Double-Stuffed Leoreo's

Best Birthday Ever

(Fluff for the birthday boy. word count: 2,186)

Midnight. March 3rd.

It's officially Leorio's birthday, however, he's doing the exact opposite of partying. The poor man has been stuck studying for an important anatomy exam that he has the next day. He lets out a sigh and glances at his phone, hoping for some early birthday wishes.

The first birthday message he has received is from his closest friend Kurapika. While he's happy that the Kurta remembered, his expression drops when he reads the following text from Kurapika that says he won't be able to celebrate his birthday with him.

Leorio feels the need to complain and try to convince him to change his mind but he stops himself when he remembers how busy his best friend is. Instead, he simply thanks him for the birthday wishes.

"At least Gon, Killua, and Alluka are coming to visit," He mutters to himself before cracking open another textbook, "They're too young to bring to the bar though..."

Leorio doesn't go to sleep until it's much later in the night. He nearly oversleeps for his big exam, causing him to get dressed and leave his apartment in a rush.

Thanks to his late night of studying, he's pretty sure he did a half-decent job on the test. He's sitting at his desk now when he gets a text from his group chat with Gon, Killua, and Alluka. They're wishing him 'happy birthday' but they also mention how their flight was delayed and they won't be arriving for a few more days.

He sighs as a wave of sadness washes over him, yet he still thanks them. He ends up agreeing to celebrate his birthday late so they can still spend time together. The soon-to-be doctor is still staring at his phone with a vacant look in his eyes when a familiar voice draws him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Leorio!" You greet the disheartened man with a smile. 

You're one of Leorio's closest college friends and unsurprisingly, he's had a massive crush on you since the first second he laid eyes on you. He's always been too nervous to say anything about it, worried about scaring away one of his closest friends. 

Usually, he would greet you with a huge grin, but today, his smile doesn't reach his eyes, "Oh, hey, (Y/N)."

You furrow your brow, your nose scrunching up as you observe him closely, "Did you study for that test? It was kind of a hard one, don't you think?"

He nods, haphazardly, "Yeah, I stayed up all night studying so I hope I get a 'C' at least."

"I'm sure you'll do better than that if you spent that long studying," You sit down on the edge of his desk, "Anyway, I have something for you."

His eyes light up as he peers up at you, "R-really?"

"Mhm," You reveal a neatly-wrapped gift from behind your back with a card attached and pass it to him with a smile, "Happy birthday! It's not much but I hope you like it."

"I'm just happy you even remembered!" He takes the box from you and excitedly unwraps it. His smile only grows bigger as he examines your gift, "Wow, this is a really nice watch! It must have been expensive!"

You chuckle as you watch him slip the watch onto his wrist, "A little bit but you kept saying how much you wanted a nice watch."

"This is so nice, (Y/N). Thank you," He looks down with a sad smile, "This is the only gift I've gotten for my birthday so far."

You frown, feeling a pang of heartache for him, "I'm sorry, Leorio. Oh, aren't you meeting up with your friends later? I bet they'll have gifts for you."

He shakes his head, unwilling to look up and meet your eyes, "Something came up. I won't be able to see them for a few more days."

"Awe, I'm sorry. I know how excited you were to see them," You start, "Wait, does that mean you're going to be spending your birthday alone?"