A/N: Very short one this time, and somewhat offbeat, but I like it. Over halfway there!
Greed
Every time he visits Leorio, he comes away lighter from the encounter.
And he means that literally. Not that Leorio somehow lightens his spirit, eases the load for awhile. He means Leorio takes things from him.
Sometimes it's physical things. When the fourth exam is over and the badges no longer matter, Kurapika finds he is missing his; en route to Killua's home, his watch disappears. He knows it's Leorio doing it. He thinks it's meant to provoke him, so he does the thing he believes will irritate Leorio the most: ignores him. There's a fierce kind of pleasure in playing this sort of game with a friend for once, not an enemy; seeing how far you can push the other with no fear of the consequences, no fear of losing the friend.
Sometimes it's not physical. Leorio is good at extracting words Kurapika did not want to speak. During the hidden exam, the story of his people--not meant to be shared. After finding Killua, a promise to keep in touch is made. Kurapika doesn't intend to make promises to anyone but the dead; Leorio steals them anyway.
The pattern gradually becomes routine, and if Kurapika doesn't put his foot down it's because on some level he is starting to understand why Leorio really does it--that it has nothing to do with provocation or games. And that understanding is dangerous, something he doesn't want to go near, so he puts up with the behavior like he would from no one else. He's not sure Leorio is even fully aware of what he's doing; the way he constantly pushes himself into Kurapika's space--physical or emotional--and leaves his mark on everything there, greedily reaching for whatever catches his eye. Kurapika outwardly ignores it, but on another, deeper level, he is watching carefully; guarding the thing that Leorio actually wants. Keeping it tight to his chest and letting everything else fall away like it didn't matter in the first place.
So it goes on. A book he was reading; a memory he was hoarding. At York Shin, most of his ice cream and a promise to be more cautious. The next time they meet, another book is taken, along with a song he hasn't sung since before the Ryodan. The time after that, a CD with some of Senritsu's music on it is stolen. So is a kiss. Before Kurapika leaves, Leorio asks for what he's really been after all these years: don't go. Come back. Don't go.
Kurapika's prepared for it. He's been readying himself for it for years, ever since he realized what Leorio wanted. So he finally resists, realizing as he does so that all this is as much his fault as Leorio's--because in all these years he's never called Leorio on his actions, never said no once.
He says no this time, and walks away with the thing he's guarded so long still clutched painfully, miserably tight to his chest. And when he realizes that once again, his favorite jacket and a part of himself he never meant to give away have been taken, he doesn't say anything about it.