I know, I know. I should be writing Resurrection. This Remus/Tonks one-shot songfic popped into my head a few months ago and I just finished writing it last night. Procrastination to the extreme :D
-Stranger
Disclaimer: Although I severely want to, I do not own the lyrics to "Every Time We Touch", nor do I own the Harry Potter universe.
I Want You In My Life
She wasn't quite sure what woke her from a fitful sleep. It was either the bright sunshine streaming through her bedroom window, her throbbing headache (which made her sensitive to site and sound), or the loud rapping at the door to her flat. Rubbing her temples in an effort to cease the pain, she called out a "Just a moment" to whoever was at the door.
Shuffling her pink bunny slippers into the bathroom, Nymphadora Tonks looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was still a mousey shade of brown, and it hung dead around her shoulders. Her eyes were also lackluster and brown; their usual shine had evaporated. The change was such a contrast to Tonks's normal appearance that nobody recognized her without doing a double-take first. She didn't even try to metamorphose anymore; it would be a feeble attempt, and Tonks knew it was pointless.
After brushing her teeth, she headed for the door, stopping at the kitchen first to pour herself a glass of wine. Who cared that it was 11:00 in the morning? She certainly didn't. Upon opening the door, she discovered a certain lycanthrope standing on the other side.
"Oh," Tonks stated. "It's just you…" She made to close the door, but Remus grabbed it with his hand.
"Tonks" Remus blurted, "Please" he added as an afterthought. She stood silent for a moment before widening the gap in the door enough to let him pass through.
"Have a seat…" she mumbled as she plopped down on the couch. Remus sat down on the far end, rubbing his sweaty palms on the front of his pants. Tonks made no move to begin a conversation; she just continued to stare at Remus, her eyes boring holes into him.
His breath hitched in his throat. "Tonks……..we really need to talk about" he gestured his hands between them, "this."
Small tears sprang up at the corners of her eyes. He started to talk, but Tonks cut him off. "Look, before you start on the 'too old, too poor, too dangerous' routine, let me tell you something."
She sighed and placed her wine glass on the table. "Remus, I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me. I still feel your touch in my dreams. Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why. Without you it's hard to survive."
'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling
And every time we kiss, I swear I can fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast?
I want this to last. I need you by my side.
Every time we touch, I feel the static
And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky
Can't you hear my hear beat slow?
I can't let you go. I want you in my life.
"I love you, Remus. Why can't you just accept that?"
"Because I'm 13 years your senior, haven't held a job in over a decade, and oh, I turn into a Ministry recognized beat once a month!"
Tonks looked as if she were about to cry. "Remus we've had this conversation a thousand times before! I don't care that you are older than me; my father is 10 years older than my mother, and he's a muggle, for Merlin's sake! I hold a job as an Auror, which is enough money for the both of us. Stop being a bloody gentleman, Remus, the husband doesn't need to provide for the wife anymore!"
He gave Tonks a few seconds to calm down before he began speaking again. "Look, it's not safe fore me to be with you." He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "The werewolf is the Ministry's most dangerous beat," he pressed a finger to her lips to silence her protest at the word 'beast', "If our relationship ever became public, they would accuse me of scaring you into it. That I would bite you if you didn't 'entertain me' every so often."
Tonks looked appalled at the idea. "Honestly, Remus, the Order would put in a good word for us…Harry would put in a good word for us! Everyone hangs on whatever the 'Boy-Who-Lived' says as if it were the law.
Remus nodded. "Yes, but I believe Harry will be rather occupied, what with Dumbledore's…" he broke off, turning to look out a window.
"Besides," he mumbled, "I wouldn't be able to take care of you. You'd be too busy taking care of me."
Tonks tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. When he didn't respond negatively, she continued. "Remus, you don't have to do anything extra for me. Your arms are my castle; your heart is my sky. They wipe away tears that I cry. The good and the bad times, we've been through them all. You make me rise when I fall."
'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling
And every time we kiss, I swear I can fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast?
I want this to last. I need you by my side.
Every time we touch, I feel the static
And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky
Can't you hear my heart beat slow?
I can't let you go. I want you in my life.
Remus didn't turn around to face her, although she felt him relax ever so slightly. His non-acknowledgement of her confession aggravated Tonks.
"Look, Remus. If you don't love me, then just leave."
"I can't do that…"
"And why not!" she demanded outraged.
He slowly turned around to face her. "Because I do love you. That's the problem." Remus sighed deeply. "I'm hopelessly, wonderfully, and blissfully in love with you."
Tonks smiled happily for a moment before her eyes snapped open dangerously. And although her appearance was (in a word) disheveled, Remus noted that her hair seemed to be a richer color of brown. "Chocolate" he mused before Tonks interrupted his thoughts.
"Then why in Merlin's name have you not done anything about it?" she asked angrily. In his musings, Remus hadn't noticed that she had scooted closer to him on the couch.
"I thought it was a crush; thought myself to be a lecherous old man. When it didn't go away, I…I tried to make it. I distanced myself from you because….I was scared."
Tonks moved closer to him, and Remus couldn't look away. Yes, her hair was a richer, almost auburn color now.
"There's no reason to be scared" she murmured, not breaking eye contact. When she dug her fingernails into his shoulder, he lost all sense of self control.
Leaning forward, Remus pressed his lips gently to hers, almost tentatively. He pulled away after a chaste moment to stare into Tonks's wide eyes. They were a crystal blue. After recovering from her initial shock, Tonks raised a playful eyebrow.
"Really, Remus. By now you should know that I never half-ass things."
She leaned forward into his chest and captured his lips with hers. It was only innocent for a few seconds before Tonks deepened the kiss. Her arms wrapped around Remus's shoulders; fingers playing in the hair at the nape of his neck. Apparently, that was his weak spot because he emitted a low growl and placed a hand at the small of her back. Remus pushed her impossibly closer, and she scooted her legs up underneath her. Tonks was sure she was melting from the inside.
She had never felt like this. Ever. Sure, she had snogged guys before, but this heady feeling had never occurred one single time. No other man had made her inside swirl inside her, or her heart beat in an erratic rhythm.
Soon, Remus's hands had become entangled in her fiery red hair, which Tonks gladly made shorter and pixie-like. His hands started gently stroking her hip bones, running up and down her sides and stopping briefly to linger around her waist before starting back up again. Tonks fought desperately to hold in a moan. A tiny one slipped out, however, and Remus pulled away with an amused twinkle in his amber eyes.
"So was that all-assing it, or not?" he asked, grinning.
"Definitely" she breathed, trying to catch her breath.
Remus glanced up at Tonks's hair and began to chuckle. "Nymphadora, your hair is pink again."
Tonks looked up at a stray hair, not even bothering to correct him with a 'Just call me Tonks'.
"So it is"
"And pink is your happy color, right?"
"Indeed."
Remus looked hesitant for a moment, but he leaned in closer to whisper gently in her ear, "Are you happy?"
She shivered from his closeness, but Tonks was able to pull off a wicked grin. "I could be happier."
Remus hummed contentedly and mumbled something inaudible which, to Tonks, sounded like "Good". As Remus tilted her chin up towards his, her last coherent thought was that McGonagall was right. The world did need a little more love.
'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling
And every time we kiss, I swear I can fly
Can't you feel my heart beat fast?
I want this to last. I need you by my side.