“Look I know you’re a forestry/Ecology/Botany major, but could you please stop eaTING ALL THE PLANTS YOU’RE SCARING ME WHAT IF YOU EAT A POISONOUS ONE???”
Inspired by when I looked up how to tell the difference between deadly hemlock and queen Ann’s lace.
KilluGon (I know, I know...)
They’re on the Dark Continent and Gon eats stuff.
Gon was marching through the forest.
Every few minutes, he would inspect a plant closely, then pluck a leaf and eat it.
From behind him, he could hear Killua fidget nervously.
After the fourth or fifth mouthful of lemon tasting leaves, Gon curiosity wins out.
“Ok, what is it?” He says as he turns to face his companion.
Killua seems a little a surprised.
He may have forgotten how much Gon knew about him.
He fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
Perhaps this was the break from the tension.
The tension since that first reunion all those months ago.
When Gon remembered what it was like to look at someone and find your lungs suddenly empty.
Killua mimics his swallow.
He can recognize the second tension stacked up on top of the first.
The delicate tension that might wring the right wrong words from him.
“It just makes me nervous that’s all.”
The lighter, brittler tension shatters.
Leaving the two the older tension they’d stewed in for so long.
The considerable heat of the rain forest had kept the pair sweated damp.
“You, just casually grabbing plants and noming down.”
Gon sighs and tugs a heavily worn, brown book from behind him.
“Don is very specific about this, it’s safe to eat-”
Killua crosses his arms and rolls his eyes, ever the drama queen.
“I know, it just makes me nervous. If it were me, I’d be less nervous.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Killua felt Gon bristle.
He clapped the hand sized brown book closed and looked up to Killua.
“Because you matter less?” Gon’s words were weighted and spiny, like an overgrown porcupine.
If Killua was surprised or off-balance, it didn’t show.
“No. You know what I mean, My poison resistance.”
Gon’s face snapped back to his usual part-smile.
“Oh, ok then.” Gon’s tone showed none of the venomous spines it had before.
He turned away from Killua and back to the path ahead.
Killua blinked and bobbed his head at the nearly violent whiplash of mood.
“What? hold on, what was that?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah I was worried you thought I was worth more than you.”
It took an aggressive swallow or two keep Killua’s heart from popping out of his throat.
Gon had cared about many things in their years before parting, but he’d always assumed Killua saw himself the same way Gon saw him.
This shift to making sure Killua cared after himself was...
“Come on Killua! We should be getting close to the waterfall!”
Killua shook himself from his revelry and ran to chase after Gon.
“Yeah, Gimme a sec to catch up!”
He heard Gon snort just ahead.
Their impromptu race was cut short ten minutes later, when Gon’s legs went numb from eating the wrong plant.
(”I guess you were right to worry huh Killua?”)
(He seemed entire unfazed by losing sensation from his belly button down.)
(Killua was less unfazed, if his screaming and shrieking and doctoring was any indication.)
