For Deb. This is entirely your fault in so many ways.

The ending is pure cheese. Blame Sam. Love her.

.

It's all Lavender's fault, really.

Lavender was the one who was so petty over popular Wildcat basketball star Ginny Weasley choosing to date nobody Harry Potter instead of her. Lavender didn't even like Ginny, not really. She was just so concerned with her image.

Seamus sighs in despair as the entire Wildcats co-ed Basketball team invades Lava Springs. Well, there goes any ideas he had for a peaceful summer. Sometimes his sister is the worst.

On the plus side, most of the Wildcats, including Ginny and her best friend Dean, are employed in the kitchen, meaning Seamus doesn't need to go anywhere near them. Instead, he can sit with Luna while she practices on the rehearsal piano. It's good for him, anyway. When he spends all day listening to Luna play, he can't help but choreograph in his head.

Then Lavender tells him that she'll be singing with Ginny instead of him for the Star Dazzle award. Seamus can't believe Ginny even agreed to this. A year ago, no one even knew Ginny could sing. She was just some jock basketball player whose older brother was the basketball coach (which Lavender insisted was complete nepotism. Not that Lavender knew the word nepotism). She meant nothing in the world of theatre. Then she and new kid Harry Potter auditioned for the school musical and everything in Seamus' world fell apart. There were basketball players in his theatre. What was even happening?

Seamus prided himself on his ability to remain upbeat, however, so he just donned another jaunty hat and ignored the athletes who were now invading his country club and his summer. Until Lavender chose Ginny over him. Lavender was his sister; she was always supposed to be on his side.

While reeling from Lavender's decision, Harry Potter and his friend and fellow nerd Hermione Granger corner Seamus and invite him to the staff baseball game.

And honestly, Seamus hasn't played baseball in too damn long. He's not staff, and these people are not his friends, but he's an extrovert and he's been alone for too long. So he goes.

It helps that Ginny isn't there. It helps that Dean Thomas is, because honestly, that man in baseball pants is enough to make Seamus want to watch sports. Damn.

Dean asks if Ginny sent Seamus to the game to spy on them, skeptical and direct, and Seamus grins, dusting off his hands. "Nah, my sister did." He grins. "She thinks you guys are gonna upstage her talent show." This is mostly a lie, but Seamus is mad at Lavender, and she deserves it.

"Oh, no worries," comments one of the other boys in red, clearly on Dean's team. Ron, maybe? "We were going to do the show, but then Ginny bailed on us, so, whatever."

Harry looks upset. "What do you mean, whatever? I thought we decided that the show would be fun!"

"I think so," Hermione puts in. Dean looks at them both.

"Who are we kidding? We don't know how to put together a show."

"No," says Harry, but then he grins, gesturing at Seamus. "But he does." Seamus stares at Harry in disbelief. Harry doesn't stop, though. "If we have a real director putting it together, it could be great!"

A real director. Seamus didn't even think Harry knew who he was, beyond Lavender's twin. That he not only knows but apparently has faith in Seamus' abilities to choreograph… Seamus doesn't really know what to do with that.

Dean looks… somewhat skeptical, which is fair. He looks at the rest of the team, and then back at Seamus and Harry.

"Have the employees ever won a star dazzle award?" Harry asks Seamus. Win? Against Lavender? Seamus looks away.

"I know what you can do, Seamus," Harry says. "So why not do it for us?"

Dean looks incredibly done with all of this. "Look," he says. "You wanna play ball? Grab a mitt. But I don't dance." He points a finger directly at Seamus' chest.

Seamus is feeling… He's not sure. He thinks it might be confidence. "You don't think dancing takes some game?" he asks, and his voice comes out cocksure and arrogant. The rest of the staff laughs, but Dean… Dean grins slightly and looks him over from head to toe, as though seeing him for the first time.

"You got game?" he asks, but he's grinning wide.

Seamus shrugs. "A little." He tucks his hands into his pockets and smirks. Dean nods at him, as though to say, all right then, and then gestures at another wildcat, who throws a bat up in the air. Dean grabs it, and Seamus doesn't hesitate in grabbing right above his hand, taking the position of captain.

The crowd oooooohs, and Seamus smirks again, quirking an eyebrow. Dean takes the challenge, placing his left hand above Seamus' right. They travel up the bat until Seamus places his palm flat over the top, grinning again. His team cheers. Dean just looks at him, a small smile quirking at the corners of his lips, and then points at him and walks off.

A man hands Seamus a glove, and Seamus takes the ball from him as well, taking his place on the pitcher's mound. It's been a while, but damn does it feel good to stand on the mound again.

Dean steps up to the plate. He looks at Seamus like he expects this to go so poorly, so Seamus can't resist winding up and throwing a fastball as hard as he can. Dean doesn't even swing. Seamus raises an eyebrow at him, and Dean scowls, stepping out of the box for a second. "Ready to admit dancing takes game?" Seamus calls.

"One pitch doesn't mean anything," Dean calls back, but he's grinning as he puts the bat back on his shoulder and steps up to the plate.

What follows is probably the most innuendo laden game of baseball that has ever been played. Dean is cocky as hell, yes, but he also looks at Seamus like the entirety of this game is just some private joke between the two of them — his gaze is warm and weirdly intimate and Seamus finds himself effortlessly flirting back as the game they're playing becomes more and more competitive. Seamus gets off a few good swings, but he's too rusty to really bat as well as he'd like. Pitching comes back more easily, but in truth Dean is just very good at baseball.

Seamus' team loses because of a bad throw from the shortstop which gives Dean a chance to make it to home base. Disappointed, he turns to walk away, but Dean's voice from behind him stops him in his tracks.

"Hey, Finnegan!" Seamus turns his head just enough that his chin faces his shoulder.

"I'm not saying I'm going to dance in the show. But… IF I did, what would you have me do?"

Seamus can't help the genuine smile that spreads across his face. Instead of responding, he just walks off to the locker rooms.

Seamus takes a longer shower than most of the others, so despite being one of the first in the locker room, he's one of the last to leave the showers. He's surprised to see Dean sitting on the bench in front of Seamus' locker. He's even more surprised to see him wearing Seamus' clothing. What is happening?

Dean just grins at him, and goddamn the white outfit looks good against his dark skin.

And really, what more of a declaration is Seamus waiting for? He strides across the locker room and tugs Dean up from the bench by the front of his shirt. He pauses only briefly to smooth out the wrinkles he's made, and Dean laughs, deep and rumbling and Seamus feels it in his bare toes. Seamus looks up at his face, and he can feel his mouth twist into a smile.

"Can I kiss you?" Seamus asks, his voice barely a whisper.

"I'd appreciate it," Dean whispers back, tipping his head down as Seamus pushes up on his toes.

Dean is gentler than Seamus had imagined, slow and careful as if Seamus is something to be treasured or savored. When he breaks away to breathe, he rests his forehead against Seamus'. His eyes are bright and warm and brown.

"You do realize this means I'm going to have to wear your uniform?" Seamus ask teasingly. He doesn't expect the sharp intake of breath that receives. Dean pulls his head back to look Seamus up and down, as though picturing it. He smiles, slow and easy.

"Please do."

Seamus blushes, cursing his fair skin, but he isn't one to back down, even if he mostly meant that as a joke.

He dresses and they begin to leave the locker room, but before they do, Seamus turns and stops Dean in his tracks.

"Don't think this means I'm changing my mind, Wildcat. I don't dance." He smiles. "Not for anyone but you."