KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU ⇒ jegulus one shots

ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?

A soft, sudden shake awakens Sirius Black from a deep nap. His vision is foggy, James peering over him. Sirius can make out a tired, hazy sort of smile on his tanned, freckled face. His nose is healing well, Sirius thinks to himself. There is no more swelling, or bruising.

"Tired, are you?" James' voice is quiet and gentle. "You'd be a lot more tired if you were in my shoes, mate," He chuckles.

Sirius sits up a bit. He must have slumped downwards in the hard, plastic hospital chair at some stage during his nap. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, after all. It hadn't been his original plan. He wonders if Remus or Peter had intended on snoozing, seen as both of them are equally snoring quietly in the waiting room. How they had all slipped into a simultaneous slumber is amusing to Sirius' tired mind.

Sirius clears his throat, yawning a little, before, "Well? How are they? Reg...how is Reggie?" Sirius' voice is sleep ridden and weighed down with sleep.

James' grin doubles in size. "C'mon, c'mon," He says, enthusiasm ringing in his tone. "We want you to be the first to meet him,"

"Me?" Sirius echoes. "Him?" He adds. "Oh...oh my God, it's a boy? A boy? Really? James, a boy?" He seems to liven up at this, his fatigue vanishing somehow. But that does not hinder his tired rambling.

James laughs, his eyes shining. Are those tears in his eyes? Now that Sirius thinks about it, his best friend's cheeks are awfully damp. "Yeah, yeah," He breathes happily. "You have a nephew,"

"Oh God, really?" Sirius asks again.

James rolls his eyes. "I'm not lying to you, mate, m'not having you on," He muses. He tugs Sirius up out of his chair. "C'mon, before I force Regulus to sleep off his labour,"

Sirius grins, cheerily. "You're taking good care of my baby brother then?"

"The best care, Pads," James says, not a hint of teasing or laughter in his voice; only sincerity and that strange new-dad kind of aura.

James leads him down the narrow, brightly lit hospital ward. The two are linked at their arms, their limbs intertwined, two giggling messes. It almost mirrors their drunken nights, the ones where they would stumble blindly and foggily towards their dormitory, drunk on one shared bottle of whiskey. But this, this, is different. Neither of them are drunk, yet they carry that raw, drunk excitement, the kind only whiskey and apparently babies, can produce.

"How did he do? Reggie?" Sirius asks. "Everything's aright, isn't it, Prongs? With him and the baby? Yeah? They're both doing good?" He questions.

James nods, proudly. "They're...they're both perfect, Padfoot," He says. "Reg did so good. He was so good,"

James slowly, carefully, presses open a long, white door. "Regulus? Love? You alright for visitors?" James calls softly, his voice tender and calm.

When Sirius catches a glimpse of his younger brother as he and James enter the room, he can not help but smile. Regulus' hair is a mess, all dishelved and untamed, certain pieces sticking to his forehead via dried in sweat. His cheeks are rosy and flushed, his yellow hospital gown wrinkled, he wears a tired, tired expression. But he looks happy. Regulus looks so exhausted yet so enchanted. His grey eyes are glistening.

And in his arms, cradled ever so delicately, is a tiny, tiny little wriggling newborn with a blue hat and a soft purple blanket wrapped around him.

"Reg," Sirius greets, a smile breaking out across his pale face. "Hi,"

Regulus' face scrunches up into a watery smile. "Hey," He whispers hoarsely, his voice strained with exhaustion. "Come meet your nephew," He beckons softly.

Cautiously, Sirius steps towards the bed. He takes a seat by Regulus' narrow bed, easing himself into the chair. James follows him, sitting in next to Regulus, looking down at his baby boy with a soft, smitten kind of a smile.

Sirius cranes his neck downwards to peer down at the little boy, his breath hitching in his throat as he does so. Staring back up at him, blinking at him, are the largest silver eyes Sirius has ever seen, small tuffs of dark, inky hair sitting atop the newborn's little head.

Instinctively, Sirius reaches out to gently pat the baby's head. "Hi," He stumbles over his words, unexpected emotions taking him over. "Oh," He feels his eyes grow wet. "Hi there," He whispers.

"Pads, meet Atticus Sirius Potter," James says softly, his voice evident of the smile he wears. "We...we wanted you to meet him first so we could contain your theatrics over his name," James' voice turns into a smirk.

Siirus chokes a little at this. He looks up at his brother and his friend, his eyes shining. "Really?" He whispers, tears sliding down his face. "You're giving him my name? Mine?" He feels so child like, so young and so soft around this tiny little boy.

Regulus nods, smiling weakly at his older brother. Before he speaks, he gently adjusts little Atticus in his arms, before softly passing him into the arms of his elder brother. "Mmh," He hums. "We...we thought it sort of fit him," He chuckles tiredly. "He kind of looks like us, don't you think?"

Sirius nods. "He does, he's the stamp of you," He agrees softly.

"Well, we share a face for the most part, don't we?" Regulus snots quietly. He gently rubs a thumb down his son's chubby cheek. "Bit vain of me to think he's handsome, though,"

"I don't mind being vain, so I'll say it," Sirius chuckles. "He's bloody beautiful,"

"He's a stunner, alright," James pipes. "He'll give you both a run for your money," He laughs.

"Well obviously, there isn't a bit of Potter in him," Regulus smirks wildly.

"I thought you liked my face, idiot,"

"I do," Regulus reminds. "But I'm just relieved that he looks like me, considering I'm the one who went through seven hours of childbirth,"

"Love, you almost shattered every single bone in my hand for seven hours, I deserve a smidge of credit," James jokes.

Regulus turns to Sirius with a wide smirk, laughing quietly, before, "Fancy that, eh? You broke his nose and I almost broke his hand,"

"Yeah, yeah, maybe it's me whose getting the bad end of a deal by associating with either of you,"

Sirius laughs, his gaze fixated on his baby nephew. "What are we going to do with the pair of them, eh, little lad?" He muses. "I think it's me whose the unfortunate one. My brother's crazy and my best mate is crazy but at least they're crazy about each other, mmh?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Over 1200 words! Just a little continuation! 💓😊