Clarice was left feeling distinctly alone as she wondered what had become of her Larry. It was not like him to run off like that - least of all so soon after he'd had his run in with that monster. She decided to try and do something instead of just sitting back at home waiting for the worst. She wasn't some damsel who'd do nothing while the men in her life made their mistakes. Getting up, Clarice put on a red jacket, a white shirt over her bra, tight jeans and boots.
And so while she tried to get a hang of where her man was and what was wrong with him, she decided to give a close friend of hers a call.
She had been friends with this team mate of Larry's basically ever since he joined the team. And he had said that if there was trouble she could always call him. And she could not say this was anything other than trouble. What with Larry acting weird and running out when he'd been injured like that not too long ago.
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On the floor of The Wyld Club, David Sifton was dancing away wearing his crop top, mesh shirt, booty shorts and laced up boots. His outfit was a collection of bright and intense colors for a bright and intense night in Cardiff's gay night scene. As one of the few Out guys on the team, David had been a little worried there'd just be gentlemen's clubs out here, and he'd been hoping to live it up. The guys on the team - outside a few outliers - were okay with his orientation, and even Coach was supportive of their first gay Defensive End.
In terms of looks, David was always dressed colorful outside the field, but was a powerfully muscled figure with tight abs, a jacked chest, and strong arms. He was proud of his legs and rear, and showed those off with aplomb on the floor.
However when he got a call, he looked at the guy he was dancing with and said, "Excusey!" And with that he went into the bathroom, and took the call, "Clary! Is---Is something wrong? I mean, you kinda caught me at an awkward time."
"It's...It's Larry. I know I shouldn't be worrying so much..." She sounded nothing but worried. David could hear her nails clacking on the phone, a nervous tick.
"Clary, your boyfriend got gnawed on by some monster. You're worrying exactly as much as you should be." He responded calmly.
"Just...he ran out on me...and he was acting really weird, David. Like he couldn't stand me for some reason..." It was obvious to David that the last bit was part and parcel of why. He just got better and now he was acting like this?
"Don't worry, you did nothing wrong, girlfriend," David said as he thought about what to do, "...I'll go and try and find him. Don't worry, he's always been my best friend so I will literally die before I let anything happen to him. Just don't do anything stupid on your end. Don't go running off by yourself if you see anything and...and GOD, don't follow anyone suspicious."
Clarice sounded like she was still stressed out but let out a sigh of relief, "...T-Thank you, David."
"Always happy to help my best bud's girlfriend." And with that the phone call ended.
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Larry was not sure what in all he wanted. But he knew he wanted more than what Clarice could offer him right now. His mind was swirling with odd instincts and half formed ideas, instinctual responses thrashing and colliding against old, inlaid ideas. He wanted...was he gay? To want sex with a guy this much? But...Clarice...? He felt some end of himself recoil, and he didn't know at what. The footballer was feeling odd as he shuffled down the street. His hands felt slightly...tough on the palms. Like he'd been working out without his gloves again.
He groaned and started to turn the corner.
The more that he thought about it the more he wondered what his relationship with her and the other guys were. When he did feel longing for her, and her fleshy embrace around him, was it the longing of romance or the coldhearted logic of the need for food? His mind turned to the macabre for a moment as he caught himself underneath a lamplight above. His mind went to dark and horrid and forbidden places, thinking of not just that. Of wreaking some kind of horrible recompense upon those who had hazed him on his first entrance to Football.
It made his stomach turn and his mind reel, and he decided if he had to do this, commit to this affair with a man in order to banish his dark dreams, he would.
He started to turn another corner, barely aware of himself in the midst of his conflicted consciousness. He saw a club with W Y L D emblazoned at the top with a wire structure of a mostly nude man up top. Larry swooned and felt himself grow erect in his pants. He was over eager at this point and didn't think twice as he approached the front door. The bouncer asked for ID, and Larry hastily pulled his own out - in such haste he felt some other cards fall out of his wallet.
He bent over to pick them back up and felt a swift slap at his ass from someone leaving the club. Larry bit his lip and felt himself grow even tighter down there with erection.
Finally, they let him in, and Larry was suffused with noise and the outcry of loud, banging music.
-----------------
David had not been expecting that upon trying to move through the floor to the entrance that would be where he'd find Larry, but such was life. And now David was watching as Larry awkwardly responded to flirts and shows of affection, heady with arousal and some kind of odd response. Making his way over, David put a hand on his shoulder and guided him away from the crowd.
"David...David?" Larry said in an odd tone. David scowled - was Larry fucking drugged by someone? The man continued, "You uh...huh...wanna fuck me? Cuz I'm...I'm down..."
David was definitely NOT up for it. He put a hand on Larry's shoulder and said, "Dude. Listen to yourself. You are in a relationship already. With Clarice..."
"Can't gimme what I...I'm feeling like..." Was the rambling, almost half conscious response. David swore and hastily checked with the bar about an apple juice carton, usually used for an appletini. After getting a glass full of apple juice, David outright poured the juice on Larry's head.
"Hey...hey! What the fuck, man! What the fuck!?" Larry was obviously angry and David matched him near on immediately;
"I should be asking you that question. Get. Your. Head. Out. Of. Your. Dick!!" David shook Larry slightly and this, plus the apple juice, seemed to have some sort of effect. Larry started to show signs of lucidity, the weary and bleary look leaving his face as if a shadow was taken off of him in the span of a moment. His eyes brightened back up, and Larry half groaned half growled.
"Why'm I all wet?"
David decided this was the best time for it, and said, "We're going, big guy. Come on...get up. Get up." He helped Larry up, noting that even though the weird spell seemed to be over and done with, Larry was still not entirely good on his feet. His body was swaying side to side as the two of them started to make their way through the club back to the entrance.
Larry felt a hand swat his ass again, and he glared for a moment at the guy who did that. He murmured to himself, "...I'm...not gay..."
David felt like asking "what, then, are you doing in a gay club like this?" but figured that getting Larry home and safe was the absolute priority. Outside, David led the way into his car, helping buckle Larry in. Larry seemed to look at David as they sat down besides each other. Larry asked, "I'm...starting to remember stuff. Like...if you'd wanted, we probably could've danced and fucked tonight. Why'd you---"
David shook his head, "I'm not a homewrecker. I'm not all about sex and cumming and dicks. I CARE dude. I care about my friends, and what they end up doing with their lives. Some people can say it's none'ah my business, but I'm not just gonna stand aside. You and Clarice have something. Something really good. And I am not gonna let anything just wantonly destroy that. You get me, bro?"
There was a period of silence in the car as the two of them started driving back to Larry's apartment. Larry slowly looked at David, "I'm...sorry I came on to you like that. I'm sorry I was so fucking selfish with my sexuality. If I felt like exploring a...a gayer side of me, I should've consulted with Clarice and---"
"Nothing bad happened tonight, big guy," David said with a smile. "If you wanna experiment, start slow and work your way up. A kiss, here and there. All safe. All sane. All based in consent and mutual agreement."
Larry froze for a moment and thought about how mad Clarice was probably gonna be, and looked to the side a moment, "...Yeah. If there's any guy I'd...experiment with, it'd be you, David."
"I'd be happy to be your first gay kiss, Larr'."
At the apartment, David parked, got out and helped Larry up to the building, standing with him the whole way, making sure he didn't fall or make any more mistakes, or have any weird incidents.
As they arrived at the room, Larry opened the door and stood there for a moment. He was thinking clearly now, and there was no way he could feel disgust or disdain for Clarice. "I'm...sorry I ran off like that babe---"
He felt Clarice's arms wrap around him and she hugged him tight, sobbing into his neck, "L-Larry...I was so worried. I thought that something happened because of that monster bite! Oh bless you, David..." She backed up and looked at Larry, "...whatever's going on, we face it together, you got it?"
"Yeah...yeah I got it..." Larry decided thoughts of possible experimentation could wait. He had a girlfriend who needed his company tonight, and he was not about to run out on her. Sex was off the menu for tonight, but he wouldn't miss it while he figured things out. There was no doubting what almost happened.
As David waved and left, to head back to his club, Larry thought further about all this. His instincts had been so weirdly intense. That wild, sudden urge to...to do that had been something he'd never felt before outside of the momentary inclinations of his youth, of a phase he hardly remembered when he thought he was gay as a teen. He hadn't been, and he wasn't now, but this was...it was like every instinct and drive even as far off as that had been re-energized and restored, rendered more ferocious.
He looked at his hand and the strange callouses forming there, his slightly sharp nails and the hair running up and down his arm. The thick black hair he usually despised on himself that now he felt no dislike for.
Something was going on, Larry decided, and he intended to find out what.