Luna's Struggle

• CHAPTER 31 •

Life Balance

Luna's Struggle

4601 words.

Killua's body tensed with pain. It felt like he's been drugged for a while and now it wore off. He groaned and whimpered every time he moved because all of his limbs screamed from the pain. The stilling darkness he restlessly stayed in wasn't comfortable as it should be. He was asleep, but he felt wide awake…

Slowly, he opened his eyes when he broke free from the sleep-hypnotizing shackles that bound him to the darkness. His eyes stilled on the hammering raindrops over the window to his right. He stared dully at them as they blasted their tiny form, pit-pattering on the glass.

He didn’t move and only stared at the gray and cloudy sky outside the window; it grimly added to Killua's general mood. Although this weather is depressing to him, it also makes him a bit sleepy again. How long has he been sleeping? Where is Gon?

He stared around the barely vague room with its dark and rustic furniture, but he couldn’t sense any movement. Finally wide-awake, Killua lifted his arm to touch his bandaged neck. His neck is cleaned and patched up neatly. He winced at his own movement when he traced his skin around to track how many bruises he's got, so he rested again, unmoving. After a while, his gaze darted to what he was wearing. It’s one of Gon’s big green shirts, which is clean and comfy. 

Again, he rested his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Sleepiness took over and he fell into a restless sleep.

-

His ears perked at the sound of shuffling. Did he fall asleep again? For how long? Dazedly, he opened his eyes to find Gon standing beside him with a metal tray. His eyes were shiny and full of curiosity despite the surrounding grimness of the winter's atmosphere. “Good afternoon. Still sleepy?” He put the tray on the nightstand and sat beside him. Gon's stiff shoulder faced him, so he barely made out the tension that was piled up in Gon's eyes and over his shoulders. “Alpin cooked some of your favorite food. I was surprised to find out that he knows about them when I don’t. You do like Alpin, huh?” The bed slightly shifted down when Gon pressed his elbows on his thighs, leaning a bit forward. After what seemed like taking stress-relieving sighs, he grabbed Killua's limp hand and stroked it calmly.

Killua blinked the blurring away several times before adjusting his gaze to the tray. He couldn’t see its contents clearly, but the smell already indicated that it was pancakes and hot chocolate. 

Suddenly, a hand dove inside his curls. His gaze turned to Gon again to see his pale face. Gon’s dry lips spoke volumes. His eyes shifted between looking at him and down at every bruise he had. Killua didn't know how many there were, but Gon looked devastated even when most of them were covered by bandages or his shirt. His actions told Killua how nervous and scared he is. 

But Killua kept still and calm, still processing the environment slowly and urging his brain to work. It's like a hangover. Everything feels bland and blank with a mild headache. After a while of enjoying Gon’s smooth touches, he finally uttered his first words. “What day is it?” His voice came deeply husky and croaked as if he didn’t drink water for days.

“Tuesday, afternoon.” Briefly, Gon answered Killua’s most important concerns. He groaned when he tried to move, but Gon helped him to sit comfortably, putting his own pillow behind him as well. So, he did sleep for so long, huh? He missed school again. “What should I do to help you relax?” Gon grabbed Killua’s hand and tightened his grip on it. He didn’t connect their eyes and only kept staring at their hands. 

“Gon. I’m fine.” Killua said. He looked at the glass of water on the tray for a split second to see Gon hovering towards it and handing it to him. “Thanks. You’re the one who should be relaxing by the way.” Finally, sipping some water, Killua felt a lot better. He sighed loudly and sank into the pillows before staring at Gon’s hard face.