Silence || Dreamnotfound Omegaverse

Chapter Seven: Partners

George POV 

A week has passed since I made my return to my old life. 

Mum and I buckled down and unpacked every box, filling the house with all of our belongings, and getting rid of ones that didn't quite fit. It felt good, to be settled in, but unfortunately, I no longer have an excuse to avoid the after-school hangouts with my friends. 

Or fortunately? I'm not sure. 

My stance with Clay right now is fragile, whether he realizes it or not. 

 It's getting easier– I think– to be around him. It's not as jarring to have a conversation with him– if you could even call it that anymore. 

Mum bought me a book that is teaching me sign language the day after I told her about the new Clay and I've read a good portion of it. I'm still in the very beginning stages but I know the alphabet and a few basic phrases. I can't keep up with him when he's signing yet, but I'm able to recognize a couple of things. 

Progress is progress. 

Classes with him are still a little tense, but that may just be me making it tense. Even if my omega instincts are supposed to melt in his presence, I somehow persevere. 

He always seems so... comfortable. Like there is absolutely nothing wrong. He may think that no one can see it, that he hides it so well, but I'm not just anyone. 

I knew him better than he knew himself at times. I knew all of his nervous habits, how his brows would come together when he was deep in thought, how he couldn't help but fidget with the hem of his shirt. How when he was first experiencing his rut he needed a punching bag in his room so he wouldn't explode at his parents. 

And every day I can see the immense amount of pain that is hidden behind his eyes. I can see right through the mask he is trying so hard to wear. 

Like right now as we are sat in physics class, I can see him drawing random shapes on his worksheet, making little patterns inside each one, and then filling in the spaces he's made to make the shapes have zigzags or stripes. 

He does this when he can't focus, some form of relaxation I think. 

In an effort to be a better friend than what I've been for the past week, I decide that I should initiate a conversation, something I haven't done with him yet. 

However this teacher is as strict as they come, so even if it would only one of us talking, it would end abruptly with both of us receiving detention. 

I take my pencil and move my hand towards his paper. Clay's concentration being interrupted causes him to look up at me for a moment, before drifting his eyes back down to my arm that now lays across his. 

hi :) is all I write on his paper. I see a smile flash across his face for a moment before he leans down to reply. 

hi gogy wyd? He looks back up at me, smiling once again. Good, at least this it's working. 

i'm bored 

me 2 

I try and stifle a laugh. This is so stupid. 

I see Clay's smile has grown, his white teeth are peaking through, barely. Clay goes to write something else. 

your outfit is cute today 

My cheeks flush a deep red, I'm sure of it. I didn't even try that hard today, it's just a blue crewneck with a white-collar underneath and some jeans. I've certainly worn outfits that were a carbon copy of this before.