This Won't End Well

16: How To See The Stars

Gon looked himself up and down in his full body-length mirror. Is this the right thing to wear? He asked himself. Nearly every item of clothing he owned laid strewn across his room- draped across his desk and chair, slung onto his bed, and thrown onto the floor.

He had decided on a pair of light denim jeans, a navy long-sleeve, and a navy, green, and white color-block windbreaker. Of course, he paired it with some long white socks and his trusted green converse. But he was rethinking it. And every life choice that had ever led him up to this moment.

He hadn't been this nervous in a while. And what for? Killua and Gon had hung out every day for the past two weeks. He should be well past his nervousness. But this one felt... different. A herculean swarm of butterflies hadn't left his stomach all day. He relished in the feeling of being so excited that he had physical symptoms of joy. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He checked his phone and saw the time was five fifty-nine. Five fifty-nine? He threw open his bedroom door and almost fell into the kitchen from his room. Leorio and Kurapika both shot him startled gazes.

"Kid, why the rush?" Leorio asked, stifling his laughter.

"Gotta go! Bye!" He quickly stammered out, throwing open the front door and promptly stepping out. He shut it behind him and took a deep breath in. Calm down, Freecss. Like for the love of all things holy, please, calm down. Don't embarrass yourself, he chanted to himself, attempting to give himself a pep-talk but reprimanding himself instead. He let out a sigh and walked over to Killua's door, bawling his hand into a fist and knocking only a few times.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Killua called from inside. Gon took a step back from the door and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves again. By the time he exhaled, he had made absolutely no progress in doing so.

Killua opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. "Okay, let's go," He said, starting to walk down the hall. Gon started to follow him, staying a few steps behind him.

"It's like a ten or fifteen-minute drive, so it shouldn't take us long to get there," Gon informed Killua with a light smile. Killua just hummed in response, opening the door to the stairwell.

"Not gonna lie, I don't actually know what you do at a planetarium," Killua admitted through a pitiful scoff.

"Oh! It's actually super cool! It's basically a really big dome and-" Gon stopped himself mid-sentence, a thought having popped into his mind. "Actually, you know what? It'll be better if you just see for yourself," He smiled, not wanting to ruin the fun of seeing it for the first time.

"Ugh- fine," Killua groaned, rolling his eyes at Gon's secretiveness.

A short walk to Gon's truck and a fifteen-minute drive later, Gon and Killua were at the York New Planetarium. It was a large building, the interior displaying astronomy facts and maps of constellations on the walls. It was only open to the public at night, probably to add to the atmosphere of the whole thing. The flooring was a deep navy with tiny shiny specs mixed in, resembling the night sky they were about to observe. The ceiling of the main building was glass, exhibiting the dark sky filled to the brink with smog and pollution, hiding the stars. The planetarium, the building's crowning attraction, was about a five or so minute walk from the entrance.

"Wow, this place is massive," Killua noted breathlessly, taking in his surroundings. His eyes were drawn to everything, darting around excitedly. Gon laughed softly at the sight.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Gon remarked while smiling. "And not too many people know this place even exists. Think of it as York New's best-kept secret," He said. The two continued to walk through the hall, nearing the planetarium entrance.