The problem with Tonks, Remus reflects, is that she always seems to be there. No matter if she's not physically present in a room, there'll be some sign that she was; an Auror casefile left on a table (where it definitely shouldn't be) a plant pot knocked over and bleeding dry earth; a note scrawled untidily to Moody and left unfinished on a chair. When she does enter a room, she dominates it without being aware of it. True, her violently coloured hair helps matters there, but Remus has the feeling she would be impossible to ignore even if her hair was mud-brown.
In the week following his discovery of a bleeding and unconscious Tonks, she had been on his mind almost constantly. As the Wolf becomes stronger and the ever-conscientious Remus becomes weaker, he finds it nigh-on impossible to keep his mind on work and not on the sight, smell and feel of Nymphadora Tonks.
Tonks, for her part, seems oblivious to her effect on him. She greets him with the same happy smile as she always has, and is just as physically affectionate with him as she is with everyone else. If she notices that his body stiffens dramatically in response to her touch, she gives no sign of it.
"Wotcher, Remus!" The sound of her ebullient voice has Remus looking up in shock; has he actually managed to conjure her out of thin air merely by thinking about her?
"Tonks," he mutters in reply, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and offering a small smile, "you're back early.."
"Knocked meself out, didn't I?" She points to a large bruise on her forehead and grimaces. "They sent me home, said I was too preoccupied to be any use."
"Why don't you just morph it away?"
Tonks eyes widen as she thinks about this.
"Y'know, I never thought of that. I must be bloody preoccupied, at that." She wrinkles her nose (in the way that Remus privately thinks is adorable) and after a minute the bruise disappears.
"So what are you preoccupied with?" Remus asks, trying for an "I don't really care, I'm just being polite" sort of tone.
Tonks looks shifty, fiddling with the hem of her robes, "Oh, you know, Order stuff.."
Remus nods, rising from his seat and stretching out tired muscles, the Wolf inside taking the opportunity to take a deep breath and inhale essence of Tonks.
"Remus.." Tonks looks nervous, biting her lip and gazing at him through lowered eyelashes.
Remus raises an eyebrow, mouth suddenly dry.
"Um, well, you're good at all this stealth stuff, right?"
A nod, this time. He's really getting good at this non-verbal communication.
"Well, you might've noticed that I'm not so good at it and well, would you maybe help me?" The last few words come out in a rush and her gaze shifts back to the floor.
Inside Remus, the breath he wasn't aware he was holding is let go in a rush, leaving only a feeling of slight disappointment in its wake. Of course a beautiful, vibrant young woman like Tonks wouldn't really be interested in an old Were like him.
"Of course I'll help you. Any time," he says softly, turning his head away so that she can't see the disappointment in his eyes. A slim white hand with black-painted nails catches hold of his arm and he turns back to face her.
"Thanks, Remus, I really do appreciate it, you know," and with that she leans forward and places a soft-lipped kiss on his cheek. Remus is so preoccupied with his own shock he doesn't notice that her face has turned almost as pink as her hair..