It was early in the morning, especially for a Sunday with no missions or meetings scheduled. But as usual these days Remus couldn't sleep. He was now in the kitchen with a cup of tea in his hand and a tray of cookies ready to go into the oven. Baking cookies was something he used to do with his mom as a child when he was upset, and still to that day he found comfort in it.
He had just put the tray in the oven when he heard a thud followed by some cursing coming from the hallway. It could only be her, and just the though made him smile warmly.
"For Merlin's beard! Remus, what are you doing down here so early? You scared me!" she was grabbing at the door and by her expression she really had a scare.
"Good morning to you too, Nymphadora," he said with a smirk, stressing that last word.
"You're lucky I'm yet too asleep to even answer to that." she had just woken up with Buckbeak's screeching.
"Want some tea to help you wake up?" he was now sipping from his own cup trying to hide his smile.
"Please" she yawned.
While he was busy with the kettle, Tonks came to stand beside him and then she noticed the oven was on.
"Remus, are you really baking cookies this early?"
"Well, I couldn't stay in bed any longer and when I got here I thought it would be nice to have something sweet for breakfast. And the only thing I can bake is cookies, so…" he spoke quickly as he wasn't in the mood to tell her about his sleepless night.
"They look so good! I hope you baked enough for me too, I'll even help cleaning up if you want." she could feel there was something he wasn't telling her, but preferred not to push.
"I don't think it's a good idea to let the clumsiest person in this house do anything while she's still half asleep" he joked.
Tonks opened her eyes wide and gave him a playful punch on the arm. She really loved this dynamic they had fallen into, with all the jokes and the teasing… And the flirting… oh, please, control yourself, Tonks...
"You should not hit an old man" he whined while touching his arm, as if it had really hurt.
And suddenly his face and hair were covered in flour. After the comment he made, Tonks just couldn't help it and threw him a handful of flour. She burst into laughing, holding at her sides— Remus's surprised face covered in flour was priceless.
"Oh, you are in trouble now, Tonks. If I were you, I would run." he said while trying to brush the flour off his face.
"Remus Lupin, don't you dare."
He raised his eyebrows and took a handful of flour, ready to chase after her.
"Remus, don't… NO!"
And with a squeak she sprinted away from him towards the living room—at least there she could hide behind the chairs or under the table. But in just a moment he was right behind her. Tonks looked back for a second and he took the chance to throw the handful of flour in her direction. Luckily, she reacted quickly and turned her head, so only a small part of it got to her face.
"You thought it would be easy to get me, right? I'm as fast as a cat!"
And just as finished that sentence, she tripped on the carpet.
"Shit!"
I won't hear the end of this. Why did it have to be in front of Remus?
But to her surprise she didn't hit the ground. On the last second, Remus managed to grab her.
"Well, seems like the old man is faster than the cat, huh?
Remus helped her to her feet, so she was resting with her back against the table.
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"No, don't worry, I'm okay." she was looking down trying not to laugh at the whole situation.
"I bake you cookies, I save you from falling flat on your face… I guess you could call me 'your savor' from now on." he said in that smug playful tone she could listen to forever.
They were both laughing, standing very close, facing each other. And he got lost in her face, in her eyes. She's so beautiful. If only…
And then, he noticed she was staring at him as if trying to memorize each detail of his face.
"What?"—he said with a cheeky grin—"I hope you're not about to say that I look older with my face and hair covered in flour…
If he makes another 'old man' comment, I swear… That's it...
"Actually, I was thinking about how handsome you are, you know?" she said looking directly into his eyes, blushing but still determined.
What? She can't mean that, she's just teasing… He didn't even dare think she might be honest, but that didn't prevent him from feeling a little nervous and looking away flustered.
"I'm serious here"—her hand was now in his hair, she was trying to make him look at her again— "I really love your graying hair."
She was surprised by how soft his hair felt between her fingers. Her voice was low and she could feel her cheeks getting redder by the second.
"And your eyes. And your scars". She was tracing with her finger a scar that went from his temple, along her jaw and down his neck to where it got lost under his sweater.
His heartbeat quickened under her touch and he swallowed hard. They were getting now in dangerous waters and a part of him was dead scared and ready to run away from her. But another part of him was rooted to the ground, unable to get away from her.
"Don't say that so lightly, Dora. You haven't seen anything. I assure you you would like any of it." at the sound of his voice she took her hand away, as if his skin burned, and grabbed at the table. His voice was now stern and low.
Dora, he just called me Dora…
"Well, I would love to see the rest, you know?" her tone was light and teasing, but her eyes showed a love and passion he didn't expect in a million years.
Remus felt his heart skip a beat. Oh Merlin, this is going too far now, way too far… He felt his resolve starting to fade. He always thought he was strong enough to keep his emotions at bay, but at that instant all his feelings and longing started to take over him. Remus, you need to focus, this is so wrong… But it felt so right.
"Achoo! Sorry, I think there's still some flour on my face." And here I am, as timely as they come...
He was now laughing, some of the previous tension forgotten.
"Let me help you" she was trying to brush the remaining flour but unsuccessfully.
And that was a huge mistake, he realized a second too late. The soft feeling of her skin under his fingertips was more than he could bear. All of a sudden, he was painfully aware of how close they were, of his other hand on her waist, of her eyes on him.
When their eyes locked again she felt a shiver run though her whole body. They were so close she could just get on her tip toes and kiss him. At the thought, she couldn't help lightly bite at her lip. And that simple gesture made him feel such a rush that he lent slightly forward, all she needed to meet him halfway and kiss him.
For a second Remus just froze. When he felt the soft pressure of her lips against his, he was completely torn between what he desired the most and what he should do. What are you doing? This is not what she deserves! He took a step backwards, running a hand though his hair, nervous, his eyes showing so much guilt.
"This is not right, this is wrong at so many levels… I can't do this to you, you deserve so much more…" he was mumbling walking back and forth.
Tonks looked so sad and disappointed. She was fed up with his excuses and just couldn't take it anymore. Even now, after having just kissed, he continued with the doubts and self-loathing… Enough was enough.
She softly put a hand to his lips just to stop him from talking for a second and closed her eyes to try and regain some calm.
"Remus, let me be the judge of that." her hand was now on his cheek and he gave into her touch closing his eyes.
He was so tired of fighting his feelings, so tired of always keeping his emotions bottled up that he just couldn't take it anymore. And when he opened his eyes and saw her staring at him with so much hope, so much affection and longing that he did the only thing he could do at this point.
The kiss was soft, tentative as if he was still giving her a chance to walk away. Tonks was caught by surprise. It was the first time Remus didn't fight her, the first time he let go of all his doubts. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer as if to make sure he would not leave this time. She started running her fingers through his hair and lightly grabbed at it, smiling against his mouth. His hand was still on her cheek, holding her to him carefully, afraid she would leave any moment. He could feel his heartbeat quicken under her touch. The closeness of her body, the feeling of her lips over his made him feel more alive than had ever felt.
When they pulled apart, Tonks had a smile that swelled his heart. Her eyes, alight with hope, were showed all the emotions he had tried to deny all this time. And for the first time he dared to believe that maybe she really thought he was good enough for her and maybe he could even make her happy.
"This is a new shade of pink you have." he was smiling and playing with a lock of her hair. I can't wait to see more colors in her hair.
"I wonder what may have happened… Now, let's make sure this color stays, right?" her tone was playful, but he knew deep down she was being serious.
"I will do my best to help you keep it." and he bowed his head to kiss her again.
This time he wasn't tentative, nor nervous. His lips, soft and firm against hers. He only wanted to show her all the feelings he had tried to hide for so long. When he deepened the kiss she let out a soft moan that fueled his desire and passion for her even further. He lifted her by the hips so she would sit on the table to feel her even closer. His hands went up her sides slowly, up her arms until he reached her hair and gently gripped it. His hands felt stronger than she expected, his kiss so passionate, it was even more overwhelming than she imagined.
"Do you think the color will hold now?" he grinned.
"I think it will need some maintenance, but it's a great start."
Tonks laughed and hugged him close. She sighed, wondering what crossed his mind to accept his feelings this time. But afraid of asking and ruining the moment she opted for leaving the question for another moment.
"Do you smell that?" he said with a frown.
"What?" it seemed like she had just been awakened from a dream.
"Oh, shit! The cookies!" he threw his hands on his head.
By the smell and the light smoke coming from the kitchen, the cookies were already burnt and there was no point in running. So, he just took his wand and made a spell to keep the whole kitchen from burning down.
"Well no cookies for breakfast, I guess…" she laughed.
Remus burst into laughter, that roaring laughter that came from deep in his chest and always melted her heart.
"Well, I'm still quite hungry so, I'm thinking I could start my breakfast with you." he pecked her on the lips.
This was a new side of Remus she had never seen, one she couldn't wait to know better.
"Only if I also get to enjoy my breakfast."
And with that she stood, grabbing his hand to lead him upstairs to her room, so they could be alone, before the rest of the house got up.