the odds of it // dnf, dreamnotfound

[3]

//Clay POV//

He's still laying in bed when his Dad calls him. It takes a lot out of him to reach over and grab his phone, but with maximum effort, he completes the simple task.

He answers and says, "Hey Dad."

"Hey, son. How are you doing?"

He should tell him. He's a vampire, too, he would know.

"Not too well. You might know something about it, if it has to do with me being a vampire. Right?"

"Oh, yeah, hit me with it. What's up?"

"So, I started getting this really intense, like, almost unfathomable desire. I don't know what it's for, but it's like a temptation, except now that I'm down the hallway I don't know what's behind the door. Like, what am I desiring? It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Has it eased up? Like... ever?"

"Yeah. Every time I talk to my friend, George, the pain goes away. But the feeling is still there, it just feels like a nicer feeling when I'm talking to him." When he says it out loud, he realizes it sounds different than in his head. It sounds... nicer, when it comes out of his mouth. Like George is the one helping him.

"Has George been in pain like you at all?"

"Uh, I don't think so." He pauses. "Oh, wait, today, when I called him, he sort of sounded strained. So maybe he was in pain? I'm not sure."

His dad pauses, breathing steady over the line. "And the pain eases when you talk to him. What about when you think of him? Try it now."

His pain has been noticeably less vigorous when he was talking about him. He tries thinking about being around George, talking to George, etc. And it works. "It worked. You're right, it works the same." He sounds relieved.

"Explains why George is so pale..." his Dad says quietly, but Clay hears it.

"Wh-"

"Oops, your mom is calling me. I have to go, son. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Wai-" Clay starts, but his Dad hangs up.

"Why George is so pale"? What does that mea-

Oh.

It hits him like a bat in the stomach. The desire inside of him twists his organs.

But he can't just ask, because if he wasn't, then it would reveal that Clay was. What do I do?

Well, in summary, he ended up doing two things: thinking about George. Nonstop, just to keep the pain away. And another thing: he didn't go to school the next day.

He couldn't bear it, he didn't think he could handle it anyways. How could he? George? His closest friend? A vampire?

It hit Clay all over again. That he was the same. That this was why it was happening.

He tried to piece more of it together. What was the desire then? Why would the pain ease at the thought of George—

It smacks him in the face.

He wants George. He desires George.