Butterflies (Killua Zoldyck x Reader)

Butterflies

You gasped out in pain as a pool of red blossomed and stained the cloth of your shirt. The knife in your side burned and tore at the muscle in its path. The pain was the only thing you could think about, the only thing you could feel in that moment.

You felt your knees buckle beneath you, your bare forearms crashing into the wet concrete before you could try to catch yourself. Through blurred tears of pain, you could see him.

Killua.

You couldn't make out his expression, but you could see him moving. A flurry of blue electricity sparked in the air as the rain poured around you. He was going to be upset with you after this was all said and done. But you had to do it. You didn't have any other choice. He was too busy fighting that thug to do anything about the dagger being thrust into his side.

It happened in an instant. One second you were fighting beside him, the next you saw the glare of a blade flicker in the corner of your eye and before you could scream for him to move you took the blow.

Your eyes felt heavier now. The rain that was roaring in your ears was becoming a faint whisper. Your vision blurred. The last thing you saw was Killua's sneakers sprinting toward you...

———

The sun flittered through the dust collecting on the window and cast a warm glow on your face. You blinked your eyes open to see a mop of white hair sleeping by your lap. You smiled softly at his soft snores, his long eyelashes were catching the sunlight coming through the window.

You reached your bandaged hand down the run it through his hair.

Poor Killua, how long had he been there with you? Knowing him, he was probably there with you all night. A bandage was wrapped tightly around your torso. You blushed at the thought that he must have had to take off your shirt to put that on. Not really the way you wanted him to see you shirtless for the first time...

Damnit, (y/n)...

You blushed harder, puffing air out of your cheeks in a desperate attempt to make it go away. How silly of you, (y/n). Stop thinking of this stuff... you can't afford to think like this now.

It started with one butterfly in your chest. Fluttering softly when he smiled at you when you were kids at the Heavens Arena.

He complimented you on the amazing fight you put up on the 200th floor, "Nice job, (y/n), I didn't think you were so strong." His arms were crossed behind his head as he smiled and walked by your side.

For some reason, the pain in your legs and the burn of fresh cuts on your knuckles faded from your mind as soon as he said that. You smiled brightly at him, even though the skin on your lip tugged painfully due to the split lip you received from your fight, "Thank you."

One butterfly multiplied into many when you were teenagers. Killua grew to be stronger, taller, and more handsome every day, it seemed. You had shared history. Years of fighting by his side, years of conversation, years of shared laughs, and secrets only caused you to fall deeper. The wings of what felt like hundreds of butterflies fluttered their wings in your chest. You couldn't help but admire him in silence.

Little did you know, he was admiring you in silence, too.

You were both older now, eighteen to be exact, and best friends. Six years of being on the run together made you both stronger, smarter, and cautious. As cautious as you both could be. But injuries happened every now and then. Serious injuries like this occurred every once in a blue moon. But you were both very skilled with Nen and first aid, so you survived.