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Killua was not particularly fond of anyone. More often than not, he ended up disliking, or even hating, everyone he met. He found the company of others to be annoying. He was an introvert through and through. He didn’t even like hanging out with the other introverts.
People. Tiring at best, enraging at worst. Killua did not like people.
Except for his sister. He did like her.
Sure, she bugged him from time to time and drove him a little crazy, but not in the same way most people did. Sisters. There was just something about them.
“So, I invited some friends over this Saturday for Christmas,” Alluka was saying, while she was putting mini, brightly coloured ornaments on their mini Christmas tree in the centre of the kitchen table.
Killua frowned at her over his shoulder from the counter, where he was pouring them both a glass of eggnog.
“How many?” he asked.
Alluka was following a pattern, as she slowly made her way up the tree. Red, blue, gold. The mini, bright yellow star sat on the table beside her. She was saving it for last.
“Oh, not many. Just some,” she responded, hanging a blue ornament.
Killua sat at the table across from her, passing her her glass of eggnog. “How many?” he asked again, taking a sip of his own eggnog.
Alluka shrugged, not taking her eyes off of her work. “I may be having a small Christmas party.”
Killua stared at her.
At his silence, she glanced at him.
“No,” he said as soon as she met his gaze.
She smirked. “It’s too late, I already invited everyone.”
“Un-invite them.”
“No.”
“…Why do you hate me?”
Alluka giggled. “C’mon, don’t be like that. It’ll be fun!” she said.
Killua scoffed. “Yeah, sure, fun.”
Something mischievous twinkled in his not-so-innocent little sister’s gaze. “You might meet someone,” she said.
It took Killua a bit to realize what she meant. He flushed and tried to hide it behind his glass.
“You hate me. This is your way of saying you hate me.”
“You’re so dramatic.”
Alluka finished decorating the tree and put the star on top.
_______________________________
Killua’s plans of barricading himself inside his bedroom did not work out, as his sister forbade him from doing just that. He found himself helping her prepare snacks and drinks.
The party consisted of some people they knew in the apartment and coworkers from the office Alluka worked in. There were maybe a few faces Killua recognized, but most everyone was a stranger to him. Not only that, but he’d lost his sister. How he could’ve lost the only person he knew in his own apartment, he had no idea. She’d disappeared somewhere with her friends.
So Killua was trying to blend in with the wallpaper.
The Christmas music Alluka had blaring from the radio in the kitchen was so loud, Killua was surprised they hadn’t gotten a complaint. He wasn’t particularly fond of Christmas music, but he put up with it for Alluka. He was sure she wouldn’t notice if he turned it down a little though. Everyone was practically shouting over it
He turned down the corner of the hall and bumped into something hard.
“Whoa, sorry! You okay?” came a voice.
Killua looked up and saw the spikiest hair he’d ever seen in his life.
“I’m fine, thanks,” he told the guy.
“Good,” the guy said with a grin and twinkling hazel eyes. “Oh hey, you’re Alluka’s brother, right?”
“Uh, right.” Killua almost didn’t hear the question, his focus drawn to the guy’s eyes.
Then the guy held out his hand and—oh okay, that was a big hand attached to a very large, muscular arm, attached to a rock solid chest (clad in an ugly Christmas sweater that made Killua feel itchy just looking at it, but Killua’s brain classified that as an afterthought).
“I’m Gon,” the guy said with that grin.
A grin that was bright and pearly and seemed to light up his entire face, including the smattering of freckles on his pronounced cheeks.
Killua’s throat felt dry. “I’m… Uh—“
What was his name again? Oh! Right!
“Killua.” He shook the guy’s hand—yes, that was a very big hand indeed.
“Nice to meet you,” Gon said kindly.
Killua’s fingers were vibrating when Gon let go of his hand.
“Uh, so…” Communicating. Not Killua’s strong suit. “You’re Alluka’s friend?” he asked.
Gon nodded. “Yeah. We met a month ago. We get together for coffee a few times a week.”
Alluka telling him about becoming coffee buddies with the ‘funny, new guy at work’, welled up in Killua’s memory.
“Oh, I know who you are. Alluka complains you always steal all the sugar cubes,” Killua said.
At that, Gon frowns. “I do not, they don’t belong to her,” he proclaimed.
Killua laughed. “She’s spoiled.”
Gon grinned and Killua was helpless to stop his heart from fluttering.
“She says that you spoil her,” he said.
“I… am a doting, older brother she doesn’t always deserve,” Killua responded.
Gon laughed. A knot twisted in Killua’s stomach.
“Oh,” Gon suddenly stopped laughing, gazing upward. “Look at that.”
Killua frowned and looked up too.
Mistletoe.
He was ashamed to admit it, but he gasped. It just came out. It was better than his knees giving out from under him, at least.
“Well, aren’t I lucky?” said Gon with that bright grin.
Killua barely processed those words before Gon cupped his cheek and kissed him. It was over much too fast and Killua’s lips were left tingling. He felt Gon stroke his thumb across his cheek, then his skin was cold when Gon dropped his hand.
“I’m definitely lucky,” Gon murmured softly.
Killua’s whole face exploded into flames, bright red flush all the way up to his forehead.
Gon smiled and made to say something—
“Hey, Gon!”
Gon’s smile faded and he sighed.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, grasping Killua’s elbow gently for a moment.
Killua’s brain had shut down, so he just nodded dumbly.
Gon gave him one last smile, then he let go of his elbow and walked away.
…Damn, that guy’s hands were huge.
_______________________________
The party was finally dying down, people slowly leaving one by one. Killua didn’t see Gon again.
Standing on the balcony under the calm snowfall, Killua tried not to be disappointed. Guys like Gon were way out of his league. Of course he wasn’t really that interested. Killua was too awkward, he never got out, except for work and shopping and when Alluka dragged him out, and it wasn’t like he was all that good-looking. Why would a guy like Gon want him?
The wind danced over his face, cooling his skin. Thankfully, he was wearing a coat and had grabbed a scarf. The wind felt nice and tasted fresh, he discovered, breathing in and then out, watching his breath materialize in the frosty air.
“There you are,” came a familiar voice Killua thought he wouldn’t hear again.
He turned around. There was Gon, shivering in that ugly Christmas sweater, but he was smiling.
“I thought you left,” Killua said, surprised.
Gon came and stood beside him. “Without getting your number? I don’t think so,” he responded.
Killua felt the fire in his face. He quickly ducked his head.
“I’m glad I came tonight,” murmured Gon, rubbing at his arms to keep warm.
Killua tried really, really hard not to feel his insides turn to jelly. “Do you do this sort of thing often?” he asked.
Gon gave him a grin. “Nope!”
Killua blinked up at him. “Really?”
“Really! People are always approaching me, I never get to do any approaching.”
“Well, you didn’t really approach me. It was more like a freak accident.”
“Or fate.”
Killua stared at Gon. Was this guy for real? Was it possible that someone was really this perfect? And he was really flirting with Killua?
If this was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up.
Gon shivered, burying his chin in his sweater. It was cute.
“Here,” Killua said, unwrapping his scarf from around his neck. He stood up on his tiptoes and put it around Gon.
Gon’s eyes filled with warmth. Killua looked away as quick as he could, but that was a look he wasn’t forgetting anytime soon.
“Marry me.”
Killua snapped his head back up. “What?”
“Oops, sorry!” Gon laughed, pink dusting his nose. “Didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
Killua wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or disappointed.
“But,” began Gon, “do you want to go out with me?”
What was happening? This had to be a dream because Killua thought he was falling in love already.
“I’d love to,” Killua said. Then blushed. “I mean, I guess that doesn’t sound… horrible.”
Gon chuckled. Then he paused when his gaze drifted to the top of the balcony door. The smile on his face grew even bigger.
“By the way, we’re standing under mistletoe again,” he said casually, as if he was saying what the weather was.
Killua looked up. How many of those things had Alluka put up?
“I am definitely lucky,” Gon said and wrapped his arms around Killua’s waist.
He kissed him for the second time that night and Killua thought, no, he was the lucky one.