Chapter Text
Cardboard boxes fill the room, mingling with the stench of freshly painted walls. While the scent of new paint often felt refreshing—like the start of a good book, the fumes give Gon a slight headache. Though he has an unbiased love for stories, not all books are to his liking. He could read anything and everything as long as a driving force kept him on the edge of his seat. Yet some come off too strong, too mechanical. Though he appreciates deep and philosophical classics, his forte comes with books of strong imagery and at times nonsensical topics.
But their apartment is the exact kind of story he hates; The walls and ceilings are all the same shade of white, with no furniture except for scattered, unopened boxes. Since Gon and his aunt Mito haven’t yet set up any chairs or tables, they sat on the living room floor, eating takeout and joking about gluing the couches to the ceiling to live upside down. How fun would it be without gravity holding them down? Gon mentally noted the idea for the future; after all, his writing was the reason they are trapped within these overly pungent-painted walls in the first place.
Whale island—His original home has little to no children, which is no help in pursuing his career as a children's book author. He is grateful for Aunt Mito’s sacrifice in moving to Yorknew for the sake of his passion, however, he can’t help missing the yellow-tinted popcorn walls and the floral backsplash that had been torn up during his unsuccessful attempt to care for an injured wild animal in his home; an event that led to a lengthy scolding from Aunt Mito and a new rule: “No wild animals inside.” He misses the breathtaking cliffside views, the fresh scent of roasted fish he’d caught himself, the salty sting of the sea, and the spiky grass contrasted with soft dirt beneath his toes. In Yorknew, grass is trimmed into rectangular patches between the sidewalk and road, cut and dried down, as if fighting to survive in a desert.
He feels bad for his grandma Abe, who has stayed in Whale Island to care for their house while they are gone. Despite their arguments, she refused to move to Yorknew—would it not be lonely? But in the end, there is not much he can do about it, except promise to send postcards whenever he can. He is selfishly glad she is there to preserve it anyways, so when he comes home it will be too a “welcome back” and sweet smells of a home-cooked meal.
As much as he misses Whale Island, the white walls are blank canvases, offering an opportunity for Gon to paint and mold them until new stories unfold. Not that he knows anything about painting. Despite his complaints, he feels giddy at the prospect of creating new memories and decorating their home; whether through trinkets they found at local stores, or through the stains, dents, and scratches made during their antics; though most likely to be caused by himself rather than the both of them…
Painting. He almost forgot! If Gon wants to make children's books, he needs illustrations! pictures with bright colors to draw children in—-no child wants monochrome letters with no patterns or character. He scarfs down the last of his meal,
“Mito”, he speaks, voice muffled by his attempt to finish chewing
Her face quickly morphs from the amusement of their previous joke to giving him a stern look. “You know you need to swallow before you speak!”
he gulps down the remaining rice, choking in the process. She gives her typical dramatic response
“What could possibly be so important to risk your life for?”
“I completely forgot! I need to find an artist to help with illustrations! I didn’t even begin searching and I'm already so close to my deadline—Kurapika is going to kill me!”
Mito shakes her head, “Honestly I should have expected this… I should stop trusting you when you tell me you’ll ‘get to it later’”
“Sorry Aunt Mito….”
“Well no point in bickering, get to work!”
Gon stands up, brushing crumbs off his shirt. “Wait, what about setting up the furniture?”
“Don’t worry hun, I’ll take care of it”
“Ok! Thanks!” he replies too quickly, before running to the kitchen where his laptop sits on the counter. He feels bad for not being more insistent but there is no time for that.
Minutes passed in endless scrolling, foot tapping, mouse-clicking, and cycling through the same styles he’s seen before. Lifeless and corporate. When he does find artists with intriguing colors and forms, they turn out to be famous; unattainable for someone like him. Although he can just purchase commissions from different artists for each book, he wants someone who can help make his stories consistent and recognizable—a lifelong partner. That’s harder to find among people already busy creating complex illustrations for commercial purposes. He wants to find an artist who draws for enjoyment rather than profit. After a few more scrolls, he bumps his head on the keyboard and groans
“You okay back there?” Mito yells over the sound of drilling, having already set up a matching couch and armchair. Wait… how long has he been searching??
He whines, “I never realized simply finding someone would be so difficult! God, I could have learned to draw on my own by now!
“Oh, I'm sure you'll find something, sweetie.”
“Yeah yeah…” he sighs, lifting his head to look back to his computer screen. He had sent the page flying and clicked on a random profile when he slammed his head against the keys, an artist named “Kcat”. Looking closer at the user's posts, he suddenly could ignore the dull ache on his forehead.
The drawings themselves are a little too dark for his liking, but that isn’t what caught his attention. The pieces envelop him in the world that the artist created. The further you look, the more details come together to complete a story. The characters feel so alive, their sullen eyes seeming to whisper the narrative directly into his ears. Gon has never seen anything like it; it exceeds his high expectations to the point that they now feel like low standards. Only 24 followers? How could that be? He clicks the message button as if it is a matter of life or death.
He doesn’t think twice before sending a simple message
“Hi! I’m Gon!”