dumbshow | answer your god damn phone

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answer your god damn phone

[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?

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They all have their reason for being there, much like myself.

[He says that quietly and without any tone indicating insult, but he is pretty much saying Leorio should think of him as a lowlife thug, too, then. Now that his shoulder is free, he rolls it a few times and stretches his arms in front of him.]

I'm not trying to discount your intelligence. I'm simply saying I know how the world works.

[Leorio says nothing but scoffs, looking the other way. Of course he's not going to think of Kurapika like that— Kurapika could actually be a lowlife thug, and he still wouldn't... more or less what's happening now with his secret boss situation, as it happens. Whatever that says about him.

He's not going to argue that calling him an idiot is what it sounds like, because he'll lose that one. He has that much self-awareness.]

Yeah, and you still hate pretty much everything, right? [THAT'S... what he heard. He waves a hand dismissively.] Whatever, forget I said anything.

You've misunderstood.

[He slips away from Leorio, standing up and straightening out the wrinkles in his red shirt before looking to him. Hm, despite all his darker thoughts and worries right now, he's agreed to this, so-- he grants him a look that doesn't look negative or sad or angry.

It's pretty light. If anything, it's more similar to those fond looks Leorio likes to give, himself.]

There are many things that I love. [He lets that set in before turning back to step around and behind the bench, one hand closing over the back of it.]

We can leave, now, if you'd like. I'm satisfied.

[That's still calling him stupid!! is honestly Leorio's first thought. It's always he misunderstood this, or Leorio don't yell at that, or Leorio stop stomping around yelling at that other thing as well— listen, he just has a lot of strong reactions to things, that's all.

That expression gives him pause, a little surprised - but not enough to dwell on it, as he follows Kurapika's trek around the bench with his eyes and ending up tipping his head back to squint at him upside down. His glasses slide dangerously the Wrong Way, completing this picture of a big dweeb.

He's not satisfied!! Which, of course, has nothing to do with the plants and everything to do with how he's bent backwards over a bench right now just to give Kurapika a very serious look.]

Like what? Besides flowers and being a smartass!

[spare him]

[Despite all of these implied name calls, this surprises Kurapika. Really? He can't pick up on even that? Well, maybe that's for the best, but it still causes him to pause, staring down at Leorio's bent-backwards figure.

There are a lot of ways he could follow up to that question. There's plenty of things he loves. And he's half tempted to just say 'You really are an idiot' and walk away, but miraculously, he resists.]

Like reading, for one. [Obviously, he stalls here, his hand pulling back from the bench.] And you.

[Sometimes he can be incredibly blunt and not care, it seems. He decided wording it this way instead of just 'my friends' was a little nicer, without really thinking about the suddenness of it all.]

[LIKE READING... Is this truly where Leorio has laid his affections... He's (predictably) stuck on that, like a true moron, such that it takes another extra second for the point to sink in. The moment it does is pretty obvious; his expression drops from squinting exaggeratedly suspiciously to surprise, briefly, and then his mouth twists into he's not sure what kind of stupid shape and his face heats up in record time.

Oh. Well, now that he has- that tidbit-]

Huh?

[No, wait, shit— Suddenly he's moving way too quickly, trying to get up and turn all the way around at the same time rather than actually move around the bench, and the end result is he slams both shins and one knee against the bench in his effort to lean over the back of it the opposite way this time. It's an embarrassing display of too much limb and not enough forethought, and then he's blurting out—]

M- Me too!!

[No, wait, shit???]

[He never meant for this to happen! Watching this unfold is painful, even, and he reaches out with both hands when Leorio hits practically every body part on this poor bench, landing on his shoulders in an attempt to stabilize him.

Those words come out next, and Kurapika is blinking, baffled, confused, caught off guard--]

You too? [What a clumsy wording. But it sets in, despite that, and his stomach knots even while he waits for a correction, or an affirmation, or something. --God, he's got to have at least a couple bruises after that collision, so much force...]

[The bruises will come later and he'll wonder about them, probably, given how he doesn't seem to have noticed how many parts of himself he whacked against the bench just now. He suddenly has something much more important to think about!

But— now that he's spluttered his way into not really saying what he means, he has a moment to pause. It sinks in fully as he looks at Kurapika with what appears to be stern concentration, and- yeah. His heart is pounding suddenly - Melody can probably hear it, it feels like that much - and he's already fumbled this, so where is there to go but up??

His grips the back of the bench with both hands and nods, which is more for his own private agreement with himself that he has to say it properly now that he's thought about it, but Kurapika can have it too. There's no way he can do this at anything less than a half-shout.]

Yeah, me too!! [leorio] I love you!

[He'd gone into this without thinking properly. He hadn't meant to turn this into some sort of confession scene, and yet somehow it'd happened? His heart feels like it's in his stomach, or his stomach is up in his chest-- he can't really tell which-- and he finds himself taking in a slow breath.

Leorio is so sincere. Up close like this, it feels like so much more of a heavy thing.]

Leorio, I-- [Just two words sound pretty emotional, and he has to cut himself off, probably to avoid saying something too unnecessarily corny. But he's already caught in this overly determined and serious moment of staring at one another and making promises to themselves.

His hands grip at Leorio's shoulders and then slide down his arms halfway, only to hold tight there again.]

I won't ignore you anymore. Please forgive me.

[It's weird, Leorio thinks idly, while he's still staring at Kurapika and - waiting. It's weird that his heart is pounding this hard and he's confessing and yet... it all feels ordinary. Maybe not ordinary—

Inevitable? He isn't sure, but it's something like that.]

For— [What? Again, he's thrown for a moment. There are so many things he's turned a blind eye to and excused, but so many on top of those that he's raked over the coals, and... He isn't sure which things he's forgiving, from ignoring his calls to hiding being the next boss and in between.

He doesn't want whatever he says in response to sound less than serious, is the thing... Part of him feels like he'd agree to anything right now (Kurapika loves him) without even a whisper of a second thought (loves him).

He forgets there's a bench between them as he moves to take a step forward, pitching forward with a swear and grabbing for Kurapika to stay mostly upright. Smooth.]

Kurapika— [yes he's doing this in this position] Don't worry about it.

[Even with this incredible display of clumsiness, he's overcome with complex feelings. His eyes are red behind his contacts again, but he doesn't care this time. This sort of feeling is one new to him, but it feels... natural. Maybe that's it. Natural.

He's happy, he thinks as Leorio practically falls again and has to grab him for stability. He's happy but an incredibly heavy sadness grips at his chest like it's been there for the past couple of years, and he steps as close as he possibly can to the bench without actually running into it.

Who cares if there's a bench between them, apparently. Kurapika lets his arms slip to wrap around Leorio's waist so he can press his face to his chest and forget about everything else for a second. How strange... he's abandoned pride for this moment.]

[Luckily, Leorio manages to right himself - mostly, he is more or less kneeling backwards on this bench, right now - after Kurapika lets go of his arms. His own he folds around Kurapika's shoulders in return, one hand braced gently against the back of his head, just to... hold him, like this. It's nice.

Even with the bench between them. But there's something else here that he's missing, he thinks, and has to focus on not letting the surge of good feelings in him right now get the better of him. He'd like to, but this is a lot less... bumbling and awkward than he imagined it would go.

Everything else they've done has been like that so far, after all-!! So once he's reached the point that he has to move a little (because he is kneeling on a bench like a moron), he says more quietly than he's been this whole time,] Kurapika?

[He'd gotten too wrapped up in feelings again, hadn't he? Reluctantly, he pulls away from Leorio just enough to let him escape this bench prison they seem to be revolving around. He's been such an idiot all this time. He rubs at his eyes just once, and then he looks up to Leorio with a small smile, fine aside from the faint red glow around his contacts.]

...I'm glad. [His hands meet his sides and they curl there naturally.] That things have ended up in this way. That's all.

[Hmm. Hmmmm.

He'll take it. He raises an eyebrow at Kurapika, definitely looking like he's sizing him up to make sure there's not something terrible and upsetting he's thinking about-!! But he's satisfied in another moment and finally gets off the bench and comes around to the other side in a few quick strides, reaching for Kurapika's hand as he does so.

Boldly!!]

Good! [He pauses, giving him one of those looks with too-soft eyes, but - mm. He'll be sappy later. Which means right now he's standing up straight, looking very Important...] You should be- I'm a real catch.

[It's easier for his fingers to curl right in place the second time, and so they do just that. Just in time for him to catch that look, and maybe even return it a little-- right until that comment.

He laughs outright, his free hand pressing to his face as he shakes his head. With a tug at Leorio's hand, he urges him along with him back to the normal path of the park. They can head to the exit.]

You've just bruised your legs, probably. [A real catch.]

[Ah, finally returning to civilization... No one will ever know about their super cliche confession in the secluded spot surrounded by flowers. It's like they followed a script, except they lost the script at the last minute and Leorio kept walking into stuff.

Speaking of-] They don't hurt yet.

[So there...]

Yet.

[But Leorio running into things aside, he wonders what the plans are now. What more can they do? They ate, they went somewhere nice, there were dramatic reveals and corny confessions... He's embarrassed thinking back on it all, really.

At the same time, it's pretty nice. They're holding hands and that's... exciting in a way he'll never even hint at saying out loud. And now he's vaguely wondering if tonight was a 'study night' or not...]

This park isn't so bad, is it?

[Yet!!

They can go get Melody some takeout pancakes, maybe. He'll remember making that offhand comment in a bit, when he wonders again how transparent they're going to be when they get back and see her.

For now, he's focused on their joined hands, and every so often starts to break out in a grin that he keeps trying to mask with a cough or looking off in a different direction. This is embarrassing... He expected being happy, but this is a level beyond his initial thoughts!!

The park is not embarrassing, good call.]

It's... [His brow furrows as he genuinely tries to think of a nice thing to say about this park that isn't just "it's okay." Man, he really is too city for this. He's got it-] Well, I'm definitely going to remember it.

[Kurapika smiles at that, and there's even a small chuckle-- but that's cut off soon enough by the ringing of his phone. He reaches into his pocket with a free hand, glancing at the screen.]

It's Melody.

[That's as warning to Leorio so he can understand as he answers the phone, pressing it to his ear as they walk.] Melody? Yes?

[He goes quiet, and the next few seconds are telling. His eyes get more serious, his mouth presses into a line, and his hand squeezes Leorio's lightly. Ah. Back to work, it seems.]

How long has he been like this? [Another pause.] Right. Try to keep everyone calm. I'll be there shortly.

[Shutting his phone off, he takes a wider step, but at least he doesn't release Leorio's hand. He glances back to him instead.]

Something happened. Nostrade's locked himself in his room and won't explain what's going on, and he's extremely distressed.

[Leorio's reaction to Melody on the phone goes from "oh no she knows" to bland resignation to more work in record time. He keeps pace with Kurapika easily enough, although he doesn't particularly... care about the news, callous as that may be. Nostrade? Forget Nostrade. He's already a gibbering idiot, isn't he, so-!!

Well, Leorio still wouldn't pass up the chance to punch him into next week if it just happened to appear. He keeps up and only looks remotely interested for Kurapika's sake, and of course, it's not very subtle.]

You mean the same crap he was pulling when I got here? [This seems to be a pattern... He sighs, waving his free hand to mean that he'll shut up about how little he cares for Nostrade, this time.] I can drive faster.

From what Melody was saying, he's in an even worse state, going so far as to be destructive.

[He honestly doesn't mind Leorio's animosity towards Nostrade, considering everything, but in this case, he needs to make something clear.]

This could mean that I'll have to step up sooner than I had planned. [It was a good chance for it, probably, but it was shaky, too. He didn't like that, but what choice did he have?] I'll have to see him first. Could you come with me to his room?

[Hmmm. He can't tell if this is a bad thing or... well, good is pushing it, but a less bad thing. Maybe they can put Nostrade in a home and he'll never have to deal with him face to face.

Or-] What? He's not- [a frown; goddamn it, he can't help that small bit of reflexive concern] What the hell's he actually destroying?

[It's not a "no"... of course he'll go, even if he'd rather avoid the man entirely.]

His room, most likely.

[Kurapika looks embarrassed or troubled to say this, but there it is. With heavy shoulders, he gives one last look around the park he'd just been enjoying. It may be the last view.

And he's not sure what Leorio's lack of an answer means, but he's fine with waiting to see rather than pressing it. That doesn't mean he's not going to issue a general warning, though.]

He'll point his anger at me, but that's something I can handle rather easily. Try not to say anything to make him shift to you.

[Because that would be the real hassle, okay.] ...I apologize for having to return. I'll make it up to you later.

[He's a doctor, not a furniture repairman!!

Leorio has a few choice grumbles about where exactly Nostrade can point his anger, but look, if he gets all of them out now - he might not repeat them later. One can hope.

They're almost to the car now, and he waves a hand mock-carelessly as he tugs his other hand free of Kurapika's to move around to the driver's side. It's okay, he means, for a given value of "okay." It's tolerable. He gets it.]

Sure, sure. I'll hold you to that, you know. [This he says while jabbing a pointing finger at Kurapika... from over the car's roof, because he is tall enough to just stare over. Then he'll get in.]

And hey— he didn't see me when I tried to kick down his door. It should be okay.

[He nods silently at that, ducking into the car afterwards. The kicking down the door comment, though, gets a tired look before he buckles his seatbelt.]

You should be okay if you stay quiet. [NO COMMENTARY...

But okay, I assume this is a good point for a timeskip SO. By the time they get to the building, Kurapika is unbuckling his seatbelt before Leorio can even park the car. The car stops, and he pushes the door open to step out already, walking quickly towards the entrance.

Leorio can catch up with his long legs, anyway, and so when he does, Kurapika looks over to spot him.]

Remember what I said.

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kill me

how can i when i am already dead

636 comments and I am dying I am dead

hold me now I'M SIX FEET FROM THE EDGE AND I'M THINKING

SIX FEET........ AIN'T SO FAR DOWN.......... CLUTCHES CHEST

leopika hell is real

it's real and I live it

all day all night dweeb living

It's true, a dumb song comes on at work and I'm in leopika hell again

why didn't you tell me what song

because I forgot also that's embarrassing

nuh uh

YA HUH

nuh uhhhh

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