My first Hunter x Hunter fanfiction. It takes place after the last anime episode. So everything that happens in the manga after that is not relevant for this story. English is not my first language, so if you find any mistakes, feel free to mention them so I can correct them!

Summary: On every other day, Leorio would have walked past the little market stall on the central plaza of Bifmetz-City. Neither was he particularly interested in embroidery nor was he ready to buy a little piece of fabric more expensive than his suit. Today, however, was different. [Leorio/OC]

Genres: Romance, Drama, Thriller and some Comedy

On every other day, Leorio would have walked past the little market stall on the central plaza of Bifmetz-City. Neither was he particularly interested in embroidery nor was he ready to buy a little piece of fabric more expensive than his suit. He had thrown a few glances at the articles on the counter for the first time last week, but had quickly decided not to show further interest. The goods were clearly hand-made though and he respected that. So he threw another glance at the market stall every day, with no intention of being more interested than the days prior.

Today, however, was different. His eyes wandered over the floor of the plaza and finally landed on the little, shabby market stall whose wood was dark and brittle. The woman behind the counter was folding some kind of blue fabric and was about to hand it over to her customer, when a middle-aged man, who was just walking past, grabbed the fabric the woman was holding, and then some. He quickly dashed away, not giving the saleswoman any chance of stopping him from escaping with her pricy artwork. Leorio went into action-mode immediately. From the corner of his eye he saw the saleswoman throwing the change she received from the buyer on the floor. She cursed colourfully.

Leorio was now chasing the thief through the city, all the while questioning himself. Was this a good idea? What if this person was a strong Nen-user? What if he belonged to some kind of organisation like the phantom troupe? He really was an idiot. His train of thought was cut short when the man ahead of him suddenly stopped. Leorio did so as well and furrowed his brows. That was rather strange. Either he was extremely self-confident or he was so ignorant he didn't even realise he was being chased. The man then turned around and locked eyes with Leorio. Realisation dawned on his face. So he hadn't realised. This was his chance! Leorio pounced forward like a lanky cat and threw himself on top of the thief. Said thief was clearly caught off guard as he squeaked rather embarrassingly. Leorio got a hold of the stolen fabric and tore it away from him. Then he quickly stood up. "You better not try that again!" he said aggressively. The thief just stared at him, not quite catching on what just happened.

Leorio turned around. He gulped down his nervousness. Now just walk away confidently. Leorio told himself. Let him think you are dangerous and not someone to mess with. His plan seemed to work well enough. The man didn't follow him. As soon as Leorio was out of sight, he let his shoulders fall and sighed, totally exhausted. And all of that for a piece of fabric!

Leorio walked back to the market stall and found the saleswoman inspecting her merchandise. She seemed to be counting how many articles she had lost. Her face showed clear signs of distress and anger and her cheeks were reddened. Leorio looked down at the fabric in his hands and walked over to the woman. He stretched out his arm. She looked up, startled to find her stolen goods being handed back to her. Her eyes wandered up and stayed on Leorio's face.

"Uh," she stuttered, clearly at a loss for words.

Leorio grinned proudly. "I thought you might be missing these!"

Slowly, a smile spread on her face and her eyes lit up. "Indeed I was missing these. Thank you so much!"

Leorio laughed bashfully and scratched his nose. "No problem, it was an honour."

She looked down at the counter and then at Leorio. Then she picked up a black handkerchief decorated with red and blue embroideries and gave it to him. He inspected it and instantly liked the complicated, angular pattern.

"I want to give this to you, as a Thank you," she said and seemed to think it over for a moment. "I would also like to invite you for a coffee. What do you say?" Leorio was startled and looked at the woman. He nodded bewilderedly. His heart took a leap. Did that count as a date? He would not be opposed should that be the case. She was quite easy on the eyes, after all. Her reddish, chin-length hair curled around her round face. Brown, friendly eyes and a charming smile made her seem open and nice. "I would like that very much," he finally answered and she smiled. "I just need to pack up my stuff. I know a nice café not far from here. Wait a moment."

Fifteen minutes later the two of them were sitting at a table in a café named 'afternoon sun'. It was situated in a narrow alley just a few meters away from the market. Some rays of sunshine managed to find their way around the buildings – other than that it was mostly rather chilly due to the amount of shadows. Leorio liked it. The woman, whose name was Laeta, was sitting across from him. She had ordered a cappuccino, while he had chosen black coffee. Something he had begun doing while studying late into the night. He could barely drink coffee with milk anymore, he found it borderline revolting.

"So do you make those… pieces of fabric yourself?" he asked, not really knowing what to call them but hoping he hadn't insulted Laeta.

She just chuckled. "Yes I do make them myself. I buy the fabric and embroider them. It's something I learned from my grandmother." She took a sip and looked Leorio in the eyes. "What do you do?"

Leorio smiled. "I'm studying to become a doctor. It's always been my dream."

Laeta nodded. "That's nice." A gust of wind swept through the alley. Now it was really getting cold. If Laeta was cold, she did a good job hiding it, for she just carried on drinking her cappuccino and asking questions. She sure seemed to be one inquisitive individual.

"What's it like?" she asked. "Studying, I mean."

Leorio stayed silent for a moment. He never really thought about what studying was like. He was focused on what he wanted to do after he was finished studying. He wanted to open a clinic, to help people, to save lives.

"It's a means to an end," he finally answered. "I could do without it- but then again I need the knowledge."

"I see." Laeta worried her bottom lip. "I never really liked doctors. I hated going to clinics." Leorio raised an eyebrow. But then a smile lit up her face. "But you sure are nice, Leorio. That was a lot of money you saved there. It would have been a huge loss for me, so thank you again. You really helped me."

"Ah, you are welcome. I could not stand by and watch you being robbed. You could say that was a reflex."

"You have strange reflexes," Laeta laughed. She emptied her cup and looked at her wrist watch. A regretful sigh escaped her. "I need to go now." Standing up, she put the money for their beverages on the table. She seemed to be hesitating as she took her bag and put the wallet back in. Leorio was about to ask what was wrong when she murmured, "Do you think we could meet again? I enjoyed your company." Leorio saw her cheeks catching fire.

"S-Sure!" he exclaimed. Clearing his throat he added, now sounding more composed, "I would be very happy to meet you again."

Laeta smiled happily. "Great!" She stood there for a while, before she managed to ask, "How do we do this? I-I mean do I give you my number?"

"Oh! Sure, you can do that."

"Okay," she muttered, searching for a piece of paper to write her number down.

"Okay," Leorio said, hoping this was not a dream.

And like that, Leorio received one additional number to his phone.