Summary: Seamus and Hermione finally take a break, with Blaise tagging along. The ever confident Irishman leans on his partner, as Seamus and Blaise reach a new level.
Warning: The fourth section contains smutty-like items NSFW.
Beta-read thanks to Tanguera! Reviews are very much appreciated!
Review replies are found at the end.
Dear Mum and Dad,
Ginny and Harry had a baby boy! He's so cute, looks just like Harry. They threw a month old party, and found out Ron just proposed to one of our Hufflepuff classmates!
No, I haven't heard from Marcus lately, but maybe his current girlfriend is working out really well.
I'd love to take a vacation. I just haven't decided when the best time is, it makes me nervous leaving Seamus alone to handle our cases. I might just end up coming back to see him in a body cast. Besides, where would I go?
…
"Seamus, have you taken a look at our entitlement reports?" Hermione chewed on a sugar quill, finger running along the ivory parchment, feet propped up against the uneven stone of the small secure fireplace behind their desk. Seamus looked up from his sprawl on the floor, triplicating his reports from the last two weeks, and sending a constant stream of thick pink Tuesday inter-office communique airplanes that glided slowly from the weight of the parchment.
"'Mione, you know I don't keep track of that shite."
His partner rolled her eyes. "Well, did you know that we have exceeded the mandatory vacation quota? We've got over five months banked." Seamus blinked. "We're only getting three months then the rest billed out at the end of the year but that's still loads of time." Hermione blew a curl out of her face and waited, almost seeing his gears turn in thought. It was a few heartbeats before her partner unfroze.
"Right. Well, we're ahead in… everything we could possibly could be. I need to get a new pair of trunks, and you definitely need a new cozzy. Uh, any reservations 'gainst any places?" Hermione stared, then smiled while she mentally smacked herself for worrying about facing the world alone, of course Seamus assumed they'd vacation together. They had already identified their probably unhealthy dependency early in their partnership, then shrugged and continued business as usual. Hermione wondered if they would have been more destructive if they had any romantic inclinations for each other, then shook her head dispelling the wasted thought.
"No. Thought Hans might not appreciate both of us gone."
Seamus shrugged as he stood and brushed himself off, already moving towards their supervisor's office. He knocked once against the doorframe then stuck his head in without waiting for a response. "Hans, we're taking off next three weeks for vacation. Might want to shift some things." Then dodged a hex from a bright red Hans. Seamus turned back to grin cheekily at Hermione, who mouthed, 'Three?' and received a wink instead.
Hans had gotten up from behind his desk and jabbed his finger in the air just a few inches from Seamus' chest, mouth open no doubt to deliver a scathing reply, then his mouth closed and his head cocked to the side calculating. Hermione and Seamus waited in amusement, ignoring the panicked air starting to build amongst their colleagues. Hans humphed then looked between the two junior Obliviators.
"One week."
Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Two and a half."
Hans crossed his arms. "Two. Don't push me."
Seamus glanced at Hermione who nodded, before he crowed. "Done!" and immediately grabbed the red file in the midst of zooming towards their desk, and swept out with Hermione trailed by the sounds of frantic scrambling and rustling parchment.
Hans calling out, "Progress reports from each and every one of you by the end of today."
Later they debated locations while waiting for results of their case subjects' examinations at St. Mungo's, drinking lukewarm tea in the fourth floor break room. The wizard currently examined had found out his girlfriend had been cheating on him with his friends, another wizard and a muggle, and was a possibly virulent carrier of an STI in the same shouting match. Blaise stopped just past the threshold to magically disinfect and cleanse himself before sitting down at their table, letting two folders fall onto the tabletop between them.
"No, this year Spain and Italy out produced France in wine. Why exactly are you two talking about wine statistics?" Hermione squirreled the folders away into her jacket's extension-charmed inner pocket.
"We're trying to decide where to go for vacation. There are several interesting wine tours next week, if we could decide where exactly we wanted to go on vacation." Blaise seized Seamus' mug of tea, ignoring his protest.
"You could use my villa in Majorca. I've been contemplating a break myself."
"How much for Seamus and I to rent it?" Blaise raised his eyebrow, setting the mug down indignantly.
"Nothing. I'm not sure how you've missed it Granger, but I'm actually independently and quite filthily rich without counting my wage here." Blaise leaned back and turned his gaze to Seamus. "And it's more than fair trade getting this one all slicked up in sunscreen and then peeling him out of itty bitty shorts." At Seamus' blush, Blaise crooned. "Oh yes lovey, you and me and a private beach." Hermione smirked behind her mug and let Blaise wax lyrical on which surfaces of his extensive property Seamus would enjoy getting fucked on, while rearranging his healer schedule and notifying his house elf staff to expect their arrival. Her partner stayed a constant red shade that spread past his collar-bone, and rolled his eyes at her before adjusting his robes to hide his lap.
Hermione got two weeks of reading and napping in the sun, really dark bikini top tan lines, and ate her weight several times over in seafood. The first three days, she went on two wine tours and shopping with Seamus. But the first breakfast after Blaise joined them, she snorted her tea at the sight of her partner gingerly seating himself. Seamus scowled at her and shoved two pieces of marmalade toast hungrily into his mouth. Both sides of his neck marred by a stream of dark messy lovebites.
"Slow down, you'll choke at this rate." As if on cue, Seamus coughed and guzzled tea to dislodge the dry bread.
"Fuck Hermione, I need to get in the calories. He's relentless."
She laughed, and he grinned at her. "So… good? It's wasn't all hype?" Seamus reached for the eggs and cheese.
"Well he's got the Finnigan guarantee. Might go into withdrawal when we get back." At that statement, Hermione stole his fork and brandished it at his face.
"It might not be over when we get back. It's too late for that sort of fatalism after all we've been through, Seamus Finnigan. Talk to him. I doubt he would be unprofessional enough to pursue something with a colleague he sees almost every day so casually." Seamus twisted his lips.
"It's too soon to talk about stuff like that." Hermione set the fork down so she wouldn't try to spear Seamus' fiddling fingers with it.
"Seamus. We see him everyday. He's not shy about his feelings for you. And if it takes a few minutes of talking about feelings to clear up any misunderstandings, which may last weeks if not months, I don't think I have to rehash how much shit we shovel because of breakdowns in communication." The Irishman scrubbed his face with his hands then hauled Hermione into his lap.
"We're in his fucking house. What do we do if he tosses us out on our ears?"
Hermione scoffed. "We go to France instead." Seamus laughed and hugged her tightly, before dumping her to the floor with a cackle at her squawk.
And it turned out she was right. Blaise Zabini left no doubt in either Obliviator's mind that he was a possessive and discerning lover, who had no intention of letting Seamus go now that he'd had a taste.
Blaise found Seamus and Hermione snoozing on a loveseat each in the library, books just inches from slack fingers. He traced a line in satisfaction over the hickeys, the touch snapping Seamus' eyes open.
"I think my bed is a little more comfortable, lovely." Seamus swallowed in response to the predatory gleam Blaise didn't bother hiding. There wasn't any hesitancy as he herded the obliviator into the opposite wing, but Seamus was pondering something. It was only when Blaise hungrily kissed him and Seamus didn't deepen it, that the healer pulled back. "Something on your mind?" The flush he usually enjoyed was back, but the Slytherin couldn't help feeling a chord of tension.
"Blaise, are we continuing this when we get back?" Seamus blurted out, idly tracing the texture of the sheets. "I would like to, but I'm not entirely sure if we're on the same page. I don't -" Seamus swallowed. "I know it's a bit soon to expect exclusivity, well on your part, I've no other prospects at the moment. But it'd be nice to know if this is a fling." Silence. Seamus stopped fiddling and looked up to find Zabini trembling in rage. Blaise closed his eyes and deeply inhaled.
"You will have no other prospects. This is not a fling and we will be unequivocally exclusive."
Seamus smiled. "Well, good." He reached out, and found himself on his back with Zabini staring down at him.
"Good?" Blaise's tongue invaded his mouth in the next breath, hands smacking away Seamus' to open his shorts and firmly grasp his cock. There was hasty mutter and Seamus arched back at the feel of Blaise's magically lubricated hand firmly stroking him. "Have I lost my skill after being celibate? You're already thinking of straying?"
"Ah! No-not what I meant. I-oh fuck-" Seamus squirmed against the teeth worrying at his nipple and the fingers slowly pushing into his ass.
"So I wasn't clear on how much I. Want. You. Every. Day." Seamus jolted at each firm push against his prostate. Writhing as a third finger was added and panting at the feel of teeth sinking into his shoulder, Blaise sucking hard and sloppy to Seamus' whine as he worked his fingers. "I thought you were asexual, how you never responded to my words. I was ready for that, ready to give that part of myself up. For you." Seamus moaned when Blaise stopped stroking him to pull on a condom.
"I th-thought y-you flirted with everybody." Seamus gasped out, while Blaise entered him with gritted teeth before building to an almost punishing rhythm, punching out grunts from both of them.
Blaise growled. "No one but you. No one but me. I haven't even started with you, Finnigan, and after yesterday-" Seamus didn't care if he was coming prematurely, the sudden onslaught of passion rendered him helpless and he shuddered against the orgasm. Blaise swallowed his gasps. Then held down his hips, surging forward. "Four times and I want you more each time. You wormed into my mind, and I'll be damned if you-fuck!" Seamus didn't know how Blaise was still hard, pumping his hips slowly in his own spunk, or still coherent. "We better be on the same fucking page now."
Seamus nodded and grinned dopily under the rush of endorphins. "You're my boyfriend."
Blaise sighed as he stroked as much skin as he could reach, while his breathing evened out. "Paramour. Suitor."
Seamus made a face as Blaise withdrew to start cleanup. "Suitor sounds a lot like marriage serious."
Blaise determinedly met his gaze as he banished the condom and summoned a washcloth, before stating. "Yes. Suitor is rather appropriate."
It was somewhat of a testament of how Blaise understood the relationship between Seamus and Hermione, when hours and another round later he said, "I know you share everything with Hermione, and I doubt you would share so freely with anyone else, but I've been wrong before. Our relationship will not be a secret, but I would rather keep as much detail between the two - three of us as possible." Seamus dazedly nodded, freshly showered body slumped against his… suitor, who was gratingly energized. Blaise gave him a nudge and Seamus toddled off on jello legs, while Blaise left with an urgently squeaking elf about an issue with muggle squatters on the easterly edge of the property.
Hermione was eating fruit while lounging in a hammock. It took some maneuvering but Seamus managed to wedge himself in with her, stealing grapes.
"So…"
"You were right. No France." Hermione slapped his hand from the bowl of fruit, waiting. "He's serious."
"You've been dancing around each other for six months, Seamus. You're limping so I know you had acrobatic sex, but did you talk?"
Seamus sighed. "He's my suitor, Hermione." He poked her in the boob when she mulled his statement a moment too long.
"Ow! Suitor in the actual definition?"
"Yes, marriage was mentioned and it feels weirdly victorian. Like I should hie off to obtain a corset and bonnet."
Hermione crunched through a strawberry. "I'm sure Blaise would just send a house elf or bring in a seamstress, you have absolutely no trousseau to speak of." Then squealed as Seamus almost upended them tickling her.
Review Reply: In no particular order...
peachx89, corie.f, R-E-B-E-C, PaigeAdams5972: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Excited to share the rest of the story with you.
Pookax, Aphrodite-Venus-u.k: I love Seamus, and he's just a delightful character to write. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading.
tenderheartinablender, Lady Evora, Sunset Whispers: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story as much as I love writing it. Blaise is another kind altogether, isn't he? Obviously Flint has issues, but pretty much everyone should or I'm failing at character development!
dixie326, sunset oasis: I only realized after I wrote the ending that the initials matched, and I was so amused! Glad you caught it too!
