#dexrarepairweek

[abominableobriens]

I was wondering if you could write some Snowy x Dex?

well this is the rarest of pairs isn’t it, anon? violets for you. Ok let’s do PT! Dex and “I don’t want to get better.”

for @dexrarepairweek​

Dex pats him on the back after their session. Snowy rolls his eyes. He’s seen Dex with all his other patients. He’s typically neutral at best. 

“Good job today,” Dex says. “You’re making really good progress.” 

“Yeah.” He snorts. “Sure I am.” 

Dex grimaces. “Well you’re showing a lot of improvement and maybe—”

“Don’t say it,” Snowy interrupts. 

Dex scowls. “You don’t know what I was going to say.”

“Maybe I can get back into playing shape?” he replies. 

Dex huffs. “I was going to say maybe we can get you doing some light exercise by the end of pre-season.” 

“Oh,” he says. 

Dex looks at him for a moment. Then he glances at his clipboard while he asks, “do you really want to not get better?”

“What?”

“You’re one of my best patients. You’re recovering in record time. But every, excuse me, fucking time someone talks about your progress, you snap shut.” 

Snowy considers this for a moment, chewing on his lip as he stares at the surgery scar on his knee. Part of him wants to just say it, I don’t want to get better. 

“Why?” Dex asks. 

Snowy freezes, realizing he was thinking out loud. He sags, scratching the back of his neck. “Most guys retire around 30, maybe 32. I’m fucking 34. People keep talking like I still have another eight years left in me. What if I don’t?” 

Dex sighs. “Look, fuck them, ok? It’s not about your career. It’s about your health. Retire because you’re a two time Cup winner and you’ve had a good run. Don’t fuck your future self over because your present self doesn’t want to admit the truth.”

Snowy crinkles his nose, glaring at Dex warily. “Which is?” 

“Hockey doesn’t make you happy anymore.” Dex shrugs simply. “It’s time to move on.” 

Snowy nods. Deep down, he knew this before the injury. Before he conveniently (stupidly) got in a motorcycle accident. But goalies are valuable. Goalies are the heart of the team, right? He couldn’t just bail on the Falcs. Some things were shitty and difficult and had no clear cut answer. But at least for two hours every day, he didn’t have to think. He could just do his PT and chirp a hot ginger until his face is as red as his hair. 

“You’ve got a lot of opinions for someone I pay to make my life simpler,” Snowy chirps. 

“You pay me to help you walk,” Dex grumbles. “The rest is just my bedside manner.” 

 “I can only imagine what you’re like with the girls you take home."

Dex blushes. “That would imply I take girls home.” 

“Huh,” he says quietly. 

“You got a problem with that?” Dex snaps.

He smirks triumphantly. “No, just wondering when does it stop being inappropriate to hit on my physical therapist.” 

“Never,” Dex raises his eyebrows poignantly. “But I’m off the clock in about thirty seconds. Maybe you should ask that guy if he wants to grab coffee.” 

“Alright.” Snowy checks his wrist watch, waiting for the long hand to pass the 12. When it does he looks up. “Hey gorgeous, wanna grab a cup of coffee with me?”

“Pass,” Dex says. Before Snowy has time to protest, he adds, “but I’ve got some leftover baklava my friend made and three seasons of Cheers on DVD back at my place. What do you say?” 

Somethings in life are shitty and difficult. However, Dex’s smile wasn’t one of them. 

[adambirkholtzy]

Day 1: Dex, Jenny, and Mandy

These are some headcanons I came up with for Dex’s friendship with Mandy and Jenny (the Haus ghosts), so I hope you enjoy them.

Dex, Jenny, and Mandy: the haunting that turned into a friendship

They agree to haunt Dex after Ransom graduates

With Ransom graduating and moving out of the Haus, they need someone new to haunt

Dex is a clear, easy target for them and they definitely go for it

Ransom had warned Dex ahead of time about the ghosts, so Dex comes in fully prepared

He didn’t expect them to single him out though, but he guesses it probably makes sense

He tried to perform a seance once

Let’s just say it ended in a complete fail and he sat there laughing so hard there were tears rolling down his cheeks

He didn’t exactly know what he was doing and was trying to read the directions off his phone while simultaneously trying to perform said seance

He agreed to never do it again, and Mandy and Jenny were grateful for not having to witness such a disaster again

He plays 90s music for them

He knows when they died and had been told by Ransom to be weary of the ghosts singing 90s music

Well, Dex, being considerate, plays the music willingly for them to listen to and they are thankful to him for that

He tries to find out what their interests are

What movies they liked, what they did in their spare time, things they liked and disliked

He found out what scented candles they enjoyed and now lights those candles for them

He will watch movies they enjoyed and movies he thinks they might have enjoyed if they were alive

They leave him encouraging messages

When he gets out of the shower and the mirror is all steamed up, he can usually find a cute message written by them

They usually tell him to have a good day, remind him to take breaks, and other words of wisdom

He is the new person they’re haunting, and he ends up being a new friend

[omgfandomplease]

Dex/Whiskey aesthetic bc I haven't done anything else this week

[pongpalace]

Sweaty & Sticky & Not in the Good Way

For Day Four (Summer Lovin’) of @dexrarepairweek ​ . Posted to ao3 

Dex is sweating in places that he doesn’t want to think about and shifts uncomfortably, trying to to find a position where his skin isn’t sticking to itself. He’s in the shade, no use denying he burns even under cloud cover and with a fresh layer of sunscreen, stretched out on his stomach and wondering when Ransom’s gonna get bored of lying out on the patchy grass that passes as the Haus’ front lawn.

From the looks of him, it won’t be any time soon. His skin is glowing in the sun, and Dex can see a lot of it what with his shirt being used as a pillow and his shorts rucked up for “maximum thigh exposure”, and he doesn’t look grossly sweaty like Dex feels, long limbs sprawled across his towel like he doesn’t have a care in the world. This heat suits him. Dex makes a face; he’s better suited to heat if it’s countered by the spray of waves but he’s not going home this summer. Neither’s Ransom, who’s staying at the Haus until he goes to Boston to start consulting, so they’ve taken to lying out on the front lawn on their days off, just enjoying being still and together before real life starts up again in August.

“You’re staring babe,” Ransom says, eyes closed behind his sunglasses.

“It’s hot,” Dex grumbles, wiping his sweaty forehead on his arm. It does nothing but transfer the grossness; blond arm hairs plastered to his skin now. “Ugh yuck.” Wiping it on the ground is even worse; dirt and pebbles get mixed in with the sweat on his arm. He rearranges so he can rub the mess onto his towel.

“It’s summer.” Ransom’s turned on his side, elbow bent so he can prop his head in his hand, and looking not unlike he’s posing to have his portrait painted like a French girl. It gives him a height advantage to look down at Dex over his sunnies. “You can’t tell me you don’t sweat in Maine?”

Dex tuts and pushes himself up, sitting back against the Haus porch and resting his elbows on bent knees. “Yeah, but I was always doing something to like work up the sweat. I dunno, I didn’t just lie and marinate in it.”

“Bro, such a way with words,” Ransom says, nose wrinkled. He pushes his sunglasses onto his forehead. “‘Marinating in sweat’- really paints a nice picture.”

“You at least look good doing it,” Dex says. He waves a hand over Ransom’s… well everything. He’s kept his bulk from the season, even adding to it after the stress of finals and grad finished and he had time to eat properly. There’s a bead of sweat rolling from his neck to his well-defined pecs that Dex would lick if they weren’t in the front yard. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m a red mess.” He feels that his hair stays standing up on end; from the sunscreen remnants on his hand or the sweat from his hairline, he doesn’t know but Ransom doesn’t bother hiding his amused grin. He gets up, stomach flexing, and knee walks from his towel onto Dex’s.

“That’s a look,” he says, settling in the v of Dex’s legs. He just barely fits; the insides of Dex’s knees are pressed right to his sides. Ransom uses Dex to balance himself, hands a comforting, not smothering, heat on his skin.

“If you come any closer, I’m gonna sweat on you Jay,” Dex warns, eyeing Ransom warily. It’s half a warning, half a request. Ransom might look good covered in sweat, but that doesn’t mean Dex wants his sweat on him in this context. Ransom ignores Dex completely and gets even further into Dex’s space, left hand slipping down Dex’s grossly clammy thigh to rest on his hip. He brings his right hand up, raising an eyebrow for permission. Dex rolls his eyes, but nods and Ransom grins and attempts to tame Dex’s hair, fingers tugging lightly at the strands and scratching at his scalp. It’s soothing. The heat in Dex’s cheeks isn’t entirely from the sun when Ransom leans back to study his work.

“You done?” Dex asks when Ransom’s been staring a while. The sweat beading at Dex’s temples can’t make much of a pretty picture

“Will, let me look.” Ransom grabs Dex’s chin to tilt his head this way and that. Dex huffs, but doesn’t make another sound until Ransom surges forward so suddenly that the surprised sound Dex makes gets muffled by Ransom’s grin. Ransom kisses like he always does, lips soft against Dex’s, but the hand Ransom brings to Dex’s face is sweaty.

Dex breaks the kiss to glare.

“Did you just facewash me with sweat?” he asks, appalled at the six-foot-something ‘adult’ in his lap. Ransom’s smile is innocent but he doesn’t deny anything. He squawks though when Dex clamps his knees around him and flips them so Ransom’s on his back and Dex has gravity working for him as he wipes his sweaty face along Ransom’s neck and chest. He gets an elbow to the stomach as Ransom tries to wiggle free or wipe something else sweaty on Dex. He’s not really sure what the strategy is.

Embarrassingly soon, considering they’re both college athletes, they’re out of breath from laughing as they wrestle and now there’s grass and dirt where Dex doesn’t want to think about from having managed to roll off both towels. It was an all out war when they decided throwing dirt clumps was fair game.

“You wanna get ice cream?” Ransom asks eventually. He’s on his back again with a trail of sweat cutting through the dirt smear along his cheekbone. From his position under Ransom’s arm, Dex feels his chest moving up and down and up and down. It would have been perfect if they had managed to fall in the shade.

“Yeah.” Dex blows out a breath, still comfortable despite the sun burning his skin. Neither makes a move and Dex struggles to keep his eyes open. Ransom’s even breathing and the way he idly traces patterns into Dex’s shoulder is extremely relaxing considering they’re lying in the dirt. He’s not 100% sure Ransom isn’t rubbing more dirt into Dex’s arm now that he thinks about it. “You’re gross though, we should shower,” he says.

Ransom hums agreeably. “Yeah, and I’m not going anywhere with you until you fix your hair.”

Dex pinches Ransom’s thigh. “Dick, you were fixing it!”

“I never said that.” Ransom shoves Dex off his shoulder and rolls to his feet. Dex takes the hand he offers. Without discussing it, they pick up and shake out their towels, Ransom sneezing at the dust. They hang the towels over the porch rail to air out overnight and Dex makes a mental note to bring them in before work in the morning. If he’s being honestly though, they’ll probably stay there till their next day off or it rains, whichever comes first.

“I’m getting a triple scoop,” Ransom tells Dex seriously. He has his shirt tucked into the waistband of his shorts and the sunglasses they almost broke while wrestling hanging around his chin like a douchey chinstrap. “Strawberry gelato.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

“Waste of a triple scoop.”

Dex lets them into the Haus, shaking his head. He knows Ransom is sticking his tongue out at him without having to turn around and swiping a hand down Ransom’s face in an approximation of a no-look facewash confirms it. Ransom still follows him up to the bathroom where they shuck their clothes and don’t bother with the hot water before getting in, leaving the door wide open. Dex’s skin is definitely burnt and Ransom’s is hot to touch so cold water is a welcome relief.

The relief is short lived once they leave the shower and have to put on clothes though. Dex’s solution is to keep them off. It’s not difficult to convince Ransom.

Their shadows are longer when they finally stumble back out of the Haus and it’s still hot. Dex’s shirt sticks to his back but he doesn’t complain. It’s easy to ignore when Ransom’s kisses are also sticky and taste like summer too.

[17piesinseptember]

only overalls

Dex Rarepair Week | Day Five | NSFW

a dex x ford x nursey snippet

“I feel stupid.”

“Trust me.” Nursey pauses and swallows. “You don’t look it. At all.”

His voice is husky, and that’s really the only thing that propels Dex across to him so he can kiss his boyfriend.

He doesn’t feel sexy, which is the point of the outfit, but Ford’s been dropping hints since Dex helped her assemble stage flats wearing it the other day.

“Damn, Dex,” Ford draws out, eyes trailing over him obviously. “This is even better than I dreamed.”

“Dreamed this, huh?” Dex teases.

Ford rolls her eyes and pulls him in by one of the overall straps.

“Yeah,” she says, then kisses him eagerly.

Nursey slips up behind him, and his hand grab his waist. Dex jolts.

“What?” Ford and Nursey ask in unison.

“Your hands are cold,” Dex says over his shoulder to Nursey. “I forgot the overalls cut that low.”

“I hadn’t,” Ford says with a grin.

Nursey laughs. “Neither. Now shut up. We’re having sex.”

Ford laughs at the irony.

“Like that’s going to stop you talking, Nurse,” but Dex obliges him.

It takes only seconds for Nursey’s hands to stop feeling cold. In fact, they’re practically burning.

[zimmerdouche]

who's ready for me to post all of my dex rarepair week fics in a huge bomb tomorrow bc i've been swamped this week yehaw

[abominableobriens]

Follow Your Arrow

((running behind today, sorry)) 

for @dexrarepairweek Some Trans!Dex and Farmer 

title from Follow Your Arrow by Kacey Musgraves

 Dex spends the summer on his uncle’s boat. It’s like every single year. Only this time, there are places he’d rather be. Like a brownstone in New York or a townhouse in California. Sometimes, he thinks about this nebulous ranch style home in Southern California. He thinks about what he would do if he weren’t so chickenshit scared. Maybe he’d ask Nursey for pointers on how to woo a girl. The shitty part of his mind wonders if he should know how to do that. He was raised to like pink and think that all he was worth was what he was going to put towards making a family someday for a man who mattered. That was, at least until his parents divorced. Then life got easier. His mom opened up more, Dylan was less of an asshole, and it felt like he could finally be himself. There was some odd sense of responsibility he had whenever he thought of his father. It’s why he named himself after him. It’s why he tried to replicate so much of Dylan’s childhood, paying for equipment for a sport he wasn’t really sure about by working odd jobs for his uncles. But the older he got, the longer he was out and away from his father, the less he felt that need. But there was the part of him that hated being bisexual in high school. The part that told him maybe he was just a lesbian and why is he trying so hard to be a gay guy?

He groans as he takes off his binder at the end of the day. This summer he’s saving for his top surgery. Just like last year, and the year before. He’s close, though. Part of him just feels lighter knowing that he’s doing hard work every day for something he wants. He’s got all of his adult life to be soft in an air conditioned office all day. Toiling away at code wearing the same t-shirts for days on end.

He thinks about a nebulous ranch style home in Southern California. He thinks about arepas, telenovelas, and an australian shepherd dog that barks too much. He remembers what Nursey told him when they first started this...polyamory thing.

“You’re under no obligation to date them. As long as you’re chill with me doing it, we’re solid.”

That idea was thrown out the window after a few weeks. Because Chris is nothing but a good guy. And of course he had to be such a good metamour that suddenly Dex had feelings. Which was annoying to admit, but better in the long run.

With Caitlin it was different. It was acknowledging years of internalized transphobia. It was feeling like he couldn’t have this partner because it was like going stealth. Like maybe it was trying to force normality on an already too different life.

He thinks about long brunette hair swaying to Kacey Musgraves in the kitchen. He thinks about the way they work seamlessly in the kitchen. He thinks about how she taught him to love cooking again. Not because he needs to cook, but because he can make something good. Maybe Nursey taught him how to think, and Chris taught him how to love. But Caitlin taught him how to smile.

Dex picks up his phone and dials a number he’s only used once before.

She picks up on the third ring, “Hey, Dex.”

He grins so hard he thinks his teeth will ache in the morning. “Hey. Got a minute to catch up?”

“Yeah, for sure,” she responds excitedly. “Let me find somewhere quiet.”

“Chill.” He groans the second that word leaves his lips. He’s never going to live that down.

She giggles. It reminds him of summer rain, refreshing yet warm. He already knew he was a goner for her. He didn’t know that meant coming up with cheesy metaphors. Nursey would be proud. Maybe he should write them something later to prove he can be romantic.

“Y’know, I really missed you,” Caitlin admits. “I’m glad you called.”

“Yeah,” he hums. “Me too.”

[abominableobriens]

For the Dex prompts, ummm maybe 16 with DexRansom? I'm intrigued by Dex having a crush on Ransom because canonically Dex looks up to Ransom and is terrible at expressing feelings so I feel like it could be cute! or 55 if you want to get a little angst in there. i love your writing so I'm happy to read some drabbles no matter what :)

I just saw you mentioned 55! I might get to that later tbh. Also apologies in advanced, I’ve been DYING to teach this fandom the finer points of Greek partying culture.

for @dexrarepairweek

It’s mid March of Dex’s Frog year. He’s trudging back to the Haus after his CS 225 midterm. He’s exhausted, done with classes, and all he wants to do is unwind. He gets as far as laying his head against the armrest of the green couch when a loud mechanical screeching startles the ever living fuck out of him. It continues long enough for him to recognize that it’s the sound of an electric sander roaring from somewhere below.

Against his better judgement, he follow the sound to the basement door. Which, coincidentally has a paper signed taped on it reading “busy: do not disturb.”

“Too late,” he grumbles.

Down below, Lardo has donned a paint mask, and is sanding the shit out of a beer cooler. He can faintly hear her growl as he continues his descent.

She turns off the sander, practically ripping her mask off.“What part of ‘Do not disturb’ do you not get, Poindexter?”

“The part where you’re sanding something at two pm on Wednesday,” he argues.

“Fuck, it’s two already?” Lardo grabs her phone, checking the clock. “I don’t have time for this.”

He stares at the cooler for a long moment. “What is this?”

“Ransom’s birthday gift,” she answers impatiently.

“You’re destroying a perfectly good cooler for his birthday?” he asks incredulously.

“I’m painting it with shit he likes and then resealing it with famowood.”

Dex whistles, impressed.

“Or I will,” she mutters. “If I ever get this done on time.”

Truth be told, Dex was all too aware of the fact that Ransom’s birthday was coming up. He’d been wracking his brain for something to impress him.

Because Justin’s a good captain and a great friend. And not because Dex has been crushing on him since the first day of his Frog year. No, he definitely doesn’t blush every time Justin smiles at him. And neither does Dex feel his stomach drop every time he hears Ransom’s laugh. It’s not like he looks at Justin and wonders if he’s the kind of person he wishes he could be; or if this is what love feels like.

No, Dex has never felt any of those things.

So when the opportunity to both use power tools, and help out with Justin’s birthday present themselves, he has to ask. “What do you still need to do?”

Lardo blanches at him. “Well…I need to finish sanding. Then I have to spray a primer and let that dry. Then I need to put two base coats of cheap acrylic on the lid and all four sides. And that’s everything before I even start figuring out the designs. ”

“I can do that,” he concludes.

“Really?” She tilts her head quizzically. “No offense, Dex. But why?”

“He deserves a good birthday,” he puts simply.

Lardo crosses her arms, clearly unimpressed with his answer. “Uh uh.”

Instead of interrogating him, however, she hands him her mask. “Don’t forget to use this. Keep a window open when you’re spraying primer. Read the instructions on the can. I’ll be back by eight.”

He nods. It’s simple enough.

Dex misses working in his Uncle’s hardware shop. Half the time, his work was comprised of helping clueless people get started on their home renovation projects. On a good day, a few answered questions about outdoor paint lead to impromptu jobs the next Saturday. He breathes a little easier as the pulse of the sander numbs his hands. His mind drifts off to the first time he ever thought of kissing Ransom.

_/.\_

They were on a roadie, driving through upstate New York. Nursey and Holster were comparing notes about the latest episode of Brooklyn 99 while Ransom typed away on a lab report. Dex, meanwhile, was struggling with an MP. He was sitting across the aisle from Ransom, trying to not disturb him as he fought off the urge to throw his laptop across the bus. He didn’t notice how furious his coding had gotten until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned slightly, ready to snap at whoever was interrupting him. But there was Justin, with a level and empathetic gaze.

“Homework kicking your ass again?” Ransom chirped.

“Yeah,” Dex reluctantly admitted.

Ransom made him scoot over to the window seat, claiming Dex’s old one. “Tell me what’s going wrong,” he instructs softly.

So Dex walks him through the basics. What the program is supposed to do, how he structured his logic, and what syntax errors he’d found so far. In the middle of rambling, an epiphany hits Dex.

“Fuck, this function is completely off,” he mutters.

“So…you know what to fix?” Ransom asks.

“Yeah,” he nods absentmindedly.

“Good,” Ransoms says. “I knew you could do it.” Maybe Dex knew what he felt for Ransom wasn’t purely platonic. But the look of certain pride on Ransom’s face as Dex fixed his MP was the final nail in the coffin.

Lardo comes back around eight, as promised. By that point, Dex has sanded, primed, and applied the base coats on all five sides.

“Bro, nice,” Lardo declares. She offers him a fist bump.

“Really?”

She crinkles her nose. “Yeah? You just saved me three days.”

“Swawesome,” he says quietly.

Dex steps back. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. He’s enjoying the work. He liked painting the base coat. It was soothing.

“So I was, uh, thinking,” he starts. “I don’t know a lot about real painting but I’m pretty neat, and I can follow directions well. Maybe I could help you out with the rest?”

Lardo raises an eyebrow cryptically. She purses her lips, ultimately nodding.

“Ok we have five sides to work with and technically the corners,” she explains.

“What do you put in the corners?”

“Small stuff, like solo cups or bowties. But that’s optional.”

“Ok,” he tries to keep the disdain out of his tone.

“The lid is going to be a Lilly Pulitzer design with his monogram in the center.” Lardo pulls out her pocket sketchbook, scribbling down some quick drawings.

“One side is going to be several Nigerian flags layered around each other. Then the hockey side is gonna be our beer pong table during a kegster and that Gretzky quote ‘you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’.”

“Of course,” he sighs.

She ignores him. “One side will be the Toronto skyline but the clouds are gonna look like the cover of Drake’s ‘Nothing Was the Same’.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t know how to make an entire side based on Degrassi without binge watching it,” she says. “Which I really don’t have time for.”

“Fair,” he acquiesces.

“I think one side should be the chemical compounds that make up whiskey.” Lardo shrugs. “Y’know nerdy enough that he likes it. Vague enough that he doesn’t feel awkward looking at it if he doesn’t go to med school or something.”

“Cool,” he hums. “So that’s four sides.”

“Yea, I’m…unsure about the last one,” her eyes narrow.

“What are you thinking?”

“I feel like I’m missing something,” she groans. “Coolers should tell a story y’know?”

He stares at the cooler for a while, imagining what it might look like when it’s done. It hits him, “you’re missing Samwell. Not the kegsters, but actually living here.”

“Huh,” she clicks her tongue. “Ok, what do we do?”

An image of Ransom staring out a fourth floor window on a cool fall afternoon enters Dex’s mind. “Have you seen his favorite study room?”“The one in the library that overlooks the Pond?”

“Yeah, that one.”

She stares at him again like she’s trying to figure out what he’s about. “Okay, let’s do it.”

They spend the next few afternoons working individually. Lardo would come in and sketch what she needed for each layer of paint. Dex would comply with great precision and the most liberal use of painter’s tape imaginable. On sunday they apply a thin coat of finishing glaze and set up a secure perimeter around it.

Throughout this time, only Bitty is allowed in the basement for secret keeping purposes. Which, incidentally, pisses off Holster who is down to his last pairs of underwear.

Dex is proud of what they’re doing. Still, he wishes there were something else he could do that wasn’t co-opting off Lardo’s idea. The next Saturday is Ransom’s birthday. They haul the cooler upstairs for everyone to see.

“Happy birthday,” Lardo announces as they set the cooler on the kitchen table in front of Justin.

“No,” Ransom gawks. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, but we did,” Lardo preens. She elbows Dex gently in the ribs. “Dex’s soft hands were a big help.”

“Guys this is perfect,” Ransom murmurs. His gaze goes from Lardo to Dex. “Seriously, thanks.”

Dex clears his throat, trying to hide his blush behind a cough. “No problem. Happy Birthday, Rans.”

_/.\_

After presents, they start to set up for Ransom’s birthday kegster. The cooler is stowed away safely in a corner of the attic. Sometime during the kegster, Ransom decides they might need more beer storage. So he decides there’s no better time to break in his birthday present. The lid is a little loose so he pops it open to readjust it when he notices a giftwrapped box.

Since no one will miss him for a while, Ransom sits down on Holster’s bed and opens it. There’s a terrarium and a note inside.

I saw this and thought of you. So I got it just because I thought you might like it.

Justin chuckles as he recognizes the handwriting. Of course Dex thought helping Lardo wasn’t enough of a gift. He places the terrarium carefully on his desk. Then he goes downstairs to find Dex who’s chatting with Shitty on the front porch.

“Dex.” Ransom waves him to follow. They end up in the kitchen, which is very dark and mostly empty.

“Thanks for the gift. The other gift,” Ransom clarifies.

Dex shrugs, trying to look nonchalant as his face brightens. “I remember you saying the only downside to winter is that there’s no foliage to appreciate.”

Ransom chuckles. “Is that the only thing you’ve noticed?”

“No,” he admits. “I’ve noticed the way you only listen to music when you’re not doing anything else. And I’ve noticed the frown you get when your assignments are too easy. That’s why you procrastinate so much, right?”

“Guilty.” Justin leans in closer. Close enough so their faces are only a centimeter apart. “But it’s not procrastination if you’re doing something you like, y’know?”

“No I don’t,” Dex banters playfully. “Tell me about it.”

“How about I show you instead?”

Justin kisses him. Not because of the terrarium. But because he’s been noticing Dex noticing him for months. Justin had plenty of time to think about what he wants. All he wanted to do right now was take a leap.