YAOI warning! If you are unfamiliar with this term, please educate yourself first.
Disclaimer: Is this necessary? I don't own HunterXHunter! You knew that allready, right?
English is not my native tongue so don't expect too much from me.
*****
Part 1: In Leorio's room
It was very quiet in the university dormitory. Most students had gone home for the weekend. Only one student on the third floor still sat in his room, staring in his books. In a few weeks he had his first exam for medschool.
//A real paper test//
He sweated. He had been taking notes in class, but now that he looked at them he could hardly read his own handwriting. His mind kept being pulled away from the notes, away from the university.
The last few days he had been thinking about Yorkshincity again. And even though he tried to concentrate on the human anatomy, his mind carried him back to the pursuit of the Genei Ryodan and the troubles he went through with his friends, Gon-kun, Killua-kun but mostly Kurapica. Would he have found his revenge and retrieved the red eyes of his comrades? Leorio had worried about the Kurata since the day he had let him go at the airport in Yorkshincity. That boy's fight with the Kumo, even though it had lost its head, had been far from over.
//I really hope Senritsu keeps an eye on him now. It has been months since I last saw them. I hope that....//
Leorio sighed.
//Kuso, I should really start studying right now.//
He stared at the pile of paper in front of him for a few seconds. then he dropped his pen. His chair rolled back as Leorio leaned forward to let his chin rest on his crossed arms. He stared at the treetops through the window.
//I really wish he was here. He understands all this stuff.//
Leorio smiled as he reflected on the idea of Kurapica lecturing him and making complicated notes and drawing formulas on a blackboard, while he checked out his teacher's cute ass. But then of course Kurapica got on to him and leaned over his student's desk with an accusing finger "You're not paying attention, Leorio!"
//No, if he were here I would probably study even less.//
Leorio stood up, only to take one step towards his bed and then let himself fall into the soft sheets, his face buried in his pillow.
//Kurapica...//
He turned around and looked at his alarmclock.
//Only 6:32 pm, way too early to go to sleep.//
He closed his eyes anyway, and he immediately got caught in his worries again.
//I'm such a baka. If I care so much then why the hell did I let him go? I could have... I should have.... I wish I could just somehow protect him... from the Genei Ryodan, or even from himself. A boy as young as him should not be so consumed with anger. To live only for revenge isn't much of a life at all, even he knows that. But nothing can stop him from doing what he knows he needs to do.
And even if were there by his side I wouldn't be able to help him. That's why I went to medschool, to be useful, so I can take care of him someday..... But what if I'm too late? If things go wrong now I will still be unable to help him. And my nightmares will return..... Pietoro... The way he died. Only because I wasn't able to help him, my dearest friend died. There were so many things I still needed to tell him. I couldn't....//
It had been a while since he had had those nightmares about his dead friend haunting him, but the pain had never really gone away. Leorio felt a sudden deep sadness and the moment he opened his eyes to get away from the painful memories, he felt a single tear roll down to his pillow. He wiped it off with the back of his hand.
//Get yourself together, Leorio!//
But his thoughts dwelled off to the darkest corner of his memory. Pietoro, the first real friend he ever had. To Leorio he had been more than a friend even, but somehow he had never told him how he felt. And then he got sick and died. Leorio could still remember his face, his dead face. He had looked as if he were sleeping, only his lips too colorless, and his closed eyes too peaceful for a living boy, his beatiful face.
//I really need to become a doctor.//
As a kid Leorio used to picture his future self as a benefacter. The great guy who cured the poor without charging, and helped the needy wherever he could, the hero-doctor everybody loved.
That had been the original plan. Now he just wanted to be a doctor to be able to help Kurapica. After the hostage exchange with the Genei Ryodan he had looked so happy at first when they were all reunited again, but then he suddenly collapsed in the airship,and he got very ill for several days. At that moment Leorio had feared his worst nightmare would come true again. That he would lose Kurapica the same way as Pietoro, only because he couldn't cure him. That was when he decided that this would be the last time he had a sick friend he couldn't help. Even if it meant leaving him for a long time.
//I won't make the same mistake again. This is what I learned from losing my best friend. I just hope he can hold out on his own for a few years. ...... What the hell am I thinking? He is out there right now, risking his life every day while I'm sitting here with my books. Shouldn't I be with him right now? Even though I can't help him, shouldn't I at least tell him how I feel? ....Can I hold on for a few years?//
Leorio groaned.
//Kuso, now I'm contradicting myself again. What the hell is wrong with me?//
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a soft but firm knock on the door.
//What the? I thought everyone else went home for the weekend.//
Leorio got out of bed, wondering who the hell it could be.
As soon as he opened the door it felt as if the air suddenly got sucked out of the room, and he had to snatch for air to keep breathing. He looked right into the big blue eyes he had longed to see again for months. Kurapica got a gentle smile on his face when he noticed Leorio's gaping astonishment. He reached out his right hand. Still somewhat perplexed and speechless Leorio quickly wiped off his sweaty hand on his pants and reached out to shake Kurapica's hand. He noticed the chains disappeared just as he expected to touch them, and instead he felt Kurapica's warm skin. For a moment Leorio was so happy to see his friend that he had almost jumped at him to give him a tight hug, but the instant their hands stopped touching he forced himself back into reality. Kurapica materialised the chains on his hand and looked as if he was waiting. Leorio panicked again.
//Kuso!! I look like shit! My tie is loose, my shirt hangs out of my pants, my room's a mess, my bed is a mess too..... My god, there's a pair of dirty socks on the floor. Kurapica is here and.... I haven't even said anything!!//
He sweatdropped. "Eh, Kurapica, how unexpected, it's great to see you!"
He quickly ran into the room, picked up the dirty socks and threw them in the closet. Then he started putting his shirt in his pants.
"I'm sorry my room is a mess. Believe me, if I had know you would stop by today I would have cleaned up a bit."
"That's ok, Leorio."
Leorio thought he was going to melt right there when he heared Kurapica's sweet voice say his name.
He smiled widely at the blonde boy, showing his teeth, while scratching the back of his head.
"Come in..."
Kurapica looked around in the room. Leorio still grimaced.
//He's really here! I can't believe it! He's really here! ... I should divert his attention from my dirty room...//
"It's been a while isn't it?"
Kurapica nodded "Aa."
"So what brought you here tonight?"
"My boss gave me two days off, so I thought I could visit you,.... well actually Senritsu thought I should."
Kurapica smiled "So how are you?"
//I guess I really owe Senritsu now. She could have warned me though, but I guess I'll send her some flowers or something anyways.//
"I've got my first real examinations in a few weeks, so I'm a little stressed out. But otherwise I'm fine."
He wasn't lying, he did feel a lot better now that he saw Kurapica was allright. Maybe he made the right decision afterr all.
Kurapica walked over to the desk by the window. He seemed to check out the vieuw on the park outside and then looked down at the piles of paper.
"You want to sit down? You can take the chair", Leorio said while he sat down on his bed, but Kurapica didn't answer. He suddenly got a lovely expression on his face when he picked up the picture on Leorio's desk. A funny picture of the four of them that was taken during the Hunterexams[1]. The only one Leorio had of his friends. Kurapica put the picture back. He smiled.
Leorio thought of things he could say but couldn't really think of anything so he just sat there smiling back.
//Come on, I've been dying to see this guy and now he's here I don't know what to say. So, Kurapica, how's the boss? You're still working for the maffia right? Killed a lot of spiders lately? ....Leorio? Yeah. You suck!//
Then suddenly he thought of something.
"You wanna see some pictures? We went on a field trip a few weeks ago."
"Sure"
Leorio stood up and took a small photoalbum from his bookshelf. Then he beckoned Kurapica to sit next to him, patting his hand on the mattress, the place where he wanted Kurapica to sit down.
The Kurata's expression went from smile to confused to slightly angry. His face turned crimson. Only then did Leorio realise he had invited his short-tempered, easily-jumping-to-conclusions friend to sit on his bed with him. He suddenly remembered that sharing a room with Kurapica during the Hunterexams had often involved getting beaten up cause this guy got the wrong idea. And the blonde was giving him the 'gonna kick your ass'glare right now. Leorio sweatdropped.
"Oi, I didn't mean it that way, Kurapica!" He protectively held his arms in front of his face, ready to get hit. But somehow a little to his disappointment, the beating stayed out. When he looked up he saw that Kurapica, altough still blushing, was calming down. Leorio was pretty sure that if it hadn't been such a long time since they had seen eachother he would have had his eyes scratched out by now. But Kurapica had changed, he seemed distant.
To ease the uncomfortable tension Leorio asked; "Maybe we should go get something to eat? I don't know about you but I didn't have dinner yet", while he unknotted his tie and went to the closet to get a fresh one.
Kurapica seemed to relax again.
"I haven't eaten either."
"There's an exellent pizzeria in this town."
"Sounds nice."
//Maybe I should forget about telling Kurapica about my feelings for him. He'll either kill me or run away from me as far as possible. Most likely both... Let's just try to have a good time together.//
Leorio checked himself out in the mirror, wearing the tie he had just put on.
//Yellow! Exellent choice Leorio! It really brings out your eyes. You look stunnig, utterly irresistable...//
*caugh*
Kurapica's hey-I'm-still-here caugh pulled Leorio out of his inner pep-talk. He grabbed his vest and put it on. "I'm ready."
He let Kurapica go out first and then locked the door of his room behind him.
Then they walked side by side toward the elevator.
//Yeah, let's just try to have a good time.//
*****
[1]If you want to know what picture I mean, watch ep.40 it's on Leorio's desk.
Disclaimer: Is this necessary? I don't own HunterXHunter! You knew that allready, right?
English is not my native tongue so don't expect too much from me.
*****
Part 1: In Leorio's room
It was very quiet in the university dormitory. Most students had gone home for the weekend. Only one student on the third floor still sat in his room, staring in his books. In a few weeks he had his first exam for medschool.
//A real paper test//
He sweated. He had been taking notes in class, but now that he looked at them he could hardly read his own handwriting. His mind kept being pulled away from the notes, away from the university.
The last few days he had been thinking about Yorkshincity again. And even though he tried to concentrate on the human anatomy, his mind carried him back to the pursuit of the Genei Ryodan and the troubles he went through with his friends, Gon-kun, Killua-kun but mostly Kurapica. Would he have found his revenge and retrieved the red eyes of his comrades? Leorio had worried about the Kurata since the day he had let him go at the airport in Yorkshincity. That boy's fight with the Kumo, even though it had lost its head, had been far from over.
//I really hope Senritsu keeps an eye on him now. It has been months since I last saw them. I hope that....//
Leorio sighed.
//Kuso, I should really start studying right now.//
He stared at the pile of paper in front of him for a few seconds. then he dropped his pen. His chair rolled back as Leorio leaned forward to let his chin rest on his crossed arms. He stared at the treetops through the window.
//I really wish he was here. He understands all this stuff.//
Leorio smiled as he reflected on the idea of Kurapica lecturing him and making complicated notes and drawing formulas on a blackboard, while he checked out his teacher's cute ass. But then of course Kurapica got on to him and leaned over his student's desk with an accusing finger "You're not paying attention, Leorio!"
//No, if he were here I would probably study even less.//
Leorio stood up, only to take one step towards his bed and then let himself fall into the soft sheets, his face buried in his pillow.
//Kurapica...//
He turned around and looked at his alarmclock.
//Only 6:32 pm, way too early to go to sleep.//
He closed his eyes anyway, and he immediately got caught in his worries again.
//I'm such a baka. If I care so much then why the hell did I let him go? I could have... I should have.... I wish I could just somehow protect him... from the Genei Ryodan, or even from himself. A boy as young as him should not be so consumed with anger. To live only for revenge isn't much of a life at all, even he knows that. But nothing can stop him from doing what he knows he needs to do.
And even if were there by his side I wouldn't be able to help him. That's why I went to medschool, to be useful, so I can take care of him someday..... But what if I'm too late? If things go wrong now I will still be unable to help him. And my nightmares will return..... Pietoro... The way he died. Only because I wasn't able to help him, my dearest friend died. There were so many things I still needed to tell him. I couldn't....//
It had been a while since he had had those nightmares about his dead friend haunting him, but the pain had never really gone away. Leorio felt a sudden deep sadness and the moment he opened his eyes to get away from the painful memories, he felt a single tear roll down to his pillow. He wiped it off with the back of his hand.
//Get yourself together, Leorio!//
But his thoughts dwelled off to the darkest corner of his memory. Pietoro, the first real friend he ever had. To Leorio he had been more than a friend even, but somehow he had never told him how he felt. And then he got sick and died. Leorio could still remember his face, his dead face. He had looked as if he were sleeping, only his lips too colorless, and his closed eyes too peaceful for a living boy, his beatiful face.
//I really need to become a doctor.//
As a kid Leorio used to picture his future self as a benefacter. The great guy who cured the poor without charging, and helped the needy wherever he could, the hero-doctor everybody loved.
That had been the original plan. Now he just wanted to be a doctor to be able to help Kurapica. After the hostage exchange with the Genei Ryodan he had looked so happy at first when they were all reunited again, but then he suddenly collapsed in the airship,and he got very ill for several days. At that moment Leorio had feared his worst nightmare would come true again. That he would lose Kurapica the same way as Pietoro, only because he couldn't cure him. That was when he decided that this would be the last time he had a sick friend he couldn't help. Even if it meant leaving him for a long time.
//I won't make the same mistake again. This is what I learned from losing my best friend. I just hope he can hold out on his own for a few years. ...... What the hell am I thinking? He is out there right now, risking his life every day while I'm sitting here with my books. Shouldn't I be with him right now? Even though I can't help him, shouldn't I at least tell him how I feel? ....Can I hold on for a few years?//
Leorio groaned.
//Kuso, now I'm contradicting myself again. What the hell is wrong with me?//
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a soft but firm knock on the door.
//What the? I thought everyone else went home for the weekend.//
Leorio got out of bed, wondering who the hell it could be.
As soon as he opened the door it felt as if the air suddenly got sucked out of the room, and he had to snatch for air to keep breathing. He looked right into the big blue eyes he had longed to see again for months. Kurapica got a gentle smile on his face when he noticed Leorio's gaping astonishment. He reached out his right hand. Still somewhat perplexed and speechless Leorio quickly wiped off his sweaty hand on his pants and reached out to shake Kurapica's hand. He noticed the chains disappeared just as he expected to touch them, and instead he felt Kurapica's warm skin. For a moment Leorio was so happy to see his friend that he had almost jumped at him to give him a tight hug, but the instant their hands stopped touching he forced himself back into reality. Kurapica materialised the chains on his hand and looked as if he was waiting. Leorio panicked again.
//Kuso!! I look like shit! My tie is loose, my shirt hangs out of my pants, my room's a mess, my bed is a mess too..... My god, there's a pair of dirty socks on the floor. Kurapica is here and.... I haven't even said anything!!//
He sweatdropped. "Eh, Kurapica, how unexpected, it's great to see you!"
He quickly ran into the room, picked up the dirty socks and threw them in the closet. Then he started putting his shirt in his pants.
"I'm sorry my room is a mess. Believe me, if I had know you would stop by today I would have cleaned up a bit."
"That's ok, Leorio."
Leorio thought he was going to melt right there when he heared Kurapica's sweet voice say his name.
He smiled widely at the blonde boy, showing his teeth, while scratching the back of his head.
"Come in..."
Kurapica looked around in the room. Leorio still grimaced.
//He's really here! I can't believe it! He's really here! ... I should divert his attention from my dirty room...//
"It's been a while isn't it?"
Kurapica nodded "Aa."
"So what brought you here tonight?"
"My boss gave me two days off, so I thought I could visit you,.... well actually Senritsu thought I should."
Kurapica smiled "So how are you?"
//I guess I really owe Senritsu now. She could have warned me though, but I guess I'll send her some flowers or something anyways.//
"I've got my first real examinations in a few weeks, so I'm a little stressed out. But otherwise I'm fine."
He wasn't lying, he did feel a lot better now that he saw Kurapica was allright. Maybe he made the right decision afterr all.
Kurapica walked over to the desk by the window. He seemed to check out the vieuw on the park outside and then looked down at the piles of paper.
"You want to sit down? You can take the chair", Leorio said while he sat down on his bed, but Kurapica didn't answer. He suddenly got a lovely expression on his face when he picked up the picture on Leorio's desk. A funny picture of the four of them that was taken during the Hunterexams[1]. The only one Leorio had of his friends. Kurapica put the picture back. He smiled.
Leorio thought of things he could say but couldn't really think of anything so he just sat there smiling back.
//Come on, I've been dying to see this guy and now he's here I don't know what to say. So, Kurapica, how's the boss? You're still working for the maffia right? Killed a lot of spiders lately? ....Leorio? Yeah. You suck!//
Then suddenly he thought of something.
"You wanna see some pictures? We went on a field trip a few weeks ago."
"Sure"
Leorio stood up and took a small photoalbum from his bookshelf. Then he beckoned Kurapica to sit next to him, patting his hand on the mattress, the place where he wanted Kurapica to sit down.
The Kurata's expression went from smile to confused to slightly angry. His face turned crimson. Only then did Leorio realise he had invited his short-tempered, easily-jumping-to-conclusions friend to sit on his bed with him. He suddenly remembered that sharing a room with Kurapica during the Hunterexams had often involved getting beaten up cause this guy got the wrong idea. And the blonde was giving him the 'gonna kick your ass'glare right now. Leorio sweatdropped.
"Oi, I didn't mean it that way, Kurapica!" He protectively held his arms in front of his face, ready to get hit. But somehow a little to his disappointment, the beating stayed out. When he looked up he saw that Kurapica, altough still blushing, was calming down. Leorio was pretty sure that if it hadn't been such a long time since they had seen eachother he would have had his eyes scratched out by now. But Kurapica had changed, he seemed distant.
To ease the uncomfortable tension Leorio asked; "Maybe we should go get something to eat? I don't know about you but I didn't have dinner yet", while he unknotted his tie and went to the closet to get a fresh one.
Kurapica seemed to relax again.
"I haven't eaten either."
"There's an exellent pizzeria in this town."
"Sounds nice."
//Maybe I should forget about telling Kurapica about my feelings for him. He'll either kill me or run away from me as far as possible. Most likely both... Let's just try to have a good time together.//
Leorio checked himself out in the mirror, wearing the tie he had just put on.
//Yellow! Exellent choice Leorio! It really brings out your eyes. You look stunnig, utterly irresistable...//
*caugh*
Kurapica's hey-I'm-still-here caugh pulled Leorio out of his inner pep-talk. He grabbed his vest and put it on. "I'm ready."
He let Kurapica go out first and then locked the door of his room behind him.
Then they walked side by side toward the elevator.
//Yeah, let's just try to have a good time.//
*****
[1]If you want to know what picture I mean, watch ep.40 it's on Leorio's desk.