mochi

“Absolutely not, Marn.” Her brother flung his jacket against the hardwood floor, shaking his head emphatically. Typical. He’d always had a flair for the dramatics.

Rolling her eyes, Marnie kicked off her shoes at the doorway and made her way to the kitchen, popping open the fridge door and sticking her head in. “Ugh, gross, Piers. Why does everythin’ look like it’s been sittin’ here for days?”

“Nice try, but sidetrackin’ don’t work on your carin’ big brother.” He joined her by the fridge, wrinkling his own nose in disgust. “Although… I guess I might not have looked through there in a while now.”

“Sure seems like you haven’t,” she complained, slamming the fridge door shut and beginning to search through his cabinets. They were disappointingly empty.

“Aw, c’mon, cut me some slack.” He joined her, stomach growling. “I been busy playin’ shows and stuff.”

Finally coming upon a few bags of crisps that hadn’t yet expired, Marnie tossed one to her brother, really only interested in listening to his excuses in order to evade more questions about her new boyfriend. “Yeah, yeah. Doesn’t give you an excuse to be a slob, though, y’know.”

“I know, I know,” Piers conceded, opening the bag of crisps with a sigh. Then, his eyes narrowed. “Y’ain’t gettin’ past me, lil sister. You’re not goin’ out with that Victor kid, y’hear me?”

With another roll of her eyes, she nibbled at a half stale crisp. “Get over it, Piers.”

He huffed. “I’m not just gettin’ over it, Marn! You’re daft if ya think I’m gonna let you date a twit.”

“Victor’s not a twit, and you know it,” she glared. “Besides, I’m datin’ Victor whether you like it or not… So there.”

“So there?” He crunched on another crisp. Aside from the stress of their current topic of conversation, she was pretty miffed that his bag was somehow less stale than hers.

“So there.” She wasn’t taking any more rebukes, reproaches, or admonishments. “I’m an adult now, Piers, and I’ll do as I damn please.” Her eyes softened, “I can take care of myself, y’know?”

Still, a strange look crossed over his features, and his voice grew gruff as he replied, “I know, Marn… I guess… I guess I’m just not ready for you to grow up, is all.”

Something gripped her heart, and she tossed her bag of stale crisps to the side, wrapping her arms around her big brother. “I know.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, just like how she used to do when she was little, smiling when he hugged her back. “Thanks for bein’ here to support me through it, though. It’s less scary, knowin’ you’re here for me.”

“Of course. World’s best lil sister, ain’t ya.” His declaration made her smile even wider.

“I am,” Marnie smirked. “And you’re gonna have to learn how to get along with Victor. I’m sure ya goin’ to be seein’ a lot more of him now.”

Though Milo and Nessa had only been dating for a short time, they’d known each for much longer, heading up two of the earlier gyms in the Galar League.

Milo had known that Nessa was popular and pretty and famous. He’d known about all her modeling photo shoots and acting gigs and celebrity guest appearances. He’d even known that there were lots of accounts on social media made specifically by her fans so that they could talk about her.

He’d always been content, though, with the simple life he led. Battling, farming, watching things as they grew. That had always been more than enough for him.

Yet, despite his happiness, on the rare occasion that he logged into one of his social media accounts, he’d stumble upon comments about Nessa… about him… about their relationship. It happened frequently enough to make him feel the slightest bit insecure.

Still, he loved her, and he was happy to be with her, no matter her lifestyle.

Today, though, he was having a tougher time than usual dealing with their differences in status.

“I dunno why they hate me.” He could scarcely recognize his own voice as it left his lips. Kneeling in a patch of grass, he watched as a group of his Wooloos played together.

“You don’t know why who hates you?”

Instantly, Milo was on the alert, stuffing his Rotom phone back into one of his pockets. “What?”

“You don’t know why who hates you?” Nessa repeated, sinking down to join him on the grass.

He paled. She couldn’t know that he’d been scrolling through accounts dedicated toward hating on their relationship. “Oh, it’s not important.” Sometimes, he wished for Leon’s courage or Raihan’s charm because hiding things from his beautiful girlfriend was hard.

“Milo… Have you ever lied to me?” She had a strange look in her eyes, and he knew he was found out. He had to tell her.

“I…” Tripping over his words, he winced, wishing he could avoid her question in favor of joining his frolicking Wooloo pack in the center of the field. “No?”

Nessa sighed. “Milo. You know your nose turns pink when you lie, right?”

“I’m sorry, Nessa!” He was quick to apologize. “I just… I don’t know how to say it, but… Your fans hate me.”

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she met his gaze, “What do you mean?”

“Just some people on the Y-Comm. Did you know that there are people betting on how long our relationship’s even gonna last?”

“I wish I didn’t,” she wrinkled her nose. “People can be so terrible sometimes.” Her eyes softened, “I’m sorry that you’ve been dealing with this on your own, though. You know, you don’t ever have to worry about telling me things. I’m here to listen, and we can deal with these sorts of things together.”

“You mean it?”

For a man so strong and firm in his conviction, Kiawe always seemed to cave in whenever Mallow was involved, and it’d been this way for years now, even back when they were kids.

Now was no different.

They’d been out on a short hike, taking a rare day off to rest and picnic together. In fact, they’d left everyone and everything behind them, with the exception of their Pokémon partners. It was a beautiful day, and they’d been determined to take advantage of the gorgeous weather.

Eventually, after eating the meal Mallow had packed, they lingered for a moment at the top of the peak they’d hiked. From their vantage point up in the sky, they could see everything, and watching his wife enjoy the nature all around them brought a smile to Kiawe’s face.

“Isn’t it beautiful up here, Kiawe?” Mallow asked, her green eyes flashing with excitement.

He nodded in agreement. “It certainly is.” Then, while she was distracted, he reached down to pluck a pretty blush-colored flower from its stem. It’d been so long since she’d worn a flower in her hair, but he was going to change that today. “Here,” he presented the flower to her before weaving it through her soft hair.

With a delighted smile, she brushed her fingers over the petals of the flower now adorning her hair, “This is perfect. Thank you.”

“Of course, Mallow,” he replied, interlacing their fingers and pressing a kiss to their joined hands.

She laughed, reaching up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, “I always forget just how much of a romantic you are.”

A scowl crossed over his features, “I’m not a romantic!”

“Denying it doesn’t mean it’s not true,” she teased back. Then, she sighed, glancing down the trail from which they’d came. “We should probably head home soon. It’s getting late.”

With a nod, he began helping her pack up their picnic to leave. “You’re probably right. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“As always,” she added cheerfully.

Kiawe followed her back down the trail, swinging their joined hands in between them. “Thanks for joining me on such a nice day, Mallow.”

Her eyes were twinkling as she replied teasingly, “Thanks for inviting me.”

When they finally reached the bottom of the trail, she sighed upon realizing just how far they were from their car. Wordlessly, he knelt down and motioned for her to climb onto his back.

“Are you sure, Kiawe?” She seemed uncertain but looped her arms around his neck and locked her legs around his waist.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Just hop on.” Thankfully, they hadn’t brought too many things with them on their little outing. He began walking again, this time with his wife clinging to his back. He laughed. “Y’know, I don’t think I’ve carried anyone like this since Mimo was little.”

She pressed a kiss to his ear. “Well, for someone so out of practice, you’re doing a good job.” Upon finally arriving at their car, she scrambled down before meeting his gaze mischievously. “I rate you… Four and a half out of five stars.”

“What?” He barked, desperately trying to smother a laugh. “Am I your husband or your taxi service?”

“Both?” Mallow blinked up at him innocently, the flower he’d given her slipping slightly from her hair. She was leaning against the front door of their car, an amused little smile playing about her lips.

Raihan couldn’t help the bittersweetness of his smile as he watched Sonia conversing with Nessa and Leon in the distance. He wished that he could gather the courage to just walk over and join them, but he found that he simply couldn’t.

Beneath the starry fairylights used for this year’s charity ball, she looked absolutely radiant. Her auburn hair was twisted into a low knot at the nape of her neck, and the dress she wore looked perfect on her and had a slit running down the side. The soft aquamarine pendant she was wearing hung low on her neck, and remembering that he’d been the one to give to it her several years ago caused his heart to squeeze in his chest.

“You doin’ alright, Raihan?” It was Milo, wearing a cheery grin, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his tuxedo.

Startled out of his reverie, Raihan glanced over at his friend, “What? Oh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He couldn’t keep his eyes off Sonia, though.

Following his line of sight, Milo nodded knowingly, “She looks good tonight.” He arched a brow, “Why don’t you go over and talk to her?”

“I can’t.” Raihan hated the way his voice nearly cracked when he said it.

Milo wouldn’t take no for an answer, though. “Can’t? Or won’t?” He narrowed his green eyes. “Is the great Raihan, the esteemed Hammerlocke Gym Leader, scared?” He stepped closer. “Scared of talking to a girl ?”

“No, no, I’m not.” Raihan stood up a little straighter, squaring his shoulders and putting a swagger in his step. “See you around, Milo… And, hey. Thanks.”

“Anytime, Raihan,” Milo grinned.

The misery in Kiawe’s expression was evident even as Mallow held a hot cup of tea to his lips.

“Mallow, Mallow, stop, stop, stop,” Kiawe gritted out between clenched teeth.

“Not until you have a sip,” Mallow said, narrowing her eyes. “I brewed this especially for you, and I want to make sure you get at least a little bit of it in your system before I have to head back to the restaurant.”

Utterly defeated, Kiawe tilted his head back and allowed her to spoon a sip of tea down his throat. After glancing at the clock resting on his bedside table, he protested, “Didn’t work at the restaurant start over an hour ago?”

Mallow shrugged her shoulders, urging him to have another spoonful of her tea. “You’re more important than the restaurant,” she said simply. Her eyes softened as she brushed away a few locks of dark hair away from his forehead. “I want to make sure you’re taken care of before I leave.”

“I have a cold, Mallow,” Kiawe hid a laugh before coughing into his sleeve. “I’m not dying.”

Rearranging his pillows and blankets so that he’d be more comfortable, she lifted her shoulders up in another shrug. “Doesn’t matter.” She helped him to sit up more against the mountain of pillows she’d positioned behind him. “I want to make sure everything’s in order until I get back home.” She nudged a spoonful of tea against his lips until he parted them. “Unless you want me to go to work worried about you.”

Kiawe sank into the soft quilts atop his bed, accepting another spoonful of tea. “Please don’t worry.” He smirked, “The raging fires of the great island of Akala burn in me. I’m not gonna be taken out by a little cold.”

After making sure that his blankets were tucked securely around him, Mallow was mostly satisfied with his current condition. “If I leave, you’ll be sure to drink the rest of the tea I brewed for you?”

“Of course,” he promised. “I always love everything you make for me.” Then, he reached out for her, and her heart rate sped up as she leaned into him. “I love you, Mallow. Really and truly.”

Curling up on top of his blankets against his chest, Mallow sighed as her body relaxed. She was determined to enjoy this moment of peace and quiet before heading out to the busyness of the restaurant. “I love you too, Kiawe,” she whispered. “I just want to make sure that you get better soon.”

“I know,” Kiawe said, kissing the top of her head. “And I love you all the more for it. There’s no way I won’t get better soon with the most caring girl in the world looking after me.”

As Mallow reluctantly pulled away, swinging her legs back over the side of the bed and heading for the door, she paused, glancing back at him.

Many changes had come to Hop’s and Gloria’s lives upon the discovery that she was, in fact, pregnant, and Hop felt absolutely terrible about most of them.

For one thing, Gloria had to change the way she slept. Prior to her pregnancy, she used to sleep on her back or on her stomach with her limbs splayed about the bed. But now, with the growing curve of her stomach, she needed to sleep on her side, and she hated it, and he felt guilty because of it.

For another, she was often ravenously hungry. She’d want the strangest combinations of foods, and he’d be quick to give her whatever she so desired. After all, he was the cause of her current predicament, and he wanted to make sure that both she and the baby were well nourished.

“Hop?” Gloria’s voice rang in from the kitchen. “Where’s my food?”

Instantly, Hop blanched. “Your food?” He repeated back, furrowing his brow.

A few moments later, she appeared in the doorway with her hands on her hips. “Yeah. My food.”

“You… You wouldn’t happen to be referring to the leftovers in the fridge, would you?”

She got straight to the point. “Did you eat them?”

His stomach dropped. “… Maybe?” Before she had the chance to get upset, he stood, the papers he was organizing falling to the carpet. “Hey, listen, I’m really sorry I ate your leftovers – I didn’t know they were yours. I’ll make it up to you, though! We can order something in tonight for dinner. We’ll make a date of it, okay?” He crossed the room, wrapped his arms around her, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

White teeth pulling into a wide grin, Leon leaned forward slightly. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” Hop confirmed, tugging a bit more at his collar. He nearly expected Leon to keep teasing him, but he was pleasantly surprised when the ribbing actually ended.

A fond expression stretched across Leon’s features, “I’m glad.” He clapped Hop on the back lightly. “I’m proud of you.” Eyes softening, he continued, “You know… I’ve never really believed in the whole soulmates thing, but you and Gloria are definitely the closest I’ve ever seen to it.”

With a relieved smile, Hop allowed himself to relax. “Hey, thanks, Lee. That really means a lot.” He tensed his muscles again.

Hop almost expected that Leon would pick his teasing right back up again, but instead, his brother just watched him appraisingly. “Are you scared, Hop?”

“What? No. No, I swear I’m not scared.” Lips tilting upward, Hop met his big brother’s gaze. “I’m ready.” As Leon led him out the door, he fought against the urge to bounce excitedly on his toes while explaining, “Today’s probably the happiest day of my life. I can’t believe that this is actually happening.”

Leon guffawed, almost amused. “You’re finally marrying Gloria after years of pining over her.”

Pausing with his hand against the wall, Hop whipped his head back around to protest, “Hey! I wasn’t pining over her for years, Lee.”

With a roll of his eyes, Leon just shook his head, “Whatever helps you sleep at night.” After a moment of thought, he wiggled his brows, “I could make a joke about that, but I won’t, for Gloria’s sake.”

A flush spread across Hop’s cheeks as he grumbled. “You’re annoying.”

“Yeah,” Leon grinned. “That’s what big brothers are for.” Even still, he was there to stand close by Hop at the altar as the ceremony’s best man.

As Hop adjusted his tie one last time, he let all his worries fall to the wayside. After all, what was there to worry about now? He was going to marry his best friend, the girl of his dreams, in a private, intimate ceremony with all his friends and family around. This was the best day of his life.

While watching Gloria stride down the aisle, a vision of white and soft curves, Hop found that what he told Leon was true: he really wasn’t afraid… After a lifetime of being friends and after years of loving each other, they were ready to take this step.