Author's Notes:
RELATIONSHIPS: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight, Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
RATING: Mature
Chapter 5: Confrontation, or the savagery between four whiskeys
On the way to the resort's bar, Leorio looks in the direction of the beach. He notices that the bonfire is over and that all the women have disappeared. Can they have relocated their party to the bar? The thought of having to play the part of an amiable drinking companion once more makes him second-guess his plans. However, he quickly decides that his need for a stiff drink outweighs the risk of seeing the redhead and her friends again.
The beach isn't entirely deserted. A familiar silver-haired guy ambles alone over the cerulean sand and stares up at the generous sprinkling of stars overhead. He aims a camera at the evening sky.
Should Leorio go over and ask where Kurapika is? No, he shouldn't. He doesn't feel like chatting with Killua at the moment. He's thankful, though, that Killua isn't presently holed up with Kurapika somewhere.
Leorio halts and tries to reach Gon via his smartphone. He intends to relay Killua's location so that the two of them can finally have a proper conversation to resolve whatever problems linger between them. But Gon doesn't pick up, which probably means he's still preoccupied with his conversation with Alluka.
Leorio should let Gon do whatever makes him happy tonight. He and Killua can discuss their issues another time, right?
Nodding to himself, Leorio resumes striding toward the bar. He can't wait any longer for the liquor to wet his mouth.
"A whiskey on the rocks," Leorio orders.
The bartender nods and tosses ice cubes into a fresh glass. As he waits, Leorio pushes back his shades and lets his eyes wander over the customers lingering by the counter. There's nobody from the bonfire he needs to avoid.
There is, however, at least one familiar face, and it's just about the last one he expects to see in this place.
With a dirty martini in hand, Kurapika is speaking to a male stranger. Kurapika is smiling, looking relaxed, looking captivated by the conversation. He certainly never looks that comfortable around Leorio. At least, not anymore.
"Your whiskey, Sir," the bartender says.
Leorio downs his drink in one go. He savors its burn down his throat.
"Give me another one," Leorio tells the bartender. He slaps down enough Jenny for the two orders, plus a sizable tip.
He's armed with his second whiskey as he stomps toward Kurapika.
The strange man presses his palm against the small of Kurapika's back. Kurapika, far from shying away from the touch, leans in even closer. He's so close that the man's breath stirs the dangling rubellite of his earring.
Infuriated by the sight, Leorio swallows his second whiskey all at once, smacks the empty glass on the countertop, then wedges his body between Kurapika and the stranger.
The force of Leorio's arrival makes the stranger fall on his ass. Kurapika, however, regains his balance and remains upright. His brown eyes are wide with surprise. "What are you doing here? I could've sworn you'd have company by now."
The stranger is grinning as he gets back on his feet. "This a friend of yours, Kurapika? Such exuberance! Welcome! Any friend of Kurapika's is a friend of mine!"
Without wasting any time, Leorio gets right up in the stranger's face. "I don't know about that. It depends, doesn't it?"
The stranger's smile fades. "Depends? On what?"
"On whether losing all your teeth will put a damper on our budding friendship," Leorio tells him. "So what do you say? Do you wanna test out how my fist tastes? We can find out afterward if we have the potential to be platonic soulmates."
The stranger backs away several steps and nearly topples over a table. "Uh, I'm just gonna go. I've got an early day tomorrow and all. I'll see you around, Kurapika." Upon spotting Leorio's menacing expression, the stranger swiftly reconsiders. "Or maybe not. Farewell forever."
With that, the stranger flees from the bar. Leorio looks at Kurapika with a shit-eating grin.
Kurapika is glaring at him. "What the fuck is your problem?"
In the next second, Kurapika is no longer standing by the counter. He's pushing past the door, ready to leave Leorio far behind him.
No! Leorio can't let Kurapika escape from him again! Not this time!
Ignoring the scandalized looks of the bar's patrons, Leorio thunders toward the exit. Just beyond the doorway, he manages to seize Kurapika by the arm before he can disappear into the darkness.
Kurapika's voice is fierce. "Let me go."
"Hell no. I won't watch you prance off with that man you barely know, and I certainly won't let this night end before you and I can finally have a proper conversation. We've put it off for so long, and where has that gotten us? Nowhere. It only made us both implode."
Kurapika wrenches free from Leorio's grip but no longer tries to run. "That's not true."
"It is, though. Look at you. You've resorted to messing around with strangers when you can't get what you want. You're a disaster without me, and I'm an even bigger disaster without you. When are we both going to accept that we're better off when we have each other in our lives?"
"I don't understand you. This —" Kurapika pauses to gesture emphatically at the distance between their bodies. "This is exactly what you wanted, wasn't it? You didn't want anything from me, didn't want anything to do with me."
"Kurapika, please. You're so accustomed to being the smartest person in the room that you sometimes say the most nonsensical shit without even realizing it. If that was what I wanted, what could've possessed me to plan a vacation with you? I could've left you out of the invitation, couldn't I?"
"Without using my Dowsing Chain, I can't read your mind or know your motivations for doing whatever you're doing. I can only listen to the things you tell me directly to my face. You were crystal-clear that time we spoke in the café. I don't know why you're complaining now when I'm only giving you what you asked for back then."
Leorio starts waving his hands around wildly, starts raising his voice until he's practically screaming. "What I asked for? I never asked for this! Would you mind refreshing my memory, because I can't for the life of me recall ever asking you to allow another man to shamelessly grope you in public!"
Kurapika recoils as Leorio hollers at him. His next words are uncharacteristically soft. His tone is defeated, almost. "You hate seeing that, don't you? You hate witnessing this weaker side of me that can't help but yearn for those sorts of things."
"How can I not hate everything I witnessed? If I'd arrived even five minutes later, I would've found that guy sticking his tongue down your throat! Disgusting!"
The revulsion in Leorio's voice incites Kurapika to anger again. "Here's an easy solution for you, then. If you find me so disgusting, why don't you stop following me around and attempting to sustain a conversation? I don't even know why you bother when it's long been over between us. We're not friends. We're nothing now. So just stay away from me, and you'll never have to risk tainting your precious eyes with the sight of gutter trash indulging in repulsive things like kissing, holding hands, and making love. Leave me alone, and let me do what I want. I'll extend the same courtesy to you, as I always have."
"So you're admitting you wanted him! You wanted to suck his face, wanted to hold his hand and who knows what other appendages of his body, wanted to invite him to your bed where he could screw you senseless! I thought you were in love with me! If I'm the one you love, why are you jumping at every chance to spread your legs for another guy? I don't even know — or want to know — what you and Killua have been doing all afternoon. You were both gone for so long. But even all those hours of sordid activity weren't enough for you? You're already hopping onto the next dick? You're so fucking hungry for it! How can you expect anybody to love you when you keep whoring yourself around like that?"
Kurapika jerks backward as if Leorio has slapped him brutally. His face has flushed a bright red, and his eyes are flickering scarlet amidst their rapid blinking.
Leorio expects Kurapika to scream back at him, but his next words are deathly quiet. He's shivering so hard it's a wonder he can enunciate his words at all.
"I still care about you," Kurapika says. "A part of me always will. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to stand here and take it whenever you're tearing me down like this. Over and over and over again. I'm begging you — work out whatever bullshit you need to by yourself. Leave me out of it. I'm done here, and I'm never looking back again."
With this, Kurapika walks off in the direction of the hotel. True to his word, he doesn't look back.
The last time Leorio caught a glimpse of that vibrant scarlet color, he froze for a moment before chasing its owner. This time, he makes no attempt at pursuit. He simply walks back into the bar.
He clambers onto a barstool and lights up a cigarette he bums from the nameless woman beside him. He orders his third whiskey on the rocks. Then, in swift succession after demolishing it, his fourth.