Gon sat at the breakfast table next to Leorio, who made yet another round of semi-edible pancakes. He smothered them in syrup to drown out the burnt taste before stuffing them in his mouth, syrup lining the rims of his lips.
"Gon, can you please eat normally and not stuff the entire pancake into your mouth. That's disgusting," Kurapika grumbled from across the table. He sat there sipping his black coffee, eyeing Gon with nothing but disgust written on his face.
"Kin ou clumb ouf uv ma ase," Gon mumbled through a full mouth. Leorio knew what he was trying to say and kicked him swiftly in the shin. "OW!" He groaned. Leorio gave him a look that said it all: 'If Kurapika had understood you, you would've gotten a lot worse.'
"So, Gon, what's on the docket for today?" Leorio asked with a smile as if he hadn't just dealt Gon a painful blow to the shin.
"Uh, I'm going to the planetarium with Killua," He answered, a small smile growing on his face.
"You sure have been spending a lot of time with him, haven't you?" Kurapika quipped, looking up from his coffee mug.
Gon eyed Kurapika with a scowl. "Is that okay with you?" He snapped.
"What do you guys do all day, anyway?" Kurapika asked. Gon rolled his eyes and just ignored Kurapika. He was tired of fighting every time he interacted with him.
"Yeah, Gon, what have you two been up to?" Leorio asked in a kinder tone, one that Gon was more than happy to answer.
"Okay, well, we've been furniture shopping together, grocery shopping, went to lunch at Sam's yesterday, and night swimming yesterday too. Otherwise, we've just been hanging out around his apartment, and I've been helping him unpack and stuff," Gon recalled fondly.
Kurapika hummed inquisitively. "Interesting," He muttered under his breath. Gon shot him a curious look before being caught off guard by Leorio shaking his shoulder.
"So- you know I've gotta ask this- do you like him?" Leorio asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
"Wha- Leorio!" He shrieked, shoving Leorio off of him and sending the man into a fit of laughter.
"You didn't answer my question!" He taunted, sticking a tongue out at his young friend.
"No, I don't!" Gon proclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"You say that, but the shade of your face says something else. Red's a good color on you, kid," He joked, pinching Gon's rosy cheeks. Gon slapped his hand away and glared at him.
"My face is red because I'm yelling at you, not because I like Killua," Gon insisted, his eyebrows scrunching as well as his nose.
"C'mon, kiddo, you know I'm only teasing you," Leorio beamed, ruffling Gon's hair with his hand. Gon pouted to himself and sank in his chair, earning a small laugh from Leorio. "You done with breakfast?" Leorio asked, reaching to clear their plates. Gon nodded, and Leorio took his plate to the kitchen, as well as Kurapika's. As he did the dishes, Gon pulled out his phone.
Killua
Gon:
About today- I
was thinking that
we could head over
to the planetarium
at like 6?
If that works with u
"What time are you going to be home?" Kurapika asked.
"Or should we not wait up?" Leorio added with an implicative tone. Gon rolled his eyes and just decided to ignore them both. Is this what kids feel when their parents tease them?
Gon's phone went off, drawing his attention away from the awkward conversation. Literally saved by the bell.
Killua
Gon:
About today- I
was thinking that
we could head over
to the planetarium
at like 6?
If that works with u
Killua:
Yeah ok
Gon:
Ok, I'll swing by and
then we can take
my car?
Killua:
Considering I don't
know how to
drive? Yeah, ur driving
Gon:
...
ur 22 and
can't drive?
Killua:
Shut up and
let me live
Gon:
Dw I'll teach u
how to drive
Killua:
I'm not sure
how much I
trust that
Gon:
Rude
I gtg but
I'll see u tn
Killua:
See ya later idiot
"Gon, did you hear anything I said?" Kurapika chastised. Gon turned his phone off and blew air out of his mouth, moving his hair.
"No," He stated simply.
"Nevermind, it's not important, I guess," Kurapika mumbled passive aggressively, swirling his coffee around in his mug and downing the rest of it. He stood up from the table and walked over to Leorio, hugging him from the back and standing on his tiptoes to kiss the nape of his neck.
Gon audibly gagged at the display of affection and took it as his cue to leave. And really, he was more than happy to.
Gon shut the door to his room, flopping onto his bed with a frustrated grunt. Of course, Kurapika was still being a little bitch to him. And, of course, Gon was still tired of it. He just wanted things to get better between them, for things to go back to being close, peaceful, friends.
Gon reached for his phone only to discover it wasn't in any of his pockets. I must have left it in the kitchen, he thought. He stood up with a listless groan and walked towards the door. He moved to turn the door handle, but a conversation he overheard stopped him.
"Leorio, open your eyes. Isn't it obvious what he's doing?"
"What, Kurapika? What is he doing?"
"Going to the planetarium, going to Sam's, the night swim, and spending all day every day with him."
"What's your point, Kurapika?"
"That's all things he used to do with her. With Retz."
Gon's eyes widened at Kurapika's comparison.
"Leorio, it's clear he's using Killua as a distraction, as a replacement for Retz."
"That's ridiculous."
"Is it? Or is it the truth, and you're just blinded by your love for him?"
"I'll admit that I love Gon. I love that kid more than I love myself. But you should be able to openly admit that too."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Listen, I know it's hard for him to process his feelings; it's been like this for as long as we've known him. So if he can find a little bit of solace in Killua, what's the harm? It's not like Gon's consciously doing it, nor is he trying to hurt him. He's just looking for a bit of comfort. So yeah, I might be enabling him and allowing him to be distracted by this new kid, but you're being a fucking asshole to him for absolutely no reason. He's going through a rough time, he's trying to cope, he's trying to feel better, and you're making everything worse, Pika. So please- stop meddling, stop trying to get involved, and stop giving him the cold shoulder. We're supposed to be on his side no matter what."
"I'm not trying to meddle- or be an asshole, for that matter. But I know how to help, I know what's best-"
"Kurapika. Stop. He's not a kid anymore. He hasn't been for a while. He can make his own decisions, and he will if you let him. Our job as his best friends isn't to tell him what to do and when to do it. It's to support him after he makes his own decisions."
The sound of retreating footsteps could be heard, as well as the slamming of a door. Gon assumed it was Kurapika storming off to their bedroom after being called out on his bullshit. But Kurapika wasn't the only one to be called out during that conversation.
Gon hadn't even thought of comparing all the things he did with Retz to all the things he did with Killua. I mean, sure, he understood that it looked really similar side by side, but it was also completely different. Retz was Killua's polar opposite. Everything was different about the two: how Gon thought about them, how things were when they hung out, what they both made him feel. They couldn't be any more different.
But that didn't mean Kurapika was one-hundred-percent wrong. As much as Gon wished there was no truth behind his words, there was.
Gon let his head fall into his hands as he rubbed his eyes. He stood there, agonizing over Leorio and Kurapika's shared words.
It was a conversation he wished he'd never heard.
WC: 1,430
A/N: Ik this was a VERY short chapter, my shortest one yet. But it just wouldn't have flowed well with the planetarium scene (which is next chapter), yk?
Also, you guys got last chapter up to 108+ comments and the entire thing to 1k+ views so here I am, again, thanking you guys for the support <3
I might post the next chapter later today 🤨
Well, anyways, have a great day you guys :)