your only one / private

[JUNJI]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 400px; padding: 0px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"]a third night in a row, plagued by insomnia, junji found himself staring at his ceiling, sprawled out across his bed with nothing but the sound of his cat's purring filling the silence of his apartment. soft blue eyes slowly turned to the clock on his bedside table, 1:42AM in bright red burning into his vision in the darkness of his room. he hated these nights, where he lay alone, silently dreading the ticking of the clock that felt as though an eternity had passed between each minute.

in the empty silence stretching throughout his apartment, he had a thought. "i need to do laundry." he mumbled, turning to look at the feline sleeping beside him, curled into a tight ball and purring ever so softly. junji pet her for a moment before he stood from his bed, adjusting the soft and flowing lace sleepwear that cascaded over his thin form, barely concealing. at such an early hour, he found it unnecessary to change; though he would be walking the streets, the laundromat wasn't far, and it wasn't often that he ever spotted another soul awake at such a time.

it will be fine.

tucking a moonlit strand behind his ear, junji hoisted up his basket of clothing, whispering a soft goodbye to his pet before slipping out of his small apartment. it wasn't a long elevator ride down, as he was only on the third floor; he walked quietly through the front area of the complex, paying no mind to the dozing receptionist, and headed through the sliding glass doors. above, the sky was dark, stars shrouded by heavy clouds that stretched from horizon to horizon. thunder rumbled in the distance; gnawing nervously on his lip, junji quickened his pace. he wasn't quite counting on a storm during this trip. better be quick about it. he told himself with a glance to the sky.

as he rounded a corner, the laundromat's sign bright at the end of the street, he felt a drop, and then another. the boy picked up his feet and broke into a trot as the rain began to fall, frowning to himself about how indecent he must look. by no means was he dressed to be out and about, and now that he was becoming drenched, junji found himself regretting his decision to not change clothes.

by the time he had reached the doors to the laundromat, he was drenched and shivering, barely able to keep his grip on his basket as he swung open a door and skittered inside. junji set his clothes down on a long counter and took a moment to rub at his arms before heading for a machine and popping it open. after he'd gotten it started, he headed for the counter again, hoisting himself on top and nearly curling into himself. the cool, rigid air of the building did nothing to help his shivering. a soft whine escaped him as he rubbed at his limbs, doing his best to warm himself up, to no avail.

junji lifted his cold palms to his face and rubbed at his eyes in frustration. fingers combing through wet silver hair, he turned to face a window, and gave a frown to his drenched reflection. perhaps this was a bad idea.

[member=1517]Luca[/member]

[Luca]

It wasn't that Luca was an insomniac, really, he just much preferred nightlife to the alternative daylife. He always made sure to get some sleep once the sun rose above the horizon, but while it was down he could usually be found lingering with his two childhood friends in the seedier parts of the city. One of the said friends had dragged him to another of her favourite clubs that night, a small and cramped place at the bottom of some stairs, and of course it hadn't taken long for him to be recognised by someone he'd gotten on the wrong side of a while back. Luckily, Luca wasn't that big of a guy, it was easy for him to slip from the crowd and retreat back outside without being spotted. He wasn't really in the mood for a beat down at the moment; he'd have to meet up with his friend later, when she finally answered her damn phone.

Luca stared at the screen for a bit before sighing and tucking it into the pocket of his perhaps a little too short shorts, deciding that a walk would be good, something to distract him from the thumping of bass and the reminder of something that he couldn't have. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and set off, ignoring the obvious danger signs that loomed in the sky above. Cold weather had never bothered him too much anyway; he was mainly wearing his jacket to cover the gruesome scars that covered his arms. The worst thing that'd come from the rain was a cold, and while he hated those with a passion, the thought of catching one wasn't enough to motivate him to walk faster.

Of course, if there happened to be a dry laundromat nearby when it finally started raining, then that was just the right level of convenient to get him to dip inside. No running required. He turned to look through the window as the rain started to pick up intensity, smug despite his earlier lack of concern that he hadn't gotten too wet. He stepped back from the door to lurk by the back, leaning against the wall and pulling his phone back out from his pocket. A big part of him wished that he'd ducked into somewhere a little more exciting, but he doubted that many other places were open at this time. He opened candy crush saga on his phone, tapping mindlessly at the screen and listening to the rain as he waited for it to die down. It was only the sound of the door opening again that caused him to glance up, and what he had intended to be a quick look evolved into a full blown stare as he caught sight of who had just walked in.

Luca quickly decided that this scantily clad stranger was infinitely more interesting than a stupid mobile app, and slipped his phone away in favour of getting a better look. As Junji fiddled with the machine, Luca couldn't help but let his eyes wander. The silver haired boy hadn't been nearly as lucky as Luca, and the sleepwear he was wearing was scandalous enough without the rain plastering it to his skin. He could feel the beginnings of a sympathetic smile tugging at his lips as he watched Junji pull himself onto the counter, his hand coming up to toy with the half done up zip of his jacket. He really did hate showing his scars in public, but it was probably worth it if it meant getting a pretty boy in his debt. He debated with himself for another minute or two before finally approaching the boy, shrugging off his jacket and leaning against the counter.

"You look like you need this more than me," he said as he offered the clothing to the ethereal boy, trying his best to keep any and all traces of lust from those dull blue eyes of his. Hopefully Junji wouldn't mind the smell of smoke that clung to the fabric; Luca wasn't big on cigarettes, but he did have a nasty habit of burning things down from time to time. "What're you doing in here at a time like this?" Dressed like that. Luca definitely wasn't complaining, this boy's arrival had made his boring night interesting again, but he couldn't help but be curious. He didn't know anything about him, including his name, but he would be lying if he said that he wasn't already invested.

[JUNJI]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 400px; padding: 0px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"]sleep had never been much of a friend to junji; riddled with nightmares and haunted by past events, he found himself much preferring to remain awake and alert. daylight was his safety, ensuring no harm would come to him as the night ended. though the lack of sleep was slowly beginning to get to him, the pretty boy paid no mind, always continuing on his way.

though with day brought crowds and the bustling noise of the city, he found security in the buzz, spending his time in coffee shops when he wasn't attending classes pertaining to his major. he had always preferred to be doing something instead of nothing. while he loved the way people mingled and laughed and enjoyed each other's company, and he too loved the occasional presence of a friend or acquaintance, he found himself overwhelmed rather easily. he'd gone to a party once, just once. junji had been cornered then, by someone much larger than himself, pressuring him to do things that sounded extremely unpleasant and increasingly uncomfortable. it had been a miracle he'd ever managed to escaped that; parties were not his thing, not ever.

blue eyes snapped up as the sound of footsteps finally reached his ears, startling out of the glare he had been giving his reflection, and his gaze locked onto the boy that stood in front of him. he smelled like he had just come from some sort of party or club, and he rather fit the profile of it. scandalously short shorts and just the general look of him; though he was attractive, and junji found himself staring and barely processing the words thrown at him, he thought for a moment that perhaps he shouldn't be judging with the way he was currently dressed. all too aware now, he half-attempted to cover himself up, until finally he accepted the offered jacket and slipped it over his shivering form. a soft breath slipped from his lips.

he tugged it closer to his body, absentmindedly dipping his head down to breathe in the smell of smoke clinging to the jacket. it was crisp and warm, unlike the stench of cigarettes; the smell of bonfires and smaller flames, he could almost hear the crackles and sparks. junji lifted up a delicate hand to tuck silver hair behind his ears, slowly turning his gaze back to the stranger leaning beside him. he supposed he owed him a reply, being kind enough to spare his jacket for a random, inappropriately dressed boy drenched from rain. "thank you." he mumbled first, casting his eyes to the cold floor of the laundromat. "i... needed to do laundry." he laughed a bit awkwardly to himself.

"probably should have waited until morning," junji mused softly. "i wasn't expecting a storm." hands clasped in his lap, he fiddled with his thumbs, trying to think of what else to say, to fill the silence of the room. he pursed his lips briefly and adjusted the jacket, closing the front to keep himself warm, before he sent a glance toward the stranger. "i didn't see any other machines running, and this isn't the most entertaining place..." jun trailed off, silently wondering what purpose this other boy could have in a laundromat if he had no clothes to be washed. maybe he was just waiting out the storm; junji couldn't blame him for that. the rain beat hard on the windows and above thunder crashed, nearly causing him to jump. he'd always loved storms, but dressed like this, he would have much preferred the skies to remain clear.

[Luca]

There was a subtle look of amusement in his eyes as Junji tried to cover himself up. Luca had already seen all that he wanted, but he didn't say that aloud. Although he often spoke without thinking, a part of his brain wanted to keep from scaring his boy off. After all, his interest had been caught now by the rain drenched figure, and once that happened it was hard to shake him. He watched as the other boy pulled his jacket on, only really half aware of the cold that began to seep into the bare skin of his arms. Now that his jacket was gone he found himself pushing his hands into the shallow half-pockets of his shorts, half hoping that the fading burn marks on his skin wouldn't be noticed. Setting fires for fun was one thing, but getting away when they got out of hand was another thing entirely. Thankfully, he knew how to take care of himself well enough by now, so most of his scars wouldn't end up being permanent.

The only scars that seemed to linger were those that littered his back and that one on his cheek, eternal reminders of his messy childhood. He didn't like to think about them much; lingering on those memories brought on nightmares much like the ones Junji suffered when he tried to sleep. Luca's fingers brushed against the cool metal of a pocketknife he had forgotten that he was carrying, and the sudden chill managed to ground him before he stumbled into any particularly distressing scar-themed thoughts. He ran his fingers gently across it as he listened to the pretty stranger talk, unable to help the way his eyes fell on his lips as they moved. He almost zoned out, missing the words that left Junji's mouth until he laughed, bringing Luca back to reality. He let out a noncommittal hum of agreement as the unexpectedness of the storm was brought up, glancing out the window to watch the rain pounding outside. He had to hide the beginnings of a smile though, his immature mind amused by anything associated with the word pounding.

It was Junji glancing at him that brought his gaze back towards the boy, blue eyes meeting those across from them. It was pretty obvious that now was the time for him to explain what he was doing there. He decided to leave out the part about him running from a party, although he was aware of the smell of alcohol that clung to his shirt. "I was just passing by when the storm started, so I came in," he said simply, offering a bit of a half smile. "I'm super far from home so I was gonna wait it out instead of walking all that way in the rain." His friend was supposed to be his ride, but she was probably drunk and in bed with a stranger, leaving him in a laundromat with no money and a shitty pocketknife. Despite what he told Junji, he had no intention of walking home at all. If anything he'd just sleep in an alleyway with the rats and the murderers.

The sound of thunder split across the silence, and Luca found himself flinching before he could stop it. He had never dealt too well with loud noises, especially since loud noises had always meant danger when he was a child. His brows furrowed in a subtle frown, teeth coming down on his lower lip briefly while he waited for the spike of fear to disappear. Finally he sighed and pulled his left hand from his pocket, rubbing idly at his other arm to distract from the embarrassment that bloomed across his cheeks. "I'm guessing you live a lil' closer," He said, trying to move things along slightly. "What's your name? I'm Luca." Probably a little late for introductions, but better late than never.

[JUNJI]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 400px; padding: 0px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"]ocean eyes drifted back to the window as the stranger at his side spoke a reply; his head bobbed lightly as he listened. understandable for him to dip inside at the sign of a storm, though he hummed softly to himself when luca mused that he was going to wait it out. with the way it was pouring now, it didn't look like it would let up any time soon, which was rather unfortunate for the both of him. junji wasn't quite looking forward to getting drenched again, not when his clothes were already sopping and stuck against his skin, transparent and all too revealing. he considered changing into new clothes once they were done drying, warm and fluffy, but he wasn't fond of the idea of changing with someone else in the room. i'll probably have to come back tomorrow... they'll get drenched again tonight.

a soft sigh slipped from his lips. he turned back to luca after a few moments, realizing he'd gone silent, suddenly feeling guilty for spacing out. though he heard the words, it took some time for his mind to process them, and in those moments he stared blankly at the other boy. "oh," he rubbed his cheek awkwardly. "i'm junji." he offered a small smile before he leaned forward, looking past luca to the machine his clothes sat in. the cycle was almost over; they'd be dry soon enough. "uh, my apartment building is just down the road, if you need a place to stay."

he had never quite been one for company, nor was he one to simply offer up a space in his home to someone he'd just met. the boy felt almost bad for him though; stranded alone in a laundromat at two in the morning as rain beat on the windows. the atmosphere was almost surreal. if junji had known better, he would have laughed at such a coincidence, meeting a cute boy in a place like this. it was almost as cliche as those "fell in love at a coffee shop" scenarios.

pursing his lips briefly, he slowly slid off the counter, padding barefoot across the tile to peer into the machine as it swirled his clothes about. a minute or two passed, he couldn't tell, until finally a beep resounded throughout the otherwise empty room to announce its finish. junji popped it open and proceeded to load his warm, freshly dried clothes into his basket; eyes turned to luca, he adjusted the jacket nestled over his torso and smiled lightly, silently telling him that he was ready to leave if he intended to come with.