A/N: My first Dexter x Debra piece! Inspired by a tumblr ask from Gelly! And Jo Towerandbishop was the reason I started Dexter to begin with; so thank you (& I hate you lolol)!
I know next to nothing of Dexter but I know you ship Debster and I know you ship H/HR so I give you the thought of Debster watching Harry Potter together (or reading the books whichever is easier to imagine).
I may or may not continue with this (it works well as a one-shot!) depending on if it has good reviews & I find time! Enjoy! :)
Steaks. Beers. Deb. Another ritual he places value in.
And just as he needed to perform those to deliver justice to his victims, he needed this. It was good bonding time with Deb, who he's really only seen at work thanks to her budding relationship with Quinn.
"Fuck, Dex, it's gonna be starting! How close are those steaks?" She pulled him from his thoughts just in time to notice they were finished.
He grabbed both plates and moved toward the couch she was already sprawled out on, texting furiously away.
"I'm guessing that's not work related. Quinn need something?" He noticed her beer was dangerously low while dropping off their plates.
"Shit, did you actually pay attention to something outside the realm of blood spatter?" She began lowering her phone when it lit up again. 'Call from Joey'.
He was returning with a couple of cold ones before noticing how visibly upset she is.
"Jesus Christ… I can't fucking deal with this right now." She hit ignore and tossed her phone to the side.
She repositioned to allow him his usual spot when they ate dinner and watched whatever happened to be on TV. That specific night happened to be a Harry Potter marathon that Debra insisted on viewing even though they've watched the entire series already.
"What's that about?" He cracked open her beer and handed it to her before doing the same to his own.
"Holy hell, Dex, first you guessed correctly about me having a non-work related issue AND now you wanna hear about it? Is everything okay with you?" She lifted her beer up and took a deep swig before returning to her meal.
"Deb… you know I care about you." He placed his hand on her thigh, sending a shiver down her spine.
She hadn't yet told him about her visits to her new psychologist, but knew it was only a matter of time before he found out. Especially given the information she realized during her last few sessions.
"Well duh, fuckface." He nearly spit his beer out at her colorful word choice. She nearly choked drinking hers hearing her phone buzz yet again. 'Why couldn't he take the hint?' She regained her composure before adding to her thought.
"You would do anything to make sure nothing bad happens to me. And you know I would do the same for you, bro." She covered his hand with hers before meeting his eyes.
Big mistake.
She became fixated on them for a moment too long for him not to say anything.
The TV wasn't very loud, but she was able to know "Hedwig's Theme" anywhere. Prisoner of Azkaban was beginning. Definitely her favorite book when she was younger.
"Are you sure everything's okay, Deb?" His tone struck a nerve in her because she knew if she began to open up, she wouldn't be able to stop. And she wasn't sure if she was prepared to potentially lose him.
"Fuckin' A. Dex, I gue.. I'm," She had broken eye contact and was now searching for the right words to use.
"Deb, relax. It's just us." He flashed a smile while passing her beer over.
"Maybe we should just watch the movie, we've already missed Harry blowing up his bitchy aunt!" She gestured to the TV, showing the boy wizard boarding a double decker bus.
"We will… but you're more important than watching Harry Potter for the fifteenth time or so." He set his remaining steak on the table so he could focus on whatever his sister had to say.
"I'm seeing someone." She took another generous sip of her drink before placing the remainder of her dinner next to his.
His brows furrowed at her obvious statement. "I'm aware you and Quinn are…"
"A therapist. I'm seeing a therapist… Have been a couple weeks now. Ever since Brian and Lundy and Anton… I figured it was time. She seems to know her shit at least and helped me see some things." Her throat was becoming dryer as she was getting closer to revealing what came from her sessions.
He rarely showed emotions of any kind but in a moment like this, it felt only natural for him to wrap her in his embrace.
"I'm so sorry, Deb. I had no idea you were… that you… I wish you would have came to me but I get why you didn't." He relinquished his hold on her and was again staring into her hazel eyes.
This was all becoming too much for her; being in his arms… getting lost in his equally hazel eyes… She needed it to end, one way or another.
"Dex, I need to tell you something. So while I'm talking, I'm gonna need you to be as quiet as a fuckin' church mouse. That shouldn't be asking too much from you. Understand?" She tucked her awry strands behind her ears before downing her bottle.
He made an effort to finish his as well so he could get more.
"Crystal." He made a motion for her empty and headed back to the fridge. He could see whatever it was she wanted to tell him was taking a toll on her and he knew the least he could do was refresh her beverage.
He extended the fresh bottle to her before she silently thanked him and cracked it open.
"Okay, I'm all ears." A smile danced across his face and she couldn't help but notice he seemed more cheerful lately. She would guess he was getting laid but with Rita's death only a few weeks removed, she quickly abandoned that theory.
"Right, so, I've been in therapy. Duh, I just told you. Originally it was just an outlet for the emotional turmoil I've gone through the past couple of years, but lately I've been going because Dr. Ross and I have been dissecting the most important relationship I'll ever have… ours."
She needed to steady her breathing, which had become more erratic as she got closer to revealing her truth. He heeded her wish of not speaking, but she still noticed his breathing was low and shallow; hanging on every word she was saying.
"I guess… No, I know what I'm trying to say. And it might be fucked up and gross, and you probably don't feel the same but.. it's genuinely how I feel. And I feel like I'm going to collapse under the weight of it unless I tell you."
She was doing as much as she could to not look directly in his eyes, fearful for his reaction. She had pictured this moment a couple times in the last few weeks and needless to say, she got mixed reviews.
"Dex, I fucking love you. Like, love you love you."
"I don't understand… Is this supposed to be funny?"
"Dexter… I know it's wrong, but I love you. More than a sister should."
"Uhm, are you sure? I… What am I supposed to say to that, Deb?"
"So, turns out I'm in love with you and It's disgusting but I can't help it."
"Really? Then I guess I'm just as disgusting because I feel the same way."
Harry Potter was currently in a commercial so she wasn't sure what happened last. 'So much for movie night…', she thought.
She let out a deep sigh before continuing on.
"Dex, these therapy sessions have not only been helpful coping with all the tragedies I've been through, but also seeing why those relationships failed. Deep down, I've been looking for someone who would do anything for me; someone who I could love unconditionally and they return that; someone like you." She finished with a choked sob, unsure what this admission would hold for them.
He instinctively leaned forward and enveloped her in a hug. This only caused her more pain because she took this as a sympathetic 'yes, you're my sister but I don't love you like that' kind of hug.
"So I need you to say something before I throw up all over your couch." She pulled back in order to distance herself until he finally responded.
His face was damn near unreadable; granted, Dexter always kept his emotions beneath the surface. No look of disgust, so that was somewhat calming; but no look of joy either. I'm sure on the list of things he was expecting to talk about tonight this hadn't crossed his mind once.
"Of course I love you, Deb; but…" He was cut off as soon as he began talking.
"…But you only love me like a brother because that's how you have loved me your whole life. I get it." Her words echoed around her head before she began downing the beer to avoid the awkwardness that would now linger between them.
"Debra." He made her lower the bottle and took hold of her shoulders.
"Of course I love you, but Rita just died a few weeks ago too. I'd be lying to myself and you if I said I made peace with it yet. And because of that, I can't reciprocate your feelings… now."
The genuineness in his statement gave her the chills. And her lip couldn't help but turn upward as she absorbed the last sentence he spoke.
"So, maybe one day.. you could…" Her voice wavered, trying to vocalize something she had never thought could be a possibility.
He took a long pull from his beer before interrupting her.
"I don't want to give you any false hope, Deb. But you need to know that regardless of what happens between us or doesn't, I will always care for and protect you at all costs. I've done it every day since we were kids and I don't plan on stopping now. Someday I could be in love with my sister." The residual tension had disappeared entirely when she punched him hard in the shoulder, blush painting her cheeks.
"I never said that, asshole! And you're the fucking blood guy, right? I'm your sister because Harry told you I was; just like he told me you were my brother. Outside of that, there's nothing sibling-like between us." She reasoned with him while understanding how crazy it sounded.
"It's still a little fucked up, right?" He winced, hoping she didn't take it the wrong way.
"We've always been a little fucked up, Dex. What's wrong with wanting to be happy?" She asked rubbing her temples, wishing she hadn't said that aloud.
"Nothing at all."
He began caressing her hand until a buzz sent them flying in opposite directions.
"Holy mother of fuck!" She cursed loudly before grabbing her phone ignoring yet another call from her partner.
"There she is! Did you notice during that time I wasn't allowed to talk you didn't swear once? I thought maybe you forgot how!" He jokingly stated while helping her to her previous position.
"No shit?! You're fuckin' hilarious. And very observant tonight! That's 3 for 3 when most nights you go 0 for 3!" She chuckled at his sudden awareness before addressing the other elephant in the room.
"I'll talk to him tomorrow; tonight is our night and I told him that. But I can't keep up this charade with him; I don't love him as much as he does me and that's unfair to him. I can't love him as much as I love you." Turns out admitting you love someone who's been your brother most of your life got easier the more you said it.
"Speaking of tonight being our night, want to get back to your favorite boy wizard?" He sent a smile her way before laying down, tossing his legs across her lap in the process.
"Abso-fucking-lutely! But you know Hermione's my favorite! Brightest witch of her age and a bad ass too?! Oh, and this shit isn't gonna fly!" She gestured to his limbs on her.
She mimicked his own lounging process until she mirrored his current posture.
He was now spooning her, as it were, and it should have been uncomfortable given the new information he learned tonight. But that was not the case. This was Debra… Deb. She was home; the one constantly good thing in his life; would he really risk all of that for a potential relationship? He did always say if he could have feelings at all, he'd have them for her.
"And did either of you two… you know… pass out?" Harry asked his friends.
"No. I felt weird, though. Like I'd never be cheerful again." Ron explained.
"But someone was screaming. A woman." Harry countered.
"No one was screaming, Harry." Hermione's face was etched with concern.
Her heart fluttered seeing her so worried about him. It was as if she was reading the books and watching the movies for the first time all over again. She always insisted Harry and Hermione would be a better couple and didn't care who called her delusional.
"I can see why you're fond of Harry and Hermione, Deb." His voice was a step above a whisper, but he continued on. "They're like us; came into each other's lives very young, became so close they were like family, best friends, care more about each other than they care about themselves."
She had taken his arm and draped it over her midriff.
"Fuckin' A, Dex. When you put it like that…" She intertwined his arm with hers.
It seemed just as he had been her home, she was his safe place as well.