Dora (getupagain) wrote in unloading_zone, @ 2010-06-27 16:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | fred weasley, nymphadora tonks-lupin |
Who: Tonks and Fred
When: Saturday Morning
Where: Tonks' Bungalow
What: Breakfast and Baggage
Rating: Low
Status: COMPLETE
Fred had woken up early that morning. It was hard not to, with the Great Sirius Black making it sound like someone was cutting down a tree. He could've just laid in bed for a few more hours, hoping sleep would come back to him, but really. That sound was annoying. With a sigh, he climbed out of his bed, took a quick shower, threw some clothes on and headed out of the bungalow. He had a little bit of money on him, so he stopped by the grocery store to pick up some breakfast stuff. After selecting doughtnuts, muffins, and bread for toast (he was a Weasley after all), he headed over to bungalow three. He had no idea if she would be awake, but...
He felt bad for Tonks. He knew how much she had loved Remus, and for him to not know her here, it must've been torture for her. It was odd, how protective he felt over Tonks. Not really though, he supposed, considering how much she was like family now. Fred knocked on her door, and desperately hoped she would open it, and not her roommates.
--
Tonks was not a morning person. But she'd been sleeping on the sofa rather than sleeping in a room with Snape and Percy. When the knock sounded on the door, Tonks jumped up startled. She was dressed in a pair of boxers and an old Harpie's tee shirt. Her annoyingly brown hair was sticking up all over. "Ugggggggh," she said and padded to the door.
Opening it and squinting against the sun light, Tonks frowned. "It's early."
--
"Yes. But your cousin snores horrifically loud, so if I have to be awake, so do you. I brought breakfast to make up for it." Fred smiled brightly and lifted up the bag of groceries. He didn't wait long before going around Tonks and into the kitchen. He was assuming everyone else was asleep, hopefully they would stay that way.
Fred made himself busy getting down the plates, and making tea. He was sure he must look like a maniac, running around someone else's kitchen, but he didn't quite care. Spending time with Tonks served as a distraction from...everything. Once the tea was ready, and both plates were loaded up with food, Fred sat down and looked expectantly at Tonks. "So. Dig in."
--
While Fred fussed around her kitchen, Tonks rubbed her face in an attempt to wake herself up. She yanked her hair back into a ponytail and wiped under her eyes. "You brought food," she said with a happy smile. "You brilliant, sweet, wonderful man."
Food was needed. So very badly needed. She rushed over to the food, grabbed a donut and shoved it into her mouth. "Thank you," she said and sprayed crumbs at him.
--
Fred shrugged, pretending to be bashful. Food was brilliant, it filled up all the little cracks in your body so you felt whole again. Least that was what his mum always told him. It did help though, and he glad he could help Tonks, even if it was in a small way.
After he wiped the crumbs off his face, he turned to Tonks with a dead-panned expression, "you're welcome. I figured there couldn't be much in your kitchen cause there wasn't any in mine." He shrugged again, not wanting to upset her and bring up Lupin or Teddy. They would just have breakfast, like extremely close friend, hell almost relatives, often do.
--
"I wouldn't know what to do with it if there was. I'm hopeless in the kitchen." Tonks drank some of her tea and sighed happily. Tea had a way of making her world a better place.
"You're the only person who knows me like this," she said gratefully. "I don't feel like I need to be anything more or apologize for being what I am."
--
Fred smiled brightly. That was one of the best things in the world, people knowing they could be themselves around him. "Well, that's what I'm here for!"
Fred's eyes drifted up to her hair. He didn't want to bring up morphing, since when he mentioned changing to Sirius it seemed to depress him, but..."I wonder if we could get your hair pink again. Muggle girls change their hair all the time, there has to be someway." Of course Fred's mind was now on that. He couldn't imagine Tonks felt too wonderful with brown hair. Not that she looked bad, of course. "If you want it pink, that is." Fred raised an eyebrow at her, almost positive of what her answer would be.
--
Running a hand over her head Tonks frowned. It wasn't just the hair she missed. She missed being able to hide her scars and bruises. She missed being able to look like herself. Now all she could see were her imperfections.
"Maybe I'll be like this forever," she said. "I'll make it work. Warrior sheek."
--
Fred smiled at Tonks, glad that he had decided to come see her. Something moved from up above though, and he scowled up at the ceiling. If Percy came down there, he was going to punch him. Hard.
Turning his attention back to Tonks, a slight smile came back to his face. "Warrior sheek, huh? Shame I can't take part in your new fashion."
--
"It takes a certain type of person to pull off anything as cool as I can." Tonks was smiling. That was a nice change. She was smiling and not upset which hadn't happened in days. Fred made her hate this place a little less.
"You know what we should do? Let's open my luggage."
--
Fred agreed whole heartedly. "Well, you do look fantastic no matter what, so that shouldn't really surprise me."
Fred raised an eyebrow. He was certain that she had already tried to open hers, just as he had tried to open his. He couldn't help but be curious what she was thinking. "You know as well as I do that they're locked. What're you thinking?"
--
"Sirius opened one," she pointed out. If Sirius could do it then so could she. It's not like he was all that smart! Okay, so maybe wasn't feeling that generous towards him. "Obviously that means we can do it to."
--
Fred shrugged. Maybe there was something about his luggage he was missing. "Alright, let's go for it. Lead the way!" He got up happily, grabbed a doughnut to munch on and waited for Tonks to lead him to her luggage.
--
Tonks had tucked her luggage away from everyone else's. In fact, she had stacked it (surprisingly) neatly behind the bungalow. Not caring much that she was still in her pajamas, Tonks walked outside and around to the back of the house where her trunks were sitting.
And.. there was a key on top of them. Interesting. "I guess it's not hard to open these after all," she said and picked up the key. "Which one do you reckon I should open first? The green one or the red one?"
--
"Red." Tonks had barely finished getting the question out before he answered, it was just instinct for him. When in doubt, always choose red. Sometimes you didn't even have to be in doubt! Fred was having too much fun thinking about this.
Fred tilted his head as he watched Tonks. Remus was an idiot. Even if he didn't remember, why would he pass up an opportunity with this woman? Shaking his head, his eyes went to the key in her hand. Did he have one of those? He'd have to look when he got back. "What do you think is in there?"
--
"I'm hoping more knickers. I'm sick of washing clothes so often." Sticking the key in the lock, Tonks unlocked the red trunk. She could hear the lock clicking and the lid opened slightly. That was.. way too easy.
Lifting the lid, Tonks expected to see some of her belongings. Instead she felt storm of emotions wash over her. She was suddenly in the middle of the war again, standing in front of all those people, hexing and demanding information. The guilt and the pain she caused all of them hit her like a ton of bricks and Tonks stumbled back from the trunk, gasping for air.
--
Fred chuckled at her joke and leaned forward in anticipation as she unlocked the trunk. He couldn't help but be curious really. Though, when she opened it, he looked over her shoulder to see more clearly the...complete nothing that was inside. "Well, that was disappoint-"
Fred's hands immediately found themselves on Tonks' forearms, steadying her as she stumbled back. "Tonks! Tonks!" He may have been overreacting, his eyes searching her face for any wounds, but it was what Fred was used to. The look in her eyes was far away, well past Fred, and he couldn't think of anything to grab her attention. Except one thing.
"Nymphadora!"
--
"Don't call me Nymphadora," she spat at him and stood up slowly. Her heart was aching. The feelings she had every night going to bed were hitting her over the head and punching her in the chest.
"And don't touch your luggage," she warned. "This hurts." She couldn't find the words to explain it all, but.. but ow. It hurt. And she didn't want to feel this way.
--
Fred felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips, but his worry won in the end, and all he could do was watch her. He looked her up and down, looking for signs of injuries. "Where does it hurt? Do you want to sit down?" Fred wrapped an arm around Tonks' waist to lead her back inside, kicking her trunk closed on the way.
--
She heard the trunk close, but the feelings didn't fade. She could feel the pain and fear she had inspired in others slamming against her. Knowing that she had the ability to hurt people like that.. it was hard enough to shake one person at a time.
"I need to sit down. I'll be fine."
--
Fred nodded and led her back through the door and into the kitchen. After lowering her into a chair, Fred pulled one over near her and sat down, trying to erase the worry on his face. "How do you feel? Do you need anything?" The worry was barely evident in his voice, but he couldn't help it. Whatever was in the trunk had done something to Tonks, and the fact that he didn't know what it was..."Do you think that was what Sirius was talking about?"
--
"It must have been. It's like.. I don't want to punch anything, but I feel things. I feel like I did when I was.. hurting people to find out what they know. I feel like I've been standing in front of them and screaming at them for days." Her eyes teared up and Tonks wiped at them quickly. She wasn't someone who cried often, but she was feeling far too many things to stop herself.
"All I can see are their faces. Their fear and their hate and I feel it all pushing against my chest."
--
Fred leaned forward and took one of Tonks' hands in his own. He hadn't had to hurt anyone during the war. He couldn't imagine how she was feeling. "Im sorry, Tonks. Maybe, maybe it's a temporary thing. Maybe you'll wake up tomorrow and you'll feel normal again." He squeezed her hand comfortingly and pulled her into a hug, not sure what else to say.
--
"Sweet Helga, I hope so." She didn't want to feel this. Her stomach was in knots and her chest felt so tight. Tonks took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Don't open that luggage," she pleaded with him. "Please. I don't want you to feel this."
Tonks stood up and went to pour herself a glass of water. She drained it and then another and then a third. It didn't help. Not at all. "Fuck."
--
Fred nodded, "I promise. We'll figure out what it is, and how to make it go away." He watched her get up and drink water, his mouth forming a frown. "Do you want to go get a drink?" Alcohol might not solve everything, if anything, but it certainly made a nice numb feeling.