Killua had to admit that Wing's ceiling was somewhat interesting. After all, there were spots here and there where the paint was beginning to crack, but there were also some areas where the paint job was absolutely flawless, and –
"You're bored, too, Killua?" Gon's cheery voice was slightly duller than usual – something that no one but Killua would ever notice.
Killua sat up from where he was on the sofa. "Yeah, I guess so."
Gon was sitting in a chair at the coffee table, his head tilted toward the window, rays of light reflected in his wistful golden eyes. Killua knew that, if it were up to Gon, he would already be outside right now. And Killua couldn't blame him. Gon was made for days like these – sunny days where there was not a single cloud to be seen in the sky.
"When do you think Wing-san will be back?" Zushi asked, and Killua quickly moved his gaze away from Gon. Zushi was sitting on the floor, preoccupying himself with a yo-yo that Killua had given him.
Killua shrugged. While the three of them had been training, Wing had suddenly and inexplicably realized that he had forgotten to go grocery shopping. In Killua's opinion, this was a tad irresponsible, but whatever.
What felt like a century later, the door to the apartment opened and Wing emerged, carrying several bulking bags of what was probably boring healthy food, if Killua had to guess.
And then it occurred to Killua that the three of them were probably all due for a scolding. He rolled his eyes, readying himself for the lecture.
"I see that none of you were training while I was away, like I instructed you to do." Then, Wing sighed. "But I suppose a break is necessary every once in a while."
"Do you...really mean that?" Killua asked. After all, since when had Wing ever given them a break? Wing hadn't canceled training in weeks, not even that day when Killua had pretended to be busy with schoolwork (during summer vacation) or when Gon had come down with a sudden fever one day.
Wing smiled. "Of course. You'll be able to concentrate better if you've rested a bit first. Now, why don't we all go on a short outing today?"
Killua immediately jumped up and could feel himself buzzing with excitement. "Where are we going?"
Wing laughed. "You'll find out if the three of you help me put away these groceries first –"
Needless to say, Wing didn't even need to finish his sentence.
As Killua set one of the bags on the kitchen table, he felt his arm brush against another. He looked to his right and saw Gon reach into the bag that Killua was holding, pulling out a loaf of bread.
Time froze, and all Killua was aware of was Gon. His wide, expressive eyes. The scent of his citrusy shampoo. That faint smile that always graced his lips.
And then Killua realized that he had simply been standing there, staring at the spot where Gon had just been. Killua quickly began to pack away the rest of the groceries, thankful that neither Gon nor Zushi seemed to have noticed his strange behavior.
Fear, worry, guilt….These were all emotions that Killua faced whenever time froze around Gon, whenever the world became unimaginably brighter. This time, he chose to deal with it the way he always did – by trying to forget that it had happened.
….
"A CARNIVAL!" Zushi, Gon, and Killua all shouted in unison once Wing pulled into the parking lot. Dazzling lights, cotton candy in every color, a giant ferris wheel….The three of them thanked Wing profusely before eagerly setting out.
Ten minutes later, Killua found himself in front of a fortune teller booth, Gon and Zushi both begging him to get his fortune told.
"You have to, Killua! It's so awesome!"
"Pleeeeease, Killua!"
"Fine, fine, I'll do it," Killua said, pretending to roll his eyes. "Even though these things are just scams, anyways. But what did your fortunes say?"
"We're not telling until you've gotten yours done!" Gon said, laughing. There wasn't anything else in the world that was quite like Gon's laugh. It echoed in Killua's ears and infected him with a rush of adrenaline.
"I see how it is," Killua replied with a joking wink, making Gon laugh again, like he knew he would.
"We'll be in the arcade when you're finished, Killua. Okay?" said Gon, gently placing his hand on Killua's shoulder for a brief moment. One second, two, three…. Gon pulled his hand away, and Killua realized he had been holding in his breath. As he took his next breath, he met Gon's innocent, unsuspecting gaze.
"Alright, I'll see you there." Killua felt himself begin to…blush? Since when had Killua ever blushed about anything?
Gon and Zushi left, and Killua had plenty of time to think as he waited in line. He wasn't sure he could keep writing off these odd feelings that he got around Gon anymore. But once again, he pushed this worry out of his head.
And now, Killua could feel his heart beating with anticipation. No matter what he said, Killua had always believed in fortune tellers. After all, he had had his fortune read once before, and it had come true.
"Next?"
Killua took a seat inside of the booth and was greeted by a young woman in her mid-twenties with blue eyes and pink hair that had been tied up into a ponytail.
"Place your palms on the table. Okay now, let's take a look….Judging by the heart line here, you fall in love easily."
Killua scoffed, and the girl chuckled.
"And you also have a thirst for adventure. I see a marriage line as well. And you will have, if I'm not mistaken, two children – a boy and a girl, both perfectly healthy."
Killua looked at his palms, his stomach sinking.
"Is something wrong, young man?"
He shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."
"Really? Then, why do you look so upset?" She paused for a moment, thinking. "Hmm…." Then, it seemed as though a lightbulb had gone off in her mind, but she kept her silence.
She smiled kindly. "Oh, and I just remembered! You are the one hundredth customer to come by the booth today, and so you win a prize."
Temporarily shaken out of his negative mood, Killua looked up. "Yeah? What sort of prize?"
"You have the opportunity to send a gift to someone special. All you need to do is write in their address here."
Killua raised an eyebrow. "What kind of gift?"
"It's a secret," she said, putting a finger to her lips.
Just barely keeping himself from rolling his eyes, Killua wrote down the address for Heavens Arena, making sure to include Gon's room number. Whatever it was, they'd be able to find out together.
….
Later, on the ferris wheel, Killua recounted to Gon everything that the fortune teller had told him. Well, everything except all that stuff about the prize. That was going to be a surprise.
"What? That's the same fortune that I got!" said Gon, looking amazed. "I wonder if she made it up, or if it was real."
Killua shrugged, sipping on the vanilla milkshake that he had just bought. "Who knows? But I think it was probably made up."
Gon pondered this for a moment, looking out of the window as they descended slowly through the air. "Did you think that girl was pretty? I liked her eyes."
Killua nearly choked. "Well…yeah, I think she was." He and Gon had never talked too much about girls before. Usually, they were focused on other things, like training or exploring the city.
Killua couldn't bring himself to say anything else for a few moments. Suddenly, the sunlight surrounding Gon seemed less bright, and his heart felt less full.
"Are you okay, Killua?" Concern shone in Gon's eyes, and Killua couldn't help but smile.
"I am."
And then he realized how close he was to Gon and could feel himself blushing again, just like he had earlier. Their shoulders were side by side, nearly touching. "I am," Killua repeated absentmindedly.
Gon looked mildly confused, but gave a genuine smile that lit up Killua's world a thousand times over.
…
The next day, the package arrived in Gon's room.
Er…packages. And lots of them. Three hundred of them, to be exact.
"Wow! Three hundred bouquets! And there are ten roses in each one! So, how many would that be, Killua?"
"That would be…three thousand roses, Gon. Three thousand."
Was this for real? It couldn't be! Whose idea was it to send three thousand roses to someone as a gift?
"Does this mean that I have a secret admirer?" Gon pondered casually. "But who could it be? Killua, can you help me figure out who it is?"
Killua forced out a nervous smile. "Sure."
Oh boy. Killua was in big trouble this time.
But he could handle this, right?
Right?