12. comfort

[badass_tiger]

Comm: fallintofallfestival
Prompt: any fandom / any pairing / “ i don’t want to be alone tonight. “
Word Count: 1k
Author/Team: badass_tiger
Title: company
Fandom/Original: Pokemon: Leon/Raihan
Rating: Gen
Triggers: NA
Summary: Raihan goes to see Leon after the events of the Darkest Day.
ConCrit: Y

Notes: ill write leon being angsty about the darkest day as many times as i want :v 

Raihan arrived at the hospital roughly four hours after visiting hours had ended, and was appalled when the receptionist wouldn't let him past the lobby. He tried to explain that he was the great Raihan and Leon absolutely wanted to see him, but she only gave him the frosty glare of matrons everywhere and refused to compromise. He was saved only by Sonia coming down the lift and spotting him.

'Hey Raihan! Should've known you'd turn up sooner or later,' she said as she walked over. 'You and Leon are better friends than I thought. As his childhood rival, I'm kind of jealous of you.'

Her light tone and expression put him at ease. There was no way she would be talking so cheerfully if Leon's condition was anything to worry about.

'Don't be. He talks about you like you're his best friend,' he said.

'Really?' She looked pleased. 'I guess you want to go see him? He's in a special room, being Galar's Champion and all, so go right ahead. Just get to the third floor and tell them you're looking for him.'

He flashed a friendly smile at the receptionist as he moved past and Sonia turned to speak to her.

Leon was sitting up in bed when Raihan arrived. His face was an unsettling mosaic of bruises and bandages, but he brightened up instantly when Raihan came in.

'Hey! You're here!'

'Yep. How're you doing?'

'Just brilliant, of course.'

Of course. Raihan sat down in the chair next to the bed, and was startled when Leon gripped his hand.

'I'm really glad you're here,' Leon said. Raihan looked up from his hand to Leon's face, all smiles as if it was another night of meeting up in the pub whenever they happened to be in the same city.

'I was worried about you,' Raihan said. It was Leon's turn to look taken aback.

'Don't worry,' he grinned. 'I'm fine. I'll be out of here tomorrow.'

'Is that what the doctor said?'

'Well -'

'That's what I thought,' Raihan snorted. He squeezed Leon's hand and let go. 'What happened up there? You ran into my stadium, made a huge mess, then left again. I've gotta press for damages, you know.'

'My bad,' Leon said. He was clearly trying to sound light-hearted, but he suddenly looked so downcast that Raihan felt guilty.

'I'm just kidding. Tell me what happened.'

'What ... Chairman Rose was talking about at the stadium ... He was keeping a Pokemon in the Energy Plant and it went crazy, so ... I tried to catch it.'

Leon spoke haltingly. It was only natural for him to be upset by the discovery that his mentor of the past ten years was a psychopath, but Raihan felt that something was off. Leon looked guilty. It couldn't be about the damage to Hammerlocke Castle, could it? Buildings could be repaired. The important thing was that Leon and the two kids were safe.

'Was it that Pokemon attacking you that got you like this?'

It was so long before Leon answered that Raihan started to panic. He opened his mouth to say something else, to tell him to forget it, or something, then Leon said, 'Sort of. When I tried to catch it in a Pokeball, it exploded when it came out. That's what took a chunk off the roof.'

'Was it just you and Charizard up there when the explosion happened?'

'No, Hop and Victor had got there too by then. Charizard shielded them when I realised what was going to happen, though. I saw them earlier and they looked okay.'

'Trust you to act the hero,' Raihan said with a grin. To his horror, Leon looked even more dismayed. 'Hey, what's up with you?'

'I'm not a hero.' Leon looked away. 'I couldn't save anyone. It was Hop who went to get help from Zacian and Zamazenta, and Viktor who caught Eternatus. I didn't do anything.'

'Sounds like you saved the kids. If you hadn't been battling that Pokemon, it probably would've hurt other people too.'

Leon didn't turn around and Raihan couldn't tell if he had got through to him. He should have known that Leon, beloved for his love for Galar and its Trainers, would feel it his duty to save the world when a crisis arose. Raihan was sure that Leon wasn't afraid of other people's opinion. He was only angry at himself for failing to do what he thought he should have done.

Raihan got up and sat on the edge of the bed, startling Leon into looking around at him.

'Don't get all mopey just because someone else beat you to catching a new Pokemon,' he said.

'Right,' Leon smiled.

'The only thing you need to do as a champion is to show people great battles, right? Sounds to me like the only person you've disappointed is yourself.'

He was alarmed when Leon flinched as if he'd been struck. The smile slid off his face and he struggled to put it back on.

'I know,' he said. His voice was low and despondent. 'I guess I've got a pretty high opinion of myself to think that it's my job to do everything, huh?'

'I like that about you. Just don't let it get to your head.'

'Yeah.'

Raihan could see that he hadn't fully convinced him, but that was fine. He would just keep saying it until Leon believed it. Leon's hand, on the blanket between them, moved to touch Raihan's thigh.

'Hey, since you're here and all ...' Leon hesitated. 'Do you want to stay here until the morning?'

'Not really.' Raihan raised an eyebrow. 'The chair doesn't look all that comfortable.'

'Sorry,' Leon said with a smile that was more like a grimace. 'I - I don't want to be alone tonight.'

Nothing to say to that other than, 'Fine. I'll stay to make sure the big bad monsters stay away, shall I?'

'Yes, please. Thanks a lot.'

He didn't say that he didn't mind. He only covered Leon's fingers with his own for a brief moment, then removed himself from the bed and into the chair.