Working with Kurapika was easy. Understanding him? Not so much. He was quiet, serious, distant-yet somehow always around you. Sitting beside you during meetings, walking near you after missions, silently listening whenever you talked.
You assumed that was simply how he was with everyone.
What you didn't know... was that every small interaction completely destroyed his composure internally. And unfortunately for him, Melody could hear every frantic heartbeat he tried so hard to hide.
fluff, tension, mutual pining, coworkers to lovers vibes, awkward attraction, slow burn, slight jealousy, nervous Kurapika, reader insert, anime spoilers very lightly implied, dirty thoughts.
The next day seemed to drag on forever.
Every meeting felt longer.
Every report felt more boring.
Every glance at the clock somehow made time move slower.
By the time evening finally arrived, you were practically relieved.
You stood in front of the mirror in your hotel room with several outfits spread across the bed behind you.
You sighed dramatically and flopped onto the mattress.
Why were you even thinking this hard about it?
Your face immediately warmed.
You pointed at yourself in the mirror.
“It is not because of him.”
The mirror wasn’t convinced.
After another ten minutes of indecisiveness, you finally settled on a simple black dress.
It wasn’t covered in glitter.
It wasn’t trying too hard.
Something you’d actually feel comfortable wearing.
You smoothed out the fabric and nodded.
Which somehow became an even bigger problem.
You sat in front of the mirror and carefully worked on it.
You were halfway through when a thought suddenly appeared.
Do you think he’ll notice?
Then immediately groaned.
“Why do I care if he notices?”
Unfortunately, you already knew the answer.
Because you wanted him to.
You looked at yourself in the mirror again.
Hopefully it looked nice.
Meanwhile, down the hall.
Kurapika was experiencing a crisis of his own.
He stood in front of his bathroom mirror.
A little longer than usual.
A few strands refused to stay where they belonged.
Normally he wouldn’t care.
Normally he’d brush it back once and leave.
Today was apparently not normal.
Kurapika adjusted a strand.
The answer appeared immediately.
He shouldn’t be thinking about things like this.
He shouldn’t be worrying about his appearance.
A small part of him wanted to look good.
Wanted you to look at him and think he looked nice.
The realization made him immediately look away from the mirror.
Looked at himself one final time.
A loud knock interrupted his thoughts.
Then his phone started ringing.
Kurapika already knew what that meant.
Leorio never believed in arriving on time.
He ended the call and walked toward the door.
Opening it revealed exactly what he expected.
Leorio stood there in a dark suit with his hands in his pockets.
The moment he saw Kurapika, a grin appeared.
Kurapika narrowed his eyes.
Leorio looked him up and down.
“You spent time on your hair.”
Kurapika immediately regretted opening the door.
Leorio pointed toward his head.
“You’ve adjusted that same piece of hair three times since I got here.”
Leorio’s grin somehow widened.
Leorio began walking down the hallway.
“Because Y/N’s definitely gonna notice.”
Kurapika nearly tripped over absolutely nothing.
And Leorio laughed the entire way to the elevator.
The hotel lobby was already fairly busy by the time you made your way downstairs.
You spotted Melody almost immediately.
She was sitting in one of the chairs near the entrance, looking as composed as ever in her usual suit.
The moment she heard your footsteps approaching, she smiled.
Melody tilted her head slightly.
For some reason, hearing that made you feel a little less nervous.
The two of you chatted while waiting.
Mostly because neither of you wanted to acknowledge how long it was taking the others.
A few minutes later, the lobby doors opened.
And immediately spotted Leorio.
Your heart skipped for a second.
He was still wearing a suit.
Still carrying himself the same way.
Still looked composed and elegant.
But something about him seemed softer tonight.
Maybe it was because he wasn’t carrying a folder for once.
Maybe it was because this wasn’t work.
You couldn’t stop looking.
Meanwhile, Leorio spotted you immediately.
The second he saw you properly, his eyes widened.
Kurapika immediately wished Leorio would stop talking.
Not because he disagreed.
Because he agreed far too much.
The black dress suited you perfectly.
And he had already spent the entire walk downstairs trying not to think about it.
“Thank you,” you said with a smile.
Then your attention shifted toward Kurapika.
His heart immediately betrayed him.
“You look handsome too, Pika.”
His ears immediately turned red.
He looked away for a moment before managing—
His voice sounded quieter than usual.
Kurapika’s heart nearly stopped.
His brain screamed at him.
Tell her she’s beautiful.
Tell her literally anything.
Kurapika internally panicked.
Why was talking suddenly so difficult?
Then Leorio ruined everything.
Kurapika immediately wanted to kick him.
You laughed softly and looked away, clearly embarrassed by the compliments.
Meanwhile Kurapika stood there silently.
Because now if he said it, it would sound forced.
A short while later, the group headed outside.
Leorio had somehow convinced everyone to take one car.
Which resulted in him driving.
Melody claimed the front passenger seat.
You slid into the seat first.
Kurapika followed shortly after.
And suddenly the space felt much smaller.
Your perfume lingered in the air.
Kurapika immediately looked out the window.
Definitely the safest option.
The city lights blurred past as Leorio drove.
Melody and Leorio immediately started talking.
Mostly because Leorio enjoyed annoying people.
Meanwhile, the back seat remained quiet.
Kurapika was staring out the window.
His chin rested lightly against his hand.
Kurapika looked over immediately.
Just hearing you say his nickname got his attention.
Leorio barked out a laugh from the driver’s seat.
“That’s his default setting.”
But hearing you laugh made it difficult to stay annoyed.
“You’ve looked out that window the entire drive.”
Kurapika immediately looked away again.
You weren’t wrong. He just forgot what he was supposed to say.
The restaurant was much fancier than any of you expected.
Much fancier than you expected.
The second the hostess led your group inside, you looked around at the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the expensive decorations.
You immediately leaned toward Melody.
“Are we sure we’re allowed in here?”
You pointed at a decorative statue that probably cost more than your yearly salary.
Kurapika, who had been quietly walking beside you, hid a smile behind his hand. you noticed.
Leorio immediately joined in.
“You’re both impossible.”
Once seated, things only got worse.
Depending on who you asked.
Leorio somehow managed to order the most expensive thing on the menu.
“Why is your steak the price of my rent?”
“It’s called treating yourself.”
Melody nearly choked on her drink trying not to laugh.
Kurapika quietly lowered his menu.
A few minutes later the drinks arrived.
For about thirty seconds.
Then Leorio accidentally knocked over a spoon.
Which somehow knocked over Melody’s napkin.
“Why is everyone laughing?”
“Because that was the most dramatic spoon drop I’ve ever seen.”
“The spoon attacked you?”
Kurapika lowered his head.
His shoulders were shaking slightly.
Kurapika instantly stopped.
Kurapika looked genuinely betrayed.
As the food arrived, the conversation settled down.
The food was surprisingly amazing.
Even Leorio stopped talking long enough to eat.
Which honestly impressed everyone.
At one point Melody was telling a story from an older mission.
Leorio interrupted six times.
Three of those interruptions were completely unrelated.
And somehow by the end of it nobody remembered what the original story was about.
“I think Y/N is a bad influence.”
The entire table went silent.
You immediately looked at Kurapika.
Kurapika immediately looked at his plate.
Melody looked suspiciously amused.
Leorio looked proud of himself.
Kurapika wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.
By the time dinner was over, everyone was full.
Leorio was already talking about dessert.
Melody was trying to convince him he didn’t need dessert.
You ended up stepping outside for some fresh air while they argued.
You leaned against the railing outside the restaurant.
A few moments later, the door opened behind you.
You didn’t need to turn around.
You already knew who it was.
Kurapika stepped beside you.
Neither of you spoke immediately.
The city lights reflected softly in the distance.
After a moment, you smiled.
“The food was really good.”
A brief silence followed.
His heart immediately sped up.
You looked back toward the street.
“It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”
Kurapika forgot what he was going to say.
You said things like that so casually.
Like you had no idea what they did to him.
A small smile appeared on his face.
His expression softened slightly.
“See? You can socialize.”
For a moment he just watched you.
The way you looked at him.
The way being around you somehow made everything feel quieter.
Kurapika immediately looked away.
You immediately started laughing.
“Pika, that’s your excuse for everything.”
Kurapika couldn’t stop the small smile that appeared.
But somehow, standing there with you under the city lights, listening to you laugh—
He didn’t mind that you knew him well enough to call him out on it.
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