A/N: Thanks to all of my reviewers! I finally pulled this out of hiatus…and I will finish it because I told myself I can't start another multi-chaptered fic until I finish this one.

Chapter 5: Fixing
Day five

Seamus didn't like not talking to Dean but more so than that he didn't like the strain the seemingly innocent kiss had put upon their friendship. Something else that he didn't like and found incisively annoying was being subjected to hear Fran ramble on and on about lovely girls she knows that would most definitely be interested in Dean. The only thing he did like was hearing Dean's continuous refusals to attend dates with said girls.

"Did you and Dean get into a fight?" Mr. Thomas questioned after being in the same room as them and sensing the tension.

"I guess," Seamus answered uneasily.

"Don't worry," he said cheerily. "Sometimes Dean gets moody and we can't figure out why. I swear, if I didn't know he's a boy I would say he's having his monthly visitor."

Seamus forced a smile. It had been two days since the kiss and instead of improving it simply worsened.

Strong soft hands wrapped around his waist from behind, guiding him onto the basement couch. Seamus found himself staring into the warm chocolate eyes of Tim and felt a wrack of guilt rush over him. Tim and him were going out but he hadn't told Tim about the kiss between him and Dean, Tim's younger brother.

"How are you?" And without waiting for a reply Tim continued, "So, today's Sam's third birthday and I totally forgot to get him something. Marlene did too, so it's fine." He nuzzled Seamus' neck. "We're going to the mall to get him something. Want to come with?" He placed a soft kiss along his jaw line.

Seamus pushed him away. "Don't," he muttered.

Snatching his hands back and scouting away a bit, Tim looked in concern at Seamus. "What's wrong?"

"I just…I feel really bad…See I…" Seamus trailed off, digging his finger into the hole in the couch.

Tim chuckled. "Seamus not knowing how to say something? Just spit it out. Come on."

Seamus hesitated. "I…Well, Dean…" He stopped at Tim's wide eyes, then continued at his nod. "I - I sort of…kissed him." And with that Seamus lost his not being able to speak spell and started rambling. "I know that was terrible, and I'm going out with you, not Dean. And I know that Dean's not gay, and I don't think he really appreciated it anyway because he won't speak to me now. I just feel awful and wanted to tell you, and I know you'll probably dump me now and I'm sorry. I just-"

"Seamus." Tim chuckled. Seamus looked in worry at him. "Look, I'm glad you told me. Really. And I'm only going to dump you if you want me too, ok?"

Seamus' eyes widened unbelievingly.

"Just remember that if you want to break this off for Dean, I'll live. Just tell me." He smiled and Seamus smiled back. Who knew Tim was so understanding? Seamus snuggled into his arms.

"Thanks but I don't think that'll happen." Because Dean would never like me that way, he finished silently.

Seamus, Dean, Tim, and Marlene found there selves stationed at the beginning of the mall. Marlene had refused to pick Dean's gift for Sam so he was forced to come with.

"Which store should we go into first?" Tim asked. He didn't like shopping.

"Duh," Marlene said, shaking her head. "The toy store. Is there any other store we'd have to go into?"

Tim smiled. "No. I guess you're right." So they headed to the toy store. Once they passed into it Seamus' face lit up. Uh-oh, Dean thought.

"Come on!" Seamus shouted as he rushed over to the preschoolers' toys. The other's reluctantly followed. Seamus pulled a plastic lawn mower off the shelf and started pushing it along the floor, loud clicking sounds emitting from it. A lady and her daughter at the end of the aisle turned to stare.

"Seamus!" Tim said in shook. Dean simply rolled his eyes then joined his brother in standing far away from Seamus. Marlene smiled brightly and ran up to Seamus.

Together the two of them pushed every button in the aisle that was there to push. They went from listening to Elmo say he loves them to a caveman yell nonsense and a cow moo. Tim and Dean had long since wondered off and purchased their gifts for Sam. When they came back they found the two of them playing with the dolls. Seamus was making it talk in a high squeaky voice and attack Marlene's doll, which was crying and pretending to die.

Dean's eyes widened. How could they make baby dolls kill each other? It was just…wrong. A small group had gathered around them. Most of them were children who had managed to wonder away from their parents; although, a few adults were watching disapprovingly at them. Dean was half tempted to join Seamus and Marlene but stayed back because he was supposed to be staying away from Seamus.

"Aug! No! You killed me! You…" Marlene made her blond doll twitch on the ground while the other doll jumped up and down in triumph. "I'll sue you."

"When you're dead?" Seamus' doll crackled evilly.

"Duh."

"Crap."

A man with a nametag reading 'Hunter Tryst' shoved his way through the crowd till he reached the two trouble makers.

Marlene quickly shoved the doll back in the box while Seamus, unaware, was now making his do a crude form of the chicken dance.

Hunter Tryst cleared his throat. Seamus looked up, alarm written all over his face. Dean couldn't help but think it looked cute. Then he turned away.

"Hi?" Seamus said.

"Could you two, please." He gave them a stern look. Marlene has the grace to blush while Seamus bit his cheeks to hold back a grin. "Stop playing with the toys. You are causing unwanted attention and you might break them." He pointed to the doll in Seamus' hand which, now that Seamus looked down and saw, had a tare in it. At the same time Hunter noticed it. "You break it, you buy it." And with that he walked back to the cash register.

The crowd around them gradually disappeared till Seamus was left looking at Tim, shaking his head in disbelief, and the amused face of Dean.

He smiled cheerily and held up the red haired doll. "Guess I'm buying a baby doll now. Never had one before. It'll be a first."

Marlene broke up in a fit of giggles and Dean smiled.

"I'm hungry," Marlene whined for the sixth time since she and Seamus had bought gifts for Sam.

"So you've said," Tim tersely replied.

Marlene stared at him, nudging Dean and Seamus, who were on each side of her, to do so with her. They stared too.

"Fine!" He swiftly turned course and headed down the escalator to the food court. "Happy? You have half an hour till we've got to head home." Tim handed out some money and stood in line of some Chinese place. The other three walked around to decide their choice.

"McDonalds," Marlene shrieked and bounded over.

Dean muttered to a shocked Seamus, "She's addicted to their BBQ souse." He pointed to Sub Way. "I'm going there."

"Me too!" Seamus quickly said before Dean could walk away. He wasn't going to leave now that Dean started to speak to him. They stood silently in line, slowly inching their way up.

Dean kicked a fallen cup. Watching it roll away till it hit the trash can, he asked, "So, what are you getting?"

"I don't know. I've never been to Sub Way before. Really," he added at Dean's incredulous look. "We don't go to many muggle restaurants. About the only one I've been to was McDonalds. Their food sucks compared to wizard ones-" Dean nudged him with his elbow, jerking his head at the old lady in front of them. The lady was staring at them as if they were escapees from the loony bin. She clutched her purse closer to her body and inched forward. Seamus and Dean looked at each other then burst out in laughter, only succeeding in making the lady move to another, longer line.

"That was brilliant!" Dean wailed, clutching on to Seamus' arm for support. "Did you see the look on her face? Or, or how she clenched her purse at her?" But Dean could tell Seamus wasn't paying attention for his laughter had subdued greatly and he was looking at some point over Dean's shoulder.

Dean turned around to find Tim watching them closely while discussing something with Marlene at a table not too far away.

"Oh," Dean breathed. "Right."

"Mmm. I love this stuff." Marlene moaned in ecstasy upon eating her sixth packet of BBQ sauce. "I'm going to marry it."

"Good luck." Dean fingered his meatball sandwich, poking holes in the bread.

"Can I be the best man?" Seamus asked eagerly. "That would be cool if people could marry food, only there would be a lot of murder because you would eat your husband. Or wife. Or…what would you call it. I don't think food has a sex. We will just have to make up a name. What about -"

"I'm going to get ice cream. Anyone else coming?" Tim stood up and tossed his trash in the bin beside them. Seamus jumped up, mumbling something about wondering if muggle ice cream was the same as wizard. Tim shot a look at Marlene. The kind of look that muggels listening to wizards talk about that stuff shared.

Marlene watched Dean pick at his bread for a whole minute before she spoke. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Uh, no. Not really."

"Can I try it?" She reached across the table for it. Dean handed it over with a shrug. She chewed on the meatball for a bit then spit it out and started peeling the bread off. She wasn't a meat eater.

"So," she said between bites. "How was your kiss with Seamus?"

Dean's reaction, she decided, was priceless. He jumped as if scorched and zipped his head around, looking to see where Seamus was. Then he turned a suspicious eye to Marlene.

"How do you know about that?"

She brushed it off casually. "Oh, you and Seamus have been off sorts so I figured something had to have happened. You just proved me I was right. So, how was it?"

"But how'd you know it was a kiss?"

"I guessed." She smiled sweetly. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh, okay. Tim told me."

"How's he know!" Dean panicked in a high voice.

"I don't know. Seamus must have told him." She wiped a napkin across the bread to get the sauce off. Dean reached over and grabbed a meatball.

"Oh." And that was it. He sat back in the seat and nibbled on the meatball. Marlene saw Tim and Seamus paying for their ice cream.

"Did you like it?" she rushed.

Dean glared at her then slowly nodded.

"Are you going to do it again?"

But Tim and Seamus sat down and Dean proceeded to ask them what flavors they got and beg for a taste.

"You kids are late!" Mrs. Thomas chastised when they walked through the door.

"They wanted to eat," Tim blamed.

"But it's a party. There's food here." She sighed. "Well, now that you're here come on. Your friend, Jasper came over." She nodded at Tim. "He's been playing with Sam for the past twenty minutes. You better go rescue him."

Tim's eyes widened and he rushed off to the living room. Marlene tried to not laugh.

"What's he doing here?" Marlene asked.

Mrs. Thomas shook her head wearily. "I don't know. I don't think he knew the party was today. But Sam was happy to see him."

"Oh, yeah," Dean said, recalling the last time Jasper had been over and Sam was practically attached to his hip.

"Well come on." They all followed her into the kitchen, where Mr. Thomas was reading the newspaper and Fran was making a cake. Fran shot them an annoyed look.

"This is your brother's party," she said to Dean and Marlene. Seamus shuffled guiltily behind them.

"Sorry. I'll help." Dean walked over to the counter and began mixing the batter.

Marlene took the chair next to her dad and Seamus sat across from her. Seamus strained his ears, trying to hear what Fran was saying to Dean but didn't have to because Dean answered loudly.

"No," he groaned, pounding the batter a little harder. Everyone else in the room looked over at them.

"But she's real sweet. And she likes you," Fran tempted. Seamus rolled his eyes; she was trying to set Dean up again.

"Does she always do that?" he whispered to Marlene. She shook her head then fell into thought.

"She never even met me!" Dean exclaimed, exasperated.

"But I've talked about her to you. She has these adorable red curls and green eyes. A real doll she is." Fran smiled as she poured the mix into the pan and stuck it in the oven.

"Mom," Mrs. Thomas started. "Maybe you should lay off." She walked over and stroked Dean short hair. "I bet he has a crush on some girl at school, don't you? Weren't you going out with some Susan girl?"

Fran's eyes widened while Dean bit his lip. Seamus started picking at the placemat and Marlene snapped to attention. She gave Seamus a curious look but he didn't understand what she wanted to know. Mr. Thomas stayed blissfully ignorant as he chuckled at the comics.

"She broke up with me," Dean said easily. He found it didn't hurt to think about it let alone say it. Oh, sure he missed her but more like an old friend that you almost forgot.

"Aww, Dean." Mrs. Thomas kissed him on the head. Fran turned quietly and washed her hands. Dean caught Seamus' eyes and smiled lopsidedly. Seamus smiled back. Maybe it was alright.

Tim and Jasper walked in at that moment. Jasper was a good looking boy that looked the same age as Tim. Seamus smiled at them but Dean sat beside him so he didn't get up.

"That's my Grandma as I'm sure you recall." Jasper smiled coolly at her, she the same to him. "And this is Seamus Finnigan. You know everyone else." Jasper gave Seamus the same cold look. Seamus looked in confusion at him. Tim frowned and shoved Jasper out of the kitchen. "We'll keep Sam busy until the cake's done," he called over his shoulder.

"What was that about?" Seamus whispered. Dean mouthed 'Later' because Mr. Thomas was paying attention now.

After cake the adults, with other relatives that had arrived, were talking in the kitchen. Tim and Jasper had wondered off somewhere and Seamus was surprised he didn't care much. Of course, he didn't know if they were doing anything.

"No! Here, I'll stick a movie in for you." Marlene pried a vase out of Sam's finger and then put 'Robin Hood' in the VCR. Dean and Seamus watched from their perch on the couch.

"So," Seamus prompted once Sam was engrossed in the cartoon and Marlene sat on the other side of Dean. "What was with that Jasper glaring at me?"

Marlene tried to hide her smile and elbowed Dean, who elbowed her back but opened his mouth to talk.

"They used to be dating. I think Tim broke it off and Jasper's sour about it and wants him back. Actually I think they broke up a few days before you came over." He looked at Marlene for corrections but she simply nodded and pretended to be watching the movie.

"Oh. So I was a rebound?" Seamus asked, trying to sound bitter but failing.

Dean shifted uncomforting. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure Tim was the one who broke it off."

Seamus didn't say anything else and settled back to watch the movie. Hesitantly he leaned his shoulder on Dean's, waiting to jerk back but Dean didn't say anything or move. Seamus smiled. Marlene bit her cheeks. It was sweet. Maybe if she left the room...

"I'm going to get a drink." They didn't answer. Taking that as a good sign, she dashed into the kitchen to take a long drink, but by the time she came back they were still in the same position. Sam had fallen asleep on the floor. Marlene dropped a blanket on him and settled onto the armchair to give them room.