Emery stared back at Samir, heart thudding from how close the other boy was. Emery always thought he was the daring one, yet in moments like this it seemed Samir was always more in tune with this thing that tied them together. With the red string that dangled between them, bright and pulsing in moments like this. Moments that would pull them a step closer to that soulmate idea. He gulped, eyes never leaving Samir's and entire body flush with heat. "Y-yeah," he stuttered, all his bravado and excitement melting away, "I feel like I can do anything when I'm with you. Conquer the world if I wanted..." He blinked, eyelashes fluttered, but made no move to move them closer, even if he kinda wanted to. Even if recently, he began to understand why the adults had always made such a big deal out of their tie. Just in this moment, he couldn't move, frozen on that precipice between childhood and something more.