it makes sense, noah realizes. not unlike a counsellor's office or some private confessional, the expression of vulnerability comes easily when there's no one else around. noah stifles a laugh in case it hurts him.

"i told them that they didn't have to meet us in the airport 'cause i had a feeling you'd be nervous."

noah says. he brings kyle's hand to his side, still grasped before it is released in favour of a standing embrace. concentration plays out on his face before relaxing, as if the idea is drawn out from his lips like a balloon losing air.

"well, i'll introduce them to you and i'll introduce you. dad's probably gonna want to shake your hand. firm grip. nothing loosey-goosey." his arms tighten thickly around kyle as an example. "and mom's probably gonna want to treat us to dinner. we can spend the night there or we can head out. no obligations. easy, right?"

kyle lopez

"i get it. like, they can't say we didn't hang out with them enough." noah sets his forehead on kyle's, leaning in close enough to pick a kiss off his lips. "don't worry about it, man. i'll take the lead, and it's not like my family's fucked up. i think."

he grasps the other's face. reciprocation again. noah pats kyle's cheeks as if to comfort him before his palms squeeze together for vengeance.

"they're gonna love you, man. they're gonna be like, woah, how did this guy tie me down finally. y'know?"

kyle lopez

"i love you too."

noah feels like his head is the sun. or perhaps, the sun is inside him, burning to emerge through his face, for his cheeks burn with a blush so furious that noah can't seem to calm down. he savours the kiss. the sensation that lingers on his lips continues to tickle pinks. and like glowing coals, his lips burn as soft breath passes over them.

"we can say we met at a dog park." noah says. "and we hit it off from there. kinda crazy to think about. how far we've come." he pushes kyle to the wall- but there is little traversal needed. noah nibbles on the other's ear lobe as he continues to speak in hushed romances: "i think i'd die without you, kyle. i'm that in love... that's cheesy as fuck, but you dig it, right?"

kyle lopez

being pressed together, as if to squeeze the air out from in between them, is enough to elicit a satisfied grunt from noah's throat. he hums softly. recent memories of slept-in weekends and lazy sunday mornings carry the same scent. noah nestles his face into kyle's chest before peering up to answer.

"not weird." noah whispers back. "pretty hot, though." their closeness reminds him of a pesky obstacle; the dratini pillow is promptly pulled away from his collar and set in the sink. "you probably hired me because i was- and still am, by the way, hot."

noah snorts.

"i'm right, right?"

kyle lopez

"dude, why am i so obvious?" noah's laugh tickles kyle's neck. he nestles in, one cheek warmly grazing the other's. "and i stayed 'cause you're that and more."

for now, noah does not pay any mind to the world outside. even in cramped quarters, there is no better comfort than the kind found in his partner.

"you're stupid good looking. i'm lucky." he says. and although he has said such things many times before, noah promises himself that he would continue his praise. he wonders if kyle has heard it much before. "wanna get lucky too?"

and like the johtian winds conveying their inevitable descent, noah gets carried away.

kyle lopez

noah returns to his seat with kyle. finding a few seconds to get comfortable, he makes up his mind and taps the entertainment system's screen. the menus shift. flight tracker, shopping, music, and movies— noah finds them mundane, still distracted by thoughts gone ablur.

he turns to kyle. the dratini neck pillow swings too, eyes still closed in serene discs.

"wanna... watch a movie together?" noah asks. "maybe a rom-com. no action."

kyle lopez

noah removes the tinfoil of his meal's container and allows the steam to escape. crumpling the silver sheet into a ball, noah nestle it in the corner of his tray.

"aight, you got a point, but i don't compare, man!" noah chomps the tomatoes away from kyle's utensil. like some dinosaur grinding down leaves, he speaks in betwen intervals of chews, "'cause-- we're like-- better than them anyway."

noah opens his packaged fork. the plastic wrapper falls: a flimsy cocoon.

"or we could watch something violent like the gluttony games." noah punctures a halved baby potato. its skin is wrinkled dry. "y'know, the one where the trainers and their pokemon are forced to kill each other? if we were in that movie, and like, against each other... what would you do?"

he raises a brow, examining the ball of carbs before scarfing it down.

kyle lopez