The drawing room only had a two occupants. The house was a lot quieter than the past serval weeks considering the kids were gone away at school again. Remus was sitting in the floor, his legs folded in front of him, a wide variety of bottles scattered on the floor. Some of the smaller ones could be concealed in a closed hand white others were about as big as wine bottles. Some were smooth, while others had worn bits of paper taped to them and some of them were rough and ordinate.

He picked up one and uncorked it. He held it up to be visible by the couch. "What colour is it?"

"Mm... looks like swamp water." Tonks was frantically flipping pages in a potions book. Had Snape been there, he could have taken a quick glance at the bottles and identified and labeled them. However, this was one of the many things on Remus's list of busywork, of which Tonks was helping. "Smell it?"

Remus carefully smelled it and winced. "Smells like swamp water."

"Are we sure it's not just swamp water then?" Tonks mumbled.

"Definitely not, I'm betting it's something gone bad. It also smells... sweet? But sweet as in a hot rubbish bun that's been sitting in the sun for a few days." Remus shook his head. "I think we better toss this one."

"Might be safer. Put it in the 'give it to Snape' pile." Tonks instructed him. She yawned quite loudly.

Remus recorked the bottle and rolled it towards a cardboard box that was sitting against the overstuffed sofa. "It's late for you, isn't it?"

"Not really fancying a nap right now, but thank you, if that's what you're going for." Tonks said dryly. She was quiet, drinking in the book she was reading. That, or she was the exact opposite: so tired the words made no sense and were running together as she was beginning to doze off.

"Are you okay?"

"Mhm." She replied. The book slammed shut. She was fumbling around for one on the coffee table.

"You don't sound okay." Remus told her. "You sound like you need to go to bed."

"I've been having bad dreams this week." She confessed. "Not nightmares, but they make me not want to go to bed."

"You must be really stressed from work. Or is it something... else that's been going on?"

"I dunno, it's like... I had a dream where all my teeth fell out and then I peeled all my fingernails off. I had one where I someone had chained me up and I had to get my hands free before I drowned." Tonks told him. "I had one where my parents threatened to marry me off to some creepy old man I didn't know. One where I got fired, one where I've almost been tortured. It's not traumatic or anything, but it's really distressing, to be frank."

"You could take something." Remus suggested. He was currently playing with one of the smaller vials, spinning it between his fingers.

"I don't take potions unless I'm absolutely going to die." She very curtly informed him. "Though I'm sure you've got plenty of sleeping potions over there, if only we could find them."

"Oh, I have a game. Put all of the potions in a circle, draw three. I bet at least one will make you fall asleep like that." Remus dramatically snapped his finger.

"I believe those are also called comas, but they probably count as dreamless sleeps." Tonks burst into laughter. Remus didn't think it was that funny, but she was tired, so he let it slide. "So I believe they call that 'double suicide' and frankly I'm not feeling that bad about myself today, but thank you."

"Didn't mean to get too morbid there." Remus chuckled.

"It's fine." Tonks replied. She sighed and slammed another book shut. "I don't even know what I'm looking for right now."

"You really ought to go to bed."

"I'm okay, really, I want to finish these so you don't have to do them on your own."

"I'll make Sirius help me." Remus said, setting down the glass bottle he was playing with. "He won't like it, but I don't care."

She made a humming noise that kind of sounded like a laugh. "Poor Sirius, he might actually try to poison you. Not intentionally, of course." Tonks mused. "I'm glad he's getting over whatever funk he was in. Not that he's going to be all better overnight, but he's been talkative more lately, you know?"

"I think he just has, you know, a lot on his mind right now." Remus nodded. He was struggling a bit to pull him onto his feet. His back popped as he stretched his arms up towards the ceiling. "Personally, I think we all do."

He didn't exactly realize how close he was to the sofa until he felt a cold finger jab him in the stomach. "Excuse me?" Remus demanded. Tonks cackled. Remus even found himself laughing along with her. "You're really getting a bit out of hand over there! Getting a bit... punch-drunk... you need to go-"

"I'm not going to bed!" She announced.

"Shh! You'll wake up the entire house." He urged her. "I really appreciate you taking your time to help me, but you've got work in the morning."

Tonks took a sobering breath. "I've only said a million times that I don't mind spending my free time with you. I'll tell you a million more times if that's what you need to hear."

"I..." Remus knew he was going to regret what he was about to say aloud. "I'm a bit concerned about that, actually."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I-" Remus was stammering. "Why are you always hanging around me?"

"I... enjoy your company?" Tonks was a bit put off. "Why?"

"I'm just saying that... it's odd." He informed her. "It's just that I'm a lot older than you and when people look at us, it's a bit... strange, yeah?"

"Not really." She assured. "Why? Are you worried about people thinking we're... dating?"

"It would look odd if we were, you know, hypothetically, would it not?"

Tonks was thinking. "If I saw us on the street, hypothetically, I don't think we would look odd. Not unless you didn't keep your hypothetical paws off my ass, I wouldn't be annoyed or bothered." She quickly added. "I feel like the, er, you know—couples always touching on each other—that's a universal symbol of being annoying."

"No, yeah, I understand that." Remus turned his head towards the couch. "Could I sit down? I don't want to sit on you."

"Yeah go ahead." She told him. "I don't think we look weird at all."

Remus paused for a moment. He felt like he had already pushed this conversation too far, but he was going to keep pushing at it. "Tonks, why would you want to date me?"

"Uh, where did that come from?" She asked with more bewilderment than he was initially expecting.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I have no idea where that came from, I panicked and for whatever reason, I was under the impression that you were-"

"I didn't say I didn't want to, I just don't have the slightest idea where you would get something like that from." Tonks replied. "Oh my god, was it Sirius?"

Remus opened his mouth to say something. "Okay, before you get mad, can you listen for just a second?"

Her fist came slamming down on a pillow. "I cannot believe him right now! He would actually tell you!"

"Hang on, just listen to me, please. Please, Tonks, just listen to me before you get angry."

"I'm already angry, thank you very much!"

"I- an you just listen for a moment? Please?" He pleaded. "He was very distressed because he was worried about the consequences of the two of having a relationship. He's a bit taken aback because you're his cousin and I'm his best friend and I'm so much older than you, that's he's reasonably repulsed by it."

"That's none of his business!"

"Look, I just want you to know that if this was the other way around and it was him and not me, I might be feeling similar."

"You should be reasonably disgusted because he's my cousin and that's different-"

"Tonks, all I'm saying is that he's lonely and he doesn't want his two best friends going off and dating and leaving him behind."

"Again, it's not any of his business!" Tonks huffed. "But does that mean that you... you know, hypothetically have... feelings for me back?"

Remus was readjusting the pillow behind him. He sat up a bit straighter, but turned his body away from her direction. "I um..."

"If you don't, just say that you don't." She said quickly.

"I... I admit that I... quite enjoy the attention that you bring." He told her. "And I like spending time with you. I really like hearing your voice. You... have a really nice voice?"

"I... have a nice voice." She repeated. "Okay..."

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at these things. I've not had very many circumstances in which someone has... fancied me."

"Just say you don't like me back and we can just move along, Remus." Tonks lowered her voice with embarrassment. "Save me the sorrow and we'll just go right back to being friends like always and we never have to talk about this again."

"I... see, that's the thing." Remus took a shaky breath. He felt like it was getting harder to breathe now.

"Wait, do you... do you actually fancy me back?" Tonks was waiting on the edge of the sofa, trying to peer closer towards him.

"Um..." His face was getting hotter and hotter and he was getting more nervous. Never before had he felt so trapped in a single room before. He had completely lost all sense of orientation and was glued to the spot.

"Just... say if you don't, if that's easier." Tonks said. "I'm not angry at you. I want you to be honest. You'll hurt my feelings more if you lie than if you say you hate me or something, I dunno."

"I don't hate you." Remus shook his head. "More... of... I don't don't fancy you." He said. "But I don't know if I'm ready to be... if I'm ready to commit to... I don't know if I even-"

Then, out of the clear blue, they were interrupted.

"Knock, knock," Sirius announced himself, letting himself in with less than a proper knock and no regard to their privacy. "Haven't heard you two come downstairs in a bit. Are you busy?"

"Not really." Remus mumbled.

"Yes we're fucking busy! Get out!" Tonks raised her voice. "I'll talk to you in a minute!"

"Damn, what's got you all riled up?" Sirius asked nonchalantly. "Oh, don't tell me that you-"

"Get. Out. Now! Please!" Tonks demanded. "We're very busy! No solicitation! Thank you!"

"Don't yell at me! This room isn't off limits for anyone!"

"Sirius, please give us a few minutes?" Remus asked. "We're talking. It's important."

"It's what-"

"It's important! Get out!" Tonks continued to shout at him.

"I'm going, I'm going, Merlin's beard!" Sirius's voice and footsteps disappeared back down the hall and the door slammed shut.

Tonks took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He quickly reassured. They were facing each other now. "It's fine."

"I... I wanted to say that I think you're very pretty." Remus confessed, almost painfully. "Is that weird? Hang on, can I explain myself on that one? That was a bit too far-"

"You... you what? How do you-" Tonks hesitated. "I'm sorry, not what I was going for there when I said that-"

"It sounds absurd. I'm sorry." He said quickly. "It's just an assumption I have. I have no clue what you look like."

"Oh." Tonks almost sounded defeated.

"I just... when I think of you, I think of you as being very pretty in my mind." He began his long ramble at her.

"How so?" He didn't want to answer. "Remus, look at me, put all this age stuff aside, put all this... doubt and guilt and fear aside and tell me what you think about me. Trust me, we might have a lot more in common than you think."

"I dunno, things like... The first time we hugged, I sort of... learned that you have short hair. I would hold onto your arm as we walked, I... sort of got an understanding of you... you know, the confidence you have in your walk, how you hold up your head and pull your shoulders back. The way you walk is different than a lot of people?" Remus told her. He was scared that he couldn't read her facial expression. "Not that I think the physical things matter all that much, but it made the way I picture you in my head. Honestly, I shouldn't be saying any of this, I am far too old for you, and I-"

"Remus, just stop for a second." Tonks told him. "Don't get into all of that. It's okay. I want to hear about how you feel about me really."

"I dunno, the way you smell.. or don't smell. You just smell good and I suppose that's nice? Your skin's soft..." Remus found himself trailing off. "I dunno, that's... just very attractive to me, I suppose. But none of that stuff matters, like I said-" He felt that he must have just been going on about nothing and that she wasn't even listening to his impromptu monologue on how he found her attractive (he probably wouldn't have listened or had been creeped out if he were her right now). "I mean, I know about you as a person, your likes, your dislikes, your sense of humour... but things like your facial features and eye colour and hair colour and skin colour... those don't matter to me and it doesn't matter if I can't see them. I... simply... I think you must be pretty is all, and this is a really long winded way of me telling you that I like you and I enjoy you, but I'm very afraid of you because I don't think we're meant for each other..."

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Remus."

"I know, but that's even more terrifying." He sighed. "I don't know what I'm even saying anymore. I just... basically what I'm trying to say is that I don't care what you look like, but could I see you... maybe things would be different. Maybe I would feel like you feel more than just sorry for me and I'm not just being self-pitying."

"You're not being self-pitying, I like you, Remus." She was a bit more firm. She didn't respond at first. "Bloody hell, has any one told you?" She said in a quiet voice. "Not that it's of any importance, but... I mean-"

"Told me what?" Remus's mind was already chanting a mantra of failure. He said something wrong, he knew it, he messed up, she hated him, and-

"I'm a metamorphmagus." The word rolled off her tongue like a compliment. "I'm... actually whatever I want to look like. Sorry, I got caught up on that. And... to hear you say that, I mean, Merlin's beard... most guys I date just want me to have a smaller arse or bigger tits, to hear you say that-"

"Wait, you're a metamorphmagus?" Remus inquired.

"Yes."

"You change your appearance at will?"

"Yes?"

"That... makes a lot more sense, actually." He said bluntly. "I was wondering where, in this state of affairs, you were buying so much polyjuice potion for your missions and not getting arrested."

She laughed. "What?"

"You're always talking about your impressive disguises and all, I imagined you up in the middle of the night, sewing clothes under the moonlight while brewing mysterious potions."

"Nope." Tonks replied. "Just morphing my face around."

"Huh. Isn't this ironic." Remus chuckled. "You could make yourself into the prettiest person in the world and I'd never even notice."

"I don't really morph much when I don't need to, you know, so don't think you're missing all that." Tonks replied softly. "And I don't morph myself to look prettier, I don't think. I probably make myself uglier to most guys. My last few dates have looked at me and gone, 'oh, so what made you choose pink... or purple or whatever colour' trying to compliment me all uncomfortable and such because they think if I like them, I'll start changing. Like I said, you're the first guy in a while to genuinely not care about my appearances."

"Wait... Pink? Pink what?"

"Oh." The room was so quiet they could hear a pin drop. Tonks wiggled her way back out of their cuddling. "Sirius never mentioned my... oh."

"Oh what?" Remus asked.

"So..." Tonks let out a small sigh. "So... my hair is sort of, like a ah... bright pink? I don't like keeping it neutral if I can help it. Pink, blue, green, purple, black, orange... You know, I get a lot of funny looks in public, you just aren't there to notice them."

"Oh..." Remus squeezed her hand. "That's..." He couldn't help but joyfully laugh. "That... sounds exactly like the sort of thing you would do, wouldn't it?"

"Wait, you aren't angry?" Tonks asked.

"No, of course not!" Remus replied. "It's not even about how you look necessarily... that's just... that's such a beautiful thing to do. I simply never imagined that's what you looked like, though. Pink hair." He laughed. Then came the sinking sadness in his stomach. "I sound a bit too old for that, huh? I... Tonks, I really don't know if this is going to work or if-"

She giggled. "You're not to old for me. Actually, I think we look rather cute together, if I so say so myself. If, you know, that's what you want."

Remus frowned. "I... I don't quite know."

"Well see, you can't challenge my authority on us, because I have the upper hand." Tonks pointed out. "We look cute and... if you... ever wanted to you know... be cute with me, you do know I'm single."

"Could I..." Remus reached over and rested his hands on either side of her jaw. "Pink hair... now isn't that something? If you don't mind me asking, what kind of pink do you usually wear it as?"

"It's like... hmm... almost like baby girl pink. Not quite pastel. Sort of like bubblegum or candy floss." She said in an excited tone. "I also like really deep, dark purples. Blue undertones, not red. And plain black. And red. Not like a Weasley-orange red, but a bright... what are some red things? Telephone booths. Strawberries. That kind of red."

Remus was absolutely beaming. "That's... wonderful." He ran his fingers along her hair.