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Martin had been walking for what must have been days now. His backpack was getting lighter and lighter with every day that passed and his wallet was almost empty as well. It wasn’t easy to travel alone with basically little to no belongings.
Especially during nights like these, where the moon just didn’t want to disappear. It was so cold and Martin yearned for a bit of sunshine.
Not that it would get any warmer during the day – Martin shivered as he became aware of the biting cold again. However he must admit, he did feel less alone with the moon above him. It seemed to follow him wherever he went and though it was a childish thought, it felt comforting to know that there was at least one consistent thing in his life.
He was so tired, he thought he hallucinated the faint shimmer of light that he saw in the distance. Hope spread through Martin and with a newfound motivation he continued walking towards it.
Though he had stopped believing a long time ago, he still sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that he would be getting a warm place to sleep at tonight, at least for a few hours. He knew how bad he must look right now, considering that he hasn't had the chance to properly wash himself since some time now. With a tight budget like his it was also hard to negotiate to even be able to get a place to rest.
Martin could make it out clearer now, the once faint light almost blinding him. It was a gas station, a small one at that. It must still be deep into the night, but to his surprise, a lone car was parked nearby.
He could make out a boy leaning against it, seemingly waiting for the tank of his car to fill up. He couldn't be much older than Martin himself. The mysterious boy had a soft look to him and was significantly shorter than Martin, though that wasn’t hard to achieve. The light of the nearby streetlight fell over him in soft waves, making the pure beauty of him stand out even more.
Martin thought it would be best to avoid him all together, he had encountered way too many creeps already and he really wasn’t in the mood to put up with anyone right now. He just wanted to sleep anywhere that wasn’t the cold floor of the forest.
His hood pulled tight over his head he tried to make his way to the entrance of the gas station, but of course luck wasn’t on his side. Damn his height that made him stand out twice as much as anyone else.
“Hey,” the boy greeted him with a monotonous voice. His voice had an oddly soothing tone, one Martin maybe would've liked to include in the music he had produced back home.
It felt like a century ago when he had created beats after school and his only worry was how to make it sound catchy. He did miss it, producing and writing had once been a big escape for Martin. Though sadly he had other things to worry about now, like enough food and water, clean clothes and most importantly right now: a place to sleep.
Martin sincerely hoped that the boy, no matter how nice he might be, got the message and left him alone.
The taller nodded at him with what he hoped to be a polite face as a mute greeting and was ready to escape into the warmth of the shop when he spoke up again.
“You look rough, can I help you out?”
A question like this was not something Martin was prepared for – usually people just left him alone, not wanting to take on whatever trouble he would bring them. Adults were all the same, pretending to care but not caring enough to actually help.
“Uhm, do you know if the cashier is nice enough to let me crash here for the night?” Martin hated how hoarse his voice sounded, how desperate he must look that even this random guy took pity on him.
The boy made a disapproving face before he answered.
“Honestly, I’m not too sure. He was kinda passive aggressive and this place looks sketchy as hell anyway,” there was a pause before he continued, “I’m Juhoon, by the way. Where are you heading?”
Martin felt his hope deflate at the boy’s – Juhoon’s – words. Another night spent in the cold, Martin really wanted to scream out in frustration.
“I’m just going North, like wherever the wind takes me, y’know. Oh, and my name's Martin.”
He felt so awkward and the heat rising on his face didn’t make it any better. Martin hadn’t talked to someone he assumed to be his age in forever, it felt so weird. The fact that he not only had a nice voice, but was super pretty too didn’t help in the slightest.
“Oh, me too,” a shiver ran through Juhoon’s body as the wind around them seemed to pick up. “Look, I know that I now sound sketchy as hell, but I feel like your options aren’t that great either. So do you wanna spend the night in my car? Like I’ll be driving North anyway and as soon as you wake up I’ll just… Let you out, I guess.”
Martin had heard of stranger danger his whole life, he knew that realistically speaking, he should say no. He didn’t know anything about Juhoon, for all he knew he could get murdered or something.
But then again, he was so tired. His feet hurt from walking all day, his back was aching and he really just wanted to get rest. Martin also thought that Juhoon looked way too innocent to be any real danger to Martin. Worst case scenario, he'd get robbed or attacked by the shorter, but even then he doubted that Juhoon could inflict much damage.
He was thinking too much. You only live once, or whatever.
“If I’m not imposing…”
Juhoon let out a laugh in disbelief, “I didn’t think you would actually agree to be honest.”
Without further ado Martin loaded his backpack into the backseat and took place next to it. He might be impulsive, but sitting in the passenger seat felt way too confining and just like an invite for something bad to happen. Juhoon didn’t say anything about his seating choice and instead started the engine.
“I haven’t had company in quite some time,” Juhoon admitted. Martin almost asked him to continue speaking, to talk to him until he fell asleep. Juhoon’s voice made a warmth ignite in his chest, a feeling washing over him that he couldn't help but identify as comfort.
“Me neither,” Martin mumbled sleepily in response.
For the first time in a long time, he felt a peacefulness settle around him like a warm blanket. He hadn’t let his guard down like this since he left home and it felt scary, but just from the fact alone that his body was slowly but surely succumbing to sleep, he was sure that he was safe.
Probably safer than he was outside in the forest anyway.
The last thing Martin saw before his eyes closed was Juhoon’s face in the rear view mirror, a quiet steadiness in his gaze.
Yeah, he definitely did already trust the guy.