"How you think everyone else felt listening to you complain?" Kosei grumbled, though he too was also happy to be out of the bus. He had hoped to nap some, but hadn't managed to. Closing the door of their room behind him, he laid his duffle on the unclaimed bed. It was a stark reminder to maybe invest in something that could fly.
[break][break]
They had a whole weekend to finish the job, but it seemed wholly unnecessary. They could easily have it done and be back on the bus in the morning. That was what Kosei had planned, but he already knew that Enzo had ideas of his own. They bickered enough about it, after all. The question then was whether or not there was even a point in removing his things. It was in his nature to utilize the space of the hotel, but why unpack when this job could be finished in no time at all?
[break][break]
Kosei unzipped the duffle and stared down into it. He was a tidy person, he liked things in order. Or, well... he had been rigorously taught to keep things tidy with the threat of a beating and those teachings had bled into the rest of his life. Some of his things were missing. Kosei frowned at that, just as Enzo was enlightening him that his communicators were "hidden". In all reality, it could be easily surmised that said things were mixed into Enzo's mess. "Okay, not funny. Give it back. We have a job to do, remember?"
[break][break]
Enzo wanted a "vacation", it was a little ludicrous because in Kosei's opinion the bastard barely worked. Vacations came at the result of acceptable accomplishment. They hadn't accomplished anything, in his opinion. "You really want me to throw your stuff around till I find them?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] vincenzo de luca | m: vacation time | [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-riolu"]

“Didn’t think about it, ‘cos I don’t care,” he trilled back, eyes closed as he continued to enjoy the pulse of cool air on his skin. Really, he was just saying what everyone felt, anyway. He glanced back over his shoulder, winking. “Next time we can ride double on a corviknight rental.” He snorted at his own joke.[break][break]

It was unsurprising to him that Kosei would immediately seek to be perfunctory and quick with their work. It was so sanctimonious and exhaustive. Enzo argued with him on the matter because he wasn’t sure when Kosei would get it through his thick skull that it would turn out just fine if they weren’t timing it down to the exact second.[break][break]

What irritated Enzo more, though, was the mentality Kosei seemed to hold to that because Enzo didn’t abide by this meticulous idea of scheduling it meant he was lazy. Enzo was not lazy. He was actually quite good at getting jobs done. But that also didn’t mean it would be at the expense of his personal time. He’d put in the work, ergo he deserved an easy prelude to the next task.[break][break]

There was benefit in that–something that sadly the little hound dog failed to understand. “Oh, it’s very funny, Kos.” He stood then and turned back toward his younger partner. “The job will get done. Tomorrow.”[break][break]

Enzo met his threat with raised eyebrows and a nonplussed look. His hands slipped into his pants pockets and he shrugged, “It’s funny you think I care. Have at it, though.” It was an easy bluff to call, and really, even if Kosei went through with it, he wouldn’t find them. In his jacket pockets, see.[break][break]

“It’s not the end of the world if we take care of it later, though. You do realize that, hm?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Kosei Kiryu | m: vacation time | ~10 yrs ago[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-houndoom"]

Kosei exhaled, jaw rotating the tension from his teeth. Waiting, wasn't in his vocabulary. It made him nervous and he didn't enjoy feeling like he was putting things off. In his opinion, it would have been more efficient to see it done and then do what they wanted from there. It was less likely to bite them on the ass that way, but Enzo didn't know a thing about sensibility.
[break][break]
Kosei took a stride forward then, facing the other. Still at that healthy distance he left for everyone, though still enjoying the way he could stand over him (even if just a little bit). "If I search you, am I going to find it?" It was very likely that was exactly where it was hidden away. However, the effort of having to search him for it was a step or two beyond the boundary he was comfortable with, not that he was going share that insight with Enzo.
[break][break]
Instead, he scoffed, eyes averting to search out the vacant, sterile walls of the hotel room. "I swear you're so fucking..." Another heavy exhale, opting not to name call as it would do nothing but make the bastard a more obstinate pain in his ass. "Fine then, if we're not going to work... what are we going to do?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] vincenzo de luca | m: vacation time | [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-riolu"]

Violet eyes narrowed slightly as Kosei very blatantly used his height to his advantage. Not that it was a significant difference, but it was just enough to give him the tiniest edge. Enzo surveyed him coolly, chin tilting up just a hair as if in a show of snideness rather than looking directly up at him. Hands still in his pockets, he shrugged again and lifted a brow as he stepped closer. “You might,” he practically purred through the coyness of his voice. Like he was just itching to say– “Why don’t you try it and find out?”[break][break]

Okay, so he couldn’t help the dare, couldn’t bite his tongue on it. If only because he knew that it would wiggle its way under Kosei’s skin and irritate him further. There was a slight pout to his lips as he continued, head tilting so that the dual-tone of his hair draped over a shoulder. “Tough pup like you, I’m sure you could manage in no time.”[break][break]

At that point, he couldn’t hold the expression any longer and it twisted smugly at the annoyed exhalations of the younger man’s words. “No no, don’t spare me–what were you gonna say, Kos?” He poked Kosei square in the chest with a finger, “it’s killing you to not follow orders immediately, huh puppy? You gonna whine like a tied hound too?”[break][break]

Enzo laughed, raucous as he twisted sideways and flopped against the bed he’d chosen, arms splayed. Hair haloing around his head. “We-” he began, lifting one hand into the air to dip and rise as if it were following an imaginary air current, “are going to go out, have some actual fun, and maybe hit up the hot springs while we’re at it. Vacation in the vacation spot, obviously.”[break][break]

It was a little astounding that he had to spell it out for him.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Kosei Kiryu | m: vacation time | ~10 yrs ago[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-houndoom"]

Enzo could get under his skin like no one else. Though, really, he should have known better than to provoke the other. The bastard had no shame and no measure of restraint. He thought he could do whatever he wanted and... well Kosei didn't exactly make a good job of proving that the other couldn't do whatever he wanted. Like right then, as the other stepped closer and looked up at him in that way. Kosei scoffed lightly, looking away as if that would hide the embarrassment or the little tinge of rest that formed. "Forget about it, you have no shame." It likely wouldn't change anything anyways, he told himself. The other would just find another way to keep them from getting the job done.
[break][break]
He wanted to knock that smarmy fucking smile off his mouth, make him regret opening his mouth to mock him. Of course, he didn't do that either. SO maybe he really was all bark and no bite after all. "I was going to say you're a useless lazy pain in the ass, but stating the obvious isn't necessary, is it?" He could at least attempt to dig at him in return. Did it bother him though? Of course, it did, but he didn't start this lifestyle to be the exact same way as he'd been with his own family. He grimaced at the little prod, though didn't react. He wasn't going to give him the pleasure of seeing it affect him. "I don't whine. I just like efficiency, that's all." It could be done tomorrow, that was fine.
[break][break]
Once the space was given again, he felt like he could breathe again without the added restraint. He shook his head, sighing. "Okay, I guess." He'd never actually been to a hot springs before, so he'd be lying to say he wasn't slightly intrigued by the idea. Even if he was sure their ideas of fun were completely different.
[break][break]
This was going to be a long weekend.



[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] vincenzo de luca | m: vacation time | [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-riolu"]

A forlorn sigh fell from his lips as his shoulders sagged in false sadness. “Alas. Maybe you’ll shake me down some other day.” And yes, Enzo twisted those words suggestively—it was impossible to let be. He couldn’t be expected to ease off when Kosei tried to sass him while poorly hiding the flare of color on his face. He provoked it so easily from the younger man. It was a little irresistible, no matter how annoyed he got.[break][break_2

Enzo laughed, head tipping back as the sound broke loose. “Is that the best you can do? I know you like to insist, but unfortunately I am neither useless or lazy, no matter how much you say so.” He just knew how to sort his tasks in a way that was conducive to his wants and needs. And what he needed right then was to take a load off before diving to their assigned job. “It’s cute to see you try to be insulting, though.” he said then, with another added poke. A cutesy tone of voice used like talking to a baby animal.[break][break]

“You sound so pained saying that, it almost feels like you’re whining in the middle of claiming you don’t whine,” he stared up at the ceiling as he said this, laughter still tingeing the edge of his tone. “Consider this angle, if you must: sometimes in rushing to do work as soon as possible, it is not always the best work done. No one likes a sloppy bitch, Kosei.” His head popped up to look at him, smirk wide and set in place.[break][break]

He pushed himself up to his elbows. “Don’t be so sullen, puppy. Thought you didn’t want to do things the way your family did anymore.” That bit wasn’t even truly a real dig or attempt to get under Kosei’s skin. Simple observation. Shouldn’t any nineteen year-old want to go out and have a good time instead of work himself to the bone?

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Kosei Kiryu | m: vacation time | ~10 yrs ago[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-houndoom"]

Enzo was infuriating. He was the personification of an actual thorn in his side, one he couldn’t seem to pry loose no matter how much he tugged. Not only his obnoxious attitude but that fact he was smart about it. He knew all of the jabs that made Kosei uncomfortable or angry or frustrated. Kosei couldn’t even seem to replicate the same effect, at least not outright. Enzo kept his cards close to the chest and didn’t bend under any circumstances. For one so willfully against restraint, he was surprisingly masterful in keeping things close.
[break][break]
Kosei closed his mouth after that point, more a snapped shut like he couldn’t think of a comeback but was desperately searching for one. It was a little humiliating, but that was exactly Enzo’s specialty, wasn’t it? His ego, his shamelessness, those god awful nicknames — it was as if he couldn’t resist the urge to annoy him. Then again, there was an easy way to fix that, he could just leave. It was that simple, he could just go. Nothing was keeping him there tied to this person. Enzo hadn’t kidnapped or forced him. Yet, still, he didn’t leave. Maybe he was a little pathetic, in the end.
[break][break]
Instead of retorting, he stewed in his silence and swallowed his pride. It was obvious that nothing would be gained in words. He was not as crafty of a wordsmith as Enzo clearly was. It almost made him wish he’d at least had siblings to bounce insults off of, but no. “I have not and never will be sloppy.” Yet perhaps there was a point in that, even if he was certain it was a bullshit point to cover up for the other simply wanting a vacation. Either way, he had no choice but to live with it.
[break][break]
He scoffed at the mention of his family, uncertain if it was intended to be a weapon. Either way it was regarded as if it were weaponized. “Fine, okay. I said fine. You made your damn point so let’s… do whatever.” He waved his hands, clearly having no idea what to actually do on a supposed proclaimed vacation.




[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] vincenzo de luca | m: vacation time | [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-riolu"]

It was easy to tell when he’d successfully struck nerves. Kosei shut up real quick, jaw tight and tense. Maybe a little too much so, but Enzo enjoyed seeing just how much he could push before reaching that breaking point. The snap of the tethers of his resolve. It was almost a dare in and of itself. Aren't you so angry? he wanted to ask, don’t you want to just let go? If that meant taking some hits, it was fine. Enzo didn’t have the favor of a soft upbringing, even before he left home. He could hold his own.[break][break]

He only ever flirted with that edge, though. Exceedingly careful to pull back at the right moments. “mm, maybe not yet. But never say never, Kosei. Burnout is a powerful inhibitor.” Clearly, he thought himself immune to imperfect execution of tasks. He’d learn that the hard way if he didn’t smarten up fast in an organization like Rocket.[break][break]

”Touchy,” he retorted, eyebrows shooting upward as he pulled a look, cheeks puffing with an exhaled breath. “I was just pointing out something you wanted, cool your jets, mutt. Yeesh.” With great struggle, Enzo rolled to his stomach then pushed himself back up. “You have no idea how to have any sort of good time, do you?” Again, an observation rather than an attack, but knowing Kosei it would be taken as one still.[break][break]

He really and truly looked like he was at a loss. It was sorta sad, honestly. Enzo only knew how to run wild and make his choices as he himself dictated them. What kinda life was that? Having parents who kept you so in line, you didn’t dare even toe them when those parents were nowhere near. Enzo sighed and shrugged off the jacket he’d been wearing. Phone and comms device still buried in the pockets, but they weren’t needed. His hands slid through his hair, twisting it and gathering it to one side over his shoulder as he finger-combed the strands. Fidgety habit.[break][break]

“Ach, come on then, let’s go.” He made the executive decision to move rather than linger there awkwardly. Snagging the key card for the room, he stuffed it in his back pocket and moved for the door. “I can make sound decisions, you know. Picked this hotel because it’s connected to one of the saunas. Saved fees on having to pay for both.” Same with the cruddy economy tickets on a low rate bus. A quietly huffed tch followed as he rolled his eyes and brushed by on the way into the hall. Yeah. So lazy and useless, obviously.


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Kosei Kiryu | m: vacation time | ~10 yrs ago[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-houndoom"]

The truth was that no, he didn't know how to have a good time. Any attempt to do so had always been struck down. His childhood had been grim and austere. He'd never had a family to laugh with or a photobook of memorable images. There had only ever been the life he would eventually grow into, which had expectations. There was no time to "behave like a child" and he'd learned that the hard way, haved every innocent and playful edge of him sanded down until it was brittle and unforgiving.
[break][break]
"Yeah well... I don't need you pointing out shit." He grumbled, not exactly denying the other man's point. They both knew the truth and maybe that was why it bothered him more that Enzo so readily weaponized things that were all too familiar to the two of them. In his opinion, there was nothing crafty or clever about Enzo rubbing his face in it.
[break][break]
Decisions like these were... difficult for him. It always felt like he was standing on a fine wire, always at risk of falling with a single misstep. Making a mistake, or the threat of making one, always filled Kosei with a very real sense of dread. Right then, he could feel it thrumming in his chest, tightening his breath. Admittedly, he was thankful when Enzo took control and decided not to give him the second to feel that anxiety. It was easy then, to blame his learned helplessness on Enzo. Even if it was far from helpless in reality. He just felt lost. It was pathetic.
[break][break]
"Fine..." He grumbled, looking over his shoulder before seeming reluctant as he followed along. He closed the door behind him. In all honesty, there was an unanticipated sense of curiosity and intrigue, he'd never done anything like this. Certainly didn't go on trips for the sake of personal interest and satisfaction. Every step made him feel like he was stepping out of boundary, as if he would get in trouble.





[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] vincenzo de luca | m: vacation time | [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-riolu"]

“Hm, agree to disagree,” he hummed back, violet eyes rolling toward Kosei. “You’ll continue to be a stick in the mud if I don’t.” He found that Kosei wasn’t nearly as apt or quick to step out of bounds without the goading– so how else would Enzo manage? Was he meant to ask politely? No, no. That wouldn’t do. Maybe Kosei found it snide, or annoying to be provoked, but it was effective whether he agreed with the method or not.[break][break]

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Or something or other to that effect.[break][break]

Kosei needed the push, however. It was clear as day that even considering doing something outside of the parameters of strict routine set him off with some greater sense of impending doom. And to Enzo, that was probably the lamest thing ever. Yes, he knew how to maintain a schedule. Yes, he could be dutiful and perfunctory when the moment called for it. But compartmentalizing was a skill all of its own. Perhaps he seemed slapdash or spontaneous, but the fact of the matter was that Enzo simply knew how to prioritize himself in a non-detrimental manner.[break][break]

Maybe the younger man thought he was sloppy or lazy (it grated on him, more than Enzo would like to admit, because he detested being considered lazy,) but it was a far cry from the truth. Perhaps the puppy simply needed to learn that it was possible to have a good time and get their job done in the span of one weekend, for that mindset to be accessible to his stringent little brain.[break][break]

“You sound like I’m gonna yank your teeth out with pliers, mutt. It’s an onsen, the point is to relax.” Enzo snorted as he walked down the hall to a second, connecting hall. “No one's gonna jump out and reprimand us, so just enjoy it.” The look he tossed Kosei then was at least a little more earnest as he pulled open the door to the changing area.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Kosei Kiryu | m: vacation time | ~10 yrs ago[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-houndoom"]

"I'm not a stick in the mud," He grumbled, knowing that was exactly his go-to nature. It felt safe to remain in control of his actions and make decisions based on incisive thought and practical reasoning. Sure, that made him a bit... boring, but it wasn't without reason. He was, admittedly, terrified of making mistakes after all. Trying nothing new, or at least maintaining healthy skepticism was a practical thing.
[break][break]
It wasn't like he couldn't relax. He could. He totally could. He did loads of relaxing. At least, during the times he forced himself to relax, well... they weren't the worst. In reality, it probably would do him some good. However, there was no way he was going to say that Enzo was right. Not a chance in hell.
[break][break]
"I know I know, okay I'm relaxing. Okay?" He didn't appreciate the way his tone slipped, a notable whine at the end from being so mercilessly picked on by this sorry bastard. An onsen, he didn't even know what that meant. He had never done anything like this, thus he found himself following the other along trying and likely failing to not look completely clueless.
[break][break]
As they entered the changing room, he was becoming increasingly aware of what this onsen might be and he wasn't sure if he was entirely comfortable about it, but to mention anything might make him seem stupid. He was stupid about it, but that was besides the point. To the side, there was a bench of rolled, warm towel and the air felt warm and humid. Kosei grimanced, "So.... we..?" That wasn't a complete sentence, was it?


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] vincenzo de luca | m: vacation time | [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-riolu"]

Enzo gave him a pointed look. “Yeah. Okay, sure you aren’t.” It was one of the primary reasons Enzo pushed his buttons so actively. A bid to see that tightly wound control unravel. To any extent, really. “You have no idea yet how relaxing it can be.” The corner of his mouth twitched upward at the hint of a whine.[break][break]

“So we, what?” he asked, already out of his shirt, the collar pulling up over his head as he looked back over at Kosei, half-turned over his shoulder, with a genuinely curious look to his expression. Static frizzed the long strands of his hair before he smoothed them over and gathered them all into a loose knot bun. Tattoos scrawled in a tangle down his right side, intricate designs flaring over his chest and back, then spiraling down his arm.[break][break]

He paused, before a wily grin tugged at his mouth. “You do know the whole point of using hot springs, right?” Enzo didn’t feel any particular shame, nor was he flustered or shy by his actions. Because this was, after all, the point he was getting at. The rest of his clothing promptly followed, and one of the towels was tucked around his middle as he neatly folded his things in a stack. Sighing as he did so. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, puppy.”[break][break]

Though he actively enjoyed making Kosei squirm, he wasn’t actually out to make him devastatingly uncomfortable outright, so he moved through the door on the opposite end. Gave him that space.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] Kosei Kiryu | m: vacation time | ~10 yrs ago[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-houndoom"]

Kosei didn't enjoy being caught off guard. It wasn't a common occurrence but then with Enzo all things were generally chaotic and unanticipated. Sure, maybe the idiot kept him on his toes and things were less than... traditional with the other around. However, it always left a gaping sense of naivety he hadn't realized he was. At one time, he'd felt like he knew everything and then suddenly he was cast out into the world where none of the carefully-crafted rules he'd been taught to follow actually worked.
[break][break]
"Uh..." He started to say something, he must have been because he opened his mouth and sound came out. Yet, as he turned around to look at the other, he was too busy being caught off guard by far more skin than he'd come to know the other by. Kosei wasn't a prude— he wasn't... he just, yet again, was reminded that his past experiences were stilted and controlled simulations of real life that didn't actually apply. "I know that." He huffed, feeling the heat on his face.
[break][break]
Whether or not the embarrassment was due to the other's condescension of his lacking knowledge or the growing fact that Enzo was actively stripping in front of him, he didn't know. Either way, he submitted defeat by averting his eyes. It wasn't like he was oblivious, he was aware that Enzo was attractive, yet that didn't mean anything. It still didn't mean anything.
[break][break]
His fingers picked at the hem of his shirt, anticipating now what was expected. I'm not embarrassed, He almost said yet that was so clearly not the truth that he refrained from being caught on a blatant lie. Yet he hadn't expected the other to leave. With a sigh, he shook his head and pulled his shirt over his head. "Wow, great job. Never gonna hear the end of it now. So stupid..." He grumbled at himself, having been offered the space to reflect that he was actually an idiot and seemed hellbent on being an embarrassment every time that Enzo pushed his buttons. Sadly the other was really fucking good at that, wasn't he?
[break][break]
Following the other's lead, as he was prone to do, he secured a towel around his waist and left through the same door that the other went.



[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] vincenzo de luca | m: vacation time | [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-riolu"]