Pastel Sounds

Three - Letting Go

"Mark?" grunted, cuddling into Mark more. Mark sighed in contentment, he loved this boy and he had let him into his life unlike he had with anyone else before.

|-/

Jack woke suddenly, going to sit up but quickly realizing he was intertwined in Mark's arms, seeing the older, and taller, boy had fallen asleep as well. Jack smiled contently and pressed himself more into the touch of the other boy. Jack really did love being around Mark, he felt so comfortable with the sweet lad, he really wanted to speak to him but his anxiety was so bad that he couldn't. Jack suddenly felt movement from the boy next to him so he pretended to be asleep so it wouldn't be too awkward.

"Jack?" Mark mumbled, sitting up, "Fuck." Jack sat up confused by Mark's cussing. Jack poked Mark to get his attention, "I should get home it's getting pretty late." Mark squinted at the clock on Jack's dresser, making it look like his eyes were closed. Jack grabbed at Mark's arm pleading with him to stay. The older looked over at the younger, unable to say no to the cute little boy.

"Fine, I'll say, what'cha wanna do?" Mark asked, grabbing his phone to text his mom and let her know he wouldn't be home that night. A shrug from Jack and a sigh from Mark, "My mom thinks we're gay lovers." Mark said with a laugh. Jack started laughing as well and pressed his head against Mark, smiling. God, he wished that were true... Both of them did.

|-/

Jack and Mark watched a few more movies and by the time they'd finished it was about eight at night. They were starting to get hungry for real food instead of just candy and popcorn, so they ordered some Chinese food from the Panda Express down the road. Once they had gotten the food they decided to just eat it outside in the moonlight.

"So... Do you not talk because of what happened with your dad?" Mark asked and Jack made a face, tilting his head back and forth and gesturing a'sort of' with his hands, "Oh, okay..." Mark didn't know what to say next...

"I'm really, really sorry about your dad, Jack..." Mark, leaned over, draping one arm over Jack's shoulders, and Jack let out a small sigh as he dropped his empty food container on the ground near him, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly Jack flopped from Mark's grip to the ground, looking up at the stars. Jack was consumed in thought about Mark, the main thing that stuck out in his mind was screaming at him.

Why did you let him in?

Jack soon noticed that Mark was now beside him, holding onto his hand as tight as he possibly could.

This is why...

"Jack...?" Mark questioned.

"Mmm?" Jack hummed.

"Why did you never show me how beautiful the sky was?" Mark asked, head tipping to the side, tearing his eyes from his new found obsession, to the gorgeous boy beside him. He could see a smirk grow on the boy's face as he just shrugged at Mark. Mark watched him, his eyes scanning the sky with wonder, Mark could see he was deep in thought, Christ, what he would pay to know what was going on in the small Irishman's mind.

|-/

Jack and Mark kept this up. Night after Night, they'd either lay together in one of their yards or separately, while texting the whole time. Over three months of this had gone on and both boy's still loved it so much. Jack and Mark were laying in the dampened grass out in Jack's yard. They were pressed close together, hands gripped together, they did that a lot.

"It's pretty chilly out, we should get a blanket or something." Mark said gently, sitting up. Jack nodded in agreement, following Mark's lead. The two walked hand in hand into the house, breaking apart to find the blankets.

"I found one!" Mark called and pulled it from Jack's closet. Jack crawled out from beneath his bed, giving a thumbs up to Mark as he stood and brushed himself off. They made their way back down to the backyard and returned to the placed they'd been not that long ago, laying down and pulling the warm sheet over their chilled skin, hands returning to being intertwined together. Jack had the biggest urge to speak to Mark, Jack wanted to show him how much he cared.

"Jack...?" Mark mumbled, hoping Jack didn't hear him, regretting what he'd just done. He'd almost just blurted out his deep love for the tiny, shivering boy beside him.

"Mmhm?" Jack tilted his head to look at Mark.

"Erm... N-Nevermind, it was dumb and I forgot." Mark shook his head. Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing that Mark was lying. Jack slipped back into thought. He tried to distract himself from this but he never could. Mark... He was always on Jack's mind, and by always, I mean always.Jack could never stop seeing those cute chocolate brown eyes, and his soft, smooth hair to match. His dumb glasses that looked so good on him, his damn smile... His stupid laugh and his sweet, sweet fucking voice. The angelic voice that constantly kept him calm. Mark was the most perfect pastel that Jack could find, no matter what, even if he wasn't even there, Jack found comfort in just the thought of him. Jack was petrified of speaking to him because of the simple fact of fucking shit up. Jack was so in love with Mark that just the thought of not being with him scared the living shit out of Jack. He bit at his lip, watching, completely in love with how content and happy Mark was to be around him. Jack loved him also because he knew that Mark wasn't leaving him, he wasn't pressured to speak and he didn't even have to. Mark could read Jack, he knew just what Jack needed to say without a single word.

"Since you're so good at the whole word thing, what could I use to describe the sky? Like how could I describe how amazing it is?" Mark just said for the sake of saying it, knowing he would get no answer.

"Pastel." The words came before Jack could stop them. Mark shot up from where he was sitting in complete and utter shock.

"Jack!" Mark yelped as Jack laid still on the ground, eyes wide as he tried to process what he just did, "Holy shit!" Mark was smiling widely, "I can't believe it!"

"N-Neither can I-I..." Jack stuttered helplessly.

"Oh my fucking god!" Mark tackled Jack, "I could just kiss you right now!" Mark spoke before he could process what he was saying.

"What!?" Jack gasped loudly, even more in awe by what Mark had just said.

"Fuck, I-I didn't mean that, I need to think before I speak I guess." Mark's cheeks were flushed a bright red.

"Yeah, ye really should, I think I might have to as well... I didn't speak fur 'round ten years and ye just had to ask that damn question ya arse!" Jack scolded.

"Awe! You're accent is so damn cute!" Mark squealed excitedly and well... Jack was never good with compliments.

"Yeah, go fuck yeer-self!"

"What?" Mark laughed.

"Sorry, natural response to compliments..." Jack bit his lip, though he could still see the shine of excitement in Mark's eyes, "By the way... I still ain't talking to anybody but ye..." Jack looked sadly over at Mark.

"I understand, don't worry. Oh yeah and what did you mean by Pastel?"

"When I like or love a specific sound or thing I call it a pastel because pastels are so gorgeous." Jack shrugged awkwardly, "Like the sound of rain on the windows or high-heels on pavement type of thing... Well those are just sounds at least, my favorite pastel sound is your singing by the way..."

"What?! How... When did... Why-..." Stammered Mark.

"You sing in the shower."

"Well you talk in your sleep."