A/N: Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! This was written for round 11 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition's fifth season. I, as keeper for the Caerphilly Catapults, was tasked with writing a romantic story set during a spring day. For judging purposes, the final word count for this story is 1014.

Short and Sweet

4 April 1997

Remus Lupin was sitting at the kitchen table, clutching a mug of tea in his hands and listening to the shower stream pelt the ceiling above him. It would go quiet every few minutes, sometimes accompanied by the clunk of a dropped shampoo bottle or a muttered shit of a woman who, presumably, managed to get soap in her eyes again.

Remus chuckled into his tea, a crooked smile playing at his lips as he shook his head. She was something, that woman. She was nearly late to everything, and she managed to trip over her own coattail half of the time, but she was also brave and determined and fiercely kind. Remus couldn't find it in himself to regret inviting her over last night. It had been fantastic, honestly, and it wasn't even that part of the evening that he had enjoyed so much. It had been amazing, yes, but Remus had also loved having the company, loved looking up from his pillow that morning and seeing a pink head of hair sprawled out beside him.

"Good morning!"

Remus flinched out of his thoughts and pulled his eyes upward to take in the woman in front of him. Her hair was pinned back in a twist above her forehead, and she was wearing the beige sweater that Molly had given Remus the previous Christmas. The neckline hung low on her shoulder, and she gave a small wave as she entered the kitchen. Tonks helped herself to the kettle before settling into the seat across from Remus.

"How'd you sleep?" Remus asked once she had taken a cautious sip of her tea.

Tonks raised a brow in Remus' direction, a smirk playing at her lips, before responding.

"Well, the sleeping part was great, but the part leading up to that," she winked at Remus, making the man blush and shake his head, "that part was fantastic."

The man cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. After a moment, he pursued a different tract of conversation. "So what are your plans for today?"

Tonks rolled her eyes but answered nonetheless. "Well, we have another meeting tonight, but I'm free otherwise. What did you have in mind?"

Remus couldn't help but laugh. Tonks was never one for beating around the bush. If she wanted something, she went ahead and put it out there.

He smiled at her and, this time, offered her a wink of his own.

The air smelled of honeysuckle and the impending rain. Remus held Tonks' hand loosely in his as he led her to the top of the hill, and allowed himself a small victory when she didn't pull it away until they reached their destination.

"Wow," she said after a moment, her fingers raking through her hair as she took in the smaller hills around them. There were bushes scattered along the tree line, and dandelions waved from the surrounding grass each time the wind blew. "You're right; this is beautiful."

"It's one of my favorite places in Britain, I think," Remus confessed as he lowered himself to sit on the grass.

"We still probably should have brought a blanket, though," Tonks offered, settling down beside him. "Those corduroys aren't going to appreciate the grass stains come laundry day."

"Psh," Remus laughed. "I've got Molly Weasley on my side. Damn grass stains don't stand a chance." He nudged her shoulder with his own, earning a chuckle and a concession before they lapses into silence.

Darker clouds had begun to creep closer before Remus spoke again, and he was glad to feel that Tonks' hand had once again found its way into his own.

"Thank you for coming out here with me. It's nice to get a break from things, you know?"

Tonks turned to her side a bit to look into Remus' eyes. She offered him a smile and scooted closer.

"Yeah," she said after a moment. "I know."

By the time the clouds were above them, Tonks' head had found its way to Remus's shoulder, and it took but a look between the two for their lips to meet.

Remus lost track of who was leading and who was following. All he knew was that, in that moment, he didn't need anything else in the world. He didn't need world peace and he didn't need a guarantee of safety. He didn't need to know what would happen at the end of this war. Hell, he didn't need to know what would happen tomorrow. In that moment, all Remus Lupin needed was Nymphadora Tonks and the feeling of her hand on his chest as the grass picked at his ankles.

He thought the rain would have started by this point, but it held off even as the two separated and settled back into their loose embrace.

Remus ran his fingers up and down Tonks' arm as she told stories of her time in the Auror Academy and her time at Hogwarts. He knew he wouldn't remember half of the details later, but he listened nonetheless, enjoying the way her voice raised when she was excited and deepened when she was embarrassed. When she finally tapered off and silence reigned once more, Remus swallowed his nervousness and pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head.

"You're pretty amazing; you know that?"

He felt Tonks' head shift in embarrassment before she pressed her face into his neck. She didn't respond, but Remus didn't really need her to. In the back of his mind, he knew this would never work. In a matter of weeks he would snap again. He would lose his humanity once more to a monster that hijacked his body on a monthly basis. He would lose his mind and his self determination, but he was determined not to lose Tonks as well.

No, he would tell Tonks goodbye before then, would stop himself from putting her in that position.

But for now, he would just plant another kiss to her forehead. He would hold her tight and breathe in the scent of the honeysuckles.