Lover's Flu
All these characters and their world belong to J.K.R.
Author's Note: This story has been rated R for upcoming sexual content. If you are not old enough to read R rated stories, please don't continue reading this story. Apologies for the change, but sometimes the characters have a mind of their own!
Chapter 4
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. Bible
Then tapping the tub with his wand, bubbles started to foam about the spicket. When the claw foot looked near to over flowing , Remus turned off the water knobs and looked back to Tonks, "Alright, Ms. Tonks. Eyes closed."
Nymphadora squeezed her eyes shut and started humming, "Duh da da da duh. Bumba, bumba-"
Remus, who had only taken off his pocket watch at this point, turned to the petite witch attached to his left hand, "Thank you, but this is not a strip tease."
Tonks laughed, "Oh okay. I just thought you might need some inspirational music."
He smiled, although she couldn't see it, "Thanks for your concern, but I prefer to get naked in silence."
"Fine, be a bore," she added crossing her legs and looking defeated.
A few pops sounded and then the fine little cracklings of someone wading into a bubbled tub. "This is heaven," sighed Remus, as the steam waters absorbed his tired muscles.
"Are you decent?"
"I was never decent, but go ahead, open your eyes," Lupin responded, sinking deeper into the bubbly hot waters.
Tonks turned to look upon a naked Remus. Okay, so he's only naked from the chest up, but it's a very nice chest, a very nice naked! His physique was that of a distance runner; thin with sinewy muscles that made his arms appear longer than usual. Most suprising was the covering of light brown hair that spread the length of his chest and one could only imagine where else.
Tonks turned quickly away, cheeks flaming, I really shouldn't be thinking of him this way. However, curiosity was getting the better of her and Remus was lounging back with his eyes closed to her private study. This time as she looked on him, the scars of his full moon activities became more apparent. Little cuts crisscrossed beneath the silky hairs, a set of four claw marks ran the length of his ribs and most notably, there were red, ridges of teeth marks seared into his right shoulder.
Leaning closer for a better look, she nearly fell into the tub, "Whoa!" Luckily, she pulled herself back upright at the last moment.
Lupin braced his free hand against her back, aiding in her recovery. "Nymphadora, careful!" His reprimanding voice was more biting than he had intended.
"Sorry! I better bugger off the edge of the tub. Too slippery." Tonks answered very embarrassed as she apparated a small stool to the side of the claw foot.
"It's alright," Remus answered quietly, not wanting to imagine what would have happened if she had actually fell in. Taking up the bar of soap and a clean wash cloth, he began scrubbing his face, arms, legs and then dipped his head beneath the waters, running the bar of lemon grass soap through his brown- grey hair. Upon reemerging from the waters, he happily announced, "I think that should do it."
Tonks felt her heart race a bit as she reminded, "I thought we had a deal? Hand over the cloth."
Well, she certainly hadn't forgotten or blown off the idea as Remus had hoped she would. Certainly, bathing a naked man crossed the invisible lines of a male/ female friendship. Suddenly, his mind raced with new thoughts: Had he been wrong about this summer? But she was repulsed by his kiss, wasn't she? She had cried. No, not cried-- wailed! He had no real experience with the impermeable female mind and his male mind clouded with confusion.
"Come on, hand over the soap, too."
Reluctantly, he handed her the wet cloth and soap.
"Lean forward," Tonks commanded.
He did so willingly, spreading bubbles with him to ensure some shred of dignity. As the cloth touched his skin, he inhaled a short, suprised breath. My god, she's bathing me! He didn't know if he should be horrified or aroused. His body and his mind seemed to be at odds.
The soapy cloth, guided by a firm hand circulated across his shoulder blades, and down the length of his spine. Plunged in the water again, bringing warm trickles across his shoulders and arms, up the back of his neck and then behind his ears.
The cloth then rested on his right shoulder, "Is this where you were bitten," asked a timid voice.
"Yes," he replied, thankful he couldn't see her reaction.
"Can I touch it?"
He was silent for a moment. Then finally, with hesitation Lupin replied, "If you want."
He could feel small, delicate fingers tracing his old wound. Closing his eyes, he focused on steadying his breathing. Then, a curtain on silky hair fell against his wet back and her voice was suddenly closer, suddenly softer.
The fingers pulled and massaged his skin simultaneously. "It's almost as if you can see the individual teeth marks."
"I've often thought that myself," he relaxed as her fingers continued to kneed his shoulder.
"It's a miracle you surveyed." He turned to look at her, somehow already knowing that she would be smiling and she continued, "I guess that makes me pretty lucky."
He raised an eyebrow, feeling more himself, knowing that this beautiful female attached to his side was comfortable touching his damaged skin. "You lucky?"
"Yeah. I mean, if you'd bitten the dust, I'd never known you." Fingers becoming light, stroking between his shoulder and his clavicle, tickling a patch of light hair, "And if you hadn't been bit, well, then I wouldn't have an excuse to be touching you like this now."
Her voice was humorous, but her eyes conveyed one emotion-- desire. He laid his right hand, over the back of her fingers, his chest was heaving, and there was no way that he could hide his timidity or his reaction to her touch. "Nymphadora."
They're lips were so close, that he could feel her warm, sweet breath. Her curtain of black hair seemed to block out the world around them, pulling them closer in a theater all their own. Tonks' eyelids flutter closed, and Remus on the verge of kissing her, knotted his forehead with frustration then turned away, whispering, "We can't."
When suddenly, his right hand was lifted to her lips, eyes still closed, the young witch brushed his fingertips with a light kiss. Remus turned back in time to see her dark eyes open, her irises pooled black as she placed the tip of his index finger between swollen lips and sucked. The erotic effect made Remus gasp aloud.
Reality came crashing back all too suddenly when a motherly female voice called out from the bedroom, "Remus?! Are you up?"
Apparently,Tonks was suprised too because she fell off her little stool with a loud thump.
Lupin, eyes wide, still in shock from their intimate encounter managed to find his voice, "Molly, I've just gotten in the bath."
"Oh, alright. Well, come on down for breakfast when you're done, dear." A pause, "Is Tonks here?"
Remus looked at his blushing counterpart, who whispered urgently, "She's found my knapsack!"
"Not that I know of," Remus replied loudly, he was damn good at spinning a convincing tale. "She came by for dinner last night, left her bag in the parlor I think."
"She'll find it this evening I suppose. I'll leave you to your own now." They both sighed with relief as the bedroom door sounded shut.
Tonks bit her lip, then smiled, "You're starting to prune in there."
He looked at the finger tips that had so recently been against her lips. They were getting a bit wrinkled, " Well, no time to meet fate like the present."
Tonks leaned against the side of the tub smiling like a cat in cream. "Yes, time to bounce on out of that tub. Towel?"
"Turn around and eyes closed!" Lupin chided. "It's evil to even consider watching a man emerge from a cold tub."
Tonks laughed and dutifully turned around. "Remus, I think I'm beginning to enjoy our attachment."
Stepping from the waters, and toweling off his wet skin, he made notice of his own swollen anatomy, before quickly knotting the towel around his waist. "You know, I think I am, too, Ms. Tonks."