As Sweet

AS SWEET

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." (Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet)

The sullen hush of the room was suddenly filled with loud bumps, grunts, moans, and sighs. There was a brief pause, which was filled with heavy breathing. Then, after the hard slam of the door, the rude noises commenced again, this time even louder than before. Another pause. When the noises began again, rough smacking noises were added. Another moment of these lusty sounds and the word "Remus" quietly escaped and dispensed into the air. It went unnoticed by the sounds until it came again. "REMUS!" This time it was loud enough to stimulate the noises even further, adding more heavy breaths into the equation. Then, it became a song. "Remus, Remus, REMUS!! Merlin, Remus."

If another word hadn't interrupted, the sounds could have gone on forever. It came as tender and softly as the first "Remus." But this word caused a far more firm reaction that any of the "Remus"-s; It halted the sounds altogether. After a long moment of silence, Nymphadora Tonks was on feet. "What the fuck!" she cried, staring at the only other person in the room. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Tonks, I'm sorry," came the reply and Remus Lupin hung his head in shame. Even in his usual I'm-a-bloody-floater state, Remus had never looked so dismal. "Listen, I-"

But Tonks interrupted. "You're a right sodding bastard," she declared, folding her arms over her chest. "Snogging is nice, innit? But you had to go ruin it, you--" She racked her brain for the right word. "--you bastard."

"I knew that!" Remus voiced, not sure what he was agreeing to. At the moment, he just wanted to make sure that everything was calm between Tonks and him. He leaped to his feet, slowing crossing the distance between the two of them. "I'm apologizing here."

"Get out!"

"What?" He blinked in surprise.

"I said, 'go away,' you git!" Tonks cried.

Puzzled, Remus stood in the middle of the room, trying to collect his thoughts. He wasn't sure what to make of this situation. "I won't feel comfortable leaving you alone," he decided.

"You won't feel comfortable being in the same flat with me either!" Tonk shot back, pulling out her wand.

Remus was already halfway to the door. "I'm gone," he shouted over his shoulder. Turning the door knob, he mumbled under his breath, "stroppy cow."

"What was that?" Tonks raised an eyebrow.

He turned his head slightly, so that he could keep the enemy in his sights. "Should I Floo you tomorrow, love?" he asked.

"Fuck no!"

The next morning, Tonks woke from a rather happy dreams feeling a bit of remorse. Remembering the "fight" from the night before sank her spirits even further. She was even sighing heavily when she dragged herself out of bed. And anyone who knew Tonks would know that sighing and getting out of bed generally didn't fall in the same sentence when describing Tonks' morning. Especially when Remus was around. Decidedly, the first thing on her agenda was apologizing to him. Where was he anyway? Number 12? The Burrow? "Remus," she whispered into the fireplace when she had slid into the next room.

"In the kitchen, love!" he called.

"The hell!" Tonks returned in surprise, following his voice into a room she had hardly been in since she had moved. "I thought I told you to leave," she barked at the man.

Remus shrugged. "I did leave," he said with a smile, adding jam to the toast and politely laying it on the plate in front of him. "But I came back. You never said not to come back."

"I distinctively remembered saying that I don't want to see your ugly, werewolf bum again," she told him, reaching over and grabbing the piece of toast that he had just been working on.

"That was the day before."

"Ah," Tonks sighed, her attention focused mostly on what she was eating.

Remus, assuring himself that she had calmed enough, was brave enough to utter, "And the word 'werewolf' is not an adjective."

"What was that?"

"Breakfast in bed," he declared. "Except you're not in bed. Corn flakes, pumpkin juice, toast with strawberry jam, and eggs."

"You're going to make me fat," Tonks murmured.

"You're already fat," he said in an undertone.

She paused in between bites. "What did you say?" she asked.

"They're all very healthy, love."

"I'm not deaf, Remus."

"That's good to know."

"It's your fault, you know," she said, returning to her toast. "You're always making me angry. What did you do last night?"

"Can't remember," he voiced, innocently as he reached for the nearest glass of pumpkin juice and took a sip.

"Remus . . ." came the plea.

Remus shrugged. It would do no good to deny it now. "Called you 'Dora.'"

"Did you?" she asked. Then, with a shrug, she added, "I've never liked that nickname anyway."

Remus nodded with a chuckle. "Understandable."

"Remus?"

"Hmm," was the reply.

"Why didn't you leave?" she asked, downing a big gulp of pumpkin juice.

"I did."

"But why did you come back?"

"I must have lost my mind," decided Remus.

Tonks quirked an eyebrow in silently inquiry. "Did you now?" she said.

Realizing the dangerous path he had taken, Remus started down a new one by quickly amending his statement, "or my heart."

They both stared at each other for a short while before their countenance broke into huge grins. "This is the part where you kiss me, git," Tonks told him.

"Oh, is it?" Remus kidded, pushing the pumpkin juices out of his way as he leaned over the table to his wife. Even though he was cautious, he did manage to spill the terribly orange drinks all over the floor. That fact didn't bother the two people, for they were so immersed in one another.

"I'm sorry," Tonks breathed when they drew apart.

"Are you now?" he asked, smirking. "Don't worry about it. It'll be an interesting bedtime story for our child." They both sighed as they basked in the fact.

"Remus?"

"Hmm."

"Don't ever call me 'Dora' again."

Remus' laugh was held back by loud smacking noises, low bumps, soft grunts, kind moans, and long sighs. A small splash. And then a shriek when someone(s) fell into a puddle of pumpkin juice.