Chapter Text
“Aunt Miiiiiiitooooooo!”
Gon’s aunt sighed as her nephew whined from behind her. She knew if she turned around, his honey eyes would crack her wall of determination. She stood with her back towards him, scratching at the hem of her shirt guiltily.
“Gon. I have to stay with Grammy. You go have fun. I’ll be fine.”
They were spending the day at the amusement park. It was the first time in what seemed like forever that Gon was able to leave their home on Whale Island, especially for something as amazing as Trick Town, the world’s best, family-friendly roller coaster amusement park.
But Mito’s nerves got the better of her, even before they went on their first ride. They hadn’t been there yet an hour, and she already backed down from two rides, and they weren’t even the scary ones! Gon couldn’t help but feel a little dejected as his Aunt walked away from him, ushering his overly-enthusiastic great-grandmother, who, against her will, was forbidden from riding any coasters for fear of her health.
“But Auuuuuunnnnnnnttttttttt Miiiiiiiiiitooooooooooooo!” Gon protested, just as determined to get her to spend time with him as she was to escape from the pressing crowds. Mito’s hands were getting clammy now, as people were stopping to watch the twelve-year-old throw a tantrum. If this goes on any longer, she thought to herself, I know I’m going to regret it.
The young woman whipped around, fixing Gon with her you-better-stop-that-and-do-what-I-tell-you look, making him stop mid-whine. “Gon Freecss, I am not going on any roller coasters today. You’re just going to have to go by yourself. I’m keeping Grammy company, and I don’t feel like vomiting and having it captured on photo. Now that’s the end of it.”
Gon gave her a little pout, before running up to give her a tight hug around the waist. “Okay~! I’ll meet you back in the hotel room when it gets dark.”
Mito, caught off guard, could feel a blush creep to her face as the passer-by “awed” at the sight of her nephew’s undisguised affection. “O-okay Gon. Be back at nine o’clock, sharp. I love you.” Her hands found their way around the young boy’s shoulders, giving him a little squeeze.
“Love you too~!” Gon broke free of the embrace and waved over his back as he ran deeper into the park.
“Mmmmm which one should I ride first?” Gon stopped in the middle of a small plaza, while screams of terror, pleasure, and overall enjoyment bombarded his ear drums. His sharp nose picked out the smells of cooking meat, sweets, and the heat radiating off the cement.
“Where have you been? And why do you look like you’re about to vomit?!”
Gon’s ears pricked when he heard enthusiastic voices behind him. Must be a good ride if he's going to vomit-Maybe the best!!
“I just got off the Spleen Splitter!! It was so good. I felt my stomach in my brain, I swear on my life.”
A smile split across the boy’s face, spreading from both his ears. That’s the one! What better to start the day off with, than something to make you numb with fear?
“’Scuse me!” Gon ran over to the two other tourists. “Could you tell me how to get to the Spleen Splitter, please?”
One guest, a tall older gentleman with spiky brown hair and small round sunglasses guffawed. “What are you thinking, kid? Your heart would stop the second you looked at it, let alone get on it. I could barely stand in line, and I’m nineteen, let alone a six-year-old like yourself! You wouldn’t be able to handle it”
Gon could feel heat rushing to his cheeks as the man insulted him. “I can too handle it! Just tell me where it’s at!”
The other boy, who seemed only a little older than Gon himself, glared at his companion through his long blond bangs, fixing him with an icy brown stare. “Leorio, don’t be rude.” He then turned his attention to Gon. “It’s just around the corner. If you’d like, my friend and I can take you there. I actually wanted to ride it—“Another glare at his friend—“but Leorio ditched me and went by himself.”
Leorio shrugged off his friend’s comments. “You wouldn’t be able to ride anyway, kid. It’s a two person rider, and it looks like you’re all alone.”
Gon’s cheeks were beginning to puff up. Who was this geezer, telling him what he can and can’t do? It just fueled his fire to do it anyway. “Then I’ll find someone to ride with me!” He turned to the blond boy. “Do you want to ride with me?”
The boy looked taken aback. “U-uh, actually, I was going to ride with Leorio…”
Leorio grabbed his friend by his elbow and pulled him closer to his side. “Kurapika is already taken, anyway, brat.” The man stuck his tongue out at Gon.
“…I just said that, you moron…” Kurapika’s face was blank as he deadpanned Leorio’s comment. He noticed Gon deflating, and tried to soothe the situation. “There’s always single riders at the gate for the rides. Maybe you can find one there.”
Gon perked up at those words, his eyes shining in the sun. “Really? Alright, let’s go then!”
The spiky-haired boy started to march away, in the wrong direction nonetheless. “It’s the other way!” Kurapika corrected him, pointing.
Gon turned around and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Oh…right. Sorry. Lead the way!”
Leorio half-dragged, half-carried Kurapika to the entrance of the Spleen Splitter. “You’re always getting people’s hopes up, Kurapika. What are the chances that someone will want to ride with him? He’s probably a cry-baby,” Leorio grumbled.
Kurapika tutted his friend. “Leorio, he’s nice. And besides, he’s so perky, I’d think it would be hard for him to not find a partner.”
Leorio tsked, but led the way to the ride. Gon’s obvious awe resounded from behind them as they neared the Spleen Splitter. His footsteps started to quicken, and soon he was running in front of Kurapika and Leorio, screaming in excitement.
“It’s so big! I can’t wait I can’t wait I can’t wait!!!!!!”
Kurapika smiled at his innocence. “Go ahead and find a partner!”
Gon turned and smiled, waving at his new friends. “Thanks! It was nice meeting you!”
Kurapika waved back, watching the young boy’s green back as he left them behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smile creep onto Leorio’s face. Kurapika smirked. “See, I told you he wasn’t a bad kid. You’re just so crotchety, no wonder people think you’re old.”
Leorio gasped. “Rude, Kurapika. That was just rude.”
The blond just laughed. “Let’s go get in line, you dork.”
“Singles! Singles!”
Gon turned his head to the right as the operator’s voice belted above the bustle of the crowd waiting anxiously to get on the ride. “I NEED A SINGLE RIDER OVER HERE!”
Gon squealed and shoved his way through the crowds, earning him a couple of elbows in the face and stepped on toes. “Me! I’m a single rider! Here!” He called out to the man as he finally broke free from the mob.
The operator turned to look at him with dull eyes. “Come to the front of the line with me, please.” The man turned and began leading Gon through a side entrance, to the right of the actual waiting area for the line. In what would have taken the boy a couple of hours to do, Gon was at the front of the line in less than a minute.
“You will be accompanying this young man. Please take your seat.”
Gon spun to where the operator was pointing, and almost screamed again. There, in the front of the line, was a boy about his age. His hair was as white as snow, and his skin was just as pale. Two ice-blue slanted eyes seemed to pop, contrasting with his paleness. His arms were crossed across his chest, and he looked up when Gon appeared. Cool! I can ride it with someone my age! Gon rushed up to the boy and grabbed his hand with his two. “Hi, my name’s Gon! I’m glad I can ride this with you!”
The other boy recoiled at Gon’s touch, trying to free his hand. “Wah! What are you doing, you weirdo? Let me go, let’s just get this over with…”
Gon cocked his head. That was kind of cold. Maybe he’s just nervous. “Okayy~! Do you want the inside or the outside?” Gon inquired, smiling brightly.
“Tch. I don’t care. I just want to ride this.” The white haired boy managed to break his hand out of Gon’s grasp, shoving it into his pocket. He ambled to the cart, and took his seat.
“This is gonna be so much fun!” Gon bounced in the seat next to him, making the whole car shake. “This is my first time on a rollercoaster!”
The boy smirked. “Yeah. I can tell. You might not want to do that when we’re at the top though…”
Gon stopped jumping and looked at him quizzically. “What for?”
The boy’s expression changed into a devious grin, showing sharp canines and a scary gleam in his irises. “You could derail the cart, and we could all fall to our deaths.”
Gon froze, clutching onto the lap bar tighter. The boy just chuckled at his sudden change in demeanor.
Muffled instructions about keeping your limbs in the cart at all times, not putting your hands in the air because it could cause damage at the high speed of the coaster played over the loud speaker, to which nobody listened. Then, the cart started to move forward.
Gon fixed his eyes on the track in front of them. When they emerged from the car house, the coaster loomed in front of them. He heard a sharp whistle from beside him, and looked at the boy next to him, whose eyes were wide in admiration.
“It’s huge!”
Gon smiled. Finally, he was getting excited. Gon was about to tease him a little bit, when all of a sudden, the car shot forward, cutting him off.
The sheer amount of power sent him flying into the back rest, making his eyes shut to prevent them from drying out from the wind. Something smacked his hand, and clutched it tightly. Gon forced his eyes open, looking down at his hand. It was covered with his friend’s pale one, and he felt the boy squeeze it tighter as they rounded the first bend at the top.
Gon screamed as they started down the turn, for it looked like they were plummeting to their deaths. The lake next to the park opened up below them, and then the ground came into view as they came out of the inverted angle.
“Open your eyes!” He screeched above the wind, grabbing his friend’s hand, shaking him. “YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!”
The boy slit one eye open, then both flew wide in sync. A smile spread across his face as he looked at the beauty swirling around them. Gon went to pull his hand out, to throw his arms in the air, but when he tried, the boy shot him a death glare and held it down firmly.
“DON’T LET ME GO!”
For some reason, Gon didn’t argue. He just laughed and screamed with pleasure as the ride slowly came to an end. The warmth on his hand was still there, and he pulled the boy out of the car when they were released. Even after, their fingers remained intertwined.
“Are you…scared of heights?” Gon pondered aloud.
“N-no! Shut up, stupid.” The boy shook his head vigorously. Gon chuckled and squeezed his hand.
“It’s okay if you’re afraid. You don’t have to let my hand go if you don’t want to.”
The boy gasped and ripped his hand away. “Don’t tell anyone. I’ll kill you if you do.” His white face turned pink, and he glared at the ground, making Gon laugh.
“I like you. Let’s be friends.”
The boy looked at him, stupefied. “You are one weird kid, you know that?”
Gon just shrugged. “I guess. So what do you say?”
The other boy just pursed his lips, not saying anything. Gon rocked back and forth on his toes, looking at him expectantly. Finally, the former sighed and pushed his hands through his hair, letting them rest at the back of his head. “Killua.”
“Excuse me?”
The boy rolled his eyes, snapping: “My name! It’s Killua.”
Gon beamed. “That’s a cool name! I’m G—“
Killua’s hand stopped Gon’s mouth from finishing the sentence. “I know. It’s Gon.” A pause. “So, what ride do you want to go on next, Gon?”
“Mpfh mm mff.” Gon pointed to his mouth.
“Oh, sorry. What was that?” Killua removed his hand from Gon’s mouth.
“Anything you want to try, I’ll do it too!”
Killua could feel a slight blush spread over his face. He shoved his hands in his pockets, before sauntering away. “Just don’t get scared or anything.”
Gon huffed. Why was everybody thinking that? He ran to catch up with his friend though. “I won’t get scared, if you don’t!”
Killua smirked. “Challenge accepted.”
Gon raced ahead of his new friend. “Killua, where do you live?” he asked suddenly. He wanted to know if he would meet him again some other time.
Killua shrugged. “Not around here. My family is actually moving next week, so we wanted to come while we were at least closer to here than we will be. Where do you live?”
“Whale island.”
Killua frowned. “That’s not even close to where we’re going.”
“Awwww.” Gon’s shoulders fell as they entered their next line. “Then we’ll just have to make the best of today!”
Killua brightened. He liked this kid: always smiling and looking at the best side of things. “Yeah, okay.”
The rest of the day they spent together. On every ride, the two held hands, usually started by Gon. He didn’t want his new friend to feel scared, so he tried to make him as comfortable as possible. Gon was just happy that he had someone to spend his time with, and he really enjoyed Killua’s company. Killua managed to eat an entire candy shop’s store of chocorobos, to which he spared only two for Gon. But Gon didn’t mind, because he then ate out an entire hotdog stand’s inventory.
After what seemed like only a few minutes had passed, Gon noticed that the sky was growing dark. Aunt Mito’s warning that he had to be back in the hotel by 9:00 rang in his head.
“Hey Killua?”
His friend munched on his cotton candy, holding the stuffed animal cat closer to him that Gon had won him at a game. “Hm?”
Gon rubbed his arm nervously, knowing his curfew was growing closer. “Do you want to go on one more ride with me? I have to go inside in a few…”
Killua looked up sharply. “What do you mean? Can’t you stay out a while longer?”
Gon shook his head. “Mm-mm. My aunt will probably string me up by my toes if I break curfew.”
Killua sighed, downing his last bit of cotton candy. He threw the stick in the trash and wrapped both arms around his prize. “What rides are left? Didn’t we ride them all?”
Gon shook his head again, pointing up ahead at a brightly lit wheel in the distance, right next to his hotel. If they could go there, he wouldn’t break curfew and would get to spend some more time with his friend. “We can try the Ferris wheel.”
Killua felt a chill run up his spine as he looked at the giant ride rising in front of him. “I won’t get scared, if you don’t!” Gon’s challenge resonated in his head. Who cares if it’s that high? I’ll have Gon with me, and they don’t go very fast anyway. He questioned himself. “Yeah, okay.”
Gon beamed, grabbing Killua’s arm, pulling him toward the ride desperately. “This one will be so much fun!”
Once the boys were in the cabin, Killua sat right next to Gon. Their bags and giant cat somewhat balanced the weight out, but Killua was still pressing slightly against Gon’s side. Gon didn’t mind—the wind blowing off the lake next to the wheel felt like arctic blasts, so he welcomed Killua’s warmth. Up and up the wheel turned, and they went around three times, before the ride shuddered to a stop at the top of the rotation. Killua froze, digging his nails into his palms.
“Killua…”
Killua’s throat closed up, and he felt his stomach turning flips inside of him. His heart felt like it was about to burst through his ribs and fly away. He shut his eyes tightly, throwing his arm around Gon’s, seeking comfort.
Gon felt something wet trailing down his shoulder, and noticed Killua had tears streaming down his face, dripping onto him.
“Killua, it’s okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” Gon’s hand pulled out of Killua’s death grip, and he pulled his friend into his side, hugging him tightly. Killua’s tears stopped. Nobody had ever treated him so tenderly, so gently.
The ride suddenly jerked again, bringing the boys down again. Killua sat up, looking at the tear stains he had left on Gon’s shirt. But, when he looked at his friend’s face, he wasn’t upset. Gon was smiling. His arm was still around Killua, but he pulled it away when the ride stopped, and the cabin door opened, letting them free.
The boys grabbed their belongings, and exited. Killua walked slightly ahead of Gon, wiping his now streaming tears from his face before they fell any farther from his cheeks. Why am I crying? We’re not up high anymore…
“Killua.”
Gon’s voice pulled the boy out of his thoughts. Killua was suddenly enveloped in warmth, with Gon’s hair tickling his nose. He smelled strongly of honey and sweets, and it relaxed every inch of Killua.
“Thank you for today,” Gon mumbled into his shoulder, squeezing him tighter. “This was so much fun. Thank you.”
Gon pulled away, smiling, as always. “Here. If you ever want to meet up. Somehow.” Gon slipped him a piece of paper, with numbers scratched on it.
Killua smiled at it, clutching it in his fist. “Yeah. Alright.”
Gon’s smile lasted a few seconds more, before it faltered. He looked at the sky, which was now a dark indigo. “Well…”
Killua’s heart sank. He didn’t want his new friend to leave him. I’m not lying to myself when I say that this was the best day of my life. “Well…” he repeated Gon, digging the toe of his shoe into the dirt, not looking at his friend.
“I’ll be off then.”
Killua just nodded. Don’t leave! Don’t go! He wanted to scream, and he knew if he opened his mouth, he would. So he stood in silence.
“…bye, Killua.”
Something soft hit Killua’s face, and he looked up in shock as Gon smiled, holding the hand out that he had just thrown a stuffed puppy at Killua’s face with. “Don’t forget me, alright? We’ll meet again, for sure!”
Killua couldn’t help but smile, nodding. “Right!”
Gon waved, and ran toward the lights emanating from the hotel behind them. Killua held up his hand, semi-waving. I’ll never forget you, Gon. Let’s meet again sometime.