It’s late, and they’re drunk, and Dex’s head is heavy and warm on Nursey’s thigh when Farmer asks, “How would you describe falling in love?”
Nursey watches Dex blink, slow, long red eyelashes fluttering. “Like, technically, or poetically?” he asks with too many syllables.
“S’like a shutout,” Chowder says, from somewhere vaguely to Nursey’s right, but he hasn’t looked away from Dex since he dropped his head onto Nursey’s thigh, so Nursey can’t be all that sure. “S’like, you did a good thing. And you got a good thing. S’just, like. Good.”
“I’m assuming,” Dex said, eyebrows doing that condescending thing he likes to do but all wonky, because of the alcohol, “if this fake person doesn’t know what falling in love it, they won’t know what hockey is either.”
Nursey snorts and Dex looks at him. Nursey can’t breathe for a few short moments and then he smiles and Dex smiles back and Nursey really, really wants to touch his hair.
“That wasn’t in the rules,” Chowder says back, from somewhere to the right, and Farmer backs him up mildly, but enough to satisfy him. Dex mumbles something inaudible, but tonally dismissive, and Chowder says, “How would you describe it then?” and Nursey’s heart perks up in his chest.
“I don’t–” Dex purses his lips. “I– I don’t know, it’s just, like, there.”
Chowder snorts, victorious, and Dex hurries to add on.
“No, like, it’s just there. It’s like you were going in this direction the whole time even though you thought you were going somewhere else and it’s, like, it’s a great trip and you’ve got-got all the snack and music and it’s scenic and shit and then you look over and someone’s in the passenger seat and you’re like oh, that’s– that’s why it’s been so nice. You know?”
Nursey stares at the cluster of freckles on Dex’s cheek. The room is silent, like no one is breathing, but Nursey knows he is breathing, mostly because he’s surprised that he is.
“Oh,” Chowder says, from somewhere to the right. Farmer hums.
Nursey takes a moment to gather his resolve and then reaches out to tangle his fingers in Dex’s hair. Dex’s cheeks pink up, and he stares at the ceiling, but he doesn’t pull away.