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A Little Broken (but that's fine)
Seamus sighed as he changed from his scrubs back into his regular clothes. He loved his job normally, being a Healer was what he'd always hoped for, but when a clearly abused child sits in a ball on a hospital bed, horrified by anyone who went near him, Seamus wondered if he wouldn't be better working in a shop somewhere, where bad memories wouldn't swamp him.
"He's a freak!"
Seamus' father hadn't liked magic. He hadn't liked that Seamus could do magic. He hadn't liked that Seamus' mother could do magic.
"It's your fault our son will never be normal!"
Seeing a child in the same state he'd once been in never failed to bring back memories that Seamus felt were better left buried. Growing up in the world he had, particularly his school years, had left Seamus with a deep seated hatred for prejudice of any kind.
Leaving the hospital, he smiled when he saw George waiting for him. Kissing his boyfriend in greeting, he said, "I didn't know we had plans for tonight?"
"We don't," George replied quietly. "But I had a bad day and…"
"It's fine," Seamus assured him. "Come on, we'll go to my place, get takeaway and watch a movie."
George wrapped an arm around Seamus' shoulders and nuzzled his hair for a moment. "Thank you."
Seamus and George had been together for eight months, give or take a week. Seamus loved the red head, but sometimes, he wished that his heart had chosen an easier path.
He had absolutely no problem supporting George through his bad days, which he'd noticed, were becoming fewer and fewer the longer they were together, but on the occasional day when Seamus was suffering his own bad day, he wished he had the same support.
Not that he thought George wouldn't support him if he knew about Seamus' bad days. Seamus had purposefully not told him, not wanting to burden his boyfriend when he had his own problems to deal with.
Depositing George on the sofa with a smile and a sweet kiss, Seamus called for a takeaway. He'd have to keep himself awake for the night - he couldn't risk waking George up with the probable nightmares. Usually he would take dreamless sleep to avoid the nightmares, but it was also likely that George would suffer them and Seamus needed to know that he would wake up to him.
Closing his eyes, he ran a hand through his hair. They were both a little fucked up. He just hoped he was able to hold it together for them both.
"You look tired," Dean commented quietly. They were sitting in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, waiting for George to finish up. They'd planned to go for a meal, along with a few others from Hogwarts and Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Seamus frowned. "I'm fine."
"You sure about that?" Dean pushed.
"Dean -"
"You look sad when you think he can't see you. Don't pretend that you're barely holding it together, Seamus. Don't forget, I know you. You can't pretend forever."
"Please, leave it alone," Seamus murmured, smiling at George when he glanced over at them. "I'm fine."
"When did you last sleep?"
"I got a few hours this morning, after George left for work."
"You can't -"
"Dean," Seamus snapped. "Please."
Holding his hands up in surrender, Dean took a step back. "I'm worried about you mate. That's all."
"Shay?" George asked, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.
Seamus snapped to attention, looking over at his boyfriend, still sprawled in the bed. He'd forced himself out of the warmth when he felt sleep beating his self control, and had instead moved to stand by the window, looking out over the quiet street.
"Go back to sleep, George," Seamus murmured quietly.
"What's wrong?"
Seamus shook his head. "Nothing, I'm fine."
"What's going on with you?"
George climbed out of bed, coming to stand behind Seamus. He wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Seamus' shoulder.
"I'm not stupid, you know. I know something is happening, something you haven't told me about. I know I'm… I know I'm a bit of a mess, but you can still talk to me, Shay."
"It's nothing. Stupid stuff from when I was kid, stuff I should be over."
"But you're not," George replied, a statement rather than a question. "And that's fine, you know? Whatever it it, it's clearly important to you, so it can't be stupid."
Seamus turned in George's arms, tears spilling onto his cheeks as he buried his face in George's chest. George held him close, rocking them both slowly.
"Come back to bed, Shay. And sleep."
Seamus blinked up at him, frowning.
"You thought I hadn't noticed? If you have a nightmare, then I'll comfort you, the way you always do for me, Shay. It's not the end of the world. Come on."
George guided them both into bed, wrapping his arms around Seamus and holding him close. Seamus breathed in the smell of him, and within minutes, he was asleep, finally feeling safe.
He would tell George about his father, about the broken pieces of him that would never fit back together. He would let George in, and even if he couldn't heal him, he could soothe him, the same way Seamus did for George.
George pressed a gentle kiss to Seamus temple and let the sandman return for him, falling into a dream world where Fred awaited him with a wide smile, and Seamus was happy and not tired, not scared, but completely at ease.
Written for;
Book Club - Zil - "He's a freak!" / Hatred / Prejudice
TV Show of the Month - Molly - "You look sad when you think he can't see you." / Sweet / Healer
Dragon Appreciation Word Count - 924
Writing Month Word Count - 924