Henri shouldered his way through the entrance doors of St. Mungos, his hands rendered useless by their shaking. They trembled— more than the rest of him— in his pockets, where they had been sheltered ever since they began their quiver fit. His nerves just weren’t on his side; they betrayed him. He had received the news of Riley’s admittance to the hospital not long ago at all. He should be relieved. Happy, even. But all he could feel was the paranoia that he could have done more. That he somehow failed. His fingers curled, clenching the inner linings of his pockets, and he scolded himself mentally. Thinking a few choice words, none too kind, toward himself.
Quit the self-loathing, he needs you.
Taking to the stairs, he climbed them as calmly as he could manage. He was in no hurry to see Riley in an injured state, but at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to be at his side. His mind went to war with itself as he reached the appropriate floor and walked down some eerily vacant corridors. Henri had never been a fan of this place, it was full of nothing but unpleasant memories for him. His hues scanned over the labeled rooms, disinterested in every single one of them but one. The one marked ‘McLaggen, Riley’ stopped him in his tracks, causing him to look on with a small feeling of trepidation. He had no idea what to expect, but it couldn’t be something that would do his heart any favors.
The blonde reached forward and pushed the door open, siding with the more positive side of himself. Figuring it pointless to prolong the much needed reunion that he was sure the both of them wanted. Henri took a deep breath and stepped through the threshold of the room that Riley was confined to. The boy whom he had missed every aspect of rested on the given bed, seeming to be pretty awfully marked up. He stared on as his emotions toyed with his heartstrings. His vision blurred as his eyes watered, wanting nothing more than to climb into that bed and hug Riley, to hold him, to kiss his face. To just be with him, like he hadn’t been in weeks. He just wanted everything to turn out okay. His nerves had calmed down, for the most part. Now his emotions were in charge, yet fighting each other on a battlefield. First came the smile (due to Riley’s presence), then came the dropping of his heart (due to his state), and lastly came confused expression (due to the mixture of the first two emotions) and the continuity of his moderate tear flow. Henri wanted to speak up, to say anything, but remained silent as he took a step closer to the boy whom he loved so much.
Riley was barely awake. Unmoving. Cold. He had been found naked by some boy named Ryan. He thought his name was Ryan. He liked him. He thought. He had been alone. Cold and alone. He was still so cold. Hospital. They took him to the hospital. His entirety was in this room. So simple and alone. The nurse had left him. His brother had been here briefly. His eyes stared at the wall as he thought it over. Almost two months since he remembered much of anything. He had been changed, into something else.
He didn’t remember much of it, but the Headmistress had given him some transfiguration talisman that should keep him from changing at all. It made him feel safer. He was laid up in bed, dressed in the robes of St. Mungo’s, He had taken multiple potions, he was groggy from it. He heard the clang of medical noises around the hospital around him. His eyes dropped closed and he sucked in a deep breath. Trying to keep himself calm. He had cried a lot. He didn’t like this, his routine was completely thrown off, he hadn’t spoken since being in the bed.
He looked up as he heard the door to his hospital room open, He didn’t look up, not at first, he wasn’t sure he was even capable. His brother, parents, no one had been able to help him, make him feel better. He knew the only thing that would really help was his routine. It was nine, he should be at home, in bed, because sleep was in an hour. If he was at school now like he was supposed to do, he would be in bed with Henri. Holding him and talking about their day. Henri would listen. He always listened. He was good at it.
Catatonic, he just stared at Henri in the doorway, his eyes wet as he looked at the other man. His fiance. The love of his life. He didn’t speak. Just looking at Henri with pained eyes, he looked right at him and muttered a strangled slow series of words, “Hen-henri… I am lost. Lost. So lost. I…help-help me? You can help?” Riley’s voice was broken, eyes wet, he was lost and scared. Nothing was okay or right in his world.
