answer your god damn phone

[dialtones]

[How many calls had he missed from Leorio alone?

Honestly, he preferred not to look at the number. It was wrong, but this wasn't something he could pull any of them into. He'd been wrapped up in his own little world, paying attention to the news enough when it related to his work and his end goal, and while he could have gone to the elections or even to visit Gon (his comrades had, after all), he decided against it. Visiting would have just opened up a whole can of other problems.

Maybe it went against what he'd been thinking before, but he had matured a bit since then. With the Spider desperately working to repair itself, and plenty of its members still on the move, Kurapika had to consider how to handle them-- but he was also sitting right on top of the location of the eyes of his brethren. He had to work up to it, and well... That's what he'd done.

There were a large amount of them recovered (he had to deal with a lot of people to get this collection) and given funerals, but it wasn't enough until he had every last set. There were still leads to follow, and so he continued to climb and gain Nostrade's trust.

Trust, though, is what leads him to pulling his cell phone out now. A strange illness was breaking out in the Nostrade organization, and it was worrying Nostrade himself. A few of his workers had already died, and panic was growing. He demanded that Kurapika find him someone to find out what was going on, but to be sure it was someone they could 'trust', because this could very well be an attack on them.

A doctor that he could trust? His first thought was that there was none. But after just a moment's more hesitation, he gives in and speaks his understanding clearly to Nostrade, hitting the call button on his phone and stepping away. His opposite hand curls at his elbow as he waits. This is pulling him in, but if it's just Leorio... It'll be easier to keep him in the dark about a lot of what he's been doing.

He'll use that to justify this selfish decision.]

Leorio?

Comments

[speeddial]

[Fold??? The look on his face clearly says he's not a neat and tidy folding kind of guy, if it weren't already obvious, but he does move to pick up the jacket and tie. He's not going to fold these...

He'll sort of drape them over an arm of the chair once it's upright- that will do. This is making an effort.

Now, while he's considering his shirt and wondering if tucked in or not tucked in looks more suspect for trekking down the hall,] Yeah?

[dialtones]

[He pauses to stare at that sad excuse for cleaning up before reaching over to take Leorio's jacket and tie himself. He folds the jacket into a neat square and sets it on the edge of the bed, the tie following shortly afterwards, somehow placed right in the middle of that folded square.

He decides to say what he wanted to while still staring at this.]

...Thank you. [He could waste his time on shallow compliments or comment on how he enjoyed things, but that doesn't carry the right amount of weight. He asked what they do now, and Leorio just focused on cleaning up. So he was going to try to stay here? For him?

Again, it hits him. He's lucky.]

For always following me, even when I'm lost. I don't know what I'd do without you.

[speeddial]

[Leorio now has half of his shirt tucked in and is still trying to get through this walking down the hall dilemma, though he notices Kurapika taking his clothes off the chair. This is compulsive behavior, Kurapika...

The 'thank you' kind of surprises him, given the timing. He looks up and over at Kurapika, eyebrows raised. That's... so it's okay, that he's here? For a given measure of "okay," anyway, but he's going to be here no matter what.

Still, how—earnest. It makes him glance away, face hot. Don't embarrass him-!!]

I— I guess I just can't let you go. [That alone doesn't feel like it gets the whole point across, but damn, he doesn't have an emotional speech ready to go.

Shit, is he making a dumb face?? He's definitely making a dumb face.]

[dialtones]

[At that, Kurapika looks over his shoulder with an unbelievably fond smile. Chuckling softly with that, he turns completely and dusts his shirt off with one hand.]

Come on. [Without waiting for Leorio to finish tucking in his shirt or thinking about it, Kurapika heads for the door and starts walking to the showers. Hurry up, goober.]

[speeddial]

[The shirt is important, don't just leave him here- But no, he decides to hell with it and just pulls out the part he did tuck in and follows. Kurapika looks composed, that's good enough.

One shower (well, two) later and Leorio heads not back to Kurapika's door but his own, saying he will be right back to grab his jacket and ducking inside. He will be right back, but when he strides into Kurapika's room again without stopping to knock and picks up the folded clothes on the bed, he simply leaves them to sit on the chair. He sure has invited himself to stay...

Pajamas and all. Allow him to take a seat on the bed and- wait, more or less. He hasn't said anything but a vague "I'm back" since coming in, hi Kurapika.]

[dialtones]

[In the time Leorio had taken to change in his own room, Kurapika had sorted out a phone call with the group out on that mission from earlier. They needed his help, after all. But when Leorio enters the room and invites himself to sit on the bed like that, let alone just, looking at him like that...

This once, Kurapika can set aside work until the morning. They seemed confident that they could handle that much, so he'd trust them. And while he'd already set up plans for Leorio's schooling, should he decide to stay here after all... maybe he could just wait for Leorio to start talking about that. Pushing it seems so demanding.

He moves to sit next to him there, hands in his lap with one of them closed around his phone.]

You don't even ask, you just come in and sit down? [Classy. But he's teasing.]

[speeddial]

[The picture of class. Leorio leans back on his hands, quirking an eyebrow like there's any chance he's not going to do more or less whatever he wants. There isn't. At least, not tonight. He's already in his pjs, so...!]

You missed me. [He shoots right back easily; missed him for that whole couple minutes he was across the hall, sure.

Then his gaze falls on the phone, and the rest of their situation starts to creep back into his thoughts. The call he caught only the end of earlier, the sickness, the months and months of silence before that... In a softer tone he adds,] I missed you.

[Not for those few minutes, but he doesn't have to explain. It feels strange somehow to say it aloud, despite everything else he's been saying that's much more serious. Just how long has he...?

But!! He's really determined to stay upbeat right now, so he moves from his hands to resting on his elbows and nods toward Kurapika's phone with less uneasiness than he feels.] Already busy tomorrow?

[dialtones]

[You missed me.

That gets Kurapika to lean so that their shoulders bump slightly, shooting him an overly exaggerated look of exasperation. But that fades, slowly, into something soft again, and by the time those next words register ("I missed you."), his emotions are practically bare on his face. His eyes are sad.]

...I missed you, too. [He really did, and he can admit that without getting all worked up. There's a lot he can admit quietly, it's just a matter of what he's willing to say and what he's not that gets in the way. He closes a lot in.

Looking down to his phone, he flips it over in his hands, running a finger over the screen.]

Yeah. I sent a team out earlier to locate the ones who tried to kill us off, and they found the culprit. They ran into some things and could use my help tomorrow.

[speeddial]

[Leorio returns that lean, lingering for a couple seconds. Knowing Kurapika missed him too gives him a kind of bittersweet feeling; things sure did collectively fall apart for a while, but maybe now they'll improve.

He hopes. It's undeniable that news of a culprit and Kurapika's intentionally vague words ("some things," "my help") don't raise his spirits, but. Somewhere along the way today he told himself not to make a scene at every turn, so he'll try to start now.

It's way harder than he thought.]

Oh. [maybe he'll hang out with Melody... uh, maybe.] They're pretty good, huh?

[dialtones]

I'm not sure if you're asking about Nostrade's bodyguards or the opposing family we've just discovered, but the answer to both is yes.

[He sets his phone aside on the bed, eventually lying down with legs still dangling over the side. He stares up at the ceiling for now, stealing occasional looks at Leorio.

It's true that he's choosing his words carefully here.]

I'm not sure how long it will take. I won't be able to take phone calls, either. [Just, you know... putting that out there.]

[speeddial]

[He makes a mildly annoyed noise. Thanks, Kurapika...] I meant your- people.

["People." People who he only knows as muffled voices on Kurapika's phone or, occasionally, the same few hesitant looks from guys in the same suit who still don't really know how to react to Leorio being here. Mafias, honestly.

This is already damaging his good mood. What is he supposed to do, left to his own devices after so many days of actually having a purpose for being here (a publicly acceptable one, rather).]

Wait, wait, you're making it sound like more than an afternoon.

[no really what the hell is he going to do, play cards with Nostrade??]

[dialtones]

Yes.

[He clarifies again. Yes, they're good. Just forget about him saying the enemy was good to, ignore that. He hesitates on responding to that last part, and it's painfully clear in the silence that stretches out for ten seconds or more.]

It's hard to say until I know what we're up against. On top of that, if there's someone capable of poisoning our nen, there's no saying what other techniques they may posses and be able to use.

[Even when he's choosing words carefully he's not good at being not-worrying.]

If this were just an issue of Nostrade's pride, I'd be less inclined to get involved. However... [There's always something.] Linnsen told me one piece of information that I'm interested in. I have to go.

[speeddial]

[What Leorio is getting out of this is neither of them are going to enjoy the next... however long. Day, at least. He frowns up at the ceiling; there are too many unknowns to be comfortable, even barely so, but he can only assume what the 'piece of information' pertains to.

Can he actually do this without losing it...? Well he's already made up his mind about twenty times, so he'll - try.]

Okay. [Still, his tone is pretty serious, carrying with it all of his 'I-don't-like-it-but' objections. But, but, but— he's here for Kurapika, not Nostrade's business.]

Don't do anything stupid. [...] Anything else.

[dialtones]

[The more he thinks about this, the more the weight of it all comes back. He'd wanted to sit here and enjoy the night for what it was, but he of all people should have known that wouldn't be possible. Leorio was doing a lot to be here, and there were a lot of things he couldn't just sweep aside and deal with when convenient for himself.

He rests his arms over his eyes now. The worst part may be that he can't even guarantee that for Leorio, and so he doesn't reply. Just lets silence fall and hopes he'll be comforted in the idea that it's confirmation in its own way.

Eventually, he does speak up again.]

What are you going to do?

[speeddial]

[What is he going to do? Worry, mostly. Worrying about what's happening to Kurapika when he knows where he is - mostly - isn't any better than worrying about him when he won't pick up the phone, Leorio already can tell from this head start he's getting... So what else is he going to do.

He sighs, reaching over to pluck at Kurapika's sleeve. Now that the night is upsetting, he could at least come closer.]

Keep Melody company, I guess.

[Unlike some people, she'll actually agree to stay put and rest for a little while. Maybe they'll bond.]

[dialtones]

[Or maybe she'll find out that he hooked up with Kurapika and ask if he wants to go with him... Maybe that.

Kurapika moves his arms from his eyes at the tug, blinking over to Leorio before he gets the hint. He sits up first, scooting over until their legs are touching.]

Leorio... [All these emotions welling up in his chest are so tightly wound that he can't make all of them out, but he knows that it hurts for things to be like this. It's too bad that he also feels there's no other way.

Slowly, one of his hands searches out one of Leorio's. It's a small touch, at first, and then a squeeze, but soon enough, he intertwines their fingers, focusing on the difference in the size of their hands instead of anything else.]

I do this sort of thing more often than you'd probably like to hear. [And it makes him sick. The fighting, the violence, all this crime activity and money making between working towards a goal that's even sicker--] I'll be fine.

[He won't allow it any other way.]

[speeddial]

[Maybe shut up, how about that??

Leorio knows there's no chance of this being easy. He's never expected anything to be easy, not before all of this, not even as far back as the Hunter Exam, and before that- he hasn't been disillusioned enough to think life will work itself out neatly for ages.

With another person involved, it's different. It's a completely different set of feelings, making his throat feel tight as he gives Kurapika's hand a squeeze in return.

"I'll be fine." More than anything, he wants to believe that.]

I trust you.

[What else is there for him to say?]

[dialtones]

[It helps a little to hear that. If he ended up in any rough situation, he'd have to remember that and use it as motivation to end up alright. He certainly didn't want to die, after all. He had too much to finish.]

It's not until tomorrow. [He reminds gently, leaning ever so slightly against Leorio as he squeezes that hand back. So, he can be a little touchy if he feels like it, too. He's just not sure how else to handle it, and it feels comforting...]

You can think about what you'd like to do as far as everything goes, as well. ...I have a proposition from Nostrade, but I don't think you'll care for it very much, so in the meantime, try to think without any pressure.

[speeddial]

[Tomorrow is too foreboding for him right now. He barged in here to- well honestly he barged in here to cuddle, not that he's going to admit that out loud... 'Tomorrow' is ruining his plans.

The news that Nostrade has anything to offer him at all (besides, like, money) is both a surprise and a concern. Here Leorio had been not-so-quietly disliking the man and avoiding even acknowledging him holed up on the upper floor, and he has a proposition?

A refusal has formed in the back of his mind even before he asks,] What? What the hell does he want?

[Ah, he's so cooperative... but really, don't just drop that on him and then tell him 'no pressure.']

[dialtones]

...

[Leorio is so against this, he can see it from a mile away. But, well, what's he to do now? Not say anything?]

He wants to hire you on as a bodyguard, focusing on medical emergencies for the family. [It's pretty self-explanatory.] He's willing to contact your school himself to speak about the experience you'd be getting.

[Please don't yell in his ear in reaction.]

[speeddial]

[No. No, no way, a thousand times no. Dropping everything is one thing, but joining the mafia is another entirely.

For about five seconds, he's not yelling.]

Is that old man out of his mind?! [ah, sorry] That's impossible!

[dialtones]

Leorio!

[When was the last time he'd yelled his name so scoldingly? Well, he does it now, at least, pulling his hand back to himself so that he can sit up a bit and hold his temples. Ow??]

Keep your voice down! Think about it carefully. What are you trying to say you'll do by agreeing to stay here? Are you going to follow us around without any inclusion? [He doubts that will go over well.]

If it's a problem, you may just have to go back.

[speeddial]

[He's too stunned by the audacity of Nostrade's request to feel bad about yelling. Where should he start? Nostrade has some nerve, trying to get Leorio on board as one of his underlings after keeping his distance from the rest of the people here the way he did. Mafia aside, Leorio can't agree with that on principle; they might be criminals, but these suits are willing to lay down their lives for Nostrade while he hides out somewhere else?

Can't he run his amoral crime family a little more like a family?? No morals among criminals these days—]

I'm not going anywhere!! [Immediate and emphatic, but - shit. Kurapika is right, he can't really trail after them without a solid reason to. Maybe he was hoping for something a little less like joining the mafia and more like, uh, consulting.

He's torn; objectively, he doesn't want to throw his lot in with Nostrade. But the thought of leaving Kurapika makes his chest ache. He's definitely at an impasse.]

Kurapika, you- [could have brought this up before kissing him and pulling out all these feelings?? Though that's not fair, that's looking for someone to blame, and he's the one who said he'd come.

Damn it.]

Well, you were right- I don't like it at all. [but he's lowered his voice again! yeah!] Is that all he wants?

[dialtones]

Honestly, I don't like it, either. You shouldn't be involved in all of this.

[He says this outright, watching Leorio for a minute. It's too dangerous. Too dark. Leorio is honestly too pure of a person to be in this line of work. He wouldn't agree with it one bit, and it would wreck him to have to see it every day.

It hurts him to realize this, of course, but.]

That's all that he said, yes.

[speeddial]

[The mere suggestion that he join makes him angry, which Leorio takes to mean that's right, he shouldn't be involved, but neither should Kurapika all things considered-

He sighs, frustrated, and reaches for Kurapika's hand again. Or is he still being scolded for his yelling...]

You're crazy if you think I'll change my mind about staying with you. [Not that anyone said that directly, but just to reiterate. There's a pause. For a really temporary fix, how about,]

I'm gonna pretend you didn't tell me about that until you get back.