yungblud oneshots

9/12...

Click, click, click...

Ugh. There he goes again. If you thought you had insufferably annoying neighbours, think again. The guy next door moved in around two weeks ago and I already want him to leave. Every night at around three-forty-five, he decides to start making a weird clicking noise. I'm honestly surprised nobody has filed a complaint to the landlord. I think tonight will be the night I march over there and find out what's going on. I threw on my dressing gown and slippers, the closest sort of weapon to me was the chipped, faded orange plant pot with a small, fake aloe vera plant.

"This'll teach you not to do stupid shit at almost four in the morning." Obviously I wasn't gonna harm him, it's just a sort of threat? I quietly slipped out of my front door and tiptoed down towards the new guys' room. I used the plant pot to knock gently, waiting for him to open up. Heavy footsteps approached, I was half convinced there was a horse in the room. The door finally opened and I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely stunned.

"Can I help ya?" I couldn't speak. My mind had pulled a complete blank.

"I-I, I'm your neighbour from a couple doors down. I just wanted to ask you about the weird clicking noise that happens at the same time every night. It's kind of annoying." His face flushed red. Like catching a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Oh! Y-yeah, haha... I'll show ya if ya want?" I didn't know how to decline, so I agreed to come in. He shut the door behind us and lead me to a small storage room in the corner of the living room. All there was was a small round table with a vintage looking jack-in-the-box sat neatly on top, with scratched paint and a faint picture of a sad clown on the lid. I cocked my head to the side like a confused dog, wondering how that was the clicking thing giving my brain grief. He must've noticed my confusion because he cleared his throat and picked it up carefully.

"I'm Dominic, by the way. Don't think I've introduced m'self. And what's with the fake plant?" Dominic smiled, glancing at my fist grasped onto the pot. He looked back up and slowly beginning to turn the small crank on the side of the box. It clicked monotonously as it wound through the gears, but something didn't sound right.

"I'm y/n... and I tried to arm myself, so guess? What's with the jack-in-the-box?" I limited the questions I asked, incase I offended him. Dominic took the plant and placed the box in my hands, gesturing for me to begin winding it. I held it close to my ear and listened for what the crank was catching on instead of the gears. The mechanism had broken. But, the clicking wasn't the same as the sound I heard through the wall. Maybe it just sounded different becasue of the wall in the way...

"Your crank isn't catching on the gears, that's why the little clown inside isn't popping out. I'm actually working in the mechanical industry so I can take it apart and have a look for you. If you're free in the morning, I haven't got work. I can come by and fix it for you and it'll stop annoying me with the sound. A win in both books, I say." I giggled to myself.

"You'd really be doin' me a favour, love. How about ya come over at ten, I'll make us breakfast and a cuppa." I nodded, smiling to myself. I handed him the box back and wished him goodnight, leaving back to my own flat.

- morning -

"Morning, Dominic." I sung as he opened the door and allowed me inside. The jack-in-the-box sat on the coffee table in the living room. A sweet scent of cinnamon hit my nose.

"Made us cinnamon pancakes... ya don't have to eat 'em if ya don't like 'em. I can make somethin' else. And please, call me Dom." I smiled softly and shook my head.

"No no! I-I actually love cinnamon pancakes, my dad used to make them for me every morning when I was little. God, I forgot they were a thing! And okay, Dom." His face lit up at the nickname. We sat down to eat, talking about our jobs and what we do in our spare time.

"No way, you write music! That's amazing." Dom nodded, glancing over at the box. I cleared my throat and stood up.

"I'll have a look at it now, see what I can do." He didn't respond, he just let me do my thing. I asked him for a screwdriver and a couple other tools, which he got for me happily. I lifted the lid manually, carefully removed the clown and spring it sat upon and tried to find where the broken gears were. I tipped the box upside down, watching the little gears fall out onto the table in front of me. A load of them had eroded into almost dust. However, it was a very simple fix. I had spare gears sitting around in my flat, usually for when the inside of my clock goes wrong or for little gadgets I create. The box was rusty on the inside, you could easily tell it was extremely old.

"Is it gonna be easy to sort out?" Dominic hadn't spoken since I began working on the jack-in-the-box. I turned to look at him, nodding.

"Yeah, it'll be done in like twenty minutes." He smiled, walking into, what I assumed was, his bedroom. He returned a couple of minutes later in different clothes.

"I have to go out, if ya finish before I'm back, jus' lock the door 'n hold onto the key 'til I'm home." 

"Alright, see you later, Dom." He said nothing and left, closing the door quite forcefully behind him. I flinched at the slam, but continued to work.  You know, ever since Dominic moved in, he's always given me a really weird vibe. Like, there's something really off about him. But, I cant put my finger on it.

Click, click, click.

That wasn't the box. But that's the exact clicking I've been hearing through the wall at night... What the fuck was that? I shot up form where I was sat, walking around into each room to try and investigate the sound. I couldn't find anything that would be causing the noise. I was about to give up my search, but I heard it again, it came from above my head. But, I'm in the bathroom? And these flats don't have attic space. There was only a small vent hatch, but my bathroom also had one. Nothing could fit in there. Unless he's got mice. I grabbed a chair from the living room and placed it just beneath the vent, taking the hatch off and shining my phone torch inside. The space was much bigger than I thought. I turned around and got the fright of my life when I saw...

Dominic?

How could it be him? He's out. His eyes seemed tired, bruised and bloody face with a thick piece of tape over his mouth. I grabbed his shoulders and helped him out, sitting him on the chair I was stood on. I ripped the tape off his mouth and heard him wince at the burning sensation. I untied his bound wrists and legs.

"D-Dom? But, you left?" Dominic shook his head frantically.  Tears fell from his eyes.

"Th-that's not me. D-doppelgängers 'ave taken over. Y-you need to get out of 'ere, y/n. He's gonna hurt ya. I've been tryna get your attention for weeks to get me out of there." But, I-I've put you in grave danger." Dom gasped for air. None of this made any sense... 

"B-but, the jack-in-the-box? He showed me it." There was panic in Dom's eyes.

"You need to leave. Get as far away form 'ere as ya can." I shook my head.

"I can't leave you here. You're coming with me."

"There's no time, y/n."

The door opened.

-.-

9/12...