admiring the souveneirs obtained from evelyn's concert. mateo was too enthralled to properly respond to kyle; though he heard everything. he was too busy humming to himself to respond at the moment. but once they were inside of the apartment, he'd come to drop his bags down unto the ground.

"to think you had connections with her, lucky!" he yelped jovially. fists shaking with glee. it was then he'd respond to kyle's earlier comment, "oi," brows furrowed as a tone of annoyance spawned, "don't just go makin' assumptions, idjit. i can get down with the 'pop' scene, too." rock was his favored genre, but his taste was pretty broad. if the guy could bake, mateo listening to pop music wouldn't be a stretch; if kyle was aware of his home ec capabilities that is.

examining the apartment, mateo commented, "you still haven't unpacked everything?" turning toward kyle, he'd ask, "how's the back lookng? you better have a guest bed for me!!" he shouted. sleeping on the floor wouldn't be so bad--wait, yes it would. he didn't have proper flooring. mateo couldn't sleep on this!! he'd begin to stomp his left feet upon the floorboard, "why the hell don't you have tatami floors!" he groaned.

he opens the lights as soon as he gets in. "i'll just unpack them when i need to use them. it's called being efficient." he leaves the keys on a table near the entrance.

"your guest bed is the couch," he bluntly tells him. he remembers the mess in his bedroom, after which he changes his mind. "unless you want my bed."

on the contrary, however, the living room is probably where kyle spent the most of his budget in his apartment. the seats were comfortable and the furnishing was decorated in a way that it makes every room within the apartment pale in comparison. it's also where he does most of his gaming, which explains why it's the most important part of the entire apartment.

everything else is bland and nothing noteworthy, besides maybe memorabilia of the past.

pictures of his grade school up to high school friends decorate the wall, while the johto ones lay on a table just below it. the biggest one was of his old team featuring the guard dogs he left at blackthorn, uncharacteristically decorated with stickers somehow. trinkets and books he 'borrowed' but forgot to return from blackthorn lay on the shelves opposite the other wall, displayed since he figured it's been so long that no one would care about them anymore.

"and those cost a lot, shipping and all," he continues whining about tatami mats. "i'm not spending that much!" he says as he goes past his luxurious gaming corner and to the bathroom.

"make yourself comfortable. fridge is off limits though."

he takes a whiff at himself before going straight to shower. "fuck. i smell like... sweaty fanboys," he murmurs absently.

"i think that's called being 'lazy', but sure we can go with 'efficient'." disgusted hues were set upon kyle's back. mateo, to no one's surprised, not even the least bit phased by the dog tamer's response.

mateo began to examine the apartment's lounge. his living room decorated with assortments from the past. mateo found himself staring at the golden days. something mateo never got to experience, "oooh!" he was enamored by the high school pictures, even the ones from grade school. mateo was unfamiliar with the sequences of a public or private school, all he ever knew was the homeschooling back in blackthorn.

it made him wonder what could've been.

"you goddamn cheapskate." the room seemed like a better option anyway. but something told mateo he wouldn't be get a good sleep in dog boy's bedroom. removing his shirt and tossing it to the side, mateo would come to find himself placed upon kyle's couch. his wooden geta clogs were left at the door. "ahhh, i'm beat!" he commented.

as he was told the fridge was off limits, he'd raise the palm of his right hand only to shift it into the form of a 'middle finger'. "i'm raiding your fridge the minute i get up from this spot." eyes, once closed, were reopened as he took a look around the living room once more. standing he'd begin to walk barefoot. this time he walked toward the remnants that held memories of blackthorn. "talk about living the luxurious life, i'm shocked you kept these pictures from blackthorn!" he shouted, a cheeky grin donning his face. "don't you ever just miss, johto?" mateo asked, unaware of whether he could hear him or not.

"yeah!" he shouts from within the shower. "nice place. good food. great people. what's not to love?"

most of johto had that homey feel that reminded him of verdanturf, his hometown. it's quaint and quiet and had that conservative atmosphere around it while still maintaining that welcoming mood he can't quite explain. the fondness was irrational since he preferred cities like slateport over mountainous towns such as blackthorn.

perhaps memories of the place influenced much of his opinion on it. yeah, it felt like a home to him.

"are you messing with something?" he asks from inside the room. "you're messing with something, aren't you?!" he repeats in a more intense tone.

examining a random trophy. mateo would look over his shoulder to respond to kyle, "yeah, i'm messin' with my humongous di--" said trophy, accidentally, would come to be knocked over. the golden item coming to be broken. "-ck..." looking around from side to side, he'd pick it up, whispering, "i'm sure he won't notice it's gone." and tossed it into the trashcan.

realizing it made a loud noise, he'd collapse to the floor. a loud thud being heard once more, "o-oh no...i've fallen over you gaming system. ow, you...uh..." what did he normally call him? oh yeah. "dumb dog...maybe you should...keep your crap off the floor." what terrible acting, but he had little want to put in the effort.

"hey! are you showering?! why didn't you tell me!" he stood up, rushing to see where kyle was. mateo was unaware of how the bathrooms worked in johto. unsure if they were like blackthorn's own. slamming the bathroom door open, he'd shout, "drop the washbowl you pervert!" said the shirtless male entering the bathroom without permission.

note: mateo is assuming the bathrooms are like japanese styled.

"shit!"

he rinses himself from the suds in a hurry as soon as he hears the crash. he wouldn't be surprised if mateo actually destroyed something from his apartment with how petty he has been from all the time he hung out with him.

he barely dries himself as he steps out from the shower and covering his lower area with a towel. his hair still dripping wet from the shower, he hurries to the door and opens it.

"i'll burn your estate down if you--"

the edge of the door hits him as mateo slams it open. his head starts to hurt, vision becoming blurry for a moment. still, he steadies himself, bringing himself closer to mateo for a better view. his face comes close to his, maintaining an intense eye contact as he asks the question.

"did you really break it?" he asks intently.

"the only thing i probably broke is your nose!" shocked from the entrance having rammed into kyle's face. he'd place a palm upon the side of his head, leaning in close to examine the door that had just ran into him. "you okay? that looked like it hurt, really bad."

mateo would follow up, "and don't worry, your game is okay." examining his nose up close, he'd continue, "i just broke some random trophy that i'm pretty sure you could careless about."

note: hi

he flinches from suddenly noticing the distance between themselves, but nonetheless tries to keep his composure calm. he has always been uncomfortable when people invade his space, though it doesn't seem to be the case for mateo. the fact itself is enough to make him feel uneasy.

"the trophies... yeah, i don't really care about those to be honest." there were a few things that gets him passionate about. pointless awards, such as his collection of gym badges, were not one of them. "as long as the games are fine, i guess..."

prying away from him would have been the natural reaction. it wasn't the one he took, however.

he suddenly places his hand on the other's shoulder, asking a sudden question. "have you been in love?" it wasn't uncharacteristic of him to blurt out random thoughts on the whim. the topic, however, was another subject.

"in love?" he thought about it for a moment. he wasn't sure if he'd ever been 'in love' per se. but he has had crushes before. "to hear a question coming from you like that is so out of character." mateo commented before answering.

"oh!!" his jaw agape. could it be that kyle was in love? "i've never even dated before." he'd come to step slightly back. "i'd probably suck at it and make the person i'm dating sick of me. i mean not everyone can handle all of this awesomeness!" he'd begin to flex a bicep. "what about you? is there someone your fancying?!"

leaning in, his right arm came to find itself swung over the half-naked blonde's shoulder. an index finger would come to lift kyle's chin up, as he would ask, "come on you can tell me! come on, come on!"

note: something goes here

he opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again, taking a moment to think twice of his statement. he lowers his head as he thinks, his mind working on multiple ways to word his statement without making it sound weird.

his mouth curls as he sounds a rumble in his throat, not unlike an angry snarl, as he feels a finger on his chin. brows furrowed as his eyes move to the side.

somehow, the act makes him feel reserved. he doesn't like the feeling a bit, and tries his best not to let it show. though he doesn't maintain eye contact, he chooses the answer that he feels would reverse the situation in his favor. preying on mateo's own insecurities, he speaks in a certain tone.

"you."

"come on, come on!" he continued to pry, shaking kyle all the while. it wasn't until he heard the word 'you' that he'd come to a frozen halt. "hah?" a smile never wavering, but eyes agape due to shock. he wasn't exactly sure how to reply.

"you big dummy." the arm slung over him would come to remove itself. his hand, gently, came down upon kyle's head and began to ruffle his hair. "you should get dressed before you catch a cold." he'd begin to walk out of the bathroom. only to stop and put on a thinking face, "we should order pizza!! i've been craving for some triangle since we got home." turning back toward kyle, he'd ask, "you in the mood for pineapple, sausage, pepperoni, or meat lovers?" a smile that never faltered was thrown his way.

note: iconic. i love it.

that pause and that moment of uncertainty was all kyle needed. disappointment was clear on his expression though, since he couldn't get a better reaction from him. he lets himself be guided out, however.

"i could have done that properly if you weren't breaking my stuff," he mumbled. he stares at the ground, and then back to mateo. "give me meat lovers."

he heads straight to his room, habit of living alone makes him forget to close the door. the room is situated in a way that the living room wouldn't get a clear view of him changing, however.

it doesn't take him long before he comes out with just a plain white shirt and boxers, his preferred sleepwear. "so, let's get back to that topic again. what's wrong with noelle?"

for a moment the duo split apart. going their separate ways. but the moment kyle came back out, once having gotten dress, he'd come to run into a kiss the following after.

it was at the end of his statement that it happened. the only thing he was able to get out before finishing was 'noe--'. the palm of mateo's right hand stroked the side of kyle's cheek. he'd come to part their lips. "i can be an asshole sometimes, you know that..." soft brown eyes gazed into kyle's own hues. mateo would then clasp kyle's face in between the palm of his hands. "don't think i'm ignoring your feelings. i just..." eyes shuffled a bit as his cheeks became flushed.

"i just need sometime to sort my feelings out." there was no reason to rush things. regardless, mateo wasn't sure if he was imagining things. but he was certain he saw kyle exhibit an unusual expression. to think that he was the cause of it just didn't sit well with him. "this may be selfish of me, but..." he'd ask again, "could you give me a bit of time...to sort myself out?"


note: iconic. i love it.