𝕃𝕖𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕖 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝔻𝕦𝕞𝕡 (ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟙)
• They both caught feelings stupidly fast. It wasn’t dramatic love at first sight, but there was that immediate awareness. Jolie noticed how loud and driven and weirdly passionate he was. Leorio noticed how soft she looked but also how sharp her eyes were when she talked about something she cared about. Neither of them admitted the crush at first.
• Leorio is Jolie’s first serious boyfriend. Jolie is Leorio’s first serious girlfriend. And they both treat that fact quietly but seriously. There’s no “I’m just seeing where this goes” energy. It’s very “this is it.” Neither of them are dating for fun. They’re dating with intent.
• Leorio pretends to be confident all the time, but he’s secretly jealous of how powerful Jolie is. Her Nen type is rare and powerful with it being the specialization type. He knows he’s not as naturally gifted in that way, and sometimes it hits him that she’s insanely talented. It pushes him harder in med school because he wants to be just as impressive in his own field.
• Jolie, meanwhile, envies how confident he appears. She sees how easily he speaks up, how he doesn’t shrink in conversations, how he stands tall in a room. She wishes she had that. She doesn’t realize he’s faking half of it.
• When someone is rude to Jolie and she doesn’t catch it, Leorio does. Instantly. He’s weirdly good at reading when someone’s being dismissive or condescending toward her. He steps in naturally. Not explosive, just firm. He doesn’t tolerate people underestimating her.
• He has that instinct to step slightly in front of her in crowded spaces or rest a hand at her back. It’s protective but subtle.
• Jolie forgets to take her meds sometimes because she gets distracted or hyperfocused. Leorio keeps track. He reminds her consistently. Not in a scolding way more like, it’s just part of the routine of loving her.
• Jolie masked a lot at the beginning. She tried to be sweeter, calmer, less intense. Less weird. Less obsessive. Once she got comfortable, the gremlin in her came out. The hyperfixations. The chaotic humor. The scary deep imagination. The art rambles. The blunt comments. Leorio loved that version more.
• Leorio calls her “brat” and “gremlin” playfully. Acts fake annoyed. Pretends she’s a menace. Meanwhile he’s buying her snacks and carrying her bags and standing up for her. His words can be teasing, but his actions are beyond sweet.
• Jolie collects plushies, figures, little trinkets. Her space is full of cute things. Leorio pretends to roll his eyes but absolutely buys her new ones when he’s out running errands. He doesn’t even tell her he was thinking about her when he picked it up. He just hands it to her casually and she keeps everything he gives her.
• Jolie is an art major and in the art club. She takes her projects seriously. Leorio doesn’t always understand the techniques and the things they are doing, but he supports her completely. He’ll carry canvases. Sit through showcases. Help her hang pieces. Brag about her to anyone who will listen.
• He tells his college friends she’s insanely talented. He’s visibly proud of her.
• Jolie sits near him while he studies. Sometimes she sketches him absentmindedly. Sometimes she falls asleep on his notes. He adjusts around her instead of moving her.
• Leorio wants to look successful, so he gravitates toward expensive clothes and polished looks. Jolie loves thrifting and finding unique pieces for cheap. Somehow she always finds cooler stuff than he does. He complains about her taste in fashion and then wears what she picked anyway.
• Jolie loves scary movies. Horror marathons, psychological thrillers, the whole thing. Leorio absolutely does not. He pretends he’s not scared but jumps at everything. Jolie ends up holding him while they watch. He’ll deny it later.
• After arguments, if Leorio ever raises his voice (which he does a lot), he feels awful about it. Immediate guilt. He hates the idea of being someone who scares her. He compensates with affection. Extra closeness. Checking in more often. And buying her gifts to make up for his outbursts. 10 out of 10 times she will forgive him because she knows he’s sorry.
• Jolie struggles with feeling “too much.” Leorio struggles with feeling “not enough.” They don’t fix each other’s insecurities instantly. But they soften them over time.
• Around Gon and Killua, Leorio acts like he’s normal and mature and totally in control of his relationship. He is not. Gon absolutely picks up on how soft he is with Jolie immediately. Killua notices how protective Leorio gets when Jolie spaces out or doesn’t realize someone’s being rude.
• In group settings, Leorio positions himself near Jolie automatically. Not possessive, just default proximity.
• If someone interrupts her while she’s talking, Leorio redirects the attention back to her. He makes sure she finishes.
• Jolie sometimes rambles about art theory or some niche horror media detail and Leorio pretends to be annoyed but never actually tells her to stop.
• When they’re all traveling for Hunter related things, Jolie tends to sit near Leorio during downtime. She’ll sketch while he reads medical notes.
• Leorio absolutely patches her up after missions with that intense focus he gets when he’s serious. The others have seen him go dead quiet while cleaning a cut on her arm.
• If she’s emotionally crashed after a mission, Leorio doesn’t make a scene about it. He just quietly shifts into caretaker mode.
• Jolie goes out of her way to buy or make him snacks. She’ll bake something small, or bring him something from a store because it reminded her of him. Leorio always complains about how fattening it is. Talks about calories. Talks about how he needs to stay in shape. He eats all of it anyway. If she makes something homemade, he tries very hard not to look too moved by it.
• Leorio takes their relationship seriously. He’s loyal. Protective. Intentional. And Jolie trusts him enough to stop pretending.
• They’re each other’s first serious love and neither of them plans on there being another.
