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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jan 28, 2020 0:12:24 GMT

noah's rustboro apartment rests in the dust of neglect. the new schedule of its owner draws him to verdanturf too often. its owner travels. wanders with impulse. and although its single-occupant space may have a chance for some charm, the unpacked boxes from johto tighten what is already an enclosed space.

the only things that brighten the walls are posters of the elite four, gym leaders, and other vibrantly-posed celebrities.

yet, this first layer of embarrassment does not stop noah from asking kyle for help. the second is locked away. and when he hears what he believes is kyle walking up the steps to his second floor apartment, he calls out to him.

"kyle? is that you?" noah's voice is muffled slightly by his dust mask. he sets his broom on the wall and walks to the door.

without bothering to check, he opens the door. his rubber glove squeaks as he turns the handle. dressed in a tank top and soccer shorts, noah's eyes ring brightly underneath his sweat band.

the apartment smells of orange-scented cleaner.

"thanks for coming, dog boy." to speak, noah pulls his mask outward with a hooked finger. "watch your step. there's still a lotta unpacked boxes everywhere."

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aero

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jan 28, 2020 4:16:45 GMT

"when did you decide to call me 'dog boy'?" he grumbles. "anyways, tada. i'm here."

kyle breathes a sigh and welcomes himself in noah's apartment. as much as he claims never wanting to help other people in their problems, he finds himself too weak to decline any request directed to him. he suppose he owes noah for wasting most of his free time dogsitting instead of doing things he actually likes.

he didn't bring anything and assumes that noah has the things needed to clean his apartment out. his hands rub the back of his neck as he scans the interior, trying to assess the minimum amount of work needed to make the place look somewhat presentable. the boxes took up majority of the space, but what gets his attention is the posters on his wall.

"how much posters do you even have?" he walks past noah and goes to the wall where his bed stood against, staring at his face on the elite four poster. he suddenly sees how much he could have made his pose better. "you probably even put some up on the ceili--"

he cranes his head up.

"oh."

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shiv

the machampion

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July 17

Kanto

pansexual

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jan 28, 2020 4:43:06 GMT

"when you said lyle kopez was a lame name." noah smirks before snapping his mask back against his face. "but you weren't wrong about that."

what little he has of cleaning supplies lay in the kitchen. across the counters, sponges, cleaning solution, gloves, and all manner of things are sprawled out in a random array. spread amongst them are relocated trophies of martial arts tournaments. occasionally, one would find the odd motivational book, their covers glossy and unbent with images of overtly smiling men.

thankfully, the kitchen is spotless. it doesn't seem like noah uses it too much.

as kyle moves past, noah fumbles after him. he almost trips on a bucket of dirty water that leans against a locked door in the hallway. next to the bathroom and laundry machines.

"hey, y-yeah! that's my favorite one!" noah says proudly- but it is clear a tinge of embarrassment tickles his chords. "i can... explain. there's like, no other space for it. see?"

noah points at the covered walls. the kyle poster fits neatly among the other colourful squares. advertisements for shoes. johtian posters hyping his fights. more elite four banners...

flushing red, noah quickly grabs a duster. he tickles the back of kyle's neck to offer it to him. "you can... dust... haha."

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jan 28, 2020 7:22:44 GMT

"uh-huh..."

he starts to muse on the idea of hanging posters on his ceiling as well since having too much on his wall seems messy. his eyes travel to the optimal position to look at the poster, and then back to the ceiling. the realization comes to him.

oh.

he gets brought back from messing around when the tips of the duster touch the back of his neck, flinching from the tickling sensation. he grabs for the duster in a snap, holds it in his hands for a while, before playing with it, tapping it a few times at each of his poster on the wall.

"how many of my merch did you even buy?" he grumbles. "i've always thought no one buys them cause they're too gaudy."

he travels from one poster to another, grimacing each time he sees his own face do a fake smile for the camera. looking at noah's poster alleviates his sour expression, however. he stops to stare at it before he starts to scratch the tape off of the nearest one. it appears to have been taped a long time ago however, since kyle has a hard time scraping it off with his newly cut fingernails.

"wait, you actually do fights?" he says, hoping the conversation hides his act of stealing. "you're bodyguard thing is an actual legit thing?"

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shiv

the machampion

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Kanto

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jan 28, 2020 8:04:43 GMT

"i've got a feeew."

it's noah's turn to rub his neck. however, he manages the most unsatisfying scratch, for his rubber gloves squeak against his nape.

"you know those happiny meals? i always ask for the kyle toy." he clears his throat. "i just think they're neat. bet it's kind of weird for you though."

noah retrieves his broom. its thick bristles scrape against the floor as he gathers dust and scraps into small piles. the sounds mask kyle's thievery.

"well yeah! you think these guns are just for cleaning?"

he sighs wistfully. recollections of the ring draw stars in his eyes.

"i do some prize fights on the side. nothing crazy." noah sets his broom down before hoisting a box of shoes on to a chair. "i can teach you a few things if you want- but only if you're ready to get beat up a bit."

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jan 28, 2020 11:59:35 GMT

"also for carrying groceries, walking dogs, moving furniture around and showing off, yeah," he continues noah's list of uses for his guns, missing the point entirely as he immerses himself on something else.

he continues to slowly make progress in removing the tape on the poster of noah's fight. he takes the moment to read the details of the fight on it, barely coinciding with his stay in johto. not that he would've watched it since he doesn't have any interest in martial arts or any sport relating to it.

"you sure? people say i'm a fast learner." they don't. kyle wasn't filtering his words at this point, focusing mainly on his handiwork in front of him and letting his subconscious thoughts hold the conversation for him. "i could beat you up after just a few tries. you'd like that, huh?"

the corner sticker gets finally taken out. getting the three other corners would be easy since he just has to work from within instead of from the outside. he has to work carefully though, to make sure he doesn't attract attention, but more importantly, to make sure he doesn't damage the goods.

kyle ponders if noah had better posters than this one. it was too late to switch targets, however.

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shiv

the machampion

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July 17

Kanto

pansexual

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 4:06:26 GMT

the list teases a simper from noah's lips. although his lips are hidden underneath his mask, the firm lift of his cheeks betrays his smile.

he's on his knees, fishing shoe boxes from the bigger cardboard box on the stool. the careful extraction of shoes makes him oblivious to kyle's careful surgery. he carefully places them in a lacquered bookcase stacked against his kitchen counter. curiously, there are no books there.

noah cranes his head toward kyle. a hearty laugh roars from his chest and puffs out his mask.

"you wish, buddy. sure, you might've been in the slateport pd, but," he stands to his full height, "you've got no chance against me, c'mon now."

he tilts his head like a samoy who's head is too heavy for its neck.

"is that wall dusty?" noah asks. "you've been there for awhile."

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 6:34:18 GMT

noah's words turns to nothing but background noise as he comes further in his endeavor. with his last scratch, he catches only the last part of his statement.

the poster comes out as kyle scratches the last hold of the tape away from the wall. it flits down to noah's feet as it frees itself as kyle remains standing in front of the wall inconspicuously.

"yeah," he answers. he follows the poster, trying to keep his calm. "very dusty. i think i got most of it off though."

kyle acts as if nothing wrong was happening. a deadpan expression faces noah as he grabs the poster from the floor and focuses on rolling it up in front of him. he does it slow, eyes looking up at noah until he makes a reaction.

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shiv

the machampion

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Kanto

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 7:09:45 GMT

in silence, noah watches his poster fall from the walls. before his feet, he sees himself. there, he sees a version of himself so separate. seemingly distant. above raised fists and steel arms, his handsomely determined expression stares directly back at him.

but his past disappears. scooped up in the hands of a culprit who was supposed to clean.

"kyle?" noah tugs his mask off. the loops of fabric around his ears keep it from falling. "what are you doing?"

he tries to grab at the poster. just a meek attempt. a test jab.

"c'mon, that's!" noah steps forward, suddenly self-conscious. he almost bumps into kyle as he grasps for a forearm. "what are ya gonna do with it?"

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 7:25:19 GMT

he takes the poster out of noah's reach when he tries to go for it. a step back matches noah's step forward, and as if in a dance, kyle tries his best to evade every attempt noah makes.

his eyes go up to the ceiling when he asks, before looking back to him. "nothing," he answers. he turns his back to noah, clinging protectively to the rolled up piece of paper. he takes a quick glance, opening it up for a moment, before closing it again and turning his head back to noah.

"you know what? we should clean. your apartment's filthy."

he attempts to change the subject, but with attention at him, he knows the distraction wouldn't work. still, at least he tried.

he quickly escapes noah's grab range and runs back to his corner where he took the poster. armed with a duster, he leans his back to the wall and points his weapon at his assailant. "let's do what we came here for, yeah?"

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shiv

the machampion

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Kanto

pansexual

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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part of

TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 7:44:43 GMT

"wha-"

noah sucks air. in the heat of the moment, he's uncertain whether he enjoys kyle's teasing- or if he wants to sock him in the gut. as if he's tossing his gloves off, noah hurls his mask to the side.

then he realizes he still has his rubber gloves on. and so, he discards them as well. they flop on the floor like limp fish.

noah rushes after him, covering distance quickly in his mad scramble. unphased by the thief's weapon, he drives himself right up against him. he slams his hands on the wall, palms straddling the sides of kyle's head.

"can't escape now." noah says. a strand from his bangs falls across the bridge of his nose as he smirks. "in boxing, being up against the turnbuckle is bad, y'know?"

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 8:12:59 GMT

his eyes swishes to the arm beside his head. a bead of sweat rolls from his temple, and it wasn't because he feels like his face is in danger.

"t-this isn't boxing!"

kyle starts to get nervous when noah pins him to the wall. his composure gets broken down, the reddening of his face indicating his discomfort in the situation. his face forces a smile, a defense mechanism to hide his current anxiety of being put in a position.

still, he steels his position on the subject. his arms wrap around the poster protectively while the duster divides him and noah in a rather pathetic manner. his lips move nervously as he makes several attempts to form a sentence in his head before settling on one.

"w-w-why do you want this anyways?" he stammers defensively. "i-if you can have a poster of me, i can have a poster of y-you."

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shiv

the machampion

he/him

July 17

Kanto

pansexual

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @noah

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 8:30:37 GMT

"okay, true." noah says, but he doesn't let up. his hands remain planted, and his bare arms stay stiff like cell bars. "but why have a poster of me, when you can have the real me?"

noah speaks with confidence, but the breath that follows swells with a small sadness. the unanswered question remains embedded in his chest like a bur. he takes what he can. and as the duster tickles his chest, he remains firm.

"i'll give you that poster, which isn't mass-produced like yours bee-tee-dubs, if you promise another date." noah wrinkles his nose. "deal? 'cause i-- achoo!"

the duster forces a sneeze, and his head butts into kyle's collar.

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aero

dog boy

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jan 29, 2020 9:06:48 GMT

"that line doesn't sound as cool as you want it to be," he points out. "can i hang you on the ceiling, then?" he continues, raising a brow.

he stares at the rolled up poster in his hand, and then back to noah. "...i have posters from the mantine surfing contest last summer that weren't released cause i didn't allow them to. you can say that one's as exclusive too." his lips raise to a smirk as he finds himself winning the standoff. it doesn't last long however, since the sneeze resets his expression.

his hand instinctively moves to noah's head. it remains there, unsure of where to move it away. his lips start to move, uttering teasing words that weren't filtered out.

"too excited for the date?"

his face turns red as he realizes what came out. he forces his lips to a smile to play it off. he teases noah a lot. he'll look at it that way, he supposed.

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shiv

the machampion

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July 17

Kanto

pansexual

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5'7" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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part of

TAG WITH @noah