i firmly believe that, contrary to popular belief, dex is actually the bigger cuddler out of him and nursey. like, by a lot. and it’s not that nursey isn’t very physically affectionate—he is, for sure—but ... well. here’s the thing. dex did not grow up in a touchy-feely household. his mom sometimes gave him a fleeting goodnight kiss on the cheek, and his dad sometimes gave him an awkward good job pat on the shoulder, and his siblings sometimes gave him a cursory hello hug after long times spent apart, but ... that’s about it, really. and it’s fine, it is, but if there’s one thing that being part of smh has taught him, it’s that while acts of service is certainly his primary love language, physical affection isn’t far behind. he doesn’t go for it much, because toxic masculinity, but it’s definitely there and he’s honestly not even aware of it.
so imagine nursey’s surprise when one night, a month or so into their relationship, dex sits down practically on his lap while he’s working on his newest batch of school-induced poetry—not that it’s an issue, really; he had been playing around with the idea of a series of mythology-inspired poems, and this is the perfect excuse—and then dex just ... stretches out against him and curls into his side and tilts his face into the crook of nursey’s shoulder and neck. it shouldn’t be as much of a surprise as it is, because later nursey will realize that dex has actually been pretty tactile since they’ve been dating; it’s just that it’s a little more fleeting, like when dex drapes himself partially over nursey’s back to peer over his shoulder, and like when dex smiles at him, bright and uninhibited, whenever nursey hugs from behind while dex whips up a batch of eggs and bacon for their hungover teammates, and like when dex finds a way to press their legs together under the table at team breakfasts. still, when dex lays down against him—on him?—and shifts so that his front is pressed to nursey’s side and his arm is wrapped tightly around nursey’s side, mindful of the notebook open on his lap, and his legs are slotting between nursey’s, intertwining and curling, it makes some part of nursey’s brain go ??? and then !!! and. well. he thinks he could get used to this.
