noah gazes downward at the fallen. he wonders if there's a bump growing underneath the other's chestnut hair. quickly, he falls to the carpet too. wedging himself between kyle's legs, he grabs the other's shirt and shakes him.

"stop joking around, dude." noah says. "wake uuuup. we got shit to do. c'mon," noah rustles him some more as he becomes more concerned with every passing second. "kyle?"

noah resorts to tickling. fingers shoot underneath the other's shirt to tickle ribs.

kyle lopez / vacation mission

when kyle stirs, noah's grin grows. however, his smile's life is cut short with a tragic palm to the face. his head is tilted back- but his jaw remains stubbornly still.

"good question." noah speaks through fingers, should they remain spread over his face.

he peers over at the tall bed beside them. but there's no need for a mattress. like a descending plane, noah flattens himself on top of kyle and rests his head on the carpet so that it is beside the elite four's face.

"i think we're napping. night!" noah feigns a yawn- which swiftly converts into a real one before he closes his eyes.

he lets his body lay heavily on the other, like the statues of noctowl outside.

kyle lopez / vacation mission

noah scoffs. "this my home turf, dude."

from the floor, he greets kyle's outstretched arms with his own. a small grunt peeks from his lips as he lifts him back to his feet.

looking around, noah realizes little has changed. posters of his previous careers hang on the walls. a study desk, meticulously clean (though by no way of his own organizational skill) as if it had never been touched stands stiffly by the corner. old, worn-down weights are tucked by its side.

when noah hoists kyle up, he tosses him onto the dark navy bed cover. nearby, a little machamp action figure holds vigilant watch on the nearby nightstand, all four arms movable and posed.

"we should really get the luggage downstairs you know." noah scratches his head, peering down at kyle from the foot of the bed.

kyle lopez / vacation mission

noah's bottom lip curls out. as he imagines his family's unceremonious greeting of the barricade left by the entryway, the hoenn gym leader discards the thought with a sigh.

"yeah, probably not."

he's beckoned and noah allows his fatigue to lure him in. noah squeezes in beside kyle. the familiar feel of his old blankets and the nostalgic corners of his room subdue him further.

"lazy ass." like a carvanha, he bites kyle's shoulder. "must be nice to be all like, out of hoenn, yeah? no one to stop you for a photo. no challenges." he hums and wraps one of his arms across the grappled pillow.

"maybe we can ask for an extension for this vacation."

kyle lopez / vacation mission

"we can always reschedule." noah murmurs, rubbing his head against the other as if searching for sleep. "but it's cute that you wanna follow it, man."

as noah nestles in closer, his hair tickles the other's skin. one ear remains open toward the door. it seeks the sounds of home. slowing car wheels, the jangling of keys. nothing yet, and for now, the peace can be protected.

"we have to say hi to the family first and then we can kick it outta here." noah says. his legs batter the others as he shifts. "you're taking up all the space, man."

kyle lopez / vacation mission

the nudge is enough to haul noah's entire being over. if he claim space on the mattress, he'll claim space on kyle instead. he slides himself over top of kyle's sinking raft of a body, resting on him like a seal.

noah pushes a fingertip on kyle's forehead instead. lazily, the other hand's fingers drum on his chest. "don't need to hit everything on the schedule though. flexibility, man. flexibility."

he cups the other's face, dragging the other's cheeks so that his lips purse forcefully.

"you look like a feebas when i do this."

kyle lopez / vacation mission