Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gon and Killua have been searching around Aunt Mitos' house for what felt like hours, and Killua has grown sick of it. His fingers are numb from the chill, and a cold sweat coats his body. But most of all, he's tired. He'd go as far as to say he was exhausted- his eyelids drooping and body sagging, footsteps mere shuffles as he dragged his weight around sluggishly. And that certainly said something, such words were rarely spoken in his vocabulary. 

"Gon, seriously, we've searched this house from top to bottom! We won't find anything!" Killua remarked exasperatedly as he stopped rummaging through the cabinets to throw his arms up in exaggeration.

"But Killua! We're close to finding something important. I can feel it!" Snapping his head to the right, Killua glared at Gon.

"The only thing I want to feel is the comfortable bedsheets waiting for me in your room." Killua bites out, voice rising higher in pitch. Gon lets out a small huff, and a pout forms on his face, but other than that, Killua gets no response. Sighing, Killua turns his attention back to the cabinets he was searching.

Suddenly, the two paused, a tense silence filling the space between them as the sound of a door creaking open stole their attention.  

"Gon? Killua? Please do not tell me that's you two in the Kitchen." At the sound of a groggy and tired Aunt Mito, Gon bolts across the Kitchen. He quickly shot Killua an apologetic look as Killua stood there dumbfounded, and from the heavy, almost overbearing presence looming over him, Killua could tell Aunt Mito had already made her way into the kitchen. He turned almost comically slow, only to be met with a red-eyed Aunt Mito, hand upon her hip, eyes narrowed into a gaze that could only mean; 'he's in trouble.' "Killua, what are you doing up? It's almost three in the morning." Her frown somehow gets deeper. Honestly, Killua's surprised he has yet to experience an earful of scolding. Sweat trickling off of him, Killua opens his mouth to speak although, before he can, a loud shout rings out in the air;

"Found it!" Travels its way throughout the house. And if Aunt Mitos' frown wasn't large enough before, it certainly was now.

"So, you two are telling me," Her hand migrates between the two, now in a lit room with two coffee mugs filled with chocolate milk in front of them. "That you decided it would be a good idea to wake up at almost three in the morning to rummage around the house for some clue, that might not even be a clue, I add, to find Ging. Even though you both just returned from Greed Island." Aunt Mito deadpans in one deep breath, using two fingers to rub small circles in the crease between her eyebrows. Gon and Killua share a look before dropping their heads and simultaneously saying;

"Yes, ma'am." In a solemn tone. Before Aunt Mito can scold the two, Gon raises his head and chirps with a bright smile,

"I did find the clue though!" One of Killuas' eyebrows raised, intrigued to see what Gon found.

"Shush, Gon! Abe is still sleeping." Gon offers her a withering yet apologetic grin before producing a small sheet of white paper and setting it on the table.

Before Killua could spy a thing on the page, Aunt Mito snatches it up, flipping it around multiple times before setting it down. Looking at Gon with a confused expression, Aunt Mito speaks, "Coordinates?"

"Yeah!" Gon whisper-shouts, "I'm sure this could lead us to Ging. We need to find where the coordinates lead to!" Killua fixes Gon with a flabbergasted look because he did not just wake up at almost three to find a piece of paper. Before he can complain and lash out, though, Gon gives him a soft smile and says, "Thanks for waking up to search with me, Killua!" With such a delicate and genuine voice, Killuas' heart pangs in his chest, and he can only muster up a mumbled, "Whatever." In reply

Turning his head to the side, Killua tried to hide away the pink hue that had tinted his face, but to no avail. Gon, of course, noticed it. Turning his attention back to Aunt Mito, Gon let his smile grow impossibly wider.

"I'll go get the computer to search this place up!" And just like that, Gon ran off into his room. Sighing for the one-hundredth time that night, Aunt Mito picked up Gon's coffee mug and took a swig.

Plopping his computer down and logging into 'The Hunters' Tavern,' Gon begins to type the coordinates in, and what the search reveals is...

"A High School?" Gon and Killua inquire simultaneously. 

"Not just any High School either, one of the most prestigious ones in Japon Kunugigaoka Juniors' High School," Aunt Mito chimes in.

"So, Gon, how will we get into that school?" Silence falls between the two, and steam forms from Gon's ears after some time.

"I'll just enroll you two." Aunt Mito says as if it was as simple as that.

"But wouldn't that be difficult?"

"I mean, not with your hunter licenses. It won't be," Gon pouts.

"But I've already decided I won't use my Hunter license to help find Ging."

"You're still a qualified hunter, though, aren't you?" Gon blinks once, then twice. "I'm sure we could find at least someone to get you into that school." Killua tilts his head to the ceiling as he begins to think. Only a little of the world knows about Hunters and Nen. That includes some parts of the government, too. Now that he's thinking about it. There must be someone in the government who can get them into that school. Killua's train of thought slows when a yawn escapes his lips. As his eyes begin welling up with unshed sleepy tears, Killua speaks up.

"Can we talk more about this in the morning? I'm tired." Aunt Mito and Gon turn to look at him, now wearing the same warming smile. And at times like this, Killua can't help but notice their unwavering similarities. How the both of them are stubborn in their unpredictable ways, but understanding at the same time. Well, at least to him they were.

"Sure, Killua," Aunt Mito stands up. Shifting her weight to peer at Gon- silently prompting him to do the same -before walking towards her room door. When she's about a step away, she turns around, looking sternly at the two. "Go to sleep this time." She whispers with a silent but large yawn before walking into her room fully, leaving a tired-looking Killua and an ecstatic-looking Gon.

"Come on, Gon." Walking back up the stairs side by side, Gon and Killua make their way to Gons' room, only for Killua to immediately collapse onto the bed as Gon shuts the door behind them. Practically bellyflopping onto his bed with Killua afterward. Getting comfortable under the covers, Gon and Killua mutter their 'good nights' before surrendering to slumber.

Chapter Text

Killua is shaken awake by the familiar sound of pots and pans clanging together and the light tap of footsteps clashing with the rigid wooden floorboards, which ends up being what thoroughly stirs him awake—rubbing his eyes with his enclosed fist. Killua arises, tossing the now tangled sheets off him. Stepping onto the wooden floorboards, Killua begins to loiter down the stairs.

“Ah- Killua, you’re awake!” Aunt Mito grins, placing a plate containing fresh, warm, and mouth-wateringly daresay orgasmic-smelling bacon onto the table before shifting to direct her attention at Gon. “Come sit. Gon and I were discussing what had happened last night.” Rejoicing with a low and breathy; “ok,” Killua sits at the dinner table, picks up a fork, and stabs it into a bowl of scrambled eggs. Shoving a piece of egg into his mouth, he gives the two sitting across from him a quirk of the eyebrow. Waiting patiently for them to begin talking. “So, Killua, we- “

“We found someone working for us hunters that could get us into the school!” Gon howls, crossing the table to invade Killua’s personal space. Unfazed by the ebony boy now pressed against him, Killua redirects his attention to Aunt Mito.

“So, we’re in?” Killua questions with slight suspicion. It’s not as if Killua doesn’t trust the judgment of Gon and Aunt Mito. He does (maybe even a little too much). It’s just that with the Freecs, nothing is ever quite that simple. “Surprisingly, that’s it. Just like that, you two are enrolled.” Killua, still not convinced, continues with his questions.

“Anything we should know about beforehand? Like any warnings.” With that question, Aunt Mito’s face shapes into one of realization.

“Oh, yeah! There was one.” She frowns. “It wasn’t beneficial if you could even call it that. The only warning you two got was to ‘keep your grades up.’ Whatever that means.” Muttering the last part, Aunt Mito thrust a piece of bacon into her mouth. “You two should start packing your bags, though. You’ll have to travel all the way to Kunugigaoka town, after all.” 

Humming in apprehension, Killua returned to eating his breakfast.  

▪▪▪

Shoving a final pair of joggers into his suitcase, Gon looked up only to spot Killua still packing clothes. 

“Seriously, Killua, how many pairs of clothes do you need?” Gon questioned with a groan, having been fed up with Killua as he had taken almost an hour to shower and at least thirty more minutes to get dressed

“Well, I, unlike someone I know,” Killua sent a pointed glare Gon’s way. “care about how I look.”

“Hey! I do care about how I look!”

“Not with all that green, you don’t!” Killua retorts, holding up a pair of Gon’s green shorts to prove his point.  

“We’re going to be wearing uniforms anyway! So why does it matter!?”

“Because!” 

“You can’t just say because.” Gon huffs with a pout on his face before balling up a piece of clothing and hauling it at Killua. Killua (curse his fast reflexes) catches the cloth and chucks it back, smacking him square in the face. Gon frowned deeply before it shifted into a sly smirk. Then picking up two more pieces of clothing to fling at Killua. More clothes are thrown back and forth, things escalate (as things always do with the two), and Killua ends up positioned on top of Gon, a balled-up T-shirt in hand, prepared to punt it into the boys face, only to be stopped short as Aunt Mito comes barging in to notify them that their ship is coming soon and that they must finish packing “At that right moment.” The duo stares at each other for a minute longer before simultaneously bursting into thunderous, untamable, and eccentric laughter. Killua tumbles off Gon as the other clutches his stomach when he starts to struggle to breathe. Tears threatening to break free from his eyes, Killua sits up.

“Ok, fine, Gon. You win this one. I’ll finish packing in less than fifteen minutes.” A smile still frolicking on his lips, Killua sets off to finish packing. 

▪▪▪

“Are you two sure you’re packed and ready?” The two replies that Aunt Mito receives are full of exhaustion and boredom,

“Yes, Aunt Mito.”

Said Aunt Mito has been bugging the duo about how “Important it is to have all essentials when leaving home” or being what Gon would call ’a worrywart.’ They’ve been standing out near where the ships take sale for a good while (Gon got a little too excited, which ended up with the three of them nearing the port earlier than necessary), standing here in silence. Aunt Mito thought it would be the perfect time to start bombarding the two about how they packed, what they packed, and how it looked. So, here they are: Aunt Mito squatting on the ground, frantically searching through Killua’s bag, Killua watching Aunt Mito’s assault on his belongings with a seemingly blank stare, while Gon sits, watching on the sidelines.  

“Aunt Mito!” Gon whines, stopping her search. Aunt Mito’s gaze drifts upward to look straight at Gon. “We’ll be fine, I promise.” At that, Aunt Mito falters, stiffening for a moment before standing up and dusting herself off, coughing into her sleeve in an attempt to clear the awkward tension. 

“You’re right,” Aunt Mito answers with confidence, etching into her tone, though it disappears as fast as it appears. Eyes averted, Aunt Mito continues, “Even so, I still can’t help but worry when you two leave.” Now wearing a frown, Aunt Mito keeps her sight on the ground. Sighing and looking at each other concurrently, Gon and Killua walk towards Aunt Mito, Gon embracing her in a hug while Killua slowly pats her back, the motions awkward but meaningful and Mito has to repress a chuckle.

“We’ll be fine,” Killua speaks in that compassionate, (smilingly awkward) warm-hearted tone that rarely shows itself. Aunt Mito, still looking at the ground, speaks,

“I know you’ll be fine.” Her voice barely above a whisper, flat but still confident, “I know you two are strong, stronger than me. Still, I can’t help but worry. You two are only kids, yet here you are, venturing without an adult by your side again.” She finally looks up, wearing a mellow smile.

“We’ll come back.” It's unclear who said it, such boyish voices sound impossibly similar, and with tears making her vision blurry, it's hard to make out anything.

“I know.” Saying nothing more, Aunt Mito snakes her arms around the two, trapping the duo in her arms. Killua involuntarily stiffens before sighing and returning the hug in less than a second. The three of them stand there, savoring this moment, locking it somewhere deep within their hearts to carry with them. Eventually, a ship opening itself at the port just behind them can be heard, prompting Aunt Mito to release the two, stepping back misty-eyed, a somber expression on her face as she wearily ruffles both boys’ hair. “Stay safe.” The duo sends her a toothy grin in hopes of soothing her. It does, while simultaneously making her eyes glaze over, leading to her pulling them into one final hug before sending them off. 

“Hurry, you two! Or I’ll make you stay!” Both boys speed off, boarding the ship. Sending Aunt Mito one last wave, the boys run off further into the now-moving ship. And Aunt Mito swears she can feel every keen twinge in her gut as she watches the ship leave the port. Knowing she won’t be able to stand the sight of the ship truly leaving, Aunt Mito looks away. A burning sensation in her eyes and a feeling of defeat settling, shoulders sagging as she gets hit with a sudden sense of Deja vu. ‘Watching that boy leave hasn’t gotten any easier.’ The faraway thought allows a small smile to form on Aunt Mito’s lips; she walks away, taking long strides, not looking back for her own sake. That boy, bringing back a friend this time made things so much harder for her. All Mito can do is hope he doesn’t bring home another one. 

▪▪▪

Both boys were securely on the ship with their bags sitting on the ground next to them, seated in complete silence when Gon decided to be the one to break it, “Ne, Killua.” Poking his best friend’s cheek to get his attention, Gon asks the question that’s been lingering on his mind ever since yesterday night. “Have you ever gone to school?” Killua, now peeling one eye open to peer at Gon, sits up.

“Nope.” He answers simply, emphasizing the’ p.’ “Wasn’t allowed to; being in a family of famous assassins can make you a target, so,” Gon’s face brightens almost instantly.

“Really!? That’s awesome! Neither have I!”

“That’s good! I was scared I would be the only confused one.” Both boys chuckle at that, leaning down to rest against the ship’s railings.

“I’m sorta excited.”

“Really?” Killua directs his body to face Gon. 

“Really!” Gon shrieks, “I get to try something new while searching for Ging!” 

“But I hear school is hard. You have to learn a lot. You’ll probably overheat.” This time, Killua is the only one laughing. Gon huffs,

 “I can still try!”

“Yeah, whatever.” Killua snickers just to pause a second later, “Did Aunt Mito say anything about what class we’re supposed to be in?”

“Oh, yeah! Class 3-A. I think?” Killua’s eyes narrow. 

“Why am I already getting a bad feeling?” He sighs. 

“Come on, Killua! It’s not like we’ll have to fight or anything! It’ll be fun.” Killua ponders over it for a minute. 

“You’re right. At least we’re not playing dodgeball.” Both boys shiver at the unwanted and disturbing memory. 

“Moving on. We should be staying somewhere near the school, and I’ve already gotten someone to furnish and sort out the house.” Gon gives Killua the blankest stare he can manage. 

“And where did you get all this money from?” Killua’s lips quirk up in a devilish grin.

“Two words,” he sticks up one finger, “Blackmailing,” then another, “Milluki.”

 Gon blinks twice before deciding it’s not worth it and lies down, his only reply being, “Of course you did.” Before sighing and easing into slumber. 

Chapter Text

“Avast the ship!”

“Drop the anchor!” The ship's men’s blaring voices boomed loudly throughout the ship, alerting every voyager that they’d come to a halt, Gon and Killua included. 

“Killua! Look at all the pretty lights!” Gon hopped up and down repeatedly, pointing at the city which was alight, bright fluorescent colors bathing the entirety of the buildings on buildings that towered over each other, making it hard to pinpoint just what every inhabitant bustled about for within the city. Screens were everywhere, showcasing different advertisements, in addition to people flooding every street and entryway. To say Gon was impressed would be an understatement. The ship then shook and the gangway dropped, giving the duo a golden opportunity to grab their bags and speed off the ship before things could get too crowded. And the moment Gon's feet collided with the concrete he exploded in excitement, “Killua! We made it!” He shrieked, harboring no shame for his outburst, even with the judging eyes of passersby Gon continued, until Killua decided to do something about it. Tugging Gon back towards him, Killua frowned and screeched. 

“Quit being an idiot! Seriously, I mean it! You're getting distracted.” Killua wrapped his fingers around the wrist of Gon and dashed through the crowds of people, mumbling something about Gon being embarrassing.

All Gon could do was allow himself to get dragged through the mob, a smile etching its way onto his lips. 

▪▪▪

“Hey, Gon I think this is it.” In front of the duo lay a one-story house, standing tall, yet welcomingly with its white and wooden.

 Doing a quick double-take of the house, Killua decided it would suffice, making a mental note to text the pig later. Killua Dragged Gon into their newly acquired home. 

 Unbeknownst (but not really) to them a mother watched from a distance. 

▪▪▪

"Dogs are weird creatures." 

Nagisa remembers the moment this was said to him vividly, all by a figure he's yet to place. 

He remembers how bright the moon had been above him, how it'd brightened everything in his path and made him cover his eyes slightly when it hit him directly. 

He remembers the street lights, how they gleamed yellow and encased the old, wood slide. And how it illuminated the leather swing-set as it creaked underneath the weight of him.

He remembers how unwelcoming the cold had been, and how he could feel his fingertips deadening and see his breaths fleeting.

He also remembers being confused by the question as he looked over at his 'friend.' How his smile was bright but empty, and how his hands that were gripping the swing's metal seemed a little too tight for his casual demeanor. 

“They’re so loyal and willing to please. Even if treated wrongly they stay obedient. It really pisses me off.” They said, staring directly at Nagisa with that unbearably unreadable expression again. There was nothing Nagisa hated more than not being able to tell someone's intentions, in that moment, he wasn't capable of telling what was going to happen next.

(He says that, but deep down, he knew.)

There was a moment of silence before the figure he's not to recognize spoke again.

"...Nagisa, let's stop being friends."

...

"Okay." 

And that was how Nagisa lost his first and only friend. Just like that. 

Soon after, he was thrown into the end class.

He's not sure why he's recalling this now. Maybe it's due to the chilling silence of his house as he sits patiently on the vanity and waits for his mother to return.

And the more that Nagisa's left alone, the more he thinks.

He thinks about how placid his house is.

He thinks about how every waking hour was spent in frosting, piercing, and unnerving silence.

He thinks about how even then, he couldn’t bring himself to be the one to break it.

A brush against his hair startles him so hard he flinches. But his mother, Hiromi, doesn't seem to notice. Or maybe she just didn't care.

“How pretty you are, Nagisa.” She whispered, directing her attention away from azure-colored hair to colorless vanity. Once met with hollow eyes she soured, “Smile, Nagisa.” 

If there was one thing Nagisa knew, it was that nothing was worse than making his mother angry. So, he smiled. He closed his eyes and pretended he was elsewhere. 

"There you go, you'd make such a pretty girl." Hiromi’s smile was back again. Shining even brighter than before.

Nagisa let out a silent sigh of relief because his mother was happy again.

But then Hiromi laid her hands on his shoulders.

He shivered involuntarily, despising the feeling of bitterly cold and disgustingly soft hands on his skin, the familiar sensation made his stomach do summersaults, made all of his blood rush to his head, and made him sick to his stomach. God, he was so close to barfing up his breakfast.

The room must be spinning by now if the contorted view of himself in the mirror wasn't telling enough. He hated it. So much so that it made him want to scream out, to wail for help, to run and seek the warmth that he had craved for oh so long .

But he wouldn’t dare to say such a thing out loud. 

Because he-

“Nagisa?” 

Only then had he realized that he had been staring intensely at the floor.

And that his mother had been speaking.

Sending him a look of annoyance his mother continued. “As I was saying. We have new neighbors, they moved in just today!” Her face scrunched. “Now that I'm thinking about it, I didn’t see their parents with them. But that's fine, would you be dear to me and give them those cookies?” She pointed to the dining table where the box sat, her voice smooth and unwavering as she looked down at her daughter. 

Face brightening, Nagisa hopped up to put on his shoes seeing this as a golden opportunity to create much-needed space, he agreed. Grabbing the box he still hears his mother's voice trek the house, even when far away. “Be careful, they’re boys after all, boys your age at that!” Nagisa's mood abruptly soured.

“As if I'm not one” another thing he would never dare to say out loud. Slipping on his shoes Nagisa made his way out the door.

▪▪▪  

Nagisa thinks his mother may have actually lost her marbles this time and begun to hallucinate.

Ok, maybe he was exaggerating a little. Or maybe he wasn't. Because he’s been knocking on their so-called neighbor's door for about ten minutes and, still, no answer. It’s slowly begun to build up on him. What if they just don't want to be bothered right now? Or worse, maybe they saw him through the peephole and decided he just wasn't worth their time? Or maybe- 

The door swung open. And presenting themselves were two boys his age. 

The one who opened the door was a white-haired boy. The first thing he noticed was that the boy was just a bit taller than himself. The second was his eyes, the boy has incredible eyes. They reminded him of sparking electricity, making him want to hold contact and look away at the same time, in fear he would get shocked. He ended up looking away to focus on his other features, which were (surprisingly) just as pretty as his eyes. The boy's skin was pretty porcelain, not even the slightest bit of acne haunted his face. His lips set at a bright pink, and now Nagisa really looked at them. They were turned down into a frown.

“What.” His voice ran smooth and scratched the right part of Nagisa's brain. However, the present annoyance didn’t go unheard.   

He panicked.

“Ah- well I'm your new neighbor and-”

“Great, cool, I'm tired so come back later.” The comment made Nagisa’s eyes trail down, the boy was surprisingly (extremely fit) wearing pajamas at this time of day. Looking back up to his face Nagisa could now see discrete eyebags cupping his under eyelids.

And if Nagisa wasn’t regretting coming here before, he certainly was now. Because the boy looked pissed and Nagisa really doesn’t want to get into a fistfight (he was sure he would lose) in the middle of a crowded neighborhood. Nagisa prepared himself to turn around and hit the dash, but before he could, the other boy (whom he had barely noticed) spoke up in the most optimistic tone that Nagisa had ever heard, 

“ Killua! Come on, he's our new neighbor!” He beamed, and Nagisa could instantly tell that the boy was an extrovert. An extremely loud extrovert. While the other- whom he now knows as Killua. (What a weird name) is an introvert. Maybe it's like those black cat and golden retriever friendships everyone talks about. 

Before Nagisa could ponder any more the boy spoke up again. “Hello, neighbor! My name’s Gon, and his name is Killua!” Gon pointed at the two of them when presenting their names. “What's yours?”

“Nagisa.” He answered simply, now too distracted by observing Gon’s face to be nervous. Gon, like Killua, had no acne on his face, though his skin was tanner than Killuas, his hair was spiked (that can't be natural) and black, which looks greener the higher you look. His inspection was stopped when he shivered,

 this didn’t go unnoticed by Gon. Who spoke with a smile.

“Ne, Nagisa wanna come inside? It’s sorta cold.” He questioned with a smile. It looked so innocent to the point where Nagisa couldn’t disagree. He was filled with the slightest of regret when he saw Killua's annoyed face once again, but it was too late to back out now, wasn't it? 

Now fully inside the house, Nagisa noted that it was well-furnished even though they just moved. He also noted that there wasn’t a single adult in sight. And the two didn’t look alike at all, so they can't be siblings. Nagisa then concluded that the two were close friends who ran away from home. Which wasn’t that weird for kids his age, but still, very dangerous (but then again who is he to talk?). Pushing his thoughts to the back of his head, Nagisa placed the box of cookies down on the coffee table and sat on the couch. The box seemed to catch Killua's attention because he soon asked; 

“What’s that?” Nagisa looked up at Killua who seemed to be expressing cat-like curiosity.

“They’re cookies,” Nagisa smiled. 

“What kind?”

“Chocolate chip and-” Nagisa didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, as Killua had already jumped for the box. Pulling it apart rather harshly to shove a cookie into his mouth, when it made contact it was like he melted, a grin replacing the scowl Nagisa had been acquainted with. 

“Ya know- you’re a pretty cool guy Nagisa.” Killua chirped between chews. While Nagisa felt he could finally be at ease, knowing Killua wasn’t going to try and fist-fight him at any given moment helped his nerves. Smile now bigger than before Gon stood up. 

“Well, now that we’re all friends,” Internally Nagisa questioned if it was that easy to make friends. “I want to know what school you’re attending in Nagisa!” If Nagisa was confused by the odd question, he didn’t show it.

“I attend Kunugigaoka Junior High School.” The proclamation made Gon and Killua share a look before turning back to Nagisa, exclaiming in unison,

“Us too!” Nagisa had to physically fight back a cringe at the statement because two things were so horribly wrong, one, was the fact that they’re joining the school now of all times. The two should’ve joined at the start of the year, it would’ve been much easier considering the formulas at the school are a pain in the ass to deal with. He prays the two survive. And two, joining now means they’ll be in the regular classes. Meaning, that they won't be a social misfit like him, which will also lead to him losing his newly acquired friends. 

Because who would want to be friends with anyone in the End Class? 

He should tell the two what class he's in, 

He should warn them about what’ll happen if they stay friends with him. 

But he can't bring himself to. He wants to be selfish, to keep these new friends of his for as long as he can. To take the warmth that he's been seeking for so long. 

So, he doesn’t tell them. He gives them their congratulations for being in such a prestigious school, and they move on. They talk, they laugh, and they yell. But with each laugh, Nagisa can feel the guilt building up in his body. Waiting to break and topple over with the smallest push.

And even then he can’t tell them, he wants to preserve this happiness for as long as possible. To bask in it, so he’ll wait, he’ll wait until everything comes crashing down on him,

Piece by piece. 

Chapter Text

In a land full of delightful green hills and pretty pastel flowers that flourished under the sun, sat three individuals. Ging, Gon, and Killua, all in a neat circle, basking under the sun. There sat their own makeshift picnic.

“Ging!” Gon screamed for the utmost time “I have so much more to tell you about me and Killua's adventures!” The man of the hour only grinned, nodding in response. Eager to hear every little detail about his son, to take back all the time he had lost. To make up for it. Seeing Ging so willing to listen to his blabbering only worked up Gon’s dopamine. He beamed, shining even brighter than the blazing sun, and began to talk. And talk, and talk... and talk... and talk. Surprisingly, Ging didn’t seem to be even the slightest bit annoyed with Gon's constant yipping and yapping. He only smiled some more and listened attentively. 

With every passing second Ging seemed to relax more and more. While Killua on the other hand, seemed to have been getting more agitated with every passing second. Whispering Gon's name repeatedly in a purposeless attempt of making him dry up. This chorus of whispers and jabbering continued on until Killua physically couldn’t take it anymore, so he screamed. 

“Gon! Get up!” With a perfectly aimed kick to his abdomen, Gon finally snapped awake, wide-eyed, mouth agape, and heart beating faster than ever before. “Fucking finally! Get ready, we have to leave for school in a few.” Still dazed and very much confused Gon asked;

“What school?” 

… 

“God damnit Gon!” 

▪▪▪  

“Oh, well why didn’t you say that when you first woke me up Killua!” Groaning, Killua did the final knot to Gon's tie. The school had sent them their uniforms the day prior to their first day. The uniforms were extremely tacky for some odd reason. Killua’s guess was that schools just hate good looking kids like himself and are out to get them. Killua also had to go school shopping for him and Gon yesterday, all by himself of course, because Gon and shopping don’t mix well together at all. Being alone resulted in the trip taking longer than necessary because he didn’t know what kind of supplies Gon would prefer! Gon hadn't a clue that you could even get customized notebooks until he got home later that night. He also had to cook breakfast alone this morning because Gon decided to be an idiot and sleep in! In short, he’s exhausted and irritated which makes his earlier offense completely warranted.  

“Seriously! How dumb can you be?! You’re the one who decided that we were going to school in the first place, how can you just forget something like that!”

“Sorry, Killua.” Gon sulked, his head down and lips set in a pout. 

“Yeah, yeah whatever, just go grab your bag so we can go.”

“Osu!” Rolling his eyes, Killua looked into the bathroom mirror, he picked at his hair, making sure it was as silky as he wanted it to be (if he spent an hour making sure it was perfect then that's no one's business but his and Gon’s. After all, first impressions count right?). Giving his uniform another quick inspection he sighed, nothing had changed, he was still disappointed with how it looked. The gray colors didn’t match his looks at all! He looked so out of place in the uniform to the point where it made him want to gag in disgust. 

“Cheap ass school...” He muttered under his breath as Gon burst in,

“Killua! I'm all ready now!” Gon held his bag in the air noticeably proud he had managed to find it in time. 

“Wow, good job.” Came Killua’s unenthusiastic reply. 

Grabbing Killua by the wrist, Gon ran, not caring for the rugs he flipped, or for the paintings he knocked down. Killua loathed that he would have to come back later and clean that, then the two reached the door, and Gon swung it open with so much force that an obnoxiously loud slam resounded as it collided with the wall. Killua sighed and would bet two of his limbs gambling that there was a newly formed dent on the side of their new house. He despised that he would have to call in someone to fix that later.

“Shit!” Killua’s eyes widened as he pulled Gon back to stop the disaster that was about to occur. Because there Nagisa was, in front of their door, with a hand held high in a knocking position, his expression contorted into one of total fear. The boy stood there, unmoving before instead brushing his forehead with his sleeve and sighing. 

“Thanks, Killua. If you hadn't stopped Gon I probably would’ve been on the ground as of now with a not so mild concussion.” Nagisa's face scrunched as if the thought of it brought him physical pain. Killua just rolled his eyes as he tugged his hand out of Gon’s-not to stop the unforsaken blush that was forming on his cheeks from holding Gon’s hand for too long-no of course it's not that, but instead to not embarrass himself in front of Nagisa. The boy was slowly growing on him, so he couldn’t risk ruining the light Nagisa saw him in just yet. (That “light” being his attitude of nonchalance) Shoving his hands into his pockets Killua raised an eyebrow at Nagisa. Seeming to catch the question Killua was asking, Nagisa spoke;

“The station is that way,” Nagisa pointed to a large area about a block away from their residency. “If the both of you want, I can show you so you can get familiar with the layout.” With eyes averted and fixed on the ground, Nagisa muttered the last part.

 Gon and Killua sent each other knowing looks. Reading each other had gotten easier over the years, it was no longer a struggle to simply convey feelings, thoughts, and sometimes even plans to each other, it came as easy as breathing for them, leading them to trust one another more and just work better altogether. With that in mind, it didn’t take Einstein to figure out what the other was thinking, they both knew that the other knew that Nagisa had just wanted to walk with them to school. 

Meanwhile, Nagisa, who had been watching the exchange of eyes silently, had grown nervous. Isn't there a saying stating if two close friends look at each other after you speak it means they’re silently judging you? What if they found out he was in the end class-no, that's impossible, they haven't even had their first day yet. So what-

“Sure! Let’s walk together!” Gon beamed, startling Nagisa out of his anxiety-induced episode. Mildly dazed from the abrupt change of behavior in comparison to moods, his previous thoughts returned to the present Nagisa’s only reply was a curt nod before he began to walk, following suit to the other two.

▪▪▪

Nagisa really should’ve expected this. Because of course, with these two nothing was ever normal. On the way to the station Gon had found more than sixteen different types of bugs and proceeded to throw all of them on Killua for the hell of it which then promptly resulted in Killua screaming at the top of his lungs every time without fail, right in his ears. Killua then proceeded to silently sulk with red painting his face as he supposedly ignored Gon, just to turn around to talk to the boy a second later.

It turns out the two also have a knack for arguing about dumb things that serve no purpose. 

For example, how old the women who cross the street are. 

The worst part in the whole guessing game isn’t even that they’re being extremely disrespectful by guessing a woman's age off looks, it's that they’re saying it out loud. Right next to them. Maybe it’s Killua’s influence on Gon because Nagisa’s more than one hundred percent sure that Gon is a very respectful boy (based on when they first met) and would never plainly guess a woman's age next to them. But with Killua it seems Gon forgets almost all of his good nature! It's horrible! And Nagisa wants nothing to do with it at all. He can’t have people in his neighborhood thinking he’s disrespectful, because if they do they’ll tell him Mom and he can’t have that, not at all. So, Nagisa does the best thing he can do in this situation. He acts like he doesn’t know them. But every time, without fail, the two manage to bring him into it!

“Hey, Nagisa! Tell Killua that lady over there” he pointed. Pointed for God’s sake! “Can be no older than thirty.” A piece of Nagisa’s soul may or may not have just died.

“No! She's gotta be at least forty!” God, if you’re real please save him. 

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!” 

“Yes!”

“N-” 

“Oh!” Nagisa interjected, “Well would you look at that, we’re at the station now!” Gon and Killua both broke from their argument to look around the train station in… awe? Why were they so amazed? It was just a regular train station. But then again, with those two anything can be interesting. “The train should come by in a few minutes.” Trying to be as unnoticeable as possible, Nagisa waddles his way over to the middle of the station, Killua and Gon trailing behind. His attempts evidently go overlooked by the Gods and deities above (they hate him) because just as he's about a step away from his destination a group of girls who–

His eyes trail down.

yep, are from his school stop him. 

“Hey, Nagisa! That’s your name right?” The girl in front (who resembles something like the ringleader) barks, looking him up and down. And if this isn’t a scene straight out of a K-drama, then he doesn’t know what is. “Wow, they were right, you are looking worse after getting put down to the end clas-” 

“ALright!” Nagisa cuts in, shooting a glance at the two behind him, who are sprouting a new argument. Realizing they aren’t listening Nagisa turns his attention back to the group of girls who now look extremely offended that Nagisa had the audacity to cut their leader off. One of the girls in the back steps forward, raising a hand in the air, she seethes;

“How dare you! You’re just an end class loser, yet you dare to speak up to us!” The girl cocks her hand back and Nagisa closes his eyes and scrunchies up his nose preparing for the hit, after all, it is the most logical thing to do. Dodging or hitting her back would cause way too much ruckus and he would just end up getting punished anyway so what's the point? The smack he was expecting never came though, even after thirty long seconds. So, he grants himself vision again, and when he opens his eyes he’s met with the sight of the girl's forearm being held by Killua’s hand stopping it from moving. Gon standing just a few inches behind Killua seemingly shielding Nagisa with his body. The girls just stare at Killua, a look of pure shock on their faces and Nagisa allows himself to bask in the bit of satisfaction it gives him. This silence continues on, Killua's staring, and the girl’s shock, the scene attracts the looks of passersby who’re too nosy for their own good. 

A beat.

Then two.

Then utter chaos.

 The girl whose arm is being restricted squeals. “Oh-my-God!” She rips her hand away from Killua’s grasp cradling it like it’s some prized possession, Killua’s gaze only hardens. “He’s beautiful!” Nagisa can see Killua visibly falter.

“I know right?! His hair, his eyes, his skin! He's just perfect!” Another one screams, taking her phone out to take unconsented pictures. 

Killua only stands there, mouth agape. 

“Ahh! Look at him!” One of the taller ones ruffles his hair. And that’s when it seemed to finally click in Killua's mind, 

These girls were complimenting him! 

The flush that appeared on Killua’s face could never be considered normal. His ears were a merlot red, his face a shade lighter, and for the first time on their entire trip to the station had fallen silent. “Awe! He’s blushing!” Snapping more pictures, the girls cooed over Killua’s so-called “cuteness”. While Gon, still standing behind, snickered silently while watching his misery. 

"O-oi, stop it!" Killua screeched, clenching his fist. "I'll kill you! I swear-Stop laughing!" He turned to Gon who was clutching his stomach in pained laughter.

“I need pictures!” One yelped, taking out her phone again, and snapping pictures from all kinds of angles. Swallowed in hugs and attention, Gon seemed to be loving the scene while Killua was still yelling at the girls to quit it, spouting death threats which the girls only saw as cute. On the contrary, Nagisa was getting increasingly more uncomfortable with the attention they were getting. Adults were stopping to stare and people from their school had stopped to peer at the scene that had unfolded (most were boys jealous of the attention the trio was getting from the group of girls but they didn't matter). Nagisa was actively searching for a way to get out of the shitty situation they were in. Looking left to right and finding nothing, he started to panic but the Gods had decided to bless him just once today because soon the screeching of a train made itself known throughout the constant squealing and screeching. Nagisa wasted no time in grabbing both Gon and Killua’s arms and dragging them onto the train. 

These two are going to give him a migraine he swears. 

▪▪▪

Shoving the two off the train with a force he didn’t know he had, Nagisa scowls and then turns the two to face him. He puts a hand on each of their shoulders like a father would when talking to his children. “Go straight to class and don't cause any trouble, I mean it. ” He seethes the last part making sure he got his point through their thick skulls. The two nod in sync putting on their best serious face. “Good. Now, I have class over there.” He points to a mountain far from the original campus “You two go ahead.” And with that, Nagisa walks off to the End Classes campus mentally preparing himself for what awaits. 

The duo stares at each other for a second longer before rushing into the humongous building with grins on their faces. From the very top of the building, a principal watches with mild interest. 

        ▪▪▪          

 Sliding open the door to their designated classroom both Gon and Killua walk inside, what they’re met with is not faces of excited and eccentric students living their best lives, but instead mentally ill, burnt-out kids who would rather die than do another assignment. (They do them anyway.) The teacher in the front of the classroom taps a clipboard on his desk, immediately catching the class's attention. “Class, as you all can see we have new students.” The class erupts in murmurs consisting of questions like;

“How the hell did they get into this school in the middle of the year?”

“Are they really that smart?”

“What are their test scores?” The teacher's blaring voice is what stops the constant chatter. 

“ Class .” Everything stops, “Silence yourselves. You may ask them questions when they’re done introducing themselves.” Seeing that as their cue, the duo step up to the podium at the front of the classroom Gon, of course, is the first to introduce himself. 

“Hi! I’m Gon! It’s really nice to meet everyone!” This earns him a frown from Killua. 

“Idiot. You have to say more than that.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Gon pouts but obliges anyway. 

“I like to play outside and fish! I hope we can all be friends!” He says with a smile that lights up the whole room, this also lifts the student's spirits. (with an exception for a select five) Knowing it’s his turn Killua steps up. 

“Yo, I’m Killua.” Silence travels throughout the classroom seemingly waiting for Killua to add on, but the boy doesn’t. The whisper of the word “hypocrite” doesn’t go unnoticed by Killua who snaps his head Gon’s way. 

“Okay then...Any questions?” hands shoot up. 

“Only five.” All hands shoot down but five. Killua makes note of the students' expressions, everyone seems disappointed but no one gets angry or retaliates. 

How odd. 

He also notices the five select kids who did not falter even with the teacher's harsh wording. It’s as if they knew they were the ones who were chosen as if this was normal for them to be favored and considered special.

Weird. 

“Asano, go ahead.” The boy with tarnished red hair stands up, his eyes studying the duo, his face is one of worry. He seems to be wary of them like a lamb in front of two hungry wolves. But that's a lie, isn't it? One look into the boy's eyes and Killua can tell he's confident, confident that he and Gon pose no threat to him. To the boy, he and Gon are nothing more than specs of dirt ready to get whisked away in the wind. 

What a dick. Killua thinks.

He certainly isn't going to enjoy being in the same class as him.

Seemingly aware of Killua’s thoughts the boy’s gaze hardens but only for a second. Killua still catches it. The thought of already ticking the kid off sends strings of satisfaction through Killua's veins, warming him from the inside out.         

“What about your family names?” 

“What about them?” Dickhead(Killua decided that’s his name from now on)clenches his teeth.

“Why didn’t your introductions include yourselves with your family's names as well?” 

“Because. Next!” The whole class including the teacher seemed stunned by Killua’s blatant rudeness, while Dickhead’s eyes glisten with something close to malice, which makes Killua snicker internally. If there's a possibility Gon noticed Killuas antics you wouldn’t know. (he probably did though, if the quick side-eye he gives Killua says anything) the walking dick sits down in his seat having to visibly breathe in and out to calm himself down and this time Killua visibly smirks. He changes his mind, he’s going to enjoy being in this class for sure. 

The other four questions(said by dickheads two, three, and four) are boring. It’s just random stuff about their hometown and whatnot (Why do they even need to know that?)  Gon takes charge of answering all of those. He answers diligently not revealing too much about them but the right amount to not raise suspicion (color Killua surprised). All in all, it was boring and uneventful. The duo had chosen their seat to be the ones in the back near the windows, which was a pretty calming place to sit and rest your head. Especially when the class ended up being boring too. After all, it was history and Killua already knew everything there was to know so what was the point in listening if he already knew it? Gon seemed to be the complete opposite though, he listened intently and even took notes that were extremely colorful for some odd reason. Nothing caught Killua's own attention till the end of the class, right before their second teacher walked in their first stated that they had a school assembly today, apparently in the third period all classes would head to the gym for it, Gon perked up at the mention of all classes going. They also said something about an end class going too. Whatever, they had no interest in dumb things like that, the two were only excited because they would get a chance to see Nagisa again. 

Speaking of Nagisa, Killua hoped he was having a better time than he was right now. If he was, then at least he could brighten up his school day with interesting stories to tell. 

▪▪▪

“And that’s it for your first lesson today!” Koro-sensei squawked, his tentacles swaying the way they always did at the end of a lesson.  

“Fucking finally I hate math!”

“My back hurts~”

“I’m going to cry.” 

“Can we at least get a break?” 

Koro-sensei only grinned at his students' cries and pleas “Kekeke- do not fret! I do have something for you all to watch, consider it a break.” At that, most of the students popped up in interest.

“Really now?”

“I swear to God if it’s another squid documentary I'm going to freak.”

“Of course, it isn’t Akano, I'm sure you’ll all enjoy this!” Warning sirens set off in Nagisa’s head when Koro-sensei shifted his gaze to him.

“You are?” Nagisa questions.

“I am! I’m so sure that I brought your other teachers too!” As if waiting for their time to shine, Ms.Irina and Mr.Karasuma walk side by side into the classroom sitting down at two empty desks. They say nothing. Odd for Ms.Bitch. It's when the lights go out and a screen falls from the top of the chalkboard that Nagisa really starts getting nervous, he can feel a sense of dread puddle and gather up at the bottom of his stomach. 

“Since when did we have this type of technology?” Nagisa asks another question in hopes of clearing the dread he feels. 

“I wonder.” A teacher replies. But Nagisa can’t get himself to look because his eyes are stuck to the screen now displayed in front of him. The reason his eyes are now stuck to that screen is because of what's on it.

Displayed on the very large screen is him with a group of girls towering over him, Killua, and Gon. 

Well, shit.

He’s screwed. 

“Whoa Nagisa, who're those chicks?” 

“Forget the Chicks, who’re those guys?” 

“My neighbors.” Nagisa answers, trying to sound as normal as possible “They’re my new neighbors and friends.”

“Wow Nagisa, you're making friends with the kids on campus,” of course Karma noticed their uniforms. “That's surprising! good going man.” Karma yells from the back of the classroom, hands placed behind his head. This comment makes the whole class chime in speaking their own opinions on how they think it’s oh-so surprising that Nagisa managed to make friends with anyone on the main campus.

Nagisa himself is embarrassed at all the attention he's getting.

 All conversation is lost when the video starts, the first segment they see is Nagisa getting yelled at by the girls(now that Nagisa is thinking about it. Who the hell took this video?) They then see things escalate. Which causes occasional comments like;

“Wow, did you really yell at them, Nagisa? You’re ballsy”

“What bitches.” 

“Did she really have to call us losers?” 

“How rude.”

It’s when the girl raises her hand and cocks it back that the class goes mute and (almost) everyone's eyes narrow teachers included. 

“Koro-sensei.” That's Karasuma's voice for sure(Nagisa can’t bring himself to look him in the eye right now).”I hope you didn’t bring us all here to watch Nagisa get harassed.” 

“I hope so too. As much as I hate the brat I don't like seeing him get hurt.” That had to have been Ms.Bitch which is kind of sweet for her Nagisa notes. 

“Nagisa, don’t tell me you allowed those girls to put their hands on you.” Kaede enquires softly.

“Well-” Before Nagisa could explain himself the next segment pulled forward. Showing him being shielded by Killua and Gon. Nagisa flushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the thought of being protected by another since he's… y'know training to assassinate his teacher and all. Meanwhile, Ms.Bitch, Mr.Karasuma, and Karma straightened up in their seats. 

“How the hell did they move so fast?” Karma questioned though he made it sound like a statement.

“For humans moving at that speed is considered abnormal without proper training,” Karasuma states, eyes trailing from the screen to Nagisa who’s squirming uncomfortably in his seat, unwilling to meet his teacher's gaze.

“How odd…” Irina looked up.

“Koro-sensei, just who are these kids?” Koro-sensei grinned his signature grin. 

“New students from the main campus. But from what I can see they’re going to be here soon.” 

“How can you be so sure?” Koro-sensei only hummed.

“I’ve got a feeling.” 

The familiar face of a man sporting a toothy grin flashed in Koro-sensei's mind. That man whom he had met once and only once with the name Ging. Koro-sensei’s grin grew. “Yup, just a hunch.” 

Karasuma sighed.

“Looks like we’ll have some kids to look forward to seeing in that ceremony.”

Irina also sighed, “Is quitting still a choice?” 

“Of course.”

“Great.” 

“Moving on, class! Back to work! Is everyone ready for some English?!” Koro-sensei's replies only consisted of groans and grunts. He grins, 

“Lovely!”

Chapter Text

With a pained moan Nagisa whipped the beads of sweat that clung to his forehead unwilling to fall, he and the rest of the end class had been walking (running for some) for who knows how long yet the sun never once dimmed, shining even brighter than before, as if to mock the bone-tired students. 

The sun continued its ongoing rampage that purged every person under its rays of the hydration they so thoroughly craved, setting the surrounding trees aglow while simultaneously causing more sweat to form onto Nagisa’s brows. The boy groaned in retaliation now dragging his feet in the dirt. 

Beside him another student let out a high pitched whine. 

“Seriously! Why are we the only student body who has to go through this..?” Kaede asked, her voice fading at the end. Nagisa isn’t too sure as to why, but he does have a pretty good guess.

Kaede probably realized how stupid the question seemed. 

Why wouldn’t they be the only student body who had to go through such horrible conditions just to get to a school-held assembly? 

They were the End Class, after all, the lowest of the low. 

Nagisa suddenly felt sick and it wasn't from the heat. 

“LOOK OUT!”

Surprised, Nagisa turned just in time to dodge the running… 

What the hell was that? 

It was covered in snakes and dirt, even so, it looked oddly familiar.

It had a buzz cut. 

An oddly shaped nose. 

And was wearing their school uniform.

 Wait, wearing their school uniform. Holy shit! Was that Okajima!?

“Okajima!” The students screamed in unison, Nagisa grimaced and straightened up, speed-walking to avoid ending up in the same predicament as his fellow classmate. All this pain for a school assembly really wasn't worth it, especially if the only “eventful” thing that's going to be taking place at the damned assembly is at the End Class's expense. 

Musing the thought of the assembly Nagisa wonders how Gon and Killua will react to his… predicament. Will they scream at him? Tell him to never contact them again. Beat him up? He has to be prepared for everything.

Saying he wasn't scared would be a bold-faced lie, but not for the reason most would think. He just really, really doesn’t wanna be alone again. He won't be mad if that’s what ends up happening though. He got himself into this mess, and if he wants to be taken out of it he has to do it himself.

If there is one thing he hopes will happen, it's that the whole break-up(?) won't be in front of the rest of the end class. 

▪▪▪

“Alright, can everyone do me a favor and line up just outside the door while I go use the bathroom.” 

The sound of footsteps and chattering echoed throughout the narrow school halls as class 3-A lined up outside of their class door. Though, most of the chattering was coming from the (infamous) new duo. 

“Killua! I’m excited! Are you!?” Gon beamed, placing his hands on Killua’s shoulders and hopping in place.

“Yeah, as weird as it is, I'm actually pretty excited for this.” Gon’s grin grew in size at Killua’s words and as if to express his gratitude, he flipped around, taking his hands off Killua momentarily to then stand behind the boy. Gon then placed his hands back onto Killua’s shoulders and bent his knees repeatedly, as if to mimic a train. Killua on his part stayed as unaffected as ever, even with the weird stares of his peers he kept his calm demeanor. 

To be completely honest, the stares did make him a bit nervous. He wasn’t used to being ogled at. He could feel his palms start to form sweat so he shoved them in his pants pockets. Just when he did, a student tapped him on his shoulder. 

“Hey,”

 Both Killua’s and Gon’s gaze snapped to the boy the moment he spoke. He was a bit put off by the duos in sync movements but didn’t let it deter him from his goal.  

Gon let go of Killua’s shoulders to turn and face the boy, smiling a sweet smile.

Seeing this as permission to continue, the boy spoke. “You two don’t know about the End Class yet do you?” 

All other conversations stopped and a bone-chilling pressure passed through the air, it was as if time had been put to a pause.

Everyone froze and turned(quite comically)to look at the three of them. Gon and Killua for the most part were confused, because who the hell is this guy, and what the hell is an End Class? And most importantly, why the hell did it invoke this much fear in the student body?

Turns out the two had to ponder no further because the boy they had yet to learn the name of spoke up once again. 

“As suspected, by the look on both your faces you’ve yet to find out about the end class.” The boy paused for dramatics. “Well, in short, they’re the worst of the worst.” Gon’s head tilted to the right just a bit at the answer he had gotten and Killua had no business finding the movement quite adorable. 

“The worst of the worst?” Gon parroted. 

The kid’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. You never wanna go to the End Class.” 

“How do you get to the End Class?” Killua asked not quite understanding why the ‘End Class’ was such a bad thing. 

“The only way you can get into the end class is by the E-system” the kid answered, “and before you ask, the E-system is a system designed by the principal, the gist of it is if you display poor academic ability you get thrown in the End Class. And again, before you ask ‘what’s so bad about the End Class!’” The boy spoke in a high-pitched tone. “Well, what’s so bad about it is that there is no air conditioning, nice desks, good kids, and even teachers! It’s a total dump!” The boy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “But the worst part of it all is that you get ridiculed by the rest of the student body. I’d rather die than be put in the End Class.” The boy concludes. 

At that, Killua raised a brow and shot Gon a look. Really? Rather die? It’s obvious this kid has never been faced with death. 

But he gets what's going on here, this school is equivalent to an ant hill. Let him explain. 

At the top sits the queen, or king in this situation; their principle. A man of defiant power, the king is absolute. Below him are the ones who stand by the king, his knights, his greatest soldiers; the five. The ones who show exceptional work. They stand above the rest and are treated as such. Below them are the workers, the ordinary bunch. They are neither the best nor the worst though they still have a job, a purpose; the regular student body. And below them are the males that get thrown away after being used, they’re worthless and do nothing for the hill. So, as a result, they are cast away and shamed… which in this case is the End Class. 

How funny. And to think the principal could get away with something like this. What power that man must hold. It almost pisses Killua off. 

“The kids in the End Class must be having a lot of fun then.” This makes everyone pause and shift their attention towards Gon. 

“What..?” The kid asks after a while. 

“I mean, they don't have to follow all the silly rules, do they? It must be fun.” There's a moment of silence before Killua cackles so hard he has to lean onto Gon for support. The boy only shoots him a confused look.

“You might be the only person here who thinks that way Gon.” The boy left out a non-understanding sound in response. Everyone else in the hallway seemed startled, confused even, that the End Class was having fun of all things.

As Killua suspected no one had ever thought about it that way. 

Before anyone else could comment or continue the conversation their teacher-who had just returned, ordered the class to walk down the hall.

Walking down a school hall surrounded by people felt weird, a foreign feeling Killua thought he’d never get used to. 

“Ne, Killua.” Gon’s only response is a hum in acknowledgment. “Do you think Nagisa is in the End Class?” 

“Of course he is,” Killua responded. He had thought something was up with Nagisa from the beginning. He had always been iffy when the subject of school came up. He would squirm in his seat on the couch when the duo brought up things as simple as homework! He wasn’t fooling anyone, especially at the train station this morning. Nagisa might’ve thought they weren't listening in on his conversation with the group of girls--he shivered at the thought of them--before they jumped in, but Killua was very aware and caught something about an ‘end’ in their conversation. There was also this morning when Nagisa said his classes were on a different campus. He even pointed to a mountain.

Even an idiot could put two and two together. Which is exactly what just happened. 

“Wow, maybe I'm getting smarter, Killua.” Killua scoffed at that, 

“No, anyone would’ve guessed that. Don’t worry you’re still an idiot.” 

“Hey!” Gon yelped.

“Oh look, we're here.” The former's demeanor changed almost instantly as his eyes sparkled with interest. And Killua could understand why; The gym was humongous with its white walls stretching up to the seemingly sky-high ceiling. (Killua had grown to like white walls.) One glance at Gon and Killua could tell he was imagining running around and jumping all over the place. It seemed like their class was second to last so they ended up lined pretty close to a wall. As they got situated Gon seemed to be out on the look for someone, Killua would be lying if he said he wasn’t too. Once Killua spotted a flurry of blue hair he smirked. Time to cause some mischief. 

▪▪▪

Nagisa is extremely nervous. 

The other classes just started strolling in and he’s dreading spotting a bush of white and black hair. So he kept his sights in front of him, not sparing a single look to the other classes. That was until he heard someone call his name. 

“Nagisa-kun!” By the use of formality, Nagisa could already tell that the person calling him wasn’t Gon or Killua. So he relaxed, letting out a silent sigh of relief he turned. Only to see the mocking smirks of his used-to-be classmates. “So nice that you could make it!” It snickered, “That trip comin’ down from the mountain must’ve bee-” 

“Nagisa!!” All three of them along with their surrounding audience(the End Class)paused at the scream. And Nagisa felt like he couldn’t breathe for a moment. 

No formalities.

That familiar voice. 

Shit. 

Was the last thought Nagisa got out before he toppled over. His head collided with the floor pretty hard which left him dazed for a moment, white spots clouding his vision. So, as a result, it took him a second to notice that he was being hugged and that it was by a certain someone with blackish-green hair. 

“Nagisa! Me and Killua missed you!” 

“Ha?! What do you mean ‘me and Killua!?’ Leave me out of that stupid!” The blush on Killua’s face betrayed his words with wonders. 

Gon only huffed and squeezed Nagisa tighter.

“No one's going to judge you for missing your friend Killua, just admit it.” He mumbled, though Killua obviously heard and was about to retort before Nagisa let out a wheeze. 

“Gon-can-can’t breathe.” Gon gasped and released Nagisa faster than light.

“Whoops! Sorry, Nagisa!” 

“It’s fine.” The end class and the rest of the student body seemed downright confused, and Nagisa couldn’t blame them. He was confused as well, someone from the normal student body being all buddy-buddy with a student of the E-class? Never heard of it.

“Hey- '' one of Nagisa's old classmates said. “You- you know Nagisa’s from the end class… right?” Gon downright ignores him while Killua just tsk and rolls his eyes. 

“Obviously. What do you take us for? idiots?” He questions tone rough, which already makes him sound scary, but pared with the glare he’s throwing at the boy makes him terrifying. 

“No! That’s not it! I just-”

“We don’t care.”

“W-what?” 

“We don’t care that he’s in the End Class.” Gon clarifies, finally acknowledging the boy. 

“What!? How can’t you care!” The boy scrambles, fiddling his arms in the air. 

“Can you shut the hell up?” The boy squeaks and stands stiff as a board. “You’re right in my ear.” 

“Yeah-sorry.” His only response is a hum. Dejected, the boy scrambles off, possibly to go tell his friends what happened. Leaving a surprised, misty-eyed-and-still-on-the floor-Nagisa. Who is very much compuzzled? Because did they just say they didn’t care that he was in the end class? That’s a new one.

“Holy shit.” Rio gasps before covering her mouth. And Nagisa couldn’t help but agree. Holy shit indeed. 

“Nagisa.” He looks up “Why’re you still on the ground?” Gon holds out a hand for him. He takes it, (why wouldn’t he?) and rises.

“Thanks.” He croaks, eyes a bit watery. 

“Mhm!” Before Killua can chime in, a voice rings throughout the gym.

“All students, we ask you to please line up with your respective classes at this moment.” 

Killua grinned, time to carry out his plan. You may be asking, what plan? Well, plan: Have As Much Fun As They Possibly Can(HMFTPC for short)of course! 

Grabbing Gon by the wrist, Killua shifted them both into the line right behind Nagisa. Nagisa, for his part, looked horrified. 

“What the hell are you two doing!” He seethed but still made room for them. Behind him Rio was ecstatic.

“I like these guys! Nagisa, you've got to tell me where you’ve found kids as sick as this.” Nagisa found none of this amusing in the slightest, if Gon and Killua ended up getting caught they could get into big trouble! Before he could voice his thoughts though, the man who was at the stand spoke. 

“Essentially, you are the cream of the crop, this nation’s chosen elite!” His voice boomed throughout the large gym. “I, your school dean, can vouch for that! But, if you’re not careful… you could end up like certain other good-for-nothings!” The dean sent a pointed look at the End Class who could do nothing but flinch and look away. While Killua rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed with the child-like teasing. However, what annoyed him even more was the fact that the End Class was just taking it. 

He understands that he shouldn't be, that it wouldn't make sense because that's what they've been accustomed to. But...

Gon, on the other hand, didn’t seem much affected at all, which didn’t help Killua’s predicament. It just made him annoyed because usually, he was the nonchalant one. 

Gon was more confused as to why the gym erupted in laughter at what the dean said. Nothing said was even remotely funny, just plain mean so why did everyone laugh? 

“Now, now. We mustn’t laugh at their expense. I suppose my comment was out of line!” So he knows what he said could be considered rude, yet, he still said it? Gon knows he can be a bit shameless but not to that extent. 

Gon sighed and shook his head, placing a hand on Killua’s shoulder at the same time to calm him. Really, Killua always parades him for not keeping his feelings in check, yet as soon as someone he cares for gets in even the slightest bit of trouble he starts to freak. Gon could bet Killua doesn’t even realize he cares for Nagisa even if it’s just by a small margin. 

Killua visibly relaxed, hands and jaw unclenching. Gon let out a huff and a smile as he turned his attention back to the presenter, this was going to be a long assembly. 

▪▪▪

“This method is always so effective, sir!” An unknown voice spoke, “It’s why our students’ acceptance rate into top universities--3-E aside--is extremely high!”

In a room as dark as night, the man who belonged to the shadows spoke in a raspy tone, “This is preparation for the real world, so to speak. Now is our chance to instill in them the will to avoid being failures. Sadly enough, people develop the most when they have someone else to discriminate against and scorn.” The man sat in front of his screen, watching the End Class carefully. But what he was looking at wasn’t the ones who belonged, but the two who didn’t. He watched them with a gaze of malice, sickness, and disgust. How could two measly kids enter his school when he had no say in it? 

His face twisted into one of interest. 

“How interesting.” He found himself mumbling against his best interest. He just hated how he was a sucker for new challenges. 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing, now where was I? Ah- I always act based on reason. Whether it’s school administration or even assassination,” he grinned at that, not that the other could see it, “Adhering to logic is all that matters.” And what is the logical thing to do when two unknown entities that could have greater power than you enter your school? It is to do your research, of course.

▪▪▪

“Next is an address by the student council.” Gon groans internally, it still isn’t over? He thought assemblies were going to be fun but the only thing he’s been doing is listening and keeping silent. Those two things were definitely not included on his list of strong suits, he was getting jittery and if something fun didn’t happen soon he would explode. “Please start your preparations, student council.” 

“Hello. I’m Karasuma, the E class teacher.” Gon’s ears twitched and his eyes shot to the unknown voice at the mention of the E class. Finally, something interesting! When his eyes met the teacher he realized he was already staring at him. At first, Gon was confused, because he wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. But then he realized that he was, in fact, doing something out of the ordinary. He was in the E classes line. He isn’t in the E class. He tapped Killua’s shoulder to alert him, unsurprisingly the boy already noticed and grunted in response. Gon understood the message well. 

‘Ignore him.’ Gon broke eye contact and did just that. 

-

Karasuma’s face scrunched at the sight of two students who definitely weren’t in his class blatantly ignoring his stares. He would go up to them and tell them to leave, but such a thing could be considered rude so he stayed put. He set a reminder on his phone to look for them later. 

- 

“Who’s that teacher?” Gon heard distantly. 

“He’s so stylish and cool!” Gon squinted his eyes as he tried to see the appeal(but considering how Killua often ridicules him for not being able to understand fashion, he’s sure there’s not much he could judge.). Sadly, the only thing that he saw as ‘cool’ or ‘stylish’ about the man was his eyebrows. He then concluded that Killua looked better than him so there was no need for him to look so hard when Killua was probably more stylish and cooler than the teacher. 

Killua, who was completely oblivious to what Gon was thinking, was looking at the teacher now too, and he could admit the teacher did look pretty nice in that suit. It suits(haha.) his complexion quite well. In addition to that, it also hugged his frame nicely and amplified his demeanor making him seem extremely professional. He could see why the other teachers were stuttering in his presence. 

“Hey!” His attention flew to the girl with pink hair beside the teacher who was across from Rio, she was showing off… is that what he thinks it is…? “Check it out!” It must be because now Karasuma is sweating buckets. 

Even though he’s in front of Rio she doesn’t seem the least bit worried showcasing her knife sheath. Which is a bad thing to have, well, it would be if he was remotely normal. 

“Oh, Mr. Karasuma!”

“We decorated our knife sheaths!” 

“Cute, huh!” Karasuma speeds forward, 

“I don’t mind if they’re cute, just don’t wave them around here! We can’t let the other classes find out about the assassination!” Well, for not wanting other kids to find out Karasuma sure wasn’t trying to keep his voice down even when right beside an outsider. But consider Killua’s interest piqued.

An assassination? Inside of a school at that. Now he’s even more intrigued about the End Class. He’ll make sure to ask Nagisa about it later, and maybe, if it’s interesting enough he’ll form a plan(or not, with all the trouble he’s going to cause he’s sure he’ll get what he wants anyway) to get himself and Gon into the End Class. Without Gon’s knowledge, of course, he always manages to do the exact opposite of what anyone tells him to do. 

“Y-yes, sir.” He hears the girls mutter. 

“Who’s he? An E class teacher?”

“They all seem to get along…” Killua snorted not so discreetly which caused Gon and Nagisa to look back at him in concern. He brushed the looks off with a wave of the hand. How had they managed to misunderstand the situation to such an extent? It was hilarious! 

“I’m jealous.”

Of what? Killua wondered. “All the guys and teachers in our class are butt-ugly.”

She's not wrong, Killua stifled a chuckle. But she shouldn’t rule out the girls so quickly! They’re all ugly! Perfect matches!

The sound of heels clacking caught his attention, so Killua looked back. The first thing he saw was golden hair that seemed to sparkle in the horrendous gym light. Killua had to admit, he was a bit jealous, the lady’s hair looked so damn spotless! 

“Whoa! Who’s that super-hot foreign lady?!” Gon looked back too and Killua couldn’t tell if he was pissed by how he looked back so fast or happy because of how fast he turned back around. 

“Professor Bitch was ready to drop just a minute ago, too.” Professor Bitch? Why the hell did they call her that?  

“Vanity’s in her veins, all right.” 

The longer Killua gazed at the woman, the more he understood. The woman walked in such a graceful but silent way that Killua couldn't help but cast a wondering gaze down to her feet. Despite there being a clack to her heels, everything else about her was dead silent. Her clothes made no sounds and her breathing wasn't noticeable at all. Her long, blonde hair fell off her shoulders and she had natural pink lips. With a simple gaze, Killua could tell there was something off about her. Trailing his eyes down to her skirt, Killua noticed a very discrete lump near her hip. 

A hidden weapon? Killua wondered. It looked similar to a knife. But why would someone need to bring a knife to a school event? 

Turning his gaze back to Karasuma's suit, Killua only then noticed the slight lump in his suit pocket. How...how hadn't he noticed this earlier? Maybe he's getting rusty.

“Is she an E-class teacher too?”

“So cool…”

Karasuma’s face is devoid of emotion when he asks-“Why are you here?” 

“Don’t give me that. I’m their teacher, too.” 

“Then you do consider yourself one?” 

What's with their atmosphere? Are they not colleges? "Do you consider yourself one?" But why would she need to? 

Ah. Killua realized. 

Their assassination. They must have instructors. 

They're assassins. 

Placing a hand on his chin, Killua decides they're lacking. First of all, they're talking about an assassination right in front of a student assumed to be normal. Yeah, Killua talks about how his family are assassins, but he can protect himself when needed. He also has nen. But those two? They're completely normal. Killua can also sense their weapons, even if nicely hidden. The woman's physical physique is lacking, while the same can't be said for the man, it could cause problems in the future. However, it doesn't pass Killua that the woman's forte isn't physical combat but something more...Killua cringes. 

Anyway, the two could use some training!

“Besides, I wanted to check out the other students, too.” She ignores his question without much thought. She lets out a sound close to a moan and a hum. “All duds.” She concludes. “Oh, yeah.” She walks towards…Nagisa? (Her heels make such an obnoxious noise)What the hell does she want with him? This’s bad! Gon’s right behind him! “Nagisa!” Nagisa looks behind him, straight at Gon-and-God, could he be any more obvious? He hums. “This is my chance, now that that octopus isn’t around.” She speaks while tapping his shoulder. “You’ve been keeping track of all his weaknesses, right?” She puts a hand to her face mocking the act of telling a secret. "Let me borrow your notebook.” Gon, who’s behind Nagisa is sweating profusely, praying not to get noticed. 

“What? But I already told you all of his useful weaknesses.” Wait. Backtrack, octopus? Assassination and octopuses? What the hell were they doing at the End Class?

“Oh, you! You’re just trying to hide the really big stuff!” Killua raises an eyebrow, that doesn't seem like something Nagisa would do at all, if anything he would probably give away all of his knowledge without people even having to ask.

“No, I’m serious-“

“Come on!” The lady cuts him off. “Give it to me, kid!” And the lady… shoves Nagisa’s face into her breast… Killua is officially weirded out. “Don’t make me smother you!” Yeah, he’s definitely weirded out. 

“I can’t breathe…! Your boobs are too much, Professor Bitch!” Gon, on the other hand, doesn't seem to think much of it. Sure, he slightly recoils at the two doing such things. But he doesn't seem disgusted or confused by the act. 

Sighing, Killua prays for both Nagisa and Gon to get better luck when it comes to staying away from Krueger's.

-

When Ms. Bitch opened back up her eyes to look around, she was met with two students who definitely weren't in her class, but still familiar. She tilted her head a bit as she examined the kids who seemed to be quite nervous. She couldn’t put her finger on where she’d seen them before. Damnit, why can’t she remember? She was about to say something before Karasuma pulled her back. To stand back with the teachers. She’ll ask the boy(Nagisa)about it later. “Ow! That hurts!” She faked.

-

“What the hell!”

“The End Class isn’t supposed to have fun!” Some students yelped while passing down papers. Where’d they get those from? And why don’t they have any? Gon seemed to have been thinking the same thing as he looked around for any signs of a paper for them too. 

“All right!” The loud voice spoke again. “The student council events are explained on the handouts you’ve just been given.” Ah- Killua sees what’s going on here.  

“Huh? What?” Someone else in the End Class seemed to have noticed it too. “Where are ours?” He whispered to a kid in front of him. Seeing everyone in distress, Gon was about to ask but someone beat him to it, which was for the best. It wouldn’t be good if anyone else noticed they were in a line they didn’t belong in. 

“Excuse me, sir! E class didn’t get any handouts!” 

“Oh? You didn’t get any? Now that’s strange… I’m sorry! It seems we forgot to make some for 3-E!” The man spoke with a condescending look. "I guess you’ll just have to memorize it all before you leave!” Yeah, they walked right into that one. “You and your classmates could stand to sharpen your memory anyway!” 

“What the hell? Could he be any more sadistic?” Killua could agree, but instead of the word sadistic he would use ‘bitchy’.

Suddenly, Gon and Killua were alerted to fighting stances when a sudden gust of wind too fast for them to see flushed passed them, setting a piece of paper in their hands. 

The hell?

He didn’t even have time to react! What the hell was that?! His eyes narrowed as he looked around. Gon for the most part seemed confused. 

“Isogai.” He heard from where the E class teachers were located, but it wasn’t a voice he had heard before, when he turned he was met with… what the hell even is that? It’s ugly and definitely not human. It had two arms that wiggled and its legs were flopping and laid on the ground after a curve. “Oh, there we go!” It spoke while spinning a pen on its finger, “Everyone now has a handwritten copy, it would seem.”

“Yes, sir!” The kid responded normally, though nothing about this was normal. That thing just moved faster than Killua’s eyes could keep up with! Which is almost impossible! He’s trained for stuff like this! And it doesn’t even look human, he also can’t sense a single bit of nen coming from it! Gon was feeling the same as him; he could sense he was using gyo. “Oh, we got our handouts! Please continue, sir!”

“What? N-no way! How? Hey, now! Who killed our fun?!” Killua didn’t even care for the fun comment; he was still very much confused, and he needed answers. He checked Nagisa’s facial expression to check and see if he was on the same boat as he and Gon, turns out, he was not! He has like--the sweetest smile ever plastered on his face right now! Fuck it! He’ll ask later! “Er, um… Ahem! Let us continue! Let’s take a look at the upcoming student council schedule.”

“You were told not to show yourself to the rest of the school! Your very existence is a state secret, you know!” Killua would bet! Just look at that thing! If anything, Killua hopes that’s what they’re killing!

“Oh, come now. My disguise is flawless.” The hell it is! “No one will ever know.” Only a dumbass wouldn’t be able to tell. 

-

Unfortunately, Gon is a dumbass. He stares at the man who just entered the room and gives everyone in the E class including him and Killua papers. But he can’t sense a single ounce of nen spewing out of the man. His first thought is;

Wow! He must be powerful! And his last is; 

I wonder if he’ll teach me how to do that trick if I ask enough! As said before, he’s a dumbass, real, and in the flesh. 

-

“He must’ve gotten lonely.” 

“Can’t blame him, I guess.” Killua surely can. 

“Whoa, I don’t remember seeing that teacher just a moment ago…” Of course, you didn’t. Even if you trained for years on years you wouldn’t be even the slightest bit able to track his movement! 

“He seems kind of big. And… wriggly.” The kid’s right… wriggly. Like an octopus. Like an octopus! Holy shit! That’s the thing they’re assassinating? Killua’s got to pat himself on the back for all the things he’s finding out today! He really is a genius!

Too busy gloating, Killua had yet to notice that the assembly had come to an end resulting in quite the embarrassing wake-up call when a student had to tap him on the shoulder to let him know it was over. Curse Gon and Nagisa for leaving him. 

▪▪▪

“We’re going on ahead, Nagisa!”

“Okay! I’ll catch up after I buy something to drink!” As Nagisa turned his head back on the machine now dispensing his drink he heard another voice call out for him. 

“Hey. Nagisa.” He looks up and has to hold back a groan when he sees the faces of his old classmates again. “Don’t you think you guys are gettin’ a bit carried away?” 

“What?” 

“Laughin’ during the assembly and stuff… you should learn some respect!”

“E class oughta just keep its head down and shut up.” 

(Somewhere in the background Karasuma clenched his fist murmuring something about kids as he prepared to move forward before being stopped by a tentacle on his shoulder. “Just wait, Karasuma. My students aren’t the type to sink under such sloppy crap talk.”) 

“You got crappy lives weighin’ ya down, after all.” Nagisa was starting to get nervous, the two didn’t even try to hide the malice in their voice when they spoke. This was going to get ugly and quick!

“Hey. What’s with that dirty look?” He isn’t even looking at them in any type of way! Or, well he sure hopes he isn’t.

“Say something, E Class!” His former classmate yelled, gripping at his shirt. “You want me to kill you?!”

Kill...

The words are like a switch, and once it's flipped, Nagisa's expression turns blank. His eyes widen as he feels a twitch of a smile grace his face.

KILL?

He feels his fist tighten and something close to sick pleasure fills his veins, making him feel just a bit too lightheaded. Something invades his brain, something sick. It's like he's floating, and the feeling's so euphoric that he can't help but laugh.

K I L L ?

The scattering feeling in his body only worsens when he sees them flinch away.

“Kill,”  

He scoffed. 

“As if you’ve ever tried to kill anyone before.”  There's something different about Nagisa's voice, they notice, something almost sinister, something dark lurking beneath his steady gaze. 

And just that is enough to make them step back with a tremor and run away with their tail between their legs. As they run, they exclaim;

“The hell…” 

“Wh-what was that?” 

“Bloodlust?” 

And like that, Nagisa's back again. Eternally, he's fretting over his out-of-character moment. 

So much so he doesn't notice Karasuma and Koro-sensei's conversation. 

“See? My students are much more…motivated.” Karasuma seems stunned, and as he opens his mouth to speak he's stopped by a loud whistle that startles them both. 

“You could say that again,” Killua spoke nonchalantly, pushing both Karasuma and Koro-sensei to stand in front of them. The latter eyes narrowed, how the hell did he miss a kid sneaking up on him? He had to remind himself, this was the kid that Koro-sensei had his eyes on after all. So it shouldn’t be damaging his ego as much as it is. 

Seemingly catching his thoughts, Killua smiled. “Yo.” Killua's eyes caught on Karasuma. But he could tell he wasn’t the boy's main focus. The air around him was calm and carefree, but don’t let his demeanor fool you, the boy was perfectly on guard. And would attack and even kill with the slightest of movement. How unusual it is to see such an air surrounding such a sweet-looking kid.

Killua was smiling a bright smile, one Gon would wear, it was quite effective when it came to dealing with adults. “Hey, mister,” Killua spoke, shifting his gaze to the thing on his right. “You aren’t human, are you?” At this Karasuma stiffened while Koro-sensei only grinned. 

“Ha- you found me out so soon. I wouldn’t expect anything less of a friend of Ging’s son.” Killua’s eyes winded at that. So this thing was what they had to go for after all. 

“Well, Octo-sensei-“ 

“That’s Koro-sensei to you, I would prefer you to use the name my students have given me.” 

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Koro, you’ll help us find Ging right? Or give us some sort of clue?” Trying to seem the least bit affected by the butchering of his name Koro-sensei smirked(as best as he could with his never-ending smile) and spoke;

“We’ll see. I’ll help if I find you two worthy of course.” He snickered before blasting off for some sort of theatrics. 

“…Is he always that… extra?” Karasuma sighed.

“Yeah.” 

▪▪▪

In his office on top of the building, the principal sat, watching his screen filled with never-ending cameras. He clenched his hands as he focused on one. “The End Class is shoving normal students aside undauntedly.” He grits his teeth. “That doesn’t make sense. Not in my school. It seems I’ll have to make a few changes.” His eyes as red as rubies sparked with distaste. “The assassination and research can wait. This is my top priority now.”

Chapter Text

Midterms. 

The bane of Killua’s existence. 

Killua has hated many things in his life, his family, dumbasses who’ve tried to snap pictures of him to cash in a few bucks, and just people in general. 

But this might just be the worst. 

Because since he has Midterms, he's up studying with Gon at precisely three in the morning. And God knows studying with Gon is nearly impossible since every second he’s asking questions that are one hundred percent not related to their topic. 

Questions like; “Hey Killua, do you know if it’ll be cold tomorrow?” or, “Ne, Killua, do we have any more vanilla ice cream left in the fridge?” 

His questions are so stupid and off-topic that Killua suspects he might just be doing it on purpose to get out of studying. Knowing Gon that might just be his goal. 

Slamming his hands on the table, Killua groaned out loud, successfully attracting Gon’s attention away from the window he was staring at in a daze. “God damnit Gon! Pay attention!”

 Attention now back on Killua and his rage, Gon frowns, his eyes dimming with an apologetic look shifting inside them. 

“Really Killua, I’m trying!” His frown grows as he lays his head on the table in front of him. “It’s just hard for me to focus on things like studying, you know this. Not to mention it’s not even interesting or helpful what we’re studying!” He whines. 

The thing is, Killua does know. He knows how hard it is for Gon to focus on anything that’s not ‘let’s hop around and act like idiots’ related. So he tries his hardest not to get mad at him, but it’s so hard not to when he spaces out every ten seconds. 

“I know… Sorry for yelling.” Killua apologizes, taking his hands off the table while lowering back into his seat. “But honestly Gon, we’ve got to get through this! You’re the one who wanted to go to school! We won't be able to stay here if we don’t keep our grades up to par! If we, well more like you, don’t keep your grades up-” Killua cuts himself off when he sees the familiar sight of steam gushing from Gon’s ears. 

“Killuaaaa!” Gon whines, stretching out the ‘a’ in the boy's name more than necessary, a pout plastered on his face. “I really don’t get any of this school stuff!” He huffs. 

“I can see that.” Killua volleyballs back. 

Gon only groans in reply, going back to the worksheet that Killua had provided him with. 

Really, at this rate, he and Gon were going to get sent to the End Class earlier than he wanted.

Killua planned to do some stupid elaborate prank that would get them into an ass lot of trouble, so bad it would result in them getting put into the End Class.

But how Gon was performing in class right now, they were going to end up getting kicked out before the midterms even passed. 

Which is bad. 

He still needs to observe some kids in class 3-A. 

Logically speaking, he doesn’t need to study them at all, as they pose no threat to him or Gon. But, who they do pose a threat to is the End Class. The class he and Gon were going to be in soon(and the class Nagisa is in), and they do say it’s best to handle an infestation before it gets too annoying right? 

Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that night, Killua stood. 

“Gon, let’s just go to sleep, kay? It’s late and you probably won't remember anything in the morning anyway.” Gon seems ecstatic by Killua's declaration, hopping up immediately and running towards his room.

“Night, Killua!” Gon yells before he closes his room door. 

“Night,” Killua replies weakly before walking to his room.

Killua really hates Midterms. 

▪▪▪

People have always said Killua was like a cat. 

Maybe it was because of the cat faces he always seemed to pull without noticing, or the fact that sometimes he meowed because he thought the sound was just hilarious, possibly his well-maintained appearance and demeanor, or maybe, it was because he took afternoon naps. Every day at exactly noon Killua would fall asleep, it didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing. He would just pass out sleeping and wake up from the loud sound of the bell signaling lunchtime

The boy always blamed his horrible sleeping schedule for this, while others blamed his ‘cat tendencies’ or whatever.  

But this time, Killua was awoken from his regular afternoon nap by the sound of footsteps speeding toward his desk. 

Or what was supposed to be his desk. 

And not the one beside him, that happens to be Gon’s. 

Realizing that the steps that seemed to make the ground shake with the force applied were not barreling toward him, his best friend shakes Killua a bit more than he would like. 

This is why he looks up at the speed of light and shifts his eyes towards Gon’s desk. 

What he sees is a student- a girl student -standing proudly, chin up with hands on her hips in front of Gon’s desk.

Killua doesn’t know what, but something’s about to go down. 

And from the confused look on Gon’s face, Killua can tell he doesn’t know what’s going on either. 

“What’s wrong with you?” She says, her chin somehow running higher up, making her look down at Gon with- disgust? 

Gon, all the oblivious, just tilts his head in confusion. 

“What do’ya mean?” He asks, putting his books back into his bag. 

“You know exactly what I mean!” The girl shouts, slamming her hands onto Gon’s desk, the sudden loud noise makes Killua bristle. “The teacher told me, I know you’re failing this class!” At the confession, gasps fill the(very much nosy) room and Killua has to take a deep breath in order to remain calm. 

Isn’t it like- illegal for a teacher to disclose information like that? 

The last thing Killua needs right now is for everyone to know about his and Gon’s problems, even if it is more of a problem for Gon. 

“But even so! You’re still going around the school all happy and smiley, like- like you’re not an idiot!” The girl screams, leaning in even more into Gon’s desk. 

The boy on the other hand scoots back a bit, not liking how close the girl is getting. Gon can tell Killua isn’t too, he can practically feel his distaste from here. 

Gon doesn’t find himself in situations where girls are yelling at him often, so he doesn’t quite know what to do. 

“Sorry?” Gon tries, but his apology sounds more like a question and it seems to tick the girl off as her face gets redder, and a faint vein presents itself in the bulge of her fat ugly forehead. Honestly, he doesn’t even know what he’s apologizing for.

 Is it for being an idiot? Is that it? 

“That’s not enough! You don’t deserve to be in this class! You don’t deserve to be here with Asano-senpai!” The girl rages, grabbing onto Gon’s cardigan. She grinds her teeth as she shakes Gon, and Killua decides he has seen enough. 

He can feel anger run through his veins like electricity, the audacity of this girl, to touch Gon, his best friend! As if she has the right! Not only that but Gon's taking it with nothing but a dumb grin on his face.

In the blink of an eye, Killua is in front of Gon’s desk and the girl who was once in his place is on the ground, seemingly passed out. But what really sets the scene is the blood that’s leaking from her head. 

Multiple gasps fill the classroom as Gon just sighs and stands up. 

“Killua,” Gon scolds, “you shouldn’t have pushed her that hard, she hit her head on the corner of the desk.” He pushes past a scowling Killua to crouch down next to the bleeding girl, checking her head and pulse. “She seems to be fine, just passed out.” He looks up at Killua. “You have to be more careful if she was hurt, Killua you could get into real trouble!” Killua’s frown only grows at the scolding. 

“Well if she didn’t wanna get pushed, she shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.” Killua mumbles, eyes searching Gon’s body for any indication that he got hurt. 

It makes Gon smile, in the end, Killua was just trying to help him out. And he could never get mad at that. 

“Yeah, thanks Killua.” He smiles big. 

“GON! KILLUA!” A voice rings through the classroom causing the duo to look up, seeing the voice is from their teacher who has just come back from the bathroom, makes them cringe. Seeing as they’re basically in the middle of a crime scene. “Just what is going on here? Why is your classmate on the ground?!” He questions walking towards the two. Another female student trails behind him with her head down. She must’ve snitched. “You two, my office, now.” 

Killua sucks his teeth while Gon just sighs. The two of them now trailing behind the teacher. 

Well,

Killua thinks,

we’re fucked.

▪▪▪

As soon as Killua’s in his teacher’s office, he slumps down on one of the two chairs in front of his desk. 

“Do you two know how much trouble you're in?” The teacher yells as he slams his office door shut. 

Gon barely makes it in the room in time, just missing getting the door slammed into his face by a hair. 

The poor treatment makes Killua grumble curse at the teacher and cross his arms. 

“For starters Gon,” he addresses the boy with a hiss, “you’re failing almost all your classes, you haven’t passed a single test in my class, and you can never keep up with my lectures! Yet you go around school acting all go-lucky.” The teacher pauses, trailing his eyes up and down Gon’s figure. “It must be because you’re an idiot.” The teacher laughs coldly. “You might not know this, but if you keep going like this you’ll never get a job.” The man whispers the last part through gritting teeth.

“And Killua.” The man addresses Killua in a much softer tone, not noticing the boy's glare that promises nothing but death and agony for his victims. “Your grades are excellent, you’re a smart kid. Which is why I don’t understand why you’re hanging around a boy like him,” the man’s words make Killua scoff out a quiet laugh. 

As if he’s the one who’s too good for Gon, he’s got it all twisted. 

Gon is the one everyone should be looking at. 

“The only thing wrong with you is your aggression to anyone but that stupid boy,” Killua has to keep himself from pouncing on the teacher after he insulted Gon for what has felt like the millionth time. “You know, I’ve dealt with a kid like you before, smart but aggressive. He thought everything could be solved with violence.” The man makes his way through his office to sit on his desk. “So eventually I had to put him out. What was his name again? Kamed? Karen? Ah- Karma. That son of a bitch. You’re just like him, you know?” The man smiles maniacally as Killua huffs out a laugh at the insult. “That’s why I’ll have to send you both to the End Class. We can’t have kids like you ruining our school's rep.”  

The man grins, sick trill flowing through his veins, his heart pumping loudly with adrenaline. 

Oh, how he loves seeing the distraught look that washes over a kid's face after they realize their career is over. 

The utter despair their faces showed when they realized that he was right, that they could never be great, was so satisfying to see.

He loves that look, 

He yearns for it. 

So show him that face. 

Show him that despair. 

But what he gets is not despair, but happiness. 

He sees a large grin spread on both of their faces and suddenly, his heart isn’t pumping all that loud anymore.

“Really?” Gon questions. “When can we go?” 

A bit confused, the man responded with a simple “Tomorrow?” It sounds like a question more than a statement. “But uh-“ he stutters over his words, “for now, you’ll be suspended so you’ll have to go home.” 

Killua smiles big at that. 

“Really? Alright! See ya teach!” He squeaks as he hops out of his seat rushing towards the door with Gon’s hand in his own. 

The teacher is left confused. 

▪▪▪

The next morning Gon is the most energetic Killua has ever seen him since they decided to start going to school, he’s jumping all over the place with a large smile on his face and even decided to wake up exactly on time. 

Killua himself can’t help but smile at the display. 

Though, his smile disappears as soon as Gon turns the corner to hop onto his back which makes him drop his bag and almost bang his head on their front door. 

He scowls before leaning back far enough to make Gon fall off his back. 

“Idiot, don’t jump on me all suddenly like that!” Killua barks as he turns to face Gon who's now on the floor butt first. 

The boy only grins before standing and rubbing his bottom. “Sorry Killua, I'm just really excited! Think of how funny Nagisa will look once he realizes we're in his class!” As if he’s imagining the moment in his head, Gon snickers. 

And Killua can’t help but do the same as a picture of a surprised Nagisa paints his mind.

“Well, we’ll get to see it even sooner if we get there earlier.” Killua starts as his hand reaches for the door, but when it’s about to touch the handle he stops. “Or,” the boy stretches as a dark grin starts to spread over his features “we could be a little late.” He says as he turns to face Gon. 

Gon is hit with confusion, but it only lasts for a second before his face shapes into one of understanding. A grin much like the one Killua is wearing spreads on his face. 

“I like that idea much better,” Gon says in an uncanny tone before taking Killua by the hand to go sit on their couch. 

Oh, this is going to be gold.

▪▪▪

It’s been ten minutes since school started and Nagisa has started to sweat profusely. He’s been having a gut feeling that something was going to go down today since early in the morning, but nothing has happened yet. 

Everything had been normal, the earth was still fine, the world was still spinning and running in a loop, and school had been like how it’s always been. 

Yet, his gut feeling won't go away. 

Maybe it’s the fact that the End Class is getting two new transfers today(Koro-sensei wouldn’t stop talking about it) and that correlates to his twisted gut. 

Not the transfer part, but the ‘two’ part.

Two 

Two 

Two 

The word ‘two’ keeps repeating in his mind. But what does the word 'two' have to do with anything? 

Maybe they’re partners in crime? 

Two very close best friends?

A duo?  

Whenever he thinks about it, alarms blare in his head and he can practically see a red flag waving around in his mind. 

It’s truly starting to scare him. He puts his hands on his head and starts to rub as if trying to wash away his thoughts. 

Everything’s fine. 

There’s nothing to worry about. 

Just then there’s a loud knock at their class door. 

The sound makes Nagisa perk up. 

Koro-sensei grins and is quick to speed to the door. 

“Late on your first day?” The octopus scolds. “We can’t have that now can we?” Nagisa tries his best to glance over Koro-sensei to catch a look at the new students, but his teacher is way too tall. He can see his classmates try to do the same but ultimately fail. 

“Sorry, teacher!” He hears a chirpy and oddly familiar voice beam. 

“Yeah.” He hears another scarily familiar voice grumble. 

And now Nagisa was sweating, sweating harder than ever before. His heart was pounding in his chest and it felt like it would leap out any second now. 

There’s no way, right? 

He’s wrong, isn't he?

But as soon as the students walk past Koro-sensei and into the class, he’s hit with two very familiar faces.

He can’t deny it anymore. 

“Nagisa! Hi!” Gon grins while waving his hand high. Killua standing beside him with his hands in his pants pockets.  

Holy shit. 

“GON?! KILL UA !?” His voice cracks at the end. 

What the fuck happened?