"So raise your glass if you are wrong, in all of the right ways." -Pink.

Yeah.

I did.

Anyway, YES I SHIP DEXTER/MANDY WHAT OF IT.

Disclaimer blah blah blah.

It was the first time he had seen her flustered, when she showed him the picture.

Of course, it was the first time he had ever seen her smile, as well, but the picture was almost worthless to him. It was a constant reminder of what he considered to be a challenge, but he knew that in the future, if Dexter could get Mandy to smile, then the picture would be worthless.

He would get Mandy to smile.

Therefore, the picture was worthless; pretty to look at, but unneeded.

It was a forced, gaudy smile used only in pageants, the ones that don't mean anything and are only for show. She was obviously tense, her eyes were displeased, and he could only imagine what was going through her head.

She was likely daydreaming about killing the inventor of pageants.

With several knifes and fire.

And perhaps rabid dogs.

Whatever it was, the smile wasn't real. Dexter scowled at the picture. Mandy, who was looking away and staring at the wall like it was the most interesting thing in the world. The regulation "hotel art" paintings adorned it, and she had expressed her apathy towards them several times in the past few weeks.

Dexter had his suspicions that she wanted him to paint him something, but she would never admit it if she did.

When she noticed his frown, she turned her eyes back to his. He looked up at her and brought his hand up, putting it on her shoulder. She blinked at him, eyebrows coming together. When he kissed the top of her forehead, she sighed through her petite nose.

"I'm not cute," she told him. Her eyes were serious and her lips were in a thin line.

"Mmhm," Dexter hummed, going along with her.

"I'm not."

"Nope."

"…Why aren't you laughing at that?" she asked after a moment of silence. She plucked it out of his fingers. "It's ridiculous. I can't believe I let myself get dragged into that."

Dexter shrugged. "I just know I can make you do better than that."

"What?"

"I'll get you to smile a much better smile for me," he informed her, like it was a fact. It was to him. Mandy looked skeptically at him before ripping the photo in half.

"I'd like to see you try," she dared him.

If he had made making her smile a challenge for himself before, now it was a life mission.

Don't judge me! AAAAGH.