Wheedle (ch 2)

⚠️⚠️Content warning! Please read first!⚠️⚠️

This story involves mpreg (tmpreg, unmentioned.) and vomit mentions, but also dark subject matter, such as mental abuse and more. I don’t want to give away spoilers but I also don’t want anyone to come across content that may be triggering for them, so if there is any chance any dark topics at all might be hard for you, please skip over this story.

This is a bit of a long story, a lot of which has been written when I needed to vent. So please expect a fair amount of angsty and self indulgent dialogue.

———

Leon groaned, swiping the message away without responding, as he usually did.

“Hey, Rotom,” he mumbled, waiting for his phone to blip in acknowledgement. “Set me three alarms. 6:00 am, 6:15 am, and 6:30 am.”

His phone chirped and buzzed, before confirming the alarms. If only he’d had a rotom phone when he was younger. Oh, how he was penalized for missing interviews at 15 years old because he couldn’t bother to learn how to use the alarm on a digital radio clock. The more alarms he set, the more likely he was able to get up in time.

Then, as usual when it came to worrying about sleeping through his alarms, Leon found himself waking up at 5:50 anyways, sick to his stomach. He knew better at that point than to push the feeling away, so he begrudgingly rolled himself out of bed to spend the next half hour in the bathroom, urging himself to be sick so he could have it done and over with. He didn’t want to imagine the embarrassment of being sick in front of a camera crew, of all people.

Hammerlocke was one of the few cities in Galar that succumbed to autumn midway through summer. Leon knew fully well from the 20 degrees portrayed on his apartment’s thermostat that he should be chilly- but the heat radiating from his face and neck had him spending his last ten minutes of free time with his head shoved into the refrigerator. He would wear light clothing, yet something nice… maybe a silken button up. Rose wouldn’t mind if he wore his hair up, right?

Just the act of dressing himself and tying his hair up had him hot and nauseated all over again, but the brisk breeze as he stepped outside was welcomed and relieving. He knew his way good and fine from his apartment to the gym, but he could always comically blame his terrible sense of direction if he showed up a moment late. It was sort of his trademark at that point- and it wasn’t even a joke. Sold Rose a lot of GPS systems.

Although he really did consider lurking around for a few extra minutes, he accidentally entered Oleana’s scanning sight at 7 on the dot. Rose was glad to see him, as usual, but Oleana looked disgusted.

“What on earth are you wearing?” She asked, and Leon looked down at himself.

“Rose told me to dress nice?” He tested, and Oleana only looked slightly less concerned. “It’s not casual, and it’s not over the top. He gave me this shirt.”

“Your hair looks ridiculous tied up. That was my point,” Oleana said, and Rose hummed.

“I think it looks fine,” he said, tapping his fingers on his chin while Leon stood awkwardly like a child’s dress up doll.

“Leon’s image has always had his hair down, sir. Don’t you think it odd for him to change it suddenly?” Oleana asked, puffing her chest up to further her stature. Rose cocked his head thoughtfully, and Leon grimaced.

“But I’m so warm-“

“Oleana’s right. It is slightly odd looking, now that I think about it. You can put it back up after the interview if you must,” Rose said. Leon narrowed his eyes, but ultimately reached up to yank the ponytail out of his hair. His hair was long and thick, and he already felt ten degrees hotter as soon as it laid over his back. Oleana reached forward to affix a few strands of hair over his shoulders, smoothing out the bump from his elastic. Leon didn’t even bother to pull away from her anymore.

“I will schedule an appointment to get your hair trimmed,” she mumbled as she nitpicked every stray strand of hair. He mentally begged the interviewer to show up quicker, but fifteen minutes felt like hours until they did.

It was going well, Leon thought to himself as he kept himself from yawning even once as he spoke. He was distracted enough that he didn’t feel nauseous, and the woman asking him questions was sweet and entertaining. Which was a shame- because the news topics she was asking him questions on were boring to all corners of hell.

Just as he thought he was done. The interviewer had thanked him for his time, and he was a heartbeat from thanking her in return, when Oleana pushed herself in beside him, wrapping her arm in a false buddy-buddy fashion around his shoulders.

“And, while we’re on live,” she said, her tone laced with synthetic sugar and a smile on her face. “Leon, why don’t you tell them your news?”

Leon froze, looking up at her both quizzically and with complete appallment. The interviewer and her cameraman mirrored his look.

“My- my news?” He stammered, his heartbeat racing into his fingertips as he attempted to prevent what he knew was about to happen. Oleana only smiled brighter.

“Yes, your news!”

Leon had never been so mortified in his life when Oleana reached down to place her hand gingerly over the developing swell of his stomach. It didn’t even show through his shirt until she touched it- then it was awfully obvious that he wasn’t as slim as he was a few weeks prior.

For a moment, Leon was so taken aback that he couldn’t even force up an act for the camera. Was it live? Were people seeing that right then? He jerked back, running a nervous hand up through his bangs to laugh cautiously. He must have made a pleading look towards the camera when the interviewer pushed her way back in front of Leon and Oleana.

“And what news that is!” She said, forcing the spotlight on herself. That wasn’t exactly an escape route for Leon, but he took it nonetheless. He darted away from the camera and out of the gym hall, not even bothering to heed the undertone of murderous intent in Oleana’s expression. “We will have to follow up on that when our champion isn’t so tired. That’s a story for the afternoon folk! This is Gillian with p-“

When Leon could no longer hear the woman speaking, he realized what he had done. Rose was going to kill him- that is, if he didn’t die of embarrassment first. He had no idea where he was running- but he kept going. Hammerlocke was a big city; he was bound to find a safe place to curl into a ball and hide for at least a few minutes.

His phone buzzed in his back pocket as he continued to run, and it took all of his strength to pull it out and glance at the caller. Thank Arceus- it was Raihan.

“Leon! Are you running still?!” He asked before Leon even had the chance to say hello.

“Y-yes,” he huffed. “I don’t know where I am. They’re going to bloody murder me!”

“Turn your phone off. I’ll find you,” Raihan directed and hung up. Leon had no idea how the hell that man could find his way anywhere in that gigantic city- but he obeyed, shutting his phone down and shoving it back into his pocket. Within maybe a minute, Raihan came jogging up behind him, his long legs keeping pace. He was obviously a track-y.

“Stop- stop!” He laughed, grabbing Leon by the arm to slow him. “Let’s go this way.”

Leon had never run from an interview before. He’d never run from an interview before. He blankly stopped in his tracks, letting Raihan guide him through two large double doors directly to their right. He knew that place. It was the vault. Raihan closed the doors behind them quickly.

“Camilla, if anyone, especially someone from Macro Cosmos, comes in, tell them that I’m doing a private training session in the vault. If you can manage it, don’t let anyone in.”

Camilla nodded, passing him a ring of keys as Raihan continued to lead Leon through the building. Upon reaching the doors to the vault itself, Raihan hooked another right, unlocking a gate that led up another flight of stairs. He locked it behind them, shaking it for extra measure.

Leon had never actually considered that there was something past that gate. He always somewhat assumed that it was for decoration. That it had added to the ancient look of the castle architecture. Apparently there was an entirely secret room up top, hidden perfectly from the below view.

“This is technically my second apartment,” Raihan said, gesturing to a couch across the room for Leon to sit down on. It really was just a modern looking suite; a day bed in the far corner, a couch facing a television, a kitchenette, and a small bathroom. Leon fought the urge to ask permission to move in and never leave the building ever.

Upon slinking into the couch, Leon realized just how hard he had run himself from the gym. His chest heaved and his stomach hurt, and when Raihan handed him a glass of water, he downed the entire thing in seconds. He liked to jog occasionally for comedic effect, but he definitely failed PE in school. He got all his exercise from battling.

“So- that was a rough go,” Raihan said, sitting down next to him at an angle, tugging the elastic off of Leon’s wrist to tie his hair up off of his neck.

“I’ve never… done that,” Leon sighed tiredly. “I’ve broken a few rules before, but nothing that bad.”

“I’m not worried about Rose as much as I am Oleana. Now that we know what that bag is capable of,” Raihan said, plucking his phone from his jacket pocket to scroll through the news. “Twenty minutes since, and it’s already trending. How many people get up at 7 in the morning to watch a Macro Cosmos Energy interview?”

“Too many, obviously.”

Raihan sighed, scooting himself closer to Leon to lean against him, planting a long kiss against his head. “It’ll be okay, love. I’ll get involved if necessary.”

Leon dropped his head back against the rest of the couch, groaning.

“I don’t want you to have to get involved. I shouldn’t have to fear these people so much.”

“But you do. And I do too. They’ve never seriously harmed you before, but now that there’s another person involved… I can’t help but worry.”

Raihan’s fingers laced their way through Leon’s, gently laying against his stomach. Leon shivered, remembering how vile it was to feel Oleana’s hand there instead of Raihan’s. Made him feel grimy. People weren’t supposed to know yet. Oh Arceus- what if his family-

A second before he got caught up in his thoughts, Raihan’s phone rang.

“Oh. It’s your mum,” he said, surprised. He only had Leon’s mother and brother’s number in his phone for emergencies. If she had been attempting to call Leon’s phone, not getting an answer, that may qualify as an emergency. “Do I pick up? I can put it on speaker.”

“Yes, please.”

“Hi, Mrs. Nilson?” Raihan answered, and Leon’s mother’s sigh was loud over the line.

“Oh, Raihan, sweetheart. Tell me Leon is with you.”

“He’s right next to me,” Raihan laughed, and Leon leaned over to lay his head on Raihan’s chest, as well as crawling closer to the phone.

“Hey, mum,” Leon said ashamedly. He knew the questioning was upon him, but he’d much rather deal with that from his mother than his boss.

“Are you alright? I’ve never seen you take off on television,” she said, her voice calm, although worried. “Are you hiding?”

“Possibly,” he said. “Phones off.”

“I figured. Listen- As much as I want to come storming out there to Hammerlocke to give Oleana a piece of my mind- I’m going to stay out of it. I will also be calling Hop. And we will be erasing anything we’ve seen from our minds so you can tell us on your own time,” she said, and Leon groaned, burying his face into the fabric of Raihan’s jacket.

“Thanks…” he said, muffled.

“I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Let me know when everything is cleared up. ...and if I need to catch the tram to Hammerlocke.”

Leon and Hop definitely got their hardheadedness from their mother. And he would be lying if he didn’t genuinely consider taking her up on her offer. He spent a good most of the day holed up with Raihan, which was both gruellingly claustrophobic, as well as heavenly. Raihan was cautious enough to phone Camilla, asking her to check for a clear coast before Leon tested himself back out on the road alone.

He turned his phone back on as he walked home, wincing at the influx of messages that absolutely obliterated his home screen as soon as it powered back up. 8 missed calls from his mother, 10 from Hop, 3 from Rose, and 68 from Oleana. Okay- maybe Rose wouldn’t kill him. But that just made his chances of dying at Oleana’s manicured hands that much more likely.

Leon had barely pulled his house keys from his pocket, when a voice nearly shook them right out of his hand.

“Leon. Relieved to see you home.”

Rose’s voice was frightening in the dark, and Leon had never instinctively gripped his keys in a threatening manner until that moment. Rose stepped out of the shadows, where Leon knew there was a small bench, and into the porch light. He was underdressed, at least for his business. Sweatpants, a fluffy coat, and a knit hat.

“You can lower your keys. I’m not going to punish you,” Rose promised, pulling his hands free from his pockets to raise them level with his face. He showed his palms outwards, proving he held nothing. But Leon didn’t exactly believe the man couldn’t carry a heavy smack.

“I’m not happy with you for running. But,” he paused, folding his arms over his chest. “I do believe Oleana was in the wrong.”

“You… you do…?” Leon mumbled, and Rose nodded.

“Yes. If we had to announce your pregnancy on live television, any live broadcast would have been better than an Energy showing at the asscrack of dawn!”

Leon knew he was joking, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

“Besides- I had wanted the event to be confirmed with you first. I wanted you to be prepared, so you didn’t come off as confused on camera. But, ah- well…” he stopped again to rub the palm of his hand over his beard. “Oleana has been reprimanded for her behavior this morning, so you needn’t fear her. As unhappy as I am, I realize you feared the worst when you ran.”

Leon knew what he was doing. He was getting on Leon’s good side. Acting like he was an Angel in his Devil of a company. That way, Leon would feel guilty for feeling strongly one way or another. Like he always did. And currently was.

“I’m sorry, sir. I panicked. It won’t happen again.”

Rose smiled, reaching out to give Leon a pat on his bicep, then turning and walking back down the dark sidewalk.

“Of course. I’m positive it won’t.”