Alex looked everyone for Ernie, but he couldn't find him. After the fun he'd had in Fred's class, minus the bit where he had almost jumped the table to punch Malfoy, he really had wanted to get things straight with Ernie. Instead he found himself outside Dean's studio door. He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, I'll find him tomorrow." He raised his hand to knock, but had a better idea. He opened the door and quietly as he could, hoping to sneak up on Dean.

Dean is stretched out on the sofa, completely absorbed in his book. He rolls over onto his stomach and flips a page slowly.

Alex smiles when he sees that Dean doesn't notice him and quietly closes the door behind himself. He slips to the end of the sofa, standing by Dean's knees, and just stares down at him for a few moments before leaning over and quickly sliding one arm up his side, laying down on top of him, and kissing his shoulder.

Dean startles a bit and drops his book to the floor. He looks back over his shoulder and grins at you. "Ok...now we're even." he picks up his book and dusts off the cover. "What's up?"

Alex shrugs his shoulders and looks a bit disappointed, but that look is quickly replaced by his usual smile and he sits up and moves to sit beside you. "Not exactly even. There isn't a fourth year from your house here to laugh at us." Then he looks at you again. "Nothing's up..."

Dean grins slyly. "You didn't have to get up you know...you could have stayed where you were."

"Oh. Um. I thought. I mean..." Alex shrugs his shoulders again and then lays back down, this time on his side facing you, and drapes one leg over yours. "We didn't get much of a chance to talk before Fred's class. How was your day?"

Dean smiles and lays his book back on the floor. "It was okay I suppose. Had quite an extensive conversation with 'Mione and did a lot of soul searching." he pauses for a minute "How was your day?"

Alex smiles lazily at you. "It was okay." He reaches up to rub at your mark on his throat. "Got a few odd looks, though." And he laughs.

Dean grins widely. "Appreciate my handiwork did they?"

"Oh I don't know, but I certainly did. "  He winks at you, teasing, and reaches to trail a finger over the matching mark at your throat. "How about you?"

"Ooohhh...I got a few remarks. One of them wanted to know who I 'belonged' to." Dean grins and laughs softly.

Alex looks a little uncomfortable. "You don't. I mean. You don't have to tell them it was me if you don't want to."

Dean looks down shyly. "I would never tell anyone unless it was okay with you...and I wasn't sure." he frowns a bit. "I'd be proud to tell them who it was though."

Alex smiles. "Of course you could tell them. I mean. If you wanted to." He blushes and laughs. "Why wouldn't I want that?"

"Well...I wasn't sure if you wanted anyone to know, really." Dean blushes and still doesn't look up. "I just didn't want to assume the wrong thing."

Alex laughs a little and smiles, putting a hand at Dean's neck and tilting his head up to meet his own eyes again. "It's okay. If you want to." He  laughs again and removes his hand. "So, soul searching eh?"

Dean smiles and blushes again. "Yes...just a bit of deep thinking with 'Mione."

Alex notices your blush and chuckles, his voice teasing "Uh oh. Anything I should be worried about?"

"I don't think there's anything that you need to worry about." Dean smiles and lays his head against the cushion.

Alex leans his head against the cushion next to yours and looks into your eyes, reaching up absentmindedly to run his fingertips thru your hair. "Well. Good then. You okay?"

"Mmm...yes, I'm ok. How bout you?" Dean gazes at you curiously.

Alex smiles in answer and leans to place a soft quick kiss on your cheek. "I'm great now."  The he shakes his head at himself and blushes, looking down.

"Now?" Dean grins and brushes his hand over yours lightly.

Alex sighs. "Sorry. Things are just a mess with Ernie and Justin. And then Malfoy tonight in class... I was just.... " He sighs again. "But not now." He blushes again, chuckling. "You relax me."

Dean looks at you with concern. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean...Justin's my friend too, so if something's bothering you, please feel free to talk.."

Alex shakes his head. "I would.. I just..I don't think it's my place to talk about it. It's really between him and Ern." He smiles up at you again. "Don't worry about it."

"I do worry about it though. Because the after effects trickle down to you, and I know you worry about them both." Dean blushes again and looks at you seriously. "The offer still stands...I'll always be here for you when you need me."

"Thanks, Dean. That really means a lot to me. " He sighs and leans against you. "And the same goes for you, you know. If you ever need to talk to me about something."

Dean sighs and snuggles up to you. "It really has been a long day."

Alex snuggles in closer to you, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you close, nuzzling his head into your shoulder. "Do you need to talk, then?"

Dean smiles and sighs against you. "I don't know...'Mione and I got into some pretty deep stuff. Hate to say it about someone in my own house, but lord almighty she can get a conversation depressing."

Alex smiles. "I have noticed that about her every once in a while." He laughs. "What depressed you?"

"Well, we got to talking about relationships. Not quite sure how we got on the topic actually, and it just got deeper from there. She almost made me..." Dean bites back his words and looks away.

Alex hears the change in Dean's tone and looks up at him. "She almost made you?"

"Oh..." Dean tries to correct himself quickly. "...it was nothing. The conversation just got a little trying, that's all."

Alex looks at you questioningly. "Dean?"

Dean looks at you with wide eyes. "What?

Alex looks at you for a few more seconds, wondering why you felt like backpedaling. He sighs, thinking that you aren't comfortable enough with him to open up and shrugs, "Never mind." He leans forward and places another light kiss on your cheek.

Dean smiles, but the emotion doesn't quite meet his eyes. "I'm sorry Alex...I just didn't want to feel stupid telling you how I acted like a baby with 'Mione this afternoon"

Alex smiles, genuine, and his hand at your waist pulls you in closer. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to..." but he is obviously glad you felt like telling him. "Why would you feel stupid? "

"God, Alex...it was so embarrassing. She almost made me cry. I was mortified." he smiles a little easier this time.

Alex looks concerned, but is still smiling at you. "Why did you feel like crying?" He smoothes his hand over your back and rubs in small circles.

"I...well, we were talking about past relationships that had soured...and taking chances on new ones." Dean looks down at his hands as he feels his face grow hot.

"New ones.." His voice drops to a whisper and he leans his forehead against yours, lips close to your lips. "like us?"

Dean's breathing becomes shallow and his face is increasingly warm. "Yes...like us." he whispers.

A grin slid onto Alex's lips, and he leaned just a breath closer to you. "And something about thinking about that made you want to cry?" His hand slip to your hip and pulled your hips closer into his.

"Well, kind of...I just don't want us to end up like...like Seamus." Dean looks down shyly, afraid of scaring you away.

Alex puts his fingers under Dean's chin and tilts his head up until he is looking into his eyes. "I'm not like Seamus."

"I know you're not...you're nothing like him." Dean smiles softly. "You're...wonderful."

Alex smiles and leans forward to kiss your cheek again. "Thank you." his voice is soft. Then the teasing note slips back in. "and I'm not Irish, of course."

"Nothing special about being Irish anyway." Dean grins and tries to tease back. "Well, unless you count that irresistible brogue...enough to make a guy melt.

"Irresistible, eh?" Alex playfully punches Dean in the shoulder. "Maybe I should go spend some time with him, then...."

Dean's smile disappears and he looks away for a moment. "I...uhm..."

Alex's smile fades just as quickly and he puts his hand behind your ear, turning you back to face him. "Jesus. That was the wrong thing to say. I didn't mean it, Dean. I was just kidding."  He frowns and looks down. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's ok...really." Dean looks back up at you and tries to put on a smile. "I think I prefer my blokes Irish-free if its all the same." he jokes.

Alex grins and massages the area where his hand is, running his fingers around your ear lobe. "Is that what I am. Your bloke?"

"Well...I don't know...I mean, we've never really talked about it before." Dean stumbles over his words awkwardly and the blush comes back to his cheeks.

Alex looks awkward as well and averts his eyes. "Well. I mean. You probably don't want.... It's okay." He turns back to you. "Forget I mentioned it." And he snuggles into you again. Nipping at your jaw line.

"I never said I didn't want to...I just figured you didn't." Dean smiles shyly as he realizes how stupid he must sound.

Alex looks up at you, shyly. "Of course I want to."

"So...does this mean we're...you know..." He grins and blushes again. "...together?"

Alex looks unsure, then smiles shyly at him again. "If you. If you want me..."

Dean smiles widely, looking enormously relieved. "Of course I want you...why wouldn't I?"

Alex beams back at him and wraps himself closer around him, pulling Dean and close as he can while they're lying this way. "Well, that's settled then!"

"So we're official then?" Dean grins and nuzzles his face into your neck.

Alex, still beaming, pushes you onto your back and leans over to press a soft kiss to your lips. "Official."

Dean smiles and presses his lips back against yours. "Mmm...I like the sound of that."

Alex smiles against your lips and lays more of his weight on you, sliding his fingers against your neck. "Mmm. Me too."

Dean wraps his arms around your waist and twines his legs with yours. He gazes into your eyes shyly before leaning up to kiss you passionately.

Alex sighs into your kiss and presses his full body against yours, "Wow." He kisses you back, leaning into in and running his tongue along your lips.

Dean moans quietly against your lips and he lets one of his hands roam down to caress your arse.

Alex purrs and shifts to grind slightly against Dean. "That's so... mean." He whispers between kisses, teasing tone back in his voice.

"What's so mean?" He squeezes your arse and grins. "I'm not doing anything." he pouts and tries to look innocent.

Alex bites lightly at your lower lip, licking the space to sooth the bite, and shifts so that you can feel his arousal pressing into you. He moves his hand, first running along your entangled thighs and then to you own arse, pulling you closer into him. "Not doing anything?" He whispers against your lips, and kisses you again.

"What I meant to say was...not doing anything you wouldn't like." Dean groans and rolls his hips up against yours.

Alex feels suddenly lightheaded and he leans in for another kiss. "Oh. Right. Then, yeah. Nothing I don't like." His hand kneads at you and pulls you even closer, his hips pressing down into you.

Dean runs his free hand over your back, tugging at your shirt gently. "God, you feel so good."

Alex leans up and struggles a bit, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it over the couch. He leans back into you for another kiss. "So do you." His voice hoarse against your lips as he runs his hand up your side.

Dean smiles against your lips and begins to tug at his own shirt, freeing it from his trousers. "Need to feel you...please." he tries to lift up so that he can pull off the shirt.

Alex balances himself on one arm and takes the hem of Dean's shirt in his other hand, helping him to pull it over his head and then pressing himself against him again, skin against skin.

Dean groans loudly at the contact of their bare flesh; he pulls you back down and crushes his lips against yours. 

Alex leans back and smiles down at you, mischievously he trails his fingertips down your chest, sliding his fingertips over your nipple. "You're so pretty when you're flush...."

Dean gasps as your fingertips brush over his nipple; his hips thrust up against yours slightly. "Please...please touch me." he pouts and gives you his best puppy-dog eyes.

Alex chuckles. "I am touching you." He flattens his hand against your chest and slides it down to your stomach to prove his point.

Dean bites his lower lip as he watches your hand slide down his body. His breathing has become quick as his pulse races.

Alex shifts and lies on his side beside you, trailing his fingertips down to the waistband of your trousers and then back up to your navel. He nibbles on your ear lobe and whispers, "Oh, did you mean something.. else?" He chuckles...

Dean sighs and whispers "No...that's exactly what I had in mind." he gives you a goofy smile.

Alex looks at the mark he left on your neck last night and leans in to nibble at you there, deepening it.  He wraps his arm around your waist and shifts you both, so that you are lying half on top of him. "You taste good. Did I mention that?" He blushes but that doesn't deter him  and he slides his hands down to your hips.

[And we had to sleep, so the boys got very angry at us but just snogged and cuddled more.]