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"It'll be alright. This, all of this-- it'll be gone before we even know it."
Kurapika glanced up from where he was sitting, on a plastic chair in Leorio's makeshift office. "Stop saying that. You know it's not true."
Leorio pointed an accusatory finger at the blond. "You're just being pessimistic!"
"I am not," Kurapika began, irritated, "but you are being overly optimistic. You don't hear what I hear."
Leorio rolled his eyes. "Yeah okay, Mister Dangerous Mafia Boss. Doesn't change the fact that we're not at risk here."
The doctor got up from the counter he was sitting on and began making coffee.
The beverage tasted horrendous and gave them both a severe caffeine addiction, but well, you had to die of something.
He went on before Kurapika could counter argue. "You told me this yourself, big brain-- the whole purpose of this expedition is the Succession War thing. They don't care about us. Even if they all just wanna blow each others' heads off, we won't be more to them than just a doctor and a bodyguard."
"You don't understand!"
Kurapika had gotten up too by now.
"This expedition, it's a lie, it's-- it's a trap!"
"What do you mean?"
"We won't be reaching the Dark Continent. They're planning on getting everyone killed before the ship arrives." Kurapika explained gravely. "We're-- we're going to die here."
Leorio put down the empty mugs he was holding. ".. Are you sure about that?"
Kurapika chuckled mirthlessly. "I am. They won't shut up about it. You get used to turning a blind eye to some.. dubious things when you work for the mafia, especially with the kind of people on this boat, but this-- this is their absolute favorite topic of conversation. They find it so hilarious, it makes me nauseous. "
And nauseous he was, because all he could think about in those moments was Woble.
All he could think about was Oito, and Melody, and Bill.
And Leorio.
Oh, gods, Leorio.
How he wished he and Kurapika had more time.
But time they had not, and even if they did, it's not like Kurapika would allow something to happen.
"Still."
Leorio looked at Kurapika, his eyes so full of hope he almost looked like Gon, and smiled, that beautiful smile of his that left the blond speechless.
"We'll be together to face.. whatever it is they're planning. And we'll be okay."
And then, leaving Kurapika to process his words, he turned around and turned on the radio.
Despite what Kurapika had just told him, despite their unpleasant, imminent fate, he turned on the radio.
Almost immediately, a man's monotone voice came out of the speaker, rambling on whatever was happening on land-- a world they felt so far away from, literally and metaphorically.
Leorio changed it to a music station and turned to face Kurapika again."D'you know this one? They used to play it in every nightclub back in my hometown."
Kurapika stayed very still as Leorio got closer and took one of his hands. "I do not."
"Surprising." Leorio said, sarcastically, because Kurapika didn't know any songs besides the Kurtan ones.
The blond's snarky reply died in his throat as Leorio raised their intertwined hands and made Kurapika twirl.
"Leorio-- what exactly are you doing..?" Kurapika sputtered.
The other shrugged like it was no big deal-- and to others it probably wasn't, but Kurapika liked to overthink. "You're here. I'm here. There's music. And-- well, we might die soon, so I figured.. why the fuck not?"
And then he made Kurapika spin again, and the blond's hand found itself on Leorio's shoulder because, indeed, why the fuck not?
Leorio smirked and positioned his own hand on Kurapika's back. "I suppose you don't know how to dance?"
Kurapika snorted. "Why, because you do?"
Without answering, the doctor began guiding Kurapika through a very slow, very messy waltz around his cramped office.
Kurapika had never danced before but, if it felt like this every time, he promised himself to do it more often if by whatever miracle he were to survive this expedition.
Leorio did, in fact, not know how to dance, and Kurapika was sure both of them were going to have bruises on their toes from how much they kept stepping on each other's feet, but it didn't matter.
It didn't matter because, as weird and unusual as it was, Kurapika was having fun.
His cheeks hurt from smiling and his ribs hurt from laughing but his lungs no longer hurt from breathing. His heart no longer hurt from pumping his blood.
For a moment, as short as it was, Kurapika felt free.
And so he let Leorio lift him and push him and make him sway and turn, his smile mirroring the wide grin on Leorio's face.
(and if Leorio's joy was mostly from seeing Kurapika being happy and carefree and young, for once, then he never knew.)
"You're so bad at this." Kurapika laughed as Leorio almost tripped over his desk.
The doctor gasped in mock offense as he let go of Kurapika's back to make him twirl again. "You just don't know how to appreciate my talent."
Kurapika returned him the gesture-- that's all he did, really, because he really couldn't dance to save his life-- and snorted. "What talent?"
Leorio put the hand that wasn't holding Kurapika's on his chest. "I feel wounded."
"Feel wounded all you want," Kurapika got behind Leorio without dropping his hand and made him turn around, "I'm only speaking facts."
"Well you want to know another fact?"
Leorio lifted Kurapika then theatrically leaned down so that the blond's hair was almost touching the ground. "Maybe it would be easier if you weren't so short, sunshine."
They got back upright, Leorio grinning ear to ear and Kurapika indignant.
He sputtered incoherent nonsense before settling on a very offended, very dramatic: "how dare you."
They both stared at each other for a little while, silent.
And then they burst out laughing.
Leorio was actually wiping tears and Kurapika was holding his middle and they both never felt as good as they did now.
Their limbs were sore from all the moving around, so they simply held each other, feet moving accordingly. Leorio's chin was resting on Kurapika's head, which was buried in the crook of the doctor's neck.
Both were too euphoric to be embarrassed about it.
(it being absolutely everything that happened between these walls on a daily basis as strangers became lovers all over again.)
The song was coming to an end now, but they did not let go of each other.
Maybe they would die soon.
Maybe all of this would turn into something far worse than they expected.
Maybe-- surely, they would end up going back in their respective rooms and pretending like nothing ever happened, until the next time.
But all those maybes didn't matter now because, pressed together in a dimly lit, poorly furnished office, Leorio and Kurapika were exactly where they needed to be.