Author's Notes: A birthday fic for Splash, who's been rabid about her need for more Killua x Gon fics. xD Umm, I still can't believe I wrote this...its sappy, cliched, and rushed. xD Anyway, this fic can probably be considered slight AU, very slight, and takes place after the Celestial Tower, during that month Gon and Killua were on Whale Island. Hmm, standard disclaimer stuff, Hunter X Hunter doesn't belong to me, 'cause if it did, there would be blantant shounen ai. Oh yessie there would. One final note....
Happy Birthday Splash! Even if it IS a day late. xD
They were both young; neither of them could have been more than 13. If that. Too young, one would think, to be allowed out into the woods alone. There were dangerous things in the woods, after all. Things that would like to have nothing more than these two little boys for breakfast.
But these were not ordinary little boys. Not in the least. One was so familiar with this forest, both the land and its inhabitants, that he was almost considered one of them. And the other... well, there was such an air about him, dark and cold, that none wanted to venture near enough to find out about him.
And yet... they laughed like regular little boys. And talked, though their topic of conversation was something that no child every thought to speak about.
"Kurapika and Leorio?" Gon said, looking at his friend. "Of course they're friends! What else would they be?"
Killua rolled his eyes. He knew Gon was innocent, but it had never occurred to him how innocent... "Baka! That wasn't what I meant."
"Mou... then what did you mean?"
Killua sighed. Of all the people to be explaining this to, it just had to be Gon. How could he possibly explain it to him? Hell, Killua wasn't even certain how this conversation had got onto this topic in the first place.
Well, it might have had something to do with him mentioning whether or not Leorio had managed to get enough guts to tell Kurapika....
"Killua? Are you ok?"
Snapped out of his thoughts, Killua turned his attention back to his friend. And stopped, just starring at him.
It was dark out; the boys had decided to stay out as late as possible, and to help against the cold, they had built a fire. And with Gon's head tilted in just that way, with the fire reflecting in his concerned eyes just like that, Killua couldn't but stop and stare for a moment. It was a beautiful sight.
"Killua?" Gon repeated, his frown deepening.
Killua blushed and looked away. "I'm ok."
"You're red, Killua... are you sure? You look sick to me."
Killua shook his head, willing his blush to fade. "No, I'm ok."
"Are you sure? Maybe we should go back now... Mito-san will be getting worried."
"Not yet...we can stay out a little longer."
Gon sighed, but didn't move. "Ok. But what did you mean earlier...?"
Killua looked over at Gon, still not sure how to explain it. He'd already tried being blunt. And it had gone over Gon's head. The boy was far too simple.
"Gon, have you ever liked someone?"
"Yeah! I like you and Leorio and Kurapika..."
Killua cut Gon off. "That wasn't what I meant. I mean, have you ever liked liked someone?"
Gon was confused. "What do you mean..?"
Killua sighed. He really shouldn't be surprised... after all, Gon had been raised in a place where there was no one his age. Killua supposed crushes were one of the things that he'd never had a chance to really have. Taking it further, though, how much did he himself really know? Such things had been considered a weakness; allowing anyone close to you was a weakness. Killua knew that, and yet... he had allowed someone close. He hadn't had much of a choice, but he hadn't tried to fight it either. He had wanted this closeness.
He wanted Gon.
"Gon, have you ever felt different around someone? Like they were the most important thing in the world to you, that just being with them made you feel better than anything else? Like, like, when you get that feeling when you've eaten enough, but not too much... a wonderful, happy feeling? That you would do anything for this person, follow them anywhere, just to be with them?"
"Of course!" Gon replied with a dazzling smile.
And for Killua, suddenly everything stopped. "You... you have?"
Gon nodded, as if this was the most casual thing in the world. "Yep!"
Dreading the answer, yet wanting to know, he asked, "Who?"
Gon laughed. "Killua of course!"
Killua gaped at the shorter boy, relief washing through him. And then rueful amusement. "Baka! I meant have you ever felt like you really, really loved someone? Like they were the one person you wanted to be with forever?"
Gon looked up at that, tilting his head again, obviously deep in thought. "Hmm... the only person I really want to be with is you, Killua." He smiled. "You're my best friend!"
Killua just starred at him, wondering if he was honestly getting it. After all, Killua was certain Gon couldn't possibly mean all of what he had just said....
"Is that what Leorio feels for Kurapika?" Gon asked suddenly.
Killua nodded. "Yes..."
"Well, I'm sure Kurapika feels the same way. After all, they're such good friends! And is that what friends are supposed to feel for each other?"
"Something like that.... but not as strong," Killua said, looking at the fire.
"Oh... so you mean that Leorio likes Kurapika more than just a normal friend?"
Killua nodded, wondering if Gon had got it after all.
"More than best friends?"
Again, Killua nodded.
"Oh..."
There was silence between the two for a while then, and Killua looked back at Gon, wondering why he was suddenly so quiet. Again, Gon looked deep in thought, and Killua wondered what could possibly be going through his mind.
And just when he was opening his mouth to ask just that, Gon looked over at him, smiling that happy smile that never failed to dazzle him, stopping whatever it was he was about to say.
"Ne, Killua, we should go back now! Mito-san will be worried. And its getting really cold..."
Killua nodded, sighing a little. At least they slept in the same bedroom.
Gon looked over at Killua as they walked back to the house. Though he hadn't said anything, it worried him just a little, the things he and Killua had been talking about. He knew how strongly he felt for the pale-haired assassin, but he had always assumed that these were natural things one felt for their best friend.
It continued to bother him as they entered the house. He could sense that his silence troubled Killua, but neither said anything. Mito-san immediately made them take a bath, and his thoughts and the silence it brought with them, followed him and Killua to the tub.
"Ne, Gon, what's wrong?" Killua finally asked once they were sitting in the warm water.
"Do you like like anyone, Killua?"
Killua just starred at Gon, thrown off by the question. It had been the last thing he had ever expected to hear from him.
"Do you?" Gon pressed, coming closer to him.
Killua blushed. "Ne, Gon, does it matter?"
"So you do like like someone?"
Starring into Gon's eyes, Killua saw an emotion there that he couldn't name. And yet...
"Hai." He said softly. Gon's eyes widened.
"Who?" He asked, coming closer still.
"Gon of course!" Killua responded brightly, remembering Gon's earlier answer to a similar question.
And watched in no small amusement as Gon finally blushed in return.
"Do you mean... like in the way you told me earlier?" Gon asked in a small voice. Killua, still starring at Gon, could tell he was nervous. And it occurred to him then that Gon had never said he hadn't felt this way... even after realizing what Killua had meant, he had never said he hadn't felt like that.
He wondered if maybe, Gon felt like that about him. Truly. Honestly. He'd never know, though, if he didn't take that chance.
Killua nodded, hoping he wasn't wrong.
Gon looked down, blushing even harder.
On instinct, Killua's hand reached up to cup Gon's face, gently pushing it up to look at him even as he moved closer to him.
"Killua...?"
But Gon said nothing more as Killua's lips met his own in a gentle kiss.
Neither boy really knew how to do it; yet they both responded to it. Killua, by pulling Gon closer and wrapping his arms around him; Gon, by relaxing into the kiss and wrapping his arms around his friend's neck. The kiss didn't last very long, and yet it felt like forever to them both. And both were blushing furiously when finally they broke apart.
Only to realize exactly how close they really were, and what was, or wasn't, between them. Immediately, they both broke their embrace to jam to one end of the tub, looking slightly mortified.
Thankfully, Mito chose that moment to come into the bathroom, telling them to get out now, because it was time for bed.
Both boys stole looks at the other as they dressed and finally went to bed, speaking little. Yet, it seemed from their faint blushes and small smiles that there wasn't very much they wanted to say. It was only after Mito had left them that Gon finally spoke up.
"Killua..."
"Yeah, Gon?"
"I think we should try to help Kurapika and Leorio get together when they meet up with us at the York Shin auction. That was fun!"
Killua was just barely able to stifle his laughter.