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The light felt too bright as it shined on James eyes, slightly blinding him. He didn't know where he was or what was happening, but what he did know he had to leave immediately. He pushed himself up, feeling every pain in his body shoot through his system.
A chilling shiver went down his spine, anxiety immediately shooting up inside him as he just now felt every needle, injection, and tube be connected to his body. His breathing hardened as he began pulling at them, feeling each rip from his skin.
The door swung open, revealing a doctor and Nurse who urgently tried to stop James from doing more damage.
"GET OFF ME!" He yelled, pure fear in his body as he tried to rip away from them, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO REGULUS?" His breath was shallow.
"Mr. Potter! You need to calm down!" The old nurse said, trying to restrain him and keep him down.
James didn't stop, he kept going, trying to pull away. The door swung open again, the nurse looking over her shoulder.
"Get out, you can't be here." She tells them in a rush, not wanting whatever breakdown James is currently having to get worse.
James looked up to see short, black curly hair, a hint of a green sweater as the door closed. "Regulus-" he said breathless, "Regulus- WAIT-"
"Put him down." The doctor said, and within an instant James vision went black.
-
When he woke up again that same panic coursed through him. He tried to push himself up like last time, to break free, but he couldn't. He could barely move his arms and legs, feeling a tight weight on his chest. His eyes glanced down, seeing a belt wrapped around his chest. He felt his heart race as blood pumped too quickly in his veins. He quickly looked at his wrist and ankles, also belted to the bed.
"Hey- HEY GET ME OUT!" James shouted, panicking inside.
Regulus? where's Regulus? I need to see him. I need to see if he's ok. I need to see if my Reggie is ok.
The door opens again for the third time since he awoke the first time. A doctor came walking in with a much too calm of a look.
"Get me out. Where's Regulus?" James asked, not daring to beat around the bush.
The doctor sat at the chair closest to the bed with a clipboard in hand.
"Mr. Potter, do you remember what happened to you?"
James stared the man blankly, "Where's Regulus?" He asked again.
It was clear the doctor was going to get tno anders until he told James. The man sighed, "He's fine. He's right outside the door. Haven't left yet along with three other people."
James knitted his brows together.
"Mr. Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew." He tells him.
James just lets out a relieved breath. They're safe, Regulus is safe.
"Now, do you remember what happened?"
James thought for a second, pulling at the restraints which felt too restricting as if stopping him from breathing. "I remember playing hockey with my team. We were against the Slytherin's. We were about to win when everything went dark." James spoke, a headache beginning to overtake every part of his mind.
The doctor nod, watching James struggle on the bed. "You had a terrible head injury due to getting into a fight with someone. Nasty hit."
James gulped, his mouth too dry. His whole body was lined with a layer of sweat as if it became its own layer of clothing. "Can I get out of these now?" James asked desperately, pulling a them again as if they loosened any. Spoiler alert they didn't.
The doctor shook his head, "We don't want you to have another episode like earlier. You pulled out all of the medical equipment out of you." He tells him, flipping through the pages of his clipboard, "You already did some damage to you skin, nothing drastic, but we want to prevent that."
James gave a nod, his fist turning white from squeezing them too much, "Can I see Regulus? My friends?"
The doctor was quiet for a moment, thinking the best way to approach this, "Will you freak out?"
James vigorously shook his head no.
The man stood up from his chair with a sigh, "the moment you freak out-"
"I understand."
The doctor stood for a moment before walking away and opening the door.
The first person to barge in is Sirius. Of course it's Sirius. He had tears welded in his eyes.
"James!!" He practically threw himself on James.
"Sirius, please be careful." Remus mumbled, pulling the boy back slightly.
Sirius whipped his eyes, his stares going to the bondage on James body. "WHY DID THEY TIE YOU UP?! IM GOING TO BEAT SOME FUCKING-"
Peter hopped between Sirius and the door, "No, don't do that. Let's not kill anyone."
"I will! Treating my brother that way!"
"Hes not even your biological brother..." Someone mumbled, too familiar for James.
He whipped his head around and saw him, the boy he's been begging for. Regulus. Looking beautiful and unharmed.
"Regulus..." He mumbled, so softly the others who are still yelling in the room didn't hear.
Regulus did. Regulus heard.
Regulus walked over to James, looking at the tall tan boy over as if examining.
"Are you ok?" James asked, worry in his voice.
Regulus met James mocha eyes. The slightest bit of of a grin rose, "Your in the hospital, strapped into a bed, and your asking me if I'm ok?"
James gave a nod as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Of course."
They stared at each other for a moment as if that was breathing, that if they look away they could perish right then and there.
The silence didn't last long as Sirius, in his usual dramatic ways, pushed Regulus out the way, "Those bastards will NOT lock up my brother like a buck who's gone rampage!!"
Regulus straightened up with an annoyed glare to his eyes, "You just pushed over your actual biological brother."
Sirius waves him off, "Shush, you're not the important one."
"You make that very obvious..." He mumbled, turning to walk away.
James felt his throat close from guilt as he tried to reach for regulus, realizing he still has restraints on.
"I'm going to find this doctor and tell him this is wrong!" Sirius grabbed James hand, giving it a
squeeze before bolting out the door, "WHICH ONE OF YOU BIT-" The door closed before they would hear the rest.
Remus and Peter were now able to get to James without Sirius in the way.
"How are you feeling?" Remus asks, a tilt to his head.
Been better. My whole body hurts like hell." James sighed as he felt his eyes close.
"I imagine so. It was one hell of a fight." Peter piped in.
"What happened exactly? I don't remember how or why Im here." He tells them, his eyes opening and looking between his two friends before looking towards Regulus who's walking back over to the bed. "The only thing the doctor told me that it was a nasty fight, but I don't understand how or why it happened."
Regulus, Remus, and Peter all looked at each other, as if having a conversation among themselves. Finally, Regulus sighs with a nod.
Remus cleared his throat, catching James attention, "You see, we were playing hockey- you knew that part- Peter at our goal, me in the back, you and James charging forward."
"like usual." Peter said.
Remus nod, "You made a score which made the Slytherin captain pissed and started yelling at everyone."
"Mainly me and Crouch." Regulus spoke, picking at his skin, "Saying it was our fault, that we let you score. He then pushed Crouch, which brought Rosier over. Then he pushed me a bit too hard which made me fall on the ice."
"Then after that we saw you skate over immediately and push the Captain, you two start fighting."
Peter spoke, "Sirius joined and it was a brawl between teams-"
"Well, I feel like my team was fighting more against ourselves, you just wanted to join in." Regulus argued.
Peter gave him a snarky look, "Well your team started it-" Remus hit Peter's arm, shutting the short boy up.
"That's not the point right now. The point is we saw you fall and..." Remus met Regulus eyes, "You weren't getting up."
"I was trying to wake you up." Regulus said almost defeated. James knows the boy is blaming himself for what happened.
James reached for Regulus wrist, tried to anyway.
Remus noticed the small action. Remus knows about them, unlike Sirius and Peter.
Peter raised a brow, "Wait are you two?"
Remus bumped his elbow into Peter's side, "Come on, Pete, let's go check on Sirius." He said, tugging the boy's arm.
Peter didn't have time to speak as he was dragged towards the door. "Wait does Sirius know?" Peter asked Remus.
Remus shook his head.
The door closed and it was only them. Regulus took the chair next to the bed and held James hand, fingers interlocked.
It was a soft moment, quiet, something James needed.
Yes, the restraints are still on him and bounding him to the bed. Yes, he's still in major pain. But Regulus is ok, he's next to him, fully alive and breathing. That alone can put a smile on James lips.