When We Were Babies (Kurapika x Leorio parents)

18 Nothing I Wouldn't Do For You

*cute picture above :3
Warning: S/A, Death, graphic
A/N: I'm sorry for not coming up with another chapter I've had some major writer's block. Also I'm sorry for Kurapika getting dragged over the coals in advance :(

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Leorio patted the dirt with great care, his nails black with the grime underneath. The teens had long since gone, the alleyway littered with fur and fire crackers.

He sat back in his haunches, Sayo mimicking him. The boys sat in silence, honoring the lost creature. Both silently wept.

"Leorio, we should be getting home." Sayo said after a while. "The sun's gonna go down."

The brunette sniffled and wiped his tears from his dirty face. "Yeah." He said quietly, rising up. The children began to run home, knowing full well that they could be killed when it got dark.

The heat bore down as the two ran. Leorio was always faster than Sayo, and kept an ear open to his footsteps as well as his own. It was better for children to stick together where he lived under the desolate living circumstances.

'I couldn't save the bobcat.' His body was on autopilot. 'I didn't get there in time. If only I had more courage and stepped out from behind the trash maybe I coulda saved it.' Leorio shut his eyes as his throat heaved at the memory of the bobcat's carcass. 'I'm such a coward.'

"Wait." A faint call made Leorio turn around. Sayo was all the way back there. He had his hands on his knees, panting.

"What are you doing? We gotta go home!" He ran over to him, feeling badly that he hadn't noticed he stopped.

"Leorio, I don't feel so good."

"It's just the heat getting to you, that's all." The brunette said, however a deeper knot of worry made him grab the boy's hand. "Cmon! Just a little further."

Sayo swayed on his feet a little. "I don't think I can, Leorio."

The brunette grabbed his face and Sayo struggled back.

"Look at me!"

"Leorio I don't wanna!"

"I don't care what you want now look at me!"

"Let me go, Oreo!"

Leorio needed to see Sayo's eyes that were squeezed shut. He spotted a soccer ball next to a house. "If you let me see your eyes I'll give you a present!"

"What do you mean? We never get presents cause we're poor!"

"No really I mean it! If you open your eyes I'll give you a present."

Sayo stopped struggling in Leorio's hands and opened his eyes. The brunette's worries were confirmed.

Ever since Sayo was a baby, he'd have seizures that racked his little body. This made him the target for bullying. Not to mention he was small for his age and was quick to cry, never hitting back. Leorio learned over time how to anticipate his 'episodes', as Sayo called them. His eyes had a closed off, vacant gloss over them before he had one. It was as if someone was shutting down a part of him.

This was the look in Sayo's emerald eyes now.

Leorio gave Sayo the soccer ball. "It's all yours!" He said, knowing stress was the main trigger for his episodes. The brunette began jogging with Sayo's hand in his own. He just had to focus on getting back to their neighborhood. With words of encouragement and occasional threats, the two boys made it to the road that led to their homes.