Valentine’s Chocolate
“I hate Valentine’s Day.” He muttered with loathing, letting his eyes wander on the people in the diner.
“Come on, it’s such a sweet day! People go out, hold hands, exchange gifts and chocolate, and spend time together! It’s the right day to be happy!”
“Do I look like a happy person to you?”
Killua had his usual ‘do-not-bother-me’ annoyed look on his face, glaring at the customers, which were sitting in couples at the tables.
After looking over him for a bit, Gon’s face lit up suddenly.
“What?”
“I figured out what’s the problem!”
Killua frowned, a bit puzzled. “What problem?”
“Why you don’t like Valentine’s Day!”
The silver-haired boy huffed, crossing his arms. “I hate it, not just don’t like it. And I don’t have any problems, I just equally hate everyone.”
But Gon wasn’t listening to him. He took out his phone, typing quickly something on it. A toothy smile appeared on his lips. Ignoring Killua’s confused and irked looks for not being listened to, he came closer to Netero.
“Excuse me, mister, can I take off for.. like an hour?”
The old man stopped from sipping his tea to answer. “No problem, if Killua can cover your shift.”
Gon turned to him. “Could you?”
Killua blinked a couple of times, in disappointment. “Unbelievable. I’ve just told you how much I hate Valentine’s Day, and you ditch me here? Luckily, you said we were friends!"
The dark-haired boy scratched on the back of his neck, with a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry, I’ll be back soon, I promise!”
The other waiter snorted, moving his hand as a ‘shoo’. “Go.”
Gon gave him a beaming smile and, after taking off his apron, ran out waving at him.
Since then, Killua started to count the seconds, waiting for him to come back.
It was dark outside, the diner was almost empty, and, to Killua, it seemed an eternity since he was gone. In reality, it had been just over an hour when Killua heard the jingle that announced Gon’s return.
“You’re late.” He remarked, disappointed, masking how much he was happy to have him back there.
“Sorry, I struggled a bit to find what I wanted.”
“Like what?” Killua cast a glance at the bag Gon was holding, intrigued. Leorio leaned through the little window on the kitchen, curious too.
The dark-haired boy headed to the counter to put the bag on it. He took out two little red boxes, giving one to the cook, who took and studied it, and bringing the other to Netero, who thanked him with a nod and took a sip of a different kind of tea.
Killua watched Gon taking out another little box, a red heart-shaped one this time, and handing it to him with a rose that had a lilac hue.
The silver-haired boy looked for a few seconds at Gon’s hands stretched towards him in silence, doing nothing, before he realized those two things were for him. He widened his eyes at the realization and felt his cheeks literally on fire.
“They’re for you.” He said to encourage him to take them.
Hesitating, Killua took the two gifts from Gon’s tan hands, while behind him he heard a squeak, a mix of surprise and happiness.
“They’re chocolates!” Exclaimed Leorio, before shoving one into his mouth. “Fhanks Gon!”
Killua studied once more the little box in his hands, under the watchful gaze of the other. He opened it, discovering a cookie with some chocolate drops on it in the middle of the ‘heart’, surrounded by some little chocolates filling the empty spaces.
If possible, now he was burning in a brighter shade of red.
“Surprised?”
Killua held tighter the little box, trying to limit the heat he felt flaring up in his whole body.
“YOU DUMB!” He exclaimed, louder than he thought, making everyone near him to jump. Then, he lowered his voice. “What made you think of doing something like this?!”
Gon, totally calm, answered him with a kind smile. “I thought that maybe you hate so much Valentine’s Day because no one ever surprised you with a gift. So, I thought to make it up.”
Killua, who was probably evaporating at this point, stared at him, blinking a couple of times without saying a word, then he looked the other way, grumbling in low voice. “Stupid.. It’s embarrassing..”
Gon smiles, glad to see the shadow of a smile on his friend’s lips, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
His heart skipped a beat only when he came back home, only when Alluka saw the lilac rose, only when he heard her murmuring “Love at first sight, mh?”