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Jay didn’t know that goddamned song’s name, but Carlos wouldn’t stop singing it, and now it was deeply stuck in his head.
The first time they heard it was when they went for a walk through the kingdom.
Even when they weren’t having a conversation, or playing video games, Jay enjoyed and was thankful for Carlos’ company. Although, he was very careful not to take his friend for granted. He always tried to give back what he had gotten. That was why, the morning Carlos had woken up from a nightmare, and then had been zoned out on the breakfast, Jay decided it was his turn to make the boy feel better. He suggested going for walk.
They skipped class, not knowing exactly where they were going, but Carlos was soon telling Jay about inventions, future projects and things he wanted to learn. Jay listened at everything completely amazed by his friend’s knowledge. Not that he wasn’t aware about how smart Carlos was, but he always found himself surprised by this passion on his gestures. The way he talked faster when getting closer to the heart of the idea, and how his eyes shined while explaining something. It was priceless. And Jay had never ever had something priceless; something he couldn’t trade, or wanted to keep for himself. Jay couldn’t imagine being without Carlos, he was used to his presence, they were inseparable.
That morning, they walked until they found themselves immersed in a small town. The streets were full of people talking, laughing, singing and dancing. It was a mess of music, joy and happiness, and it smelled like food everywhere. They heard quite a lot of songs while looking at everything fascinated, but at some point Jay saw Carlos had stopped to listen a soft melody coming out from one of the shops. His attention –and his skilled hands- were already on other things, so he barely could catch a low voice singing.
However, on the way back home, Carlos sang a line again and again. Wise men say, only fools rush in… And then he started humming a melody. It was pretty nice, Jay had to admit.
The next day, Carlos seemed to remember another part of the song while having a shower before going to school. Jay was still dressing up, but he came closer to door so he could listen. Like the river flows, slowly through the sea, darling so we go, some things were meant to be… and then he just heard a humming. Jay moved away, feeling like he was being intrusive for some reason.
He would have forgotten about the song if it wasn’t because of Carlos, who was being pretty insistent and kept singing those same lines again and again. It was driving Jay crazy. Not that it bothered him but quite the opposite. Carlos’ voice, the way he moved his lips, the amount of emotion he seemed to put on those words, it was beautiful… and hot. Jay could not get it out of his head.
Carlos even sang it a couple of times while looking directly at Jay eyes, and he didn’t know what to do with the warmth inside his chest and his stomach when it happened.
The day he entered the dorm after tourney practice and found Carlos laying on his bed with just a towel around his waist, wet hair and some waterdrops on his neck, singing WOULD IT BE A SINNNNN at the top of his lungs-, his legs went weak. And he decided to do something. Whatever it was, he needed to do something.
So the next day, he skipped practice and ran to the street where Carlos had listened the song on first place. There were lots of shops playing music, so he put his flirty smile on to mask the shame, and sang the lyrics he knew to each trader, looking for help, until a girl said:
"-Oh, that one is Can’t Help Falling in Love, by Elvis!“
She rummaged inside some boxes, and approached Jay with a black circular piece of plastic, which he recognized as an Longplay, because of a History class. Then, somehow she put it on a weird machine, and the song started. Jay found it kind of relaxing and exciting at the same time.
The girl had decided to give Jay some space, and he thanked her in his mind, because suddenly the hairs on his arms bristled, and he had a giant grin on his face. The song made him immediately think of Carlos, and he giggled. …for I can’t help, falling in love with you.
It was kind of a revelation for Jay, who took the LP in a rush, suddenly remembering there was a turntable where he could play it at the library. He ran back to Auradon Prep, not even thinking of it like stealing. He just needed to show Carlos the song in that moment. It couldn’t wait.
When he opened the dorm’s door, still out of breath and saw Carlos studying in his desk, he let out a weak laugh.
“-Dude, you really need to hear this.” Jay couldn’t stop smiling as he grabbed Carlos by the elbow.
“-Jay! What’s happening? Is that a LP?”
“- C’mon, dude. Hurry up!” Jay was almost bouncing through the corridor, and Carlos thought it was hilarious. He was also pretty aware of Jay’s arm wrapping him, and didn’t mind it at all.
“-THIS THING.” Jay claimed when they reached the machine, at the end of the History of Music’s books hall. It looked like the shop one, so he tried to do the same as the girl, and it worked.
“-That’s the song!” Carlos was surprised. “But where-” He didn’t end the sentence because he was watching the LP going round and round with a big smile. “I can’t believe it”
Jay took a step forward while the song kept playing. Slowly, he lifted his hand to touch Carlos cheek with his fingertips. Carlos closed the distance between them, and rested his head in the curve of Jay neck, giggling softly. Jay ticked, but put his arms around Carlos anyways.
“-You wouldn’t stop singing it, damn”
“-Because it makes me think of you.” Carlos confessed in a whisper, and took him off guard.
Jay, master at flirting, felt tongue tied. He had said cute things to a numberless amount of girls in order to stole earrings, watches or necklaces. All of them meaningless. This was different.
“I- I know I-“ He took a deep breath “It makes me think of you too, that’s why I wanted you to listen the whole song.“
“-But where did you find it?”
“-At the shop where you heard it that day.” Jay felt Carlos had moved before he felt a kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you” Carlos whispered, and then he left another one, in the corner of Jay mouth. “Play it again, please.”