Fangs (Leon x Raihan)

Chapter 4

Raihan woke up to find Sonia curled on the couch behind him. Immediately, the embarrassment of the previous day came rushing back. He felt like taking a blanket and hiding all day. It was still a gym challenge day, but he figured he was owed some time off. He called his gym manager and requested some time off. He didn't take no for an answer. Instead of hiding though, he found himself leaving the flat for any answers he could find, and he figured the best place to get that would be Postwick to talk to Hop. And maybe Leon too.

Leon was careful not to bring up the subject of Raihan or anything close to him with Hop. During breakfast, Hop talked about his rivals Gloria, Marnie, and Bede. They were all almost done with the gym challenge except for Bede, who had been taken out in Stow-On-Side for destroying some ancient murals. Leon was honestly intimidated by those young people, especially Gloria- she was a spitfire and had some really powerful Pokémon with her like a Golisopod and a Gengar.

Raihan stood in front of the door and listened to the bustle of the small home through the door. No matter what he told himself, he couldn't bring himself to knock. Leon and Hop were inside enjoying themselves while he stood at the door like an intruder. He raised his hand to the door and just as soon lowered it again. At least it wasn't raining like it had been in the morning. Raihan hated rain even more than he hated getting caught off guard, and he hadn't brought an umbrella. He wondered if he'd be there all day until a little Wooloo came up and knocked into him, bleating loudly. "Aww, hey little guy!" he said. The Wooloo was so cute he couldn't stop himself from petting it. He heard a soft click from behind him and realized how loud the Wooloo was being. "Who's here? I wanna see!" Hop shouted from behind him. Raihan turned around slowly to see Leon in the doorway looking down.

Leon was inside when the Wooloo started bleating. "Better than a door alarm, that one," said Hop as he moved to open the door. Leon had a feeling he knew who was out there and quickly moved to block the door. "Hey!" Hop shouted. "I was gonna get that!" The Wooloo bleated louder and more frantically. It wasn't to be avoided. He reached out and opened the door. Just as he'd suspected, Raihan was there petting the Wooloo. Leon watched Raihan turn around and blink a couple times. He knew Raihan was waiting to get kicked out. Instead, Leon moved out of the way and let Hop invite him in.

Raihan couldn't believe he was inside, if not welcome. He was sure that this was not how this was supposed to go, but nonetheless he was at the table with Leon and Hop, eating waffles and berries. Nobody said anything to break the awkward and heavy silence. Even more strange was the fact that Hop hadn't spoken yet. In all the twelve years Raihan had known him, he'd never stopped talking for a second. On cue, Hop spoke. "What's going on, you two? I'm waiting for you lot to bloody talk as I sit here. What'd you do, choke on a Leppa Berry?" Raihan almost laughed. "Actually, there's nothing going on," Leon said. "Really-" "Ah-ah, Lee. Don't lie to me. You haven't said a word to Raihan and he's your best friend- uh- rival you've ever had," Hop interrupted. "If you won't tell me, he will." Hop looked expectantly at Raihan and he blushed. Leon was waving his hands with the obvious message of 'no-no-no-stop it'. "C-can we talk about it later?" he mumbled. Later meant never, but at least Hop stopped bugging him.

Leon was internally panicking. Surely Raihan wouldn't actually tell Hop anything, not when Hop had problems of his own. What was there to tell? Nothing, except for everything leading from the not-date to present. Leon realized that Hop was looking at him funny. He looked down at his plate and saw his own hands shaking. He quickly stilled them and looked back at Hop as if daring him to say something, but Hop just went back to his waffles. Leon had no appetite though, and excused himself upstairs. He sat on his bed and, to prevent more embarrassing thoughts from coming, pulled out his phone.

Raihan finished his waffles soon after Leon left. Hop talked about his rival and how he was going to beat the finalists, and Raihan nodded politely when necessary. As the conversation trailed on, he hoped for something to happen. Eventually Hop paused and inhaled. "So," Hop said. Raihan cringed. "Do you like her?" "Her?" Raihan questioned, relieved. "Sonia, you daft," said Hop. "Hah, no. Not her. I'm not even sure who I do like." Well, I am, but Hop wouldn't like it. "Mmm. Well, does Lee like her?" asked Hop. Raihan wondered about that too. He'd never had any evidence to support, but also none to contradict. Sonia was very good-looking, just not attractive to him. "I... don't know. He was really unclear." he eventually said.

"Oh, okay. Maybe if I ask him he'll tell me," Hop said. "Why are you so interested?" Raihan replied. "Because you haven't been acting yourself and neither has Lee. I figured you were fighting over some girl or something- you haven't talked to each other in a while." Raihan almost laughed. Hop's analyzing his feelings was on point and yet, ridiculously misguided. "No, as far as I know he's not mad at me for liking Sonia," he said. "But, he is mad at you for something," said Hop. "He didn't say anything to you during our breakfast." Raihan tries to smile, but it doesn't come. All he can do is grimace, showing his fangs slightly. "Everything's fine. We're fine." Hop looks at him with a suspicious smirk on his face. "Alright then I'll go get him and you two have a battle. I want to see you fight!" Raihan smiled for real this time. A good battle, now that's something he hadn't seen in a while, and even if Leon was going to hate him forever, he couldn't resist a good battle.

How is it possible to be so bored and yet have so much to do, so much to think about? Leon scrolled through old PokeGram posts. He almost laughed when he saw a sweet photo of Sonia learning to make curry- he remembered that well. She would explode the kitchen and Raihan would have to help them clean up... Just thinking of Raihan brought a sour taste to his mouth. He might not know everything, but he knew that the embrace they shared, however unwillingly, meant something more than friends. "Hey! Lee! C'mere!" Hop shouted from downstairs. "Yeah!" Leon shouted, not willing to move. "Don't make me come up there!" Hop yelled. "Okay, okay," he muttered under his breath and stood up from the bed. He walked as slowly as he could downstairs, hoping that Raihan had left. No luck- he stood next to Hop in the house's entry hall. "I wanted to see you an' Rai battle!" Hop smiled with that infectious childish enthusiasm. "Come on before he has to go back to Hammerlocke!" Now of all times, Hop? I can't refuse my little brother. "Okay, I guess. But then he really has to go." The sooner Raihan gets out of here, the better.