noah hoists frey by the front limbs, the houndour's other legs dangling like street vendor sausages. he settles the dog into the waiting line before wiping his brow.

his rolled up sleeves do little to cool him. the sweltering sun scorches the lawn and their skin, but noah remains smiling. a towel is draped around his shoulders as his skin glistens slick.

"it's totally fine, dude." he wanders over to him, the dry grass crunching underneath his feet. "i just wanna spend it with you anyway... stay still a second."

noah tugs one of the tails of his towel and dabs kyle's sweaty face.

kyle lopez

"i like the sounds of that. the daily special." noah jests. he leans down, cupping some freshly poured water to splash on his face. "fuck, it's hot."

with a sigh, the gym leader drops his towel on the lawn. he pulls his shirt over his head and drapes it over his bare shoulder. the towel remains on the dry bristles of grass. it will be needed soon enough.

"can you do me a favor, man?" noah spreads his arms wide. "hose me down. i just wanna feel alive for my birthday and the sun's killing me." as if surrendering himself to fate, he closes his eyes, leaning back as if he were some saint to be crucified.

kyle lopez

noah opens one eye.

"is that part of the daily special?" and then he closes it, his lips curled in a knowing, cheeky smile.

the cool water strikes his heat worn body. in an instant, the summer heat is washed away like ice sloughing off a berg. in his self-imposed darkness, noah can only hear and feel the surge of water as it rides up his hard torso. but he's painfully oblivious to the sudden deluge that strikes his face.

"pah, dude-!" noah's hair clings to his face like seaweed. drenched in hose water, he grabs a nearby bucket and fills it with an underwater swing in a mightyena's pool. "c'mere."

laughing, he unleashes the bucket's water at kyle. cold vengeance. the towel lays on the ground, dismissed and forgotten.

kyle lopez

as the dogs watch with incredible patience, noah laughs. he wipes his face too, as if he were wiping tears. "you look just like the dogs after a bath, man." from his hand, the bucket dangles empty above the dry grass.

but as he's hurled to the earth by kyle's vengeful frame, his rear hits water and inflatable pool plastic. the bucket is lost. noah's limbs sprawl out into a star as they are draped over the colorful, translucent rim. he swallows dryly in their rising ocean.

"have you?" noah snaps back, his response mischievous and curt to distract his boyfriend. his knee rises, pressing in between the other's legs. the gym leader raises a brow, his countenance a frustrating monument of hubris.

kyle lopez

a paralysis of enamoration takes hold. still half-sunken in the pool's shallow waters, noah wonders if he can sink further. as uninventive as it is, kyle's assured action is rare enough to avoid cliche. the effect plays out on noah's face as the sun torches his skin.

the barking is a blessing. a moment longer and noah thinks he would have died. after he stands up, noah walks out of the pool awkwardly. the dogs rush for their watering holes. excited whimpering and howling fills the yard as noah saunters after kyle.

"wanna dry off inside? eat a little lunch as the dogs play." he slides behind the elite four, planting a hot kiss on the other's neck as he cradles the other's waist with his arms. "birthday brunch."

kyle lopez

"hmm, let's get pasta." noah's hands grace kyle's face. with an intentional clumsiness, they play with his cheeks before firming against his jawline. another kiss to jog the memory. "like the first day we met."

noah retreats with a gait almost forlorn. responsibility resumes its guiding force. as the heat outlines the shape of his shoulders, noah fishes kyle's soggy shirt from the ground alongside his towel. water slaps against the grass as he squeezes each of them of the excess.

as if reading kyle's mind, noah asks, "wanna just do delivery? we can blowdry each other's hair and watch tv or something." he grabs the fallen bucket and places the shirt and towel inside.

kyle lopez

several strands of hair rebound like curled ribbons. drops of water collect at the ends of their dark stems before melting into his skin.

"we could take pictures, man. like the ones you have in your apartment." his voice strums softly. "could make a little scrapbook or like, add some to the fridge." he pauses for a shift in key. "i could pose for you, if you want."

he laughs. a delay for thought, and for reorientation.

"for my birthday, can we think about like... living together officially. i wanna move in."

kyle lopez