Chapter Text
“It’s too cold,'' Jude said wrapping their scarf tighter around their neck. They were right. It was cold. All the leaves had abandoned their branches weeks ago and now we waited for the snow. Henry slowed his pace, wanting the walk to class to last just a little longer. It was rare that Henry had any time alone with Jude, the two usually being surrounded by a large group. “Agreed. I wish humans could hibernate.” Henry said, giving Jude a quick smile.
The two were freshmen at an art school in Maryland. They came from wildly different places with wildly different families, friends, and lives, but somehow they’d ended up friends. Henry called a small farm town in Maine home. Jude was from Atlanta, Georgia. Hot, loud, and busy.
Soon the two arrived at Carlson Hall, where they both had a class. Henry was taking ‘Drawing the Human Form’, an artistic anatomy class. Boring but necessary.
“Can I meet you downstairs when class is over?” Jude asked, pressing the up button for the elevator. Henry nodded. He’d love that.
After class Henry waited by the elevator, watching a crow pick at an old Chipotle bag on the sidewalk. Waiting for the elevator to ding was almost torture. Henry hadn’t eaten in a few hours and he was starving. Him and Jude had planned on going to the dining hall for a late lunch after class but now he wishes he’d eaten before.
The elevator doors finally opened and Jude stepped out, messenger bag slung over their side, looking extremely heavy. “How was class?” Henry asks, opening the doors to the freezing outside. Jude shrugged passively. “Nothing much. These midterm projects are really piling up now though.” They mumbled, pulling their scarf over their mouth. Henry flinched. Midterms were due in a week and he hadn’t started any of his projects.
Later that night Henry flops into his bed exhausted. His roommate is away for the weekend so he has the whole room to himself. Henry puts on some quiet music and goes about his nightly routine. Take off chest binder, stretch, breathe deep. Attempt to wipe off all that day’s eyeliner. Change into sweatpants. The final step requires a little more effort though. He takes a shoebox from under his bed. It’s filled with all sorts of things; crystals, dried flowers, small candles in various colors, and assorted jars of herbs. Henry took up witchcraft over the last few weeks to help with stress. Jude recommended it and of course he would do anything they said. Jude was right too, the practice of centering and grounding was very relaxing and making spell jars just felt like it was helping.
Henry lights a small white candle and sits cross-legged on the floor. He closes his eyes and thinks about that days events. His mind always ends up wandering to Jude though. Henry shakes his head and gets back to the task at hand. He takes a deep breath and tried to imagine energy from the ground flowing up through his body. “Dammit” He whispers. It’s not working too well tonight. Henry blows out the candle and packs everything back into the box. He wasn’t sure if it was midterms that was stressing him out or the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about Jude.
They’re tall, much taller than Henry who stands at around 5’3”. They had such a good fashion sense too, thrifted clothes covered with rips and paint. They’re dark hair was always a mess. God, why did his friend have to be so attractive? Henry runs his hands through his hair, fingers catching in the thick curls. He crumples into his bed, smushing his face into the pillow. “We will not catch feelings.” He says to himself. “We will not catch feelings.”