Work Text:
It was that time again. Datenight with Kurapika. Leorio had spent hours setting up everything to make this date extra festive for his sunshine. He wanted it to be perfect. That's when the knock came from the door. "Right on time" he said, heading from the kitchen. He opened the door to see his favorite blonde in his usual date look. A band shirt that Leorio had given him, long skirt, and a thick winter coat to protect him from the cold.
He stepped into the house with barely any greeting to his boyfriend. He was about to complain about the cold weather and take off his coat when he saw the decorations. Tinsel, Christmas tree, lights, festive tablecloth, and even Santa salt and pepper shakers on the table. He was surprised to say the least. "What do you think?" Leorio asked, looking at the Kurta with a sheepish smile. "Too much?" Kurapika smiled at the med student, taking off his coat and putting it on the rack.
"Yes." He said, smirking. "But I appreciate it" Leorio chuckled, giving Kurapika a peck on the cheek before heading back to the kitchen.
"I want you to feel as comfortable as possible.... did you have any family traditions when you were young?" He hesitantly asked. He knew that mentioning the Kurta clan was a sore spot for kurapika, but he wanted him to be happy. Even if it was nostalgic happiness. Kurapika looked around at the apartment once again before glancing at Leorio.
"We would... always find the tallest tree and cut it down. Half of it would be decorated, part of it would be carved into gifts for the younger kids, and the rest would be fire wood" he muttered, staring off into a corner, remembering when he was young. "Once" he chuckled "I tried to make a wooden doll for my cousin Maya. I was trying to make it look like her, but it was so bad that when she opened it on christmas day, she thought it was a witch!" He laughed out the rest, blush on his face from the embarrassing memorie... that laughter quickly stopped when he remembered the night the troupe attacked.
He started having a flashback, remembering the piles of corpses with their eyes carved out. He remembered seeing Maya with a knife in her skull, meticulously carving the eye from its soket. He was ripped back to reality when Leorio was there, arms around him, whispering calming words to him. "Sunshine, it's okay. It's okay, I'm here. I'm here. Try to breathe. You're okay now, you're safe" Kurapika took a deep breath to tell Leorio he was okay now. Leorio pulled away, still on edge incase it happened again.
"I'm sorry, Leorio. I didn't mean to worry you" he said, holding his head in his hands. He hadn't realized that Leorio had put his plate down beside him. A picture perfect holiday meal. He felt a twinge of guilt before he saw the big smile on Leorio's face.
"Christmas isn't Christmas without a little sadness, right?" He chuckled at his own joke before taking kurapika by the hand. "It's alright. Trauma can fuck up what people once loved. If you want, I can put it all away and we can just have a normal date." He looked at Kurapika "I just want my sunshine to be happy" he placed a gentle kiss on the back of his hand.
Kurapika smiled at him. He loved the little things Leorio did whenever something reminded him of his trauma. He knew that the oldest looking nineteen-year-old the world had ever seen would do anything to prevent such horrible memories from ruining his day.... but still, he wanted to see all the things Leorio had up his sleeve.
"I'll be fine. Let's just... avoid my traditions for now. Deal?" He smiled, extending a hand. Leorio rolled his eyes, giving it a firm shake.
"You drive one hell of a bargain" he joked, adjusting the setup to perfection once again.
The night was fun. They watched a shitty Christmas movie and evened it out with a good one. They talked, and sang, and enjoyed the night. But, all good things must come to an end. Kurapika had work in the morning. "I wish I could stay" he mumbled, putting on his jacket and taking the last sip of his hot chocolate.
"I'll drive you home. It's too cold to make you walk" Leorio spoke, trying to ignore the want to say he did too. He went for the door before remembering something. He looked upto see a wad of mistletoe hanging above them. He chuckled, pointing to the plant with a smile. "Well, would you look at that." He met the Kurta's confused eyes. He waited for kurapika to say something before it hit him. "... you don't know this one, do you?" He asked. Kurapika shook his head.
"No clue. Must not have done this one." He admitted. Leorio smiled, walking over and giving Kurapika a quick kiss on the lips. Kurapika blushed, placing a hand to where Leorio's lips had been just a second before. It wasn't their first kiss, but it was just as shocking as it. No warning, no questions before or after, just quickly locked lips followed by an embarrassed blonde.
And, just like the first, Leorio played it off like nothing happened. He just grabbed his keys, offered his hand to kurapika, and casually signaled that it was time to leave. Kurapika smiled, took his boyfriend's whole arm, and took a mental note to figure out more about his new favorite Christmas tradition.