Fic | Only a Heartbeat Away
Author: shimotsuki
Title: Only a Heartbeat Away
Rating & Warnings: PG | no warnings
Word Count: 1020 words
Prompt: 18. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”-Lao Tzu
Summary: It’s the night before the second full moon after Remus married Tonks, and they are still navigating uncertain terrain.
Notes: The holidays are a good excuse for shameless fluff... This ficlet is set in the Kaleidoscope ficverse, one moon after Any Road Runs Two Ways. Happy New Year to all!
Only a Heartbeat Away
Tonks kept one eye on Remus during supper. He ate two helpings of the tomato-egg curry she’d made, with a plump boiled egg in the middle of each plateful. The smile that he gave her was a real one. But his movements were a little stiff, and fatigue had already deepened the lines on his face, so she was not surprised when he made to slip away as soon as the dishes were washed.
“I think I’ll turn in early tonight,” he said, quietly. “Good night, Andromeda. Dora.”
“Good night, Remus,” was all Mum said, but Tonks knew that her mother was just as fully aware of the lunar cycle as anyone in the house, these days.
“I’ll be up soon.” Tonks kissed him on the cheek. His glance darted guiltily toward Mum for an instant, but he ended with another warm swift smile for Tonks before he turned away to climb the stairs.
“This really isn’t too much for you?” Mum asked after a moment, studying Tonks over the rim of her teacup.
“No, Mum,” said Tonks, wearily. She raised her chin. “He makes me so strong, every day. If I can help him out one or two days a month, it’s the least I can do.”
~ * ~
Tonks found Remus in his pyjamas, but still awake, reading in bed by the soft yellow light of his bedside lamp.
He looked up from his book when she came in, with a small crease between his eyebrows. “Dora, love, don’t feel you have to come up early just because I’m too tired to stay downstairs.”
“I don’t,” she said, changing into her own pyjamas. “I just liked the idea of reading in bed with my husband for a while.”
He let slip a little awestruck grin at the word husband, as he so often did, which was of course exactly why she liked to say it.
She slid into bed beside him until they were just touching, hip to hip. “This doesn’t hurt you, does it?”
“No, no,” he said hastily. “But I’m-erm-” He swallowed, and started again. “I’m not necessarily going to be feeling particularly, er, athletic tonight.”
Tonks leaned over and brushed a kiss along his jaw, and was rewarded with a small sigh of pleasure. “Don’t worry about that. Ever.” Her grin turned sly. “Though if you find yourself troubled with restless energy in the morning, like last month, we can certainly do something about that.”
“That may happen,” he allowed. His cheeks went pink, but he laughed, and his eyes were sheepish rather than ashamed, so Tonks counted that as a victory.
But then his face turned serious. “But please, don’t ever feel you have to do that, either-”
“Don’t be daft,” she said, nuzzling at his jaw again. “It’s not exactly a hardship.” But that little crease between his eyebrows reappeared, so she sat up straighter to look him in the eye. “No-don’t worry. Of course I wouldn’t if I didn’t want to.”
They sat in silence for a while, hips and shoulders touching. Tonks thought Remus was actually reading his book, but her own thoughts were whirling.
“I-” she started. “Erm.” This time, she was the one who couldn’t find words.
Warm lips brushed her forehead. “It’s all right. Say, or ask, anything you like.” His grin turned wry. “It’s the least I can do, for dragging you through all this nonsense every month.”
She rolled her eyes at that, but took a deep breath to try again. “Tomorrow-after how things went last month-I was thinking-”
There was worry in his eyes again. Damn-she didn’t mean to hurt him-this was so hard.
“I was wondering if it might make things easier on you afterward if I worked out the knots in your shoulders a few times tomorrow, before the moon,” she said in a rush. “But-last month you seemed to need your space the day before, and I don’t ever want to crowd you-”
Her face would have been on fire at this point if she weren’t a Metamorphmagus. Thank Merlin for small blessings.
“No,” he said. “Oh, Dora, no.” He swallowed, thickly, and then swallowed again. A dark flush crept up from under the collar of his pyjamas, and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
Damn-apparently that had not been the right thing to say, after all-
“You couldn’t possibly crowd me,” he muttered, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.
It took a moment for her to work that out. But then-
“Oh,” she whispered, around a lump in her throat.
She slid her hand along his arm and covered his fingers with hers, over the spine of his book.
He shivered.
She pressed a little closer against him where their legs touched under the duvet.
He breathed a ragged sigh.
“Hadn’t you worked it out?” he asked, still not looking at her. “It’s practically an addiction. Especially right around the moon.” The hand she didn’t have her fingers wrapped around rubbed at his face. “You mustn’t let me take advantage of you, Dora. I’m so afraid of wanting too much-”
“Don’t be daft,” she said again, rolling over to face him. She settled his head against her shoulder and ran her fingers through his hair, gently, repetitively. This time, his sigh was almost a sob.
“I can’t believe you haven’t noticed that I’m every bit as addicted.” She rested her forehead against his. “Seems to me we’ve got a win-win situation here.”
He laughed, shakily, and then snapped his book shut and dropped it on the floor with a thump. He rolled toward her, wrapping his arm around her waist, and slid one leg between hers, hooking their ankles together. Then he buried his face against the hollow between her shoulder and her neck.
She rested her cheek on top of his head and rubbed slow circles between his shoulderblades.
He sighed once more, a long deep sigh, and she felt him smile against her skin.
“Sleep now,” she whispered, giddy with joy. “I’ll be here in the morning.”
~ * ~ When I need you
I just close my eyes and I’m with you
And all that I so want to give you
It’s only a heartbeat away
-Carole Bayer Sager, “When I Need You”
.
Title: Only a Heartbeat Away
Rating & Warnings: PG | no warnings
Word Count: 1020 words
Prompt: 18. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”-Lao Tzu
Summary: It’s the night before the second full moon after Remus married Tonks, and they are still navigating uncertain terrain.
Notes: The holidays are a good excuse for shameless fluff... This ficlet is set in the Kaleidoscope ficverse, one moon after Any Road Runs Two Ways. Happy New Year to all!
Only a Heartbeat Away
Tonks kept one eye on Remus during supper. He ate two helpings of the tomato-egg curry she’d made, with a plump boiled egg in the middle of each plateful. The smile that he gave her was a real one. But his movements were a little stiff, and fatigue had already deepened the lines on his face, so she was not surprised when he made to slip away as soon as the dishes were washed.
“I think I’ll turn in early tonight,” he said, quietly. “Good night, Andromeda. Dora.”
“Good night, Remus,” was all Mum said, but Tonks knew that her mother was just as fully aware of the lunar cycle as anyone in the house, these days.
“I’ll be up soon.” Tonks kissed him on the cheek. His glance darted guiltily toward Mum for an instant, but he ended with another warm swift smile for Tonks before he turned away to climb the stairs.
“This really isn’t too much for you?” Mum asked after a moment, studying Tonks over the rim of her teacup.
“No, Mum,” said Tonks, wearily. She raised her chin. “He makes me so strong, every day. If I can help him out one or two days a month, it’s the least I can do.”
~ * ~
Tonks found Remus in his pyjamas, but still awake, reading in bed by the soft yellow light of his bedside lamp.
He looked up from his book when she came in, with a small crease between his eyebrows. “Dora, love, don’t feel you have to come up early just because I’m too tired to stay downstairs.”
“I don’t,” she said, changing into her own pyjamas. “I just liked the idea of reading in bed with my husband for a while.”
He let slip a little awestruck grin at the word husband, as he so often did, which was of course exactly why she liked to say it.
She slid into bed beside him until they were just touching, hip to hip. “This doesn’t hurt you, does it?”
“No, no,” he said hastily. “But I’m-erm-” He swallowed, and started again. “I’m not necessarily going to be feeling particularly, er, athletic tonight.”
Tonks leaned over and brushed a kiss along his jaw, and was rewarded with a small sigh of pleasure. “Don’t worry about that. Ever.” Her grin turned sly. “Though if you find yourself troubled with restless energy in the morning, like last month, we can certainly do something about that.”
“That may happen,” he allowed. His cheeks went pink, but he laughed, and his eyes were sheepish rather than ashamed, so Tonks counted that as a victory.
But then his face turned serious. “But please, don’t ever feel you have to do that, either-”
“Don’t be daft,” she said, nuzzling at his jaw again. “It’s not exactly a hardship.” But that little crease between his eyebrows reappeared, so she sat up straighter to look him in the eye. “No-don’t worry. Of course I wouldn’t if I didn’t want to.”
They sat in silence for a while, hips and shoulders touching. Tonks thought Remus was actually reading his book, but her own thoughts were whirling.
“I-” she started. “Erm.” This time, she was the one who couldn’t find words.
Warm lips brushed her forehead. “It’s all right. Say, or ask, anything you like.” His grin turned wry. “It’s the least I can do, for dragging you through all this nonsense every month.”
She rolled her eyes at that, but took a deep breath to try again. “Tomorrow-after how things went last month-I was thinking-”
There was worry in his eyes again. Damn-she didn’t mean to hurt him-this was so hard.
“I was wondering if it might make things easier on you afterward if I worked out the knots in your shoulders a few times tomorrow, before the moon,” she said in a rush. “But-last month you seemed to need your space the day before, and I don’t ever want to crowd you-”
Her face would have been on fire at this point if she weren’t a Metamorphmagus. Thank Merlin for small blessings.
“No,” he said. “Oh, Dora, no.” He swallowed, thickly, and then swallowed again. A dark flush crept up from under the collar of his pyjamas, and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
Damn-apparently that had not been the right thing to say, after all-
“You couldn’t possibly crowd me,” he muttered, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.
It took a moment for her to work that out. But then-
“Oh,” she whispered, around a lump in her throat.
She slid her hand along his arm and covered his fingers with hers, over the spine of his book.
He shivered.
She pressed a little closer against him where their legs touched under the duvet.
He breathed a ragged sigh.
“Hadn’t you worked it out?” he asked, still not looking at her. “It’s practically an addiction. Especially right around the moon.” The hand she didn’t have her fingers wrapped around rubbed at his face. “You mustn’t let me take advantage of you, Dora. I’m so afraid of wanting too much-”
“Don’t be daft,” she said again, rolling over to face him. She settled his head against her shoulder and ran her fingers through his hair, gently, repetitively. This time, his sigh was almost a sob.
“I can’t believe you haven’t noticed that I’m every bit as addicted.” She rested her forehead against his. “Seems to me we’ve got a win-win situation here.”
He laughed, shakily, and then snapped his book shut and dropped it on the floor with a thump. He rolled toward her, wrapping his arm around her waist, and slid one leg between hers, hooking their ankles together. Then he buried his face against the hollow between her shoulder and her neck.
She rested her cheek on top of his head and rubbed slow circles between his shoulderblades.
He sighed once more, a long deep sigh, and she felt him smile against her skin.
“Sleep now,” she whispered, giddy with joy. “I’ll be here in the morning.”
~ * ~ When I need you
I just close my eyes and I’m with you
And all that I so want to give you
It’s only a heartbeat away
-Carole Bayer Sager, “When I Need You”
.