bread in his mouth, and his free arm folded over his stomach as he watched Gon whistle to himself as he filled the pot with water and poured an entire bag of pinto beans into it.

Killua tipped his head to the side as Gon then poured a bag of pinto beans into a bowl of water. When Gon glanced back at Killua's room, though, Killua had disappeared behind his bedroom door.

Killua gathered his books for class and took them with him to the living room. By then, Gon had all of the spices he had just bought out on the counter and could now be found peeling the protective covers off of each and every one of them whilst singing Don't Go Breaking My Heart under his breath, fully thinking Killua was still in his bedroom.

Killua sat at the kotatsu with his back to the windows so the overcast could illuminate the pages of his text book. He propped it silently up on the table, his legs crossed beneath the comforter. He glanced up to where Gon was now dumping a smattering of spices into the pot.

Gon took out the packaged meat from the fridge along with a cutting board from the cabinet next to the microwave. Killua grimaced a little. He hated the texture of raw meat and therefore never considered cooking with it, which meant that he didn't generally eat it. But there Gon was, slapping it onto the cutting board like it was no big deal.

The previous semester, Killua had a dining hall pass, and before that, he had a professional chef to cook for him at the Zoldyck estate. And now, on his own, he couldn't even make boxed mac 'n' cheese on his own without second guessing every move.

It was fascinating to see someone his age cook like he'd been making his own meals since he was three.

Gon knew just how to cut the meat, how to season it, and how to treat the pan before grilling it. Soon, the aroma spread through the apartment and Killua found himself oozing with it, his unsatiated hunger yearning for whatever it was Gon was sizzling on the stove. Killua slumped, breathing it in with closed eyes until the exact moment he sensed Gon looking back at him.

Killua went back to his textbook in an instant.

"Do you eat meat?" Gon asked.

Killua snorted, flipping the page. "Is this a bi joke or...?"

Gon rolled his eyes and glanced back at Killua, saying, " No , I'm just wondering if you're vegetarian."

"Then the answer's no, I'm not vegetarian," Killua said, but that didn't mean he went out of his way to eat meat. The same sentiment applied to his lovelife.

Sometime in the afternoon, a plate was pushed across the table to where Killua's books were.

Killua looked up from it and to Gon's cheeky smile. Killua reached hesitantly for the fork and said, "Thank you..."

"No problem," Gon said, and went back to the stove.

He put his back to Killua, and while he wasn't looking, Killua speared a bit of chicken. He looked up and froze upon catching Gon glancing at him from over his shoulder. Gon turned away, grinning to himself. Killua popped the food into his mouth and, Jesus Christ on a ten speed bike, that shit was fire .

Monday came quickly and by morning, Gon's meal prepping was complete and organized within a multitude of stacked containers in the fridge. Killua opened the fridge that morning not expecting there to be a brick wall of containers on the second shelf.

Gon pranced out of the bathroom, his shower having dampened his hair's gravity-defying tricks. Killua glanced back at him before reaching to the box on his shelf—the first shelf—where Gon had put a sticky note on top with Killua's name on it.

Gon disappeared into his bedroom to change and when he came back to pack up for the day, Killua was already gone, and as was Killua's share of Gon's food. It was his proudest moment in San Francisco, by far.

Gon hurried on, grabbing his backpack, jacket, and shoes on the way out. He slipped his sneakers on in the hallway, locked the door, and was on his way to lecture where he found Knuckle and Zushi already chatting in the middle seats of the lecture hall.

Gon hurried up and down the aisle where he dropped down beside Zushi and declared, "We need to go back to The Phantom ."

Zushi opened his mouth to argue, but Knuckle was already saying, "Agreed."

Zushi threw his hands down in frustration. "Both of you—We don't have the time or the money to be going to strip clubs every weekend."

Gon groaned, slumping dramatically in his seat. He couldn't stop thinking about the dancer he and spent all night staring at. Not only that, but he couldn't stop dreaming about getting a lapdance ever since Killua declared that twenty could get him as much.

"But we'd be able to interact with the dancers if we went on a night there isn't a concert," Knuckle explained to Zushi, but Zushi's wallet wasn't hearing any of it.

Gon grumbled to himself and thought about everything else that frustrated him, like the fact that Killua had scored a date. Gon wanted a date. He came to San Francisco with the ideal image of a bachelor pad in his head. The very least he could do was score a date .

Gon threw his head back and groaned. "I just want a boyfriend. Zushi—help me," he whined, flopping a hand onto Zushi's arm, desperate for contact.

"You both are such high maintenance," Zushi chastised. He gestured wildly and said, "And clearly , the way to get a boyfriend is to get Tinder."

"Cripes! Why didn't I think of that!" Gon cried, his brain suddenly on fire. He needed to make a Tinder profile immediately . The state of his love life depended on it. It was such an obvious solution, Gon wanted to hit himself for not considering it sooner.

Knuckle reached across Zushi to start slapping Gon in the leg, saying, "Download the app! Download the app!" to which Gon replied in a frenzy, "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!"

He weaseled his phone out of his coat pocket and, upon downloading the app, became the center of attention in his small friend group. Knuckle leant obnoxiously over Zushi's lap as Zushi propped his head on Gon's shoulder and watched him type in his email to create a new account.

As they waited for the professor to show up, they populated Gon's dating profile with a prime selection of photos from Seattle Pride, a photo from his old community college—before shit hit the fan, so he looked fine—, and a photo from when he and Aunt Mito visited San Francisco when touring colleges. They put the Pride photo up first.

After polishing up his preferences, Gon's profile was ready for the masses. He brimmed with eager energy, toes curling with excitement, and hands jittery like he just consumed an espresso.

The first profile dropped onto his plate, and Gon thought he might have a heart attack. It constantly blew his mind that there was an app out there that could connect him to people as beautiful as this .

Gon slapped a hand over his heart and said, "I need to swipe right. I need to."

"It's your first guy!" Zushi cried, alarmed. "There's plenty of fish in this sea, dude."

"I'm swiping right," Gon whispered, breathless, as he swiped right. He was shot in the heart again when the next person proved to be just as handsome as the last. Gon slid in his seat, fake-swooning.

Zushi turned to Knuckle. "He's hopeless."

"He's got game," Knuckle insisted.

"He hasn't even matched yet—" Zushi said, just as Gon got a notification that he had, in fact, matched with his first pick. As Gon opened up their DMs, Zushi murmured, "Well shit."

Gon tapped in a "Hey" accompanied by a smiley face. He sent it before Zushi had a chance to object. Zushi put his head in his hands and reiterated the fact that Gon was hopeless.

Luckily, the guy texted back. Zushi popped up. At that same moment, however, the professor walked in, and he could only watch in horror as Gon conducted his first ever Tinder conversation in silence in the middle of the goddamn lecture hall. The entire time, Gon had a cheeky smile on his face because holy shit , someone matched with him!

They scheduled to meet that following day. When Gon brought this up to Zushi and Knuckle after class, Knuckle said, "Nice, dude!" while Zushi put his forehead to the brick wall and groaned, "That isn't how Tinder works..."

Gon put his hands on his hips. "Well, it's easier to get to know someone in person! And texting kinda makes me nervous anyway. Face-to-face is my kind of deal."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but what if this guy's a serial killer?" Zushi said. "You'd see the flags in a text conversation."

Knuckle hummed. "To be fair: You'd also see them in person."

"Yeah, when the guy takes a knife to your throat," Zushi seethed, jabbing at Knuckle, who leapt out of the way and directly into Uvogin.

"Whoa, hey, what'd I miss?" Uvogin said.

Gon jolted when Zushi grabbed him forcefully by the shoulders and shook him with emphasis, foaming at the mouth as he cried, "This man right here just scored a date and I don't know how to feel about it—!" He cut off into a scream that reverberated down the hallway and startled a few very alarmed students leaving the lecture hall—include... Killua Zoldyck.

They all froze.

Killua rubbed at his ear and kept walking without making eye contact. Zushi's entire face became the color of a fire hydrant, his hands still clinging to Gon to keep him from fainting out of pure humiliation.

Gon felt as though he might throw up. Emphasis on might .

When Killua left the building, Zushi put his head to Gon's shoulders and whispered, "Kill me now, I beg you."

"I gotta admit—that was pret-ty hilarious," Uvogin said, which earned him a punch from Knuckle, who said, "Tone it down, dude. Our buddy is suffering here."

Uvogin put his hands up in surrender. Zushi fake-sobbed into Gon's arms and Gon gave him a hesitant pat on the back for comfort's sake.

The instant Killua left the building, he let out a breath of relief. So far, it seemed, no one had detected the truth behind his association with Freecss, but that was difficult when Freecss had essentially befriend the three friendliest people in the class. Everyone knew Zushi, Knuckle, and the track star Uvogin and, by association, they now knew Freecss. Killua didn't need that spotlight on him when he already had one on stage.

However, because Gon was now effectively integrated into their major, it meant that Killua heard his name every now and then in the second semester courses that Gon had yet to be enrolled in.

Killua glanced back at the door with a scoff and thought, Sounds like that nerd has a date . Everything that had to do with dating had Killua's brain navigating back towards fashion. He wondered what outfit Gon would decide to wear for his date.

Or if he'd ask Killua for help deciding.

Killua shook the thought from his head and passed a hand through his hair. He glanced down the road where, at the bus stop, that blonde journalist bitch was staring at him. She tensed, eyes wide, and offered a meager wave when she realized that Killua was, in fact, watching her.

Everyone seems to think I've got a significant other after she spread that picture around , Killua thought. He was grateful Kurapika had the fashion sense of Marceline the Vampire Queen—a perfect disguise, but still, he couldn't risk people following him to Kurapika's car on a day Kurapika decided not to dress like a celebrity in public.

He started towards Retz. She blushed as he approached, and it took only a few seconds before the red in her ears to flush through her entire face.

"K-Killua, hey," she said.

He considered asking her to delete the photo, but the damage was already done. Asking her to stop following him just suggested that he had an end destination he didn't want her to know. Fuck , there weren't many options that didn't seem suspicious or tantilizing to a journalist like her.

"Are... you waiting for the bus too?" she asked, and Killua realized that he had been standing in silence for a second too long.

Killua licked his lips and looked away. "No. I just wanted to ask you to stop taking pictures of me without my consent," he said.

She barely missed a beat. Barely. "They're just photos."

They were just photos, but it wasn't like Killua could suddenly make the argument that he made money off of his body, and pictures counted in that.

"Yeah, well, I just don't like thinking about people getting off to them," he said. He would give an arm and a leg to not be so awkward outside of the club, but there he was, grimacing in disgust like a prude.

Retz blinked, stammered, and floundered for a proper response. She scratched at the back of her head, cheeks still bright pink. "I see you think... pretty highly of yourself."

"You must too, if you're taking pictures of me."

"Th-Those weren't for me!" she cried, waving a hand quickly. Killua rose an eyebrow. Her hands slumped to her sides. "You know how it is, being a creator and all. I write about what people want to read. If I didn't do that, I wouldn't have a readership."

"Then I would politely like to ask you to stop depending on me for your readership," he said.

Retz swallowed hard. Speechless, she nodded, and Killua let out a sigh of relief. He muttered his thanks, and it came out gruff and sarcastic as he walked off in the direction of his bus stop several blocks down. It was Monday and he wasn't on the schedule to clean the club, so it was a precious night off for him to relax at the apartment. And, as it turned out, the stages were filled the following day so Tuesday was another Phantom-free night.

Before that could be set in stone, however, Killua's phone rang as he waited for his bus. He pulled it from his coat pocket, shuddering against the Pacific wind, and squinted at Kurapika's name on the screen.

He answered it.

"Hey—"

" An early slot opened up tomorrow night ."

Killua rolled his eyes. "Is this your passive-aggressive way of saying you're bailing tomorrow night."

" Of course not. When have I ever done that. "

Killua laughed. "Right now, for example." He leant over, peering around the block. Retz was still waiting at the other stop a block down, and it relieved him that she managed to listen to him. "But yeah, I'm in. I need the cash, anyway."

" Perfect. I'll let Satan know ," he said, and hung up.

Even though Tuesday was no longer a night off, today was. Because of this, when Gon returned home, Killua was already locked away in his room catching up on sleep. Gon padded slightly through the fading light in the living room and, in his own room, was reminded of how pleased he was that he had a place of his own.

Despite having a roommate, Gon felt pride swell in his chest. He was a step closer to being an adult. He felt more accomplished than he had in years, and as he melted into the covers on the mattress he bought, he fell asleep with a smile on his face and his phone in hand.

The content on his phone remained on the tip of Gon's brain from that moment and on through the morning. He woke up grinning like an idiot and all but pranced across the apartment to the bathroom where he twirled inside and shut the door.

It was hard to miss Gon's makeshift ballet display, especially when Killua was sitting right there at the kitchen table. After catching wind of the muffled sound of the showerhead, Killua picked up the tell tale sound of Gon singing in Spanish to himself behind the closed bathroom door.

Weird , Killua thought, pulling a foot up onto the chair. He hugged his arm around it and went back to finishing off his abysmal breakfast.

When Gon finished up in the bathroom, Killua was busy cleaning dishes in the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder and startled at the sight of Gon in nothing but a towel.

Gon let out a high-pitched shriek. "Don't look! Don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook!" he cried, and Killua would laugh if Gon wasn't so mortified. He put his blinders on (his hand) and turned back to the sink. Shortly after shutting himself up in his room, Gon emerged again saying, "Okay, now you can look."

"I swear to God, if you're naked now—"

"This isn't a rated R film, Killua! I need help deciding if this is... a good outfit."