Dire Circumstances (HunterxHunter - Gon/Killua)
Title: Dire Circumstances
Author:
cleflink
Rating: G
Warnings: Very literal interpretation of prompts
Word Count: 726
Prompt: Purring - The last place they'd stayed in hadn't even had running water
Summary: They've stayed in worse places.
Gon and Killua had stayed in a lot of real dives over the years. Sure there’d been a few higher end hotels and fancy penthouse apartments thrown in along the way - they were pro hunters after all - but living it up wasn’t really something either of them cared for overmuch. Hotel rooms weren’t useful for much more than sleeping in and having pillow fights after all, and money not spent on lodgings went to much better uses more often than not (like buying chocolate, although Gon did his best to try and curb Killua’s sugar intake). Any sort of room was fine for them, really, and they moved around so much it wasn’t like they really cared about any sort of permanent stopping point.
So when they drove off a pack of hungry gargoyles from some backwater little town and got offered a free stay in an empty house as thanks, not even the cautionary warning that it was ‘a little rundown’ was enough to deter them.
Hell, Killua had laughed grinning, the last place they’d stayed hadn’t even had running water. How much worse could this place be?
Only now, standing stunned in the doorway with his jaw hanging open, Killua wondered if they might have been a little overoptimistic in that regard.
Gon was the first to speak. “Well,” he tried, in the tone of someone trying desperately to be fair. “At least we won’t have to worry about mice.”
Killua raised an eyebrow, still staring. “I’m not really sure that helps.”
Cats.
Dozens of cats, in all colours and sizes; slinking across the tattered carpets and reclining on dust-draped furniture. A few furred heads turned their way, luminous eyes large and unblinking.
Killua could think of only one thing to say to this. “I am not staying here.”
“But where should we go instead?” Gon asked, blinking. “This village doesn’t have an inn.”
“Eh,” Killua shrugged. “We’ll just find a park bench or a tree or something. Won’t be the first time.” He turned to go, then paused when he realized Gon wasn’t following. “You coming?”
“Are you sure we should?” Gon asked, something strange in his tone that Killua couldn’t quite place. “It seems kinda rude after the villagers were nice enough to let us stay here.”
Killua rolled his eyes. “Gon, we’re Hunters. No one’s going to see us sleeping anywhere else if we don’t want them to.” Only Gon still looked torn, biting his lip in a rare display of indecision and Killua couldn’t help a frustrated huff. “Oh come on, Gon! Don’t tell me you actually want to stay here! Look at the place!”
“I know, but…”
One of the cats, bolder than the rest, chose that moment to butt its head against Gon’s leg, mewing pitifully. Gon bent instinctively to pet it, his square, competent hands infinitely gentle as they stroked soft fur.
Killua frowned at the contented little smile on Gon’s face. “Gon?”
Gon glanced up with an apologetic little shrug. “Sorry Killua. It’s just been such a long time since I’ve been around animals like this - I guess I got a little nostalgic.” He gave the cat a final pat and stood. “We’d probably better pick a spot a little out of town, just in case,” he observed practically, the hint of wistfulness in his face all but invisible if you didn’t know where to look for it. “Let’s go see what we can find.”
Of course, Killua and Gon had been friends for a long time now and Killua was nothing if not observant.
“Oh, fine,” he sighed, pulling the door shut and dropping his bag to the floor with a thump. “We’ll stay here.” He leveled a warning finger at Gon’s suddenly grinning face. “But just one night.”
He was being soft. It wasn’t like Gon would’ve complained about sleeping in a tree. And he really didn’t want to stay in the cat house.
But the uncomplicated delight in Gon’s smile as he bent again to cuddle the cat seemed more than worth giving in for once. And later, lying in the dark with Gon spooned close against him, one tanned arm curled gently around the purring kitten sleeping in the centre of Killua’s chest and Gon’s breath warm and comfortable against his neck, Killua figured he could live with being just a little soft.
~owari
Author:
cleflink
Rating: G
Warnings: Very literal interpretation of prompts
Word Count: 726
Prompt: Purring - The last place they'd stayed in hadn't even had running water
Summary: They've stayed in worse places.
Gon and Killua had stayed in a lot of real dives over the years. Sure there’d been a few higher end hotels and fancy penthouse apartments thrown in along the way - they were pro hunters after all - but living it up wasn’t really something either of them cared for overmuch. Hotel rooms weren’t useful for much more than sleeping in and having pillow fights after all, and money not spent on lodgings went to much better uses more often than not (like buying chocolate, although Gon did his best to try and curb Killua’s sugar intake). Any sort of room was fine for them, really, and they moved around so much it wasn’t like they really cared about any sort of permanent stopping point.
So when they drove off a pack of hungry gargoyles from some backwater little town and got offered a free stay in an empty house as thanks, not even the cautionary warning that it was ‘a little rundown’ was enough to deter them.
Hell, Killua had laughed grinning, the last place they’d stayed hadn’t even had running water. How much worse could this place be?
Only now, standing stunned in the doorway with his jaw hanging open, Killua wondered if they might have been a little overoptimistic in that regard.
Gon was the first to speak. “Well,” he tried, in the tone of someone trying desperately to be fair. “At least we won’t have to worry about mice.”
Killua raised an eyebrow, still staring. “I’m not really sure that helps.”
Cats.
Dozens of cats, in all colours and sizes; slinking across the tattered carpets and reclining on dust-draped furniture. A few furred heads turned their way, luminous eyes large and unblinking.
Killua could think of only one thing to say to this. “I am not staying here.”
“But where should we go instead?” Gon asked, blinking. “This village doesn’t have an inn.”
“Eh,” Killua shrugged. “We’ll just find a park bench or a tree or something. Won’t be the first time.” He turned to go, then paused when he realized Gon wasn’t following. “You coming?”
“Are you sure we should?” Gon asked, something strange in his tone that Killua couldn’t quite place. “It seems kinda rude after the villagers were nice enough to let us stay here.”
Killua rolled his eyes. “Gon, we’re Hunters. No one’s going to see us sleeping anywhere else if we don’t want them to.” Only Gon still looked torn, biting his lip in a rare display of indecision and Killua couldn’t help a frustrated huff. “Oh come on, Gon! Don’t tell me you actually want to stay here! Look at the place!”
“I know, but…”
One of the cats, bolder than the rest, chose that moment to butt its head against Gon’s leg, mewing pitifully. Gon bent instinctively to pet it, his square, competent hands infinitely gentle as they stroked soft fur.
Killua frowned at the contented little smile on Gon’s face. “Gon?”
Gon glanced up with an apologetic little shrug. “Sorry Killua. It’s just been such a long time since I’ve been around animals like this - I guess I got a little nostalgic.” He gave the cat a final pat and stood. “We’d probably better pick a spot a little out of town, just in case,” he observed practically, the hint of wistfulness in his face all but invisible if you didn’t know where to look for it. “Let’s go see what we can find.”
Of course, Killua and Gon had been friends for a long time now and Killua was nothing if not observant.
“Oh, fine,” he sighed, pulling the door shut and dropping his bag to the floor with a thump. “We’ll stay here.” He leveled a warning finger at Gon’s suddenly grinning face. “But just one night.”
He was being soft. It wasn’t like Gon would’ve complained about sleeping in a tree. And he really didn’t want to stay in the cat house.
But the uncomplicated delight in Gon’s smile as he bent again to cuddle the cat seemed more than worth giving in for once. And later, lying in the dark with Gon spooned close against him, one tanned arm curled gently around the purring kitten sleeping in the centre of Killua’s chest and Gon’s breath warm and comfortable against his neck, Killua figured he could live with being just a little soft.
~owari