for the mini fic game! “The summer sun was not meant for boys like me. Boys like me belonged to the rain.” Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
"And then I was gonna end with 'Boys like me belonged to the rain.'" Nursey finished. "What do you think?"
And Dex - well Dex had to think about that for a while. Because he knew how big a deal it was that Nursey was showing him his poetry at all. Knew first hand how hard they had both fought to get to this friendship. Been through argument after argument; careless comments and intentional hurts.
But they had gotten here. To a place where Nursey had shyly asked Dex's opinion - I trust you bro - and Dex, powerless to refuse, had agreed to hear it. He treasured that trust, held it close.
But he was fucked. Because Dex didn't have the words for this. Not the tactful, delicate words he knew Nursey needed to hear. His life was built around tools and numbers, not prose and poetry.
And Dex hated the poem.
Well -
It was written well, so well that even someone like Dex could follow the metaphors; Dex could be let in on Nursey's thoughts, just enough for a glimpse. But the glimpse was dark and twisted and Dex was furious.
"Dex?"
There was no way he could say that. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to come up with something, anything to compliment. And, as usual, words deserted him.
"You gonna say anything, man, you're looking sort of - tense?" asked Nursey. It breaks Dex out of his reverie and loosens his jaw but without his brain's permission.
"It's really awful, Nurse."
You could hear a pin drop. The silence feels like an actual weight on his chest and Dex knows, okay? He knows how badly he fucked up. Knows he won't ever get a chance like this again.
"I mean--"
"Wow, Poindexter, harsh," Nursey says, the light in his eyes snuffed out. "If you didn't want to listen, you shouldn't have said yes."
"Wait, Nursey, I meant --"
"Save it, Dex, we're chill," Nursey bites out, already shoving his things back into his bag.
"No it was written really well I just--"
"Save it for someone who cares," Nursey says, striding across the room, hand already on the doorknob before Dex finds his voice again.
"It's awful because at one point you felt like that Nursey."
Nursey pauses, not looking at Dex, hand still on the doorknob.
"What?"
"Or that you still feel like that I don't know, but. But - Nursey. Derek. The sun is meant for everyone. And the fact that you felt the opposite strongly enough to write a whole poem about it infuriates me."
Derek has turned back now, just staring at Dex, wearing an expression that Dex has never seen.
"Because you deserve all the good things this world can possibly muster. You're kind, and smart, and strong, funny and surprising, and you just - you care so much about the world and the people in it. There's no way that the world could ever be so cruel as to just restrict you to belonging to the rain. You belong to the summer sun just as much, if not more."
Dex can feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He has no idea where the words came from, but they seem to have dried up for now. He takes a deep breath and looks up at Derek and Derek is -
Dropping his backpack and striding toward Dex with such purpose that his breath catches in this throat. He still can't parse the expression on his face. No idea what Derek is going to do or say when suddenly he's there and reaching out and -
Lips. Full, slightly chapped, lips on his. Moving against his. Moving with his as he gathers enough brain cells to kiss Derek back. To throw his arms around Derek's waist. To sigh into his mouth, letting his tongue flick out and move against Derek's. Minutes, hours, or perhaps several sunlit days pass before they break apart, needing air.
Derek rests his forehead against Dex's, unwilling to separate further than a breath.
"Shit, Will. Warn a guy next time."
"I have no idea where that came from. But if this is the result, I am not complaining."
"If I say that you've been my summer sun for months now, are you going to hit me?"
"Just a little. But I'll save it for later."
"Chill."
