Gloria feels like her heart stops when she hears Hop's voice outside while she's sharing a sleeping bag with his older brother, but she doesn't even have a chance to try to get rid of him. As soon as she's said, "Um, yeah-" he's already starting unzipping the entrance to come say hi, and she realizes too late that she shouldn't have said anything at all. He wouldn't just boldly enter anyone's tent like that, but his best friend is fair game.

"Hop, wait, I-"

But it's too late. He's already poking his head in to grin at her, then freezing in place as he looks to Leon, then looks back at her, then looks back at Leon. His mouth comes open but he can't seem to find anything to say, until he finally closes it again, still not making any move to come in or go back out. Of course, it would be really cramped with all three of them packed inside, but that's not the main concern right now.

Her mind races as she tries to think of some kind of lie, any excuse to make it seem natural for Leon to be here with her, but the fact that they're sharing a sleeping bag says it all. If they hadn't already settled in for the night, maybe they could have passed it off as something else, but...no. They don't need to lie about it.

Leon took her by complete surprise, meeting up with her just to talk, and, rather than ending things like she expected him to, telling her that he feels the same way about her. All his teasing about her feelings lead up to the moment where he revealed that they weren't all that one-sided, making this the happiest night of her life so far. In the back of her mind, she knew there would be new concerns regarding who knew about them and how much of a secret this could really remain at this rate, but she hadn't expected to be faced with one of the people she was most concerned about telling so soon.

But now Hop is here, looking between the two of them with his shock written all over his face, and even if there were some way to lie about this and convince him that it isn't what it looks like, Gloria doesn't want to do that. If this is becoming more serious, then the longer they hide it from Hop, the harder it will be to come clean. In a way, it might be better that they were left with no choice, though this isn't the best way for him to find out. Still, he could have caught them doing something a lot worse…

"...Lee?"

Sheepishly, Leon offers a half a wave as he sits up, bringing Gloria up with him. "Hey, Hop. Didn't expect to see you tonight."

"I...me neither? Gloria...hey, um, I just wanted to stop in and say hi, so I…" Hop's expression is impossible to read as he stammers his way through the conversation, before he finally gives up on trying to pretend that he has no idea what's going on, and that it's normal to run into both of them at the same time. "What's going on?"

"We're...me and Leon…" she starts, but stops before she can finish her sentence because she isn't sure what Leon wants her to tell Hop. Though he made it clear to her that he wants to be with her, he also made it clear that it's not something they can be entirely honest about, and Hop may be her best friend, but it's his younger brother. She might need to tread a bit more carefully, so she looks to him so that he might continue.

"Hop," he says, "I'm going out with your best friend." Just like that. He says it so bluntly that Gloria is torn between feeling proud of herself for the easy way Leon admits to their relationship, and feeling embarrassed with how shamelessly he confesses the truth to Hop.

"It does kind of look like that," Hop says, giving the two of them a half of a smile. "So, you two...I had no idea, how long have you…" He doesn't want to show either of them his feelings on the matter, trying to bury his shock behind support, trying to act casually, as if he happens upon scenes like this all the time.

"Not long. You introduced us, and things sort of happened from there. We only just decided to get serious!" Leon explains, and though she's glad he doesn't go into detail about what they've been doing in the interim, considering how close they were cuddled up tonight, she doubts Hop would have a hard time putting those pieces together. Maybe Leon would have, if the roles were reversed, but not Hop. She can feel herself blushing as she thinks of the implications of his statement.

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened," she agrees. "We just sort of hit it off after we met, and tonight, he asked me if I wanted to…"

"To be my girlfriend!" he finishes with a nod. "You were going to be the first person we told, you know." She didn't know that that's what he was thinking, but it makes sense. Likely, they would have discussed it in the morning, but Hop showing up unexpectedly has moved things along without giving them a chance to plan.

"I...just don't really know what to say," says Hop, still trying to keep up his smile, still trying to look as though he expected this all along and that they haven't managed to throw him completely off balance.

"I'm sorry." Suddenly, Leon is serious, more serious than Gloria has ever seen him. More serious, even, than when he confessed to her earlier. He stands up the rest of the way so that he can properly face Hop. "Like I said, things happened. I never expected it to go this far, and I'm sorry."

"Come on, what are you apologizing for, Lee?" he asks, his smile finally starting to falter. "Sure, it's unexpected and maybe a little weird, but I'm happy for you! My best friend and my older brother...it's really kind of perfect, isn't it?"

"You know what I'm apologizing for. I should have said something to you first of all, for one thing, or maybe never even considered it. I didn't think anything through, because you know I never do! Before I knew what was happening, I'd already fallen for her."

"I can't exactly blame you for that, can I?" Hop looks up at him, shaking his head, and Gloria wonders if she should try to join in, or just let the two of them talk this out. She should be apologizing to Hop as well, for all the years she prayed he never found out about her crush on Leon, for letting herself get carried away as soon as she met him, and for hiding the truth throughout their journey, always able to talk to Hop as if nothing has changed. But for now, she'll let Leon say his piece.

"It's alright to be mad at me for this."

"I'm really not mad," Hop insists, and at least that sounds genuine. "Really thrown, that's for sure, and I guess a little bit hurt, but I'm not mad at you, Lee."

There's a long pause as the brothers stare at each other but then, nearly simultaneously, they both smile, and Gloria can't detect any insincerity in either expression. Leon claps a hand on Hop's shoulder, and Hop grins up at him like he always does, the two of them reaching an understanding without having to say much at all. Now, it's Gloria's turn to speak.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she says. "I didn't know how to, and I didn't know if I should , because we really can't tell anyone-"

"I'm not mad at you either, you should know that," Hop interrupts, giving her the same smile that he gave Leon. "I'm happy for you. I bet you never thought this would happen!"

He gives her such a knowing smile that she asks, "What do you mean by that?"

"Aw, come on, Gloria, you're my best friend. You think I couldn't tell that you liked Lee? You always got this funny look on your face whenever I talked about him, it was pretty obvious," he says with a small laugh, and for a moment, Gloria is absolutely mortified. "I definitely understand why you never told me about that , but I could always tell."

"I didn't want you to think that I…" She trails off, but it is obvious what she was going to say.

"Yeah, but you didn't like Lee when we first met, so I know you weren't just trying to get close to him! Come on, I know you better than that , Gloria."

"What, you really had it that bad for me?" Leon teases, speaking up again, and now she is beyond mortified. "Hop, come on, tell me more about that 'funny look' on her face. What was she like?"

"Both of you cut it out!" she protests, causing them both to laugh. Though they've turned it around on her and are having a laugh at her expense, she can't really be mad. In fact, if anything, she's happy that things have turned out this way. She's glad that they were able to tell Hop and that he was the first to know, and she's glad that he isn't mad about the whole thing. He may be hurt that they kept the secret, but at least he understands, and seems willing to help them keep it a secret.

And she's more than glad about what came before that; she's absolutely overjoyed to know that Leon has fallen for her, no matter how unbelievable that may be. That part still feels like something out of a dream, but then, so has everything ever since they met. Gloria can't believe how lucky she is, to be able to be with her longtime celebrity crush, to get to meet him in person and genuinely fall for him, and to find that he's better than she could have imagined.

When Hop finally leaves them alone for the night, she is happy just to lay with Leon, picking up where they left off before they were interrupted.

~X~

"So, tomorrow's your big day. Or, one of them. Not the big day, but that's definitely coming soon!" Leon says, and he's right. The next day will be a big day for her, leading to more big days, bringing her that much closer to facing him in battle. She has one last gym badge to obtain before she qualifies for the championship, and tonight, she rests up in Hammerlocke, planning to get that badge the next day.

"Getting nervous?" she teases, and he shakes his head.

"Nah, I think I can handle myself, even against a powerhouse like you. I bet Raihan's getting nervous right about now, though that doesn't mean you should go too easy on him. He's a serious contender, one of my biggest rivals! Make sure you thrash him real good for me, alright?"

"Of course," she agrees, "but I didn't invite you out here to talk about battling, you know?"

"I thought you just wanted to see me," he says, pretending to pout. "Does it really matter what we talk about? Aren't you just happy to get some time with your boyfriend?"

She still thrills to hear him say that, but she shakes her head. "Oh, come on, you know exactly what you're here for. I invited you for a reason, and you rushed over here for the same reason, even if you did get lost for a half hour."

"That's less time than usual!" he points out.

"Probably only because you were so eager," she replies, stepping closer to him, and he smirks down at her.

"Alright, ya caught me, baby," he says with a shrug. "I just didn't want you thinking I had a one-track mind or anything like that."

"Haven't you always?"

"Maybe, but at least you're the only thing on that one-track mind lately." With that, he pulls her into a kiss, one that Gloria eagerly returns, grabbing hold of the front of his shirt to pull him in deeper. She's only grown bolder in the short time since he confessed to her, so happy to be able to call him hers, even if it is something that they have to keep to themselves.

Even if Hop is the only person in the world besides the two of them that knows, she is so proud to have Leon as her boyfriend that she lets her excitement get the better of her when they are alone, no longer feeling any need to hold back around him. She hasn't told him that she loves him yet, but that will come soon, she thinks, once she's sure that she's ready and when she thinks that he will be ready to hear it.

In the meantime, they have plenty to do to keep her occupied, and he guides her to the bed, only to turn around and fall on his back, pulling her on top of him to continue kissing her. He is always able to let her lay on top of him like she's completely weightless, holding onto her shoulders until she breaks the kiss, sitting up on him and grinning down at him.

"This is exactly what you came for, right, Champion?" she asks.

"Champion of your heart?" he tries, reminding her of a joke he made not long before his confession.

Nodding, she says, "Champion of my heart. If it really makes you that happy to hear me say it."

"Of course it does! And you already know this is what I came for, so get on with it so I can come for something else." Gloria has to resist the urge to groan at his attempt at a joke, and instead pulls back a bit more so that she can pull down his shorts in one swift motion. After that comes her panties, and just like so many times before, they're too impatient to fully undress before they fuck.

She positions herself over his face before going for his cock, and Leon eagerly eats her out, moaning into her as he does so. He holds onto her hips as he works his tongue up into her, and Gloria is soon moaning with him, feeling herself grow weak as she gives in to him. It seems like just yesterday, while also feeling like years ago, that she was left to spend countless nights alone, struggling to figure her body out enough to relieve the ache that the champion on TV left her with.

Now, she has him all to herself, and though they're both often busy, he still somehow finds time to take care of that ache himself.

Soon enough, she's hastily pulling back, torn between her desire to keep riding his face until she comes and her desire to get on with things, but the latter ultimately wins out. She pushes back, his hands remaining on her hips all the while, until she can sink down onto him, groaning his name as she does. Leon holds onto her, and as she begins to steadily rise and fall on his lap, he takes over, pulling her down onto him to increase her pace.

The two of them work opposite each other then, with Leon pushing up into her and Gloria grinding down on him, with him picking her up and pulling her back down and her bouncing on him whenever his grip loosens enough to allow her that freedom of movement. It's quick and clumsy, with neither able to think of anything other than getting off, and getting each other off.

His hands drift down after a while to grab her ass, groaning happily as he squeezes her, jerking up into her until it's clear that he's at his limit. Gloria looks down at him, reaching to rest a hand on either side of his face, watching him as his eyes close and as he bites his lip, grunting one last time as he gives a weak thrust and comes. She watches his face for as long as she can before her head tips back, her voice breaking as she whimpers his name.

The two only rest for a little while before they're at it again, eager to make the most of their time together, neither wanting to stop until they're completely worn out. After that, Gloria will get a very good night's sleep with Leon at her side, wondering once again how she got to be this lucky, how he went from being just the champion, her best friend's brother, and someone she could only touch in her most private fantasies, to being this close to her, to caring about her and, well, fucking her way better than he ever did in her fantasies.

She still has a ways to go before she thinks she can genuinely take him on in battle, and she still has a lot left to prove. It will be a long time before they can even consider going public with their relationship, and a while before they will have more than secret meetups in hotel rooms, or out in the middle of nowhere. With all of that in mind, she is still blissfully happy, and excited to see where things go from here.