Chapter Text
It had been around two months since Leon was defeated, and one-hundred years since him and Raihan went 'on a break'. That's what it felt like anyway. In reality, it was probably a month and some change. The most frustrating time yet in Raihan's life, even more so than all the losses against Leon or when he first became a gym challenger. It went down like this:
"Hey, Raihan, the love of my life whom I have not yet put a ring on for some reason," Leon said, stupidly, like a.. stupid person. "I'm having a midlife crisis in my twenties, so I think we should 'take a break'. Which is like breaking up, but uh, polite."
..Well, no, Raihan was being unfair. Leon actually had a very valid reasoning for it, or else Raihan wouldn't have agreed to it in the first place. (As much as it's been bothering him.)
Leon put on a brave face and was as sportsmanlike as ever, but the loss hit him harder than most people realized. Raihan would like to think that it affected him too since.. Leon was his boyfriend (still), and more important than that, his best friend. Sure, it sucked that Raihan couldn't win the champion title from him anymore, but he was more worried about how Leon was holding up. Unfortunately, they didn't really get much time to catch up. Leon immediately got swept up in the mess Chairman Rose left behind, some weirdos forcing Pokémon to dynamax, and the messy transitioning period between champions. When they did get to catch up, it was NOT fun.
"I think we should take a break," Leon blurted out, literally the second he sait down to talk.
Raihan spat out his Galarian Rapidash Frappuccino™. The Café Master almost rushed over with his Slurpuff to give him a literal helping hand, but Raihan held them off.
"I'm sorry, I think I hallucinated. Were you breaking up with me?" Raihan asked in horror, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodies.
"No!" Leon refused, scandalised. "I said that we should… take a break."
"How is THAT different from breaking up?" Thinking back on it now, Raihan was awfully defensive.. but could anyone blame him?
"Please don't freak out," Leon begged sheepishly. "I asked you to meet me here because I didn't want you to make a scene."
"I have no qualm about making a scene in public." They wouldn't be the first couple to fight here anyway. It was called Battle Café for a reason.
"Yeah, right, I should've known. Raihan, Hanni , please. Just listen to me, okay?"
Raihan huffed, "Fine."
"My life is.. all over the place right now," Leon sighed. "Everything is such a mess. I'm going to be honest, I'm not doing so well."
"Oh, Lee.. baby," Raihan reached across the table to hold his boyfriend's hands. His initial shock faded and replaced with concern. "Is there anything I could do to help? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
"Yes, I know. Thanks. It's appreciated," Leon said with a smile. Raihan gave his hands a gentle squeeze. "But it's just something I have to deal with by myself, you know? I just need a little time to get my head on straight."
"Yeah, I get that," Raihan meant it, too.
"It just makes me feel guilty, neglecting you while I sort my life out. We barely talked last month."
"But that's fine, you don't have to worry about me - "
"No, it's not fine. I know it made you unhappy," Leon interrupted, his voice firm.
Raihan cringed. It hit too close to home. They've been dating since what felt like forever, and managed to deal with their conflicting schedules as best as they could - but this still remained a sore subject. Raihan loved attention, some would even call him clingy. The type that would quadruple text and keep tagging you on social media. He didn't think it was a bad thing, though his exes may beg to differ. Leon found it endearing, thank Arceus , but there came multiple times where he couldn't be available for Raihan. Emotionally or otherwise. Like.. the entire last month. Raihan wasn't beyond reason, of course. Obviously, he would want Leon to take care of himself more than answering his texts. Though, he would be lying if he said that it didn't make him a little bit sad. As much as Raihan insisted it was fine, it didn't sit right with Leon.
"I couldn't ask you to wait out for me," Leon finished his thoughts.
"Wait," Raihan frowned. "So you are breaking up with me."
"No? Yes? Maybe? I don't know.." Leon groaned, "You are better than me at this stuff!"
"Well, I'm not gonna tell you to break up with me." As selfish as that may be. "Do you.. want to break up?"
"Look, here's where I'm at," Leon tried to explain. "I've spent half my life being the champion, right? Pretty much all of my teenage years. Now when I wake up, I ask myself.. Who's Leon? What does Leon want? Is he having a champion time?"
"..Is he?"
"He does not know, that is the problem... Can he have a champion time if he's no longer the champion? Is he a champion if he isn't THE champion? What IS a champion?"
"Um, I'm confused now."
"Maybe you could take this time off to reevaluate, too," Leon let go of his hands and picked his drink up. "Instead of holding out for me, maybe there's someone.. or something better waiting up ahead."
Then it clicked.
"You want me to fuck other people."
Leon spat out his Alcremie Latte™.