Quick update. I actually finished this chapter right after I updated the previous one! I wanted to hold it off a little in case the quick updates made people miss reading one chapter. Also, I'm not too sure if I will update the next chapter soon so I felt I should space the updates out a little. But I love and wanted to share this chapter soooo much! IlluKura pretty much write itself LOL If you have any cute ideas or suggestions feel free to pm or review it to me and I'll see if I can work with it. Thanks for your continued support~
**Start of chapter**
Kurapika wasn't sure if it was the right idea letting Neon play dress up with him for his date because right now, Illumi was staring at him more intently than ever. Did he look weird or something? He looked down at himself. Tight, ripped jeans that hugged his figure, and a tight leather shirt... Was this what was fashionable nowadays? Kurapika didn't know if it was, or if it was ridiculous, because it was extremely uncomfortable and movement restricting plus, Illumi wasn't the only one giving him those kind of looks. Everyone around him did, male or female.
"Illumi, do I look... weird?" Kurapika asked hesitantly.
"No, you look beautiful," Illumi replied smoothly. As always. Even as his eyes traced every line and contour of Kurapika's body shown through his body hugging clothes.
"If you say so..." Kurapika sighed, taking out his phone as it rang with his message tone. He had no idea where people went on a day recently, so he decided to ask Senritsu for advice, even though the mousy girl tried to tell him she was also dateless and thus, did not go on dates. But he supposed she would know better than he did. Senritsu was caught glossing over Neon's girly magazines on more than a few occasions after all. "Are you hungry? We can go to a cafe," Kurapika looked up at Illumi finally, tucking his hair behind one hair to show a dangling earring.
Didn't Kurapika know how extremely attractive that was? That elegant movement of his slender fingers across his silky fringe? Was Kurapika deliberately trying to seduce him?
"Illumi?" Kurapika tilted his head. Illumi bit his lip, wondering how Kurapika could look so attractive without even noticing it.
"I'll go wherever makes you happy," Illumi finally responded, never once taking his eyes off his date since they met up. Kurapika was quite disconcerted from how Illumi's eyes were always on him, but he wasn't sure if it annoyed him or embarrassed him. No one ever paid him that much attention before.
"Okay then," Kurapika gave a slight smile. Illumi's eyes followed the curve of those pretty lips.
"Right," Kurapika nodded, as if trying to reassure himself. He held his hand out. "Shall we?"
Illumi eyed it with confusion. Kurapika's smile faltered, then he realised Illumi was even more clueless than he was. He sighed, reaching over to grab Illumi's hand, intertwined their fingers together. "I wouldn't want to lose you in the crowd."
"I would never ever lose sight of you," Illumi said firmly, eyeing their joined hands. Kurapika's hand was very warm... and felt as though it fitted perfectly with his. His heart was beating faster than it ever did in his life as that heat traveled up his arm and to his heart.
"Are you telling me you want me to let go then?" Kurapika asked mischievously, emboldened by the thrill of a first date. What was he doing, flirting with an obsessed psychopath? He should not be encouraging his attentions...
"No," Illumi tightened his grip on the smaller hand, looking slightly distressed. Although it was hard to tell from his emotionless face, Kurapika slowly started to notice the small nuances of muscle movement that told him what Illumi was feeling. "No," Illumi repeated, staring deep into Kurapika's eyes.
Kurapika turned away, chickening out from the intensity of that gaze. "Let's just go then," he said in avoidance, pulling Illumi along as he navigated through the crowd. Illumi let himself be pulled along by the only person in the world who had the audacity to do so. Kurapika was special to him anyways. He wouldn't kill the pretty blond for pulling him along. And Kurapika knew it well.
Sitting down at a booth in the corner, Kurapika scrolled through his handphone again, following the instructions from Senritsu directly. He politely raised his hand to call the waitress over, and ordered a large parfait for them to share. Kurapika wasn't sure if Illumi liked sweets like Killua did, but well. Apparently couples did this, so...
Their parfait arrived promptly, and Illumi stared blankly at the mini tower of ice cream, fruit and various decorations like chocolate sprinkles. Kurapika took the cherry from the top of the icecream and ate it promptly, before looking up at Illumi. "Oh. Sorry, did you want that?"
Watching Kurapika chomp cutely, Illumi shook his head. "No, I've never eaten this... thing before." Illumi watched curiously as Kurapika put the cherry stem in his mouth as well, making some movements with his jaw... until he stuck his tongue out, showing a perfectly tied cherry stem.
"How?" Illumi leaned in curiously as Kurapika took the cherry stem off his tongue. Kurapika didn't stop Illumi from taking it from his fingers, even though he thought it was mildly disgusting since it had his saliva on it. Idly, Kurapika took up the spoon and started to dig at the side of the tall mountain where it was strawberry flavored ice cream as Illumi inspected the stem. "Hm... Interesting."
"Stop looking at that and eat or the ice cream will melt," Kurapika admonished lightly, scooping a spoonful and stuffing the spoon into Illumi's mouth.
A moment of awkward silence ensued when Kurapika realized what he just did.
"Mm," Illumi hummed in appreciation.
"It's good, isn't it? I like sweet things like strawberry," Kurapika smiled, seeing Illumi didn't mind what he did at all. Watching Illumi suddenly dig in rapidly with gusto, he saw that maybe Killua and Illumi had quite a few similarities after all, starting with their love for sweet things. They continued to eat the parfait together until they finished it.
"Hang on," Illumi leaned in, and Kurapika flushed from the close proximity. He squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing what the expect. A wet sensation on the corner of his lips, and Kurapika opened his eyes in surprise to see Illumi backing away, licking his lips. No way, he didn't... didn't just lick ice cream off his face, did he? That wasn't normal at all. Kurapika wiped at the edge of his mouth which was tingling. Then again Illumi was not normal at all.
"Next is... a photo booth?" Kurapika scrolled through his phone with a puzzled look to distract himself from thinking too much. "Well, okay." He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight recollecting the whole day's events though. He always did that to himself, reflecting about the day in bed suffering from insomnia.
Kurapika didn't even realize they their hands were still joined together like it was at the beginning of the date, even when they were eating. He absentmindedly pulled Illumi along, navigating the busy streets.
"Oh, mitarashi dango," Kurapika was attracted by one of the roadside stalls and eagerly bought one. He bit one off the stick, and offered the stick to Illumi. Illumi tucked his hair behind one ear and leaned down to pull one off with the stick, not knowing that Kurapika was watching him, enraptured by the smooth movements. Kurapika quickly snapped out of it when Illumi looked up at him again. "T-This way."
There was something nice about letting Kurapika do what he wanted. The blond was clearly enjoying having time to himself to enjoy some down time with things he liked. Every time Illumi met Kurapika, he was either dead tired or highly strung, but today Kurapika wore a pleased and content look on his face. And the fact that Kurapika was allowing him to be part of it was special, somehow. Just watching the fluttering golden hair and the side profile of the elegant facial features that glanced at him every now and then was bliss.
"Here it is!" Kurapika grinned happily once he found the photo booth in the arcade. "Let's see..."
Illumi stood close to Kurapika in the cramped photo booth as he watched Kurapika puzzle over the various controls with a look a doting parent might give to their child who was busy amusing themselves.
"Okay, Illumi, three, two... one! Cheese!"
The first photo turned out to be Illumi staring blankly at the camera as Kurapika gave a wide smile and gave a 'V' pose.
"Huh?" Illumi turned to look at Kurapika, and Kurapika gaped up at him.
"Haven't you taken photos before?" Kurapika raised an eyebrow.
Click! The second photo ended up with Illumi and Kurapika staring at each other.
"Oh no!" Kurapika fretted, and Illumi finally got the point. He put his arm around the blond's shoulders and leaned in close, striking the same 'V' pose he had seen Kurapika do. Kurapika blushed at the sudden close proximity, grabbing the arm around his neck. The photo that came out made Kurapika give an embarrassed groan because he was flushing pink and looking very shy in the photo. But Illumi seemed to like it a lot.
"Okay, so you take this pen and design it now," Kurapika passed the stylus over. He was wondering if Illumi even knew how to do it, but he paid no mind as he decorated the first photo and left the second photo up to Illumi. He was writing the date in a cute design when he looked over and saw Illumi draw a cheesy heart on the photo, right in the middle of the photo where they were staring at each other.
"Pfft," Kurapika chuckled, at to his surprise, Illumi gave him a gentle smile in return. His heart skipped a beat without him realizing it, and Kurapika quickly turned away from the assassin. That was unfair, smiling like that! He pretended to be engrossed with his work, and Illumi continued his fond smile as he watched Kurapika put in so much effort.
They were both very satisfied when they came out of the photo booth, with the sticker pictures in hands. "I'm going to keep it in my wallet," Kurapika decided.
"I will put it in my impregnable safe," Illumi decided, with so much seriousness that Kurapika couldn't resist a laugh.
"Sure," Kurapika agreed, looking around the arcade. No harm playing a few games, right? His eyes spotted the shooting range where various prizes were available. His eyes fell upon the large teddy bear which was the top prize. He continued to look around, but his eyes turned to the doll again.
"I'll get it for you," Illumi offered, striding over to the booth immediately.
"Hey, wait, I didn't say I wanted it!" Kurapika retorted in embarrassment. Even though the bear was very cute...
The game owner confidently handed him the gun for shooting, thinking that no one will ever be able to get the large doll since the strength of the bullet wasn't enough to knock it off its perch. Little did he know he was dealing with a nen user, and an assassin at that, who could possibly kill a target a mile away by flicking a single bean. The teddy bear went down instantly with a head shot, and the congratulatory music that played and lighted the whole place but garnered the attention of everyone around.
The game owner gaped as Illumi placed the gun back down on the table top with a blank expression as though it was the easiest target he ever hit even though the bear had been renowned to be unable to be won. Snapping back to his sense, the middle aged man picked up the bear which was almost as tall as Killua and passed it to Illumi, congratulating him heartily.
"Here you go," Illumi passed the adorable teddy bear to Kurapika, who was literally glowing as the bear was put in his arms. It was just as soft and fluffy as it looked. As whispers started about whether they were on a date and if Kurapika was male or female, Kurapika decided to hightail it out of the place, holding Illumi's hand again to pull him out of the arcade.
Now, he let Illumi lead him through the quiet park under the starry night sky as he hugged the teddy bear to himself with one arm. They were walking with a slow pace, just enjoying the peace of the night. Kurapika decided to point out the various constellations to Illumi from the vast wealth of knowledge, and Illumi listened to his favorite blond rambling on in a soft voice in order not to disturb the serenity of the park. Kurapika seemed pleased to be sharing his knowledge, just like what Illumi remembered of him during the hunter exam. He was the most intelligent candidate who seemed well versed in all sorts of knowledge.
They took a seat on a park bench, and Illumi went to a vending machine to buy drinks for both of them. Kurapika stared wistfully up at the sky, and he looked so sad and nostalgic that Illumi couldn't help but ask him, "What are you thinking about?"
"Pairo," Kurapika breathed the name out in a whisper as he stared up at the brilliant canvas the sky had become, dotted with pretty sparkling diamonds in shapes and patterns he knew and recognized, that their ancestors used to tell direction and time. He said it softly, as though saying the name any louder would physically hurt him. Illumi waited patiently for Kurapika to collect his thoughts.
"When I was a young kid, in my village, Pairo was my best friend. I'd tell him everything about the outside world that I read from books, and it was our common dream to get out to see it for ourselves," Kurapika confided. "In the end, I was the first to pass the test to go out of the village, and I left him behind. In the few days I've been away, I heard the n-news..."
Kurapika choked up, and Illumi was surprised to see Kurapika crying with lightly tinged crimson iridescent eyes. "S-Sometimes... sometimes I just wonder, what if... what if he had been alive, you know? Sometimes I feel so guilty... to see all these things without him, to be the only one alive, when I should be dead with all of them... I just wish I had the power to stop the tragedy from h-ha-happening. I, I..."
Kurapika sobbed. Illumi hugged him tightly, not knowing what else to do for the trembling distraught boy. He knew Kurapika was beautifully strong, with a determination and will to go on, fearlessly confronting the spiders that had massacred his entire clan. But he also knew Kurapika was just scared and helpless secretly, suffering from immense guilt that he piled upon himself, blaming himself for all the bad things that happen. They haunted his dreams, tormented him, ate him up alive. It didn't suit him. Not when Illumi saw what Kurapika was capable of today.
Kurapika belonged to enjoying new experiences, gaining new knowledge as he loved to work his brain and thoughts, he deserved to be free to just enjoy the wind against his face and the melting of desserts in his mouth. He wasn't suited to vengeance and killing, to dirtying his smooth and soft hands.
"Oh, whenever I think too deeply about it, I end up crying," Kurapika said shamefully, pushing Illumi away. "I'm so sorry for showing you such a sorry sight."
Illumi ignored him, hugging him tightly once again, so hard he knocked the breath out of the slender boy. "You can cry. You're not shouldering this alone anymore. I'm here with you, and I'll kill every single one of them until you stop crying. Every. Single. Person. that ever made you cry will pay." Illumi snarled.
Kurapika leaned wearily on Illumi's shoulder, feeling glad that he had a person to rely on. He had struggled since he was a young child to deal with the burden as his ancestors started to haunt his dream, told him to get stronger, told him to kill, told him he was the only one capable to bring them peace. Was it really alright to let Illumi help him? Was he just stringing him along? It didn't seem right to make use of Illumi to get rid of his enemies. Even if he was an assassin. No one should kill for his sake. Did he like Illumi as much as Illumi liked him?
"This date started out so well and got dark so fast," Kurpika joked apologetically, wiping at his eyes. He closed his eyes as Illumi leaned in to tenderly kiss his tears away. He was amazed by the amount of care and concern Illumi was capable of showing him. Illumi was treating him so gently, so unlike what he would expect from a psychopath obsessed with him. Kurapika smiled softly, enjoying the feeling of being protected and treasured.
"You make a better boyfriend than I'd expect," Kurapika confessed. Biting his lip, he thought back to Senritsu's words. He leaned back away from Illumi's embrace. He covered Illumi's eyes with one hand. "No matter what, don't move, okay?"
Illumi waited for a few seconds in confusion. Then, he felt something soft and warm touch his lips, sending a jolt to his heart rate instantly. Kurapika's lips left his, but the hand didn't leave his eyes.
"Kurapika?"
"Be quiet for a little bit. I'm too embarrassed to look at you right now," Kurapika admitted honestly, making Illumi smile. Watching the curve of those lips, Kurapika felt the urge to lean in again, and gave in. When Illumi started to kiss him back softly, Kurapika backed away, face flaming red and breathless. He hugged the bear in front of him, hiding his face behind the large doll. The sight was endearing, and made Illumi chuckle. The sound sent shivers down Kurapika's spine.
"T-That's all you're getting tonight," Kurapika spoke from behind the doll. "Thanks for the date."
Illumi pushed the head of the bear down, and Kurapika flinched when they were face to face again. Illumi gave a boyish smirk as he saw Kurapika look unbelievably attractive with his hair tousled and messy, with flushed cheeks and honest, beautiful red eyes which reflected his emotions for Illumi clearly. Kurapika saw the way the moonlight made Illumi's eyes sparkle with life and love, unlike his usual empty, souless eyes.
"One more?" Illumi asked huskily, leaning in.
Feeling his heart waver, Kurapika couldn't help but give in with a smile. It seemed like he actually liked Illumi a lot more than he thought, especially after today when he saw the different sides of Illumi. "This is the last one, okay?" Kurapika said adamantly, eyes glowing absolutely red and gorgeous. Illumi smiled back, and took control.
Kurapika had never ever known kisses could last that long. He was pretty sure Illumi cheated, because their lips parted and met over and over again, and Illumi's arm snaked behind him to support him as Illumi kissed the life out of him in a series of French kisses.
***End of chapter***
Best wingwoman of the year award goes to Senritsu HAHA,
Kurapika, all dates end with kisses
xoxo Senritsu