Chapter Text
Purple hair danced as fingers twirled through it as soft breathes slowly raised. Closed eyes hide beneath messy bangs as Leon’s frame sprawled over the bed. His face burrowed into Raihan’s shirt as an arm laid over him. Outside of the window, Murkrow were flying in the sky, some coming from the direction of Valor Lakefront.
The vacation was just what they needed. Sinnoh was a lovely region. Better than Raihan initially thought. The lakefronts were gorgeous, scenic and full of like. And Raihan was certain they saw one of the legendary Lake Guardians. Azelf, if he recalled correctly.
The battles at the hotel were a fun break from Gym battles. They even challenge a few gym leaders unofficially for fun. It also showed how the Sinnoh’s leaders differed from Galar’s. Everyone seemed to have fun, even if they were beaten, and the smile on Leon’s face was worth it.
Leon introduced Raihan to Cynthia. Who, despite appearing regal and much more intimidating than Leon, was actually really nice and down to earth. She didn’t have a smug ego, despite her title as champion, and she seemed to enjoy spending time with them. And when they visited the ruins in Celetic Town, Cynthia kind of reminded Raihan of Sonia with how well versed and intrigued she was with Sinnoh’s legends. She even offered to show them the Spear Pillars, where Palkia and Diaga frequented. And though they would not get to see the famed legends of time and space, it was an engrossing visit.
All in all, it was an eventful vacation. Seeing Leon smile after the trauma he had gone through and revealed was all that Raihan could ask for. Raihan was a bit sad that it was coming to a close in the morning. Maybe, he could convince Leon to coming back for another vacation in the near future.
Yet, despite the relaxed peace and finally getting a much needed break for the both of them, Raihan couldn’t sleep. As he continued to lightly run his hand through Leon’s hair, blue eyes were gazing at the ceiling. His mind was restless and wandered back to what occurred before they left. The night terrors and the trauma Leon had been holding onto.
Leon was starting to get help. He got to a consultation before they left, which confirmed that Leon has depression and most likely has PTSD because of the Eternatus battle and how things went down with Rose. Though they wanted to do a few more tests to be certain.
Raihan was glad the road to recovery started, completely understanding, and mentally prepared for, the bumps they would hit along the way. Smooth progress wasn’t going to be a guarantee and he knew that. However, Raihan felt as though he wasn’t doing enough. That he needed to do something more.
Rose needed to face justice. For more than just reigniting the Darkest Day. Or at the very least, closure. Questions needed to be answered and Leon needed to know if Rose regretted any of it.
Of course, Raihan wasn’t going to put Leon through anything this soon. He wasn’t ready. Raihan didn’t even want Leon to visit Rose in jail. However, Rose wasn’t off the hook either.
A squeak escaped Leon as he shuffled slightly. His breathing picked up as amber eyes slowly creaked open. Rubbing his eyes, Leon pushed himself up a little. Yawning, he looked at Raihan, tired, but concerned.
“What are you doing up?” Leon asked.
“I’m not tired.” Raihan sighed, brushing a few strands of bangs aside.
Leon tried to roll off of Raihan. “Sorry.”
An arm wrapped around Leon’s waist, keeping him where he was. “Don’t be. You need sleep and I’m comfortable.”
Leon nodded, shuffling slightly. He wrapped his arms around Raihan. Burying his face in Raihan’s shoulder, Leon fell asleep.
“Rest easy, Leon.”
~
Raihan was the first one up. Having already done most of the needed packing, outside of needing to pack the pajamas Leon was currently wearing, he was brewing coffee for the two of them. He had managed to fall asleep for about an hour or two, but got up because he was feeling restless.
Their flight wasn’t for a few hours, so he wasn’t in a rush. Checking his phone, he had a notification. It had a date and time on it that needed filling. He sent a response, hearing movement from the other room.
Leon, now dressed, emerged from the bedroom. He packed his pajamas in his suitcase before joining Raihan at the table. Yawning, he smiled at Raihan.
“Sleep well?” Raihan inquired.
Leon nodded. “Mhm. Did you get any?”
“For a couple hours, yeah.”
“Good.” Leon took a sip of coffee. “I was worried.”
Smiling, Raihan held his hand. “Don’t worry too much. I can’t have you going grey this young.”
Leon chuckled. “But I’d look so cute grey. Like a little old man.”
Raihan snorted. “If you’re little, I must be tiny.”
They spend the next hour getting breakfast and heading to the airport. Their flight was one of the first and they got back to Galar at a reasonable time.
It only took a few hours to get to Galar, and though they loved being in Sinnoh, being home felt nice. For the rest of the day unpacking and relaxing. With no obligations, there was nothing to stress over. No need to rush.
Two Days Later
“I shouldn’t be gone long.” Raihan stated. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
“Of course.” Leon confirmed. “Ma’s going to be stopping by and Sonia wanted to do a routine check up on Charizard. They’ll keep me busy while you’re gone.”
“Good.” Raihan kissed Leon’s forehead. “Don’t do anything too crazy.”
~
Wyndon Penitentiary. Raihan didn’t want to be here, but he had to. For one reason and one reason only.
Going through the proper clearances, he was brought to a room where visitations were held. He took a seat as one of the guards went to get who he was visiting. Raihan was a but anxious about this visit.
He didn’t tell Leon he was here or who he was visiting. Just that he was looking to meet with someone. Lying to Leon like that hurt. But, at the same time, Raihan was doing this on behalf of Leon in an attempt to help him without stunting his progress this soon. Raihan would tell Leon about this, when he was in a good mindset. That much, Raihan was sure of.
“Of all the people to visit me, you are at the bottom of my list.” Rose stated, as he was ushered to the table by two guards and sat down. “Tell me, where’s Leon? I do miss him.”