Good Things

Beta'd by twistedmiracle

Disclaimer: This is a purely fan-made piece that is using the world and characters from Ngozi Ukazu's Check Please!, and is made entirely for enjoyment. No financial gain has been made in the making of this piece. All other situations and plot developments are mine.

Summary: Dex finally speaks. "What the hell just happened?"

Sequel to 'The Gift'

Author's Note: Cantfuckinbelievethis asked very nicely for more and I found out that there was, in fact, more to add, so there you go! Enjoy! Possible out-of-characterness.

Constructive criticism and comments are always welcomed.

Published: 10 April 2020

Rating: T

Dex follows Chowder, mostly in a daze. They're halfway across the quad on the way to their next class when Dex finally speaks. "What the hell just happened?"

Chowder rolls his eyes slightly. "You and Nursey finally stopped dancing around each other! He said 'yes'!"

"But yes to what? I haven't asked him anything!" Another thought strikes Dex as he holds open the door. "Wait, what you do mean, 'finally stopped dancing around each other'? We haven't…I haven't…I'm not 'dancing around' Nursey."

Chowder shakes his head. "Dex. You are my friend and I love you, but…yes, yes, you have been. Isn't that what that whole thing where you dropped off his birthday present before practice was all about?"

"His hands were going to be full from all the other gifts—he would have tripped or dropped it or something, and this way, he couldn't! You know as well as I do how clumsy he is!" Dex defends as he takes the stairs two at a time. And honestly? It had been hard enough to leave the present there. He had done it because he didn't want to see Nursey's reaction. If it was disgust or disdain, he could've probably handled it, but he was pretty sure it would be pity that would flicker over Nursey's handsome face and that was something Dex couldn't deal with. It's for the best this way.

Chowder shakes his head again as they squeeze in just as the professor starts to shut the door, but doesn't say anything as they hurry to the seats Tango saved for them.

"Hey guys!" Tango whispers as they try to quietly get their laptops out and ready as the professor starts to lecture. "I was getting worried! What happened?"

The professor gives them a stern look and Tango sighs, but sits back, acknowledging that he'll have to wait until after the lecture to get the story out of them.

Dex has to force himself to stay focused. He had thought he was getting better at not thinking about Nursey all the time, but after that…well. Even if he wasn't completely confused, he would still be thinking about Nursey, now that he knows how Nursey kisses.

And it would also help him pay attention if his brain wasn't constantly looping Nursey's voice saying 'yes' like that, like everything had finally slotted into place and worked perfectly now.

"So what happened?" Tango asks the moment the professor dismisses them. "You guys were almost late! Dex is never late!"

"He got waylaid by Nursey," Chowder says cheerfully.

Tango tilts his head as Dex sputters a little bit. "Oh. But why would Nursey waylay him? Shouldn't it be the other way around, with it being Nursey's birthday and all?"

"Apparently, Dex asked Nursey something, which led to the waylaying, but he doesn't remember what it is."

"Can we please not talk about this?" Dex asks. He's trying very hard not to think about Nursey's mouth, but after the events of this morning, he is—impossibly—thinking about it even more than usual.

"Really? You don't know? Couldn't you guess from what Nursey said?" Tango wants to know as they settle in at the corner table in the Comp Sci lobby to go over the newest batch of homework.

"He didn't say a whole lot," Dex mutters and does not think of Nursey saying 'yes' like that.

Chowder snickers, but before he can say anything, both his and Tango's phone ping with an app notification. Both of them look and then…their faces change.

"Wow," Tango finally breathes, right as Dex is about to ask if everything is okay.

"Oh," Chowder says. "Oh, that explains…everything."

"What explains what?" Dex asks, rubbing his temple slightly.

Tango swipes his finger across his phone. "Ou, he included a video!" He taps his screen.

Much to Dex's horror, he recognises the slightly-tinny music that plays. The humiliation is bitter-tasting and overwhelming, and he wants the ground to open up and swallow him. He should have known something like this would happen.

God, he should have gotten a clue this was all some sort of joke to Nursey when he sent that mocking text about missing Dex because—

"Well, there's nothing I can give that's going to top that," Chowder sighs and puts away his phone. "And here I was, thinking I had the perfect gift for Nursey."

Dex is drawn up short. "…What?"

"I didn't know you and Nursey were dating," Tango says, putting down his own mobile, interrupting Dex's thoughts. "When did you get together? Does this mean you'll be moving back upstairs? What will you do with your room in the basement if you do? Or do you think that Nursey will want to move in with you? Are you guys doing something special tonight? Does having his birthday and Valentine's on the same day make it easier to remember things?"

"I…what?" What? "We're not…I'm not…he isn't…I don't…he doesn't…" Dex fades out, completely at a loss. "We're not," he finally gets out. "A couple. We're not."

Tango looks confused. "Nursey's calling you his boyfriend in his post. He says that he has the greatest boyfriend ever and that he made him the sweetest, most amazing gift that was ever conceived."

What? No, there has to be a mistake somewhere. Tango has missed something. Nursey is handsome, intelligent, passionate, talented, and stupidly generous; Dex is…Dex. "We're not a couple," he repeats blankly. Nursey is probably referring to some gorgeous and equally intelligent significant other that the team hasn't met yet because he isn't talking about Dex. No matter how much Dex likes to dream, he knows the cold, hard reality is he isn't enough for Nursey.

Chowder shakes his head. "Dex, Nursey's been throwing himself—sometimes literally—at you for a really long time. And then you gave him that—there's no way you two aren't a couple now. I mean, that music box was pretty darn clear and I would think after this morning, you have to agree that Nursey wasalso very clear on his feelings on the matter."

"It's a really pretty music box," Tango agrees. "Very Nursey. How long did it take for you to carve the tree like that and put all those leaves on it? What gave you the idea to make it? Did you think it would help you and Nursey get together? Why did you choose that piece of music? Where'd you learn about that quote? What's it say? Did you think Nursey would like it that much? Why did you pick a maple leaf? Why not an oak one or a gingko or an elm or something like that?"

"I…don't know? It seemed like a good idea at the time," Dex mumbles. "I mean, I know it's not my best work, but…" He shrugs. He had tried so hard to make it perfect, but in the end, it wasn't as good as Dex wanted it to be. The leaf on the top wasn't symmetrical, Nursey's name was off-centre, and the stain hadn't been the exact colour he wanted. And don't even get him started on the sealant! Plus, the mirror hadn't—

"Seriously?" Chowder gives Dex a very unimpressed look. "You're honestly going to try to sell yourself short on this? Seriously?! C'mon Dex! That thing's utterly gorgeous! There's a reason Nursey's losing his mind over it! It makes your feelings for him pretty clear."

"You don't think it was clear?" Tango seems perplexed by the thought. "But how can you think that? It's pretty obvious, don't you think? It must have taken you forever to get everything done!"

"Can we focus on our homework?" Dex asks, desperate to be discussing something else.

"I guess we can come back to this later," Chowder acknowledges. "But we will be returning to it."

"Fine, sure, whatever. Can we please get started?"

Tango looks like he still has eight million more questions, but he swallows them after some consideration and opens his laptop.

Dex determinedly shoves all thoughts of Nursey away and tries to pay attention to his homework. He's managed to pass his classes, so he'd like to think he was half-good at Thinking About Classwork And Not Nursey, but even the slog of comp sci doesn't save him today. Staying focused takes far more energy than normal, and judging from the look on Chowder's face, he's really not succeeding even a little.

The rest of the morning passes in a sort of a haze. He goes to his last class and lab and work, but he couldn't tell you what happened in any of them. Despite all his attempts, he is stuck on a loop of Nursey, even more so than he usually is.

And it's probably because he's feeling that insidious thing called hope curling around his chest. He tries to stifle it—he knows better than to hope—but Nursey kissedhim. HIM. Nursey is calling him his boyfriend on social media. As if he deserves that! Nursey has said 'yes', as if Dex has asked.

If it wasn't too early for April Fools' Day, Dex would be certain he is being set up for a very elaborate prank.

Still feeling overwhelmed, Dex decides that instead of going to the library to study, he's going to go hide in his room at the Haus and pretend he's not in. He needs some time and privacy to try and process what the heck is happening to him.

Like every plan Dex has made since his first arrival at Samwell, Nursey throws a wrench in it.

Instead of being in his class like he's supposed to be, Nursey's lounging on the Green Couch. He lights up like a damn searchlight as Dex comes in and stomps off the snow before wiping his feet. "Hey sweetheart," he says, beaming.

Awkwardly, Dex nods jerkily in his direction. "Nursey." He doesn't know what to do with the pet name, so he doesn't say anything and just heads towards the basement door.

Nursey, of course, has other ideas.

He stumbles to his feet, messenger bag swinging, and drapes his arms over Dex's shoulders. "I've missed you," he murmurs and kisses the other teen slowly, as if Dex is something he wants to savour.

Dex has to blink a few times when Nursey eases back, smiling softly, because he's never seen Nursey so bright. Dex's always considered Nursey to be luminescent, but he's absolutely radiant now. He looks happier than Dex has ever seen him.

That, more than anything, allows Dex to swallow hard and find the courage to speak up. "Um, I was…I was gonna make myself a pizza for dinner tonight and…maybe you'd like to…I don't know, join me or something? I could…easily make another one for you or…you know, something."

Nursey's quiet smile gets more intense and brighter. "I want mine to be heart-shaped," he demands happily.

"No."

"Aw, c'mon, Poindexter!"

"No."

"It's Valentine's Day!"

"All the more reason to say 'no'."

"It's my birthday!"

"Still no."

Nursey curls one of his arms just enough that he can play with the short hairs at the nape of Dex's neck. "Is there nothing I can do to convince you?" He asks lowly, leaning in so his lips are almost touching Dex's.

"Nothing. But if you don't complain, I could…I could be convinced to let you put pineapple on yours," Dex offers, trying very hard to focus on the conversation they're having, but Nursey's mouth is right there…

"You drive a hard bargain," Nursey says, brushing the tip of his nose against Dex's, "but I think I could live with that, but only if you promise not to chirp me for my pineapple."

"Deal."

Nursey smile returns and he closes the distance between them, kissing Dex and Dex feels his toes curl.

"FINE!" Someone yells behind Dex.

Nursey pulls back and looks over Dex's shoulder. "You can't fine me—it's my birthday. I know for a fact that Bitty changed the Bylaws to reflect that."

"I'm not fining you—I'm fining Dex." Louis sounds smug as Dex detangles himself from Nursey enough to turn a little bit.

Dex opens his mouth, but before he can do more than that, Nursey scowls. "You're telling me you're fining my boyfriend on my birthday and not only that, but Valentine's Day as well?" He cuddles closer, still glaring. "Wow, Louis. Classy. Real classy."

"It's in the rules!" Louis blusters, wrong-footed and fumbling.

"Yes, because you care so much about the Bylaws." Nursey awkwardly pulls out his wallet and thumbs out a few bills while refusing to let go of Dex. "Here. Take that. C'mon Dex, let's get out of here." He grabs one of Dex's hands and starts to tug him away.

"Can I drop my backpack off in my room?" Dex asks as Nursey leads them towards the stairs.

Nursey turns and immediately heads towards the basement door, carefully catching his oddly-bulky messenger bag from swinging out too far. "We can definitely go to your bungalow."

"It's not a bungalow."

"Boudoir?"

"No."

"Love shack?"

"Nursey, I swear to god…!"

Nursey laughs gently. "Okay, okay, okay. Your bedroom." The way he says it makes Dex's face flush.

Thankfully—despite having Nursey's arms curled around his waist and his face nuzzling into the curve of Dex's neck—he manages to unlock his door without gouging it or scratching the brass.

Not that it matters—he barely gets the door closed behind them and Nursey's crowding into his personal space, angling his face towards Dex's in a very obvious request.

Dex swallows hard, prays that if this is a dream that he won't wake up for a while, and leans forwards, carefully brushing his mouth against Nursey's. He feels Nursey smile.

They kiss slowly for a few minutes and Dex allows himself to let go of some of his tension. He doesn't let himself hope, but he does let down his guard, just a little bit. Maybe—just maybe—everything that's happening means what Dex desperately wants it all to mean.

Dex forces himself to step back when Nursey's mouth starts to get hot and insistent. "I have to get the dough started for the crust," he says when Nursey lets out a disappointed whine. "And I'd like to put my backpack down."

Nursey manages to look hot and exceedingly put out at the same time.

It's enough that Dex adds, "but once the dough is going in my bread machine, it'll be an hour or so before I can do anything else with it."

The poet blinks, and then he smiles slowly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, in that case…" Nursey kicks off his shoes and flops down on Dex's bed, messenger bag in his lap. "I'll just wait for you to come back." He gives Dex a heavy-lidded look that's full of promise.

His ears abruptly get very hot and Nursey's smile picks up a predatory edge, so Dex makes himself turn away and tuck his backpack neatly on the small sideways crate that's between his desk and the door. "Um…yeah. I'll…it'll be a minute. I'll be back soon. Uh, make yourself comfortable, I guess."

Nursey only winks and Dex forces himself to leave.

It doesn't take him too long to get everything measured out and set up in the bread machine and Dex makes sure to set his phone alarm before he goes back down to his room because he knows he isn't going to get a chance to the moment he opens the door.

Nursey has clearly taken him at his word and made himself a nest on the end of Dex's bed, using the afghan Ford had knitted him (she claimed it was for his birthday/Christmas, but he suspected it had more to do with the set of The Golden Apple he'd help build at the eleventh hour more than anything else…and all the brownie bits he made for her during Tech Week), his grandmother's quilt, and the throw pillows his cousins Katie and Mike had embroidered; Aunt Kateri's woven blanket is tossed around his shoulders and Dex's high school hockey fleece blanket is draped over his legs. Oddly, the messenger bag is poking out from under the fleece on Nursey's lap and Dex has no idea why he feels the need to keep the bag so close instead of putting it on the floor next to the bed. However, on the scale of Nursey-Weirdness, this ranks pretty low, so Dex doesn't say anything.

Dex goes to turn his desk chair around, but Nursey awkwardly scoots over a little bit and pats the small opened space next to him before holding his arm up invitingly. Dex hesitates for a moment, unsure, but he gathers up his courage and sits in his chair so he can untie his boots. "You have to promise that you won't make a fuss when I have to go back upstairs to make our dinner," he warns.

He can feel Nursey's happy glow. "I promise nothing."

"Nursey."

"Nope, I shan't promise that. Can't."

"You mean 'won't'."

"Well, maybe a little bit. But can you blame me?" Nursey immediately snuggles up against Dex's chest the moment he gets on the bed next to him. He moves his bag so it is next to them, but doesn't take it off. "We're going to be cuddled up here, with you whispering sweet nothings in my ear, and you think I'm just going to let you go, just like that?"

"I'll be leaving to make you your dinner. And I'm not going to doing that whole 'sweet nothings' thing."

"Your idea of sweet nothings are fond chirps," Nursey buries his surprisingly cold nose into the crook of Dex's neck and he has to stifle a yelp. "I repeat—can't let you go without a fight. Won't."

"Fucking hell, Nursey! Why the fuck is your nose so co-OLD! Jesus Christ, your hands are like ice!" He tries to pull Nursey's hands out from under his shirt where he's burrowed them. "Stop that!"

"No. You're warm. It's your boyfriendly duty to warm me up." Nursey presses in harder. "Plus, you smell nice."

"Empty flattery doesn't change the fact that your hands are fuckin' freezing and you're trying to jam them up my damn shirt. And I never agreed to be your personal space heater!" Dex pushes at the offending hands in question, but he doesn't use his full strength because he doesn't want to accidentally hurt Nursey.

"It's in the boyfriend contract. And it's not empty flattery if it's true. You smell like stubbornness and home."

"That doesn't even make sense," Dex complains and makes another attempt to pry Nursey's hands out from under his shirt.

Nursey makes a sad, protesting noise and tries to defy physics by snuggling in closer. "But your room is cold," he mumbles into freckled skin. "You need to keep me warm."

"…As a proposition, that was pretty terrible."

Dex can feel Nursey's lips curl up into a smile. "Wasn't a proposition, but I would definitely be down with you keeping me warm that way."

"Nursey."

"What? It's a 'swawesome idea!"

"We have less than an hour, or did you forget about dinner?"

"I could have you done in that timeframe, easy-peasy! And I'll bet you could finish me off just as quickly!"

"That's not the point!" Dex snaps, face flaming. "Seriously, why the fuck would you want to rush…things…like that? Don't you think you deserve to be treated with more respect than some sort of quick fling?"

Nursey looks up and his face is borderline adoring.

"…Well?" Dex demands.

"Dex," Nursey says, voice happy and fond, "you couldn't do a quick fling if your life depended on it. Everyone knows when you play, you play for keeps. If I'm suggesting sex, it's because I know you'll blow my mind. And not just once. For the rest of my known existence. And I'd like to get started on that as soon as possible." He curls one hand around Dex's jaw and tries to guide Dex's mouth down to his.

Dex digs in his heels. "I'm not…it's not…I'm not going to rush things just because you're feeling a bit horny! I…if we're going to be…I'm going to do this right and take as much time as we need! I'm not going to squash things into a shortened timeline just because you—"

Nursey kisses him, hungry and eager. "Sweet-talker," he mumbles as he tries to climb further into Dex's lap before kissing him deeply again.

"We are not—" Dex starts to say before being cut off. "Would you just knock it—" He tries again and Nursey pulls his mouth back down. "Nurse—"

Nursey must be taking all the heat from his hands and concentrating it in his mouth because it's positively scorching.

Dex's fingers curl deeply into Nursey's shoulders before he finds the strength to push him back and hold him there. "Nursey," he says and he has to clear his throat because his voice is thick and rough. "Seriously, knock it off. We have a history of poor communication between us and I don't want to fuck this up before we even get started because we didn't talk at the beginning."

Nursey's pretty face—somehow—gets even more besotted. "Okay."

"That…wasn't particularly helpful. Okay what."

"Okay, we'll talk relationship stuff." The fingers that are still under Dex's shirt absently start petting his side before Dex manages to pry them out. He really doesn't need that distraction on top of all the other ones Nursey is providing.

Nursey makes a disappointed sound that Dex desperately tries to ignore. He distracts himself by saying "we can…still…cuddle, but I don't want your freezing hands up my shirt."

"But Deeee-eeex," Nursey whines, trying to unbutton the top couple of buttons of Dex's shirt so he can bury his (very) cold nose deeper in to the freckled neck in front of him. "It's your job. You're my boyfriend. Plus! It's my birthday!"

Dex sighs. "C'mon Nursey, work with me here. We can't…we can't just go with things, not for something as important as this. We have to talk this shit out a little bit. Let's do this right so we can move forward with a clear conscience."

Nursey huffs and flips himself so his back is to Dex's chest and his messenger bag is in his lap on the blanket. "Fine." He grabs Dex's hands and weaves their fingers together before clutching them to his chest. "I'll be crazy direct so we can move on to better things. I want to go on dates and I want to be exclusive and I want to spend the night and I want you to fuck my brains out and I want to choke on—"

"Jesus fuckin' Christ, Nursey!"

And Dex is not envisioning that right now, not in high-definition, not even in pixelated detail, not at all.

Really. He isn't.

Nursey can't seem to help himself and he laughs so hard that he snorts a few times. Dex glares down at him, but Nursey's too happy and entertained to care. His eyes sparkle as he tilts his head back so he can look Dex in the eye. "Pervert. I was gonna say 'your pie', but you had to go and be filthy."

"That is not what you were going to say and you know it!" Dex glares harder.

"Well, you'll never know for certain now, will you, since you had to go and interrupt me and all. Rude!" Despite his words, Nursey snuggles in closer and pulls the arms around him in tighter. "You should have thought that through better. Besides, you're the one who wanted to talk it all out. And relationships are all about boundaries and managing expectations and communication and shit like that. How are we supposta know each other's' hard 'no's if we don't talk about them before you fuck my—"

"Nursey, for fuck sake…!" Dex is pretty sure if any more blood goes to his cheeks, his face will explode.

"I am telling you what I want! Clear communication!"

"You just went straight to—"

"—Pretty sure there isn't anything straight 'bout this convo—"

"—The whole…sex…part of the relationship, with almost nothing about the other parts!" Dex makes himself pause to breathe before continuing on. "Like, you said you wanted to go on dates, but you didn't specify who should pay, what you expect from said dates, what you want to do if you're asked out by someone else—"

"Hold the phone." Nursey twists slightly and looks up at Dex. "The hell, man. 'What I want to do if someone else asks me out'? What kind of question is that?"

"It's a reasonable one—"

"No, it isn't! Do you think that I'm gonna, I don't know, cheat or something at the first possible opportunity? I just said I want to be exclusive!" A hurt expression settles on his face.

Dex sighs. "That's not what I meant. I meant that you're going to get asked out by people—it's been happening since freshman year and it probably won't be changing anytime in the near future. I wanted to know how you wanted to address it. Are you planning to just tell everyone 'no' or are you planning to say that you're already in a relationship, or what? Because I don't want to assume that you want to tell everyone or anything."

Nursey softens. "It might a bit late on the whole 'not telling everyone' front, 'cuz I already posted it all over the internet," he admits. "And I changed all of my relationship statuses on my profiles. And I told my mom. And my grandparents. And at least three different aunts. And two second cousins once-removed. And I may have said one or two things in my classes today. And—"

"Jesus, Nursey! What if I wanted to keep our relationship private? Or—at least—not yell it from the rooftops until we talked?"

Nursey has the grace to look a little abashed. "I may or may not have gotten a little excited about everything," he acknowledges. "I guess…with how clear you made your intentions, I might have gotten swept up in the moment."

"My what?"

"Your intentions!" Nursey pulls his messenger bag out from under a blanket and spends a minute unsnapping and unzipping everything. He reverentially pulls out a wadded-up cardigan. Before Dex can ask, Nursey slowly unwraps it and the music box that Dex made is in the centre.

Nursey touches the leaf on the top gently. "This is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever given me," he says softly. "And the most thoughtful. Seriously, this is probably the best present anyone's given me."

"You parents gave you a two-month long vacation to Europe for your graduation," Dex points out, annoyed. "And your grandparents gave you—"

"Doesn't even come close to comparing. Don't get me wrong, those were some nice gifts, but this"—Nursey opens it up and ghosts his fingers over the tree, not quite touching it—"is perfect. It's a grand gesture, but one that's done in the quietest and most intimate way possible. It's a declaration just for me."

Dex has absolutely no idea how to respond to that, so he keeps his mouth shut.

Thankfully, Nursey doesn't seem to notice. He cradled the open music box for a few moments, smiling slightly.

After a few moments, he shuts it gently. "I like the term 'boyfriend'," he says.

"…What?"

"I like 'boyfriend'. 'Partner' is a little too clinical and could mean anything from friendship to business relationships to whatever, and 'Lover' feels a bit more sexual and like it should be something a little bit tawdry. 'Suitor' feels out-of-touch, while 'paramour' is just…I dunno, it's just sort of…feels like I should be ashamed or something. 'Boyfriend' isn't perfect, but I like it the best of the current options. It'll do, for now."

"…Okay?"

Nursey tilted his head back on Dex's shoulder so he can see his smile. "I'm telling you I want you to call me your boyfriend."

"…Oh."

"I mean, we're a little early in the relationship to be discussing wedding plans—"

Dex chokes.

"—So we can't go that route yet. Until that point, I consider 'boyfriend' to be the best term for me."

"I—who—I never—what the hell—why would you say—"

Nursey reaches up and pats Dex's cheek. "But don't worry—I can wait. Just know that I'll expect you to eventually make an honest man of me."

"We haven't—Jesus fuckin' Christ, Nursey! We haven't even been together for a full day and you're already talking…we've barely discussed the bare basics of the relationship!"

"So?"

"'So'? 'So'?! We don't even know that this will work, much less last and—"

"Dex. You don't do anything without over-thinking the shit out of it, and you would never enter a romantic relationship that you hadn't made like, fifty charts for, first." Nursey speaks as if these are all well-known facts. "Of course we're going to get married—you wouldn't enter any relationship where that wasn't a very distinct possibility that was supported by all your little charts and you never do anything you truly don't want to do. Everything you do is with a specific endgame in sight and ain't nobody swaying you from that path! You're going to sweep me off of my feet and we're going to ride off into the sunset, to a future of fond chirps, a cat, picket fences, a sick house you built for me with lots of built-ins, and two-point-four children."

"…If you think we're having children, you're clearly failing your Human Anatomy class even worse than I thought, because male human biology doesn't even remotely work that way."

Nursey snorts before dissolving into loud laughter. "Asshole," he wheezes out a few minutes later. "I meant like adoption, you literal fucker!"

"We're not fu—"

"Not yet, we aren't." Nursey waggles his eyebrows. "It's a mere technicality that will be remedied in the very near future." He leers a little at Dex. "I fully intend to have the entire team yell 'fine' at me when I hobble into practice tomorrow morning—unless, of course, that's not your jam."

"I—Jesus." Dex looks away. "I thought…I thought we'd figure that out…together, I guess," he mumbles. "What our…what we wanted and like and such."

"I will definitely be up for experimenting with you—pun intended."

"Nursey!" Dex is pretty sure his face is about to explode—yet again—from how much blood just rushed up to it.

"Don't worry—I'm sure you'll make the whole experience more than worth it." Nursey's face gets a little dreamy. "I cannot wait to see those hands in action! Uhn!"

"Fucking hell," Dex mutters and tries to not to combust with the sudden surge of embarrassed lust that rushes through him.

Nursey twists so he can look up at Dex. "C'mon, Dexy! You gave me the ultimate courting gift—you can't be surprised by any of this. Clearly, you've been thinking of marriage and domestic bliss and Happily Ever After for even longer than I have—and I have thought about it, a lot." His voice softens. "And the reality is so much better than I could have hoped for!"

Dex swallows hard. "I…I never…I didn't expect…I wasn't sure…it's just…I didn't know…" He fumbles, trying to find words, and then gives up. "I haven't…let…myself think that far ahead."

"Why not?" Nursey sounds genuinely confused. "I mean, you made me this—why wouldn't we be riding off into the sunset together in complete and utter wedded bliss? Isn't that what you want?"

"I wasn't…I didn't…yes. It's what I want."

His answering smile is dazzling. "Good. Because I want that, too. We're totally going to be that nauseating couple everyone can't stand because our sex life is obvi a thousand times better than theirs is!"

"Nursey."

"You're right—it's going to be a million times better! And there are going to be days where you carry me down to breakfast because the night before you totally—"

"Nursey!" Dex is not thinking about it. He is staying focused on the discussion at hand. He is not distracted by Nursey's naked desires—and he is not picturing Nursey naked, either!

And he is not thinking about what Nursey said about his hands or the fact that Nursey keeps petting them as he holds them close to his chest!

Nursey laughs at Dex's red face, but doesn't chirp him further. Instead, he tries to snuggle in closer and Dex abruptly realises exactly where Nursey's ass is.

Thankfully, Dex's spared any further embarrassment because the timer on his phone goes off. He tries to take his hands back. "That's for our dinner. Up."

Nursey resists. "No."

"C'mon Nursey, I can't make you your pizza if you don't let go."

"A sacrifice I am more than willing to make."

"Nursey."

"Deeeeex."

Dex sighs. "Look it, I know you want to cuddle and all, but we can after we eat and do our homework." He has a sudden inspiration. "And you'll probably enjoy it more because I won't be thinking of all the things I have to get done, and will be thinking only about you."

Nursey's face squinches a little and he glares up at Dex. "That, Mr William J. Poindexter," he accuses, "is a low-down and dirty tactic to get your way! It's not fair of you to dangle that in front of me as incentive!"

"Um…okay? I'm…sorry?" As usual, he has no idea what's going on in the other's head.

Nursey lets go of Dex's hands and starts wrapping his music box up in his cardigan again, muttering. "Yeah, I'll just bet you're sorry. 'Gee Nursey, I'll give you what you've been trying to get for fuckin' ever if you just let me make you dinner'. As if I'd say 'no' to that…!" He carefully shoves the entire bundle back into his messenger bag and zips it all up again.

"Uh…"

"And then he has to add 'don't forget to do your homework', as if there isn't already too much time in between already!" He starts to peel off blankets and quilts, and Dex grabs a few to quickly refold as they're shed. "Fuckin' dangling honeyed carrot." He stalks over to his shoes and tries to shove his feet in without untying them.

Dex gives up trying to figure out what Nursey's on about and slides on his slippers. He pauses, but hesitantly offers his hand to him when he straightens up.

Nursey's bad mood seems to vanish instantly. He beams and grabs the proffered hand happily. "Well, when you put it that way…"

As Dex locks his door, he thinks of that phrase—'good things come to those who wait'—and for the first time in his life, he thinks it might have some truth in it.

"What? What are you smiling about?" Nursey drapes himself over Dex's shoulders.

"Nothing. It's just…you know the idea that patience will pay off?"

"You mean, a 'good things come to those to wait' kind of thing?"

"Yeah." Dex glances over as best he can with Nursey's face hovering right to his ear. "It's…I'm glad I waited."

Nursey is silent for a moment. "You sayin' I'm a good thing, Poindexter?" He says after he clears his throat, clearly going for a light tone and failing miserably.

Dex takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "…The best."

Nursey is quiet for so long that Dex starts to panic internally. Fuck, hesitations never mean anything good. He should have kept his big mouth—

Nursey makes a soft sound. "God, who knew you'd have such a romantic side? Are you trying to out-romance me? Is that what this is? Because it's not fair when you say things like that to me with no warning and expect me to function after! I'm the one who was born on Valentine's Day—I should be the one out-romancing you!"

"Maybe you were born on February fourteenth so other people would romance you and you would get to reap the all the benefits of it, instead of it being some sort of competition."

"No. Nope. Nuh-uh. You just threw down the gauntlet—again—and I need to up my game. I don't know how I'm going to overcome the lead you've gotten, but I'll think of something." Nursey presses his lips to Dex's cheek and Dex has to duck his head to try and hide the blush he can feel forming again. "In the meantime, I think you promised me pineapple on my pizza, Honey-Bunny."

"No. You do not get to call me 'honey-bunny'. Obnoxious terms of endearment are out."

"Sweet-Cheeks?"

"No."

"Snookums?"

"No, Nursey."

"Sun-buns?"

"No, Nursey."

"Sugar-Booger?"

"Nursey, I swear to god…!"

x Fin x