1 // 03

They walked home together, shoulders brushing occasionally. The back of their hands brushed with every swing of their arms, and it took everything in Isaac to keep from tangling their fingers together. Jamie must've felt the same, because he deliberately stroked his pinkie over the back of Isaac's palm, sending electricity zinging through his blood like a euphoric drug.

Isaac's cheeks hurt from how hard he was grinning. It felt like there was a balloon of bliss underneath his ribs, swelling and swelling until he felt like he would burst.

When they arrived in front of Isaac's house, Jamie wrapped a hand around his wrist-cuff, making Isaac tremble uncontrollably.

"See you tomorrow," Jamie whispered, voice husky, eyes dark with a promise.

Isaac wasn't sure how he hadn't melted into a puddle yet. His cheeks had been a permanent shade of red since Jamie had declared him his in the library. "See you," he responded shyly.

Jamie bit his lower lip, his eyes darting down to Isaac's own mouth. Isaac's stomach swooped, and he licked his lips nervously.

"Soon," Jamie whispered.

"Soon," Isaac echoed.

Jamie let go reluctantly, and even with his dark as night skin, Isaac was sure he was blushing. They didn't stop staring at each other until Isaac was at his front door, and Jamie had disappeared around the corner of the street towards his own house.

Isaac entered his house, immediately falling against the front door and cradling his cuffed wrist to his chest, cheeks burning.

As he bounded up the stairs, his mum yelled, "Dinner will be ready in a few, Isaac!"

"'kay!" Isaac called back as he entered his room, locking the door behind him.

He could barely breathe. He'd been too preoccupied with Jamie to actually look at his mark all day, and besides, they'd promised each other they would look together.

His phone began to ring about a second later.

He nervously adjusted the locks of his hair, even though he'd seen Jamie like, literally a second ago. When he was satisfied, he answered the video call, lips already curling in a helpless grin as Jamie's face filled his screen.

"How are we doing this?" Jamie immediately asked, his grin just as wide and infectious.

"I don't know," Isaac blushed. The wrist underneath his cuff tingled with anticipation. "I'm a little – I feel a little –"

"Shy?" Jamie interrupted with a soft laugh, the sound making Isaac's stomach swoop with love and nerves.

"Yeah."

"Me too."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"Shut up. Even the invincible Jamie Ryan can be shy, I'll have you know."

Isaac snorted, looking away from the screen. When he met Jamie's eyes once more, the other boy was looking at him fondly, like he held the secrets of the universe in his eyes. He blushed furiously.

"You sure you haven't peeked since you got your mark?" he teased, and Jamie laughed.

He used his free hand to cross an x over his heart, the dork. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

I love you, I love you, I love you, Isaac thought desperately. "Okay. I choose to believe you. For now."

"Uh huh," Jamie's smile was so, so soft. "Stop stalling, Isaac."

His heartbeat stuttered. "Um," he said, voice an unintentional whisper. "We'll look, then I'll call you back, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay. Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah," Isaac echoed, strangely breathless.

"End the call, Isaac."

"You end the call."

"I called this time, so you have to end it."

"Ugh."

"Isaac Kirk!"

"Fine, fine," Isaac laughed. Love you. "Right. In a bit."

Jamie gave him a dainty wave with his fingers, and Isaac finally had the strength to press the End Call button. He heaved in a huge breath, heart beating so fast and so loud it was a wonder the organ was still in his chest and not exploding out of his ribs and onto the floor.

He entered his bathroom, like it'd offer him even more seclusion, even though he was already locked in his room.

His reflection stared at him; one hundred and fifty-five pounds of love and anxiety. He smoothed his hands over the thick tresses of his dark brown hair, biting his lip at the way the blush on his face brought out the barely-there freckles dusting his nose and cheeks.

"Like ripping off a bandaid," he said to himself, fingering the edge of the pretty, black, leather cuff.

He couldn't help closing his eyes as he slipped the cuff off, shivering as his fingers brushed over his mark for the first time.

And then he opened his eyes –

–and his whole world came to an abrupt stop.

For there on his wrist, was a small splash of pink and blue, overlapping yet somehow distinct, not mixing. If he hadn't been panicking, he might've said the colours were pretty, but he was too busy freaking out over the fact that his mark was in colour.

Struggling to breathe, he rushed back into his bedroom and snatched his phone up, heartbeat pounding in his ears as he called his best friend. He cancelled the call when he realised it was video, not wanting Jamie to see the panic in his features. What if he was freaking out over nothing?

Jamie was his. He knew it – even now. He could feel it in his bones.

"Too shy to see my face?" Jamie asked when he picked up. He didn't sound panicked or curious. Just, his usual happy self, if a little more overwhelmed. "Oh, Isaac. It's perfect."

"Yeah?" Isaac breathed.

"Yeah. I love it. It's just...I love it."

Isaac was struggling to breathe once more. "Is it – can you give me a hint?"

"Naughty," Jamie teased, and Isaac could hear the smile in his voice, couldn't help the way his own lips curved helplessly in answer to it. "We said we'd look together after graduation, Isaac."

"I know, but like...is it...you know...unique?"

"Oh, love." Isaac inhaled sharply at the pet name. "Of course it's unique. Because I get to share it with you."

"That's not...that's not what I mean," Isaac said, but his chest swelled with emotion.

"Do you not –" the excitement had faded a little from Jamie's voice. "Do you not like it?"

"No!" Isaac yelled. He stared down at his wrist. It was like a watercolour tattoo, the pink and blue overlapping each other. When he turned his wrist, the part where they overlapped was blue; when he twisted it the other way, it was pink. It really was gorgeous.

But it was still in colour.

"It's perfect," he whispered.

He was sure Jamie could hear the lie. He ended the call before the other boy could respond.