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The first person to find out that Leon and Raihan are dating is Sonia. Leon asks Raihan to take a picture of them together, laying in bed. It’s the day after Leon lost his title, came crying to Raihan, and subsequently confessed to him. Curled up against Raihan’s warm body, he finds he can ward off his negative thoughts for a while longer. Leon sends the text off, and proceeds to ignore Sonia’s texts and calls from a good hour as he snuggles again Raihan.
Eventually, however, one of them has to get out of bed. Raihan whines as Leon sits up. “I want to brush my teeth,” Leon says, rolling his eyes. Raihan rolls out of bed behind him and trails Leon to the bathroom, chin resting on Leon’s shoulder and arms wrapped stubbornly around his waist. Leon arrives at the sink and chuckles. He leans up to give Raihan a quick kiss before shuffling through the clutter in Raihan’s bathroom.
His bathroom is basically Leon’s, too. He smiles at all the familiar items there. He had a bottle of Leon’s favorite shampoo, the type of toothpaste he likes, even though Raihan says it tastes like ass. He even has some testosterone patches, which Leon has needed before - he tends to forget medication. He grabs his toothbrush, and feels Raihan let go of him to brush his own teeth. As he brushes, Leon checks his phone, snorting at the whopping sixty-four text messages from Sonia. He angles the phone to Raihan and scrolls so that he can see the series of jumbled letters and demands that they call her right now . Raihan rinses his mouth and spits.
“We should call her,” he says, “she’ll come over and hit us with a broom if we don’t.”
Leon can see her doing that. They move to the couch, though they haven’t swapped out of the clothes they fell asleep in. Leon is in a hoodie he took from a fan, alongside his shorts. Raihan is wearing a loose black tank-top and sweatpants. They settle together on the couch, Raihan’s leg slinging over Leon’s. The taller man drapes his arm over Leon’s shoulder and touches the call button. The rotom phone buzzes to life and hovers in front of them. Sonia answers immediately.
“ What the ever-loving shitting fuck, you two? I thought you two had died! Of heart attacks! I don’t bloody well- yes, yes, sorry gran, I know, I know-” the crackle of Sonia’s voice is distant for a moment as she talks to her grandmother. “I’m happy for you two! But- uhg- what were you even doing while I was texting you. Actually, don’t answer that- can we video?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer. The request pops up on Rotom’s screen, and Leon accepts. The two of them lean closer together and smile as Sonia’s face appears on the screen. Her red hair is tied back in a messy ponytail, and even though she claimed to be annoyed, she’s smiling ear-to-ear.
“You two look mighty pleased with yourselves.”
“We are,” Leon says as Raihan presses a kiss to his temple.
“It’s about damn time, too.” Sonia pauses a moment, “are you going to tell anyone else?”
Leon and Raihan look at each other. Leon hasn’t even thought about that. His first instinct is yes! I want everyone to know! Which is uncharacteristic of his usual overly-cautious style. He supposes, after waiting so long, he wants to scream it out for all to hear. After a moment of thought, however, he realizes that, with all that’s going on in his life right now, some privacy might be nice.
Raihan seems to be on the same page. “We will… on our own time. You can tell Nessa, though,” he shoots a look at Leon, and he nods his approval. He wouldn’t make Sonia keep things from her girlfriend.
She seems relieved at that. “Alright, good. I’ll let you two get back to snogging now- oh, hey H-” the video and audio cut abruptly, and Leon is given very little time to consider what she’d been about to say before Raihan is pressing insistent kisses to the side of his face.
Leon giggles and shoves him gently, “Stop, stop, I’m hungry. Let’s get some food.”
Raihan frowns.
Leon leans up and presses a brief kiss to Raihan’s lips, “ Then we can get back to snogging.”
The next people to find out are Victor and Hop
It’s been maybe a month since they started dating. Things are falling into place for Leon to become the new chairman, and, more importantly (at least to him), the battle tree- or tower- is looking like a real possibility. He and Raihan are in Leon’s Wyndon flat. Sonia couldn’t come, so Hop was invited in her stead. It was a sort of basic thing - the Champion, the region’s professor, the top gym leader, and the chairman-to-be were to discuss the organization of the next tournament.
Leon isn’t sure how he ends up in Raihan’s lap, but here they are. He’s straddling his boyfriend, and his fingers are tangled in his dense, soft hair. Leon whines into Raihan’s open mouth as cool hands slip under his shirt and-
And the door clicks open.
Leon and Raihan look up, blushing hard enough that part of him is sure that their faces are going to turn comically pink. Victor and Hop stand in the doorway. Hop covers his eyes with his hands, mutters sorry, sorry , turns, and slams against the doorway. Victor blinks at them, then down at Hop.
‘ Thought you said they weren’t dating ’ Victor signs to Hop, which isn’t much use, because Leo’s brother still has his face covered as he lay on the ground. Raihan looks at Leon, awaiting a translation, but Leon replies out loud instead.
“It’s new, I’m sorry, uh, this… we can still have the meeting.” He smiles widely, and realizes he’s still on Raihan’s lap. He slips off and clears his throat.
Victor doesn’t take his eyes off the two of them as he helps Hop up. Hop groans and ambles over to the couch. He flips over the back to land beside Leon. He’s blushing, and still refuses to make eye contact.
“Lee, mate, you’re my brother, and I love you, but I’m not sure I’m ready to see you snogging your boyfriend, n’matter how happy I am for ya’”
Leon blushes, “Yeah, fair enough.”
Victor settles beside Hop and leans over, giving Hop a kiss on the cheek. He throws up a peace sign at Raihan and Leon. Raihan breaks out into cackles. Leon only stares at Hop, who stares back with wide eyes.
“Oh, yeah,” he says, “I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell you Victor an’ I are also dating - maybe we ought’ tell mum together, yeah?”
The next time someone finds out, they’re at a very important party. It’s the grand opening of the battle tower, and there’s going to be a hundred of the most important people in Galar in attendance, in addition to representatives from other regions. Leon nervously adjusts his tie. He never liked formalwear. It feels stiff and uncomfortable and scratches at his skin. What he’s wearing now is a burgundy suit jacket with a white button-up and a dark tie. Raihan is leaning against the wall near the door. With a sigh, Leon walks up and stands on his toes. He presses a kiss to the corner of Raihan’s mouth, only to pull back with a frown when Raihan doesn’t respond.
Raihan is staring at him, his cheeks glowing in a blush. Leon furrows his brow, and Raihan reaches to scratch the back of his neck. “You look really good in that,” he mumbles. “Really, really good.”
Leon steps back, looks Raihan over, and grins. He leans closer, wraps his arms around Raihan, and pulls him in. He rests his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder and whispers into the crook of his neck, “Don’t get too excited yet, love.”
“You don’t make it fair,” Raihan’s voice comes out as a whine, causing Leon to chuckle. He pulls back and kisses Raihan’s cheek, using a free hand to pat the one opposite. Raihan wrinkles his nose indignantly, but returns the kiss. “I’ll see you there, handsome,” he whispers, and Leon preens at the word. Handsome . He’ll never get tired of it.
They have to leave the apartment complex separately, for their own privacy. They aren’t quite ready to open their relationship to the public yet. Leon inhales deeply as the cool Wyndon air hits him. It feels like it might rain, but then again, when is it not raining here? At least it wasn’t raining right now - he’d hate to show up to his own party with his suit all messed up. He blushes a bit as he releases his Intellion, Sniper. The salamander gives Leon a look, to which Leon responds by muttering that he doesn’t remember how to get to the tower.
He’ll learn. Eventually. Maybe. Intellion snorts and slinks forward, leading his trainer towards the tower. His team has explored it thoroughly by now, and he knows Flicker, his Charizard, is already there, making sure all the guest pokemon are comfortable. He arrives at his own party just as guests begin to arrive and settles beside one of the snack tables. He doesn’t need to give his speech yet, so for now, he’ll allow people to explore the facilities and booths explaining the features of the tower.
He sips at some red wine, and notes that it’s the type Raihan likes. He’ll mention it when he arrives.
The league is present, alongside Opal and Piers, who may as well be league members still. There are representatives from all the other regions’ leagues also.
He locks eyes momentarily with a certain blond Kalosian and suddenly becomes very focused on his drink. Siebold. They had a one night stand. Once. Three years ago. It was his first time visiting Kalos- he was nineteen and trying to shake his crush on Raihan, and Siebold was flirty. It hadn’t been a particularly amazing time, if he were being honest, and he’d avoided him since.
“I hate that git,” a voice whispers behind him, causing him to jump and nearly stain his suit with the wine. Raihan’s familiar laugh echos around him. He shoots his boyfriend a glare. Raihan slides casually beside him, leaving an appropriate amount of distance as he pours himself a glass. “He’s always staring at you, whenever he’s around, as if he didn’t give you the worst s--”
Leon punches Raihan’s shoulder, and the taller man pouts and rubs the spot where he made contact. “It’s true . Those are your words .”
“Yes, it’s true, but we aren’t talking about it here.”
“Talking about what?” A thick, pompous accent interrupts them, and Leon turns to find Siebold standing only two feet away. Raihan smiles like a meowth- Leon frowns.
“We’re talking about our favorite members of the Kalos league, care to join? I’ll go first - I think Malva is hot .” Raihan smiles at Leon, who furrows his brows. “Because… fire types.”
“I… see.” Siebold says. He does not smile. He’s staring at Leon, as if expecting a response. Leon smiles pleasantly instead. “So, what caused all this, Leon? When we met, you didn’t seem one to take charge .”
Leon nearly shatters the glass in his hands, and he sees Raihan grinding his teeth beside him. “Well,” Leon says stiffly, before tossing back the rest of his wine, “I am.” Before brushing past Siebold, towards the podium at the center of the room. His speech is long overdue. Not one to take charge, his arse . He was champion for years. He carved his own destiny. He steps up and clangs a fork against his glass.
“Your attention please! I would like to say a few words!”
Eyes turn to face him, and he revels in it. Leon tilts his chin up, and a smile quirks at the corners of his mouth as Raihan gives him two enthusiastic thumbs up. Siebold scowls. Leon begins.
“My dream has always been to make battling accessible to all. Some people in this region cannot afford a bred starter. Some are not lucky enough to live close to areas where Pokemon are catchable to an entry-level trainer. Some do not have enough time to partake in a journey. Regardless, I think the companionship of Pokemon is something that should be experienced by all. Fighting side-by-side with Pokemon is a beautiful thing. At the Battle Tower, trainers can rent battle-ready teams, and with those teams, they can earn useful items- items that can help them build teams of their own outside of the tower.”
He turns, and, on cue, a blanket that has been covering the far wall of the room falls, revealing a beautiful painting he’d commissioned. It depicts a group of trainers of all ages, each with their own Pokemon companion.
“Any willing individual over the age of ten in Galar can participate- we will have staff trained to accommodate different experience levels, and the cost will be just a fraction of what it costs to purchase a sponsorship for the league challenge. The league challenge will still be the ultimate test for trainers, but the battle tower will be for all .”
He throws a hand in the air, striking his Charizard pose, and the crowd roars with laughter. As he slips out of the pose, he takes a deep bow, and the laughter turns to cheering. As he steps off the podium, dozens of hands reach for him, and voices reach his ear to congratulate him. Leon can barely hear them. He still hears Siebold. He slips by Raihan and grabs him by the tie, dragging him out of the crowded room. Raihan’s breath hitches and he stares at Leon, wide eyed. “Wh-”
Leon flings open the first door he sees and shoves Raihan inside. Brooms and mops rattle together and collapse to the floor. Custodian’s closet. Whatever. Leon shoves Raihan against the wall and clashes their lips together. Raihan gasps against him, and Leon takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He tugs Raihan down by the tie with one hand, and reaches up to tug at his hair with the other.
“Arceus, Leon, you’re going to be the death of me,” Raihan whispers when the break for breath, but he’s the one to start kissing again. He fumbles with Leon’s buttons, and Leon knows he ought to stop him, but he wants this. He tilts his head lower and nips at Raihan’s neck as he works.
“Don’t worry Gordie, I think I found the broom closet! Go back to Mi--” the door swings open, revealing a wide-eyed Piers. Leon practically flings himself off Raihan, his hands reaching to fumble with his coat, doing the buttons back up, Raihan clears his throat and pats down his clothes.
“Fuckin’ alright, then,” Piers mumbles, grabbing a mop. “Milo knocked a buncha wine over. Ye shouldn’t ‘ave let him near the liquor, honestly,” he clears his throat, looks them over. “‘Grats, though. Bout damn time. Next time, though, get a room that ain’t also a broom closet, yeah? Nice speech, Leon.” And he closed the door.
The two of them break into snorting laughter, and it’s a good few minutes before they can get back to the party.
They think it’s only fair to tell their families once Piers of all people finds out. That’s how he and Raihan end up in Postwick two weeks after the Battle Tower officially launches. Victor and Hop are there too, but that’s less odd. Hop still lives at home, and Victor is less busy than he was as Champion, thank Arceus. The young Champion is a wreck, though.
They sit in the living room, Raihan visibly restraining himself from slinging his arm over Leon’s shoulder before they break the news. Leon knows it won’t be a big deal, and Raihan does too, but Victor isn’t so sure.
‘What if they decide they hate me? ’ He signs to Hop, panic written on his features. Raihan mutters something that Leon thinks is a very poor translation to himself, and Leon leans over to quietly correct him.
“Lee and Hop have the nicest family in the world, mate, it’s gonna be okay.” Raihan supplies. Hop sends him a grateful smile and pulls Victor into a hug. Victor sighs and melts into it. For a moment, Leon thinks he might cry, seeing Hop so happy and sweet, and so young. He wishes he’d been able to be like this at his age. He sits back and looks up at Raihan and, as he meets those beautiful eyes, he’s grateful that, at least, he has all the time in the world to play catch up.
Raihan looks down, “What’cha lookin at?”
“Art,” Leon says, reaching up to tap Raihan’s nose. Raihan whines and covers his face with his arm. He’s not always the best at receiving sappy compliments, even if he’s excellent at giving them. They sit upright and smile at each other.
“It’s gonna be okay, Victor,” Leon says, not for the first time that day. Victor gives a weary nod. It’s easy for Leon. His mum has known about his feelings for Raihan since he was eighteen, and she’d always been sweet about it.
Leon’s mom walks in them, accompanied by his grandparents. “Oh!” his mother gasps, “Raihan, dear! It’s been too long.”
Leon can’t stand it anymore. He grabs Raihan’s arm and grins at his mother, “Ma!” he chirps, “Raihan and I are dating.” He feels like a high-schooler as he says it, and barely holds back a giggle. His mother throws her hands in the air and laughs, and his grandfather snorts.
“Finally,” he grumbles, but he’s smiling. His grandmother, for her part, is hugging Raihan tight the moment the words leave Leon’s lips.
“Be good to our Leon, dear,” she whispers, not unkindly, and Raihan meets Leon’s eyes as he promises that he will.
Victor sniffles, and suddenly, all eyes are on him. He’s teary eyes and smiling, and he leans over to grab Hop’s hand. Hop grins, holds up their joined hands and points with his free one, eyes crinkling.
“Oh! Oh, Victor!” Leon’s mother cries, and suddenly, the little Champion is surrounded by doting, praising family members.
Raihan sits back and finally slings his arm over Leon. Leon sits back and presses a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s jawline.
“I knew it’d go well,” Raihan hums.
“It’s going to be the worst. I’m going to die. Leon, you wouldn’t let your boyfriend die.”
Leon wants to be sure that everything would be fine, like he had been with his own parents, but he doesn’t know Raihan’s dad as intimately. They’ve met plenty, sure, but Raihan, he knows, has never come out to his father. He doesn’t think he’ll take it poorly, Raihan had told him, it had just never come up.
They walk in without knocking. It’s a homey one-story house on the outskirts of Hammerlock, and Leon relaxes as he enters. He recalls the nights spent here on his journey, when they were nearby. Raihan’s dad had always fed him and Sonia well.
“Dad?” Raihan calls into the quiet house. There’s more silence for a moment, and then they hear shuffling and a door closing, and Raihan’s father is before him, a wide smile on his face. He looks a lot like his son. Except that he’s about a foot shorter, and his eyes are a deep, dark brown. Raihan says he got his height and eyes from his mum, who’d passed only months after Raihan had been born.
“Raihan!” his father says cheerily, before turning to leon and drawing him into a hug. “Leon, son, it’s been too long.”
Leon freezes up at the term. Raihan’s father has called him son for years, but right now, it feels different - charged. If he notices, however, he doesn’t show it. He pulls back and shakes his head, shooting a warm look at his son. “You should have called. I’m afraid I don’t have much in the house - we can order pizza?”
“Sounds good, dad,” Raihan says, voice stiff. He walks past, head low, into the main living area. His father glances at Leon.
“What’s bothering him?” he asks, but he doesn’t wait for an answer. He goes to pick up the phone. Leon bites his lip and joins Raihan on the couch. He sits a few inches away, but when he’s sure his father isn’t looking, he leans over and squeezes his boyfriend’s hand briefly.
“Leon, son, was it you who didn’t like bell peppers?”
Leon clenches his jaw again at the word, but nods, “thanks for remembering.”
Raihan’s dad hangs up and settles down in the armchair in front of them. “Of course. Anything for you. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s eating you both,” he looks at them appraisingly, “I don’t see rings, so I don’t imagine you’re marrying yet- you two haven’t broken up, have you?”
Raihan’s mouth hangs open, and Leon is staring like a Deerling in the headlights. “Wh-”
Raihan’s father looks between the both of them, “Did I… say something wrong?”
Leon looks at Raihan, but his boyfriend appears to be collecting flies still, so he supplies, “It’s just that, we only started dating three months ago, so-”
Now it’s Raihan’s dad’s turn to stare, “Oh-- oh,” he looks between them. “I’ve been calling you son for two years, Leon, I--” his gaze fixes on Raihan, “I just thought Raihan wasn’t the affectionate type.”
At that, Raihan, the worlds’ greatest cuddle monster, finally snaps to reality, and begins to laugh.
Forty-five minutes later, they’re eating pizza. Raihan’s dad has apologized half a dozen times, and they keep telling him it’s alright.
Leon eats entirely too much pizza and hands Raihan his crusts to munch on. Raihan is past calling him a heathen for not eating them.
It’s the best part, Lee!
If I wanted to eat plain bread, I’d eat plain bread, Raihan .
Raihan eats two slices before pulling Leon onto his lap and nuzzling into his hair. Leon laughs and shifts so that they’re both comfortable. Raihan’s dad watches them fondly. They turn on a film, and at some point, Raihan falls asleep. His head slips down to rest on Leon’s shoulder instead of the back of his head. Leon sighs and reaches up to brush his knuckles against his boyfriend’s cheek.
“I suppose you can get him to bed on your own?” Raihan’s dad asks. He pauses, before adding, “You always shared a bed. Honestly, I don’t know what I was supposed to think, plus, there’s that way he’s always looked at you.” He shakes his head, “Anyways, what I’m saying is, I’m glad you figured it out, even if it took forever.”
Leon smiles, “Thank you, sir.”
“Please, Leon, you can just call me dad.”
Dad. It’s been a long time since he’s had one of those. Leon smiles and nods. Against his shoulder, Raihan snores softly.
Around six months into dating, they figure it’s time to tell the rest of the league. Piers is probably boiling over keeping it to himself, and Leon and Raihan are comfortable enough now. They decide to just post it in a group chat. It isn’t often that the league- just the league, gets together, so it’s the easiest way.
11:38 am
Raihan: hey all, got some news
Milo: :0 what is it!!
Leon: me and raihan are dating
Raihan: leon and I are dating
Raihan: HEY!
Leon: beat u
Leon: as usual ;)
Raihan reaches over and knocks Leon’s phone out of his hand, onto the bed. Leon yelps and rolls over to grab it. Raihan lunges, grabs Leon around the shoulders, and begins to kiss up and down his neck as he reaches with a flailing free hand for Leon’s phone.
Milo: oh my goodness! That’s amazing :) so happy for you!!
Nessa: FINALLY!
Nessa: SIX MONTHS. SIX. MONTHS I had to keep my mouth SHUT.
Milo: Nessa knew? :(
Nessa: Sonia’s girlfriend privileges
Piers: I also knew
Piers: caught them sucking face in a closet at the battle tower thing
Leon: I was not sucking anyone’s face
Piers: sorry, it was a very elegant secret closet kiss
12:13 pm
Marnie: HAHA! Bede’s gonna be PISSED
Raihan: what? Why?
Piers: marnie don’t fucking swear
Piers: lol just kidding I don’t care
Marnie: you’ll see. Nothing bad i promise
Marnie: and bugger off piers
Allister: oh I won, too ^w^
Leon: won?
Bea: I knew it!!!
Bea: grats u two but u were pretty obvious :)
Leon: what did you win?
Allister: :3c
Leon raises a brow at Raihan from where he sits across the table from him. Raihan shrugs and slips an omelette onto his place. “Allister makes me feel old. Like I’m out of touch with the kids.” Leon snorts.
3:01 pm
Melony: Oh! It’s about time dears! You were always staring at each other with such fondness! Ah, I wanted to just squish you two together !
Raihan: Aw, Melony
Leon: We love you, Melony
3:10 pm
Kabu: I suppose I can confess now that for months after Leon became champion, I referred to Raihan as his boyfriend, until someone corrected me
Kabu: So now I can finally be right.
Raihan: I think that’s how Kabu says he’s happy for us
Kabu: Yes. I thought that was obvious.
5:45 pm
Gordie: I wish I had a boyfriend B/
Gordie: I mean, happy for you two, but like B/
Gordie: it’s lonely being Gordie
Milo: aw, Gordie, I’m sure there a plenty a’ guys out there who’d be happy to go out with ya’ :)
Gordie: I doubt it
Milo: I don’t!! :)
Piers: oh my fucking god.
Piers: I can’t do this shit again
Raihan: leave them alone, Piers
Piers: I need a fucking drink
Gordie: what’s that supposed to mean, you wanker? >B(
Milo: haha ignore him !! anyway, you’re super handsome and I’m sure you’ll get a boyfriend!
Gordie: thanks milo. Ur a good friend
Milo: hahahaha
Raihan turns his phone to show Leon, who snorts and shakes his head. “They’ll figure it out,” he says, before leaning up to place a gentle kiss to Raihan’s lips. “We did.”
2:14 am
Bede: FUCKING HELL! I OWE MARNIE AND ALLISTER 10K EACH
Bede: you’re telling me you haven’t been together for years???
Bede: fuck sake
Marnie: HAHAHAHAHAH PAY UP, PRETTY BOY
It’s been a year since they started dating. They go on dates sometimes, but only at night. Usually it ends with them going to the pier, and falling into the water as if that wasn’t what they’d been planning the whole time, then going home and cuddling with the cold being a convenient excuse. But they’re ready now. They want to have dinner dates, and hold hands in the middle of the day, even if it means being hounded on social media.
And it wouldn’t be them if they did it quietly.
Leon stands outside the entrance to Wyndon arena in his usual Battle Tower outfit. They’re showing a match with borrowed Pokemon, to demonstrate to folks outside the region the different features unique to their tower. It would be broadcast live, and internationally. They don’t have the seating to host a huge audience at the tower itself, however, so the stadium will have to do.
Victor stands on one side of him, Raihan on the other. Victor, fresh off another win asserting himself as Champion only two days prior, looks even more nervous than he did before his battle. He looks up at Leon and signs quickly, ‘You two are amazing. If it goes well, maybe Hop and I can be public, too ’
Raihan slips his fingers between Leon’s. “I think I caught all of that, and hell yeah, Vic! We’re gonna kill it, and then you’ll kill it, too.”
Victor smiles, and moments later, Leon and Raihan are called onto the pitch. They give each other a nod, unlace their fingers, and walk through the narrow tunnel together. They emerge on the other side, and Leon takes a deep, steadying breath. He feels the roars and cheers wash over him, warm and familiar. He walks to stand opposite his greatest rival and smiles that signature Champion Leon smile, which returns to his face as if it never left. Raihan returns with his fanged smirk.
“I won’t lose this time, Leon!” Raihan’s voice booms, feigned animosity rippling through his words.
Leon throws back his head in a cackle, “Please, I won’t fail to the likes of you!”
The crowd cheers louder, and the two of them toss out their first Pokemon. On Leon’s side, he has an eager Mimikyu who just passed its trials to become battle ready. On Raihan’s side, he sends out a Flareon, fluffy mane bushed up and dark eyes eager.
The battle begins.
They each have three Pokemon on their side, as is standard in Battle Tower matches, and somehow, it feels even more intense than the six-on-six matches between them. Its closer. Fire bursts across the field, and of course Raihan picked out a weather team. This one’s a sun team. His Flareon manages to beat his Mimikyu, just barely, but collapses quickly thereafter. Leon grits his teeth and meets Raihan’s eyes across the field.
He smirks and he knows Raihan is flushing, even if he can’t see it from where he stands. The battle rages on. Leon hasn’t had an audience this big since he lost his title a year ago, and Arceus, did he ever miss it. His name echos wildly in his ears, his body feels whole and ready and excited.
They’re down to their last Pokemon - Weavile versus Vileplume, and the sun makes it a closer match than it would be otherwise, but in the end, Leon emerges victorious. He grabs his cap and tosses it in the air. It arcs and lands on the burnt grass behind him. His chest heaves as he takes in the praise from the crowd, and for a moment, he almost forgets the plan. Then he meets Raihan’s gaze, and he’s shoved back into reality, and it’s almost as exhilarating.
They walk across the pitch and give each other a firm handshake. Then, as planned, Raihan turns towards the nearest camera. “Can I have everyone’s attention!”
The crowd softens into whispers, though they are still loud - two thousand people can never really be quiet . Raihan clears his throat.
“For years, you’ve known Leon and I as rivals, two of the strongest Galar has to offer, but today, we’re here to ask something else of you!” He turns to Leon and smiles. “We hope we hear some noise from you, the people of Galar, for--”
Leon surges forward, twines his fingers with Raihan’s, and raises them together. The crowd grows louder, asking questions in the seconds it takes before Leon shouts--
“Galar’s newest and greatest power couple!” Leon finishes, and then he spins Raihan around, rests his free hand on the taller man’s hip, and leans up to press a kiss to his lips. It’s soft, and long, and Raihan lets go of his hand to cup his face. It’s safe for television, but their passion is obvious, or at least, Leon would like to think so. Deafening cheers echo around him, and Leon feels tears prickle at the corners of his eyes.
“I love you,” Raihan whispers when they pull apart.
“I love you, too.”
They run past crowds on the way out, giggling like teenagers, though they cant dodge all the hugs from weeping fans, and they don’t want to. Leon hears dozens of people- kids as young as twelve, thanking them for being proud and open and in love. Leon and Raihan hug them tight and tell them to be brave. When they finally get out into the streets, it’s raining, much as it was a year ago, when Leon lost his title, and showed up at Raihan’s doorstep soaked and weeping. And he’s crying now too, but only because he’s smiling so much it hurts. They run, too quickly, and almost trip several times. When they arrive at Leon’s flat, they nearly fall through the door because Raihan refuses to let go of him, refuses to stop peppering his face with kisses.
“We just did that on national television.”
“ Inter- national television,” Leon corrects, reaching up to tap the tip of Raihan’s nose. Raihan smiles and pulls him down on top of him on the couch. Leon nuzzles into the crook of his neck.
He feels a tap on his shoulder, and when he looks up, Raihan is showing him Twitter’s trending page, where #GalarPowerCouple is quickly surging to the number one spot.
“Want to blow up the tag, love?” Raihan whispers. And obviously, obviously he does. Leon can never turn down a good challenge.
They snuggle in close, and their hair is wet and messy, but their eyes and smiles are full of light, and Leon thinks, for the millionth time, that he is stupidly in love. Raihan snaps the picture, and it isn’t anywhere near as manicured as his usual pictures, but it’s perfect that way.
He posts it, and within an hour, it’s the top post in their own tag.
“I love you,” Raihan whispers again.
“I love you, Raihan,” Leon sighs into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Always.”