#dex & chowder friendship

[omgpoindexter]

more nurseydex fics!!!

i’ve been doing my duty properly and reading some different nurseydex fics on ao3 lately 🫡 i tried to find some that are more recent, however i inevitably found some that are older but slipped through the cracks for me.

here are some of the ones i came across that you need to read! i might make this a thing again if anyone is interested, im sure y’all have been much more on the ball with reading nurseydex fics than i have over the years but i do love reccing <3

suddenly this summer it’s clear by @dessertwaffles

The summer before senior year, Nursey and Dex become closer than ever.

Or, Nursey and Dex's developing relationship, as told through their text messages.

i was absolutely grinning the entire way through this. it’s a texting fic, with images rather than plain text (so clever!) but their personalities are so strong and their interactions are just perfect! and you know i love a texting fic

getting used to letting go by @jennybeantime

Dex was supposed to have a fancy job in some city upon graduation, but his plans changed once his uncle died and left the family home in Maine to him. Without immediate obligations of their own, Nursey, Chowder and Farmer follow Dex up there to help him clear it out and clean it up.

this fic is BEAUTIFUL. if you haven’t read it then please do yourself a favour and do it now. it captures certain feelings and emotions so effortlessly and i felt like i was in a little maine bubble living this story with them. i can’t believe i missed this one before, please please read!!

got the feeling you’re the right thing after all by @bisexualnursey

Two and a half years after he breaks up with Dex to go to grad school across the country, Nursey runs into him again when he visits New York for the holidays. What starts as them just rekindling their friendship quickly turns into a whole other thing: a 100% no-strings-attached friends with benefits arrangement while they’re in the same city.

Which is totally chill because Nursey is definitely over Dex. He swears. He’s going back to California soon anyway.

i seriously CANNOT BELIEVE i never read this before but i think i was in my inactive era when this was posted. it’s just so perfect!!! all the feelings and interactions with not only dex and nursey but all the other characters, friends and family, they all felt so real and i loved them so much. i’ll be rereading this a LOT! you should too!!

here i am (leaving you clues) by @averteddeyes

Will loves Nursey. Nursey loves Will. Will isn’t really quite sure how to deal with it.

(Alternatively: Will learns acceptance through poetry, hesitant communication, and brightly colored sticky notes.)

this is really gorgeously written. angst warning, because ouch!!! also poetry as a love language, like a really good selection of poetry, i really enjoyed it and how it weaves into the story. and the bittydex friendship is so important to me!!!

volta by @plusoultres

volta (n.) a turning point or point of change in a poem, most commonly a sonnet.

Or, five times a poem doesn’t reach its intended recipient, and one time it does; five drafts, and one work completed; five turning points, and one ending.

the second fic was inspired by this one, and thank goodness it was because this one totally slipped through the cracks and i’m so glad i read it. their banter is just brilliant and i love the variation in medium, and the poetry is beautiful! i could quote lines from this but im not going to. just. read it

things got weird (when we made out) by @andtimestoodstill

Nursey is being stupid about this. He knows he’s being stupid.

super fun and really cute, i love it when these two are just being idiots. great inclusion of the other teammates too. read it for this line alone: “[You’re doing] That thing where you forget to look like you hate Dex and just stare at him like some Victorian lady who just saw a hot dude for the first time.” because it made me laugh out loud

things that go bump in the night by @smashthatlikebitty

The first time it happens, Dex rolls over and flings so many obscenities in Nursey’s direction that even his Grandmother would have to sit down — and she cursed so much at Dex’s cousin’s wedding that the whole family has been banned from that church ever since.

Nursey just stills in the dark, one shoe off. A languid, infuriating presence. “Chill, man.”

essentially all the times nursey’s clumsy ass wakes dex up in the night. oh how i love pretending these two roomied their way into a relationship! this is so cute, smiled all the way through

some things take two people to build by @cricketnationrise

“You are the single most dramatic person I have ever met,” Dex mutters, trying valiantly to hide his grin.

Or, 5 times Dex wishes their relationship was real +1 time he doesn't have to

this was so fun, yet again i love them being idiots!!! these two in new york city is so important to me. and i for one would LOVE to read the work party 5+1 fic. just saying

#heavily considering doing more of these if anyone’s interested #also y’all are so good in this fandom it’s so INSPIRING ! #nurseydex #fic rec

[cornsobsessions]

It's the end of 2022 so here are my favorite fics that I read this year! These weren't all written in 2022, in fact many of them were not, but I did read all of them this year. 

They cover a wide range of ratings and topics so please read any of the writers tags and content warnings before reading. a * means you need to be logged in to ao3 to read. 

Anything in Italics is my thoughts.

1. consider the hairpin turn (do not choose sides yet) by jjcofeesa (@30samwiches) zimbits, holsom, shardo, pimms | 50k You are not in a car with a beautiful boy. You are in a car next to a beautiful boy. And in a car behind your ex. And in a car ahead of your best friend. If you're Jack Zimmermann, current World Driver's Champion, that is. If you're Eric Bittle, you're too nervous about your rookie season to be thinking about what the boys in the other cars look like. (You tell yourself you're too nervous, anyway. You do think about it.) If you're on Twitter, well. They're all beautiful boys, and you wish you could be in the car with them. I don't know when this became a comfort fic for me but I have read it several times now and it has been wonderful every single time

2. action painting, abstract in the making by unconventionalturtle (@watermelonmountaindew) zimbits | 35k A stolen painting. A forged painting. A mysterious blonde. That's how it all begins.Jack Zimmermann thinks he’s set himself up for a nice, simple life when he quits playing hockey and gets started on his degree. But for the grad student, and night shift security guard, the summer of 2015 seems to have other plans. A fun story about the gang and you get to learn about some cool paintings along the way!

3. Defining Expectations by cricketnationrise (@cricketnationrise) nurseydex | 32k When Will joins the team at Samwell Dictionary, he doesn't know what to expect about anything other than his job description. With the help of good friends (and good pie) he might just have a shot at defining his expectations.

4. Got Your Back Means I'll Get You Out by cricketnationrise (@cricketnationrise) bitty and shitty | 17k Bitty Comes Out. Shitty Comes To Get Him. heartbreaking, wholesome, and full of platonic love

5. getting used to letting go by jennycaakes nurseydex, farmer | 37k Dex was supposed to have a fancy job in some city upon graduation, but his plans changed once his uncle died and left the family home in Maine to him. Without immediate obligations of their own, Nursey, Chowder and Farmer follow Dex up there to help him clear it out and clean it up. The way this feels so true to life is insane

6. I Don't Know What I Would Do by specklesandflowers jack and shitty | 57k The adventures of first-year Shitty Knight and Jack Zimmermann and the beauty that is their friendship I love Jack and Shitty’s friendship so much and this was so fun to read

7. The Gay Favour by FightMeImSmall nurseydex | 43k “I need a favour.” Will said intensely to the group of people assembled before him. “Okay so last year my brothers were ragging me about going to a liberal arts college and just generally being dicks. Sibling stuff, and like, that was fine. But then Christopher was like ‘found yourself a boyfriend yet?’ like as a joke and I’d had it up to here with their shit and replied, ‘so what if I have?’ So now my family think I’m gay and expect me to bring a boyfriend to this big ole reunion. If I don’t bring one they’re just going to get worse.” His friends all blinked at him, surprise evident in each of their faces. “I’ll do it.” Nursey said slowly The OCs are amazing and it was just so fun to read

8. Breathe With No Air by bluflamingo parswoops | 25k After Jack kisses Bitty on the ice, Kent's attacked one night by drunk, homophobic hockey fans. He's got no memory of the attack, but that doesn't make it any less traumatic. Fortunately, he's got his friends to get him through, in more ways than one. Pain but its also so beautiful

9. got the feeling you're the right thing after all by bisexualnursey nurseydex | 74k Two and a half years after he breaks up with Dex to go to grad school across the country, Nursey runs into him again when he visits New York for the holidays. What starts as them just rekindling their friendship quickly turns into a whole other thing: a 100% no-strings-attached friends with benefits arrangement while they’re in the same city. Which is totally chill because Nursey is definitely over Dex. He swears. He’s going back to California soon anyway.

10. (simply having) a WTF christmas time by loud_as_lions * whiskeytango, wtf | 17k All the Ford siblings are home for the holidays. Denice’s brothers are more than a little surprised when their sister brings not one, but two men home for Christmas. Logically, they assume she’s dating one of them. Which one, though? Just so much love can be felt and the OCs are wonderful

11. write our names in the wet concrete by MyCupOfTea zimbits | 20k “Oh my God, has it? Been ten years already?” The Olympics are never without their fair share of drama, scandal, and movie worthy storylines. However, the 2018 Winter Olympics remains burned into the sports world’s memory especially bright. And the sports world, despite their somewhat recent retirement, includes Eric Bittle and Jack Zimmermann. I love the way this is written

12. I've been waiting for a lifetime, for a moment just like this. by pandabob parswoops | 25k It's Jeff's last Christmas hospital visit before he retires so Kent is determined to make sure that he visits everyone, little does he know that this visit will change their lives forever.Heart wrenching and beautiful

13. Your heart hurts, mine does too by the_p_in_raspberry zimbits | 19k Shitty had always thought that because of Samwell’s LGBTQ+ friendly rumor, if one of his teammates weren’t straight they would come out eventually, only waiting because they weren’t ready yet, but never waiting because they were scared. He could see now how his logic was flawed. heartbreaking and heartwarming, all at the same time

14. From the Ground Up by Rianne kent/omc | 167k Kent has a pretty good life. It’s been a couple years since the Aces last won a cup, but he’s still at the height of his career. He has an apartment with a stunning view over Vegas, a best friend who’s always dragging him to basketball games, a cat to cuddle with, and more money than he could ever spend. Everything is fine. So it won’t be a problem at all if he strikes up a friendship with that guy he meets at the All-Star party. ---- Tomas enjoyed the years he spent in Minnesota, but he’s ready for a new life in a different city. It means he’ll be even further from his friends and family in Quebec, and he’s not sure he’s going to adapt well to the desert. But he’ll have his new job to distract him, and he’s never minded the challenge of developing a new circle of friends and acquaintances. He doesn’t expect Kent Parson to be part of that.

15. mon pays by weneedtotalkaboutsherlock (@weneedtotalkaboutfic) zimbits, shardo, farmer, zimmerparents | 41k He didn't suggest they come to the cabin because he misses home, not really. At first, it was a senior thing between Shitty and him, one last weekend together before their final semester at Samwell, before graduation, before their lives inevitably change and diverge in ways Jack doesn't want to think about too much. Shitty suggested that Lardo and Bitty should tag along, and Jack agreed. Having them at the cabin… it was a good thought. He'd have them for his own, for a few days. But then, four became six, when Holster and Ransom heard about their plans, and cherry on top, the Frogs tagged along as well after that. So much for a quiet weekend between friends. snow filled shenanigans

16. four calling birds by wit (@parvuls) zimbits, shardo | 11k "You are now listening to Shits and Bits on Hub 98FM!" In which four radio hosts and one medical emergency result in Jack and Bitty co-hosting a show the night before Christmas Eve.

17. Friend Request by WrathoftheStag (@wrathofthestag) zimbits, shardo, nurseydex, fordtango | 26k When Eric Bittle was 18, he made out with 20-year-old hockey player, Jack Zimmermann, at an Olympic after-party. 25 years later, an unexpected friend request from Jack throws Eric for a loop. What’s a guy to do?

18. Time and Hearts by rickysims katyageorge, zimbits | 16k In 2002, a figure skater from Russia and a hockey player from Canada met at the Olympics. They fell in love. Jack and Bitty know that part. What they don’t know is what happened next and why Katya and George might not want to rekindle flame that went out 20 years ago.

19. Becoming Lardo by loud_as_lions * shardo | 9k Larissa was different with these boys than she was with anyone else. She had always thought that all the talk about finding yourself in college was bullshit, but these boys were making her wonder just how much of what she had previously believed might be changed by this place. An absolutely wonderful lardo character study

20. Like Our Own Private Island by imafriendlydalek * zimbits, shardo | 85kAfter Eric loses his spot on the SMH team and Lardo graduates, they're both left floundering with few options. So when the opportunity comes up to manage a cafe on a remote island in Quebec, it seems like as good a place as any to figure out their next steps in life. Even if it does mean he'll need to brush up on his French. The last thing Eric expects to find in a place like this, reachable only by ship in the warmer months or tiny little tin-can airplanes, is a town full of people who welcome them like family. Well, everyone except one: the enigmatic, irresistible Jacques Laurent.

21. Eric Bittle, NBC 10 by foryouandbits zimbits | 82k In 2009, Jack Zimmermann was drafted 2nd overall to the Providence Falconers. After a tumultuous first season in the minors, Jack returns to the NHL and is named captain within a year. Known to the media as the "hockey robot," no one seems to be able to break through the polite barrier that Jack has built — no one until Eric Bittle, newest intern at NBC 10. Bitty, interning as a requirement for his journalism degree at nearby Samwell University, forms an instant connection with Jack. Throughout the rest of the season, and the rest of Bitty's junior year at Samwell, the two grow closer while learning how to both trust each other and succeed in their respective careers. A fun alternate meeting AU

22. thinking outrageously (I write in cursive) by bumblegremlin (@bittysthesis) pimms, zimbits | 15k Jack was glad Bitty wanted a long engagement. It gave him time to address the very large, very pressing issue at hand. Eric Bittle was Jack Zimmermann’s fiancé. Kent Parson was Jack Zimmermann’s husband. A fun and funny fic in which Kent is a little shit and so is Jack

I read so many awesome fics this year and like last year making this list was very difficult! I can't wait to see what all you write in the future (or have written in the past) that I will get to read!

#i read a lot of fics over 10k this year sorry not sorry #i am not lying when i say narrowing this list down is so hard #my 'short' list is over 60 fics long and i read many many more #i hope you all enjoy and i can't wait to read more! #fic recs #best of 2022 #omgcp #check please #omgcheckplease

[petedavidsonscock]

wrote nurseydex for the first time in a bit. this one's not as fun as usual but if you're in the mood for some angst and melodrama you are in LUCK. contains alcohol vomiting & mention of a p*n*s so this one is below the cut.

"Oh," Dex had said, "this is Sam. We're sort of..."

"Seeing each other," Sam had supplied, and smiled at Dex, and Dex had smiled back, and Derek had smiled at both of them, all them delighted, happy, smiles stretching until they disfigured their mouths, grotesque clowns, pulling at lips and teeth; Derek was all hurting bloody mouth when Dex said, "We should go."

We meant Dex and Sam; who had appeared from God knew where; when had Dex had time to fish him up, out of the river and dress him in ugly suburban dad clothes and bring him to the library; they had only been back for two week, in school. Unless Sam was from before.

Derek did not want to believe that Sam was from before, that Sam was the "complicated" Dex had talked about, had cited. Sam was simple: five foot ten and tan. Dark-haired and on the pre-med track. Boring but good in bed. These were things that Zee told Derek, because he'd asked around, the general group, half-jokingly he thought he managed, if anyone knew a Sam on the soccer team.

So Dex and Sam had gone off to who-knew-where, to have boring sex trying to keep quiet from Sam's roommates, and Derek, who was popular, who knew things about art, whom people liked, ditched Chowder and went out. Out-out. Not kegster-at-a-frat-house out; out-out, to a cool club with a cool group to which William Poindexter would never be invited, except only as Derek's boyfriend. 

Derek kissed someone wearing a bright pink miniskirt so bright it left behind imprints on his eyelids, afterimages, pink and green swirling together in his cup, vodka like watermelon. In the bathroom, sometime later, there was a mouth around his dick and a hand on his thigh, and Derek panted until he came and then threw up into the toilet behind him. The whole time he was vomiting he kept imagining Dex there, rubbing his back, stroking his hair, saying You're fine, everything's fine; calling him baby.

Ayesha found him near the bathroom crying. They took him back to their apartment even though it meant he was ruining their night. Derek didn't want to ruin their night. Derek didn't want to ruin anything. Dex had ruined everything, the friendship they had slowly built and whatever they were standing on the edge of that was more than that, a dizzying precipice, a cliff, wind blowing warnings, except that Derek had been willing, had jumped in fact, and reached for Dex on the way down only to crane his neck and see him still on solid ground, on rock, turning away. 

I wish he'd look at me, Derek concluded, falling, and Ayesha said I know, I'm sorry, which was a lie, how could they know, but he cried into them anyway until he fell asleep.

The next morning there was a hickey on his collarbone, or a bruise, he didn't know; walked to the Haus in gray pre-sunlight, world fresh but not any cleaner than it was the night before. He stopped on the front yard to muss his hair a little more, shift his shirt so the discoloration showed, bit his bottom lip a few times, hard. But Dex didn't show the whole time Derek was eating eggs, fielding questions about his night, drinking coffee he didn't like, and finally when the kitchen cleared Derek put away the last dish and went up to his room and sat and sat and wished things could have been different.

~~~

thanks for reading! as ever i appreciate kudos & comments over on ao3 as well if you are so inclined.

#nurseydex #omgcp #my check please thoughts #derek nurse

[ohyoufool]

Gotta go with my 2 numba ones for the ship bingo

Polyfarms, and Bittydex

(these frogs have corroded my brain beyond repair)

ATLAS YOU BROUGHT US OVER THE LINE!!!!!! @atlasthemayor

MOTHERFUCKING BINGOOOOOO

Polyfrogs for the win -- going in "so fluffy" because most of the content I see is like. they are teammates. they are besties. they're all in love. chowder is a little clueless. they know how to take care of each other like an intrinsic skill. SCREAMS.

As for BittyDex. OHOHO. I put "I like their friendship" BUT I have more complicated thoughts because I sooooo feel like Dex came in and had a gay crisis because of Bitty. ESPECIALLY senior year Bitty. Dex was gay about it, that's all I'm saying. However with that I do think it's very unrequited and also Dex would never say anything.

#BINGOOOOOOOOOOOO #omgcp #I speak

[vitaliskravtsov]

HI hello I would like a lil moment of Frog friendship since i guessed all the goalies <3

HI HELLO IM SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG BUT HERE YOU ARE!!!!!!! FROG FRIENDSHIP, FT RANDOM EARLY MODERN POETRY AND ICE CREAM RUNS AND CUDDLES

under the cut to not clog folks's dashes!

i hope you enjoy!!!

Chowder doesn't make a habit of getting home late, exactly, because he knows that he'll never hear the end of it.

He's making an exception for Dex, because Dex is pretty much always his exception.

They're getting ice cream together at a place about 15 minutes out of town that Dex loves and refuses to admit he loves, Chowder's treat. Superficially, it's because the Bruins beat the Sharks. Practically, it's because Dex's Chem 102 class has been eating his brain alive, and the aggression he hasn't spent on hockey is being poured into fixing every single inch of wiring in the basement of the Haus.

Dex gets some kind of a concoction of a nut mix-in and then a chocolate base with a fruit topping that Chowder doesn't actually understand the flavor profile of, but dutifully dips his spoon into when Dex offers. It actually tastes pretty good even if Chowder can't get why it does. He offers his in kind to Dex, who takes a taste and promptly declares that it's okay, but his is better.

They get a basket of cheese fries, too, because stopping a 'grocery run' to get ice cream means that, actually, they should've probably gotten groceries anyway, even if it was a made up excuse to get ice cream without being subject to Jack's interrogation. Cheese fries is probably a fine dinner, after the day Dex has had.

On the way out, Dex stops and orders a bright pink monstrosity with rainbow sprinkles and Twix on top of it, all in a cup with a lid.

"Nursey," he mumbles at Chowder's questioning look.

"That's-"

"I know," Dex sighs.

They make it back to the Haus mostly on time, and Chowder breathes a sigh of relief. No 'sleep payback' shots tomorrow at practice.

Slowly, Dex trudges up the stairs to his and Nursey's room, and Chowder follows. Dex knocks gently, and then pushes the door open.

Nursey is laying on the floor, mostly hidden under a quilt.

"I've got ice cream," Dex says, "but you can't have it under that quilt because you'll get it dirty."

"You're a dream," Nursey slurs. "Yet I thought thee an angel..."

"Donne?" posits Chowder.

"Mhm," Nursey says. "Does it have the Chiclets in it?"

"Eat your poison dessert," Dex tells him, which is as good as a yes.

"Not poison," Nursey mumbles back, but springs up from the floor a second later. He takes the proffered spoon and bowl, and bites in. "I love you, Dexy."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Dex and Chowder chime.

"Et tu, Chris?"

"Early modern that bad?"

"I'd rather be in chem."

"No," Dex says, "you wouldn't."

"You can cheat in chem," Nursey answers, and Chowder can see the moment that Dex goes absolutely incandescent.

Chowder also sees the moment he takes a deep breath.

"Do your own damn work, Nurse."

Nursey hums non-committally, and then dives back into his ice cream.

"Chowder," he announces suddenly through a mouthful of Chiclets. "Stay. We have a shark."

"Sure," Chowder tells him, watching Dex fold himself onto his bed in a kind of pretzel shape, tucked in beside the chem book.

"Cuddle pile," Nursey adds, and Chowder nods. Cuddle piles are exactly what he expected, and kind of what he needs tonight, too.

Dex presses a shark-shaped plushie to Chowder's chest and forcibly folds his arms around it while holding his book open with his leg pressed against the pages. Nursey sets his empty ice cream cup (Chowder tries not to think about how much sugar that was in such a short time) and hauls Chowder into his side.

"Ditch the book, Dexy-Sexy," Nursey mumbles around Chowder's shoulder. "Cuddle."

"Fuck you," Dex says. "That doesn't even work."

A second later, the book snaps closed and his arms come up around Chowder's shoulders, sandwiching Chowder between Nursey's chest and Dex's.

"Frogpile," Chowder says after a moment, and he feels more than hears the laughter of his best friends.

"Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss," Nursey whispers into Chowder's ear, air brushing right over the shell of it. He tucks his face into Chowder's neck, lips pressed soft against Chowder's skin, nothing to it more than Nursey's need to hold and be held.

"Marlowe?" Dex prompts from Chowder's other side, but Nursey is breathing like he does as he's just fallen into the edge of sleep, where nothing but yelling and chaos will wake him because Nursey sleeps like a log.

"Nah," Chowder answers. "Lavoisier, for sure."

"Shut up, man," Dex says, jostling Chowder's shoulder gently.

"Love you too."

"Mhm."

Dex starts drawing slow patterns on Chowder's arm, hexagon on hexagon, tied together with single and double and triple lines, and it lulls Chowder into something shallowly between 'sleepy' and 'just super relaxed'. He lets himself fall into it, floating off into sleep to the sound of Nursey's snuffles and the feeling of Dex's study formulae.

Dex falls asleep last, watching the last of the tension drain out of Chowder's arms, wrapped around the hammerhead plushie he'd sewn last week. He matches Nursey's breathing, rests his chin on Chowder's head, lets his best friends take his weight, rests what he's been holding alone on them, lets down some of the load, and sleeps.

#omgcp #omgcheckplease #*mine #dex #chowder #nursey #derek nurse #william poindexter #chris chow #frogs

[cricketnationrise]

Ooh this sounds fun!

How about:

-Dex

-October 31st

-Chowder's room at the Haus

have some wholesome Frogs because I know how much you love them <3

_X_ _X_ _X_

Chowder's Room, Oct. 31

Dex is sick. His nose is somehow stuffy and runny at the same time. His throat is sore. His headache feels like a herd of wildebeests are jackhammering continuously. 

Plus he’s lonely. 

He’s been sequestered down in the basement since his coughing fit in the living room two days ago; the rest of the Haus taking turns to leave snacks and fluids outside the bungalow. It’s very sweet of them, but he misses his friends, the camaraderie that’s inherent in the shared spaces. Dex is the captain, he should be in the thick of things, fostering the cohesion of the team on and off the ice.

Knock knock.

Dex spends two seconds debating getting up to answer the door before flopping back into his bedding.

“Come in,” he rasps out.

“Hey Dex,” Chowder peeks his head in with a smile. “How’re you feeling?”

“Still like shit,” he says. “Glad to see you, though.”

“The Haus isn’t the same without you, for sure,” says Chowder. “Me n’ Nursey were gonna watch some Halloween stuff in my room, if you’re feeling up to relocating for the night.”

“I’d probably need a little help, but aren’t you guys worried you’ll get sick too?”

“Nah, we were both sick last week, remember? We probably gave it to you in the first place, honestly.”

“Well—”

“C’mon Dex, if nothing else you’ll be warmer. You’ve done a lot of work down here but it’s still a fucking basement.”

He sighs. “Alright, help me up.”

Chowder helps him out of bed and then bustles around, gathering up blankets and forcing him to rest in the kitchen while he grabs a fresh Gatorade and makes toast. When they make it up the stairs to Chowder’s room, Nursey is already there, fluffing pillows and making sure tissues are within easy reach. The string lights are on, covering the room in a warm glow, and fuck, Dex could cry.

“You guys,” he chokes out.

“Chill, Dex, we weren’t going to let you spend your favorite holiday alone. Plus we missed you,” Nursey says easily, powering up the projector that Dex had installed for Chowder over the summer.

“Just sit down and bask in the friendship, Dex,” Chowder nudges him toward the bed as he speaks.

Dex is too sick to put up much protest at the coddling, and goes, flopping down in relief. Even the rest in the kitchen wasn’t enough to offset the sheer exhaustion clinging to his frame. He manages to wriggle into the center of the bed and get comfy before he lets his eyes slip closed while Chowder and Nursey finish setting up.

“What about it, Dex, opinions?” comes Chowder’s voice, startling him out of the half-sleep he’d been drifting in.

“Opinions on what?”

“What we’re watching, Dexy – scary or fun?”

“Fun. Too tired for scary,” he mumbles.

“Then fun you shall have. Drink this,” Nursey adds, shoving the Gatorade at him. It has a straw. Dex stares at it for a bit, lost in the overwhelming sense of belonging that it triggers.

The other two clamber onto the bed, pinning him in place from either side, and get themselves cozy.

“Ready?” Nursey asks the others, poised with the remote.

“Ayuh.”

“Born ready,” confirms Chowder.

“Chill.” Nursey grins and hits play.

Dex looks at the wall, pleasantly surprised when Bette Midler’s name comes up. He hums in delight – he hasn’t seen Hocus Pocus in years.

“Thanks, guys,” he whispers. It’s not enough words to encompass how grateful he is for them, for their friendship, for their care – but it's what he can manage right now.

“Course, Dex,” says Chowder.

“Got your back,” Nursey says.

Dex smiles, sips his Gatorade, and lets himself get lost in the sweeping overhead shots of the beginning of the movie. He’d rather not be sick, obviously, but surrounded by his two best friends, watching an awesome movie is pretty much exactly where he wants to be.

_X_ _X_ _X_

Want your own ficlet? Details here!

#cricket writes #ficlet fest #chowder #nursey #dex #my maine man #Frog Bonding #date stamp fic #omgcp #check please #atlasthemayor #the haus #bonus location Dex's basement bungalow

[the-lincyclopedia]

Written for the last day of OMGCP Friendship Week 2021, organized by @birlcholtz, for the prompt “saving the day.” 

Summary: Three times members of SMH rescue each other from the people, places, or things that raised them. 

Friendships: Jack & Shitty, Dex & Chowder, Whiskey & Tango

TW for borderline self-harm, panic attacks, religious angst, and generally bad parenting.

#mine #my writing #omgcp #omgcheckplease #omgcpfriendshipweek #check please #jack zimmermann #shitty knight #dex #william poindexter #chris chow #christopher chow #chowder #connor whisk #tony tangredi #tango #friendship #religion #anxiety

[uncleshits]

yall ever think about how Dex and Chowder grew up on opposite coasts, 3,400 miles between them, literally almost as far apart as physically possible while still living in the continental states, AND YET they still met and became best friends 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

#because I am thinking about it #i am emotional #god like the chances of them meeting were so slim!!!!!!! #thinking about unlikely friendships because of distance or differences #be in the right place and meet one of your best friends 🥺🥺🥺🥺 #happening to meet the right person at the right time #omgcp #dex #chowder #sharky

[likeshipsonthesea]

ugh, i forget sometimes how much i freak LOVE your dex. UGH. whatever, don't mind me, i've just been rereading your fic all day, no big deal, don't pay any attention to the man behind the contain, as it were… - hopeful bittydex anon

thank you!!! i spent years developing my own hc of dex and projecting my own issues onto him lol so i'm glad people like him!!

i honestly haven't looked at my check please! stuff in a while--it's been hard being creative recently and i've found other fandoms that have held my interest at the moment. i will always love dex, check please, and the world ngozi created that i got to play around in, and of course all the wonderful people i met through it all.

i have some things i still want to explore in check, please!--frogs senior year fic, some post-college fic ideas, some aus--but i don't know how those are gonna shake out. if i do ever finish anything i think others will enjoy, i will definitely post it though!

and there ARE some bittydex wips in my folder that interest me more now than they did when i wrote them--critical role has turned me into a chronic multishipper and i adore it :))

#eb rambles #i just love the idea of bitty and dex having a thing in like #bitty's softie year/dex's frog year #and like it's not like the dex whiskey fic #where it's purely friendship with sex #bc lbr dex is a lil in love w bitty #(and jack and ransom and chowder and...) #and i really love the idea of bitty thinking dex is High Key in the closet #at first #but dex being quietly romantic #and fixing up betsy and helping make the haus into a home for bitty #and the rest of the team ofc #and bitty being a lil bit in love with dex by the end of it too #(and in love w jack ofc but the whole thing with dex complicates it even MORE #and UGH *chef's kiss* the drama i love it #ugh now i wanna write bittydex and i have No Time #see what you did anon??? #rude #://

[omgpoindexter]

any nurseydex fics on ur mind lately? I find myself thinking about them more lately but seem to have read everything for them!

to be honest i’ve not been reading too many new fics lately, i’ve mainly been writing. hopefully some of my own fics will be out there and on your mind early next year!

but here’s some from the amazing folks on this here site that stay on my mind. most of them aren’t new, i’m not very good at keeping up to date, but hopefully there’s something new for you here that you’ll love!

under the cut because this got long <3

a comprehensive guide to not talking about it by @alocalband

Nursey tried to kiss him.

Derek Nurse tried to kiss him.

The more Dex thinks about it, the more absolutely ridiculous it sounds.

one of my favourite fics of all time. just perfect. read anything by them actually, they’re all brilliant! this one though, i revisit it so often i could recite it by now.

to be alone with you also by alocalband

Will and Derek spend their junior year learning how to live together, learning how to be friends, and, eventually, figuring out that they'd like to be more.

im not going to list all of their fics (even though i could) but this one needs listing. always on my mind.

marie, hold on tight (and down we went) by @petedavidsonscock

Nursey says, “I’m melancholic as fuck right now, bros.”

Chowder opens his mouth to prompt him to continue, but Dex elbows him and mutters, “Don’t encourage him.”

short but so, so sweet. they’re best friends!!! also poor chowder. his endless over it-ness is one of my favourite nurseydex tropes

counting stars (what we could be) also by petedavidsonscock

Nursey has spent the last four years pretending to believe in astrology to annoy Dex. But with graduation coming up, the bit has to come to an end. Luckily, Dex is probably going to take the news in a really chill, normal, casual way.

this made me laugh out loud. nursey would totally do this and it would absolutely play out in this exact way. hilarious

in front of the same bathroom mirror by @geniusorinsanity

It's not surprising that sharing a room changes things, but neither of them expect the most important conversations in their strange, awkward friendship to happen in their shared bathroom.

(Or: five conversations Dex and Nursey have in a shared bathroom, and one in bed.)

UGH! just something about nursey and dex learning to live alongside each other and talking about the important things and being BEST FRIENDS. and kissing. obviously. this is another fic i reread every month or so

too much (extra) by @denois / @sexydexynurse

Dex nodded, not moving his gaze from the path in front of them. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, I've got your back."

Snorting, Nursey's mouth let out the first words he thought without his permission. "Not much you can do unless you're going to date me."

i was smiling all the way through this and so i think more people need to read it. it’s super cute. dex wooing nursey is honestly one of my fave things because he deserves it!!!!

kiss my chapped lips and call me yours by @omgdexnursey

Dex prefers things that are easy, simple, and straightforward.

Nursey is none of those things.

angst warning, but also CUTE WARNING. this is a really sweet story. because nursey is SO MUCH and dex doesn’t get it until he does. but them learning to take care of each other and being soft… i need a minute

i’m sinking fast (it’s alright)

Dex blinks up at the ceiling a few times, trying to reckon with himself and the constant loop of what are we doing what are we doing what are we doing spinning through his dehydrated brain.

When he turns his head, Nursey's already dozing off. Dex sighs, gazing back up at the ceiling, puzzled by the warm press of Nursey’s leg against his, the very insistence of them sharing a bed.

Friends don’t do this, he thinks.

the character development in this is just. i love it. the journey through the seasons, the passage of time… gorgeous

i’m a fire and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm by @jennybeantime

It's senior year and No, Dex is Not attracted to Nursey and No, he is Not going to do anything about it.

use a taylor song as your fic title and you’ve got me. obsessed with how soppy and cute this story is. obsessed with dex having absolutely zero self control. obsessed!!!!

can’t hide from you like i hide from myself by @andtimestoodstill

In which Dex has only applied to jobs in cities that Nursey has applied to grad schools in. They are Not Together.

oh gosh, their banter and interactions in this are so charming, chowder and the others included. even the arguing (there’s arguing!! angst warning!!!). i really enjoyed this, i never read much later fic but this is a great example. adorable

#edit added another good’un! #i hope at least one of these is new for you!!!!! #i need to get better at reading recent nurseydex fics i always just go back to my old faithfuls #new years resolution read more ! #nurseydex #answers #anon #omgcp #fic rec

[zimbittys]

i wanted to make a friendship bracelet so i picked some new colors up from the craft store bc i had a specific color scheme in mind that i thought would look cute

but it turns out i was just thinking of these three dummies bc i guess this webcomic has Very Truly taken over my Entire Brain

#check please #omgcp #chris chow #william poindexter #derek nurse #chowder #dex #nursey #this is truly some kind of energy #possibly even a new low #or is this a W on my part #bc theyre Best Friends #and i was making a friendship bracelet #either way this is lowkey so embarrassing but v funny ig

[potrix-the-queerschlaeger]

(You Are) Wanted

Part II | Part I | Tag

There’s a crash, and when Will glances up, Nursey’s standing in the kitchen doorway, mouth open, shards from a broken plate on the floor around his feet. “What the fuck, Dex?”

“Nursey!” Chowder gasps, looking scandalised. “Not in front of the baby!”

It’s a nice sentiment, and so very Chowder that Will can’t help but smile fondly, but it’s probably a lost cause, anyway. No matter where Will and the baby will end up living, pretty much his entire circle of friends consists of hockey players who regularly fund Bitty’s baking adventures with their swearing.

And Will really isn’t any better himself, either.

“I don’t think he understands just yet,” he points out, and turns a little when Chowder approaches so Chowder can see the baby’s blotchy red face. “He’s under a week old. All he does is sleep, cry, and shit himself.”

Yeah, so much for that. Oops.

“He’s so cute,” Chowder coos softly, and strokes a gentle finger over the baby’s hair. “Can I hold him?”

Will has no idea what his face is doing, but it must be telling. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Chowder—there are very few people he trusts more, in fact—but the thought of handing the baby over just doesn’t sit right with him, for some reason. It’s stupid, he’s aware of that, but he just—he doesn’t want to let him go. Not just yet.

[more under the cut]

“Maybe later,” Chowder says, easy as that, and smiles at Will’s apologetic look. He gives Will’s shoulder a supportive squeeze before stepping back. “It’s probably better that way, right? Like, he only stopped crying a second ago, I don’t want to upset him again.”

Will nudges his foot against Chowder’s, murmuring a quiet, relieved, “Thanks, C.”

Ransom, in the meantime, has apparently recovered from his initial shock, or enough so, at least, to say, “Congrats, man. Your kid’s adorable.”

“Must be the mom’s genes,” Holster teases, on automatic. Then he frowns, clearly not sure what’s off limits when it comes to the baby.

Will isn’t either, but the chirping is normal, familiar. And he can definitely do with some normality right about now.

Bitty’s mouth twists at the mention of the mother. Will shoots him a look he hopes is enough to convey that they’ll talk about it later, in private. He has zero desire to explain his fucked up family situation right now, and he is nowhere near ready to tell everyone why he isn't on speaking terms with them anymore.

“There isn't a mom,” Will says, and then, when Tango makes a confused noise and opens his mouth, he corrects, “There isn't one willing to be a part of his life. It’s just me.”

“That sucks, bro,” Holster says, and Ransom winces in sympathy. “Maybe she’ll come around?”

Will snorts. “Fat chance.”

It comes out hissed, more bitter than he intended, and makes everyone fall uncomfortably silent. Ransom and Holster turn towards each other, doing their weird eyebrow communication thing, probably trying to figure out all the things Will isn’t telling them, while Lardo watches Will intently, in that way that never fails to make Will feel like she knows more than she lets on. Chowder goes to help Nursey pick up the plate shards, with Bitty hovering close by, ready to jump in in case one of them—meaning Nursey—manages to hurt themselves.

Tango still has a somewhat perplexed expression on his face, but Will can never really tell when he actually has no idea what’s going on, and when it’s just his regular face. Or if he’s really just fucking with them all. Whiskey’s the one who makes an effort to actually meet Will’s eyes, one eyebrow raised in question. He’s the only one, apart from Bitty, who’s found out about Will, but they’ve so far had an unspoken agreement to not talk about running into each other in one of the close by gay bars on occasion. He jerks his chin minutely when Will shakes his head at him, before giving Tango a not so gentle push towards the door, muttering at him in rapid Spanish when Tango starts complaining about being manhandled.

“Uh.” Will hitches the baby a little higher, and starts rubbing his back, mostly to have something to do with his hands. Good thing the baby’s too young to realise he’s being used as a security blanket. “I’ll just,” he says, awkward, inching closer to the stairs. “Yeah.”

With that, Will makes his escape upstairs to Bitty’s room. As promised, there’s a portable crib leaning against one wall, and at least a dozen bags from Babies-R-Us sitting next to it. They look like they definitely contain more than the few emergency diapers and onesies Will’d asked for, and he makes a mental note to send Jack a thank you text later.

“Okay, buddy, here you go,” Will tells the baby as he carefully places him in the middle of Bitty’s bed. He arranges a few pillows around him, even though he’s learned last night that the baby isn’t really moving much yet. Safe’s safe, though. “There. Good?”

He has the crib set up, and is halfway through the bags when Bitty knocks on the door, before poking his head in. “How’s it going?”

“Baby’s asleep. Again,” Will says, pulling a tiny Falconers jersey out of one of the bags.

Bitty smiles innocently when Will holds it up. Will doesn’t buy it for a second.

They unpack in easy silence for a while, Bitty joining Will on the floor to un- and then refold all the clothes to his satisfaction, arranging them in a complicated pile system Will doesn’t even try to memorise. Bitty bats at him when he sees Will try and fail to hide a grin. “Babies are messy. You better get on top of everything right away, otherwise you’ll be lost in no time.”

“Too late for that,” Will sighs, absently playing with the foot of a pair of tiny snowflake tights. Knowing Bitty, there’s a whole outfit to go with them, too, for Haus Christmas. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“But you’re trying anyway,” Bitty says, bumping their shoulders together. “That’s what counts.”

Will grimaces. “Tell that to the kid when he hates me in a couple of years because I was too selfish to let him be adopted by some nice people who wouldn’t have screwed this whole thing up completely.”

“William Jacob Poindexter!” Bitty is glaring, and it’s so reminiscent of a Disappointed Parent Look that Will flushes, feeling chastised. Bitty grabs Will by the chin, forcing him to look over at him. “Do not run yourself down like this, I won’t have it.”

“Bitty, c’mon,” Will mumbles, embarrassed. He goes to turn his head away, but Bitty doesn’t let go, and raises an expectant eyebrow instead. Will grunts. “Fine, whatever.”

The way Bitty purses his lips, still scowling a little, tells Will they’ll be coming back to this eventually. Chowder has perfect timing, though, and chooses that moment to peek in through the door that’s still slightly ajar. “Do you need help with anything?”

“Want to help me change the baby for the night?” Will asks, getting up, and has to laugh when Chowder nods enthusiastically. “All right, come here. Fair warning, though, it’s going to be pretty gross.”

Chowder waves dismissively. “I have baby cousins, it’s fine. Like, this one time Vivian had some sort of stomach bug, and I swear, for a solid week, her poop looked like that time Wicks threw up after only eating Cheetos and drinking tub juice all weekend.”

They all simultaneously wrinkle their noses at the memory. Bitty’s the first to recover, reaching into yet another unpacked bag, and pulling out a foldable changing pad. “Here.” He hands it to Chowder, who hands it over to Will to spread out on the bed. “It wasn’t on your list, I know, but I thought it would come in handy.”

“At least 80% of the stuff you bought wasn’t on my list,” Will points out as he unclasps the baby’s onesie. “Tell Jack I’ll pay him back for all of it, by the way.”

Bitty’s, “Sure, honey,” is entirely unconvincing, and Will resigns himself to sneaking cash into Jack’s pockets whenever he comes to visit for the foreseeable future. Bitty narrows his eyes at Will as if he can tell what Will’s thinking, making Will look away quickly, biting back a smile.

“Okay,” he says, once he’s got the baby down to his diaper, gesturing from the baby to Chowder. “You want to do the honors?”

Chowder clearly knows what he’s doing, working fast and efficient, and doesn’t lose his cool when the baby, grumpy about being woken up, starts fussing. Will hovers by his shoulder nonetheless, ignoring the knowing, amused looks Bitty keeps levelling at him.

When he’s done, the baby all dressed again, Chowder throws his arms up in the air, waving them around, and cheers quietly. “There,” he says, grinning down at the baby, “that’s better, isn’t it?”

The baby kicks his legs, still making small, distressed sounds that aren’t quite cries. Yet. Chowder rubs his tummy, which seems to help somewhat, but Will can tell it’s not enough.

“He wants you to pick him up. I mean,” he rubs at the back of his neck, mouth quirked sheepishly, “you can. If you still want to.”

Chowder doesn’t need to be told twice. He climbs up on the bed, and scoots back so he’s reclined against the pillows, then carefully lifts the baby up to lie against his chest. He cups the back of the baby’s head with one hand, and his diapered butt with the other, talking quietly, telling the baby, all earnest and serious, “I know,” and “Yeah, being tired is no fun,” when the baby scrunches up his face.

It makes something in Will’s chest loosen, to see one of his best friends so easily accept this huge—and, as much as Will already loves that baby, inconvenient—turn Will’s life has taken over the last 24 hours. It also gives Will the courage needed to say what he’s wanted to tell Chowder for months, now.

“He’s my nephew, technically,” he blurts, and then, before he loses his nerve, continues explaining, “My older sister’s kid. She didn’t want him, because my parents would throw a fucking fit if she came home with a illegitimate kid. Especially a black one. They’re—shit, C, they’re fucked up, you know? Like, the kind of people who’d make their daughter choose between her kid, and being allowed to come back home again. Or kick out their son for being gay.”

Chowder’s eyes widen in surprise, and he looks distraught when he says, “Dex, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

Will shrugs, jaw clenched, and averts his eyes. It’s been nearly six months, and he’d known, before doing it, what coming out would mean, what would most likely happen. It had been a conscious, planned decision after years of insecurity and fear, in the hope that it would, somehow, make it easier to be honest with himself about what he is, about who he is. And it had helped, in a lot of ways, but the tiny, dumb, foolish part of Will’s heart that had believed that his family might react differently, might love him anyway, is fucking devastated nonetheless.

Bitty knee-walks across the room, hugging Will from behind. “We love you, hon, you know that, right?” he asks, and Chowder immediately agrees, adding, “We all support Bitty and Jack, and we’ll do the same for you. You’re team. And our friend.”

Will nods, but doesn’t trust himself to say anything without doing something horrifying. Like bursting into tears. He leans into Bitty instead, lets Bitty tuck him under his chin, and closes his eyes, breathing slow and deep. Bitty starts asking Chowder about his cousins, arms still tight around Will, and neither of them mentions the way Will’s breath hitches every few seconds.

He only disentangles himself from Bitty once the baby’s fallen back asleep to lay him down in the crib. If having his back turned also gives him the opportunity to discreetly wipe at his eyes, well. He’ll take it.

Chowder makes a quick run to his own room to change into his PJs while Will’s putting the baby down, and Bitty grabs his laptop from his desk, setting it up at the foot of his bed instead, putting on an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine with the volume down low. Will gets a pair of sweats from his own bag, before he flops down next to Bitty on the bed. Chowder joins them a moment later, squishing Will between himself and Bitty.

Will gets choked up all over again over the fact that Chowder doesn’t even hesitate before cuddling up to Will, like he always does when they have sleepovers or team movie nights. Then he grunts, effectively distracted, when Bitty presses his icicle feet against his legs. Which is also pretty par for the course.

“So,” Chowder asks, once he has burrito-wrapped himself in one of the blankets, “like, does the baby have a name yet? Because I feel kind of bad just calling him the baby.”

“According to my MooMaw, my parents couldn’t agree on a name until I was almost two months old,” Bitty tisks, laughing a little. “And then they named me Eric Richard Bittle Jr.”

“I don’t want to do that,” Will says immediately. When Bitty and Chowder both look at him quizzically, he elaborates, “Name the baby after someone. My parents named me after my grandfather and my uncle, and there were always expectations that came with that, you know? I don’t want that, for the baby. He should,” he gestures a little helplessly, then shrugs, “just grow up to be himself.”

Chowder nods, thoughtful. “That makes sense.”

“It really does,” Bitty agrees, folding his arms on Will’s chest, and resting his chin on them. “Lord knows I could do without my aunties and uncles and cousins constantly comparing me to my Daddy.”

“I thought maybe Theodore?” Will half-asks. “There’s no Theo in my family, no one I know is called Theo, and I kind of like it? Just, like, the sound of it. And I don’t want anything too edgy that’ll embarrass him when he’s older.”

“I like it,” Chowder decides. “Theodore Poindexter.”

Bitty pokes Will in the side, smiling proudly. “See? You got this. One step at a time.”

“Yeah,” Will says, and can’t help but smile back. “One step at a time.”

#dexnursey #nurseydex #william poindexter #kid fic #accidental baby acquisition #pre-slash #dex & bitty friendship #dex & chowder friendship #chowder is a literal ray of sunshine #cuddle piles #slight racism #slight homophobia #i apologise for the lack of nursey in this part #he'll play a prominent role in the next one tho #wantedverse #myfics

[femboyyghostface]

Did I just read the entirety of Check Please in one day? Yes. Am I suffering? Also yes.

#check please #zimbits #i'm dying #why am i obsessed with a smol hockey playing baker and his french canadian boyfriend #also holster and ransoms entire friendship is what i live for #alexei is a sweet cinnamon roll who i would murder for #chowder is now my son i'm srry i don't make the rules #and why am i slightly hoping that dex and nursey hook up?? #also 10/10 lardo is hella swawesome #would hang out with her #art majors gotta stick together

[snackzimmerman]

They’ve got practice in about twenty minutes, and Dex can’t remember where he left his English paper. This wouldn’t normally be a huge issue, except that he has English right after he gets out for some godforsaken reason, so he doesn’t really have time to search for it. Curse his teacher for making them print every major assignment.

“Dex!” Nursey calls for what must be the fifth time in two minutes, clattering down the basement stairs. “Dude. You have to lead practice, like, stat.”

“Got that, Nurse,” Dex snaps back. “Just - go without me, okay? I’ll be there.”

Nursey gives him a look that says you’re not fooling anyone, which is the look Dex should be giving to him, seeing as he basically has the word chill emblazoned across his forehead at any given time. Still, he leaves, and that’s all Dex needs from him right now. He can’t exactly do what needs to be done with someone else in the room.

“Where’s my paper,” Dex asks the room at large, dry and impatient. Something pings at him in the back of his mind, and he turns to follow the ‘sound’, ducking underneath his desk and blinking in disbelief. His paper lies abandoned under a stack of books.

One challenge down.

“Okay,” Dex breathes, shoulders loosening as he jams it into his backpack, “quickest route to Faber.”

The pinging starts up again, and he follows it outside, trailing through back alleys and open stretches of grass, until he reaches the rink. Chowder raises his eyebrows in a way that surely means Nursey told me what’s happening, how did you make it here in eight minutes? Dex shrugs back at him. It’s - ugh - chill.

It’s not like he can say hey, I can magically find things without being carted off to an insane asylum - if they even still have those.

“Hey, Cap!” Tango chirps, which is very sweet and affirming, before inhaling in what is sure to precede a monologue of epic proportions. Dex subtly angles him toward Hops, who’s a lot more likely to actually listen than he is. The coward's way out will do for this morning.

“You about ready to lead?” Nursey asks lowly. “Didn’t want to start without you.”

The irritability Dex has gained from staying up too late the night before (for that damn paper!) melts somewhat. “Just about.”

His defense partner gives him a slight smile - the kind he might give to anyone - and sails away with a gentle pat on the back. It’s nice, Dex thinks, that he’s at the same level as everyone else is. Even at the same level of friendship as Chowder. He’s not that slightly-below point that he might have been even at the start of junior year.

Still, his mind itches with the instinct he’s forgotten something. Dex finds a quiet spot to lace up his skates and lets his power go to work.

“What do I need,” he whispers under his breath. “Right now, before I go lead my team.”

The pinging is stronger this time. That means he really does need this thing - more than just for the moment. By the way it blocks out the soft whoosh of the air conditioning, it might be one of the things he needs most.

Dex lifts his head, almost wincing as the pinging intensifies, and lets himself edge out onto the rink. He does slow circles himself as he orders them to start with a few idle laps, monitoring. Nursey and Chowder race each other instead of setting a good example for the new frogs, but that’s nothing new. Nothing he needs. Still, the noise gets louder as they get closer to him.

“I’m tooootally winning, C,” Nursey drawls, putting his hands behind his head in an effort to look unaffected, and Chowder gives him the slightest nudge as they pass Dex. Nursey flails too dramatically to keep him upright, tipping sideways. Distracted by the pinging, Dex takes the weight and goes down fast.

“Shit,” he grunts, wincing. There’s something warm on top of him. Something he’s pressed firmly into.

“Ow,” Nursey grumbles - Dex opens his eyes - oh, that’s Nursey’s chest right there, and his hand beneath Dex’s head to protect him, even though his helmet provides more cushioning - and the sharp sting of something akin to embarrassment rushes through him.

“Damn, Chowder,” Bully says in the background, amused. “You tried to assassinate the captain and our other best D-man.”

“I did not!” Chowder protests, skating closer. “Holy shit, guys, I’m so -”

“It’s chill, C,” Nursey waves it off. The weight leaves Dex’s front, and he lifts himself off the ground, brushing at his knees. “Dexy just couldn’t take the heat.”

“Shut the fuck up, Nursey,” Dex complains good naturedly, taking the proffered hand.

The pinging in his brain shuts up, suddenly and completely.

What do I need, he thinks again, spit rising to the forefront of his throat, and looks up at Nursey, who is and has been and always will be so clever - so irritating - so compassionate -

So pretty. Dex is fairly certain what he needs isn’t a romantic crisis.

Fuck.

#magic :) #my writing #i think it's been a bit since i posted a little thing of my own writing on here? so enjoy #crossposted to ao3 #omgcp #omg check please #check please #nurseydex #omgcheckplease #omcp ficlet

[vitaliskravtsov]

omgcp asks

PEOPLE

Bitty: What's your favourite YouTube channel to watch?

Jack: What's your favorite sport to play? What about to watch?

Shitty: If you could wear an outfit and be guard to have nobody judge you for it, what would you wear?

Lardo: What's your favourite thing about going home (wherever home is for you, doesn't have to be a literal house)?

Holster: What's one thing about yourself that you think makes you unapologetically you?

Ransom: Describe yourself as an ecosystem.

Johnson: What's your favorite way out-there, unsupported by anything but "it vibes" headcanon/ship?

Dex: What's something you get asked to fix all the time?

Nursey: What's your favorite line from a poem/song?

Chowder: Favorite sea creature?

Tango: What's something you're willingly clueless about?

Tater: Who's your favorite side character in OMGCP?

Thirdy: What's your favourite romance language?

Kent: What was your dream job when you were in high school?

George: Who's a role model in your life?

Murray & Hill: Who's your favorite coach/teacher you've had?

PLACES

Das Haus: If someone put you in charge of painting a frat house, what color would you go for and why?

Faber: What's somewhere that smells like home to you when you walk in?

Founder's: Do you have a favorite book?

Annie's: What's your regular drink order at cafés?

THEMES/IDEAS

Hockey: Favorite pro hockey team? If you don't like pro hockey, just sports team in general?

College: What's something you wished someone had told you five years ago?

Pie: What's your favourite baked good?

Identity: Describe yourself in three words.

Checking: What's something that intimidates you?

Love: If someone you care about is having a bad night, what's the first thing you go to to make them feel better?

Communication: Phone calls or texts?

History: What is/was your favorite era in history class to talk about?

Twitter: Favorite social media?

Friendship: What's a fictional friendship you love?

--

please remember to be courteous and send an ask to the person you reblog this from!!

#omgcp #omg check please #omgcheckplease #*mine #jack zimmermann #Eric Bittle

[pridetape]

OK WHAT IF bitty takes a couple years to work and save money before starting college

in this scenario the frogs would actually be a year above bitty and !!!! im so excited by that! how would that dynamic be!! at this point i think bitty would have gained a lot of confidence compared to if he started college at 18, but if he was in madison for 2 years then its not as much growth as 2 years at samwell…

i want dex and bitty to Bond on an even deeper level i think that friendship could have SUCH an interesting story. like they are both so FIERY and we dont rly get to see them interact one on one in the comic!! they would probably date and be chaos boyfriends before totally blowing up the relationship and realising they work better as friends and then would absolutely be Those Gays. That One Ex-Couple who remain connected at the hip. you know the type we’re all friends with a gay ex-couple who are just Like That. their in-jokes have in-jokes and they wingman each other but then sometimes drunkenly make out with each other and its all very messy and intimidating. (nursey has a hell of a time trying to date dex with All That going on and is frankly relieved when bitty starts mooning over jack and stops acting fake flirty with dex)

and u know chowder would absolutely take bitty under his wing in the way bitty did with the frogs in the original timeline! chowder definitely arrived at samwell with a lot of enthusiasm and desire to fit in and be liked and i think would see the same in bitty when he arrived a year later. they would become Best Friends for sure. (also chowder would be captain. fight me)

i think bitty and nursey wouldn’t really know how to be friends at first like they wouldn’t dislike each other they just wouldn’t really click? (especially whilst dex and bitty are together and then not-together-but-still-intimidating as described above. because nursey has been holding a flame for dex since year 1) but then one time nursey shares a joint with bitty and they start talking about their experiences being queer, and bitty confesses his complicated feelings about dex and how he knows they arent good together romantically but they sometimes cling on to each other despite themselves because of insecurities… and nursey confesses he has a crush on dex….. and bitty confesses that dex has a crush on nursey!! and after that feel a lot more at ease with each other :))

lardo + ransom + holster would be in their final year when bitty is in first year in this timeline! i think their relationships would all be kind of the same just wouldn’t get as much time to develop

howEVER. l+r+h would talk about their friends shitty and jack a LOT. and would host watch parties at the haus for falconers games. but bitty is oblivious and doesn’t make the connection for WEEKS. UNTIL!!! jack and shitty come to watch an smh home game and then hang out after and bitty’s jaw hits the floor when he finally realises that “our friend jack” is jack ZIMMERMANN. and bitty has to go hide for a while cos he feels so stupid about it (rsd is a bitch) — but then… :) jack runs into him somehow idk details whatever and :)) starts talking to him about the game!! and hes all “that was a really good game, bittle” and “nice assist in the second” and “you’re pretty quick out there eh?” and “you uh, you have soft hands” and also oh dear lord jack is so hot up close and his voice is so deep and gentle and that accent could read bedtime stories bitty is bright red and just about ready to die from the combined embarrassment and ego boost

and then obviously jack becomes really invested in bitty’s playing. which is totally normal. its his old team. its totally normal, right? bittle plays good hockey. jack totally watches the other smh players with the same focus as he watches bitty. totally normal

and of course jack and bitty happen to be in the same smh group chat. so its totally normal when jack texts bitty to congratulate him after a game. his phone number was right there! and the way his stomach flips when bitty texts back is totally! normal! and its so normal when they start texting regularly and its like so not a big deal when jack starts to visit the haus regularly and its all completely normal and fine!

and when the falconers win the cup that year and jack invites smh to party with the team and they all wind up back at jacks apartment and jack and bitty end up kissing — well, actually, that’s pretty extraordinary

#zimbits #nurseydex #omgcp #omg check please #I JUST HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS #zimbits is endgame in any timeline but how much fun we can have in the samwell sandbox if they dont meet right away! #does anyone know of any bitty/dex fics or do i have to write this myself #im just obsessed with this dynamic i just made up thats all #mine