Author's Note: Looking for plot? Don't come here. There is none. This is just because I live in a rainy city and had a really good day last time it poured. I didn't even do a single homework item (oops).
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.
Warnings: NA
Stacked with: MC4A; Shipping War; Terms of Service; Shower of Words
Individual Challenge(s): Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; In a Flash
Representation(s): Auror Tonks; birthdays
Bonus challenge(s): Middle Name; Second Verse (Odd Feathers); Chorus (Not a Lamp); Demo (Odd Feathers; Creature Feature; Surprise; In the Trench; Toto's Tribute)
Tertiary bonus challenge: NA
Word Count: 578
Shipping Wars
Ship (Team): Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin (Technicolour Moon)
List (Prompt): Spring Big List (Cuddling)
Lazy Days
His favourite part about their apartment was that the head of their bed was pressed just underneath the window. It meant that on rainy days like this one, the gentle pitter-patter of rain was slow and steady and close. Crisp and cool fresh air poured into the flat just above them, which made bundling up in blankets even more attractive—and that was about all they'd done today. He'd finished a book that morning, before she woke up, and they had briefly (and, let it be noted, bravely) ventured out of bed to go make pancakes before leaving the dishes in the sink and seeking their pillows and sheets once more. Since then, he'd been brewing cup of tea after cup of tea, and was especially thankful that that he had mastered the bit of charms that allowed him to do so without getting out of bed years ago. Consequently, the smell of Earl Grey also wafted around the room pleasantly, as did the soft jazz pouring out of the radio.
The best part about this day was that Dora had the day off. She hadn't had to get up, hadn't had to get out of bed, hadn't had to shower and get dressed and go to work. Nope. She'd just stayed under the blankets tucked against him, since he didn't have anything on his daily schedule either. Well, until a graveyard shift washing dishes at The Leaky Cauldron that night. He was trying not to think about it. For now, Dora's day off felt even luckier than the rainy day that had made the world go quiet and calm. They had done the crossword in that day's issue of The Prophet, had fought over the radio on and off throughout the day, had napped on and off all afternoon, and had overall dedicated themselves to activities that did not require getting out of bed. Their schedules hadn't been aligned at all that week, between work and Order business and odd jobs, so it was nice to spend time in a shared space while both being lucid. Yes: theirs was a relationship with such high standards.
Dora flipped onto her back and rolled onto her side to look at him. She smiled, somewhat teasingly.
"What?" he asked.
"It's your birthday," Dora reminded him. "We can do whatever you want…"
"Exactly," Remus said, tightening his arms around her, drawing her closer, and tucking his chin against her shoulder. She was wearing a bulky sweater, which made her even comfier to hold.
"What if I'd made plans to celebrate?" Dora asked.
"Then we'd go do the things," Remus said. "And it would be absolutely lovely. But you asked me what I wanted, and what I want is this."
"You're an easy man to please, Remus Lupin," she said.
"Maybe," he said. "But I'm quite pleased whenever you're around, so you've got it easy."
She laughed. "Oh, is that true?"
"Cross my heart," he said into her hair.
"If being lazy is all it takes, I'll happily accept those terms," Dora said.
"When you love someone a lot, being lazy is all you need," Remus said. "And as it turns out, I quite like you."
She grinned, and nudged herself back against his chest. She wondered when the last time she'd been so happy and excited about a rainy day had been.
Probably too long, she decided, before clearing her mind, closing her eyes, and letting the pitter-patter of rain take over.