Fic: Wishes, Deferred
Dec. 28th, 2015 08:46 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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shimotsuki
Title: Wishes, Deferred
Rating & Warnings: PG-13, intimate situations
Word Count: 1003 words
Prompt(s): #13, the Danish art of hygge, and #18, bathrobe
Summary: Tonks comes home from a cold, rainy, miserable mission. It’s much warmer inside.
Notes: I like prompt #8 very much, but this fic could only have had the title “Adequate Plumbing,” alas. ;) And apparentlyhrymfaxe and I have been sharing a brainwave!
Wishes, Deferred
early December, 1997
Tonks shut the kitchen door firmly and reset the security spells, one by one, so intent on her task that she didn’t even see the puddle of icy rainwater she was dripping onto the mat. Not until her parents’ house was once again safe enough to meet old Mad-Eye’s exacting standards.
Merlin, but she missed that old man.
Shivering, she Vanished the mess, and then cast a half-hearted attempt at warming and drying spells on her sodden clothes. She hadn’t dared cast Impervius the whole time she was on her surveillance mission, since blending into the throngs of London Muggles had been her cover. This had not, of course, made for a pleasant December evening in the wind and rain.
It was very late, now, and the house was dark and silent. Mum was surely asleep. And Tonks hadn’t even seen a light in the window of the room she shared with Remus when she had Apparated into the garden.
Usually he stayed up to wait for her. Especially around the new moon.
But, after all, she used to live alone. She could fend for herself.
She yawned, still shivering, and glanced toward the kettle. A hot cup of tea would be awfully nice, just now.
Only, she was knackered.
She hung up her soggy cloak, shucked off her muddy boots, and dragged herself wearily up the stairs.
~ * ~
Tonks tiptoed along the upstairs hallway, managing not to trip over her own feet more than once—that was quite an accomplishment, since the shivering was getting steadily worse. She was being quite stealthy, really.
All the same, the bedroom door opened just before she got there.
“Oh, Dora. What a night you’ve had.” Remus, in his pyjamas and the thick soft bathrobe she’d bought him when the weather first turned cold, intercepted her unsteady progress and made to pull her straight into a hug.
“Wait,” she whispered, trying to back away. “I’m sopping!”
“Never mind,” he murmured, threading one hand gently through her dripping hair. “Come here.”
She sagged against him, feeling warmth start to seep through her. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, and she sighed, a long deep sigh.
“Bath, first,” he said, his voice low and soft in her ear. “I’ve run you a hot one. Go and soak until you’re warmed through.”
She kissed him—his lips felt hot against hers, which meant hers must be shockingly cold, but he only chuckled and kissed her again before taking hold of both her shoulders and aiming her at the bathroom.
The bath steamed patiently in the soft glow from a cluster of candles. Tonks paused just long enough to see that Remus had set out her own pyjamas and bathrobe, neatly folded, before she stripped off her wet, clammy things and sank into the tub.
Heaven.
She sighed again, letting the blessed heat soak all through her bones until the shivering finally stopped, ducking her head underwater to wash away the last of the cold, miserable rain and warm her frozen nose.
~ * ~
All too soon, the water started to cool. She could have cast a Warming Charm, of course, but she really was sleepy.
And Remus might still be awake, waiting for her.
She dried off quickly, towelled her hair (and changed it back to pink spikes), wrapped herself in her pyjamas and bathrobe and a pair of fat fuzzy socks (warm! dry!), and padded back to the bedroom.
There were candles here, too—that’s why the room had looked dark from outside. They threw blue shadows and molten gold over the walls, over the bed with its thick soft duvet. Over Remus’s face when he looked up from his book and smiled at her, eyes alight.
“Into bed with you,” he said, pulling back the covers on her side. “There’s hot tea.”
Heaven, again.
Tonks burrowed under the duvet and settled herself next to him, taking hold of the steaming mug in both hands and inhaling the biggest sip she could without burning her tongue. Remus whispered a spell and ran gentle fingers through her hair, and all at once the pink spikes were thoroughly dry. She leaned up against him and savoured the tea. Savoured the warmth of his hip and knee against hers, of his arm round her shoulders.
Utter heaven.
The long night of sloshing through puddles under icy drizzle only to find no Death Eater activity whatsoever was quickly fading to nothing but a vaguely unpleasant memory.
“How did you know?” she asked, reaching across to set the empty mug on the night table next to her wand.
“Hmm?” He brushed a kiss across the tip of her nose.
“How did you know exactly what I needed?”
His grin turned slightly smug. But in her state of perfect contentment, she was hardly going to begrudge him that.
“Well,” he said. “It’s not as though I haven’t spent a miserable evening in the winter rain from time to time myself.”
His words were light—he kissed her nose again—he grinned down at her with exactly the same hint of a smirk.
But she went cold all over, thick duvet and cuddling husband notwithstanding.
How many years had Remus spent desperately poor and utterly alone?
She could picture him, only too clearly, stumbling into some dark dreary flat or tumbledown cottage, drenched and shivering. Too exhausted to cast even a Warming Charm. With nothing in his cupboards but dusty teabags, stale bread, and dried-out cheese.
With no one there to care—or even to know—if he came home at all.
She would bet a dozen ruddy hippogriffs that he was giving her exactly what he had most wanted, all those years.
Tonks closed her eyes so he wouldn’t see the tears, turned toward him, cupped his cheek in her palm, and kissed him. Very thoroughly.
Remus made a surprised sound, and then a hungry one. And then it was very, very cosy under the warm, soft duvet, in the golden candlelight.
~ fin ~
.
shimotsukiTitle: Wishes, Deferred
Rating & Warnings: PG-13, intimate situations
Word Count: 1003 words
Prompt(s): #13, the Danish art of hygge, and #18, bathrobe
Summary: Tonks comes home from a cold, rainy, miserable mission. It’s much warmer inside.
Notes: I like prompt #8 very much, but this fic could only have had the title “Adequate Plumbing,” alas. ;) And apparently
hrymfaxe and I have been sharing a brainwave!Wishes, Deferred
early December, 1997
Tonks shut the kitchen door firmly and reset the security spells, one by one, so intent on her task that she didn’t even see the puddle of icy rainwater she was dripping onto the mat. Not until her parents’ house was once again safe enough to meet old Mad-Eye’s exacting standards.
Merlin, but she missed that old man.
Shivering, she Vanished the mess, and then cast a half-hearted attempt at warming and drying spells on her sodden clothes. She hadn’t dared cast Impervius the whole time she was on her surveillance mission, since blending into the throngs of London Muggles had been her cover. This had not, of course, made for a pleasant December evening in the wind and rain.
It was very late, now, and the house was dark and silent. Mum was surely asleep. And Tonks hadn’t even seen a light in the window of the room she shared with Remus when she had Apparated into the garden.
Usually he stayed up to wait for her. Especially around the new moon.
But, after all, she used to live alone. She could fend for herself.
She yawned, still shivering, and glanced toward the kettle. A hot cup of tea would be awfully nice, just now.
Only, she was knackered.
She hung up her soggy cloak, shucked off her muddy boots, and dragged herself wearily up the stairs.
Tonks tiptoed along the upstairs hallway, managing not to trip over her own feet more than once—that was quite an accomplishment, since the shivering was getting steadily worse. She was being quite stealthy, really.
All the same, the bedroom door opened just before she got there.
“Oh, Dora. What a night you’ve had.” Remus, in his pyjamas and the thick soft bathrobe she’d bought him when the weather first turned cold, intercepted her unsteady progress and made to pull her straight into a hug.
“Wait,” she whispered, trying to back away. “I’m sopping!”
“Never mind,” he murmured, threading one hand gently through her dripping hair. “Come here.”
She sagged against him, feeling warmth start to seep through her. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, and she sighed, a long deep sigh.
“Bath, first,” he said, his voice low and soft in her ear. “I’ve run you a hot one. Go and soak until you’re warmed through.”
She kissed him—his lips felt hot against hers, which meant hers must be shockingly cold, but he only chuckled and kissed her again before taking hold of both her shoulders and aiming her at the bathroom.
The bath steamed patiently in the soft glow from a cluster of candles. Tonks paused just long enough to see that Remus had set out her own pyjamas and bathrobe, neatly folded, before she stripped off her wet, clammy things and sank into the tub.
Heaven.
She sighed again, letting the blessed heat soak all through her bones until the shivering finally stopped, ducking her head underwater to wash away the last of the cold, miserable rain and warm her frozen nose.
All too soon, the water started to cool. She could have cast a Warming Charm, of course, but she really was sleepy.
And Remus might still be awake, waiting for her.
She dried off quickly, towelled her hair (and changed it back to pink spikes), wrapped herself in her pyjamas and bathrobe and a pair of fat fuzzy socks (warm! dry!), and padded back to the bedroom.
There were candles here, too—that’s why the room had looked dark from outside. They threw blue shadows and molten gold over the walls, over the bed with its thick soft duvet. Over Remus’s face when he looked up from his book and smiled at her, eyes alight.
“Into bed with you,” he said, pulling back the covers on her side. “There’s hot tea.”
Heaven, again.
Tonks burrowed under the duvet and settled herself next to him, taking hold of the steaming mug in both hands and inhaling the biggest sip she could without burning her tongue. Remus whispered a spell and ran gentle fingers through her hair, and all at once the pink spikes were thoroughly dry. She leaned up against him and savoured the tea. Savoured the warmth of his hip and knee against hers, of his arm round her shoulders.
Utter heaven.
The long night of sloshing through puddles under icy drizzle only to find no Death Eater activity whatsoever was quickly fading to nothing but a vaguely unpleasant memory.
“How did you know?” she asked, reaching across to set the empty mug on the night table next to her wand.
“Hmm?” He brushed a kiss across the tip of her nose.
“How did you know exactly what I needed?”
His grin turned slightly smug. But in her state of perfect contentment, she was hardly going to begrudge him that.
“Well,” he said. “It’s not as though I haven’t spent a miserable evening in the winter rain from time to time myself.”
His words were light—he kissed her nose again—he grinned down at her with exactly the same hint of a smirk.
But she went cold all over, thick duvet and cuddling husband notwithstanding.
How many years had Remus spent desperately poor and utterly alone?
She could picture him, only too clearly, stumbling into some dark dreary flat or tumbledown cottage, drenched and shivering. Too exhausted to cast even a Warming Charm. With nothing in his cupboards but dusty teabags, stale bread, and dried-out cheese.
With no one there to care—or even to know—if he came home at all.
She would bet a dozen ruddy hippogriffs that he was giving her exactly what he had most wanted, all those years.
Tonks closed her eyes so he wouldn’t see the tears, turned toward him, cupped his cheek in her palm, and kissed him. Very thoroughly.
Remus made a surprised sound, and then a hungry one. And then it was very, very cosy under the warm, soft duvet, in the golden candlelight.
.
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no subject
Date: 2015-12-28 05:18 pm (UTC)Tonks's analysis of Remus's past was very poignant. It was nice to see him finally happy.
no subject
Date: 2015-12-29 12:01 am (UTC)I'm working on a pretty angsty section of my R/T longfic, so it's a nice change of pace to write Remus when he's happy. ;)
no subject
Date: 2015-12-28 06:16 pm (UTC)What a lovely little tale! How nice to come home to this level of thought out caring (I want a nice warm bath now!), but also poignant when she realises how he would know what she'd need the most.
no subject
Date: 2015-12-29 12:03 am (UTC)I'd love to have someone run me a hot bath before I came home. ;)
no subject
Date: 2015-12-28 11:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-29 12:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-29 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-29 01:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-30 02:25 pm (UTC)But yes, I love seeing a happy DH-era Remus. That can make up for a whole lot of HBP-era angst!
So many great little details here (like that Tonks couldn't do an Impervious charm because it would blow her cover!) And the whole fic is so full of tenderness and love and warmth and home – hygge indeed!
no subject
Date: 2015-12-31 05:24 am (UTC)Heh heh -- fluff can be predictable. ;)
It was fun writing all this tenderness and warmth! Thanks for the kind comments.
no subject
Date: 2015-12-31 01:35 am (UTC):)
no subject
Date: 2015-12-31 05:27 am (UTC)This is definitely part of Kaleidoscope-verse. Whether it will actually make it into an official chapter, I'm not sure, but I do want scenes during the DH part that show Remus making an effort, so maybe I will find a place to use it!
no subject
Date: 2015-12-31 06:29 pm (UTC)With these two the sadness is never far enough away, but it's lovely to see them so happy now. Such an appropriate title, along with a perfect appreciation of hygge! :D
If someone doesn't use 'Inadequate plumbing' in some way, I'm going to be very disappointed. ;)
no subject
Date: 2016-01-01 09:27 pm (UTC)I was thinking of this as one time when Remus realizes he really can give someone exactly what they need most -- and so he would go all out. Plus, it was cold and rainy when I wrote this...
Thanks for the kind words -- glad you liked this.
I'll be disappointed, too! Best prompt on the list.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-15 06:29 pm (UTC)Thank you for the fic. It's just what I wanted to read to warm me up.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-04 03:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-01-17 04:15 am (UTC)And I always love domestic stories, where one or the other takes care of their spouse. Remus is so devoted to her in this, its endearing, and Tonks grateful but not corny.
I liked it and hope to see more soon.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-04 03:27 am (UTC)