Who: James Alderton and Sirius Prewett Where: Sirius' Office, then James' Office When: Morning, Day 6 What: Sirius comes to see James about his face. Rating: PG-13 Status: Complete
Sirius: It had been three days since Sirius had been bitten by Arcturus, and two days since he'd seen the resident doctor here at the Sanctuary. But things had been busy, and he really hadn't had much time.. Right now, for instance, he was sitting at his desk in his office, doing paperwork. That was what his life seemed to consist of these days. Paperwork, arguing, and fighting. The Auror let out a slow breath as he flipped another page up and began working on it. But when he head a knock on his door, he lifted his head and glanced at it, silent for a moment.. before finally speaking up.
"Come in." As he said the words, the door unlocked and swung open. Magic, didn't you love it?
James: Sirius had been thinking about going to see the healer for the past two days, but he hadn't gotten around to it. And James had been patient - he'd waited, he had given him the opportunity to come, but his instructions had also been clear. Sirius was to see him every morning and every evening, and he'd missed four visits. Five, if you counted the one this morning. So it was him who knocked on the door and when it opened, the doctor was moving inside, standing straight and looking all five foot seven inches tall that he was, dressed properly in a white button down dress shirt and a pair of clean, pressed black slacks. No tie, however. And since it was the beginning of the day, his cuffs were buttoned properly at his wrists... if he got into any work, however, they would be rolled up to his elbows by the end of the afternoon.
"Mr. Prewett." He cleared his throat some and came into the room further, lifting his brows. "You've been avoiding seeing me."
Sirius: Sirius lifted his chin some when he saw who his guest was, and slowly set his quill back into the ink and stood up, then tucked his chair in under the desk. The door closed behind the healer with a soft click, and the Auror was slowly coming around his large, lavish desk, so that he could stand not five feet from the Doctor, slowly taking in the way he was dressed, before looking up at his face once more.
"My title is actually Auror, not Mister." Reminded calmly, as he smoothed one hand down the front of his robes. "They seem to be healing quite well." The younger man assured, though he honestly hadn't looked at them. They hurt, and he had done his best to ignore it. It hadn't been the smartest thing he'd ever done, because now he was quite sure they would be getting infected, and he didn't want to admit he'd been stupid to not see the doctor.
James: "Auror Prewett." Corrected in a soft tone, and he inclined his head just slightly in a show of his own mistake, before he lifted those blue eyes back up to Sirius' face, staring at the side of his face where he knew that wound was still open, still unhealed and now, probably festering. It wasn't life threatening, which was why James had allowed him to skip those two days... he might learn a lesson if he had to deal with an infection on a wound that couldn't be healed properly regardless, things like that could be very messy and very painful. But he wouldn't allow it to get too out of hand, and that was why he was here now.
"As much as I would love to take your word on it, you've already shown me that you're bound to not take this as seriously as you should, so I'm going to have to insist that you take off the concealing charm you've put up so I can have a look at it myself."
Sirius: Sirius watched James for a long moment, before he nodded, just once, and lifted one of those gloved hands to wave across his face and reveal the wound along his jaw and cheek. It was red, and a little swollen looking. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, because he had washed that area each night, very carefully. But he'd refused to take the charm off to actually look at it. It hurt quite a bit. But blue eyes remained locked onto blue, not quite in a challenging way, but more just to let the doctor know who was boss. The Auror was, Healer.. remember that.
James: James could have cared less how Sirius looked at him, when he was working there wasn't anyone in more of a position of power than he was, so far as he was concerned. He was a very good healer, one of the best, and the only reason he was in a place like this was because he'd been coerced with the promise of werewolves and vampires and the wounds that would come along with creatures like those -- James was very curious when it came to wounds created by mythical creatures, especially wounds that cursed. Just like the one on Sirius' jaw.
Regardless, that gaze did nothing to keep James from moving right forward and stopping just a foot in front of Sirius, chin lifting up as he leaned in to have a better look, one hand moving to over over the swollen, bruised and still open wounds. It was amazing, really, that Arcturus had been able to do that much damage out of transformation before Sirius had been able to get him off of him. "When I tell you to come and see me, there's a reason for it. I'm not trying to hold your hand, I'm trying to fix your face." That was said simply and he stepped back with a small sigh. Of course, everyone always thought they knew better, didn't they?
Sirius: Sirius chose not to respond to that. Instead, he simply stood there and locked his eyes onto the wall opposite him. The long scar that ran down over his eye, and into the new injury on his face, was testament enough that he didn't always care for things the way he should have. But James would know, just from looking at the other scar, that it was from a werewolf, as well. Seemed that the young Auror had his fair share of run ins with a number of werewolves. It wasn't that surprising, though. The werewolves had been running wild all during the war. It had been quite dangerous.
But finally, he was speaking up. "I wasn't avoiding you, Doctor, I was simply busy, as I am now." Always busy. And when he wasn't busy? He found things to do. He hated sitting idle. Having nothing to do meant that he would sit and think. He hated thinking.
James: It was quite obvious by the scar already on his face that Sirius had a cursed wound before this one, and judging by the jagged mark and the pattern of the line there, yes, James could certainly guess that it'd been a Werewolf. He didn't now Sirius' history with werewolves, nor would he ask about the wound on his face, but he certainly didn't seem to have any luck with the creatures, did he?
"You aren't going to be too busy to see me tonight, or in the morning.. or in the evenings or mornings following, for the next week." That wasn't a question, it wasn't a suggestion, it was a statement of fact. James was telling him what to do, and the tone he carried was authoritative, one that was used to being listened to. He was used to people listening to him.. he was a doctor, after all.
Sirius: No, he certainly didn't. He seemed to have very bad luck with them, in fact. And he was letting out a slow breath while the Doctor told him what he'd be doing for his mornings and evenings over the next week. "I can't tonight, it's the full moon, I'll be busy getting the werewolves into safe places so that you don't end up looking like me. I won't be done until long after you've completed your shift for the day. And he certainly wasn't going to ask James to see him during the times that he technically wasn't supposed to be working. He was there for emergencies, not for things like this. He could wait.
James: "My shift, Auror Prewett, is twenty four hours." His brows lifted and he was lifting his hand again, this time those fingers would extend out and touch the middle of the wound, pressing in painfully into the swollen area to see if it was in fact festering underneath. "So when you're through locking up all of the animals for the night, you'll come and see me." He kept his eyes on the wound, poking around a bit more. "It's not a request."
Sirius: The Auror clenched his teeth when the Doctor began poking at his wound, eyes narrowing down in pain while his breath came out between those clenched teeth. It hurt. Clearly. But he wasn't interested in showing any pain right now, not if he could help it. Though, the more those fingers poked, the harder it was to keep himself from making any noise or from reaching up to grab that hand. He'd last a good like while, but when the Healer hit a particularly sensitive spot along his jaw, that gloved hand snapped up, gripping painfully hard onto the Doctor's wrist, pushing bones together. And blue found blue again as his head turned. "Enough. Yes, it hurts. Yes, I'll come see you. You don't have to make your point any longer." Because that was what he was assuming James was doing-- reminding him that it hurt.
James: Sirius really ought to try looking at the world through a less vindictive person's eyes every once in a while. When he snapped that hand up and took hold of James' wrist, the Doctor took an immediate half step back, eyes looking at the fingers wrapped around his wrist before turning to stare at Sirius, the small twisting expression of pain finding its way onto his face. He was a very strong man.. that hurt quite a bit. A lot. "I'm making no point." His eyes narrowed just some at the accusation, if that's what you could call it. "If you would prefer, I could allow the infection to grow a little more into the side of your face and instead of having a scar, you'll have a piece of your jaw missing. A concealment charm won't cover that up. Now, please release my wrist, Auror. You're hurting me."
Sirius: The Auror stared another few seconds, then abruptly released his wrist and turned away, walking a few steps from the Doctor and towards his desk again, looking down at the items there as if they were the most interesting things in the world. Only after a few seconds did he turn and regard James again. "I apologize. I didn't mean to cause you any harm." He'd gripped hard because James had been hurting him, and he had been quite sure it was on purpose, to prove a point. But it seemed like he'd been wrong. That happened a lot.
James: Not everyone tried to pry reactions painfully out of people like Sirius did, especially not innocent, adorable short Doctors. James lowered his unhurt hand down to heal the bruise that was already forming on the bones in his wrist, taking only a few seconds to do so before the pain subsided and he was stepping after Sirius, lifting his chin with teh apology. "Thankfully it can be very difficult to case someone like me any amount of pain for any prolonged period of time." Because he would just heal himself. "I'm going to need to clean that out by hand." Unfortunately, he couldn't just heal it with magic, because cursed wounds were very tricky, and you had to be careful when dealing with them. "That isn't going to be very comfortable for you."
Sirius: The smaller ones on his chest would need some attention, as well. But they could wait until his face was taken care of, and Sirius was nodding slowly. "Alright. Whatever you think is best." Had he really just said that? Well, he knew he was no healer, and it did hurt, he wanted it taken care of.. Really, he just wanted it gone. The pain, the injury, the scar. All of it. But he could cover up the remnants later. Right now, the Doctor wanted to clean it out by hand. Of course. Lovely. "Here?" Sirius did, after all, have a bathroom.
James: "I'm afraid here isn't suitable." James shook his head once, and then took a step back. "I trust that you can find your way up to my office in another ten minutes?" His brows lifted, and he would actually stand there adn wait for a response to the question that certainly seemed like it was rhetorical.
Sirius: Sirius let out a slow breath... then nodded. "Yes, Doctor." Look at that, James, you'd tamed the pissy, prissy Auror. For now, anyway. He likely wouldn't be so nice all the time. But he realized you were trying to help him and he would help you help him.
James: "Good." He nodded then, and would turn on his heel to leave Sirius' office. And when the Auror made his way to James' office, he would find that the door was open and when he pushed it in he'd see that James had cleared a spot for him on an infirmary bed (he'd wheeled it in from the patient-seeing rooms into his own personal office), and had a tray of sharp looking metal tools sitting next to it. Those didn't seem pleasant.
Sirius: No, they certainly didn't. And Sirius allowed his eyes to linger on them for a moment before coming closer, closing the door behind him as he did. Then he turned to look at the bed, and again at the Doctor. "Do you even know how to use those?"
James: Well, if Sirius was aiming to insult the Doctor, he was certainly getting a good jump on it. James' brows lifted up with the question and his arms followed suit, crossing over his chest slowly. "Pardon me?"
Sirius: "Muggle tools, I meant." Yes, the pure-blood knew what they were. Look at that. "I don't know any healers who know how to use muggle tools." He wasn't really trying to insult him.. Sirius didn't have to try, he just did it. It was a talent.
James: "Yes, I know how to use them." James was muggle born, and he had always wanted to be a doctor growing up - his fascination with surgical tools and surgeries hadn't ended when he'd learned he was a wizard and had a talent for healing with his hands by using magic. "You're very good at what you do, Auror, so I won't question it. I'm the best at what I do and I hope you give me the same curtousey. Lie down on your back."
Sirius: He lowered his eyes to the tools again.. but then was shifting up onto the bed and turning to lay on his back and stare up at the ceiling. "You're very confident." It was an off-handed comment, from the Auror, who was also very confident.
James: They would make quite an arrogant pair, wouldn't they? James wasn't nearly so assertive hwen he wasn't in his element, however. "Confidence is a good quality in a doctor." Assured, and when Sirius finally laid on his back James was moving to sand beside him, reaching down for a small scalpel. Yes, Sirius, he was going to cut the skin right off of your face -- but he was also going to keep that werewolf saliva from eating out the inside of your cheek. "I'm afraid I can't numb the area, this is going to be very painful."
Sirius: "What do you mean you can't numb the area?" Sirius jerked away a little when James came at him with that knife. What was he planning to do with that thing? "You're not seriously going to cut the skin off my face and not give me any sort of numbing agent, are you?"
James: "I mean," When Sirius shifted, James was lifting his hand and straps were appearing on the bed beside Sirius, wrapping up and around his chest and arms, then his thighs and shins, strapping him down firmly to the table. "That you have an infected, cursed wound. I won't be able to numb it."
Sirius: Oh, James. Bad, bad idea. The Auror jerked immediately when he was strapped down and wider blue eyes lifted instantly to the Doctor, focusing hard and cold on his face. "Let me go. Now. Take these off. Now." Oh, you'd better listen James. You had no idea how dangerous of a man you were dealing with, and you had him strapped to your table and frightened.
James: He straightened up when Sirius jerked, fingers tightening around the scalpel as he stared down at him. He wasn't trying to frighten him, he assumed that Sirius would understand that the restraints were necessary, as was the action he was about to perform on his face. He didn't remove the restraints, but didn't lean in to progress any further, either, only stared back down at him. "They're for my own safety and yours, Auror."
Sirius: "I swear to Merlin, I will crucio you until you do." That was angrily demanded, as he jerked again. Of course, James could plainly see he had no wand, and knew that the Auror would be doing no such thing.. but he had seen that mark on his arm last time, hadn't he? It was likely he had at least some practice doing it. But he wouldn't, and they both knew it. "Let me go. Let me up." He didn't want to be strapped down anywhere. Ever.
James: Yes, he had seen that mark on his arm. He'd seen the names on his chest, too, and he wouldn't ask about any of it. Those were too personal. But when he was threatened, James took another step back and his brows furrowed, reaching to set the scalpel down. "You should to everyone a favor and calm down, Auror." Insisted again, and even though he didn't have a wand and James didn't think he would do it even if he did, he wasn't going to unstrap him directly after a threat like that.
Sirius: "Let me up!" This time it was shouted and he was jerking harder against the restraints. But James knew they'd hold him. They were designed to hold anything. He wouldn't be breaking them any time soon. But he was just getting more worked up the longer he stayed strapped down. He would, of course, eventually have to calm himself..
James: Had the doctor known he would get this sort of response from using those straps without any warning, he wouldn't have done it. But it was done now, and he wasn't going to remove them until Sirius had calmed himself down. He also wasn't going to move within three feet of that table until he did, either. "I'll let you up when you've calmed down." Stated again, blue eyes staring down at the man on the table, brows knitted some. his head was lifted like that. He wasn't going to change back, so you could strap him down again like that.
---Middle portion missing.---
Sirius: "And I cannot stress the importance of you not ever, ever doing that to me again." His voice was sharper this time as it belied a bit of his emotion. Calm down, Prewett. He smoothed his hands along his robes. James: "I apologize. I didn't realize it would frighten you, but it doesn't change the facts." He needed to cut up his face and clean it out.
Sirius: "I wasn't frightened." That was said more quickly, before he let out a slow breath. "I just don't like being tied down against my will."
James: "I doubt that you have the sort of self control it takes to lie there and allow me to do what I need to do. The restraints are necessary, Prewett."
Sirius: "I have plenty of self control, Doctor. What I don't have, is a tollerance for people strapping me down like I'm some sort of wild animal. Now, if you feel the need to restrain my wrists, I am perfectly capable of accepting that but I will not and cannot allow you to restrict all forms of my movement." Well then.
James: James shifted some when Sirius took that tone, straightening up after a moment, though his hands had moved down to unbutton the cuffs at the wrists of his sleeves. "I'm going to need to strap over your forehead and your chest. As much self control as you may have, I can't have you moving while I do this."
Sirius: "That will be acceptable." He could understand that, having to strap his chest and forehead down. But he hadn't liked just being hauled down like that, just being restrained all of the sudden. He needed warning, he needed to discuss it, and he was slowly coming back to the table.
James: James turned to allow Sirius to pass him on the way back to the table, watching him as he lowered back down into a seat on it. "Alright." Said in a quieter tone, exhaling slowly. That definitely hadn't been something that happened every day, and it had startled him.. James had handled himself remarkably well, though.
Sirius: He had. He hadn't run screaming from the room. Sirius was vaguely impressed. And once he was back up on the table.. then slowly lowering onto his back, blue eyes focused on James once again. "Let's try this at a more sedate pace." Don't just snap them on him, one at a time would be appreciated, Doctor. He was already tense, just thinking about it.
James: When Sirius lowered down onto his back again, James was moving to stand beside the bed again, lifting his hands up to hover them over the older man's chest. "Of course." Agreed softly from the healer, and with a small movement of his wrist, a strap was moving up and sliding slowly over Sirius' forehead, before securing itself down on the other side of his head, pressing the back of it down securely against the mattress. A moment later, a similar but longer strap was snaking out and over the top of Sirius' chest, moving slowly over before it latched down on the opposite side as well, and James was lifting his hands to reach back for that scalpel again. "Are you ready?"
Sirius: His hands had been left free, but Sirius would say nothing of it. He was thankful for it and they clenched down at his sides. "Yes." He assured quietly, those blue eyes finally sliding shut. He'd gone through worse before... but he hadn't had to sit still for it and let it happen.
James: Yes, his hands had been left free. James was counting on Sirius not reaching up to try to stop him. The doctor exhaled slowly before leaning over the Auror, reaching back with his free hand to tug a small stool with four wheels at the bottom so he could sit at his level, and he was reaching forward with the scalpel to slowly press it against the edge of the wound. "Careful of your tongue." Advised softly, before he was pressing the blade into his skin and began to cut in a very careful, very precise manner around the edge of the large wound.
Sirius: Sirius let out a sudden rush of breath through his nose when he felt the blade press into his skin, cutting through it like a hot knife through butter, and he was thankful for how sharp it was. His hands clenched down hard, but he managed to hold himself mostly still, except for the way the muscles in his neck tensed. It hurt. A lot.
James: James' hand moved quickly, with practiced skill and he finished around the wound in just a few seconds, though it would seem like much longer to Sirius. When he had finished, he was setting the scalpel down and reaching instead for a long, circular scraping tool that had a smooth, very sharp blade along hte edge of the circle at the end, and he began to use it to peel up the skin and pull it carefully away from his face. Most of the skin was dead or infected, and came up easily, but some patches would hurt. A lot.
Sirius: Blue eyes shut tightly and he jerked a little, pushing the bottoms of those expensive shoes onto the matress pad beneath him and his hands moved to grip at the sides of his bed. Instinctively, he tried to turn his head away, but he was strapped down, and it was a very good things.
James: It would be another full minute before James was finished with that scraping tool and he stood back, a good deal of Sirius' skin now resting in a tin container next to the set of tools, and he was exhaling slowly. This part was going to hurt a lot worse than anything he'd just done. The healer reached for a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, unscrewing the white top off of the brown bottle and he brought it forward to hover over Sirius' face. "Close your eyes." Warned softly, before he was pouring a generous amount of the liquid straight into the exposed flesh, and then set it down, before reaching forward to press both of his hand down into Sirius' arms, a surprising amount of muscle holding him down, because that would give Sirius a real reason to thrash.
Sirius: It did give him a reason to thrash, and James was a saint for holding his arms down, because the Auror shouted shortly, before gritting his teeth hard and jerking his body and his arms. James kept him in place (surprisingly) and Sirius thrashed around for a good thirty seconds before the fizzing stopped and he could just pant and shiver just some as his muscles came down off of the tenseness they'd been holding seconds earlier.
James: When Sirius finally stopped jerking around, the doctor kept his hands there on his biceps, continuing to press him down against the bed. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Asked after a moment, an actual hint of a smile in his voice. How could he smile after that? Well, he wasn't actually smiling, it would just be something the Auror heard, but...
Sirius: He laid still and silent for another few moments, before slowly opening his eyes and looking up at the man above him.. and he let out a slow breath. "Not now that it's over." He agreed quietly, before letting those blue eyes shut again.
James: He leaned forward and squinted some as he looked over the much cleaner, though now slightly deeper wound, and after a moment he made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat and was straightening up slowly, finally releasing the Auror's arms as he took a step back, waving a hand to release the restraints holding him down. "I'll be able to bandage it without actually using any cloth, so you'll be able to keep up your appearances." James could bandage with magic, all on it's own.. it really was a rather neat trick.
Sirius: Sirius nodded silently and was slowly sitting up, a hand lifting to, but not touching the would. And don't forget, Doctor... you still had a few little scrapes on his chest that would need looking after, though they were smaller, and had been better washed out, so weren't nearly as bad as the one on his face, just a little red and sore.
James: James was moving to take his instruments over to the sink, setting them in the bottom before turning to look over at Sirius again, and came back towards him. "Shirt off now, please." He hadn't forgotten about the wounds there, and would insist on checking on them.
Sirius: He sat there a long second, then lifted his hands towards his robes. "Lock the door, please." Even as he was undoing the buttons and shrugging off his robes, then his suit coat, then his vest, then his dress shirt, and pulling his undershirt off and over his head. It revealed the two scratches down his chest and the five names carved in.
James: When Sirius requested that the door be shut, James moved past him and did it manually, twisting the deadbolt into the door before turning to face Sirius again, approaching as he pulled the shirt off. His eyes lowered down to look at the names on his pectorals, before looking at the actual wounds there. "These look much better." Assessed softly, though he took the opportunity to reach out and brush a finger over the first puncture, then the second.
Sirius: He let out a slow breath when he did that, but they really didn't hurt much, in comparison to his jaw. And he lowered his head to look down at them, inspecting the words written there as he did. It made his eyes shut slowly. Every time he looked at them, he felt guilty.
James: He didn't actually do anything that had to do with healing, only brushed his fingers over the wounds once more, eyes lingering down on his chest a few long seconds before he was lifting them up to Sirius' face again, and he slowly took a step back. "You did a better job with those." Commended softly, with a little nod.
Sirius: "I'll do better this time." With his face, he meant. And he nodded his head a little, lifting his hand to touch at the words there, before he lowered it away and reached for his undershirt, to shake it out, then get it ready to put back on.
James: James turned to begin cleaning up the tools in the sink, turning the hot water on with a slowly exhaled breath. He hadn't had any reason to touch him the way he had, he hadn't needed to, not the second time, and it was why he was focusing so intently down on the tools in the sink instead of looking back at the Auror. "Good. And you'll come see me again tonight."
Sirius: "I'll come see you again tonight." He assured quietly, tugging the shirt on over his head, but then he was looking at the pale mark there on his arm, staring for a few seconds before he looked back up. "I wouldn't have hurt you."
James: Sirius had to know that James had seen the mark on his arm this time, if he hadn't noticed that he had seen it the time before, with how close he'd been. But he wouldn't say anything about it. He could respect his privacy, and it wasn't any of his business. After a moment, he turned off the water and turned to face the Auror again. "It didn't hurt very long." Assured.
Sirius: "I meant I wouldn't have.. used a spell on you. Or bitten you." He lifted his eyes to lock them onto the older man, blue on blue.
James: "I knew you weren't going to curse me." Assured. But it had been quite obvious that he was worried about him, in that wolf form.
Sirius: "I'm very in control of myself, when I'm in my animagus form." It was a soft promise, and he lifted that hand to touch at his now-covered chest again.
James: "So you were growling at me on purpose, then." His brows lifted, but after a few seconds a slight smile appeared on his face. He was kidding.
Sirius: The Auror lifted his chin and looked a little flustered at first, but then cleared his throat. "Yes, I was. I didn't want you coming near me."
James: "It worked." Assured quietly, and he was moving to pull a white rag off of the counter, to dry his hands off, and then he was coming forward towards Sirius and clearing his throat. "Hold still." Said, as he lifted his hand up towards the wound, and the Auror would feel a tingling sensation, as an invisible, magical bandage began to weave itself over the wound on his face.
Sirius: Sirius kept blue eyes locked onto the Healer as he settled that bandage there onto his face, not moving them even after the other man was done. But shortly after, he did lower those eyes, down to James' hand.. oddly enough, to look for a wedding ring. "Thank you."
James: He wouldn't find a ring on his finger, not on any of his fingers, actually. James didn't wear any jewelry at all. "You're welcome." He lowered his right hand away from his face and then took a half step back. "Don't make me come retrieve you again tonight."
Sirius: "I'll do my best to come and find you at a reasonable hour, but I do have things to attend to tonight." It was the full moon, something James knew full well. He'd have battered men to deal with tomorrow.
James: "I hope your best has a good track record, then. Because I won't be pleased if I have to come get you at an unreasonable hour." His brows lifted, and it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not.
Sirius: "If I accidentally forget, I'll leave my bedroom door unlocked." Of course, if he rememebred to leave his door unlocked, it meant he rememebred that he was supposed to go see the doctor, which meant he hadn't accidentally forgotten at all-- but rather forgotten on purpose.. or decided not to go.
James: "If you forget, you'll leave your door unlocked?" His brows lifted then, and he stepped forward again, still a couple feet off from the Auror though. "That makes absolutely no sense at all."
Sirius: His lips quirked up. Just some. He'd been teasing you, Doctor. "I'll do my best to remember to come and see you, though I can't promise anything." Sirius: (SLOW)
James: "You won't forget, so if you don't come and see me, I might be offended." Informed, and he glanced down between them a moment before clearing his throat and looking back up to the Auror's face. "Don't forget."
Sirius: "I'll do my best." He promised quietly again, before tugging back on his button-up shirt, then he slid off the table to tuck his shirt into his pants, then tug the vest on. "Did you never marry, Doctor?"
James: James was a little surprised with the question, he hadn't taken Sirius for the sort of man who cared to ask about the personal aspect's of another person's life, especially not a co-worker. So he was quiet a moment, before shaking his head. "I never had time to marry, no."
Sirius: The long pause was something Sirius took as resistance, so he only nodded for the answer, then turned to pull on his suit coat, instead of talking anymore on the subject, as it obviously wasn't welcome. "Thank you, for your attentions."
James: James watched as the Auror pulled on the coat, hands smoothing over the base of his own shirt before moving to lean back against the bed, lowering down to sit on the end. "Did you marry, Auror?"
Sirius: Sirius paused and looked back at him.. then nodded once. Slowly. "I did. Ten years ago, when I was eighteen.. she died, the last year of the war, along with our unborn son."
James: When Sirius gave his answer, James wished that he hadn't asked. She'd died, with his unborn son? That didn't seem like good conversation topic. He only stared a moment before nodding slowly, and glancing down. "I'm sorry, about your loss."
Sirius: "I am, also." He smoothed his hands down over his suit, then began pulling his robes on carefully, letting out a slow breath. Go ahead, James, ask their names.
James: James wouldn't ask thier names, he didn't have an intrusive personality, especially when he didn't know the person. And he didn't know anything at all about Sirius. Instead, he glanced down, clearly a little uncomfortable after hearing that bit of news. Sirius probably got that a lot, when he revealed that about himself.. especially if he did it so bluntly, when he did.
Sirius: And when the silence hung between them again, Sirius just nodded once, and turned to go. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It hadn't been his intention.
James: "It's fine." James assured, looking up at him again when he turned to leave again. "I just.. I don't want to pry."
Sirius: "You're not prying." He assured him calmly, as he turned to look back at him. "It was a long time ago." It was, but he still carried the scars... literally.
James: "Well. A lot of people carry wounds from the war." James didn't, his family were all muggles, and the only scars he carried were the ones of the people he hadn't been able to save -- there were a few of those. But he didn't let those things linger in his mind. But since Sirius had said he wasn't prying... "What was your wife's name?"
Sirius: "Her name was Natalie.. our son was Aiden." He turned around to face him fully and let his hand move away from the door handle and fall again at his side. "She was eight months, and two weeks pregnant."
James: Natalie and Aiden. Both of those names were on one of his pectorals, James had read them, but he wouldn't dare bring up that question. That was obviously something that he didn't need to be bringing up. "Do you mind me asking how it happened?"
Sirius: "She was at home, with my sister, and my three nephews.. and the Death Eaters managed to get inside the house. They killed all of them, except my sister, and the only reason she lived was because they left her to die instead of finshing the job." Well.
James: Again, he shouldn't have asked. James glanced down and his brows furrowed, fingers moving down to curl into the bed sheets. That was.. well. It was a lot of baggage. "I'm sorry. I'm prying, I shouldn't have asked."
Sirius: "No, it's fine." He let out a slow breath, and turned to face the door again. The other three names? All boy's names. Three boys names. His three nephews.
James: James certainly wasn't going to ask about the other names on his chest. "I'll see you tonight, Sirius." He hadn't called him anything other than his title or his last name, and he'd only used only his last name once -- this seemed an appropriate time to use his first name, though.
Sirius: It took a few seconds, but he nodded, then was tugging the door open. "Thank you, James." And with that, he was quietly leaving.