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badass_tiger) wrote2021-10-16 11:36 pm
badass_tiger) wrote2021-10-16 11:36 pm
13. comfort ii
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fallintofallfestival
Prompt: any fandom / any pairing / sleeping in the same bed, playing with each other’s fingers. you think nothing of it, it’s just platonic, but there’s a huge sense of something else in your gazes
Word Count: 1.5k
Author/Team:badass_tiger
Title: comfort ii
Fandom/Original: Pokemon: Leon/Raihan
Rating: Gen
Triggers: NA
Summary: Leon and Raihan fall asleep together the night after the Championship Match.
ConCrit: Y
After the Championship Match, Leon invited all of the Gym Leaders and any other League Trainers in his periphery for a party at the Rose of the Rondelands. He then threw his arms around his brother and the new champion, and dragged them off in the wrong direction.
In the two days leading up to the match, Raihan had spent almost all of his time with Leon. Leon had not so much been despondent as not quite his cheerful self when Hop and Victor weren't around, and Raihan was loathe to leave him alone. Once Leon had been discharged from the hospital, they spent a quiet day together in his flat, punctuated only by Sonia coming in to make them lunch and then dinner. Raihan had left him that night, feeling unsure, but he found Leon the next morning looking excited for the match.
'This is going to be the best match ever,' Leon had promised. 'You already know what it's like when I go all-out, but even you'll see something impressive today.'
'Just try not to lose. I'm still going to be the one to beat you and become champion someday,' Raihan said. He held out his hand, and Leon had squeezed the life out of his fingers as if he had no intention of ever letting go.
Not that Raihan was at all miffed about Victor winning over Leon before he could. It was impossible to be, seeing Leon's shining expression, grinning as he never had before as he raised the new champion's hand. Perhaps Raihan's only regret was that he hadn't been the one to put that look on Leon's face.
Responsible adult that he was, Leon ushered the kids to their rooms at 11, despite Hop's protests that their parents never told him to sleep before midnight these days. The other Trainers left soon afterwards too, but Leon wasn't ready to shut up yet, so Raihan let him trail him to his hotel room, chattering all the while.
'League Season always goes by in a flash, but thinking about it now, it feels like it's been so long too!' Leon was saying. 'I visited Postwick between seasons to give Hop a Pokemon so he could set out on his adventures as a Trainer, but I didn't plan on endorsing him to take part in the Gym Challenge right away. I thought it would be better if he worked his way up to it. I never thought I'd be the one to give him his endorsement either.'
'He's the same age now as you were when you took on the Gym Challenge and became champion in one go,' Raihan interjected.
'Yeah,' Leon said with a thoughtful look that clearly described the fact that this had not occurred to him before. 'He is.'
Raihan took off his hoodie and lay down across the queen-sized bed, wondering if Leon would be offended if he fell asleep. He nearly laughed at himself. Leon probably wouldn't notice until he fell asleep himself. Leon sat down next to him.
'You're quiet all of a sudden,' Raihan said.
'You look like you want to go to sleep.'
'Yeah, but don't let it stop you.'
Leon laughed, but didn't say anything else. Raihan thought back to the night Leon had spent in the hospital, and bit back a sigh.
'Do you wanna stay?'
'Only if you don't mind.'
'I don't mind. Only, you know you can just ask? With words?'
'I've already asked a lot from you,' Leon said meekly.
'Yeah, so what difference would it make if you ask again?' Raihan sat up, and punched him lightly on the arm. 'It's only weird when you act weird about it.'
'Right.' Leon's smile was not his usual easy look, but Raihan decided he was probably just feeling awkward.
'I'm going to sleep now.' He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. 'You can stay up longer if you like.'
'What's the point in me staying up if you're not going to be listening?'
'Oh, were you talking to me? I thought you were just enjoying the sound of your own voice.'
'I waited for you to answer every time I said anything!'
'I just don't like the quiet. I didn't realise you ever heard what I was saying.'
Seeing as Leon was serious about turning in, Raihan switched off the lights. He didn't bother inviting Leon into bed. He'd either get the message, or he wouldn't. Fortunately, he did, and soon slid in next to him.
It had been a while since he'd had a bedmate. Consciousness of the warmth next to him was comforting, and Raihan very soon started to drift off. Leon shifted and he started awake again, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. He turned on his side. As his sight adjusted to the dark, he saw Leon's amber eyes watching him. He wondered what Leon was thinking about, what he was worried about. On the surface, Leon was so impervious. To all the world, he was unfazed by the betrayal of his mentor, the terror of the Darkest Day, and the loss of his championship title, all in the space of three days. Certainly many of the emotional burdens that others would have borne in the same position had slid off him like water off the back of a Psyduck. But that didn't mean he was completely unbothered by everything that had happened.
Thinking about all of the times in the past few days that Leon had found an excuse to take his hand, Raihan found Leon's fingers in the dark. They were warmer than he had expected them to be. Leon moved his fingers slightly, accepting the touch. The back of Leon's knuckles were coarse, the skin one of the less significant casualties of Leon's battle against Eternatus. Raihan wondered, suddenly, if Leon might be a little jealous of Victor, a little wistful that it was he who had been bestowed the honour of becoming Eternatus's Trainer. Leon was not the type to envy other people's Pokemon collections, but the prospect of training a powerful Legendary Pokemon was exactly the sort of thing that would appeal to him.
That wasn't the heart of what troubled him though. It was, perhaps, only a symptom of what troubled him. Leon thought that he had failed everyone by not being the one to catch Eternatus, by leaving the saving of the day to a child. Not that it made a difference that Viktor was a child. It wouldn't have made a difference whoever had been the one to capture Eternatus in the end. What upset Leon was that he hadn't been capable of doing it himself.
It was more than a young genius's realisation that he wasn't perfect. Because Leon was so well-known, so admired the region over, he felt it his duty to be their hero.
In all honesty, Raihan thought it was stupid. No one could do everything. Leon hadn't been useless during the Darkest Day - far from it. Rushing into danger without a second thought for himself, not even stopping to chastise the person who had caused the mess in the first place, and in the midst of everything, still being able to spare a thought to prioritise the safety of his brother and young friend ... who could honestly say they would have done the same thing in Leon's shoes?
He didn't know how to tell Leon all of that. He didn't know how to say that he believed, absolutely, from the bottom of his heart, that Leon was the hero of Galar, its knight in shining armour.
To his relief, Leon began to relax, his eyes sliding shut. He looked peaceful. Maybe Raihan didn't need to say anything after all. Maybe this was enough. For some reason, Leon had chosen to turn to him in his state of emotional turmoil. Perhaps all he wanted was someone who would listen instead of talk, who would hold his hand, quite literally, without objection. If that was what Leon wanted, he had come to the right place. Raihan didn't know how to say anything in the first place, and he was happy to let Leon hold his hand as much as he wanted.
Leon suddenly opened his eyes again, startled awake by a shadow or a whisper. Raihan barely registered his own movements as he instinctively linked their fingers, shifting closer so that their shoulders bumped together.
'Go to sleep,' he murmured. 'Everything's fine.'
'Mm.' Leon leaned against him with a sigh and turned his face so that his nose brushed against Raihan's jaw. His eyelids fluttered close again.
Raihan watched him with an unfamiliar tenderness rising in his chest. Leon had chosen him to lean on, and he was pleased that he had placed his trust in him. But he felt, now, that he didn't want this to be the last time that Leon chose him to confide in. He wanted to always be Leon's first choice - or perhaps he didn't want Leon to ever choose anyone else over him at all.
The hushed darkness of the room and Leon's breath against his neck lulled Raihan to sleepiness. Leon was with him for now. They could figure out the fine details later.
fallintofallfestivalPrompt: any fandom / any pairing / sleeping in the same bed, playing with each other’s fingers. you think nothing of it, it’s just platonic, but there’s a huge sense of something else in your gazes
Word Count: 1.5k
Author/Team:
badass_tigerTitle: comfort ii
Fandom/Original: Pokemon: Leon/Raihan
Rating: Gen
Triggers: NA
Summary: Leon and Raihan fall asleep together the night after the Championship Match.
ConCrit: Y
After the Championship Match, Leon invited all of the Gym Leaders and any other League Trainers in his periphery for a party at the Rose of the Rondelands. He then threw his arms around his brother and the new champion, and dragged them off in the wrong direction.
In the two days leading up to the match, Raihan had spent almost all of his time with Leon. Leon had not so much been despondent as not quite his cheerful self when Hop and Victor weren't around, and Raihan was loathe to leave him alone. Once Leon had been discharged from the hospital, they spent a quiet day together in his flat, punctuated only by Sonia coming in to make them lunch and then dinner. Raihan had left him that night, feeling unsure, but he found Leon the next morning looking excited for the match.
'This is going to be the best match ever,' Leon had promised. 'You already know what it's like when I go all-out, but even you'll see something impressive today.'
'Just try not to lose. I'm still going to be the one to beat you and become champion someday,' Raihan said. He held out his hand, and Leon had squeezed the life out of his fingers as if he had no intention of ever letting go.
Not that Raihan was at all miffed about Victor winning over Leon before he could. It was impossible to be, seeing Leon's shining expression, grinning as he never had before as he raised the new champion's hand. Perhaps Raihan's only regret was that he hadn't been the one to put that look on Leon's face.
Responsible adult that he was, Leon ushered the kids to their rooms at 11, despite Hop's protests that their parents never told him to sleep before midnight these days. The other Trainers left soon afterwards too, but Leon wasn't ready to shut up yet, so Raihan let him trail him to his hotel room, chattering all the while.
'League Season always goes by in a flash, but thinking about it now, it feels like it's been so long too!' Leon was saying. 'I visited Postwick between seasons to give Hop a Pokemon so he could set out on his adventures as a Trainer, but I didn't plan on endorsing him to take part in the Gym Challenge right away. I thought it would be better if he worked his way up to it. I never thought I'd be the one to give him his endorsement either.'
'He's the same age now as you were when you took on the Gym Challenge and became champion in one go,' Raihan interjected.
'Yeah,' Leon said with a thoughtful look that clearly described the fact that this had not occurred to him before. 'He is.'
Raihan took off his hoodie and lay down across the queen-sized bed, wondering if Leon would be offended if he fell asleep. He nearly laughed at himself. Leon probably wouldn't notice until he fell asleep himself. Leon sat down next to him.
'You're quiet all of a sudden,' Raihan said.
'You look like you want to go to sleep.'
'Yeah, but don't let it stop you.'
Leon laughed, but didn't say anything else. Raihan thought back to the night Leon had spent in the hospital, and bit back a sigh.
'Do you wanna stay?'
'Only if you don't mind.'
'I don't mind. Only, you know you can just ask? With words?'
'I've already asked a lot from you,' Leon said meekly.
'Yeah, so what difference would it make if you ask again?' Raihan sat up, and punched him lightly on the arm. 'It's only weird when you act weird about it.'
'Right.' Leon's smile was not his usual easy look, but Raihan decided he was probably just feeling awkward.
'I'm going to sleep now.' He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. 'You can stay up longer if you like.'
'What's the point in me staying up if you're not going to be listening?'
'Oh, were you talking to me? I thought you were just enjoying the sound of your own voice.'
'I waited for you to answer every time I said anything!'
'I just don't like the quiet. I didn't realise you ever heard what I was saying.'
Seeing as Leon was serious about turning in, Raihan switched off the lights. He didn't bother inviting Leon into bed. He'd either get the message, or he wouldn't. Fortunately, he did, and soon slid in next to him.
It had been a while since he'd had a bedmate. Consciousness of the warmth next to him was comforting, and Raihan very soon started to drift off. Leon shifted and he started awake again, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. He turned on his side. As his sight adjusted to the dark, he saw Leon's amber eyes watching him. He wondered what Leon was thinking about, what he was worried about. On the surface, Leon was so impervious. To all the world, he was unfazed by the betrayal of his mentor, the terror of the Darkest Day, and the loss of his championship title, all in the space of three days. Certainly many of the emotional burdens that others would have borne in the same position had slid off him like water off the back of a Psyduck. But that didn't mean he was completely unbothered by everything that had happened.
Thinking about all of the times in the past few days that Leon had found an excuse to take his hand, Raihan found Leon's fingers in the dark. They were warmer than he had expected them to be. Leon moved his fingers slightly, accepting the touch. The back of Leon's knuckles were coarse, the skin one of the less significant casualties of Leon's battle against Eternatus. Raihan wondered, suddenly, if Leon might be a little jealous of Victor, a little wistful that it was he who had been bestowed the honour of becoming Eternatus's Trainer. Leon was not the type to envy other people's Pokemon collections, but the prospect of training a powerful Legendary Pokemon was exactly the sort of thing that would appeal to him.
That wasn't the heart of what troubled him though. It was, perhaps, only a symptom of what troubled him. Leon thought that he had failed everyone by not being the one to catch Eternatus, by leaving the saving of the day to a child. Not that it made a difference that Viktor was a child. It wouldn't have made a difference whoever had been the one to capture Eternatus in the end. What upset Leon was that he hadn't been capable of doing it himself.
It was more than a young genius's realisation that he wasn't perfect. Because Leon was so well-known, so admired the region over, he felt it his duty to be their hero.
In all honesty, Raihan thought it was stupid. No one could do everything. Leon hadn't been useless during the Darkest Day - far from it. Rushing into danger without a second thought for himself, not even stopping to chastise the person who had caused the mess in the first place, and in the midst of everything, still being able to spare a thought to prioritise the safety of his brother and young friend ... who could honestly say they would have done the same thing in Leon's shoes?
He didn't know how to tell Leon all of that. He didn't know how to say that he believed, absolutely, from the bottom of his heart, that Leon was the hero of Galar, its knight in shining armour.
To his relief, Leon began to relax, his eyes sliding shut. He looked peaceful. Maybe Raihan didn't need to say anything after all. Maybe this was enough. For some reason, Leon had chosen to turn to him in his state of emotional turmoil. Perhaps all he wanted was someone who would listen instead of talk, who would hold his hand, quite literally, without objection. If that was what Leon wanted, he had come to the right place. Raihan didn't know how to say anything in the first place, and he was happy to let Leon hold his hand as much as he wanted.
Leon suddenly opened his eyes again, startled awake by a shadow or a whisper. Raihan barely registered his own movements as he instinctively linked their fingers, shifting closer so that their shoulders bumped together.
'Go to sleep,' he murmured. 'Everything's fine.'
'Mm.' Leon leaned against him with a sigh and turned his face so that his nose brushed against Raihan's jaw. His eyelids fluttered close again.
Raihan watched him with an unfamiliar tenderness rising in his chest. Leon had chosen him to lean on, and he was pleased that he had placed his trust in him. But he felt, now, that he didn't want this to be the last time that Leon chose him to confide in. He wanted to always be Leon's first choice - or perhaps he didn't want Leon to ever choose anyone else over him at all.
The hushed darkness of the room and Leon's breath against his neck lulled Raihan to sleepiness. Leon was with him for now. They could figure out the fine details later.