Prompt: Remus makes dinner for Tonks for their first date, after finally agreeing to begin a relationship with her, despite his misgivings.

...

Simple. Keep things simple.

Remus stared at the ingredients before him, breathing hard. It was just dinner. Just dinner .

It wasn't just dinner, though, he thought to himself. It was dinner with Tonks. It was a dinner date with Tonks. It was his first dinner date with Tonks since deciding to start a relationship with her. He'd considered canceling the date three times since he woke that morning, but the prospect of seeing her for dinner was too tempting to pass up.

It wouldn't be like before. They wouldn't argue over whether he was 'too poor, too old, and too dangerous.' He had agreed to trying a relationship. It had made Tonks incandescently happy – happy enough that her colors returned to her hair. It terrified Remus, but he gave her his word. After a year of painful separation, he'd had enough, too. Scared as he was of hurting her, he wanted nothing more than to give her whatever she wanted, including his heart.

He started with the whole chicken. He'd brined it, patted it dry, and proceeded to rub the spice mixture into the skin. He coarsely chopped an onion and placed it inside the chicken's cavity, along with a few cloves of garlic. A generous amount of butter and freshly cut rosemary went in next, followed by two thick slices of lemon. With the chicken thus prepared, he put it inside the oven to roast.

The potatoes were next. He scrubbed them clean, cut them into large chunks, and seasoned them. They went into the oven next to the chicken, which was already filling his modest Yorkshire cottage with its delicious scent. He then made quick work of washing and slicing mushrooms, placing them in a cast iron skillet, and set them over a low flame to sauté with butter and a little wine.

Dessert, a three-tiered chocolate cake he'd baked that morning, sat patiently on a plate. Satisfied that everything was well underway, he decided to get the table ready for two. It had been too long – longer than he could remember – since he'd had someone to cook for. With the table set and the food nearly ready, all he had to do was wait for Tonks to arrive.

He wore his best trousers and shirt for dinner. They weren't much better than his usual clothes, merely less threadbare and patched one fewer time than the others. It was as good as it was going to get. He'd spent a little more than usual on dinner that night to try to impress Tonks. Somehow, she fancied him and wanted to be with him, and in return, he'd try to make it worth her while.

He swallowed the lump in his throat that formed when he wondered how long she'd keep him in her life. He hoped he'd be let down easy when she inevitably changed her mind about being with him.

Don't think about that , he reminded himself. She wants you. Arthur said so. Molly said so. Tonks said so.

The familiar crack of Apparition rent the air outside the cottage. Remus took one last look in his fractured mirror and went to the front door to see pink-haired Tonks beaming at him.

Good Godric, please don't ever leave me, he thought desperately, seeing her nose change from its human one to a pig's snout and back.

"I reckon no one else could do that," Tonks said, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I should ask you a security question, though, shouldn't I?"

Remus nodded faintly while she thought, tapping one of her fingers on her lips.

"I know! Show me your Patronus – your fully corporeal Patronus!"

"Do I have to?" Remus croaked, hating the idea of reminding her of his lupine nature.

"If not, I'll assume you're an impostor and I'll have to leave." Tonks flashed him a crooked smile and he took out his wand, using the very image of her on his doorstep to produce his corporeal wolf Patronus.

"Brilliant," she said dreamily, watching the Patronus trot around her. "It's my Remus."

Remus felt blood rushing up to his cheeks. He'd never been anyone's anything before.

"Come in," he said. "I've got dinner ready."

Tonks gave his hand a small squeeze on her way inside. He felt the tingle of her fingers on him, desperate for more, but he forced himself to keep his thoughts on one moment at a time.

"It smells delicious, Remus," Tonks murmured. Remus took out the perfectly roasted chicken and potatoes, plated portions of each with the sauteed vegetables, and sprinkled a little fresh thyme on the food for good measure.

"You made cake, too?" Tonks squealed. "I am one lucky witch."

Remus swallowed his fears and nodded. He knew she was far from lucky, choosing to engage in a relationship with a werewolf, but at least he would make the most of it while he was fortunate enough to spend any time with her.

They tucked in for dinner. The last time they ate together was before he'd run off to spy on Fenrir Greyback's camp; it was before he'd broken both their hearts. Now that it was just the two of them, Remus felt the overwhelming weight of guilt and silence on his shoulders.

What did one talk about after a year of self-imposed heartache and loneliness?

"How did you learn to cook like this?" asked Tonks, seeming to understand what was on his mind.

"My mum taught me at first. The chicken and cake – those were her recipes. I worked in a few restaurants in my twenties and learned the rest."

Tonks smiled and licked her fork, her tongue darting out to clean the tines. Remus tried very hard not to think about what else her tongue could do; he turned his attention to his plate.

"Mmm…Remus," Tonks said, taking another bite of the chicken. "This is amazing. I could get used to this." Remus's face fell. He held his fork tightly in one fist and swallowed what little food he had in his mouth, which suddenly tasted bitter. He heard the clatter of utensils against the table, followed by a long sigh. In a smaller voice, Tonks added, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," he replied curtly, focusing all his attention on the knot that was forming in his stomach. "I don't want you to get your hopes up. There's no guarantee—"

"Please don't do this, Remus," Tonks interrupted sharply. "We said we'd keep it simple. It's just us here."

Remus closed his eyes and let his mind drift back to their conversation by the Black Lake. He'd broken too many promises in his life. The witch sitting across from him, opening her heart and soul so willingly to a Dark creature such as himself, was the chance at every happiness he'd been denying himself for 36 years. He wanted to believe that he could keep a promise and forget the fears that had dominated his life for too long.

"You're right," Remus said, keeping his eyes downcast on his worn, scarred hands. "I won't mention it again."

"You probably will, but as long as you let me bring you back to us, it'll be okay." Tonks smiled softly at him and licked her fingers clean; Remus ached for every bit of her, despite his knowledge that he could only ruin her life with his mere presence.

The sound of her utensils clattering against the table startled him; somehow, they'd managed to get through dinner, despite his misgivings. The sight of their empty plates would be a turning point, decided Remus. They could push the bitterness of dinner behind in favor of something sweet.

Remus glanced up at Tonks and ventured, "I think it's time for dessert." She grinned at him as he took away the dinner plates, set them in the sink, and turned his attention to the three-layer chocolate cake he'd prepared that morning. He cut two generous slices, hoping that the fresh taste of the cake would lead to a sweeter evening between the two of them.

He set the plates down, eager to rid himself of the salty dinner, and took a bite from the cake. His lips twisted into a grimace, realizing something was terribly wrong.

"Don't eat this."

"What?" Tonks already brought a forkful of the cake to her lips.

"Don't—" urged Remus, but the chocolate disappeared into her mouth. She chewed on it slowly, her face contorting strangely as she swallowed it.

"Why does it taste like soap?" she asked, after taking another bite.

"If it tastes like soap, why are you still eating it?" Remus asked, horrified that she continued tasting the cake.

"The frosting is good," Tonks said, taking globs of frosting and licking them clean off her fingers, which only added to his desire for her. "I'll just eat around the cake."

"I forgot the salt," Remus gasped, trying to keep his mind away from her tongue and hands. "I added twice as much baking soda as I should have instead."

"Is that why it tastes…" Tonks began, as Remus buried his face in his hands, too embarrassed for words.

"I've ruined everything."

"Just because you forgot salt doesn't mean you ruined dinner," Tonks said, shrugging. She strode to the cake stand and spooned off more frosting, plopping it on her plate without a care in the world.

"It was supposed to be perfect for you."

"I don't want perfect," Tonks said firmly. She bent down to kiss him softly on her way back to the table, her lips sticky and sugary from the chocolate frosting. "I want you."

The earnestness in her face and the feeling of her lips on his reminded him that sometimes, there were some things that were sweeter than dessert. And when she whispered "I love you" in his ear on her way back to the cake, his heart swelled.

He never forgot how it felt when she told him those magical words.