𝖍𝖝𝖍 𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖙𝖘

The Silence In Between

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Author: yourfeelingsarevalidatcostco (on ao3)

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March 3rd, Yorknew City:

It had been nearly 6 months since Leorio had last heard from Kurapika. Since leaving Yorknew city with the Nostrade family, Leorio hadn't been able to find a single trace of him. Leorio's calls and texts had all gone unanswered, and mafia business was hard to keep tabs on, even with a hunter license.

At this point, Leorio was halfway through his first semester of med school. His studies had become more important than his work as a hunter, and he hadn't been able to talk to Gon or Killua since they had started to play Greed Island.

He had been living in an apartment in Yorknew since he first arrived in September, and had made several friends. Well, acquaintances was a more accurate description. He mostly hung out with his classmates from med school, and his first and only true friend in the city, Zepile.

Even with the distraction of his studies, Leorio still hadn't been able to get Kurapika off his mind for a single night. He spent so much of his free time checking and rechecking his unanswered texts, listening to Kurapika's voicemail, and more than anything, worrying that his friend wasn't okay.

Leorio hoped that tonight though, his 21st birthday, he might just be able to get that boy out of his head.

"I'm getting another drink, Leorio! Want one?" Zepile called out from across the crowded bar. Leorio gave him a thumbs up before looking down to check his phone. It was only 11pm, and the bar was getting more packed by the minute. Still, Leorio was checking his phone for the same thing as always: any word from Kurapika. He had hoped his birthday might have warranted a call, or at least a text, but still, there was no response. The past 6 months' worth of messages were still unread.

"Put that shit down, Paradinight!" one of his classmates yelled, grabbing the phone out of Leorio's hand. "It's time to party! Not to be hung up on some chick!"

Sure, some chick, he thought grimly. Leorio had invited some classmates to party with him tonight, most of whom he didn't know particularly well, but they were all med students desperately looking to escape their stress. Out of everyone there, only Zepile knew who Leorio was actually hoping to receive a call from. The two men made eye contact across the room, and Zepile gave him a pitiful smile.

Even Zepile didn't know the whole story though. All he saw was a man missing his best friend, not the complicated mess of emotions inside Leorio. During the semester, Leorio had tried time and time again to forget Kurapika. He had hooked up with a few different girls from school, none of which became serious in any way because of Leorio's one-track mind. That one track was Kurapika, but what happened between the two of them six months prior was a secret he wasn't willing to share, even with Zepile.

"What can I say, the chicks just can't get enough of me!" Leorio responded to his friend, who had already put Leorio's phone in his pocket. "Just give it back."

"Give it back and risk you drunk texting that girl you hooked up with last week? No way man. You said there were no strings attached!" His friend replied, walking away with Leorio's phone to get another drink in the crowded bar.

Fuck it, Leorio thought to himself. He hasn't answered a single text or call in the past six months. Why would today be any different? Still, he wished more than anything that something would change.

Zepile handed Leorio his drink before yelling to him over the loud music, "Forget him Leorio. Just for tonight. Let yourself have some fun for once, you deserve it."