felicityturner

[felicityturner]

'Yeah, I know the movie. Jeez. Don't ever take a movie rec from Dom again.'

The laugh Dexter gives is mildly startled, and Felicity matches it because, yeah, that had been her reaction too.

Very intense. Very graphic. Very unlike the movies she was allowed as a teenager.

Her lips quirk.

"Dom kept insisting it was a timeless classic. Which— I don't know. I guess I think Bambi when I hear a phrase like that."

Silly Felicity. She should have known with someone like Dom.

Next time, she would google more thoroughly. Maybe Dex could give her some of his favorite. She'd like to know more.

When he agrees— admits that he felt tired — something sighs within Felicity, her usual sympathy expanding into something ... deeper. She didn't like the idea of him being exhausted. Even if they were being worked like dogs.

The concerned purse of her lips widens when Dex admits that he feels lucky too. It felt like their roommate situation was a bit rare. Living together, liking each other, cooking meals together and easing the burden of their grueling internship.

'Kendall definitely watches American Psycho before bed every night.'

A huff.

"He's probably re-watching his favorite scenes before we go in his office."

Shared humor seems to make even their impending execution seem funny. And Dex— the very honest way in which he asks Felicity how he can help her, again — practically bowls her over, quinoa salad and all.

Felicity takes a wobbly breath and thinks before answering.

The answers and endless: the hours, the expectations, the workload, the people, the noise, the noise, the noise, the traffic, the meetings where you might get called on and pinned like an insect in a glass case. All of it would have been true, in their own way.

But at the heart of it?

Felicity felt very out of place. Not even just a fish out of water— more like an alien out of Mars. She didn't always catch all the same jokes, the same social cues, and, at times, she wrongly assumed the best in people.

That had left her wide open for mistakes, at times. To get taken advantage of of.

Felicity shrugs.

"It's just such a different environment. It's— reading the market is easier, you know? Understanding trends, the financial decisions businesses are gonna make. That makes sense. I like that stuff. But sometimes I feel a little clueless about stuff on a smaller level."

Her lips twist.

"But having everyone, having you— that already helps." Her expression shifts into something more shy. "I already feel better knowing I don't have to worry about getting lost again."

"I should be asking how to help you. Be not so tired."

Being an intern around Kendall Kennedy sometimes felt like a human rights violation. But for now, Dex was content to enjoy this subpar lunch break with Felicity, so he stopped thinking about Kendall all together. He was eager to hear about how this week had gone.

"Hard," she'd said. He nodded empathetically. He agreed. It was difficult. The most difficult thing that Dex had ever done.

When she mentioned that Dom had suggested she watch American Psycho, Dexter couldn't help the confused laugh that escaped him. Jesus — what was wrong with Dom?

"Yeah, I know the movie. Jeez. Don't ever take a movie rec from Dom again."

It was all said in jest, of course. She could do whatever she wanted, but also, Dom was likely to keep suggesting movies in genres that Felicity might not be interested in. Or maybe she was.

Her comparison was pretty spot on, though. Most of the people they worked with were high maintenance. Not normal. Wealthy beyond what Dex could ever imagine (and he imagined it a lot).

"Same. I'm … so tired," he admitted, a little sheepishly. "But I, uh, feel very lucky, too, to have you guys."

He unscrewed the lid from his Gatorade before taking a giant swig.

"Kendall definitely watches American Psycho before bed every night."

"What about it has been hard for you? Anything I can do to help?"

[felicityturner]

Felicity watches Dex stack protein, cheese, cracker, unaware at how her eyes lingered on the taper of his fingers, the bump of his knuckles.

"I think Kendall would probably write us up for … I don't know, existing?'

Yeah. That sounded about right. Ten points for smiling funny. Another ten points for using a brand of creamer in your own coffee he found disgusting.

Felicity sighs.

This job— it was everything. Getting to come here, all the way to New York, at an institution like this, it was more than Felicity had ever imagined. They didn't just hire sheltered yokels like her, college degree or no, recommendations or no.

Felicity thank God every day she'd somehow landed this internship.

But it was hard! Fifteen hour days, eyes burning, back aching hard. Bottom run of the ladder. Lower than dirt, ordered around by everyone.

So Dex's question has her smiling a bit wryly.

Five minutes of precious reprieve for the two.

How was her first week.

A beat. Felicity is as honest as ever.

"Hard,"

The nod that follows is firm.

"I saw this one movie— um, Dom told me to watch it. American Psycho? I don't know if you've seen it, but I feel like some of the people in this industry try to act like that guy."

Maniacal grins, and slicked back hair, and all that. Those people were mostly upper-level, but on more than one occasion she'd seen startling behavior from other grunts too.

"I feel ... very lucky that you and I and the others are all interns together."

As opposed to some other bloody-thirsty hyenas in the other department.

Yeah.

Felicity had really lucked out with Dex, hadn't she? Who else would have offered to fetch her when she's lost? Who else had such a nice smile, and cornflower eyes, like the one that used to grow in her Nana's yard—

Felicity smiles.

"How is your first week, Dexter Bennett?"

Wall sits and write ups weren't exactly on Dexter's agenda when he accepted this prestigious internship. There were stories about the whole first year feeling like a giant hazing ritual. Dexter could clearly see that those rumors were very true.

He reached for a cracker, stacked a sad looking slice of ham and cheese on top, and took a bite. Surprisingly, it wasn't horrible, but it certainly wasn't very good, either. Maybe he should start packing his own lunch.

"I think Kendall would probably write us up for … I don't know, existing?"

If breathing around Kendall could be made into a punishable offense, then half of the company would be terminated in a moment's notice.

Felicity was right, though. United front. That would definitely piss him off.

"United for sure. I've got your back."

Another smile sent her way.

"I figure we have five, maybe ten minutes, before he freaks out and sends another intern after us. So. Wanna tell me how your first week is going in the mean time?"

[felicityturner]

'Yeah? That means the world to me, you know?'

The smile Dex wore seemed to be prove his statement, and Felicity smiles around her fork, hand tightening for some inexplicable reason.

She hardly even noticed how rubbery the bite felt, how woefully under-seasoned.

It had been like that so far, in the internship— Dex had a way of dampening the unpleasantness with a joke or a grin, despite how grueling their hours had gotten. Felicity didn't know how he did it. But everything always felt nicer around him.

Especially when her solidarity already means this much.

'What do you think he's going to make us do?'

She watches Dex shuck the cover off a little carton of assembled foods. Maybe that would have been safer than her gummy salad.

Too late. Most of her appetite had been spoiled by the threat of Kendall's office hanging over her head.

What she wouldn't give to be in a cafe right now with Dexter instead, scooting her chair increasingly closer and trying to help jog is memory so he wouldn't have to go to IT.

So she could be his password keeper.

"Maybe hes' going to make us do wall-sits."

Felicity scrapes down the side of her plastic bowl, lips twisting unpleasantly before setting her fork inside it.

"Have we done anything to warrant a write-up yet? Maybe HR will make something up."

Grim prospects.

But Felicity won't go through it without him, and Dex certainly won't go through it without her. Her next suggestion will probably just piss Kendall off more, but it feels right, when it comes out of her mouth.

"Regardless, I think we should present an united front."

A short lunch. Dex wondered how much time they could get away with. Ten minutes? Fifteen? Maybe even thirty? Maybe they'd get lucky, and Kendall would forget, or maybe Kendall would tire of waiting and seek them out yet again.

Escaping Kendall's wrath didn't seem like a very wise, or easy, thing to do.

Felicity picked out a salad from the cart. Dex stared at the options a little helplessly, before deciding on some offbrand lunchable. Crackers, ham, cheese. He grabbed a blue Gatorade, too.

It reminded him of airport food.

The lobby to the building was massive. There was a little restaurant and cafe nearby. Dex had been hoping to eat there instead, but they simply didn't have the time anymore.

"I would much rather get ... maliciously tortured with you, than take a VIP tour with Kendall."

Dexter smiled, and suddenly, pissing Kendall off felt so, so worth it. For some reason.

"Yeah? That means the world to me, you know?"

Maybe she'd think that he was being hyperbolic, but no, it really did mean a great deal to him. He knew that lying and scheming and breaking the rules didn't come very easily for Felicity.So the fact that she'd chosen him meant a very great deal.

Dex found them a little table that they could share. He peeled back the plastic lining of his lunchable. He always liked them as a kid. Surely, this would taste fine.

"What do you think he's going to make us do?"

[felicityturner]

Frost settles over everything, surrounding the ten foot radius in a blanket of unsettling calm.

Kendall was too even.

Even when Dex spoke again— he'll totally grab Kendall's dry cleaning, just after lunch— all the man did was smile. Felicity inhales, and holds that breath.

'Take a short lunch, then. From the lunch cart, right over there, then both of you — come find me.'

That had not been the smile of a man content to let things go. No. That was the smile of a man whose mechanisms were now churning and chugging in his mind. How many times had Felicity been warned about him? Kieran was focused, competitive, a workholic— but reasonable. Normal. Kendall took to toying with interns like it was an Olympic sport. And now it just became punitive.

She watches the outline of his shape— clad in clothes that probably cost more than three months rent — disapear behind the elevator doors, and something in her chest also sinks.

'Unfortunately, I think I just ruined the rest of our day,'

She turns her head to the sad state of the lunch cart. Dex shouldn't blame himself— there was nothing he'd done to warrant this. He'd actually saved Felicity, in a way. She wasn't sure she could handle an entire tour with Kendall. And the thought of being away from Dex, well. That made her prickle, irritably.

She always looked forward to all of her alone time with Dex.

Inspecting a turkey sandwich— wilted lettuce, cold, coagulated mayo — Felicity sighs deep.

"I'm not sure we were going to escape that conversation unscathed anyway."

It's a very sad little sandwich. Felicity's upbringing had been strict, miserable, but at least all the dinners they ate came with fresh-baked honey wheat.

She selects a cold grain salad and decides it's the safest gamble.

"And—" The fork she selects crinkles in its wrapping. "—for the record. I would much rather get ... maliciously tortured with you, than take a VIP tour with Kendall."

Felicity nods, sincerity etched into every inch of her face.

Felicity was an exceptional rule follower, so Dex wouldn't have been surprised in the slightest if she opted to side with Kendall.

Instead, she went along with his little lies. Innocent ones, really, that hurt no one except for Kendall (which was a win in Dex's eyes).

Kendall stared at the both of them flatly, unamused, seeing right through their bullshit. Except now, he was angry at both of them. Whoops.

Suddenly, Dex had the feeling that maybe he shouldn't have roped Felicity into this. He should have just been the bigger person and walked away to pick up Kendall's fuck ass dry cleaning.

"I see," Kendall said, eerily calm. Dex stepped out of the way so a small group of employees could hop on the elevator next.

"Yeah, sorry, man. After lunch, though, I'll totally grab your dry cleaning. Once my blood sugar is back to normal."

That seemed to anger Kendall.

Ken smiled, and Dex could preemptively feel all of Ken's wrath barreling toward him at an alarming speed.

"Take a short lunch, then. From the lunch cart, right over there, then both of you — come find me."

Fuuuuuck, man. First of all, the lunch cart was fucking gross.

Kendall stepped into the elevator, stone faced, and Dex looked at Felicity just as the elevator doors shut.

"Unfortunately, I think I just ruined the rest of our day," he told Felicity.

[felicityturner]

Felicity imagines taking Dex's hand and bolting past Kendall

Already her finger is rubbing against the knuckle of its neighbor, idle, eager to be away from her boss and his stare. If she can't take Dex's hand, she'll just have to fidget.

Couldn't Kendall see they were in the middle of something?

Or maybe he could— and maybe that's exactly why he had accosted them as soon as the elevator doors had opened. Just couldn't pass up a chance to dissect a few interns.

Dex makes a valiant attempt.

'We're just heading out for a break, so—'

A valiant attempt, shot down from the sky immediately. Felicity can practically hear it whistling as it falls.

'Oh, no, no, no. You don't get a break today. There's been an emergency. Dex, uh, go pick up my dry cleaning. I'll show Felicity around. I haven't given you a tour yet, have I?'

Tour? Private tour, with Kendall? Felicity does everything within her power not to grimace, and, in a task that is even harder, not exhale in irritation at the idea of her friend being dismissed on some errand.

Separated purposefully from her.

How did he think Felicity would respond to that? Would all his charms, his wealth, the power he wielded as easily as a tv remote— would that distract her from the fact that Dex was playing pageboy while she got to swan about the office with the boss?

'Actually. Felicity knows her way around pretty well.'

It is, at that, very difficult not to snort, considering the conversation had before this. But that's just for Dex to know. Only Dex is allowed to retrieve her from whatever distant office corner she was lost in and guide her— definitely not Kendall!

And so she feels an uncharacteristic surge of vicious joy when Dex lies.

'And she's my ride, for lunch, and I'm diabetic, so.'

Right. Right, his terrible blood sugar problem!

"His levels have been crashing," Felicity says, mouth twisting unhappily. "Not enough fast-acting carbs and high-fiber fruit."

A beat. Time to plant her flag in the sand. If Dex's fate is dry-cleaning, or probation, termination, well— it would be Felicity's too.

"In all honesty sir, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him alone."

Kendall Kennedy was a fucking dick. Plain and simple. Even before Dex's first day at the office, there were plenty of rumors and warnings about Kendall. Stay far away. Don't try to be nice, because he'll hate you for it, but don't be rude and dismissive either.

For women? Well. Entertain some of the flirting, and it might not be so bad.

There were rumors that a few years ago, he'd gone through the entire roster of intern girls, leaving them all devastated and heartbroken.

Something inside of Dexter grew rancid at the thought of Kendall making advances toward Felicity.

Or any of his other roommates, really, but specifically Felicity. She was special and inexperienced, and Kendall would take advantage of that. He would hurt her.

"It's Felicity Turner, sir. And Dexter Bennett. He was just helping me with something."

"Felicity," Kendall repeated. He stared at her like she was on her way to becoming his next meal. Dex felt the need to interject.

"We're just heading out for a break, so—"

Kendall's head snapped toward Dex, appearing wildly disgusted that Dex had dared speak.

"Oh, no, no, no. You don't get a break today. There's been an emergency. Dex, uh, go pick up my dry cleaning. I'll show Felicity around. I haven't given you a tour yet, have I?"

Dex's jaw tightened something fierce. His top lip twitched for half a second. Dex hoped the emotion didn't show in his face.

"Actually. Felicity knows her way around pretty well."

Kendall only grew more annoyed. He turned to Felicity, mood soured, expecting her to choose between the two men.

Honestly, Dexter would've understood if she went with Kendall. It made the most sense — avoiding his wrath early on. Dex was very, very selfish and didn't even allow her the option to choose.

"And she's my ride, for lunch, and I'm diabetic, so."

[felicityturner]

'Okay. Deal.'

'Even though I think password sharing does break IT protocol.'

Deal.

She would keep his password safe; of course she would. It'd be safer, better protected, more remembered than any password in the entire damn building. She would keep it like a dog holds a bone.

Felicity— though it's juvenile — thinks about extending her pinky to Dexter, binding it all together with the circling of their fingers.

It was his smile that did that. That toothy little quirk of his mouth.

Very charming, and it made Felicity always wanted to be in on some secret with him, some private deal just for them alone.

She never did have many co-conspirators growing up.

'Look at you. Breaking rules on the first week.'

Now it's her turn to grin.

"I don't consider helping to be—"

The grinding of the elevator doors opening, and oh, it's like a jump-scare in those video games Dom and Noah were always playing— something scary always waiting on the other side of the screen.

'Who's breaking rules?'

Kendall Kennedy.

Wordlessly ordering them out of the elevator like two errant sheepdogs off-course from the farm.

'I know this young lady can't be the one breaking rules. What's your name again?'

And then he smiles, for Felicity and Felicity alone.

Dex's earlier words are thrown into sharp perspective.

"It's Felicity Turner, sir." A swallow. Felicity clasps her hands in front of her skirt. She'd noticed how he hadn't asked for Dex's name at all— hadn't even really looked at him. That didn't make her feel thrilled. Dex was worth noticing. "And Dexter Bennett. He was just helping me with something."

"I''ll call you. And— when you figure out your password, you tell me, and I'll remember it for you. That way you never need IT again. Just me."

Dexter Bennett felt like he'd just won some sort of award. It felt like graduating summa cum laude all over again. Felicity's declaration that she would call him. Dexter felt … chosen. Special. His greatest accomplishment. She'd selected him out of all of their friends, out of everyone else in the office, to guide her back to safety.

(It definitely wasn't that serious, but Dex felt nothing but pride in that moment.)

And if Dex didn't have so much respect for Felicity, he would've flirted.

If this were any other beautiful girl with big, brown eyes, he would've joked about making his new password impossible to forget. He would've made it her name. Or he would've joked about making it impossible to remember so that he'd always need her.

Instead, he found some self restraint. He nodded in agreement. This was Felicity, his friend, his roommate. They shared a wall and split utilities.

"Okay. Deal."

Dex grinned.

"Even though I think password sharing does break IT protocol."

He raised a brow at her. The elevator doors chimed before they opened.

"Look at you. Breaking rules on the first week."

Then, a nightmare of a person appeared. Kendall fucking Kennedy on the other side of the elevator doors.

"Who's breaking rules?"

Before Dex could explain that it was a joke, Ken was motioning for them to step out quickly, as if they'd both just done something very heinous and terrible. And, to be fair, they probably had by simply existing in his presence.

"I know this young lady can't be the one breaking rules. What's your name again?"

Kendall flashed Felicity a smile that revolted Dex.

[felicityturner]

'Not for some reason. There's a very clear reason, and it's the fact that I don't have a—'

A breath, where Felicity inclines her head towards Dex curiously.

'…beautiful personality. The way you and the other girls do.'

Oh. Oh. Felicity watches, pink-cheeked, as he fidgets idly with the center of his glasses.

She'd sort of wondered about that— if Kendall's treatment was less to do with chivalry and more to do with being attracted to the girls.

Maybe he even saw the guys as competition.

Felicity looks at Dex; cornflower blue eyes, lips that naturally seemed to quirk into a smile. Nice jaw. Really nice neck.

Yeah. Yeah, if she were a guy, she'd definitely feel threatened.

It's difficult to swallow.

"Your personality is pretty nice."

The pair cut through an aisle of further cubicles— god, did this place ever end— and Felicity finds herself heating further at the onslaught of Dex's words, each kinder and more chivalrous than the last.

'Anyway. You can distract me,'

BA-DUM, beats her heart.

'Why would you wanna do it the hard way when you have me — perfectly capable and willing? Why would I want you to do anything the hard way? Except for maybe figuring out what kind of liquor you like.'

And that thought gives her pause. Hard work and struggle— those were good. That's what Felicity had been taught, over and over again, from pulpits and sermons and the earnest voice of her parents. To labor was to bring oneself closer to God. Whenever Felicity cried over a math workbook, whenever she split open blisters helping her father work on his lawn or the mower, her parents had deemed it good.

How strange it felt, to have Dexter urging her to use him just so she can escape some difficulty and embarrassment.

She'd known her parents for years. Dex? She'd only met him this summer. Already he was trying to make things softer for her than her parents ever had.

The elevator doors grind down towards their floor, and Felicity feels the urge to hug Dexter, wrap her arms around those nice shoulders.

That also hadn't been allowed— hugging men.

The thought she had now— of burying her face into his neck when they hugged— that definitely wasn't allowed.

Capable and willing, he'd said.

"I''ll call you," she blurts.

"And— when you figure out your password, you tell me, and I'll remember it for you. That way you never need IT again. Just me."

The elevator doors ding open. Felicity's smile is a little lop-sided with it's intensity.

Dex snickered at the mention of Kendall's clear favoritism of the girls.

"Not for some reason. There's a very clear reason, and it's the fact that I don't have a—"

Dex cut himself off from finishing that thought rather abruptly. He swallowed, finding a way to quickly redirect. He shouldn't talk like that around Felicity.

"…beautiful personality. The way you and the other girls do."

Oof. Bad save, honestly, but at least he hadn't said anything worse. He shook his head at himself. Dex readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose to give his hands something to do.

"Anyway. You can distract me," he told Felicity, in a very sincere manner. He prayed that she understood that he meant it. "Why would you wanna do it the hard way when you have me — perfectly capable and willing? Why would I want you to do anything the hard way? Except for maybe figuring out what kind of liquor you like."

Dex looked over his shoulder at Felicity.

One, two, three, four, five.

Then, he averted his gaze, focusing on the elevator down the hall.

Oh, yeah, he'd started counting. Counting how many seconds he could get away with looking at her before his thoughts felt … not friendly-like.

For example, during seconds seven and eight, he usually looked too closely at the shape of her mouth. During nine and ten, he got lost in those brown eyes of hers — trusting and kind, innocent, endlessly deep and —

They were at the elevator. Dex pressed the down button.

"Anyway. Next time... call me."

[felicityturner]

'I didn't expect you to be scheming on the first week of work.'

Felicity feels her eyes widen.

Scheming.

Is that what she was doing? She supposed a dramatic show of CPR— with the intent of convincing their troublesome boss — did count as trickery. She hadn't even thought of that! Dex's joke and smile had just ... made her want to contribute.

"I think..." A beat. "It's morally commendable, to help protect you from Kendall. He's harder on the guys for some reason."

Not as if Daisy and Ariel and Felicity got off scott-free either, but there was a noticeable difference in their treatment versus the boys. All the more reason for Felicity to look out for him.

No other reason.

The pair breeze past a cluster of interns on the mail cart and her mouth stretches into a sympathetic grimace. Poor souls. She recognizes that same dazed look— overwhelmed by the people, the workload, the phones, the emails, the everything.

She'd probably worn that same expression while wandering between the copy room and the IT supply closet.

'Lost? When did that happen?'

'You can always text me, you know. I'll find you. Bring you back to safety.'

Dex was very nice, wasn't he? How funny— all her life, her parents had warned her about people like Dex. Secular people. People who partied, indulged, people who did not rake themselves over the coals to adhere to Biblical standards.

But the more Felicity thought about it, the more certain she was her parents would have told her to tough it out, left her to learn a hard lesson— meanwhile Dex offered his help so easily.

Felicity smiles. There's a heat in her chest, coal-bright, at the thought of him discovering her in some far-off corner, offering to lead her back to the bullpen the same way a knight led the princess he'd placed atop his horse.

He sort of looked like a prince, didn't he? All that lovely hair.

"Oh. Just— earlier. It was fine."

"I don't want to distract you with stuff like that. It's probably better I learn the hard way, right?"

Of course she was CPR certified. Were rescue breaths still a thing? And just as quickly as the thought entered his head, Dexter willed it out! He shouldn't think about Felicity that way.

It was wrong. And disrespectful.

She was his friend and roommate, and he needed to respect those kinds of boundaries — treat her the same way he would Daisy or Ariel.

"Maybe if we make it realistic enough Kend— even Mr. Kennedy will be worried."

"I didn't expect you to be scheming on the first week of work."

Felicity was such a rule follower. So perfect and proper and punctual.

"You shouldn't be ashamed though. Me, I've forgotten— well. Truthfully I've gotten lost a few times."

Ah, and earnest.

"Lost? When did that happen?" Dex wondered, navigating around a few other interns who were pushing a massive mail cart around. He avoided eye contact in case they dared to ask for help. Dex really needed that coffee — and an uninterrupted break with Felicity.

He felt unreasonably sad at the idea of her wandering around, lost, too shy to ask for help.

"You can always text me, you know. I'll find you. Bring you back to safety."

[felicityturner]

'Good idea. If I'm lucky, maybe all that caffeine will induce some sort of medical emergency. They'll be too afraid of a lawsuit to fire me.'

Felicity's lips flicker. He was so funny— she didn't know how Dex did it, always having a smart word or response primed as if he stored beneath his tongue. At work especially, she felt too flustered to come up with anything clever. For some reason, the fluster was worse when she scooted by his tall frame.

"I'm CPR certified."

A nod. Noah, the poor man, was miming a suicide attempt, but Felicity is too distracted by the corn-silk shine of Dex's hair to watch for long.

"Maybe if we make it realistic enough Kend— even Mr. Kennedy will be worried."

God. Even saying his name aloud made Felicity nervous— so much so she was afraid it might summon him like some demon of old. All the Kennedy's were intimidating, but there was something about Kendall in particular that made her sit a little tensely at the thought of him.

They round a row of cubicles, Felicity frowning in sympathy as she listens. It wasn't a big deal the password— wasn't a big deal at all! But as selfish as it was, she felt a little glimmer of joy it had resulted in a coffee break together. That was awful, right? But she just enjoyed his company...

"You shouldn't be ashamed though," Felicity says earnestly. "Me, I've forgotten— well. Truthfully I've gotten lost a few times."

Mortifying and scary! Felicity had been too embarrassed to ask for help, and instead wandered the halls, clutching a folder to her chest and trying to look vaguely purposeful.

After a while she'd made it back to the intern bullpen, but it was more by accident than anything else. Just awful. It was the sort of thing she hadn't breathed to another soul, but Dex— it had just flowed out of her with him for some reason.

Dex had known Felicity for a few months now, same as all of his roommates, but there was still this jolt of anxiety that he felt as he anticipated her response. Maybe she'd already taken a break with Ariel, or Noah, or literally anyone else. And even though that would've been perfectly fine, Dex would've felt slightly wounded. Disappointed that he'd waited too long to ask her.

Dex was still trying to determine why his feelings to Felicity were so different compared to the rest of the friend group.

"Good idea. If I'm lucky, maybe all that caffeine will induce some sort of medical emergency. They'll be too afraid of a lawsuit to fire me."

He grinned, shuffling to one side, allowing Felicity the space to step out of her cubicle.

Dex led the way out of the intern bullpen. Noah was on a phone call, wearing a headset that was significantly less cooler than the one he used to game with at home, and mimed something that resembled a noose tying around his neck.

Noah hated being an intern. Dex offered an apologetic shrug, making a silent promise to bring him another cup of coffee.

"I forgot my password. Again. Third time." Dex sighed. It was very out of character for him, but he felt very … monitored. It was all so corporate and real now. He felt as if he'd blacked out during the last password reset. Now, he was dealing with the consequences.

"I'm too ashamed to reach out to IT again, so. Coffee break," he explained to Felicity.

[felicityturner]

It seems presumptuous to decorate her cubicle.

Many people had done it— experienced hands and newbies alike— but Felicity worries the second she places so much as a thumb tack they're going to cast her out, end her internship early.

After all, what is a girl like Felicity doing here?

After all— what would she even put up? Nothing from home. No sticky-notes of encouragement from her mother. A little kernel of pleasure begins to glow in her chest, however, when she realizes she has pictures of her and her roommates— friends, she has friends now — paint-splattered in their attempt to improve the apartment.

Felicty runs her finger over the bare panel of her cubicle. Yeah. A picture could look cute there. Maybe after she'd gone through her emails and organized according to—

'Hey, Felicity? So. You don't happen to remember my e-mail password, do you?'

A head swivel so sharp it nearly wrings her neck. Heat in her face, hesitant smile twitching her lips. Dex. Dex!

She'd never met someone who made her feel so off-balanced and centered all at once. A whirlwind of blond.

"I don't think you gave it to me," she says mildly. "I'm sorry."

And then Felicity is pushing back her chair at his offer, head nodding, smoothing at her skirt with unnecessary thoroughness.

Lunch. Lunch with Dex, yeah, she can't get out of her seat fast enough. The bit about firing, that was a joke, right? Who would fire Dex?

"Caffeine, I believe, is good for mental focus. Maybe if you get one of those scary espresso drinks it will come flooding back to you."

The first time Felicity had coffee was when she'd come to New York.

Being employed by the Kennedy and Ortiz families felt like a blessing and a nightmare, all at once. Dexter was lost. Not physically. He knew where he was. He knew how to find the bathroom, he knew where Conference Room 1 and 2 were, but he'd forgotten his email password three times already. Nerves, maybe? Or someone was fucking with him?

(It was probably nerves.)

He was too ashamed to tell IT that, for the third time that week, they'd need to reset his login. Dex was a smart guy. Brilliant. He went to Princeton. Ivy league. Graduated summa cum laude. But passwords, for some reason, were not his forte. He couldn't remember if his most recent password reset was changed to Plut0!22 or plutO!2022 or Pluto2022!* (Pluto, for the name of his childhood dog, and 22, because it was his favorite number.)

So, he abandoned his cubicle. It was cramped. He abandoned his coat, draping it over his squeaky office chair, before naturally gravitating toward Felicity's work space.

"Hey, Felicity? So. You don't happen to remember my e-mail password, do you?"

Probably not, considering Dexter had never given it to her. And if he had, it was probably wrong anyway. He didn't give her the opportunity to answer.

"I think I'm gonna get fired. Wanna grab lunch, or coffee?"