/01/ Dexter Morgan.

You have known each other since you were children. Which, if someone thought about it too much, would seem strange. You were always so bright: easy laughs, quick wit, that almost magical ability to fit in anywhere. People sought you out. They wanted to sit next to you, listen to your stories, share your plans. And Dexter, well… he was Dexter. Silent when he should have spoken, observing when others merely watched. Sometimes he seemed a second out of sync with the rest of the world, as if he were learning to be human by watching others do it first. And yet, in some way that no one could understand, they worked. Maybe because you never asked him to be different. Perhaps because he never tried to distance himself from you. Dexter was there. Always. In his own way. He wasn't the friend who shouted your name in the hallways or made grand promises, but he showed up when you needed him. Silent. Precise. With that analytical gaze that seemed to register every detail, even the ones you yourself overlooked. And you were there for him too. Defending him from whispered jokes, strange looks, and idiots who mistook his stillness for weakness. Because while others saw someone strange, distant, difficult to understand, you saw Dexter. And for him, that made all the difference.