Free Web NovelChapter 173: Chapter 173
After dinner, they all separated to head to their various dorm rooms. Louis glanced at Henri in worry as they stood in the foyer, the other had abruptly stopped eating, eyeing up the food that he had previously been scarfing down like it had wronged him.
He supposed that it was much better for Henri to go back to his previous eating habits but the inconsistencies in his attitude were more than a little worrying,
"I’ll go straight to bed." Henri said shortly, already walking off before Louis could protest.
Henri frowned as he absently made his way down the hallway, was he coming down with something after all? Perhaps he would visit the infirmary the next day, falling sick wasn’t very fun.
He had been well aware that his appetite suddenly spiked earlier in the morning but he had written it off as his body needing nutrition after the kind of day he had yesterday. During dinner, all of that ravenous appetite suddenly vanished, the variety of food on the table slightly nauseating him.
Getting enough rest might still fix him so he was intending to go straight to his dorm room and fall asleep. If he still wasn’t better when he woke up then he would go to the infirmary.
A quick shower later and he felt more like himself, the fog clouding his head thinning - he should be grateful that even with how horrible he felt, he hadn’t suffered any splitting headaches, those were the worst.
He languidly pulled on his night clothes and ran a brush through his hair before getting on his big bed. Fortunately, he was already starting to feel sleepy from the warm water which was a surprise considering how much he had been sleeping recently but he would take it.
He couldn’t help but notice as he settled on his pillows that his sweet scent had made an appearance... He hadn’t forgotten to use his scent blockers again, had he? It was odd, Henri could swear that he had used his scent blockers this time so why then did it envelop him thickly like a blanket?
Henri didn’t remember falling asleep but when he woke up again, it was clear that he hadn’t been asleep for very long. He woke up breathless like the air was too hot to breathe in. A palm to his forehead told him that he was the one producing all of the heat.
He sighed tiredly, he had actually gotten a fever - this was no good. Although he had been expecting it as his body had shown all of the signs of him beginning to fall sick, he had been hoping that a miracle would occur.
He slowly pushed up from his satin pillows, eyes heavy-lidded and hair a mess. His body felt tingly and very heavy but it was uncomfortable just lying in his bed which felt like the interior of a sauna. A glance at the clock told him that it was just before midnight, most people would be in their beds by now, surely he could go on a simple stroll without attracting attention.
The cool night air was sure to sufficiently bring down his fever so that he could go back to sleep. It was already too late to visit the Infirmary and although his first instinct was to find Louis, he didn’t want to drag his friend out of bed just to tend to him.
As Henri reluctantly got out of bed, feeling like his bones had been replaced with gelatin, he couldn’t help but remember the handful of times he had gotten sick. His mother was always at her nursing best, never leaving his side even though it was for something as mundane as a little cold. He smiled a little at the memory, maybe he was a little spoiled by his mother because now he was wishing that he had someone to fuss over him.
Henri wasn’t sure how he managed it but somehow he made it out to the hallway, needing to lean against the wall to keep himself upright. Fortunately, the hallways were deserted so this should be an easy trip.
He wasn’t thinking clearly and could barely hold himself upright so he thought about turning around several times but after making it out of the dorm building, he was happy that he hadn’t gone back to his dorm room. The air was cool, and although the artificial lights set up strategically to brighten up the college grounds were very functional, the moon was still visible.
The cool air felt like a balm to his feverish skin and without putting much thought into it, he headed for Marble Park which was just beside his dorm to take a seat. The chill of the night might be bringing down his body temperature but it didn’t magically give him strength, he had to sit or risk his knees giving in.
Had he caught some kind of flu in the forest because he couldn’t ever remember feeling like this? It wasn’t cause for panic though, instinctively, Henri knew that he would be fine. freēwēbnovel.com
He sat on the first bench that he found, jolting when the coldness of the marble seeped through his flimsy night clothes. The cold was welcome though, it felt like his blood had turned to lava, like the heat was deep inside of him and not just on the surface, so he needed the cold to find relief.
Henri wasn’t aware how long he spent seated on the marble bench but during the time he spent there, he only got hotter, the heat from his skin warming up the previously ice-cold marble bench. Even the night breeze did nothing for him anymore but he didn’t have the strength to move, the increased temperature was making him delirious.
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Louis walked into his bathroom for the umpteenth time to splash some water on his face, hoping that it would wash off his worries and he would finally be able to get some sleep - it didn’t seem very likely though.
"Still worried about Henri?" Dio asked calmly when he stepped out, his boyfriend was propped up against the headboard, his long hair sticking out in every direction.
