The Story of Regulus Black - Years 1-4

XCV. Hangovers and Head Injuries

Chapter Notes: I have been waiting since I first wrote Deacon and Francesco to get them together. So, from here on out, enjoy lots of fluff on their part!!
CW: emetophobia (at the end)

The three Gryffindor boys entered their dorm room at half past midnight, all of them exhausted from the party that they had just departed from. Deacon and Francesco were careful to avoid one another's eyes, neither having had the opportunity to tell Benji what had transpired between them yet. And, by the looks of it, Benji was a bit too distressed to hear about it right then.

"Why do you think they don't like each other?" Benji asked, dropping down onto the edge of his bed and running a hand through his hair. "I mean, I've never heard her voice sound like that before."

Benji had been on about this since the short interaction between Gwen and Regulus. The three boys had all been pondering these very questions, none of them able to come to a conclusion. Of course, they had all made their own suggestions, but none seemed to fit all three of them. So, they were left wondering.

"I dunno, mate. I mean, she said that he was feeling better, right? We all know that Regulus wasn't in the best place earlier this year. Perhaps she asked him if he was alright one day, and he snapped at her," Francesco suggested, making his way towards his corner of the room.

"But why wouldn't she mention it?" Benji questioned.

Deacon shrugged. "It's not exactly common knowledge that we're friends with him, is it?"

"But still," Benji sighed and laid back on his bed, hands rested gently on his stomach. "I'll just ask her about it."

"Sounds - sounds like a good idea, mate," said Francesco, his sentence obstructed by a loud yawn.

As though it were contagious, the other two boys yawned, as well. Deacon walked towards his dresser and lazily pulled out a pair of pyjama trousers, grabbing a baggy jumper from his trunk and starting towards the door of their dorm room.

"Where are you going?" Benji asked, propping himself up on his elbows and looking curiously at Deacon.

Francesco looked, too, a pair of pyjama bottoms in his hands. Deacon held up his pyjamas and then gestured towards the door. "The bathroom?"

Benji looked him over. "Why do you always go to the bathroom to change? You can just change in here if you want."

Deacon shrugged, feeling his face burn. "I dunno. Just... I just do, I s'pose." Truthfully, Deacon didn't much fancy the idea of telling his best mate and his boyfriend (boyfriend. Francesco was his boyfriend. Merlin, that felt weird to say) about how much he didn't like his physical appearance, to the point of not wanting to change in the same room as them. So, he tried to play it off.

Benji's eyes filled with concern, and he shot a glance towards Francesco. "Are you alright?" He asked, sitting up fully so that he was staring squarely at his best mate.

Deacon nodded his head. "I'm fine. I just don't like changing in here."

"Ok..." Benji looked like he wanted to say something further, but he held back. Instead, he made Deacon an offer. "Well, if you don't want to go all the way down to the loo, we could just... turn around?"

Deacon shook his head. "It's fine, really. I'll be right back."

And he was. He was gone for less than three minutes before he reentered the room, too-big pyjamas on and his other clothes in hand. He tossed the dirty clothes into the hamper in the corner of their dorm room, and he looked at his two mates.

Benji was laying on his stomach, trying to catch up on the Defense homework that he hadn't yet finished. Francesco was sitting on his bed, dressed in his pyjamas, staring blankly at the air in front of him. Upon Deacon's entrance, Francesco looked up, and a wide grin crossed his face. He pat the space on the bed next to him, and Deacon walked over without hesitation.