Where Do I Begin. ( HxH - Reader Insert )

.:4:.

"Don't. Don't say a thing,"

At your words the Captain threw his head back, clutched his pipe, and bellowed with boisterous laughter. You had half a mind to duck your head in embarrassment as your companions glanced between the two if you in confusion. The moment you brought Gon and Leorio onto the ship with you the Captain had sent you smug glances.

"I wasn't going to say anything," he chortled, shoulders still shaking with laughter.

You barely restrained a roll of the eyes at his words, sighing through your nose and shaking your head in exasperation. You knew he was dying to let out a big fat 'I told you so', but you refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead crossing your arms over your chest and glancing off to the side. Despite your attempt at acting unbothered, you couldn't fight the smile that began to crawl upon your face. Maybe you were right, maybe surrounding yourself with positivity was the only way of getting yourself out of this slump.

"You're the Captain then?" Gon chirped curiously, eyes still wide with wonder as he glanced around the ship.

You had yet to leave the harbour, sailors still rushing around with crates and cargo in arms to restock the ship in preparation of the continued journey ahead. Both of you were from small islands, neither of you were familiar with large modes of transport so you could understand his wonder, you had barely contained it yourself when you first boarded. Excitement poured from the boy in waves, so wound up with energy he could barely resist bouncing on his heels. The Captain noticed the boy's eagerness to explore if the twinkle in his all knowing eyes had anything to say about it.

"Aye, that I'd be," he responded calmly, taking a long puff of his pipe with a proud hand fist resting on his hip.

The Captain seemed to get just the reaction he had been wanting when Gon's excitement bubbled, his chest puffing out and head tilting back with a boisterous laugh beyond the smoke. You almost couldn't believe one could talk so fast but the rate in which Gon interrogated the Captain blew your expectations out of the water. Not even the Captain could keep up with the prattle of questions but seemed amused none the less. Just to the side of Gon, you caught the sight of Leorio's exasperated roll of the eyes, it seemed he was already used to the boy's overactive curiosity.

Perhaps it might've been annoying to some, how excitable Gon could be, but it was rather endearing in a way. He was exactly as someone his age should be, he was exactly the kind of person you needed to surround yourself with now. And as overwhelming as it could be at first, as overwhelming as he could be at first, there was something about Gon's energy that dragged you into his orbit. As much as you might try to convince yourself that it was better to be alone, better to never suffer the pain of being alone ever again, it was hard not to get caught up in the whirlwind that was Gon Freecss.

So interested in the conversation happening before you, you almost didn't notice that the ship had left the harbour. The steady rocking of the ship which once unsettled your stomach was but an after thought now. You don't remember ever having conversations like these outside of family, maybe because the kids in your village always thought you were strange, maybe because they never liked to speak with you after you bit one of them on the arm for making up rumours about your parents. But standing on the deck of a ship you never thought you'd board, surrounded by people you never thought you'd meet, vaguely, you realised, 'this is what fun is'.

It was fun hearing them speak to one another, it was fun watching the light hearted arguments Gon and Leorio got into, fun the way the Captain would scold them equally as light heartedly, and so much fun when they included you in the conversation, when they looked at you like they actually cared about your input.

It was perhaps a few hours or so into your journey that Gon's excitement began to taper, his concentration on the conversation at hand seemed to be drifting.