This drabble from Seamus' point of view for sparrowsace since that's how she imagined the prompt being written and I'm a sucker for writing Dean putting his hands on Seamus see examples one and two =)
Seamus stood grumpily under the shade of the tree as he slapped sunscreen on his chest. There was just no way he could take the chance of getting sunburnt, first of all because Hermione gave a speech about skin cancer every time she saw someone sunburnt, and also because he was pretty sure his mam would find out somehow and either write him a howler or appear at the school herself.
He squished some more of the hated substance onto his hand and then tried reaching his back, straining with his pointy elbows sticking into the air.
"Oi, I think I the castle has a new ghost!" he heard Dean call.
Seamus scowled at Dean. To be fair, Seamus was incredibly pale. Being in the sun somehow made his skin look even paler, and he practically glowed when he stood in the sunshine. He heard the trio laughing and then heard a splash and a shriek, meaning that Ron and Harry had succeeded in getting Hermione's hair wet.
"Ye gon’ to keep laughing or are ye gon’ to help?" Seamus asked him, using one arm to try to force the other farther down his back, then realized what he'd just asked and what the result would be if Dean complied.
He blushed at the thought of Dean's hands on his back, but didn't have much time to think about it since Dean was now jogging over to him.
"Here," Seamus mumbled, turning around so Dean wouldn't see his blush.
He twiddled his thumbs, waiting, and he heard Dean flip the cap of the bottle open. Then, he felt Dean's fingers swipe some onto his shoulders, and then...nothing? Was Dean embarrassed to have to touch Seamus' back? Was this too intimate for them or something?
Seamus turned his head to look at Dean, but what he saw wasn't disgust or discomfort, but nervousness.
"Ye have to rub it in, mate," Seamus said teasingly.
"I-I know. I was just marveling at how translucent you are is all," Dean retorted, but Seamus could see through him. He was definitely nervous.
Still, Seamus laughed and turned his head back. "Shut up and keep going."
Dean used the palms of his hands spread it over Seamus' shoulders, then squeezed more out and went over Seamus' back, but he was still being nervous about it. He wasn't so much rubbing it in as he was just brushing it over his body.
Seamus felt Dean's hands still as they approached his lower back, and despite the butterflies emerging in his stomach, he said, "Quite being so hesitant. Just rub it in."
He waited, wondering if Dean would actually do it or if he'd pass the job on to Lavender or Parvati. But then he felt Dean's hands press into his back and Seamus' breath caught in his throat. He felt Dean's fingers - his long, thin artist's fingers - press and pull across his skin. He'd seen Dean's fingers in action before, holding quills as he sketched, finger painting on a canvas, smudging lines in a drawing, and he wondered if Dean was subconsciously pressing designs into Seamus' back as his fingers traveled over his skin.
Dean was working on his lower back now, and he suppressed a gasp as Dean's thumbs dipped under the hem of his swim shorts and rubbed along the skin there. Dean's hands then disappeared, then reappeared on Seamus' hips. They dragged forward across the skin, tickling his belly some, and then they were in a half-embrace and Seamus' heart was beating out of his chest.
He'd realized his feelings for Dean at the Quidditch World Cup last year, when, after Ireland won, his first instinct was to grab Dean's face and kiss the bloody hell out of him. Needless to say, he resisted and simply hugged the bloody hell out of Dean instead, but that left him with a pretty clear indication of where his true feelings lie.
But he'd always been doubtful of whether Dean could ever feel the same. Dean talked about how gorgeous Fleur was, or how Parvati and Padma were the prettiest girls in their year. He'd expressed some interest in Ginny once, but that never came to fruition. But now, with Dean's hands roaming up his sides, pressing into the gaps between his ribs, Seamus was pretty confident Dean felt the same - or at least could in the future.
Dean was now rubbing sunscreen into his shoulders again, and even though he'd now gotten everywhere that Seamus hadn't been able to reach, he didn't tell Dean to stop. He didn't ever want to have Dean stop touching him like this. Dean's fingers traveled up Seamus' neck and tickled the hairs at the base of his neck, then stroked down his arms.
If things continued like this much longer, Seamus would be sporting a stiffy. So he tried to think of things like McGonagall's underwear or the giant squid, but he couldn't focus on anything other than Dean's hands on his skin.
Dean stepped closer and Seamus leaned back a little so his shoulders were resting on Dean's chest. He felt Dean's breath on his shoulder as his hands went up and down Seamus' arms. There wasn't even any sunscreen on them now, he was just touching him.
Seamus turned his head a bit, looking into Dean's eyes. He could kiss him, Seamus thought. He could kiss Dean right here right now, and maybe Dean would reciprocate, maybe they would hold hands as they went into the lake, maybe they would spend the summer -
"Say, Lavender, how much sunscreen do white people really need?" Parvati's voice cut through the air, slicing their perfect bubble as they hurriedly took a couple steps apart, Dean's hands falling from Seamus' shoulders.
Lavender looked over and laughed, and Seamus wondered yet again why he was friends with her, the traitor. "Not that much, that’s for sure. Although Seamus is really pale.”
"Shut up," he mumbled, rubbing his neck as he felt his face heat up.
"Oh, looks like you missed your face,” Parvati exclaimed. “Your cheeks are already red!"
Seamus groaned with frustration - he'd been so close to Dean and they had to ruin it - and instinctively grabbed Dean's hand and began dragging him over to the lake. Dean caught up to his side in just a few strides, but as an experiment Seamus didn't let go of his hand, and Dean didn't bother to pull away. Seamus felt a little hope bloom in his chest.
They stopped at the edge of the water, still hand in hand, and Seamus turned his head to look up at Dean. The sun was just behind Dean's head, so it was a little hard to look at him, but it illuminated his curly hair and made his eyes sparkle. Seamus really hoped that Dean felt the same way as he did. He didn't know what he would do if Dean rejected him, if these feelings ruined their friendship.
But then Dean smiled at him and shifted his hands so their fingers were now interlaced, and Seamus felt almost like crying. And just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, to ask if this was real, Ron and Harry let out great roars of excitement and suddenly they were being pelted with water blasts and knocked over into the water.
Oh well. He'd talk to Dean later. Now was the time for revenge.
So it’s a weekend toward the end of the school year and it’s finally warming up outside so all the Gryffindor boys in Harry’s dorm are going down to the lake to have a swim and enjoy the peaking summer but Seamus has got to put on a ton of sunscreen because that pale freckled Irish boy simply fries in the sun. And the poor thing has got these stubby little arms that can’t reach everywhere on his back, and Dean, being the thoughtful mate that he is, remembers from all the summers they’ve spent together how bad Seamus can burn at any sign of sunshine if he’s not completely covered up from head to toe in his sunblock. and normally Shay’s mam will take on the job of lathering him up but she’s not here, is she? so I guess I’ll just step in and help my mate Seamus. And so basically it involves Dean innocently(?) giving Seamus an oily massage and Seamus desperately trying to not get extremely turned on by his best mate and the way his long, artistic fingers feel all over his back.
The fifth years blinked slowly as they walked out into the sunshine, having just finished the last of their O.W.L.’s. It had been so long since they’d been outdoors, and even longer since they hadn’t been anywhere that wasn’t the common room or the library with their faces shoved into books that they should’ve been reading all year.
Dean wasn’t sure how it started, or who suggested it, but somehow they all found themselves running back to Gryffindor Tower to grab their things so they could go swimming in the Great Lake. They’d all gone mad with giddy, test-less joy.
A few minutes later, Dean was watching with amusement as Hermione, who was standing knee-deep in the freezing water, was yelling at Ron and Harry to stop splashing her; they insisted that it was a science experiment necessary to discover what her hair looked like wet. Lavender and Parvati were stretched out on towels in the grass a few feet away, soaking up the rare sunlight. Neville was wading through the shallows, happily poking his wand at the algae and plants. And Seamus -
He turned and laughed when he found Seamus cowering in the shade of a tree, trying to put sunscreen on himself.
Dean remembered last summer when he stayed with the Finnigans before and after the World Cup, and how Mrs. Finnigan wouldn’t let Seamus take even a step outside without being slathered in sunscreen, and one day he found out why.
They’d sneaked out of the house early one morning so Seamus could show Dean the town without the hovering of his mam, and by the time they’d finished the ten minute walk to town, Seamus’ shoulders were a bright red and Mrs. Finnigan had a fit when they got back.
“Oi, I think I the castle has a new ghost!” Dean called out.
The trio looked over and laughed right before Ron sneaked up and knocked Hermione over in the water. Seamus rolled his eyes.
“Ye gon’ to keep laughing or are ye gon’ to help?” Seamus asked, arms straining to reach his back.
Dean stifled another laugh; Seamus looked like a turtle struggling to get back on its feet, but his heart skipped a beat at the word help. He’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t developed a crush on his best friend, and the idea of rubbing sunscreen into Seamus’ back had him really nervous. Still, if nobody helped him then the poor guy would burn, and there’d be no living with him for a few weeks. (Seamus was incredibly irritable when he was burnt.)
“Coming,” Dean said, jogging briefly over to the tree Seamus was taking shelter under.
“Here,” Seamus said, handing him the bottle of sunscreen before turning around.
Dean took a steadying breath and tried to be nonchalant as he squeezed a bit of sunscreen onto his fingers. Experimentally, he wiped it off on the tops of Seamus’ shoulders and stared.
Seamus turned his head. “Ye have to rub it in, mate.”
“I-I know,” Dean said, trying to make excuses. “I was just marveling at how translucent you are is all.”
He laughed and turned his head back. “Shut up and keep going.”
Dean swallowed and used the palm of his hand to rub the sunscreen into Seamus’ shoulders, feeling the soft skin under his hand. He squeezed more out and tucked the bottle up under his arm, using both hands to rub it into Seamus’ back. His heart beat a little faster when he got to Seamus’ lower back.
“Quite being so hesitant,” Seamus told him. “Just rub it in.”
Just rub it in. Oh Godric.
Dean nodded to himself and really started pressing with his hands. He could feel Seamus’ wiry muscles under the skin as he pushed and pulled his fingers and palms over his friend’s back. He made his way down to the lower back, moving his hands back and forth over the pale skin. Then he dipped his thumbs under the hem of Seamus’ swim shorts, thinking up the excuse, Well, what if the shorts shift? Wouldn’t want to be negligent. but Seamus didn’t comment, so he kept going.
He squeezed more sunscreen and put his hands on Seamus’ hips, pushing them forward so he was half-hugging Seamus, then pulled them back and worked up Seamus’ sides. His fingers pressed over Seamus’ ribs and he heard Seamus let out a tiny sigh and watched as goosebumps rose on his arms.
With more sunscreen Dean rubbed his shoulders again, fingers pushing up his neck and into the hair at the base of his neck, then out and down his arms. Dean was pretty sure Seamus had already gotten his arms, but he did want to stop touching Seamus, and Seamus wasn’t stopping him, so he kept going.
They were back to chest now, with Seamus half-leaning back into him and Dean with his chin next to Seamus’ ear, breath washing over his shoulder as he moved his hands up and down his arms. Seamus turned his head slightly to look up at him and Dean’s hands skittered over the slick skin as he noticed how wide the Irishman’s pupils were.
“Say, Lavender, how much sunscreen do white people really need?” Parvati asked loudly.
Lavender propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at Dean and Seamus, who’d taken two quick steps away from each other.
“Not that much, that’s for sure,” Lavender said with a laugh. “Although Seamus is really pale.”
“Shut up,” Seamus muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Oh, looks like you missed your face,” Parvati said. “Your cheeks are already red!”
Seamus let out a loud groan and grabbed Dean’s hand began dragging him over to the lake. Dean laughed and abandoned the sunscreen bottle in the grass, using his long legs to catch up, but even when they were side by side Seamus didn’t let go of his hand.
They walked up to the water’s edge and then Seamus looked up at him, cheeks red and eyes questioning. Dean smiled and interlaced their fingers, and then Ron and Harry blasted them with jets of water from their wands and they fell laughing into the lake.
I hope you liked it!! This was really fun to write, so thanks for giving me the prompt!
Sorry bout the genderfluid thing. Didn't know and forgot to check first (for some reason I always assume everyone I talk to is a girl?? Even to like cis dudes? I just subconsciously use female pronouns when talking to ppl on the Internet unless I already know them. so sorry, hope I didn't offend!
Ohmygosh I love your "after the war" hp series. Could you do a Luna + Rolf one? I ship them so much but we hardly get anything of them and your edits are so pretty ^_^
Thank you! Sure, I’ll work on it soon. I love Luna and Rolf too :)
(btw I really REALLY love your blog. Brilliant. Puts my next gen blog to utter shame and makes me want to give up on my fanfic. You are so brilliantly detailed and well thought out and it's lovely) But anyways, I wanted to ask you who you ship James II with? I know a lot of people ship him with Alice, but she's dating Louis in my fanfic and I can't seem to bring myself to ship her with James. I was just wondering who you'd put him with. (same with Lily. I've been having trouble with her as well)
Aww you are too kind, especially when I’ve been so inactive, thank you!
I don’t honestly do a whole lot of Next Gen shipping (besides Teddy/Victoire) just because we don’t really know any other characters besides the Potter-Weasley kids. I have some OCs that I haven’t written a whole lot about (mostly because I feel pretty self-serving when I do haha), and one of them is who I thought of James with.
(I’m not sure who Alice is? I’m assuming you mean Alice Longbottom II maybe? I know that’s one of those consistent head canons.)
Do all your fanfics happen in the same universe? Or are they separate stories? Because I'm a huge fan of your Push and Pull and I just can't get enough teenage Bumi, Lin, and especially Tenzin. Not to rush you, I just don't think I'm patient enough to wait for the next chapter X) So I guess my question is, if I read your other fanfics, will they coincide with the Push and Pull story? Or would totally different events have happened?
Wow!
First of all, THANK YOU.
Secondly- this is a wonderful question. Almost all of my fics do occur in the same universe. I’m actually going to list it out to make it easier on you and anyone else who is curious. I’ll put the breakdown below the cut!
In Push and Pull Universe there is a hard dividing line. There are some of these that take place during the course of Push and Pull (while Toph is alive) and there are others- most of them- that take place after Push and Pull is completed (i.e. after Toph’s death).
During Push and Pull in chronological order: Brotherly Love, Sensation, A Fight for the First,It Will Last Forever, The Noble Ladies Beifong, The Moment You Know, The Morning Routine
In Push and Pull Universe, but following the end of Push and Pull:
Focus, Gone, Not Forgotten, Seasons, Alone and Together With You, The Rebound, Telephone, Atrophy in Three-Quarter Time, Mother Knows Best, The Lowest Point, Absolution, Might Have Missed, Old Habits Die Hard, A Lifetime of Memories, Guess Things Happen That Way, The Benefit of Friends, Looks Aren’t Everything, How the Heart Behaves, Sibling Rivalry, An Evening to Forget, Turning Tides and Revelations, The New Avatar
Outside Push and Pull Universe:
A Challenge - this is partly the inspiration for Push and Pull, but tweaked quite a bit.
The Cave- this one really did inspire the Tokka relationship in Push and Pull. It was my first foray into that ship. As you’ll see this insinuates Tokka happened much later in life and more casually than I ended up making it in Push and Pull.
The Vow- may still factor into the Push and Pull universe, but will definitely be tweaked.
Indiscretion, Confessions On Our Lips, Secrets On Our Lips, - Current Linzin hook up fic. The first chapter of Indiscretion is PROBABLE at least, but it spirals into fangirl fantasy after that.
I hope this little guide helps! Thank so much for asking! I’m really grateful because I’m not sure people do realize that I try to keep everything pretty cohesive! Thanks again :)
