Baby Mama | NYMPHADORA TONKS

◽ Twenty Seven

"Just worried about Roma?" Tonks guessed, "You seemed pretty het up on the train but everything moved so quickly when we got back, you didn't get a chance to argue your case."

"Yeah," Antonia latched onto the idea; it was easier than revealing the small seeds of a possibly bad idea growing in her mind, "Although I know she probably won't change her mind. I'm worrying for nothing."

She suddenly felt a strange tingle down her arm and quickly realised it was because Tonks's fingertips had just brushed hers. This was far from accidental as their fingers slowly intertwined, Antonia looking up to meet Tonks' gaze. She was only now starting to admit to herself that maybe her feelings for Tonks weren't just as platonic business partners, even if her facade of being solely dedicated to Roma's baby issue prevented her from saying it out loud. Tonks had always been charming and open about her attraction from the start, wearing her heart on her sleeve but Antonia just wasn't like that. It took sweet moments like this for Antonia to display anything back other than wry ambiguous flirts.

"I know you care about her but Roma's life is Roma's. I know it's awful to see her make bad choices but sometimes you just can't change them, we'll have to work around them instead," Tonks shrugged, "The fact you care so much is brilliant on its own. You're a really great friend, Antonia."

For some reason, Antonia found herself softly chuckling, curling up into a little ball although her fingers remained intertwined with Tonks deliberately. The corners of Tonks' eyes creased as his smile widened, reaching his eyes which Antonia had heard was the sign of a genuine smile.

"What's so funny? Is my hair bloody salmon pink again?" He looked up as a small strand of hair grew down in front of her eyes, long enough for him to examine it, "Thank fuck. Charlie said that happens sometimes when I'm not looking although he was probably just taking the piss"

"I wasn't laughing at anything in particular," Antonia admitted, "Happy laughter, I suppose," She shook her head a little, "Just ... how are you so nice? Nice is a boring word, let me rephrase, how are you so just ... enthusiastic and kind and just ... yeah, there it is again: nice. But it's true, you hardly know us yet, most people don't like us ... well, me anyway. I don't know, I tend to look on the dry side of life and think most people do too so I just never thought it was possible for someone to be so good yet ...here you are."

"Here I am. And I'm not always nice," Tonks murmured darkly, "I can be a right pig sometimes..."

Antonia burst into delayed giggles as she looked up to see a pig's nose in the place of Tonks' regular one. By the time, their giggles had faded into silence, Antonia became acutely aware of the fact their faces were a mere few inches apart. She also came to the decision that was enough excitement for one night. The urge to kiss Tonks had played across her mind more than once in the past few minutes but if that happened, Antonia couldn't guarantee they'd stop and the last thing they needed was a second baby on their hands.

"Goodnight Tonks," She let go of the boy's hand and rolled onto her side.

"Night, Antonia," His words echoed back a few moments later. Even without seeing him, Antonia could tell there was still a smile playing across his lips too. For a moment, she allowed this new feeling to linger, a brief moment of genuine happiness intermingled with some pretty dark shit. But just as quickly as it had come, the feeling disappeared, overtaken by her sense of duty and brutal realism, a feeling that would only intensify over the next few weeks as she considered turning Caspian's idea into reality...