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Getting called into Rose’s office was never a good thing.
It made Leon feel like when his mum would catch him sneaking into the tall grass, or the times the local teachers at Wedgehurst Elementary rang the house to tell his parents he’d fallen asleep in class again.
The death march to the top of Rose Tower with Oleana leading the way didn't help.
She refused to look back, or speak to him, which meant she must’ve gotten really bent out of shape about whatever thing had happened. The only sound was the steady clicking of her heels echoing through the hallway as she took long strides - clearly not caring if Leon would keep up. He wished Rose would just message him or something instead of sending his secretary to fetch him like he was a kid that had to be escorted to the Dean. He was turning fifteen in a few weeks, that had to count for something, didn't it?
The tower was so big too, it took forever to get to the top. Maybe that was on purpose, to make people like Leon sweat. He spent the whole time fiddling with the fur on his cape and trying to figure out what he'd done to warrant Oleana showing up while he was in the middle of battle training. Rose knew how important his training time was, but she hadn't seen fit to tell him what was apparently more important.
The only words Oleana had spoken to him were an ominous ‘The Chairman wants to see you. Now.” Her voice was as cold as her expression, and she'd tapped her heels as she waited impatiently by the door for him to clean up. Usually Leon knew what he’d done to warrant the icy shoulder from her, but this time he couldn’t think of anything - he hadn’t made any posts online, hadn’t snuck off to go eat junk food or battle anyone, hadn’t even gotten lost for longer than a half hour before the photoshoot yesterday.
Oleana held the door to Rose’s office open and looked down her nose at Leon like he was a bug type. He kind of hoped he’d have another growth spurt soon - she wouldn’t be able to look down on him like that then. Although knowing her, she’d probably just get taller heels out of spite.
The office was ever unchanging. It was simultaneously too ornate and too minimalistic, with a ridiculously sized desk and gaudy white rose accents all over the room that were lost against white tile flooring and white walls. Rose sat calmly at his desk, in the same rigid pose, sporting the same white suit he wore when Leon first met him. He looked up with the usual corporate smile and Oleana closed the door behind them louder than Leon felt was necessary.
“Ah, Leon, just the person I wanted to see.” The warmth in Rose’s voice wasn’t comforting - he’d sounded just as warm when he’d called Leon in to tell him that he would be working Christmas Day last year. “Come in, have a seat. Can I get you some tea?”
“No thank you.” Leon mumbled as he sat down in the oversized chair on the other side of the desk, even though his hands were already cold and a hot tea would probably be nice. Rose always kept the air conditioning too high, Leon never understood why. But more importantly, he wanted to be here for as little time as possible and a tea would prolong that. “You said you wanted to see me?”
“Straight to business, as always.” Rose chuckled softly and looked over Leon’s shoulder, “I'll have a cup of darjeeling, if you'd be so kind.”
“Of course, sir.”
He knew he shouldn’t, but Leon still rolled his eyes. Rose wasn’t going to get to the point until Oleana brought his damn tea, just like every other time. He knew Leon was coming, he was the one who’d sicced Oleana on him in the first place, why couldn’t he just have the pot at the ready?
“And how is training coming along?” Rose asked while Oleana busied herself on the other end of the room. “Confident you’ll be Champion for another year?”
It’d be better if you didn’t keep interrupting me.
“It's good.” Leon shrugged, and turned his gaze out the oversized window behind Rose where he could see Wyndon Stadium in the distance. What he wouldn’t give to be battling there right now instead of twiddling his thumbs waiting for the man to get on with it. “The bottle caps helped, Charizard’s max speed now so he should outspeed Duraladon next time. Aegislash learned Shadow Ball, so that'll help with my type coverage and I'm hyper training with Haxorus now.”
“Wonderful, it sounds like you’ve got your plan well under way.” And it sounded like Rose didn’t give a toss as he straightened a stack of paperwork before placing it out of the way to make space for his drink. The wait for it was agonizing, but there wasn’t a point in badgering him. Rose would say what he wanted when he was ready and not a minute before, so Leon stewed in silence until Oleana brought the ornate teacup. Rose gave her the same empty smile he’d just turned Leon’s way a few minutes ago. “Perfect,” Oleana sat it in front of him, turning it slightly so the handle faced his right. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Drown under a mountain of preventable scandals, I imagine.” Oleana turned a smug look Leon’s way, like she’d won something. He pulled a quick face back at her but was interrupted when Rose put down his cup with a soft clink and spoke again.
“I'm glad we won't need to put it to the test. But on that note, I think we should get to it.” He turned his attention back to Leon, “I’m sure you're itching to get back to training. I must confess, before all this I'd thought that battling was all that was ever on your mind. Clearly not the case, I see.” Rose heaved a sigh, giving Leon a serious look that made his stomach swoop uncomfortably. That stern look was typically reserved for when he’d made big mistakes, like letting Raihan post a picture of them where Leon was holding the wrong can of soda, or calling a shareholder by the wrong name. “Tell me, do you know why I wanted to speak with you today, Leon?”
That was a trick question.
When he was still 10 and trusted everything that came from the League, he’d fallen for it every time. Rose would ask in that serious voice and Leon would trot out a list of all the things he could think of that he could have possibly done wrong, like a total idiot. He knew better now; even when he didn’t want to, even when it meant he’d get lectured for not caring or paying attention, the right answer was always to shake his head and say “I dunno.”
This time it didn’t seem like the wrong answer, or at least Rose didn't look upset. “Yes, I suppose that is understandable.” He mused, looking out one of the many windows that lined the office. “I wasn't entirely sure if we had made it clear that we have access to your accounts.”
“My accounts?” Leon frowned as he tried to piece together what that had to do with anything, “You mean, like, my bank?”
“That is a part of it, yes.” Rose turned his gaze back to Leon, folding his hands atop the desk as his tea steamed in front of him. “Only until you're 18, of course, to make sure you aren't being taken advantage of financially. Your mother also agrees it’s for the best.”
Yeah right. You probably buried it in 800 other forms and had her sign off on it. That was the Macro Cosmos special, Leon had learned a few years too late.
“But right now I'm talking specifically about your credit card.” Rose said it very significantly, as if Leon should understand what he meant from just that. “The one you used last month to order some…shall we say, hotel amenities?”
Rose raised both his eyebrows at that, managing to sound both disapproving and amused. Leon continued to wrack his brain, trying to come up with what he had ordered to his credit card from a hotel of all places. Normally everything from the hotel got expensed to the League at the end of his stay, so it was weird he would break out the plastic. He barely used even the credit card at all, it was only when he wanted something on the fly or he didn't want to have to explain it in the expense reports. What was the last thing he had-
Oh no. No, no, no, no.
Leon felt the blood drain from his face as it hit him.
It couldn't be, could it? How could they possibly know about that? He’d ordered it to his - well, Rose had just said they saw it on Leon's credit card bill, so that explained that - but why were they checking it in the first place? Moreover, why did they even care? Unless…was it his age? Or worse, could they see the titles? Did they have a way of knowing what words he’d searched? Was that even possible?
Leon tried to give some kind of excuse, but he couldn’t come up with any words that sounded right, so he just kept opening and closing his mouth without saying anything, like a dying magicarp.
Rose’s pointed look and the quiet mmhmm he gave added insult to the injury, and Leon felt his face burn as hot as a Centiskorch.
“I-uh, it…” Leon coughed awkwardly, unable to look at Rose. He cast his eyes nervously around the office as if there was something that could help him. “...was an accident.”
“You accidentally ordered four different pornos in one night?” Oleana asked snidely from where she loomed behind Leon, and he slunk further down into the plush chair, wishing it would swallow him whole.
“...yes?”
“Oh, Leon.” The admonishment had dropped from Rose’s expression, leaving behind only pity and amusement, though Leon was sure the judgment would return soon enough. “There’s no sense in lying to us about it. We can see the charges. And besides, you’re a healthy young man, it’s perfectly normal. I’m not here to tell you how you're allowed to…unwind when you’re in private.”
Then why am I here? He wanted to scream and didn’t. Screaming at the Chairman had never ended well for him the rare few times he had.
“But it’s precisely that need for your privacy to be maintained that has us so concerned.” The stern look was back. “We’re not the only people who have access to your bills, you know. What if a member of the Hotel staff had decided to get curious about the pay-per-view order to the Champion’s room? Or if someone at the bank wanted to take a peek at how a celebrity spends his money?” Rose picked up a piece of paper to read off of. “I don’t think Barebacking Boys II - Cumming for Glory is exactly the image you’re looking to project, is it?”
Hearing the words spoken out loud, enunciated perfectly and in Rose’s posh accent while Oleana’s stare burned a hole in the back of his head, Leon couldn’t help groaning and hiding his face in his hands. He knew he wasn’t supposed to (“A Champion doesn’t hide, Leon”) but he couldn’t look at them. Not now that he knew that they knew exactly what kind of porn he had bought in a feverish, horny craze after his last exhibition match. The thought of anyone else knowing was even more mortifying.
“Look at me, Leon.” Leon shook his head and contemplated what it would cost to break his contract and quit right then and there (he didn’t mean it, wouldn’t quit for anything in the world, really, but he’d never been so tempted). “Come now, don't be ridiculous. I've already told you I’m not upset, and Oleana was kind enough to wipe this whole mess from the records. But if you’re mature enough to be ordering adult films, then I think you’re mature enough to discuss it like an adult.”
He looked up from his hands at Rose, painfully aware of how childish he probably seemed. Leon was a public figure for the whole country; he couldn’t go around acting like Hop with his hand in the cookie jar, pretending if he couldn’t see Rose then Rose wouldn’t see him. He was almost fifteen for fuck’s sake, surely he could talk about porn, right? That was probably what the other kids his age talked about (not that Leon would know, and never mind that they probably weren’t chatting about it with their boss).
“I'm sorry.” It was all he could think to say as he straightened himself out in the chair and tried to look like he knew how to handle the conversation. He could do this, he was the Champion and there was no way he was the first Champion to enjoy a porno or four. “It won't happen again.”
“The only thing to apologize for is a lack of discretion. And now that you are aware of it, I’m certain it won’t be an issue.” At least Rose seemed satisfied with that. “There’s plenty of free and properly private content to be had that should meet your needs. If you’re having trouble finding something suitable, I can always have Oleana direct you to some more secure avenues.”
Leon would die first.
“All of this has, however, brought something else to light that I think may be rather more of a concern.” Rose was staring at him even more intensely, and the dread began to pool in Leon’s stomach again. Apparently they weren't done yet, and considering Rose knew the titles of the movies, Leon had an unfortunate idea where the conversation was going. “Given the…specific nature of these films, I can’t help but wonder. It's never occurred to me to ask before, which I suppose is my own fault, but I’d never had an indication such might be the case. Perhaps your fascination with your rival, but that’s hardly uncommon for a trainer your age.”
God, Leon wished Rose would get to it. He could feel the impending question hanging in the air like a guillotine, and gritted his teeth as he waited for it to drop.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you homosexual, Leon?”
There it was.
“I don't think I should have to answer that.” He forced himself to keep looking at the Chairman as his heart rate spiked. He’d had this answer at the ready at least, had for a while. “It doesn’t matter who I fancy, that has nothing to do with my being the Champion.”
Maybe it was evasive, or cowardly, but it was also the truth. All he had to do was keep it separate from his job and none of it had to matter, right? There was no reason he should need to answer a question that personal when he didn't know what he wanted to say.
The messy truth was, Leon still wasn't sure what to do with the tangled knots of feelings that had come bundled with the realization that he didn’t just want to be the cool, former Champions who he’d watched on television. He hadn't talked to anyone about when it finally clicked that this was why he'd never wanted to fawn over Sonia the same way the other boys in Wedgehurst did. And he would take to his grave the way he’d felt walking on the pitch last month and coming face to face with Raihan after the crazy growth spurt that left his legs so, so long.
“That's not for you to decide.” Oleana snapped, her words pulling Leon out his thoughts.
Rose waved a hand nonchalantly, “It's quite alright, I'm not bothered by a fair question.” He said, even though Leon hadn't asked a question. “To answer you, Leon, it very much does matter. You’re not just trying to be any old Champion, you want to be the greatest of them all. You told me your dream was to be an inspiration to all Galarian trainers. Did you honestly think your public image wouldn’t play a role in that?”
Leon sat silent as Rose pushed his protest aside just as easily as his unfinished tea. “Now I don’t want you to get me wrong, I have nothing against homosexuality. In fact, I, myself, am a proud supporter of Galar’s LGBTQIA plus community.” Rose said the acronym as smoothly as anything, not missing a beat the way Leon knew he would have. “Did I ever tell you one of my nieces used to be my nephew?”
Leon shook his head. Rose had definitely never brought that up. In fact, he had never mentioned that he had nieces at all, or even a sibling for that matter.
“She's doing quite well for herself these days, a shame the same can't be said of her Father. The point is, I want to support you, not tear you down for being who you are. With that being said,” and here it came, the dreaded caveat that followed all of Rose’s platitudes, “What I think and what the world at large thinks, are two very different things. That’s why it’s important for us to be proactive in these matters.”
“Right.” Because that was what was most important about Leon's sexuality crisis, what “the world” thought.
“Should I take it by your lack of an answer that you’re not, in fact, heterosexual? Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.” Rose spoke mildly, like he was asking if Leon preferred vanilla or chocolate. When Leon didn't answer he continued. “Though, I do suppose it doesn't mean you must be homosexual, you could always be bisexual. Or pansexual, perhaps? I'll admit, I never quite understood the difference.”
Leon’s guts churned with the knowledge that he wasn’t getting out of this without answering. He didn’t want to, wasn’t ready. The last thing he'd expected today was to get forced out of the closet - much less to have to explain the details of it to his boss. He hadn't even told his mum, or Sonia, or Hop, or any of the handful of other people he might be alright with knowing. But Rose wasn't the kind of guy who cared about petty things like being ready, and while he might not judge Leon for it, he was probably already calculating where Leon liking boys fell on the profits and losses spreadsheet.
It was fine, Leon told himself sternly. He was here now, he was the Champion and he had always known he was going to need to make sacrifices - what was coming out on his own terms in comparison to his dream? Rose was right - he was always bloody right - Leon’s image was a part of being an inspiration. Of course it was, it would be stupid to ignore the impact his sexuality could have on that. The Chairman had taken him this far, made him the most popular Champion the League had ever had, and he’d promised they could go even further. If becoming “The Best" meant Leon had to crack this part of his heart open to be manipulated into palatability, just like the rest of him, then was that really such a great price to pay?
He took a deep breath, imagining he was on the pitch in front of a Giantimax attack, a line of steel spikes careening towards him that he couldn’t flinch from, and braced for impact.
“I'm…gay.” It felt horribly weird saying it out loud for the first time in this sterile office, “Just that. I guess.”
“You guess?” Oleana asked acridly and Leon turned to give her a glare that she gave right back. He doubted her problem was so much with his sexuality as it was with the fact that it might cause trouble for the Chairman - another way Leon existed as a nuisance to her and the League.
“Now, now, Oleana, let's not tease the poor boy. It takes a great deal of courage to admit these things.” That hadn't sounded like teasing to him, and Leon hadn't admitted to it because he was being brave, but Rose ploughed on without waiting for a response. “Thank you, for trusting me with that. Your honesty makes this much easier to work with. And I want you to know nothing we've talked about today will leave this office.”
It was a bit late to trot that out, wasn't it? Still, he supposed it was nice to know Rose wouldn't ring his nan the moment he was out of earshot to bring up the gay porn. “Thanks.” He took a deep breath and added, “I haven’t…told anyone, yet.”
“I see, that’s good to know.” Rose nodded and the abject approval in his tone made Leon’s hands twitch, “Do you plan to?”
Leon glanced up to try and gauge Rose’s reaction, but his amiable smile betrayed no emotion one way or the other. “I…” Leon’s voice trailed off, a lump of anxiety forming in his throat as he tried to come up with the answer.
Part of him wanted to say no. He was sure that was the answer Rose wanted to hear, certainly the one Oleana would want. It wouldn't be the worst thing; Leon would simply never tell another soul, keep this controversial side of himself under wraps and could go about life the easy way. His mum already believed him when he told her he was too busy to think about girls, Hop couldn't care less about romance and Leon barely even got a minute to talk to Sonia. It might not work forever, but it probably would for a while. Besides, Leon really was too busy for dating: who would want to date someone that needed to train their team 40 hours a week and spent just as long in front of the cameras? Even if Leon had the time, the thought of wading through people he didn't know trying to find someone who would care about him and not his title made him feel mildly ill.
And yet, despite it all, the thought of never telling anyone felt so wrong. Like who he was wasn't good enough, so he had to cut this part of himself out and hide it away like a dirty little secret. Sure, he didn't want to have to face the media interrogation about it, didn't want the whispers behind his back, but he didn't want to hide either. He couldn't help but think that if the people he cared about the most were on his side, then no matter what anyone else thought it wouldn't be so bad. And maybe, if he got lucky, he might find someone who felt the same way. Someone who wanted to stay at Leon's side, to laugh around the apartment, to play with their pokemon together…it was a nice thought to hang onto. Surely, he deserved that much.
“I mean, eventually, yeah.” Leon shrugged as he spoke, scanning Rose’s face to try and parse his reaction, “Probably. Mum will want to know, at least.”
“Naturally.” Rose nodded before taking a slow sip of his tea, but not breaking eye contact. His eyes were steely, calculating, “Your mother has proved quite adept with discretion, I'm not concerned she would spread any rumours.” Adept with discretion was a funny way of saying she’d signed a restrictive NDA and was bed bound often enough she didn’t have many people to gossip with in the first place. “I trust you to keep things quiet if that’s what you would like, but I’m more wondering if you’re looking to come out publicly at some point.”
Rose leaned back in his chair, a quiet creak from the furniture as he adjusted his legs, still staring down Leon all the while. “If that’s the case, we need to know so that we can help you. I can arrange for it to be done on your terms, in the kindest possible way. An interview on a sympathetic talk show, perhaps, while you’re still young and single, to get ahead of any rumours. A shame that June just passed, but there’s always next year provided you’re patient enough to wait for it. There are quite a few outlets that would ensure it was seen positively, as a celebration of who you are.”
That was…unexpected.
Leon sat up a little straighter, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He wasn’t stupid, Rose’s words had publicity stunt written all over them, but still a bubble of hope swelled in his chest at the thought that it didn’t have to be a bad thing. Rose was actually offering to help, to make it something viable-
“That won’t stop the worst of it, of course.” The light feeling in Leon's chest turned heavy as Rose went on. “You’ll lose a some sponsors, League stocks will devalue temporarily, and there may be pushback from outside of the League to have you let go. All very manageable, nothing to worry about. But what I do think you should consider is if this conflicts with your future goals.”
Leon frowned: his ‘future goals’ - the ones he had to write on the ridiculous quarterly performance reviews - hadn’t changed since he was ten, and he was pretty sure being gay didn’t conflict with being the ‘Greatest Trainer in Galar’.
“As you know, in the League we’ve talked quite a bit about the future and legacy and what that means for all of us. There are our macro legacies, how eras of the Galarian Pokemon League will be remembered, but we must also consider our micro legacies - the personal mark one leaves on history.” Rose continued, getting into what was obviously the meat of his speech, and if Leon were less nervous he might’ve rolled his eyes. Rose was always on about ‘legacy’, the man was obsessed with it. He held conferences centred around it, baked it into the motto of Macro Cosmos and forced everyone in the League to do stupid online training tests about it that Leon tended to fail. “You've always presented a rather clear idea of the micro legacy you want, which is fantastic I might add, and we’ve tailored your training to meet those goals. I think you’re well on the way to achieving what you've set out to do, and believe me when I say there are very few people that can say that, myself included. Which is what makes this all rather difficult.”
Rose sighed morosely, toying with the edge of his nearly empty tea, and Leon couldn't tell if it was genuine. “While I wholeheartedly support you in whatever you choose, should it be to come out publicly or to maintain your privacy, I think it’s important to remember that your decision could have a huge impact on your personal legacy. Are you aware that there has never been an openly gay Champion before? I don’t mean in Galar, I mean worldwide.”
That couldn’t be right, could it? Leon wracked his brain, he was sure he’d heard of someone before. It hadn't been in the nicest of contexts, his grandfather making a joke about how there were actually two fairy type Champions, but he'd still mentioned it. “Wasn’t there one in Hoenn?”
“In Hoenn? Do you mean Wallace?” Rose raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, “I’m afraid not. There were quite a few rumours, true, but Wallace has never come out as anything but a lover of fashion and contests.” The Chairman paused a moment, running a manicured finger along his neatly trimmed beard. “Say, Leon, do you happen to remember which pokemon were on Wallace’s Championship team?”
“Ah, that's…” Leon stopped, startled by the change in topic and trying to remember, but it was coming up as a blank, “He had water types, I think?”
“Yes, but do you know which ones they were?”
Leon shook his head, resigning himself to looking dumb yet again.
“I see. Well, how about Red?” Rose asked.
“Charizard, of course!” Leon perked up again, the team emblazoned into his memory. He remembered seeing the finals match for the first time and falling in love with it all: The intensity of the battle, the glory of Red's triumph over his infamous rival, and the majestic fire pokemon who had cinched his victory. That was the day Leon had run all the way to Professor Magnolia's house and begged her for a Charmander until his mum came to pick him up. “And for the first Championship team Red also had Pikachu, Venusaur, Blastoise, Lapras and Snorlax.”
Rose chuckled, “Maybe that one was a bit too easy, I know you're a fan of his. How about Cynthia’s, do you know who her ace was?”
“Garchomp.” The answer came before Leon even thought about it, before he questioned where Rose was going with any of it. “She also has Lucario, Spiritomb, Milotic and she switches out the others I think.”
“That she does. She’s well known for being one of the fiercest Champions the world has ever seen, and many consider Red to be the greatest trainer who ever lived. That is their legacy.” Leon nodded with Rose on that, “I wonder, what do you think Wallace’s legacy will be?”
Oh, Leon realized suddenly, a leaden weight in the pit of his stomach. So that was what Rose was getting at.
“Wallace is an excellent trainer, you know.” Rose assured him, voice even, when Leon didn’t answer, “His match against Steven was something to behold. A water type specialist with a Luvdisc on his team taking down a steel type Champion. Even with water resisting steel typing, it’s absolutely unheard of. He’s a brilliant strategist, a master coordinator, and an accomplished Gym Leader - a Champion just like any other. And yet, merely by the virtue of him dressing a little flamboyantly, he gets to be remembered as ‘the Champion from Hoenn who is probably gay’.”
Leon looked down at his hands, guilt burning in the back of his throat as the realization sunk in. He never had never bothered learning much about Wallace, or about any of the other Champions who didn’t hold the same prestige as the ones he looked up to. Sure, Leon knew well enough about Steel Peony, and the other more obscure Galarian Champions, but internationally he’d focused on the ones he thought were (important, strong, admirable, popular, cool) the kind of person Leon wanted to be. Wallace hadn't fit that mold.
“How do you want people to remember you, Leon?”
Rose needn't have asked, they both knew the answer. Leon had said it a hundred times before: in his interviews, in his performance reviews, in his pre-battle speeches. The answer hadn't changed, probably never would.
“I want people to remember my battles.” All of the stupid lectures on legacy floated on the surface of his thoughts, like oil on water. “I want to have the best battles Galar’s ever seen and I want the rest of the world to see them too.”
It was all he’d ever wanted.
Rose smiled the smile that said Leon had given the correct answer. “And you’re doing a fine job of it, I couldn't be prouder of what you've accomplished. You will make history.”
Rose stood from his chair calmly, turning an eye out his window towards Wyndon Stadium and clasping his hands behind his back primly. “But what kind of history you make is up to you. Make no mistake about it, history loves a first. The first woman, the first person of colour, the youngest ever. There’s nothing wrong with being remembered for it, representation can be a beautiful thing if that’s what you want to be. I’m sure you’d inspire a great many LGBTQIA plus youth if you were to become the first openly gay Champion in history. But I don’t want you to go into it ignorant that if you do, it won’t be your battles that will remain as your legacy.” Rose turned to stare down at Leon, that smile turning cold and his eyes unflinching. “So you need to ask yourself, Leon: do you want to go down in history as Galar’s greatest Champion or as its gayest?”
As if it was even a choice.
“I…” Leon looked down at his lap again, as if it would help him answer as the silence grew thicker and more oppressive. He could feel the eyes of Oleana and the Chairman on him, and he shut his eyes when he felt them sting (stupid - Champions didn’t cry. Not about stupid things like this, not when they knew what they had to do). “I want to be the greatest trainer in the world. It’s not like I even care about dating or whatever, I just was-I dunno. But I…I don’t want to come out, not publicly.” The words tasted like ash in his mouth, “Don't tell anyone. Please.”
Rose leaned over to place a hand on Leon’s shoulder, warm even through the athletic shirt he wore, and it was kind of awful that it was a comfort. “Of course, if that’s what you think is best.” The hand squeezed his shoulder once before letting go, gentle as ever. “I respect your choice, Leon. And please remember, we’re here to support you.”
Right, Leon thought over and over again through the haze that was the rest of the conversation, the bland promises to be more discreet, the empty encouragement Rose gave and the silent judgement of his secretary. He bore it with a static permeating his thoughts, until he could finally pack up and go back to his pokemon.
Sure, he thought as he tried to go through the motions so halfheartedly that Charizard stopped mid strike to turn around and start nuzzling his face gently, wuffing warm breaths into his hair until Leon gave in and sat there hugging his neck for the rest of training time.
Of course, he told himself as he spent hours in the hotel scrolling through the Hoenn forums and reading the worst words humanity had to offer about a man whose biggest crime was dressing and acting as he pleased.
How good of them to respect Leon’s choice.