Routine

He lies in bed, reading a book, waiting for her. Always waiting. But he's used to this, has done it many times before. He's exhausted, can't focus on the words in front of him, but he won't turn the light off and close his eyes without her there in bed next to him. He hears the apartment door slam close and knows she's home, and not too happy. But, once again, he's used to this. Knows how to handle it. He hears two muffled thuds and imagines her kicking her shoes off in the kitchen. He hears her padding across the wooden floor to the bedroom, where he waits. He can tell just from listening that she's had a rough day at work, and can predict what lies ahead. They've acted this scene too many times to count, and he is already planning what he will do next. She slowly walks into the room and he can feel the tension coming off of her in waves. She flops down on the bed next to him and buries her face in his arm. He puts his book down and drapes an arm around her slim shoulders, gently rubbing his fingertips across her back.

They sit in silence for a few minutes; the only movement was made by his fingers tracing slow circles on her skin.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he murmurs, dipping his head low towards her ear. He barely feels her shake her head no. They sit in silence for a few more minutes before she suddenly sits up and sits on the edge of the bed, her back facing him. He just stares at her back, waiting, anticipating her next move. She rests her elbows on her thighs and buries her face in her hands, pressing the heel of her palms into her closed eyes. She sits in this position for a moment, takes a deep breath and runs her hand through her hair then heads toward the bathroom and closes the door behind her.

Remus sighs and gets out of the bed and enters the kitchen, knowing exactly what he needs to get. He rummages through the cabinets as he hears her turn on the shower.

Tonks turn the hot water on and breathes in the steam. She gingerly takes her t-shirt off, her sore muscles aching underneath her skin. She pulls her long dark brown hair to the side and glances over her shoulder to take a look in the mirror at her back and takes in a sharp breath. The gash from where the spell hit her is worse than she thought and hurts as bad as it looks. She breathes deeply, closing her eyes, willing up the energy to enter the shower. The instant she closed her eyes, she regretted it. Every time Tonks closed her eyes she saw them lying there. An innocent muggle family, their blank faces staring back up at her. They were a minute too late, and showed up as a Death Eater finished off the family of five. Tonks tried her best to get to him, but the damage had been done. The pair empty eyes boring into her proved a costly distraction, earning her this lovely gash on her shoulder blade.

Tonks finishes undressing and carefully steps into the shower. The water is hot on her skin, but she doesn't care. She lets the water clean the wound and stares at the blood swirling with the water, going down the drain. She remains like that for a while and comes crashing back to reality with a jolt. She turns off the water and wraps herself in a thick towel, and goes back into the bedroom to grab some clothes. As she goes back into the bathroom to change, she catches a quick glimpse of Remus in the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets wearing just a pair of sweatpants. Tonks changes into an old cotton tank top and plaid flannel pajama pants. When she walks back into the bedroom, Remus is setting a steaming mug on the tiny nightstand next to an open first aid kit. He hears her enter the room and turns to face her, offering a tiny smile. He pats the bed and she lies down on her stomach so her back is facing up. Remus sits on the edge of the bed and brushes her hair away from her back so he can see the damage. He works in silence and after a few moments she closes her eyes, melting into his gentle touch on her skin.

He cleans up the gash and then bandages it up with gauze and tape. When he is finished, he runs his fingers though her hair and stares at her for a moment, watching the steady rise and fall of her back. He pulls up a blanket around her and leaves the hot chocolate on the table. He can always make more in the morning. He goes around to the other side of the bed, puts the long-forgotten book aside, 

and turns off the light. He closes his eyes and inches closer to her warm body. She turns on her side carefully and burrows into his lean chest. He lies there, waiting until her breathing slows and gets deeper before finally allowing sleep to overcome him. They've danced this dance hundreds of times before, and Remus knows there are a hundred more to come.

Disclaimer

Anything that is recognizable from any of the Harry Potter books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.