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“Hey Killua!”
“Gon…”
“How are you! It feels like it’s been forever!”
“I’m okay I guess,” Killua said. “Well now that I’m here I guess I’m…” He blushed, suddenly self aware of what he was about to say. Gon stared expectantly at him, tilting his head in slight confusion and anticipation.
“Whatever, forget it!”
“Ehh?”
“Never mind me, how are you?”
“Oh…I’m great!” Gon seemed to let it go easily, like he always did with Killua. “Mito-san made me a giant bowl of fried rice this morning for breakfast, then I went out with the fishermen – I wanted to learn how to fish the traditional way. They told me I was dumb because I’d already caught the biggest fish on the island and that there was nothing traditional about the huge nets they catch their fish in. But they catch so much, it’s still cool!”
“Huh, sounds like fun. Wish I could be there.”
“Yeah, that would make it ten times better!” Gon said excitedly. “We caught a ton because I’d sniff out the currents. I think the village will be eating well this week, hehe.” There was a pause, and Killua didn’t have to strain his ear’s to hear Gon’s gasp. “Ah…I’m talking too much again aren’t I?!”
“It’s okay,” Killua didn’t resist the small smile tugging at his cheeks, not that anyone could see him. I like listening to you talk. “I don’t mind.” They didn’t get to talk often, among all the busy Hunter things they had going on in their lives.
“Really? It feels like it always ends up being about me.” Killua could imagine Gon’s pout right now, it was scarily vivid. “Killua, tell me about your day!”
“I’ve been doing some research,” Killua said. “There’s this new kind of poison that has been discovered and used in multiple assassinations, it’s the perfect poison – kills in microscopic amounts and leaves no trace behind. I’ve been working with all kinds of scientists to try pin down the molecular structure from the faintest traces I’ve managed to gather of it, and see if it can be deactivated or immunized against. It’s important that it is stopped because it could be a dangerous bioweapon…and especially important that it can’t be used against Alluka, because I wouldn’t put it past Illumi to find out about it and try.” He didn’t realize until he started talking how much he had to share, how much he wanted Gon to know what he was doing.
“Woah, that’s super cool!” Gon exclaimed.
“You didn’t understand a word I said, did you?”
“Ehehe…I got the main gist, anyway.”
Same old Gon, he hadn’t changed a bit. He was probably making the same sheepish expression as he used to. “It’s alright, I make the plans and you plow ahead your own way anyway, isn’t that right?”
“Killua…”
Ah, he had to stop letting those previous small resentments seep into his conversations, even as jokes. It wasn’t even that relevant. Gon was sensitive to the ways he had wronged Killua in the past, though Killua had easily forgiven him every time and wasn’t one to hold onto grudges. “Sorry, I meant, you have your own way of getting stuff done. It’s cool, in a reckless dumb way.”
“Hey!” Gon laughed, then his tone became more serious. “Hey Killua, what do you say we catch up soon? I’d love to see you again.”
“And what are we going to do about the fact we’re several continents apart?”
“Uhh…” Gon said, clearly thinking very hard. “You can fly to me?”
Killua felt a familiar pang in his chest, sharp and just under the surface. “No Gon, I can’t just leave on a whim.” The silence felt like it stretched on, each party wondering if the other would give in.
“Yeah, I know,” Gon said sadly. “It’s just been so long. I know I’m being selfish. After all, I just used my only free day in forever to visit Mito-san instead of you…”
Secretly, Killua agreed that his request was a bit selfish. Thinking Killua could just uproot his life and come to where he was…it was presumptive to even ask, knowing that he couldn’t. But alas, an upset Gon never ceased to tickle his sympathy.
“Hey, we’ll still be friends, no matter how long it is before we meet again. And I certainly can’t complain about you putting family first.”
“I know that!” Gon said. “But it’s still sad.”
Killua shrugged, and didn’t confirm nor deny Gon’s words. He was beyond the years of adamantly denying feelings of fondness for Gon or proclaiming them as embarassing – feelings were feelings, and they couldn’t be controlled – but he wasn’t quite at the stage of wholeheartedly declaring them yet either. “It is what it is.”
“Hmph…I’ll find a way.”
“Yeah?”
“One day, I’ll find a way that we can have it all. Once I finish this mission, then I’ll find a way that we can keep Alluka safe, so you don’t have to worry while we’re gone. And then we can travel the world together, just the two of us. And then we can do a group reunion! Go visit Kurapika, and Leorio, and Zushi and Wing, Biscuit, Palm, Knuckle and Knov…”
Killua smiled. Gon had always been a dreamer. “Well, I look forward to that day then. If you get stuck for money to kick off this grand reunion, we can always do another round of Heaven’s Arena.”
“It’s a deal!” Gon said.
“See you in a hundred years,” Killua said.
Gon chuckled. “You’re underestimating me!”
“Ehh,” Killua said. “If you put your mind to something, you’ll make it happen. So I’ll give it a 50% chance you’ll fully put your mind to this one.”
They’d made several promises like this over the years, goals so that they could travel together again, take on a mission together again, but life never seemed to be in their favour. There was always some great worldly danger that Gon had (i.e. felt personally obliged) to take on, always some threat to Alluka that Killua had to stick around for, because protecting the sister he had failed to all those years was more important than…this thing they had, this thing they called a friendship.
It never left his mind as a possibility though. On lonely nights, sometimes the thought would pop up out of nowhere, though he never let himself dwell too hard on it.
“I’ll prove it to you then,” Gon said. “It’s a bet.”
“It’s a bet,” Killua agreed.
“I have to go now,” Gon said. Killua heard muffled yells in the distance through the phone. “Sounds like the others are ready to leave now.”
“Bye, Gon,” he said, his voice raspy. “It was…nice, talking to you, and stuff.”
“Yeah, you too! I really hope that everything goes well for you Killua.” His voice was so sincere it hurt. “Bye bye! See you later!” He could imagine Gon waving to him, face illuminated by the setting sun behind him, eyes reflecting the fun energy of the day he had just heard about.
The phone clicked, and he was alone again.
Killua rested his head back on his pillow, so soft and molding to his weight, unlike the unaccomodating hard pillows and mattresses he had slept on during his childhood. So much had changed after Gon had rescued him from the Zoldyck mansion all those years ago. He had comfort and friends now, didn’t need to constantly be ready to fight, didn’t need to endure the burden of manipulation and fear knawing at his insides when he tried to fight now.
Instead, he had a head that felt fluffy and fuzzy with warm feelings that were entirely unnecessary, just having finished a call which for all intents and purposes, was meaningless and achieved nothing of practical use, with a person who had no value to him aside from the label of being a friend.
Yet, he was never happier.
Killua brushed aside all unnecessary thoughts in his head, and let the afterglow of the conversation drift him off to sleep. There would be no nightmares tonight.