Regulus stop fainting
Regulus’ ears are still ringing. Even after dragging his trunk into the train car and sitting down, they ring. Regulus tries to distract himself by thinking about how long they’ve been doing it.
He doesn’t know. Maybe a few hours, maybe a day? Time felt like liquid to him. He could either drink it, or drown in it. Both were likely at the time.
Enough of that, he needs to think about real issues. Not himself. Like the fact that Gringotts was broken into. Or maybe that the new minister of magic was trying to ban The Triwizard Tournament. Which, in itself was such a ridiculous scorn to tradition that everyone knew it would never happen. Not that it would ever matter.
The door slides open, and his gaggle of kids (his babies, as Evan liked to joke) piled in. For a moment it was chaos of trunks going overhead and Pandora almost dropping hers directly on top of Regulus. Then everyone gets settled.
The Rosiers, both annoyingly blond and pureblood, sit across from him. Pandora isn’t the type to say anything in the way of small talk, and Evan wouldn’t usually speak until spoken to. Regulus didn’t know if he could hear anything they would say over the constant noise. The horrid ringing. Like a clock about to go off. It kept Regulus in that terrible state before, unable to relax.
His left hand gives a particularly impressive spasm. Like it's trying to push something off of him. Evan notices, but whatever he says to him isn't heard. It's like he's going deaf. Maybe he is.
His breath picks up, and he's panting like a dog. It's hot, so hot. He wants to rip his shirt off, and his trousers. He wants to bathe in ice cold water. Anything to stop this achingly good heat. It feels so horrid, but oh so pleasurable. Like he's being dipped in lava, head to toe.
Then suddenly, he lurches forward and collapses. Evan pulls him up, but he has to hold Regulus in place. He can't feel his fingers, and his head hurts. What's happening to him? This never happened before. Never.
He needs Evan. He wants his Evan to hold him, cool him down. He wants his babies to comfort him. Tell him everythings okay. That he's still alive. He's still breathing.
It's so hot now. Almost to the point where he wants to be dead. It hurts oh so badly. He needs to be rained on. To be tossed in a lake. To go ice skating or maybe collapse in the snow. Maybe just collapse.
He just needs it to be over.
(And indeed it does stop, because he faints.)
Eventually it is over.
Regulus feels like he’s been scrubbed, wrung out, and left to dry.
When he tries to sit up, there’s a terrible pain that pulses in- in- well, everywhere. But when his eyes finally adjust, it’s dark. A peaceful dark, with the light of the moon glimmering on the wall across from him. Not the dark of his room at Black Manor, and the muffled screams and sobs through the shared wall.
It is dark and it is quiet.
Regulus feels his shoulders relax. How long were they tensed for?
“Miss Black.”
He can’t find it in him to move his head. Or put up appearances.
“I am glad you’ve awoken. I’ve cast several cooling spells on you, and given you two strength potions. You’re to stay the night here in the hospital wing, and we will reassess in the morning.”
His eyes are closed now, but he feels Madam Pomfrey lean down to his ear. “You’re safe here.”
He can hear her bustle away, but he’s distracted by the warm tears that drip into his ears
Oddly enough, he missed her. He missed her caring words and serious attitude. She's grounding. She's like a mother. So very nurturing.
He wishes he was her child instead. Her and Minnie's. Oh his parents would go mental if they knew that Hogwarts had gay teachers.
Then again, they wouldn't. No one gives a fuck enough to tell them….except maybe Lucius.
Lucius Malfoy, pain in the ass. Lucius Malfoy, bully and abuser. Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater. Lucius Malfoy, his cousin in-law. Cissy's husband.
He doesn't want to think about him. Not ever.
He moves away from the infirmary, opting to head to the dorms instead, which was obviously a mistake because he finds Corsica and her gossip rats there.
"Did you hear about him fainting? Apparently he ate too many zonko knockouts."
"I heard he got stunned."
"I heard him and Potter were fighting. He was the one to carry him out."
That stops him dead in his tracks. Potter? Seriously? Did he really carry him out? Well this would be embarrassing to explain to Snape.
It didn't matter for now. That git can wait until he doesn’t feel like a dementor sucked his soul out. Pompous idiot, always bothering him about studying potions and spells with him, as if Regulus wants to spend time with a blood supremacist.
. . . .
He lays down for a while, before Evan and Crouch come in. "Faint lately, little star?" Barty sneers, before laying on Regulus.
"Heard Potter carried you off. Must be a dream to be touched by such a God."
Regulus rolls his eyes, careful to not look back down at Crouch's stupid face. It doesn't matter. Not at all. He doesn't care that James was carrying him. Not like James actually cared…right?
"Regulus?" He hears and Crouch sounds concerned. "Yes?" He says, hoarsely. He cringes at how he sounds. Maybe he should take some pain potion. He brewed one at home.
"You fantasizing about Pottah? Sweet quidditch captain Pottah? Didn't know you were so scandalous." He whispers into Regulus' ear.
Barty sounds like he's playing around, but Regulus feels like he needs to run away. Get away, before he assumes. Before he knows.
Can Barty hear his heartbeat? His breathing? His thoughts? Oh gods almighty, please say he isn't a legilimens.
He shifts the position to where he's on his stomach and sighs as he sinks into the bed. That's more like it. Barty lays back on him again, this time slapping his shoulder as a warning.
Crouch sniffs his shirt (the fucking creep) and laughs. "Someone smells like flowers n'babies and it's not me. Who the hell just smells like that?"
"Please get off. You’re heavy." He says and Barty gasps.
"I'm not! Why, hasn't your mother taught you it's rude to say that?" He says and shoves Regulus' head down into his pillow.
He attempts to throw Crouch off but fails, and opts to elbow him instead. Barty grasps his chest and groans.
"You'll pay for that, baby Black." And then nips him on the arm before Regulus can even think about what he meant.
Regulus makes an outraged noise and manages to grab his shirt and pull Crouch to the other side of the bed.
They both pant for a minute. Barty gets up and Reg thinks he'll leave the dorm because he moves across the room, but Barty turns around and jumps onto his bed and groans.
"...Did you just hit yourself on your bedframe?" Evan says from the desk near the window.
"Yeah. Yeah I did." He says and coughs.