•
AU:
Scenery wise it's like HxH and it takes place in a rural town/forest. There are also demons.
•
Premise:
"Where the little demon Killua bonds with a sickly young woman who lives in the woods."
•
It was an April afternoon, and perhaps somewhere, a fox was being wedded.
That is to say there was a sun shower.
And with his white hair drenched by rain, the forest ground now soft beneath his treading feet, Killua, a small demon, was making his way towards his favorite hideaway for when the weather wasn't in his favor. That place being an old abandoned cottage of which hadn't seen human residence for god knows how many decades.
But Killua liked it there, its structure had remained sturdy despite the lack of care and there didn't seem to be any leaks. Sure it was dusty as the boy never bothered cleaning the place, but it did its job serving as a safe place for him to hide his chocolate robots. Perhaps the only real flaw with the place was how isolating it could feel.
"What the actual hell?"
Though that might not be the case from now on.
The once faded house was now layered with a new coat of paint, flowers, and a variety of bushes planted in its yard, there was even a birdbath set outside. His blue eyes catching the sight of smoke rising from its chimney, Killua found himself growing curious as to who now lives in his now potentially ex-hideaway.
And whether or not he should kill them...
Lacking the patience to walk up to the door, the small demon chose to climb over the fence instead. Approaching the window and finding it to not be blocked by curtains, he took a close look at the inside of the residence.
The room was dimly lit, the sole source of the light being the crackling fireplace that blazed on in the living room. The oak wood walls were lit well by its orange lights and there was a shadow that was carved through it. A shadow of a woman; with her figure wrapped in a wooly blanket and a steaming mug of something savory clutched in her hands.
The house looked warm Killua noted, and eventually, he too sighed, though out of frustration instead.
What was he to do now?
A little part of him actually didn't want to kill the young woman inside there, she was taking care of the place after all, and if she were dead it would just revert back to how it was before. Surely there existed some kind of compromise he can achieve that could benefit both parties significantly.
Tch, talk about wishful thinking.
Closing his eyes, Killua summoned his claws and took a deep breath, fighting back the urge to start second-guessing himself on this.
*Knock! Knock!*
"Gah!"
The boy's blue eyes widened in shock at the unexpected* sound, staring on in awe at the new face pressed against the window on the other side, only partially blurred by the fog from the person's breath. Their gaze met and the woman smiled softly. She waved her hand in greeting, but before the demon could respond she had pointed to her side before disappearing there.
The sound of a door opening echoed through the air and a kind, although muffled, voice rang.
"Over here please!" She called out to him from where she stood, her eyes bright with genuine concern. "I would hate to see you catch a cold!"
And for the briefest second, Killua could have sworn he had felt the warmth he was admiring moments before brush pass him like a soothing breeze.
It felt nice he decided.
•
Now, did Killua feel particularly bad about ruining the woman's once cozy couch with the rainwater on his body? Yes technically, but only because of how gross and uncomfortable he felt as he was forced to remain on the damp piece of furniture as the young woman dried his hair with a towel. The demon's pale face contorting to a grimace as she continued to ruffle his white hair.
It was going to be such a mess...
"Alright! Alright! Isn't that enough already?! This is the driest it's gonna get y'know!"
Brought out of her state of concentration, the woman flinched* back in response to his loud tone. Biting her lips in shame as she swiftly folded the towel away.
"Sorry about that, I hope I didn't hurt you," she apologized to the albino. "I tried to be gentle I swear, but I also didn't want to take up too much time."
"Huh??" The boy exacerbated. "It didn't hurt, and even if it did I can take plenty of pain so it's fine."
A look of confusion flashed in the woman's eyes before disappearing as she snapped her finger* in alarm. "Oh right," she gasped. "You should sit by the fire to dry off instead. Like I said, I would hate for you to catch a cold."
Shrugging at her suggestion, Killua did as told anyway.
"Yeah sure," he sighed, following her instructions as he never did like the sensation of clothes clinging onto his skin. "Oh by the way, do you have the chocolate robots I left in this house before you moved in? 'Cause the whole reason I came inside was to have them back sooo."
The woman closed her eyes in thought for a few seconds before snapping her fingers once more, a smile stretched upon her lips. "Oh right those! I can bring you a few but I won't be able to carry them all here, is that fine for now?"
Killua shrugged, "Yeah sure, I don't have another place to store all of them anyway. I'll let you keep them here if you promise not to eat them though."
The woman giggled and turned around, "I'll go get them then. You stay by the fire alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. Shoo now."
Hearing the echo of her quiet chuckle leaving the room, Killua began to relax, taking the time to take in the atmosphere around him for once. His nose had picked up the scent of baked goods nearby along with some strange herbal flagrance if he were to focus hard enough. He looked back to the fire crackling still before him, providing the room with heat. Too much heat actually, and as comforting as this house is, the temperature it harbored was plain unnatural.
Furrowing his brows, the boy looked up at the ceiling to find a fan spinning, spinning clockwise that is. Pushing the warm air of the fire down on its residence instead of letting it travel freely.
Strange.
"I'm back!"
Snapping his head towards the sound of the now-familiar voice, Killua was pleasantly surprised by what the young woman brought for him to enjoy by the fireplace.
"I had assumed that you liked chocolate so here," the lady smiled and offered up the plate of cookies in her hand. "I didn't make them using yours of course, though admittedly I did think about using them after I ran out of stock, haha."
Only half-aware of what she was saying, the small demon greedily grabbed three whole cookies and brought it up to his mouth, only frozen once he felt a hand around his wrist. "Eh?" His eye twitched in annoyance.
The woman laughed and revealed a plain black handkerchief in her hands, unraveling it, she tied it around his neck before giving the boy a thumb's up. "There!" She cheered with genuine glee. "Now you can eat as messy as you want without crumbs getting into your shirt."
They stayed in an silence after that, only broken once the demon boy starts to laugh.
"Pfft, who are you, my mom?" He gasped through the hysterical laughter. "Sorry but I've got one of those already, and she's annoyingly enough so I don't need another one."
Opening his eyes, Killua looked for a reaction. Hurt perhaps, embarrassment? Annoyance?
"Oh right, here's a cup of milk in case you were thirsty, also, I'll leave your chocolates here okay?"
Whatever he was looking for, he didn't get it.
"I'll go fetch you a blanket, be right back."
The young woman left with slow steps and a smile on her face, her expression seemingly completely unfazed* by the boy's attitude towards her.
Killua sighed.
"What a weirdo..."
Finishing the last of the cookies and downing the cup of milk in one gulp, Killua sat up. Ultimately letting his curiosity overpower the annoyance his wet clothes caused, he began making his way out of the living room.
"Whoaaaa."
And into the kitchen.
"Well, would you look at that..."
Cakes, pies, brownies, crepes, muffins, the list went on and on in regards to what was displayed in the kitchen. Killua hadn't thought much of the single plate of cookies the woman had offered him but now knowing that she's some culinary addict...*
"Guess I'm not killing her after all. Hm."
Feeling a playful smile stretch his face, the young demon could feel his mouth water at the thought of an infinite source of baked goods, so long as he can provide ingredients of course. Sure he doesn't need to consume human food to survive but damn do those people know a thing or two about flavor. Plus, he sure as hell doesn't want to take the time to learn how to make it.
"Um, little boy?"
Snapping his head towards the voice, Killua grinned, his pale hands gesturing wildly towards the sweets displayed around him. "Hey! Hey! You're the one who made all these right?!"
The woman's shoulder had jumped in alarm at his volume, but even so, she smiled anyway. "Well yes, you can take them if you want. I can't finish these by myself anyway."
Shooting the woman a suspecting look as he crossed his arms, the demon tilts his head to the side. "Really?" He asked, the deal seemed too one-sided to be genuine to him. "I mean, what do you even get out of this huh?"
The woman looks down in thought and hummed. "What do I get out of this...? Well, it's not much admittedly but I'll be satisfied with you just being here and chatting with me."
Scrunching his eyes brows in confusion, Killua continued to doubt her words. "You're kidding, right? I mean, why would you want to talk to a kid anyway?? You adults usually find us annoying after a while last time I checked."
The woman chuckled bashfully and shrugged, "Well, weird as it sounds, I guess I'm different?* Either way it's pretty lonely here so I'm not really in a position to set high standards anyways, haha."
Nothing about her body language would suggest that she was lying, if anything, Killua doubted that she even could lie. She seemed like one of those people who couldn't tell a bluff to save their own life, that or she's a God-blessed actor, which was a disturbing thought.*
But as the latter seemed unlikely, Killua went with the former, which did all too well to bring a grin to his face.
"Well if that's the case, thanks old hag! I guess you're pretty cool after all!!"
The young lady flinched at his new name for her, eyes widened in shock as she stuttered out barely coherent words of protest about her age.
"I-'m not old at all, I really don't know what makes you think that. I'm actually in my early twenties thank you very much!"
Approaching the display placed in the center of the dining table, Killua looked back to the flustered woman with amusement. "Well sure, I guess you aren't old really but you sure act like it though."
That seemed to have caught her off guard though judging by her shocked expression. "I-I do...?"
"Yeah," Killua reaffirmed without hesitation. "I mean you move reeeeeaaally slowly, kinda like an old lady! Not to mention you seem to like keeping your room super warm, which just seems like something an old person would do sooo."
"W-wait that's actually because-!"
"Either way I don't care, I'm here for the food not you, so thanks for the cake old hag!"
The ol-young lady sighed, already giving up on talking back to this devilish child.
• • •
As according to their agreement, Killua began to make a point to visit the cottage, no matter what the weather may be. Really, he had once even managed to arrive amidst a raging thunderstorm, nearly causing his new friend her first heart attack in the process. She was fine afterward but Killua never quite let her live it down, even if she only had the best of intentions.
What they became was a routine, a comforting one, one wherein exchange for some small talk Killua can receive some of the (or as far as he was concerned) best-tasting sweets in the world. And be it day or night, the young lady can always be found in her house, only ever going out to water her plants.
So how curious it was for Killua to find her slumped against a tree some twenty minutes away from her residence today. A sun hat on her head and a mostly empty basket by her side, with only a few berries to keep it company.
The demon leaned in closer to her face to observe her more before eventually retracting with a smile.
She was asleep.
The sound of his steps perfectly concealed, Killua couldn't seem to hold back a smirk as he continued to approach her limb body. Small hands reaching out, he placed them on her eyes.
"BOO!!!"
And screamed obnoxiously.
Feeling her body jolt in alarm and her throat contracting in an effort to scream, the boy slapped his hand over her mouth. Waving his hand around his face to bring her attention to him.
"Ugh, it's me! It's me!! Stop shouting!!"
Recognition flashed through her eyes and Killua felt her body relax under his touch, pulling his hand away from her mouth the boy sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're such a scaredy-cat honestly, and you wonder why I call you old hag."
"I can't help it, Killua!" Defended the young woman. "I thought I was going to get kidnapped* or something, not to mention I'm a light sleeper* too so I didn't think anyone could take me by surprise..."
Grinning in self-satisfaction at his skills Killua crosses his arms as he leaned in again, for once taller than the lady. "So anyway, whatcha doing out here in the forest for once? I thought it was illegal for you to leave your house or something."
Ignoring his attempt at a joke, the young woman sighed and pointed to her barren basket. "My berry bushes haven't bloomed yet you see," she explained with a slight pout. "And I just happened to get a craving for them so I went out, thinking that there must be some wild ones I can use."
Berries huh?
"I haven't had much luck though and was taking a break..."
Strawberry shortcakes, raspberry jams, blueberry pies; the list went on and on, and at the thought alone, Killua began to share her cravings.
"Hey, I've got a deal for you!" The boy brought up with vigor to which the woman blinked to, seemingly already on board with whatever he was going to suggest. "I'll look for all the berries you need and in exchange, you give me at least half of everything you make using them, any less and the deal's off."
The lady smiled and snapped her finger in confirmation, "Done deal!" She cheered to him. "Thank you little man!"
Flinching at what seems to be his new nickname now, Killua felt his face heating up in embarrassment.
"D-don't just call me that you old hag!" He screeched to her face. The young woman ignored his protest however, chuckling to herself, and seeing this, the color of Killua's face only darkened. "A-also, give me your basket!"
Snatching up said-basket from her side, the demon then began sniffing his surroundings, looking for the sweet and familiar scent the berry family often produced.
'North of here seemed to have the biggest collection...' he thought to himself. 'Guess I'll make my way there first.'
"Oh before you go!"
The boy looked back to her, an almost instinctive reaction to a particular tone of voice she would use when calling out to him.
Eyes meeting, the young woman smiled. "Don't eat any of the berries alright? Come back to me first so I can check for poison*."
The boy rolled his eyes at her words, nice as they were, it didn't apply to him.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Be right back!"
Pupils sliding to the very corners of his visions to check on the lady, the demon began waving his hands. "Don't you dare go anywhere while I'm gone either okay?!"
'Not that I'll be gone for long...'
Clutching the basket tightly in his hands, the demon disappeared.
"Yoo-hoo! Guess who's back?!"
And reappeared in a flash.
Dropping the now completely full basket of berries into the young woman's lap, the albino grinned in self-gratification at his achievement.
"Y-YOU'RE BACK?!"
He had counted 13.2 seconds exactly to fill up the basket, sure, about two-tenth of the contents were of questionable quality but it was still pretty good.
"Doesn't matter!" The boy dismissed swiftly in jesting. "Let's go back now okay? I'll even carry the basket for you so be thankful!"
But as he reached out for the object, the lady stood up, the basket clutched tightly in her hands. "It's okay!" She smiled down at him, her eyes shimmering with a newfound endearment towards the little demon. "I'll carry it! You've already done so much!"
And before the demon could reply to her, the lady's free hand dove into his white locks and ruffled them beneath her touch, "You've got to be the best kid I've ever met, Killua!"
A sense of pride and validation swallowed the boy's cold and shriveling heart, embracing it in its brief and shallow warmth. The demon felt a genuine smile stretching once his lips, and once again, felt his cheeks heating into a shade of red.
It was a sensation that won't last any longer than a bleeding heart, but nonetheless...
It felt nice.
"You bet, old hag!"
•
"First, you combine two cups of blackberries with one cup of sugar in a bowl, and after that, you pour one cup of cream into the mix.
You can start mashing up the blackberries while putting this on medium heat until it steams, oh, but you can't boil it.
Once you can see the steam, close the fire and let it cool for 30 minutes. While waiting for that you take half a packet of gelatin and combine that with two tablespoons of water.
After the half an hour you turn on the heat back on medium again and start stirring your mixture, waiting once again until it starts to steam. Prepare a strainer beforehand though as you will be straining the mixture once it's ready.
You can save the blackberries of course but you're now done, just pour your finished product in small containers and put them in the freezer for four hour-"
"WAIT HOLD ON, WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME AS IF I'LL ACTUALLY BE LEARNING FROM YOU OLD HAG?!?!"
The woman turn towards the boy and tilted her head in an inquiring manner, "You know that it doesn't hurt to learn Killua, knowing how to make food is a useful skill."
Furrowing his eyes brows, the demon begins to pout his lips in response. "Yeah but I already have you! So why would I need to learn?"
The woman sighed and shook her head at his behavior. "Well yes, you do indeed have me to do the cooking and baking for you for now, but you need to recognize you won't always have me forever, so maybe you should learn while you can."
The once lighthearted pout fell into a hallow frown at her words and Killua crossed his arms, looking away from her gaze. "You're an awfully depressing old hag you know?"
He heard her chuckle ringing through the air as it always did, not a care in the world as she touches upon the topic of her very morality. "Yes, yes, now can you bring this to the freezer?" Pink-stained hands now extending the tray to him, the boy sighed and took it.
"Hey, old hag?"
Hunched over the sink, the woman hummed in response as she continued to wash her hands, "Yes? What is it Killua?" Shutting the doors of the fridge, the boy turned around to face the woman, his hands growing clammy for the first time in years much to his chagrin.
"I've got something to tell you," he spoke to her with a lilt in his voice, now carrying a soft melody that few people have heard. "So if you would give me your attention that would be great."
With a flick of the wrist the running sink was turned off, and after she properly dried her hands upon her apron, the young woman nodded towards the boy in affirmation; giving him the go-ahead to speak. "Ready, you may speak now."
Filling his lungs with a full breath of fresh air, Killau ran a hand through his albino locks.
"I'm a demon," the ephemeral statement slipped from his lips. "Thought I should just let you know that, you may use this to your advantage in the future however you want so long as it does not harm me."
Blue eyes peeking through his long lashes, the boy locked onto the lady's visage, searching for any signs that would suggest for the need for him to take action.
But she only smiled serenely.
"Is that so?"
Completely unfazed, as usual one could say.
"Well, I suppose that could explain a few things."
Unbelievable. Or at least to him.
"TAKE ME SERIOUSLY HERE!" The demon screamed to her face, his voice now raw and threatening. "THIS ISN'T SOME LITTLE KID'S ROLEPLAY YOU KNOW!!"
"Oh, I know that."
She didn't seem to be lying.
"HERE! I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU!!"
But then again, god does like to bless his actors.
Sharpening his nails to deadly talons, Killua began to reveal the true form of his eyes.
"IS THIS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?! TAKE ME SERIOUSLY HERE OLD HAG!"
A brilliant, luminous, sapphire blue, with a slit down the middle much like a cat's.
"I'M NOT PLAYING AROUND HERE DAMNIT!"
But she only smiled, she smiled the way she always did, unfazed as always as she is. And reaching out a hand, she began to ruff his unruly white locks.
"I know."
Talons retracted and slit-eyes concealed, Killua felt his once tense body relaxing under her gentle touch. The thoughts that once racked his very form with a deafening presence began to subside, shifting itself instead into a vivacious laugh that would escape the boy's grinning lips
"God...you're so weird...The hell's with you anyway?"
The woman blinked innocently in thought before shrugging off the question with a nervous giggle*. "Well, perhaps this is a result of me being separated from society for a while. Not many things phase me anymore, hah-"
She was unable to finish her sentence however as a sudden and violent fit of coughing overtook her body; dropping to her knee and bringing her quivering hands to her lips, the young lady's eyes slid to the demon in panic. The words behind them, intangible.
And standing there without the faintest clue of what to do, Killua watched on in horror as the woman eventually collapsed on the floor beneath him, her eyes now closed.
"O-old hag...?"
•
•
Killua made a point to keep the fire burning bright, to keep the fan turning clockwise, and the blankets to be layered. Sure, the wet towel placed upon his friend's forehead was cold, but that didn't mean the rest of the room should be too. Or at least that's how the old wives' tale went. Killua never thought he would have actually found them to be useful though, but now, with the one friend he's made in his life so far burning up on her bed, he was glad he had remembered them.
Dunking the white towel in the new bucket of water, the boy twisted it gently in his hands before placing it on top of the young woman's forehead.
"Wake up already old hag..."
It's been nine hours since her collapse and the clock was nearing midnight, sitting by her bedside, the young demon found himself holding onto her hand as he let the minutes passed. It was to help him tell if she was closer to waking up.
Or at least that's what he said to himself.
And partially, it was true, for when he felt the pulse beneath his touch shift in its rhythm, the boy had looked to the woman's face in hope. Still lips daring to quiver as he saw her eyes twitched under the dim embers' light.
"K...Killua...?"
His grip on her hand only tightened as he leaned into the sound of her voice, reaching out his free arm, the albino proceeded to pinch her nose. Perhaps the best way he can think of to express his frustration in a way that won't harm her in her weakened state.
"YOU OLD HAG WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT HUH?! LITERALLY COLLAPSING ON ME??!! EXPLAIN YOURSELF BEFORE I DO SOMETHING BOTH OF US WILL REGRET!!"
Taken back by his outburst of emotions the woman chuckled nervously and placed a hand on the back of her neck. Shooting him a bashful look, she brought a finger to her lips to tell him to quiet down.
To which the demon surprisingly agreed to.
"Sorry about that," the boy whispered in shame as he lets go of her hand. Deciding to take a few steps back, he then turned his back and made his way out of the room. "I'll be back okay?"
"Sure," he heard her reply.
He wasn't gone for long, only maybe half a minute at most before returning to the room a plate in his hands. On that plate were two glasses containers of the blackberry mousse they had made earlier, two napkins, and two small metal spoons.
"They've been ready for a while obviously but it didn't feel quite right to start eating them without you," Killua glanced to see the woman sitting up in her bed, her visage warm and serene, perhaps too tired to smile as she always did, but nonetheless he felt the warmth in her heart. "You can explain to me everything as we eat, it's okay to eat cold stuff as you have a fever right?"
Shooting him a playful look, the lady shrugged.
"Whatever old hag, suit yourself if you're getting sicker after this I guess..."
Handing her one of each of the things on the plate, Killua sat back and cracked open a glass jar for himself. "I'm ready when you are for an explanation."
Scooping a small spoonful of the mousse, the young woman swallowed and nodded. "Yes, yes, um. Give me a moment please."
Nodding along with her request Killua scooped up a spoonful for himself too, bringing to his lips, the demon was pleased with the flavor. The coldness of its texture bringing him a sense of relief in the warmed-up room.
"Well, to put it simply, I've always been a sickly child*, though thankfully I'm blessed with the resources I need to live out my life in peace. And so that's what I chose."
Killua looked up to her, a sense of melancholy clinging to his chest as he heard her explanation. "So there's no cure?" He asked, perhaps already in denial with the news as a frown set on his face. "You're just going to give up looking for one?"
The woman nodded. "Yeah, those years spent looking desperately for a cure were the most painful moments in my life*. From now on, I'll just live my life out here in peace. Along with you of course, hehe."
Though the mousse was long since melted on his tongue, Killua couldn't bring himself to swallow that. His gaze too fixated on the floor beneath his shoes instead of looking at the woman's face.
"You should have told me that earlier you old hag..."
He heard her speak, the familiar melody of her laughter laced within her very words this time.
"Yes, I know..."
The boy couldn't bring himself to respond.
"I'm sorry Killua..."
Bringing another spoonful of the blackberry mousse to his lips, the boy swallowed it whole this time. Sighing, he even made an effort to finish the rest of it too before standing up from his seat on the floor.
"Yeah, yeah whatever, I'm not hurt or anything..."
A white lie to himself.
"So how about you start telling me how to prepare your medicine now? I wasn't able to decipher all your acronyms y'know."
The woman nodded, and with a gesture of her frail hands, Killua leaned in, ready to pick up on whatever instructions she was to give him.
"Listen..." she spoke, reaching out a hand-
To ruffle his hair.
"I appreciate you, Killua," she smiled at him. "Truly, I do..."
And by the time the boy had noticed his breath to be uneven, it was already too late. A sob had racked his body and a tear slid down his face, soon followed by another, and another, and another...
"Y...you..."
Though what had truly broken the dams was no doubt her sudden embrace. Her body; weak, frail, and burning up, wrapped around his quivering one like a blanket of security, had only drawn out more tears from his eyes.
"S-shut it you old hag!" The demon sobbed into her, his arms latching around her torso as he forced the words out one after another. "I don't want to hear it okay?! Say sorry by getting better you idiot!!"
He felt her body shook and looking up, he saw only the purest mirth dancing within her orbs.
"Yes of course," she spoke to him in reassurance. "I'll get better soon..."
In response, Killua pinched her cheeks and strangely enough, stuck out his tongue.
"You better old hag!"
.
•
•
Ever since learning that she had suffered from a weak body, Killua had made a point to do any heavy lifting in her life. Be it chopping firewood, carrying bags of flour, or even just mopping the floor, he's been the one to take care of those in these recent weeks much to the lady's pleasant surprise.
The upgrade in the quality of her sweets was all too worth it for Killua anyway as now he didn't even need to come up with an excuse for his new behavior.
But nonetheless, a reward for it was still welcomed of course.
"Do you want to accompany to the market place today? I'll treat you to anything you fancy so long as they're within budget~"
"You bet I do! C'mon, let's go then!"
Once making it to the flattened road, Killua had all too eagerly climbed onto the backseat of her bike, not even bothering to cling onto her waist as he enjoyed the breeze ruffling through his white locks. Feeling a grin making its way onto his face, the boy tugged at the woman's shirt.
"So what's the plan for when we get to the market place old hag!?" He had yelled over her shoulders.
The woman tilted her head in thought and even went as far as removing one of her hands from the handle as to snap her fingers to her old habit. Looking back, she shot him a closed-eyed grin.
"Well, after I'm done with grocery we can do basically whatever you want, Killua! There's a really nice bakery there too, you interested?!"
"Yeah!" Killua shouted in anticipation. "Sound great! I'll be looking forward to that!!"
Her joy drenched voice rang out in the air as she peddled forward just a tad faster at the boy's words.
"Happy to hear it!"
•
The market place, to no one's surprise, was a crowded place. Filled to the brim with bustling adults going on their day either buying or selling their respective items. Killua, as per the request of his older friend, had held onto the lady's hand as they maneuvered from stall to stall.
Though as the day went on the bag on his shoulder began to be filled with grocery, the demon could feel his patience running thin. Something about the way of him only being able to see were the moving legs of passing strangers rubbed him the wrong way. This was supposed to be a fun experience right? And yet he just felt like a little kid forced to carry the grocery for his mom for the day as part of his chores.
The thought has caused a blow to his ego.
"Hey, old hag?"
The woman glanced down at him. "Yes?" She responded. "What is it?"
She saw a pout forming on the albino's lip as his blue eyes traced their surroundings, yet once his gaze had locked with hers, the boy points a finger up at her.
"Carry me on your shoulders!"
.
.
.
"Eh?"
The pout on Killua's face only deepened at her lost expression, connecting a hand to his hip the boy stuck out his tongue to the poor woman. "You heard what I said old hag! Now carry me on your shoulders!"
Said-shoulders had jumped up in alarm at his demands and the young woman crouched down beneath his height to offer a nervous smile. "N-now listen Killua, like I said I'm rather frail so I definitely won't be able to hold you up on my shoulder s-so-"
"That's no problem," the boy cuts her off without missing a beat. "I'll just make myself light as a feather, surely you can handle that, right?"
The woman's eyes widened at his words and brought a finger to her cheek, scratching it whilst in her perplexion.
"W-well, if you can do that then sure..."
Letting a grin grace his lips, Killua did as he promised and lightened both himself and the bag of grocery he carried on him with his abilities. Climbing onto his friend's back, the boy swung his legs over the woman's shoulders and grabbed onto her head of hair, messing them up beneath his hands.
"So how is it?"
Admittedly, there wasn't anything too special about the market place, but as any little kid will tell you, the cool thing about being on someone's shoulder is the sensation of being lifted. The new perspective you're given on this new height of which will bring you that classic rush of joy.
"Great!" Killua responded back to her. "It's been so long since I've been on someone's shoulder I've forgotten how it feels...!"
"Aww, well if it makes you so happy I'll be happy to carry you in my shoulder more so long as you're this light Killua!"
Feeling his face heat up at the cooing-tone of her melodic voice, Killua almost shouted out in protest at the suggestion on instinct.
"Oh hey there's the bakery, Killua! Sorry it took a while haha."
Thankfully though, he didn't.
"Yeah, yeah I see it, I sure hope you've got a trust fund old hag 'cause I forgot my wallet today."
"Oh that's no problem, I'm rich!"
"Say what?!"
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So turns out she was rich...*
Not that Killua was complaining or anything. No, how could he ever complain when there's now a literal chocolate fountain for him to dip anything he wished to eat there? And he didn't even need to pay a coin for it??
"Enjoying yourself?" The woman had asked him, perhaps only halfway done with her first slice of cake. Her pudding still untouched by her side.
Swallowing yet another block of brownie, Killua grinned. "You bet!! This place is amazing!"
"I'm so happy to hear that!" The lady cheered. "Though I'm sorry I didn't think of bringing you here earlier, this place just kind of slipped from my mind...
"But if you prefer here we can order take-outs too!"
Something about the last phrase made Killua pause if not just for a second. Peeking his head past the chocolate fountain, the boy took a close look at his friend's face. And maybe it was just his imagination getting the best of him...
"Well..."
But in that moment.
"Thank but no thanks old hag..."
For once, he was able to read her smile.
"I think I like yours better!"
Read the hint of sadness for the answer she must have been anticipating, of which Killua was all too eager to replace with surprising glee.
"R-really? Even though this place is objectively better? You're not pulling my leg here are you??"
Crossing his arms, Killua stuck out his tongue at his friend in frustration. "Of course I'm not kidding! I like yours better okay? Is that really that hard to grasp you old hag?!"
"Well, yes..."
"Well just wrap your head around it then! It's not that complicated!"
The woman chuckled at his petulant tone, bringing another slice of cake to her mouth, "Well, if you say so, Killua."
Feeling satisfied with himself Killua grinned and relaxed into his seat, his feet kicking under their desk as he observed the smile still lingering on her lips. And feeling the warmth it had brought to his heart, the boy began to mimic her.
It felt nice he decided.
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*I had added this after realizing that I wasn't able to hold myself back from adding in some details in this story that would give hints to MC's past. You can take it however you please, form a theory if you want, just make sure to comment it lol
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Sorry if you wanted this to be explicitly romantic haha...
Well, you can intercept the blushing as Killua having a childish crush on the reader I guess. She just doesn't reciprocate lol