Hey guys! Sorry for the year long hiatus! I am now back and I will try my best to stay consistent with putting out new chapters! No promises though! Anyway I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! Happy December!


Kurapika hesitated for a slight moment at the door in front of him, hearing the cheery sounds coming from inside and doubting himself for the first time since he had woken up that morning. Maybe he shouldn't have come. He always could've lied to his friends that he went somewhere for the holiday and then actually stayed home, but instead he found himself awkwardly shifting his weight from foot to foot outside of his boss's house. Before he could start regretting anything, he quickly knocked on the door, retracting his hand almost immediately with intense embarrassment. He really hoped his visit didn't look like a desperate attempt to avoid his life problems, even though it was.

A few seconds later and Chrollo answered the door, the smile on his face and glinting eyes genuine and catching Kurapika off guard for some reason. The darker haired man's features quickly changed to that of celebration to confusion though, blinking a few times before he spoke.

"Kurapika?"

The blonde nodded, attempting to not look down at his feet while speaking but failing to doing so.

"Uh, merry Christmas Eve?" Kurapika asked awkwardly before looking down quickly. "I'm… sorry for dropping by without warning. I didn't really decide to come until this afternoon." he said as casually as he could. Chrollo didn't respond right away, causing the Kurta to look up to see that the other was giving him a warm smile.

"It's alright, I was actually afraid I had scared you off with the invitation." he laughed, scratching at the back of his own neck with a free hand. "Would you like to come in?"

Kurapika nodded again, and then he was motioned inside and greeted by the sight of more people fitting into Chrollo's house than he could have ever imagined. Sure the house wasn't all that small, but it definitely didn't feel like it could fit eleven plus people in it. The next thing he noticed was the smell coming from the kitchen area, a few different festive dishes of food placed all over counter and plastic plates and cups adorning whatever area was left.

"Looks like there is still plenty of food." Kurapika commented in slight amusement, causing Chrollo to chuckle.

"I suppose you're right. Guess I worried for nothing huh?" Chrollo smiled, making Kurapika's heart race for no obvious reason. He looked down quickly, not even paying attention to the food in the kitchen and almost ran into someone while trying to speed away from Chrollo.

"Oh, hello there. Who might you be?"

Kurapika looked up to meet the eyes on an older woman with shoulder length dirty blonde hair, her eyes seeming to go straight through him. He was about to comment but he felt a hand land on his shoulder as Chrollo's voice projected from beside him.

"He's a coworker." he supplied cheerily to the woman, who raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked disbelievingly, but the smile Chrollo was giving her didn't waver.

"Yup! He works in the same department as me, and I invited him over incase he didn't have anything to do." Chrollo said in a way that gave Kurapika a scapegoat in case anyone asked him why he was actually there.

"Hmm, alright." the woman said smiling back, seemingly convinced. She turned to Kurapika and held out her hand towards him. "My name is Pakunoda, it's nice to meet you."

"My name is Kurapika, it's nice to meet you as well." the younger blonde said, taking her hand and shaking it, surprised that her grip on his hand was very tight. He got a feeling that it'd be a very bad idea to ever get between her and something she cared a lot about. He smiled wearily when the shake ended, taking a step back to stand next to Chrollo, finding that he felt more comfortable standing by his side than directly in front of Pakunoda. She smiled at him as if she knew what he was thinking, making him shudder just a bit.

"Oh Machi, come over here." Pakunoda said over her shoulder, waving over another woman, whose hair was longer and an interesting shade of pink. "This is Kurapika, he works with Chrollo."

Kurapika didn't have much else to do other than bow at the one called Machi, who nodded stiffly back, seeming uninterested in his appearance.

"Don't worry, she's always like that." Chrollo whispered to him reassuringly. "In fact you could say this is a positive reaction given she hasn't sneered at you yet."

Kurapika raised an eyebrow but said nothing more as Chrollo helped dismiss them both from the two ladies and directed him into the living room. This is when Kurapika noticed the large Christmas tree stuffed into the far corner of the room, almost uncomfortably close to the tv, a few presents already under it already. The blonde didn't get time to look around more when Chrollo's voice brought his attention back in front of him.

"Now let me introduce you to-"

"Shalnark?" Kurapika asked with disbelief, eyes widening at the sight of the other blonde.

"Kurapika?" Shalnark questioned right back, eyes also widening in a similar fashion.

Kurapika tackled Shalnark into a hug, unsure why he felt so relieved to see him. He felt the other's arms circle around him to squeeze back and all of the awkward tension of being introduced to Chrollo's random family members vanished in that instant.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Chrollo asked behind him, his voice betraying how shocked he was.

"We're related Chrollo! Kurapika is my cousin!" he heard Shalnark answer with a cheery voice, releasing him from their hug. "How do you two know each other?"

"Oh, we're coworkers. He's my boss." Kurapika said, stepping out of Shalnark's personal space, glancing at the people next to his cousin. "Are they your friends?"

The other Kurta nodded, motioning to the taller blonde with slicked back hair and a short Chinese man whom had a small child clinging to his leg. "The tall one is Phinks, the shorter one is Feitan, and the bundle of cuteness down there is Taj!"

At her own mention, Taj puffed out her chest and cheeks, making an angry frown as she did.

"I am not cute! I am indestructible!"

"Aww, where did you learn that big word?" Shalnark cooed at her as the little girl pointed towards Feitan.

"He did, because he's right! You cannot defeat me!"

"Oh no! How scary!" Shalnark cowered jokingly, but Taj took it in stride, crossing her arms over her chest proudly as if she had won some sort of battle.

Kurapika was stifling his laughter behind a hand, coming to an understanding of how she could possibly run the entire household. A true menace when she wanted something, he was sure.

Taj then turned her attention to Kurapika, looking him up and down before a pout set in.

"Who are you?"

"I'm… Kurapika." the blonde said confusedly, seeing the little girl shake her head at his answer.

"No no no! I mean, who are you in my family?" Taj asked, clutching at Feitan's long shirt. "He's my Baba, Phinks is my Papa, and Shal is my Dad! But if you're Dad's cousin, what does that make you?"

At that question, Kurapika could feel his mind try and reel on what he could be to this little girl, running through possible titles that could be attributed to his status but it all short circuited when she spoke again.

"But you're also Uncle Cro's boyfriend so…"

"Taj!" Shalnark's voice was heard behind Kurapika, but the blonde didn't even turn to look at his cousin, he just stood there stunned with his face gradually becoming hotter and hotter as the seconds ticked by.

"I'm so sorry for that Kurapika, I don't think she-"

"It's fine." Kurapika managed to croak out, waving a hand dismissively at Shalnark, trying to conceal how flustered he was from Taj's observation of him and Chrollo. His cousin seemed skeptical a bit but didn't push the conversation further, instead nudging Feitan in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Actually, isn't it past the little princess's bed time?"

Feitan gave him a quizzical look before he took the hint, smiling when he did.

"Oh my, it seems you are right!" Feitan said exaggeratedly, looking at Taj sideways. She giggled in response and hid behind him, only for Phinks to swoop her up and hold her in his arms.

"Come on Taj, it's time to say goodnight to everyone!" he said cheerily, Taj squirming in his arms in protest. Phinks walked off with her to the other people in the living room, letting her say her goodnights to everyone.

"I guess that couldn't have been avoided huh?" Chrollo said, scratching at the back of his neck.

Feitan chuckled darkly at the comment.

"Probably not, but don't worry, this won't get out to anyone, brother. Unless…" he said, looking over at Kurapika, "it ends up progressing in that direction."

Kurapika felt his face heat up again but forced his face into a frown.

"That's quite unprofessional to imply." he accused slightly, earning laughter from Chrollo and Shalnark.

"Yeah Fei, chill!" Shalnark said, slapping the other's back. "Besides, my cousin marrying your brother? What are the odds that that'll happen?"

"Whoa, who said anything about marriage?" Chrollo asked incredulously, their joking seeming to get to him now as well.

"Yeah, I thought this was about us dating?" Kurapika added on, only for them all to look over at him.

"So you are dating?" Feitan asked slyly, and Kurapika instantly regretted his word choice.

"No! Not- no, definitely not! That's…" Kurapika looked over at Chrollo, noticing that he was looking back at him. He lost his trail of thought when he stared back for too long, shaking his head to get out of whatever trance he had been in. "You know what I mean Feitan; you two are the ones changing the subjects here!"

Feitan just shrugged with a smile on face.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Shalnark just smiled apologetically, about to say something until Kurapika felt a small hand on his face.

"Night night Uncle Pika." Taj said when Kurapika looked at her, seeing that she worn out already.

"Goodnight Taj."

"Night night Uncle Cro." Taj proceeded sleepily, as Phinks took her over to Chrollo.

"Night Taj, sweet dreams!" he said back, and she mumbled something as she wiped at her eyes, getting taken from the room as she did.

"Shal, you're gonna have to tell me how I unknowingly became an uncle." Kurapika said when the young girl and Phinks were out of sight. "I think that'd more than make for the embarrassment I've endured thus far today."

"Ha! You never were one to let small stuff like that go were you? Anyway, I'll tell ya about it later on another day alright? For now just enjoy the fact that it's Christmas Eve!" Shalnark said, patting him on the shoulder.

Kurapika nodded as he watched his cousin and Feitan walk out of the room to follow where Phinks went, making him pause.

"Isn't that where your room is?" Kurapika asked Chrollo as he was lead over to the living room where more people awaited to meet him.

"Yeah, I gave up my room so those three plus Taj could sleep together. Only bed big enough in this house to do that with." Chrollo said, smiling.

Kurapika nodded absent mindedly, then got introduced to everyone else left in the room. Uvogin and Nobunaga apparently both worked in the same business, though he couldn't remember what exactly they did, but they both seemed quite friendly. Bonolenov was a freelance musician and seemed to be a very eccentric man with more piercings than the blonde had ever seen on a human before. Kortopi was a small guy who seemed kind and gentle, and though he said he was in the copying business, Kurapika couldn't help but feel like it had less to do with printers and fax machines and more to do with black market replicas of rare items. Shizuku was forgetful, as she had first stated when she met him, but was very intelligent when Kurapika briefly talked to her. And last but not least, Franklin, who was intimidating to look at but pleasant to converse with, and said that he worked at a small gardening shop near his house.

By the time all the introductions had ended, Kurapika felt more tired than he would've liked to admit. Chrollo had asked if he was alright but he had brushed it off, not really wanting to seem rude by being knackered by that time.

"So, what do you think of my family? Not all too bad, no?" Chrollo asked then, leaning against the bar counter as Kurapika piled a plastic plate full of whatever was in front of him.

"They're definitely mismatched." The Kurta confirmed, adding two slices of ham to his plate. "But despite that, they are very lively and play off of each other well. It's a family I could certainly find myself getting used to." He continued, turning around as he did to see Chrollo's pleased face.

"You think so?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Maybe?" Chrollo joked, earning him an elbow in the shoulder.

"I would not and you know it."

"Oh, right right, of course, I forgot how reliable you are when you forget to even eat your own lunch sometimes." Chrollo teased, moving away from Kurapika in time to avoid getting swatted at.

"But I get stuff done." the blonde said, pointing a plastic fork at him. "Early, nonetheless."

"I'm complaining about how you take care of yourself, not your work." Chrollo laughed, grabbing himself a can of cola from the fridge. "Other than that though, your achievements are greatly appreciated in the office, despite some disdained looks you get from finishing everything so quickly."

Kurapika tried to force a frown at that but found he really couldn't, instead smiling as he shook his head.

"Of course."

After that, they both stood there in a comfortable silence as Kurapika ate and the sounds from the living room continued to sound rambunctious, simmering down to lower volumes as the time went on. Soon people started heading off, the first to leave being Phinks, who said they had a government job and wanted to be back in their home state for a while before their break ended.

The second person to leave was Kortopi, who said he had a few jobs to do and was just going to leave early just in case. He ended up taking a few Christmas cookies with him.

The third set to leave was Pakunoda, Machi, and Shizuku, who had rented a hotel nearby, and were going to head back before it got too late. They said their individual goodbyes, Pakunoda winking at Kurapika when she did, and then they left.

After that, everyone started to clean up the living room and kitchen area, Kurapika helping where he could. He put leftover food in plastic containers, put away the extra silverware, plates, and cups, and even helped clean off the countertops and did a few dishes.

"You didn't have to stay behind and help Kurapika." Chrollo had said when he came over to take over doing the dishes.

"Nonsense. You invited me over, the least I can do is help clean up." Kurapika said waving him off as he dried his hands. "Besides, the longer I stay away from home, the better."

"Really?" Chrollo asked, raising an eyebrow before turning to look at the clock on the microwave. "It's already one, isn't that late enough?"

Kurapika only answered with a shrug, walking out of the kitchen area to observe the living room where Bonolenov had set up camp on the couch, and Uvogin and Nobunaga chatted next to the coffee table, seeming about ready to head off to bed any time now.

"Did you even bring your phone?" he heard behind him, which he barely acknowledged with a slight tilt of his head.

"Nope."

"Shutting yourself off from your problems?"

Kurapika frowned then, but didn't look away from the living room.

"Maybe."

"Want to stay the night then?"

"Ye- wait what?" Kurapika turned to look at Chrollo who was smiling as he finished the last dish, drying his hands as he made his way over to the blonde.

"Well, you said the longer the better right? And I may not have much room here, but I can certainly provide you with another day's cover if you need it."

Kurapika felt so relieved when Chrollo said that, he almost accepted immediately. Then his mind started reeling, forcing out a mumble about not wanting to intrude in on Chrollo's space, but was stopped by the older man shaking his head.

"It's not a problem at all! Plus, we still haven't seen if you'll fall for Taj's charms yet." he said with a casual tone.

"Ah, well, I suppose if it's not any trouble then…"

"It's not! Though, there are limited sleeping areas, so you could take the guest bedroom next to the hall bathroom."

"Thank you but, if that's all that's left where are you sleeping?" Kurapika asked as Chrollo started guiding him to the extra guest room.

"Originally I was sleeping in the room I'm giving you, but I think I'll be fine. I have a sleeping bag in the closet I can use and-"

"No, that's unfair to you." Kurapika said, halting in front of the guest bedroom door. "I'll use the sleeping bag, you keep the bed. This is your house after all, and you already gave up your own room-"

"But you're a guest, so you get first priority in things like this." Chrollo insisted, opening the door and pushing the blonde gently inside. "Besides, I don't think a day on the floor is going to kill me." he joked, making the blonde roll their eyes.

"Hey yo Chrollo!" Kurapika recognized the voice as Nobunaga's. "Uvo and I are going to bed now! Night!"

"Goodnight you two!" Chrollo called after them, and that's when the idea struck Kurapika. It was an embarrassing idea, to him at least, but it was a compromise that wouldn't make the blonde feel as guilty about it afterwards.

"You will sleep in the bed," Kurapika said to Chrollo, who looked like he was about to argue back but stopped when the Kurta held up a finger, his face surely tinged in pink now. "And… I will too. We'll just be on separate sides though! That way we both have a bed to sleep on and no one has to use the sleeping bag!"

Chrollo stared at him a bit wide eyed before he threw up his hand to his mouth to stifle some laughter.

"That works out fine, of course." he said finally, straightening his posture and walking past Kurapika and into the room, flipping on the lights as he made his way over to a basket of clothes. "Here, take this for sleepwear, since this is all I really have in this room." he said, throwing an oversized shirt at the blonde.

Kurapika nodded and went to the other side of the bed, sitting on the ground next to it in order to strip himself of his normal clothes and to toss on the shirt he was given. He breathed in and out, trying to tell himself that it was just like a sleepover, but instead of with a friend, it was with a coworker. You've done this before you big dummy, what's the difference this time? If anything you won't have a sore back from sleeping awkwardly on a couch! Kurapika disgruntledly accepted that his thoughts were right but determined he didn't have to feel any better about the situation because of them.

He got up and slid into the bed, turning his back on the dark haired man immediately. He heard a chuckle behind him but ignored it as the lights turned off. He felt the bed dip next to him but then after that it was motionless besides a toss or a turn every now and then. He let go of the breath he was holding and finally relaxed, beginning to feel himself drifting off when Chrollo's voice came.

"It sort of occurred to me just now but, don't you have family to spend the holidays with?"

Kurapika didn't have much energy to really answer, and less so to even feel offended. It was a question normal people would ask if they saw him alone in public on any holiday, be it New Year's or Thanksgiving or even St. Patrick's Day. There was no reason to be angry at others for not knowing why he never associated with them.

"No, not really." he replied sleepily. "I've… kind've been kicked out, you could say."

There was silence after that, and Kurapika assumed the conversation was over until he heard the older man's voice again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"I know, that's why you asked." Kurapika said turning around to lay on his other side, which consequently lead him to end up looking at Chrollo. "And it's okay, nothing much that could be done there anyway."

Chrollo nodded in understanding before smiling sleepily a bit.

"I think I forgot to tell you, but merry Christmas to you too."

Kurapika smiled back, before mumbling an amused "Go to sleep." and closed his eyes, his mind drifting away until everything was black and peaceful.


I hope this was worth the wait! Also, I would like to point out that Kurapika and Taj are technically first cousins once removed, but for the sake of simplicity, Kurapika will be referred to as Taj's "uncle" and Taj will be referred to as Kurapika's "niece"!

Thank you for your patience and support!