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The summer sun beat hot down on Killua Zoldyck. He’d slathered on enough sunblock to be perfectly alabaster, donned his most expensive and stylish pair of sunglasses, and laid out on an extra large sand-resistant beach towel that his eldest brother had been gifted and never used, because, “Who has time to go to the beach, Kil? There’s work to be done.” Illumi didn’t know how to chill, and that was fine, he could work himself to death for all Killua cared. He didn’t want any part in his family’s multi-million dollar commercial real estate firm. He had better things to do with his time. Like cooking himself alive on the shore of this tiny island his father had his eyes set on. He was currently wining-and-dining the local land owners, no doubt plotting to eat up their property to make his next luxury resort.
The hotels were nice, he had to admit. They usually got a free room when the construction was complete, treated to resort service before the places opened to the general public.
Killua didn’t usually go to the before of the deals his father made. But Alluka had wanted to go to Whale Island to see some species of sea turtle she’d learned about on ViewTube and she wasn’t allowed anywhere without a chaperon due to her medical condition, and he was on summer break, so he figured, eh, why not?
The island was nice. Fine white sand, crystal clear water, and the locals were…
Killua’s eyes traveled back to the life guard on duty. He was “tall, dark, and handsome” if that sort of man had a beach model. Tan, muscular, head of thick gorgeous black hair. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of decidedly-not-designer shades, but his smile shone as bright as the afternoon sun as he answered the questions of beach-goers, periodically turning his head to check the water.
“Just go talk to him,” Alluka said from beside him, no doubt noticing his staring despite the sunglasses.
“Yeah, no, I’m enjoying the view without the embarrassment, thanks,” he answered.
“Chicken,” she called him.
“Pfft, I’m not chicken,” Killua said. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking over at his sister. “I’m hot. Wanna go for a dip with me?”
“You’re deflecting. And no. I’m enjoying the sunshine,” Alluka answered. She sat up as if she planned to watch him and picked up the smoothie cup she’d dug a shallow hole for, taking a long sip. All the ice had melted into a slushie-sounding juice. “Well?” she asked when he still hadn’t moved.
Killua rolled his eyes, stood, and headed for the water. The sand burned at the arches of his feet, but he’d be damned if he let that make him do a dance down the shoreline. He’d endured worse pain and he was trying to look cool for a guy who probably wasn’t even looking his way. Killua didn’t turn around to check. He just put one blistering foot in front of the other until he came to the edge of the water where the sand was thicker and cooler. His shoulders dropped. He let out a sigh, staring out at the ocean. The waves looked calm, cresting just a few feet off the shore and rolling in as white foam. Water rushed over his toes, bubbles popping against his shins. Killua smiled.
When was the last time he’d been in the sea? Childhood?
At least the water was a similar temperature to the indoor pools he was used to. Killua stretched his arms up, leaned side to side, and shook out his legs. Without a shred of caution, he waded out into the water and dove straight into a wave. It felt great. Killua surfaced and kicked his feet up, starfishing out to bob along in the current. He floated along for a few minutes before he grew bored and decided to head back to shore. He put his feet down to push his way towards the beach and was startled to find the seafloor out of reach. He flailed for a second, recalculating. It was fine. He could swim.
It took another two minutes of breast stroking for Killua to realize something was wrong.
The beach looked farther away.
“Shit,” he muttered to himself, and pushed himself to swim harder.
Whether or not he would have powered through and overcome the rip current would never be known, since at that moment, the wake of the afternoon ferry was cresting through the water behind him, and it knocked him beneath the waves. It was quiet underwater. Salt water filled his ears, his nose; he knew enough not to gasp in shock, but he was disoriented. Which way was up? He opened his eyes, trying to see, but it burned. Something grabbed him around the waist and Killua’s life flashed before his eyes. He was going to be eaten by a giant squid. He was dead. Who would take Alluka to the beach now?
His fuzzy worries were forgotten as his head surfaced. He heaved in a lungful of air, tears clearing his eyes. He was pulled half over a longboard and pat gently on the back. “Are you okay?” a voice asked, too chipper for Killua’s liking considering he’d nearly died.
“Do I look okay?” was what Killua wanted to snap, but when he raised his soaked head to look at his stupid rescuer, all that came out of his mouth was, “Uhhh.”
Hot Life Guard had saved him.
“That wave hit you pretty hard, right? Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Hot Life Guard reassured him.
Killua nodded dumbly, letting out a squeak as Hot Life Guard put one hand against his back and latched onto his board with the other.
“These currents can be tricky if you don’t know them. There’s a sandbar that breaks them up around a quarter mile down. We’ll use that to swim back to the beach. Just hold on,” Hot Life Guard explained.
“Okay,” Killua said. He couldn’t focus on anything other than the palm pressed to his skin, searing heat into the space between his shoulder blades.
“Hold the board?” Hot Life Guard tried again when Killua didn’t move.
“Oh!” Killua extended his hands to grip the other side of the board.
“There you go, good job,” Hot Life Guard praised.
Killua’s face flushed. Hot Life Guard began to kick his legs, pushing them horizontally along the shore. Killua forced himself not to turn his head and look back, sure the muscles of those thighs and calves were a sight for sore salty eyes. But it was rude to ogle someone who’d just saved your life. Right? Killua stole one glance anyway, pretending he was looking out at the water.
“Don’t want anyone drifting out there!” Hot Life Guard said, buying the gambit. “Past the second drop off there are more dangers than just deep water.”
Killua hardly heard him. He tore his eyes away from trying to check out Hot Life Guard’s assets through the rippling water. The tips of his dragging toes hit sand. Suddenly made aware that he was dead weight, Killua shifted more onto the board (making Hot Life Guard’s hand slip down to his lower back) and began to kick in the shallow water. Over the sandbar, through another stretch of deep water, and finally the shore greeted them. Hot Life Guard helped Killua stand once they were at the tide’s break, then lifted his board under his arm, biceps defined and glistening with droplets of either salt water or sweat.
“Killua!” Alluka splashed through the turf and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” It was instinct only that made him hold her back, his mind still preoccupied with Hot Life Guard. Lucky for him, Alluka was composed enough to turn to said rescuer and say, “Thank you for saving my brother. He gets too cocky for his own good sometimes.”
“I get that,” Hot Life Guard said. “I’m happy to help. Be careful when you go swimming again, okay? If the purple flag is out, that means the current is super strong. Green is safest.”
“Got it,” Alluka said.
Hot Life Guard gave them a too-sweet smile and a nod, then turned to make his way back down the beach to his post. Killua’s eyes dropped to the swim shorts clinging to his perfectly round—
Alluka snapped her fingers in front of his face. “I’d ask how you’re feeling if it wasn’t so obvious how thirsty you are.”
He wasn’t going to defend himself. “If I collapse and pretend I’m not breathing, do you think he’ll give me mouth-to-mouth?” he asked.
“Big brother!” Alluka gasped with faux-scandal.
Hot Life Guard stumbled up ahead, his charming laugh ringing out across the beach.
Killua’s blush returned 10-fold. “What the hell kind of hearing does that man have?”
Alluka began to cackle.
It took a grand total of 24 hours for Killua to overcome the embarrassment of nearly drowning and the subsequent rescue. Half of that time (see: all waking hours), Alluka teased him about his crush and pestered him to ask Hot Life Guard out. They went through the usual back-and-forth when someone caught Killua’s fancy: What if he’s not gay? What if he’s already in a relationship? What if he’s weird, you know, and not in a good way?
It was around 3pm when Killua left their rental house and headed down to the beach. As he approached the lifeguard station, he didn’t see Hot Life Guard. Instead, sitting on the observation deck was a stern looking young woman with blonde pigtails and a certainly-not-uniform frilled bathing suit. He watched her blow the whistle around her neck sharply and shout at a pair of kids getting too far out in the water; the flag beside the tower was orange. Out from the small tent beside the tower popped Hot Life Guard. “All good up there, Bisky?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she answered. “Just some idiots.”
Hot Life Guard looked out at the water. “The kids?”
“I said what I said,” Bisky replied, leaning back into her seat.
Hot Life Guard turned his head and spotted Killua standing there. “Oh, it’s you!” he exclaimed, a devastating smile taking over his face. Killua was so screwed.
“Hi,” Killua greeted, attempting suave and in-control. “I wanted to say thank you again for yesterday.”
“Just doing my job,” Hot Life Guard said.
“Still, I appreciate it.” Killua held out his hand and added, “I’m Killua.”
“Gon,” Hot Life Guard answered, accepting the handshake with a firm grip. “Are you enjoying Whale Island?”
“That obvious I’m a tourist?” Killua joked.
“Yes,” Gon said, still smiling, “no offence.”
“None taken,” Killua laughed. He decided to shoot his shot. “What time do you get off work? Any chance you’d be interested in getting dinner with a tourist like me?”
Gon’s hand squeezed his once before letting go, and there was something in his eyes that gave Killua a second’s worth of hope, only for it to be dashed when he said, “You are very pretty, but I’m not interested in being someone’s summer fling again.”
The words were out of Killua’s mouth before he could think better of them, “What about a summer friend? And it doesn’t have to end with summer. Texting exists, you know.”
The slight crease that had taken over Gon’s brow eased, his warm smile returning. “Yeah, that’s true,” he agreed. He spared a glance up at the woman in the tower then looked back to Killua. “I still have one more shift for today, but I’m off around 5. I can show you around town.”
“Really?” Killua asked.
“Yeah! I’ll meet you at the end of the wharf. Let’s say 6?” Gon suggested.
“Awesome, 6 it is.” Killua repeated. He could feel a genuine smile coming to his face to match Gon’s. “I’ll see you then.”
“Okay, so from what I can determine, he’s not not gay, he’s single, and he’s weird, but in a good way,” Killua told his sister that evening after a night on the town with Gon. The Whale Island native had shown him the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and they popped between at least three or four trying bits of appetizers and desserts. Gon was clearly popular, and shop owners often threw in samples of other dishes just to get his enthusiastic gratitude and praise. Gon then took him down to the docks, baiting Killua to balance on the edges of unattended boats with him, teasing that if Killua fell in the water, he’d be there to save him. It was silly and fun and Killua was definitely screwed. “Do you think he’d change his mind about a summer fling?”
“Dunno, but it feels kind of gross if you only wanna be his friend in the hopes of sleeping with him,” Alluka said.
“That’s not why I want to be friends!” Killua defended. “I only meant that spending time with him made me like him more, and I hate that. It’s been one day. How much am I going to like him in a week?”
“Guess we’ll find out. Sucks to be you,” Alluka sang.
Killua’s problem was worse the next week. He was officially two weeks into his six week vacation on Whale Island and already feared his heart might not survive the rest of his stay. Gon was like light itself, generous and earnest, passionate and open. He was the antithesis of everything in Killua’s usually rigid, dictated life. Gon was freedom, and Killua was starting to become addicted to him.
Gon brought him around the island, not just where people lived, but into remote areas full of wildlife and jungle. He invited Killua and Alluka to dinner, introduced them to his aunt and grandmother who’d raised him, and they too were the opposite of the Zoldyck family. They listened to each other. They helped one another. They let you have two helpings of dessert.
It was really nice.
On the morning following a tropical storm, when the waves were still too rough for swimming and the beach was, at least officially, closed, Gon invited Killua along with him on a jungle excursion to check on an old tree. The path was muddy, leaves and bits of fallen branches keeping their pace slow and cautious. Killua regretted wearing white sneakers. He’d have to buy a new pair after summer. Whale Island adventures were staining them beyond repair.
“How much farther is it?” he complained after a particularly sticky bit of mud. The squelching of their footsteps had been comically loud.
“It’s just up ahead!” Gon reassured, pushing back an overhang of vines and holding them out of the way so Killua could go ahead of him.
When Killua stepped through, he paused. There was a lake. In the middle of the island. “Whoa,” he said, because that about summed up his feelings. “Is that fresh water?”
“It’s brackish,” Gon answered. “There are underground streams that connect to the ocean, but it gets a ton of fresh water coming off the mountains. This is my favorite place to go fishing.”
“Oh, so that’s the stick in your bag,” Killua commented.
“It’s not a stick, it’s a fishing rod,” Gon corrected. “Come on, I’ll show you how to use it.”
The tree Gon had wanted to check in question was a towering, half-hollowed out beast of a Sea Oak. It remained sturdy despite the storm, and Gon led Killua up its bumpy trunk to a branch so thick it functioned as a landing. Killua peered down into the water, now close to 20 feet below, and was amazed to see schools of fish, their scales flickering silver as they passed through dopples of sunlight in the water.
“There’s a monster in this lake,” Gon said, sitting down and opening his backpack.
“Shut up,” Killua said, plopping down beside him. “You’re lying.”
“No, really,” Gon insisted. “I’m pretty sure it was a goblin fish that got too big to pass through the underground stream, so it just stayed here and grew enormous. I caught it once.”
“Monster-sized fish and monster are not the same thing,” Killua pointed out.
Gon shrugged. “You’d change your mind if you saw it,” he said. He fiddled with the fishing rod, elongating the shaft and preparing the bait he took out of a tupperware. Killua gagged looking at the grub as Gon went to put it on the hook. “What?”
“Gross,” Killua muttered. Gon only laughed. Killua looked away until Gon cast the line out in front of them. They watched the bait sail and plunk into the water, the bobbin settling on the surface to dance as the grub wiggled out of sight.
“Have you never gone fishing before?” Gon asked.
“No,” Killua said, and after seeing how it was done, he was very certain he had no further interest in it. “Not really from a family that does outdoor things aside from golf or tennis.”
“Those sound fun,” Gon offered.
“Not if you play with my family,” Killua said. “Anyway, how’d you find this spot?”
“Can’t really remember,” Gon said. “I know I must have lived somewhere else when I was first born, since my aunt says I was barely a toddler when my dad dropped me off here, but I can’t remember it. This island is my home. There weren’t many kids growing up, so I spent what you’d call ‘play time’ just roaming the island. I think I know every nook and cranny.” Gon looked over at Killua and held out the fishing rod to him; he reluctantly took it and Gon laid back against the bark of the tree, tucking his arms behind his head. “There are lots of great spots, but this one’s the most peaceful since people are scared of the monster.”
Killua rolled his eyes. “Sure,” he said. He wasn’t afraid of monsters or fish. But he still eyed the bobbin with caution.
“Whale Island is special,” Gon continued. “Its nature is unique even among the other islands in the archipelago and I want it to be protected. You know, I heard there’s some slick businessman called Silva Zoldyck trying to buy the island so he can knock everything down and build a resort.”
Killua’s stomach dropped. “That,” he paused, mind whirling for what to say. “That’s not how it works. He can’t buy the whole island.”
“Whatever he can or can’t do, this isn’t a resort kind of place,” Gon continued. “We don’t have the resources to support that level of tourism. We are so careful with our fresh water, and half of our food is imported because the farms can’t provide enough for the population we already have.”
Killua sat, watching the bobbin in silence.
A beat, and then, “It’s not that I think tourists are bad!” Gon added. “Some people are awesome, like you, or like the researchers who come to catalogue the wildlife and flora. One of my dad’s students was doing that here. He saved me from being attacked by a Fox Bear. It’s how I learned I even had a dad.”
Killua leapt for the change of topic like a lifesaver. “You almost got attacked by a Fox Bear?” he asked.
“Yeah! I was only four or five at the time, I think," Gon said, then told his story as Killua did his best not to let guilt-ridden unease show on his face. Gon didn’t know who Killua really was. Could he continue to keep it a secret? Was it worth telling someone he may never meet again? The thought of waving goodbye to Gon at the end of the summer grew the unpleasant feeling in Killua gut. He wanted to keep Gon in his life. He had to—
The bobbin jerked suddenly, disappearing beneath the surface of the water. Killua let out a yelp, interrupting Gon’s story. Gon sat up immediately, grabbing onto the fishing rod with Killua. “Reel it in!” he yelled excitedly. “We caught something!”
Killua pulled, clumsy uncertain fingers cranking the reel until a fish began splashing fitfully at the surface. They pulled and the fish was soon flopping in mid-air, reeled half-way up to them. Killua noticed a shadow emerging from the depths beneath it, and quicker than he could blink, a real monster leapt from the water and closed its maw around the dangling fish, slicing right through the fishing wire with its teeth. Killua and Gon fell backwards onto the branch, and the creature returned to the water with a splash large enough to spray them.
Killua, shocked and dripping wet, flustered when he realized he’d fallen into Gon’s lap. He diverted by pointing out the obvious, “There is no way you caught that thing once.”
“It was smaller when I was eleven,” Gon said, grinning wide.
Killua narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you,” he said.
But what he did believe was that Whale Island really was special.
He hoped his father failed.
Hanging out with Gon felt like something plucked right out of a cheesy teen romance, a little too easy, a little too picture perfect. The only thing missing was kisses, but Killua could tell himself the plot was still developing. It was only a matter of time until he was forced to confront the life he had outside of summer, and it was with a deep-set frown that he stood at the docks to “welcome” his eldest brother to the island at the end of week three.
“Ah, Kil, it’s so kind of you to come and fetch me instead of sending one of the butlers,” Illumi said as he came down the ferry ramp. He’d taken off his suit jacket to drape over his arm, and his eyes were hidden behind large circular sunglasses. He was wearing a ridiculous floppy hat that didn’t match the rest of his outfit.
“Yeah, well, dad said I should,” Killua told him. He didn’t need Ilumi thinking he’d done it out of the goodness of his heart. “He wanted me to bring you right away to where he’s meeting today.”
“Lead the way,” Illumi said, then, “You’re looking rather pink, little brother. Have you been wearing your sunscreen?”
Killua ignored him. He knew the streets of Whale Island well by then, and he ducked through the shade of different buildings to bring Illumi to the only hotel on the strip. Their father was inside, trying to convince the local woman to sell her property to him. She hadn’t budged on her position of “no” since he started sweet-talking her a week ago. Silva calling Illumi to the island didn’t bode well.
“Don’t stray far,” Illumi said once they’d arrived at their destination. “I might need you for an errand.”
“That’s what the butlers are for. I did my job. I’m out,” Killua said, leaving Illumi in the hotel lobby for their father to fetch him.
It’d been a week since Killua found out Gon knew about his family’s plans, a week of Killua losing sleep and wondering what the best thing to do was. Alluka was a great listening ear, but she didn’t have a solution other than, “Just hurry up and tell him. The longer you wait, the worse it will be.” It was possible Gon would be upset, but Killua hoped he could see beyond Killua’s family to just, well, Killua. And Killua was willing to sabotage his family. He’d already decided that.
The only question was, how?
He couldn’t think of a way on his own that didn’t involve straight up murder, which meant he had to tell Gon. Illumi’s presence, actually seeing him there on the island, was the final push of pressure Killua needed to act. He ran down to the beach.
Gon was high on his usual perch, sunglasses on, shirt off, facing the sea. He had no right looking so good. Ugh. Maybe if Gon was less hot and less fun, Killua wouldn’t be risking his trust fund in the name of friendship to save a random island he’d only vacationed on for less than a month. “Gon!” he called out as he approached.
“Killua!” Gon called back with a wave. “What are you doing here today? I thought you ‘had enough sun for a week’ after getting burned on Tuesday.”
Killua climbed up onto the lifeguard stand, sitting next to Gon in the open space where Bisky would sit if they needed to double up for a shift. “Family stuff,” he said. “I need to tell you something and I hope you won’t hate me.”
“Seriously doubt I could ever hate you,” Gon told him.
“My name is Killua Zoldyck,” Killua confessed. “My dad is the asshole trying to buy up real estate on the strip, and he just called my eldest brother, who is even more of an asshole, to help him pressure people. We can’t let them turn Whale Island into a resort destination. I need your help to stop them.”
"Wha– how? What are we going to do?” Gon asked, wide eyes blinking behind his tinted frames. “Wait, back up, you’re a Zoldyck?”
“Not by choice!” Killua half-shouted. “Alluka and I are not like the rest of our family, I swear. We really want to help.”
There was a loud banging; the lifeguard station rattled. “You can help by not distracting Gon on the job! Killua, I’ve told you that you’re not allowed up there!” Bisky yelled up from below.
“Sorry! Sorry!” Killua turned to begin his descent, knowing Bisky wasn’t above climbing up and yanking him down. He glanced back up at Gon. “I’ll be back when you’re off shift. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t. I just,” he paused, taking a deep breath and confessing. “I just know it’s going to be better if we’re in this together. Forgive me?”
Gon still looked startled, but he nodded, a trace of his usual smile returning to his face. “Nothing to forgive,” he said. “I’ll think about a plan for later.”
Killua wanted to climb back up, grab Gon’s face, and kiss him.
Bisky grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled roughly, throwing Killua down into the sand.
“I was coming down, you old hag!” he spat out.
“Not fast enough! Now scram!” Bisky said. “You’re a distraction.”
It was said like an insult, but Killua took it as a point of pride. He could only hope Gon continued to enjoy his company after everything was done.
When Killua arrived back at the lifeguard station early that evening, Gon was pacing back-and-forth in front of the break tent, cellphone to his ear. Killua stopped walking when he was near enough to hear what he was saying.
“What does it look like?” Gon asked the mystery person on the line. He looked up and saw Killua, offering him a small wave and smile, though his eyebrows were pinched together in concentration. “Yeah, I think I’ve seen them before, but I don’t have proof.” Gon listened and nodded. “Okay, I’ll try. Thanks. You’re the best. I’ll give you an update when I can. Bye!”
“Who was that?” Killua asked, not at all jealous that Gon called somebody else ‘the best.’
“Kite,” Gon answered. “The guy who—”
“Saved you from the Fox Bear. I remember. He called you?”
“I called him,” Gon corrected. “I was thinking about what we could do to stop your dad. There’s no way we can compete with him financially, so I thought, what if he couldn’t build a resort here. Legally.”
Killua perked up at the prospect. “There’s a law banning resorts?” he asked hopefully.
“No,” Gon said. “Not yet, anyway. But there are laws banning development on other, smaller islands in the archipelago. If the island is home to an endangered species, we can apply for protection under conservation governance. All we have to do is prove Whale Island is home to one of those species.”
“Don’t tell me a Fox Bear is one of them,” Killua said. He really didn’t feel like hunting one of those for a photo.
Gon laughed. “No,” he said. “There are Fox Bears on a few islands. Kite said our best bet is tracking a marine animal, since the beaches in particular are what’s in danger of development. He said there should be a turtle that nests here. He’s going to email me a picture.”
“It’s not a light box turtle by any chance, is it?”
Gon’s eyes lit up. “It is! How’d you know?”
Killua pulled his own phone out of his pocket to text his sister. “The whole reason Alluka wanted to come to Whale Island was to see one,” he explained. “She fell down some ViewTube rabbit hole one day and became their biggest fan.”
“No way!” Gon grinned. “Think she’ll help us then?”
“You know it.”
Between Kite’s email and Alluka’s special interest knowledge, they came up with a game plan for catching the light box turtle on film. The main complication came from the fact it wasn’t nesting season, so it was unlikely a turtle would come up on land.
“Well, that explains why I haven’t seen any on my evening walks,” Alluka said.
The turtles were out in the water, likely swimming in and around the kelp forests off shore. Only some of the kelp was the turtles’ bioluminescent snack of choice, which narrowed down the zones of search. The species’ favorite food was where it got its namesake, the kelp giving the turtles’ shell a soft glow-in-the-dark feature. Before conservation laws were in place, people had hunted the turtle to near extinction, using their shells for medicine and jewelry. Fewer than 2000 light box turtles were left in the wild.
Now, onto the business of saving the turtles for future generations to enjoy:
Renting a couple of boats? Easy.
Ordering an expensive underwater night camera for express delivery? Easy-peasy.
Convincing Gotoh to go with Alluka in a boat so Killua could be alone with Gon? Very difficult. Horribly embarrassing. Would not repeat.
“Do you not want to accompany Miss Alluka?” Gotoh had asked.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be with her,” Killua explained. “It’s just that she’s been teasing me about this guy we’re going with and I can’t have her in the same boat and risk her saying something.”
Gotoh’s face remained blank, but Killua could swear he saw the moment the implication registered behind his glasses: Master Killua has a crush. Gotoh cleared his throat. “I’m happy to assist distracting Miss Alluka while you are on your date,” he said.
“It’s not a date!” Killua insisted, face heating hot enough that he could still feel a residual burn six hours later. Or maybe that was his actual sunburn.
It wasn’t a date, but out on the water as the sun set sure made it feel romantic. Him, Gon, alone in a little dinghy, drifting peacefully along on the waves. Their ankles were crossed where they sat facing each other, and a cooler of drinks and snacks was open between them.
“So,” Killua said, forcing his brain not to think about what he’d do if they were really on a date. “You’ve seen these turtles before?”
“Oh, yeah, tons of times, especially when I was little and the fishermen took me out crab hunting with them,” Gon answered, rowing them farther from the shore. “I didn’t realize they were endangered though.”
Killua found himself staring at Gon’s flexing biceps as he maneuvered the paddles. He blinked and looked back up at Gon’s face, heart skipping a beat when he realized he’d been caught. Gon had the audacity to grin and wink. Killua turned his flushed face out towards the water. The sun was nearly below the horizon. “Did you eat the crabs you caught?” he asked.
“I tried them,” Gon said. “Mostly I just brought them home for Grandma Abe and Aunt Mito. Maybe I’ll bring a trap next time we’re out.”
Killua didn’t care to learn about crab fishing anymore than he cared to learn about regular fishing, but he liked the idea of there being a next time. Turtles or no turtles, he just wanted to spend whatever time he could with Gon. There were only two and a half weeks left before summer break was over. Killua turned his head to look back at Whale Island, now a dark shadow with pinpricks of light along the shoreline. “What’s your favorite thing about it?” Killua asked.
Gon followed his line of sight. “Everything,” he answered. “What about where you live?”
“I grew up between a city and a second home in the mountains,” Killua told him. “Might as well have been an island for how isolated we were out there. I don’t care for most of my family, but I guess I liked exploring in the woods when we were at the estate.”
“Exploring is the best,” Gon agreed, securing the oars against the boat. “We’re here.”
Killua looked over the side of the dinghy and down into the water. In the darkness beneath them, a sea of faintly glowing kelp danced. The yellow-green reminded Killua of day-old cracked glowsticks. “That’s neat,” he observed.
“The turtles like to eat that kelp best, so if we hover over here, our odds of seeing them should be decent,” Gon explained.
“Awesome, I’ll send Alluka the coordinates,” Killua said. While he wanted her to see potential turtles with her own eyes, he didn’t want her out on the water longer than necessary with her medical condition. When Killua finished sending his message, he looked back up at Gon. They exchanged smiles. “Now, we wait.”
The boat rocked gently with the tide and Killua shared more about his childhood. Gon returned his trust with his own stories, and like that, they passed three hours, eyes on the water. Alluka and Gotoh’s dinghy, a little bigger with a proper engine, drifted nearby. They all tried to be quiet so as not to disturb the wildlife, but while shadows passed between the kelp reeds, none were turtles. They gave up around midnight and returned to shore.
Killua tried to keep his question casual at breakfast the next morning, sitting across from Illumi and his father. “So,” he said. “How’d the talks go yesterday?”
“No movement,” Silva answered. “The people here are very stubborn.”
“And you’re not?” Killua asked, playing into his father’s good graces.
“Like father, like son,” Silva replied. He gave Killua a smile, then turned to Illumi. “We don’t give up so easily, do we?”
“Not at all,” Illumi said. His eyes came to rest on Killua. “It’s unusual for you to care about proceedings. Are you finally interested in learning?”
“Maybe,” Killua hedged. “I just like the island, is all.”
“You have the same eye for real estate that I do,” Silva nodded. “It’s going to make a great resort destination.”
Not quite the same eye, Killua thought, but it was enough to fool his family. “I’d come back to visit,” he said.
Silva drank the final sip of his coffee, then set his mug down with a look of satisfaction. “I’m planning to negotiate with the board of shop owners today. Care to come along?”
“I think I’ll stay home and watch over Alluka,” Killua said. “I kept her up too late exploring last night and she’s feeling unwell today.”
“I did advise you that traveling so far from our usual doctors was unwise,” Illumi said. “You must be more careful. If we need to airlift Alluka to the mainland, it’s an unnecessary burden on the family and a distraction from our goals.”
“Now, now, Illumi,” Silva said, standing up. “I’m sure Alluka is just tired. Killua is aware of his responsibilities.” He gave Killua an intense look. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, sir,” Killua said. He was sure Alluka was fine. She just needed rest.
“I’m going to tend to some paperwork,” Silva announced. “Illumi, meet me in the den when you’re finished eating.”
“Yes, father,” Illumi said.
Killua purposely kept his eyes on his plate, not wanting to make any more eye contact with Illumi and risk conversation as they finished their plates.
The second night was not any more successful than the first one.
Nor the third.
Or the fourth.
Alluka decided to stay on shore by the fifth night, retiring ahead of them to get her proper rest.
One week, and there weren’t any light box turtle sightings, but Killua grew more and more fond of Gon in the hours they whittled away together on the sea. On a day they couldn’t rent their usual dingy, they were able to get a wider boat that let them sit side-by-side. Killua used the cool breeze as an excuse to sit closer, leaning his thigh against Gon’s. Their knees knocked together, Gon’s skin hot against his. Killua could’ve sworn Gon leaned back into him, that when he turned and talked, his eyes flickered down to Killua’s lips. But it was dark, and maybe it was just a trick of the light, and maybe they spent too much time looking at each other and not enough time looking in the water.
By day 9, Killua started to worry their plan to save Whale Island would fail. His father was starting to make higher offers on the land. How long could the locals hold out?
“I don’t think people here care about money as much as you think they do,” Gon tried to reassure him. “We’re a community. We take care of each other.”
“I’ve yet to see a community that stays intact once that many zeros are involved,” Killua said.
“You’re such a cynic," Gon chided with a roll of his eyes. “Have some faith. We’ll be fine.”
“I think we’re just from very different places,” Killua gave him. “You’d never survive in York New.”
“Shows how much you know,” Gon retorted. “I’ve survived two whole years in York New.”
Killua paused in his scan of the water, turning his whole body to Gon. “What do you mean? You lived in York New?”
“I go to school there,” Gon replied. “YNU.”
“Shut up,” Killua said, standing so suddenly it rocked the boat. He would have lost his footing if Gon hadn’t grabbed him by the elbow and steadied him. “You do not go to YNU.”
“Yes, I do,” Gon said.
“You’re shitting me. I go to YNU,” Killua revealed. He slowly sat back down on the seat facing Gon.
“No way!” Gon’s whole face lit up like a beacon. “What’s your major?”
“Business,” Killua said. “Family’s choice. You?”
“Biology, but I’m debating switching to sports medicine,” Gon said.
They stared at each other for a long moment. Killua said out loud what they were both thinking, “How have we known each other over a month and not once mentioned where we go to school?”
“Summer vacation brain?” Gon suggested. “I don’t really like thinking about school. I’m not very good at it.”
Gon went to YNU. Killua could see Gon at YNU. Holy crap. Every door Killua thought would close with the end of summer stood wide open, a couple blown off their hinges. If their knowing each other wasn’t bound by the summer, that meant–
Thud.
Something bumped the underside of the boat. Killua startled. Gon nearly dunked his head into the water rushing to check what they’d hit, or rather, what had hit them. He gasped. “Killua, it’s a light box turtle!”
Killua joined him to look down into the water. There it was. Bigger than Killua had guessed based on photos. Its shell was marvelous, each scute swirling with a bioluminescent glow. “Oh, wow,” Killua said with awe. “They’re beautiful.”
“Quick, pass me the camera!” Gon said, wiggling his fingers.
Killua quickly pulled the device up and out of its carry bag. A quick flick of a switch, and the camera was rolling. He put it into Gon’s outstretched hands. Gon plunged his fists and the camera into the water. Killua opened the feed from the camera on his phone, glad to see it was recording. Despite the dark and waves, the image was in high definition, the turtle’s every scale and scute perfectly captured. Another two turtles swam into frame.
“There’s more!” They cried at the same time. Gon laughed. Killua rushed out of the app to message Alluka. If she and Gotoh were swift but quiet, they could make it out too.
After filming for several minutes, and making sure to get Whale Island in the background of air-to-water transition shots, Gon pulled himself back from hanging out of the boat, turning to face Killua with a smile that could set the sky blazing.
“Thank you, Killua,” he said. It was clear his whole stupid, genuine heart was in those words.
“It’s nothing,” Killua said with a shrug. “My family caused the problem to begin with.”
“Still,” Gon said. He set the camera down, wiping his hands on his shorts. “You didn’t have to do this with me. You’re amazing.”
Killua felt his cheeks warm. The excitement of finding out he and Gon went to the same school, added to the victory of finding the turtles, made him try his hand at flirting. “Amazing enough you’d want to take me out to dinner?” he teased. “You know, now that we’re not limited to summer?”
Gon knocked his knees against Killua’s as he leaned in close. “Would you believe me if I told you I’ve regretted turning you down this whole time?”
Killua felt a thrill run down his spine. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” Gon said with a nod. “In fact, I’ve been daydreaming about kissing you since you asked if I’d resuscitate you.”
Killua barked out a laugh. He’d blocked out their mortifying first meeting. When he met Gon’s eyes again, he wiggled his eyebrows. Killua snorted. “I mean, if you were willing,” he began. “I’d still really like your mouth on mine.”
In the blink of an eye, Gon’s still damp fingers were in his hair, and his lips, salty from hours on the water, were warm against his. Killua eagerly kissed him back, hands reaching to grab the front his t-shirt, keeping him near. Killua wasn’t going to be satisfied with a single kiss after a summer of pining.
A wolf whistle pierced the air. Killua and Gon broke away from each other to turn and check the source of the noise. Just a few yards away, Alluka was waving at them from her dinghy. She gave them both a thumbs up. Gotoh was purposely looking in the other direction.
“I hate my whole family,” Killua groaned.
Gon chuckled. “I dunno, I think it’s sweet she’s so supportive.”
“That’s what she wants you to think,” Killua told him. Gon didn’t know the hours of teasing Killua was about to endure.
“I don’t regret it,” Gon said. He came to sit next to Killua, snug in the narrow seat. He tucked his arm around Killua’s waist and leaned into him.
Killua wrapped his arm around Gon in return.
Together they watched the glowing light box turtles swim beneath the star-dotted waves.
It took one week from submitting their evidence of the light box turtles to receive the official documented “protected land” status for Whale Island. According to Kite, the bureaucracy would usually take months, but he was able to pull some strings and slip their application to the front of the line. Killua wanted to celebrate with every bone in his body, but before then, he needed to put on a show.
“Uh, dad?” he said, strolling into his father’s office with his phone in hand. “Did you see this article?”
Silva looked up from his desk and held out his hand. Killua passed him the phone. The tab was open to an article from the largest news source in the archipelago. The headline read: “Critically Endangered Turtle Causing a Splash on Whale Island” and the opening paragraph stated clearly that "prospects to turn the beach into a resort destination" would be "halted by red tape put in place by the government’s conservation laws.”
Silva scrolled through the article, his stern face unaltered. He passed the phone back to Killua. “Thank you for showing me,” he said. “Now, would you fetch your brother for me? I believe he’s out on the lanai.”
Killua nodded his head and left the room to head through their large rental house. When he knocked on the doorframe leading to the veranda, Ilumi looked up from his own phone. He was wearing his sunglasses, so it was hard for Killua to tell, but he thought Illumi’s eyes might have been narrowed.
“Dad wants to talk to you,” Killua told him.
Illumi stood, never one to keep their father waiting. “I was just about to go see him,” Illumi said, walking toward him. “My friend sent me a link to an article that’s relevant to our dealings.”
“Yeah, I saw it too,” Killua said.
Illumi paused in the doorway next to Killua. “I also saw your recent charges on the family credit card,” he said, voice low. “An underwater night camera?”
Killua felt dread pool cold in his stomach, but he tried to hide it. “What are you implying?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Illumi said. “Just advising you to be more discreet. You’re lucky I have a lead on another property that could please our father. Be good, Kil. I don’t want you getting caught red-handed.”
Killua watched Illumi’s back retreat down the hallway, fully aware that his brother now had blackmail over him. Killua clenched his fists.
Two could play at that game.
He might need Milluki’s help to hack Illumi’s devices, but Milluki was easy to pay off.
One month later, YNU dorm
“And that’s the story of how Killua and I saved Whale Island!” Gon declared proudly.
Zushi, who turned out to be a mutual friend of theirs through different general education requirements, looked up at Gon with his mouth hanging open. Killua glanced up from playing his mobile game on the bed to add, “And started dating.”
“And started dating!” Gon echoed. “Wild, isn’t it?”
“You’re pulling my leg,” Zushi said. “There’s no way all that happened over summer break.”
“It did!” Gon insisted. “See, next time you should accept my invitation to visit home.”
“Maybe I will, just to verify this tall tale,” Zushi said.
“Next summer then!” Gon declared.
Next summer, Killua thought. Him, Gon, Alluka, Zushi, and a bunch of legally protected turtles. It sounded nice.