¹Elastic Heart - Sia ft. The Weeknd & Diplo

characters: kris-centric
a/n: I might have taken the whole "elastic heart" thing too seriously. also idk, spoilers from my 25th Hunger Games fic which has yet to be finished or posted.


Kris was by no means fragile or soft-hearted - born in District One, he's been taught from the start what it meant to be chosen for the games. He knew what the games were like.

He thought he knew.

'Win...'

He had not flinched when he let golden arrows fly, shot down the young boy from District Six. He had held himself together when he drove his bronze dagger into Tao's left lung , twisted and felt the edge of the ornate blade scrape against a rib. He had kept his eyes on the District Four tribute's as blood bubbled from his lips, staining his teeth red. He ignored the lurching of his heart when Tao clutched his shirt, letting the dark blood stain the front before life trickles away from his face.

'...by any means necessary.'

His heart pulled taut in his chest when Jongdae dragged his body into the brush, hiding him in a burrow obscured by tall grass before vanishing into the dark.

"Stay here, don't move. I'll fight them."

It tugged viciously when he awoke from his tracker jacker toxin induced haze to find the boy's bloody body barely breathing near his own. His heart turns in on itself, but still refuses to crumble even as he turns Jongdae over, the other tribute's lips white with death, his life's breath rattling in his throat.

"I t-told you...told you— I could do it— ..old you."

※

Kris has been conditioned to feel honor in winning the games. He is supposed to feel proud to be a Victor, to have brought glory back to his home district.

He looks down at his arms at night, in his new home in the Victor's village. His palms are spread wide open. He sees a ghost of his sister, can almost feel the fleeting warmth of her flesh as he held her in the water. Her hair sticks dark to her pale cheeks, her blood flecked mouth trembling as a shuddering shallow laugh flutters past them.

"There is... on.. ly one Victor, brother. No one— no one will come... f-for.. me..."

His heart feels like beaten rubber, dragging itself on. It has been tested to his limits and still it continues on. He continues on, a Victor in a grand and brutal game, rewarded with material luxuries to amuse himself till the end of his days.

He wishes his heart would shatter instead.

²Story of My Life - One Direction

characters: chanyeol/chen
a/n: this was actually supposed to be hella angsty but I thought that was too much right after that onebup there so I just went with the happier mood I got from this song instead of the depressing one.


It takes one phone call for Chanyeol to get into his car and start driving from Westchester to downtown Manhattan. It's a wet and frigid night to be out and it's midnight of all times, but he gets up from the couch anyway. His sister gives him a concerned look that he just answers with a sheepish grin. "It's Jongdae." He says simply and she understands. "Be careful, ok?"

He turns up the radio the whole way to keep himself awake, humming to himself everything from cartoon themes to the theme of that drama his sister's been so hyped up about. The shitty weather keeps him from driving too fast even once he's free of the almost-as-shitty-as-the-weather traffic. The streets are still alit, some commuter workers on their way home from overtime hours. It's almost two hours later when Chanyeol reaches the building where Jongdae shares a loft with Baekhyun between Park and Fifth Ave.

The doorman knows him well enough now to not bat an eye when he shows up in the lobby. "Cold outside?"

"Freezing. There's ice melting in my socks." he supplies with an easy grin, rubbing at his shoulders.

"Ouch. There's your elevator, kid."

The apartment belongs to Baekhyun really, a gift from his favourite aunt when he said he wanted to move into the city. Jongdae hadn't wanted to move in at first but Baekhyun had whined about being lonely and he'd given in reluctantly.

Chanyeol knocks on the door a few times and waits a long time before the bolts slide and click and the door opens. Jongdae looks surprised as hell to see him. And sleepy, with his hair mussed and his small shoulders wrapped in a fluffy blanket. The taller boy invites himself in, shucking his shoes off as he goes.

"....you didn't have to come..... I know you live far. The weather is gross too." Jongdae mumbles as he shuts the door.

"I don't mind. What have you been doing? Being a hermit as usual?" Chanyeol teases as he turns around to face Jongdae as he shuffles in.

"You asshole.... I fell asleep in the middle of Inception." He grumbles as he walks right into Chanyeol. He punches him lightly in the stomach and Chanyeol chuckles. "So yeah, you were being a hermit."

"I should kick you out into the cold again."

"But baby—" Chanyeol starts, only because he likes it when Jongdae makes a scandalised sort of gurgle in his throat. He wraps his arms around Jongdae to keep him from punching him again, leaning to press a warm mouth to the shorter boy's temple. Jongdae's eyelashes flutter sleepily and he half-hugs Chanyeol back.

"Can we sleep? You're warm.." He asks while yawning blearily into Chanyeol's collarbone.

"Yeah that's ok."

Chanyeol waddles back to Jongdae's room and he's quite sure by the time they reach his bed, the smaller boy is already mostly asleep. He rolls carefully into bed with him in tow, ignoring the displeased little groan Jongdae makes on impact. He peels off his wet socks and pulls the covers over then.

"Good night, baby~" Chanyeol whispers, chuckling quietly when Jongdae automatically curls up against him with a little frown.

"...gonna punch you in the dick.. when I wake up..."