Work Text:
Kissing Kurapika is always nice. He could do it all day, literally.
Leorio slides his hands to Kurapika’s hips and squeezes gently there. There’s a slight tremble of Kurapika’s hands as he grips Leorio’s shirt, suddenly sighing into his mouth.
Leorio pulls away.
“Sunshine,” he begins.
Kurapika immediately deflates—turns his head away and pouts his lips into that familiar frown.
“You’re all jittery. What’s wrong?” Leorio asks gently. There’s an urge to brush his hair out of his face, to tilt his chin up and look into pretty eyes, but when Kurapika is nervous he needs space. He needs gentleness. It took Leorio a while to understand this, and even longer to learn how to keep his admittedly short temper in check.
“Nothing,” Kurapika murmurs, scowling. At the disbelieving look this gets him, Kurapika sighs. “I’ve just...been thinking about something.”
“Uh oh,” Leorio jokes. Kurapika shoots him a look, which he deserves, but at least Kurapika’s looking at him again. “Pika, you know you can tell me anything,” he tries again.
Kurapika reaches for his hand and brings it up to his cheek, nuzzling against Leorio’s big palm. Eyelashes fluttering closed prettily. “It’s a big thing, Leorio.”
“Especially big things,” Leorio assures him. He opens his arms wide. “C’mere. If you’re not ready to talk about it, that’s all right.”
Kurapika slowly accepts the hug, tucking himself under Leorio’s chin and wrapping his arms around his broad torso. He lets out a breath, and even to himself he sounds content.
What more could he want than this? Leorio’s kind, warm, welcoming arms waiting for him whenever he wishes, all of his clan’s eyes safely gathered and awaiting a good time for burial, and a reliable therapist helping him to finally heal. For his sake and for his loved ones’.
Does he even deserve such happiness?
Personally, he believes no—he doesn’t deserve any of it. But Leorio’s and his therapist’s voices immediately intervene in his head—this is happening more often these days.
As if maybe...he does deserve it, just a little, just because he was born into this world.
“Leorio?”
Leorio makes a noise to signal he’s listening, adjusting his arms around Kurapika’s waist.
“I...need to ask you something.”
He hesitates.
Presses his face against Leorio’s neck.
“How do you feel about having...a child?”
Leorio nearly chokes. “...We always use condoms!”
“I’m not pregnant now, you utter fool,” Kurapika laughs, kneeing him lightly.
“Oh...” Leorio quiets down as he recovers from the initial shock. “ Oh.”
Kurapika sits up to get a better look at his face. “It’s just...I’ve always felt the need— the responsibility to carry on my bloodline, since it will end with me if I don’t.”
“Oh, Pika, wait.” Leorio suddenly narrows his eyebrows and looks almost—indignant, at something that’s not Kurapika. “Is that the only reason? Is that why you’re scared?”
Kurapika purses his lips, choosing to ignore the fact that Leorio thinks he’s scared. That’s laughable. (He’s terrified.) “It used to be the only reason,” he admits finally. “But until...until you... I never had anyone I trusted enough to touch me, let alone have a family with.”
“You’d trust me that much?” Leorio’s eyes, predictably, are wide and brimming with tears.
Kurapika sighs fondly and rearranges himself so he’s seated on Leorio’s lap again. He catches the tear escaping down Leorio’s cheek on one elegant finger. “Of course I would,” he finally answers. “I suppose it was when I was assigned to protect Woble when I realized that I wanted to have a baby of my own. But it was...a far-off goal, back then, and I dismissed it. I thought things would be over for me long before I got the chance, and even if I did, no one would...” He trails off, realizing how self-deprecating that thought would sound out loud.
“You thought...” Leorio’s face is so expressive, it’s shuffling through an entire emoji keyboard right now. “You thought no one would love you?” he finally asks, quiet.
Kurapika looks away. “And even if someone did. Me? Pregnant? It’s absurd. They wouldn’t want to raise a family with someone so—unstable, and—”
“It’s not absurd!” Leorio insists. His hand comes up to cup Kurapika’s cheek again, but it’s welcome. “I want to raise a family with you!”
Kurapika’s eyes flutter open. “You...do?”
“Sunshine, of course I do! I want to spend every moment of my life with you! Of course I’d wanna have a family with you! Only if you do too, obviously, I know it’s not going to be simple because I’m busy at the hospital and you already have a lot of stress and I don’t want to make things harder for you but God, Kurapika—there’s nobody I’d rather spend the rest of my life with than you, and if this is really what you want then there’s nothing I’d want more.”
Leorio’s rambling but neither of them care. “We have a lot of good friends that can help us if we need it. We have Gon and Killua and Alluka to train as babysitters. There’s a hell of a lot to figure out but—you’re going to be an amazing parent.”
Kurapika gapes at him, for a moment.
And then crashes their lips together in a short, tearful kiss, throwing his arms around Leorio’s neck and melting into him.
“It is really what I want,” Kurapika whispers, their foreheads pressed together.
A hand brushes his hair behind his ear, tender. “Hey, don’t be afraid to think about it some more if you need to,” says Leorio. “More of the decision is on you, because I’m not going to have to carry around the baby for months.”
Kurapika purses his lips. “I suppose.”
“But,” Leorio continues. “I’m gonna be right there beside you. Catering to your every whim. Like usual, I guess.”
Kurapika tugs at his ear playfully. “As if!”
“Hey, seriously,” Leorio says.
Kurapika hums.
“It makes me happy, real happy. That, you know, you’re willing to let me help you keep the Kurta culture alive.” He blushes. “It sounds all official and weird when I say it, but I know I’m not, I’m not perfect, I’m not your ideal bloodline preserver, I’m not Kurta—”
Kurapika giggles, the noise startling Leorio. “You’re really worried about that?” Kurapika says, not rudely, but in genuine surprise. “Leorio, no one has even kissed me besides you. No one knows the location of the eyes, and no one knows that I’m ticklish on my stomach or that I sometimes drool while sleeping. I would not give anyone a second thought except for you.”
It’s me who doesn’t deserve you, Kurapika doesn’t say. In fact, it’s a miracle that Leorio never got tired of his antics, kept pestering him until he had no choice but to admit their love was mutual.
“You do drool sometimes,” Leorio smiles.
Kurapika swats him. “I trust you. That is something I can only say about maybe four people in the world. I let you see my eyes turn red every day, for gods’ sakes. You aren’t Kurta, no, but...you are family to me.”
“I love you.” Leorio can’t hold himself back from crying any longer. “I really really love you, sunshine. And we’re gonna be the best dads in the world.”
Kurapika nuzzles into his husband’s arms. “I love you too, Leorio.”
“We’re...we’re gonna have a baby,” Leorio warbles. “I can’t believe it.”
“We’re going to have a baby,” Kurapika repeats, in awe as well.
“I hope they have your eyes. And your nose. And your smile.” Leorio nuzzles his cheek against Kurapika’s head. “God, why are you so beautiful, save something for me.”
Kurapika laughs. “I hope they have your heart. Your kindness. But not our tempers.”
“That’s for damn sure.” Leorio chuckles.
“Your height,” Kurapika sighs.
“Hey, what!” A laugh. “But Pika, you’re fucking adorable. And our kid’s gonna be cute as a button just like you, sunshine.”
Kurapika snorts. “I’m hardly cute. I’m—a mess.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Leorio scoffs. “You’re allowed to be both messy and cute. You’re adorable babe.” He pinches Kurapika’s cheek lightly and Kurapika yelps, swatting his hand away.
“Okay, okay,” Kurapika laughs. “Thanks, Leorio. You may be the only one who thinks so.”
“Not true.” Leorio kisses him again. “Melody thinks you’re darling.”
Kurapika smiles at the thought of Melody—someone who’s seen all his ugly parts, been there for him when he hurt himself, always there—still thinking of him with fondness.
“Melody will be overjoyed,” Kurapika thinks out loud, smiling giddily. He actually can’t wait to break the news to her, plus Gon, Killua and Alluka.
Leorio hums. “Jeez. There’s a lot to be done, isn’t there?”
“Mmhmm.” Kurapika leans his head back and Leorio kisses him from upside-down. They both giggle. “It’s okay. We have time.”
Leorio smirks and tilts his head. “Since when are you so chill and relaxed?”
“I’ve always been ‘chill,’” Kurapika scoffs, looking offended when Leorio snorts with laughter.
“Yeah, totally babe.”