***
Time flew by on the plane ride back to Yorknew City and by the time they touched down Y/n and Kurapika were well into gear. Kurapika offered to let her drop her stuff off at his place, now that they were back in the city. She agreed and they took a quick stop at his apartment to get rid of their bags.
The taxi dropped them off at the front doors of his apartment building. The partners stepped out and made their way into the building, taking the elevator up to his floor. Kurapika pushed open the door to reveal the familiar sight of his apartment. They had had many difficult conversations and mental matches held in this space, but hopefully, they would become partners on better terms. Friends.
Y/n moved in quickly to her favourite spot in his apartment, throwing her bag down on the couch and falling beside it. She let out a relaxed breath, "I hate airplane seats," she complained.
Kurapika gave her a funny look, shaking his head, before disappearing into the hallway with his bag. He re-emerged from the hallway empty-handed. He made his way over to the girl, taking a seat on the other side of her, "you know, this is my couch," he said.
She looked over at him with a serious expression, "you know, this is my personal space," she motioned around her, pointing out the proximity of the two.
"You don't seem to mind it when you're hitting me though," he replied.
"True, true," she agreed, "I do like doing that," she giggled. Kurapika watched as she lent back into the cushions, lying her head on the back of the couch, "we did so much yesterday. I just feel like falling asleep," she confessed, laying an arm over her eyes. Her eyes were tired and so was her body. Her head still ached in pain during moments of the day, and her wounds from the man remained.
Kurapika carried a pang of guilt with him from that incident. If only he had been swifter, maybe she wouldn't have gotten hurt. He sighed, "sorry," he said referring to the wound on her head.
Y/n moved her arm slightly, so she was able to see his face. It was faintly painted with worry and guilt. She smiled at his expression, "why?" she asked.
He gave her a soft look as he scanned her smile, "for not being able to stop him from hitting you," he replied.
Y/n sat up from her laid-back position. She placed a hand on top of his head, his blonde hair flowing through her fingers. Soft, she thought to herself.
"I handled those guys easily. Piece of cake," she said with a smile, "and we're partners, right?" she asked. "So, I know you'll have my back when I'm in serious trouble."
As she pushed back his hair, his scarlet earring couldn't help but catch her eye. The scarlet jewel hung from a silver chain. She hadn't seen it before then, it was her first-time taking notice of it. It suited him.
Pretty, she thought, smiling to herself as he looked at her with his gentle grey eyes.
Kurapika, startled by her actions, was held in a daze. Her hand gently laid on his head, just as she had done to Beau. Kurapika looked at her, her eyes were shut closed as she smiled at him.
Cute, he thought to himself.
The warmth of her hand left him as Y/n rescinded her hand from his head. At that moment, Kurapika missed her touch. She opened her eyes, in expectation, to see the blonde who was now recomposed.
"And you'll have mine," he responded, "because we're partners."
Y/n gave him a nod in confirmation, "mhm," she hummed.
Kurapika let out a sigh as he rose from the couch, "well, I'll head out to the Bull Market to start checking the stalls for Mukatolini's Lithograph," he said in exasperation, "feel free to stay at my place if you're going to hang around." Kurapika slipped away to the front door, starting to ready himself to leave.
Y/n jumped out of her comfortable seat on his couch, "wait," she yelped. "I changed my mind. I want to go," she said as she made her way over to him, slipping her shoes on over her feet.
Kurapika looked at her with a confused expression, "didn't you say you were tired?" he asked slipping on a jacket, "and your head is still healing."
Y/n shrugged at his words as she slipped a grey hoodie on over her head, "I'm feeling fine, don't worry so much," she said.
She slipped her arms through the sleeves and adjusted the fabric over her body. A pair of hands passed by her head and grabbed hold of the edges of her hood. Kurapika pulled the fabric over her head and moved the girl's hair to the front. The hood hung in front of her eyes, blocking her view. She pushed up the fabric slightly, her eyes were met with those of his, "what's this for?" she asked as his hands fixed her hair in front of her body.
He removed his hands from the strands of her hair and returned to putting on his shoes, "it's to hide your bandages," he said.
Y/n placed a hand on the hood, letting her fingertips brush over the fabric. "Thank you," she said coyly. Her hand slid down the rim and to the drawstring. She held the end of the string in between her fingertips, unsure of what to do with her hands.
'Had he done that on purpose?' she asked herself.
"Come on," he said motioning to her, "let's go." He pulled open the door and stepped out of the apartment.
Y/n wasted no time and followed behind him, exiting by the door. As they made their way down the hallway, Y/n and Kurapika walked side by side. They kept their silence on their walk out of the apartment building as they proceeded to the familiar black car. The drive there was mostly quiet, other times filled with mindless chatter and remarks.
As the Bull Market came into view, the noise also crept in. It was a vibrant and lively scene. A plentiful number of stalls lined the roads, each painting a different colour on the scene. Numerous groups of people crowded the stalls, each placing offers on the various items.
Kurapika found a place to park the car and they entered the scene together. Side by side, they walked through the road of stalls. Y/n's eyes scanned the items as they walked through the bustle of people, keeping an eye out for the item they were searching for.
"Where should we start?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," he responded, "I'm quite overwhelmed."
Y/n chuckled, "Yeah, me too."
The people's voices were loud, and they filled her senses. She quite enjoyed the sound; it kept the surfacing thoughts out of her mind and let her concentrate on something other than her intrusive thoughts. They were often thoughts she couldn't keep at bay when it was quiet, so she had developed a dislike for silent moments or places.
Kurapika was similar, but he held contradictions. He found comfort in the sound of people talking. It indicated that they were still breathing and alive. He feared a never-ending silence – but he also held bad memories of crowds of people. When his loved ones needed him the most, he wasn't there, he was in town, filled with chattering people.
Kurapika glanced over to Y/n, she wore a smile on her face as she looked at the stalls and the people that surrounded them. Y/n was always talking, she never held back in what she wanted to say. When she wasn't talking, she was staring out a window or sighing in annoyance. He would never admit it, but he enjoyed her presence.
They continued to walk along the concrete road until, in an instant, Y/n drifted off course and towards one of the stalls.
"Where are you going," he yelled, watching as the girl ran off towards the side of the road, disappearing into the crowd of people.
Losing sight of the girl, he huffed in frustration. She did whatever she wanted to without warning him, always running off in front of him. Kurapika pushed through the crowds of people, but the girl was nowhere in sight. He lost her.
As Kurapika struggled to look for her, Y/n approached a red stall and looked through the items. Sitting behind the items was an old woman wearing a muted red and orange dress. It was a long sleeve that draped perfectly over her shoulders and crossed modestly over her chest.
"Hello," Y/n greeted warmly.
The old woman's face grew bright at the kindness in her words. A smile stretched over her hollow cheeks. "Hello," she responded. Her voice was raspy, but it gave Y/n a sense of warmth and invitation.
Y/n smiled back at the woman, "I couldn't help but notice those beautiful pieces you have displayed, and I wanted to see them up close," she told her as she looked back at the cloth spread out on the floor that displayed the items for auction. "The jewelry is beautiful," Y/n said captivated by the craftsmanship of the metals and cut of the jewels spread out on the cloth.
"I'm glad you think so," the woman said with a pride-filled smile. "My late husband crafted those for me when we were first married," she explained with a heartfelt tone, "but, it seems people don't see through your eyes. Many people take little interest in the jewelry, but it makes me happy to know you see the beauty in his work."
Sprawled out on the fabric were beautifully crafted pieces. There were emerald and sapphire bracelets, diamond rings, gold and silver necklaces – but, what stood out to her were a pair of scarlet earrings. Not twins to the one Kurapika wore, but distant relatives. They were a pair of studs encased by silver prongs holding the jewels in place.
The woman caught sight of the mesmerization Y/n held in her eyes as she stared at the earrings, "those were my favourite too," the old woman said reminiscing on old memories as she watched the young girl's eyes shine at the sight of the red jewels.
They were beautiful and she couldn't help but remember the moment they shared that morning. Kurapika's gentle grey eyes as they stared into hers, his pale skin as it shined under the sun brought in by the window, and the glow of the scarlet earing he wore.
Y/n looked up from her trance to meet the eyes of the old woman, "can I ask you a question?"
The woman nodded her head allowing the girl to ask her question freely.
"Why are you auctioning them if they hold so much meaning?" Y/n asked.
The woman paused for a moment, giving her a sad smile, "we only get older," she said. She looked at Y/n with sincere eyes, "soon I'll be gone to reunite with my husband, and before I leave – I want to entrust my most treasured items so that they continue to hold meaning, even after I've passed."
The woman wanted the treasures bestowed upon her by her late husband to forever hold meaning to someone in the world so that even if they were both gone, the love that went into his craft would continue to bring love to someone new.
What a sad notion, Y/n thought to herself.
She smiled softly, "that's beautifully heartbreaking," Y/n said joining the woman in sharing a smile.
Y/n took the auction card for the scarlet earrings. It was blank and held no bids. She wrote down a number on the paper and placed it back beside the item. "I'll come back before the bidding ends," she said before leaving the stall.
The old woman watched her as she disappeared off into the crown, wearing a bittersweet smile. What a gentle aura, she thought as the girl left her sight.
Y/n pushed her way through the crowds of people clustered in the streets, scanning the crowds for the blonde-haired man. She followed the dotted stripes painted on the road further into the Bull Market. Kurapika was nowhere to be seen. Little did she know, Kurapika was equally struggling to find the girl.
The crowds were beginning to become more packed the further she walked down the strip of stalls. Soon the stalls started to transition to shops and more permanent bidding and selling buildings. This was the area where the bigger auctioned items were held. People with more jenny to spend gathered in this area of the Bull Market.
She soon realized she was too far into the lively scene, far from where she previously saw her partner. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to retrace her steps back to where she came from. Her head turned from left to right as she kept an eye out. Worst-case scenario, she would wait by the car until he returned.
As she continued her walk back, searching for the blonde, she spotted a white tuff of hair in the corner of her eye. Her eyes shot to the white-haired boy who stood with a smirk on his face. Unbeknownst to Killua, Y/n stood and watched as he laughed and conversed with a boy who had black spiky hair. They stood at a similar height, and the two boys seemed to be around the same age.
Shivers ran up the girl's spine at the thought of the young assassin. There was no way she would approach him. Y/n scrambled to get out of the line of sight of the boy, but before she was able to move, he spotted her attempting to flee. Their eyes locked. Y/n looked at him, a weak smile fearfully plastered on her face. Killua's eyes grew wide as she started to back away.
At that moment, Y/n's fight or flight kicked in and she opted for flight. Y/n bolted away from the boy, clutching her hood that threatened to fly off her head. Killua wasted no time chasing after the girl with a scowl on his face and bloodlust threatening to rise to the surface. The boy with spiky black hair chased after Killua as he and Y/n continued their pursuit through the crowds of people.
"Stop! You crazy lady," Killua yelled as he gained speed on the girl.
"Leave me alone," she cried picking up speed to get away from the young brat.
The spiky-haired boy caught up with Killua and continued to run alongside him, "Killua, why are you chasing that girl?" he asked.
Killua's face turned dark, "because I'm going to kill her," he said, bloodlust radiating off of him which sent a shiver across Y/n's body.
They weaved in and out of the crowd, jumping over items in their way. Many people turned their attention to the boys chasing down a girl at full speed and watched with confused expressions as the girl cried for them to stop. It was a sight to see.
Y/n felt herself start to get dizzy. For fucks sake, she thought. Her injury from yesterday still hadn't healed, and she knew she shouldn't have gone with Kurapika, but she did anyway. With all this movement, her head started to ache in pain - but, that didn't mean she would let that white-haired boy catch her.
Y/n was starting to slow down, and Killua was starting to gain traction on her. She was running out of ideas to stop the kid from clawing the skin off her bones. She raced forward, not paying attention to her surroundings, Y/n crashed into the side of someone.
She lost her momentum and now the boys were hot on her trail. She looked back to see the white-haired boy coming at her at an unrecorded speed. She grabbed hold of the arm of the person she crashed into, standing behind them. Coincidentally, when she looked up, she was met with a pair of familiar grey eyes.
"You have to help me," she begged gripping at the sleeve of his jacket.
Kurapika gave her a confused look, "I was looking for you. Where did you go?" he asked.
As she was about to respond the yell of the white-haired boy caught both of their attention, "get over here!" Intently focused on his target, Killua was unaware of the identity of the man she cowered behind.
Kurapika's face lit up with delight and confusion at the sight of his two friends running at full speed towards them. With his free hand, he waved to the two boys, "Killua! Gon!" he yelled with a smile on his face.
The spiky-haired boy, seeing Kurapika, threw up his arms, waving them in greeting to the blonde, "Hey! Kurapika!" he laughed.
The two boys quickly approached the partners. Gon slowed down before hitting the blonde. Killua on the other hand sped past Kurapika and went straight for Y/n, knocking her off of his arm. She stumbled back but managed to stay on her toes.
She looked at him with an irritated expression, "what the hell was that for?" she cried smacking the boy across the head.
He groaned in pain. Killua was about to retort before the black-haired boy restrained his arms, "Killua, what are you doing?" he asked extremely confused about the situation playing out in front of him.
Killua struggled against his hold, "Gon, get off. I'm going to kill her," he said throwing his fists out in front of his body.
"But, why?" she cried, bent over, attempting to catch her breath.
Killua looked at her. His face turned from irritated to blank in a matter of seconds. He pondered the question for a moment, "I don't remember actually," he said concluding his thoughts.
The partners and the boy's friend looked at him in disbelief. Once Killua stopped fighting back, the spiky-haired boy dropped the hold he had on his friend, "who is she anyway?" he asked.
Y/n seeing that the young assassin was free from his restraints instinctually moved to stand beside her partner.
Kurapika looked down at her and chuckled, then shifted his focus back to his friends, "this is Y/n," he introduced.
Y/n stood with her arm crossed, "hello," she said looking at the spiky-haired boy, "my name is Y/n L/n. Nice to meet you," she greeted, smiling at the boy.
The boy flashed a toothy grin, "Hi, my name's Gon Freecss! It's nice to meet you too!" The boy glanced over at his friend who copied the actions of the girl, crossing his arms in annoyance. Gon scratched the back of his head, "sorry about Killua, he's just like that sometimes," he said giggling.
His warm and bright personality could be felt by the girl, a stark contrast to the personality of his white-haired friend. "Ahh I remember now," she realized, "you're one of the friends Kurapika mentioned," she pointed out.
Gon laughed nervously, "that's me, and you're the girl Kurapika's working with," he remarked. "He mentioned working with someone."
"Yeah, that's her," Kurapika confirmed, "we heard from Basho that you two were here. Though we didn't expect to see you so soon," he said.
Y/n huffed in exhaustion, "that's for sure."
Killua side-eyed the girl. "Yeah, Gon and I are here looking for big finds to sell for jenny. We're trying to buy Greed Island," Killua informed them.
"We heard about that," Kurapika said, "how is that coming along?" he asked.
Gon sighed in defeat, "not too good," he whined. "It's a lot of money."
"By the way," Killua interrupted, "what are you guys doing here?" he asked with a bored tone.
"Oh," Y/n quipped, "we're looking for one of Mukatolini's Lithographs," she said.
"You haven't happened to see one while you've been here, walking around, have you?" Kurapika asked.
The two boys stopped to think for a moment, but ultimately sighed in defeat, "no, not that I remember," Killua said.
Gon's defeated look transformed into a smile, "but, we could help you look!" he offered.
Killua slapped him on the head in protest, "who's we?" he yelled in obvious protest.
"Oh, come on Killua!" Gon whined, "it would be nice to spend some time with Kurapika and we can get to know Y/n!"
Gon stared at his friend with expectant eyes. His fists were clutched close to his chest with anticipation. He pleaded with eagerness giving his friend big eyes. Killua sighed ultimately giving in and agreeing to lend a helping hand to the two partners.
The day continued with the group approaching stalls and asking for information on Mukatolini's Lithograph but to no avail. Every stall owner they talked to said they haven't heard of anyone obtaining it, so there was a possibility that it wasn't won yet, but there was a high probability that someone had already collected it.
Most stall owners pointed them in the direction of the permanent stalls and away from the pop-up stalls but was a fruitless adventure because even the building owners, who had been at the Bull Market since it opened, had little clue on the whereabouts of the item. Even the people participating in the auctioning had zero ideas of the whereabouts of Mukatolini's Lithograph, and the group was starting to get tired of walking in circles searching for an item that might not even be at the Bull Market.
After a while of asking around as a team, the group decided to go separate ways to cover more ground. It was getting close to the closing time of the Bull Market, the time when bidding would come to an end and the highest bidder would go to collect their winnings.
Y/n, remembering her previous bid, went back to the red pop-up stall close to the entrance. There, the old woman sat and the cloth full of jewels was still sprawled out on the floor. The woman caught sight of the young girl and a smile appeared on her face, "you came back," she said.
Y/n approached the stall, standing in front of the woman, "yeah," she smiled. Y/n crouched down and picked up the auction card that lay next to the scarlet earrings. On the card was one singular bid, the one she had written down herself.
"Looks like I win," she said, placing the auction card back on the cloth. Y/n reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a small tan pouch. "I'm kind of surprised there weren't more bids on the earrings," she mentioned as she pulled out the jenny she owed the woman.
The earrings were beautiful down to the craftsmanship and the cut. They were handmade and they would sell for a lot of money in a store had she brought them there.
The old woman chuckled, "that's because I didn't let them place bids," she confessed.
Y/n looked up at her with an eyebrow raised, "why not?" she asked.
The woman gave her a soft smile, "I have a good read on peoples' auras. Your aura was warm and gentle, and you kindly conversed with an old sickly woman," she spoke. "I didn't want anyone else to take them but you," she confessed.
Y/n gave the woman a heartfelt laugh, "I don't know how fair of an auction that is – but thanks," she smiled. Y/n handed her the money she owed.
With her shaky hands, the old woman encased the girls stretched out hands in her own, "all I ask of you is to treasure them," she said smiling, setting the condition for the trade.
Y/n gently squeezed the woman's hands in her own, "I will," she said sliding her hands out of the grasp of the woman's and slipping the jenny in her hands.
The woman put the money in her pocket and took the earrings, placing them in a box for Y/n to carry home. She presented the box to her which Y/n carefully took from her hands, "thank you," she spoke sincerely, "you don't have to worry. They're safe with me."
For the second and last time, the woman watched as the girl disappeared into the crowd. It was truly blessed for the earrings to end up in the position of the young lady, she thought.
Y/n walked away from the red stall, box in hand. The sun was starting to go down and the night air was starting to cool. The crowds were starting to leave, and the stall owners were getting ready to depart as the auctions were coming to a close. Things were starting to wind down at the Bull Market. The night city lights were starting to shine through the shadows cast by the descending sun. It was a beautiful sight. Y/n relished in the moment as she breathed in the scene.
Kurapika, Killua and Gon had coincidentally regrouped as the sun started to set due to things slowing down in the Market. They walked towards the entrance where Y/n stood waiting for them. Gon waved to the girl as she came into view. Noticing the group, the girl waved back, calling for them to hurry up because she was tired.
"Find anything?" she called.
The group shook their heads as they approached the girl.
"Me either," she huffed.
After spending hours searching, they decided it would be a good idea to leave and return the next day with a fresh eye and mind, and some needed sleep. They parted ways, Gon and Killua leaving to go back to their hotel room, Y/n and Kurapika leaving together to go back to his apartment. They all promised to meet up at the entrance tomorrow to start their search once more.
During their car ride back to the apartment, Y/n complained about how unlucky they were turning out to be. Kurapika laughed at her actions which made the girl more irritated than she already was. She turned away from him and stared out the window as the car sped past the city buildings. She kept quiet as she watched the lively city. Kurapika looked over at the girl, he smiled at her unhappy face.
Unchanging, he thought as he watched her.
Kurapika returned his attention to the road and continued driving. Y/n remained silent for the rest of the car ride; her hand rested in her pocket as she fiddled with the box. Her fingers rimmed the edges as she glided her fingertips across the corners of the box. She wondered how the kind woman would fair without the earrings that were held close to her heart.
The car ride continued, Y/n fiddled with the box and stared out the window, listening to the sound of the city and the sounds that echoed from the car engine. Things were relatively quiet in the city besides an ambulance that sped by, heading in the opposite direction of the two.
Soon they arrived at the apartment for the second time that day, Y/n following the same routine she had always done. Taking off her shoes and let herself relax on the poor blonde's couch.
"Are you staying here tonight?" Kurapika asked, throwing his keys on the counter. He took off his jacket, placing it on a hook beside the door.
"Mhm," she hummed, "I'm too tired to go home," she spoke as her eyes started to become heavy.
A hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling the girl up to her feet. Kurapika picked up her bag and placed it in her hands, "well don't sleep on my couch," he said pushing her towards the hallway.
He led her to the room she had slept in the first night she met him. She threw her bag onto the ground and jumped on the bed; her head buried into the pillow. She let the sheets hug her body as she relaxed into the comfort of the mattress. Y/n lifted her head to the man who stood in the doorway, she smiled, "thanks," she said.
"Yeah," is all he said before he shut off the light and exited the room. He closed the door behind him, leaving the girl alone in the guest room.
She turned over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She sighed, that was a pointless day, she thought.
Well – maybe it wasn't all that pointless. She pulled out the box that contained the scarlet earrings from her pocket. She opened the box to reveal them as they sparkled under the moons glowing light. Y/n stared at the studs as they gleamed, turning them to watch as the patterns of red reflected light flickered on her skin.
She closed the box, getting up out of her bed. She pulled open the door and walked into the hallway. The apartment was now completely dark. Kurapika had probably turned off all the lights before going into his room. She walked up to his closed door. Hesitantly she knocked on the door.
She heard a shuffling before Kurapika's voice rang from the other side of the door, "come in."
She pushed open the door to see Kurapika who was lying on his side. His hair fell gently over his face. The city lights from his window shinned on his back illuminating his bare chest. Momentarily she found her eyes falling to his chest before resettling on his face. Kurapika sat up as he watched her timidly enter, a box in hand.
"What's that?" he asked pointing at the box.
"Oh," she said walking towards him, "I bought it today at the auction."
She walked to the edge of his bed. So close her legs hitting the side of the bed frame, Kurapika sitting in close proximity to her. "These caught my eye when we first got to the market," she said opening the box, "because of you," she said softly.
Kurapika's eyes fell to the pair of scarlet earrings that sat gently in the box. They shimmered beautifully under the light of the city lights. He looked up to see Y/n smiling softly at him.
"They reminded me of you," she confessed in a whisper. "I saw them in one of the stalls and I had to buy them," she spoke.
She moved forward towards the blonde, placing a knee on his bed, leaning in closer. "It matches the earring you wear," she whispered, "Say you'll accept one of the two." Their eyes watched one another intently, mesmerized by their glow. Their expressions were calm and sweet. Y/n softly smiled at him, leaning in closer.
"Yeah," Kurapika spoke, preoccupied with her smile.
They don't know why they felt their heart start to race; maybe it was the moonlight creating a romantic atmosphere that made the two of them feel longingly for one another. If not the moon, what else would it be?
Y/n brought a hand to his face, gently moving back the strands of hair in front of his undecorated ear. She took one of the studs and removed the back. As she put on the earring, Kurapika could feel her breath hit his skin and hear her softly breathing close to his ear. Y/n placed on the back of the earring. Her face was close to his.
She was so close to him at that moment. She has felt his skin up against hers before, but the soft brush of her fingers against his skin sent her waves of confusion, her breath was quickly taken from her.
She finished putting on the earring and moved back to see his face. He looked at her with calm eyes. Kurapika didn't know what he felt at that moment, but it seemed as though the world slowed down at that moment.
He looked so good. The pendant earing and the stub both glimmered brightly under the pale moonlight, his soft blonde hair tucked behind his ear and his tired eyes as he looked up at her.
Y/n broke eye contact and reached for the remaining stud. This time, she brought it up to her ear, taking off the back and putting it on her ear, placing the back on to secure the earring in place.
Kurapika watched as she put on the earring, she was focused intently on getting the earring on, but he found his gaze moving to her lips. They were slightly open as she focused.
They look soft, he breathed.
He broke out of his trance and looked up at her eyes only to find her staring back at him. She felt her heart pounding against her chest as she held eye contact with the blonde whose face was only inches from her own. She found her eyes trailing down to his lips, they were a lightly dusted pink shade, and they too were slightly hanging agape.
Her eyes slowly returned to his grey ones as he watched her. Y/n fully sat on the bed in front of the blonde. Looking into his eyes, she found herself growing closer to him, but he made no sign of moving as she gradually grew closer.
Their lips were mere centimetres apart from one another. So close, yet it felt so far to them both. The city lights and the glow of the moon illuminated the two partners. Time seemed to still at that moment. Kurapika didn't know why, but at that moment, all he wanted to do was pull her closer to him.
Y/n let out a breath, pulling back from Kurapika. What am I doing, she thought. If she let herself be in that moment, she would do something she'd regret.
She smiled sheepishly, "they're pretty," she chuckled talking about the earrings, attempting to change the subject.
Kurapika stared at her softly, "yeah, really pretty," he whispered, his gaze still on her.
Y/n removed herself from his bed, clutching the box in her hand, "well, good night," she said moving towards the door.
Kurapika looked at her in a daze, "... good night," he responded as she disappeared, closing the door behind herself.
Kurapika sat still for a minute, processing what had almost happened. They were so close, closer than they've ever felt before. She had bought him a gift, something that reminded her of him. It was strange.
Kurapika laid back down in his bed as Y/n returned to her room, closing the door as she entered. She placed the box on the bedside table and crawled onto the bed, getting under the covers.
The two partners felt their hearts beating strongly against their chests. The moment that they shared...
The two held the scarlet stud between their fingertips as they slowly drifted off to sleep. What would happen between them now, they asked themselves.
***
A/n
I am on a writing streak at the moment!
I'm returning to school soon, so expect more spaced-out chapters. Sorry! – but I'll continue writing them at their current length [≈ a 20-minute read] because I feel the story progresses much more smoothly this way. I realized the way I was writing my first couple of chapters was lengthy and slow, so I changed my perspective on writing. I hope it's more plot-packed now!
Much love ♡