#but like. its nice to reassure my independence/self sufficiency + have a reminder how much I like spending time w myself :-)

[phagodyke]

ykw it's weird bc I thought being alone in the flat for a week would make me kinda stir crazy but it's literally been completely chill. actually even better than that I've been rly enjoying it tbh

[spicysoftsweet]

Sorry anon, I think I don’t understand the meaning of comfort, but I hope you like this...

Leorio x Reader - “Protection.”

The first time you met Leorio, you didn’t like him. 

Nothing he did in particular was wrong or unkind, but your plucky, seven year old self burned with embarrassment when he ran over to you, having noticed you lose your grip on the monkey bars.and crash into the bed of wood chips.

“Are you okay?!” He exclaimed as he examined you, disregarding the fact that he probably wasn’t a day older than you. 

“I’m fine!” You shrieked, ignoring the sting across your knees as you swatted his hands away.

You were always fine; you were tough as nails after all. 

While he ran off to find an adult to come help, you ran the other way into the dusk.

--

The second time you met Leorio, he was equally as mad at you. 

“Do you know how long it took me to convince someone that you were there? Just for you to disappear? You suck!” He accused you, the moment he saw you the next morning at school. 

You tried to ignore him, but earnestly he called out behind you as you filed into your classroom instead.

“Be careful next time!”

You turned around and stuck out your tongue at him before turning into the classroom.

But for a moment, you decided you would make nice the next time you saw him. You had to convince him you were tough, anyway, didn’t you?

--

You met Leorio frequently after that, and over the years, an unlikely friendship grew. Leorio retained that nurturing kindness in him that was at odds with your brash independence from the very moment you met: always ready to take care of your wounds, and you had to admit that despite being impulsive and even more hot-headed than you were at times, he gave wonderful advice.

When he told you he wanted to go to medical school, you weren’t surprised.

“It’s fitting, Mr. Walking First Aid Kit. It helps that you already look like a 40 year old man,” you teased between cheeseburger bites at the fast food joint you loved to frequent after classes. He gave you a look that feigned annoyance, but you knew he liked to feel needed. 

However, when he told you he would have to take the incredibly dangerous Hunter Exam to pay for it, you were surprised.

“You can barely take me in a fight, Leo!” You said, aiming to push on his buttons, but you took pause when he didn’t laugh in response. His eyes were serious behind his tea-shade glasses. 

“You’re serious…”

“Yup,” he said, bringing the straw of his milkshake to his lips. The sound of the straw drawing up air as he finished was oddly loud over the silence now between you.

“But people die during that exam,” you said, in a small voice.

“People die when they don’t get good medical care too,” he replied, almost too curtly.

You set down the rest of your food, now having lost your appetite. Leorio was rarely that serious when he was with you, making this statement all the more grave.

“Will it be soon?” He nodded, and you bit your lip.

“Okay,” you whispered, and the two of you finished your meals in silence.

---

You didn’t see him off to the Hunter Exam, but you called.

“You’re not allowed to die or I’ll beat your corpse,” you warned. He laughed heartily at your threat but you weren’t sure you’d completely meant it as a joke or not.

---

A couple of months passed, and a small part of you wondered if he truly had died.

But you couldn’t bring yourself to call him. Something about the fact that he was always the one to worry about you, you who were incredibly self-sufficient and above feelings. 

But you also didn’t want to admit that you were worried, so you played the role of indifference.

Leorio was just being a shitty friend. Or really, he was just busy. People are allowed to be busy, right? You were busy sometimes. Yeah, that was it. He’d just gotten his Hunter License a while ago, and was just messing with your emotions. That was all.

With that chant running in your head, you put your phone down, and decided to go for a run.

---

As your feet hit the pavement, you let the sounds of classical music fill your ears and clear your mind of the days’ worries. It was odd that someone as stubborn and energetic as you played Mozart at the height of activity, but who was there to judge?

Your neighborhood was small, dark and quiet. It was dusk, and suddenly the pinks and oranges of sun setting reminded you of the first day you’d met, and how much you’d hated that he was the only one to stop and help you.

You hated the idea of weakness so much, even from that young. Weakness, injury and debility was what had taken your family from you after all.

These things were the reason why Leorio was the only person you had really had in your life. Leorio understood more than anyone why you never wanted to depend on someone else. 

As you reflected on this, tears started to fill your eyes as you picked up your pace.

But you depended on him!

Knowing all of that, he had still decided to be the one you could depend on your whole life to this point.

And now he was probably dead, and you wouldn’t even admit to yourself that you were worried about him, and that you needed to know he was okay. 

The tears started to form faster, clouding your vision. The pain in your chest now settling in your chest was something other than overexertion and you were now working harder to draw air into your lungs. 

He’s fine. He’s fine. He’s fine.

You don’t need him. He doesn’t need you. When he has time, you’ll see him again and it’ll be like old times.

He’s taken care of your wounds your whole life. He can take care of himself. 

Oh God, why couldn’t you be the one to help him for once, you selfish person?!

You stopped suddenly, almost tripping as you skidded to a halt, and hunched over, suddenly unable to breathe. Your head was spinning and you felt like your heart would escape your ribcage the way it was pounding hard and irregularly.

The next few moments were like agony… until you felt a familiar warm hand on your shoulder.

A small panic at the touch coursed through you, until you turned to see him. Leorio, again, in your time of need.

“___, take deep breaths. You’ll be okay,” he instructed and reassured, lowering you into a seat cross-legged on the sidewalk. Despite being dressed in a full suit, he also sat down promptly across from you, his face deathly serious, as you tried to slow down your breathing. 

You thought you were imagining things.

Of course you’d conjure up his image when you needed help. Maybe you really were dying for real, if you were actually this desperate.

His hand continued to rub circles into your back as your body attempted to pare down its flight-or-fight response. You could hear a small, low hum in his throat, serving to soothe your nerves.

Your imagination wasn’t this good. It really was him.

“Leorio,” your voice wavered slightly, making you wince, but you  

“Mm?” He responded, his palm continuing its steady rhythm.

‘I’m sorry. For always needing your protection. Even from myself,” you croaked out. His hand stopped for a moment and it was quiet.

“Thank you for being my knight in shining armor,” you felt compelled to add. If you were going to be vulnerable, you might as well go all the way.

His arms wrapped around you now that you were calm and steady, and he hesitated just for a moment before giving you a peck on the forehead.

“Always.”