Chapter Text
Gon snapped his phone shut, the click echoing in the sudden silence of the room. He met Killuas eyes with a sharp, wordless nod that signalled the Spiders were on the move.
“Leorio!” Gon called out, pausing for a second. He flashed a playful wink over his shoulder. “Go find Zepile. You’re the only one who can help him close those deals, okay?”
“Me?! I barely know the guy!” Leorio barked, throwing his hands up. “And since when am I the designated errand boy?”
He didn't get an answer. Killua had already hooked a hand around Gons arm, hauling him through the door before the protest could finish.
“Save it for later, Old Man!” Killua’s voice drifted back, sharp and impatient. “We’re losing the trail!”
Leorio let out a theatrical groan, his thumb hovering over the screen. "Fine. But I’m charging them a consultant fee for this," he grumbled to the empty room.
He punched in the number. It rang one, two, three times long enough for Leorio to start a performative eye roll. Just as he was about to hang up in a huff, a gravelly voice snapped him back.
“Yeah?”
“This is Zepile, right? Gon sent me,” Leorio said, his voice instantly dropping into a lower, more professional register.
There was a brief silence on the other end, punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic thrum of the Yorknew traffic.
“Right. The kids friend. Meet me at the Southern Market entrance in fifteen minutes. Don’t be late the longer we take prices will go down!”
The line went dead before Leorio could even get a word in.
“Fifteen minutes?” He huffed, but his hands were already moving. He smoothed the lapels of his suit and checked his reflection in the window, flashing a quick, toothy grin to ensure his tie was straight. Satisfied he looked like a man who meant business, he snatched up his briefcase and marched toward the door, his polished shoes clicking sharply against the floor.
It had felt he had been walking for hours trying to find this market. The sun beat down mercilessly, turning Leorio's prized suit into a woollen oven. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, threatening to ruin his professional look before the meeting even started. The weather was amazing too bad he had to spend it waking around a market with guy he doesn’t even know. Shortly after, from afar he could many stalls all lined up with goods and jewels displayed on tables.
Leorio took a moment to stand still and carfully looked around hoping to spot Zepile but to his surprise a hand lightly touched his shoulder. Startled Leorio turned around rapidly ready to shout at the person responsible but instead his mouth didn’t move as he saw Zepile was the one who had tapped him.
“Leorio right?” he had asked with a slight smile on his lips, reaching his had out to give the teen a handshake. Leorio slowly shook his hand and smiled back at the man infront of him
“Heh.. how long did I keep you waiting..” Leorio mumbled as his shoulders began to slump as he was scared he may have made the man wait longer than he was siad to get there for.
Zepile chuckled slightly, his eyes wrinkling as he did so. “aha! Don’t worry about I was a bit harsh only giving you 15 minutes to get here.” He then wrapped his arm around Leorios shoulder and started telling him what they needed to sell while getting dragged off into the market.
The first hour was stiff, filled with awkward silence and botched sales pitches. But by the second hour, Zepiles sharp wit had cracked Leorios shell, and by the third, they were a well oiled machine.
Four hours and three successful high stakes flips later, the two of them were stumbling down the sidewalk, vibrating with the kind of adrenaline only a shared scam can provide. They were laughing and joking like they had knew each other for a lifetime who shared a hundred successful hauls together. rather than two guys who had met that morning.
“I’m telling you, Leorio!” Zepile gasped, clutching his ribs as he doubled over from a laughing fit. “The look on that dealer’s face when you pulled out the ‘authentic’ seal... pure gold! Listen, once we move this last piece, the first round of drinks is on me!” As his lungs were still gasping for air
Leorio wiped a stray tear from his eye, his face aching from grinning so hard. He let out a loud, wheezing howl of a laugh before trying to regain some dignity.
“Count me in!” Leorio barked, slapping Zepiles back so hard the man stumbled. “But don't try to get me hammered I’ve gotta keep my head clear for my studies. Besides, I’m only nineteen, you know!”
“You’re nineteen!?” Zepiles voice carried across the square, drawing smirks from nearby vendors. “Kid, you look like you’ve been working a soul crushing 9-to-5 since the day you were born. I was about to ask you for retirement advice!”
A snicker escaped him, evolving into a full blown cackle before he could even get the worlds out his mouth.
The laughter died in Leorios throat. A slow, blistering heat climbed up his neck, turning his face a deep, bruised crimson. His jaw clenched so hard it looked like it was about to break, and his briefcase trembled in his hand. The 'lifetime' of friendship they’d built over the last four hours was currently hanging by a very thin, very angry thread.
I’ll have you know," Leorio bellowed, his voice cracking slightly in a very un-adult like way "that this is a face of character! This is the face of a boy, who studies until his eyes bleed! I’m in the prime of my youth, you hear me? The absolute pinnacle!"
To prove his point, he lunged forward, sticking his face mere inches from Zepiles. He pulled down his lower eyelid and stuck out his tongue in a childish grimace.
"Does an old man do this? Huh? Does a 9-to-5 salaryman have this kind of flexibility?"
Zepile didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned back slightly, squinting at Leorios distorted face with the same intense scrutiny he gave a Ming vase.
After a long, agonizing silence, he let out a short, dry chuckle. "Well, I’ll give you this much no 'salaryman' would risk a facial cramp that embarrassing in public." He reached out and gave Leorios shoulder a solid, grounding pat. "Alright, 'Kid,' keep that fire. We’re going to need that kind of shameless energy if we’re going to try make lots of Jenni for Gon and Killua! Now tuck your tongue back in before a fly catches it."