It really shouldn't have been a question. He was beyond nervous and it was evident if you looked close enough. He was sitting with fists clenched at his sides and a tight set to his jaw. One foot tapped an indistinguishable rhythm.
"Merlin, yes," he said, momentarily releasing the tension in his neck to bend to kiss Tonks back. "I really don't want to do this."
As much as he didn't want to, it was quickly becoming clear that they had to tell Gabe. The tried-and-true excuse was that daddy had to go on business overnight and when he came home he'd be very tired. Remus normally transformed at an abandoned barn near his childhood home and spent the morning recovering there in a makeshift room he'd set up until he was well enough to travel home to his own bed, where Gabe was forbidden to bother him until the late afternoon.
The past few months, Gabe had been extra curious about his father's expeditions, now that he was older and fond of asking questions. This past month, he'd gone into their bedroom unannounced to find his dad with dark-circled eyes and a scary-looking cut on his shoulder. Remus had managed to assuage the boy with a story about an accident, but had confessed to Tonks later that he was sure Gabriel knew something was up.
"Are you going to talk, or me?" he asked Tonks softly.