Chapter Text
Killua walks into the store, and can’t say he’s shocked when he sees Gon, covered head to toe in liquid, pouting adorably at the assailant that is the blender.
God, why is he cute even when he’s covered in milkshake residue?
He can’t decide if he wants to comfort the poor boy, or completely ridicule him just to see more of his pout. No, he knew exactly what he wanted to do.
“Really diggin’ the new addition to your outfit, Gon,” he teases, strolling up to the register, hands shoved in his pockets. Gon’s body stiffens, and he slowly turns around, to see Killua smirking at him. He takes him in, noticing the simple, but chic purple hoodie, paired with dark khakis and wants to go hide in the back. Of course, of course, Killua would come in, right as his new concoction exploded in his face, literally. It really was just his luck.
“Yeah, trying out something new, y’know? The outfits here are kinda plain,” he says, smiling sheepishly at him, and bringing his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it in embarrassment.
“What are you wearing today? Is that one strawberry?” He asks, noticing the hints of pink in the globs of liquid on his apron, and in his hair. Gon nods, and runs a hand through his hair, attempting to remove what he can of the drink that was beginning to dry.
“Chocolate wouldn’t have done this to you, it’s your own fault for choosing to test an inferior flavor,” he says, giving Gon a fond smile. “So, I assume this is a bad time to order a hot chocolate then?” He asks, and Gon shakes his head.
“Don’t you fret Killua, we will get you your fix. Machi is in the back, I’ll go have her ring you up,” he says, and Killua takes a step forward quickly, and immediately curses at himself internally at his own desperation.
“No!” He says, and cringes when Gon turns back around, giving him an adorable confused look.
“No?” He asks, slowly, and Killua forces a nonchalant look on his face, taking a step back.
“I mean, I don’t mind waiting for you to make it, I like how you do it,” he admits, and Gon smiles so brightly, his eyes crinkle in the way Killua so adores.
“Really? You actually like the way I make it that much?” He asks, and Killua forces himself to maintain eye contact. No matter how embarrassing, he was not going to let himself miss even a second of Gon’s face, not when it was filled with complete and utter joy.
“Yeah, it’s so Gon,” he says, smiling softly, and Gon’s lip purse in confusion.
“What do you mean?” He asks, and Killua shrugs.
“You always add a little something extra to it, I actually don’t think you have ever made me the drink to standard,” he says, and Gon’s eyes widen. Killua continues before the boy’s inevitable apologies burst out. “It’s a good thing. I like that you make my drinks a little different every time, you always add a little Gon flair to them, it makes me feel special,” he admits, and Gon stares at him for a few seconds, before smiling, and removing his wet apron.
“Good,” he says, and Killua raises an eyebrow. Gon walks to the back and gives Killua one last glance. “You should feel special,” he states, before giving him a soft smile, and hurrying to the back.
Killua is unable to do anything other than stare at the boy in complete shock, before dragging himself to his favorite table and plopping down.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why? Of all people, I had to go and fall for the sun incarnate. Wait, oh my God, is he even gay? Oh God, he’s probably straight. Fuck, what if he’s homophobic?
Killua immediately shakes the thought out of his head.
What am I thinking, it’s Gon. He could never hate anyone, especially not for who they love. But he might get grossed out if he knew. Sure, he wouldn’t outright say it, and he would probably even do a good job of concealing it, but he would still be disgusted. No. I can’t lose him. If he never knows then so be it, he’s already too important to me, I can’t lose him now.
“Here!” Gon interrupts, handing him the cup. “Try to guess what’s different!” He urges, and Killua jumps, not realizing Gon was right in front of him. “Are you okay?” Gon asks, worriedly, and Killua gives him an easy smile.
“Yeah, just zoned out a bit,” he explains, before taking a sip. His eyes narrow down at the cup in his hand, before he puts it down, and removes the lid. He looks at Gon in confusion.
“This is so good, what did you do? There aren't any different toppings or anything.” He asks, warily looking at Gon, and back at the cup. Gon smiles.
“I steamed the chocolate into the milk this time, so it infuses all throughout it,” he says proudly, and Killua smirks.
“Infusions? Didn’t I teach you that word?” He teases, and Gon blushes.
“There you go again! Thinking I’m stupid,” he pouts, and turns around to walk back, before Killua panics and grabs his wrist.
“Gon. I don’t think you’re stupid,” he says, and looks down harshly at the table, unable to say what he so desperately wanted.
“Then why else would you tease me about that,” Gon says, still pouting, and Killua sighs, and looks back up at him.
“I think you’re adorable, not stupid. That’s why I tease you,” he admits, and Gon smiles widely.
“Killua, what are you doing today?” Gon asks, and Killua cocks his head to the side in thought.
“Um, nothing besides sitting here, why?” He asks, and Gon smiles excitedly.
“Let’s hang out again!” He proposes.
“Alright, what do you wanna do?” Killua asks, and Gon taps his chin cutely.
“I have to close tonight, so I’ll be off around seven, is that too late for you?” He asks.
Yes.
“Nah, that’s fine, probably can’t stay for more than an hour or two though,” Killua says, and Gon nods.
“Okay! Let’s meet at the ice cream place at seven tonight, and then we’ll go from there,” Gon suggests.
“Alright, I have to get going soon anyways, so I’ll be on my way once I pay for this,” Killua says, and Gon shakes his head.
“I already paid for it,” Gon says sheepishly, and Killua’s eyes widen.
“Gon! Why?! I hate when you do that,” he glares, and Gon just smiles back.
“I like doing things for you,” he admits, and Killua sighs.
“Fine, but I’m buying the ice cream,” he says, before walking out of the store.
…
Killua got to the shop early, half an hour early to be exact, terrified that he was going to keep Gon waiting. He knew in the back of his mind that Gon wouldn’t get there before seven, as the boy always complained about how long it took to close, but he came early nonetheless. He brought a book with him, just to calm his nerves because he knew that he would just be picking at his clothes and looking around the store if he had nothing to do. After reading a chapter, he notices the weird stares from the employees and realizes that he hasn’t ordered anything. He debates ordering, but it would melt by the time Gon got there, and he didn’t want to get something without Gon. He wanted them to enjoy it together, so he waited. As the sun sets, and the people in the store begin to slowly decrease, he begins to worry. He checks his phone to see that it was 7:30, and there were no new messages from Gon.
Maybe closing is just taking longer than usual?
He attempts to calm himself down with reasoning. Gon was the one who invited him out, it wouldn’t make sense for him just to stand him up. Right? The next ten minutes is spent anxiously looking around the store, and the windows, in hopes that the boy would come barreling in, with a valid excuse, and that they could continue their night, but when his phone read 7:46 pm and no new texts from Gon appeared, he let himself sulk. He gathered his stuff into his bag, and after realizing that he spent over an hour in the store without buying anything, he trudges up to the front and orders a vanilla ice cream, not in the mood to eat anything anymore.
I’ll check the store. Gon wouldn’t just not show up, not without an explanation, something must have happened.
After a three-minute walk to the store, Killua braces himself before he rounds the corner, and is ashamed to admit he was truly relieved to see Gon on the floor, with a towel, scrubbing away at something. He quickly walks up to the front and raps on it with his knuckles, which makes the boy jump in fear, before looking up.
Gon’s face at that moment would forever be engraved into Killua’s mind.
Eyes filled with tears and puffy, cheeks red, and lip quivering. He immediately runs up to the door, slipping a bit, before unlocking and throwing it open.
“Killua! I’m so sorry!” He cries, and Killua looks at him in shock, before setting the ice cream down on the counter. “Kurapika had an emergency with his husband while we were closing, and he told me he would be back soon, but that was half an hour ago, and then the coffee spilled all over the floor, but I was in the middle of a buttload of dishes, and I couldn’t leave them so I decided to try and finish them first, but I was an idiot, because the coffee dried, and it stained the floor, and I’ve been trying to wipe it for the past hour and-” he’s cut off when Killua pulls him into a hug.
“Gon, breathe, you’re okay,” he coos, and Gon lets out a sob into Killua’s shirt, before wrapping his arms around his shoulders, and burying his face in his neck.
“I’m sorry,” he cries again, and Killua rubs his back, soothingly.
“It’s alright Gon, breathe okay. We can talk about this later, I just need you to calm down before you have a panic attack. I’m not mad, I’m here, everything’s fine,” he promises, and Gon’s breathing becomes uneven as he begins to cry harder.
“How long did you have to wait, oh my god, your parents, they’re going to get so mad,” he sobs, and Killua lowers them to the floor, and brings Gon into his lap, desperate to calm him down. He continues to rub his back with one hand, while the other strokes his arm, before finding his hand and interlocking their fingers.
“Everything’s fine, nothing matters right now, okay? Only you. You’re fine, everything’s fine, it’s okay.” He says, before pulling back slightly and pulling Gon’s face out of his neck. He wipes his tears, and strokes his face lightly, giving him a soft smile. His sobs begin to lessen, and his breathing becomes more even as Killua continues to wipe his tears away. After a couple of minutes, the sobs had completely dispersed, and his breathing was almost back to normal. Killua reaches up to the counter and hands him the half-melted cup of ice cream.
“I brought you ice cream, it’s kinda soup now though,” he jokes, and Gon laughs, and lays his head on Killua’s chest. “Idiot, I bought this ice cream for you, you’re not even gonna eat it?” Killua teases, and Gon moves his arms from Killua’s shoulders to his waist, squeezing him tightly.
“I’ll pay you back for it,” he says, and his voice comes out hoarse from all the crying. Killua throws it into the trash, before engulfing Gon in a hug once more. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, and Killua flicks his head.
“Why are you apologizing? I told you everything’s fine,” he says, and Gon pulls away slightly and looks up at Killua, arms still around his waist.
“But I made you wait so long, you probably thought I was ditching you, but I would never do that, I promise,” he says, seriously, and Killua laughs.
“I know, that’s why I came here instead of going straight home. I knew something had to have happened,” he agrees, and Gon’s eyes fill with relief.
“I still have to clean the coffee,” he says quietly, after a few minutes of silence, and Killua laughs, before standing up, and pulling Gon up with him.
“Alright, it’ll be faster if we both do it so give me a towel,” he suggests, and Gon’s eyes widen.
“No! I’m getting paid for this, you can’t do free labor!” He argues, and Killua shakes his head.
“Trust me, I’m getting compensated more than enough,” he says, and Gon gives him a confused look. Killua just waves him off, before grabbing a towel on his own. “Come on, are you just going to stare at me, or we gonna clean this floor?” He asks, and Gon snaps out of whatever daze he was in, before dropping to the floor, and cleaning.
After about ten minutes, they hear the door unlock, and turn to see Kurapika rushing in.
“Gon, I am so sorry! Killua? What are you...oh, never mind, oh my God. Just, go home, please, I am so sorry to keep you here,” Kurapika rushes, and Gon notices his arm shaking.
“Is everything alright?” He asks, standing up, and Kurapika gives a weak nod, to which Gon narrows his eyes.
“Everything’s fine, really. My husband got into a minor accident, but it’s just a couple of sprains. I just got really worried when I got the call. I'm so sorry for leaving for so long Gon, I should have just had you leave, but I didn’t know I was going to be gone for that long,” Kurapika says, worriedly, and Gon gives him a smile.
“It’s okay, family is way more important than a job, I would have wanted you to leave and check up on him, it’s okay,” he reassures, and Kurapika smiles, before scanning the store.
“So, why’s Killua here?” He asks, leaning on the counter, smirking at the two. Gon looks over at Killua, flushing, before turning back to Kurapika with a shy smile.
“He was just waiting for me to finish, we had plans after this,” he explains, and Kurapika’s face drops.
“Oh, I’m so sorry you guys! Seriously I-”
“Stop apologizing,” Killua says, bluntly, and Kurapika turns to him. “You had to deal with a family emergency, and Gon and I were just fine over here. Everything worked out, so there’s no point in feeling bad,” he says, getting up to his feet. Kurapika gives him a kind smile, before nodding and ushering the two out.
“So, should I walk you home?” Gon asks once they leave the cafe.
“Nah, I’m good, you should start to get home soon anyway, it’s late,” Killua counters, and Gon panics.
“Wait!” He says, and Killua raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah?” He asks, and Gon looks to the floor, in deep thought.
“Let me walk you home,” he tries again, and Killua squints his eyes in confusion.
“What? No, it’s fine,” he says, and Gon looks back up at him, eyes hard and filled with emotion. Killua almost has to take a step back from the extremity of his gaze. “Gon, what’s going on with you?” He asks.
“Well, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together today, so the least I can do is walk you home. What’s wrong with that?” He asks, shifting his gaze. Killua’s eyes narrow.
“Nothing would be wrong with it if that was actually your reasoning,” he says, and Gon looks back up in a panic. “Just tell me what’s going on.” He presses, and Gon sighs.
“You didn’t come back. I mean, last time. I wanted to walk you home on a night your parents were mad at you for being out late, and you didn’t let me, and then you didn’t come back for a week. I just don’t want that to happen again,” he confesses and averts his gaze, too nervous to look him straight in the eyes. Killua steps forward and places his hands on Gon’s shoulders.
“Gon, my family and I went on vacation for a bit, that’s all. Don’t be so worried,” he reassures, and Gon bites his lip, knowing it wasn’t his place to push.
Killua will tell me when he’s ready.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asks, and Killua smiles down at him.
“Course, who else makes my hot chocolate as good as you?” He teases, and Gon smiles, stepping back. He waves to him and watches as the white hair gets further and further in the night.
Please be okay.
…
“Gon, you clocked out ten minutes ago, why are you still here?” Kurapika asks, as Gon walks to the back and sits in a chair.
“I’m just waiting for something,” he mumbles, eyes not leaving the door. Kurapika gives him a look, before getting back to his paperwork. After another twenty minutes of Gon sitting, unmoving in the chair, eyes focused on the door, Kurapika turns to him again.
“Alright, you want to explain to me what’s so interesting about that door?” Kurapika asks, giving Gon his full attention. When Gon doesn’t respond, Kurapika snaps his fingers in front of his face.
“Gon.” He repeats, sternly, and the boy snaps out of his daze, turning to face the concerned blonde.
“Oh, did you need something?” He asks, leg bouncing up and down slightly. Kurapika raises an eyebrow.
“You haven’t taken your eyes off the entrance since you sat down, and you were dazed all shift. What’s going on?” He pushes, and Gon presses his lips together, shrugging.
“You’re gonna think I’m being dramatic,” he says, quietly.
“I already think you’re being dramatic, just tell me,” he says, and Gon sighs.
“Killua hasn’t come in today,” he admits, and Kurapika’s eyes soften. “He got home past his curfew yesterday, and he promised to be here today, and he’s not.” He explains, and Kurapika places a soft hand on his shoulder.
“You’re not being dramatic, it’s alright to feel concerned for a friend,” he reassures, and Gon nods, noncommittally. “Why don’t you text him?” He offers, and Gon shakes his head.
“No, his parents check his phone, so I can’t contact him,” he says, and Kurapika stands up.
“Well, sitting here waiting isn’t going to do you any good. Just go home and get some rest, I’ll text you if he ends up coming in,” he promises, and Gon lets out a whine, before Kurapika pulls him to his feet.
“You’ve had a long couple of days recently, you deserve to rest,” he says, and Gon groans as Kurapika drags him to the door.
“But,” he starts, and Kurapika shakes his head.
“No, Gon. You’re exhausted. Jesus, look at you. It doesn’t look like you slept a wink last night!” Kurapika exclaims, to which Gon shrugs.
“I was worried,” he mumbles, and Kurapika sighs.
“I understand, but you are important too,” he responds, and Gon opens his mouth to respond, before his gaze locks on the door, eyes brightening. He runs out the door, and Kurapika looks at him, completely confused, before seeing the familiar white tassel of hair making its way to the door.
“Killua!” Gon cries, and jumps onto the boy, wrapping his arms around his neck. Killua laughs softly, bringing his arms up to envelope the warm boy.
“Hey Gon,” he says happily, words muffled by the boy’s shoulder. Gon’s body visibly relaxes at hearing his voice, and shoves his face into Killua’s neck, inhaling deeply. His scent was stabilizing. After realizing that they were about to be hugging for longer than normal for two people who were just friends, Gon reluctantly lets go.
“I missed you,” he says, and Killua raises an eyebrow.
“I saw you last night,” he says, blushing and Gon pouts.
“I still missed you,” he repeats, and Killua rolls his eyes, running a hand down his face.
“I missed you too, idiot,” he mumbles, and Gon smiles, grabbing at his hand, interlocking their fingers.
“Let’s go get ice cream,” he says, and Killua gives him an incredulous look.
“I came all this way to a cafe, and you’re making us leave to get ice cream? Fuck that, we got ice cream yesterday, I want a hot chocolate,” Killua states.
“Okay, I don’t think Kurapika will let me make it for you though,” he says, and Killua shrugs.
“Aren’t you the newest barista here? I’m sure I’ll benefit from someone experienced making my drink,” he says, and Gon’s eyes widen in offense as he rips his hand out of Killua’s.
“Fine,” he says, and Killua laughs.
“I’m kidding, you big baby,” he says, voice light. He laughs again when Gon crosses his arms, an adorable frown on his face. He pulls his arms apart, and interlocks their fingers again, swinging them gently. “Come on, you know I’m kidding,” he says, and Gon dramatically purses his lips, not looking to give in, any time soon. Killua rolls his eyes, before pinching him in the side, making him let out a loud yelp.
“Killua!” He exclaims, drawing the attention of the few customers sitting quietly in the lobby.
“You’re such a baby, now come on, I want a hot chocolate,” he says, pulling him to the register. After their usual argument about payment, resulting in Gon sneakily shoving a five-dollar bill to Machi, and Killua smacking him, they exit the shop.
“So, what do you want to do?” Gon asks, as they walk, fingers still locked. Killua lets out a hum around his cup of hot chocolate, which was already over halfway gone.
“Dunno, wanna get lunch or something?” Killua asks, and Gon nods excitedly.
“Oh yeah, there’s a new place I’ve been wanting to show you. I went with Mito a couple of days ago,” he says, and Killua smiles, letting Gon lead the way. As they walk, Killua feels a heavy gaze on them and turns his head to see a man and woman staring at them. More specifically, staring at their fingers. Staring with the disapproving eyes he’s grown accustomed to over his seventeen years of living. In a panic, he rips his hand out of Gon’s and shoves it into his pocket. Other hand busy holding his drink. Gon stops walking and looks back at him in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” He asks, and Killua shrugs.
“Nothing, hand was getting sweaty,” he says easily. Gon stares at him for a couple of seconds, before his usual smile is on his face again.
“Okay,” he says, and continues to lead them to the restaurant. Killua wasn’t as talkative as they finished their walk to the restaurant, and Gon knew something was wrong.