Trust Your Instincts

-32- Drumroll, Please

Mark didn't want to let go of Jack, but he felt like if he held the embrace any longer it might get uncomfortable for Jack, they were only friends, after all. So Mark let go and took a few steps back. He knew that his gratitude for Jack giving him a second chance was showing through his smile, but he didn't care, in fact, he wanted Jack to see how much this friendship meant to him. They were wrapped in a comfortable silence for a few moments, or at least, it felt comfortable to Mark.

His smile didn't falter on his way home. One thing tugged at his mind as he walked through the door. Was Jack serious about this or did he want Mark to suffer more? After all that had happened, Mark thought that it'd take a miracle for Jack to forgive him. Again. However, Mark knew that Jack was a good person, and so he easily pushed the thought from his mind. He wouldn't let his lifted spirits be weighed down by mere speculation.

---

Mark wasn't sure if Isaac and Felix had come to the same conclusion that Jack had, or if Jack had convinced them to play nice, but they were also back to normal, or as close to normal as Mark could hope. Neither of them were the type to hold a grudge, especially about something that wasn't fully Mark's fault, and so they welcomed Mark back to their little clique without complain, completely dropping the subject of the deaths from their conversations.

Everything was back to how it used to be, well... sort of. Mark still had less friends than he used to, and though he was happy having nobody but Jack, Isaac and Felix, he seriously missed Ken's company. He tried to find him on several occasions during lunch times, but Ken couldn't be found in the lunch hall, the toilets, or the library, and Mark didn't know where else to look.

And, of course, there was the matter of his once small but ever growing crush on Jack. It was getting harder and harder to hide his feelings now that they were friends again, and Mark worried that it was getting to the stage where keeping it from everyone was becoming unbearable. He had nobody to talk to about it, because Isaac and Felix were Jack's best friends, and his dad didn't know about his attraction to the same sex.

Mark had always known that he felt something for guys, but he never was, and still isn't, able to pinpoint his sexual orientation. He saw the importance of labels to some people, as they helped people find themselves and others like them, but for him, it was never a huge concern. As long as he found someone who made him happy, who cares?

No matter how hard it was, he had to suppress his feelings. He could feel himself slipping up every now and again, when Jack turned to catch him staring at his face, or his chest... or his crotch. Mark always tried to turn away frantically, but every time, he could feel his cheeks reddening. He hoped that Jack hadn't caught on, but he hadn't changed his attitude towards Mark at all, and so that was reassurance enough that their friendship wasn't becoming awkward.

---

Jack, too, was beginning to struggle being around Mark and controlling himself. Any time he was near Mark he'd get these untameable urges to pounce on him. It was getting to the point that he'd intentionally touch Mark's hand when he gave something to him, or brush arms with him as they walked side by side.

It sounded pathetic, but Jack wanted physical contact with Mark. He wanted more than physical contact, truth be told. Mark was so perfect. His smile, which was thankfully becoming more common to see, was enough to make Jack melt.

What sounds more pathetic, is that Jack could swear that he kept seeing Mark looking at him the same way, as if he was just as into him. It sounded like a reach, but the blush that was always so prominent whenever Jack caught Mark looking in his direction was enough to convince Jack that the risk was worth taking.

Jack sat in Physics, his last lesson of the week, and the only class he got to share with Mark, but unfortunately his dumbass decided to separate them and now the teacher refused to seat the two of them together again, claiming that they get the work done more efficiently now that they are apart. Therefore, Jack had to resort to extreme measures to communicate with Mark. He folded the paper carefully, making sure that the edges were pointed out the way before scribbling a word on the outside and lining up his shot. He had to do it quickly, before the teacher turned around and saw what he was doing.