After The Eyes ~ A Leopika Story

Chapter 5

After dinner, Kurapika followed Leorio to the bathroom, where a chair was set up for him. He sat down and made eye contact with Leorio in the mirror. 

"How short do you want it?" Leorio asked, holding up the pair of scissors. 

"I don't want it that short..." 

"How about the length it was at a few years ago?" 

"Sure."

Hair fell down and tickled the back of Kurapika's neck, making him twitch every now and then. "Sorry." Leorio would mutter every time, fully focused on his hair. 

Kurapika watched him as he cut away at the back of his head, and noticed that he would stick his tongue out slightly when he was focused. Cute. 

Leorio walked around to the front of his seat, and brought his face close to Kurapika's. Leorio noticed the blush dusting Kurapika's cheeks as he did so, and was honestly glad that Kurapika still had normal human emotions. "I need to cut your bangs..." Leorio muttered, and Kurapika gave him a quick nod. 

Leorio was practically straddling Kurapika's legs now, trying to trim his bangs. Kurapika held his breath, in an attempt to stay as still as humanly possible. He had never been this close to Leorio's face (unless they were screaming at eachother) and he came to the realization that soft freckles dusted the bridge of Leorio's nose. 

Leorio's slow breaths radiated a warmth that comforted Kurapika, like holding a cup of hot tea on a cold morning. "And... Done." Leorio said, taking one last snip. He didn't back away, but instead smiled at him. Leorio made an 'o' shape with his lips, and blew a breath of air on his face. "There's hair on your face..." Leorio muttered, wiping Kurapika's cheeks carefully. 

He backed away, and studied Kurapika's hair. "It looks really good. Not to mention, pretty nostalgic." he said, moving out of the way so Kurapika could look in the mirror. 

Kurapika's eyes widened at Leorio's work, since it was identical to how it used to be. "Woah... How did you get it spot on?" Kurapika asked. Leorio shrugged, "I've got a lot of memories with you." 

Kurapika stood up and ruffled his hair in the mirror. "Do you... like it?" Leorio asked. Kurapika nodded and turned to face Leorio, "I do, thank you." he said with a small smile. Leorio chuckled, "You're smiling." he pointed out, and couldn't help but smile as well. 

Kurapika looked back in the mirror to catch the faint smile painted on his face, "Huh."

"I'm gonna take a shower." Kurapika said, as he closed the bathroom door behind him. He slipped his black suit off, and turned the water on. 

As the hot water rained over him, he shut his eyes and blocked all other noise out. I smiled. He thought to himself. Was it okay? Was it really okay to feel happy? He cupped his cheeks, thinking back on Leorio. How much he enjoyed spending time with him. How much he liked his voice. How much he... liked him. 

He smiled into the palm of his hands, and couldn't help but enjoy this feeling. The feeling of his lips curling while his heart raced. 

When he stepped out of the shower, he slipped on a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. While he dried his hair with a towel, his phone pinged. *One message from Gon*

Leorio watched Kurapika wander out of the bathroom with his eyes glued onto his phone. He couldn't help but notice the way his shirt was too big, and his sweatpants hung off of him. He forgot how small Kurapika was. 

"What are you looking at?" Leorio asked. Kurapika looked over to him, "Gon said he wanted to call." 

Leorio's eyes widened, "You reached out to him? I wanna talk to him too." Leorio said, scooting over on his bed to give Kurapika some room to sit. Kurapika nodded, and sat next to him. The bed was twin sized, so they were close together, but neither of them minded. 

Kurapika hit the call button, and Leorio mouthed the words 'speaker phone'. Kurapika did as he said, and the phone's ringing echoed in the room. "KURAPIKAAA!" Gon shouted, making Kurapika giggle. "And Leorio!" Leorio exclaimed. "Leorio? No way! You two are together?" Gon exclaimed.

The words 'you two are together' sent blushes across their faces, but they knew what Gon meant. "We're on a business trip." Kurapika corrected. "Aw you should've invited me." Gon whined, making Leorio and Kurapika both chuckle. 

"Im happy Leorio decided to forgive you!" Gon exclaimed, as Kurapika shot him an unamused look. Leorio chuckled awkwardly, "Well... It's hard to hold a grudge against someone who threw up on you the night before." Leorio added. 

Kurapika nudged him hard in the arm, as Gon laughed on the other side. "You both were always so stubborn! Killua and I used to say you fought like an old married couple." Gon said. 

Kurapika and Leorio both looked away, flustered by Gon's choice of wording. "H-how's Killua?" Kurapika asked. "Hmmm. I think he's good. Hopefully I'll see him again soon." Gon said. 

Kurapika frowned at the phone, "Yeah hopefully." Kurapika muttered. "Anyways, I'm glad you two made up! I need to go to sleep now, Goodnight!" Gon exclaimed. "Goodnight!" Kurapika and Leorio said in unison. Gon hung up, and Kurapika stared down at the black screen. 

"I'm surprised you actually reached out to him." Leorio said. "Well you told me too, did you not? Besides, I wanted to." Kurapika said, placing his phone down. 

"Leorio?" 

"Hm?" 

"Don't ever tell people I got sea sick." Kurapika demanded, sticking his finger in Leorio's face, how a mother would reprimand her child. 

Leorio snickered, "Why?" 

"Because it's pathetic." 

"You shouldnt be embarrassed about getting sick. You're still human you know." 

Kurapika glared at him, "Okay okay fine. Your secrets safe with me."