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Dex didn’t date. He didn’t do relationships. He was happy that way. He hardly had any knowledge of how to flirt and he had only ever kissed a girl once, but he was okay with that.
“Winter Screw is coming up, do you have a date?” Chowder asks Dex as he flopped down on the chair next to him.
“Am I supposed to go? I was going to skip it,” Dex says and glances over at him. He pushes his plate towards Chowder so that he can have the rest of Dex’s muffin.
“You can’t skip it! We're all going,” Chowder exclaims as Bitty walks in. “Bitty, tell Dex that he has to come to Winter Screw,” he says before stuffing the muffin in his face.
“Of course he doesn’t have to go. But I think everyone on the team is going. Ransom and Holster can definitely find you someone to go with.” Bitty assures him.
Dex shrugs and looks down at his lap. “I’ve never been to a school dance,” he admits and plays with the ties on his hoodie absentmindedly.
“I hadn’t either until last year,” Bitty tells him. “I wasn’t planning on going because they were trying to set me up with a girl, that’s when I came out,” he explains.
Dex narrows his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he says, defensively.
“I was just trying to make you feel better,” Bitty responds quietly. He glances over to Chowder before shuffling out of the room. Chowder frowns at Dex and follows Bitty.
Dex hears the door open and straightens up instantly. Holster had insisted to bring the girl over right before the dance started.
“Dex, meet Jessie,” Ransom says and grins at the girl next to him. “She’s in her sophomore year and Bits knows her from one of his classes so he helped us.”
Dex meets Bitty’s eyes from across the room and nods at him before walking over to greet his date.
They spend the night awkwardly stumbling through dances and taking sips from a flask that one of Jessie’s friends brought. Jessie’s fingers stay intertwined with his for the majority of the dance until it comes to an end.
“This was fun,” Jessie says, her face tucked against his shoulder as they walked towards the door. “We should hang out again,” she tells him.
Dex nods and smiles. “Definitely. I have to admit, I’m glad you didn’t expect me to invite you back to mine,” he tells her.
Jessie looks up and squeezes his hand. “I’m glad you didn’t invite me, it wouldn’t have gone anywhere anyway,” she laughs and presses a kiss to his cheek before her friends call her over to their car.
Dex grins and waves. He watches the car drive away, thinking about how to thank Bitty.
~
Dex wasn’t used to parties. He still wasn’t used to The Haus, but especially its parties. He didn’t get out much back home and he focused so much on his schoolwork and his job that he didn’t have much time to spare for fun.
“Dex!” Ransom says once he notices Dex standing off to the side during one of their parties. He’s got a drink in his hand and is sipping on it as he watches everyone else enjoy themselves. “Bro, come dance!” Ransom yells and heads towards Dex.
Dex shakes his head. “I’m good with just watching,” he explains and takes another sip from his drink. He glances around and his eyes land on a girl who is trying to squeeze between Jack and Shitty.
“Scoping out the girls?” Ransom asks, a huge grin on his face. “Come with me,” Ransom says and tugs Dex over to the girl by his wrist. Before Dex can protest, he is standing right in front of her. “Well hello, Cassidy. This is Dex, he was looking a little lonely,” Ransom tells her and winks before he takes off towards the stairs.
“Dex? What’s that short for?” Cassidy wonders and places her hand on Dex’s chest, moving closer to him.
“Poindexter. That’s my last name. My first name is Will,” Dex explains and smiles at her. He didn’t have the heart to tell her he wasn’t interested and he didn’t want to disappoint Ransom.
“You boys and your hockey nicknames,” Cassidy says and rolls her eyes playfully. “You’re a freshman, right? I haven’t seen you around.”
“Yeah, my first year,” Dex confirms and allows himself to loosen up a bit. He relaxes against the wall behind him.
“Do you have a room here?” Cassidy asks and trails her hand down to rest on his hip.
Dex shakes his head. “My place is back at the dorms,” he tells her and looks down at her hand. “Sorry.”
Cassidy pouts. “Oh, I’m sure Ransom wouldn’t mind if we went up to the attic,” she says and tugs on his belt gently.
“I- uh,” Dex stammers, trying to come up with an excuse. Just as he formulates one, he feels Cassidy’s lips on his. He freezes up and lets her slide a hand up to his neck. He flinches against her and pulls away.
“What’s wrong?” Cassidy asks him. She studies his face before stepping away from him. “I’m assuming you didn’t ask Ransom to set you up with someone,” she says before patting his shoulder gently. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
Dex nods. “Sorry, this isn’t really my thing,” he tells her and notices Ransom walking over. Cassidy squeezes his shoulder gently before heading over to a group of girls.
“Dude, what happened?” Ransom asks and throws an arm around Dex’s shoulders. “She wasn’t interested?”
“I just wasn’t feeling it,” Dex explains. “I’m gonna head back to the dorms,” Dex tells Ransom, slipping out from his arm. He makes sure to tell Chowder that he is leaving before he grabs his jacket and walks to the door. He feels eyes on him and turns to see Bitty watching him. They both look away quickly.
Dex goes to bed alone like he has every single night since he moved to Samwell.
~
Dex didn’t allow himself to look, especially during hockey games. He stayed focused on the sport and kept his eyes from lingering in the stands. Or least, he tried to.
“Hey! William, right?” Dex hears as he is walking back from Faber one morning. He turns to see a boy around his age behind him.
“Yeah, Will,” Dex corrects. “I’ve seen you at some games,” he says as he slows down to let the guy catch up.
“I’ve been to them all,” the guy confirms. “I’m Wes," he says and claps Dex on the shoulder. “You guys have been doing great lately.”
Dex grins. “Yeah, we have. Jack’s pretty amazing on the ice.”
Wes nods in agreement. “He’s awesome. You and Nurse have gotten a lot better since the season started."
“You think? We’ll never be like Ransom or Holster,” Dex says a bit bitterly.
“I think you could, someday. You’re a great player, always so focused on the game,” Wes tells him.
Dex turns away to hide the blush that he gets when someone compliments his hockey. “Thanks, do you play?”
Wes grins once he sees Dex blush. “I used to, had a pretty bad injury when I was younger so my parents don’t want me to play anymore,” he explains. “I can still skate, just haven’t found the time.”
“The rink is still open, if you want to go back,” Dex offers and glances back at the rink. He always wanted to be back on the ice.
“Would there be skates for me?” Wes asks and looks up at Dex.
Dex nods. “Sure, we’ll find some,” he promises and starts to head back towards Faber.
Sure enough, there were skates that fit Wes. Dex was already on the ice when Wes walked out.
Dex grins and slows down to watch Wes get on the ice. “Did you come here for hockey or was the injury before then?” he asks.
“I had originally gotten a scholarship here for hockey, yeah. It happened the summer before freshman year,” Wes clarifies before he starts to skate. “I stayed here because I heard that Zimmermann was here and for the whole ‘one in four, maybe more’."
“Oh,” Dex says. “So that’s accurate? Because that would be at least six guys on my team.”
Wes nods. “Yeah, at least, I think it’s accurate. You’re straight?” he asks.
Dex shrugs. “I don’t have much experience with either girls or guys,” he admits. They let the subject drop and skate in silence for awhile.
“Thanks for that,” Wes says as they are walking away from the rink. “It’s been awhile.”
Dex nods. “We can do it again sometime,” he offers and glances over at Wes, his cheeks tinted pink.
Wes nods. “I’d like that,” he tells Dex and slows down as they pass a dorm building. “This is me,” he says and jerks his head towards the set of dorms.
Dex stops walking and looks at the building. “Meet me after practice sometime, we can skate,” he says and turns his body to face Wes.
Wes grabs onto the front of Dex’s sweatshirt and nods. “What time does that end?” he asks.
Dex’s breathing hitches when he feels Wes’s hand. “Depends on the day. Tomorrow it’s over at two,” he recalls. Wes was getting closer and Dex was hit with the overwhelming urge to kiss him. He had never been this eager to kiss a girl. Wes shuffles closer to him and looks up.
“I’m gonna kiss you now,” Wes whispers to him before closing the gap between them. Dex’s hands are instantly around Wes’ waist and he’s kissing back before he knows it. He has only ever been kissed three times before and he is already knows that this is better than any kiss he’s ever had. They kiss until Dex hears a car drive by and pulls away suddenly.
“We’re in public,” Dex says, his eyes wide as he looks around. He just had his first kiss with a boy and he was standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk. No one seemed to mind.
Wes leans up and presses a kiss to Dex’s cheek. “It’s okay, no one saw. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Wes says before he makes his way up the path to the dorm building.
Dex waves and hurries back to his own dorm room. This changes a lot and he needed some time to think about what just happened.
“Dex! I was just visiting Chowder.” Bitty says as he walks down the stairs. “Are you okay? You’re looking a little pink.”
Dex nods. “Yeah, Bitty, I’m fine.” he promises and smiles as him as he passes.
~
It had been two weeks since Wes had kissed Dex. Although they hung out a lot since then, Wes hadn’t made another move. Dex was beginning to question himself more than ever.
“Dex, are you okay? You don’t look too good,” Chowder asks and presses his hand to Dex’s forehead.
Dex shakes him off. “I’m fine,” he says and goes back to messing around on his phone.
“Are you sure? At least go ask Bitty if he thinks you’re sick,” Chowder tells him and looks towards the stairs. Dex huffs and stands up. He stomps over to the stairs and goes up to Bitty’s bedroom.
“Bitty, can I come in? Chowder thinks I’m sick and made me come up here,” Dex says and starts to push the door open.
Bitty pulls it open the rest of the way. “You do look pale,” he says and looks Dex up and down. “Do you feel okay?”
Dex nods. “Yeah, it’s not like I’m going to puke or anything,” he tells Bitty and sits in his desk chair.
“We’ve all noticed you acting different lately. You haven’t really been playing with any confidence,” Bitty says and sits down on his own bed. “Is something wrong?”
Dex tries to keep his panic internal. “Yes, uh, everything’s fine. Just stress from school,” Dex lies.
“Uh huh,” Bitty says and narrows his eyes. “Are your classes giving you trouble? You could always ask for help,” Dex shakes his head. “Then I doubt school is causing you to mess up on the ice.”
Dex leans back in the chair and looks up at the ceiling without saying anything. “It’s nothing. Not important,” he tells Bitty as he stands up. “Thanks,” he says just as he leaves the room quickly. He lets Chowder know that he’s okay before he rushes back to his dorm.
After some thinking, Dex heads back to The Haus the next afternoon. He knows that most of its occupants will still be in class, but Bitty is free. Dex makes his way inside and paces around the living room for a few minutes before he goes up to Bitty’s room.
“Dex! What are you doing here?” Bitty asks and reaches forward to turn off his camera.
“Sorry, I just uh,” Dex says before walking into the room. He takes a deep breath before he steps closer to Bitty.
“What’s going on?” Bitty questions and stands up as Dex gets closer. Dex stammers out a few words before his hands are on Bitty’s cheeks and he’s pressing their lips together. Once Bitty gets over the shock of what’s happening, he puts his hands on Dex’s shoulders and pushes him away. “What?” Bitty says and looks at Dex like he can’t believe what just happened.
“Um, okay. Bye,” Dex pips before turning on his heel and practically running out of Bitty’s bedroom.
“William Poindexter, you better get back here this second and explain what just happened,” Bitty shouts from his room and goes to stand in the hall. Dex freezes, he didn’t think this through. “I’m not letting you kiss me and then run off without telling me why,” Dex turns back to Bitty and trudges back to his room. He keeps his eyes on the floor and goes to sit in Bitty’s desk chair.
“What was that?” Bitty asks and closes the door behind Dex. “You owe me an explanation.”
Dex uses his foot to spin himself in the chair. “That’s why I’ve been weird lately,” he says quietly.
“What do you mean by ‘that’?” Bitty inquired. “Because I have no idea what just happened.”
Dex groans softly and tucks both his knees to his chest. “I needed confirmation,” he says.
“Jesus Dex, could you give me some more details,” Bitty says, exasperated.
“I think I’m gay," Dex admits and looks down at his feet. He leans his chin against his knees and chews on his lip. “I was confused earlier, but that helped.”
“Is this recent? Or have you always thought this?” Bitty asks. His voice got less accusatory and he placed his hand on Dex’s arm.
“I just figured it out. I’ve never liked girls very much, but I didn’t notice until this year. And then I met this guy a couple weeks ago and he kissed me,” Dex confesses. He pressed his face against his knees to hide his blush. He felt exposed, telling Bitty all this.
Bitty smiles softly and pats his arm. “I would have helped you figure it out anyway, you didn’t have to kiss me without asking,” Bitty assures him. “I love to help.”
Dex pulls his head up from his knees and looks up at him. “Could we, uh, do that again then?” he asks, shyly.
Bitty blushes delicately and nods. He cups Dex’s chin gently before leaning into him. Dex sets his feet back on the ground and curls one of his hands around Bitty’s waist. Their noses bump together and Bitty giggles against Dex’s lips before pressing their mouths together. Dex loves the feel of Bitty’s smooth lips sliding against his own. He tightens his hand around Bitty and pulls him closer. Bitty wedges his knee in between Dex’s thighs and shifts his weight onto the chair.
This kiss lasts much longer, by the time they are done, Bitty is almost completely on top of Dex and his knee is tucked between Dex’s thighs. Their lips are shiny and Dex’s hair are sticking up. Bitty buries his face against Dex’s neck and laughs softly. “I bet someone's home,” he tells him. Dex whines pathetically and keeps his hands on Bitty’s waist. He didn’t want to stop, but he really didn’t want a teammate to catch them. Bitty smiles and kisses Dex’s neck softly before standing up. “We can do this again sometime because I haven’t been kissed much either,” he tells Dex.
Dex nods and leans back against the chair. He reaches up and smooths out his hair. “Probably safer to do it at the dorms though,” Dex says.
“Just text me whenever,” Bitty agrees and fixes Dex’s shirt. He smiles up at him. “You’re a good kisser,” he tells him.
Dex’s cheek flush pink and ducks his head a bit. “Thanks. You are too.”
~
hey. come over, my roommate is going to be gone all night.
They had been keeping up with their arrangement for almost a month now. Dex had sent the message around ten minutes ago and he was patiently waiting for Bitty to show up at his door. He grins to himself when he hears a knock. Dex walks over and opens the door. “Hey,” he says, coolly and leans against the doorway when he sees Bitty standing there.
Bitty laughs softly and walks inside the dorm room. He closes Dex’s door behind him. “I know you were waiting for me," he says and flops down on Dex’s bed.
Dex grins and scoffs. “You don’t have proof,” he tells Bitty and crosses his arms. Bitty rolls his eyes and sits up. He pats the spot next to him. Dex hums and sits down. “Getting right to it?” he teases before wrapping his arms around Bitty’s waist.
Bitty grins. “It’s been a couple days,” he deflects and tangles his fingers into Dex’s hair. “And I finally finished my paper," he brags.
“So I’m your reward?” Dex asks and smirks at him, pulling Bitty closer to him. Bitty hums affirmatively and sighs happily against Dex’s lips. Dex holds Eric tightly as their lips glide over each other. He spreads his legs and parts his mouth as Bitty shifts between his legs. They’ve only just started to experiment beyond kissing and Dex trails his hands down lower until they were resting underneath Eric’s thighs.
Eric presses up into him and tugs on Dex’s hair gently. He flicks his tongue against Dex’s teasingly. Dex whimpers into his mouth and tightens his grip on Eric’s thighs. They kiss for awhile longer before Eric slides a hand up Dex’s shirt and uses his other to start undoing buttons. Dex feels his stomach swoop and he pushes his hands up the back of Eric’s t-shirt. They part briefly so Dex can get Eric’s shirt off and it joins his own shirt on the floor.
They are so caught up in each other that neither of them notice Dex’s door being pushed open. “Hey, Dex, do you wa- oh my god,” Chowder says from the doorway.
Eric makes a panicked noise and pulls away from Dex. He tries to keep his face hidden from Chowder, but his form is too recognizable. “Hi, Chowder,” Eric says sheepishly.
“Are you two dating?” Chowder asks, his eyes wide. “Oh my god! What about Nursey?” he wails.
“What about Nursey?” Dex asks and sits up, holding Eric so he won’t fall back against the bed.
“I’ve been waiting for you two to get together since school started,” Chowder says, pouting. “I can’t believe I was wrong about that.”
~
“Oh god,” Dex groans into Eric’s pillow. “It’s weird now that Chowder knows. He’s gonna tell everyone” he says and rolls onto his back.
Eric throws Dex’s pants at him and laughs. “It could be good, now I have a reason to stop sleeping with you,” he says just as his bedroom door opens. Dex turns to see Jack standing in the doorway.
“Uh,” Jack says and takes in the scene in front of him. Dex laying on Eric’s bed, shirtless and only in a pair of boxers. Eric standing next to the bed, wearing briefs and a shirt that is definitely not his own.
“Um... hello,” Dex remarks and pulls Eric’s blankets around his chest.
“Jack,” Eric gasps, surprised to see him in his room. Before he can say anything else, Jack goes into his room and shuts the door.
“That was mortifying,” Dex groans and gets out of the bed to change. “Am I supposed to go downstairs without a shirt on?” he asks.
“Yes, maybe Nursey will notice,” Eric teases and looks around for his jeans. “This is probably the last time, huh,” he muses.
Dex nods and twiddles his thumbs. “I guess it is,” he says and pulls his jeans up. “Sorry, it’s not you, it’s me,” he jokes.
Eric rolls his eyes and pulls Dex into a hug. “Don’t make it weird. If it doesn’t work out with someone else, we can try this for real,” he tells Dex.
~
“I don’t want someone else,” Dex says in the middle of a team dinner at The Haus.
Eric looks up. “You didn’t find someone to date?” he asks. Dex shakes his head and Eric scoots closer. “So we’re doing this? For real?”
“What’s happening?” Ransom asks and narrows his eyes.
Dex laughs and pushes himself forward until his mouth bumps against Eric’s. “Hi,” He whispers against his lips and he feels Eric grin before they kiss.
“Honestly, what is happening?” Ransom demands and looks around at the other boys to find them gaping at the couple.
“I thought you said you guys were gonna stop sleeping together,” Jack notes as he walks into the room. “This looks like the opposite of that.”
Dex groans and pulls away from Eric. “We’re gonna date, for real,” he says to Jack and gropes around Eric’s side for his hand. He laces their hands together and smiles up at his captain.
“Congratulations. I don’t want to hear a single thing from my room.” Jack tells them and looks at the TV like nothing even happened.
Eric grins at Jack and stands up, pulling Dex with him. “Come on,” he says as he nods to the stairs.
“What!” Holster shouts and watches them stumble upstairs.
Dex squeezes Eric’s hand tightly and for once in this life, he thinks he has this whole ‘romance’ thing figured out.