Precisely What I Mean

[starfishstar]

PRECISELY WHAT I MEAN

Summary:

Remus with Teddy was easily the sweetest thing Tonks had ever seen. It seemed Remus couldn't ever hold Teddy without gazing down at his son with a huge, helpless, delighted grin.

"Don't your cheeks ever get tired?" Tonks couldn't help teasing him once, and he'd glanced up, bewildered by the question – he didn't even realise he was doing it.

Characters: Tonks, Remus and baby Teddy.

Warnings: None

Words: 670

Author's note: By rights I suppose this snippet (it's so short I'm not sure I can even call it a "story") deserves to be labeled "pure fluff"... and yet, if it's pure fluff, it's with the intention of providing a tiny counterbalance to all the hard times its characters go through before this – and immediately after. I wanted to give them one purely happy moment.

Everything you recognize belongs to JKR!

Story:



Precisely What I Mean

Tonks shifted Teddy down from her breast to her lap. He seemed to have drunk his fill for now and sprawled there, sated and sleepy-eyed, his wispy hair turning a warm orange-ish hue that Tonks was quickly coming to associate with contentment. She just saw his eyes take on precisely the colour of her own before his eyelids fluttered closed.

Tonks sighed and let her head fall against Remus' shoulder, where he sat next to her on the sofa, ostensibly reading a book but really just enjoying being there with her and Teddy.

She found herself falling in love with Remus all over again, just seeing how gentle and full of wonder he was with his son. Remus touched and held Teddy almost constantly, probably would have held him every waking moment if Tonks hadn't periodically taken him away to nurse.

And even then, Remus was rarely more than an arm's reach away, to that point that Tonks had started suggesting maybe he should use the time when she was nursing Teddy to do other things: the washing up, for example, or just to get a tiny bit of sleep himself.

But it was hard to suggest those things more than half-heartedly, because Remus with Teddy was easily the sweetest thing Tonks had ever seen. It seemed Remus couldn't ever hold Teddy without gazing down at his son with a huge, helpless, delighted grin.

"Don't your cheeks ever get tired?" Tonks couldn't help teasing him once, and he'd glanced up, bewildered by the question – he didn't even realise he was doing it.

Now, Teddy securely in her lap, Tonks settled herself more comfortably against Remus, letting herself slide across him until her head was resting against the yielding warmth of his T-shirt – a particularly soft and well-worn T-shirt Tonks had been very much enjoying getting to know these past couple weeks.

This was yet another of the small but astonishing changes Teddy had wrought in his father in the short space of time since his arrival. Sure, Remus' clothing had often been threadbare before, but he had always dressed neatly, properly. Tonks had never before seen him just lounge around the house in a T-shirt and loose-fitting trousers, and she found she liked the look very much.

"Little man asleep, then?" Remus asked, his voice a pleasant, throaty rumble beside her ear.

"Mmh," Tonks agreed. They were both too tired to form proper sentences much of the time now, and both too tired to mind.

"Hmm," Remus hummed back, stifling a yawn.

This was one of the few places where Tonks found their age difference noticeable: For her, sleepless nights with a newborn were not all that much worse than times she'd been out dancing all night with her old Hogwarts friends, not so many years back.

Remus, though, after nights spent walking Teddy back and forth, was left looking haggard. Well, haggard – and radiant. It was hard to explain to anyone who hadn't seen it.

"Naptime?" Tonks suggested hopefully, for his sake as much as her own.

Remus nodded gently against her head, and she felt his arms come around her and Teddy, supporting them both. Tonks relaxed into the warmth of her husband beside her and her son in her arms.

Outside these walls, the war was waiting to drag them back in, but Tonks was determined to allow them this small respite, this bit of calm into which to welcome their son into the world.

Just as she started to slip into sleep, Tonks felt Remus' arms around her tighten.

"Thank you," he whispered, his urgent voice against her ear making her shiver.

"For?" Tonks mumbled.

"For putting up with me. For Teddy. For you."

Tonks smiled. "I love you, too, Remus." She turned her head so she could place a lopsided kiss against his T-shirt.

There was a small pause, and when Remus spoke again, his voice was full of wonder. "Yes, that's precisely what I mean. I love you."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An updated note: Artist solochan has now drawn a lovely picture of this story, which I recommend checking out, because it's very sweet and very much captures the mood of this story. Thanks, solochan!

Comments

[solochan.livejournal.com]

Okay, you've officially made my day. Loved this. >.> I think I'm attacking your LJ with need to read your fan fictions and deserve all the praise. I love the way Remus looks haggard and radiant. It's wonderful, congratulations.

[starfishstar]

Thank you! And it's a joy to see you "attacking" your way through my stories and leaving lovely comments. I'm glad you're enjoying the stories!