“Are you sure you’re okay, Killua?” Gon asked, a broad smile spreading across his face.
Killua glowered at him as they sat cross-legged and facing each other on the soft grass. “Yes. I’ve said it a million times already. Let’s just- do it, already.”
Gon giggled. “You make it sounds like it’s something you want to get over with.”
“It’s not-” Killua made a face, scrunching up his nose in a way that made him cute without him realizing, and something warm and light bubbled up inside Gon’s chest-
“It’s not that,” the silver haired teen finished with a heavy sigh. “I want to do it, really. It’s just. Ugh, this is going to be so embarrassing!” He buried his face in both hands.
Gon cocked his head to the side, watching with amusement. “You do realize we’re gonna do it more than once though, right? There’s no need to get so worked up.”
“You’ve done this kind of stuff before, you have no reason to be worried!” Killua retorted. “You already know what to do and everything! And it’s our first time so of course I’m gonna get worked up, stupid!”
“I’ve never done this before, either,” Gon corrected him and Killua jolted.
“…you…haven’t?”
Gon shook his head.
“But, but what about all those girls you took out on dates when you were younger?! Back when we were training to fight the Ants years ago, you said they taught you stuff-”
Gon cut him off with a loud laugh. That’s what Killua was talking about?
“What’s so funny?!” Killua growled.
“Those weren’t real dates, Killua,” Gon said with an affectionate smile. “The ladies just thought I was cute, so they asked me to give them tours of this place.” He waved his hand in the air, generally referring to the nature of Whale Island around them; the birds chirping in the air, the waves crashing against the cliff, Aunt Mito’s house that stood a little way off.
Gon explained, “Sometimes the visiting ladies would tell me about the lands they came from or the jobs they worked on. But they never did anything more than that.”
Killua frowned; Gon could practically see his thoughts clicking together behind those stunning blue eyes of his.
“So.” Killua glanced at him suspiciously. “That means.”
“Yeah?”
“That means this will be your first time, too.”
Gon grinned. “Mhm.”
Killua flushed. “Great. That just makes this even more stressful.”
“It’s not supposed to be stressful, Killua! It’s supposed to be nice. Look-”
He reached out to cup porcelain cheeks, gently forcing Killua to look at him.
“See?” he said softly as their eyes locked. “First step, done. That wasn’t so bad, right?”
“You haven’t done anything yet,” Killua ground out. The palms of Gon’s hands warmed as Killua’s face darkened.
“Awww, Killua. You’re blushing!”
Killua’s expression soured. “If you’re going to make fun of me, we can stop right here-”
“I wasn’t!” Gon protested, squishing Killua’s cheeks to stop him from moving away. That was the last thing in the world he wanted. “I swear! I just think it’s really cute, that you’re already flustered and I’m just holding you. That’s it.”
“You’re seriously not making this any easier, Gon,” Killua groaned.
“Sorry, sorry! I’ll stop.”
Gon bit his bottom lip; Killua was really cute like this. His cheeks were dusted pink, silver hair blowing slightly in the warm breeze, blue eyes blown wide and shinning in the sunlight as he stared at Gon like he was the only person in the entire world.
Killua was stunning.
Gon’s heart stuttered and Killua’s brows furrowed. He asked quietly, “Gon? Are you okay? You’re just staring at me.”
Gon took a deep breath to replace the one Killua had unknowingly stolen. He smiled softly, answering, “Yeah. I’m- I’m perfect, Killua. You’re here, after all.”
Killua inhaled sharply and Gon’s smile grew until his cheeks hurt. It was nice to know that he had the same reaction on Killua as Killua had on him-
“Are you trying to make me combust?” Killua seethed. “‘Cause if so, you’re doing a great job. If you add one more mushy commentary, I swear I’m going to explode. And then your first kiss will be with my decapitated head.”
“Ew! That’s gross!” Gon laughed.
“Then stop-” he flicked Gon’s forehead and Gon cried out, “-saying stuff like that! C’mon, this could’ve been over already!”
“You’re the one who keeps-”
“Gon.”
“I-” He stopped at Killua’s irritated scowl. “Okay, just- give me a sec? Please?”
He closed his eyes to steel himself. When he opened them, he found himself starting into his best friend’s elegant face. Immediately, Gon’s heart took off. His pulse raced so fast. it almost make him dizzy and he silently hoped Killua didn’t notice the slight shaking of his hands.
Killua meant so much to him, was such an integral part of who Gon was and who he’d grown to be…he didn’t want to mess this up. This- their first kiss- had to be perfect.
He stroked Killua’s burning cheeks once- trying to somehow memorize the incredibly soft and fragile look in Killua’s eyes- before slowly leaning in, guiding Killua’s face towards his own. His chest tightened as they grew close, making it hard to breathe. This was it, this was really happening. He was going to kiss the person he loved and had dreamed about for years.
The last thing he saw before he shut his eyes was those beautiful blue orbs-
“AUGH, I can’t do this!”
Killua abruptly disappeared from under his hands and Gon fell forward with a yelp. His jaw collided painfully with his friend’s forehead; Killua had ducked at last second and was now gasping against Gon’s shoulder.
“Ah, Killlua, that hurt,” Gon said with a wince. He leaned back, rubbing the sore spot on his face. Confusion knotted his stomach; what happened to make Killua panic like that?
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Killua’s head snapped up. His expression twisted in a weird mix of regret, terror, and embarrassment.
“Oh, god, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you-”
“Then why did you pull away?” Gon pouted. “I thought you said you wanted to kiss me. That’s part of being a couple, right?”
“Ugh, yes, of course it is. And I do want to k-kiss you! I, um.” He bit his bottom lip and clenched his hands into fists. “I just. The way you were looking at me was. Uh.”
“Was?” Gon probed.
Killua grimaced. “It was too intense,” he said. “So I. I freaked out. I’m sorry, that was stupid, we can try again-”
“Would you rather me be more playful, then?” Gon asked, grinning.
Killua’s eyes widened. “No. Gon, no, don’t you dare-!”
But it was too late; Gon pounced on top of the pale teen with a gleeful laugh, sending them both flying back into the soft, green grass. Killua threw his weight to the side before Gon get a solid grip on him and soon they were rolling over each other and down the hill. Before they could come to a complete stop, Gon found the ticklish spot under Killua’s arms and began to tease him mercilessly.
Peals of laughter erupted from Killua- Gon’s favorite sound- and they collapsed in a heap, tears of laughter streaming down their cheeks.
“AH, NO, Gon!!! Stop it, stop! I can’t breathe!” Killua gasped.
Gon relented with a final giggle. He wrapped his arms around Killua’s middle and nuzzled into his chest. This was much better than their previous position, when they’d been facing each other with only their knees brushing. That was too formal for them.
Killua’s chest heaved under Gon’s chin. After a few seconds, he said breathlessly, “Jeez, you really are affectionate today.” A soft hand carded through Gon’s hair and Gon hummed happily.
“I’m always affectionate with you!”
Killua snorted. “Can’t argue with that. Remember the time you wouldn’t let me get out of bed for four hours just because you wanted to cuddle? You wouldn’t even let me go to the bathroom!”
Gon’s lips twitched at the memory; it had been a happy moment, one of many they had shared since being reunited. At the time, he and Killua had only been dating for a week and Gon had gotten really sick. He’d insisted that hugging Killua was the only cure, and Killua being Killua had relented with a role of his eyes.
It was weird to think about, but Gon liked knowing that Killua would do little things like that just for him. It meant Gon was special to Killua. And simply knowing that filled him to the brim with warmth.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “That was a good day. We should do that again! Cuddling with you is the best.”
“Mmm. Maybe the next time it rains and there’s nothing to do or something.”
“Oooo, yeah! That would be great! But. Um. Hey, Killua?” Gon lifted himself off Killua’s chest and onto his hands and knees. He frowned down at teen trapped beneath him. “Seriously, though. Why did you pull away earlier? Did I do something wrong?”
Killua groaned and threw his head back onto the ground. “No. I told you already, it was my fault. I panicked at the last second. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Oh.” Gon paused. Then he plopped down on the grass besides Killua, thinking out loud, “Maybe, then, I should distract you before we kiss? That way you won’t be expecting it and you won’t have the chance to worry.”
Killua pushed himself up with a hand, one eyebrow raised. “What do you have in mind? I’m not that easily distracted, y’know. Assassin training kind of squished that out of me.”
Killua was wrong there, Gon thought smugly. Assassin training or not, Killua could never handle being smothered with love. Especially if Gon was the one doing the smothering. So he chirped, “I’ll tell you everything I love about you!”
“What?!” Killua squeaked.
“I said, I’m-”
He grunted as Killua shoved a hand in his face.
“I heard what you said, stupid!!! You don’t have to repeat it!”
Gon gently removed Killua’s hand from his mouth, interlocking their fingers and gazing at them adoringly. “I like your hands,” he said absentmindedly and stroked one of Killua’s knuckles with his thumb. “They’re so smooth and your fingers are really pretty and long, like a pianist’s.”
Killua made a strangling noise. He didn’t yank his hand away, though, like Gon half expected him to do.
“What is it?” he asked, peaking at the other teen.
Killua shook his head. “I just don’t understand how you can call them pretty after everything you’ve seen me do with them.”
Gon shrugged. “You’ve seen what my hands have done, right?”
Killua’s jaw dropped at the implication. They rarely talked about what happened with Pitou; that belonged to the past, but so did Killua’s previous wrongdoings.
“And, besides,” Gon continued nonchalantly. “It doesn’t really matter what our hands have done, because in the end they still fit together, right? And that’s the most important thing.”
Killua shut his mouth and looked away with a huff. Gon grinned.
“I like your hair, too,” he teased.
“My hair?” Killua repeated incredulously. “What are you, five? You can’t go listing every random body part I have-”
“I’m not! I’m just saying what I like your hair specifically. It reminds me of starlight ‘cause it glows silver sometimes, like right now.”
Killua just stared at him this time, speechless. Gon took the chance to scoot closer. Their arms brushed and Killua’s shoulders rose defensively.
Gon leaned into Killua’s space until their noses brushed, inwardly loving the flustered expression on Killua’s face. “And I really love your eyes. They’re so beautiful. I love how I can see everything you’re thinking when I look into them, and-” Gon lowered his voice, “-I love how they light up whenever you see me.”
He’d expected Killua to stammer out a weak insult, or at the very least, to blush harder. Gon relished the fact that he was the only person in the world who could make Killua lose his self-control like this-
What he hadn’t expected was for those stunning eyes to narrow into thin slits, suddenly dangerous and glinting.
“I love your eyes,” Killua said abruptly and Gon froze.
“I- what?” he stammered.
Killua smirked and shoved his forehead up against Gon’s. The piercing blue of Killua’s eyes were the only thing Gon could see as Killua repeated, “I said, I love your eyes. They’re chocolate brown, but when we’re close like this, I can see every fleck of orange and yellow around the edges. It’s even better when the sun hits your face because they change color completely.”
“R-really?”
“Mhm. They look like melted gold,” Killua murmured and his breath ghosted across Gon’s lips.
“Killua.” Gon swallowed thickly. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt lightheaded. “What are you doing?”
“I’m returning the favor. You’re not the only one who should be doing the distracting.”
Killua was…trying to seduce Gon like Gon was trying to seduce Killua? But-
“But I want to be the one to distract you!” Gon whined.
“Too bad! You always embarrass me, it’s my turn now!”
Gon’s frown twisted into a scowl. He squeezed Killua’s hand so tight that the pale teen wouldn’t be able to pull away. “Not if I can embarrass you before you do it to me!”
Killua grounded his head against Gon’s. “Is that a challenge, Freecss? You really think you like more things about me then I like about you?!”
“Yes!” he said, stubbornly ignoring the pain in his forehead.
“It’s funny that you sound so confident considering the fact that you’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not!”
“Are too!”
“Are not! I can name a gazillion trillion things I like about you!”
Killua made an exasperated sound. “That’s not even a number, doofus!”
“I don’t care!” Gon exploded. “I like every part of you, so no ‘real’ number would ever be high enough to count everything anyway! I love the part of you that steals the blankets when we go to bed and the part that spends all our money on chocolate, I love the you that tripped down a flight of stairs when I told you I loved you, and the you that’s too embarrassed to have our first kiss, and-”
Sweaty hands gripped his face and suddenly Killua’s nose was squished against Gon’s cheek and his blue eyes were squeezed shut as cool lips pressed to Gon’s-
Gon’s eyes bulged.
Killua was kissing him. Killua was kissing him. Killua was kissing him!!!
Gon threw his arm around Killua’s middle and kissed back with everything he had. He felt Killua’s lips quirk upwards as their mouths moved together and Gon’s chest swelled until he felt like he could burst.
Killua was the only thing that mattered in this moment and every moment that would come after; he was the only thing Gon ever wanted to focus on because he was beautiful and graceful and daring and so, so brave for going through everything his family had put him through and everything Gon had done to him and coming out of it all still so amazingly bright and dazzling and incredible-
And because Gon was so completely and utterly in love with Killua for all that he was and everything that he could be, Gon let himself get lost in the miracle that was Killua Zoldyck: his soft, silver hair brushing against Gon’s forehead, his tender hands cupping Gon’s face, the scent of his sweet, strawberry shampoo, his frantic heartbeat that matched Gon’s own racing pulse.
The way those beautiful lips pressed against Gon’s so perfectly that it felt like every moment in their lives were leading up to this-
Their first kiss.
Killua pulled away with a gasp and Gon almost fell forward, chasing after Killua before he could stop himself.
Slowly, Gon opened his eyes. His mouth tingled. He raised his head and gold-brown locked with shinning azure.
They stared openly at each other, unblinking. Gon’s breathing was ragged and his face burned. His torso hurt a little from how he’d twisted sideways to meet Killua’s kiss, but he couldn’t care less about that right now. He dragged his gaze across Killua’s scarlet stained cheeks, tousled white locks, his slightly swollen lips.
Killua never looked more beautiful than he did right now.
Gon started at Killua’s quiet giggle. He refocused on Killua, who had one hand covering a small smile. Then Gon joined in, breathless and giddy with euphoria, and that only made Killua laugh harder. Within minutes they were clutching each other’s arms and laughing against together in a haze of dizzy joy.
Unable to hold themselves upright, they fell sideways into the grass with a final wheeze. Killua grinned, face practically glowing with what Gon knew to be pure happiness.
Gon’s chest ached at the wonderful sight and his eyes prickled; he was overwhelmed by the sheer force of love that was rushing through every inch of his body. He was drowning in it, this affection for the stunning person lying in front of him, and he wanted to do nothing more than melt into Killua’s embrace and never, ever leave.
“You kissed me,” he whispered, awed.
Killua’s eyes crinkled up at the ends. “You were taking too long.”
Gon laughed again. His heart soared. He felt like he could walk on clouds.
“Sorry,” he said with a dimpled smile. “I was too busy telling you about all the different ways I loved you.”
Killua squeezed Gon’s arms. “Stupid. I knew all of that already. You don’t have to remind me.”
“But I wanted too!” Gon protested. He shifted his head and Killua met him halfway, their foreheads pressed together once more as they gazed at the other’s face.
Gon let out a content sigh. “I like telling you about that stuff. It’s important for you to know just how important you are to me. I don’t want you to suddenly think I don’t want you around anymore.”
“Pffft. Your logic is so bizarre.” Killua shifted. Gon’s breath caught in his throat as Killua reached out to lightly stroke Gon’s cheek.
Killua said softly, “I’ll never leave you, Gon. Never again. I’ve told you that already, haven’t I? I’m here for however long you want me.”
Gon’s smile bloomed into a wide grin. His cheeks ached but he couldn’t stop smiling even if he wanted to.
He reached out to gently clasp Killua’s chin. He rubbed this thumb over Killua’s bottom lip and Killua inhaled sharply, face flooding with color.
Gon moved closer, so close that their mouths just barely touched. He murmured against Killua’s parted lips, “Good. That means you’ll be with me forever, then.”
He didn’t wait to see Killua’s eyes fly open wide before closing the distance between them, swallowing Killua’s gasp with another kiss. He tugged Killua towards him and their bodies pressed against each other. Killua’s hands were buried in Gon’s hair, legs tangled with Gon’s and his breathless laughter made each kiss sweeter than the one before.
Later- after they had stumbled back to Aunt Mito’s house in a daze, giggling and hanging off each other’s shoulders just so they wouldn’t have to let go- Gon realized something: most people had several first kisses, one for each person they entered a serious relationship with.
But Gon had known for a long time that he was meant to be with only one person; the same person who’d been his first friend, the same person he’d first shared a bed with from their time in Heavens Arena, the first person he’d held hands with after years of separation and loneliness, the first and only person to whom he had confessed ‘I love you’.
So, his first kiss was the only first kiss he would ever receive.
And since it was with Killua, because they’d shared this once in a lifetime experience together, it had been absolutely, one hundred percent perfect.