A/N: This was done when prompted by Ringochuu's beautiful art on tumblr (for day one of the Inktober challenge) and was only supposed to be one paragraph but somehow turned into fourteen pages so it ended up here on ffnet ;w; It was also meant to be some cute shamelessly sugary HisoGon but turned into an angsty feels train that reflects my desperate need for Hisoka and Gon to meet again. Don't worry, no one dies, but I apologize nonetheless.

Chapter Dictionary: [Sound]

Chapter References: Hunter x Hunter Manga chapter 357 when Hisoka "died"

NOTE: As usual, my little "~" that denotes the singsong / playful tone in Hisoka's voice disappears in his speech when he's angry, upset, unhappy or serious. The context of the sentence would help you to decide which emotion he's feeling.

NB.: Somewhere on Whale Island...

[buzz]

[crackle]

[pop]

Gon's heart almost froze.

Nature was alive with the riotous noises caused by overly excited birds, bugs, small animals and…unfortunately him.

"Damn...this is useless..."

[crackle]

[pop]

Frowning, he placed a firm hand over his trembling leg to quell the constant, nervous tapping of his foot that caused the dry leaves to crackle and pop loudly as they were crushed under his boot.

The autumn breeze, having thrown a sea of dried leaves across the forest floor was not helping his cause one bit.

Dammit he's going to find me…if I can't stay still...if I can't stop myself from feeling so…

A sweat broke out on Gon's tanned forehead.

…excited.

Shaded from the unforgiving sun by the generous arms of the towering tree under which he sat, Gon was far from being concerned about the heat of the day. What concerned him though, was who he had agreed to play this silly game with.

Hisoka…

From just from thinking about the eccentric man, his heart constricted painfully and did a quick little flip in his chest.

'…play with me~'

Gon blushed as he recalled the words Hisoka had spoken to him no less than one hour earlier.

What is Hisoka doing here on Whale Island?

Why didn't he want to tell me?

Red cheeks and a deepening frown betrayed Gon's mental anguish as he tried to understand Hisoka's weird behavior. It had been over a year since he had last seen him on Greed Island and to be honest, after going on to fight the Chimera Ants, then being hospitalized and returning to Whale Island, Hisoka had been the last thing on his mind and the last person he had been expecting.

Living on Whale Island again filled his days with a ridiculous amount of homework assignments from Aunt Mito, long phone calls with Killua at night and when he finished his chores and homework, a couple free hours on random days that he was allowed to use to track through the forest to explore before nightfall.

Sometimes he'd even stay out all night and Aunt Mito did not mind, as long as he did his homework and chores. He was older now, having recently celebrated his sixteenth birthday, and because of this he was allowed more freedom but his days had become routine and a bit monotonous, with nothing interesting taking place other than getting to beat up the occasional poachers that appeared on the island or having a chat with the sailors on the docks.

Unfortunately, even they – the rowdy sailors and bold poachers – were scarce these days as the whole world seemed to have its eyes turned toward the upcoming trip to the Dark Continent and Gon was left to wallow in his boredom once more until that morning when, while on one of his usual explorations through the woods, he stumbled upon someone he thought he would never have seen again. That was when his life finally took an exciting turn once more.

XXX

NB.: One hour earlier…

"Ohayo Gon-chan~"

Gon's heart stuttered in his chest. That voice….this feeling…

"What's with that expression? ~"

The shadowed figure up ahead, hidden by gnarled branches and broad leaves gracefully stepped closer so that Gon could get a good look at him, but he needn't have done that, for Gon would know his voice anywhere.

"You…"

"Yes, me…is there someone else you were expecting? ~"

Hisoka's voice held a nuance of possession that Gon did not like.

"Hisoka!"

"Yes Gon? It's good to see that you haven't forgotten me~"

"What are you doing here?!"

"Isn't it obvious? ~"

"…" Gon maintained the same unamused expression on his face, deciding not to respond.

"Well…" Hisoka smirked as he looked over Gon's small frame, rigid with caution. "I'm here to collect something that belongs to me~"

"You have something here on Whale Island Hisoka?" Gon asked, his eyes going wide with curiosity as the tension slowly slipped from his body.

Oh…he's just here on a job?

With that assumption, the breath left him in a shaky sigh of relief as his fists finally unclenched. He was always so used to responding to Hisoka with suspicion that he had not considered that it was possible that Hisoka could have come to his homeland on a mission.

Ah…

Ignoring the tiny prickle of guilt, Gon took a few steps to where Hisokal stood, still partially obscured by the foliage. "This thing that you're here to collect… did you come to ask for me to help you find it? Where is it? What does it look like? Maybe I saw it before!"

Hisoka chuckled darkly at the way Gon's caution had suddenly evaporated and how eager he had become in wanting to help. "At times, although you try not to be, you can be so trusting Gon-chan. Didn't your Aunt ever tell you never to trust a wolf? ~"

Gon looked at the cunning leer aimed at him and suddenly Hisoka seemed as if he were twice as tall. An overwhelming sensation of barely concealed panic washed over him. "H-Hisoka?"

"Why look so cautious Gon-chan? ~" Hisoka teased. "Are you no longer eager to help me find what I came here for?~"

"..." Instinct told Gon that it was best to stay silent, to observe if this was about to develop into a dangerous situation and react accordingly.

"I'll give you a clue. It's green~"

"Huh…?"

"The thing I came for"—Hisoka gestured to him—"is always dressed in green~"

One predacious move closer and everything in Gon screamed at him to run but somehow he was unable to. Hisoka, as always intrigued him.

"Gon-chan~" Hisoka licked his lips and reached out to grab hold of his chin. "The thing that I came here for made a very foolish mistake and almost died last year"—his eyes darkened whilst Gon's widened—"the thing that I want…is you~"

Alarmed, Gon pulled away from him but still did not attempt to run away. He had thought of making a dash for the cover of the thick trees but he knew that it was useless. Hisoka was powerful and he was Nenless, meaning that in no time he would be caught and subjected to whatever torture the man saw fit to give him. It would be easier, he thought, to feign acquiescence, at least until Hisoka's motives were clearer.

Maybe I could talk my way out of this?

No. That wouldn't work. Killua probably would have been able to do that, not me. Gon clenched his fists, not liking the cocky smile that Hisoka was giving him. I'm not good with words. Gritting his teeth, he spat, "What do you want with me? Tell me now!"

"Ah, so angry this early in the morning. Didn't you have a balanced breakfast before leaving home? Fibre usually is—"

"Shut up!" Gon huffed heatedly. He was not going to allow Hisoka to mock him while not getting to the point. "Your reason for being here; tell me."

"Alright, if you do insist, I'll be honest with you~" Hisoka tried not to smirk as he examined Gon's stern expression. Putting one hand on his hip, he extended the other in his direction but did not touch him. "I want you to play with me~"

"Play?" Gon was sure that his dumbfounded expression made him look stupid but he did not let that concern him. Surely Hisoka had not come all this way just to 'play' some game with him. He had obviously hunted him down for some purpose….

"Don't think too hard," Hisoka warned with a light chuckle. "There's nothing overly difficult to comprehend about why I'm here~"

"Then tell me why you're here. Why do you want me to play with you? What—"

"Am I planning? ~" Hisoka finished for him. "That was what you were going to say, wasn't it? ~"

"..."

"Always so suspicious of me~" Hisoka mumbled.

"I would be stupid not to be," Gon countered.

"Alright then~" Hisoka reached out to caress Gon's cheek and smiled when he did not pull away again. "If you play this game with me I'll tell you the real reason I came here to find you~"

"What do you want to play?" Gon asked, squaring his shoulders and trying not to let his body reveal the degree to which he was affected by Hisoka's proximity. His heart was thudding in his chest and Hisoka's ardent gaze was making him uncomfortably aware of the fire the tender caress on his cheek was kindling inside of him but he managed to keep his breaths slow and even.

"Hide and seek~" Hisoka's cunning leer intensified as Gon nodded slowly in agreement. Oh Gon, sometimes you make this too easy, but let's see what you can do to entertain me~"

XXX

NB: Present.

I bet he was tricking me, Gon thought as his agitation mounted along with a feeling that he could not quite comprehend. Despite regretting having agreed to play with Hisoka without thinking things through first, he had to admit that Hisoka's unexpected arrival on the island had delighted him. After spending a year away from his friends, it was good to see a familiar face once again. What frightened him though, was the amount of excitement that he was feeling by just thinking of what would happen if Hisoka happened to find him in his little hiding spot among the underbrush.

What would he do?

[Crackle]

Oh no…

It was the sound of dry leaves being crunched and this time it wasn't him making the noise.

[Whoosh]

The whistling of the breeze added to nature's own chorus, making it difficult for any average person to separate the surrounding noises but Gon was able to and soon became convinced that, amongst the nearly imperceptible rustling of branches and crunching of leaves, that someone was coming toward him…that Hisoka was nearing his location.

In the hour that he had been playing Hisoka's game, he had been able to skillfully avoid him in all that time, but now he was cornered. There was nowhere left to escape to without revealing himself instantly.

[Rustle]

"Ah!" Gon's hands quickly moved to cover his mouth but it was too late, he had made a noise and looking to his left, he saw that what had surprised him, was not Hisoka, but merely a rabbit, a small cute little puff of white fur that had appeared at his side. Breathing out the breath that he had been holding, he stroked its soft fur, smiling as the small animal allowed him to touch it.

"You surprised me," Gon explained, whilst continuing to pet the rabbit. "I thought that you were someone else…"

In response the rabbit only wrinkled its nose and sniffed the air, large round eyes looking up at him as it cocked its head to the side.

"Awww you're so cute~" Gon cooed as his lips parted in wonder. "Do you think Aunt Mito would let me keep you? She might! I don't think I've seen anything cuter than—!"

"Actually," an all too familiar voice cut in, "I think that you're far cuter than that thing~"

This time Gon's heart really did trip over itself as he whipped around to look toward the source of the voice.

The rabbit skittered away.

"Ooops~" Hisoka grinned widely as he stepped toward him. "It was too hard to restrain myself…I had been watching you for a while but I just couldn't hold back any longer~"

He had been watching me?

But I didn't know that he was here...

"Our game…hmmm, looks like I won~" Hisoka announced triumphantly. "Now it's time to claim my prize~"

"Ah, no…wait!" Gon, surprised by Hisoka's sudden movement that brought the man so close that he could hear the beating of his heart, tried to delay Hisoka's advancement on him by scuttling backwards but it was futile as Hisoka grabbed the arms that were pushing him away and used them to hoist Gon up from where he had still been crouched on the ground. "Hey wait, what are you doi—" Pressed firmly against the trunk of the huge basswood tree that shaded them, Gon looked up in alarm as Hisoka's lips drew closer to his own.

"Mmmmm~" Hisoka moaned as their lips met and Gon struggled against him before finally going still. Taking advantage of Gon's momentary submission, he kissed him firmly but gently, relishing in the feel of the lips he had wanted to kiss ever since he had first met the young man in the Numere Wetlands.

He's kissing me?! Blushing hotly, Gon kept his lips rigid and unresponsive at first, but slowly, as if out of curiosity, tried to respond but only managed to return the kiss awkwardly. It was his first kiss but Gon was surprised by how much he wanted to continue kissing Hisoka.

He's addictive…

Hisoka smirked against his lips before releasing him, but kept him boxed in against the tree. "Gon-kun, you're just as delectable as I imagined~"

Gon's face heated up even more. The hungry stare that Hisoka was giving him made him feel hot, uncomfortable and laid bare while the silence that stretched between them only served to make his heart beat faster. "Ah…" Gon searched for the right words to say but came up blank so he stuttered, "Yo-you…kissed me…"

"Mmmn yes~" Hisoka licked his lips as if he wanted to do it again.

"Is that what you came here for?"

"Smart boy, " Hisoka praised with a smile whilst pressing the tip of his index finger to the edge of Gon's chin. "That's part of the reason. I had to come to you after hearing about your release from the hospital~"

"I've been out of the hospital for a year now," Gon replied, his voice bearing an edge that even he could not comprehend. Was he angry that back then, Hisoka was one of the few who hadn't come to see him in the hospital? Was he upset that he too had left him just like almost everyone he knew now had?

Hisoka chose not to explain to Gon that he had in fact been close by while he was hospitalized and that he had only left after anonymously assisting in getting him better. Instead, he asked, "Are you angry with me Apple-chan?~"

"..."

Hisoka smiled at Gon's pout. "I couldn't come sooner than this, I was preoccupied."

"Preoccupied?" The change in his tone piqued Gon's curiosity.

"Chrollo," Hisoka muttered as if that explained everything and when Gon did not react, he realized that the young man most likely had not heard the news. "I died Gon."

"W-what?" Gon sputtered. "Why…" He looked at the man who clearly wasn't dead in front of him. "How?"

"I don't have much time to explain but—"

"You don't have much time? Where are you going?" Gon interrupted, feeling a sudden sense of urgency descend upon him. He had a bad feeling about this. "And how could you be dead when you're here?!"

"I'm going to where Chrollo is and I did die but—"

"What…?"

"Shh~" Hisoka put a finger to his lips. "I only came here to see you before I leave." He watched Gon's brow furrow in confusion as he continued. "Fighting Chrollo…and dying was quite the experience Gon-kun, and afterwards, I was able to see how death came too close to taking each of us once already and how it could easily do so again…especially considering where I'm going now~"

"But…" As Gon looked up into the determined face of a man who was obviously on a personal mission, he was once again dumbfounded. Did he…did Hisoka really die?

"Gon," Hisoka started seriously. "Will you be here when I return from the Dark Continent?"

"Wah?! The Dark Continent?!" Gon's eyes went wide. "Why are you going there?!"

Hisoka ignored his question. "There's something I want to show you Gon…"

"Huh?"

Will you… Hisoka thought as he brought both hands to his face. Still want me if I look like…this?~

The look on Gon's face as Hisoka released the Nen that was camouflaging Chrollo's handiwork would have made anyone regret having revealed what he was showing the young man but Hisoka did not care. He wanted to know what Gon thought. He wanted to know if he would be wasting his time in hoping to claim not only Gon's body, but his heart as well.

The damage to his face and body could be easily repaired if he found the right Nen Doctor, and though rare, he knew that it was just as possible as finding the Nen exorcist that helped Chrollo. He did not tell Gon this though, because some small part of him really wanted to know if Gon would accept him regardless of how he looked.

"Ah…" was the only word that slipped past Gon's lips and his eyes were like saucers as he looked up at Hisoka's face. It was odd, how for the first time in his life he felt genuinely speechless.

What happened to Hisoka's face?

Why was he showing this to him?

Had this happened to him when he had 'died'?

"Oh…" As long as Gon could remember, he'd always admired how effortlessly handsome Hisoka was with no effort at all. How infuriatingly beautiful the long eyelashes and slim arch of his brows were and the way his lips appeared as if they were always smirking. Now that was all gone…now with the way his face was, he could easily…

Scare children.

It was no stretch of the truth to honestly say that Hisoka's features now matched his ghastly, intimidating personality.

The frown remain plastered to Gon's face as he stretched his body, reaching out one hand to touch Hisoka's cheek as if wanting to feel what he was looking at as well. "What happened to you?" He asked, but Hisoka did not respond. His face looks as if most of it was burned off. "Did Chrollo do this to you?"

No answer.

Just then, Hisoka stepped back a bit, causing his hand to slip from his cheek and time seemed to slow down considerably as something in Gon made him realize that this was the last time that he was going to see him, maybe for a long time…maybe forever and filled with this knowledge, he reached out to grabbed Hisoka's arm as he started to turn away from him.

Hisoka paused to silently look back at Gon and although he lacked the facial features to express what he was feeling accurately, Gon knew what his unspoken question was. He swallowed hard and closed the space between them as Hisoka turned around fully to face him again.

The awkward silence was there between them again and this time, instead of merely staring at Hisoka's disfigured face, Gon grabbed hold of his vest and pulled on it, causing Hisoka to respond by bending closer to him. "Don't go…" He began. "Not yet…"

It was so weird, Hisoka was this close to him and still he had no words to say to him. His eyes scanned over Hisoka's face, as if hoping that the sight of missing lips, nose, eyelashes and eyebrows would help the right words to come to him but he still came up blank.

He felt no pity for what had happened to him – Hisoka had obviously gone to fight Chrollo expecting either death or victory.

He felt nothing but the strange excitement and longing that he always felt whenever in Hisoka's presence. The man was maimed, scarred and nothing like what he remembered. He could even be described as grotesque, but Gon knew then, that although the external part of him had changed, the inside was still the same…he was still Hisoka and he still felt the same way about him, regardless of how he looked.

Is this what Aunt Mito had said was how love would feel?

Gon blushed slightly, his grip on Hisoka's vest tightening as he went up on his tiptoes to bring his face closer to him, to the face that many would run from.

He still did not know what Hisoka had expected in coming there to find him or what he wanted, but he knew what he wanted to say. Hisoka had died once and he did not want to think of it, of the man not being in his life. Gon knew that he could not prevent Hisoka from dying again, from leaving for his current mission, but what he did know was that he could tell him how he felt. "I like you Hisoka," Gon whispered close to his ear. Planting a small, delicate kiss on his cheek and undeterred by the skin that felt odd beneath his lips, he continued, "I never told you but the truth is that I like you a whole lot…I always have and—ah!"

Gon gasped as the air left him in a rush. Smothered against the thick material of Hisoka's vest, he could barely breathe but he didn't fight to get out of Hisoka's arms as the man hugged him. On the contrary, he brought his arms up to circle Hisoka's waist and buried his face into his chest as he felt Hisoka nuzzle his hair.

"I like you too Gon~" Hisoka said finally, the words almost lost in Gon's thick, green-tipped spiky hair. "That's what I came here to tell you~"

Never one to be sentimental about anything, Hisoka marveled at how death could have such a profound effect on a man as to make him realize what was most important to him.

"Are you still...leaving?"

Hisoka heard the small, muffled words spoken against his chest and he hugged Gon tighter. "Yes."

Gon did not question him further or try to dissuade him but just let him hold him.

"In a few days, I will be boarding the ship to the Dark Continent~"

"I wish," Gon started, his voice filled with regret. "That I could go with you but I don't have my Nen…I—"

"I know~"

"But didn't you say that you came to get me?" Gon pulled away from Hisoka to look up at his face and when he did, he saw that it was just as it had always been: unmaimed and unscarred. He realized then that Hisoka must possess an ability to hide the damage and instead of questioning him about it, he continued, "How can you take me with you to that place if I don't have my Nen. I'll only be a burden I—"

"Do you want to spend the night with me? ~" At Gon's wide-eyed stare he added, "I leave on the next boat off this island, but it won't be here until tomorrow morning~"

"What…why…" The blood rushed to Gon's cheeks. "Why this, now, it's too sudden…I—"

Hisoka held Gon's chin and tipped his face upwards to examine his expression. "I did come here to take you with me Gon, but since I can't take you physically, allow me to take your heart~"

"Ah…" Gon watched Hisoka's lips curve into a smile, the expression handsome and filled with the confidence of a man who already knew what his answer would be. "I…"

Smirking, Hisoka added, "I'll come back for you~"

"Huh?"

"Yes," Hisoka bent to deposit a chaste kiss on Gon's lips but did not linger there as that one kiss became one of a few delicate kisses that trailed a slow path to his ear. "I'll come back for you as soon as I return from the Dark Continent. I promise, I won't leave you again~"

At first Gon did not respond. He knew that this trip to the Dark Continent would take a long time and it would be months, if not years before he saw Hisoka again…if he saw him again. His lips turned downwards at that thought but Gon knew that that was the reality of the situation.

Momentarily abandoning that train of thought as Hisoka's tongue swept sensually across the edge of his ear, Gon's breathing quickened. He wasn't sure what was the right decision to make at that moment, but what he did know was that he wanted to give Hisoka all of him. He wanted Hisoka to think of him on that long trip to that untamed land and most of all, he wanted to have something from Hisoka so that he too could remember his touch, his words, his everything on those endless lonely nights in the months or years to come before he saw him again.

"Gon? ~"

"Yes."

"Hm? ~"

"Yes…I'll spend tonight with you," Gon muttered on the crest of a shaky moan, shuddering as Hisoka shifted his attention to his exposed neck.

"You won't regret this, I promise~" Hisoka whispered, his voice already deepened by the weight of his need to claim Gon.

"Mmm…" Gon nodded in agreement, knowing that it was foolish, even dangerous to believe the words of a compulsive liar. He knew that Hisoka was lying, probably even to himself, that everything would be alright between them, but he still wanted to give him his heart.

He knew that there was no way that he would not regret what was about to happen between them that night but he was still willing to go through with it. Gon knew that sure enough, his regret would be in the many months to come, in the form of an immense guilt of not stopping Hisoka from leaving when he had the chance, but he was determined not to be a burden to anyone. There was something that Hisoka had to do, a mission he needed to accomplish on that ship and he'd be damned if he was to be the one to stop him from leaving.

If, as the old folk used to say, they were meant to meet again, Hisoka would return to him.

That was how he felt.

"I'll wait for you," Gon muttered, biting into his bottom lip as Hisoka's hands lifted his vest and his fingers pulled on his nipples.

"I know~" Hisoka whispered against his neck, trying not to smile. He was happy, there was no doubt about it. When he had docked on the small island a few hours earlier, prepared to start his search for the young man, he was sure that when he found him he would have been met with disgust and suspicion when he revealed his face to him. He was sure that Gon would have rejected him, not just for the way he looked now, but for who he was but strangely, not only did that not happen, he was now holding a very pliant and willing Gon in his arms.

Regardless of all that he had seen and heard of Gon enduring in the last two years – of how he had faced and overcome death – Gon had turned out to be the same forgiving, accepting, overly excited, pure hearted and long suffering boy that he remembered. And now such a person was willing to give him his untainted love.

Strange things do happen~

Strange things…miracles even, for people like him. If something like this…something so impossible could happen, who knows, maybe he'd even survive and make it back to Gon after the Expedition to the Dark Continent was over.

Maybe, just maybe, they'd be together one day and he'd finally get to know what it feels like to be loved by someone so pure hearted. But if not, at least for today, he'd get a preview of what was worth living for.

A/N: Why do I do this to my emotions *cries*

*sound of whip cracking in the distance* Ok gotta go back to studying / doing homework *sound intensifies* alright alright I'm really going T.T

I hope y'all are good!