Work Text:
Killua was dead.
Inside, that is.
Ever since Gon left his side to travel up the World Tree, he had felt lost. Days blended into each other, minutes passing by in a blur. Food tasted bland. The world felt a bit greyer.
If it wasn’t for Alluka by his side, he didn’t know how low he would’ve fallen.
Probably lower than a coffin buried underground.
But, alas, Killua was a big brother now. He has personal responsibilities to take on, like caring for his little sister. If they were going to make it in the dark, cruel world, then they would need to work as a team. She didn’t need an emotionally unavailable brother. She needed a strong brother. So he needed to put his big boy pants on and move on.
Killua needed to stop sulking over someone who wasn’t coming back into his life.
It was hard. Nevertheless, Killua pushed through. He pushed his emotional pain aside, trying to live life to the fullest. Gon would've wanted that for him, wouldn't he?
So the pair of siblings traveled the world, sharing amazing experiences. The world was their oyster. There wasn’t a country they didn’t visit, a path they didn’t cross.
Except for crossing paths with Gon.
It was liberating. Killua and Alluka lived their whole life trapped. It was about time they experienced some freedom.
“I just wish I could spend my freedom with Gon too,” Killua thought one night in a hotel. Alluka was passed out beside him, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Wishful, greedy thoughts.
Life is funny. You always want what you couldn't have. That was the fall of humans: their bottomless selfishness.
And Killua was very selfish indeed.