Reunion, a hunter x hunter fanfic

Title: Reunion
Characters/Pairing: Leorio/Kurapika, with Killua/Gon
Word Count: 2600 something
Rating: PG for kissing and. Subtext? Sex education? Blah.
Disclaimer: Hunter x Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi
Notes: Crit would be loved, as this was written without sleep and without reviewing canon. I am a lazy bastard, yes.

They meet up in York Shin City at a five star hotel. Their hunters licenses allows them to have the rooms for next to nothing, and Gon and Killua share a room next to the pool while Leorio gets a suite to himself.

Leorio wonders, briefly, if he should talk to Gon and Killua about safe sex and the proper use of lube when Killua trips Gon and shoves him into the pool. Leorio smiles and relaxes, because even though they're seventeen, their dynamic hasn't changed from when they were twelve.

Even if the sexual tension is palpable enough to cut with a knife sometimes.

Leorio enjoys lounging in his hotel room with no pants on. Normally, if he were working, the moment he would take his pants off would be the moment some emergency came and he was called by an anxious sounding nurse to the ER. Here, he is on vacation, which means he can wander around his large suite, completely pantless, without worrying about calls from overworked nurses and stressed out aides.

"LEORIO," Gon yells as he beats on Leorio's hotel door, "WE'RE GOING TO DINNER!"

Leorio sighs and resigns himself to fate as he puts on a pair of pants before Gon knocks the door down.

Kurapika is not scheduled to arrive in York Shin for three more days, but Leorio finds himself preparing nevertheless. He isn't sure just what he has to prepare for, but assumes that his subconscious knows what to do better than he does.

That still does not explain the tuxedo and top hat that he buys.

Gon and Killua stare at him when he wears it.

"Get rid of the hat," Killua says, "It makes you look like you're trying too hard."

I am trying too hard, Leorio thinks, but says instead: "How would you know?"

"Leorio," Gon says, "Killua's right. You look like you're trying too hard."

"See?" Killua adds, pointing a thumb towards Gon. "Even someone as dense as Gon can tell."

Gon opens his mouth, but nothing comes out as he tackles Killua to the ground. As the two wrestle on the floor and break thousands of dollars worth of furniture and frighten the hotel workers, Leorio sighs and turns back to his reflection in the mirror.

The top hat doesn't fit him. He's trying too hard.

The day before Kurapika arrives, Killua barges into Leorio's suite, covered head to toe in melting ice cream.

"You're dripping ice cream on the carpet," Leorio unhelpfully says. Killua scowls at him and walks into the bathroom and slams the door shut.

"Don't stay in there too long," Leorio yells when the shower starts. "I need to shower, too!"

He is answered by a loud thump on the wall.

Killua comes out twenty minutes later wearing Leorio's fluffy new bathrobe.

"I left my dirty clothes in the sink," he says. Leorio eyes him critically.

"You're dripping water on the carpet."

Killua sticks his tongue out and walks out of the room. Just as Leorio is about to call room service and get the place cleaned up, he hears Gon let out a war cry and Killua screaming angrily in response. There is a splash, followed immediately by the sounds of tourists screaming.

Leorio sighs and picks up the phone. "Young love," he mutters before dialing for the front lobby.

Leorio entertains himself during the two hours before Kurapika's flight arrives by trying to imagine how Kurapika has changed.

He is fully aware of how he himself has changed. Money is no longer that important. He makes enough at the hospital to be able to treat most patients for free, and all the amenities he could ever want are pretty free thanks to his hunter license. His nen, while not useful in the medical field, is good enough to allow him to travel to more dangerous areas and treat people there. He is doing what he always has wanted to do, and he is happy. There's less guilt, less struggling, and much less denial. He is, Leorio decides, very stable and content.

Gon and Killua are still Gon and Killua. They are older, taller, stronger, and their casual rough and tumble boys play has evolved into something more physical and intimate, but they are essentially the same. To be honest, Leorio finds them immature at times, but he can hardly blame them for acting that way. Leorio keeps up with the news. He knows what they have been doing.

As for Kurapika...

Leorio does not want to think about the box of newspaper clippings and internet print outs that he keeps tucked away at the bottom of his luggage. Kurapika will be there in less than an hour. Now is not the time to think about the cold, ruthless Black List Hunter that everyone wants to see but no one wants to meet. Now is not the time to think about the endless tabloid articles about the Hunter the even the top Hunters in the Hunter's Committee is wary about. Leorio knows that is not the real Kurapika.

Still, when Kurapika steps out of the terminal and greets them, Leorio cannot help but to see blood red eyes glaring at him in his mind.

Most reporters are smart enough to stay away from a dangerous Black List Hunter. Leorio is thankful that while he has some accomplishments, none of them are newsworthy enough to cause photographers and reporters to stalk him.

The one that's stalking Kurapika, Leorio thinks as he spots her dashing clumsily behind a trash can, is either very brave or very stupid.

"You've got a fan," Killua says, and Kurapika winces slightly.

"They're all female, aren't they?" Gon asks. It's an innocent question, but it makes Kurapika groan.

"Women," Kurapika says, voice strained, "can be ruthless and persistent beasts."

Killua gives Kurapika a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Leorio notices for the first time that Killua is now taller than Kurapika and is almost as tall as Leorio himself.

"I know what you mean," Killua says. "I mean, they won't let up even when I've Gon pushed up against a wall and my tongue down his throat."

Leorio chokes as Gon lets out an indignant yell and cuffs Killua on the back of his head. Leorio turns slowly to Kurapika as the two boys begin another wrestling match on the streets of York Shin, and notices the Kuruta is standing completely still. His eyes are wide, and Kurapika looks like he's trying very hard not to laugh.

There is a flash of light, and Leorio turns to find the reporter standing sheepishly behind them, holding a camera in her hand. Gon and Killua are no longer fighting, and the two of them stare at the reporter, Gon caught in a headlock while Killua has Gon's elbow in his nose.

"Um, er," the reporter stumbles. Kurapika finally turns as well, and the reporter quickly snaps another shot before fleeing. Gon and Killua turn towards Kurapika as they untangle themselves.

"Should we follow her," Killua asks, suddenly all business. Kurapika shakes his head.

"No, she's safe."

"Are you sure?" Killua presses, lifting himself off the ground. "It may be an act."

"If it is," Kurapika says, turning back around and walking towards the hotel, "then it's nothing I can't handle."

Leorio watches the scene and feels something in his abdomen burn.

That night, Leorio and Kurapika have A Talk.

"You did," Kurapika says accusingly, "talk to them about safe sex, didn't you?"

"Er," Leorio says, and he thinks back to their first day at the hotel, and how he decided that Killua and Gon didn't need it.

"You didn't," Kurapika says, and glares at Leorio. Leorio knows this glare. It isn't the glare that Kurapika probably gives to his enemies, or the one that he offers to paparazzi. This is the glare of disappointment and disapproval that Kurapika has been giving Leorio since the moment they met, and Leorio has learned that nothing good comes to him when Kurapika looks at him like that.

"I'll go right now," Leorio says lamely, and slinks out of his suite as Kurapika glares at him.

It does not go well. Leorio stumbles and mumbles, and has barely gotten past the initial, "It's perfectly normal to feel this way about other boys!" line before giving up and running away. It's not as if they need it anyway. Gon and Killua are, after all, perfectly capable of taking care of things on their own, and, besides, it seems that they've already got some experience on the matter, and neither of them are dead yet.

Kurapika is not amused by his excuse.

"You know what," he says as he gets up from the sofa and walks towards the door, brushing past Leorio without as much as a second glance, "I'll go talk to them myself."

Leorio gapes at him.

"We had a nice talk," Kurapika says as he steals Leorio's glass of milk and drinks it. "You were wrong, by the way."

"I what?"

"They haven't started having sex yet. They haven't even attempted anything other than what they did to try to get rabid fans off their back. What?" Kurapika adds as Leorio winces.

"I don't want to think about Gon and Killua having sex," he mutters as he stares mournfully at his empty glass.

"They're Gon and Killua."

"Exactly. They're Gon and Killua! Gon and Killua don't have sex drives! They wrestle, throw ice cream, and try to embarrass everyone within a ten mile radius of themselves, but they don't have sex!"

"They're not."

"Good!" Leorio says hysterically. He takes a deep breath and wonders why Kurapika hasn't left yet.

"I'm leaving."

Leorio blinks and wonders if Kurapika is even stranger than he thought. "What?"

"It's late. I should go back to my room."

"You could always stay here." Leorio doesn't mean for it to slip out, but it does. He bites his tongue and looks for a possible excuse.

"No," Kurapika says as he gathers his things, not even giving Leorio a chance to try an excuse. "I better not."

"Okay," Leorio says weakly, watching Kurapika walk out the kitchenette and towards the door. The window is open, and the light outside catches on Kurapika's earring. Leorio watches it swing back and forth when Kurapika walks, and then realizes that it wasn't the same earring the Kurapika was wearing five years ago.

"Goodnight," Kurapika says without looking at Leorio, and Leorio waves, even though he knows Kurapika can't see him.

The burning feeling is back.

It turns out to be indigestion.

"Grah," Leorio says as he pops two pills in his mouth. Kurapika hands him a glass of water and Leorio gladly takes it before downing it.

Doctors, Leorio has discovered, are very bad at treating themselves. It is almost as if their bodies know that they know how to treat problems, and purposefully reject the treatment in an attempt to make things fair.

"Grah," Leorio says again as he falls onto his bed, clutching his stomach in pain.

"I better get paid for this," Kurapika says drily as he takes the glass away. Leorio whimpers and accidentally burps. He can feel Kurapika glaring at the back of head.

Leorio really does not want to go out to eat again. The indigestion, he has decided, was caused by eating out in the first place, and Leorio has no desire to repeat the scenario.

"It's not the same restaurant," Gon pleads. "It's a different one, a five star one!"

"No thanks."

Gon frowns and pouts. Leorio shakes his head. "That doesn't work on me."

"You can wear your tuxedo and top hat!"

"Definitely not!"

"Leoriooooooo," Gon whines, "Come ooooooon! We haven't seen Kurapika in forever and you're hogging him to yourself! We're a group, remember?" He's looking at Leorio with large, watery eyes now. It isn't right, Leorio thinks, for Gon to be seventeen and still look so young and innocent.

"Fine," Leorio grumbles. "I'll go."

Gon smiles. "Wear the top hat."

"No!"

"It'll make Kurapika laugh!"

At me, Leorio thinks, but the thought is still tempting enough for him to cave.

The top hat is a stupid idea. Kurapika hasn't stopped staring at him since Leorio walked out with the thing on.

"So," Leorio says in an attempt to make conversation, "where are we going again?"

"Some restaurant near the river," Killua says. "Don't worry, old man, you won't get indigestion again."

Killua, Leorio decides, is nothing more than a punk that he should have never made friends with.

Kurapika is still staring at him.

"Hows the food?" he asks. Gon and Killua exchange a look, and Leorio suddenly feels a sense of dread creep up on him.

Kurapika is still staring at him.

"They have really good chocolate cake," Gon says. Leorio tries not to groan.

Kurapika is still staring at him.

The staring continues through the first two courses of the meal. It's any wonder that Kurapika can still manage to eat, Leorio thinks, while staring so intently.

"Aren't you going to take the hat off?" Killua says. "People are staring. It's rude."

Leorio is about to answer when Kurapika breaks out into laughter.

Gon and Killua end up taking two chocolate cakes back to their room. Leorio takes Kurapika back to his, the top hat perched on top of Kurapika's head. Kurapika, unlike Leorio, can actually pull off wearing a top hat.

Leorio thinks it's rather unfair.

Before Kurapika leaves at the crack of dawn for his flight, he pauses by the door. Leorio stands behind him, unsure of what to do. If Kurapika were a woman, and their life a soppy romantic film, this would be where Leorio would suddenly pull Kurapika into his arms and whisper sweet nothings into his ear between kisses. Kurapika would leave, but come back immediately after to settle down and have a dozen of Leorio's babies.

But Kurapika is not a woman, their life is not a soppy romantic film, and even though Nen can do some strange things, Leorio is certain that it can't make the biologically impossible possible in that way just yet.

Plus, the most intimate thing they've done during the entire reunion was when Leorio took off his top hat and placed it on Kurapika's head. It's sad, really, that after all that, Leorio hasn't even gotten a kiss and was forced to sleep in the guest room in the suite.

"Well," he says, "I'll see you later."

Kurapika nods, but does not say anything. They stand by the doorway a little longer, Kurapika perfectly still while Leorio fidgets.

"Oh, screw it," Leorio says, and reaches for Kurapika.

He ends up on the floor and realizes that Kurapika has just elbowed him forcefully in the gut. The pain in his abdomen is far worse than indigestion.

"Sorry," Kurapika says, and he actually sounds like he means it. "It was a reaction. I've been trying to get back into that state of mind all morning." He kneels down by Leorio's side. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Leorio wheezes out. "Very nice, uh, elbow."

The corners of Kurapika's mouth twitch. "I try."

"Right, well," Leorio says, "you certainly are a terror. Remind me to not ever make you mad."

"Too late," Kurapika says drily, and then leans down and kisses him.

A week after Leorio returns to work, his abdomen still hurts. He complains to Kurapika over the phone and is hung up on. Immediately after, he receives a phone call from a frantic nurse about a patient in ER that fell from a fruit tree.