i'm always right but what's your perception?

[shooteverything]

[ detention in the bio classroom isn't as bad as it could be. at least there's stuff to look at. heine's gaze trails over the dusty blackboard, the sun coming in through the window, and the old raccoon specimen in a glass case on a high shelf. the sun isn't actually that appealing; he burns too easy to enjoy it.

so: staying inside and cleaning the classroom as punishment is an all right option, all things considered. heine picks up a rag with two fingers from the countertop to hold it under the tap, ready to get started and do a just-barely adequate job so that the teacher won't get on his ass.

there's supposed to be someone else coming in. he glances toward the doorway, checking to see if they've arrived yet. if they're unwelcome company, he can either intimidate them into cleaning by themselves or, worst case scenario, kick them out and just do it alone. ]

Comments

[killectric]

[Killua arrives to detention casually late, being hassled in by another teacher. From the sounds of things, he'd tried to sneak out and avoid the thing all together.]

I'm going, I'm going! Jeez... [Stumbling in with his hands in his pockets, Killua glances around until his eyes settle on Heine.] Yo.

[shooteverything]

[ it's a tiny kid. heine stares at him for a second, then just grunts acknowledgement and points a foot at an empty bucket on the floor. ]

Fill that up.

[ heine goes back to dragging a wet cloth in uneven streaks over the chalkboard and pulling his cellphone out of his pocket with his other hand. ]

[killectric]

[Killua takes a seat on the desk instead, pulling out his clunky cell and playing a game of Brick.]

What, you actually do the work they tell you during detention?

[shooteverything]

You're too young to worry about graduation, huh.

[ not that heine actually sounds too annoyed about that. he drops the rag to the side, then fills up the bucket himself. once it's mostly full of cold tap water, he walks over to where killua is sitting with it dangling casually from one hand. ]

Get off your ass already. [ a pause. ] Your phone sucks anyway.

[killectric]

[Way too young. Young enough that he looks up from his phone with indignation at the insult.]

What's wrong with my phone?! I'd like to see yours!

[shooteverything]

It's like a brick.

[ ha-ha. heine doesn't take out his own phone, just raises an eyebrow so pale that it's almost invisible against his ever-paler skin. ]

Last chance to do your share.

[killectric]

Like I'm doing anything now! Have fun cleaning by yourself, stupid.

[He's just going to play on his phone which TOTALLY ISN'T A BRICK, thank you.]

a month or so later

[killectric]

[An older boy shoves Killua forward, his head hitting the brick wall of the alleyway with a painful crack. Before he has a chance to move he's pinned there by another boy's palm while the other twists his arm behind his back.] Gahh--!

[Killua grits his teeth, his body trembling. When he tries to move they only snap his arm upwards, ripping a sudden cry of pain from his throat. It's high pitched, echoing in the alleyway and easily reaching the ears of whoever happens to be walking by.]

[shooteverything]

[ he's walking back from meeting up with a friend when he hears what sounds like a cat being skinned. he's curious enough to look, and the recognition the sight spurs makes him stay.

the kid had been a real prick, but that doesn't mean he supports a group ganging up on one guy. ]

Hey. [ pretty much all of the gang looks over. heine's eyes travel over them quickly. he could take all of them one-on-one, but not in a group. his only option is to grab killua and run, an effort he starts by kneeing the nearest person in the stomach. when they double over, he dives forward, grabbing the boy pinning killua by the back of his shirt.

heine smashes his head forward against the wall twice, lets him reel back, stunned, and grabs for killua's shoulder, ready to bolt. ]

[killectric]

[With violence erupting behind him, Killua's heart races and he struggles to escape. Just then the weight on him is being pulled away and his arm is dropped, throbbing and limp at his side.]

Ah..hah! [Killua barely has time to catch his breath before he feels a hand on his shoulder. He'd been pressed against the brick that whole time, with no way to know who was who--so it's not surprising then that he blindly swings at the body attached to that arm. It's just one, harmless shove with his uninjured hand before he scrambles to run away, out of the alleyway and into the street.]

[shooteverything]

[ oof. heine's knocked back a half-foot, but he recovers quickly enough to throw himself after killua when he runs. the street is public, and the gang of teenagers hesitates for just a moment, leaving time for heine to catch up to the shorter kid and grab him, and yank him to a faster pace. ]

Come on—let's get out of here.

[killectric]

Hey--! [Killlua stumbles as he's forced to run faster, his legs having to work double-time just to keep up with Heine who's taller.

It's about now that he finally gets a look at the guy, and nearly trips over himself when he does.]

You're that idiot from detention!

[shooteverything]

[ heine sighs, though it's breathless and more for effect than anything as he keeps running. ]

Yeah, whatever. Shouldn't you be thankful that I helped you?

[ they've gotten pretty far from the alley by now and reached a more populated area, so he stops running at full-tilt. he slows down, dragging killua with him. ]

[shooteverything]

[ the school year is almost over, and with things settled for the next educational semester, heine has been spending more time with nill. he'd come over when the sky was merely cloudy instead of split open with lightning; now, he sits with her on the couch, lying down with his feet up on the armrest and head next to her legs as she reads. occasionally she shows the pages of her book to him when she finds something amusing, but he's fine just being here, eyes shut and listening to the rasp of paper, the pouring rain against the window.

it's interrupted by a sound at the door. heine cracks an eye open and glances at nill. she shakes her head—no, she's not expecting anyone.

moving with silent steps, heine goes to the door. a check through the peephole reveals a now-familiar head of white hair, plastered to killua's head by the rain. ]

It's okay. I know him. [ that said, there still might be trouble. nill asks why a friend of his would come here, and heine can only shrug and open the door. he doesn't move out of the way, one elbow propped against the doorframe to block his way. ]

What're you doing here?

[killectric]

[Killua's eyes are hidden behind dark circles and white hair that clung to his face. He doesn't want to look Heine in the eyes, so he glances under his arm and into the apartment beyond. He sees Nil and suddenly wants to turn around and find somewhere else to go, but he doesn't have a somewhere else.]

...I dunno. [He's soaked to the bone in only a tank-top and shorts, shivering and teeth chattering when he's not careful to hold it back.]

[shooteverything]

[ nill comes up behind heine, looking killua over with worried eyes. heine shrugs—an indication that he doesn't consider the guy a threat. nill tugs him back by the elbow to make room and gestures for killua to come inside, then slips off to find a towel. ]

Is anyone following you?

[ heine shuts the apartment door behind them before asking. ]

[killectric]

No.

[Killua steps inside, the water dripping off him and pooling at his feet in seconds. He looks over at Nill as she leaves, brow knit.] I lost them in the subway.

[shooteverything]

[ good. heine doesn't want nill to be at risk, though, even if tangentially.

as she's coming back with a towel, he asks just as she's handing it to killua— ] You ran away?

[killectric]

...Yeah. [Killua takes the towel and glances at Nill, quiet.] Thanks.

[He starts at his hair, ruffling it to try and shake the water out. When he pulls it away it looks like a white puff atop his head--just like always.] I was sick of that place anyway.

[shooteverything]

[ he does have a job; he doesn't like depending on his goduncle all the time. combined with helping badou move, heine is dead tired when he gets back to his apartment. he'd taken a shower earlier, and wearing his friend's sweats, he just splashes some water over his face and then goes into his room.

forgetting that killua's been sleeping in his bed for over a week, heine drops himself onto the edge of the bed, tugs the blanket over his body, and then almost immediately passes out. ]

[killectric]

[Killua was a blanket hog. It doesn't take long for him to realize he's no longer cocooned, and half-asleep as he is he grabs what blanket he has and tries to roll with it and wrap himself back up.]

[shooteverything]

[ heine feels motion and grunts in his sleep, grabbing back for the blanket to cover himself. blanket hog meet blanket hog. he refuses to be cold. ]

[killectric]

[And Killua's response to this...is to start kicking and shoving.]

[shooteverything]

[ heine groans in his sleep, yanking harder on the blanket. one leg snaps out and a knee goes into killua's side. ]

[killectric]

Ow! [Shrill in the silent of the room, Killua jolts awake and straight-up tackles Heine while trying to pull it away.]