Strangeways, Here We Come

Subtlety…

There was nothing subtle about Nymphadora Tonks, whether it concerned her colourful appearance, her clumsy entrances into rooms, or the manner in which she had cheerfully bashed her way into his life.

However, now that Sirius had informed her of his feelings, Remus was sure he would witness a change in her. He wanted to believe the best of her, but it had occurred before, more times than he could count – somebody making excuses, slowly distancing themselves from him… He wouldn't blame her – after all, an old, poor, and dangerous werewolf having feelings for a young, gorgeous Auror? It was laughable, really.

Of course, he harboured delusions that she felt the same way. There had been instances of her glancing at him just so, or certain things she said… But surely he had only been seeing what he had wanted to see. False hope, made all the more wretched and painful by knowing it simply had to be false.

He had taken to dodging her lately. Some Gryffindor he was! It was cowardly, he knew, but for the best. Surely they both wanted to stave off the awkwardness that would no doubt arise?

"You've been avoiding me."

He spun around, spotting her in the doorway to his room. "Tonks! You startled me, I didn't see you there." What was she doing? He couldn't begin to fathom why she would willingly seek him out.

"I can be stealthy and secretive, you know," she informed him with a nervous half-smile. "It doesn't happen often, mind you, but it can be done."

Secretive? What did she have to be secretive about? She wore her feelings on her sleeve… As he contemplated this, she continued, "I was hoping we could talk."

"What? Why?" he uttered in surprise. Then he reminded himself once more that she was far from subtle; she wouldn't want to tiptoe around the issue, she would confront it head on. Or trip over it…

"Well, after what Sirius said, I think it's about time we cleared things up, eh?" she suggested – quite anxiously, he thought, but he didn't detect any disgust or pity. How odd.

"Yes, well, I usually find it best to ignore whatever advice he gives," Remus tried to say casually. Perhaps it could all be construed as some sort of misunderstanding?

Tonks chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Oh, I know. After all, nothing could be more wrong than him portraying you as gay!"

His jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" he asked indignantly.

She kept chattering away over his irritation. "Not that I believed him, of course! Although I have to admit that I did wonder for a bit, what with you seemingly ignoring all my hints… But Sirius said you could be a tad slow on the uptake sometimes."

He waved his hands in a halting gesture, unable to follow. "What on earth are you talking about? Hints? What hints? And why would he say I was… Wait, he was portraying me as gay? Whatever do you mean?"

The Metamorphmagus propped a hand on her hip and quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Well, he was right about one thing, at least – you can be a bit slow."

Teasing was all well and good, especially considering he had expected a much more unpleasant confrontation, but he was simply too lost to feel relieved. "Stop for a moment, please," he requested, attempting to make sense of things. "What exactly did Sirius tell you?"

"That you were practising confessing your feelings towards me," she stated matter-of-factly. "Were you?"

How could she voice that so straightforwardly while he was blushing madly? His reddened cheeks already revealed his answer, but he reluctantly nodded anyway.

"Oh, good," Tonks sighed (in relief?). "Nice to know I wasn't the only one making a fool of myself!"

He froze right then. "Pardon?"

"I blame you, you know!" she continued, wagging a finger at him – though despite there being frustration in her voice, she was smiling. "I assumed I was as obvious as a giant in a tutu, but you didn't do anything, so I thought it time for more decisive action. I'm not very patient, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Nymphadora…" he slowly breathed, valiantly trying not to get ahead of himself. "Precisely when did Sirius tell you these things?"

"While I was rehearsing confessing my feelings to you."

He was fairly certain his heart stopped at that moment. Padfoot had certainly failed to mention that vital piece of information… The shock must have shown on his face, for the witch looked up at him and grinned. "Why Remus, you are rather daft sometimes, aren't you? Don't tell me all those clues I dropped were missed!"

Somehow they must have been… Had he been searching for evidence as to her affections for so long that he had overlooked them staring him right in the face?

He was too stunned to speak, and she just laughed as she stepped towards him, grabbing the lapels of his jacket in her fists. "Maybe I should have been even more obvious then. Subtlety is overrated, isn't it?"

And then she stood on her tiptoes to gently brush her lips against his. Before the ability for rational thought was driven from his mind, Remus had time to be glad there was nothing at all subtle about Nymphadora Tonks.

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Toodles,
- ish -