A/N: I really, really wanted to write a scene full of awkwardness that turned into cuddling so I did x3 This is a really long one, but I hope you enjoy anyway. Killua x Gon and Leorio x Kurapika.

A love hotel. That was how the whole mess started. Gon, Killua, Leorio and Kurapika had met up again in Yorknew city for the year's auction. It was kind of their thing now, for no real reason other than it held a lot of memories. They didn't really bet on much, but they had fun hanging out together. The last year had gotten crazy, with people trying to rob other people as usual, so this year Killua had left Alluka with Kaito to keep her safe. Problem solved. Except it wasn't, because he somehow ended up alone in a room with Gon… in a love hotel.

"Killua! The lights change colour! Wow, wow. It's amazing, ne?"

Gon was flipping through the lights, eyes large and glittering with curiosity. Killua briefly wondered if this was some sort of punishment from Alluka for leaving her behind somehow. But, at the very least, Gon was innocent enough not to realize what the fluffy handcuffs and various whips lining the walls were for.

The city had been so crowded that they thought they wouldn't be able to find a place to stay, until Leorio had mentioned a nice hotel he'd stayed at once. He'd conveniently left out the fact that it was a love hotel, but they'd taken their time getting there so there were no other options by the time they arrived. Of course, even that hotel was almost full so they only had two rooms left. 'Specialty' rooms. Killua and Gon's was S and M themed, much to Killua's absolute mortification. Leorio and Kurapika's was as well, but it was much more… Killua shuddered, not wanting to think about it.

"I like dark blue! Can we keep it this way?"

Well, there was nothing they could do now. Killua scrutinized Gon for the hundredth time, wondering just how much he knew about where they were staying. He wasn't acting like it was awkward in the slightest, but then again Killua had no idea how he'd act if he understood. Basically living in the wild meant seeing a lot of things, and seeing a lot of things could mean nonchalance towards them. He drew in a small breath, then decided that if this was how Gon would act, he'd just go along with it. He leaned over and clicked the light, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"I like green better."

"No, blue's the best!"

"Wanna fight about it?"

Killua made the first move, throwing a heart shaped silk pillow at Gon, who retaliated by tackling him onto the bed. The sheets were satin and slippery, so they both ended up falling off in the end, still hitting each other with their respective pillows and howling with laughter. Killua smacked Gon particularly hard and he fell back onto the plush carpet, laughing and looking up at the ceiling. Killua fell back beside him, tucking his hands behind his head.

"You know… this colour is actually giving me a headache. On second thought, normal is better."

Gon glanced over at Killua with a grin.

"Thank goodness! I thought we were going to have to keep it blue."

They looked at each other silently for a second, before cracking up again. In the end, the result of the pillow fight didn't even matter; they switched it back to a normal soft yellow. Gon scrambled up onto the bed, taking the remote with him and kicking off his boots to lay on his stomach, facing the TV. He kicked his bare feet through the air happily as Killua scrambled up beside him, laying in the same position. The challenge was in both of their eyes as they glanced at each other.

"Rock, paper, scissors on who picks the channel?"

Gon won with rock and he stuck his tongue out happily, flicking the TV on with an exaggerated wave of his hand. The night would've continued relatively normal and without a hitch had the TV not been turned on as loud as it could to a porn channel.

"This is going a little far, even for you, Leorio."

Kurapika inhaled deeply, setting his bag down on the floor and looking around the room. Before they'd decided who would stay where, they'd examined the rooms. Kurapika had ended up choosing the one they were staying in for one reason and one reason alone; to protect Gon and Killua. He didn't know if Killua needed protection or not, but he certainly didn't want to expose Gon to such things. So, as the elder pair, him and Leorio were staying in a room full of chains and shackles. They would've been rather fitting if they didn't incorporate anything embarrassing.

"I told you, I didn't even know they had these rooms! I only stayed in a normal one, once."

Kurapika may have been disapproving, but Leorio was obviously uncomfortable. He kept looking around the room, his eyes taking in the leather suits, blindfolds, gags, and strange instruments, and shifting nervously. The ordeal didn't have to be awkward or strange, but Leorio's nervousness was quickly making it elevate to that. Kurapika sighed; he'd have to calm his friend down if they were ever going to get any sleep.

"So you've been here before? That's surprising. Were you with someone?"

Yeah, like that was any less awkward. Kurapika cursed himself, but it had been the only thing he could think of saying to break the silence. Leorio blinked slightly, then stood up from the bed, narrowing his eyes.

"Surprising? Why?! Are you saying I can't get any woman I want?"

Kurapika let out a mental sigh of relief; Leorio had been so uncharacteristically quiet that he hadn't been sure what to do. Even talking about these kinds of things was better than sitting in a room like this talking about absolutely nothing. He removed his shoes and went to sit beside Leorio on the bed. Leorio recoiled a bit, moving a little farther away, his cheeks colouring.

"Any woman? I wouldn't go that far. But… I'm just curious. What happened?"

He'd never heard Leorio even mention a girlfriend before, so his curiosity was strong. What kind of girl did Leorio like, anyway? Pretty, quiet, feminine? Strong, outgoing, attractive? Trying to picture Leorio with some random woman made him feel strange, as if it wasn't quite right. Leorio muttered under his breath, crossing his arms and looking away.

"I met up with some woman at a bar and slept with her. That's all. Nothing 'happened' beyond that. I travel around a lot so I don't want to get a girlfriend just to disappoint her."

Kurapika watched Leorio as he told his story, and for some reason he felt just a twinge of frustration. Leorio seemed so nonchalant about it, as if he'd met up and slept with girls before. How many had he slept with? Kurapika had never really imagined Leorio spending time with women, and now he was wondering why. It wasn't like it was all that strange, but for some reason he'd thought Leorio was like him—too focused on the task at hand to get distracted by something like a woman.

"What's it like?"

The question popped out of his mouth before he could fully process it, and he realized with horror that he was asking himself that question as well. What was Leorio like with a woman? Kurapika had never seen him really seduce anyone. Did he speak in a low, suggestive voice, tracing shapes on her hand? Did he crack some stupid joke to make her laugh, then talk the night away and finally culminate the night by bringing her home? Did he ask her dance then pull her close and whisper sweet nothings in her ear? For every scenario he pictured in his head, he wondered what he'd do if he was the woman Leorio was trying to seduce. His face coloured and he stood up quickly, leaning down to ruffle through his bag. He could feel Leorio's gaze burning a hole in his back.

"Y-you mean t-that? Well, I g-guess since we're both m-men that's the kind of s-stuff we talk about. It's… uh… nice. Wait a second. You're only a couple of years younger than me and you have a good face. How have you not been with a woman?"

A good face? Kurapika didn't know how to take that. He decided it was a compliment, and decided not to press it anymore. Because it would only make him wonder what kind of compliments Leorio gave to the women he was with.

"I'm not into women and the like."

He said it in an offhanded voice, meaning for it to sound as though he simply wasn't interested in being with anyone at the moment because of his mission. But a strangled squeak of 'Oh' from Leorio made him realize just how differently someone could take what he'd said. His hands froze in their rummaging and he slowly stood up. His mind was racing, a hundred different ways to change what he'd just said dancing around, but Leorio beat him to it.

"Sorry. I just made a stupid assumption." A loud slap made Kurapika blink, and he realized when he turned to Leorio that the red on his cheeks were from him double-slapping himself. "Okay! You can hit me if you want!"

That was it. There was no regret at having to sleep beside him, no big dramatic WHAT? NO WAY! Only Leorio closing his eyes and offering his cheek for Kurapika to slap. Kurapika covered a smile, wondering how he was supposed to tell Leorio he hadn't meant it like he was coming out. But whatever. He wasn't really interested in gender, he was more interested in people. He appreciated a beautiful woman just as much as the next guy, but he had no qualms about appreciating an attractive man.

"No. I don't want to hit you." He laughed, taking off the top most layer of his clothing and setting it down neatly before climbing into the bed and turning his back to Leorio. "Let's just get some sleep."

Killua lunged over Gon and grabbed the remote, flipping off the TV as fast as he could. His face was burning and his heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest, though that was more from the shock of the loudness than anything. He peeked over at Gon, wondering what the boy was thinking, and was rewarded with a confused head tilt.

"What was that?"

What… Killua closed his eyes. Gon didn't know what that was? No, of course he didn't. Killua had been stupid to assume Gon knew anything. It wasn't simple nonchalance; it really was the pinnacle of naivety. He opened his eyes, then sat cross legged across from Gon, wondering how to explain.

"You know how animals mate?" He paused. Did Gon know? But yes, he was assured with a nod that Gon did indeed know that at least. "Well… that was people mating."

Gon looked back and forth from the TV to Killua, then his chocolate eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"Ehhhh? People do it differently? I thought they did the same thing! I even asked a fisherman and he told me! He said 'Yep, the dominant one climbs on top and bites the neck!'"

Killua leaned forward and flicked Gon in the forehead as hard as he could. Gon doubled over, clutching his forehead and whimpering.

"What was that for?"

"Baka. Have you ever had the urge to climb on top of someone and bite them?"

Gon sat up straight again, rubbing his forehead and thinking. And thinking. And thinking. No way. Could it be that he actually had? Was he actually an animal? Killua was beginning to worry that the answer might be yes when Gon finally spoke up.

"Well, I've wanted to bite someone. But I've never wanted to climb on top of them."

"When did you want to bite someone?!"

"I feel like biting someone when I'm angry at them."

That earned Gon another flick to the forehead.

"You really are like a puppy, aren't you?"

Killua could easily picture Gon with dog ears and tail, using puppy eyes whenever he wanted something. Heck, it wouldn't be too different from the way he used his eyes now. And the tail… he could practically see it waving back and forth eagerly every time Gon was excited. It certainly wasn't that big a leap of imagination.

As Killua sat lost in thought, Gon suddenly turned off the lights. Killua froze, then crouched, wondering if Gon was planning to launch a surprise attack or something. But no. A small flicker and then Gon was holding a candle that, incidentally, smelled like roses. Killua blinked, wondering what the devilish smile was for. Gon brought the candle to his face so that shadows danced across it almost creepily.

"I don't feel like watching people mate. It's weird. So I have a better idea! Let's tell scary stories! I'll go first."

Killua marvelled at how Gon had handled the whole thing. Mating… technically, that was the right term for it. If Gon hadn't even known how animals reproduced, this entire night could've become a scary story. He shoved the thoughts away and leaned forward as Gon started speaking in a low, tense voice. The story was standard, something about a monster in the forest who lured people into the bog to drown them. It wouldn't have been all that great except for the way Gon told it. It was incredibly dramatic and hugely over exaggerated, so by the time Gon was finished Killua was in stitches. Gon pouted, not finding it funny at all that Killua laughed at what was supposed to be a horror story. Killua snatched the candle and let his cold, emotionless assassin mask drift over his face.

"Once upon a time, two people had a baby. They loved her so much that they named her Light, because she was the sun of their world. Light was a bright and happy child, who got along with all of the other kids and never disobeyed her parents. She only ever didn't listen to them one time, but it was destined to be both the first and the last. They told her not to go play near the creek, because she could get dragged in by the water-lady and drown. She didn't believe in the story they told her about the water-lady, so she got into a huge fight with them and ran off. In defiance, she ran down to the creek and starting playing in the water. She was having a fantastic time, but sure enough, a water-lady appeared."

Killua's voice grew even lower and colder, and Gon was forced to lean closer to listen.

"The water-lady grabbed her feet and started dragging her. She screamed for help and her parents, who had been looking for her, heard her. They ran as fast as they could, and they ended up getting there in time to save her. However, they only managed to save half of her soul. You see, water-ladies eat people's souls and turn them into more water-ladies, and this water-lady had eaten half of Light's soul. Because your whole soul is connected, half of Light's soul became a water-lady's soul. So Light had another personality—Dark. It only came out whenever her parents, who had saved the good part of her, weren't around. Dark was a very strong water-lady who could take people even from land, but whenever she saw other parents she was reminded of her own, so she didn't want to take people. With only half a soul, Light could never die so she became immortal, along with Dark. Now, Light travels the world, and when she finds kids with no parents… SHE DRAGS THEM TO THE WATER AND DROWNS THEM!"

Killua screamed the last words and Gon flew across the bed in fear, cowering near the headboard. Killua laughed so hard tears gathered in the corners of his eyes and he had to curl up into a ball, clutching his stomach from the pain of laughing so hard. It was only when he realized that Gon wasn't laughing with him—not only that, the tears in Gon's eyes weren't tears of laughter—that he stopped abruptly. His smile was still frozen on his face when he realized his two mistakes.

1. Gon was extremely naive and likely to believe anything Killua claimed was true and

2. Gon didn't really have any 'parents' around

"B-b-but t-that means s-she can g-g-get me!"

Killua crawled across the bed, peering into Gon's tearful face. Wow. He was scared. Really, really scared. Like shaking, about-to-wet-the-bed scared.

"It's just a story. Come on, it's not like your story was real either!"

Gon shook his head, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them like a little kid. Killua quickly flicked on the lights and was surprised at how pale Gon had gotten.

"I-it was r-real! I even s-saw the monster!"

Killua had no idea what Gon had seen, but he was ninety nine percent sure that it had been a mixture of bad lighting, a large animal, and an overactive imagination. He didn't believe for one second that there was such a thing as swamp monsters, and Gon shouldn't believe in water-ladies either. And yet… he believed in both and right now he was quaking so his teeth were rattling. Killua frowned—he was getting tired and he'd just told a story that would have Gon awake in fear for the rest of the night. How could he remedy it? He could just make something up about a magic charm, but Gon would probably still have nightmares.

"Don't worry, I know a way to stop her."

There was nothing else to be done.

"W-what?"

"Well, if I hold your hand all night long, she can't drag you away, right?"

Gon thought about it and he nodded slowly. It made sense to him. Of course it did; Killua had spent enough time with him to know how his logic worked. Something simple yet thoughtful was the only way to convince him that it would be okay. Killua cracked a huge yawn and took off his shirt, stretching languidly. He knew he should be feeling slightly embarrassed, considering the fact that he was about to sleep half-naked with his friend in the same bed in a love hotel, but one look at Gon's uneasy nervousness over a simple scary story was enough to convince him it wasn't weird or awkward at all. Gon felt safe and comfortable with him, and that was all that mattered.

"It's okay. I'll hold your hand. I'll keep holding it until you find Ging again, if you want."

Gon nodded, his tense posture relaxing as he crawled over closer to Killua. Killua reached out and laced their fingers together, wincing at the initial pressure of Gon's hand clutching his as tight as it could. Then his grip slowly relaxed, and he found the courage to reach over and turn out the light again. He kept his hand in Killua's all the while. They slipped under the covers together, and Gon pulled the blankets over their heads. Killua couldn't see anything, but he could feel the tip of Gon's nose touching his, and the heady, wild scent he'd gotten so used to tickled his senses.

He reached up and his other hand found Gon's, as if Gon had been waiting for it. They lay under the covers silently for a few moments while Gon's breathing slowly calmed.

"Ne, Killua?"

Killua jumped a bit as cold toes pressed against his feet, but they warmed up quickly under the toasty blankets so he didn't bother to complain. With their hands and now their feet tangled, he wasn't even sure whose limbs and digits were whose. He'd never been so contented in all of his life.

"Yeah?"

Gon pressed even closer to him and he was yet again reminded of a puppy, this time one snuggling up to its friend. If he could stay like this, just cuddling and safe, feeling the warmth and smoothness of Gon's skin pressed against his, he could die happy. It didn't have to go any further, it didn't have to be all passion and frantic desperation, and he could still be the happiest person in the world.

"I'm glad I met you. You're my most important person."

Killua smiled, closing his eyes sleepily. He could practically feel the drowsy contentment coming from Gon, and he knew it meant there'd be no nightmares tonight. They'd known for a while that they shared the same deep, sincere feeling for each other, but it was still nice to hear and put into words.

"Me too. Goodnight, Gon. I love you."

"Mm. 'Night, Killua. Love you… too…"

The last word was more a quiet exhale than anything, as both of them had fallen asleep, still curled up hand-in-hand under the covers.

"Kurapika? Are you still awake?"

Leorio's voice was no more than a cautious breath, barely enough to hear if one wasn't listening for it. But Kurapika was, and he turned over to stare at Leorio's back, his eyes soft and slightly amused.

"Of course. I don't sleep. I wait."

There was a pause, then a muffled chuckle. Kurapika had lightened up just enough to make slight fun of himself and his seriousness. Though he was also half telling the truth; he had been waiting. For what, he wasn't sure, but he'd felt like Leorio had more to say to him. Leorio turned over and seemed surprised to find Kurapika so close (Kurapika himself was surprised too), but he didn't pull away or react badly. He simply seemed thoughtful, which was a rather odd sight.

"When do you think Gon and Killua knew?"

It was obvious what Leorio was referring to. Kurapika was pretty sure him and Leorio had noticed it even before Gon and Killua, despite Leorio's glaring simple-mindedness. Their bond was much more than friends, but it was something no one could quite put into words. Lovers didn't feel right, best friends wasn't enough, and comrades was way off. If he had to say anything, Kurapika would've compared the two to soulmates. He imagined, based on what Leorio had seen as well, that Leorio shared the same thoughts.

"I don't know. Depends on what you mean. I don't think they were conscious of it for a while, but it seems to me like they knew deep down probably even by the time we met up with them here for the first time."

Leorio was silent, though it was an agreeable silence for a while. He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn't seem to put it into words. Kurapika waited patiently, knowing that rushing him would only agitate him. He was surprised at the amount he knew about Leorio. It seemed he'd been paying attention without even realizing it. He'd brushed Leorio off as an annoyance the first time they'd met, but the more he learned, the less he could brush off. Leorio, who had once been the weakest of the four of them—and may very well still be—had an incredible will. If Kurapika wasn't hunting the Troupe… He paused. What would he do?

"Ah, screw it! I'm just going to come out and say it! Any guy would be lucky to be with you."

Kurapika blinked in surprise, unable to make out Leorio's full expression. It seemed rather like annoyance and… was that embarrassment?

"I don't understand what you mean."

He was genuinely confused, though he felt a small glow of pride and satisfaction in his heart. He heard Leorio mutter so quietly he could barely make it out even in the silence, but he caught snippets like 'being an idiot' and 'over with already.' It sounded like he was talking to himself more than anything. Leorio cleared his throat noisily.

"Just because you don't like girls, doesn't mean you shouldn't be with anyone! No, that's not it either… I mean, you can still get anyone you want! I mean, I would go out with you!"

The silence stretched out as Kurapika processed what he'd just heard. His face lit up to a brilliant shade of red, and he swallowed nervously, wondering how to respond. The thing was, for some reason, the thought made him ridiculously happy. But Leorio hadn't sounded like he was offering, he had just sounded like he was trying to comfort a friend. Kurapika rolled over, turning his back to Leorio.

"Yeah. Thanks."

He heard a quiet curse, then shuffling behind him. He figured Leorio had turned over and was preparing to go back to sleep, but suddenly the achingly familiar face was peering into his. Leorio had leaned over, and there was a steely determination in his eyes that made Kurapika's heart speed up.

"I like women. But you know… What I just said was completely true. So don't just brush off my offer so lightly! I'm serious! Even I'll get hurt if you completely ignore it."

It was an offer? Kurapika's face coloured even more; he couldn't just act cool after that. He'd been trying to keep a calm outer façade, but it was crumbling too quickly to maintain under Leorio's anxious gaze. He inhaled quickly through his nose. A serious offer from Leorio. He hadn't even known it was what he'd been quietly hoping to hear until it had been spoken out loud.

"I… well, if you really are serious…" Another lengthy pause had them both holding their breath to hear the answer. "…I'm not opposed to the idea."

It was careful, cautious and unsure. Leorio could be rather spontaneous, so it was possible he'd only offered in the moment. Kurapika didn't want to get his hopes up. Maybe Leorio would say he was kidding. Maybe he would change his mind once Kurapika actually accepted. Maybe…

"Really?!"

The nervous hopefulness in Leorio's eyes floored him. He'd never thought it had been all that serious, but it was like Leorio was actually excited. As if it were a prospect he'd been considering, and it hadn't been spontaneous at all.

"Y-yes."

A bright grin broke out over Leorio's face and suddenly warm arms wrapped around Kurapika's back. Kurapika gave a surprised exclamation, but he didn't move away.

"Uh… is this okay? It's cold and I j-just thought…"

It wasn't really that cold at all. But Kurapika smiled, reaching up to rest his arm on Leorio's. Lying with Leorio's body lined with his along his back, it felt like he'd just found a piece of himself he hadn't even known was missing. Their bodies fit together as easily as matching puzzle pieces.

"Yeah. It's cold. …Leorio? I was wondering… do you want to travel with me while you study?"

They'd often crossed paths, so it wasn't like it would be a huge change save for the fact that they'd be together. It was rather bold, but since Leorio had been the one who'd made the first move, Kurapika was able to bring it up with little hesitation. Travelling by himself had always been lonely, but he'd never met anyone he wanted to travel with. He hadn't thought it was possible to get along with anyone… Until now. Leorio's body, which had been exceptionally tense, slowly relaxed.

"Of course. That's what people who are dating do, right?"

Dating? Kurapika was glad they weren't facing each other, or Leorio would've seen the mixture of complete embarrassment and total happiness. Little did he know that Leorio's expression was more or less the same.

"I guess they do. Goodnight, Leorio. See you tomorrow."

"Obviously! And the day after that… and the day after that…"

He kept mumbling until his breathing sank into deep, even breaths that tickled the back of Kurapika's neck. Kurapika, who had stayed awake simply to enjoy listening to Leorio fall asleep, let out the tiniest breath of happiness. Dating someone had always been off limits, because who could understand his quest for revenge? But he'd spent so much time with Leorio that they'd both naturally accepted it as part of his personality. It was beyond anything he could've dreamed.

Dreaming… his consciousness slowly began to fade, and for the first time in a long, long while, it wasn't into a nightmare.