"you could say that," noah jests, joining him in the clouds.

the old lightning of ecruteak illuminates gentle memories of night festivals and the glowing grills of street food vendors. kids with wooden sandals clacking on stone paths. magikarp prizes. codenames of pretend and play, as festival youth reenact famous battles. hoenn houses such halycon scenes too- but nostalgia softens the heart.

"kids dare each other to head into the burned tower at night," noah says, "like a fright challenge. but," he leans over, head sliding down to settle on the other's lap, "let's stay in our room tonight. and get coooozy. y'know?"

he tilts his chin toward kyle, a glint of gold in his trickster eyes.

kyle lopez

kyle's kiss leaves his lips curling into a smile. like his eyelids, it's heavy. dreamy. lethargy makes his head heavy in the summer heat contained within the car. noah can still feel kyle's hands on his face.

as collisions both car and body occur, noah grows red. he pushes his hand toward kyle's face, squishing the other's nose flat.

"shut up." noah snorts. "but yeah... i've got it all planned out in my head." he taps his temple with a smug look. "i'm gonna treat you right, man. perfect vacation. nothing to disturb us. and unlimited access to the one and only machampion."

he closes his eyes, still smiling.

"you are so lucky, dude."

kyle lopez

"never been asked for a refund, man." noah knocks gently against the other. eyes close, for he cares little about being watched or not. half-yawning and half-smiling, he speaks like a muted trumpet. "five star reviews oooonly."

he opens one eye, searching for reactions or further teasing. but eventually, fatigue settles in once more. eyelids grow heavy as the taxi leaves the borders of goldenrod.

kyle lopez