KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU ⇒ jegulus one shots

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

His fingers fumble with his phone as he types in the number Sirius had given him. James curses silently. He's still in the hospital. His daughter is three days old. Hope and healer Somers think it would be beneficial to monitor them for at least a week, just to ensure they're both okay. James hadn't been very nurturing during his pregnancy, after all. He hadn't even known. At least once an hour the thought of her living inside of him for months without him knowing enters his mind and pains him.

James brings his phone to his ear, breathing in sharply. His little girl is sleeping in his arms, cradled in a bundle of yellow blankets his mother and father had given him. James is certain that they used to be his.

"Ello?"

Regulus' voice is gruff on the other end, unsure, perhaps even unconvinced. James realizes that it is nearing two in the morning. He suddenly acknowledges that he may have just woken the younger boy up. Regulus' voice is quiet and soft, yet gruff and blunt.

It doesn't even take more than ten seconds for Regulus to answer the phone. Sirius had warned James that Regulus would answer instantly, regardless of the unknown caller. Regulus answers the phone to anyone, always ready for it to be Sirius on the other end, mainly because he isn't allowed to have Sirius' phone number saved for both of their safety. After each secret phone call, Regulus deletes Sirius' number so that Walburga and Orion never know. 

"Er, hi," James offers in response, cringing at himself.

"Who is this?" Regulus questions.

James sighs. He couldn't have expected Regulus to recognize his voice. He would recognize Regulus' though, no matter where. Regulus has a very distinctive voice. It is raspy yet silky. It is clear he came from money, old money, and was raised around it. He sounded like all of the riches one man could ever wish for. He sounded like wealth. He tasted like wealth.

Wealth and mint.

"Um, it's James, erm, Sirius' James," James replies.

"Oh," Regulus says, almost dryly. Regulus seems to sit up a little, James can hear rustling. He clears his throat. They enter a few seconds of a drawn out silence. "Um, could you...could you give me a second?" He says suddenly.

James nods, closing his eyes momentarily. "Yeah, yeah, 'course," He answers.

Regulus doesn't say much else but James can hear him rustling about. He can hear the tying of laces. James can even briefly hear voices, faint voices, but voices nonetheless.

"Get back to bed," Somebody groans down the line. It is muted, very muted, but James can still hear it. That's how silent the hospital is right now. "Turn off that fucking light," The other voice whines.

"Shut up, you're going to wake Evan; and if you do, you can be the one to deal with it. I am not," Regulus retorts in response. 

"Where are you going?"

James can now hear the zipping of a coat. "I'm on the phone, I'll be back in a minute," Regulus replies curtly. "I have to sort something. Just go back asleep. If you need to be sick, there's a bucket at the end of Evan's bed,"

It takes a few more seconds for Regulus to reappear much clearer on the wire. "Uh, sorry about that. I didn't want to disturb Barty and Evan,"

"That's okay," James answers. "Um, sorry to disturb you," He apologizes.

"You didn't," Regulus responds quickly. "Evan spent the last hour getting sick, so I wasn't asleep or anything,"

"Oh? Wild teenage party?" James can't fight a smirk. As he says it, James realizes that Regulus is essentially still a teenager. He's nineteen. As long as there is a presence of 'teen' at the end of the number, he's a teenager. He's too young for a baby. James doesn't know if he can do this to Regulus. It wouldn't be fair.