Author's Note: This was written in response to the Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition on HPFC. I chose the pairing RL/NT, and the prompt for this one is A for Annoying. The next few will be posted in the coming days. These will all be between 100-200 words, as per the challenge. I hope you enjoy them!

February 1996

When she's not sleeping, Tonks spends most of her time nowadays pondering the mystery that is Remus Lupin. Admittedly, sometimes her pondering extends to when she's sleeping, for he's occasionally in her dreams, and every time he's walking away from her. She doesn't have to be Freud to know where that comes from.

He's handsome and adorable and patient and sweet, but he's also shy and insecure and so frightened of pain that he won't allow himself love. He's had more than his fair share of pain already, she knows that, and to Tonks it makes him all the more deserving of love, not less.

She sighs audibly, not caring about the strange look Dawlish gives her. Remus is also far too stubborn for his own good, and sometimes her fruitless battle to make him see reason leaves her exhausted.

Tonks never thought that one person could be quite so annoying, but she hadn't counted on that same person being so close to perfect, either.