Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…
Waiting rooms had never been a good place for James.
He’d always despised the bright white walls with the old yellow patterns, the small uncomfortable chairs, the disinfectant cleaning solutions stinging your eyes, and the other people waiting.
Sitting in a waiting room was an awkward, uncomfortable and anxious situation.
But this time, it was different.
This time, James wasn’t there because he was sick, he wasn’t there to visit his sick mother, and he wasn’t there to say goodbye to his dying grandfather.
This time James was there because Sunny was sick.
Who’s Sunny?
Sunny is James’ one true love, his soulmate.
They’d grown up together. They'd first met on James’ seventh birthday.
The day had started when his parents entered his room in the morning with a pancake cake and a cardboard box.
What was in this box?
Sunny.
When James had gained the ability to form his own opinions he’d decided that cats were the best animal in the world. And he made sure everyone he met knew this.
But now Sunny was old, she’d been with James since she was a kitten, and now she was a very old lady, sixteen years old.
James knew he wouldn’t be able to live the rest of his life with her, that her next birthday was her last, but that is a whole year away.
James was not going to let her die anytime this year.
“Sunny?”
A white, middle-aged woman walked into the waiting room, wearing orange clothes, and holding a clipboard.
She looked kind, James decided.
“Right here,” he said softly, cradling Sunny in his arms while standing up.
“Hi there,” she greeted James, holding out her hand to shake his. “Hello Sunny!” she smiled brightly, holding out her hand once again to let Sunny sniff it.
“My name is Helen! If you follow me we’re just going to do some tests before the healer comes.”
The nurse, Helen, only weighed Sunny, and took her temperature. She asked some questions about Sunnys latest behaviour which James answered as thoroughly as he could and soon enough he was alone in the room with his tabby cat.
She was a little overweight, but James already knew this, and her temperature was good.
“What is wrong with you, baby?” James whispered to the cat. The past week she’d only slept, she wouldn’t eat and wouldn’t drink. She meowed in response to his question.
Helen had left them in a white sterile room, it was bright, too bright in James’ opinion. It didn’t have a scent, there was a chair in one of the corners and just as James was about to sit down in it the door opened.
“Hello,” came a soft voice from the dark-haired man that just entered the room, he was looking down at a paper, “Sunny, is it?”
“Yeah,”
“I’m terribly sorry about the room, it isn’t my usual exam room. I hate these ones,” the healer mumbled before he finally looked up from the papers in his hands.
“It’s fine,” James whispered.
The man standing in front of James was beautiful, he had curly black hair, piercing grey eyes which at the same time looked kind, pale skin, and full, pink lips. He looked strangely familiar but James couldn’t put his finger on where he’d seen him before.
“You’re Sunny's owner?”
James nodded, finally looking away from the healer's eyes to look at the cat in his lap, “I’m James.”
“Nice to meet you, James. My name is Regulus.”
The exam didn’t take long. The healer, whose name was Regulus, had looked at Sunny and asked questions, the same way the nurse did. But then he’d done other stuff which James didn’t really understand.
“This sounds terribly a lot like the flu, James,” Regulus said softly, “It is easily treated, it can take a couple of weeks but she’ll be okay.”
James let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “That’s- that’s great. I was really worried.”
“Of course, it is never fun when a loved one gets sick,” Regulus said while stroking his hand over Sunnys back, “I’m going to prescribe Sunny some eyedrops and medication, you’ll also need to keep an eye on her dietary habits. If you notice that she doesn’t start eating then you’ll need to bring her in again so that we can help her get the nutrition she needs. I recommend maybe changing her food or helping her eat until she does it herself. Sometimes a little push is all they need.”
Thirty minutes later James was walking home with Sunny’s cage in one hand and a bag of medication in the other, in his pocket was a note with a telephone number on it.
“This is very unprofessional of me and I usually don’t do stuff like this,” Regulus mumbled with a pink blush on his cheeks, holding the little note in his hand, “Call me, if you want to, we could maybe go out for a drink sometime?”
“I’d love to,” James answered with a bright smile.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” James rushed to say as he sat down in the booth in front of Regulus, “I had to drop off Harry at his mother's, but then she wanted to talk and I felt bad and couldn’t tell her I had a date and-”
“James!” Regulus interrupted, “It’s fine, you’re only ten minutes late, no need to stress about it.”
“I feel really bad though,” James grimaced.
“You don’t have to,” Regulus reassured him, “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
“Thank you,” James sighed. This was their fifth date, James had called Regulus the day after their appointment and their first date had taken place that same weekend. The one thing James had been most worried about was how to tell Regulus that he had a son, but Regulus had taken the news well and asked a lot about him. That was almost seven weeks ago, Sunny had recovered well and James and Regulus spoke on the telephone almost every day.
They met for lunch every Wednesday, the first time they’d done that James had realised he didn’t know Regulus’ last name.
“I just realised that we never told each other our last names,” James exclaimed after Regulus had told him about a very cute niffler he’d treated earlier that day named Mr Muffin.
“Oh,” Reguls said uncomfortable, “I don’t really have any contact with my family anymore, so I usually avoid telling people my last name.”
“Ah,” James breathed, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I don’t want to make you-”
“No. No, it’s fine, it’s Black.” Regulus responded, “Regulus Black.”
“Black?” James felt the panic rise in his chest.
Regulus frowned, “Yes. I know that they’re bad people, awful people. But I don’t agree with them and I definitely don’t speak to them anymore. I left them the second I turned seventeen.”
“You’re Sirius’ brother.” The realisation hit James like a train. That’s where he recognised him from. Regulus was Sirius's brother.
“You know Sirius?”
“He’s my best mate,” James whispered.
“Oh,” Regulus' face fell, “I- I understand if you don’t want to meet anymore. You’ve probably heard stuff about me, stuff I’m not very proud of.”
“No! No, it’s not that. I just- I didn’t realise. I have no idea how I didn’t recognise you, Sirius used to talk about you all the time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah!” James was scared and nervous, but he also felt excited, “He used to tell us about his adorable baby brother who always did everything to please everyone else. He was heartbroken when he ran away, didn’t want to leave you there alone.”
“He said that?” Regulus whispered, looking unsure.
“Yes! He was so sad when he came back to Hogwarts our second year and told us that you’d be going to Beauxbatons. He used to talk about how he didn’t think you actually agreed with your parents-”
“James,” Regulus interrupted, “I- I did agree with my parents.”
“What?”
“I was- young, and stupid. When I was a child I looked up to them so much. I trusted every word they said, and when I went to school I… I made the wrong friends. I was horrible.” Regulus explained, “It wasn’t until Sirius left that I actually started to question the things I knew.”
“Oh,”
Regulus looked embarrassed as he continued to explain,” I started researching pureblood ideology, and magic and all that stuff. I made new friends, whom I love and adore. We got a flat together after we graduated. And I… I really regret some of the stuff I’ve said.”
“Regulus… That’s all in the past. The important thing is that you realised your wrongs. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but you’re good. You are a good person.”
“Thank you.”
“And I just realised I have to tell my best mate that I’m dating his brother.”
“How is Harry?” Regulus asked kindly, sipping from his glass of whiskey.
“He’s great! He loved the stuffed lion you got for him,” James smiled, “Although, he won’t stop asking questions about who got it for him.”
“Gods,” Regulus sighed with a happy smile, “I would love to meet him, I really would. But it feels a little early, doesn’t it?”
James reached across the table and grabbed his hand, “Just tell me when you feel ready to meet him and we’ll schedule it.”
“Mhmm, that sounds good.”
“Great,” James grinned, “How are things going with Sirius?”
Regulus scoffed, “He’s so bloody dramatic!”
James laughed, “I think it runs in the family.”
“Excuse me,” Regulus gasped, “I am not dramatic.”
“Yes, you are!”
“I’m not the one who screamed that this,” Regulus pointed between himself and James, “Is incest.”
“No,” James sipped his beer, “But you’re so mysterious and gloomy,” he teased.
“That’s because I’m French,” Regulus pouted.
James laughed.
“Do you think Harry would like me?” Regulus mumbled, twirling his fingers in James’ chest hair.
“Are you really thinking about my son after we’ve just had sex?” James frowned.
“Sorry,” Regulus groaned, turning onto his back and covering his face with his hands, “I- I just, I think I’m ready to meet him.”
James sat up quickly, “Really?”
“Yeah,” Regulus sighed.
“But earlier tonight you said it was still too early,”
“Yes, but that’s because- I mean, what are we supposed to tell him?”
“That depends on what you want to tell him,” James whispered, leaning over the other man.
“I just-” Regulus stroked his hand through James’ hair, “We’ve been dating for almost two months now. And, I really like you, James.”
“I really like you too,”
“Then… maybe, we should make it official?”
“Official?” James mumbled, leaning further down so that their noses were almost touching.
“Yeah,” Regulus breathed, “Official.”
“Regulus Arcturus Black,” James whispered, “I’ll gladly be your boyfriend if you’ll be mine?”
“I’m yours,” Regulus sighed and their lips met in a soft kiss.