Itsy Bitsy Spider

76. No Promises

"Hey, Gon?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"...nothing."

Gon sat up abruptly and gave Killua a stern and exasperated look. "That's like the fourth time you've said that! When are you going to tell me?"

"Give me a break, it's the..." Killua took a moment to count. "Third."

Gon slapped his hands to his forehead and groaned. "Fine!" he huffed, and his gaze briefly flitted to the hallway. "I'll guess! I'll guess what's bothering you! You're never going to tell me if I wait anyway!"

Killua snorted, taunting him. "Good luck with tha-"

"Kalluto?" Killua sent a quick and questioning glare his way, and Gon only grinned back, victorious. "Knew it."

"Shut up," he ordered, and picked up a sofa cushion to chuck at Gon's head, which missed because Gon leapt up and kicked it right back at him. Killua would have been knocked off the side of the sofa if he hadn't ripped through it with his hand, stopping its momentum. He clicked his tongue at the mess it created, white feathers flying everywhere and tickling his nose. "You're not going to let me alone in peace unless I say something, right."

Gon grinned wider in response.

Resisting the urge to sneeze, Killua fell back on the sofa and pressed the back of his wrist to his forehead. "I'm thinking... it wouldn't be too bad to go back to Kukuroo. Not permanently, no way. I'd suffocate. But I can visit sometimes. I wanted to check up on Alluka anyway, so it works out."

Eyes flicking to the side, Gon then shifted his gaze directly onto his friend and nodded, meaningless because Killua wasn't even looking at him. He'd instead turned his head to look out the window, pressing his lips thinly together.

Most everyone back home only wanted him to return because he was the Zoldyck heir. Illumi, his dad, his mom; he was even sure that deep down, his grandpa also harbored similar feelings. Anyone who didn't think so either didn't care (Milluki), didn't have a say in Zoldyck matters (Gotoh), or was locked away. He wished he'd been born without the stupid white hair trait, but the snowy fluff on his head didn't seem to be changing colors anytime soon, and nobody's views changed either.

But although Kalluto was certainly influenced by those views as the youngest, there was something more, genuinely sincere. Nothing as straightforward as Gon, but it was plain to see. And it was the same with Alluka; she'd been separated from the rest of them early on, so all her intentions were pure, almost free of the Zoldyck stain. He'd lived nearly separate from his younger two siblings for a long time and only knew one of them well, but it was those two who simply wanted him back because they honestly felt so. Not the Zoldyck heir, just Killua.

And yeah, though there were some things he hated at Kukuroo Mountain, in his spare time he guessed he could drop in from time to time, though he would leave before his mom got wind of anything.

Noticing Killua in deep thought, Gon slowly crept off the sofa and tiptoed to the door, poked out his head and flashed a thumbs up, only to be met with an empty hallway.

* * *

There was chatter coming from the kitchen as he walked toward it, feet falling silently on the wooden flooring.