clumsy_auror | (no subject)

(no subject)

It's been a hectic couple of days, at the Ministry of Magic. Nymphadora has slowly been excavating her desk from the detritus that accumulated whilst she was gone, which was considerable even though she owled work in from home nearly every day.

Right now all she wants is a cuppa and a biscuit, but it's not quite teatime. Suck it up, Tonks, she tells herself sternly, and scribbles furiously at the report in front of her.

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"Well, if we're gonna have more kids, she'll need to have a thicker skin, anyway."

She pauses, as her words catch up to her ears, and Nymphadora considers her now-empty teacup for a moment before continuing.

"So... that's something we probably ought to talk about."

Bernard's eyebrows fly up, his eyes flicking around the room.

"...Okay. Right this second?"

A dismissive wave of her hand. "'S not as though anyone's listening. And no, we don't have to, but... well, our natural birth control has pretty well run its course, I reckon. He's only gonna be breastfeeding a couple more months, and the protection from that's already worn thin."

"Okay." He takes a breath. "So. What're you thinking you want to do? You know I know all kinds of things we could do, if you want to wait."

"Honestly?" A breath. "I'm not sure. What do you want?"

He goes to sip his tea, then sets the mug down decidedly. No more tea.

"I..." He scrubs his hands over his face, really thinking, then rests his chin on folded hands, just looking. "I'm of two minds. On one hand, it would be nice to have Anthony be a bit bigger, to have you be not-pregnant for a while longer." A small smile graces his lips, then. "But on the other hand, you know I'm pretty much game for whatever life throws at us. You may not get pregnant for another two years, for all we know."

"Yeah."

Nymphadora props her chin up on her fists, her posture nearly mirroring his.

"I wouldn't mind being able to see my feet for a while longer yet, but... at the same time, this is a pretty peaceful moment in my world. Not so dangerous for me to be pregnant. So I'm sort of inclined to... leave it up to fate, for the time being. Not really trying, but not ruling it out, either."

Their fingers tangle together in the center of the table again, and he grins, suddenly laughing.

"You know, now, you'll be pregnant tomorrow."

Laughing, "Oh, shut up. I said leave it up to fate, not tempt it."

Sadface!

"Does that mean I'm not getting laid tonight?"

"Well I didn't say that. All depends on whether your son and daughter see fit to let us conserve some of energy after an evening of playtime, baths, stories, and so forth. And, by the way, bath time is so your turn tonight. I did it two nights in a row and came away soaked both times."

"It's kind of amazing how I stay dry almost every time."

Lies.

"Taking your shirt and trousers off before you leave the bathroom does not count as 'staying dry.'"

"Sure it does! Also? Doing your work for you, there. You're welcome."

"Oh, yes, because your clothing has presented me with such problems in the past."

Then 'Dora catches herself, blinking.

"Well, I mean, aside from a few isolated incidents. Which I solved with magic."

As she speaks she begins gathering up their dishes and stacking them back on the tray. She picks up the last biscuit, solemnly breaks it in two, and gives half to Bernard.

He takes it.

"You nearly strangled me that time. I almost went to Security."

"Well if you'd just unzipped your jumper like you should have, you wouldn't have gotten yourself in that situation, now would you?"

A Ministry house elf scampers over and, in the flash of an eye, whisks their tray off through a swinging door into the kitchens.

'Dora's gaze follows the creature, and then she sighs.

"We should get back."

He sighs, too, and stands.

"What do you want for dinner tonight, baby?"

"Hmmmm." Nymphadora weaves her way through the rabbit warren of tables, her hand automatically reaching back to catch Bernard's. "How 'bout stuffed green peppers? Bit chilly today. Be nice to have some comfort food."

"Sure... No pepper for you, though, right?"

He knows her too well.

"No pepper for me," she agrees. "Just the stuff."

The lifts are their parting of the ways, and one half-filled with Aurors opens before them.

"Going back to the office, Tonks?" a sandy-haired, lanky bloke asks, catching the door before it can close.

"Yeah, cheers Roger-- bye, love. See you in a bit."

Nymphadora kisses Bernard firmly, and then again, before shooting him a swift grin and disappearing into the lift.

"...Bye."

Bernard stands before the closed doors, smiling, for a bit, and then hits the down button.

Time to prod Aron in some productive direction some more. he should be consumed by that, but for the rest of the afternoon, in between ducking behind quick shielding charms and watching things blow up in controlled environments, his mind wanders.

Yeah. At this rate, she'll be pregnant by mid-October.

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