This is a Christmas request/gift for tumblr user notsobusybee, who's a really awesome friend and always makes me feel better when some drama shit is going down. Follow u 5eva, Bug-chan! Anyway a few people on here have been asking me to write some greysky, so I decided I'd take the plunge and post it here too.

It's my first ever greyskyshipping fic and even my fic properly using BW2 characters. They've made brief appearances in my monsterfic Red Potter, but this is all new to me and I'm not sure how much of my headcanon is consistent with fanon, and it's pre-BW2 cos I still haven't finished playing it, but...

I hope you enjoy it.

The Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, just like in the story Hugh had read his sister to calm her down. She had a reoccurring nightmare that Santa wouldn't let his delibird bring her any presents because she'd lost Purrloin. Hugh told her that Santa wouldn't punish her for what those bastard Team Plasma guys did but she still got so upset about it, and then Hugh got upset for having been so weak that he couldn't keep her safe. He was never going to be weak again, and he trained every day with Tepig to make sure. It wasn't just his sister he was protecting now.

Just as expected, Nate was lying on Hugh's bed, eating a star-shaped shortbread cookie. The window was still open from his entry. Hugh went to close it as Nate started to talk.

"Y'know, we should go travelling."

"Maybe," Hugh replied. "You'll need a pokémon."

"I know, I'm really excited to get one," Nate gushed. "My mother says it's still too soon, but someday."

Hugh watched the snow falling. "She knows you're gonna run off and never come back."

"The world is my lemon, gonna make some lemonade," Nate sing-songed. "Wait, that makes it sound like I'm gonna destroy the world or something." He squirmed. "You gonna sit down or what?"

Hugh sat on the end of his bed. Nate crawled closer, still talking.

"Think about how good it'd be," he said. "We could go wherever we want, when we want, we can kiss anywhere, anytime, do other things too without worrying about getting caught…"

"You're not convincing me to run away on Christmas Eve," Hugh sighed.

"Aw, damn," Nate sighed. "I was gonna put a ribbon around my neck and everything. Elope with me, elope with me!"

"I like Christmas and I like my family," Hugh replied. "And they like you enough that eloping wouldn't be necessary. Mum just says you need to stop breaking in, you're gonna fall and snap your neck someday."

"Bet she still wishes you went for Rosa," Nate bitterly muttered. "I know my mother does."

Nate had a habit of getting flighty and grumpy on Christmastime. It was a bit like how Hugh's sister had that nightmare every year. Christmas made it impossible to ignore the large space Nate's father had left when he walked out three years ago and the basket at the foot of his sister's bed where Purrloin used to sleep. Christmas was when everybody was supposed to be together and happy.

And Christmas was when Hugh had to protect his two most precious people from themselves.

Hugh slid closer and wrapped an arm around Nate. "Know what'd be awesome? Nimbasa on New Year's."

"Oh, the fireworks," Nate gasped. "Let's watch them from the amusement park, on the top of a rollercoaster, or, or the Ferris wheel, I dunno which'd be better!"

"Ferris wheel, rollercoaster's too fast," Hugh replied. "I heard they set up this massive Christmas tree right in the middle of the city and this year it's taller than Celestial Tower."

"No way!"

"That's what I heard. Apparently Elesa herself bought it, cos she's obsessed with Christmas decorations and collects them."

Nate started to relax against Hugh. "You know, I saw this ornament on TV yesterday, it was that Trainer, Black, dressed as Santa with Reshiram as his Rudolph and it was called the Christmas of Truth."

"What, and you want me to buy it for you?"

"As if! C'mon, that was two years ago, lemme live it down."

"Not ever."

They sat there talking about their future travelling plans for two hours before Nate fell asleep. Hugh took off his shoes and tucked Nate into bed. He watched the snow piling onto the ground for a few moments, thinking about how he'd be ready to run away in a heartbeat to find Purrloin if it weren't for Nate anchoring him to Aspertia.

He joined Nate in bed after making sure his alarm would wake them up early enough for Nate to sneak back home.

Have a very merry Christmas!