#slfprgrph

     The cold nights and light breeze were enough to chill the shadow boy to his core -- that is, it would if he wasn't already used to the cold. He laid on the slightly damp ground at a random patch of grass, eyes closed as he listened to his music at the highest volume. He painted random pictures behind his eyelids to the lyrics of whichever song he was listening to. Memories sometimes flashed by, but he blurred them from sight. Red ear-buds cancelled out the noise from the rest of the world as he relaxed his muscles.

     Admiring his looks in the mirror, L.Joe turned his head every which way to study his features. He had trimmed the hair on the sides of his head, then shaved it to a shorter length. Which left him frowning the entire time as purple locks fell into the sinks. He loved his purple hair but the colour faded too quickly for his tastes. Usually they lasted a month before they started fading but this one started to fade after two weeks. L.Joe blamed it on the new brand that he tried since the usual one he used didn't have a good purple.

    After making faces in the mirror, he decided it was time to strip his hair of the purple pigment. Since he didn't need to worry about the chemicals burning or reacting badly on his skin, he simply lathered the chemicals into his head, wiggling his hips to the song that was playing in the other room. When that was done, and his hair was washed and dried again, he bleached it to a pale blond. Which was soon after, dyed to a light pink colour.

Settle down with me... cover me up... cuddle me in...

     His voice was slightly shaky as he sang, not wanting to be too loud in fear that someone would hear him. He played his instruments often and sing often but he rarely sang with his heart. And when he did, he would make sure it was out of sight and out of mind; making sure that no one would hear, not even the person he loved the most on the planet. Most people thought he was a horrible singer but that's because his voice was meant for songs like this, no up-beat or fast-paced songs.

Lie down with me and hold me in your arms... Your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck... I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet... and with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now.

     His eyes began to water the more he sang, not quite understanding why he was being so emotional with this song or why he was emotional in the first place. He had everything most people would die to have. He had a family who loved him unconditionally. A home who took care of him without complain. A boyfriend who made him feel on top of the world without even trying and yet here he was, feeling empty and alone. No. He wasn't alone; he was lonely.

Kiss me like you wanna be loved... You wanna be loved... You wanna be loved... This feels like falling in love... Falling in love... We're falling in love...

     With a strained voice, L.Joe's eyes began to sting as he blinked them quickly. He didn't want to cry, even though his voice obviously gave it away. It was already raspy from his efforts to keep a neutral tone as he sang.

Settle down with me... I'll be your safety and you'll be my baby... I was made to keep your body warm... but I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms...... --

     They didn't have an appointment but with the way the female employee was fawning over the older, he knew they wouldn't need one. The idol apologized and tried to explain that this was the only time that the two of them could visit due to schedule conflicts and busy lives, and that it would be months before they had the time again. -- Which was a lie, but she didn't need to know that. -- She agreed right off the back. It worked out since the person who scheduled an appointment didn't show and that it was a slow day. So the pair exchanged looks and grinned in victory before following her to a private room.

     L.Joe and Baekhyun filled the female in on any medical problems or allergies, which was difficult in L.Joe's case. He told her about his 'skin condition' and she said that he didn't need to worry since the room way well lit with a kind of light that didn't affect him too badly and she didn't need any bright lights. And that if she saw anything, she'd keep it a secret since that was their policy. They both decided to stick to basic jewelry since it was easier to hide in Baekhyun's case and less of a hassle for L.Joe's. Although if either of them really thought of it, it was going to be a pain in the ass either way. L.Joe felt bad for the idol, since the shadow had a quick healing factor and wasn't a public icon.

     After losing a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, L.Joe groaned loudly and hid his face in his hands as he tried to collect his thoughts and courage. He sucked at these kinds of games; it's why he rarely played them in the first place but the idol insisted because it was more 'fair' that way. She had cleaned the skin with alcohol pads and drew the dots in the locations where the microdermals were to be placed. Two pairs for each male. He rolled his eyes when the other gestured for him to lay down first. He moved to lay on the examination table, shifting to get comfy as he waited for the female who was fiddling with her tools of 'torture'.

     "Don't look so smug, Baek," L.Joe said to the other, giving him a curious look before flashing a grin, "Your turn's next!~" The female caught their attention when she was ready and mentioned that she would be able to get them done in no time. L.Joe moved his jacket out of the way, pleased that he and Baek agreed to wear loose clothing and zipper jackets for easier access. He tugged the sleeves of his loose, black v-neck shirt down to reveal his sharp collarbones, earning him a snicker from the female. They both chuckled, shaking their heads in identical amusement.

     Directing the orange haired male into position, she looked at the markings again before moving her chair over. She hovered over the orange haired male with the needle, pinching at the skin so it was easier to piece. "Okay," she started off after placing the needle on the skin, "take a deep breath." Inhaling deeply, L.Joe's face scrunched up as she started to push the needle through the skin, exhaling shortly after. She told him to repeat the action and he did. She grabbed the loaded clamp and started to press the microdermal into the punctured hole after removing the needle from the spot. Which caused him to wince since she applied a bit of pressure. He sighed heavily when she moved away and shook his head before letting out an airy chuckle. "Three more times...-- This is going to suck tomorrow, Baek."

     After she repeated the actions three more times leaving the male with a slight grimace as his collarbones throbbed, L.Joe slowly sat up from the table with a groan before standing up completely. The pierced areas were cleaned with alcohol pads again and were red as he looked at them through the mirror in the room. She told them that she'd put band-aids on them before the pair left, to prevent the material of their clothes from snagging on them or ripping them out.

     L.Joe ushered the idol to lay down, giving him a shit-eating grin. "Your turn, hyung. Just a reminder that it hurts more near the end.~" L.Joe snickered when the idol rolled his eyes at him. He putting up his arms in defense before watching the other with interest, wondering how it looked to be pierced instead of being pierced. The piercer did the same exact thing to Baekhyun that she did to L.Joe. L.Joe suppressed an amused smile when he noticed the other biting on his lower lip as the needle went through his skin.

     "If you keep biting on your lip, people are going to assume weird things," L.Joe teased. Baekhyun shot him a look, which was rewarded with a snicker. "Alright, alright, I'll shut up." His joke didn't phase the female as she continued to do her job. And in a matter of minutes, Baek's collarbones were identical to L.Joe's. Sharp collarbones showed off the four metallic dots as the two of them looked in the mirror after she finished cleaning up Baekhyun's piercings.

     The two of them grinned at each other and bowed towards the female in gratitude. She waved them off before pulling out a box of band-aids and gingerly sticking them over the new dermals before leaving the two to fix their clothes, so she could tinker with the register.

     "As much as I love these new piercings," Baekhyun started, "We're dead when we get home..."

     "Augh," the younger groaned, covering his face with both of his hands, "did you have to remind me?!" He felt a hand pat at his back lightly before watching the other walk out with a smirk. Rolling his eyes, L.Joe followed him out of the room as he pulled out his wallet. He joined the older at the register and they both paid. They left her a big tip, too, for letting them come without an appointment and for promising to keep this a secret. And they were well on their way. To home. And be killed. By their respective boyfriends.

L.Joe raised his left hand to the dull blue skies that expanded overhead. Fingers stretched outwards as if to grasp it. Fingertips freezing at the cold but he didn't mind. Not at all. He stared at the bracelet that occupied his left wrist, a small smile forming on his lips. A little birdie that he loved to call Pepper had gifted it to him for his birthday. A bracelet that was to offer protection, as well as bring good luck, positive energy, good fortune and keep away negative vibes.

Cussing under his breath for the umpteenth time that evening sat L.Joe on one of his dinning room chairs as he browsed through the web on his laptop. Leg jiggling and free hand tapping away in an annoyed fashion. The harsh chemicals that coated his hair were starting to annoy him as it usually did when it came to dying his hair. Especially when it came to bleaching it. Since the chemicals were much worse compared to just dying it.

L.Joe was glad that his skin healed quickly because the burns from the chemicals would surely last awhile otherwise. He wanted the roots to be bleached too, so he made sure to lather the bleach into his hair and scalp even though it hurt like hell. He liked his hair nice and even because when his roots grew in, it would leave a cool effect. Though people would probably call him a pudding head, like the last time he let his roots show.

When the timer went off, he instantly started to strip on the spot as he moved to the bathroom, not even caring if his roommate or the pets saw him. He struggled to pull off his shirt after he made it to the bathroom, since he didn't want the bleach to get on his shirt, despite wearing a shower cap. When he stripped of the last articles of clothing, he jumped in the shower.

After he washed out the bleach in his hair and dried it with a blow dryer and towel, he inspected his reflection in the mirror. L.Joe was glad that he got an apartment with a dimmer switch, so he could see himself clearly. When he saw that all sections of his hair, after parting it every which way, was even, he grinned and started to check himself out in the mirror. 

It had been a few weeks, maybe even a month, since L.Joe last heard from his neighbour Minhee. Which was fine but it did cause him to worry. He knew about her party life, just from the way she held herself. So he hoped she didn't get into trouble. Maybe she extended her vacation, who knows. She never did contact him... He just hoped she was alright. The redhead missed her and knew he would get an earful when she got back because of his red hair. 

After searching for the past few weeks, L.Joe finally managed to track down the breeder who was holding the pup Minhee helped L.Joe 'reserve'. He had contacted the number and was extremely excited to find out that the breeder still had the pup for him, just like he promised. The pup was only a few weeks old at the time, so they were now the perfect age to take home. Which was around seven to eight weeks.

They set up a meeting place and a date for L.Joe to pick up the pup. Which caused him to be restless the entire time as he made his way to the spot. He was too excited, too happy, to finally getting the dog that he knew he would love adore and take care of for years and years to come. To bring home Marshmallow.

When he got there, he was overjoyed to see that the breeder and his new friend were already waiting. Both parties arriving earlier than the meeting time. Excitement coursed through his veins as he ran up-- but carefully, as to not let his hood fall off. (Which was the only con to meeting up with people, since they always requested day hours and L.Joe being what he was-- had a hard time with it.)

As he reached the breeder, L.Joe's face showed nothing but happiness. With a face splitting grin, he bent over to ruffle up the pup's fur and to get associated with it. He was shocked to see the pup so calm but it barely lasted as minute as the pup jumped up and started licking at L.Joe's face. Which was also shocking, since animals usually shied away from him. (He was still shocked at how Kibum's cats took to him quickly.)

The husky-golden retriever mix was was spirited little guy. Wagging his tail a mile a minute and pawing at his knees. Circling around the redhead as he stood back up to pay. Marshmallow was tugging at his pant leg. It was the cutest thing and it took every fibre in his being not to squeal happily at the pup and roll on the ground with him.

After listening to the breeder's care taking tips and important information, plus receiving the medical documents -- which talked about the shots, food and etcetera -- L.Joe was finally handed the leash and waved goodbye to the breeder. Promising to call back and give him updates, in case anything happened.

L.Joe bent back down and picked up the ball of fur, letting her lick his face right off. He snickered and nuzzled at the dog's neck before sighing happily as he rubbed against the soft fur.

"Welcome to the family, Marshmallow."