Chapter Text
Fitz feels like he’s going to throw up. The unidentifiable clenching sensation in his chest turns out to be a deadly combination of nerves, complete and utter panic, and maybe a little bit of butterflies but he’s not going to acknowledge that right now or he actually will throw up. Finally reading Dex’s message has not helped, not only was it ridiculously pathetic, but he was also completely right. Maybe he should try to scrub it off so he doesn’t think about it anymore.
Biana rounds the corner into his room. “Where do you think we should- Are you good? No offense, but you kind of look like shit.”
Fitz holds a hand up to wave her off and takes the deepest breath he can manage. “I’m fine, what were you saying?”
“Where do you want to sleep? We could get a bunch of blankets into the main hall, or just split up and squeeze into our beds.”
“Uh, I don’t mind, you can pick.”
“Okay, big slumber party in the hall then! Come help me grab the blankets?”
Thank fuck , he did not think he could handle that much time with the one person he’s been trying to avoid for weeks, especially with Keefe around.
–
“Biana, can we please go to sleep now, I’m so tired,” Sophie collapses sideways onto her makeshift bed and curls up on top of the blanket pile.
“But we haven’t even watched a movie yet? Or given Dex another makeover? Or played Truth or Dare?”
“Yeah I hate to break it to you,” Dex joins Sophie on the floor. “But it’s like, 4am. No time for a movie or a makeover.”
Keefe snorts. “You’re just saying that so we don’t mess with your hair again. I vote we stay up!”
Biana looks at Fitz with a grin. “Fitz? You’re the deciding vote.”
He mumbles something unintelligible and lies down on the floor with his arms outstretched, the sleeve of his shirt riding up slightly.
Sophie squints at his arm through bleary eyes. “What the fuck is that?”
“Hm?” Dex looks up groggily, and his eyes widen instantly . “Oh my fucking god.”
He begins dragging Fitz up by his arm as fast as he can, making a beeline for the nearest exit, and the closest room that is out of earshot.
Despite Fitz’s barely-awake haze, his heart still manages to sink when he sees the section of his arm Dex’s fingers are clasped around. “Oh… fuck…. you found out.”
Dex spins around once instantly upon hearing this. “What the fuck do you mean I found out? Did you know ? This is so fucking ridiculuous I can’t believe I worried about you for weeks do you even know how stressed I was?”
Fitz blinks at him, wide-eyed.
“And then tonight, I had to sit here and look at that stupid fucking message I wrote when I was probably half delirious and so fucking pathetic, I never need a reminder of that ever again, like I am so sorry about the thing with your dad, wouldn’t have said that if I’d known, but I didn’t know jack shit because you didn’t tell me anything , god forbid your soulmate tries to contact you, oh no , I’ll just ignore his fucking messages for weeks on end, cause that’s a good idea, do you not see how stupid you are? I’m your fucking soulmate, just let me be here for you, maybe? Just for once, let me be your soul-”
He’s interrupted by Fitz pressing his lips against the… corner? of his mouth, startling him out of his rant.
He snorts. “Did you just… miss?”
Fitz’s face is a very bright shade of red when he pulls back. “... would you believe me if I said no?”
“No. Would you be mad at me if I said 2/10, could’ve been really good but you fucked it up and now it’s just anticlimatic?”
“Wasn’t that bad, come on.”
Dex looks at him incredulously.
Fitz grabs his face, potentially in an attempt to improve his aim, and kisses him again, this time right on the mark.
Dex is the one with the red face now when he pulls away.
Fitz grins at him. “How about that?”
He smiles back. “Not at all anticlimactic.”
–
Dex is seventeen years old the first time he kisses his soulmate - the perfect age to feel like you have everything you’ve ever wanted, and for the first time in his life, he is sure, well and truly sure, that he was supposed to grow up to be like this.