Sebastian stared hungrily at Blaine, over the exposed skin of his chest and settling on Blaine's left arm. He couldn't help himself. A prominent red "Seb" could be seen etched in the skin of Blaine's forearm, framed by smooth, tanned skin. Sebastian thought it looked positively pornographic, his name alone on Blaine's arm, otherwise unmarked.

Sebastian's own arm, on the other hand, was littered with partial names, battles fought and lost, each with their own bitter memories. This time, Sebastian knew he would be the winner. There was no question and no competition to stand in his way. As the two of them shook hands and sat down facing each other in the cramped, loud coffee shop, Sebastian promised himself that Blaine was already his.

"Hey, Blaine." Sebastian smiled endearingly, his voice gentle. "This is so weird, right? I mean we've known each other at school all year and had no idea we'd be each other's candidates. At least it's not as bad as with a stranger, right?"

Blaine chuckled. "Yes, that's true. I guess you've had to...um, I mean before, with...shit. I'm sorry I am making this so awkward." Blaine, resolved on his goal, reached out and took Sebastian's hand in his, charmed by Sebastian's timid smile. "Do you not want to talk about it?"

"No, no it's okay," Sebastian replied, taking a steadying breath. "There were five before you, and it's a lot. It was a lot of bad timing and bad luck, but I know that it lead me here to you, so there must have been a reason for it all. I have physical and emotional scars from each competition, but they don't define me. I do well in school, I'll be going to Columbia in the fall to study business. You know from the Warblers that I love to sing. I enjoy martial arts now, and I never would have learned it if not for the losses. How about coming to one of my beginner karate classes this week?"

Blaine nodded, absorbing, which left the quiet between them to be filled with Sebastian's memory of Jeremiah, the asshole older guy that had beat him and gotten Nick as his prize. Sebastian couldn't understand why soulmates weren't just soulmates right up front. What was the point of having multiple candidates when all it did was lead to harm and heartache? The "Nic" on his arm crossed out by a single line of scar tissue was the most embarrassing one of his candidate scars. It was the first, and seemed to have set the stage for losing Marcus, David, Brian, and Trent.

The rules did make sense, logically, when emotions were factored out. The idea of one true love, one single soulmate in the entire universe just for you, was a little bit impractical. What if they died? Or if you wanted to have kids but didn't meet them until you were 60? The way things worked was much more in tune with reality. The closest, most accessible candidate to be your soulmate was the one whose name that appeared on your arm, and only partially. As candidates got to know each other better and grew closer, the name would progress, until finally candidates became soulmates with each other's names etched beautifully on their forearms, to be displayed proudly.

Unfortunately, once in a while this method seemed to get muddled and two people would present with the beginning of the same candidate's name on their arms. Historically, it had lead to violence and, in some cases, wars. A cautionary tale told in high school health classes to this day was the one of the princess who lost her candidate to a poor butcher's daughter, and how the princess had taken her rage out on all the poor in her country, halting any charity and causing millions of people to starve. No, the modern way of dealing with the unfortunate situation was simple. The target candidate would choose who they wanted more, the chosen name would progress, and the winner would ceremonially cut a line through the loser's etching of their soulmate. Though somewhat violent, it was necessary for the loser to have closure.

Sebastian's situation was nearly unheard of. To lose a candidate five times in a row went against any measureable odds. People he met often wouldn't believe him before seeing his arm. He dealt with most of his rage through his martial arts training, it made him focused and calm. Calm is something Sebastian was trying to be with Blaine, but was currently failing. Blaine had started absently scratching at a red spot forming on his arm, barely noticing he was even doing it. Sebastian was still holding Blaine's hand and pulled it forcefully across the table, laying Blaine's arm flat on the tabletop.

"Hey! What are you doing, what...I mean I thought..." Blaine stammered, very confused, until he followed Sebastian's gaze to his forearm. Where just a moment before the smooth skin had been undisturbed, a distinct "K" could now be seen beside the "Seb."