Il libro di Jaylos

The Universe told me that you were my soulmate

taken from: jaylosjune2018 on tumblr
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Everyone had one.

Everyone.

It was Auradon's most sacred piece of remaining magic, embedded so deep in their blood that no law could remove it.

"Who gives a damn," had been Mal's response. "Call it whatever you want, they're just tattoos, even though no one here seems to think so. And I've already got a shitload of those." That got a laugh from Jay, his own tattoos well outnumbering those of the mainland kids as well.

"Well I think it's romantic." Evie had read enough romance novels - trashy and classic - to recognize the difference between regular ink and a soulmate mark. "My mom would freak if she knew though - she never wanted so much as a freckle blemishing my skin."

The marks didn't matter much to Carlos, with their "forever" implications. At least not until he got one. Scary enough, his mark wasn't like any of the ones he'd seen in Auradon so far, with their dainty little outlines and pretty swirls. His was heavy handed, created with broad strokes, intense and powerful. He hadn't seen it appear either, only looked down one morning to see a terrifying and familiar cobra winding its way up his wrist.

He wasn't stupid. He knew who it belonged to, who it represented. Deep down, he'd always sort of known he'd liked boys, but to see Jay's sign on his wrist - it was nothing short of petrifying.

How could he tell the most gorgeous boy in his life that he'd landed the nerdy, pathetic de Vil boy as his apparent "soulmate"? How could he possibly put into words what he felt when they made eye contact or entered a room side by side to brave the world or the silent check-ins they'd do for each other?

His solution showed up in the form of an anxious teenage girl.

"I think- I think you're my soulmate, Carlos!" Jane looked just about ready to pass out as she waved her wrist in front of his face. There were obviously some marks there, although he had no idea what they had to do with him.

"Swords," she explained, her words tumbling over each other. "You're from the Isle. Your mother tried to skin dogs with knives! It all makes sense."

It didn't make sense, it made absolutely no sense. But it was a solution nonetheless. Soon enough, foundation covered the snake on his wrist and a new mark was drawn in permanent marker, something more suitable for the fairy he was supposedly dating now.

Wings were better than a cobra, he told himself. So much better. Although exactly why, he couldn't say. Maybe because they were what everyone expected him to have, they were normal, right? Perfect.

All of Auradon seemed to agree; they told him constantly how cute he and Jane were together.

"You guys are adorable," Audrey would assure him daily. "You just - fit! No wonder you're soulmates. The two little nerds."

Funny enough, the only person who didn't go on and on about how well they worked was Jay himself.

"Hanging in there?" He'd ask, his voice oh, so comforting and safe. Carlos wanted nothing more than to tell him the truth, the truth burning under the layers of makeup on his wrist and dying to be out in the open.

"As best I can," he'd reply with a sigh. "Every day gets a little easier."

Carlos had almost convinced himself that there had been a mistake, that perfect, sweet Jane really was his soulmate, not Jay. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.

Even without the mark, Carlos had never liked to share the locker room with the rest of the tourney team. Between his scars and insecurities, the vulnerability of being naked in front of the other guys was just a little too much. But Jay had always stayed with him, long after the others had left, and Carlos had never had a problem with it. Welcomed it, actually. But lately, he'd had to come up with excuses to send him away: forgetting Dude's leash, his underwear, a sweatshirt, anything to get him running back to the dorm to leave the locker room empty for Carlos to redraw his new soulmark.

Today, he'd sent Jay back for a shirt he had "accidentally" left on the bed, and off the thief had sprinted.

Sitting down on the one of the benches, Carlos pulled a makeup kit out from behind his gear, complete with a marker and a picture of the very first time he'd drawn it for reference. Carlos had gotten very good at drawing his simple little mark, so much so that he almost didn't need the picture anymore.

"Hey, 'Los, I just remembered, I got an extra t-shirt in my locker, you can just wear - what the fuck?"

The freckled boy flinched so hard he knocked the rest of the makeup onto the floor, his mark only partially covered. His heart beat had taken over for his ears, silencing nearly everything else as he scrambled backwards, away from Jay who'd just reentered the locker room.

"T-this isn't - it's not what you think -"

"Really?" Jay picked up the reference image, frowning. "Because it looks like you're drawing on that fucking soulmark. Holy shit, Jane - she's not your soulmate is she?"

Carlos could feel himself losing control, he felt the situation slipping out of his hands. He'd retreated as far as he could, his back slamming into the cold metal lockers.

"'Los, oh god, hey, I'm not gonna tell anyone." Jay stayed right where he was, his voice suddenly very low. "Do you - do you have a different mark?"

"Y-yes." Carlos' wrist was clutched tightly behind his back.

Don't ask me to show it to you. Please.

"Does... it have anything to do with why this appeared last month?" Jay lifted his shirt and grabbed a makeup wipe from the bench, rubbing away at a patch. As the foundation rubbed away, he saw that a pawprint had been inked on the tan skin.

"You - that's - your soulmark... is mine... " Words didn't seem to be forming coherently in Carlos' mouth. All he knew was the mark on Jay's torso had to belong to him. "I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry?" Jay shook his head. "What on earth are you sorry for? You're my best friend, my favorite person in the world, damnit 'Los, I thought there had been a mistake! You have mine, don't you? My sign?"

Very slowly, Carlos brought his wrist out into the light, the cobra just as apparent as it had been from day one. He searched the thief's face for any sign of disappointment or anger, but found none. Just something that looked a lot like happiness, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a grin.

"Fuck, de Vil, I knew it was you. The universe told me that you were my soulmate."

"No, I'm pretty sure the little mark on your skin did." Now that the initial shock had worn off, warmth came surging back into Carlos' veins.

"Well, the universe put the mark there, so riddle me that, smartass."

"Yeah, yeah, do we kiss now?"

The thief snorted, his hands finally reaching out to pull Carlos in. Their kiss was long, sloppy, and very overdue.

"What're you gonna tell Jane?" Jay mumbled finally, pulling back just enough to see Carlos' eyes.

"The truth." Never in his life had the freckled boy felt more secure. "That my soulmate has a dick."