Title: Peer Edit

Title: Peer Edit

Author: NoirRouge

Summary: Kurapika is an author with a sudden fame boost, Leorio is a doctor for teenage cancer patients, Gon has cancer, and Killua is the heir of millions of dollars. Is this supposed to be funny? AU KuraxLeo GonxKillua

Disclaimer: I do no own Hunter x Hunter, I never have, and I never will! OMG

WARNING: This story contains shonen-ai / slash/ boy love. If this offends you in anyway please do not read this story and save me the trouble of reading your reviews about how I have no morals. Thank you, come again.

Chapter Ten: Why Don't You and I?

Leorio was ecstatic. He was jubilant, thrilled, overjoyed, and felt like he wanted to vomit.

Leorio adjusted his tie once more in the mirror and tried to ignore the horrible weight building in the pit of his stomach. He looked fine. Casual, but fine… everyday work attire. He kept telling himself these things and trying to pull himself away from the mirror.

Leorio had been invited over to Kurapika's place, for dinner that is. Kurapika had sent him an e-mail earlier that day explaining that he didn't feel like dealing with a crowded restaurant that most likely had a reporter or two stashed away, and that they should just have dinner at his place.

It wasn't fair! Kurapika always managed to be so nonchalant about anything and everything, and while doing so he tore Leorio's sanity to shreds. He wished for one second that he could have the same cool exterior as Kurapika, but in trying to do so he feared he'd just look like a dork and go right back to where he started: being an anxious mess.

So Leorio gave up, splashed some water on his face and made for his car. The drive didn't take too long, but traffic moved very slowly, two things that hadn't work towards Leorio's nerves advantage. The awful feeling in the pit of Leorio's stomach doubled as he saw the scenery change around him, going from handsome neighborhoods to high class apartments that housed many wealthy families. Leorio was a doctor for Christ sakes, and even he couldn't afford this type of living. He slowed his car and turned into a parking garage below one of the biggest and most lavish looking buildings in the neighborhood, parking close to the elevator. Leorio decided it wasn't too important to find a landmark on where he parked his car; his was the piece of shit sitting between the Benz and the Mercedes.

Eventually he found himself at Kurapika's door and hesitantly pushed the buzzer. He fidgeted with his tie one last time, and attempted to look presentable.

A few seconds later Leorio heard the soft padding of foot steps on carpet. The door opened. He gulped.

There stood Kurapika with his soft, perfect, welcoming smile. "You're early," he stated, opening the door wider to allow Leorio through. "Food's not done yet." With that, Kurapika disappeared through a door that Leorio assumed led to the kitchen.

"Take your shoes off at the door and make yourself comfortable." Kurapika shouted from the other room.

Leorio toed off his shoes, and for a moment was in danger of tripping, but he recovered. He took a few moments to look around the apartment. It was clean and smelled of citrus. The couch looked firm and new, not yet broken in. Pieces of miscellaneous art hung on the wall. There wasn't a speck of dust to be seen. The room looked like it had popped out of a magazine; it looked unlived in.

When Leorio finally sat down on the pristine couch Kurapika walked back into the room. "It'll be a few more minutes then chow's up." He smiled, and Leorio's insides turned mushy… so…cute. Kurapika plopped down on the couch next to Leorio and looked over. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Leorio said articulately, then mentally smacked himself. He'd been staring at Kurapika with, most likely, a very goofy expression; he had probably been drooling too. He shook his head and quickly recovered. "This is a really nice place. No offense, but I didn't think an writer could afford a place like this."

"I didn't pay for it." Kurapika said matter of factly. "I inherited it. Well, more like I fell into it."

"Rich uncle?"

"No, I actually got this apartment from Doctor Nostrad."

"Oh really, the same one I work with?"

Kurapika tapped his chin with his index finger, recalling the events. "Same one, met him when I was tutoring his daughter in college. I was about to graduate and still living in campus lodging with no idea of where to go next. Nostrad was thinking about selling the apartment. It belonged to his late wife as a sort of vacation house, and he kept it as a memento. He heard about my predicament and decided that it would be put to better use, and most likely kept better under my care. So it was mine."

"Lucky find, these places don't go onto market very often, not to mention they are unreasonably expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if that Killua kid's parents owned a few around here." Leorio remarked.

There was a bit of an awkward silence for a moment. Leorio then decided that this would be a good time to stretch a bit and raised his hands in the air, and after a half-hearted stretch was about to bring them down till he was cut off by Kurapika suddenly standing and turning around.

"Chow time." He smiled.

"Oh, yeah…" Leorio sighed and followed Kurapika into the kitchen for dinner.

Leorio and Kurapika were back on the couch, this time with full bellies, and very contented moods. Laughter hung in the air as their conversation dragged off into a warm silence. Leorio had not hesitated this time to wrap his arms around Kurapika's shoulders and they both sat together absorbing the warm atmosphere.

Leorio leaned forward a bit and looked at Kurapika directly in the face. Kurapika had a slightly confused expression, but the corner of his lips turned up slightly and his eyes twinkled in a secretive way. Leorio looked into the eyes and thought about just how much he wanted to see those eyes twinkle like that all the time.

"You know," Leorio began, in a jesting manner, his own eyes twinkling. "This is technically our third date, and I haven't even gotten a kiss."

Kurapika's expression darkened into something like a scowl, but sadder. But as soon as Leorio could register the change Kurapika stood up sharply, and stormed out of the room into, what Leorio assumed was his bedroom.

Leorio wasn't quite sure what to do. After a moment or two he stood up and slowly walked over to the door through which Kurapika had disappeared. He stood there for a few moments longer and just listened. He couldn't here anything till a very quite noise that sounded like a sharp gasp came from behind the door.

Worriedly Leorio knocked weakly on the door. "Kurapika, is everything ok?"

Silence was his only response, till Kurapika gave a weak, yes in response. "Give me a minute." There was another pause. "Maybe it would be better if you just left… I'm not feeling well."

"Kurapika, please…"

"I'll call you tomorrow." came the sharp reply.

Leorio sighed. "Listen, Kurapika, I'm sorry if what I said bothered you, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just kidding." Had he been too forward? He honestly couldn't find anything wrong with what he'd said, but now it worried him.

There was bit more silence until… "You didn't mean it?" Kurapika asked meekly.

Leorio sighed once more. "No… I didn't, I'm sorry."

"Then why did you say it?" This time the question was much firmer.

Leorio was taken aback and not quite sure what to say. "Well, I…uh…" he stammered. "I don't know?"

"I think it would be best if you just…"

"Listen," he interrupted quickly, deciding it was best to just explain himself before being kicked out. "I meant it in the way that… I really do want to—kiss you." He felt very silly after saying that. "But I wasn't trying to put any pressure on you or anything, I just felt like maybe it was an okay thing to say… I didn't know you'd react so badly."

There was no response.

"I guess I'll just go then." Leorio slowly turned around and made his way for the door. But as he was about to say he'd wait for the call the door to Kurapika's room opened slowly, and Leorio turned back around.

They stared at each other, neither daring to move. Then Kurapika slowly made his way over to Leorio and stopped when he stood before him, his head down. "I want you to." Was all he said.

With that Kurapika's arms rose around Leorio's neck as he stood on tiptoes, and then their lips met.

Leorio was surprised at first, but didn't let himself stay idle for too long. His arms snaked their way around Kurapika's waist and his eyes slid closed, allowing himself to be swept away.

The kiss evolved from being chaste to something more heated. The one kiss became many, and as it went on Leorio became bolder, letting his tongue slip over to Kurapika's mouth asking for entrance. Kurapika gave a little gasp, which disappeared somewhere into the heated kiss. Leorio's arms tightened around Kurapika's waist with the intention of bringing him even closer, but Kurapika, reluctantly, broke off and took a few steps away from Leorio.

They stood there and observed each other, Kurapika was panting slightly and his eyes were hooded. Leorio wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation and said nothing. Kurapika then made a small gesture and walked back into his room, this time leaving the door wide open. Leorio took the hint and followed him in.

Upon entering the room the door was promptly closed.

Much later that evening found Leorio lying behind a sleeping Kurapika with nothing between them but a sheet. In his drowsiness Leorio recapped what exactly had just happened.

Well, the first part was obvious. Kurapika and he had done something that most adults do in private behind closed doors. He was in no way confused about that. But afterwards when the euphoria they had both been experiencing began to wane Kurapika told him a story.

It turned out that in his first year at the university Kurapika had become very close to one of his professors that he admired very much. The professor expressed what seemed to be a genuine and heartfelt interest in Kurapika, and asked him to be with him.

Kurapika being completely helpless to the idea of this man loving him gave in eagerly. But things hadn't been what they seemed. His professor was harsh with him, and hit him on more than one occasion, but he always apologized, and Kurapika always came back. But as soon as the man had gotten what he wanted he left. Without informing Kurapika he transferred to another university, coincidentally the one where his wife also worked.

Kurapika had been devastated, but didn't know how to express it. He had no one else, and the man he thought cared used him. He retreated into himself and into his studies unsure of how to express the hurt he felt. He became very reclusive and avoided any sort of intimate relationship with anyone.

Until now.

The knowledge that Kurapika trusted Leorio enough to open up to him made his heart sing. And as he lay there, about to fall asleep with the smaller man in his arms, he swore that he would never hurt Kurapika, and do everything in his power to prevent him from feeling alone ever again.

And with a contented smile, he buried his head in Kurapika's hair and drifted to sleep.

A/N: So I finally find myself with some free time again. I'm not working and school is just about over. So for the first time in forever, I feel not stressed enough to write again. I hope to get this story wrapped up soon enough and I hope you guys enjoy the final chapters.

I also like to call this chapter "while the children are away, the adults will play", tehe

Please review, I like to know what you all are thinking, even if it is how incredibly cheesy this chapter was.

LOVE NoirRouge

PS I have the ever so lovely PF betaing for me again, lets all welcome her back for the end of my story!