#Pik-see | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thefallennightmare · 1 month ago

Text

Who Are You?: Prologue

Parings: The Winter Soldier a.k.a Bucky Barnes x Shield Agent! Fallen x The Winter Omens a.k.a Noah Sebastian

Warnings: language, violence, fight scenes, blood, blood play, angst, fluff, a why chose romance which means the female character has multiple partners, smut which includes unprotected p in v, oral with both female and male receiving, knife play, spanking, choking, sexual intercourse m/f/m. I will add more warnings if needed once I start writing.

Summary: Agent Fallen is one of Shields Top Agents. They use her for their toughest missions because they know she will get the job done thanks to her fire powers. Fallen never said no to a mission, not even the current one that had her reliving parts of her dark past she tried so hard to forget. How can Fallen try to take down the corporation that made her who she was while she comes face to face with the assassin that trained her? And when a new foe enters the fray with his katana pointed at her throat, will Fallen give up everything she’s known for to help him?

Authors Note: Hiya! So this idea has been tumbling around in my head for quite some time. I want to dip my toes back into the marvel fandom with Bucky but the Noah Sebastian brain rot is still bad so I figured why not combine them! Some Bucky fans might not know who Noah Sebastian is(vocalist for Bad Omens) but you won't really need to know exactly who he is since nothing pertaining to the band will be mentioned, besides the band members. Parts of the Marvel universe will be canon in this story but it’s mostly an AU. Tags are open if anyone is interested! This part is just a little prologue and the rest will be a one shot! Not sure when that will be posted, just testing the waters.

Tags(OPEN): @artificialbreezy @blueskylinesx

The snow beneath my boots crunch as I trudged farther along the darkened path, the setting sun disappearing behind the mountains in the horizon. My suit stuck to my like a second skin, the leather doing nothing to keep me warm due to my heated blood. Thanks to my powers, my blood always ran hot so while it was nearing -39 degrees celsius on Mountain Pik Podeba in Siberia, I felt sweat gather at the back of my neck. It had been an incredibly difficult trek yet I continued to push through, never giving up.

It wasn’t in my nature to which is why SHIELD hired me.

Did they hire you or felt pity for you when they found you on another cold mountain side and saved your life eight years ago?

Shaking the thought from my mind, not daring to think about the past, I thought about the mission instead. My boss, Agent Fury, set down an extra classified folder on my desk a few days ago with one demand: keep it between us.

As soon as I opened the folder, I immediately knew why we needed to keep it between us. Fury was the only one in SHIELD that knew about my past and where I came from since he was the one that found me eight years ago. If anyone inside of SHIELD found out about where that was, I’d be outcasted and probably arrested. While everyone at headquarters thought I was away on vacation, I was actually up in the mountains in Russia, looking for a ghost.

The Winter Soldier.

There had been rumors he’d gone rouge from Hydra a few years ago, killing everyone that had a hand in creating him. Fury had been keeping a watchful and good eye on The Winter Soldier to see if he had me in his sights. It was fine until last year when the list started to dwindle down to only three names left.

One random guard.

Dimitri.

The last name on The Winter Soldiers list was only three letters, almost as if he couldn’t remember the entirety of it. But Fury knew and when I saw a copy of the list, I knew as well.

When I read that all too familiar name back in my office the other day, all of the oxygen was stolen from my lungs as my past reared its ugly head. I hadn’t come face to face with The Winter Soldier in nearly eight years when Hydra literally tossed me out into the snow, broken and defeated. Just before one of the Hydra guards shut the door, I saw those dark eyes watch me over the guards shoulder, not bothering to stop them.

“Soldat,” I cried out, as the flames dissipated from my hands; the fight for my survival was long gone.

Everyone who didn’t know him called him The Winter Soldier, I called him Soldat during my time in Hydra. He was the one who trained me, made me who I am. But once one of the guards found Soldat and I in bed together, our leader Dimitri ordered my removal from the compound. I was shunned and left to die on the side of the mountain by the people I thought I had a home with all because I fell in love with another one of their other puppets.

Dimitri was stern in his orders, never wanting Soldat and I to stray too far from our orders of death and destruction. So when he got word of our private affairs, it was clear who would be shunned. The Winter Soldier was Hydra’s most prized soldier and weapon meanwhile I was their project gone wrong; the one who couldn’t be controlled.

Along with the love and memories of Soldat, I buried that part of me deep within me, never letting Căzut out again. I had a name when I was younger, something I couldn’t remember so Soldat was the one that gave me my name the first night I arrived at the Hydra compound, afraid.

“Căzut,” a metal thumb lifted my chin as I knelt before him, causing me to look up at him. “You may have fallen but you will rise again.”

So when Fury found me eight years ago wandering a local village in Russia and asked me for my name, I gave him the only one I had.

Fallen.

Breaking over the horizon, I could vaguely make out a wooden home about 15 feet west and let out a small breath of relief. To others that ventured up on this side of the mountain they might have thought it odd for a small house to be placed in the middle of nowhere. But us at SHIELD knew what it was.

A safe house.

This one specifically was off the map because it was Fury’s own safe house, one he didn’t want anyone to know of. The only reason why I knew about it was because he’d brought me here eight years ago.

“I’m fucking starved,” I grumbled under my breath as I stepped through a large mound of snow, the heat seeping through my boot melting it almost instantly.

Fury mentioned that the wood burning stove in the house didn’t work but when I snapped my fingers, bringing fire to them, I reminded him that warmth shouldn’t be an issue for me.

After gaining access inside with my thumb print to the front door, I took the first step inside of the house yet immediately froze because something felt off; wrong. There was a shift in the air that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It wasn’t the chill of the house that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was the feeling that eyes were watching me. Softly letting my bag fall to the floor, I reached for the knife in the side pocket of my tac suit and when my fingers grazed over the handle, a sharp kick landed to the back of my knee. I fell to the aged hardwood floor with a thud, quickly spinning around on my knees to look at who managed to attack me. Expecting to meet a pair of eyes, I was met with a long blade from a katana sword, the tip pressed to my neck.

I followed up the length of it up to a hand covered in tattoos, recognizing one of them immediately. Snapping my gaze up, I met a pair of soulless eyes already pinning me in place and sucked in a breath.

No fucking way. It’s true.

“How the fuck did you get inside?” I asked, doing my best to keep my tone calm since he was the one with the blade pressed to my throat.

The man, who stood tall over me at atleast six feet, cocked his head to the side. His face was covered underneath a mask from the nose down, showcasing those dark eyes as they assessed me. Even darker tendrils of hair fell into his eyes but he made no move to brush them away. He was glad in all black, except for his hands that showcased all of the ink.

Everyone in SHIELD thought The Winter Soldier was the ghost but they were all wrong. The man standing in front of me was an even bigger ghost. He was a rumor that no one seemed to have any proof of. I only knew of him from what I’ve read in his very skim folder which only had two things; his name and the picture of one of his tattoos.

The Winter Omens and the tattoo was of a circle with a dot in the middle tattooed on his thumb. The same one I was staring at right now.

“You’re real,” I muttered.

He remained silent yet pressed the tip of the blade harder against my throat causing me to kneel straighter while holding my hands out to my sides showing him I was unarmed.

“I’m really at your mercy right now,” I flicked my gaze to the sword. “All it would take is a simple flick of your wrist and you’d hit one of my arteries, making me bleed out on the floor in seconds. I can tell you right now, I have no intention of dying today.”

The Winter Omens didn’t seem to believe me because he motioned to the weapons on my tac suit with a silent order.

Remove them.

Biting back a curse, I slowly removed the gun and knives from all of the pockets before sliding them over to his combat boots.

“Are you going to tell me how you broke into a SHIELD safe house?” I asked.

Yet again, he didn’t speak as he kicked my weapons across the floor, them skidding down the hall towards the kitchen.

“I have orders to kill anyone that stands in the way of my current mission,” I said while shaking out my fingers, not yet bringing the fire forth.

“I’d like to see you try,” The Winter Omens chuckled darkly.

I nearly fell to my ass at his voice, how deep and rich it was, but maintained my composure.

“So you do speak,” I teased with a smirk. “Here I thought Hydra cut out your tongue.”

His eyes snapped away from the exposed top of my breasts in my suit thanks to the zipper being down a bit and his jaw ticked. Victory surged through me when I found the answer to a question a lot of us were wondering. If The Winter Omens was Hydra or not.

“So it is true,” I continued on, puffing out my chest when I caught him staring again.

Even if he was this top secret Hydra weapon, he was still a man and men have certain weaknesses.

“Let me guess. Hydra got bored with their main weapon and decided to create another?”

“You know Hydra?” The Winter Omens asked me, the grip on his katana never faltering as the tip was still pressed to my throat.

“You’re looking at one of their failed projects,” I sighed.

The Winter Omens snickered. “What’s so special about you?”

He’s fucking rude.

With a snap, I brought forth the fire to my fingers which made him take a step back, letting the blade of his sword fall away from my neck. With the new found opportunity, I kicked my feet out to trip The Winter Omens and he clambered to the ground.

I looked back down the hallway where he kicked my weapons moments ago, ready to crawl my way towards them only to have my ankle grabbed and yanked into the living room. The Winter Omens and I scuffled for a few moments, me trying to rip off his mask which caused him to slam his forehead onto mine, nearly making me succumb to darkness.

Super soldier strength? Check.

While I had my own strength thanks to the serum running through me, it wasn’t anything compared to his. I sent a knee into his groin which made him double over in pain, giving me a few seconds to scurry away from him. Quickly rising to my feet, I threw a fireball at him only for him to grab his sword, blocking it. I watched in horror as the fire fell to ash at his feet.

“What the fuck is your katana made out of?!” I demanded right before The Winter Omens ran towards me, pushing me against the wall.

His thick arm pressed into my throat, cutting off my breathing almost instantly. My feet dangled in the air slightly as I clawed at the material of his jacket, doing whatever I could to get him off of me.

“Just like I thought. Pathetic,” he sneered, face inches from mine.

His mask had slipped in our scuffle and it was then I got a good look at his entire face, lingering over his plump lips.

He was gorgeous.

Focus, you idiot! He’s going to kill you!

“Thank god you don’t have a metal arm,” I muttered under my breath as I tried to fight against him.

The Winter Omens’ grip around my throat faltered only for a moment as his face twitched but then he pressed his hips deeper into mine to pin me fully against the wall. Through his cargo pants, the outline of his cock against my pussy and my eyes doubled in size when I felt how hard he was, letting a moan slip quietly.

“Is this turning you on?” I teased.

His eyes narrowed as he pressed himself harder against me. “Says the one who just moaned.”

Curse his super soldier hearing.

“Can’t help but like what I see,” I did my best to shrug while still being pinned to the wall.

The Winter Omens eyes casted down to my breasts, lingering over the sweat that gathered there and all too quickly, his tongue darted out to wet his lips.

“I could say the same thing about you.”

His gaze flicked up to me as he pressed his arm tighter against my throat. “I have no desire other than to kill.”

“Hydra program you to say that? Because your dick pressing against me says otherwise,” I tossed back.

“You’re insufferable you know that,” he sneered while tossing me to the floor and I sucked in a giant breath, feeling the life return.

“You can thank Hydra for that,” I choked on a breath before rising to my knees and glancing over at him.

He had placed his sword back into its sheath and set it on the back of the couch then turned to face me with narrowed eyes. I was growing tired of this look.

“What are you doing here?” The Winter Omens asked.

I snorted while slowly standing and rested my hands on my hips. “I should be asking you that. You’re in my safe house, which I’m still wondering how the fuck you got in without my thumb print.”

“You left the window unlocked,” he pointed to the window in the living room.

Damn it, Fury.

Running a hand through my red hair, I let out a long breath and stood in front of The Winter Omens as he sat against the back of the couch, his long legs outstretched.

I squinted my eyes at him when I realized something. “Why didn’t you kill me just now? You had the chance more than once.”

Something flickered in those eyes but his face remained like stone. “You said something about Hydra programming me. How would you know that?”

I brought forth the fire again, letting it dance inside my palm as I manipulated it with the air around me. A party trick is what I liked to call it.

“Like I said, Hydra created this. They kept me captive for years and the second I disobeyed one of their orders, they tossed me to the side as if I was nothing,” I closed my fist to put the fire out.

“So you’re not with Hydra anymore?” The Winter Omens asked.

I shook my head, not completely sure why he was suddenly not trying to attack me anymore, but what shocked me the most was how comfortable I felt opening up to him.

“You mentioned something about a metal arm,” he said while crossing his arms over his chest.

I swallowed thickly, not knowing where the conversation was headed now. “Your point?”

The Winter Omens shook off his jacket, letting it fall to the couch behind him. “Was The Winter Soldier before or after your time with Hydra?”

“During,” I informed while shifting on my feet. “He’s the one that trained me.”

“No offense but he did a shitty job.”

I shot him with a glare, feeling protective over Soldat after all these years because the love I had for him still lingering. “Fuck you.”

The Winter Omens eyes drank me in from head to toe before resting back on my lips. “Tempting but I have other orders.”

“Care to tell me what those orders are? Because I’m still curious on how you found this SHIELD safe house?”

“This is SHIELD? Here I thought they would put you up in a mansion or some shit,” he snickered.

“Well,” I kicked my bag in the air and caught it. “This has been so much fucking fun but I have plans. Please let the door hit you on the way out.”

I made it all of two steps towards the staircase, ready for a shower and food while I went over my notes on Soldat when a voice stopped me.

“Do these plans have anything to do with The Winter Soldier?”

Turning swiftly on my heels, I glared at The Winter Omens. “Excuse me?”

He threw a thumb over his shoulder towards the laptop on the coffee table behind him. “I hacked into the laptop here and read your current mission report. It’s kind of irresponsible to leave a top secret laptop out in the open like that.”

Letting out a scream of frustration, I chucked my bag at him which he caught with an attractive and annoying ease.

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Few days. I’ve been waiting for you to show up.”

This piqued my interest and I raised a brow at him. “You’ve been waiting for me? Why?”

The Winter Omens stood to his full height and closed the distance between us. Suddenly, I got a small whiff of his scent and couldn't help but shiver at how good he smelled.

“I’ve been tasked with retrieving The Winter Soldier to bring him back to Hydra,” he informed me while stuffing his hands deep into his pockets.

I scoffed while shaking my head. “There’s no way I’m helping you bring Soldat back to the monsters that tortured him.”

“Soldat?” His brows furrowed.

“It’s what we called him. It's "soldier " in Russian,” I said.

He nodded curtly. “Well, my hydra mission is different from my main mission.”

“Which is?” I pressed.

There was something oddly weird about why The Winter Omens chose this safe house and why he was waiting for me personally.

“I need his blood to create an antidote for the serum running through me. I’ve been this weapon for years and I need a way out. Hydra doesn't know this but I’m not returning from this mission. I don’t want this life for me any more.”

“What makes you think Hydra will let you get away with that?” I asked in utter disbelief.

There was absolutely no way anyone in that group would let someone like The Winter Omens get away.”

“I have people on the inside that will fake my death so I can hide away.”

“And you trust them?”

I was beyond shocked that not only did he have the balls to pull off a move like this but he was also divulging his plans to basically a stranger who was an agent of SHIELD and former Hydra assassin.

“With my life,” he said without missing a beat.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” I ran a hand over my face, the exhaustion from my trek up the mountain suddenly catching up to me.

Something seemed to lift from his shoulders as he let out a long sigh, suddenly breaking free in front of me.

“I need your help. I’ve been hunting Soldat for months but can’t seem to keep on his trail. If anyone can find him, it’s you,” he said.

“What makes you think I can find him?”

“My sources tell me he’s also looking for you,” he motioned towards the laptop on the coffee table.

I rolled my eyes at his sources and crossed my arms over my chest. “Why the hell would I help you? You tried to kill me.”

“I would never,” he placed a hand over his chest in mock pain. “I just wanted to see what you were made of.”

“You’re insufferable,” I exasperated while repeating his words from earlier.

The Winter Omens continued to wear that smirk as he shrugged. “You’ll get used to it the longer we’re together.”

“Hang on,” I raised a finger. “I never agreed to help you. What do I get out of this? It goes against my orders from SHIELD.”

“Well, according to your records, it seems like you’ve had quite the few red marks. Your boss, Fury, is trying to help you keep your job which is why he sent you on this private mission. If you brought in The Winter Soldier, it would solidify your position until you retire. But something tells me that you’re looking for a way out as well.”

My spine stiffened as I stood up straighter, not knowing how he found that info out. No one inside of SHIELD knew I was purposely getting red marks on my record in a way for them to kick me off the force. This private mission to find Soldat was a way out with the hopes he remembered me and he could help.

I swallowed thickly. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You think you know things about me because you read my file.”

“A thick file,” he corrected. “If you help me, I can have one of my hacker friends wipe your file clean so you and Soldat can live happily ever after. That is, if he remembers you.”

The urge to slap that stupid smirk off of his face was strong and made my hand twitch at my side yet I weighed his words heavily on my mind. This was technically the way out I needed and now that I finally had the chance to do it, it would be stupid not to take it.

Right?

“If you were to help me, something tells me I would owe you something?”

Something shone in The Winter Omens eyes but his next words didn’t match that glimmer.

“We both get a way out of a life we had no say in. Consider us even,” he spoke while walking past me into the kitchen.

Reluctantly I followed him and for the first time since stepping inside, the smell of a warm cooked meal filled my senses and my stomach roared to life. On the table were two plates, two cups, and silverware.

“Are you fine with chicken and potatoes?” The Winter Omens asked over his shoulder as he pulled out a large dish from the oven.

I blinked at him a few times, trying to gather my words. “How the hell did you get the oven to work? Half of this shit didn’t work the last time Fury and I were held up here.”

With his back to me, I could see the muscles tense as he moved about the kitchen, getting things ready for dinner and I bit my lip at the sight.

“I’m good with my hands,” he answered while setting the dish down on the table. “Go wash up and we can talk more about the details.”

Very briefly, I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his neck as he scratched at it, lifting down the turtle neck slightly.

“I never said yes,” I reminded him while popping my hip out, showcasing my attitude.

“The way you haven’t blown me to ash yet shows me that you already agreed. So again I say, go wash up and we can go over the details. I have a hunch where Soldat is hiding out.”

As much as he irritated me, I knew that I’d be nowhere without The Winter Omens. I had nothing on Soldat, so as much as I hated to admit it, I needed his help.

“Fine,” I forced out through gritted teeth and turned swiftly on my heels but halted when he called after me.

“What did Hydra call you?”

“There’s no way I’m giving you my name. I don’t even know you,” I tossed over my shoulder.

Something in the way he smirked told me he already knew my name due to his hacking but gave me the benefit of the doubt to tell him myself.

Dropping my shoulders with a sigh, I gave in. “During my time in Hydra I went by Căzut but now I go by Fallen.”

“I know,” The Winter Omens smirked. “I just wanted to see if you trusted me enough to tell me.”

“Does this mean you’re going to tell me your name? And not the stupid moniker Hydra assigned you,” I gave him a small smile but dropped it when I noticed the way his face fell.

“I don’t know my name. I’ve only ever gone by The Winter Omens.”

Ignoirng the pain I felt for him in my heart, I tapped my chin in mock thought before snapping, a spark igniting. “You look like a Noah to me.”

“Noah,” he repeated the name a few times, almost like he was trying on a new pair of pants. “I like it.”

“Good because it stays,” I ruffled his hair before leaving him alone in the kitchen as I skipped upstairs.

When I left the SHIELD headquarters this morning, I had no intention of working with someone on finding Soldat but something in the way Noah smiled at me told me that he was the same as me in a lot of different ways. So if I had to deal with him for a few days in my search for Soldat, it was worth it. It helped that he was good to look at as well.

“This is going to be a long few days,” I mumbled under my breath as I took the steps up towards the one bedroom of the house.

The bedroom Noah seemed to have taken over. The same bedroom with only one bed.

Son of a bitch.

#tina talks #noah sebastian #bad omens #bad omens cult #marvel #mcu #the winter soldier #bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #noah sebastian au #the winter soldier au #reverse harem #why chose

44 notes · View notes

bwabys-scenarios · 1 year ago

Text

Fixer Upper

Part 10

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

part 9

part 11

A/N: the next chapter will be a flashback to the Hunter Exam!!

taglist: @fabitheraven @tsukilover11 @ashdownunderscorebeloved @lemonslut @homeinmydreams @superweeniehutjrsblog @bugmomwrites @heartsforseo @lixiawinter @altaircc @itszenava @fiightforlovee @mimi-sanisanidiot @monainanuttshell @wow-im-gay @whorermoviestar @lightshowerrr @mama-m1na

If you’d like to be ADDED to the taglist, please comment a red heart ❤️, make sure you’re able to be tagged/mentioned, and have your age in your bio(IF YOU ARE ALREADY ON THE TAGLIST, YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK TO BE ADDED AGAIN!!)

If you like my writing, come join my discord!! we watch HXH, play games, and spend all night writing sometimes!! there’s also lots of content there that I may never post here!!

As the sun began to rise over their small cabin, (Name) was already awake packing lunches and preparing breakfast.

“You’re up early.”

Kurapika sat down at the kitchen table, sending her a smile. “Oh, yeah, I needed to make sure everything was ready for today. We’ll be at the beach for quite a while, so I had to pack plenty of snacks.”

She looked cute in her matching set of pink pajamas. There wasn’t a time Kurapika could think of when he didn’t think she looked cute.

“Hmm, Kurapika, I’m brewing some coffee. Would you like a cup?”

He glanced up to see her walking forward, sitting down next to him. She seemed rather happy this morning, smiling as she leaned against his shoulder.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun today. I’m excited to spend lots of time with you!”

He pushed her away gently, looking away. She seemed just a little disappointed by this, but continued smiling. “I’ll go make you a cup of coffee.”

She hurried away to the kitchen. Kurapika caught her wiping at her eyes, his stomach twisting knowing he’d probably made her cry again.

He stood up suddenly and walked forward, unable to stop himself. She glanced up just in time to see Kurapika lift a hand and place it on her head in a gentle pat.

“… thank you.”

She blinked, looking up at him confused. He continued patting awkwardly, not able to look her in the eye.

“You’re… you’re welcome?”

(Name) also reached up and patted his head, not knowing what else she should do. They just stared at each other in confusion for a minute, neither willing to back down in fear it would make things even more awkward.

“Of course this is the first thing I see when I wake up at the buttcrack of dawn.”

Leorio stood in the doorway, scowling. He yawned loudly before pouring a cup of coffee for himself.

“Good morning Leorio! How did you sleep?”

“As good as someone can when your roommate is jer-“

Kurapika rushed forward and dragged Leorio away, leaving his cup on the table.

‘Was he about to say jerking off?’ (Name) thought, tilting her head. ‘It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Poor Pik- I mean Kurapika.’

“Hey, what’s the big d-“

Kurapika slammed Leorio against the wall, his eyes shining red in embarrassment. “What the hell were you thinking telling her that? She’s a girl, you know?”

Leorio raised an eyebrow. “Telling her what, that you were jerking off last night? Do you think she cares what you do in the privacy of your- well actually OUR bedroom? Speaking of which, do that in the bathroom next time.”

Kurapika turned red. “I thought you were asleep, and I didn’t want to get up and disturb you.”

Leorio snickered. “You sure did disturb me. Who’s name were you muttering? You got me curious, I thought you said you didn’t have a special someone?”

‘Oh god, he heard me saying (Name)’s name?!’

Kurapika groaned loudly. “It’s none of your business, that’s such a strange question to ask someone.”

He shrugged. “Hey, you’re the one that jerked off with your friend in the room.”

“You’re acting like you didn’t when you, me, and (Name) shared a room before the 4th Phase of the Hunter Exam.”

Leorio’s jaw dropped. “You… you knew!?”

“You’re not exactly quiet.”

The two frowned at each other.

“Let’s never talk about this again.”

“Agreed.”

By the time the two had finished their awkward conversation, Killua and Gon were sat at the table with a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of them.

“You two done making out or whatever? (Name) made breakfast.”

The two blinked. “I would rather die than make out with Leorio.”

Leorio gasped. “I’m offended. (Name), can you believe how mean he’s being to me??”

He ran to her and pulled her into a hug, sticking his tongue out at Kurapika. (Name) patted his back, rolling her eyes. “Well you did try to embarrass him earlier.”

Kurapika stiffened at this. ‘Did she hear enough to guess what he was going to say?’

He could feel the tips of his ears heat up, turning red.

“Ooo, we’re embarrassing Kurapika? I want in!”

(Name) placed Kurapika’s breakfast in front of him. “Don’t worry, you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone does it.”

She gave him a wink before walking away.

‘Does that mean, she…’

He shoved a pancake into his mouth so he could focus on not choking, instead of the thought of (Name) shoving her fingers into her pussy.

———————

It was still early when they arrived at the beach. (Name) set up a few towels along with a large umbrella. Kurapika and Leorio carried her cooler, the boys working on blowing up a beach ball.

“Sunscreen everyone. I don’t think I need to remind you of what happened last t-“

Killua started to sneak away while she was talking. “Gon, get him.”

Leorio and Kurapika glanced at each other before watching Gon chase Killua down the beach, kicking up sand behind them. She waited patiently, rubbing sunscreen on herself while she waited.

As Kurapika helped her rub sunscreen into her back, Gon returned with Killua in tow.

“Oh good, I was afraid I’d have to come after you myself.”

She grabbed Killua by the shoulders and sat him down on the towel to begin applying his sunscreen.

“Last time, you got so sunburned, you cried for days.”

Killua whipped his head around, his cheeks red. “Mom, don’t tell then th-“

When he realized what he said, it was much too late to take it back.

“Hmm? Don’t tell them what?”

The entire group was silent besides (Name). She didn’t seemed fazed at all, the same smile she had on before he began talking still on her face.

Killua’s face turned beet red, and he grabbed Gon’s hand before rushing into the waves.

(Name) watched as Gon asked Killua something, only for the white haired boy to throw him deeper into the ocean.

“Mom, huh?”

Kurapika snickered from his seat on (Name)’s towel. “Didn’t know you had children, (Name).”

She giggled. “Yeah, I have two actually, Gon and Killua. I don’t mind, really. They’re basically my kids already, it doesn’t matter what they call me.”

Kurapika’s eyes softened as (Name) watched the two play with a smile. ‘A mother… hmm.’

He knew she would be a good mom, from her interactions with the two boys alone.

‘She’s going to be an amazing mother, I’ll make sure of it.’

He continued to watch her for a moment before he realized what he’d just thought. Kurapika felt his entire body heat up, causing him to jump up and rush towards the water himself.

‘What am I thinking? I can’t make her a mother, not when I have my goals to complete…’

But the thought of someone else taking that role left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Kurapikaaa!”

(Name) and Leorio ran towards the waves, the former waving as she did. “We brought you your own boogie board!”

He wasn’t paying much attention to her words, his eyes were glued to her chest. She’d gotten a new bathing suit, and this one showed even more skin, if that was possible.

Kurapika was just glad his lower half was under water.

“Okay, so you get on this like…”

She laid the boogie board down in the water and climbed onto it, giggling as she road a wave. Leorio held onto the board by the rope attached to it so she wouldn’t go to far.

“You lie on your tummy and ride the waves!”

Kurapika held onto his own board, watching her with those observant brown eyes. “Hmm… seems easy enough.”

He followed her example, easily riding the wave. “It’s… pretty fun.”

The three played in the waves for a bit, laughing when Leorio got a face full of seaweed when he didn’t duck down quick enough.

Although, they weren’t laughing when a huge wave hit (Name).

“(Name)!”

Kurapika waded over to where she was swept under, his eyes scanning the water before he spotted Leorio pulling her close.

“Is she alright? She could have swallowed some water…”

He continued forward, stopping suddenly.

“Didn’t her top have a… tie in the back?”

(Name) coughed into Leorio’s chest, Kurapika tilting his head.

“Kurapika, she lost her top. Can you find it?”

The blonde paused. “Her… top?”

You could almost hear the sound of the gears turning in his head.

Kurapika’s face turned beet red. (Name) was topless right now, and her chest was pressed up against Leorio, who held her close with no visible reaction.

“Kurapika!”

The blonde snapped out of his thoughts to see Leorio staring at him, seemingly frustrated. “Find her top. We can’t move until you do.”

He nodded quickly, and using his nen he was able to find it. He held the garment up for a moment.

‘Huh. Why is holding this doing something for me?’

He stored that information away for later, making his way to the two quickly. Before, they’d been alone at the beach, but people were beginning to set up on the sand. He needed to get her top to her before some pervert(other than him and Leorio) saw her.

“Here it is.”

He handed the top to Leorio. Kurapika watched as (Name) pulled back a little, able to see a bit of side boob.

Even that was enough to get him rock hard.

“Kurapika, can you tie me up in the back?”

He stared, wide eyed for a few seconds, Leorio raising an eyebrow. “Can you hurry up? Some people are coming this way. You’re the only one that can tie good knots, right?”

Kurapika gulped, reaching down her sides to pick up the strings. “I’m going to tie it now.”

He pulled them taut, glancing down to tie it tightly. Although Kurapika wouldn’t mind her top coming off around him, this was a public beach. For some reason, the thought of anyone else seeing her naked body made him… uneasy. No, that wasn’t quite right.

‘…’

Jealous.

He finished the knot and stepped back. “It’s done.”

Leorio sighed and let (Name) go, the girl turning around to reveal she’d teared up a bit from the embarrassment.

“Thank you!”

She jumped towards him and gave him a hug. The thin fabric of her bathing suit was the only barrier between his bare chest and hers.

‘Leorio, that lucky bastard.’

But if he had been the one to pull her up, would he have been able to shield her body with his own?

‘I would have passed out.’

Kurapika did still send Leorio a suspicious look. Why wasn’t he becoming absolutely flustered from seeing (Name)’s bare chest? It didn’t make sense to him. Leorio was a pervert, that hit on any woman in his vicinity.

And that pervert didn’t so much as blush with her boobs pressed up against him.

‘If that had happened to me…’

He pictured the scenario in his mind, (Name)’s breasts pressed into his chest.

“Kurapika, you coming?”

(Name) had pulled away from the hug and walked away and joined Leorio on the boogie boards again.

“On my way.”

————————

The group gathered under her umbrella for lunch. Gon and Killua grabbed their premade sandwiches and a bag of chips each before Killua dragged him away again.

“Seems mommas boy is still embarrassed about earlier.”

(Name) smacked Kurapika’s arm playfully. “Oh stop it, don’t tease my baby.”

“Your baby?”

The image of (Name) carrying a baby on her hip, smiling in her kitchen as Kurapika returned home from work.

He shook the thought from his head. He didn’t want to think about how warm and fuzzy the thought of her carrying his child made him feel.

“Kurapika, you should eat your chips before Leorio does.”

The blonde blinked before snatching the small bag of chips from Leorio’s hands. “Just because I haven’t eaten them yet doesn’t mean you can have them.”

“You snooze you lose, bozo.”

Kurapika scowled before throwing a handful of chips into his mouth.

(Name), who thought he was acting like this because he was hangry, used her spoon to scoop a few of her strawberries onto Kurapika’s plate.

“Here, you like strawberries, right? You can have some of mine.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her he in fact didn’t like strawberries that much. The seeds got stuck in his teeth and he wasn’t a huge fan of the texture.

Kurapika popped one into his mouth, giving her a small smile. “Thank you.”

The three ate their lunch in silence, Leorio occasionally attempting to steal some of Kurapika’s chips. “Try that again and I’ll be biting off a finger.”

“Seems like Killua is rubbing off on you.”

(Name) stood up and stretched, shielding her eyes from the sun.

“Anyone up for some volleyball?”

The two glanced at each other, then to her.

“What’s volleyball?”

(Name) explained volleyball to the two, mimicking the movements as she explained.

“But we’d need more players. It’s only the three of us.”

She nodded. “Yeah, so we’re going to ask around and see if anyone would like to play with us.”

She began to walk away to ask, but Kurapika grabbed her wrist. “Wait, I’ll go with you.”

“Hmm? I can handle myself, you know.”

Kurapika glanced around the area, easily spotting several men eyeing her from other spots on the beach. He shook his head. “I’m not saying you can’t, I just… want to walk with you.”

This seemed to make the girl perk up. “With me? Oh, okay!”

Leorio rolled his eyes as they walked away, hand in hand. ‘Manipulative bastard. He knows she can’t say no to him wanting to spend time with her.’

Leorio didn’t exactly love that Kurapika was using her affection for him to his advantage, but he wasn’t doing it to be cruel.

At least not now.

Kurapika had to admit, he didn’t mind walking hand in hand with (Name). She was so warm, her presence always seemed to exude warmth and comfort. It was hard to NOT relax when he was around her.

It was yet another thing he added to the list of reasons to get away as soon as possible.

But while he was here… he could indulge in her. Just a little.

“Hi!”

(Name) had stopped in front of a mixed group of men and women, who were all sitting under a tent.

A few of the people turned to look at her.

“We’re going to play some volleyball, and wanted to see if anyone here would like to join us!”

A few of the people stood up. Two women, and three men. “Sure, we’ve got nothing better to do!”

The two women warmed up to (Name) almost instantly as they walk back, chatting with her. Kurapika wasn’t sure why, but he felt… competitive at the moment.

“Your bathing suit is so cute, (Name)! Where did you get it from?” one of the women asks, looking (Name) up and down.

(Name) answered with a smile, the women nodding along as she talked. Kurapika had been subtlety pushed to the side so they two women could walk, one on each of her sides.

And he didn’t like that, not one bit.

“(Name).”

She looked back, the women stopping.

“Yes?”

Kurapika took the opportunity to lock arms with (Name), glancing between the two women. (Name) seemed happy that he was touching her all on his own.

“Is she your girlfriend or something?”

Kurapika began to answer, but noticed they were talking to (Name), not him.

‘Do they think… we are two women in a relationship?’

Kurapika blinked rapidly, now realizing the way they were looking at (Name). Their eyes were on her body, taking in her curves.

“Oh, no, he’s not my boyfriend. Just my…”

She glanced at him. “Just a friend.”

Kurapika didn’t know why, but her hesitation to call him a friend hurt his feelings. ‘Just a friend..’

The two women seemed to perk up. “Really, then you’re single?”

“Yeah!”

Kurapika noticed the three men sipping on some alcoholic beverages as they trailed behind them. It was clear they weren’t paying attention to the conversation. He wouldn’t have to worry about them, but obviously the women in front of him were interested in (Name).

The arrived at (Name)’s umbrella shortly after, Leorio jumping up to greet the two women.

“Hello, I’m Leorio, and what are you two lovely ladies names?”

The first woman, a tall blonde with sun kissed skin smiled. “I’m Mellow.”

“And I’m Tasha!” said the shorter brunette. Leorio shook both of their hands.

“You two ladies sing-“

“We’re lesbians.”

Kurapika and Leorio blinked, the two women once again standing by (Name)’s side. “Oh!”

(Name) didn’t seem surprised, smiling at the two. “So how should we split up teams?”

The teams went like this: (Name), Leorio, Mellow, and one of the men. The other team was Tasha, two of the men, and Kurapika.

The blonde scoffed as he joined the other team, watching (Name) talk with Mellow softly, occasionally giggling.

If he’d been holding the volleyball, it would have popped.

————————

After the game, (Name) exchanged numbers with Mellow and Tasha. They offered to take her out for drinks before they left town. “Just call if you’re interested! See you later, cutie.”

(Name) became flustered at that, waving as they left. Leorio glanced to Kurapika, raising an eyebrow at his irritated expression.

“What’s got your panties in a twist, Kurapika?”

The blonde huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m completely calm. Happy even.”

“Uh huh.”

(Name) ran back over, her breasts bouncing. Kurapika’s eyes followed her movements, staring at her chest.

“I think it’s about time to get back home. It’s better to leave a little early, so we don’t get caught up in the crowd.”

The blonde nodded, his irritation fading away. “That’s smart, if we were to leave later it would take much longer to get home.”

(Name) pulled her bikini top up a little, turning towards the water. “Let’s get a little more time in the water, then we’ll go!”

Without another word, the ran towards the waves, jumping in. Leorio followed right behind her. “Don’t get water in your no- oh she already did.”

Kurapika snickered from his place on their beach towel, watching as Leorio patted (Name)’s back. Her pouty face was cute, he had to admit.

“Why are you staring at (Name) like some sort of creep?”

Kurapika glanced up to see Killua and Gon walking towards him, carrying buckets of fish they’d caught. Was that a crab in Gon’s hair? Questions for later.

“(Name)? You must mean your mom, right?”

Killua turned red, dropping the bucket so water would splash onto the blonde. “Hey, you little-“

“Kurapika, watch me!”

He paused, looking out into the water as (Name) dived under, doing a handstand. She resurfaced, seeming proud of herself.

“Did… did you see me?”

Kurapika glanced to Leorio, who nodded. “… yes. It was um… cool?”

Her smile widened and she continued playing with Leorio, splashing and laughing.

‘Cute.’

Kurapika had forgotten about Killua’s actions, continuing to watch the girl with a fond smile on his face.

“Ew. He’s still watching her. Should I call the police? No, the pound.”

Gon pinched his friend’s cheek. “Oh, hush Killua. Don’t embarrass him. He’s already sitting all by himself.”

Kurapika glanced around to see he was, in fact, completely alone besides the two. “… I’m alone on purpose.”

“Sure you are. (Name) didn’t want to cuddle up with you?”

The blonde turned red, throwing a handful of sand in the boy’s face. “Shut up, you brat.”

“Oh no.”

Gon watched on as they threw sand at each other, just glad that Killua hadn’t resorted to biting off any fingers.

“And just what in the HELL do you two think you’re doing?”

Killua and Kurapika paused, the white haired boy just about to shove a handful of sand into the others mouth.

“Um… bonding?”

The two sat on their knees in front of (Name) as she chewed them out. “You god sand everywhere! Now it’s going to take twice as long to pack up!”

Kurapika didn’t want to admit how hot it was having her peer down at him, a scowl on her lips. It didn’t help that when she crossed her arms, it pushed up her breasts to show even more cleavage.

“… sorry (Name)…”

Killua stuck out at Kurapika as he apologized. “Yeah, sorry mo-“

Before he could even get the entire word out, Kurapika was laughing.

“Ugh… I’m sorry, (Name). It won’t happen a-“

“Don’t be sorry.”

Killua paused, his eyes widening ever so slightly when (Name) kneeled down in front of him. “Don’t you ever apologize for something like that. I love you, Killua, and if you wanted to call me mom, I wouldn’t mind at all. After all, if you can give me all these wrinkles, you’ve gotta be my baby, right?”

He takes a minute to process this, his eyes trained on (Name)’s face. She was being completely serious.

“…”

He didn’t respond, only sighing in contentment when she pulled him in for a hug. “It’s your choice, though. I don’t mind either way.”

She pulled away and kissed his forehead. “Though, I am honored that you think of me as a mother figure. I have a real special kid.”

She stood up, Leorio and Gon started packing up (Name)’s stuff so they wouldn’t be scolded too.

“Alright, it’s time to go. Let’s get to the car!!”

They raced off, (Name) being picked up by Leorio.

“You’re too slow, and you forgot your shoes in the car. The sand will burn your little toes.”

He held up one of her legs in the air, bending her into an awkward position.

“Leorio I think the entire beach can see my-“

He quickly pushed her leg back down. “Whoops, so-“

Kurapika snatched her out of his hands. “You probably did that on purpose, you filthy pervert.”

(Name) blinked. He’d thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. ‘Well, he’s no Prince Charming but…’

She giggled, feeling his hand grip onto her thigh so she didn’t slip. ‘At least I know he cares.’

“(Name), you gonna cook these crabs for dinner?”

She glanced down a Gon, who had a crab stuck in his hair. “Sweetheart, are you aware that on of them is on your head?”

“Oh yeah, that’s Hanzo the third. He’s going to be my pet.”

‘Another Hanzo? This is getting out of hand.’

“That’s… wonderful.”

———————

“Oh no… Hanzo the third escaped!”

Killua shrugged. “I threw him in the pot.”

Gon collapsed to the floor. “NOO THAT WAS MY SECOND FAVORITE HANZO!”

“Is the real Hanzo the first?”

“Oh, no way. It’s Hanzo the Second.”

Kurapika watched this as he cut up celery and onions. If he was good at anything in the kitchen, it was slicing up vegetables.

“Killua, that was his pet. You apologize to Gon before i confiscate your chocolate robots.”

(Name) pointed a wooden spoon at the boy, a scowl on her face.

“… sorry Gon. Your friend will be delicious.”

‘Good enough, I guess.’

(Name) gave Kurapika a smile. “Thanks for helpful me out, I really appreciate it. Oh, and for carrying me earlier.”

He returned her smile, dumping the vegetables into a bowl. “It’s no trouble, you’re as light as a feather.”

She waved her hand. “Oh, you sweet talker, you!”

Leorio shrieked when a crab pinched his finger, waving it around. “SHIT! HANZO THE THIRD GOT ME!”

“HE’S STILL ALIVE!?”

Gon grabbed the crab and rushed out before Killua could take him again. The white haired boy shrugged. “Must of been one tough crab. Gotta go see this…”

He followed Gon outside.

Leorio blew on his injured finger, (Name) holding out her hand. “Want me to make it better, Leorio?”

He nodded, placing his hand in hers.

‘Oh, I’ll get to see her nen ability up close!’

Kurapika watched as Leorio’s fingers swelling went down almost immediately, the man sitting. “Yeesh, I forget how much your nen drains me.”

“Drains?” Kurapika asked, tilting his head.

“Well, drain is a bit excessive. When I use my nen, it takes some of the stamina of the person I’m helping to make their wounds heal faster. Technically I’m not healing, just speeding up the individuals healing time.”

Kurapika’s eyes widened. “So you use time based nen? I didn’t know that was possible.”

‘She’s more talented than I thought. An ability like that would be incredibly useful.’

“Can it only be used on humans?”

She blinked. “Well, I’ve used it on inanimate objects before, like doors, but haven’t tried it on anything else.”

He nodded slowly. ‘Interesting, so she can speed up the time of anything she touches? Or her aura touches..?’

“I have to be in at least a 15 foot proximity to my target for it to work. It’s not good for long range, I’m afraid.”

“Still, it’s an interesting ability.”

She smiled. “So I’ve been told. It helps me get a lot of work.”

Kurapika paused. “Work?”

“Yeah, I take on missions as a Support Hunter. That means people hire me to provide support in battles or missions. Oftentimes it’s fellow hunters that hire me, but occasionally I get a rich guy that wants a pretty lady taking care of him.”

Kurapika scowled. “That’s… hmm.”

She waved her hands. “Don’t worry, my customers aren’t perverts, they’d just prefer a woman caring for them than a man. And if I’m getting paid, I don’t care if they’re staring at my butt.”

He stopped himself from saying that HE cared. Why should he? And why should his opinion even matter?

“Well I care. If any of them lay a finger on you, tell me.”

Leorio patted her head, giving her a smile. Kurapika cursed himself for not speaking up, seeing (Name) blush at Leorio’s words.

“Aww, my sweet Leorio!”

She pulled him down and gave him a kiss on the cheek before hugging him right.

Kurapika could only watch, his hand twitching. Had he only voiced his thoughts, that could be him. But would she do that, even if he had said something? He had been pushing all of her affection away lately…

“Kurapika? Are the vegetables ready?”

“Oh- yes!”

The three continued cooking for a while longer, though Kurapika noticed (Name) wincing and rubbing her lower back throughout the night.

———————

After dinner, the group decided to turn in early. A day spent at the beach had even worn Killua out. (Name) tucked them in for bed, kissing each of their foreheads before grabbing a snack from the kitchen.

Kurapika was already there, munching on some cookies (Name) baked after dinner. He glanced up when she walked in, pausing mid bite.

“Oh, hi (Name). These are really good.”

She giggled, taking a cookie for herself. “I’m glad you like them. Have as many as you’d like.”

The blonde shook his head. “Oh, don’t say that. I’ll end up eating all of them.”

(Name) leaned against the counter raising an eyebrow. “How can you always eat so much and barely gain any weight? I’m jealous.”

She finished her cookie before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Well, my nen takes a lot of energy to produce, so I have to refuel by eating.”

Her expression shifted to one of concern. ‘Is that why he lost weight? His nen must be using more energy than he’s gaining back through eating…’

She walked forward, pouring some milk into a cup and handing it to him. “Here, drink up!”

“Oh, thank you.”

He sipped on his drink, watching her from the corner of his eye. She was tidying up the kitchen, putting away the dishes and wiping down the counters. Even on vacation, she was at work.

“Here, let me help.”

He grabbed the rag she’d been using to wipe down the counters, shooing her away. “I’ll finish up in here, you go get some rest.”

Usually, (Name) would protest, but she was feeling more tired than usual, and her body was aching. “Yeah, ok. Thank you.”

He watched her shuffle off to her bedroom, hissing as she rubbed her back again. ‘Did she hurt her back today? Our game of volleyball was pretty intense…’

Kurapika thought about going after her to offer to massage her back or grab her some medicine, but stopped halfway.

The Kurapika that diligently took care of her when she was hurt, rubbing soothing hands into the aching parts of her body was gone. He couldn’t let himself become that person again, not if it meant getting her hopes up that he was back, and there to stay.

He didn’t want to hurt her, he’d done enough already.

Instead, Kurapika walked to his and Leorio’s shared room. He knocked before stepping in.

“Come in.”

Kurapika sighed, plopping down onto his bed. Leorio was lying atop the covers, wearing only his boxers. “Why can’t you wear pajamas like a normal person? What if (Name) saw you?”

Leorio grunted, waving his hand. “It ain’t anything she hasn’t seen before.”

Kurapika shot up at this, his eyes wide. “She’s seen you in your underwear?!”

Leorio glanced at him, putting down the porn magazine he’d been looking at. “We lived together for a few months after the Hunter Exam, we’ve seen plenty of each other.”

‘Of each other? Does that mean…’

That made sense, considering Leorio’s reaction earlier today, or lack there of. If he’d already seen her naked, that would explain everything.

“How… how much have you seen? Of her, I mean.”

The dark haired man raised an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know? It’s really none of your business.”

“It is. She’s my friend.”

“It’s a weird question to ask about a friend, but…”

Leorio groaned as he stretched, letting a loud yawn. “Just her chest, really. She’s seen everything of me, you know that from the Hunter Exam.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Kurapika sighed, partially relieved. ‘If he’s only seen her chest, that means they haven’t…’

He’d had his suspicions the two were together, unable to really tell, but with this it made sense how close they were. They’d lived together, and had been very close since York New.

When the group parted ways after rescuing Killua, Leorio and (Name) had tickets for the same airship, so they’d left together. He hadn’t thought much about it then, but perhaps on the way there they agreed to live with each other.

(Name) got an apartment in York New around July 2nd-4th, meaning the two spent at least four months living together. That was a lot of time to be around another person, more time he’d spent with the group all together.

Actually, the fourish weeks he’d spent at (Name)’s house was the longest he’d stayed with his friends.

Kurapika turned over, staring out the window at the ocean view. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, the past few weeks had been some of the best he’d had in years. (Name) really did know how to make him feel better.

She’d always been like that. Soft, kind, considerate. He wanted to protect that pretty smile of hers, more than anything he wanted to keep her happy forever.

Maybe in a different life, in a different body, he could be the person that followed her to her room and soothed her pain.

But he couldn’t be that person right now, and wasn’t sure he could ever be what she needed. His life was one of danger, bloodshed, and revenge. A pure soul such as herself had no place by his side.

She was an angel, and he was a lowly devil. He didn’t want to dirty her with his blood soaked hands, even if all he wanted was to touch, to hold her.

Kurapika felt his heart begin to race as he thought about her. He tried to calm himself, thinking about his mission.

Eventually, he was able to sleep. Not before masturbating to the picture they’d taken together at the beach, just him and her. She’d insisted on it, sending him the picture after. He wondered if she’d noticed how her nipples poked through her thin bikini top, or how cute her smile was.

Kurapika sighed, feeling relieved before passing out.

——————

The blonde awoke to the sound of creaking floorboards. He groaned, slipping on the house shoes (Name) brought for him before sliding towards the door, rubbing his tired eyes.

Creeping down the hallway was (Name), and Kurapika quickly noticed she was wearing a different pair of pants than she’d gone to sleep in.

“(Name) what are you doing up so late? I thought I told you to rest.”

He almost sounded cranky, fumbling for the light switch. She stood with her back to him, stiffening. “Oh, um… I just woke up, I’ll be going back to bed soon, promise.”

Kurapika rubbed his temple before walking over to her. “You-“

He blinked. She was carrying her sheets, and her pair of pants. He could see the distinct color of red staining the sheet.

“Oh.”

He let her go, the girl turning to him, looking embarrassed.

“I’ll go get Leorio.”

Kurapika patted her shoulder, trying to put her at ease. He knew it couldn’t exactly be fun for someone to see she’d bled through both her pants and the sheets in her sleep.

Thankfully, a similar situation had happened during the Hunter Exam, so he knew what to do this time.

Kurapika shook Leorio’s shoulder roughly, the dark haired man swatting his hand away before rolling over.

“Leorio, it’s (Name). She’s, um…”

At the mention of (Name)’s name, he shot up, eyes wide.

“What happened? She didn’t hurt herself, did she?”

Kurapika shook his head, blinking. “No? She just… she started… her…”

Leorio sighed, holding a hand to his chest. “You woke me up because she started her period? God, don’t scare me like that, Kurapika.”

Despite his words, Leorio stood and walked to the living room, where (Name) sat after putting the clothes and sheets on to wash.

“Hey, (Name).”

He plopped down in front of her, opening his suitcase. Because (Name) had irregular and heavy periods, he carried both pads and Midol with him.

“You have pads?”

She nodded slowly, looking uncomfortable with Kurapika lingering behind the couch. Although she didn’t mind talking to Leorio about these things due to how close they’d become, Kurapika had become close to a stranger.

“Oh, um. Do you need anything?” Kurapika asked, hovering around her. Despite hesitating to help her earlier that night, he couldn’t help but feel he needed to do SOMETHING. He’d seen how much pain her period caused her first hand.

“There’s a…” she held onto her abdomen, hissing in pain before continuing, “a heating pad in the storage closet down the hall. Could you grab it?”

“On it.”

While he walked away, Leorio grabbed her a cup of juice so she could take some pain medicine. He also made sure do a quick check up using the equipment he had on hand.

“You seem alright, fortunately. You should eat something before you go back to bed, though. How about some leftovers?”

She nodded, a sigh leaving her lips. “Yeah, make me a plate, please?”

“Of course.”

Kurapika returned with the heating pad, plugging it in before wrapping it in a towel and handing it to (Name). “Here.”

She sighed softly as she rested the heating pad against her abdomen. “Thank you, this always helps. You’re so sweet to me…”

Her hand held onto his, her thumb rubbing against his knuckles gently.

He felt his cheeks heat up. “I-it’s no problem, really. I know, at least during the Hunter Exam, your… it was very painful for you.”

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, and you were there for me then, too. I love you, so much.”

He felt his entire body stiffen, his lips parting in a silent gasp. She’d told him this before, she’d said it to all of her friends, but it always caught him off guard.

He could tell she meant it, and it made his heart thump painfully against his chest.

“…”

Quietly, he sat down next to her. He kept his hand in hers, not saying anything when she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Remember when I chewed Hanzo out when he asked if I was on my period?”

Kurapika snickered. “Yeah. I wanted to slap him.”

“I mean, the answer was yes b-“

“He still had to no right to ask that. The crude bastard.”

(Name) felt her lips curl into a smile. Leorio came around the corner, (Name) poking her head up.

“Here you go, doll face. Eat up.”

He set the plate in front of her, (Name) happily munching away. “Mmm, I was barely able to eat dinner, but now that I’ve had some medicine I feel well enough to eat.”

‘She didn’t eat much at dinner? I didn’t even notice…’

But Leorio had. He plopped down on the other side of (Name), turning the TV on.

“I’ll stay with you until you’re ready to sleep. Wanna watch Sailor Moon or something?”

She nodded, unable to speak because her mouth was full.

“Thought so, it’s one of your favorites after all.”

Another thing Kurapika didn’t know about (Name). He stole a piece of fish from her plate, suddenly realizing he was hungry again.

“Hey!”

She sent him a glare, pulling her plate towards Leorio, who also stole a piece from her plate.

“Rude, go make your own if you’re hungry!”

Kurapika chuckled. He remembered just a few hours ago, she had no problem sharing one of her favorite fruits with him, and now she was being stingy with her food. It was cute, honestly.

“Leorio, I’m going to make myself a plate. Do you want anything?”

“I’ll come with.”

The two walked to the kitchen together, Leorio opening the fridge to take the leftovers out again.

“She’s going to be alright. I checked, nothing is out of the ordinary.”

Kurapika visibly relaxed, leaning against the counter. “Good, good. Last time, she got so… sick? I guess weak would be a better term. It was…”

“Scary?”

The blonde nodded, taking out two plates. “Yeah. I never knew a woman’s menstrual cycle could cause such symptoms.”

Leorio sighed. “Yeah, well I finally got her to see a doctor about it when she stayed with me. Now she takes medicine to regulate her period. The pain and nausea is still there, but at least it’s not as bad as… before.”

It felt a bit awkward to be discussing their female friend’s menstruation, but they’d both seen how badly it affected her during the Hunter Exam. Leorio didn’t want Kurapika to worry too much.

“I see. That’s good, I remember you were worried she might be anemic.”

Leorio nodded, pulling his heated food out of the microwave. “Thankfully she wasn’t, but having a period as heavy as hers can cause it.”

The two walked back to the living room, food in hand. They plopped down onto the couch, one on each side of (Name).

She seemed invested in her anime, barely acknowledging that they had come back.

“Hmm, guess we’ll be waking up late.” Leorio said with a yawn. (Name) shook her head.

“Actually, I’m getting up early to go collect seashells. Because I’m on my period, I probably won’t stay at the beach all day tomorrow.”

Kurapika frowned. “I can stay home with you, if-“

She shook her head again. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to do anyways. I’ll need everyone out of the house before lunch.”

The two glanced at each other. “Are you sure you should be alone all day?”

“I’ll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll send texts throughout the day.”

Leorio sighed. “Alright, but if I don’t get hourly texts I’m going to rush home, and I WILL treat you like a baby the rest of the trip.”

(Name) shivered. “Noted.”

They stayed up for a little longer, watching anime and eating leftovers before (Name) began to nod off.

“Hmm… (Name), I think it’s bedtime.”

Leorio scooped her up, only chuckling when she complained. “Hey, I let you stay up for an entire hour, it’s time to sleep.”

She pouted, but stayed quiet.

“… I can take her to bed.”

Leorio raised an eyebrow. “I’ve got it.”

And he was gone without another word. Kurapika watched, gripping onto the fabric of his shirt as Leorio entered her bedroom.

———————

(Name) woke up at around 5 am, yawning before pulling on a pair of shorts and a tshirt. She picked up a small bucket, walking down the hallway and sitting to slip on her shoes.

“(Name)? You’re up early.”

Killua stood in the doorway to his and Gon’s shared room, staring at her with this big, catlike eyes.

“Yeah, I wanted to go collect some shells before the beach got too crowded. They wash up during the night and in the mornings, then most of the pretty ones get snatched up before we would get there.”

She stretched, a small smile on her face when she glanced down at the strawberry patterned flip flops on her feet. They were a gift from Killua, and he seemed proud to see her wearing them.

“Oh, ok. Can I come with?”

“Yeah, just get dressed and meet me outside in 5 minutes.”

He tiptoed back into his room and got dressed as quickly as he could. (Name) offered him her hand when he met her outside, the boy taking it instantly.

They walked along the beach, Killua letting go of her hand to trail behind her.

He had only come to make sure she was safe, barely kicking the sand as he walked. Killua watched her pick up shell after shell, occasionally tossing some less desired ones back into the ocean.

But he noticed she’d missed a large shell, half buried in the sand. Killua caught up to her, handing (Name) the shell.

“Hey, you missed one.”

(Name) gasped, turning around the shell in her hands, beaming.

“Killua, this is the prettiest shell I’ve seen all morning! Good eye!”

She patted his head before continuing her search.

‘…’

Killua began running around the beach, finding shells she wouldn’t be able to see because of his superior eyesight. Every time, she gasped in delight, praising him for his finds.

He seemed to be having fun, making a game out of collecting bigger, shinier, prettier shells.

Within 20 minutes, the bucket she brought was full. “Wow, team work really makes the dream work. These are gorgeous, Killua!”

He blushed from her praise, kicking at the sand in embarrassment. “Thanks…”

She left her bucket on the beach, looking out at the water. “Oh, let’s wade in the waves, we might see some cool fish!”

He followed her into the water, the two crouching to watch fish swim by. They were quiet, but Killua couldn’t help but gasp when a small shark swam by, shaking (Name)’s shoulder.

“Mom, mom look!”

He paused, but this time tried not to run away in embarrassment. He didn’t want to scare the fish away, or spook the shark.

“Oh, wow! What a pretty shark.”

They continued this for a while, occasionally wading to different parts of the beach to see other creatures.

The sun was rising over the beach when (Name) stood. “Alright, it’s time to get home. If I don’t make breakfast, Gon will start chewing on the furniture again.”

He nodded, following her towards the beach. Killua enjoyed these moments with (Name), where he could have fun and enjoy what the world had to offer, without judgment. In front of her, he didn’t have to put up a front. He could be himself, completely.

“Killua, hop on!”

(Name) crouched down, looking back at him. Killua huffed. “I’m getting to big for piggyback rides.”

She tilted her head. “Now matter how big, or how small, you’ll always be my baby. Now hop on, we gotta hurry.”

She turned her head back around, and he had to clench his fist to keep himself from tearing up. Killua climbed on her back and she stood, holding onto his legs.

“See? Not too big. Still my little guy.”

He buried his face in her hair, sighing softly. She always made him feel safe, loved. It wasn’t often that Killua relaxed enough to fall asleep while being carried, but he easily dozed off as she carried him home.

(Name) held back a giggle at realization he’d fallen asleep. ‘He must if still been tired whne he agreed to come with me. My sweet Killua…’

As (Name) approached the Cabin, Kurapika was waking up. He stood and walked to the living room, noticing he felt (Name)’s aura outside, not inside.

The blonde peaked out the window to see her walking back from the beach, Killua asleep on her back. The sight made Kurapika’s heart race.

He couldn’t help but think of her carrying HIS offspring, not Killua. She really would make a great mother, and maybe she already was one.

Kurapika opened the door and ran down the stairs, meeting (Name) halfway.

“You shouldn’t be carrying anything heavy right now, (Name). Let me get him.”

She didn’t argue, allowing Kurapika to gently take Killua. “Just be careful, that’s my baby.”

Kurapika paused, his cheeks turning pink. ‘How cute.’

“… I’ll be careful.”

He took Killua to his room as (Name) began to cook breakfast, watching her when he returned.

“Kurapika, sweetheart, can you help me with breakfast?”

He hurried forward. “Yes!”

————————

After a quick breakfast, the boys all waved goodbye, carrying their beach equipment away. “Make sure Killua gets his sunscreen on, Leorio!”

“I will! Remember what I said last night, text me every hour!”

“Ugh, I will…”

She folded her arms, watching them go.

“Alright, it’s time…”

(Name) walked back in, closing the front door behind her. She snuck to her room and dug through her suitcase.

“There!”

She pulled out the package Illumi had given her, a big smile on her face. (Name) began to unwrap it slowly, giggling. “He’s going to be so surprised!”

At the beach, Kurapika and Leorio had just finished making sure the two boys were covered in sunscreen.

The blonde lied back on the towel, reading from the book (Name) had dropped at the pool. He’d already finished it a few days ago, but had begun rereading it.

It was definitely smutty, but besides that the plot was interesting. He could see why she liked it, in multiple ways.

‘I wonder if she masturbates while reading this…’

He turned the page before realizing what he’d just thought. He groaned and let the book fall onto his face, shielding his eyes.

Since she’d pretty much confirmed she masturbated, he couldn’t get his mind off of it. At night, he’d imagine how cute she’d look with her butt in the air, fingers pumping in and out of her plump cunt.

What he wouldn’t give to see her face when she orgasmed…

“Kurapika, are you aware you’re over there pitching a tent?”

Kurapika picked the book up and gave Leorio a confused look. “Pitching a hug?”

Leoruo pointed to his crotch. “You’ve got a boner.”

Kurapika looked down and turned red. He was, in fact hard. Leorio threw him a towel to cover himself. “I-I didn’t mean to-“

“It happens, don’t sweat it.”

Despite Leorio’s reassurance, Kurapika still felt incredibly embarrassed. He stood, using the large towel to wrap around himself. “I’m going to turn in early today.”

“By we’ve only been here an hour, and (Name) wanted us gone for a reason.” Leorio said, before taking a sip of the beer (Name) packed for him.

“I’m sure she won’t mind, besides I… need to take care of this.”

Leorio sighed. “Alright. I didn’t want (Name) to be by herself all day anyways.”

Kurapika grabbed a soda before leaving.

————————

(Name) hummed to herself as she began cooking. Although she couldn’t read the directions in the cookbook she’d gotten from Illumi, it had detailed drawings showing exactly what to do.

Thankfully, no one had suspected the few different ingredients she picked out. None of them were things she usually bought, but they weren’t anything she hadn’t worked with before.

She had to make a few substitutions, as she couldn’t include a vegetable only grown in the Lukso Province.

(Name) had in her hands, an official Kurtan Cookbook. It had taken her nearly a year to get it. At first, she planned on gifting it to Kurapika if he made it to Christmas, but not only did he not show up, she wasn’t able to get it on time.

The woman held her abdomen for a moment, feeling a cramp coming on. It was her body telling her she needed to take her medicine again.

She prepared herself a cup of juice and took her medicine before continuing her work.

Thankfully, there was just enough information in the cook book to make proper substitutions. The Lukso Province vegetable she couldn’t get could be substituted with onions and celery. One day, (Name) wanted to go there and propagate some of the plants to properly make this dish for Kurapika.

Well, that was if she ever saw him again after today.

(Name) tried not to tear up thinking about him. They’d been close, so close that up until a few weeks before York New, they’d been texting and calling constantly. Sometimes, they’d even fall asleep while on the phone.

But a few weeks leading up to their meeting, Kurapika slowly began to distance himself from her. At first it was just taking a few hours to message her with the excuse he was busy with training. Then his responses took days, and eventually, he stopped responding at all.

(Name) had been sad, but assumed it was only because of his busy schedule. After all, they would be meeting in just a few days! It shouldn’t matter that he hadn’t called her back in a week.

But even after he was supposed to call her when he arrived in York New, (Name) received nothing. No call, no text, not even an email. He’d essentially ghosted her.

Although they would meet multiple times in York New, not a single one of those meetings was a net positivite, honestly each one left her feeling drained and… useless.

She wiped a stray tear from her eye, pushing the memory of his angry and spiteful eyes out of her mind. So far, he hadn’t shown that side of him, and if he was really never going to see her again, she wanted to remember him for the sweet guy she knew he could be. Not the man who’d broken her heart.

Kurapika arrived at the cabin, blinking at the familiar scent in the air. It filled him with nostalgia, a strange ache in his chest causing him to walk into the cabin less stealthily than he had planned.

Thankfully, (Name) seemed distracted with what she was making in the kitchen.

“Kurapika?”

Or not. Sometimes he forgot she could use nen now, so no matter how sneaky, if he didn’t mask his presence she would sense him. “Sorry, I know you wanted us out of the house, but I… got too overheated.”

It was a quickly thought up lie, and he hoped she wouldn’t see though him. To his relief, she gave him a concerned look and ushered for him to sit down.

“Oh no, I’m sorry. I hope you didn’t feel pressured to stay out there because I asked for you all to be out of the house.”

She brought a wet paper towel to him, gently patting his red cheeks. “Don’t worry, I actually needed you here after all.”

He tilted his head. “For what?”

“First, sit down and I’ll bring you something cold to drink.”

He obliged, sitting at the kitchen table and saying a small thank you when she offered him a cold glass of water.

“Just a moment, I’ll bring you something to try!”

He watched her saunter off, sipping on his drink slowly. She seemed to be feeling better than last night, zooming around the kitchen, stirring pots and peeking in the oven.

Kurapika couldn’t quite tell what she was making from his position.

“Here!”

She blew on a spoon and offered it to him, that pretty smile on her face. “Tell me if you like it!”

Kurapika stared at the spoon. “What is it?”

She pouted. “It’s a surprise, now open up!”

He hesitantly opened his mouth, allowing her to feed him whatever she’d made.

It was some sort of broth, savory with a hint of sweetness.

“Mmm, it’s good. What is it?”

She quirked an eyebrow at the question, Kurapika quickly giving her a shy smile. “Oh yeah, it’s a surprise. Sorry.”

She bit her lip to hold back a laugh. “You’re awfully cute, you know that?”

“Cute?”

“Mhm.”

She ruffled his hair, giggling. He looked down, cheeks turning a light shade of pink before he pushed her hands away.

She sighed, stretching. “Alright, if you’re staying all I ask is you don’t come into the kitchen.”

“Because of the surprise?”

(Name) nodded, twirling around and heading back into the kitchen.

Unfortunately for her, he hadn’t agreed to not look in the kitchen. Kurapika was a curious man, to a fault. He peeked around a corner to see what she was doing.

(Name) had an apron on, humming softly as she moves around the kitchen. ‘If anyone’s cute, it’s her…’ he thought, watching the woman with soft eyes.

She tried a sip of the broth for herself, smiling. “If Kurapika thinks it tastes good that’s all that matters. But…”

She added a pinch of salt before walking away from the pot.

“Hmm…”

She seemed to be looking over a cookbook, but Kurapika couldn’t see what it was for.

“I don’t think I could even pronounce this… maybe Kurapika could…”

He perked up at this, a little flustered. Was it some long word she was having trouble pronouncing? Did she think he was smart?

Kurapika blushed. It wasn’t often that people recognized his intelligence, a trait he prided himself on.

(Name) tapped a finger against her chin, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the name of the dish. She began to pronounce it, Kurapika’s eyes going wide.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s quite right… I’ll have Kurapika teach me how to say it later.”

He stepped away slowly, feeling his entire body heat up.

‘Those… those words…’

He rushed to his bedroom, holding a hand over his mouth as his face went red.

‘That was the Kurtan language…’

But it was the specific words that had Kurapika so flustered.

“A dish for lovers.”

Kurapika gulped, wrapping his arms around himself. He’d heard of this dish from his mother, although she had seemed a bit flustered when explaining it.

It was a dish that consisted of a vegetable based broth, served with rice, poultry, and vegetables only found in Lukso Province. He’d smelled the dish being made for newlyweds before, but had never eaten it himself.

The newlyweds were to eat the dish after consummating their marriage. It was to be shared between the two, while they celebrated with family.

‘We both… we both…’

If two people consumed the dish together, whether married or not, it was said they would be bound together by fate.

Kurapika thought the legend was silly, but with the knowledge the two of them had shared this dish together, he couldn’t help his heart thumping against his chest painfully.

Part of him wanted to be angry she made the dish without knowing what she was doing, but he could tell she was doing it out of love. This was a surprise meant for Kurapika. Something she’d taken the time to do.

His only question was…

‘How did she get that book?’

————————

Leorio opened the front door, carrying Gon on his back. “(Name), we’re b- oh what are you making? That smells great!”

(Name) walked out of the kitchen, smiling. “Shh, come here Leorio.”

The man glanced at the two boys before following her into the kitchen. She smiled brightly before holding up the cookbook.

“Is that…”

Leorio took it from her hands, running his hand over the paper cover.

“Yep! A Kurtan cookbook! I finally got my hands on one!”

He leafed through the pages of the book, eyes wide. “How did you get it? Didn’t the lead you have a few months ago come up empty?”

She nodded, taking the book back and setting it aside. “Yes, it did, and you won’t believe who got this book for me.”

Kurapika tiptoed near the kitchen. He had heard Leorio walk in, and when he heard (Name) begin talking about the cookbook, he drew closer to hear better. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to her the name of the person that got her the book.

“Him? Wow…”

(Name) nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t get it either. Apparently he found it on a job. He killed a flesh collector, and one of the items they’d collected was a Kurtan Cookbook. It wasn’t something the flesh collector was interested in, so they planned on selling it, but thankfully he killed them before they could. I would have hated for this to end up in a collectors hands. It would be disrespectful to Kurapika.”

Could she be anymore considerate? The blonde held a hand over his chest, looking to the floor. He felt both loved and guilty. She’d done such a sweet, selfless thing for him, and in just a day he’d be leaving her for forever.

“(Name)…” Leorio said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re too kind. He’s done nothing to deserve this from you.”

Kurapika flinched, clutching the fabric of his shirt. Leorio wasn’t wrong. What had he done for her that she hadn’t already done for him a hundred times before?

He’d been helping her clean and cook out of guilt, she did this out of love.

“He doesn’t have to do anything. I love him, and I’d do the same for any of you.”

Kurapika walked away, heading back to his room. He couldn’t listen to another word. The blonde plopped down onto his bed, sighing into his pillow.

‘She’s making this so hard for me…’ he thought, tilting his head to stare at the clock above the doorway.

It was around 8:30 pm, meaning she’d spent all day preparing dinner, made specially for him. He blinked lazily, groaning when he heard the door open.

“What?”

“Woah, no need for the attitude dude. I just came to tell you dinner is ready.”

Leorio stood in the doorway, eyebrow raised. “(Name) went through all this trouble for you, so I expect to see you there soon.”

He stood slowly, rubbing his arm. “… I’m coming.”

———————

Kurapika washed his hands before leaving his room, eyes going wide when he saw the dining room.

It was lightly decorated, with a hand written banner saying “Kurapika Going Away Party” hanging from the ceiling.

The table was covered in food, the center being a small vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.

He glanced around the room, seeing all of his friends gathered around.

“This… this is all for me?”

(Name) stepped forward, holding the cookbook in her arms. “Yes, and this is for you as well!”

He felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks, his eyes burning a soft red. (Name)’s face fell, reaching hand up to brush his tears away.

“Do you… do you not like it?”

He shook his head rapidly, leaning into her touch. “No, no it’s perfect, (Name). Thank you.”

He took the book from her arms, opening it. It wasn’t an authentic Kurtan handbook, instead a copy, but he still held it tenderly in his hands.

He leafed through it, smiling at the few recipes he recognized. Kurapika had never been a talented cook, but he had helped his mother cook some of the dishes before. Though, helped may have been an exaggeration, he just stirred the pan and dropped in ingredients she handed him.

He chucked at the memory, looking up to see (Name) smiling warmly. “(Name)?”

“Yes?”

He handed the book back, pushing it to her chest. “I want you to keep this.”

“But-“

He shushed her with a raised hand. “I would not be able to put it to proper use. Keep my clans memory alive, and cook these recipes to your hearts content. You have my blessing.”

He smiled, a real genuine smile. She stared up at him with wide eyes, holding the book to her chest. “I will! I’ll make so many of these that Killua will get sick of it!”

“Hey!”

The group laughed, before sitting down to eat.

————————

Sadly, even though they stayed up later than usually eating and watching movies, they eventually had to sleep, ending their vacation.

The next morning, (Name) was up early again getting the cabin cleaned up and packing the rest of her belongings.

Kurapika was also awake, but for different reasons.

He rubbed his eyes after answering the text, barely keeping himself from nodding off when he heard a notification.

Informant: There has been a change in plans.

Kurapika huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hated when plans changed, especially as suddenly as they had now. He was supposed to be leaving at 4 am Friday, and the informant had texted him only a day before they were supposed to be meeting.

Kurapika: What changes?

Informant: We’ll be meeting Saturday evening, not Friday evening.

Kurapika sighed. It was annoying, but nothing he couldn’t plan ar-

Informant: You will also need to bring a partner with you.

“Fuck.”

That wasn’t as easy to plan around. Kurapika didn’t have many friends or acquaintances in the first place, especially ones that would be able to accompany him on a potentially dangerous mission last minute.

He let out a deep breath. ‘I can’t ask Leorio, he has classes, and Gon is leaving for whale island the same day I am. Melody is in another country. Maybe Killua would go if I asked nicely…’

Kurapika: … is there a reason I’ll need a partner?

Informant: the place we’ll be meeting is a restaurant that serves couples only

‘Well, that rules out Killua.’

He thought about just hiring a random woman to accompany him, but knew it wouldn’t be right to put a woman with no experience in danger.

‘Wait… there is one person…’

Kurapika shook his head. ‘No, no I can’t ask her. I couldn’t put her in danger like that.’

He pushed his hair out of his face, sighing. ‘I guess I’ll have to cance-‘

Another text message appeared, this time a picture.

Informant: to make sure you know I’m legit, here is proof I know the information you need

Kurapika felt his eyes go wide, red seeping into them.

The picture was a pair of the scarlet eyes. It was blurry, obviously taken in a rush. The informant wasn’t lying, he knew where a pair of the eyes were.

Now that Kurapika knew this, he couldn’t give up. His mission always came first, after all.

Even if it would mean he’d have to ask (Name) to accompany him. He didn’t want to, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

Kurapika left his bed and walked out into the living room, spotting (Name) sweeping the floor.

‘I’ll ask her later… she’s busy right now.’

He fixed himself a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal, researching the restaurant the informant had sent him. He tried to find some kind of loophole where he could come alone, with no luck.

He sighed, only looking up when the rest of the group woke up and began packing.

——————

Kurapika waited until they were back at (Name)’s house to ask her.

“Hey, uh, (Name)?”

Leorio had left, and the boys were had left for the creek a few minutes before. They were alone, Kurapika having just sat next to her on the couch.

“Yes?”

He bit his lip, toying with his tabard. “Are you… are you busy this weekend?”

(Name) paused, turning away from the show she’d been watching. “Why do you ask?”

The blonde hesitated. “I… I have a favor to ask of you.”

She tilted her head, giving him her full attention. “Go on.”

He let out a breath. “I… I need you to accompany me on my mission.”

Silence. The two stared at each other, (Name) seeming confused, but curious. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“The informant wants to meet in a restaurant only open to couples, and…”

“And you need someone to serve as your date?”

He looked up, surprised to see a teasing smile on her lips. “… correct. He sent me confirmation today that he does in fact have solid information on the scarlet eyes.”

(Name) nodded slowly, curling a finger to her chin in thought. “While I’m not particularly busy this weekend, I will have to speak ask someone to keep an eye on Killua. Give me a moment.”

She stood, walking a way while pulling out her phone. He waited for her to close the door to the bathroom behind her before he followed. Ever curious, Kurapika wanted to know who she’d be calling.

“(Name)? Did you need something?”

It was Leorio. ‘Of course.’ Kurapika thought, pursing his lips.

“Hey, um… I have a favor to ask.”

“Go on.”

Kurapika raised an eyebrow. “Could you watch Killua this weekend? I um… I have some plans.”

Leorio made a confused sound on the other end. “Plans? You didn’t mention any plans to me when were at the beach.”

“Well, they’re a new development.”

Leorio sighed, and Kurapika could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Alright, I’ll do it, but tell me your plans.”

(Name) went quiet for a moment, the only noise the sound of her tapping her nails against the sink.

“Well… you know how Kurapika is leaving Friday?”

“Yeah?”

She twiddled her thumbs. “He… he asked if I could accompany him, because he needs someone to act as his date.”

“And you agreed to that!?”

Both (Name) and Kurapika flinched at the incredulous tone of his voice. “It’s a lead on the scarlet eyes, you know how important that is to him.”

“Yeah, more important than all of us apparently… (Name), you remember York New, right? Do you think accompanying him on a mission is good idea after everything he’s said to you? I can understand taking him in, he’s our friend, but this is too m-“

“Leorio.”

The man paused, sighing. “Sorry. I know, nothing is too much when helping friends, whatever. I’m just… I’m just worried he’ll hurt you again.”

(Name) sighed. “I appreciate your concern, but he hasn’t given me any reason to believe he’ll do it again. He’s been on his best behavior.”

“Besides storming out to chase the phantom troupe and not even bothering to call you back.”

This made (Name) pause. Kurapika looked at the floor.

“… I’m going. If I can help him, I want to.”

Leorio groaned, but didn’t protest any further. “Alright, I won’t stop you, but the moment he makes you uncomfortable you call me and I’ll come get you.”

“I will.”

Kurapika walked away at that, looking down at his phone.

‘I’m sorry, but I’ll be taking advantage of your kindness again, (Name). This is the last thing I’ll ask of you.’

—————

Killua grumbled as he helped (Name) carry her suitcase to the train. Kurapika ended up ordering tickets for late Thursday, not wanting to have (Name) wake up so early Friday.

“Can’t believe you’re doing this for that blonde tw-“

(Name) pinched Killua’s cheek. “Oh, hush. It’s only two days, I’ll be back Monday morning.”

Killua pouted, only calming down when (Name) pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you too, Killua. I’ll call you when we get there, okay?”

He nodded, burying his face in his shoulder.

Kurapika watched, grabbing (Name)’s suitcase from the white haired boy. Killua looked up, frowning.

“If she gets hurt, I swear to g-“

Kurapika held up a hand. “Her safety will be my top priority.”

“I thought your mission came before everything?”

Kurapika’s mouth hung open slightly at Killua’s words. (Name) looked down, sighing.

“I can take care of myself. Come on, let’s get seated.”

She gave Killua one last squeeze before boarding the train, Kurapika following behind.

“Kurapika.”

The blonde turned back, seeing Killua staring at him, his eyes serious.

“I will never forgive you if you let her get hurt. She’s doing this to help you, never forget that.”

Kurapika stayed quiet for a moment before answering.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He sat down next to (Name). They were in first class, sitting comfortably.

She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Ya know, this kind of reminds me of our Hunter Exam days.”

Kurapika leaned his head onto hers. “Yeah…”

The two rode the train in silence, on their way to York New, as (Name) thought back to the Hunter Exam…

213 notes · View notes