A/N: I'm going to be honest with you guys. This is nothing but pure, teeth-rotting fluff that takes place some time after the end of the anime. That said, I hope you enjoy!

"Ugh…whose idea was this again?"

Killua's warm breath created a tiny cloud in front of his lips as he voiced his irritated question. Within moments the wisp dissipated into the chilly air. He wished that the cold would leave just as quickly.

"Leorio's." Kurapika answered without hesitation, his words slightly muffled by the scarf wound around his neck. Mouth open in a betrayed expression, Leorio looked over at the blonde walking beside him.

"Hey, I thought it would be fun to take a trip together somewhere." The medical student defended, but then quickly added, "Besides, it was Gon's idea to walk."

"It would have been boring to just sit in a car for three hours." Gon replied. Unlike the other three, his eyes still gleamed with hints of enthusiasm despite the cold nipping at his cheeks.

Around them lay a bare snowy landscape, the only mar in the solid white perfection being four pairs of footsteps. They were heading toward a lodge that served as a halfway point between the last city and a ski resort. Since it was winter break for college students and Kurapika was taking a rest in between travels, Leorio had decided that they should all meet up. After listening to his various suggestions of activities they could do together, Gon and Killua had quickly decided on a winter resort. They had never been to such a place before and seemed eager to try it, so that was that.

Instead of driving there, however, Gon had insisted on walking. At the time it hadn't been a bad idea; the weather had been clear, if a little cool. Unfortunately, two hours into their journey the climate had dropped dramatically low. It was too late to turn back now, though, so here they were, trudging forward through a few inches of snow.

"To be fair, this current of cold was unexpected." Kurapika admitted. Before they had left he had made sure to check the weather. "We weren't supposed to reach these temperatures until much farther ahead."

Leorio rubbed his arms as a shiver passed through him. "Yeah, well, that doesn't help us much now."

"Are your bones aching from the cold, old man?" Killua teased, more out of a way to distract himself from the situation than actual spite.

Leorio scowled. "I'm not that—"

"Look over there!"

Gon's exclamation cut off the other's riled up response. Everyone else perked up immediately, looking to the energetic boy and then to the direction he was pointing at. In the distance a dark square contrasted starkly against the white horizon.

"That has to be the building." Killua stated with no small amount of relief. He squinted, trying to make out the shape more clearly, but Gon's hand clamping around his wrist quickly jerked his attention away. Blinking, he gave the other teenager a questioning look.

"Come on Killua, let's run!" Gon insisted, tugging on the former assassin's arm.

"Or we could just walk. We'll get there soon either way." He pointed out.

"The faster we get there the sooner we'll get warm." The bright eyed male persisted, giving that familiar beaming smile that never failed to stir warmth in Killua's chest.

Killua bit back another sigh, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward with the beginnings of a fond grin. Of course he couldn't say no to that look. "Tch. Fine."

"Let's race!"

"We can't do that if you don't let go of me, idiot."

"Oh yeah." Gon released his wrist. Killua immediately missed the touch, silently regretting bringing attention to it. However, the feeling was swiftly pushed aside as he focused on keeping up the other's pace. He sent a smirk Gon's way as he easily caught up to him.

Looking to his side, Leorio observed Kurapika's face. Although dark circles revealed lack of sleep—no doubt a side effect of his work—the Kurta's eyes were soft with fondness. His lips were curved in a small, gentle smile, completely different from the serious line his mouth was often set in. Leorio savored the peaceful image, wishing that he could see that tranquil expression more often.

On a whim the taller male moved closer to Kurapika. "Man, it's cold out here." He commented a little too loudly as he carefully settled an arm over the blonde's shoulders. Tense and fully expecting to be shoved away, he watched the other from the corner of his eye. To his pleasant surprise, Kurapika accepted the gesture easily, only giving him a pointed look that showed he had not bought that excuse for a moment.

Leorio couldn't contain his smile. The other was truly in a good mood, allowing him to feel content as well. The feelings between them had been acknowledged long ago, but very rarely did Kurapika allow them to act upon them, convinced that he should only focus on regaining his clan's eyes.

Today, if only for the next few minutes, it seemed that the Kurta was exultant enough to tolerate indulgences like this. For that Leorio couldn't be more grateful.

Turning his gaze back to the boys up ahead, Leorio listened to their playful taunts as they raced to the building.

"Killua's a lot more obvious than he thinks. I can't believe Gon hasn't noticed yet." Leorio noted.

"Oh, I think he has." Kurapika hummed, "He's just waiting for the right time to say anything."

"The right time?"

"And here I thought you were supposed to the romantic." Kurapika teased.

"My arm is around you, isn't it? I could just…" As he spoke, his hand moved to start drifting down the blonde's back.

"Don't push it." Kurapika's calm warning immediately stopped his wandering hand. Leorio sheepishly returned it to the other's shoulder.

"Fine, fine. Not in front of the kids, right?" He grumbled with clear disappointment.

"Well, we can hardly call them kids anymore, but yes." At fifteen the teenagers were already as tall as Kurapika, much to his chagrin.

"Aw, come on, it's not like they haven't figured it out! …well, I know Killua has, at least."

"You're not exactly subtle. It's no wonder they know."

"Neither are you!"

"I happen to be able to control myself, thank you very much." Kurapika huffed. "You don't know how to keep your emotions to yourself."

"Says the guy who couldn't stop smiling when he saw me yesterday!" Leorio retorted.

"I haven't had any rest for months, so of course I would be happy at being able to take a break!"

"With me!"

"Yes, with you!"

A victorious grin broke out on Leorio's face. Kurapika paused, realization dawning, before turning his head away to hide the rising flush in his cheeks.

"…and Gon and Killua, of course." Kurapika added despite knowing that it was far too late to save face.

"Of course." Leorio repeated knowingly. "Maybe I should get even closer? Your face is turning red from the 'cold.'"

Kurapika turned to sputter out a retort, but he stopped when he caught a glimpse of the building. Turning his attention to it, he noticed that Gon and Killua were kneeling in front of the door for some reason. "…they're clearing away snow." He deduced after a moment.

Thrown off by the sudden change of topic, Leorio followed the other's gaze. "Wait, hasn't it been five days since the last snow? The owner should have cleared it away by now."

As they got closer it became more and more clear that something wasn't right. The only tracks in the snow were Gon and Killua's footsteps. Frost covered the windows and prevented them from seeing inside. Next to the lodge was a small, half open garage, but there were no vehicles inside.

By the time Leorio and Kurapika had reached the entrance Gon and Killua had already pulled the door open and gone inside. Leorio pulled away from the Kurta as they followed suit, taking in the building around them.

Every surface of the lobby was coated in dust, from the receptionist desk to the cushions on the chairs. The shelves nailed into the wall were bare and ashes lined the bottom of the fireplace. Only the shelter from the outside wind caused it to feel marginally warmer than outside.

"Deserted. Figures." Killua sulked.

"Let's go check out the other rooms." Gon suggested.

"Yeah, alright." He agreed. An exploration would hopefully lighten his mood. He followed Gon out of the lobby and into the short hallway. Meanwhile, Kurapika headed over to the desk and opened the drawers.

"Should we be doing that?" Leorio questioned, closing the door.

"They've clearly been gone for a while. I highly doubt they'll return." Kurapika replied as he pulled out a few papers. His eyes skimmed over the numbers and words, piecing together information. "It looks like this place has been financially unstable for a while now. Their money ran out around a month ago. My guess is that they gave up on this lodge, packed up, and left."

Leorio sighed. "That would have been nice to know before we walked all the way here."

"Most people drive by with a snow vehicle, so no one must have noticed." He concluded, neatly placing the documents back in the drawer. Just as he closed it Killua and Gon returned to the lobby.

"There are two bedrooms and a pantry." Killua reported.

"There are only a few cans of food left, though." Gon added.

"We can save them for the morning." Kurapika decided.

Leorio glanced over to the window only to be reminded that it was virtually impossible to see through the frost. "We don't really have much of a choice but to stay here for today. We won't make it to the resort by nightfall."

"Well, we probably could," Killua said, gesturing to himself and Gon, "but I guess geezers like you can't keep up."

"Why you…! Cut it out with the geezer crap!" Leorio growled.

"I agree that we should stay for the night. We shouldn't risk getting caught in the cold of a winter night without shelter." Kurapika interjected.

"Since there are only two rooms, we'll have to pair up. I call Killua!" Gon claimed, latching onto said boy's arm. Killua halfheartedly attempted to squirm out of his grip but quickly gave in with a sigh. However, within the next moment a devious grin grew on his face.

"Don't I get a choice?" Killua questioned.

Gon blinked at him. "Well, yeah, of course. But I figured you'd choose me too, right?"

The former assassin placed a hand on his chin, feigning a thinking pose. He pointedly shifted his gaze to Kurapika as he spoke. "I don't know…I bet Kurapika would be a nice, quiet roommate."

"And with Killua I wouldn't have to worry about snoring." Kurapika added, playing along.

Leorio couldn't help but laugh at the growing pout on Gon's face. "Come on you two, stop teasing the poor—" He stopped midsentence, fully processing what the Kurta had said. "—wait. I don't snore! Do I?"

"Killua…" Gon drew out the syllables of the name. "I mean, it's okay if you really want to room with Kurapika, but…I'll miss you."

Killua nearly choked on his own spit, pink dusting his cheeks. "I-Idiot! Of course I'm going to share the room with you. You don't have to say sappy stuff like that."

"Really?" The way Gon's eyes brightened in happiness made Killua look away in embarrassment.

Kurapika shared an amused look with Leorio as they watched Killua's teasing completely backfire.

"Duh." Killua mumbled, and then pointed at the two older males to shift attention to them, "There's no way I would want to share a bed with either of them. We all know how much Kurapika wants to get under the sheets with Leorio."

"E-Excuse me?!" Kurapika spluttered.

Leorio wasn't sure whether to enjoy the blonde's reaction or feel embarrassed himself.

"Well of course he wants to get under the sheets with him. It'd be cold if he just laid on top of the blankets." Gon stated.

Silence.

Killua's palm promptly met his face.

Kurapika blinked, thoroughly thrown off guard.

Leorio started to wonder if he should examine Gon's head.

"You can't seriously be that clueless, Gon." Killua said, letting his hand fall back to his side.

"I'm not! I want to get under the sheets with you." Gon insisted. However, this time his eyes held a gleam that was decidedly not innocent and caused the blush to return to Killua's face.

"You little...! You acted like that on purpose!" Killua accused.

Gon laughed. "Like what? I was just talking about how I—"

"Okay, I say it's time for bed." Kurapika announced before the situation could spiral further. "We'll see you two in the morning. Come on, Leorio."

"Coming." Leorio followed, glancing back at the other two over his shoulder. "Good night."

"Night!" Gon cheerfully replied.

Killua responded with a cheeky grin. "Don't be too loud in there. I'd like to get some sleep tonight."

Leorio opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a blushing Kurapika grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him inside the room. The Kurta swiftly released him so he could close the door behind him.

"No need to get so worked up. Unless you want to take his advice, that is." Leorio slyly remarked. The next thing he knew a pillow was thrown at his chest, which he easily caught despite his surprise.

"I was going to insist that you get the bed, but I've changed my mind." Kurapika sternly stated, sitting on the bed. Leorio watched in confusion as the blonde sat down on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes.

"Aw, come on, is it because of what Killua said? He's just being a brat."

"And so are you." Kurapika responded, crossing his arms.

"No I'm not!"

Kurapika raised an eyebrow.

Leorio sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, maybe a little. But that kid riles me up on purpose."

"Well, that's not exactly a hard thing to do." The blonde pointed out.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Leorio demanded.

"Neither." He smoothly replied.

Frustrated at the other's calm tone, Leorio's fingers practically strangled the pillow. "Ugh, you're just…! Okay, forget it. Back to the other topic. You're not seriously going to make me sleep on the floor, are you?"

This time, it was Kurapika's turn to sigh, although it was more of a playful sound than an exasperated one. "No, I suppose not. I don't want to be blamed when you freeze to death."

"Gee, thanks for being so considerate." Leorio muttered. After tossing the pillow back onto the bed—which Kurapika easily dodged, of course—he pulled off his own shoes and set them aside. Kurapika pulled back the blankets and moved toward the edge. He settled on his side, his nose hardly an inch away from the wall.

Leorio stifled a chuckle. Clearly the other had realized that the bed was rather small, meaning that there was no way they could avoid physical contact. It was cute how he tried to give the larger male room, though. "Alright, I'm getting in."

As the mattress dipped behind him Kurapika ordered his muscles to relax. His instincts, used to constant danger, were insisting that he not allow such closeness. The fact he was in a small area with the lights off and no room to fight made him uneasy, despite him knowing that there was no threat around. Habits die hard, as they say.

After some maneuvering Leorio managed to lie down on his side, which was the only way he was going be able to fit. However, there was nowhere he could comfortably place his arms. He glanced at the Kurta, whose back looked stiff even through all the layers of clothing.

"Is it alright if I…?" Leorio trailed off, moving his arm so that it was hovering over the other's side.

Kurapika swallowed before nodding. "Yes, it is."

"You don't have to force yourself." He said, noticing the strain in the other's tone.

"I'm not, I promise. I'm just not used to having company in bed."

"…neither am I." He admitted, slowly laying his arm across the Kurta's side.

"You don't have to hold out for me, you know. I understand if you get tired of waiting and want someone else." Kurapika mumbled. While he attempted to keep his voice even, it sounded almost sadly fragile, as if afraid of hearing it confirmed.

Leorio's arm suddenly tightened securely around him, causing him to suck in a breath in surprise. "Don't talk like that. I may not like it, but…I get that you have to do what you have to do. Besides, I don't want anyone else. It's you or no one."

Kurapika was stunned into silence. Nothing but sincerity lay in those words. If he were to turn around to look, he was sure that he would see a devoted, if blushing, expression on Leorio's face.

That realization caused a flood of warmth to pool in his chest and trickle down his limbs. It allowed his previously stiff muscles to finally relax, reassured that he was in a secure, loving place. Lips curving into an affectionate smile, he placed his hand over Leorio's.

"You or no one." Kurapika repeated, almost thoughtfully, before releasing a breath of something akin to amusement. "We must both be ridiculous for sharing that sentiment."

"Nah. What was ridiculous was how long we took to act on it." Leorio responded. Kurapika could practically hear the smile in his voice; that big, dumb smile that the Kurta would always be fond of.

"Agreed."

Leorio let out a wide yawn. "Well, I don't know about you, but it's time for me to sleep. Good night, Kurapika."

"Good night, Leorio."

Soon after Leorio's soft snores drifted through the air. Instead of finding the noise bothersome, Kurapika found it oddly soothing. The beginnings of drowsiness started to drag down on Kurapika's consciousness. Enveloped in warmth, he easily slid into the most comfortable sleep he had had in a long while.

Meanwhile, in the other bedroom, Killua plopped down onto the bed while Gon finished unlacing his boots. Killua rolled so that he was facing the wall and debated on banging on it just to annoy Leorio, but then decided against it. He did not want to have to deal with a cranky Kurta.

"This trip isn't as fun as I was hoping it would be." Killua complained.

"That's just because we haven't gotten to the resort yet. Think of this like…an adventure until then." Gon suggested as he crawled in beside him.

"Kind of a shitty adventure," Killua muttered, rolling over, "I—"

He froze. Gon's face was right there, so bright and beaming and close. Heat rushing to his cheeks, he darted backward, plastering himself against the wall.

"What's wrong?" Gon asked, watching him in confusion.

"W-Warn someone when you get that close to them!" Killua spluttered.

"Oh. Sorry, I thought you knew I was there." Gon apologized, although he sounded more sheepish than apologetic.

Killua sighed. He really, really should have expected it, but somehow with Gon he tended to forget simple things like that. "Well…never mind. Could you just, uh, back up a bit?"

"No."

Killua gaped at the blunt answer. "Why not?!"

"Because I'd fall off the bed." Gon easily explained. Closing his mouth, Killua stared at the other for a moment before rising up on one elbow. He peered over Gon and, sure enough, his back was only a few inches away from the edge of the bed.

"I guess we're not as small as we used to be, huh." He commented, lying back down. He then started to shift in order to roll over again, his hand brushing against Gon's arm. The next thing he knew pair of warm, strong hands grasped one of his own, causing him to stop in surprise.

"Your hand is cold." Gon said, unfazed.

Killua could feel his blush reaching up to the tips of his ears. "N-No it's not!"

"Yes it is." Gon claimed. To emphasize his point he lightly rubbed a thumb across the top of the other's hand. The contact left a trail of heat that Killua suspected had nothing to do with body temperature.

"Okay, maybe it is. But you shouldn't just grab my hand like that." He grumbled.

"Why not? You're cold and I like holding your hand."

"God, how can you be so shameless?" Killua groaned, covering his face with his free hand.

"Let me warm up your other hand too." Gon insisted, as if that was a completely normal request.

Killua sighed and lowered said hand. "Fine."

Gon took both of Killua's hands and held them between his own. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the former assassin.

"There. Now I can see your face too." He cheerfully pointed out.

"You don't have to look so happy about that." Killua mumbled, averting his gaze.

"I'm always happy when I'm with you, Killua." Gon stated, his tone holding nothing but honesty.

Feeling his blush deepen—if that was even possible—Killua briefly wished that he could hide his expression again. However, that would mean pulling away from Gon's grip. The thought of losing the warmth encompassing his hands sounded extremely unappealing.

"You're so sappy." He said instead.

Gon laughed at that, but it soon led into a yawn. "I guess I am. Well, good night, Killua. I hope you have sweet dreams."

"…you too, Gon." He softly returned with a small, tender smile. When the other's eyes closed, he closed his eyes as well.

Killua carefully moved his fingers to intertwine them with Gon's. The sleepy squeeze he received in return was the last thing he felt before he gave in to the lull of sleep.