Chapter Text
"I can't believe we all get to see each other again!" Gon exclaimed, bouncing on his toes as Killua followed in a more subdued manner.
Leorio looked up from his Anatomy and Physiology textbook at the sound of the young boy's voice. "You both made it!" he exclaimed, waving them over to where he sat.
"Yeah!" Gon smiled, "All we have to do now is wait for Kurapika to get here, and it'll be just like old times!"
"Do you now?" Kurapika asked, coming up from behind Gon and providing a playful ruffle of the boy's hair. Gon, in turn, laughed at the gesture.
"Well, we're not waiting anymore," Killua answered, taking a seat on the cushioned bench. Instead of following Killua's lead, Gon spun around to hug Kurapika.
"I'd give it a few more hours, Gon," Kurapika replied, "I may or may not have overused my Nen a few days ago-"
"You know that's not good for you!" Leorio exclaimed.
"The situation called for it," Kurapika returned, sounding slightly detached, "I still have a mild fever."
"Nen fevers aren't contagious," Leorio remarked, "I did a little side studying as soon I was made aware of your, erm, habits. Someone has to keep you in line."
"And besides," Gon added, stepping around Kurapika and forcing him into the seat next to Killua, "If you're running a fever, that's even more incentive for me and Killua to be nearby to make sure you don't do anything stupid."
"Do anything stupid?" Kurapika repeated, "If that's what you're watching out for, then you'd best keep your eyes on Leorio, not me."
"Excuse me?" Leorio exclaimed.
"I said what I said," Kurapika answered as Gon flopped next to the blond.
"So… what's been new for you?" Gon asked, his vibrant brown eyes all but staring deep into Kurapika's soul.
"Not much," Kurapika started, "The mafia has been the mafia. Mr. Nostrade decided to give me a raise, so I guess that's something."
"Good for you!" Leorio exclaimed.
"I did have to protect Miss Neon from a group of thugs. That's when I overused my Nen. After that, Melody played some song that made me sleep for three days straight—and Mr. Nostrade was not happy with her."
"I'm surprised he let you come see us after you slept for so long," Leorio remarked.
"That's because he decided that Melody's Nen-induced sleep didn't actually count as rest," Kurapika added, "That's why he was mad. I was down for three days, and it didn't even do anything, in his opinion. Now he feels obligated to let me have the week we agreed on months ago, but he's mildly miffed that he didn't get me for the three days leading up to this week."
"I mean, I kinda see where he's coming from," Leorio agreed, "Your eye bags are pretty stark, and you're notably paler than usual."
"That explains the old lady who asked if I was about to keel over," Kurapika murmured. Gon and Killua laughed, before Leorio shot them a look that clearly stated his wish for them to stop.
Their conversation turned to Leorio's studies, which were thankfully going smoothly. At some point, the talking stopped, Leorio had resumed his reading, and the sky had fallen into darkness, except for a few dim stars in the distance.
Leorio heard Kurapika's phone buzz and looked up at the blond's face, illuminated in the blue glow. Gon had sprawled across Kurapika's lap, with one leg sticking nearly straight up against the seat, whereas Killua merely leaned on Kurapika's shoulder.
"Leorio," Kurapika started, "Do you think Gon and Killua are actually sleeping, or do you think they're pretending so that I'll sit here and eventually fall asleep?"
Leorio blinked and slid his bookmark into the textbook, grateful for the question. It saved him from having to come up with some sort of pneumonic for remembering whether the scaphoid bone was on the radial side of the arm or the ulnar side, if only for a minute or two.
"Whether or not Killua is asleep is anyone's guess," Leorio answered, "He's very good at pretending to be asleep."
"I would expect no less of him, considering who his family is," Kurapika smiled fondly, "But the fact that he chose his own path, the one he deemed right, it speaks volumes to his character. I'm proud of him."
"On second thought," Leorio said, "I think I'm going to guess that he's truly asleep. A statement like that would probably have made him blush. As for Gon-"
A loud snore from the teen in question interrupted Leorio.
"One hundred percent asleep," Leorio finished, "He wouldn't snore so loudly if he were faking it. Why do you ask?"
"Melody texted," Kurapika responded, "She has a list of questions regarding Miss Neon's security while I'm away. I'd like to call her and answer them. And get a green tea. I can't imagine going over her questions will be efficient."
"May I see your phone?" Leorio asked.
"Sure, but don't take too long," Kurapika agreed, handing the device over, "If I can't slip out from under these two and call her, I'd at least like to text the basics to her."
"Understandable," Leorio replied, looking at Kurapika's texts with Melody. He allowed his fingers to fly over the digital keyboard, internally grumbling at how large his hands were compared to Kurapika's phone. The blond must have hands that were daintier than Leorio's own.
Hello, Melody. This is Kurapika's friend, Leorio. I have taken his phone in an attempt to get him to actually rest. I will not be returning it to him until morning. Thanks for understanding.
Melody
Of course! I'm glad that he's with friends who are looking out for his health. I was worried he would meet up with you and proceed to neglect his self-care. I approve of your plan to get him to rest.
With that, Leorio completely shut off Kurapika's phone. "There," the spectacled man sighed.
"Can I please have my phone back?" Kurapika asked.
"Give me seven hours of sleep first," Leorio demanded, putting the phone in his pocket. He was, admittedly, not prepared for the stink eye Kurapika gave him, but it was worth it if he could actually prompt true sleep out of his friend.
"I'll strangle you," Kurapika threatened, but the words held no ill intent.
"You're not tall enough," Leorio retorted.
"Who said I had to be? If Gon and Killua each take out a knee, I can most certainly reach your neck,"
"Yeah, well, I don't think they'll wake on their own any time soon. And knowing you, you're not going to wake them if you can help it," Leorio smirked, "You might as well sleep."
Kurapika scowled and Leorio continued, "I'll get you an herbal tea to help you fall asleep."
"Can you make sure it's iced?" Kurapika sighed as he resigned to his fate, although not a horrible one by Leorio's standards. The worst part about Kurapika's fate was that Gon had a habit of cuddling whomever happened to be closest, but that hardly counted as a danger.
Leorio rose from his bench and headed to the concessions cabin. A rounder man stood at the counter.
"Howdy!" the man greeted, his voice loud, and thus making Leorio grateful that he'd had to pass through at least one other cabin to get here, "What can I get ya?"
"An iced tea. Some blend that promotes sleep, please," Leorio answered.
"How's chamomile sound?" the man asked.
"If it helps my friend sleep, I'm not picky," Leorio responded.
"Then one chamomile coming up!" the man crowed, turning and beginning to heat the water. Within a few minutes, the kettle released a shrill noise. The man lifted the kettle and poured it into a cup and set the tea bag in the hot water.
"I'ma let that sit for about five minutes, then pour it over lotsa ice," the man told Leorio, "That'll let a good amount of the flavor seep from the leaves into the water."
"Thanks," Leorio said, grateful the man had said something. He didn't know much about tea.
The five minutes dragged on, but the man eventually poured the tea over ice, placed a lid on the cup, and handed it to Leorio at last. "How much?" Leorio asked.
"Complementary with the ride, didn't ya see the sign?" the man pointed to the sign hanging above the area.
"No, I'm a little tired myself," Leorio replied, "Thanks for making this."
With his precious cargo in hand, Leorio made his way back to the cabin where he'd left his friends.
When he arrived, Leorio whispered, "Hey, Kurapika, I—"
Leorio's eyes fell on Kurapika, pale as before, but with his head resting on Killua's and his posture relaxed.
"—guess I'll drink your tea myself," Leorio chuckled, "Since you fell asleep while I went to get it."
Guilt made Leorio's heart squeeze. He placed Kurapika's phone back in the blond's limp hand. "Since you fell asleep in the ten minutes it took to get tea, I'll let you have this now."
Leorio only received a gentle exhale from Kurapika, the closest he would get to a true reply. "But I am going to have a picture of this," Leorio chuckled to himself as he set the tea on the bench and pulled out his own phone. He hurried to get a picture of his sleeping friends.
"Sleep well, Kurapika," Leorio whispered as he sat and took a sip of the tea, "You too, Gon and Killua."