Kurapika walked to the park where Leorio had asked him to meet him. Kurapika looked at his phone, making sure he was remembering the spot correctly.
"Hey! Kurapika! Over here!" Yelled someone, causing Kurapika to jump. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw Leorio waving his arms. Kurapika chuckled at Leorio's dorkiness. He found it cute, but he'd never tell Leorio, that would boost his ego too much.
As Kurapika walked over, he noticed a girl with neon green and neon purple striped legwarmers, fishnets, a black miniskirt, and a black corset with a fishnet top on underneath. She wore a black and neon green gas mask with heavy eye makeup. Her buzzed hair was split dyed neon green and neon purple.
"Kurapika! This is Cass! Cass, meet Kurapika!" Leorio said when Kurapika reached his friend.
"Nice to meet you! Leorio's told me a lot about you," Cass said, holding out a hand for Kurapika to shake. He noted she was wearing leather fingerless gloves with silver studs on them. Kurapika took her hand and shook it.
"Leorio's told me a lot about you too," Kurapika said, pulling his hand away. Cass chuckled, her shoulders moving with every chuckle.
"So, how've things been with work and all?" Leorio asked.
"Eh, it's been tiring, but it gets me money," Kurapika said. Leorio and Cass laughed. "Cass, what do you do for a living?" Kurapika asked.
"I tattoo people and take art commissions. It's pretty nice," Cass said, placing her hands on her hips. "What do you do?"
"I'm a bodyguard," Kurapika said. Cass nodded in response.
"Leorio, could you get us some water, I'm getting thirsty," Cass said sweetly. It rubbed Kurapika the wrong way, like petting a cat backwards. Leorio nodded and kissed the crown of Cass's head before walking off.
Kurapika's eyes widened.
Was Leorio dating Cass?
Cass looked at Kurapika and shook her head.
"He always seems to forget I don't like kisses," Cass said.
What?
"What do you mean?" Kurapika asked. Cass sat on the grass and patted the spot next to her. Kurapika sat down.
"Leorio and I are in a queer-platonic relationship. We do some of the things couples do, but we have no romantic feelings for each other," Cass said.
"I'm not sure I quite follow."
Cass huffed and thought for a moment. "The best way I can describe it is a romantic friendship. It's deeper than best friends in a way."
"I'm still not quite sure what you mean, but I'll have to do some research when I get home," Kurapika said.
"I understand. It took Leorio a while to get it too. He still doesn't quite understand it yet, but he's getting there," said Cass, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
"That's the thing about Leorio, he may not always understand something, but if it's not hurting anyone, he's fine with it and will try to understand it as best as he can. I like that about him," Kurapika said, smiling.
Cass nodded and lightly chuckled. "Yeah, it's sweet to see that in people. I don't have the best family when it comes to that kind of stuff, so meeting Leorio was a huge relief for me."
"Sorry for taking so long, the vending machine wasn't taking my cash, so I had to use my card," Leorio said, sitting down by Kurapika. He handed Cass and Kurapika a water bottle.
"How are you?" Kurapika asked.
"Good! Did Cass tell you about our situationship?" Leorio asked.
"Yeah, why?" Kurapika asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just wondering."
Kurapika furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Cass, who held a smug look, despite half her face being covered.
Now Kurapika was even more confused.
Kurapika looked back at Leorio, who was drinking from his water bottle.
Cass leaned over to Leorio and pulled her mask down which revealed a healed burn scar on her upper lip and cheek. She whispered something to Leorio, who only nodded.
He started fidgeting with the bracelet Kurapika gave him.
Why was Leorio nervous?
"I'll be right back," Cass said, getting up and putting her mask back on. Kurapika nodded and looked at Leorio, who was looking at the ground.
"What's wrong?" Kurapika asked, scooting closer to his friend.
"There's a reason I wanted you to come here, and it wasn't to meet Cass," Leorio said, his voice shaking.
"Why's that?" Kurapika asked.
Leorio sighed, his head dropping. He looked Kurapika in the eye, which made Kurapika feel uneasy, like a child about to get scolded by their mother.
Kurapika could see pain and fear in Leorio's eyes.
"I wanted you to come here- never mind, this was stupid," Leorio muttered, looking back at the ground.
Kurapika placed a hand on Leorio's shoulder in a way that was meant to be comforting, but Leorio only flinched away.
"Whatever it is, it's not stupid."
"Like a bandaid Leorio, like a bandaid," Leorio muttered, looking up. He looked Kurapika in the eye again, still afraid. "I like you, romantically."
Kurapika was stunned. Sure, he liked Leorio back, but he didn't feel ready to date yet. He was struggling mentally, and Leorio knew that. Hopefully, he respected the fact that Kurapika wasn't ready to date.
Leorio's face went into his hands. "I knew this was a bad idea."
Kurapika pulled Leorio into a side hug.
"No, it wasn't a bad idea, and I'm glad you told me. I like you too, romantically, but I'm not ready for a relationship. I'm not in a good place mentally, and I don't want to hurt you." Kurapika paused, looking for something else to say. "You're a great person, Leorio. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a partner."
Leorio nodded and relaxed.
"Thank you, for telling me. If... If we still have feelings for each other, and you feel ready to date, do you think you'd date me?" Leorio asked, looking at Kurapika without fear.
"Yes. Thank you for respecting my decision, Leorio, it means a lot to me," Kurapika said.
Leorio nodded and cracked a small smile. Kurapika returned the smile.
"You're an amazing friend."
