Leon started off as being something like a mysteriously distant person to Haru, who kept to himself but wasn't unpleasant to speak with. Haru herself isn't very loud or easily provoked or excitable (outside of whacking enemies or driving) and tends to take some measure of comfort and relief from people who are at least a little similar. So when they spoke to each other that first week and merely compared their notes, that was fine enough for her. But that was also the conversation that had her thinking that he was a little more alone than a lot of them. Because no one else had ears like him and even if Haru didn't know her fellow nihon comrades, she at least knew they were from the same country and that was solidarity and the little wry look he gave her back then made her want to put in more effort with approaching him. Talking to him.
This didn't really happen as she'd planned because then a Lot happened and kept happening, so it was more spending time with Leon during moments where they were working together or trying to recover from the latest problem instead of actively seeking him out because there weren't really those moments beyond the first week and she does still feel like she should have reached out more, but it is what it is.
Haru at least figured out fairly swiftly that Leon was a skilled fighter and reasonable, while they were brainstorming while dealing with zombies on the train. It really felt like he wasn't that much older than her, definitely younger than people like Henry, and there were these moments where he seemed slightly more vulnerable. Or pained, even if she wasn't sure what to do about that while also dealing with her own feelings of inadequacy and feeling like she couldn't accomplish much. This led to her retreating when they had their temporary safe haven and she didn't really expect anyone to go looking for her when they had so much going on (literally everyone that week, whew), so Leon not only finding her but choosing to sit beside her to talk to her about her hobbies and mafiosos meant a lot for her mental state. Even the way he was trying not to laugh over her defense about being a romantic grounded her and made her feel a little more like a person again.
But those inadequate feelings didn't quite leave (because she didn't really address them, just sort of hedged at the implication that she was feeling a little overwhelmed) and the bear attack made her feel worse! Because she was unconscious for a good chunk of time after that, Soujuurou got bitten in that attack, Hella had risked herself to get her out of there, Ninety-Nine had hauled her to the lighthouse, etc. She lost two of her closer friends after that, after she'd tried to find her second wind of determination to support people (the little extra bit of sass with Leon and the hill while also trying to reassure him he was helping because she Got It) and the way they decided to end their journey there for the sake of everyone else was already weighing on her.
Then of course! The bridge! Where Gojo was like "yeah if you hold us back I'll take you down myself" and Haru was at her limit where her first thought was not "well I just won't hold you back, by doing my best", it was "well I just won't hold you back, by staying back if I have to." Which as we know led to Leon interjecting and rightly calling out Haru's reasoning by applying it to his own situation, which was not only a wake-up call but a slap to the face because she honestly thought she'd angered him by implying he was a burden. It was why she was so surprised when he approached her a bit after they'd made it across, but it gave them the chance to properly talk about things. Misunderstandings and how Haru viewed him and it gave them an additional opportunity to exist briefly in a bubble outside of everything else that was just So Much, in a way that reminded Haru of the time they'd just sat together in a dark bedroom and talked about non-zombie things.
I know I'm basically summarizing things help OKAY what it boils down to is that Leon really helped Haru stay on track and keep moving and she really admires what a good head he has on his shoulders even though she definitely wanted a reprieve for him, to see him smile more and be able to relax (rough to do in this setting, admittedly). She hadn't really thought much of anything romantic until he lightly flirted with her, beyond the fact that yes, she knew he was good-looking, but didn't want to really dwell on it because of the situation and her own experience the last time she'd developed a crush on someone. But she meant what she told him, about hoping to see him again one day and that he was irreplaceable to her and there's definitely a crush there that she's not going to do anything about because they're parting ways!! Whew!!
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This didn't really happen as she'd planned because then a Lot happened and kept happening, so it was more spending time with Leon during moments where they were working together or trying to recover from the latest problem instead of actively seeking him out because there weren't really those moments beyond the first week and she does still feel like she should have reached out more, but it is what it is.
Haru at least figured out fairly swiftly that Leon was a skilled fighter and reasonable, while they were brainstorming while dealing with zombies on the train. It really felt like he wasn't that much older than her, definitely younger than people like Henry, and there were these moments where he seemed slightly more vulnerable. Or pained, even if she wasn't sure what to do about that while also dealing with her own feelings of inadequacy and feeling like she couldn't accomplish much. This led to her retreating when they had their temporary safe haven and she didn't really expect anyone to go looking for her when they had so much going on (literally everyone that week, whew), so Leon not only finding her but choosing to sit beside her to talk to her about her hobbies and mafiosos meant a lot for her mental state. Even the way he was trying not to laugh over her defense about being a romantic grounded her and made her feel a little more like a person again.
But those inadequate feelings didn't quite leave (because she didn't really address them, just sort of hedged at the implication that she was feeling a little overwhelmed) and the bear attack made her feel worse! Because she was unconscious for a good chunk of time after that, Soujuurou got bitten in that attack, Hella had risked herself to get her out of there, Ninety-Nine had hauled her to the lighthouse, etc. She lost two of her closer friends after that, after she'd tried to find her second wind of determination to support people (the little extra bit of sass with Leon and the hill while also trying to reassure him he was helping because she Got It) and the way they decided to end their journey there for the sake of everyone else was already weighing on her.
Then of course! The bridge! Where Gojo was like "yeah if you hold us back I'll take you down myself" and Haru was at her limit where her first thought was not "well I just won't hold you back, by doing my best", it was "well I just won't hold you back, by staying back if I have to." Which as we know led to Leon interjecting and rightly calling out Haru's reasoning by applying it to his own situation, which was not only a wake-up call but a slap to the face because she honestly thought she'd angered him by implying he was a burden. It was why she was so surprised when he approached her a bit after they'd made it across, but it gave them the chance to properly talk about things. Misunderstandings and how Haru viewed him and it gave them an additional opportunity to exist briefly in a bubble outside of everything else that was just So Much, in a way that reminded Haru of the time they'd just sat together in a dark bedroom and talked about non-zombie things.
I know I'm basically summarizing things help OKAY what it boils down to is that Leon really helped Haru stay on track and keep moving and she really admires what a good head he has on his shoulders even though she definitely wanted a reprieve for him, to see him smile more and be able to relax (rough to do in this setting, admittedly). She hadn't really thought much of anything romantic until he lightly flirted with her, beyond the fact that yes, she knew he was good-looking, but didn't want to really dwell on it because of the situation and her own experience the last time she'd developed a crush on someone. But she meant what she told him, about hoping to see him again one day and that he was irreplaceable to her and there's definitely a crush there that she's not going to do anything about because they're parting ways!! Whew!!