#so hooopefully its true

[dovewingkinnie]

i heard that when the doctor was gone yarnaby became unresponsive to anyone he is holding onto the memory of him

[generallybarzy]

our white christmas. ---m.barzal

an: the first of a couple winter fics and Christmas related chapters of series!!! I hope to have about three other things posted before Christmas, so hooopefully I'll get those put in time. Of not, they'll just be a little late!!! Have we all heard about what happening in my life?? I won't bore you by giving all the details again but writing some fluff is really helping my cope cause otherwise I think I'd lose my mind. Reminder to everyone to WEAR YOUR MASKS and TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. Peoples lives are at stake here. Just cause Covid has been around for a while now isn't an excuse to stop caring. Its worse now than ever before. 

tagging some bbs!!!:  @sunflowertimothee @deleausvp @dunnwithlyfe @smit41 @softboybarzal @fallinallincurls @matbaerzal @brokeninsidebutnobodyknows @hockeyhughes11 @folkloreflyers @nazdaddy @shawnsreputation

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If there were only two things you loved, they were, in order, Mathew, and snow.

But it was really unfair to only list two things, especially after spending the entire week with your amazing boyfriend and his amazing family. You were filled with so much more love than ever before, and there was no way you could choose just two. But Mat was definitely on top. 

You didn’t grow up with a necessarily affectionate family- you never had family movie nights or game nights or ever really hugged or kissed each other- so meeting Mat’s family was a bit overwhelming at first. The best overwhelming you could ever feel. They welcomed you with open arms, in fact, the first thing his mother did after opening the door to see the two of you was to wrap you in a hug and thank you for making her little boy so happy. And Mat gleamed, his face lit up in one of the brightest smiles you’d ever seen, save for the one when you promised to be his.  

You’d spent the whole week before Christmas waiting for snow, talking about how much you’d love to play in it with Mat and his family, but despite the freezing temperatures, there was none on the forecast. 

When you woke up this morning, curled up in Mat’s warmth, with his lips ghosting over your skin, you knew something felt different than other years. And something was different. Suddenly you were loved by not only one, but four members of the Barzal family. 

“Merry Christmas, baby.” Mat’s raspy morning voice filled your ear, his big arm curling around your waist again and tugging you closer. You turned towards him, smiling at the dumb, lovestruck smile on his face, at the sleepy but teasing eyes he was giving you. 

“Morning, Mat.” 

He leaned in to press your lips together into a sweet, chaste kiss, just the simple act of sharing each other's presence in bed before you'd have to inevitably get up and join his family. For some reason, it felt much colder this morning than the others, so you stuck your chilly fingers into his soft hair and pulled your feet under the blankets and pushed them between Mat's warm thighs. "Whew, baby, you're cold." Most people would scoot away at the contact of chilly hands and feet, but Mat was different. He wanted to share his warmth with you, keep you safe and comfortable, and he always did. He readjusted his grip and pulled you closer, tugging the blanket up around the two of you and sharing the warmth. 

"Thank you." 

"Hey, I gotta warm you up if we're gonna be going out soon." 

"Why are we going outside? Is that another Barzal tradition I'm gonna learn?" 

"Well, duh." He smiled and brushed his nose against yours, whispering against your lips. And for once, you didn't mind the morning breath, not with that gleaming, contagious smile just centimeters from your face. "We always go out. Especially on a white Christmas." 

"Wait, a what?" 

With newfound energy, you sat up in bed, pulling the duvet up with you and looking out the window. Sure enough, even in the pale morning light you could see the world was covered in a soft white blanket, inches already piling on the ground as it continued to pour down. 

"Babbbyy, now I'm cold!" 

You glanced back at Mat, whose bare chest was now exposed to the cold winter air, pouting up at you with open arms. But, as beautiful as he looked, his hair dark and fluffy against the pillow, you wanted to go out now. “Mat, let’s go out in it!” 

“No, no, no, come back here!” Mat jumped up with a grin and pulled you back against him and rolled over with you in his arms, and, as your still-sleepy morning reflexes were too slow to react, pinned you under him against the bed. He pressed his nose against your neck and peppered kisses all over you as you continued to giggle in glee from the way he grabbed you so cheekily and playfully. “Mine.” 

“Matyyyy,” 

“Babyyy.”

“Mat I wanna go out! I’ve been waiting for snow all year!!” 

You squirmed against him in laughter as he playfully nibbled at your ear and kissed your cheek, whining for you to shut up and cuddle him for a bit longer. Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door, and his sister’s voice sounded from outside, followed by his parents downstairs. “Guys, we can’t open presents without you!!” 

“Fine, fine, we’re coming!” Mat yelled back. 

Before Mat could roll out of bed, you pulled him down to press a kiss against his lips. “Thank you for bringing me out here.” 

He smiled and returned the kiss cheekily. “Just wait until you get your presents, baby. You’ll love me even more.”

“Impossible.” 

------------------

You got what you wanted this year, in every way.

You got your white Christmas, you got a boyfriend who loves you so dearly, and his family that loves you just as much. You had fun out in the snow with them, building a little snowman and having a snowball fight and going out on the frozen lake and getting challenged to a hockey game by his dad. You had eaten a warm dinner, with warm apple cider and even warmer hearts as his family laid out for you all the reasons they were glad you were here, how sweet you were, how happy they were that you were taking care of their boy. And now, you had Mat in your arms, wearing matching plaid pajamas with you, warm blankets around you and The Office on TV, and hot cocoa as you cuddled in the light of the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree, with the handwritten names on five dazzling ornaments hitting the light just right and glimmering from where you lay with your boyfriend. 

Mom. Dad. Mat. Liana. And the newest addition to the little family, (Y/N).

The rest of Mat’s family was still outside, talking in the soft lights on the back porch, and, what you and Mat didn’t know, was that his parents were glancing in every now and then and admiring the way their son treated you. The gentle kisses, the cute smiles, the soft words. The way he was just so comfortable and easy and himself around you.. Like you were made for him. And they knew you were the one for him. 

“So," Mat's voice was soft and whispered against your skin. He lay on top of you, his head on your chest, his comforting weight settled down against you like the warmest, safest, coziest weighted blanket you’d ever had the pleasure or loving, your fingers scraping across his scalp like he always loved. "You got your white Christmas. How are you feeling?” 

“Mmm. Cold."

Mat let out a little teasing chuckle, poking your cheek with one long finger. "Well, who's idea was it to go out, baby?"

"Whose job is it to warm me up?" 

"Always mine, baby." 

“Always.”

“Only for you.” 

His arms wrapped tighter around you, pulling himself up to lie beside you rather than on your chest so he could reach your lips, he tucked the blankets up tight around the two of you in a little cocoon and pulled you close to his side. And his lips found yours. He’d quite honestly never get over kissing you. No matter how delicate, the feeling of your skin against his was always enough to make sparks fly, to make his heart leap in his chest, even after a year together. The spark was still there, the joy he felt just knowing that you were with him and everything would be okay. The way your lips molded perfectly together as if sculpted specifically for each other and no one else, the way your nose tickled into his cheek and the way you always let out a soft “oops” when you leaned in the wrong way and bumped noses before a kiss. The way you always smiled up at him with love and adoration after breaking apart breathlessly, as if all you wanted was to hold him and kiss him forever. And ever.

“Getting up this morning was definitely worth it. Even if I got cold.”

"It was worth it." You leaned down to press your lips against the tip of his nose. "I love spending time with your family. I love them."

"And they love you." He cast a glance out the backdoor and into the yard, where his family was still having fun, having quietly promised him that they'd give the two of you a little time to yourselves at the end of the day, as long as you kept it PG. They adored you, and he couldn’t be happier for how well you got along. "How'd you like your presents so far?"

"They were great. The ornament tradition…. Mat, you guys didn't have to include me in that."

"Baby," he propped himself up on his elbows above you and looked into your eyes with a type of passion you'd never seen on him before this week. "That's not true, you know that. They love you." 

"They probably love any girl who makes you happy, Maty." 

"(Y/N)," He said it slowly, dragged out like a warning, like all the other times your mind started to wander and let you think you deserved any less that the best. "Did you know I've never actually introduced a girl to my family? Not like this." 

"Never?" 

"Never. You're the first girlfriend I really ever brought home. 'Cause you're the first one I love like this." His lips found your cheeks again, pressing gentle kisses to soft skin. "I love you so much, more than I’ve ever loved someone in my entire life. And I know you love me too, it makes me so happy.” He laughed again, in disbelief once again that he scored someone as amazing as the girl in front of him. “And I believe in us. I wouldn't introduce you to my family if I didn't think we'd last long. And I think we're gonna last a long time. I believe in this. In us."

“Really?”

He laughed a bit, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Uh, duh. Of course I do, baby.”

Your breath hitched in your throat. “I believe in us too.” 

“Good.” 

He brushed loose strands of hair away from your face and kissed your cheeks delicately, running his hands across your sides in an attempt to warm you up. You slid your leg between his, his thighs are always so amazingly plush despite how hard you’d believe them to be due to hockey. But, like him, his thighs were strong and big and muscular but so soft and warm at the same time. You giggled to yourself at the thought, and Mat didn’t have to ask what was so funny.

“Thank you for letting me come home with you Mat.”

“Hey, you told me how your family doesn’t really celebrate, and I’d have to be a lot more stupid to leave a pretty girl like you alone in that tiny apartment of yours for the holidays. I couldn’t.” He kissed your lips one more time and smiled as you hummed against him, completely content.  He liked the idea that you were so willing to try this out for him. You came from a family that wasn’t very affectionate or celebratory, so the last thing he wanted to do during the holidays was freak you out, but you seemed to love it all. “So, that brings us to our last gift of the night, I think.” 

“There’s more?” 

“Oh yeah, there’s more.”  

He rolled over the side of the couch to reach down underneath, where he’d apparently hidden a little gift earlier in the evening. When he turned back to you, he was holding a small square box, not small enough to be a ring, but maybe a necklace.

“Mat… I said no expensive jewelry.” 

“It’s not jewelry, and it wasn’t expensive, like less than two bucks. Basically free. Hopefully it’s really meaningful, though.” The look of confusion on your face as you wracked your brain for what he possibly could have gotten you for less than two dollars was a look Mat would never forget. He laughed a bit and held it out to you. “Open it.”

You scooted up to sit up more on the couch, directly in your boyfriend’s lap, and Mat’s arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you back against his chest, his head on your shoulder to watch you delicately tear off the paper and pop the lid off.  

There, in a little blanket of tissue paper, lay a shiny silver key.

“Oh, my god, Mat.”

“It’s a key to my apartment.” He smiled, shyly, as if worried you might think he’s moving too fast. “We’ve been together almost a year, and even though I have you here with my family this year, last year you were alone. I never want you to be alone for Christmas- or any time- ever again. I want you to be comfortable in my apartment, I want you to feel at home with me, when you’re at my place. Fuck, that’s not enough. I want to live together, baby. God, I want to live with you. To wake up together, brush our teeth at the sink, make breakfast, I want to get the kisses before leaving and after coming back from practice and your work, I want to fall asleep together every night. I want to be with you. All the time. And, God, I hope you want me all the time too.”

His face was flushed, eyes genuine and warm, a smile on his lips, his big hands holding yours. This. This was the man you wanted in your life. This is the man you wanted to spend your holidays with. The man you wanted to spend every day of the rest of your life with.

“I love you, Mat.”

“So you’re moving in with me?”

And your answer was simple enough as you pulled him down into a kiss. You breathed each other in, smiling against your lover’s mouth and bringing your hands up to hold his jaw and pull him closer still. 

“I can’t wait, Mat. I can’t wait to live with you. I love you.”

“I love you.” 

The backdoor opened, and before you knew it, you were surrounded by even more people who loved you, cheering and swooning and celebrating the big step in their son’s relationship. And you realized just how much they all meant to you, and exactly who they were to you. 

Your soon-to-be new family.

[kalosstarters]

I finally watched yesterday’s episode and I /might/ have something in my eye (I admit nothing). I’m gonna keep this sweet and short.

Spoiler alert

Faba the Royal mask fan deserves a mention :’D I still don’t like him but that scene was funny (when will the others find out???)

Everyone doing the move was v sweet (also this episode had some KICK ASS music, loved the new versions of the game music). Alola Manalo ♥ I wish we here in our world could work together like that too.

Idk why but I felt it was a nice touch that Gladion got Lunala’s Z crystal and did the move together with Ash

(I was a bit confused about Lusamine’s “this is bad” bc I mayy have missed the “ultra hole has started to get smaller” part but I skipped back to that part)

What happened to TR after Tapu Koko’s attack? I mean, they retreated but will they be back? I’m actually quite glad they left it vague bc this will hooopefully mean some plot stuff in the future!

I’m not gonna lie, based on the vague tags I saw about this episode, I was honestly expecting someone (most likely the Naganadel) to die but that didn’t happen! And I’m relieved! But I do understand now why people were crying (getting to that part next)

At first I was slightly confused about why there wasn’t any opening at all since this wasn’t a double episode or anything, but when it /finally/ came... Damn. I wasn’t expecting to get so upset about Poipole. The music and the opening sequence + the bonus flashbacks (esp the pic of Ash’s Alolan FAMILY) fit that part so perfectly. And apparently the poison baby had managed to make its way to my heart bc I’m legit sad that we are not gonna see it anymore (well, a brief cameo is ofc always possible but it’s never going to /stay/). And ahhh the last pic it made </3 True artist you are, Poipole. 

Overall I kinda expected this episode to be sadder but I really liked how it concluded this arc! It was an awesome one. 

Bonus: Omg Nanu in the pokeproblem segment :’) Typical him. And YAYYYY a beautiful throwback to xy’s Pikachu song!! The next episode is gonna be cute/fun.