Face Off
Title: Face Off
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Summary: Padma and Dean have been going out for awhile now, and Seamus doesn't like it.
A/N: Written in Oct. of 2004. No spoilers. Not AU.
Padma Patil scowled at the sandy haired man sitting across from her. No, scratch that. He wasn't a man. He was a boy. He had the maturity of a boy, at any rate.
Her thought was confirmed when he stuck his tongue out at her. She narrowed her dark eyes at him and bit her lip so that a biting remark wouldn't slip out. Seamus Finnigan was her boyfriend's best friend, after all, and she had to try to be civil.
But it was so hard. The Irish accented, selfish, stupid nitwit was so irritating. For Merlin's sake, it had been two bloody weeks since she and Dean had announced that they were dating, and Seamus had yet to accept it.
Oh, he pretended to accept it if Dean was in his company, but Padma knew that Seamus disliked her. His whole demeanor changed when she was around. Take now, for example. His arms were crossed and he was staring moodily at her.
She couldn't take it anymore. "Don't you have another look that you can plaster on your face?" Padma snapped.
Seamus looked affronted. "Why are you looking at my face?"
"It's hard not to!" she sputtered. "You are constantly scowling!"
"And I suppose you're always smiling, yeah?" Seamus said, rolling his eyes.
"You're despicable," she snapped, standing up and leaving the room.
"Thanks very much!" Seamus yelled sarcastically back at her, as she walked into the kitchen.
Dean was standing at the counter, a smirk on his face. "You two will never get along, will you?" he said.
"Dean, why is he even here? If he doesn't like me, he has no right to be in my apartment. His mere presence is affecting the aura of the place!"
Dean scrunched up his face. "Aura? Paddy, when did you start thinking about auras!"
"I'm sorry!" she said shrilly. "I'm so upset I'm beginning to sound like my sister! Just - can't we throw him out?"
Dean raised his eyebrows. "No, we can't. He's staying here until our anniversary party is over. We've been together for a month now, and I'm forcing him to celebrate it with us."
Padma opened her mouth to protest, but Dean placed a finger over her lips. "Now, now, I invited Lavender over. She should be here in a couple of minutes, perhaps she can calm Seamus down. Or at least, persuade him to be civil."
Padma let out a snort. "Fine. But I don't want to have anything to do with Seamus until she comes."
"Fair enough," said Dean, kissing Padma's forehead. "I'm going to go change out of this shirt. I got marinara sauce all over it."
Padma placed her hands on Dean's chest, running her fingers over the material of his shirt. "Damn. I liked this shirt," she said, a sly smile gracing her mouth. "You look so sexy in it."
Dean grinned. "You mean, I don't look sexy without it?"
"Oh no, you're sexy wearing anything. Or...not wearing anything." She stood on her tiptoes to blow a little bit of air into Dean's ear. For some reason, he always got turned on when she did that.
"Hey, save that for later. Why don't you go make sure the Shirley Temples are ready to be served?"
"All right," she whispered, a little shakily. She walked back out into the living room, holding her head high in the air as she passed Seamus.
"How much do you really know about him?" Seamus asked abruptly.
"A lot," she answered tartly, picking up a glass from the dining room table.
"More than I do?"
"Sure," she said nonchalantly, pouring herself some of the drink and adding a marashino cherry on top.
"I'm his best friend."
"I'm his girlfriend."
"He's gotten drunk with me."
"He's gotten drunk because of me."
"That's something to be proud of?" said Seamus. "Oh, of course it would be. How many men have you drove to alcoholism?"
"You sod! He drank because he thought I was seeing someone else!"
Seamus rolled his eyes. "I know that he once had a dream about drag queens and a pony."
Padma sighed. "I've had sex with him," she pointed out.
"I taught him the fundamentals of sex, sweetheart." Seamus gave her a cocky grin.
"I - well, that doesn't mean anything!" Padma snapped, her cheeks flushing a bit. "Why can't you just accept us being together? I mean, you've been his best friend for years! Can't he have room for one more person in his life?"
Padma's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Seamus. All she wanted to do was carry on a happy relationship with Dean, and she wanted Seamus to be support them. She wanted him to approve of her.
"I do accept it," said Seamus grumpily. "It's just...I have been his best mate for years. And you're coming in the way of that. It seems like all he ever does any more is talk about you."
"Really?" Padma asked, wiping away the tear that was rolling its way down her cheek.
"Yeah," Seamus said.
"Funny, that," she said. "It seems like every time he opens his mouth, he's talking about you."
"Guess we're even, then," Seamus said, looking a bit misty eyed himself. "I - just, I was jealous of you, okay!"
Padma nodded. "I suppose I was...a little jealous of you as well. But we can both have him, can't we?"
Seamus ran a hand through his hair. Slowly, a shy smile spread across his face. "As long as we can have him equally."
Padma smiled back at him.
"Is Lav here yet?" Dean's voice came. He was walking down the steps, and had changed into a light pink shirt with white stripes. Both Padma and Seamus looked at him incredulously.
"What are you wearing?" Padma exclaimed, clapping a hand over her mouth just as Seamus said, "That shirt is disgusting, mate," and looking officially grossed out.
A new voice joined the group. "Well, look at that. Padma and Seamus finally agreed on something! That's quite a big accomplishment, wouldn't you say so Dean?"
"I'd say so, Lav," Dean grinned, as Lavender threw her arms around Seamus' neck.
Seamus and Padma shared a look as Dean went upstairs to change his shirt again. They had accomplished a lot more than agreeing on something.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Summary: Padma and Dean have been going out for awhile now, and Seamus doesn't like it.
A/N: Written in Oct. of 2004. No spoilers. Not AU.
Padma Patil scowled at the sandy haired man sitting across from her. No, scratch that. He wasn't a man. He was a boy. He had the maturity of a boy, at any rate.
Her thought was confirmed when he stuck his tongue out at her. She narrowed her dark eyes at him and bit her lip so that a biting remark wouldn't slip out. Seamus Finnigan was her boyfriend's best friend, after all, and she had to try to be civil.
But it was so hard. The Irish accented, selfish, stupid nitwit was so irritating. For Merlin's sake, it had been two bloody weeks since she and Dean had announced that they were dating, and Seamus had yet to accept it.
Oh, he pretended to accept it if Dean was in his company, but Padma knew that Seamus disliked her. His whole demeanor changed when she was around. Take now, for example. His arms were crossed and he was staring moodily at her.
She couldn't take it anymore. "Don't you have another look that you can plaster on your face?" Padma snapped.
Seamus looked affronted. "Why are you looking at my face?"
"It's hard not to!" she sputtered. "You are constantly scowling!"
"And I suppose you're always smiling, yeah?" Seamus said, rolling his eyes.
"You're despicable," she snapped, standing up and leaving the room.
"Thanks very much!" Seamus yelled sarcastically back at her, as she walked into the kitchen.
Dean was standing at the counter, a smirk on his face. "You two will never get along, will you?" he said.
"Dean, why is he even here? If he doesn't like me, he has no right to be in my apartment. His mere presence is affecting the aura of the place!"
Dean scrunched up his face. "Aura? Paddy, when did you start thinking about auras!"
"I'm sorry!" she said shrilly. "I'm so upset I'm beginning to sound like my sister! Just - can't we throw him out?"
Dean raised his eyebrows. "No, we can't. He's staying here until our anniversary party is over. We've been together for a month now, and I'm forcing him to celebrate it with us."
Padma opened her mouth to protest, but Dean placed a finger over her lips. "Now, now, I invited Lavender over. She should be here in a couple of minutes, perhaps she can calm Seamus down. Or at least, persuade him to be civil."
Padma let out a snort. "Fine. But I don't want to have anything to do with Seamus until she comes."
"Fair enough," said Dean, kissing Padma's forehead. "I'm going to go change out of this shirt. I got marinara sauce all over it."
Padma placed her hands on Dean's chest, running her fingers over the material of his shirt. "Damn. I liked this shirt," she said, a sly smile gracing her mouth. "You look so sexy in it."
Dean grinned. "You mean, I don't look sexy without it?"
"Oh no, you're sexy wearing anything. Or...not wearing anything." She stood on her tiptoes to blow a little bit of air into Dean's ear. For some reason, he always got turned on when she did that.
"Hey, save that for later. Why don't you go make sure the Shirley Temples are ready to be served?"
"All right," she whispered, a little shakily. She walked back out into the living room, holding her head high in the air as she passed Seamus.
"How much do you really know about him?" Seamus asked abruptly.
"A lot," she answered tartly, picking up a glass from the dining room table.
"More than I do?"
"Sure," she said nonchalantly, pouring herself some of the drink and adding a marashino cherry on top.
"I'm his best friend."
"I'm his girlfriend."
"He's gotten drunk with me."
"He's gotten drunk because of me."
"That's something to be proud of?" said Seamus. "Oh, of course it would be. How many men have you drove to alcoholism?"
"You sod! He drank because he thought I was seeing someone else!"
Seamus rolled his eyes. "I know that he once had a dream about drag queens and a pony."
Padma sighed. "I've had sex with him," she pointed out.
"I taught him the fundamentals of sex, sweetheart." Seamus gave her a cocky grin.
"I - well, that doesn't mean anything!" Padma snapped, her cheeks flushing a bit. "Why can't you just accept us being together? I mean, you've been his best friend for years! Can't he have room for one more person in his life?"
Padma's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Seamus. All she wanted to do was carry on a happy relationship with Dean, and she wanted Seamus to be support them. She wanted him to approve of her.
"I do accept it," said Seamus grumpily. "It's just...I have been his best mate for years. And you're coming in the way of that. It seems like all he ever does any more is talk about you."
"Really?" Padma asked, wiping away the tear that was rolling its way down her cheek.
"Yeah," Seamus said.
"Funny, that," she said. "It seems like every time he opens his mouth, he's talking about you."
"Guess we're even, then," Seamus said, looking a bit misty eyed himself. "I - just, I was jealous of you, okay!"
Padma nodded. "I suppose I was...a little jealous of you as well. But we can both have him, can't we?"
Seamus ran a hand through his hair. Slowly, a shy smile spread across his face. "As long as we can have him equally."
Padma smiled back at him.
"Is Lav here yet?" Dean's voice came. He was walking down the steps, and had changed into a light pink shirt with white stripes. Both Padma and Seamus looked at him incredulously.
"What are you wearing?" Padma exclaimed, clapping a hand over her mouth just as Seamus said, "That shirt is disgusting, mate," and looking officially grossed out.
A new voice joined the group. "Well, look at that. Padma and Seamus finally agreed on something! That's quite a big accomplishment, wouldn't you say so Dean?"
"I'd say so, Lav," Dean grinned, as Lavender threw her arms around Seamus' neck.
Seamus and Padma shared a look as Dean went upstairs to change his shirt again. They had accomplished a lot more than agreeing on something.