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Fitz remembered Rimeshire being a lot warmer than this when they'd slept over all those months ago. But this? This was bloody freezing.
Dex invited him over after a conversation at foxfire that he was pretty sure involved socks. To be honest, he didn't remember much of the conversation, except for the fact that Dex looked really excited about it, and it was cute. Memories of Dex being cute didn't help how freezing it was though, so he shook off the thought.
As Fitz walked up to the house, he heard a lot of stomping sounds from inside, and possibly a scream? Which wasn't concerning at all. Ignoring it, he knocked on the door as soon as he got close enough, because it was too cold to stay out there any longer.
Then came even more stomping noises, what was definitely someone screaming that time, and someone yelling “I'll get it!” before the door opened with a slam.
Fitz was met with- empty space. Then he looked down, and saw a little ginger girl. They stared at each other for a long moment, before Fitz remembered that he should probably state his business. “Uh- hi, I'm Fitz. Dex invited me over?”
The girl's eyes widened comically before she turned inside and promptly annihilated his ears. “DEX, YOUR BOYFRIEND'S HERE!”
“WHAT BOYFRIEND?” Came a response from somewhere in the house. alongside a chorus of ‘oohs’, which was mortifying, thank you.
“YOU HAVE MULTIPLE ?” The oohs were louder that time.
“NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY !”
The girl paused and turned back to look Fitz up and down, “...GIRLFRIEND?”
“NOPE.”
“LOVER???”
“I'M NOT DATING ANYONE, BEX!”.
“THEN WHO'S THIS WORM STANDING IN THE DOORWAY?”
worm ?
“SOMEBODY THAT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY LET IN!”
“It is cold out here,” Fitz jumped in then.
Bex shot Fitz a look that made him feel like she wanted to put him in a blender. Then, with all the kindness of a spider inviting in a fly, stepped aside to allow him entry. Fitz did so graciously, because he could physically feel the ice seeping into his poor bones. Literally. He probably needed to sit down.
In contrast, the warmth from inside was a relief. It was like stepping into a completely different dimension, one without blue limbs and frosty leaves- but hearthfires and cinnamon instead. He sighed and closed his eyes, breathing in the new, much more comfortable environment.
He figured he should ask someone- probably Bex, since she was still looking at him- where Dex was. He just needed a moment, though. It was so warm inside, he wanted to soak it in some more. Just a moment of time to exist. Which was apparently illegal, given that he promptly got kicked in the shin.
“Ow!” He looked down at the offender, who now had her brothers with her. Aside from Dex, that is. “What was that for?”
Bex said “you're weird. And also in my way.” She pointed at the door behind him. “Chop chop, we wanna go outside.”
“Why do you want to go outside? it's freezing out there!” Did they want to lose their toes?
“Because it snowed last night, and we wanna play!” one of the boys chimed in.
“Is snow fun?” It's just frozen rain!
The triplets collectively gasp. which made Fitz think it probably was to them.
“‘Is snow fun?’ IS SNOW FUN?!” the boy on the left shouted. Fitz needed to learn his name.
Bex shook her head, “mh-mh-m. shameful.”
“What does Dex see in you?” asked the boy on the right.
Fitz… did not know how to respond to that. ”He sees.. a friend? I hope?” did they know? How would they know? They had to know. It wouldn't make any sense if they didn't know- did Dex know? Oh no.
The tiny gremlin children all squinted at him.
“We are friends! Just friends, what else would we be?” He laughed awkwardly and contemplated finding a hole to rot in.
“Yes,” said the boy who was on the right, but was now closest to the door, “of course.”
“sure!” chirped Bex.
“Well, have fun inside mr. Not-Boyfriend!”
Fitz huffed, “my name is-” SLAM “-Fitz.”
He stared at where they left for a moment, and shook his head. “What odd children," he said to the air.
Fitz probably shouldn't have gotten so defensive. That was embarrassing- getting baited like that by three preteens, of all things. More importantly, there was now nobody around to ask for directions. Which was great. Just real dandy. So he decided to… go down the hall. Just wing it , as the humans say. His steps echoed through the house, so he hoped maybe Mrs. Juline would find him. Or Kesler? Somebody?
Fitz was fairly certain that Dex’s room was on a higher floor. So goal one was to find a set of stairs. Not too difficult, they're usually at the end of hallways. not this hallway, though, as he soon discovered. Which was just wonderful .
After thoroughly turning himself all the way around and winding up in several closets on many different occasions, Fitz finally ran into Lovise.
“Aha! Dex sent me after you, he thought his siblings decided to turn you into a popsicle or something.”
“No, they let me in and decided to turn themselves into popsicles.”
“Ah yes, the snow?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged.
“Well, Dex is this way,” she motioned, “I don't know how you ended up this lost on your own, but you did, I guess.”
“I forgot to ask the triplets for directions before they left, so I decided to find the way alone.” he gave her a thumbs up.
“And how did that work out for you?”
“Pretty well, considering that I'm actively being led to Dex right now.”
Lovise’s sigh was long and full of suffering, but they continued along.
They made it up a flight of stairs that was despairingly close to where Fitz was let in. He cursed his past self and his stupid human lingo. Lovise stopped at a door on the left and knocked in some weird pattern. It felt a little foreboding.
It was very foreboding actually, it was an omen. a warning for Fitz to mentally prepare himself for the natural disaster known as Dex Dizznee to say “come in!” He was unaware of its title as "Harbinger of Doom” though, and was very ill-fit for the flash flood of nerves that crashed through the city of his heart, as the door opened to allow him witness to this horrible hurricane in the comfort of his own home.
Dex was laying down on his bed with his legs propped up on the wall, as if pretending the wall was the new floor. He seemed to be sketching something out in a notebook, humming along to some song he must've found on his iPod copy. Which was so mundane, Fitz didn't know what was wrong with himself.
He shook his head clear. “Dex!”
Said boy dropped his notebook on his face. Fitz regretted shouting so loudly.
That was, until Dex turned himself upright and smiled. “Hey, You're here!”
Fitz knew what was wrong with himself now. He was sick with a deadly cardiovascular disease known as… well. He wouldn't go as far as to call it anything strong yet, so he'll call it simple infatuation.
He should respond. “Yeah, I got a bit turned around on my way in-”
Lovise interrupted with a snort.
“But I'm here now!” He shot a quick glare at her, “...I just forgot to ask your siblings for directions.”
“I’m not sure they'd be honest even if you did ask, wonderboy.”
“Yeah, probably not.” Fitz shrugged.
Lovise looked between the two of them. “Welp,” she said, “I'll leave y'all to it, then!”
“Thank you, Lovise!” Dex waved after her.
She waved back as the door swung closed behind her.
“So, Bex let you in?” He seemed to be looking for something with the question.
“Yeah, her and your brothers.”
Dex cringed, “they didn't interrogate you, did they?”
Odd . “nope, they just shoved me aside to get to the snow.”
“Oh good,” he visibly relaxed, and Fitz had no idea why he'd be tense enough for that. His family wasn't that bad.
“Why can't they interrogate me?”
He huffed, “ because whenever they've tried the interrogation thing before, the questions just got more and more invasive- and presumptuous…” he mumbled the last part.
Oh , “like… thinking I'm your boyfriend?” Fitz asked.
“Stars-” Dex ducked his head, “she really was yelling about you, huh?”
“I didn't mind it.” then he realized how that sounded, and clarified “I uh- know how they are, so…” His throat felt oddly clogged for no reason, so he cleared it.
Dex sighed, “yeah…” and with that, it was silence. Comfortable, probably, but not for Fitz.
“I didn't quite fancy being called a worm, though.”
Dex snorted, “well. you're a bit wiggly like one sometimes.”
“What! Wiggly? How?”
“Like- stars, sit down, you're making me nervous, hovering like that.” Dex grabbed Fitz's hand and pulled him down with him.
Fitz fell back with an “oof.”
Dex fell down onto the bed too. Fitz turned his head to look at him. “...How am I wiggly?”
Dex looked back at Fitz. Then, he sat up and… got closer. The weirdo was just leaning over him. just watching. squinting. Like he was looking for something. Fitz shifted under his gaze.
Dex suddenly smiled and poked Fitz, “like that! you're literally wiggling right now.”
“You mean getting comfortable?”
“Yes. wiggly.”
“I am not! This is a skewed observation, I need a controlled environment!”
“How is this not controlled?” Dex asked, finally leaning back again, the little space-stealer.
“I already told you! Also, you're staring at me! I got nervous! People move when they're nervous! And, by the way, I also don't remember what we're doing! So there's the anticipation from that to account for too,” Fitz declared with finality.
Dex squinted “Wait- hold on, you don't remember why you're here? You just came over anyway without asking what you're getting into?”
“Well I was gonna find out when I got here and whatever it was got started!”
Dex huffed and flicked Fitz's forehead, “it's ice skating, you goose.” Ice skating…
“Oh, right. you mentioned that.”
Ice skating… “mhm” Said real Dex, like sliding on socks but for longer, and quicker , said Memory-Dex.
“You said the skates themselves look like boots with blades attached?” Fitz waited for a “yeah” from Dex, “So, how do you balance on those? What do they even look like?”
Dex moved away from Fitz and he felt super a-okay about it. Totally.
“Stay here,” he said, “I'll go get mine to show you.” He got up off the bed.
“If I left this room without you I'd just get lost again!” Fitz called after him as he walked out.
Dex poked his head back in to say “exactly!” before closing the door shut behind him.
In the quiet, Fitz could look around. Dex's room seemed oddly neat compared to what his personality would lead one to believe. He could see something poking out from under a closet door, though. Quite a few things, really. He wondered if it was all shoved in there to appear clean. Fitz wouldn't put it past him.
There were a few bottles on his nightstand, empty and full. One of them was clearly Nogginease. a few others looked more like your average first aid elixirs, Achey-Break and the like.
The ceiling looked pretty cool too, for a ceiling.
That was a lie, the ceiling looked very boring, as do most things when you're waiting around.
This ice skating thing sounded fun, based on what he remembered. Dex seemed really excited about it too, so that had to count for something! The anticipation of this new thing was eating Fitz alive though, and he needed Dex to get back this instant or he'd die. Which was dramatic, but it worked! The door opened, and in stepped Dex, rambling and holding up the most terrifying shoes Fitz had ever seen in his life.
…So, back to what Fitz said before about the whole ice skating thing. It did sound fun, but Fitz thought he should've focused more on the blades on feet part of it, because looking at these knife-shoe contraptions, he didn't quite feel all that positive anymore!
“Wouldn’t it be a bit cold to go outside?” He asked, and thus sealed his doom by interrupting Dex.
“Well yeah,” Dex's arms dropped a bit in what was probably annoyance, “that's the point. The ice wouldn't be frozen enough if it were any warmer, and trust me, you want the ice to be as frozen as possible when skating.”
“Why is that?”
“‘Cause if it isn't frozen enough, it isn't solid enough, and if it isn't solid enough, it'll crack under your weight and you'll fall into freezing water. And probably get hypothermia. Which isn't fun.” Fitz never noticed how much Dex used his hands to talk, the knife shoes swinging around make it a lot more obvio- wait. Hypothermia?
“Hypothermia?”
“Do you not know what hypothermia is?” He made a face that Fitz thought was quite rude.
“No! No, I mean I know what hypothermia is, you just said it like it happened to you before!”
“Oh, yeah. Just a little.”
“Just a little?”
“Yeah, just a little,” he shrugged.
“Should I be worried about that?” Fitz probably would, no matter what Dex's response was.
“No. It'll be cold enough outside. And we'll have frosters on standby to keep it frozen. If you're worried about being cold, you can just put on a jacket, dummy. Or regulate your temperature.” Which was real dandy, given the fact that that was probably one of Fitz's weakest skills.
“I'm not very good at that.”
“I can help you, if you want,” that brought forth a myriad of images and ideas that Fitz really didn't know how he felt about.
“Okay. That sounds nice.”
Dex smiled, then grinned and did a little excited wiggle dance, “ooh, this is gonna be so fun! Okay- people usually fall a lot when they first start out on it, but I can help you! So you shouldn't get all that many bruises,” He set the skates down and shuffled across the room.
“I have no idea what I just signed up for, do I?”
“You signed up for the coolest version of sock sliding ever ! Here, let me...” he opened a closet, clearly looking for… something.
Fitz got up, “What are you looking for?”
“A jacket! Or coat. Y'know, something that'll keep you warm.” Dex sat down because only he would have clothes on the floor of a closet .
“Why not a cape?” Fitz leaned over to try and help look.
“Because most capes are too long and get caught in the skates or slow you down. You know parachutes?” He glanced back at Fitz and waited for him to nod. “Capes have that effect when you try to go fast. And if you wanna do a turn, or spin on the ice? Ha! You fool! Cape in the face.”
“How fun.”
“Yeah, I know. Here,” Dex threw something behind him, right into Fitz's face, “I stole that from my dad a few years back and never returned it. It should probably fit you.”
Fitz held it out to examine it, “Why, thank you! So kind to me.”
Dex grinned up at Fitz, “Of course! It's the only way I get my wonderful ripplepuffs with superior flavors.”
“Orange and mint are not good together, your taste buds are so broken.”
“And yet you still make them for me.”
“Only because you'd explode me if I didn't!”
“I'm not even an inflictor! Oh, you're gonna want to tuck your tunic into your pants first,” he pointed out.
“What? Why?”
“The cold will get under it, even with the jacket.”
“Why is the weather here so much meaner than where I live?” Fitz pouted, doing as Dex said.
“Because your parents picked probably the most temperate climate in the world to live in, whilst mine are tough enough for the cold.”
“Ugh.” Fitz rolled his eyes, finally putting the coat on.
“It has a hood.”
“What?” Fitz turned around, “where?”
“On the neckline, wonderboy, where else?” said the sassy little shit.
“Hmph,” he felt around to try and find it, "ah, it seems to have gone inside the coat when I put it on.”
“How rude of it.” Dex got up and behind Fitz to fish the hood out, which he could've done on his own, thank you.
“There.” Dex moved back around to face Fitz and flipped the hood over Fitz's head “now you can keep your little brain warm.”
“Who says it's little?”
“Lovise, when she told me you were on the complete other side of the house when she found you.”
Fitz gasped, “that snitching traitor!”
“Well, she brought you to me at least.” That teasing grin was back again, for the sole purpose of making Fitz feel like mush.
“Yeah…” He said, smiling like the idiotic mushy person he was.
Dex got a weird look on his face for a long minute before doing what could only be described as skittering out of Fitz's bubble.
“I'm- uh- gonna put on my jacket now too, because I too wish to not be cold. So-” he did one of those cute, awkward walk-runs back into the closet. He must've been embarrassed about the run, because his ears looked a little red. He was cute. Maybe, since it was going to be so cold, Fitz could possibly get away with a long hug or two. For warmth, of course.
When Dex was all set, Fitz got dragged back down the stairs again. Stupid stairs. At least he had a hand to hold this time.
They passed the kitchen on the way out, and it smelled good in there. Like, really good. Someone must've been making some kind of dessert. Cinnamon-y. Tragically, he couldn't appreciate it, because someone was all ‘go go go!’, right back into the cold.
Dex stopped them a little ways from the frozen lake. From there, Fitz could make out the triplets gliding around on the ice. They looked so graceful, it was hard to believe they were the same loud, off-putting kids from before, when they were cutting through the air so seamlessly.
He wondered if Dex was that good.
“Alright-” Dex started.
“Hey-” Fitz began- at the same time. Agh.
Dex laughed and nodded toward Fitz, “guest has the first move.”
“I was just wondering- I know which one Bex is,” he pointed over to the triplets, “because you were yelling at her earlier. But I'm still not sure… which boy is which.”
“Oh, well- Rex's hair is curlier than Lex’s. He's also more freckle-y.” He squinted at where the three started to chase each other around, “Lex is also the only one wearing blue right now.”
“That's a much easier difference to tell than hair texture,” Fitz smiled.
Dex threw his hands up, “I thought you meant in general! You should know in general! What if they actually interrogated you, and you couldn't tell which was which? They'd vaporize you, Wonderboy.”
“I'd simply dodge it.”
“You'd dodge the vaporization process?”
“Yes.”
Dex huffed, “Sit down, idiot, you need to put your skates on.”
Fitz looked around the clearing, “Where?”
“The ground?”
“But it's covered in snow!”
“So is everything else,” he spread his arms wide, showing off the wide expanse of white surrounding them.
“…Touche.” Fitz conceded and sat down, immediately feeling the pain and cold and misery of a snowy butt.
Dex sat down next to him and snickered. “Your face looks so dumb right now.”
Fitz turned to pout at him, but it only made him laugh more, so he decided to just get to work on putting on the stupid knives.
It was like trying on Biana’s high heels. He could already feel how difficult balance was going to be. He felt it in his cold bones.
“So, how safe is it?” He asked Dex, “What with the knives attached to your shoes?”
Dex laughed, “Knives? They're blades more than anything,” He tightened his own laces, “But it's fairly safe, once you know how to move on it. It's just about as dangerous as any other sport.”
Fitz hummed, “Okay. and balance?”
Dex scrunched his face up the way he does when he's thinking, “Balance is… hard to explain. Just do what I tell you when we get on the ice, yeah?”
“Okay. My life is in your hands,” he added, for the purpose of possibly seeing those stupid little face dents people call dimples. He succeeded, of course.
Dex nudged his foot, “you need to tie them tighter than that.”
“Ugh,” Fitz flopped his head down onto his knees.
Dex laughed, and Fitz could hear his shuffle in front of him. “Here, let me help,” He said. Fitz looked up just in time for Dex to suffocate his poor left foot.
“Ow! Hey, can't it be a little looser?” He grumbled.
“Not really, no. You want them to be as tight as possible when you're skating, or else you could get hurt.”
Fitz hummed in response, putting his head back down on his knees.
“Besides,” Dex continued, “it's easier if they feel like your actual feet are what's gliding on the ice. Better control that way.”
He fell silent, focusing on pulling the laces tighter around Fitz's foot. He was cute when he was focused on something. His tongue stuck out a little and he always got a bit frowny. Fitz just stared down at him, working. It made him feel weird. Like an upset stomach, but good. Which was an odd description. He didn't like it either way, no matter how good it felt.
“So you're certain that this is safe?” he asked again, because he just loved being redundant.
“Totally,” Dex responded, thankfully ignoring Fitz's stupidity, “I only broke my leg once.” He tied off the laces.
“You what?”
“Joking! It was twisted. C'mon get up, it's ice time!” He patted Fitz's knee and pushed himself to his feet.
“You're really not helping!” Fitz called after him. Dex didn't listen, of course, and simply stuck out his tongue at him. Rude.
Grumbling, Fitz tried to stand. But apparently it's very difficult to balance on knives, especially when they're strapped to your feet. Who would've thought? So, of course, he fell. Face first. into the cold, wet, snow.
Over the sound of his own mortification, he heard what sounded like the dying screams of some unholy child of a banshee and a donkey. He shifted, trying to see where the noise was coming from, and saw Dex keeling over himself, laughing, apparently.
By some miracle he managed to belatedly get out “don't fall! You'll break your pretty face!”
Watching Dex, Fitz was afraid it was too late for that, in every sense of the word.
All he could do from his new position was look up at him as he laughed the ugliest laugh ever heard in the history of the world, and wonder how it was more beautiful than chimes and birdsong in the wind.
He wondered how his crinkled eyes, scrunched nose, and wrinkly little dimples could possibly make Fitz's brain fall apart so easily, when he'd ought to have gotten used to it by now.
Fitz wondered why the sun itself decided to torture him, wreathing Dex's ugly hunched over figure in its golden rays, as if he was destined by the stars themselves to be the death of Fitz.
Why, as Dex composed himself, he just couldn't get over how stupid the world was to overlook this perfectly flawed boy standing before him, holding out a hand to help him up.
Fitz took it, of course, because while he may have been down bad as all fuck, he didn't want to be physically down. And in a bad way.
Pulling himself up was a different matter though. Knives? Not all that good for traction, as Fitz was finding out. Needless to say, it was all scrambling. Even with Dex's help- which wasn't much, given the fact that he still couldn't compose himself entirely- Fitz just could not stand right.
He could hear the evil exile children on the ice laughing at him.
“Fitz!” Dex was still giggling, but he finally got a good grip on his arms. “Did you hear any of what I just said?”
Fitz huffed, “ No . I kind of clocked out after the first minute of you laughing mercilessly at the grave injury I've just acquired,”
“You fell, wonderboy,” he was clearly still holding back laughter, the traitor.
“My pride and dignity need to get amputated from all the damage they've suffered.”
“Maybe your ego should get amputated too.”
He widened his eyes. “But then I'd be so sad!”
Dex hummed, “y'know what'll really make you sad?”
“What?”
He leaned closer. “if I let go of you right now, and let you fall again.”
Fitz gasped, “You wouldn't.”
“Oh I would ,” he whispered, with that evil glint in his eye that always made Fitz's heart leap. out of fear, or something else.
He prodded Fitz’s leg with his foot, “Now fix your feet or you will fall when I let go.”
Fitz scoffed and shook his flustery thoughts away, “how do I fix my feet ?”
“By putting them at the right angle! Like mine,” he kicked one out in demonstration.
Fitz squinted at Dex's feet and tried to copy them. “I feel like a penguin,” he mumbled.
“Penguins are cute!” Oh? “Unlike you.” Aw.
“So mean to me. for no reason!”
“I have plenty of reasons!” He lied , “Are you stable now?”
“Good question, mentally or physically?”
Dex hummed, “I'd say physically, since that's what we're here for.”
Fitz tried to focus on the way he was balancing, and measure it against his normal standing levels of balance. “Then it's probably a yes. I think.”
“So you'd be okay if I let go?”
What if I don't want you to? “do it for a second to check,” he said. Dex let go. Fitz didn't fall immediately, which he was only a little happy about. “Yep!” His smile didn't feel very natural, saying it.
Dex didn't notice, thankfully. “Sweet! Okay… I think we're all ready then!” What.
“What?” That couldn't be it, sure he was pretty balanced, but-
“Skate time!”
He needed more time before skate time! “Uh, Dex?”
Dex didn't hear him, nor did he let go of Fitz’s hand while he just about dragged him over to the frozen lake.
“ Dex .” Fitz was going to fall if Dex didn't slow down.
They were almost to the ice and Fitz was so not prepared.
He pulled Dex back, “Dex!” He finally stopped, and turned, and looked straight at Fitz, into his soul with those searching eyes. “I'm still not entirely sure about this.”
He tilted his head, “Do you not want to skate?”
“Well- kind of? It's-” words are so dumb, “I want to, I just-”
“Fitz is a WEENIE!” shouted Lex, because he was an eavesdropping jerk.
“ You're a weenie!” Bex shouted back, becoming Fitz’s new favourite.
“Your mom's a weenie!” shouted Rex, butting in as well.
Fitz heard gasps that could swallow bugs from the other two.
“…I didn't mean that.”
“MOMMM!”
“No!”
They ran off as Dex hid his face in his hands. “Please just ignore them,” came the muffled sound of his voice.
It was truly a crime to hide such a face, so Fitz did his best to pry Dex’s hands off. It… didn't quite work.
“Hey, it's fine. they're right anyway,” It came out a bit softer than he had intended, especially with him practically holding Dex's hands, but what was done was done.
Dex huffed, but he finally looked up, “is that it then?”
Fitz frowned, “is what it?”
“Are you scared?”
“Of skating?”
“Yeah.”
He thought for a moment. “I'm not. I'm not scared of skating. Or the knife shoes. And I trust what you said about the improbability of the ice cracking.”
“So…what?” Dex prodded, "Are you scared of falling?”
“In a way, maybe.” Fitz looked into Dex's eyes and, call him a sap, but it made it feel like more than just skating. “I think I'm mostly just scared of making a fool of myself.”
“You won't,” Dex squeezed Fitz's hand, and hahaaa he actually forgot about the whole hand thing- so his face felt a little hot now.
He tried to focus, “I will,” he swallowed. “I will, if I fall when literally everyone else is just gliding on by.”
Dex just hummed. “Well then, if you fall I'll do my best to catch you with my little twig arms.” He held them out, “and then I'd probably go down too, so you wouldn't be alone there!” and stars Fitz wanted to kiss that stupid little smile off his face.
“Okay.”
He reeled at the way Dex lit up at only that, “okay? Is that an ‘okay I acknowledge that your arms are too twiggy for the both of us’ okay, or an ‘okay I'm ready to do this thing’ okay?”
Fitz smiled, “well both, but mostly ‘ready to try this thing,’ okay.”
He swore Dex's smile was wider and brighter than the whole sun, “Think you're up to scooting over onto the ice then?”
“Yes. I trust you.”
“Perfect. and I'll do my best to keep you steady.” he changed their hands so that he was holding Fitz's wrists.
“Alright,” Fitz took a breath to calm his heart.
“I'll start moving us now, if that's okay.” Fitz nodded and Dex slowly shuffled backwards, dragging Fitz along by the hands, until they finally reached ice.
Even with Dex to hold onto, Fitz's feet almost slid right out from under himself. He had no idea how the triplets were so well balanced before, if this was what they were balanced on.
Dex tightened his grip on Fitz, “I got you. Don't worry,” he whispered like it was only for him. Which was a very stupid thing to get so giddy about, because it literally was. Who else would be listening? Rex, getting snowballed to death? Lex or Bex, wielding said snow? the snow itself? no! they're either too far away, or lacking ears!
Dex just held him, and moved along. Fitz slowly adjusted himself so that Dex wasn't dragging all his weight. and then it started to feel almost like a dance, skating. It might've been the gliding, or it being with a partner, the proximity to said partner, or the fact that the partner was Dex. Whichever way, Fitz really liked it. Probably more so than he would've, skating alone.
He could hear the screams of the triplets pummeling each other to death- no, ‘snowball fighting’- from somewhere outside his vision, but he didn't care. He had his own world, and it was the world of Dex Dizznee and horrible balance.
Or at least he did , until one of the little shits hit him and made him wipeout.
There was squealing- he didn't know from whom- and then there was pain as his head hit the ice.
Dex was at his side in seconds, “Fitz! Are you okay?”
Fitz groaned. “I think I hit my head a bit hard there.” Then, he got an idea with his busted brain. “Come closer,” he mumbled, hand finding Dex's shoulder.
Dex leaned in, “Do you need something?”
Fitz couldn't keep himself from smiling. “Yes,” he decided, “I have a dying wish!” He pronounced.
Dex threw his hands up, “stars shining, you're fine!”
Fitz reached after him, “nonono come back!” He coughed weakly, trying to put the act back up.
Dex gave him a look, “what?”
“My dying wish, Dex.”
He rolled his eyes, “what is it?”
Fitz grinned, “ revenge. ”
Dex’s eyes widened and he looked back to where his siblings were standing around awkwardly.
“Is he okay?” Lex called.
Dex glanced back to where Fitz lay, before yelling back, “No. He's actually dying, and has a few parting words. Come closer.”
They scooted about an inch closer.
“More than that! The man's dying, how's he meant to project that far?”
The three came up to about ten feet away, which was the perfect distance.
Fitz began to speak, making his voice raspier than usual. “Tell my mother I love her. tell my cognate she was a great friend. Tell my father he was okay I guess, and tell my sister…” he coughed again, “Tell her… I went down swinging.” he threw the snowball he had gathered in his hand right at a screaming Bex’s face and shot to his feet.
“THIS MEANS WAR!” Rex yelled, lunging for the snow closest to him.
Then, it was everyone for themselves.
It started out with something resembling teams, with Dex and Fitz against the triplets. Fitz was a good thrower at least, even though he was slow to form the snowballs. Dex went on like a machine gun, taking the lot of them by himself whenever Fitz had to recollect snow.
It divulged into pure chaos eventually, though. He… may or may not have mistook Dex's bright hair for his brothers. And hit the back of his head. He didn't even try to hear Fitz out on his mistake! He just. Kept. Throwing. All the snowballs! All at him! All he could do was try to dodge them to the best of his ability and run .
The triplets followed him away, picking up where Dex left off. He barely got any chances to collect snow to throw back! The first moment he took a little extra time fumbling around, he was surrounded.
None of them would ever be his favourite ever again. If he had to choose, he’d choose that weird ugly yeti statue he saw down the hall when he got lost. At least the yeti wouldn't attack him, because its arms can't move!
“HAVE YOU DISCOVERED THE WONDERS OF SNOW YET, FITZ?” They were clearly having too much fun pummeling Fitz to death.
Fitz could see Dex finally catch up through the snow crashing around him. He took his sweet time assessing the situation of his friend, that he chose to spend his time with, being torn apart mercilessly by his siblings that were clearly very mean. Obviously he chose to help the one on the literal ground, but he definitely almost didn't.
“Oh so now you're back on my side!” he reserved the right to be a brat about it.
“You started it!” Dex yelled back, succeeding in driving his siblings away. Fitz distinctly heard one of them hiss, but he didn't know which. He just took the opportunity to get himself back together and back in the game.
It was like the beginning again, only the evil children had a target now. And that target was Fitz. He was very lucky to have Dex back, because they knew how to exploit a weak link, and Dex was the only thing standing in their way. If Fitz didn't know any better, he'd almost call it romantic.
Romantic or not, the fighting went on. There was no way Dex could take them all on his own for that long, no matter how it seemed. Fitz had a good throwing arm and put it to use, hitting shoulders and legs, throwing them off their rhythm. Dex was more vicious, clearly used to this. Fitz knew for sure Dex hit a face or two, but the fighting went on regardless.
That was, until Lex had something to say about it.
“Ow!” He held his face, “Pause! pause!” The fighting slowed to a stop. “Dex, I think you got me in the eye.”
Dex frowned and dropped his new snowball. “Let me see,” he said.
The stillness was a little disconcerting after the all-out war they'd just had. It felt like the eye of a hurricane, and they'd all just get more bloodthirsty after the timeout ended. Fitz could already see Bex eyeing him up, snowball still in hand.
Dex noticed too. “ Don't.” He shot her a look, walking past. “It's a pause game, don't be a jerk.”
She sighed and dropped the snow, which was quite relieving for Fitz.
Dex crouched down in front of his brother and cleared the snow off his face. “Ha, your face is all red where it hit you,” he said.
Lex punched Dex's knee, “is not!”
Dex hummed and hopped away some steps. “Maybe we should stop for awhile-”
“Awwww!”
“-Hey no, listen! I think dad was in the middle of making some cinnacreme when we came out, who wants to go in for some?”
There was a chorus of “ME”s, some much louder than others.
“Race you!” Bex shouted, before sprinting off.
The other two scuttled after her, yelling their complaints. Dex laughed at their antics and followed behind at a much slower pace that Fitz was very grateful for.
They'd gotten quite a while away from Rimshire itself, what with all the running and screaming, so it was a bit of a trek for the two walkers. Without all the excitement, Fitz could feel the cold seeping underneath his knee, and his hands? blocks of ice.
He tried to use the wonderful power of friction and breath to warm them up, but evidently they were very stubborn about it. Dex had glanced over a couple of times, and Fitz was slowly but surely dying, not only from the cold, but embarrassment as well.
Eventually, he spoke up, “gimme those.”
“Give you..?”
“Your hands.” he gestured at them.
Fitz complied, revelling in the warmth once his hands were fully enveloped. “Oh, that's nice,” he said.
“I know, that's the point.”
After that, they walked back in silence, their energy largely spent from the snowball fight. They both sighed in contentment when they got inside and the warm air hit their faces, Fitz slumped with the rest of his energy leaving his bones. Dex dragged them both to the kitchen ever so slowly, shedding jackets and socks along the way.
They turned the corner and saw the triplets… stars, Fitz didn't even want to know what they were doing with their drinks. Whatever it was, they were drinking their poor cinnacreme in the most terrifying way he’d ever seen anyone drink anything.They were sitting on the counter, too. Looking at Dex, it seemed like it was just another Tuesday for him. Go figure.
Dex put on a sickly sweet smile. “You saved some for our guest, didn't you three?”
Rex gasped, “What do you take us for, ruffians?”
“What's a ruffian?”
“I dunno, I heard it in a movie and it felt like it fit.” Rex shrugged at his brother.
“Dex, what's a ruffian?” Bex asked.
Dex scooted behind her to reach his and Fitz's mugs, “A person who acts rough. Also mean, and violent.” His voice softens as he hands Fitz his drink, “Here, Wonderboy.”
“Thank you.”
The look the triplets exchanged reminded Fitz of how Biana looked at him whenever Alvar used to go raving about his school crushes.
The two of them meandered over to the living room and made themselves comfortable on the couch. Dex stole the blanket hanging off the back and pulled it around himself. Fitz scooted closer to him and stole a section for himself too, leaning on Dex’s shoulder. That was nice. Fitz had a perfectly good excuse too, still being cold! How lovely.
Dex tensed slightly when he settled down, but he only started talking. “You getting cozy over there, Fitz?”
“Mhm. You’re warm- or at least the blanket is- I’m tired, and I don't really want to move any more. Someone’s gonna have to drag me home.”
Fitz felt, more than heard, Dex breathe out as he finally set his arm back down over Fitz's back, like the world's stupidest side hug. It made Fitz feel fuzzy inside.
“So… you have a good time?”
“Yeah. I'd say so.”
Fitz could hear the smile in Dex's voice as he responded with “cool.”