The Boy I Met That Summer | COMPLETED

8. The Night (Final Chapter)

Killua says those three words like it's no big deal. Like it's a fact of the universe, obvious to the naked eye. As if it isn't an earth-shattering realization he himself had just realized. As if he had meant to say it out loud, with the boy he's speaking of right by his side. He realizes now that he can't take those three words back. He'd said them. On a silent night with no other noise but the quiet wash of the small ocean waves. Those words that he hadn't meant for anyone to hear.

"I love you."

Those words tear Gon's gaze from the beautiful night sky to stare at the pale, forgetful boy at his side. He couldn't have heard that right.

There's no way.

Gon's mouth parts slightly, words that are unbeknownst to he himself on the tip of his tongue.

How does he respond to such words?

Words from the pale, beautiful disabled boy that he's crushed on since he was ten. Words he himself nearly said one day in a treehouse, as he and Killua laid side by side when he was twelve.

But he bit back the words then, fearing that Killua would forget. That Killua couldn't feel the same because he would forget. If only Gon knew the way Killua remembers him.

Killua looks away, back to the beautiful night sky, reflecting over the waters. He tucks a strand of hair behind his ear with his free hand. His cheeks are dusted with shades of red.

Gon can't take his eyes off of him.

When neither boy says anything, the two both conclude that those words must've been a figment of their imagination. Three words they both wish to say and hear to and from the other.

The sky lights up, more meteors breaking through the Earth's atmosphere. They put on a show for the boys that watch. Killua watching the sky, and Gon watching through the breathtaking reflection in Killua's strikingly beautiful eyes.

Those eyes that drew him in the first time they had met.

Gon remembers, he was walking around town aimlessly, depressed. His father had abandoned him that very morning. Gon hoped the universe would help relieve his sadness.

That's when he saw what seemed to be an angel in all it's beauty.

A boy his age with the most strikingly beautiful ice blue eyes. The fluffiest white hair you could imagine. An adorably adventurous smile adorned on his lips. Gon couldn't resist, he ran to the angelic boy to see if he were real.

He'd asked if he was new there, though it was obvious. Years went by, and Gon found himself longing for the Angel's company. A few visits a year wasn't enough. He wanted Killua by his side. Every second of every day.

It wasn't until Gon's tenth birthday, he'd wished for the Angel's return. Not a moment later Killua had come through Gon's front door. It was when Gon's heartbeat went wild, his thoughts scattered, his face hot, that he realized that this Angel, always there when he needed him most, was more than just a friend to him. That he wanted more than just that.

Gon takes a deep breath, in and out. Calming his nerves before he speaks. On the off chance that it wasn't his imagination, that Killua really did say those words, Gon gently squeezes Killua's hand gently and turns towards him.

Gon looks Killua in the eyes.

"I love you, too."

Killua's eyes widen. He realizes that he had really said that out loud earlier. No, not only that. But Gon heard him. And no, not only that. But Gon feels the same way. Those words resonate in Killua's head, bouncing around and heating up his face.