#also linked all the songs+ added their genres if anyone gets curious (:

[nohugsgiven]

got tagged by @blastdamage (:

The Rules™: pick a song for every letter in your URL and then tag that many people

nacreous snowmelt by Camellia [j-core]

out of my mind by Gyrofield [dnb]

hype invader by Kobaryo [uk hardcore/electrocore]

uninvited guest by Mitsukiyo [piano]

girls by Masakatsu Takagi [piano]

skin-deep by Multy Tabs [easycore/pop punk]

games by Kraus [noiserock]

it's our destiny (Imanu self remix) by Imanu [dnb]

vortex by YZYX [chiptune] (not the full name but cmon man i don't know any songs starting with V <'3)

effection (part 2) by weyheyhey !! [breakcore]

new canaan by Bill Wurtz [country folk]

i'd love to hear from @lost-in-a-meadow @oediex @ouroya @juiches-blog @androidenkaetzchen @peachypixxie @lucid-lefty @budpuppy @tobeflyhigh @snowbleat @soft-raining and anyone who sees this and feels like doing it! i picked super randomly 💛 edit: tumblr is a fuck and won't let me tag the rest of the people hhh. sorry about sending the rest manually & bothering yall sfsfgd

[noona-clock]

Traveling Love (Collab) - Part 2

Genre: Fluffy/Romantic AU

Pairing: Nam Joo Hyuk x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: None

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, Masterlist | Words: 2,230

A/N: Welcome to the third series in the monthly Love In Fours Ways collab with myself, @jackiejacks923​ @prettywordsyouleft​ & @this-song-thats-only-for-you​ . We have all taken inspiration from 4 illustrations (linked below), and during the last week of the month, we will each be sharing a 4-part mini-series based on those drawings.

Credit to: Puuung - Love Is In The Small Things

Part 2: Taking Photos of Each Other When Traveling to New Places

Joo Hyuk let out a soft groan as he flopped back onto the pristinely-made bed in the hotel room.

“Why is traveling so exhausting?” he murmured as he stared up at the ceiling before briefly closing his eyes.

Once you’d stepped out of your shoes, you gently crawled onto the bed and fit yourself right next to him. “I don’t know,” you sighed. You nestled into his side, resting your head on his shoulder as he put his arm around you and lazily rubbed your upper arm. “You’re just sitting the whole time, no matter if you’re driving on flying. ...Why is it so exhausting?”

After a little over a month of planning, the vacation you’d talked about sitting out on the balcony all those weeks ago had finally arrived. You’d spent more hours than you’d care to admit researching, mapping, booking, scheduling, and now here you were. You’d found the perfect little city next to a small sea with plenty to do and eat, but also plenty of ways to just relax.

Joo Hyuk let out a soft but contented sigh before pushing himself up onto his side and moving his arm out from under you to rest his head in his hand. “This is a nice place,” he stated as he looked around the room. “Good job. I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you,” you beamed, gazing up at him adoringly. “You told me to make this a treat, and I did.”

A tiny grin tugged at Joo Hyuk’s lips, and he lifted his other hand to reach out and tap you gently on the nose. “I knew I could trust you.”

“Of course you can! You know I love to plan things.”

“Exactly,” he nodded. “And you’re very thoughtful.”

“Well,” you murmured as your cheeks flushed a bit. “I try to be, at least.”

But you wouldn’t lie and say that you didn’t feel some sense of achievement at having planned this vacation -- and, so far, everything was going swimmingly, if you did say so yourself.

“What’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?” your boyfriend asked as he gazed down at you warmly. “It’s barely past lunchtime, we’ve got the whole afternoon and evening ahead of us.”

His question made you sit up, your eyes widening a little with excitement. “We have a reservation as this pizza place tonight -- all the reviews I saw said it’s the best pizza in the city. But before that, I figured we would just do some sightseeing, take some pictures, see if anything jumps out at us that we want to do in the next few days. Y’know -- classic tourist exploring.”

Joo Hyuk chuckled a little -- probably because of how weirdly excited you were to tell him the plans -- but he sat right up with you and nodded with determination.

“All right, then,” he said. “Let’s get to it.”

Even though the both of you had just been worn out from traveling all morning, you suddenly felt a burst of energy hit you. You sprang from the bed and headed to your suitcase to unpack.

After both you and Joo Hyuk had changed out of your traveling clothes and grabbed your cameras, the two of you headed out of the hotel and out into the streets of the city.

There was a slight chill in the air, making you relieved you’d put on your favorite green trench coat before leaving the room.

“Where to?” Joo Hyuk asked as he slipped his hand into yours.

You hummed thoughtfully, scrunching up your eyebrows and turning first to the left and then to the right. And since there really wasn’t anything to sway you one way or the other, you simply picked at random.

“This way,” you decided, lifting your free hand to point to the left of the hotel, down the relatively quiet street.

For the next few hours, you and Joo Hyuk roamed the city, barely even getting out your phones to look at maps or search something you wanted to learn more about. There was plenty of time for that during the rest of your trip; right now, you wanted to simply explore. The harmless threat of getting lost was actually kind of exciting because you knew a taxi was just a click away, so why worry? Normally, you did worry about it, but... not right now. Not today.

Today was just for fun.

Since both of you had brought your cameras with you, you spent a lot of time taking pictures -- mostly of the scenery and the awe-inspiring architecture around the city. You also snapped photos of any and all stray or wild animals you saw, so you most likely had about fifteen pictures of just squirrels in your camera roll so far.

Just as you realized the sun was incredibly low in the sky, nearing sunset, Joo Hyuk stopped walking.

“Here, let’s go on that bridge,” he murmured, nodding up toward a pedestrian bridge overlooking the streets below.

You quickly took out your phone to check the time, letting out a soft sigh of relief when you saw it still wasn’t quite time for your dinner reservation yet. In fact, there was absolutely enough time to visit the bridge, so you agreed and followed your boyfriend up there.

“Oh, wow,” you breathed when you stepped onto the wooden planks, your eyes scanning the view in front of and below you. “It’s beautiful.”

The lowering sun was casting the most beautiful golden light out over the city, the top of the sky starting to darken just a hint -- if you looked hard enough, you could see a few stars peeking through.

“And it’s golden hour,” Joo Hyuk added as he lifted his camera up.

“Is it?” you asked, lifting your brows as you turned your head to look at him. “I’ve always been curious what time golden hour was.”

“It’s just whenever the sun makes everything look...” Joo Hyuk smirked a little and gestured around the two of you. “Look like this.”

“Well, then,” you stated, lifting up your camera. “I should take advantage of it.”

No matter how vehemently Joo Hyuk protested it, he absolutely looked like a male model in every single picture he took, no matter if it was a selfie or a picture taken by someone else. He just had no bad angles, and even if the lighting was the opposite of golden hour, he somehow managed to look like he’d stepped straight out of a magazine.

So, were you going to pass up the opportunity to take a picture of your devastatingly handsome boyfriend in what was widely known as the best photography lighting?

No. Absolutely not.

But just after pressing the viewfinder to your eye and hovering your index finger over the button, Joo Hyuk also lifted up his camera.

“Wait, no,” you chuckled, though you still kept your own camera up in front of your face. “I wanted to take a picture of you.”

“But I want to take one of you, too!”

You laughed softly to yourself before going ahead and snapping the picture. You knew that, even with a camera blocking over half of his face, he would still look stunning.

Of course, you did make him put his camera down so you could take other pictures, and while he seemed a bit shy about it, he still posed against the railing of the bridge. But then he made you do the same for him -- and, to be truthful, that was basically the perfect description of your relationship.

Things had always been so equal between the two of you.

You never, ever felt like you gave more than you got, and you also never felt like you got more than you gave. Joo Hyuk wasn’t the most affectionate or emotionally expressive person, but that didn’t mean he ever made you feel unloved. He always showed you in other ways -- more subtle ways, mind you -- but for some reason, it had been incredibly easy for you to learn the language he used to express his feelings for you.

Even from the very beginning, things with Joo Hyuk had been so...

Easy.

You’d never worried about if he’d liked you or not, because you could just tell that he had. You’d never actually verbally established your labels as boyfriend and girlfriend because it had just happened. And you’d realized you were in love with him before you even knew you were starting to fall for him.

The two of you had only been together for a couple of years now, but it felt like forever.

Joo Hyuk had just taken a picture of you as you were looking out over the bridge and pushing your hair back with your fingers (a classic ‘this is a totally casual, candid, absolutely not posed picture’ pose), but instead of keeping his camera up and murmuring another suggestion for a pose, he gently set the camera down, letting it hang taut on its strap. He then slid the strap around his shoulder so the camera was behind him and walked the short distance over to you.

You figured he was coming over to tame a stray lock of hair which had been pushed out of place during the last picture, but instead, he simply stood behind you, circled his arms around you, and pulled you back to his chest.

“Hey,” you greeted with a soft chuckle.

He replied to you by placing a few kisses on your temple and ear, and even though they were very chaste, quick kisses, they still made your cheeks flush.

The two of you stood there for a few moments, Joo Hyuk moving his arms to grasp the railing in front of you while you continued to lean against his chest.

And then, in an incredibly quiet voice, your boyfriend murmured, “This is going to be... so cheesy, but --”

You held your breath, truly not able to anticipate what he might be about to say. You couldn’t remember a time over the last couple of years when Joo Hyuk had ever admitted to saying something cheesy.

“I...” he continued, his words so soft they were almost carried off by the small breeze in the air. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else, and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. Just -- taking pictures with you on this bridge... I don’t know, it’s just -- it’s perfect.”

Of course, his so-called cheesy words made your lips split into a wide, beaming grin, and while you desperately wanted to turn around and face him, you knew he was too shy for that right now.

So, you simply turned your head and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“I think so, too,” you whispered.

You felt Joo Hyuk’s cheek move as he smiled, and then he said, “Thank you for this. I don’t know if I’ve actually thanked you for planning everything, and if I haven’t, I’m sorry because you deserve --”

You couldn’t stop yourself. You turned around in his arms to face him, standing on your toes and capturing his lips in a brief kiss.

“I deserve,” you said after pulling away. “To be with you right here, right now. That’s all. And you’re the one who found this bridge, so I can’t take all the credit.”

The look on your boyfriend’s face made it clear that he was about to refute you, so you continued on before he got the chance.

“I did all the planning before we left, yes -- but all the planning in the world doesn’t guarantee a perfect vacation. Or even a nice one. Now that we’re actually here, that job belongs to both of us. So, if this turns out to be the wonderful, amazing trip that I think it will, it’s not all because of me.”

Joo Hyuk looked into your eyes, his gaze a combination of adoration and admiration. “You’re right,” he said with a small nod.

You were just about to reply to his statement with a very smug “As usual” but to your slight surprise, Joo Hyuk beat you to it.

“As usual,” he smirked.

“Y’know, I think we need to document this moment,” you grinned. “And not just because you said I’m right.”

Joo Hyuk playfully rolled his eyes, but he still shuffled around so his back was against the railing and the two of you were facing away from the view.

You held up your camera, though your boyfriend took it from you without a word -- the guy was tall and had much longer arms than you, better for taking selfies -- and pressed his cheek to your temple.

You smiled brightly, and when you heard the shutter go off, you murmured that he should take one more. And then you turned your head, placing your lips on his cheek as you brought one hand up to cradle his other cheek.

As soon as he took the picture, you knew that one would be going on the bookshelf in your living room at home. You absolutely wanted to remember this moment -- this whole evening, actually -- for the rest of your life, and that picture would be the perfect one to document it.

Part 3

[thiswasinevitableid]

14(+44?), 16, or 71 for indruck! (71 could also be cute for dani/aubrey)

I went with 14, SFW! I’ll also do 16 at some point.

14: The power goes out in our apartment building, but i’m not prepared for this, and you come to check on me

Duck’s playing his old Tony Hawk game just for the hell of it when the power goes. Judging by the suddenly dark building out his window, it’s not just his building, but the whole block. 

He’s gonna go out on a limb and assume the huge-ass snowstorm has something to do with it. It’s only six p.m, but it’s so fucking dark his brain thinks it’s midnight, so maybe he can just go to sleep. Thank fuck the heat in this place is gas and not electric. 

Duck putters around, refills Taco’s water dish, and changes into his sweatpants and t-shirt, figuring he’ll read on his phone until bed.

There’s a clatter-crash above him, followed by a thud and the kind of curses someone makes when they’re alone. 

He takes advantage of living in an old building with thin walls and floors. 

“‘Drid? Everythin okay up there, man?”

All the scuffling ceases, then, “As much as it can be.”

Duck grabs the nearest sweatshirt and his keys, tossing another blanket over Taco before heading out the door and up the stairs. See, Duck is a guy with lots of soft spots. And one of those soft spots has “Indrid Cold” stamped into it. 

He barely saw the man the first year he lived here, though he heard him plenty. Footsteps at all hours of the night, music that either ping-ponged wildly between genres or stayed on the same song for the whole day, and only ever one voice to go along with it all. 

The first time they met, Duck nearly fell off his balcony. 

“Those look lovely.”

He drops the watering can, whirling to look up. An angular face with red glasses and a mess of silver hair peers over the edge of the railing above him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I, ah, I just meant the plants are very nice. The rosemary in particular seems to be thriving.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks. Uh, how long have you been watchin me?” He’s in a tank-top due to the heat, but was shirtless until a few minutes ago.

“A number of weeks. Oh dear, ah, that sounds creepy. I just mean that I can see your deck from mine, and sometimes I end up watching it instead of focusing on my work. I’ve never seen so many pollinators come to such a small space; it’s amazing.”

“Huh.” Duck tongues his cheek, not sure whether to be flattered or alarmed. 

“Do you want a Capri Sun? They're cold.”

He chuckles, “Sure, why the hell not? Send one down.” 

There’s a plastic thunk and then a beach pail comes down on a rope to deliver his drink.

In spite of that odd start, he and Indrid started talking more, to the point the other man would come down and sit on the balcony while Duck gardened or Duck would sit in Indrids chaotic apartment and read while Indrid did tarot card predictions over the phone. During those five months, he discovered Indrid is a disaster magnet; broken glasses, a broken-into car, an almost broken ankle due to slipping in the first frost of the season. Hence his trip upstairs, just to be sure nothing is wrong. 

He knocks, gets a “come in,” and cannot see the other man anywhere. And the apartment is freezing.

“Bedroom!” Indrid calls from down the short hallway. Duck shuts and locks the door, picks his way over crumpled drawings to find his friend no more than a pile of fabric on a mattress on the floor with an unplugged trio of space heaters pointing at him. 

“You want me to turn the heater up?”

“You can’t. It’s broken. The repair man was supposed to come this morning but had to cancel because of the roads.” Indrid’s face appears from a black blanket. 

“Shit, you got no way to heat the place? My little hand-power radio says this might last until tomorrow mornin.”

“I was afraid of that.” Indrid sighs, “I’ll just hope that the blankets are enough. The bang you heard was me tripping over the one I was wearing as a shawl.”

Duck holds out his hand, “Or you could come a floor down where there’s  a workin heater, goofus.”

“I, ah, suppose I could. I won’t be in your way?”

“Just don’t take Taco’s blankets and we’ll all survive the night. Grab whatever you need for the night and I’ll meet you down there.”

As he tromps down the stairs, he reassures himself that he’s just being neighborly; he’d check on anyone in the same circumstances. But his heart still bubbles with excitement when he thinks of Indrid in his house in the snow-covered darkness. 

He’s pulling all the blankets from the closet when the door opens and shuts. Even with his heater working, they’ll need to bundle up. 

“I’ll just put my things by the couch.”

“Works for meAH, what the fuck?” He pulls his foot back from where a box narrowly missed landing on it. Minor scare aside, he can’t think of anything better to fall from the sky. 

“Hey, you like s’mores?”

“...Yes? Though I feel like a campfire, while tempting, is ill-advised.” The other man is perched on the couch, fidgeting with his sweater sleeves. 

Duck shows him the box, “Got this at a white elephant swap at work last year and never used it. Supposed to make it so you can make s’mores inside. Wanna try?”

“Absolutely” Indrid tears into the box and begins setting up what looks like a fondue pot’s long-lost cousin, retrieving the matches from their usual spot on the counter while Duck finds the marshmallows, a half box of graham crackers, and left over hershey minis from Halloween. 

“Is having s’more supplies on hand a requirement of being a ranger?”

“Trade secret” Duck plops down across from him, the flames adding an eeriness to Indrid’s features that does nothing to Duck’s desire to take his hand and hold him until he’s warmed through. 

Indrid makes it through four s’mores in the time it takes Duck to eat one and a half, and is licking his fingers in a painfully appealing way when he muses, “Should we tell scary stories? I understand that goes hand in hand with roasting marshmallows.”

“Havin some summer camp flashbacks?”

“No. I never went, which was probably for the best. I’m not sure accident-prone children with glasses do so well in such places. Though I was always curious about kayaking.”

“Can take you in the spring if you want. There are lakes in the park where it’s allowed. Could even paddle out to Floating Island if you wanted to draw.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Indrid smiles, “I almost finished the drawing for Jane, it will be ready in time for Christmas.”

“Thanks, ‘Drid.”

Indrid licks molten sugar off his fork and Duck searches for a distraction from the way his tongue moves.

“You ever hear the story of the hook-handed man?”

“What?”

“It’s an old camp story. You seriously never heard it?”

“I’ve heard references to it. Now I want the full experience.” Indrid leans in attentively. Duck does his best, but it’s not quite s scary when you’re in an apartment  with three locking doors between you and the outside world and the only place a murder could hide is in the closet Duck was just in. Indrid doesn’t jump at the ending, but he applauds, 

“My turn?”

“Go for it.”

“Hmm. Ah, okay, once upon a time, there was a lonely artist who lived in a barren land. Every day he would sit and stare at an oasis of green, but he could not get too near. Until, one day, the caretaker of the oasis invited him in. The artist felt so happy when he was there, the caretaker was one of the nicest men he’d ever known. And the, ah, the artist wanted to know if, if he would, ah, like to go out with him. Maybe tomorrow?”

It takes Duck’s mind two seconds to catch up with what just happened and in those seconds Indrid looks increasingly like he’s going to bolt out the door.

“Not much of a scary story.” Duck teases gently. 

“I’ll have you know I am terrified right now.”

Duck links their fingers, “No need for that, darlin. I’d love to go out with you.”

They could re-light the whole block with the power of Indrid’s smile. 

“In the meantime” Duck snuffs the flame on the table, “let me keep you warm?”

Indrid tugs him into an embrace, kissing his cheek with an excited hum and laughing when Duck chases his lips for a proper, tender kiss,  “Of course.”

[jlf23tumble]

Top 10 Niche Interests

Fixations? Obsessions? This is incredibly hard because I have wayyyy too many niche interests, so instead of stressing about it, I tried to channel the 10 things that immediately speak to me and maybe aren't so obvious from what I post here, like how much I'm obsessed with wigs, doll furniture, incredibly specific blogs, all forms of clothing with pockets, swimming pools, whimsical bus stops, over-the-top bathrooms, etc. etc Instead, I opted for some specifics that feel a little more evergreen and long tailed, like, so LIFE-long tailed that it's tough to nail down when or how they became part of the national psyche. I thank @alienfuckeronmain​ for the initial tag, and I'm tagging her AGAIN for round two because I know she has a billion additional niche things, and she'll post them, and I'll scream because it'll trigger five other things I neglected to post here, and I'll probably post my own round two, arggggh, insert aggressive sighing. Anyway, I tag ANYONE who wants to do it, just tag me so I can see! 

1. Indoor Trees

I have no idea why this concept PULLS so hard because houseplants are kind of meh to me, but you want to plant an entire-ass TREE indoors, in the place where you live? Me, too, and I'd add a conversation pit plus a combo gold/red bathroom, among other things, and, bam, we're in my imaginary dream home, which I have literally, constantly ALWAYS mentally constructed from the time I was about six or so. (If you're curious, it has multiple themed rooms, and the closest I've seen to it recently is the outstanding Dita von Teese AD feature, but Amy Sedaris’s apartment comes close, too). There are two (2) 1960s houses in Long Beach with magnificent indoor trees, but I can't find them online, so have this modern interpretation and cry with me about how I can't visit the multi-story fake tree inside Clifton's Cafeteria for a good long while:

2. Conventions of Fans of Any Kind

One thing that I don't think I'll ever lose is how much I *love* people who are fans of SOMETHING, people who have a passion and create something about it or cosplay it or simply gather to celebrate it and connect to other people through it. The Internet provides in all kinds of ways, but I'm talking specifically about IRL conventions and the way my heart pitter pats when I first walk in those doors, SWOON! And it doesn’t matter how big the convention is or how random, I've been to smaller events like CatCon and the My Little Pony convention all the way up to biggies like WonderCon and Comic Con, and I have yet to be disappointed. I might know jack shit about what I'm walking into, but I want to see the merch, hear about the panels, and check out the people who are fucking PUMPED to be there. Sadly, I think it's gonna be a lonnnnng time until these come back, but I can live vicariously through my old photos, sigh:

3. Dutch Wax Fabrics and African Fashion

I'm not the snazziest of dressers, but textiles, colors, and patterns have been an obsession that has soothed my visual soul for as long as I can literally remember. Wax fabric marries all three of those touchpoints, plus throws in a healthy dose of style, and I count myself lucky to have seen two big exhibits on the subject (this was one of them), oh, how I wish there were more! For sure, there's a fucked up underlying colonial/imperialist history here, but there's also humor and color and vibrancy, a reclamation of sorts, and multiple levels of fashion that take my breath away. I cannot do the different patterns justice at all, but the fan motif is one of my faves:

4. Hearst Castle vs. Madonna inn

These two fall into my #home tag because they're where I'm from, and they speak to me as equally sublime and ridiculous, camp and kitsch writ large and small, different (yet similar!) versions of Xanadu that two rich white men built as shrines to their own personal "taste." And the irony is that a lot of people shit on Alex Madonna for being tacky (the Madonna Inn is...uh, something else), yet praise WR Hearst for all the high-class art and architecture, most of which is fully lifted from desperate churches between and after world and yet they're both more or less the same concept (lodging for weary travelers, self-aggrandizement, questionable taste-mixing). Hearst Castle edges out slightly for me because it's bigger and has spectacular scenery and history, plus it gives me doses of LA noir thanks to the way Hearst killed a guy in a jealous Charlie Chaplin-related rage and Hedda Hopper covered it up, all kinds of old Hollywood shenanigans happened up there, etc. But I'm low-key an expert on both houses of the holy, I'm OBSESSED with both, and we can leave it at that. I mean, come on:

5. Snow Globes

I had to cull my personal collection slightly just to fit it all on the dedicated shelf in my bathroom, and I seriously need to refill all the water lines, but nothing beats a snow globe in terms of memorable souvenir, especially when you put it in a bathroom. The majesty!!! The jewel of my collection is the one from Sherwood Forest because WHY NOT celebrate a historic place and moment in the basic way?? He robbed from the rich to give to the poor, and the gift shop about 100 feet from the tree he hid in does the same! The circle of life! The irony of all the watermarks on this blessed image...protect:

6. Highly Specific Museums

Look, we can all agree that the more venerated museums in the world are a form of garbage in terms of what they represent, what they've done, and who runs them, but I'm here for the museums that collect and celebrate things that tend to get overlooked. There are too many to list that I love that are still thriving, so I'm going to say goodbye to four recently departed faves. RIP to the Pez museum, I'm so glad I saw you and purchased your stale candy souvenirs. RIP to the museum of terrible food, you were a pop up when Phoenix and I saw you, and I will forever think about the worker describing people literally vomiting during their visits. RIP to the currywurst museum in Berlin, I've had currywurst exactly once and it was not for me, but I respect the Journey you took me on, including obscure east German TV shows that helped make you so popular (??). Finally, RIP to the velvet painting museum, there's no way to mince words, the person who owned you was crazy AS FUCK and had zero clue how to run a business, but I'm so glad I saw you multiple times and purchased my own velvet treasure (not this exact one, but remarkably similar):

7. Liminal Spaces: Grocery Store Edition

Confession time for those who don't know me all that well, I'm a big time voyeur, and nothing fills my heart with joy like a walk at 7 or 8 pm, the witching hour when people haven't pulled the curtains, and I can scope out their decorations/furnishings without it being "weird." Another confession is how much I unabashedly adore grocery stores in other countries and will spend at least an hour wandering aisle by aisle, falling in love with how much everything is different yet completely the same:

8. Agatha Christie Novels:

As a child, I was a fairly compliant reader--I had to read something for school? Okay! For my mom? Sounds good! But the books that sparked the initial fire for me to read something purely for myself were second-hand (probably fourth- or fifth-hand, judging by cover art) Agatha Christie short story anthologies, which were the gateway drug to full Agatha Christie novels, then other mystery novels, and so on. But getting back to Agatha, I obviously loved all the stories, but every decade spawned incredibly good cover art (like, exceptionally good), and this particular artist's are right up near the top for me (I go back and forth on a lot of the '50s and '60s ones):

9. Scopitones

I link my obsession with scopitones both to my love of music videos in general and a shop in Austin, TX, that sold DVD compilations of them in particular, but either way, they're underappreciated and kitschy all in one! Francoise Hardy and the rest of the ye-ye's are my forever girls for this medium, but seemingly every country cranked them out, both actual set videos and "live" performances? If you don't know what they are, scopitones were machines that played music videos in French cafes in the '60s (??), so it was sort of your proto-MTV way to see your faves sing and dance. Oh, Francoise...so moderne!!

10. Cover Songs

I have so much patience and love for cover songs of any stripe, the more genre-bending and/or surprising, the better! My only minor beef is the trend in slooooooooowing down songs to make a point, but even those ones have a special place in my heart if they're effective. Live Lounge feeds my hunger the best, but my meta fave for representing this concept is Pulp's Bad Cover Version, which was already lyrically INSPIRED, a song about bad cover versions in terms of relationships, but then they did a video that was a visual "bad" cover version, with actors lip synching over an audio "bad" cover version, and all of it just worked? The cover for the single is someone in the band as a boy, making his own bad cover version of a Bowie album cover, it's meta meta meta, and I love love love, here's the video, if you're curious. In the more sublime cover category, I'm absolutely addicted to all of Orville Peck's covers, I truly hope he officially releases them sometime soon, but I wholeheartedly support any artist who does it:

[colbybrocksmolder]

Blue - Colby Brock x Reader - Part 1/3

I just want to start this out by saying that there’s mention of a past shitty relationship in this. Nothing is described in detail and it’s not crazy, but I figured I’d mention it just in case someone didn’t want to read this one. Also, I know that Colby’s apartment is the single bedroom version, but I wrote it more like Sam’s apartment. 2 bedrooms. Other than that, enjoy.

-----------------------------------------

“Yo, Mike!” Colby called, walking into Sam’s apartment. The weekly pizza party was well underway, as Colby searched through half empty boxes for a slice of pizza that didn’t have any vegetables on it.

“What’s up?” Mike called back, over the noise of the multiple conversations all happening at once in the living room.

“Dude, do you remember that artist I sent you a few months back? The girl that does super chill covers of like og emo songs?” Colby asked him, walking towards the couch.

“Yeah, yeah. You sent me the Taking Back Sunday cover, right?” Mike answered.

“Brother! She just covered one of your songs.” Colby said, tossing Mike his phone.

“No fucking way.” Mike said, putting the phone speaker close to his ear trying to hear it. “It’s too fucking loud in here”, he grumbled, hopping over the back of the couch and walking into Sam’s filming room.

Colby followed, closing the door behind him. “Start it over! I haven’t listened to it yet.”

Mike turned the volume all the way up and set the phone down in front of the both of them. The piano started a few seconds before the lyrics to “Bottles” beautifully flowed from her mouth.

“This is unreal.” Mike said, pointing to his arm. “I have goosebumps, dude.”

“Her voice gets me every time.” Colby added, shoving his pizza into his mouth.

Suddenly the filming room door swung open, Sam walking in. “Please don’t tell me you’re trying to stay here overnight again.” Sam whined, laughing.

“SSSSSHHHHHHHHHH” was the response he got, both Mike and Colby urging him to shut up.

“Jeez.” Sam threw his hands up in defense, walking over to see what they were doing. “Whoa, is this y/n?” Sam asked Colby.

“Covering my song.” Mike said, continuing to stare at the screen.

Slowly a few curious others in the group made their way into the small room. “Who was that?” Kat asked, having heard the last half of the song.

Colby turned around, seeing everyone standing behind him. “Holy shit!” he jumped, laughing. “I didn’t know anyone else was in here.”

“Her name is Y/n. She’s this cover artist that Colby has been listening to for like 3 years. She posts her own songs too, but she’s known for doing covers of songs that aren’t really ‘pretty’ songs and turning them into…well what you just heard.” Sam explained.

“She’s got a beautiful voice.” Kat replied, leaning down to look at the phone. “The video has over 200k views, too. That’s good exposure for you, Mike.”

“No way.” Colby grabbed his phone. “I got the video notification less than an hour ago.”

“This is nuts.” Mike said, grabbing his own phone.

Looking underneath the video title, Colby read the description to himself. “Dude, dude, dude. Listen to this.” he said, reading the description out loud. “Hey everyone! Today’s cover means a lot to me. For those of you that follow my blog, you know that I’ve been struggling to feel motivated to continue posting videos. Lately it feels like so many artists just want to drag other artists. There’s a lot of negativity and judgement and honestly, it just feels shallow and fake.”

“Preach, girl.” Kat half mumbled.

Colby laughed, continuing. “Over the last month or so, I’ve been fortunate enough to have found quite a few new artists that have inspired me to continue pushing the genre boundaries. Mike’s Dead is one of those artists.” Colby paused to slap Mike on the shoulder before continuing. “He posts what he wants to post and it’s so refreshing to see someone that doesn’t really care if you like it or not. It doesn’t matter if you fit in a cookie cutter mold. It doesn’t matter if you like sad songs or gospel songs or rap songs. It doesn’t matter if you wear short skirts or baggy t shirts or too much eye liner. If you want to create, create. The world needs more people creating and less people tearing others down. Thank you, Mike. You’ll probably never see this, but if you do, I hope you enjoy it. -Love, Y/n. #DeadArmy”

“Damn, son.” Kevin yelled, “My boy out here reachin’ people!” He threw his arms around Mike, jumping up and down.

“I don’t even know what to do.” Mike said, falling back on the couch. “Do I dm her? Do I tweet out the cover? Do I ask her to marry me?” he laughed.

“Damnit, you’re taller than me AND you make music. There go my chances with her.” Colby laughed.

“I’m gonna tweet this out. Do you know her twitter handle?” Mike asked.

“Yeah, yeah. Right here.” Colby pointed to her social media list in her description.

“How does this sound?” Mike said, reading his tweet. “I’m speechless. @ColbyBrock just showed me the most breathtaking cover of one of my songs posted by @y/n. I literally have no words. *link* Everyone go show this girl all the love!”

“Go for it, dude. I’ll retweet it.” Colby replied. Everyone else in the room grabbed their phones to do the same. Colby hit the retweet button, adding his own message. “I’ve been listening to this girl for a few years now and it’s CRAZY to see her cover one of my friend’s songs. She has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. Everybody check the video out and fill the comment section with love!”

Everybody made sure to follow her twitter and sub to her channel.

Mike scrolled through the responses he got to his tweet. “Someone just replied asking if this was why my subscribers went up so quickly.”

“Check your live count.” Sam said, writing out his own retweet. “Living with @ColbyBrock I’ve definitely heard all of this girl’s covers at least a hundred times. You are going to be blown away by what she did with Mike’s song. Go listen!”

“Holy shit, my subs have doubled.” Mike said, throwing his phone to Colby. “I don’t know what’s going on. Someone tell me we have alcohol in this apartment.”

“Next door, brother. My place, above the dishwasher. Grab whatever.” Colby replied, watching Mike’s live sub count continue to grow.

The next morning, Colby woke up to a follow notification and a dm from y/n. “Hey! Omg! Thank you so much for passing my cover on to Mike. And thank you for saying such kind things. I woke up to THOUSANDS of comments from your fans and all of them were lovely.”

“Holy shit”, Colby swore, sitting up in his bed. He looked through his notifications and saw a few texts from Mike, as well, from over an hour ago.

Mike – Dude

Mike – Brother

Mike – She messaged me

Mike – I asked her if she would ever be interested in recording together

Colby – She dm’d me too. I just woke up so I haven’t messaged her back yet. Did she answer you???

Colby started writing out his response to y/n. “You are so welcome! We were both blown away by the cover. You did an amazing job. I’m trying so hard not to fanboy right now, haha. I’m happy to hear that the Sam and Colby fans have been kind to you. I’d like to think we have the best fans ever.”

He quickly saw the little typing bubble pup up. “Haha, you don’t seem like the type to fanboy. And yes, I didn’t see a single mean comment.”

*incoming call – Dead Boy*

Colby picked up the phone “Miiiiiiiike!”

Mike laughed, “Holy shit. I just got off of FaceTime with Y/n.”

“WHAT?!” Colby’s voice cracked.

“Dude, she’s so cool. She seems totally down to come to LA.” Mike laughed at Colby’s reaction.

“This is crazy.” Colby said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “When is she going to visit?”

“She said she just needs to figure out where to stay.” Mike explained. “She wants to come down for like a month so we can write and she can work with a few other people. She talked to Kat too!”

“Did you tell her she could easily stay with one of us? We’ve got a few open rooms between our little group.” Colby asked.

“Of course, but she kept saying she couldn’t impose on us like that.” Mike replied. “I told her she wouldn’t be, but she insisted.”

“She wouldn’t be at all!” Colby agreed. “Dude, we have friends crash with us all the time!”

“I know, I know. I didn’t want to push it, though. Maybe she is just uncomfortable not having her own space.” Mike suggested.

“Maybe”, Colby replied. “Well keep me in the loop, man. This still seems so crazy.” He laughed.

“Of course, dude. I’ll catch you later.”

After saying their goodbyes, Colby reopened Y/n’s dm and started typing. “Believe me, Y/n, I have my fanboy moments, haha.”

He added another message before she could reply. “I just got off the phone with Mike! I’m stoked to hear you’re going to try to visit! I just wanted to make sure you know that you’re more than welcome to stay with one of us. I’ve got a whole spare bedroom set up and so does Kat. And there’s always room at Mike’s place, too. I totally get it if you’re just not comfortable because you don’t know us, but I wanted to let you know you wouldn’t be imposing on anyone. Promise.”

“Maybe I’ll get to witness one of these ‘fanboy’ moments myself, Brock.” Y/n replied. “And omg no! It’s not that I don’t trust you guys. Honestly, I’m excited to meet your whole group of friends. You guys seem so chill. I just won’t be traveling alone.”

Colby cocked his head a bit reading the last dm. “Oooh, are you visiting with your boyfriend or something?” He replied, mumbling “figures” to himself.

“LOL, that’s a big no.” she quickly replied.

“Thank god.” Colby said out loud, seeing the typing bubble pop back up.

“I have never posted this online, but I have a 2 and a half year-old daughter. Her dad will never be in our lives again for multiple reasons.” She wrote. “I couldn’t ask anyone to host both of us for that long. Being a single parent is work and I don’t want to interrupt someone else’s life that drastically.”

Colby’s eyes widened. “Whooaaa”, he said out loud, re-reading her last dm. After thinking about it for a few minutes, he still couldn’t really come up with any reasons why they couldn’t stay with him. He actually likes kids and kids tend to like him. “Damn, praise to you for doing it alone. I can’t imagine how much work it takes.” Colby typed back.

“Thanks, lol. It’s definitely work, but once you actually become a parent it’s just…worth it. Her name is Ivy and she’s my everything.” Y/n typed back.

Taking a deep breath, Colby started typing. “First, what a cute name. Second, at the risk of me sounding pushy, I’m going to offer you my spare bedroom again. I swear on my YouTube channel you won’t be imposing at all. I have this place to myself and I love kids. There could be toys and other kid stuff strewn all over the apartment and I promise, it’d be fine. You don’t have to decide now, but just think about it okay?”

Colby didn’t get a message back for a solid 5 minutes and he started to worry that he had overstepped. He let out a huge sigh of relief when he finally got her reply. “The kindness and hospitality you guys have already shown me has blown me away. I promise I’ll consider it. And thank you for going out of your way to make me feel welcome. I am very much looking forward to meeting you. <3”

“I’m glad to hear it. And ditto. I can’t wait to finally meet you. Honestly, y/n, your music is my go-to when I need to get out of my own head.” He replied.  “I have to go shower and get ready to film a video. Let me know what you decide!”

“Will do, Brock. <3.”

Over the next few weeks plans were made, friendships grew, late night talks were had….and finally, the day everyone had been waiting for was just around the corner.

“Okay, I’m in. As long as you’re sure you’re okay living with my crazy little girl for a while, I’ll start my road trip to LA this weekend.” Y/n said into the phone, watching her daughter eat an apple pancake while watching one of her favorite movies.

“Yessss” she heard Colby cheer into phone. “Have you talked to Mike and Kat yet?”

“Yeah, they know I’m heading down soon.” She replied. “Honestly, this couldn’t have come at a better time. I need a new adventure and I think we could both use some California sunshine.”

“Well, California is waiting for you. I know you’re driving here so you can bring whatever you need for Ivy but let me know if you need me to pick anything up.” He told her. “I made you a set of keys, I’ve removed anything dangerous from the bottom half of my apartment, I got those little clear plug things to make sure the outlets are safe, there’s a baby gate on the stairs….” Colby started rambling. He had been doing everything he could to baby proof his place.

“Colby!” Y/n laughed, interrupting his run-on sentence. “You are too good to me. I promise your place is fine as-is. Ivy has grown up around all of my recording equipment and she’s never once gotten hurt. If there’s anything I’m worried about, I promise I’ll tell you.”

“Sorry.” Colby laughed. “I think I’m just excited to meet both of you.”

Ivy squealed, laughing at her favorite part in the movie. “Well we’re both excited to meet you, too.”

Colby, Sam, Kat and Mike were all hanging out in Colby’s apartment, waiting for Y/n to arrive. Colby had just gotten a text from her saying she was getting off of the freeway.

“She’s only like 5 minutes away so I’m going to meet her down where I told her to park.” Colby said, slipping on his Vans.

“We probably shouldn’t all meet her down there, right?” Sam asked. “If I rolled up to a new place and a mob of people greeted me at my car door, I may not want to get out”, he laughed.

“She also doesn’t know we’re here.” Mike chuckled.

“I’ll go down alone and then I can text you guys to come down and help bring her stuff up. Does that work?” Colby asked, headed to his door.

“Sounds like a plan.” Kat replied. When Colby left the apartment, she turned to the two other boys. “He seem off to either of you?”

“He’s nervous.” Sam smiled, knowing Colby better than anyone else on the planet.

“He hasn’t talked about anything but y/n since she posted that cover.” Mike added. “I thought I was hella excited about this, but meeting her is a whole other thing to him.”

“Her music means a lot to him.” Sam explained. “Yeah, her covers are what she’s known for, but he loves her original stuff. When we lived together, I could always tell when Colby was anxious because I’d hear her music coming from his room.”

“Aww, that’s actually super sweet.” Kat gushed.

Downstairs, Colby was watching the gate. He knew she drove a black SUV and that she would pull in any minute. Finally spotting her, he waved her in and pointed towards the spot where she could park.

Climbing out of the driver’s seat, Y/n opened the back driver’s side door to check on Ivy. “Colby?” she called, peeking around the back.

“I’m here!” he laughed, walking towards Y/n with his arms open. “I’m glad you guys made it safe.” He said, pulling her into a long-awaited hug.

“Same.” She replied, wrapping her arms around him. “California drivers are crazy.” She chuckled.

“That is a fact.” He replied, looking into the car to see Ivy asleep in her car-seat. “She is freaken adorable.”

“Thanks.” Y/n smiled up at him. “She just fell asleep, too. I’m going to try not to wake her up.”

“Mike, Kat, and Sam are upstairs. I’ll text them to come down and help grab stuff. We can probably make it in one trip.” Colby said, texting Sam and telling them to head down. He sent another message saying that Ivy was asleep and that they shouldn’t yell.

“Oh, my god. I get to meet so many of you right away.” y/n said, unbuckling Ivy.

“We’re all a little excited.” Colby laughed. “Where is her playpen so I can grab that first. Then she’ll have a place to nap.”

“It’s that red thing right there”, she pointed, pulling Ivy to rest against her chest.

“Is it easy to set up or should I hold the little one while you use mom witchery to put it together?” Colby said, laughing.

“Actually, you may be on to something there. If you’re sure you’re okay holding Ivy, I’ll hand you her and her bag and I’ll grab the important stuff out of the back.” Y/n answered, turning so It would be easier to pass off Ivy.

“Of course I’m okay holding her.” Colby said, rubbing her back before moving her from Y/n’s chest to his. He gently swayed, hoping to keep her asleep.

The rest of the group walked out of the elevator and straight towards the SUV. “Awwww, Sam. Look at him holding the little girl.” Kat quietly spoke to her boyfriend.

“Yeah, I can’t lie. That shit is cute as fuck.” Mike giggled, looking at Sam and Kat.

Y/n turned towards the laughter and saw the group. She let out a quiet squeal and ran towards them. “This feels unreal.” She said, hugging them each. “I feel like I’ve talked to you guys nonstop for weeks and now I’m here and it’s just…Oh, my god.”

“Well we are so happy you made the trip.” Kat said, pulling her into another hug.

Colby walked towards them, cradling Ivy against his chest. “I’m going to head up with her if that’s okay, y/n?” He was rubbing soothing circles into Ivy’s back. “A car honked and startled her awake, but I think I got her to fall back asleep.”

“Aww, you’re a natural.” y/n smiled at him, leaning in to press a kiss to her daughter’s temple. “I’ll let them know what else needs to be brought up and we’ll meet you up there in a minute.”

Colby walked towards the elevators and the rest of them walked towards the SUV.

“There’s not too much other than the bags to bring up. I decided it was easier to buy a few things new than to try to break them down, pack them, and rebuild them.” Y/n said, grabbing things out of the back.

“I don’t blame you.” Kat replied, grabbing one of the bags. “I’ll go with you to pick up what you need from the store.”

“Thank you! That’s perfect. I’m going to need to pick up coffee on the way, too.” Y/n said, walking back to the front of the car and grabbing her handbag.

“There’s a coffee shop on every corner, here. Caffeine is a way of life.” Sam said, making sure they had grabbed everything y/n needed out of the car.

“There’s actually a huge baby/kids store like 2 miles up the road.” Mike added, closing the hatch to the SUV. When he turned around, everyone was staring at him wondering why he knew that. “Oh. Yeah. I pranked Aryia while he was on keto by replacing everything in our fridge with baby food”, he laughed.

“That makes a lot more sense.” Sam nodded.

When the group finally made it up to Colby’s apartment, Sam led the way in. They tried to stay as quiet as possible. “Colby?” Y/n whispered, looking to ask where the best place to set up the playpen was.

“His spare room is this way.” Kat led the line of people carrying bags. “Lets just put all of your stuff in here and you can sort it when you aren’t afraid to make noise.”

The boys set the bags they were carrying by the closet and left to find Colby. When Kat and Y/n walked out of the spare room, they saw Sam and Mike both taking pictures of something on the couch.

“Tell me that isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your life.” Mike turned to the girls, showing them one of the pictures.

Colby had taken Ivy upstairs and laid down on the couch, hoping to keep the little girl asleep while they waited for y/n. Ivy was laying on his chest, one of his hands resting on her back, and Colby had fallen asleep. The two of them peacefully napping, tucked into the corner of the couch.

“Send me that one.” Y/n said, smiling down at the scene in front of her. “I was going to write a blog post about her and this trip at some point tonight and that picture is perfect for it.”

“He didn’t sleep at all last night, so I’m not surprised he fell asleep.” Sam chuckled.

“Well, I vote we leave the boys here and we make that run to the store.” Kat said, linking arms with Y/n.

“I don’t want to leave you guys to take care of her, though.” Y/n said, explaining her worry. “If she wakes up and gets fussy or something, I don’t want you guys to have to deal with that.”

“Y/n, she’s going to be fine. I’ve snuggled against that chest. It’s hella comfortable. She isn’t going to wake up.” Mike joked.

Sam laughed, “Also, we’ve all babysat before. I’ve passed diaper duty training AND I’m a whiz with snacks.”

“We’ll be 5 minutes away, max.” Kat added.

“This is all too easy. You guys are too nice.” Y/n felt her eyes water a bit. “I am not used to anyone caring this much.” She tried to wipe the tears away before they fell.

“Well get used to it.” Kat said, wrapping her arms around y/n. “Our group of friends has kind of adopted you guys at this point and you haven’t even met everyone.”

“Seriously.” Mike said, standing up and pulling y/n into a hug. “We’re all happy to have you guys here.”

The shopping trip was a success and the girls were headed back to the apartment. Colby woke up to the feeling of something in his hair. Ivy was snuggled between Colby and the back of the couch, her tiny fingers running through his blue hair. Colby looked over at the other couch to see Sam asleep and Mike holding his phone out, recording him.

Colby turned his head to look at Ivy and her fingers stopped moving for a second. She looked at his hair and mumbled out the word “blue.”

Colby couldn’t help but chuckle. “You are correct. And so so cute”, he smiled at the little girl.

She then took her pointer finger and ever so gently, put it under one of Colby’s eyes. She smiled and squealed out a higher pitched “blue!”

“I see a reoccurring theme here, kiddo.” He laughed, turning his head when he heard the door open.

“It’s official. I caught the cutest thing in the world on camera.” Mike yelled, waking up Sam. He sent Y/n the video in a text. “How do you not constantly record her?”

“Oh, god. She’s going to leave California with her own YouTube channel, isn’t she?” Y/n laughed, her and Kat taking the purchases to the spare bedroom.

With the 5 adults MOSTLY helping, the spare room and the few things spread around the apartment came together fairly quickly. As the evening was winding down, plans were made for the following days. A trip to the slap house, A lunch with Kat so that she could meet the rest of the girls, and of course…where this whole journey started. Pizza night. Everyone wanted y/n to get settled before they locked themselves in creative mode and started writing and working on music.

Sam and Kat headed off to Sam’s apartment and after Mike finished making plans with y/n, he headed off as well.

Colby and Ivy were both sprawled out on the couch watching a movie while Y/n unpacked all of their clothes into the spare bedroom closet. He looked over at Ivy, laughing when he saw her yawn for the hundredth time. “You sleepy, kiddo?” Ivy shook her head no, her eyes going back to the Tv. Big Hero 6 playing for the third time since she had woken up from her nap. Hearing a knock on his door, Colby yelled for whoever it was to come in.

“Everyone already leave?” Jake asked, Tara following him into the apartment.

“You just missed Mike. Sam and Kat left a while ago.” Colby replied.

Jake saw Ivy peek over the arm of couch at him and Tara. “Well aren’t you the cutest thing in the world”, he said, walking towards the living room.

Ivy giggled and climbed over Colby, hiding between him and the back of the couch. “I don’t know how she’s still awake.” Colby laughed, slipping his arms around the squirmy little girl. “Ivy this is Jake and Tara.”

Ivy waved, saying a little “hi” before her attention fell back on the television screen, her head falling against Colby’s chest.

“Y/n’s just unpacking stuff in there.” Colby pointed towards the spare bedroom.

Tara grabbed Jake’s hand, pulling him to follow her into the open door of the spare room. After introductions, Tara stayed to help with the unpacking and Jake went back out to chill with Colby and Ivy.

“How’s it going so far?” Jake quietly asked, sitting on the coffee table facing Colby.

“Terrifyingly easy.” Colby answered, looking down and finding Ivy fast asleep.

“Well that’s a good thing, right?”, Jake said. “Y/n seems to fit right in. Her and Tara are bonding over SpongeBob memes as we speak.”

“That’s the terrifying part.” Colby said, gently brushing Ivy’s hair out of her face. “They’re here for a month. They’ve only been here for like 7 hours and I’m already sad that they’re going to leave.”

Jake watched Colby gazing down at the tiny sleeping figure in his arms. “I don’t know, brother. You’re usually a loner that likes his space. You might be happy when you’ve got your apartment back”, Jake laughed.

Colby just sighed. *what the fuck am I getting myself into?* he thought to himself....................

part 2

part 3

[ziracona]

Ziracona’s Writing Commission Info:

*CURRENTLY CLOSED*

I’ve looked at a lot of different people’s pricing options for similar work, and most people who offer writing commissions (or do freelance work) go off of a penny per word/$1 for every 100 words. I know that underpricing art is sadly prevalent and also very damaging to artists, and I absolutely don’t want to contribute to that in any way; however, my personal preferred writing style is just kind of naturally long, and I think my speed is faster than average, and so I’m going to experiment a bit with what seems equivalent to that for me, and right now I am going to be offering $1 every 400 words.

As far as what I write, I am open to writing for any fandom that I have solid firsthand knowledge of (so, probably if I blog about it a lot, it’s on the table, but feel free to ask about my knowledge of any). I don’t mind writing for other stuff, but I will charge a bit extra for the added research time.

Fandoms I’ve written for already include Dead by Daylight, Heavy Rain, Halloween 1978, Disney, Until Dawn, Nancy Drew, and Fallout 4.

ACTUAL COMMISSION INFO:

Price: $1 per 400 words. Any commission shorter than 400 words will still be charged $1.

Payment through paypal or venmo.

Half payment upfront, half on completion.

Right at the moment, since life is busy, I’m stopping commission length at 40,000 words.

For anybody curious about commissions but unfamiliar with my writing, here’s a link to my AO3. : ) (and for quick reference for content to price, the Halloween/Michael Myers fic Isolation is 15,355 words ($38.40), the entire Anna adopts Quentin fic Half-Life is 26,675 words ($66.70), the whole Heavy Rain fic The Third Person is 19,908 words ($49.80), and the Until Dawn one-shot Almost Gone is 772 words ($1.90).

THINGS I WILL WRITE:

Gore/Graphic Violence/Torture (never voyeuristically or as kink though—only as plot element/heavy situation for cast).

Trauma, Mental Illness, Drug Use, Self-Harm, Suicide, Abuse (again, as a plot element, not as kink or for pleasure), and Other Intense/Serious Situations.

Action/Fight Sequences.

Lore/Magic/Backstory.

First or Third person, past or present tense (although my preferred writing style is close third-person past-tense, and I’ll do that if you don’t specifically want something else. Can do 2nd person or unusual format like texts or journal style too if you want that 👍).

Fiction prose, Poetry, Song Lyrics, Screen or Stage Play.

NSFW. (Makeout, Fluff, or Heavy Petting are the same price as any other work, but I will charge extra for full length in-depth sex scenes. How much depends on length. Probably around +30% [IE + 3 bucks for a $10 story]).

OCs. (PRICING NOTE: If you just have a vague idea of the OC and I only need a few lines of detail and can just go wild with my own idea of what they’re like, the price is the same as normal. But, if you’ve got a well-established character, first of all props to you because that’s cool, but also I will charge a bit extra for such OCs the first time I write them, because I have to do extra work/research to get to know them well enough to write them as well as the rest of the cast. But, if you commission me for the same complex OC again, the price is normal after the first commission, because once I know the character, I know the character, and they’re the same amount of work as any other cast member from established canon. Charge for OCs will depend on how much time it takes to learn the information I need in order to write them correctly. Probably I’ll just charge minimum on that. US average is 0.12 cents a minute, so like, $1.20 per ten minutes spent learning how to write OC).

AUs or Canon.

Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, found family, comedy, drama, pretty much any genre.

I hope this didn’t need to be said, but just in case there’s anyone wondering, I very much will write LGBTQA characters and relationships, including polyamorous ones and ace/aro etc purely platonic partnerships.

THINGS I WILL NOT WRITE:

Noncon or Dubcon.

Underage + Adult / Pedophilia (for obvious reason).

Characters/Relationships I personally am uncomfortable with or greatly dislike. (I don’t know if this would even ever come up—also, I don’t mean I won’t write something with characters I hate point blank—if you want me to write Adam Faulkner-Stanheight and Lawrence Gordon beating the shit out of John Kramer, I’ll under-charge you. I just mean I’ll have to hard pass on a request for happy domestic John Kramer and Jill Tuck AU because it would literally kill me to even attempt to write that. For the ‘uncomfortable with’ thing, I mean that there are some ships that I don’t think are like, de facto bad, or hate, or something like that at all, but that at the same time are ships I have personally been so inundated from my own first experience of that ship onward by gross versions of it that I would personally no longer feel comfortable portraying the ship. This is rare but I think there are...two? dbd ships I know fall into this category for me? And since I know I am most known for writing DbD, it seemed worth warning about.)

Canon characters wildly OOC, unless you’ve got a really cool reason, in which case, my interest is piqued. [Note: for DbD, with a few exceptions, I adhere p exclusively to OG canon, not ret-con, because OG was better. Feel free to ask or clarity though.] Also if you want OOC because you want screwball humor/crack, that’s totally fine.

Incest.

Abuse in any kind of a positive or romanticized/romantic light.

At present this is all that is coming to mind, but I may add more to the list as there’s probably stuff that should be here that I just haven’t thought of yet.

So there you have it! If you have any questions, for clarity or about a potential commission, feel free to send an ask or a message! I know this was kind of long, but I promise I’m not actually too scary.

I'm gonna start small, so as of right now, I'm opening 2 commission slots.

Thanks! ^u^

[theboardwalkbody]

That’s me (in my nursing cap because it’s my most recent photo and capping ceremony was cancelled so I took pics in my house to send to nursing school buddies instead): Amanda - meme - Manda 28 NJ Tired AF And bored so I am answering this Ask Meme I found by @myautisticjournal​

What music have you discovered or listened to lately?

I’ve been listening to my Recently Added playlist on iTunes. Only “recently added” has been adjusted to include the last 28 months. lol But I did discover Blinding Lights by The Weeknd and that song’s been making me happy. Hurricane (Reimagined) by I Prevail has hit me in the Depress and next week The Used’s new album comes out so I’m waiting for that.

Have you made any new playlists since quarantine times? If they’re on Spotify, maybe drop a link?

I haven’t made any Quarantine Playlists because ALL my music is about being isolated and depressed anyway that like... what’s the difference? 

Make a three-song-minimum playlist of songs that make you happy!

Blinding Lights // The Weeknd (also makes me think of Data because I discovered it around the same time I started watching TNG so now they Go Together) Paradise Lost // The Used Dance Monkey // Tones and I

What’s your go-to show that you like to binge watch? Why do you like that show?

Currently its Star Trek TNG - because Data And One Day at a Time because that shit hits real. 

Are there any shows that you‘ve been planning to start watching? Why do they interest you?

It was just Star Trek and I did start watching. Interested because I wanted originally to watch ST Picard because Harry Treadaway but having never seen any ST before it didnt make sense (obvs) so I went back and started watching TNG. I didn’t want to start with the original series because honestly my attention span is garbage and I just was always curious about Data and so I started with him.

What movie(s) always comforts you?

Twister, Forrest Gump, The Lion King (1994). I’m currently wearing Lion King pjs lol. Pirate Radio is a relaxing feel good movie, too. 

Are you an arts-and-crafts person? If so, what types of art/craft do you enjoy?

I try SO HARD to be lol. So far during quarantine I’ve tried crochet, I’ve tried making string bracelets as if it was 2005 and I was in 8th grade again but I forgot how to make them and my brain refuses to re-learn its too full of music, nursing school, and data now. I tried coloring and lost patience. I have been working on a Quarantine Photo-Journal. Every day I post a tiny update and a few pictures (mostly memes since i cant leave the house and several Data photos lolololol) but my printer isn’t working right all of a sudden so I can’t print out any new pictures which I guess that one project I was really enjoying is out the window.

Do you have any planned projects to work on during self-isolation? If you’ve started any and you’re willing, share a photo of what you’re working on!

Here’s a pic of page like 3 or something lol

If you had to recommend an art or craft for people to get into, what would you recommend and why?

Man. Just do what makes you happy. I saw someone on TikTok making GIANT ass Worms on Strings and honestly. Pure genius. 

What are your favorite YouTube channels? Why do you like them?

Achievement Hunter. Rooster Teeth. Markiplier. They make the funny. Various ASMR channels. They make the sleep.

What is the weirdest YouTube video you’ve ever watched?

Conspiracy Theory videos probably. I don’t really know. 

Recommend a book or book series to read!

Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis read it and fangirl with me I am so alone.

Are there any books that you’ve read multiple times? If you could re-read a book that you loved as if it were the very first time, what book would you choose?

The Islander by Cynthia Rylant. I don’t know why but the first time I read it it just transported me into the middle of it and it was amazing (I was like 11) and it was so mysterious and everything. I’d like to read that one like the first time. Also Living Hell by Catherine Jinks did a similar thing 

What’s your favorite book genre? Why do you enjoy it?

Science Fiction. Because I like science. and Fiction and space and robots and things. 

If you were to write a fanfiction about your own life, how would it go?

LOL The tags would be like : #depression #anxiety #ptsd #childhood abuse #adulthood abuse #i miss having sex but at least i dont wanna die #except i still do #twsuicideideation #badluck #dontread lol

What’s the best fanfiction that you’ve ever read (or the top three if you can’t choose just one )? What about it made an impression on you?

My brain hurts too much to pick a top three but I will say I am currently reading May I by @ladyfogg​ and it’s been giving me the squishy feels and I am loving it and ya’ll should read it. Her OC is relatable and also inspiring and I think at this point I don’t need to mention Data anymore. (But I did). 

Do you listen to podcasts? What kind of podcasts do you listen to?

Off Topic podcast and used to listen to RT podcast when Burnie was still on. IDK what kind of podcast that is other than ‘usually wild’ 

If you could make your own podcast, what would it be about and who would you invite to make a guest appearance?

It would be about anything and everything. I’d invite anyone for an appearance lol

Are you addicted to Animal Crossing: New Horizons? If yes, what’s your favorite thing about it so far?

Yes. My favorite thing has to be CUBE. CUBE I LOVE CUBE. I WOULD DIE FOR CUBE.

If you had to recommend ONE video game, what would it be and why?

Cube. I mean, Animal Crossing. 

Have you tried any new recipes lately? If yes (and if they were good), share it with the class! I’m sure everyone is as bored with the same old foods as I am by this point.

I am too lazy to cook even when I want to so I always end up getting take out or delivery. 

What is your favorite website to waste time on? (Is it, perhaps, tumblr?)

Tumbebells. (Tumblr yes)

How are you finding ways to stay connected with your friends and family? From video calling to playing online games, what would you say has worked the best for you?

Nothing. I’m sitting here wallowing in deep loneliness and it’s killing me. It’s just my grandma and my cat and that’s why I can’t go out or work (I am a Patient Care Associate and I know the hospitals could use help but my grandma is 83 years old and it’s too high of a risk for her for me to be working in a hospital and coming home from there). 

If you have pets, first of all share some photos! Second, how have you been spending your time with them?

LOLA. L-O-L-A LOLA. LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LOLA She doesn’t leave me alone. Her new trick has been LAUNCHING her 7lb body on to my back while I’m standing and pretending she’s my goddamn backpack. And earlier today she decided to pull the socks out of my sock drawer. Because she loves me. 

Share your general quarantine experience so far. How are you handling it?

Bad. I often forget to take my meds, we’ve been on “spring break” from nursing school this week so I have 0 sense of time and no routine and I’ve sometimes been going to bed at 4am, sometimes 4pm, sleeping until like 9-11 regardless and I spend 95% of the day in bed. I can’t be bothered to change, sometimes can’t be bothered to really eat, and I care 0% about showering and Doing Anything. lol 

I mean it’s been great guys. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba I’m lovin’ it!

I did somehow loose 2lbs without trying tho. That’s a total of 7.8lbs lost since March. Only 125 more to go BUT THE GYM IS CLOSED AND IT HAS BEEN COLD AND RAINING.

I’ll shut up.

I tag @lyrslair​, @ladyfogg​ @datalaur​ and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it even tho its really long and I fucked up the layout so instead of 25 questions they’re ALL NUMBER 1. lol 

[rasoir-national]

Song ask meme

Got tagged by @antirococoreaction (get some sleep, you heathen) to list 10 songs I’ve been listening a lot to lately, so unfortunately I now have to expose my gothy self for all to see. That’s like, the law of Internet.

1) “Letter from the lost days” by Akira Yamaoka and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn : in terms of pure volume, the type of music I listen to the most is always going to be the music I put on when I study. Video games music is supposed to be the best for concentration, so I revolve around a few favourites : the soundtrack to Hollow Knight (my favourite game of all times, if anyone’s curious), Pathologic 1&2, and everything from the Silent Hill series. Personally, I think the soundtrack to Silent Hill 3 is the most musically accomplished, and this song in particular is just a very heartbreaking contemplation of future and past hope, and tied to a wonderful scene in the game.

2) “Do you remember the first time ?” by Pulp : I’m mostly meh when it comes to 90s brit rock, but Pulp is the one band who never let me down. I actually prefer them when they’re sincere and vulnerable rather than blatantly sarcastic and angry, like in Common People or Razzmatazz, two songs I love but will never move me the way DYRTFT does. Despite the fact that this is sung by a man and textually about a woman, I refuse to believe Pulp did not intend for this to be a queer anthem about being in love with someone who settled for a straight relationship. Who even uses ��straight” in another sense anymore ? Come on.

3) “50ft Queenie” by PJ Harvey : everyone needs a fuck you anthem to blast when they want to walk around feeling like they’re untouchable. This is mine. Got catcalled ? Had a bad day ? I just put this on and headbang to the idea of me being a giant smashing people as I roam the street. Also PJ Harvey is the sexiest rocker of all times and that’s a fact.

4) “Sparks” by Faith and the Muse : another damn sexy song, and one of my most consistent favourites. It had shown up in my most listened to spotify playlist every year without fail since 2016. I tend to favour the more “artsy/world/whatever” side of the goth genre, so this is a permanent tie between this and the entire Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil, and Cocteau Twins discography.

5) “Sari Sari Raat” by Narmeen Niazi : a “disco” song inspired by South-Asian traditional music, sung in Urdu, that prefigures what the entire New Wave will be like ? Yes please. I wish I was more knowledgeable when it comes to South Asian music, but I’m slowly making my way through it. Interesting to know that sounds and techniques that have been hailed as “revolutionary” in western mainstream music have been part of Souh and East Asian musical tradition for literal centuries.

6) “La ballade des pendus”, poem by Francois Villon, sung by Serge Reggiani : there’s a large tradition of french singers adding tunes to old french poems. Here, we’re going waaaaay back, as Villon is one of the oldest french poets whose oeuvre was preserved. This particular ballad is from the point of view of hanged men on the gallows. It wouldn’t be french if it wasn’t vaguely gross. I’ve got an entire playlist worth of the same material. In that spirit, I’d like to remind everyone that my mom sang me old french songs when I was a kid, one of which opens with the line : “King Renaud comes back from war holding his bowels in his hands”. So if you’re wondering where all of...this *gestures at entire self* comes from, there may be something there.

7) “A better son/daughter” by Rilo Kiley : I spent the last 2 years heavily depressed, but trying to get better, and this is my catharsis song, the one is play when I need a good cry that also makes me feel better and hopeful. This song is for me forever associated to wandering around the psychiatric ward, thinking of the people I let down, how hard I’m trying, how they might not see it, and whether or not there’s even a “better” for me. Reader, there was. This is a song for the times you are convinced you won’t live through the year, but you’d like to think that maybe, maybe, there’s a chance.

8) “That’s how I got to Memphis” by Tom T. Hall : I actually listen to a lot of country music, probably because Western is my favourite film genre aside from Horror. This one is a bit super nostalgic for me, as french singer Eddy Mitchell recorded a french version of this song with different (and might I say, much more elaborated) lyrics which I listened the shit out of when I was a kid, but which has been so tied to traumatic memories that I stopped being able to listen to it when I was a teenager (that’s why I’m not linking it, but you should give it a listen). So I was very happy to discover there was an original version, one I could listen to without reactivating my PTSD. Tom T. Hall’s intonation on the last “Memphis” of the song breaks me everytime.

9) “Yamore” by Salif Keita and Cesaria Evora : absolute classic. I listen to a lot of West African music when I study as well, especially at night, when I need a reason to stay awake. There are so, so many versions of this song, but this one remains my favourite, although I quite like Gambari’s version as well. Salif Keita is in a permanent rotation with Rokia Traoré’s first album, Mayra Andrade and basically everything by Ali Farka Touré. Highly recommend checking him out if you’re not familiar and you like instrumentals.

10) “No Choir” by Florence+the machine : Florence’s last album is my favourite from her, and its conclusion is just the perfect note to end on. For someone who is so good at turmoil and passion, Florence captures the simplicity and fragility of happiness like no artist I’ve ever heard before. Hand to god, I listened to the entire High as hope album every single day last year, as my mental health was getting better and I was measuring the path I’d walked. I will be happy when Florence makes another album, but also kind of sad, because this feels like such a perfect ending point for her career, the storytelling of her personal struggle, that happened, for a period of time, to parallel mine. Wow, this got personal. Anyway, ily Florence.

This list ended up more diverse than I thought ! I was afraid it would make me look like a monomaniacal darkling, but my tastes seem to have widened a bit, which is good.

As for the tagging... God, do I even know ten people in real life ? Ok, i’m tagging @seitosatoko, @oh-and-this, @saintjustitude, @fanfeline, @ghostplantss, @pilferingapples, @antoinethejust, @desmoulins-suggestions and everyone else who wants to do it. Sorry if you already got tagged by someone else, again, I’m new here.

[joo-heo-n]

Company

Genre: Angst/Suggestive

Member: Wonho

Word Count: 1,851

a/n: This is a re-upload from my old blog, please enjoy!!! I want to interact more with all of you but I’m learning to do so, so please bear with me haha also this was originally inspired by Taeyang’s Stay With Me song

Summary: “You pretend to be strong on purpose to push me out but you’re softer than anyone else, my darling. You have the same sad face as me so won’t you stay with me, come to me? Your lips don’t agree but your eyes tell me you want me. We’re walking on the night streets just like we did before, close enough for anyone to think we’re lovers, and dancing up on each other at a crowded club. Hey did you maybe flirt with me a little bit? You’re drunk with alcohol, I’m drunk with your eyes, nose, lips, and body”

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 

The loud music thumped in his chest as he grinned and laughed along with people he knew, his grip beginning to be a little loose on his beer. The house seemed much smaller with so many people coming in and out from different rooms and hallways as he occasionally scanned his surroundings. Whenever he did, the same face continued to appear among the others, catching his eye every time. He wanted to assume she might’ve felt his stare a few times, but the way she shifted a little every now and then, her facade cracking a little and revealing glimpse of sadness across her expression, told him superficially she was too caught up trying to have a good time to notice him watching her.

He smirked and licked his lips, bringing his beer to his mouth and finishing it off as he turned his attention back to his group of friends. “I’m getting more, I’ll see you guys around” he stated, holding his beer bottle up as his friends nodded and made space for him to walk by in direction of the kitchen. When he got himself a new drink, he let out a sigh and calmly walked back out where everyone was dancing and talking, catching sight of her with the same friends, a smile across her lips as they all swayed to the music. The corner of his lips quirked up as he glanced down at the drink in his hand, then bringing it to his lips, he kept his eyes on her and finally, when she met his, he leaned against the furniture and looked away.

He could still feel her eyes on him and he wasn’t going to lie, he felt pretty damn good at finally having her attention. After a few minutes, when he felt she was no longer staring, he pushed himself off whatever he was leaning against and followed after her as she walked to the kitchen. He approached her slowly as she poured herself a drink, stopping at her side and setting his own drink down, “I was waiting for you to notice me” he commented, earning a grin from her as she sheepishly finished off pouring liquor into her cup. “Were you too shy to come and talk to me?” she teased and he chuckled lightly, “Not exactly shy, but we’ll go with that if that’s what you like” he said and she glanced at him, her eyes quickly scanning him from head to toe, then looking away.

“Well I’ve noticed you now” she said, turning to him with a wink then walking away as she took a sip from her drink. He grinned widely and nodded slowly as he took his drink too and took a thick swig of it before following after her. As he reached her, she made herself comfortable against the nearest wall and smiled, “We could’ve talked a lot sooner if you wouldn’t have stared for so long” she joked and he raised his eyebrows as he averted his gaze but stepped closer to her, “I never said anything about wanting to talk” he stated, now locking eyes with hers as she held her cup closer to her chest with a teasing grin.

“Very bold of you” she replied, taking another sip of her drink and quirking an eyebrow. He chuckled and nodded, “Now you know my motive, but if that’s not what you want-” he started, taking a step away but before he could, she tugged at his jacket and pulled him closer, “I never said I didn’t” she answered with a smile too wide, making him wonder what hid behind it like earlier. He wasted no time in leaning down to kiss her, keeping himself paced and inviting. All too quickly he moved away though, grinning as she seemed to be a bit stunned, “I mean, we could talk if that’s what you want” he said with a chuckle to which she scoffed at after a second of regaining herself from the surprise she had suddenly found herself in.

“That would be nice but you don’t seem like the type” she stated with a smirk and he raised his eyebrows, “You never know, I might be” he replied and she pulled him down to her lips but paused as they grazed over his momentarily. She seemed to be holding back a thought but before he was able to decipher what was going through her mind, his lips were on hers as she held him closely, linking her hands behind his neck as he gripped her waist. She seemed a bit desperate to kiss him, doing it in a way that was somewhat hesitant but rushed, making him furrow his eyebrows in the slightest. However, he took her hands and pulled away, without a word, he made his way through the guests and towards the front door of the house, her steps hastily right behind his own.

He made his way to his car and opened the door for her as she hid her face from him, taking a seat while he closed the door and made his way around to the other side. He drove off, away from the loud party and the many cars and people, the sound of his radio becoming the only sound between the two of them. “Your place or mine?” he asked, offering her a teasing smile as he glanced over at her. She turned to him with a somber expression that quickly morphed into a grin. “Yours” she replied to which he nodded at.

He felt like just a second ago she was another girl, not the one interested in sleeping with him, but one who seemed worried and like she was already regretting the situation before it even started. “Are you okay with this? I can take you back if-” he suddenly found himself saying but was soon stopped by her response, “Are you backing out?” she teased with a chuckle, making him glance at her once more with an unsure smile. “Are you really? I mean, I-I guess I understand if you are-” she started, baffled by his expression which caused him to snigger, “No I’m not backing out, I was just making sure we were both on the same page” he stated to which she nodded and smiled widely at. “You know, we could talk afterwards, if you’re into that of course” she said and he bit his bottom lip as he then grinned, “I might be” he replied, making her raise her eyebrows in amusement. “I still don’t know your name” she added, crossing her arms over her chest. He nodded once and held a hand out in her direction, “Hoseok, nice to sleep with- I mean, meet you” he joked, earning a stifled laugh from her end as she shook his hand, “Y/N, nice to meet you too” she replied, still trying not to cackle openly.

Outside of his apartment, he opened the door and quickly allowed her inside, it was dark and only the dim light from the outside streetlights and moon came through the window. He closed the door behind him and threw his keys aside before taking her by the waist once more as she traced his jaw cautiously with her fingers. He smiled softly meeting her lips as the two carefully made their way into his bedroom, reaching his bed as he gently let her down, following right after to perch himself over her, tracing her neck with his lips. He was never one to rush with these things, not that he did them often anyway, but recently it just seemed to him like the unwinding was necessary, she was necessary, and by the looks of it, he was necessary to her too.

He heard her gasp as he made his way down to her collarbones and then back to her jaw, curious hands running through his hair, back, and practically anything that she could get them on. He paced himself though, keeping his own hands from wildly reaching for more of her skin. Instead they settled by her hips and waist, occasionally going over the expanse of her thighs, pushing his patience ever so slightly. Before most of their clothes had been discarded, she seemed somewhat hesitant to go further and he had to bring himself to a pause, meeting her half-hooded eyes with concern, and the thought that just as his mind had become lustful, she’d ask him to stop, brought some disappointment to his tone unintentionally.

“You alright?” he asked softly, a little breathless, earning a hesitant glide of her fingers on his chest as she nodded a little too unconvincingly. He frowned, “If you want to stop, we can” he stated, but she was quick to shake her head and grip his shoulders to bring him flush against her. He didn’t want to stop, but he would do so without hesitation if in the next couple of minutes she’d ask for him to. However, that never came, and before he was even able to think properly again, his ragged breathing was on her neck as she gripped him tightly, both caught up in chasing a much desired bliss.

She suddenly had become distant to him, resting at the opposite end of his bed with one of his shirts over her, tucked under his bed sheets, eyes closed and eyebrows pinched together as if she was trying hard to fall asleep but her mind was keeping her awake. He turned over on his side to face her and sighed, “I don’t mind talking if you aren’t too tired” he had said softly, causing her eyes to shoot open and meet his own, timid and somewhat shy, so unlike the girl he had met a few hours ago.

She seemed to ponder over the idea and finally, after a few minutes, she gave in, “Yeah, that’d be nice” she admitted, nearly through a whisper. “Do you do this often?” she then added, much like a child with curiosity would, making him smile widely and shake his head slowly, “You?” he then asked, to which she insecurely shook her head to, “Not at all, actually” she confessed and he furrowed his eyebrows in amusement. “Really, are you just that good at riling people up then?” he asked with a chuckle, intending for his tone to be playful but her expression made him feel like it had quite the opposite effect. She remained quiet for a few seconds, caressing the sheets of the bed gently with her fingers as she glued her eyes to them.

“I’ve only had to rile up one person for over a year” she admitted, making his smile disappear as confusion struck him. He didn’t speak, unsure if it was because he was waiting for her to continue or because he simply was a bit too surprised. She lifted her gaze to meet his, a soft, warm smile, lifting the corners of her lips, “Don’t freak out, I’m the one who just cheated” she stated, and a sudden pang of realization shot through his chest.

[schreibfeather]

Dreams of Today 12

Characters: Haley Potter (femHarry), Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Rating: T Genre: Friendship/Romance, Angst, Fluff, Slow Burn Summary: Number one: Malfoy was a git. Nothing new there. Number two: He was an arrogant, annoying, little ferret. Number three: He used every chance he got to humiliate her and – and… that wasn’t right. Last year… at the Yule Ball… he had been acting surprisingly nice toward her. To be fair, Malfoy had also spent a big part of that night annoying the hell out of her… but… he’d also been… really sweet.. … Sequel to Songs of Yesterday. Haley Potter still has nightmares about that night at the graveyard. But is the nightmare really over? Luckily she has her friends to keep her from worrying too much. Her friends and… a certain Slytherin that is really bad at pretending he hates her.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | (link to masterlist)

12 – Under Stars

HALEY

The night air was cold. But the quiet surrounding the astronomy tower was peaceful. Haley pulled her warm cloak tighter around her. She was glad she had thought of bringing it.

"Are you cold?" The voice of Draco Malfoy asked lowly from her right. She had almost forgotten he was there. They had been sitting there on the edge of the Astronomy tower, looking out across the school grounds below them for a while. It seemed surreal that she could sit there next to the Slytherin and appreciate the silence of the peaceful night.

"No," she whispered almost soundlessly. His gaze lingered on her thick cloak for a moment before he looked away again. The silky robes he was wearing didn't look too warm.

"Why did we have to meet out here in the cold again?" He muttered, frowning slightly.

"You were the one who said it was suspicious if we kept meeting at the same spot. Besides, you wanted to check something on your moon chart, remember?" She reminded him.

Malfoy scoffed. "But it's December! Surely, we could have found a different place? Something indoors? Where it's warm?" He argued, completely ignoring her second statement.

Haley rolled her eyes. "It's not that cold. At least it isn't snowing yet."

He eyed her cloak once more. Almost making a show of it. She knew it was petty but somehow she couldn't just offer her cloak to him. She wanted him to ask. She wondered how long it would take until he asked.

"Maybe we can find an empty classroom next time," she added as an afterthought.

"Next time?" He echoed. His voice sounded surprisingly interested now. She saw him looking at her from the corners of her eyes. "You know… it's not long until Christmas break now."

He was right. Christmas was only three weeks away. It was already December. The last weeks had gone by so fast, it seemed like time had begun to pass twice as fast. Still, it wasn't all that surprising with all the school work the fifth years had to do. On top of that there was Quidditch and the secret DA meetings, which hadn't really given Haley much time to pause and revel at how many weeks had passed by. The little time she did have was mostly spent doing homework or going to see Hagrid or spending time with her friends. Malfoy, she had seen only in class, in the Great Hall or occasionally on the school grounds. It hadn't bothered her too much, since she still wasn't sure how she felt about him. But when Luna had slipped her a note from the boy, saying he wanted to meet up it had filled her with nervous excitement and she had agreed to come. Which is how the two of them ended up sitting on the edge of the astronomy tower on a cold winter night.

...

DRACO

Draco waited. But Potter didn't seem to get the hint. She was just staring out into the night as if there was something extraordinary about it. Why wasn't she looking at him like that? Well, it was no use. He needed to know. What are your plans for Christmas? Should he ask it like that? It was simple enough and she could just give him an answer without him having to reveal anything first. Like how he planned to stay at Hogwarts, too, in case she wasn't leaving. And how much time he had spent fantasizing about all the things they could do when the castle was almost empty and they weren't busy with school and homework all the time. He really hoped she would stay.

"So, um… are you going to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays?" Draco asked in a casual tone. He hadn't meant to ask that directly but perhaps it was for the best. There was no room for misunderstandings at least.

Potter turned to look at him. Finally. Surprise was written all over her face.

"I don't know." She seemed to think about it. "Probably not."

"Oh." He tried not to show how disappointed he was. "Well, I probably won't be here either," he replied almost petulantly. Was she going to stay with the Weasel? Or was she going to stay somewhere else? He was a tad curious but if she wasn't going to offer up the information herself, he wasn't going to ask. She would probably think he asked to spy on her or something like that.

...

HALEY

He wasn't asking where she was going to spend Christmas. To be honest, she didn't even know herself yet. But it would be nice if she could spend it with Sirius and everyone else. Malfoy seemed to be nervous about something. His fingers were tapping against his leg restlessly and he kept glancing over at her like… he was waiting for something? But what could he be waiting for? Was he going to steal her cloak? Well, she had to admit that it wasn't all that cold any more, now that the wind had receded.

"So..." Malfoy started to say eventually, "What's on your Christmas list?"

"Hm?" She hadn't expected something that trivial.

"You know… that list you make so everyone else knows what to get you for Christmas," he explained to her in a tone that made her feel really stupid.

"I know what a Christmas list is," she bit back with a glare. Malfoy simply raised his eyebrows at her mockingly and smirked in that way that used to make her blood boil. Now, she found it only mildly annoying.

"I'm impressed," Malfoy, the git he was, replied sounding unbearably amused.

"You're such a-" Haley stopped herself before she said something she might regret later. She watched him closely while looking for the right words. The smirk looked slightly forced and it seemed almost like something else was hiding behind the amusement in his eyes. She noticed his fingers that were playing around with the seams of his robes now. Those were definitely signs of nervousness. This was interesting. The expression on Malfoy's face and the movements of his hands seemed to completely contradict each other. Haley filed that information away for later. Now, she wanted to find out what the boy was anxious about.

"Why were you asking in the first place?" She asked, curiously.

"I don't know. For what possible reason might I have asked such a question?" He asked in return. He wasn't looking at her, but she could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Were you planning… on getting me something for Christmas?" She asked, straight to the point. She didn't have the patience tonight for beating around the bush.

"I-I" He spluttered, turning to look at her with a start. He probably hadn't expected her to get straight to it.

"I wasn't – well, I-I…" Where was the cocky smirk now? The blush that was starting to colour his cheeks made Haley grin. She could barely stop herself from snorting loudly. She liked that she could turn the Slytherin into this bumbling, blushing boy. It felt exhilarating. And she didn't even have to do much.

Malfoy took a deep breath and seemed to get a grip on his composure again.

"I was merely asking out of politeness. You know, hypothetically speaking. If I wanted to get you a present…" He looked up into the night sky, pensively. "What would you like?"

It was really sweet the way he was trying to pretend this didn't matter to him when it was obvious how much thought he had put into it.

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. "I never really got many presents so…"

"There's nothing that you want?" He asked incredulously, like she had just told him she hated Quidditch or something equally upsetting. He pulled up his leg, which had been dangling from the edge, and turned his body halfway toward her.

Well, it wasn't completely true. There was something she wanted. But she doubted he could clear her godfather's name or get rid of Umbridge for her.

So she shrugged again. "Not really," she mumbled softly.

Malfoy's eyebrows were knit together so closely they seemed like one white blond line.

"Fine," he replied with a sigh. He ran his hand through his hair that was free of gel once more. He had worn it like that a few times over the past weeks.

"What about you?" Malfoy asked after a moment.

"What about me?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Aren't you curious about my list?"

"Wait, you seriously have a Christmas list? How old are you, four?" Haley teased him. She couldn't help it. It was a reflex almost.

"Very funny, Potter," Malfoy growled, squinting his eyes at her. "How else am I supposed to let people know what to get me?"

"I don't know… You could let them surprise you," she suggested.

The Slytherin frowned. "But what if I get something I don't like?" He asked, sounding honestly confused. That boy really was ridiculous.

"You're right! What a tragedy that would be!" She remarked sarcastically. It was so easy to make fun of him in this playful way. It seemed almost natural. Effortless. And she liked it much better than the hurtful insults and jabs that had been their form of communication before. Malfoy on the other hand didn't seem to share her amusement if the dark look he was shooting her was any indication. It hadn't been too much, had it?

...

DRACO

If anyone one else had talked to him in that manner, Draco would have hexed them without hesitating even for a second. But for some deluded reason that was beyond him the girl's remarks amused him. He felt all warm and fuzzy inside at the thought that she was comfortable enough with him to tease him like that. Not maliciously but somehow… in such a familiar and friendly way.

It didn't mean he had to show her that though. Instead he scowled at her and narrowed his eyes.

"You're awfully bold today," he drawled, lifting an eyebrow. "You're not planning on throwing me off the tower and getting rid of me, are you?" He stared into her eyes intensely, unconsciously leaning closer until he could even count the lashes that framed her green irises.

Haley shook her head, slowly. Seemingly taken aback at the sudden proximity. Draco noticed her licking her lips and it took all of his self-control not to grab her face and press his own against them. He leaned backwards, creating a safe distance between them again. He had a point to make here. He couldn't let himself get distracted. There was a flicker of surprise flashing across the girl's face. Or perhaps it was disappointment. Draco told himself it was disappointment. Back to the point, Draco!

"So..." he began, studying his fingernails absently. His fingers were paler than usual. They were as cold as icicles. He really should have worn something warmer. "you don't want to know what's on my list?"

Potter snorted. "Not necessarily. I mean, it's not all that hard to guess, really."

Draco shot her a sceptical look. She shrugged. She did that a lot, he noticed.

"It's either something incredibly expensive or… a really dark and evil artefact that can only be found at Nocturne Alley."

He glared at her in annoyance. She was really pushing it today.

"Careful Potter, you don't-"

"Oh! I know." She interrupted him, something was glinting in her eyes. Was that mirth?

"What now, Potter?" He wasn't whining. Absolutely not.

"I know what you want." She replied excitedly.

What? Where in Merlin's name was she going with this?

He waited for an answer but the girl wasn't answering. She simply kept grinning at him. Then she opened the clasp that was holding her cloak together and removed it from her shoulders. Draco froze. His heart beat sped up considerably. Why was she undressing herself? Did she-? Did she want to-? Did she think this was what he wanted? Right here on top of the astronomy tower? His cheeks felt uncomfortably hot all of a sudden.

Then the world went dark. And his face was covered by something heavy and soft. He reached for the cloth that was covering his face and pulled it off him. It was Haley's cloak. Draco wouldn't complain if the earth decided to swallow him up right this moment.

...

HALEY

She had come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to ask on his own. Maybe he thought that she was cold and that's why he didn't ask. But as much as she enjoyed teasing the Slytherin, she didn't want him to actually freeze to death. So she offered him her thick woolen cloak. Well… she threw her cloak at him more than offering it. But the result was the same. After pulling the cloth off him Malfoy blinked at her, seemingly confused and shocked and also… embarassed? But why? Because she had thrown her cloak at him?

"Well, put it on," she prompted him, after a moment of silence.

"Why would I want your cloak, Potter?" He mumbled without looking at her. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Because you're obviously freezing," she explained, before adding, "And in case you freeze to death I don't want people to think I was the one who killed you."

Malfoy snorted at that. "Oh please, like you could as much as hurt a fly."

"Fine. Give it back then," She replied holding out her hand.

Malfoy hesitated. "I'm not cold," he said but while he was saying the words a visible shiver went through him.

"Knew it," the Gryffindor commented, lifting one eyebrow. The boy still didn't move. What was he waiting for, now? Was he embarrassed that she caught him lying?

In a quick move, Haley snatched her cloak from the boy's fingers and sloppily draped it over his shoulders. She blamed the late hour for her lack of patience.

...

DRACO

All of a sudden he was surrounded by pleasant comfortable warmth and a foreign smell. Well, not that foreign. He had smelled the fragrance before… Unconsciously, he took a deep breath. He smelled the soap the house elves used to clean the laundry with. But also… something else. Something flowery and also… something that reminded him of owl treats. It shouldn't have smelled as good as it did. It was her. Haley. It was her fragrance. He pulled the cloth tighter around his shoulders absently. Then he noticed that he was being watched. His fingers froze where they were holding onto the fabric. Looking up, he realised it was just Potter. Well, not just Potter. The Gryffindor was never just anything. The look on her face was positively gleeful or… no she looked definitely smug.

He scowled. He didn't like people looking at him like that. But apparently Potter wasn't done taunting him.

"See, this is why sensible people wear warm clothes when it's cold outside," she mocked him. Ah. That was a jab at his silk robes. Draco had to admit that they weren't exactly warm but they were really soft. And he looked handsome in them. Potter herself was wearing a pair of loose muggle pants and a dark green wool jumper that looked like it was selfmade. And also oddly similar to those tasteless jumpers that her Weasley friends always wore.

"Funny, for a second I thought you sounded like my mother," Draco replied dryly. Why was the thought of his mother entering his head now? He didn't want to think about his mother when he was on a date. And really, this wasn't something his mother would have said in the first place.

"Do sensible people also give away their clothes when it's cold?" He added in a bored tone. What he really wanted to ask was whether she was cold now that she didn't have her cloak any more. But of course, he couldn't ask her in such a direct manner.

"Don't worry," Potter replied. "My jumper might not be made of silk but at least it's really warm." And scratchy, he imagined. Had his question been really that obvious? Or was she simply able to see right through his mask of indifference?

"Who said I was worried?" He questioned, trying not to show his relief. "And besides there's nothing wrong with wearing silk robes. I wouldn't expect you to understand that." Draco remarked, while he pulled the cloak tighter around him, nestling into it. It was really warm. And it smelled so nice.

The only thing that was slightly irking him was the smug grin that had reappeared on Potter's lips. At least she didn't seem to be freezing. That was good. She could have given the cloak to him sooner, really. Wait…why hadn't she given it to him sooner? He squinted his eyes at her, suddenly suspicious. "So, you knew I was cold the whole time and you happily watched me suffer?"

The girl had the audacity to shrug. "Well, I wouldn't say happily but… old habits die hard, I guess."

He was scandalised. Well, well, well. Who would have thought the golden girl was holding grudges?

"Is this some kind of belated payback?" He scoffed. "Are you sure you're not actually a Slytherin?"

Potter rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but ended up biting her lips instead. It almost seemed like she was hiding something she wasn't sure whether to tell him. Well, he had enough of her mocking. To some extent it was enjoyable. Not the mocking part but… the banter. It seemed almost friendly. But… would it kill the girl to actually give him the impression that she only slightly liked spending time with him? If that was the case. Which Draco had not an inkling on. She was almost better at hiding her emotions than him! Or perhaps it was because she wasn't feeling anything? He sighed, placing his hands on the ground next to him and looking up into the night sky.

Then he felt a surprisingly warm touch on his hand. He didn't have to check to know what it was. His skin seemed to remember the feeling of Haley's small but warm hand and his fingers curled up to greet it almost reflexively. She chuckled in a way that made him think she found his reaction amusing. He had to admit that it was a tad pathetic. But that didn't bother him enough for him to pull his hand away and go without her touch. Not when it made his skin tingle as if a thousand little ants were crawling up and down his arm.

...

HALEY

Honestly, she felt a bit bad about letting Malfoy suffer in the cold. And then also telling him she had done it intentionally. Maybe she had crossed a line there. There was a frown around his mouth as he looked up into the sky. But what could she say to make it disappear? Did she even want it to disappear? Before she could try to come up with an answer to either of these questions her hand had reached out toward him almost on its own accord. The boy seemed slightly startled by her touch but even so, he didn't hesitate to turn his hand over and take hold of her own. His eagerness made Haley chuckle softly. It was kind of cute how he seemed to refuse to look at her.

"You know… your hands are really cold," she found herself whispering after a moment of silence.

That made Malfoy finally turn to her. "Obviously," he scoffed. "It's December, isn't it?"

"I've noticed it before, though." She replied sheepishly. She was aware of how her words drew attention to the fact that she had held Draco Malfoy's hand often enough to know about his usual skin temperature.

The Slytherin squinted his eyes at her. "So?" He asked in a rather bored tone.

"Well… I've read about… some… people with cold skin," She answered hesitantly. It was a good thing she hadn't said creatures instead of people.

"People?"

She nodded. "People and… you know… well... vampires." She didn't know why she had said it. Of course, she didn't actually think Malfoy was a vampire. She had just wanted to lighten up the mood or… something. But she certainly hadn't expected him to react like this. Apart from the crease between his eyebrows the expression on his face seemed frozen. What was he thinking? Haley was just about to ask him exactly that when the boy seemed to come back to life. He chuckled once. Then he smirked at her in a way that could only be described as roguish. "So, you've finally discovered my dark secret, haven't you?"

What?

The Slytherin pulled up his other leg as well and knelt down next to her, leaning into her personal space. "I actually lured you here to suck all the blood from you and cast your dead body off the astronomy tower."

He was kidding… right?

"Come on, do you really think I'd believe this rubbish?"

"I don't know… you tell me," he drawled lazily, while he lifted her hand and slowly ran his fingers across her skin, following the path of her artery. If this was a joke Haley really didn't find it funny at all. Now he was even raising her wrist to his lips… like he wanted to bite her...

"Stop that," she muttered in annoyance and tried to pull her hand free. He didn't let her.

"Let go!" She pulled once more, this time so forcefully that she fell onto her back, pulling the Slytherin right along with her.

He blinked down at her in surprise, his elbows resting left and right from her face. Then the smirk was back again.

"Are you scared?" He asked, while pushing dark locks out of her eyes. She shook her head violently. There was no reason to be scared. He was just messing with her. There was no way she wouldn't have noticed that Malfoy was a vampire. Haley ignored her heart that was madly beating in her chest. Did Malfoy actually feel it?

"You're not actually a vampire, right? You were just kidding?" She bit her tongue but it was too late. The words were already out. Malfoy stared at her for a long moment that seemed to span several minutes. Then, finally, he broke out into loud, roaring laughter. A wave of relief washed over her. Of course, it had been a stupid joke. She was such a fool. He rolled off her and lay down on his back next to her. She wanted to scowl at him but his laughter sounded so carefree and light that she smiled softly instead.

"I think you'd have noticed if I was a vampire," the boy mumbled, still chuckling slightly. "Honestly Potter, just because my hands are a little cold? Did you pay attention during Defence Against the Dark Arts at all?"

Haley pouted. Defence Against the Dark Arts was her best subject!

"It wasn't just that! Your… your skin is also incredibly pale."

"So?" He asked, sounding awfully smug. "Did you ever actually see me suck someone's blood?"

"Well.. no but… you could have done it in secret," she replied stubbornly, rolling onto her side to face him. He didn't say anything in reply. Surprisingly. He simply watched her. The smug grin on his face was changing into something softer. His grey eyes were glimmering, all warmth and playfulness. She liked him that way. It made her almost forget that he had just made a major fool out of her. Almost. Quickly, Haley lifted her left hand and placed her fingers on Malfoy's chin. Then she pulled open his mouth and pushed his upper lip upwards. His canines were a bit pointy but they seemed like regular teeth.

"What are you doing, Potter?" The Slytherin drawled, sounding slightly disconcerted. He bit his teeth together, almost chopping her fingers off.

"Just confirming," she answered innocently. The boy took hold of her hand that was just hovering there in front of his face. His eyebrows were pulled together. Like he wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Then he snorted, shaking his head. "You're ridiculous," he mumbled softly. His words were far from flattering but his voice sounded so affectionate and sweet that he might as well have told her she was adorable or something along those lines. She didn't think she could ever get used to this side of him. How was she supposed to react to that?

...

DRACO

The girl really was ridiculous. Him? A vampire? Was she completely daft? He had to admit that it was a tiny bit cute, though. Completely ridiculous but endearingly so. He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it. It was just a hand. Nothing special. But even so, this small hand holding his filled him with undescribable joy. Because it was Haley's hand. And she was letting him hold it. He closed his eyes for a moment, basking in the overwhelming feelings that were welling up inside him. When he opened them again and saw Haley right there he was hit with the overpowering desire to kiss her. He noticed her eyes widening slightly as he scooted closer to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you," he muttered, while he tried not to let her reaction discourage him. Haley rolled her eyes at his words. But she was definitely grinning. And then he felt a light pressure on his hand that made his doubts disappear all at once. He grinned back and leant in the last few inches that separated his lips from hers. Getting to finally kiss her again was like gulping down a cold glass of water after not drinking anything for weeks. His hand crawled over her jumper toward her back and pulled her closer to him. Her hand had found its way into his hair and the way she was gently running her fingers through his silky strands made pleasant tingles spread all across his skin, starting from his scalp. There was not an inch between them but still he needed to be closer. Rolling the girl onto her back, he loomed above her. He pulled away for a second, catching his breath. Looking down at Haley's flushed cheeks, her kiss-swollen lips and her sparkling eyes, he suddenly felt like he was suffocating. His heart felt like someone was squeezing it. She was so… lovely? Amazing? Precious? Wonderful? But he couldn't think of a word that would adequately describe her. She was so much more than any words could express. Was this love? He didn't know. He cupped her face in his hand and stroked her cheek tenderly. She leaned into his touch with a soft smile.

"I…" He started to say but he didn't know how to continue. "I… you – I…"

He gulped, taking a deep breath to try and calm his pounding heart. What was he doing? Perhaps he should just keep his mouth shout. Perhaps it was better to wait. But what was he waiting for?

Clang. Draco froze. What was that noise? Haley seemed alarmed as well.

"You heard that, too, right?" She whispered worriedly. Before he could answer she pushed him off her, firmly but not ungently, and got to her feet.

"Wait, where are you-?"

"Stay here," she instructed and ran after the noise in true Gryffindor fashion.

...

HALEY

Hearing a suspicious noise really should have worried Haley. And it did worry her but at the same time she felt relieved for the distraction it provided. She liked kissing Malfoy. As crazy as that sounded she could admit that. And she had already admitted it to herself. But… from the looks of it the boy had been about to tell her something… something that she wasn't ready to deal with yet. So she had been glad at the chance to escape his intense eyes for a moment. It was eerily quiet in the hall that opened toward the observation deck and the moonlight didn't provide much light. Where had the noise come from? She had almost reached the stairs when she spotted something shiny lying in front of one of the windows. Carefully she approached the thing and knelt down in front of it. It was a telescope. Nothing more, nothing less. She sighed in relief. Someone had probably forgotten it on the window sill during one of the Astronomy lessons and the wind had caused it to fall down. Right? That seemed logical enough. From the corner of her eyes she registered a sudden movement. What was-?

Tiny orange velvet paws came into her view then. Haley sighed again. It was just a cat. Light-footedly, it jumped onto the window sill and rubbed its head against the dark stone wall. Maybe the cat had caused the telescope to fall down in the first place. She got up and watched the animal thoughtfully. There was something caught between its teeth. A mouse? No. It was… a toffee? The cat dropped the toffee and meowed at her in a way that seemed almost disappointed. Then it hopped down again and vanished into the darkness. Haley picked up the candy and held it in front of her eyes. It wasn't a brand she had seen before. She shrugged, putting it back on the window sill again. It was just candy.

She turned around and made her way back toward the observation deck. Malfoy was already waiting for her. There was a frown on his face and his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

"It was just a cat," she informed him, her voice a soft whisper.

"A cat?" He echoed.

She nodded.

"It wasn't Filch's cat, was it?"

She shook her head. Malfoy sighed, running his hand across his face. He was probably relieved as well.

"I told you that you're annoyingly reckless before?" He asked tiredly.

"Once or twice," Haley offered with a grin. Malfoy snorted but the corners of his mouth were definitely twitching. She wondered if he was disappointed that the noise had interrupted them earlier. If he was he didn't show it.

"Maybe it's better if we head back. Just in case, you know?" Haley suggested. She hadn't brought her watch but she was sure that it was already close to midnight. Maybe even later.

"Oh," he said, seemingly surprised. "Well, you're probably right." Despite their words neither of them made a move to go.

"Um… so, about Christmas," Malfoy began, shuffling his feet.

"Yes?"

"You know… will… will we see each other before?"

"Of course. We see each other every day, don't we? In class, in the Great Hall, on the grounds..."

Malfoy scowled, squinting his eyes at her. "Don't push it, Potter."

She chuckled. Where was his sense of humour?

"Okay, okay," she relented. "When do you want to meet?"

"I was thinking, the day before the holidays begin."

"That should work. Are you going to give me my present then?"

"Your present? What makes you think I would give you a present after the way you were making fun of me?"

"Fine. No presents then." Haley replied with a grin. "That way I don't have to feel bad for not giving you anything either."

"Brilliant," Malfoy grumbled. There was a pout on his face that made Haley think he had not understood the real meaning behind her words after all. But only a second later, he took one step toward her, leaned into her personal space and softly whispered into her ear, "I'm looking forward to it."

When he leaned back there was a real smile on his face. It was beautiful. And for some reason it made her want to do something stupid like kiss him.

"Night Potter," he whispered before leaning in to quickly press his lips against her cheek. The soft touch seemed so innocent and sweet that she only stared at the boy for a second as if she had forgotten he was capable of doing something like this.

The next thing she registered was a heavy cloth being thrown at her. Oh. Her cloak.

"I believe this is yours," Malfoy drawled lazily, his smile turning into an amused smirk. Then he turned around and left the observation deck. He hadn't even thanked her, she realised. Of course he hadn't. Malfoys didn't thank people. She rolled her eyes. On her way back toward Gryffindor tower she wondered what in Merlin's name she was going to get the boy for Christmas. Maybe she could ask Luna if she had an idea.

…

[mint-yooxgi]

You’re Next - Yandere!Serial Killer!Jongin X Reader

Yandere AU - Part of the Yandere!EXO X Reader Series

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Semi-Smut (Not really, just mentions of it)

Pairing: Jongin X Reader

Words: 8,358

Warning: This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Halloween update is here! Even though it’s technically not Halloween anymore, oops. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this one, it’s defiantly creepier than the rest. As always, this is just my interpretation of this archetype and the song. I do not believe Jongin, nor any of the other members, past or present, of EXO would act like this. Feedback is always greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy!

A smile makes its way onto your face as you step into the heated coffee shop. Finally, your tense shoulders seem to relax due to the warmth that is now surrounding your body. The cool Autumn air is not sparing anyone from its cold, feeling much colder then it usually does this time of year. After a minute, you can feel the blood returning to your fingers.

You stand in line and wait to order your favourite seasonal drink, excited to finally be able to taste the spices after a year long wait. Your eyes scan the menu, keeping you distracted from those around you, and also seeing what new additions they’ve added this year.

Stepping up to order, you tell the barista your name, pay, and move off to the side to wait for your drink to be made. Once it’s done, you take it and move to sit in your favourite spot at the back windows of the coffee shop.

You sit down with a sigh. You place your head in your hand which is propped up on the table and stare blankly out the window. Your eyes watch a bunch of leaves get swept away by the wind as more continue to fall to the ground. You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the news reporter’s voice on the TV above the coffee machines.

“…fourth victim in the past three months. The main targets seem to be young women in the downtown area. No one knows much on the alleged killer, except for the fact that they go by the name of ‘Kai’, so if anyone knows anything or sees any sort of suspicious activity in their neighbourhood, they are encouraged to contact the authorities immediately. The police are warning everyone in the city to be on high alert due to these gruesome murders, and to stay inside after dark…”

“Horrible, isn’t it?” A voice says, causing you to jump a little in your seat, then turn to look at the stranger standing beside you.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” You ask him, eyeing him over suspiciously.

“Oh, my bad,” he says, smiling at you. “My name is Jongin. Is it okay if I sit?”

You just raise your eyebrow at him in response while taking a sip from your drink. He takes this as a ‘yes’ and sits across from you.

“I know, I know, you can’t be too careful now-a-days with who you talk to, given that there’s a serial killer on the lose, but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity of saying hello to the beautiful girl sitting by herself at the window,” he says, still being stared down by your suspicious gaze. “Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I promise I’m not a killer. You can trust me.”

Both your eyebrows raise at this, eyes widening sceptically while your coffee cup purposely covers half your face. You take another sip before putting it down.

“And what if I say that I don’t trust you?” You speak after a moment of silence.

At this, he smirks a little bit. “Then why don’t you get to know me, and then you can decide for yourself whether or not you can trust me.”

“We’ll see, pretty boy,” You smirk back at him, getting up from the table and throwing away your empty coffee cup. You glance over your shoulder one last time before exiting the shop to see him with an expression of disbelief on his face. Looks like someone isn’t used to getting rejected on the first try.

Jongin’s eyes follow you out of the coffee shop and down the street until he can no longer see you. He smirks to himself, glad to know you won’t be an easy target to capture. With his last victim, she almost didn’t even put up a fight, immediately falling for his charm and looks. She was almost too easy, not an enjoyable kill at all.

He picks his victims specifically, taking his time to research them, and getting a sense of who they are before he strikes. You, on the other hand, are a spontaneous decision.

He saw you walk into the shop, so blissfully unaware of the monster lurking in the corner. Oblivious, just like everyone else is, as to the danger he imposes. As soon as he saw you, he knew you were going to be his next victim, and he doesn’t even know your name yet.

This is so unlike him. He doesn’t know exactly why he’s so drawn to you, just that he knows that he needs to kill you, to watch your beautiful face contort in fear, and in pain. He can’t wait for that moment, when he finally watches the light die from behind your eyes, the hope vanishing with nothing but imminent death approaching.

He smiles to himself as he imagines all the ways he can torture you, daydreaming vivid horrors unbeknownst to those surrounding him. He makes his way out of the coffee shop, following the general direction he saw you walk off in. He needs to do some research.

Arriving back at his apartment, Jongin pulls out his laptop and sits on the couch. He syncs his phone, allowing for the image of you to transfer into his facial recognition database. He took a few pictures of you while you weren’t paying attention, your eyes either focused on the leaves outside or on the images that were flashing across the TV screen. Never before has he been so grateful for hacking into this system.

Once he hears his computer ping with a match, a wide grin spreads across his face. He’s found you. He clicks on the first link he can find for your social media accounts, learning more about you then he should be able to, but with his skills, things like this are a breeze.

After a few hours of researching, he feels he has a good idea as to who you are. He lists what he’s discovered in his head. Your first name is (Y/n), you are 21 years old with a birthday in a few weeks, you have a pet cat named Charlie, you live on your own in an apartment complex on the corner of Kane and Able, you don’t speak with your parents often, but you have a good relationship, and finally, the most important fact, you do not have a significant other at the moment.

He lets out a chuckle at this. That is probably the most surprising fact to him, that you don’t have a romantic partner at the moment. Considering the way you look, he would have thought guys would be begging to go on dates with you, but this just makes his job of getting to know you easier. No obstacles in the way when trying to make you fall for him and play right into his trap.

The next day, you wake up shortly after ten. You sit up in bed, stretch, then get ready for the day. Luckily, you’ve gotten the week off work for working almost every day last month, so you don’t have to go back until next Monday, and considering it’s only Tuesday, you can’t wait to spend the rest of your time off doing nothing.

Once you have a shower and change into your outfit for the day, you decide to go back to your favourite coffee shop and spend some time there reading. You grab your purse and head out the door, locking it behind you.

Once again, you are grateful for the warm air that surrounds you upon entering the coffee shop. You order your favourite drink and return to the spot you always sit in at the back by the windows. You pull out your book from your purse and flip to the section you are currently reading, getting lost in the words on the page.

About an hour passes, constantly hearing the bell chime above the entrance singling the arrival or departure of customers. You pay little attention to them though, as you are so immersed in your book, so much so that you fail to notice the chair opposite yours scraping against the floor as it’s pulled back and a body sitting down across from you.

“What are you reading?” A voice startles you into almost dropping your book onto the table in front of you.

You send a glare at the person now sitting across from you before going back to the words on the page, making a point to flip the page loudly once you’re done, pointedly ignoring the man sitting before you.

“Is it a crime to be curious, now?” He teases, propping his right arm on the table and resting his head against his open palm.

You let out a sigh, closing your eyes as you place the book onto the table in front of you. You open them only to glare at him. “Look, I don’t know what your deal is, but I thought I made it very clear yesterday that I’m not interested.” You calmly state, putting emphasis on the last two words to see if he’ll finally take the hint.

“Aw, but you don’t even know me,” he pouts.

“Exactly,” you say, going back to your book. “I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Okay, okay, I can take a hint,” he says, raising his arms in defence as he stands up. “I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble.”

With that, he leaves the coffee shop, your eyes trailing him the entire time. Once you determine he’s not coming back, you return to your book, glad to not have any further distractions.

Meanwhile, Jongin scowls to himself as he walks down the street and into the park, kicking a stone along the path. Why must you be so difficult? In a way, he’s almost glad you’re not giving into him easily, it’ll make capturing you after gaining your trust so much more fulfilling. For now though, he needs to come up with a way for you to at least be his friend, or else he wont be able to do anything to you.

That night, you sit in your apartment watching a movie while curled up with a blanket on your couch. You glance out the window and see the clear night sky, stars twinkling like fairy lights outside. You smile to yourself as you turn your attention back to the screen.

Outside, Jongin lurks by said window, peering in and watching your movement, undetected due to the cover of darkness. How peaceful you look sitting there, how happy. How blissfully unaware you are to the monster lurking just outside your apartment.

He can feel the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile, watching your expressions change as the movie progresses. He can tell you’re watching a comedy based off of the corners of your mouth raising every now and then in a sort of smile. He almost wishes he could be there beside you, to be able to hold you in his arms. To protect you from monsters like him.

He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. What is he thinking? All this is making him soft, and why? He doesn’t know. He quickly moves down the fire escape, deciding to call it a night and watch you some other time. He has all he needs for now, he just needs to get a move on with your trust.

The rest of the week passes fairly quickly, much too quickly for your liking, and soon enough, you’re back at work Monday morning. You trudge into work, greeting your coworkers with a half smile as you prepare for your shift.

You don’t work anywhere too fancy, just the local diner, to help pay for the bills until you can finish school and find a better job to suit your credentials, but until then, it’s service with a smile.

The only downside to your shift on your first day back after a week break is that it’s from open to close. About halfway through your shift, you start wanting to just go home and relax, already missing the comfort of your bed. You let out a sigh, leaning on the counter as you take a small break.

“You okay?” Your coworker, Jennie, asks you.

“Yeah, just a bit tired is all,” you reply, standing up straight to greet the new wave of customers that come in for the afternoon rush. She gives you a concerned look in return. “Honestly, Jennie, I’m fine. Now, lets get back to work before Fred fries both of our asses.”

With that, you both giggle and get back to work. Fred is the owner of the diner, who is one man you don’t want to mess with. Luckily, you view him as a sort of second father to you, and he sees both you and Jennie as his daughters. He may be a big, intimidating man, but he has an even bigger heart.

Finally, the day comes to a close with the last round of customers leaving for the night. It’s just you and Fred as you wrap up your last customer for the night, bidding them a farewell. You both quickly clean the diner and close up for the night since Jennie has already left as she got off over an hour ago.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to your apartment? It’s not safe at night, not with a serial killer on the loose,” Fred says, locking the main entrance.

“I’m positive, besides,” you say, giving a reassuring smile to Fred. “I’m sure Pam is worrying about you already. I’ll be fine on my own, it’s only a few blocks anyways.”

“If you’re sure, (Y/n),” Fred says warily, not wanting you to be on your own, but he knows you’re right about Pam worrying about him.

“I’m sure, Fred,” you say. “Now go before Pam sends a search party to look for you.”

With those words, Fred bids you a goodnight and to call him if anything goes wrong. You both head your separate ways, with you calling a quick ‘see you tomorrow’ over your shoulder.

You pull your jacket closer around yourself as a gust of cold air blows down the street. Your eyes look all around at your surroundings, making yourself paranoid at every little movement you see or sound you hear. Maybe you should have accepted Fred’s offer to walk you home, considering there is a murderer on the loose.

You pass by the park that’s four blocks away from your apartment, the leaves crunching under your feet as you walk along the path. You notice a man leaning against a lamppost up ahead who is watching you approach him. You purposely avoid eye contact, staring straight ahead as you walk by him with your head held high.

You don’t realize you’re holding your breath until you let the air escape your lungs once you’ve past him, but your victory is short lived as you are pushed into the closest alleyway and pinned against the wall, a body pressed against your back as your face is pushed against the wall.

“Where do you think you’re going, sweetheart?” A raspy voice says right by your ear, making you shiver. “I just want to have a little fun.”

“Get off of me!” You yell, struggling to get out of this man’s grip, but to no avail. You grit your teeth in frustration and continue to twist and turn to get out of this man’s hold.

“Stop squirming, will you? I said I just want to have some fun,” he growls.

“And I believe the lady told you to get off of her,” a somewhat familiar voice says from behind you.

The man turns to look at the figure now standing at the entrance of the alleyway, scowling. “Stay out of it, kid, this is none of your business,” he spits.

You don’t hear a reply and you think your saviour has left you alone with this disgusting creep of a man as all you do hear is the shuffling of feet. Your breathing picks up as you think of what’s about to happen to you.

“Now, where were we?” He says, inhaling your scent and pushing you harder against the wall.

You close your eyes and will for this all to be a bad dream. You stay perfectly still, waiting for what is to come next, but it never does. Instead, you feel yourself be released, the weight of the man pinning you to the wall no longer existent. You open your eyes and see the man who had been pinning you to the wall on the ground, looking at something to your right. You turn your head to see the guy from the coffee shop standing next to you.

“This isn’t over,” the man says, getting up and running down the opposite end of the alley.

Once he’s out of your sight, you finally release the breath you’ve been holding. You turn to face the guy.

“Thank you,” you say, just above a whisper, not trusting your voice not to crack if you were to speak any louder.

“Don’t mention it,” he replies with a kind smile, turning away from you to start walking away.

“It’s Jongin, right?” Your words make him stop in his tracks, a sinister grin stretching across his face, one which you cannot see.

“Yeah,” he says, turning back around to face you with a kind smile still present on his face.

“Would you,” you pause, taking a deep breath. “Would you mind just accompanying me the last few blocks to my apartment? I’d feel better if you were with me.”

“Sure,” he says, noticing how you won’t meet his eyes. He can’t help but to think of how cute you look in this moment.

You walk in silence together for a few minute until you decide to break it.

“I’m (Y/n), by the way,” you tell him.

“Well, it’s nice to finally learn your name, though I wish it were under better circumstances,” he jokes, trying to lighten the mood. You crack a smile at this.

“Don’t be getting any ideas,” you smirk, turning to face him once outside your apartment complex.

“Well, considering you don’t look like you want to bash my brains out this time, I’ll consider it a step in a positive direction,” he teases, making you giggle.

“If you say so,” you tease back, pulling out your key to unlock the building’s main doors.

“Baby steps, baby steps,” he smiles, making you shake your head at his antics.

You give him one final smile before turning back around and entering your building, but before you let the doors close, you turn to him one last time.

“Oh, and Jongin,” he turns back around to face you when he hears your voice call out to him. “Thanks, again. I really mean it.”

At this he just smiles at you, giving you a slight nod of his head to which you smile back and let the doors shut behind you. You make your way onto the elevator and finally into your apartment for the night. You get ready for bed and immediately fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. What a night you’ve had.

Downstairs, Jongin smiles to himself, that went even better than he could have ever imagined. He got you to tell him your name and you let him walk you home the rest of the way. However, his mood soon turns sour as he thinks of the man he hired to do this to you. He wasn’t supposed to do that, he was only supposed to scare you a bit, causing you to run into him down the street. Looks like he needs to teach this man a lesson on touching things that are not his to touch.

He finds the man sitting on a bench in the park, waiting for Jongin’s return. His scowl deepens as he walks up to him.

“What the fuck was that?” Jongin spits.

“You told me to scare her, so that’s what I did,” he replies nonchalantly. “Not my fault she’s hot.”

At his words, Jongin’s anger comes to a boiling point. How dare he talk like that about you! His movements are so quick, almost inhuman, that the man doesn’t register how close Jongin is until he’s being held by his own throat.

“I told you to chase her down the street, not try and rape her, you disgusting excuse of a human,” he spits, tightening his grip around the man’s neck.

The man claws at Jongin’s hands, but it’s no use, the grip he has is too strong. His rage blinding him, Jongin drags the man down the street and to his car. Banging the man’s head against the cement wall, Jongin tosses his body into the trunk of his car once he know’s the man has passed out. Driving to his favourite place, Jongin spends the night torturing the man until his anger diminishes, and the man is dead.

The next morning, you wake up nice and early to get ready for work. Grabbing a quick shower, you make yourself a small breakfast and head to work, but not before glancing at the calendar hung by your fridge. A smile spreads across your face as you realize, only two more days until he’s back.

You make it to work and spend the first hour serving coffee to just one person. You can already tell the day is going to be slow due to the lack of customers the diner is experiencing. You sit at the counter on one of the stools and turn on the news, the headline immediately catching your attention.

Man Found Dead in Park.

Your eyes widen as they show a picture of the victim on screen. It’s the man from last night. Your heart rate picks up as you listen to the news anchor relay the story.

“…found early this morning, looks to be the work of ‘Kai’. The body is in the worse condition the police have seen so far dealing with this case. This is unusual, as he typically picks female victims, so now no one is safe…”

You watch as the TV gets shut off, still staring blankly at it despite nothing appearing on screen. You slowly turn to face Fred who looks concerned for you.

“Last night, when I was walking home, that man jumped me. That could have been me. I could have been the next victim. That could have been me,” You say, a fearful look on your face.

Fred immediately places a comforting hand on your shoulder, reassuring you that everything will be alright, and that you should go home and get some rest for the next few days. “It’s not safe anymore, he’s in your area.”

You merely nod your head in response, standing up to collect your things, and moving towards the door. Before you’re able to step outside, you collide with a solid chest.

“Sorry,” you mumble, not looking up at whoever you’ve bumped into, instead going to move around them.

“(Y/n)? I didn’t know you worked here,” Jongin lies cheerfully until he notices the grim expression on your face. Immediately he’s filled with concern, wanting to know who caused you such emotional turmoil. “Are you okay?”

You choose to ignore him, stepping around him and continuing to exit the diner to go back to your apartment and rest. He follows you regardlessly.

“(Y/n)?” He asks, matching pace with you down the street. He almost walks past you when you stop walking all of a sudden, turning to look him in the eyes with a pained expression on your face.

“Remember that man from last night? Yeah, well, apparently he’s dead now, due to the serial killer on the loose. That could have been me,” you say, panic evident in your voice as you continue walking down the street. “He was in my area last night, I could have been killed.”

Jongin stays quiet, allowing for the weight of your words to sink in. The two of you walk in silence for a few more minutes until he speaks. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” you reply, looking down at the ground.

“Well, if you need anything, anything at all, please feel free to call me,” he tells you. “Here, why don’t you enter in your phone number into my phone and I’ll send you a text so that way you have mine.”

You look at him a bit warily as you take his phone from his outstretched hand and enter in your number. You hand it back to him and he gives you a reassuring smile.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” He says. “You’ll be fine, I promise.”

He waves goodbye to you as you enter your apartment complex. You give him a small smile back before shutting the door behind you and entering the elevator. You let out a sigh as the elevator makes it’s way up to your floor, reassuring yourself that you’ll be okay, just like Jongin said.

The rest of the day is spent by yourself watching old reruns of your favourite show. You can’t help but feel paranoid being by yourself, feeling as if the murderer is hiding somewhere in your apartment.

Later that night, Jongin messages you, asking if you’re alright, to which you reply that you could be better, but you’re alright for now. You won’t admit to him how shocked you still are over this whole situation, not even wanting to admit it to yourself.

You head to bed that night, unable to get any sleep due to the paranoia keeping you up. You feel as though you’re being watched, as if someone is hiding in the darkness of your apartment waiting to strike. You wish he would hurry up and come back already.

In the morning, you pull yourself out of bed to make yourself a coffee. What little sleep you did get did not help your situation at all. You trudge into the living room and flop down on your couch, letting out a yawn.

You check your phone and see Fred has sent you a message telling you to take the rest of this week off until you’re feeling better and things calm down a little bit. You’re grateful that he’s so understanding, and also that you no longer have to go into work today, or for the rest of the week for that matter.

You do your best to busy yourself throughout the day, keeping your mind preoccupied with things so you don’t need to think about what has happened. After a few hours of watching Netflix, you feel as though you can’t sit still anymore. You’re dying to get out of your apartment for some fresh air, but you don’t want to go out alone.

You text a few of your friends to see what they’re up to, but most of them either say they’re busy with work or something else. You let out a sigh of defeat until you remember one other person you can ask.

You: Hey, want to go grab a coffee with me? I need to get out of my apartment and get some fresh air.

Within seconds, you get a reply back.

Jongin: Sure! Regular place?

You quickly reply with a ‘yes’ and get ready to go out. You slip on your shoes and head out the door, making sure to lock it behind you.

Walking down the street, you are hyper-aware of everyone you pass. Quickening your pace, you manage to arrive at the coffee shop within a few minutes. Stepping inside, you already see Jongin sitting at your usual table with two drinks in front of him. His head raises when he hears the bell chime above the door singling your arrival. A smile immediately takes over his face and you give him a small one back as you sit across from him.

“I already got you something, I hope you don’t mind,” he says, sliding one of the drinks over to you.

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to get me anything,” you say, taking the drink into your hands and taking a small sip. Your eyes immediately light up as you taste the familiar spices of your favourite drink. “This is one of my favourites, how did you know?”

“Lucky guess, I guess,” he chuckles, his eyes crinkling as he smiles at you enjoying your coffee. He feels his heart skip a beat when you look at him with that smile on your face, happy to know he is the one to bring you joy.

He doesn’t know why you’re affecting him this much, but for some odd reason, his urge to kill you is diminishing slowly the more time he spends with you. The more time he spends with you, the more he wants to protect you, to keep you by his side so you can actually grow to love him as he grows more fond of you. Sure killing you would have been nice in the moment, but having you stay with him forever will be far more entertaining.

He listens to you ramble on about yourself, noticing how you relax more and more the more time passes spent together. He smiles as he listens to you recount a story from your childhood and all he knows is that he never wants this moment to end.

A few hours have passed since you’ve arrived at the coffee shop, that the sun is now set and the streetlights are starting to flicker on. You check the time and realize how late it’s getting and decide to call it a day since you don’t want to be walking back to your apartment too late.

“I should probably get going now, it’s getting late,” you say with a smile while standing up.

“Let me walk you to your apartment,” Jongin says, standing with you. “That way I know you get back safely.”

“That would be great, thanks,” you smile at him and nod your head.

You both leave the coffee shop together, him holding the door for you on your way out. The first few minutes of the walk is in silence, simply enjoying the other’s company. You’re glad that Jongin is walking with you, you feel safer with him then if you were alone.

When you arrive back to your apartment, you notice a figure leaning against the side of the building. They turn to face you and your eyes widen when you realize who it is. You let out a small squeal of joy and run into his open arms.

“Junmyeon, I missed you! I thought you weren’t going to be back until tomorrow!” You exclaim, hugging him tightly to which he does the same to you.

“I came back early to surprise you, but you weren’t here, so I decided to wait for you until you got back,” he explains, pulling away from you to hold you at arms length.

You bring your hand up to cup the side of his face as you both stare into each other’s eyes. You both start to lean in until you hear a clearing of someone’s throat come from behind you. The two of you break apart and you turn around to face Jongin whom you forgot was standing there.

“Sorry about that,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly. “Oh, um, Jongin, this is Junmyeon,” you introduce them to each other. “My boyfriend.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Junmyeon smiles at Jongin.

“Likewise,” Jongin says blankly back. “Anyways, I should probably get going then. Have a goodnight you two.”

With that, Jongin turns and starts walking down the street. You call out a farewell and bid him a goodnight as well, turning back to face Junmyeon with a smile.

Jongin is furious. A boyfriend! He did not know you have a boyfriend. That would explain why you were so cold to him at the start though. He grits his teeth as he remembers how happy you looked in Junmyeon’s arms. That should be him.

Jongin thought that today was going great. He actually got you to open up to him and meet him for coffee, but now this? He did his research, and nowhere did you ever indicate you had a boyfriend. This makes everything that much more difficult. Now he has a pest in the way that he needs to dispose of.

Jongin silently makes his way up your fire escape, sitting just outside your living room window. Watching. Waiting.

You unlock the door to your apartment, ushering Junmyeon inside. He smiles at you as you both make your way to the living room of your apartment and sit on the couch. You curl into his side as you put on a movie for the two of you to watch. He wraps a blanket around the two of you and kisses the top of your forehead. Oh, how you’ve missed this.

“I’ve missed you,” you say about halfway through the movie.

You receive a hum in response, making you look up into Junmyeon’s eyes since he is already staring at you with a small smile on his face. You lean up and press your lips against his to which he immediately responds. You climb on top of him, straddling his waist as things get more heated between the two of you. Eventually, both of your shirts come off and Junmyeon has you pinned on the couch, slowly spreading your legs so he can kiss up your thighs.

Outside, Jongin is filled with rage and jealousy. He should be the only one to get to touch you like that, not him. Half of him wants to burst through your window right now, kill Junmyeon and take you all for himself, but the other half knows that that would not be a smart idea. He needs to play his cards right, and soon he’ll be the one eating you out on your couch making you moan his name.

He watches silently as Junmyeon makes love to your beautiful body on your couch, feeling the anger build inside of him until red tints the corners of his vision. He needs to act soon, or else all of his progress will have been for nothing.

Jongin leaves shortly after watching the two of you lay curled up on the couch in each others arms. He feels sick to his stomach with jealousy. He knows that tomorrow, he’s going to have to do something about this.

Morning comes and you wake up to be greeted by your boyfriend making breakfast for the two of you. You smile and sit down at the counter as Junmyeon places the last bits of scrambled eggs onto your plates and sits down beside you. You lean your head against his shoulder as a peaceful smile spreads across your face.

“How are you feeling?” Junmyeon asks you.

“I’ve never been better,” you say, a bliss filled look on your features. “A little sore though.”

Junmyeon laughs. “Yeah, I guess I did go a little rough last night after a few rounds, I just haven’t seen you for a while and I guess I got carried away.”

“Oh trust me, I’m not complaining,” you smirk. “In fact, you should get carried away more often.”

At this, he blushes, nudging your shoulder with his as he tries to hide his growing smile behind a forkful of food.

Your morning is spent together, taking the time to catch up with each other and enjoy each other’s company. You get up to make some lunch for the two of you, until you realize that you literally have no food left to eat since you haven’t been grocery shopping in a while. You sigh as you close your fridge door.

“I’m just going to run out to grab some groceries, I’ll be back soon,” you say, grabbing your keys from off the counter.

“I’ll come with you,” Junmyeon offers, moving to stand up off of the couch.

“No, that’s okay,” you say, walking over and sitting him back down. “You just got back, it’s early in the day, you should rest. I’ll only be a few hours, don’t worry.”

“Okay, if you say so,” he replies. “Then I’m going to have a nap.”

“Okay,” you nod your head, putting on your shoes and heading out the front door with a final goodbye.

A few minutes later, Junmyeon hears the front door open again and doesn’t bother checking if it’s you. He figures you’ve probably just forgotten something like usual.

“What did you forget?” He teases, not bothering to open his eyes, but when he gets no response after a minute, he slowly gets up from the couch and looks around. “(Y/n)? This isn’t funny.”

Moving slowly through the apartment, Junmyeon makes his way to your room first. He opens the door to your room, peaking his head in but not seeing anything out of the ordinary. He could have sworn he heard you come back to the apartment. He figures that it’s probably just his imagination, and in his tired state he just thought he heard you come back to the apartment. Walking back into the living room, Junmyeon doesn’t even get five steps before he’s knocked unconscious.

“Should have listened to your gut, mate,” Jongin says, crouching over Junmyeon’s unconscious form.

A few minutes later, Junmyeon wakes up and feels a throbbing coming from his head. He goes to rub it, but finds he is unable to. He blinks away his blurry vision to find that he’s still in your apartment, only tied to one of your dining room chairs. He starts to struggle against his restraints, trying his best to free himself with little success. He hears a chuckle come from behind him until whoever it is that is standing behind him moves into his line of sight.

“Jongin?” He gasps, not sure if he’s seeing things right. “What’s going on? Where’s (Y/n)? Why am I tied to a chair? How did you get in? Wh-“

“Shut up!” Jongin cuts him off. “God, even your voice makes me sick.”

Junmyeon looks at him in confusion and slight fear. Jongin looks insane right now, a crazed, murderous look in his eyes, and a sinister grin tugging at his lips. He watches Jongin walk over to the kitchen counter where he notices that all of your knives have been laid out on display. Jongin picks one up, weighing it in his hand before deciding it’s good enough for him to use. Walking back towards him, Jongin crouches in front of Junmyeon, watching as the lights reflects off of the blade in his hand.

“And it’s Kai, by the way,” Jongin says, smirking at his next victim.

Junmyeon gasps. So he’s the serial killer that has been on the loose recently.

“Why are you doing this?” Junmyeon asks through clenched teeth, not believing what’s currently happening to him.

“Well, you see, you have something of mine, and I want it back,” Jongin says nonchalantly, starting to drag the tip of the blade down Junmyeon’s arm. “You’ve touched something of mine that doesn’t belong to you. Do you think you’re worthy of her? Worthy enough to worship her body the way she deserves? You don’t deserve her, you don’t deserve to get to be with her, she’s mine.”

Junmyeon’s eyes widen as he feels the first sting of the blade piercing his skin, watching as Kai drags the tip along his arm, creating a long, but not too deep, cut. He grits his teeth, doing his best to keep in the sounds of pain he so desperately wants to let out.

“What should I start with first?” Kai wonders aloud, stepping away from Junmyeon and tapping his chin as if he’s deep in thought. “I know, since you are so prone to touching my things, I think I’ll start with your hands. I would start with your tongue, but I wouldn’t want you to choke on your own blood now, would I?”

“You’ll never get away with this!” Junmyeon spits, curses spilling from his mouth to which Kai replies by tying a cloth around his mouth to get him to shut up.

Kai makes his way over to his bag which he brought with him and pulls out a lighter. Smirking to himself, he makes his way back over to Junmyeon, flicking the lighter on and off the whole time. Junmyeon’s eyes widen in fear as he can only imagine what Kai has in store for him for the next hour or so.

Meanwhile, a smile is present on your face the whole time you make your way to the grocery store. About two hours have passed since you left your apartment and now you are heading back with all your groceries. Luckily, you only have a few bags with you since you only got what you think you’d need since you’ll do the major shopping later on in the week.

The ride up the elevator seems to take forever. All you want to do is get back to your apartment and watch a movie with Junmyeon while curled up on the couch. You open your door, kick your shoes off and drop the grocery bags in the kitchen. You walk into your living room and your voice gets stuck in your throat. You feel your heart stop beating as you take in your surroundings.

Blood pools underneath Junmyeon’s unconscious body which is tied to one of your dining room chairs. At least you hope he’s unconscious. There are cuts and burns all over his arms and legs, but what’s worse are his hands. The tips have all been burned almost down to the bone, or at least they appear to be, and a few of his fingers are missing. His head hangs limply, blood escaping his mouth in a steady stream.

You unfreeze yourself and run over to his side, a small shriek of his name escaping your mouth.

“Junmyeon! Junmyeon? Oh my god, what happened?” You sob, tears leaking from your eyes.

You shakily reach your hand up, checking for a pulse everywhere you know of to see if he’s still alive. After three failed attempts of finding a pulse, the harsh reality of your situation slaps you in your face. You start to sob uncontrollably, doing your best to stand up and make your way over to the phone to call the police.

As you reach for your phone, dialling the emergency services, your eyes catch a glimpse at your wall, your mouth falling open in a silent scream as you read the message, written in Junmyeon’s blood, on your wall.

You’re next.

You don’t register the voice coming from the receiver of your phone signifying someone has answered your call. Instead, you feel a strong arm wrap around your waist from behind you and a hand place a cloth over your nose and mouth. You begin to struggle in the person’s grip, doing your best not to breath in whatever chemicals that have been put on the cloth. You manage to kick your assailant in the shin, causing his grip to falter, but before you can get free, their grip is back and even tighter than before. You feel yourself starting to lose consciousness, fighting to stay awake, but the effects of the drugs are too strong.

You wake up in an unfamiliar room with a headache. You try to move your arms but find that they are tied behind your back. You blink a few times to allow your vision to adjust to the light of the room. It looks like you’re in a basement cellar of some sort, but that’s not what catches your eyes.

Across from you, sitting in a chair mirroring yours, is Jongin. From the looks of it, he looks like he’s in the same position you’re in.

“Jongin? Hey, Jongin?” You call his name. “Wake up, Jongin!”

He groans and looks up, rolling his neck to the side a few times to ease the stiffness. He looks up at you, blinking a few times until a confused expression crosses his face.

“(Y/n)? What happened? Where are we?” He asks, looking around at your surroundings.

“I don’t know, I was hoping you’d be able to tell me,” you say, blinking your eyes again to try and relieve their stinging.

“All I remember is walking by your apartment and seeing you being dragged out by someone, so I followed them and now here we are,” he explains.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” you say, tears starting to fall from your eyes as Jongin looks at you in concern. “All I know is… all I know is that Junmyeon is, is dead.”

You look down at your lap, letting the tears fall freely. You shut your eyes tightly, willing for this all to be a bad dream. You flinch as you feel a thumb wipe away your tears. Opening your eyes, you see Jongin crouched in front of you with a sad look on his face.

“Jongin, how did you,” you choke on a sob. “How did you escape?”

“Oh, that, well, you see…” he trails off, avoiding your eyes until he brings his gaze back to yours, piercing your very being with how cold his eyes have become. “I was never really tied to the chair.”

“What? What do you mean? Jongin, you’re scaring me,” You say, leaning as far away from him as you can with you being bound to the chair.

“I wasn’t tied to the chair,” he states simply, standing in front of you. “Oh, and also, call me Kai.”

Your eyes widen in shock, causing him to smirk. “What?”

“I finally have you,” he coos, stroking your face fondly, making you flinch away from his touch. He scowls, but backs off nonetheless.

“You killed Junmyeon,” you state, glaring at him through your tears.

“He was in the way,” Kai states blankly, moving over to the side to grab a small blade.

“He was my boyfriend whom I love, you monster,” you spit, causing him to round on you with annoyance clear on his face.

“He was a nuisance. A nuisance that thought he could take you away from me. A nuisance that needed to learn not to touch what isn’t his,” he snaps, ominously walking towards you with the knife raised pointedly at you.

“I’m not yours! I never was, and I never will be,” you say, venom lacing every word.

You feel the sting on your cheek before you’ve even processed what’s happened. More tears escape your eyes as you turn your head to glare at Jongin who is standing in front of you.

“Don’t look at me like that, you did this to yourself. You and that beautiful smile of yours, your personality, and God, don’t even get me started on your body. What I wouldn’t do to you,” he trails off, eyes roaming every inch of your exposed skin, licking his lips in the process. “I was going to kill you, you know? You were going to be my fifth victim, but you had to go and make me fall for you, didn’t you? Now all I want to do is please you, make you feel good, but you’re making this so difficult.”

“You’re crazy,” you spit.

“Crazy for you,” he grins maniacally. “Now, if you don’t cooperate, I will keep killing every single person you hold dear to you, and if I have to, I’ll even kill you. There’s still a part of me that wants to see you wither in pain, to have you beg me to end your miserable life, and watch the light fade from behind those gorgeous eyes. I’ll do it, too, if you push me far enough. Now, are you going to be a good girl and cooperate with me?”

You nod your head, looking right into his eyes as you do so, making him smirk. He moves closer towards you with the knife still in his hand and you visibly tense up.

“Relax, I’m just going to cut your bonds so you don’t lose feelings your hands,” he says, reaching around to do just that, stopping just short of the rope. “But first…”

With that, he leans forwards and presses his lips to yours. You do your best to seal your lips, but with press of the blade to your arm, you force yourself to kiss him back. He sighs into the kiss, trying to deepen it, but at this, you bite his lip, hard, drawing blood.

He flinches back, landing on his ass on the floor. He brings his one hand up to his lip, noticing the blood on his fingers. He smirks at you, licking his lips as he sees the defiance in your eyes.

“I will never be yours, you monster!” You yell, struggling once again to escape your ropes.

His expression darkens, and he slowly walks over to your figure, thrashing wildly in your chair. You stop all your movements as his shadow covers your entire being.

“I guess I’ll just have to teach you then,” he sighs, as if he has no other choice.

He sits on your lap, straddling you as he uses the knife to cut the fabric covering your left shoulder. He drags the blade gently across your collarbone before digging the tip into your skin, writing something along your collarbone. You feel what can only be described as white hot pain searing your flesh as the knife digs deep enough to ensure a scar.

Once done, Jongin leans back to admire his handiwork. His initials stare back at him, etched forever into your skin, bleeding red with your blood.