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a skill you had developed quickly after becoming a pro hunter was the ability to fall asleep anywhere.
in cold and damp caves, in precariously high trees, or just on the tightly packed dirt of the ground. longer expeditions meant weeks or even months of traveling through unforgiving terrains, often far removed from the luxuries of modern living. after long days of arduous work and the occasional near-death experience, you had trained your body to crash wherever you deemed vaguely comfortable.
this particular mission was a rare exception.
the four of you were tasked with tracking down a group of rogue nen-users that had been looting and terrorizing towns in a certain region. this meant most of your nights were spent in cheap but cozy motels rather than the surrounding forests. after all the unpleasant places you had managed to fall asleep in, a warm bed with a roof over your head should have sent you into the easiest and most blissful slumber of your life.
yet here you were, wide awake, with the prospect of sleep far out of your reach. you weren’t exactly sure of the time, but you knew it had to be past midnight. you had been tossing and turning in your (creaky) bed for hours, though your mind was even more restless than your body.
shortly after becoming a pro hunter, you were taken on as an apprentice by morel, who saw great potential in your nen ability. shoot and knuckle had already been with morel for some time before you and the two often accompanied you on missions as part of your training.
your first impressions of the beast hunters hadn’t been very encouraging. try as he might to hide his emotions, it didn’t take you long to figure out that shoot was a coward who needed to be coaxed into action in almost every battle. you found knuckle to be obnoxious, impulsive, and moronic. it was a close competition, but knuckle’s mannerisms bothered you more than shoot’s.
at first, you dreaded expeditions with morel and tried your hardest to prove your abilities at every possible moment so he would finally allow you to go on missions without your fellow apprentices. however, the more time you spent with them, the more you realized you may have been too quick to judge.
when the stakes were higher, shoot was able to conquer his anxiety and use his nen ability to its full power, ready to put his life on the line for the sake of others. his overly-cautious nature was a good balance to knuckle’s overly-rash one. despite his appearance and often brash behavior, you learned that knuckle was really just a big softie. his nen was powerful and caused a devastating blow to his opponents, but its manifestation potclean was absolutely adorable. he wore his heart on his sleeve, his overwhelming compassion and empathy often leading him to cry at inopportune times. he was loyal to a fault and his emotions sometimes clouded his judgement, but it tugged at your heartstrings whenever you saw him shedding sympathetic tears or feeding stray animals.
knuckle and shoot eventually managed to break through your initially cold exterior and find a special place in your heart. missions with them were something you came to look forward to and the three of you became a strange yet wonderful family (albeit a sometimes dysfunctional one).
since knuckle was naturally the more outgoing one, your bond with him was a bit stronger than shoot’s. shoot was happy to sit back and observe you two talk, argue, and train together, finding it much more comfortable than actually engaging in any of those behaviors himself. though you two often butted heads, you found that jobs tended to be rather boring and dull without knuckle’s presence.
you guys were fellow hunters and friends, that was all.
so why were you lying in a motel bed, staring at the dusty ceiling, thinking about knuckle?
it was subtle at first, but lately you had been having confusing thoughts about the kindhearted emitter. simple shoulder bumps and elbow nudges sent shivers through your whole body, your nerves lighting on fire wherever he touched you. when you two were yelling in each others’ faces, you momentarily forgot your anger to admire the bluish-grey hue of his eyes or the harsh frown lines at the tops of his cheeks. you’d lost count of how many times you’d seen knuckle without his overcoat, but you had only recently begun to appreciate just how muscular he was. due to the physical demands of the job, almost all hunters were pretty fit, but knuckle’s body was impressive even for your line of work.
the impulsive urge to run your hands along knuckle’s bicep or trail your fingers down his abs popped into your head more and more frequently each time you two sparred. you pretended to ignore the flutter in your heart whenever he pointed out your reddened face, concerned that you were overworking yourself, while you reassured him (unconvincingly) that it was simply the weather. moments like those made you grateful knuckle was so dense.
you weren’t oblivious about your feelings. you knew you liked knuckle as more than just a fellow apprentice and your affections for him were growing stronger each day. but how would he react if you told him? knuckle was the worst when it came to concealing his emotions, so if he felt the same way about you, wouldn’t you have been able to figure it out by now? if he rejected you, what would happen to your friendship? would you even be able to face him anymore? your heart clenched painfully at the thought of having to leave knuckle, shoot, and morel.
and if he didn’t reject you, would you even want to have a relationship with him? being a hunter meant accepting the possibility of death each time you went on a mission. you trusted your own capabilities and knew knuckle would kick a puppy before he was defeated in battle, but the possibility of one or both of you dying would always be there.
your room suddenly felt too hot, too stuffy, and you needed to get some fresh air. it’s not like you were even tired, anyway. you rolled out of the bed, not even bothering to put shoes on as you silently crept down the hallway towards the motel’s back porch. as you gently pulled the door open, you were surprised to see someone already sitting on the steps. you immediately knew it was knuckle, seeing as a group of stray cats was congregated in front of him.
“so this is why you snuck that piece of chicken off the table at dinner.”
you said as you walked up behind knuckle and sat in the empty space next to him, a soft smile spreading across your face. out of the corner of your eye, you saw him tense for a second before throwing another piece of meat to the eagerly awaiting cats.
“i didn’t think anyone saw that.”
he grumbled under his breath. you giggled and gave him a half-hearted shoulder bump.
“don’t worry, mr. tough guy. your secret is safe with me. i know it’d hurt your reputation if anyone ever found out the great knuckle bine feeds kittens in his free time.”
he chuckled at your words and leaned down to pet a grey cat that had boldly moved closer to where you guys were sitting. your heart gushed with affection at the scene in front of you and you prayed it was too dark for knuckle to notice the blush that had started creeping up your face.
“you know, i once heard someone say that good hunters are well-liked by animals. you get animals to trust you so easily, it must mean you’re pretty talented then.”
you swore you saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks, but knuckle turned his head away from yours before you could get a better look. you were distracted by a demanding meow as a tabby cat brushed up against your legs. your hand absentmindedly reached down to scratch its chin, giving in to its pleas for affection.
“i just feel bad for ‘em, that’s all. they don’t have anyone else to take care of ‘em. besides, that one seems to really like you, so that means you’re a good hunter, too.”
you heard him mumble something else to himself, but you kept your eyes trained on your new furry friend, not trusting yourself to make eye contact with knuckle lest you become a blushing mess.
the night was quiet once again as you two focused all your attention on the cats. an awkward tension hung in the air over the both of you, as if somehow knuckle knew what you had been thinking back in your motel room. for a while, neither of you dared to break the silence.
you tilted your head back to gaze up at the inky-black sky, illuminated by hundreds of glimmering stars. you never liked missions in places like yorknew city, where all the artificial light blocked the stars from view. here, in a small town surrounded by forest, the stars shined brightly with nothing to dim their glow. it brought you a sense of comfort, and you could stare at this view for hours. you let out a contented sigh before breaking the quietude.
“the stars are really beautiful tonight, aren’t they?”
you meant it as a rhetorical question, not bothering to look over at knuckle for an answer. you heard him shift slightly next to you and swallow loudly.
“yeah. really beautiful.”
his tone sounded almost nervous. when you turned your head to look over at knuckle, you were shocked to find his eyes already meeting yours. he had definitely moved closer to you and there was no doubt now he was blushing. he stared at you with a look of apprehension? nervousness?
after a moment, you realized knuckle hadn’t been looking at the stars when he said that. he had been looking at you.
it was probably one of the most cliché scenarios you could possibly imagine and your sleep-deprived brain had taken control of your movements, but you felt yourself leaning in closer and closer to knuckle. he moved his face in closer to yours as well until you could feel his warm, shallow breaths fanning across your lips. you couldn’t believe this was actually happening. you tilted your head to the side slightly and your eyes fluttered shut. you leaned in further until you could feel-
-his stupid pompadour pushing into your forehead.
you both opened your eyes and reeled back from each other. knuckle looked absolutely mortified.
“shit. i’m so sorry. i’m such an idiot. i totally ruined it and…”
his rambling apology trailed off as you failed to hold in your laughter, your stifled snickers turning into full-body cackles. of course, his ridiculous hairstyle would be what ruins the romantic moment. as you wiped the tears from your eyes, you saw knuckle frowning at you.
“you don’t have to make fun of me, you know.”
you immediately stopped laughing and your expression softened, realizing how rude you had been. you knew you should apologize, but you didn’t trust your words to come out coherently. almost everything about this interaction had been awkward from start to finish and you didn’t want to embarrass yourself further with a fumbled apology. so you chose actions rather than words.
throwing all caution out the window, you placed both hands on the sides of knuckle’s face and pulled him in for a messy kiss. knuckle was caught off guard, eyes wide open and hands unsure of where to go. your head was tilted at an uncomfortable angle to duck under the tip of his pompadour and your lips were slanted against his. it certainly wasn’t an idyllic first kiss, but you weren’t going to complain.
he eventually kissed you back, his eyes falling shut and hands gently grasping your sides. you weren’t sure how long the kiss lasted, but you two enjoyed every moment of the embrace. when you finally pulled back, knuckle was slack-jawed and blushing wildly. you were panting heavily and your blush probably rivaled his. your thumbs subconsciously stroked his cheekbones and you felt yourself leaning in for another kiss. he seemed to share your idea as his eyes fell shut again and he puckered his lips slightly. your mouths were about to connect once more when a loud meow cut through the air and the tabby cat from before promptly leapt into your lap.
the cat meowed once more and rubbed against your chest. you laughed and pulled your hands away from knuckle’s face, opting to pet the needy feline instead. knuckle huffed and shot the cat a glare but made no move to recapture your attention. you leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before resting your head against his shoulder. in turn, he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you closer. once again, you two sat in silence. instead of awkward tension, this time there was only tranquility and tenderness.
you didn’t know what the future held, but in this moment, petting cats and cuddling with knuckle under the stars, you were truly happy.