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Parade
(n.) a public procession, especially one celebrating a special day or event and including marching bands and floats
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He looked at the flyer for a brief moment before looking back up at the woman who had handed it to him. “Of course I’ll go see you! Thanks for this!” Gon’s smile was unwavering as the woman laughed in turn and shook her head. It was a small-town parade, but that didn’t mean Gon wasn’t interested. The flyer was adorned various images of yummy looking food with most of the attention was on the acrobat family in the center. The woman from before him was in the picture beside what appeared to be mother, father, and two brothers.
“Make sure to bring your friends too!”
Gon felt a heaviness settle over his chest and he simply nodded in turn before turning away from her. Who would he bring along? Leorio and Kurapika were still away and he knew that calling them would lead nowhere. Kurapika might not answer and, even if he did, he wouldn’t come. Leorio had his schooling to think about and he’d probably just feel bad about having to say no. Gon wouldn’t bother calling.
Killua hasn’t answered his calls either.
The boy pulled out his beetle and punched in the speed dial for his friend’s phone, waiting patiently as the phone rang... and rang… and rang. Gon was starting to think that he called nowadays just to listen to the other boy’s voicemail. Sure enough, after the fifth ring, the all too familiar message greeted him again.
‘Killua here. Leave a message.’
Gon pressed the “end” button and sighed softly, his previously good mood starting to slowly deflate. A parade was only fun if you could enjoy it with other people. He was able to go to a few of them with Mito-san and he remembered how excited and happy everyone had been during it. He looked back at the flyer before smiling at the costumes that the family was wearing. Bright and colorful. They even had make-up on.
“Oh! I know who I can call!” He exclaimed loudly, the crowd of people walking along the sidewalk stopping to glance his way. He flushed a bit, hand flying up to rub the back of his neck with a laugh. Would he even want to come? Gon mused on the idea as he made the walk back to his motel, the flyer held tightly in his hand. He really did want to go. It wouldn’t be the same without someone there.
He punched in the number and watched the cell phone connect before he placed it against his ear. It rang twice before a familiar voice whispered out: “Hello~? ♥”
“Hisoka! It’s Gon. Can you hear me?” He yelled back into the receiver, his heart beating a bit faster when he heard a soft chuckle on the other line.
“Yes, Gon. I can hear you just fine, so don’t yell. ♣ ” Some habits died harder than others. He remembered calling Leorio one time and his ear hurt the whole day, but it was harder when he didn’t notice he did it.
“I’m sorry, I won’t yell. Ne, Hisoka? Will you come to a parade with me? There’s something I wanna show you! I think you’ll like it!” He fumbled around for his key and carefully opened his door, phone held in place by his shoulder. His room was very simple. The only way anyone would know he was living there was by the picture he kept on the nightstand of Leorio, Kurapika, Killua, and himself.
There was a pause from the other side and he briefly considered if the call dropped (the signal in the room was pretty crappy, after all), but Hisoka spoke up a moment later. “I’d love to accompany you, Gon. When is it? ♠” Gon swore he could hear the smile on the other’s face. It made him smile too. Hisoka didn’t usually refuse any request he made, but it was still nice that he did it because he wanted to.
“Tonight? I know it’s a little short notice but I just heard about it an-”
“Alright, Gon. I’ll be there in a bit. Are you still in the same place? ♦” Gon nodded before he remembered that he wouldn’t be able to see him nodding.
“Yup! It starts at 9, don’t be late!”
“I wouldn’t dream of it~ ♣”
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Gon thought he believed in promptness, but Hisoka certainly had him beat. The jester was at his doorstep at exactly 8:55 p.m. It was almost unsettling, however… accounting for the time it would take to walk to the town square, they would be there at exactly 9 p.m.
“You look different today. No make-up today? You’re even wearing your hair down!” Gon made a point to lean up and motion around Hisoka’s head since he couldn’t reach his hair. Hisoka pulled at one of the strands of his hair and smiled, his free hand on Gon’s head.
“Did you want me to put it up? That’s hardly any way to treat your date, Gon. Manners. ♥” He tisked and ran his hand through Gon’s locks, his eyes fond as he tucked a few stray pieces back in place. How this boy managed to not look like a lion every day was a mystery best left unsolved. “If we don’t go now, we’ll be late. You want a good spot, right? ♦”
Gon slowly leaned his head into the warm hand, his eyes closing for a moment before he nodded. “Yeah, let’s go! Since there’s hardly anything to do here, I bet the whole town is gonna be there.” He said happily and reached for the man’s free hand before tugging him outside. He remembered to close his door only because Hisoka refused to move, his look a cross of fondness and irritation.
“What did I tell you about that? ♠”
He shuffled his feet back and forth and looked down, a flush appearing on his tan cheeks. “That I should lock my door because people could come into my room.” He stated in monotone, having heard the same thing at least four times by now. Hisoka wanted to believe that his fruit would have learned by now but clearly he had been mistaken. The red-haired man gently took the keys from Gon and closed the door behind him, the lock setting into place. “Was that so hard~? ♣”
“No! I know, I’ll do it next time! Can we go now?” He pleaded, his eyes big and bright as he tugged once more on the magician’s arm. They weren’t going to get a good seat if they didn’t leave now and while Hisoka might be able to see from the back, Gon certainly couldn’t.
Hisoka watched for a moment before the same thought seemed to cross his mind. What a foolish thing to worry about. He leaned down and placed his hands on Gon’s waist, carefully holding the boy up until he was on his shoulders. “You’ll be able to see from up there, won’t you? ♠” The clown didn’t wait for an answer and began to run, shivering in delight when Gon’s hands gripped his hair tightly so he could balance. Part of him wanted the boy to pull harder, but now was certainly not the time for that.
The town square was even more packed than either of them had anticipated. The entire town really was here and Hisoka found himself being squeezed in from the moment they entered the masses. He gripped Gon’s legs gently and carefully maneuvered his way deeper into the crowd. The center was the most packed, but it clearly split in two to provide the path for the parade. “Is this a good spot? I don’t think I can get any closer. ♦”
Gon nodded happily and placed his hands on Hisoka’s cheeks, his fingers barely brushing past his hair. “This is perfect! You gotta make sure you pay attention, okay? I don’t know when they’ll pass by, but you absolutely have to see them!” He could practically feel Gon vibrating with excitement and he held his legs a bit tighter before looking up at him.
“Who am I supposed to see? ♥”
“The acrobats!” Gon said happily, his body springing up when the sounds of music began to fill the streets. “I saw them on the flyer and they looked like you! I thought you might like to see them too. And then we can have caramel apples and fried octopus!”
“Together? ♣” He surely hoped not. Perhaps one for dinner and a dessert later.
“Hisoka, look! They’re coming!”