Seeing through the Flames (Killua x OC) (Kurapika x OC)

Red Pinwheel - One-Shot

Arla jerked awake. Sweat trickled down her forehead. It had been a while since she had a nightmare, but strangely, tonight led her down the path of hell in her dreamworld. She sighed lightly to herself and looked across the room where the other bed was. Killua slept quietly, clearly undisturbed.

Getting out of her bed carefully, she looked out the window and watched the moon shine down on her. Despite the fact that she had defeated her worst enemy and had gone on a journey around the world, she doubted herself - if she really could accept her happiness so easily.

She sighed again, this time a little louder.

She could not help herself, but she knew that her way of thinking would be unacceptable if she wanted to live a content life in the future. Pinching her cheeks hard, she walked over to Killua's bed.

"..." She soon rested her chin against her arms that laid on top of his bed. Her tense shoulders began to relax and she gazed at him lovingly as locks of his white hair began to cover more parts of his forehead.

His sleeping face somehow calmed down her fears and anxieties to the point that it made her wonder if he was her medicine, her lucky charm. 'I wish I can see his eyes... Maybe they will make me feel even better than before... Too bad, I cannot call Ai right now though.' Her lips finally widened into an affectionately warm smile.

The moment she thought that, she found herself looking into those blue orbs that she so desperately wanted to see. "Ah." Her cheeks began to flush a deep red.

"Ah." Killua blinked in surprise before he also flushed a dark red. He hid his face with his hand, while Arla buried her face into her arms. It was only a few moments later that he broke the silence. "Did you have a hard time sleeping?"

"Um, well..." She looked back at him shyly. "A bit... I woke up earlier."

He stared at her for a moment, clearly thinking about what to do. He then suddenly sat up from his bed and got off.

"?" She glanced up at him questioningly as he went through his backpack. Once he found what he was looking for, he walked over to her. "What were you looking for?" She asked him quietly.

"This." He held out the red pinwheel in front of her. She blinked in confusion. "This will blow away your fears and anxieties if you give it a kiss in the center and I kiss the other side at the same time." His bright smile, strangely, seemed suspicious, but she nevertheless decided to go with his suggestion. She had nothing to lose, after all.

He went back on his bed and patted the seat next to him. "Sit here."

"...Okay." She climbed onto his bed and sat next to him. The next moment, he covered both of them with his light blanket, making the pinwheel twirl from the wind. "It is so warm under your blanket..." She smiled softly at him.

His gaze warmed and he gently pulled her towards him with his hand behind her neck, his lips pressing onto her cheek lightly. She trembled a little, feeling his touch very clearly; it was as if her senses heightened just for this single moment. She could feel herself smiling with delight. "Now..." He whispered to her, his breath tickling her ear. "Are you ready?"

"Ah, yes..." She managed to whisper back to him. He put the red pinwheel in between them. As they got closer to the pinwheel, the more she felt aware of the warmth radiating from his body. 'So warm... So comforting... How does he make me feel so safe...so content...?'

When her lips touched the center of the cold pinwheel, there was a warmth that soon permeated the pinwheel from the other side - from Killua. Her hand clasped over his - the one that held the pinwheel. It felt like a long minute, but it was a pleasant minute that she wished would never end. The only things that connected her with him were the heat from their body and the touch of their hands. And yet, this fragile connection reminded her that the only obstacle blocking her from reaching her own happiness was...herself.

Forcefully removing the pinwheel away to the side with her hand, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him towards her. "I will not run." She simply commented with a serious expression.

"Then don't." He smiled softly. "And with your own hands, grab what you need and what you want."

She swallowed nervously. "Is that your permission for me to...?"

"Yes."

She glanced down with hesitation. "Will you not regret it?"

"Why would I regret it?" He finally placed the red pinwheel next to them as he cupped her cheek.

She let out a small sigh of frustration. "I do not know."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I'll always be here for you and I'll always wait for you. No matter how hard things get and even if there are times when I might get tired and feel hopeless about us, that won't stop me from being with you and from working with you to get over obstacles. As long as you don't give up, then I won't give up on us either."

Her eyes widened briefly as she could almost feel them moistening with tears. "Thank you for saying that, Killua. I... I will not give up on us and on myself, so please continue to stay by my side?" Her voice sounded shaky in her ears, but she could not help herself.

"Of course, I will, because I..." He closed his eyes gently, taking his time to articulate his words.

This was when Arla cupped his cheeks with her hands and closed the distance between them. The tingling sensation of their lips lightly touching made her tremble as they continued to gently touch each other over and over again. Soon, he could no longer take those soft caresses and his lips pressed harder against hers, almost as if he wanted to embrace all of her. Small bites, light touches, and gentle persuasions... They overwhelmed her senses. By the time she snapped out of her daze, she was laying down on his bed with him on top as he affectionately gave her butterfly kisses on her forehead and cheeks.

The moment they took a relaxed breath together, he finally leaned his forehead against hers, their gazes locking with each other's, as he then whispered to her softly, "Because I...love you, Arlania..."

She gave him a warm smile that held a deep affection for him. "...I love you too, Killua."

"So... Do you think you can sleep well now?" He grinned at her playfully.

She pouted a little. "What makes you think that I can sleep after we did that?"

Her words made him burst out into a short fit of laughter. "I guess you're right about that..." His expression then turned into one of mischief. "But this experience will never let you look at the pinwheel the same ever again, huh."

"...Can I smack you?" She asked with a smile that was not really a smile.

He smirked a little. "You can't smack me, but you can always hug me to sleep." He then laid down next to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. She yelped as her face buried into the crevice of his neck. He effortlessly wrapped the blanket around them both. "I'll be right here, so don't worry about anything and sleep."

"Fine... I will try my best to sleep again." Her cheeks flushed as she wrapped her arm around his waist. When she glanced up at him, she could see his long eyelashes as he closed his eyes as an attempt to sleep. She reached out for his cheek and pulled herself up to him before giving him a soft kiss on the lips again. "...Good night, Killua..."

He did not open his eyes, but his lips widened into a warm smile as his arm pulled her towards him again. He buried his face into her neck and breathed out, "Good night, Arlania..."

After they changed their sleeping positions into a comfortable one, their thumbs began to caress each other's back in a rhythmic but comforting manner. And as the clock ticked by, their thoughts continued to linger along the lines of:

'If only we can stay like this forever...but for now...'

'-sweet dreams, my love...'

END.