#96cj

Leo wasn’t prepared to go through this again. He just wasn’t cut out for it. Not that the last time had been a failure by any means; that was just the problem. They’d asked him back a second time to work on a new line of designs, w the same collaborator again. The first time had been Leo’s way of appeasing Sunyoung, his boss. “A little more recognition would never hurt this place. And you’d get your name out there, get a bit of notoriety or something.” Her reasoning had made perfect sense. Leo had no excuses left by the time he signed the contract, and had ended up surrounded by fashion designs, far removed from his usual interests. And then there was the person he had to work with.

Junhong was hardly one to hate. Leo felt as though had his experiences been a little different, they might have got on quite well. He had inspired ideas, and a determination that Leo found admirable. But beyond it all was something... something that Leo could not get on with. 

The air was humid, Leo leaning against the back of chair as he waited for Junhong so that they could begin discussions. Other members of the company lingered at the edges of the room, making Leo’s skin prickle. It was like he was being observed; a rat in a test lab. He ran his hand through his dark hair. It was a mess, made even more so by his restless toying with it. He’d rushed this morning, reluctant to leave the safe haven of bed and the arms around him.  A wonderful impression, he was going to make.

He glanced at the ceiling and decided to wander to the couch so he can sit down, his mind still clouded by the booze. “Alright, maybe piggybacking you at home wasn’t a good idea.”

She plops down beside him, leaning her back comfortably on the couch. “It was a good idea! You’re also the one who suggested it in the first place..”

“Don’t.” He started, raising his hand to prevent the elder from making his warning come true. “This board looks expensive, are you sure you want to break it on my head? Is the spilled shirt worth wasting your limited edition gear? I mean– yeah it’s a nice shirt, but skateboard.” Junhong insisted, hoping it will pull the right strings of male’s heart.

“Why? Maybe because we are friends? And come on, these clown costumes aren’t so bad. Don’t you really want to make those kids happy?” With that Junhong reached out to pinch his round, red nose and leaned onto his friend. “Now help me get that wig on!”