Tonks felt the dampness at the tip of her nose and quickly raised a hand, wiping at it in flustered panic.
Hearing Remus Lupin call her name, she seemed as though she had been scalded. Instinctively, she turned her head away and buried her cheek into the hollow of her shoulder, wishing she could hide her entire head.
Lupin's hand reached over, gently resting against Tonks's cheek, his palm cradling the curve of her jaw.
Under Lupin's touch, Tonks unconsciously sought warmth, leaning into his warm, rough palm.
Lupin lightly stroked Tonks's skin with his fingertips and called softly, "Tonks!"
"Don't look!" Tonks answered him, though her voice was muffled in her throat and sounded low.
"But I want to look!" Lupin's tone was resolute.
That steadfast voice stirred something in Tonks's heart, making her curious about what Lupin's expression looked like at that moment...
At last, she stopped lowering her head so stubbornly. Yet she still kept her face turned away, her gaze drifting into empty space, unable to meet Lupin's eyes.
"I must look... awful right now, don't I?" Her voice was thick with tears and trembling.
"How could you?" Lupin's voice remained firm. "You're wonderful! You're wonderful—you've always been wonderful!"
His thumb stopped stroking her skin and instead carefully wiped the tear tracks from Tonks's face. "It's my fault!"
"Tonks..." he called again softly.
"Mm?" Sensing the emotion in Lupin's words, Tonks finally gathered the courage to look up at him, only to find his face drawing closer.
Those eyes, reflecting her tearful face and reddened nose, came closer and closer. His warm breath brushed over her lips...
Lupin held Tonks's face in his hands. There was no testing the waters, only a sense of reckless abandon as his lips pressed down on hers.
Tonks's mind went