Creek

Raymond was right. The creek was absolutely beautiful.

It was hidden back in the trees, surrounded by short, flat stones perfect for sitting, and it had clear water that made a wonderfully soothing noise as it flowed through the woods. Raymond was sitting on a stone next to Isaac, staring down at the water with a calm smile on his face.

"I love this town," he said. "Not because of the people or the attractions, but because of things like this. The woods, the cemetery, my house- there's a whole hidden world back here that I like to pretend belongs to me."

"Your house? You mean-"

"The mausoleum, yes." Raymond nodded. "It's the closest thing to a house I've had in..hell, thirty years?"

"Do you get cold in there?"

"I'm always cold." Raymond smiled. He didn't have his collar up, so the dots on his neck were completely visible.

"..You know, if you ever need to talk about what happened, I'm here."

"I appreciate that." Raymond's smile faded and he put his normal solemn expression back on.

"And if you ever need a place to stay..you know, if you're tired of the cold, or-"

Raymond scooted closer to Isaac and wrapped his arm around him, then pulled Isaac closer so the two were leaning against each other. Isaac's body felt stiff, and whatever he was about to say completely left his mind.

"You're sweet," Raymond whispered. Isaac was so close he could smell his breath, which smelled like mint. He was glad- how horrible must blood-breath smell?

"I..I don't.." Isaac's eyes were wide but, despite Raymond's cold body, he was warmer than he'd ever been. He wanted time to stop so he could figure out how to feel.

"Do you not want me to touch you?"

Isaac didn't know what to say. 'I want you to touch me' sounded too clingy and dirty, and a yes or no answer could be taken the wrong way. Hesitantly, Raymond removed his arm.

No, Isaac thought. Don't pull away. For the love of god, don't pull away from me.

Isaac just wanted to feel that hand on his wrist again. That night, Raymond was desperate, trying as hard as he could to get Isaac to come with him. He wanted to see the urgency in Raymond's eyes again, to feel his cold skin holding tightly onto his wrist. He just wanted to be touched, held, hugged, something. He hadn't had that in weeks.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I'm not used to being touched like that."

"I wasn't trying to be sexual or anything. It was just a friendly hug. I'm sorry."

Without thinking, Isaac slipped his hand into Raymond's. He held on tight, in an effort to warm up the icy skin on his fingers. Raymond looked up into his eyes and smiled.

Raymond's eyes, now a much brighter red, were soothing. "Can't vampires, like, brainwash people?" Isaac asked, glancing down at the creek. He remembered what Raymond had done that night, how sluggish he had felt.

Raymond giggled. "Mesmerism? Yes. Don't worry, though- we have to actively try to do it. I don't like doing it often."

"I know you've done it to me once. You wanted me to come with you, and I was being stubborn, so..am I right?"

Raymond, who was now digging in the dirt with a stick, blinked in surprise. "You realized that? I thought..I'm sorry. I was just scared you would flip out even more, since you were already crying. I was trying to calm you down."

"It was a weird feeling. I didn't realize it had happened until after I snapped out of it. I kept telling myself that I was so tired because I had been running."

"I won't do it again. I think we were both scared."

Neither of them spoke.

"What all can you do?" Isaac asked, desperate to break the silence. "Name all you can think of."

"Oh, my, I can't on the spot like this. Erm..mesmerism, a little extra strength.." Raymond paused. "We're not as powerful as people think."

"You're fast." Isaac remembered how fast he had ran to get away from Raymond that night, and how Raymond still caught up with him. That was the moment Isaac thought of most often. He had never been that confused; he hadn't even heard him approaching.

"I suppose I am. Apparently I can control animals, but I'm not sure how."

"Can you turn into a bat?"

"Oh, no," Raymond chuckled. "That's the dumbest thing about Dracula. I'm not saying it wouldn't be cool, but it's far-fetched."

"It would be cool to fly."

"Yeah, it would. I've also got that animal magnetism thing. I mean, you can't resist this handsome face, right?"

The two of them laughed, but Isaac's real answer was no. He couldn't.

He didn't know what started this sudden lust for Raymond, but he hated it. They'd know each other for less than a week. Raymond was just trying to be friendly, and Isaac was blowing it out of proportion. He let go of Raymond's hand, and Raymond didn't seem to notice.

He knew it was a mixture of desire to be touched and his enjoyment of being around someone interesting. Ever since Raymond's eyes lit up at the word "date," Isaac had begun to wonder what he really wanted. Did Raymond want to be around Isaac just as much, possibly more than he did?

"You should stay at my place tonight," Isaac said. "See if you'd like it."

"I don't want you to have to put up with a guest."

"I don't put up with you." Isaac squeezed Raymond's hand. "You're always so polite. You can borrow some sweatpants, and that way you don't have to sleep in a suit."

"You'd really let me do that?" Raymond looked curious. "I promise I'll sleep on the floor if I have to."

"You're not sleeping on the floor. You can have the couch- it's pretty comfy. My bed might be big enough for two, though, if you'd rather have that."

"The sofa will be fine. I'm a very quiet sleeper, and if you have to go to class early you can chase me out of there."

"Right. If it works out, maybe you could stay more often. You don't deserve to be alone in that mausoleum on an old mattress."

"I'm used to it. It doesn't exactly bother me anymore."

"How do you shower? Or wash your clothes?"

"There's a gym outside of town that has showers, and there's also a laundromat in the town square. Both are free."

"They really have that stuff for free?"

"A lot of community places in this town either cost little or nothing. Sure, gym membership costs a lot, but not showers. A lot of people working there know by now that I don't have any money, so that's a factor as well."

"You have no money? At all?"

"Absolutely none. The last thing I bought was a bag of mints, and I chew pretty much one or two a year. I've got a while to go. Any kind of alcohol bottle I found was just litter."

That explained the breath. Isaac paused. "Let's go to my house, okay?" He stood up, extending a hand to help Raymond up. He just wanted that hand in his again. "We can change you out of that suit."

Raymond smiled nervously. "Okay," he said. "It's been a while since I've been in different clothes."

"It'll be fun."

Isaac had a tinge of respect for his friend. How could someone be so kind after the world hasn't been kind to them? It must take a lot of strength.

Isaac loved Raymond. But he loved Raymond the way a little girl would love a puppy she just got, or how siblings love each other despite putting each other through hell. Raymond put Isaac through hell just from being so kind.

He didn't want to love Raymond.

He didn't.