Infatuation

Intermission

Dean paused in front of the portrait hole, staring into space and worrying. On the other side, he knew, Seamus was somewhere waiting for him. Waiting and, he rather suspected, sulking.

Honestly Shame, grow up, he thought to himself. It was almost a year ago! I'm not with him anymore; I'm with you.

"You going in, dear?" The Fat Lady's question interrupted his mental musings.

"Uh... yeah, yeah I am. Canons," he gave the password and steeled himself to walk into the room.

Crawling out of the portrait hole, Dean looked around the room, trying to spot that familiar blonde head. Finally he saw Seamus sitting crosswise in an armchair, staring out the window with a textbook lying forgotten in his lap. He looked distracted and upset, and as soon as he spotted Dean heading over he picked up the book and pretended to be studying it very intently.

"Hi, Seamus."

"Hi." It was almost a grunt, and the Irish boy very determinedly didn't look up at him.

"Getting a lot of work done?"

"Mh-hmm."

"Cause, you know, it works better if you turn the book right side up."

At that Seamus looked up and slammed the book closed. "So, how's Ernie?" There was no mistaking the anger in Seamus' tone.

"Miserable, not that it matters."

"Oh really? It doesn't matter? Cause it seems to have not mattered for almost two hours."

"He wanted my opinion on what he should do about Justin."

"Yes, I know he did. I caught that from the little bit of the conversation you did let me hear."

"Seamus..."

"You know, before you told me to sit down and shut up?"

"Seamus..."

"You know, talking to me like I was a naughty little kid."

"Seamus!"

"What, Dean? What excuse do you have? You've clearly been seeing him without telling me. Hiding something? There something you don't want me to know?"

"Would you stop it, Seamus? I'm not seeing him!"

"Oh, so he told you whatever he told you about Hannah and Susan without seeing you? I wonder why I don't believe you?"

"Would you just grow up Seamus? Seriously! I'm not seeing Ernie anymore. I'm not cheating on you. I'm with you, and if, occasionally, I stop to chat with a friend, one I don't see very often, surely that's not a crime, right? Surely I'm allowed to see my friends, cause, you know, you don't control me."

"Ernie is not just a friend!"

"Yes he IS!"

"He's your EX! That's NOT a friend!"

"Ah, bloody hell! You're insane, Seamus; you're seriously fucked up. What the hell is your problem with Ernie?"

Seamus didn't say anything, turning to stare out the window again.

"Fine, be that way. Come find me when you're ready to be reasonable Seamus, then we can talk." Without another word Dean turned and stalked off, heading upstairs to grab his sketchbook and work out some of his frustration in charcoal.

***

"So, what did you tell Ernie he ought to do?"

Dean hadn't heard Seamus coming up the stairs to the dorm, and was startled when the Irish boy spoke. He glanced up and spotted Seamus hovering near the door to the room, looking uncertain. "What?"

"About Justin. What did you tell him?"

"Oh. Well, I told him he should wait, give it time. He's not even sure Justin's not completely straight, and that'd be . . . bad. And I told him he should talk to Hannah and Susan, get them to cut it out."

"What was that about? What did he tell to you about them?"

"They've started teasing Justin, pretty much any chance they get. Making out in the Common Room, luring him into walking in on them. It's driving Justin crazy, which drives Ernie crazy, and they love the attention."

"Oh . . . I didn't even know they were together."

"That's because you treat the Hufflepuffs as though they have the plague, just because I used to date Ernie." Dean's tone was sharp, almost accusatory, and Seamus seemed to bristle at this, but he didn't say anything.

A silence stretched between them, with Seamus still on the other side of the room, near the door, ready to escape, and Dean clutching his charcoal and failing to notice the crease he was making in his paper.

Finally Dean sighed, relaxing his grip on the paper and taking in a deep breath. "Shame, why are you so bloody possessive?"

"I . . ." Seamus glanced down at the ground. "It'd be pretty stupid to try and pretend I wasn't, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, yes it would."

"Yeah . . . that's what I thought . . ."

Another silence settled over the room and as it stretched out Dean started to scowl. "Seamus, come on. Talk to me, or get out. 'Cause you know, the whole standing there like a brick wall really isn't helping."

"I know . . . I know . . ." Looking up again, Seamus finally really entered the room, making his way over to Dean's bed and sitting down a little warily next to him.

"Ready to talk to me at last?"

"Yeah . . . Look, I'm sorry I've been such an . . . such an idiot about this. Ernie just . . . Ernie gets to me."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"Well, it's just . . . when it comes to you, and to other people who want you, I . . . I get all messed up in the head. I see him watching you and I just want to rip his eyes out because . . . Because, damn it, he had you and you were happy with him and one of these days you're going to remember that and I'll be back to watching you be happy with someone else. I don't think I could do that again, Dean, I really don't."

"Bloody hell, Seamus." Dean's voice held no real anger, simply frustration, lots of frustration. "Seamus, I am not going to suddenly remember anything about when I was with Ernie. Cause, you know, I never forgot. I never forgot what it was like to go out with him and feel funny because you weren't there with me. I never forgot coming back from dates with him and having you seem so happy for me. I never forgot the distance that started to grow. And I never forgot the look in your eyes when you finally told me what was going on in that frustrating little head of yours."

Seamus was scowling down at the floor, chewing at the inside of his cheek and thinking, but not saying anything.

"Shame?" Dean said. "Seamus? Seamus ,what's up?"

"Um . . ." Seamus started, then looked up. "So, I'm an idiot . . . not that we didn't know that already. Why do you put up with me?"

With a sigh Dean collapsed back on the bed. "Yes you are, and yes we did. Never bothered me before though."

"True enough," Seamus admitted, leaning backwards on his arms and looking down at Dean. "So, I said I'm sorry, and admitted I'm an idiot. Am I forgiven?"

With a quick motion of his arm Dean knocked one of Seamus' arms so that the blond fell back onto the bed, and within a second Dean had rolled over, pinning him to the bed. "Yeah, you are," he said, before kissing him.