Chapter Text
“There we have it folks! Raihan has once again been defeated by the reigning Champion, Leon!”
The crowd in the stadium went wild as Leon bowed to the spectators. His Charizard flying overhead and giving a victory roar. On the other side of the stadium, Raihan withdrew his fainted Duraludon. The poor alloy dragon pokemon gave it all against its opponent. Another year, another exhibition match lost to Leon.
The dragon gym leader calmly exited the pitch as he always did after his loss to Leon. The undefeated Champion was standing in the middle of the stadium along with Chairman Rose, who was beginning his final remarks from the match. Raihan quickened his pace, shaking off any excess particles leftover from his Flygon’s sandstorm. His jacket and headband were removed as he entered the tunnel to the locker room.
Raihan immediately plopped down on one of the benches, running a hand through his dreads. He should be upset about yet another loss to Leon, but that’s not what's currently on his mind. During the match, Raihan caught himself feeling weird. At first he thought it was the adrenaline from the exciting battle. As the match went on, he noticed a faint warmth in his belly that slowly spread to the rest of his body. On top of that, his vision would become blurry every now and then.
At first figured it was just fatigue, until it hit him as he stepped back into the locker room. His skin now felt much warmer, despite having shed his jacket and headband. Even after removing the top half of his gym uniform, there was some relief, but only a little. He rattled his brain, trying to figure out why he was feeling like this until his rotomphone floated up to his face.
“Raihan! You forgot to take your morning dose of suppressants, bzzt!” His phone chirped.
Oh, yeah. He had forgotten to take his heat suppressants.
One would think that Raihan was an alpha. The man had traits that most alphas would have in their biology, such as being tall and muscular. Heck, even his canines were sharper than most peoples. Raihan was undoubtedly strong, he had to be as Galar’s dragon gym leader. Even his wild and feral battle style just screamed alpha. Despite everything, when Raihan presented for the first time at the youthful age of eleven, his omega nature was revealed.
Of course, it wasn’t common knowledge to the other members of the League and the rest of Galar. In fact, only two people knew: Nessa and Chairman Rose. It was quite easy for the Chairman to know about it. Raihan couldn’t lie on his legal paperwork and other documentation. Rose was quite surprised to find out, but he was the one who suggested that he displayed himself in such a way that made it seem like he was an alpha in the public eye. The president always made sure that Raihan had any necessary medication or other important things he needed.
Nessa accidentally found out when she ran into the dragon tamer while out on the Lake of Outrage looking for a Quagsire, because someone had said they appeared on rainy days. However, by the time she’d made it there, it had stopped raining and the sun was shining intensely. But that didn’t stop her from continuing her search for other potential mons. Nessa climbed the hill and spotted Raihan in the distance, trying to catch a Turtonator. He didn’t look well, breathing heavily as he let the turtle-like pokemon run off while he bolted towards his nearby campsite. Wanting to make sure he was ok, she followed him and opened the tent to a Raihan nearly succumbing to one of his heats while desperately searching for his suppressants. After that, Nessa promised to keep it a secret.
Opening his locker, Raihan quickly stuffed his jacket and headband inside before rummaging around in his duffel bag for the medication. He began to panic when he couldn’t find it, but after checking one of the hidden pockets on the inside, he found the bottle.
“Hey, Raihan! Are you still here?”
It was Leon. He must’ve finished the final remarks already.
“Yeah! Still here…” Raihan responded, dropping the bottle back into the bag and slightly closing the locker.
Leon walked around the corner, a huge grin on his face. He opened up his own locker that was a few feet away from Raihan’s. The Champion removed his hat and cape, sighing when the heavy fabric was removed.
“I know you lost to me again, but you put on a great battle as always, mate.” Leon said, glancing over at his rival.
“Heh, yeah. If only Duraludon had been a bit quicker with that Max Rockfall, we might’ve had a chance.” Raihan remembered his ace pokemon not being able to execute the attack fast enough because of its injuries.
“I agree! Charizard is fast, even in his Gigantimax form too!”
Leon started to ramble off about other things that happened during the match, and Raihan was listening. However, he zoned out the moment he saw Leon undressing in the corner of his eye. It’s not a surprise, the two have undressed around each other for years. Yet for some odd reason, Rai couldn’t help but stare at each inch of toned skin that was revealed. It had to be because of his omega instincts taking over.
Tearing his eyes away from the alpha’s body, Raihan began tapping away at his rotomphone. From the looks of it, Leon was heading to the showers. The man was usually bombarded with interviewers waiting for him in the lobby, so he was going to clean himself up before facing the cameras. The gym leader would just wait until Leon was in the shower before taking his suppressants. After all, his best friend and rival didn’t know that he was secretly an omega.
“Not going to hit the showers?” Leon asked, grabbing a small basket that contained all his shower things.
“Uh, in a minute. Just checking my Pokegram.” Raihan responded, eyes glancing to see that Leon was only clad in a towel that was tied around his hips.
Leon nodded, going off towards the shower, leaving Raihan on his own again. Only when the omega could hear the water running did he get up to retrieve his suppressants. His body temperature was rising, hands now shaking as he gripped the bottle. Of course the blasted thing slips between his fingers when he tries to open it. He blamed it on his sweaty palms as he watched it roll a few feet away. Before he could grab it, another hand picked it up.
“Slippery fingers, mate?” Leon chuckled. The champ had come back to retrieve the body wash he’d forgotten.
“Y-Yeah, just tired from the battle.” Raihan shakily held out his hand, internally praying that Leon wouldn’t read the name of the prescription.
“I completely understand. Here yo-” Golden eyes looked down as Leon placed the item in the other man’s hand. “Heat suppressants? Why would you need those?”
‘Shit. Of course he would read the name of it.’ Raihan thought to himself. His mind was racing in an attempt to come up with an excuse but he was drawing blanks.
“I, uh…”
“It’s kinda weird for you to have something like that.” The champion raised an eyebrow up at his friend. “I’m pretty sure only omegas use th-”
The dragon tamer watched in horror as the realization hit Leon’s face, gold eyes shooting up to meet his fear filled teal ones. Raihan watched as Leon’s expression shifted from shock to confusion before settling on an intense glare thrown in his direction.
“Are you serious?”
“It’s not what you think…” The black haired man tried to give him some sort of weak excuse, but the alpha was having none of it.
“Then tell me what it is. Because it better not be some sort of sick joke.” The champion’s tone held no room for excuses. “You’re an Alpha , right?”
Raihan couldn’t even bring himself to speak the words. His silence was making Leon even more frustrated.
The purple haired man asked once more, “Are you... really an omega?”
It was like all the sand from the Dusty Bowl of the Wild Area had gathered itself to Raihan’s mouth. Dropping his head in defeat, he nodded in response to Leon’s question. Nothing could’ve prepared the omega for what happened next.
“Are you serious?! Why would you keep this hidden from me?! How long have you kept this from me?!” Leon took a step towards Raihan with every question, the omega moving backwards at each advance. “Who else knows? Am I the only one who didn’t know?!”
The angry alpha kept firing off questions at the omega. Raihan was unable to answer a single one, eyes wide in terror as his friend yelled at him in a way he’s never done before. This was exactly why he kept it a secret. Out of fear of being lashed out at or unaccepted because of something he had no control over. If he was being honest, Leon scared him right now.
It was all too much to handle. Raihan’s omega hormones were already acting up, combined with Leon's enraged words being thrown at him for answers caused his anxiety to shoot through the roof. His body moved on its own, grabbing his duffel bag and taking off towards the exit.
----
It’s been nearly a week since the exhibition match and the incident in the locker room.
All gym leaders were expected to be ready for the waves of new trainers on the Gym Challenge. Well, not all leaders. Poor Milo was currently taking the brunt of the wave since he was the first gym, but Nessa was close behind. Other leaders like Opal, Melony, Gordie, and Piers had a little more time until challengers would make their way to those gyms. So until then, they would practice with their gym trainers until then. However, one leader in particular was missing.
Raihan.
Word has it around the Galar League that Raihan hasn’t been seen or heard from since the exhibition match. The day after the gyms opened their doors to the new challengers, the dragon tamer was nowhere to be found. His gym trainers figured he was just busy on the first day and didn’t worry about him not showing up; it’s happened before. But as the week went on, they became increasingly worried when he continued to not show and proceeded to contact the Chairman when they couldn’t get a hold of him.
The Chairman did manage to get in contact with Raihan. Rose had never heard the omega sound so down in the dumps. Raihan didn’t exactly tell him what had happened to him, but Rose felt bad for him and told him to close his gym until things got better.
In truth, the omega had been very depressed since the incident. Leon’s bad reaction to finding out his secret hurt him immensely. He was convinced that his best friend hated him now. Ever since he got home from Wyndon stadium, he’d been holed up in the bedroom of his apartment. Barely moving from the bed for a week, ignoring calls and texts.
Nessa was the first person to notice that something wasn’t quite right with Raihan. She knew that he never missed a single day of posting on his social media. While checking her own pages she saw that there was a lack of presence from her fellow gym leader who usually posted no less than three selfies a day. If he was to take a hiatus, he announced it beforehand. The lack of warning and inactivity concerned her.
She called him and texted, never once getting a response after waiting a day. It was then that she decided to reach out to Piers and Leon since she knew they were close friends of his. Piers isn’t on social media much, so he doesn’t notice the disappearance. The dark type gym leader explains that he hasn’t heard from Raihan in a while. Leon on the other hand, is only active on his social platforms from time to time, so he also doesn’t notice the absence. But when Nessa contacts him to ask if he’s heard from his friend and rival, he becomes worried.
The Champion alpha proceeds to call and text Raihan himself, but of course, gets no form of response. He panics, thinking something bad has happened to him. After finishing one of his sponsorship meetings ahead of schedule, he sets off to Hammerlocke from Wyndon on Charizard’s back. As soon as he touches down in front of the omega’s flat, he finds the key hidden underneath the flower pot by the door. With caution, he unlocks the door and enters Raihan’s residence.
The first thing Leon notices is that it's eerily silent. No noise coming from the telly or any music playing from the sound system Raihan is usually blasting. A few steps in and no sign of the man in the kitchen or living room. He carefully makes his way towards the bedroom, mentally preparing himself for the worst. Upon peeking into the bedroom that has very little lighting, he spots the missing man in the form of a lump in the bed. Tipping closer to the edge, lets out a silent sigh of relief when he hears faint snoring.
Oh good. He’s alive at least.
Reaching out, Leon gently nudges one of Raihan’s shoulders. He only gets a whine in response.
“Hey, Raihan. Wake up…”
It takes a few more attempts, but the dragon tamer finally rouses from his slumber. Teal eyes slowly crack themselves open, blinking at the darkness until they adjust enough to register the golden pair looking back.
“Lee…?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Leon’s voice is just above a whisper.
Raihan’s head dropped back down to the mattress. There was a muffled sigh from the man before he gathered enough energy to sit himself up, leaning back against some pillows near the headboard. A long arm reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. Now that there was some actual light to see properly, Leon took in the state of the room.
Empty crisps bags and energy bar wrappers littered the floor, along with tons of bottles that were once filled with water and sports drinks. Clothes and other trainer gear make it impossible to see the floor. Leon has visited Raihan’s apartment more times than he could count, but he’s never seen the place in such a state of disarray. Clearly Raihan hadn’t left his home since the altercation. Hiding away in the dark and barely taking care of himself.
“What are you doing here..?”
“Heard you’ve been M.I.A. for a whole week. I came here to check on you.”
Raihan didn’t say anything, just averted his eyes from Leon’s gaze. That was fine with Leon, he was more concerned with Raihan’s wellbeing. The gym leader didn't look like his normal self
Aside from the disheartened expression he wore, the omega looked very...weak. Judging from the mess overtaking the bedroom, Leon figured that Raihan hadn’t eaten a decent meal since they last saw each other. He noticed that there weren’t any takeaway containers anywhere in the place, so he’d been surviving off snacks. At least he’d been drinking water and stuff, but it still probably wasn’t anywhere near a healthy amount. If this was how Raihan had been neglecting his food intake, he probably did the same hygiene wise.
Leon wanted to help the omega. At least try to get him to eat something. Then he could get to the real reason why he came over in the first place: to apologize. But for now, he let the omega be on his own for a bit.
After fumbling around in Raihan’s kitchen for over an hour, Leon had managed to make some curry. It was a recipe that his mum taught him how to make when he was younger. A couple ingredients were missing since Raihan didn’t have them, but it still tasted pretty good. He put some on a plate and brought it back to the omega.
It took some time, but he was able to convince Raihan to eat. The omega was curled up under one of the many blankets on the bed, grumbling when Leon tried to remove it from him. Eventually, Leon got Raihan to sit up against the headboard again. The gym leader was hesitant about eating the curry, not really wanting to accept the alpha’s offering of food. However, his growling stomach won over his stubbornness and he ate two whole plates of curry.
Surprisingly, it was less of a challenge to convince Raihan to take a nice long bath. Leon helped him to the bathroom and let him start the water while he dug through his closet to find some clean clothes for him. Raihan had regained enough energy to handle himself in the bathroom, so Leon turned his attention to the mess in the gym leader’s room.
First, the Champion cleaned up all of the empty food wrappers and drink bottles. Then he went about gathering all the clothing strewn about the floor. He didn’t know what was clean or dirty, so everything went into the wash. Since he'd learned that his friend was an omega, he figured that the various blankets piled onto the bed were a part of his nest and decided to leave it as it was. The alpha knew that some omegas were picky about their nest and didn’t want them touched by others.
Just as he came back from taking the rubbish to the bins outside, Raihan was out of the bath. Leon got a good look at him as he sat on the bed. Now that he’d eaten and gotten all cleaned up, Raihan looked much better than when he had first arrived. The champ figured that now was the best time to apologize.
“Listen, Raihan…” Leon grabbed the chair from the nearby computer desk and sat a few feet away from the omega. “I’m sorry for how I reacted towards you last week.”
“It’s fine… If I were in your shoes I would’ve been upset too.”
“No, it’s not fine. I yelled at you for something that you had no control over.”
There was a small silence between the two.
Leon was the first to break it. “I just want to know why you didn’t tell me.”
It took a little while for Raihan to gather his thoughts before speaking. “I just never got around to it…”
“You had plenty of chances to tell me though.”
Raihan sighed. “It wasn’t that easy, Lee. Around the time I wanted to tell you, you’d just become the new Champion and were whisked away by Rose. After that, you were too busy with your duties for us to hang out or even have a small chat.” One of Raihan’s hands crept over to one of the many blankets, his fingers anxiously fiddling with the fabric. “Then Rose told me that the public already assumed I was an alpha. So I just kept acting as if I was one.”
Leon shifted his gaze down to the floor, letting Raihan’s words sink in. It was true that once he was crowned the Champion of Galar as a kid, he was suddenly very busy. He remembers having long busy days for weeks and months. Meetings, fan appearances, training, photoshoots, keeping Galar safe… he didn’t have many chances to rest back then. There was a time he recalls wanting to go home to visit his family for a few days, but the Chairman always said that he had duties to attend to. That aside, he could definitely understand from Raihan’s appearance to the public why Rose told him to keep up the “alpha” act.
“I was also...afraid. Afraid that if anyone found out, they wouldn’t accept me. I mean, who expects the region’s strongest gym leader and dragon tamer to be some weak omega? But I was also scared that I would ruin my friendship with you.”
Gold eyes shot up to the omega sitting across from him. Now Leon felt even worse about lashing out at him.
“I had no idea…”
Raihan just shrugged. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”
“Let me make it up to you!” Leon blurted out.
The omega blinked at the other man before shaking his head. “You’ve already done enough by apologizing and helping me earlier. Besides, I’ve already forgiven you.”
Now it was Leon’s turn to shake his head. “That’s not good enough for me. But I promise I will.”
The dragon tamer could only sigh, knowing how stubborn his champion friend was about things like this. “Alright, whatever you want, big guy.”
Leon couldn’t help but chuckle and grin. He was glad that things were back to normal between him and Raihan. It’d take some time, but he would come up with a great way to properly make up things to the omega.
Whatever idea he’d come up with would surely be worth the wait.