1. Breakfast
The first time Dean noticed Séamus speaking Irish was in their first year. Admittedly he had not known it was Irish at the time. He had just come down for breakfast on their first real day at Hogwarts when Séamus staggered into the Great Hall. Evidently, Séamus was not a morning person. He just plopped onto the bench next to Dean, folded his arms on the table and planted his head on top, face first. Dean, who had decided Séamus was fun and a delight to have as a friend just the evening prior now doubted his decision. Maybe Séamus wasn’t altogether that fun after all.
Ron sat down opposite them, completely non-plussed by Séamus behaviour. Dean later learned that was because Ginny was exactly like that in the morning and Ron was just used to it. Neville on the other hand looked at the fellow Gryffindor first year a bit concerned. “Séamus, are you all right”, he asked rather timidly. Séamus just grunted.
“Sorry, wha’ was tha’?”, Ron questioned through a mouth full of sausage he had dunked into his porridge. Dean wrinkled his nose at him in disgust. “M’fine.”, came Séamus muffled reply. That the muttering came quite unintelligible until “cupan tae”. Dean wondered briefly if he had understood correctly but Neville was already hastily pouring Séamus a cup of tea and slid it over to him.
Séamus groggily lifted his head from his arms and owlishly blinked at the light. “Go raibh maith agat, Neville.” Neville just nodded and went back to his food. Dean was seriously perplexed by the exchange. He had not understood a single word, he briefly wondered if it had to do with Séamus accent but forgot about it when Harry came into the Great Hall. Ron waved so excitedly at him that he knocked over his pumpkin juice.
2. Home
The second time Dean heard Séamus speak Irish he actually new that he was. He had asked Neville once why he sometimes could understand what Séamus was saying when he could not. It had turned out that Neville had an Irish uncle who taught him a few words. Most of them swear words but also ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘whiskey’. Neville’s uncle had called that the essentials.
So, when Dean visited Séamus over the summer break between first and second year he just quietly listened to the up and down lilt of the language. It seemed so unlike Séamus, who was prone to blow things up that Dean sometimes thought it was funny that the language sounded so smooth.
Séamus mother called him leanbh, which Séamus had told him meant baby. Séamus had been rather pink in the face at the time but Dean had told him it was cute. His mother never called him something other than his name. He then proceeded to ask Séamus what the Irish word for friend was, which was ‘cara’, and said he wanted to be referred to as such. Séamus and grinned and punched his arm. But he had called Dean ‘cara’ ever since.
3. Butterflies
Dean and Séamus were lying on the grass next to the great lake. The air was warm, exams had finished the day earlier, and summer loomed in front of them full of promise. “Blimey, we will be sixth years next year. Can you believe it Shay?”, Dean asked.
“Nah, it feels like yesterday I blew up stuff in class for the first time.”, Séamus answered, grinning. That made Dean laugh. “Might be because the last time you blew something up was yesterday.”
Séamus laughed, a bright happy sound that made Dean’s insides feel warm and gooey. Suddenly Séamus inhaled sharply. “Oh Dean, look! Féileacán!” Dean looked to where Séamus was pointing and sure enough there was a butterfly dancing lazily in the afternoon breeze. Séamus, wo was prone to be loud and obnoxious grew very quiet as he watched the butterfly. The sun bathed his hair in light making the dirty blond strands glow as if they were made out of pure gold. It stuck Dean then, how beautiful his friend was.
But then Ron and Harry strolled over, Neville not far behind. Ron plopped down next to Dean and extricated a very large sandwich from the pocket of his robes, laughing at something Harry had said. And just like that the moment was broken.
Later, when Dean tried to fall asleep in Gryffindor, turned that moment over in his head, not quite sure why it felt like there were butterflies in his stomach.
4. After
The dust had settled after the Battle of Hogwarts. Dean was tired, his body ached and the loss of so many lives made his heart constrict painfully in his chest. He needed to find Séamus. He had not seen him in a while.
Dean made his way through the Great Hall, walking over to Neville, who could only hold himself upright by using the sword of Gryffindor as a cane. “Have you seen Séamus?”, Dean burst out. Neville shook his head. “Not in a while. The last time I saw him we blew up the bridge.”
Fear clawed at Dean’s heart. That had been hours ago. He turned to sprint out of the Great Hall, prepared to look everywhere for his Séamus, when Neville caught his arm. “Dean, he’ll be alright.”, he said, squeezing his arm in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. “Séamus is one stubborn bastard. He’ll come back to you.”
Neville swayed slightly, blood dribbling down his forehead. But he still gave Dean a reassuring smile. Suddenly Dean was very thankful for the quiet sort of friendship and support Neville had offered him over the years. He tired not to dwell on the fact that Neville had specified that Séamus would be coming back to him.
Just when he was about to leave Neville in Luna’s capable hands Séamus came sprinting into the Great Hall. Head shot up in alarm, but turned back as soon as they registered it was just Séamus. “Dean.”, Séamus yelled. He ran up to Dean and nearly toppled them both over with the force of his hug.
“Níl tú marbh.”, Séamus whispered in Dean’s neck. “Níl tú marbh!” Dean hugged him back fiercely, not wanting to let Séamus go ever again. Behind them Neville cleared his throat.
“I’m not dead either, just thought that would be worth mentioning.”, he said, but you could hear he was smiling in the tone of his voice. Séamus laughed. “And I’m very glad about that.”
Neville smiled fondly at the both of them, still wrapped tight around each other. “That’s good to hear. But then again, I’m not your Dean.”, and with that he wandered off to find where Luna hand gone off to.
5. Living together
It had been a no brainer to move in together after 8th year. And you would have thought that, considering Dean had shared a dormitory with Séamus for seven years, he was used to living with him. But two weeks after they had moved in Dean had finally admitted to himself that he was in love with his best friend.
There had been no grand revelation. Séamus had stumbled into the kitchen for breakfast, grumpy as always and had told Dean he loved him when he presented him with a mug of coffee and pancakes. Well, Séamus had said “Tá grá agam duit.”
Thinking about it, Dean was quite sure Séamus had said that on numerous occasions before. But Dean knew, that Séamus knew, that Dean did not understand him when he spoke Irish. Dean had just looked up what ‘I love you’ was in Irish, in the unlikely event that got the nerve to tell Séamus that.
So when Séamus had said it, Dean had nearly dropped the coffeepot. Séamus had looked at him weirdly but had been too sleepy to make anything of it.
Two days later Dean had plucked up the courage to tell Neville about all of it over a pint at the Leaky Cauldron. Neville looked at him thoughtfully for a while. “Have you considered the possibility, that Séamus is in love with you too?”
Dean nearly spit out his drink. If he was being honest with himself, he had. Not that much. But a voice deep inside his head whispered exactly that when he was trying to fall asleep every night. “Well, I have, sort of. But I don’t think it has to mean anything to tell your friends that you love them.”
Neville raised his eyebrows. “Have you ever told me that you love me?”
“No, but …”, Dean tried to argue.
“...I’m not Séamus.”, Neville finished for him. Dean’s face grew hot. “I suppose so.”, he muttered into his drink.
Neville sighed, one of those sighs that were usually reserved for Harry when he had missed another social cue. It made Dean feel just a tiny bit pathetic.
“Look. If what you say is true, and you can platonically tell your friends you love them fine. There should be no harm in going home and telling Séamus exactly that then.”
Dean tried and failed to come up with something that would disprove Nevilles argument. “Alright.”, he finally agreed. “I’ll tell him when I get home.”
“Good.”, Neville said smiling. “I’m proud of you. Now I can finally tell you about the stunt Malfoy pulled on Harry today at work.”
+1 Forever
Dean stared at the door to his apartment. He had promised he would tell Séamus as soon as he got home. But he wasn’t sure if he could do it. What would Séamus say.
Gathering all his resolve Dean stepped opened the door. Séamus was sprawled on the couch, flicking trough one of Dean’s muggle sports magazines. The setting sun kame through the kitchen window and painted Séamus hair gold like that day at the lake so many years ago. Suddenly all Dean could think about were butterflies.
“Féileacán!”, he whispered.
Séamus looked up from the magazine. “Oh, there you are. Did you say something.”
“Féileacán!”, Dean said again, this time louder.
“Hm?”, Séamus asked, looking around. “Where?”
Dean’s heart squeezed. He felt like he could burst if he did not tell Séamus right there, right now. “Nowhere Shay.”, he said, making his way over to the couch and sitting down next to his friend. “It’s the word you taught me back in sixth year. When we were sitting down by the lake. The day after the exams had finished.”
Séamus eyed him weirdly. “Was that the day Ron practically inhaled his sandwich and had a chicken bone stuck in his throat?”
Dean smiled. He had forgotten that had happened. “Yeah, Harry had to give him the Heimlich.”
Grinning, Séamus flopped back on the couch. “What made you think of that now?”
Suddenly Dean was very aware that his hands were very sweaty. “I, just, the sun, and you, and youlookedsoprettyjustlikeyoudidthatday!”
“What?”, Séamus said, sitting up straight and staring at Dean. Dean cleared his throat and gathered up the courage to look Séamus in the eyes. “I said ‘You looked so pretty just like you did that day’!”
Séamus drew in a breath and blushed furiously at that. Dean’s heart was beating so fast it felt like it was trying to come out of his chest. “I think...”, he said, cleared his throat and tried again, “I think that was the day I fell in love with you.”
It was very quiet then. Séamus just stared at him. Dean was quite sure he had just ruined his friendship with his favourite person. Just when he had made up his mind to attempt a wild dash to the door and hide at Neville forever Séamus lurched forward and planted his lips on Dean’s.
Every thought Dean had had prior to this moment flew out of his head. Frantically he kissed Séamus back with all that he had grabbing on the back his Séamus’ t-shirt. When they finally broke apart Séamus looked delectably debauched. But most importantly he was sporting he happy, blissed out expression that made Dean’s heart soar.
“Just in case that wasn’t clear, I love you too.”