written for fourleafclovercounting ❤️️ thank you for being such a great supporter! sorry this fic was so late for your birthday :( I'm a relatively slow writer and it's not even that long :') ? honestly this AU doesn't make much sense haha, but in this the Kurta massacre never happened and it takes place after the Hunter exam arc. The main four have all learned Nen and they met up together before Yorknew Arc. Fic takes place at the airport after their meetup (lol this isn't canon) and Kurapika is leaving to Yorknew while the others go to other places. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! I'm still doubting my writing skills, but it's not going to improve itself if I don't write anything :)

"You punched a hole in your Hunter license just so you could connect it to a chain?!" Leorio yelled incredulously.

Kurapika looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, it feels a bit more secure this way. After all, the chain is made from my own nen."

Gathered around him were his close friends. After spending some time together, they were about to part ways at the airport. The current object of their interest was Kurapika's new wallet chain, hooked to his belt loop and Hunter license. Gon stared at the chain curiously.

"Hey Killua, do you think it's a good idea to punch a hole in my license too?"

"Uhh, well I don't think so..."

The awkward moment was interrupted by an announcement, a staticky voice reciting the recent flight times.

"Ooooh, that's my flight! I better hurry!" Leorio jumped as soon as he heard his flight announced. He takes all of them into a quick hug, Killua looking slightly uncomfortable and Kurapika stepping back politely to excuse himself from the physical contact. "See you guys soon!"

Leorio hurriedly scrambled away, almost crashing into a cart full of luggage.

"Is it almost time for our flight, Killua?" Gon asked as soon as Leorio was out of view.

"Yeah. In about 30 minutes," Killua replied.

"Well then, you guys should leave soon. My flight is in another few hours so I will stay here for a while. I'll see you in Yorknew City soon," Kurapika said.

"We'll miss you, Kurapika!" Gon quickly jumped at Kurapika to hug him. Kurapika let him with a sigh.

"Bye."

Kurapika watched the two walk off in another direction. When they were out of sight, Kurapika tucked his Hunter license into his back pocket again and disappeared into a bookstore.

"Hey Danchou, I heard there was a group of kids in this airport who just finished the Hunter Exam."

Kuroro looked up from his book to see Phinks's face just inches from his own. He blinked in annoyance.

"Oh really? What about it?"

Phinks made a long whiny noise. "If you don't believe it, just ask Shal! He has all their information and stuff!"

The said blonde rushed to Kuroro's side as soon as he heard his name. "It's true, Danchou! There were four of them here, but three already left to their flights. Anyways, we still have time to steal the license of the last guy and sell it on the black market for a high price!"

"Yeah! It shouldn't be that hard either, since they're only new Hunters and inexperienced with nen," Phinks added. Shalnark fished out his phone and tapped the screen a few times quickly.

"Look here! The last one. His name is Kurapika and this is what he looks like." Shalnark shoved his phone into Kuroro's face.

Kuroro curiously viewed the young Hunter's picture. It was blonde with large pretty eyes and feminine features, scowling slightly at the camera. They were wearing some sort of strange blue and gold tribal clothing.

Kuroro gave Shalnark a look. "Are you sure it's a male? It looks like a girl to me."

Shalnark looked confused. "Well that's what it says here, Danchou. I don't know their gender, but I do know that they are going on the Yorknew flight."

"That's the same one we're on!" Phinks shouted, leaning over to peer at Shalnark's phone.

"Can you arrange for me to sit next to the Hunter on the flight?" Kuroro asked, now interested. The blonde in the picture had caught his attention. He didn't know what it was, but the Hunter had a charm that drew him in, and Kuroro trusted his instincts (or random impulses).

"Easy! Done," Shalnark replied quickly, fingers flying over his phone keyboard.

"I think it's best to find the guy before we board the plane," Kuroro continued, shutting his book with a mischievous glint lighting up his dark eyes.

"Like stalk him or something? I'm sure with some fiddling around on the security cameras, I can find-"

Shalnark's head snapped up suddenly and Phinks followed his gaze, whistling softly when he saw what had caught his attention.

There was a blonde boy a few rows up, flipping through a book thoughtfully. He matched his Hunter picture almost exactly, except he was wearing casual traveling clothes.

"Well that was faster than I expected," Shalnark commented lightly.

"We're leaving this up to you, Danchou!" Phinks whispered, heartily clapping Kuroro on the back and almost knocking him over.

The two thieves quickly slinked out of the store unnoticed by the customers. Kuroro decided to observe his prey for a while. His movements were always graceful and he carried himself with an air of elegance. His body looked delicate, but Kuroro knew there was strength in those slender arms. The blonde, Kurapika, took a few steps and reached up to put a book back into the bookshelf. Kuroro felt his body run hot as Kurapika's shirt lifted up and exposed a strip of milky pale skin. He hadn't felt this passionate or lustful about something for a while, and he wondered what was it that made him so interested in the young Hunter.

Kurapika had spent a worthwhile time in the bookstore. There were a few books which caught his eye, so he purchased some. It was almost time for his flight and he walked briskly towards his destination. His new wallet chain clinked reassuringly against his thigh, the heaviness bringing him comfort.

Suddenly his instincts were screaming and he had trouble breathing as he felt a chilling presence right beside him. There was a breath in his ear and a feather light touch against the back of his leg. Kurapika stood frozen as he felt a hand slide up his ass and into his back pocket. He might or might not have made a small distressed noise as the stranger's fingers deftly took his license and gave his butt a barely noticeable squeeze.

The hand wasn't leaving and continued caressing his ass. Kurapika made a strangled groan and whirled around to look at the offender with wide eyes. It was a dark-haired man that didn't look that much older than him. He was dressed in dark, neat clothing. Kurapika almost sighed with relief. At least the thief wasn't a pedophile. The aura the man was giving off was dangerous and alarm bells went off in Kurapika's head, warning him not to fight this guy. It was obviously an enemy that he couldn't win against. Unfortunately, Kurapika was not letting his license go without a fight.

The man's hand was almost halfway out of Kurapika's pocket when Kurapika grabbed his hand with a vice-like grip. "Hey!"

If the man was surprised at the resistance, it didn't show. Instead Kurapika found himself forcefully whirled around and pressed against the guy.

"Nnnngghhh?"

"It doesn't seem like you want me to stop touching you, do you?" the man whispered into Kurapika's ear. Kurapika stiffened up and his pulse skyrocketed, blood rushing through his body like liquid fire. When did he get so close?

"Get your hands off me!" Kurapika hissed back sharply. His eyes darted around to scan his surroundings, not wanting to cause a commotion.

His eyes locked on the man's again, and for the first time, he took full notice of the stranger's features. The man was actually really... hot.

He had silky black hair, parted at the center, with wispy bangs floating in front of his dark, probing eyes. His skin was a pale ivory. Not wanting to look at his weirdly shaped caterpillar brows or meet his gaze, Kurapika focused on the man's lips instead, which were full and looked soft and were a nice shade of pink... Kurapika instantly regretted it as soon as the thought popped into his head.

"You know, you should keep a better eye on your belongings, or they might get stolen," the man said, tugging on Kurapika's chain. It was like Kurapika heard his voice for the first time, it was deep and soothing, enveloping him in thick honey.

Kurapika peeked at the stranger's handsome face again and in a blink, he felt a hand on the side of his face. He was vaguely aware of the warmness of the palm on his jaw and the cold tips of the slender fingers against his temple. Then lips were pressed lightly on his own, and it all felt so natural. He forgot how to breathe for a second, but the pressure on his mouth lessened slightly and there was a soft exhale against his lips. Kurapika took a shallow, gasping breath, their mouths made contact again, and the stranger's scent engulfed his senses. The kiss turned deeper, and Kurapika registered strong arms wrapping around his body and pulling him closer. His heart beat erratically, every brush against his skin electrifying. The man was close, so close, too close to him. He pulled back slowly and eased away, although his hands were still resting loosely on Kurapika's back.

Kurapika knew he should have felt angry, embarrassed, disgusted that the stranger had kissed him in such a public place. But instead he just felt shaky and weak-kneed. He could feel his face beginning to heat up, the tips of his ears burning. He felt rather flustered and light-headed, and he couldn't bring himself to glare at the man with hatred.

The man's arms slipped away from his body and Kurapika felt cold all of a sudden.

"W-who are you?"

The man had almost the same deadpan expression on his face when he answered, but Kurapika caught a slight smirk on his lips.
"Kuroro Lucilfer. It was nice to meet you, Kurapika."

Kurapika found himself constantly wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He joined the mingle of people idling around the flight gate. After a few minutes, people were filing into the plane.

Once he had found his seat and settled down, he wondered what kind of person would be sitting with him. Kurapika took out a book from his bag, preparing to ignore whoever was going to be next to him for the flight. He tried to concentrate on his book, but his thoughts kept wandering to the dark-haired stranger, Kuroro, who had kissed him. He wondered why the man didn't steal his Hunter license when he easily could have done so, and how he knew his name.

Kurapika felt someone slipping into the seat next to him, and he froze when he caught that familiar scent again.

Kuroro Lucilfer was looking at him with bright eyes and a shit-eating grin. Kurapika wanted to jump off a cliff.

"I didn't expect to see you here," the man said amiably.

"Me either," Kurapika grumbled under his breath.

It was going to be a long flight...