Disclaimer: Still haven't woken up one day to find myself in JKR's body.
LOCK AND KEY
1.
Dean is sitting in the comfiest chair in the Gryffindor common room, a Muggle pencil in his left hand and some parchment propped up against the Transfiguration textbook on his lap. His hand is furiously sketching his best friend as he and Lavender Brown snuggle up on the loveseat in front of him. Their fingers are entwined, and he hates the sight of it, wishes he could stop drawing it, wishes that things had gone another way and he might have been Gryffindor enough to say something. No matter what he thinks, though, it doesn't matter, because Seamus asked for it and he can never say no to Seamus.
"Is the picture almost done?" Brown complains, and Dean makes another wish, this time that one day Lavender Brown will be standing next to one of Neville's exploding potions and will somehow permanently lose her voice so he doesn't have to hear that screechy whine ever again. Then he feels guilty since Neville doesn't deserve to be put down like that even in his head. He likes Neville.
Dean doesn't answer Brown, and Seamus just laughs and kisses her cheek. "You're so impatient, Lav," he says in his Irish brogue. "Dean's work is the best, it only makes sense that it'll take a few hours." He sounds so proud when he says that, that Dean forces himself to look up at them. Seamus runs a hand through his sandy hair, giving him a crooked smile. His chest suddenly grows very warm, and even though he knows a blush wouldn't be seen through his dark skin, he looks down again quickly to avoid his eyes.
"Hmm." Lavender is watching him intently; he knows because he can feel her stare, and has been feeling her stare for the past two weeks, ever since she first became Seamus' girlfriend. He knows that she knows, and she knows that Seamus doesn't know.
They fall asleep before he is done. He finishes two hours later, lost in his own little artist's world. When he stares down at the completed work, he feels like he wants to cry, not because he hates what it shows but because he loves it too much. To anyone else, it is a portrait of Seamus Finnegan and Lavender Brown. To him, it is a portrait of Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, because in every line of Lavender's face, hair, lips…he sees himself. He has put too much of himself in this picture.
He tries very hard not to linger in front of the happy couple's napping forms as he places the drawing in Seamus' lap.
2.
Seamus is crying, and the picture that Dean drew a month ago lies on his bed, shredded to pieces.
"She didn't deserve you, anyway," Dean tries to comfort him, and it is true. He wants to hug him, but he can't, so he does the next best thing. "If you want, we can sneak out to Hogsmeade for a Firewhiskey. Or two."
As predicted, Seamus stops his self-pity party long enough to snort, giving his best friend a disbelieving stare. "Goody-Two-Shoes Thomas wants to get plastered?"
He's risking a perfect school record for this, but when he looks at the pathetic state Seamus is in, he doesn't care. His nod is enough to make Seamus crack a grin.
They end up with five Firewhiskeys each, getting more and more drunk with every finished glass. Dean confesses his love for Seamus many times, Seamus tries to flirt with every woman in the bar over fifty and they end up renting a room above the pub. When they wake up the next morning, completely hung over, they only remember doing the last two.
Later on in detention, as they scrub Slughorn's dungeon floors, Seamus thanks Dean.
"No problem," Dean shrugs. "I'll always be here whenever you need me." He is completely sincere as he looks into Seamus' eyes. His stare lasts a second too long, however, because the Irish boy quickly drops his eyes, looking confused.
"I may not say it enough," Seamus says awkwardly after a few silent moments, "but you're the best mate ever, Dean."
Dean wonders if he'll ever be considered anything more.
A/N:
First two parts of my first published story here on (under this new and soon-to-be-active name). YAY. I started this months ago, found it again and realised I never finished it. Oops. This will be finished, I promise. I've never written slash before, after all, and I'm kind of proud of this. Only a little, though. ;)
Read and review, and maybe tell me why you like this pairing as much as I (unexpectedly) do?
- Philaria