Raised by Lions

Chapter 19: Cigarettes and Migraines

Louis was no stranger to smoking, at least secondhand smoking and the lingering smell of nicotine in the mansion and on everyone's clothes and fur. Everyone smokes, all the lions, most of the animals they deal with. Nicotine is ever present and Louis has been noticing a severe lack of that familiar smell in places like the school.

So when he woke up one fine Saturday morning, he wasn't sure if the splitting headache that pounded between his ears and down to behind his eyes, was from secondhand withdrawal or something else entirely.

He stayed laying in his bed, rolling onto his stomach and burying his face into his pillow. It brought the slightest bit of relief, giving him the chance to think for a while. He'd eaten the night before, so it wasn't that. He hadn't been around any loud clubs or places with strong perfumes. He knew it wasn't a hangover since the lions never gave him more than half a glass of wine and Sabu would die three deaths before Louis ever touched drugs. So what was causing this?

One of the lions passed by his room and knocked on the door as a wakeup call. Louis groaned but slowly got up, getting dressed with the curtains remaining closed. Sharp morning light was a bad idea with headaches, or so Hino says. The white lion apparently had a lot of those in the mornings and Louis trusted his words on it.

His curtains remained closed as he left his room and went to the kitchen to grab some tea and see if he could keep some food down. He wasn't sure about the latter because the headache was making even just the idea of food seem nauseating. Louis decided he'd have to ask one of the lions about it later, when he felt like talking.

Breakfast passed by quickly and Louis had found that he could still keep a couple celery sticks down. It was a lot less than he usually ate, but it would have to do. Free had just popped into the kitchen for leftovers and the others were all apparently busy by now.

With some tea and food in his system, the headache became a little more bearable, so Louis heads to the livingroom. He could just laze around the room if he wanted to, he didn't necessarily have to watch TV or play games. The lions did that a lot too.

He found Free there, just messing with something on his phone. He seemed on edge, but paranoia was also not something unfamiliar, especially in this business. Free was smoking a cigarette, his pack and lighter laying on the coffee table in front of the couch. The smell was somehow comforting.

Louis climbed onto the couch and laid down with his head propped on the arm. Free gave him a glance, but nothing was said between them.

Louis was nodding off slightly, half asleep when Free suddenly got up and ran somewhere. It startled Louis back to full awareness, making the fawn frown. The frown disappeared quickly when Louis noticed it worsened his predicament though.

His eyes traveled to the coffee table, spotting the cigarette pack and lighter still residing there. Free must have forgotten them when he left so abruptly.

An idea popped into his mind and Louis glanced at the door once more. He couldn't hear anyone and he wasn't supposed to be anywhere specific today, so no one would be looking for him. Just one wouldn't hurt, right?

He shuffled over to sit closer to the pack and when he was sure he was still clear, he reached out and picked it up. He pulled a cigarette out before putting the pack down on the table where he'd found it. Still no sound of anyone.

The lighter made him shake his head. The picture on it was a bit suggestive, but what else was to be expected from Free? Louis had seen the others do this countless times, so he lit the lighter and put it to the end of the cigarette, slowly inhaling to light it. It worked and Louis quickly put the lighter back down.