Archive of Our Own

It's just over a half-hour walk from his place to the hospital. He could drive, but the parking around the hospital sucks, and the traffic in the morning is even worse. The walk has become his usual routine, one he takes comfort in. He likes preparing for whatever is going to come his way in those thirty minutes, and on some days, it's the only fresh air he gets.

Each morning, he fills up his Yeti with scalding hot black coffee, puts on his favourite playlist to drown out the world around him, and steps out his front door, and by the time he's jogging up the steps of the hospital, most of the coffee has been drunk.

He's in an unusually good mood when he pulls his AirPods out, cuts through chairs and swipes his badge to let himself into the ED. As usual, Dana's in before him, already in her usual spot at the hub, phone against her ear. She spots him walking in her direction as he heads over to the hub to stash his bag and greets him with a silent nod. He grabs his stethoscope out of the bag, loops it around his neck and then pushes the bag towards Dana, who tucks the phone between her shoulder and ear and puts it in a bottom drawer without missing a beat.

"Alright, thanks, call me as soon as you're given the all clear." She hangs up and sighs.

"What was that all about?"

"Water pipe broke outside CT, it's gonna be out of action for an hour, maybe two."

"Of course it is," he sighs. His good mood disappears almost immediately. It doesn't take much. His eyes scan the ED, trying to find Dr Hicks to do their handover, when a figure down by central fifteen catches his attention.

The sight causes an immediate visceral reaction. His heart rate spikes, and his hand clenches at his side.

"What the fuck is he doing here?"

Dana follows Robby's gaze across the open plan area to where Jack Abbot, a.k.a 'Jackass' as Robby likes to call him, is talking to Collins. They're too far away for Robby to hear what he's saying, but Collins laughs at something he says, and Robby's lips press together firmly. If she has time to make conversation, she has time to pick up another patient.

Dana lets out an exhausted sigh.

"He's working a couple of day shifts, covering for Dr Henshall," Dana answers. "Is this going to be a problem?"

"Why would it be a problem?" He grits out.

She gives him a tired look.

Six years. That's how long Dr Jack Abbot has been a thorn in his side. In that time, Robby's contempt towards him hasn't wavered. Robby remembers the exact moment they met like it was yesterday. It was a Tuesday morning, just an hour into his shift, when Adamson appeared with someone new by his side.

Adamson had introduced him as a new attending joining the team, and when Robby had smiled and welcomed him warmly with his hand outstretched, Abbot hadn't met his eyes and completely ignored the hand waiting to be shaken. That had been the trend for the next few weeks until Robby got the picture and stopped trying to get Jackass to like him.

The stuck-up asshole had joined the team just before COVID hit, and from the minute he'd stepped into the department, Robby had felt like an inconvenience. Someone he had to talk to about patients, but he wasn't going to pretend he was happy about it.

He was the veteran who swaggered in like he was better than everyone else because he'd saved lives under the threat of rocket shells and gunfire. Robby was itching to let Abbot know that he'd spent six months working with MSF in a war-torn country, and he wasn't the sheltered city-boy he seemed to think Robby was. Instead, he gritted his teeth and let the resentment build

Abbot worked quickly and wasn't afraid of the tough cases, but sometimes he acted like he was still deployed, barking orders and doing risky procedures. He'd lost a leg in war and a wife sometime after that, and for some reason, that allowed him to act like a dick. Everyone else excused his behaviour, but Robby made a mental note of all of it.

Adamson had noticed the tension almost immediately, and after some poor attempts to bridge the gap between them, switched Jack over to the night shift, and that was that.

And then Adamson died, and while Robby wrestled with the decision over his ECMO and the grief that followed, Jack just carried on, like nothing was wrong.

Robby fucking hates the man.

Luckily, the sentiment is returned, and Jack Abbot can't stand him either.

The only thing keeping HR from intervening is the fact that Jack works nights, Robby works days, and never shall the twain meet.

Apart from a very brief, mostly civil, handover at shift change, of course.

Is it professional to have a deep hatred of someone who technically reports to you? Not really, but Robby is able to separate his dislike of the man from his work as a doctor. Robby admits he's a talented physician. Not that he would ever admit that to Jack.

Robby opens his mouth, ready to make some snide remark comparing Jackass to a vampire who might combust in direct sunlight, but Dana gets there first.

"Play nice, please?" She begs, having seen it all before.

On the rare occasions they do have to work together, they do their best not to let their feelings towards each other get in the way, but it's not always easy. It was one thing when they were on even footing, but now Robby is chief; it would be so easy to pull rank. Unfortunately, it's a card he can't play nearly as much as he would like.

"Collins!" He barks across the ED.

Startled, Heather's head snaps sharply in his direction.

"Rounds in twenty."

She nods and slips away from Abbot, who's frowning back at him. Robby doesn't acknowledge Jack or his frown; just turns around and walks away.

It's going to be a long day.

A long, tough shift means that by the last hour, the wall holding back all his emotions is paper-thin. He doesn't mind taking on the trickier cases that come through the doors, but he's given away more of himself to his patients than he has available to give. A flaw he's never quite been able to correct, despite Adamson's many warnings to him over the years.

There was a young woman found in an alleyway after being assaulted who sobbed against Robby's chest, an elderly woman who had absolutely no one in her life left to care about her, and the devastated couple watching their child fight for his life after already losing their eldest to cancer.

By hour eleven, he's running on empty, his temper short, and his body jittery from nicotine withdrawal. Jack's presence doesn't help. They fight over cases like they're residents, passing passive-aggressive comments across a patient's bed like it's a tennis match.

"Dr Abbot was just leaving, as he's well aware that this isn't his patient."

"It isn't? Because I was the one intubating them while you were god knows where."

"I do have a whole department to run."

"Wait, you're the chief? You've never mentioned this before."

Jackass has always known how to push his buttons.

He overhears one of the med students asking Dana about it at lunch.

"Am I just imagining it, or do they hate each other?"

Dana chuckles, "You're not imagining it, hun."

"But what if I get conflicting orders from them?"

"Then you come to me," Dana answers, glancing over in Robby's direction pointedly. "And I'll knock some sense into the two of 'em."

She knows he can hear every word. She can be downright terrifying when she wants to be.

Then, late in the day, a man is wheeled in, the sight of him instantly stealing the air from Robby's lungs. He's the spitting image of Adamson. Dana sees it too, her eyes wide as she goes from the man in the bed to looking up at Robby, then back down to the man.

His heart races in his chest, and as they push the gurney into Trauma 1, whatever Langdon is saying to him is drowned out by the ringing in his ears.

Despite Robby being in the room already, Jack pushes through the swing door and grabs some gloves.

"What've we got?"

Langdon glances up at Robby first, loyally waiting for him to say something, but Robby's still staring down at the man in the bed. It's not Adamson, he tells himself. It can't be.

Realising Robby is no use, Langdon starts giving Abbot a rundown of symptoms. Robby stares at the monitor, watching the man's BP dropping quickly. The man's having a STEMI.

"Robinavitch!" Abbot snaps, like he's been calling his name for a while. Robby's head swings round, taking in Jack's stony expression, "Take a step back, now."

Robby retreats from the side of the gurney, stepping out of the way just as Abbot pushes into the empty space and takes over the case.

Robby just stands there, unable to breathe. It's like he's back in full PPE, trapped behind clear plastic that fogs up when he breathes too heavily. The thought of being back in all that gear, unable to reach out in Adamson's dying days and feel the warmth of his skin, sends a shiver down his spine.

The monitor alarms start blaring.

"What do you want to do?" Dana is asking him.

"We wait!" Robby cries, helplessly "We fucking wait!"

"A 12-year-old needs this," Dana argues, "He's been on the ECMO for 17 days."

"V-fib," Abbot calls out, bringing Robby back to the present, "Langdon, start compressions."

Robby watches as Langdon steps up and starts pushing down on the man's chest in a steady tempo. He hears the man's ribs crack. That's good, that's how it should be, Robby tells himself.

They try shocking his heart back into a normal rhythm, but it doesn't change anything. Langdon starts chest compressions again.

They shock him again, and this time they lose his pulse completely. Abbot curses. They push epinephrine into the man's body, take turns standing over him, forcing blood to circulate through his body, working on him for over an hour. They try everything, but nothing is working, and Robby watches his mentor dying all over again.

They've lost him. Abbot knows it. Langdon knows it.

"Call it," croaks Robby from his spot in the corner.

"What? No, we can try another round of epi." Jack argues.

He always has to fucking argue.

"He's gone, Dr Abbot," Robby snaps.

Every pair of eyes snaps to his.

In the background is the drone of a flatline.

He turns and walks out, yanking off his gloves as he leaves.

Someone calls his name as soon as he steps back out into the ED, "Not now!" He returns sharply, desperate for just five minutes of space.

The only peaceful place he knows he won't be disturbed is his office. A small, windowless room not far from the ED that he hates. There's little else in the room apart from a desk, chair and filing cabinets, which means there's just enough floorspace to pace back and forth.

There's a tingling in his fingers as he paces, and his chest is tight, like he's run a marathon. He tries breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, but it doesn't work.

"Fuck," he spits out desperately as the panic rises inside of him, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."

Suddenly, his door swings open, and Abbot steps into the room. He has no idea how Jack found him, or why he's there.

"God, not now, please," Robby begs.

"I saw it too, you know, I know what you were thinking in there, but it wasn't him."

"You think I don't know that?" Robby cries. His cheeks flush. This is the last thing he wanted. To be having a panic attack over his dead mentor in front of Jack Abbot of all people.

Suddenly, Abbot is inches away, invading his personal space and close enough for Robby to feel his body heat. Robby's heart thuds in his chest.

"What are you doing?"

Without warning, Abbot grabs him by the hips and pushes him up onto the desk. Robby's breath hitches, and it feels like a reset. His lungs aren't demanding lungfuls of oxygen anymore.

"Playing a hunch," Abbot finally answers Robby's question. "Please don't hit me for this."

Robby's eyes widen when Jack reaches down between them, deftly flicks open the button of Robby's pants and slowly lowers the zipper, giving Robby plenty of time to say no if he wants to.

Robby doesn't say no.

Instead, he freezes momentarily when a hot, brazen hand reaches into his pants, before his eyes slide shut and his body releases all the tension built up over the last eleven hours. He submits to Jack's touch with a soft exhale.

"That's it," Jack praises softly, the words eliciting a tingling sensation that rushes up his spine and across his shoulders.

The arousal builds as Jack's fingers stroke purposefully over the growing bulge in his underwear, engulfing any confusion he originally felt when Jack pushed into his personal space and unzipped his pants. As Robby begins to harden, Abbot slips his fingers into the fly of his boxer shorts and carefully releases his cock.

It stands proudly out to attention between them, and Robby opens his eyes back up in time to watch Abbot lean down and swallow him down in one smooth motion.

"Oh fuck," Robby's head drops back, and while one hand leans back to prop himself up, his other hand automatically slides into Abbot's curls.

Jack's mouth is blazing hot and wet as it demands all of Robby's attention. Dark thoughts fly out the window, and the man with Adamson's face is temporarily forgotten. Robby whimpers as Abbot raises up, swirls his tongue around the head of Robby's cock and dipping into the slit to lap up any precum, before immediately sinking back down. Abbot takes him deep without gagging and swallows around him, then repeats the process all over again and again and again.

Jack doesn't let up for one single second, bobbing his head until Robby is letting out short gasps and tightening his grip on Abbot's hair. Pleasure grows, building in his groin and tightening like a coil.

It doesn't take much more, and Robby should be embarrassed by how quickly he feels himself reach the precipice. He's fucking desperate to care.

"I'm gonna-" he manages to choke out, giving Abbot enough time to pull off.

Instead, Abbot's mouth suctions around him even harder, his cheeks hollowing. Abbot's lips slide down Robby's length until he's as far as he can go, and that's it, Robby's hips jerking as he comes hard down Abbot's throat.

Abbot swallows every drop and then, when the feeling of Abbot's mouth around him becomes too much, Robby whines and Abbot immediately lifts off.

Breathlessly, Robby stares up at Abbot in complete shock, "What the hell was that for?"

"Giving you something else to think about," Abbot answers, then wipes his mouth with his sleeve, "Worked, didn't it?" He adds, a little too cocky.

Robby doesn't respond, still too dazed from the orgasm.

"Better get back out there before people start to wonder where we both are."

Abbot's eyes flick down to Robby's lap, his cock still out, now soft against the material of his boxer shorts. Robby doesn't know if it's regret he sees in Abbot's eyes or something else, but the man ducks out of the office quickly, not looking back.

Robby has no idea what the fuck just happened.

Abbot's back working a string of nights after their completely unexpected encounter in his office, for which he's glad. The vision of Abbot taking him all in his mouth like he was born for it flashes in his mind every time he's in the vicinity.

Somehow, Abbot is able to go on like nothing happened. He offers a brief, impassive handover, with his eyes trained on the screen, then walks out the door without looking back.

It's not like Robby cares what Abbot does or doesn't do. So he gave Robby a blow job, but that doesn't mean anything has changed. He can hate the man while recognising the talented mouth he has.

Except the memory of that talented mouth has helped him get off more than a few times in the last couple of weeks. He hasn't masturbated this much since he was a teenager. It infuriates him to no end that Jack Abbot is living rent-free in his mind and driving him crazy.

"Hey," Dana snags his elbow one morning, as he's barely stepped in the ED. "Go easy on Abbot if you see him? He had a tough night shift, car accident, both of the kids and the wife didn't make it; Jack had to break the news to the husband."

Fuck. That's a rough one.

"Yeah, okay," Robby replies quietly, his eyes darting around for the other man. Just because they don't like each other doesn't mean he's going to kick him when he's down.

He's technically not on shift as he has a meeting upstairs first thing that he hopes will be done by lunch. He reminds Dana to call if there's even the slightest hint that he's needed downstairs and heads towards the lift. When the doors open, Abbot comes barreling out at full speed.

"Whoa," Robby steps back to avoid a collision.

Abbot manages to stop himself mid-step and his eyes flick to meet Robby's briefly. He looks tired, "What, no comment on how I should look where I'm going?"

"Not today," Robby replies, reminded of Dana's earlier plea.

Abbot sighs, "Whatever."

He slips past Robby smoothly, and then he's gone.

The heads of department meeting is as boring as Robby expects. They spend an hour talking about budgets, another hour on mandatory training and then, finally, Gloria reminds them all about the upcoming fundraising gala that they must all attend or face her wrath. He hates having to get all dressed up for fundraising events. No one ever donates money specifically to the ED, and he feels like a piece of meat, dragged around by Gloria to shake hands and talk about how important his work is, without any mention of what the ED is really like or any gruesome stories that will put potential donors off their three-hundred-dollar-a-plate dinner.

As soon as the meeting is over, he escapes and heads out to get lunch. There's a nearby German bar that does good food, and the thought of their schnitzel makes his stomach rumble. He heads in there enough that the bar owner knows him by name and puts in his usual order as soon as she sees him walk through the door.

"It'll be ten minutes. You want a drink while you're waiting?" Helena asks.

Robby's eyes drift down the bar, and a familiar face catches his attention. "Uh, yeah, sure, whatever's on tap." It's the middle of the day, but Abbot's halfway through a stein and he has nowhere to be, so what does it matter?

Abbot either doesn't seem to notice him or doesn't care that Robby's there. He understands what it's like to have a shift you can't quite shake off. He's been that figure hunched over a bar, letting the alcohol temporarily numb the pain.

When he sees Abbot leave his stool and head to the bathrooms, an idea hits him, and he follows just a few steps behind. The door closes behind Jack, but Robby quickly pushes it back open and steps into the bathroom, immediately crowding into Jack's personal space, surprising him.

"Robby? What are you doing?"

Robby could give him an answer.

Returning the favour

Giving your mind something else to think about.

Instead, he says, "What does it fucking look like?" And shoves Jack into an open stall.

Robby quickly enters the stall behind him, locking the door before turning his attention back to Jack.

"Seriously? Here?"

Robby ignores the question. With a hand on his chest, he pushes Abbot against the wall, and the man grunts as his head is thrown back, colliding with the tiles. "Ow, fuck!"

Robby doesn't apologise, he's too busy undoing the button and fly of Jack's pants. His normally deft fingers fumbling desperately to get inside them. Abbot gets with the program quickly, lifting his hips away from the wall. Robby takes the opportunity to yank his pants and boxer-briefs down his thighs enough to give Robby some room to work.

Robby takes in the sight in front of him, like it's a feast and he's half-starved. Jack's cock, already at half-mast, is thicker than Robby's, and the vision of his cock filling Robby, stretching him wide, distracts him long enough for Jack to huff in frustration.

"Earth to Robby."

"Shh, I'm busy here," Robby pushes back.

The heady combination of his vivid imagination and the real thing in front of him leaves his pants tight and uncomfortable, but he's here to distract Jack, so he pushes his own feelings to one side and reaches down to curl his fingers around Jack's thick cock.

The eager expression on Jack's face slips away as the pleasure hits him, his mouth dropping open and his eyes squeezing shut. It only takes a few loose tugs for Jack's cock to fill. The way the head turns a dark pink, the slit slick with precum, will be seared into Robby's memory.

He's tempted to just give Abbot a dirty handjob. Whilst he's sure Jack would be more than happy with that, ever since he experienced Jack's talented mouth a few weeks ago, he hasn't been able to stop thinking about the weight of Jack's cock on his tongue, the stretch of his mouth, or the taste on his lips. He has to know what it's like, even if it's just to get the thought out of his mind.

The tiled floor is unforgiving, but that's a problem for his future self.

He ignores his protesting knees as he slowly lowers himself down onto the hard floor and instead, focuses on the way Jack groans in anticipation. He doesn't want to waste any time, not when anyone could walk into the bathroom at any moment. Leaning in, he grasps Jack tightly by the base and guides the tip to his mouth, his head sinking down to take in as much of Jack's cock as possible in one go.

"Oh fuck," Jack curses, and Robby hears his head bash against the tiles once again. He hopes to god he won't need to take Jack back into the Pitt to get a head CT after this.

Refusing to give Jack any time to get used to the hot mouth around him, he works Abbot hard and fast, fisting the root of his cock in a persistent rhythm, meeting his lips with every stroke.

"Fuck, yes, like that," Abbot gasps out, his hand cupping the back of Robby's head, his fingers sliding smoothly into his hair and pulling lightly.

Despite the desperate sounds Jack is making, Robby can feel that he's holding himself back, and he's determined to do something about it. A trick he learned from an old med-school acquaintance comes to mind, and he begins to hum around Jack's length. Jack responds immediately, his hips jerking forward suddenly, pushing his cock deeper down Robby's throat. Robby then encourages Abbot with a hand on his hip; no words needed for him to understand what Robby is saying, and Jack starts to thrust his hips forward carefully. When he realises Robby can handle what he's giving him, he starts driving in faster, fucking Robby's mouth.

Robby takes it all, swallowing around Abbot and fisting his cock hard. When Jack's hand tightens in Robby's hair, he knows he must be close. He lifts off until just the bulbous head of Jack's cock is in his mouth, and sucks hard until the salty taste of his come floods Robby's mouth. He swallows it all down without even blinking.

When Robby stands, using the wall to help push himself up, Abbot is looking at him in complete awe. Robby doesn't know if it's because Jack didn't expect him to ever return the favour or because he wasn't expecting to get a good orgasm out of the deal; either way, Robby is equally offended and amused.

Abbot doesn't say anything as they stand there, chest to chest, but his shoulders are a little looser and his eyebrows aren't doing that sad droop that made Robby push him into the cubicle in the first place, so mission accomplished.

Finally, like Abbot's brain has finished rebooting, he blinks and reaches out to unlock the door. They stumble out, Abbot quickly tucking himself back in and zipping up before anyone can walk in and see him.

"Fucking hell," Robby looks at himself in the mirror. His lips are red and swollen, and his hair is standing up at every angle. His voice is hoarse, too. Anyone would take one look at him and know what happened.

Abbot doesn't even give him a second glance.

"Until next time, I guess," he shrugs, then walks out of the bathroom with his head held high, and a slight swagger of his hips that reminds Robby that he's still hard in his trousers.

The next day, he's limping around the ED, the consequence of kneeling on a hard bathroom floor.

"What did you do to yourself?" Dana's concern is touching, but he's not about to tell her what actually happened.

"It's nothing, really, I'll be fine," He answers a little too quickly. She knows he's lying, but thankfully, she doesn't push.

Never again is he getting down on his knees for that man.

It doesn't become a regular thing, despite Robby craving the taste and heat of Jack's cock on his tongue. He starts to need it more than the nicotine gum he chews. The thought of Jack on his knees in front of him makes his fingers twitch and he hates that Jack has made him feel this way. There was a time when he didn't know what sound Jack made when he came. Now it's all he can fucking think about.

While he's half hoping Jack will drag him into his office again or really into any hospital room with a lock, he doesn't. He has to accept that it was just one blow job reciprocated by another blow job. Nothing else. Robby's not surprised; it's not like they're a thing. They're the exact opposite of a thing.

It's why he doesn't expect to hear his doorbell ring one evening and find Jack on his doorstep, expression unreadable. He didn't know Jack even knew where he lived.

Jack doesn't wait for an invitation; just pushes past Robby into the house.

"Take off your clothes," he says instead of a greeting, throwing his jacket onto a nearby chair and immediately pulling his t-shirt off.

What the fuck?

"What's happening here?"

"What's happening is that I need to forget everything for the next half an hour. Think you can manage that?" Jack answers. He carries on into the house, clearly trying to figure out which door leads to Robby's bedroom.

Robby sighs when he sees Jack reach for a door handle. "Other door."

Without missing a beat, Jack looks back at him, across to the door on the opposite side, then pushes the correct door open and heads inside.

"Well? Are you coming?" Jack calls from down the hall.

Robby walks in just in time to watch Jack yank his fly down firmly.

Robby stands there, trying to process what's happening whilst also enjoying the view in front of him. Jack pushes his cargos and boxers down to his thighs, enough to expose himself; his cock thick and pink, just like Robby remembers. A flash of heat skims down his spine and leaves his jeans feeling tight.

"You better have lube and condoms."

"I'm single, not a monk."

Jack sits down on the edge of the bed, and Robby watches with curiosity as Jack carefully pushes the trouser leg over his prosthetic without it snagging and then, with practised, nimble fingers, takes the whole leg off too.

Never in a million years did he think he'd be standing in his bedroom with Jack Abbot naked and hard on his bed.

Finally, Jack looks up, his expression unimpressed. "Didn't I tell you to take your clothes off?"

"You really know how to charm a guy, Abbot," Robby responds, though he's already reaching for the hem of his shirt to lift it up over his head.

As he starts unbuttoning his trousers, Jack props himself up with one arm whilst his free hand curls around his dick and starts stroking himself to full hardness. Robby groans, and his fingers falter at his fly when Jack swipes his thumb over the leaking head before bringing his slick thumb to his lips to lick it off.

Jack rolls his eyes. "In your own time, Robby."

"You were distracting me," Robby argues, but manages to focus long enough to kick his pants off. There's nothing sexy about pushing underwear down your legs and pulling your socks off, especially when you're being watched, but Jack doesn't seem turned off by the sight. Instead, when Robby looks up, Jack's eyes are dark and hungry.

He wastes no time, crossing over to the bed, pressing his hand to Jack's chest and shoving him backwards. Jack goes surprisingly willingly, shimmying himself up the bed, and as soon as he's in position, Robby climbs on top. There's a moment, as Robby covers Jack's body with his own, that his eyes drift to Jack's lips. He wonders what it would be like to kiss Jack.

They don't kiss.

He barely tolerates Jack; he's not about to stick his tongue down his throat.

Instead, he ducks his head down and draws a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, whilst his hand dips down between them and grasps Jack's cock firmly.

"Oh fuck, that's what I'm talking about."

Jack's body is blazing hot underneath him, bucking up into Robby's touch automatically. He strokes Jack purposefully as he gives Jack's other nipple some attention. He teases Jack like that for a bit. Steady strokes that don't offer enough friction to get Jack anywhere close to coming, and attention to his chest that leaves Jack with a hickey on his pec that he'll have a hard time explaining in the changing rooms.

Eventually, when Jack starts letting out soft puffs of frustration, thrusting his hips up into Robby's grip to get him moving, Robby lets go and climbs off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To get the fucking lube and condoms."

He pads around the bed and starts digging around in his nightstand drawer.

"Been that long?" Jack goads.

"Fuck you," Robby returns easily, though there's no heat to it.

He doesn't try and defend himself. Unfortunately, Jack's dig hits too close to home. It has been a while, which is another reason why he's not about to kick Jack out of his bed. He really can't be picky. His hand eventually lands on the box of condoms, the bottle of lube sitting right underneath it, and he digs both out, chucking them on the bed.

"A whole box, you're optimistic."

"You're really making me want to gag you, y'know."

"Another time," Jack says a little too easily.

Climbing back onto the bed, Robby crawls over to Jack, retrieving the lube as he goes.

"Turn over," he demands as he squirts some of the cool liquid onto his fingers. Jack groans as he flips over onto his stomach, grabbing one of Robby's pillows to stick under his hips. He folds his arms and rests his head down on them, facing away from Robby. Meanwhile, Robby manoeuvres himself to sit between Jack's legs, nudging his thighs apart with his free hand, giving Robby better access.

"Get on with it, will you?"

The more Jack hassles him, the slower Robby stubbornly wants to go. Fortunately, his own desires are building, and the urge to draw things out to wind Jack up flies out the window

The first lubed finger finds Jack's hole easily. He prods at the muscle, circling the tight ring once before pushing the whole finger in deep. Jack's channel is hot and tight, clamping down onto his finger securely.

"Been that long?" Robby throws Jack's own words back at him.

"I'm usually the one doing the fucking," Jack replies easily. "Give me another before I die of old age."

Robby pulls the first finger out slowly and pushes back in with two. It's much tighter, and Jack tenses under him. Robby goes slowly, fucking his fingers in and out of Jack steadily, scissoring him open and stretching out the muscle until Jack begins to loosen up.

"Another," Jack demands.

Robby wants to ask who's fucking who, but bites his tongue and presses a third finger in.

It's easier now, Jack takes the extra finger with a long, drawn-out groan. As soon as he starts driving back into Robby's fingers, Robby ups the ante and starts fucking Jack harder.

"Oh fuck," Jack croaks out when Robby's fingers finally find Jack's prostate. "Right there."

Robby does the opposite, purposefully avoiding the bundle of nerves.

"God, I hate you."

"And yet you're here in my bed, what's that say about you?"

"That I ran out of other options and…fuck….you're what's left?"

Without warning, he pushes a fourth finger in, stretching Jack even further.

"Robby," Jack growls out.

"Yeah?" He feigns ignorance.

"Stop being a fucking asshole and fuck me."

Robby's tempted to keep going, just to wind Jack up further, but in the end, he carefully pulls out, grabs a condom, and slides it down his length with slippery fingers.

"Ready?" He asks, spreading lube over his cock with a couple of firm strokes.

"Do it," Jack commands.

Leaning over Jack, Robby presses a hand into the mattress beside his shoulder whilst his other hand guides his cock towards Jack's slick hole. Despite Robby's thorough preparation, the ring of muscle is still tight, and Robby grunts as he finally pushes inside. Jack's body is like a vice around his cock, squeezing him tight enough to bring Robby close to the edge already.

"Holy shit," Robby murmurs, thinking about anything unsexy to make things last.

Myrna.

Gloria.

Fuck.

Jack is blazing hot and tight around him as he keeps sinking in as far as he can go. When he bottoms out, he holds himself there, waiting for Jack to get used to the stretch. After what feels like an hour, but must only be less than a minute, Jack pushes back against Robby, giving him the signal to go.

The first couple of thrusts are slow and steady, but Jack lets out a frustrated huff in response.

"Is this the best you can do?"

He knows he's being manipulated, but Robby doesn't care; he wants Jack to shut up, and the only way to make that happen is to fuck his brains out.

He pulls back slowly again, then slams back into Jack in one sharp thrust. Without time to recover, Robby fucks Jack hard and fast, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the air. Each time he sinks inside, Jack curses under his breath, each one merging into the next until it's nothing but babble.

He tries to keep Jack on his toes, switching up between fast thrusts and grinding in deep, but in the end, it's the fast, steady jerk of his cock inside Jack that drives them closer and closer to the edge.

His muscles ache from the workout he's putting his body through, but he refuses to slow down until Jack is desperate and begging for release. The angle isn't perfect, though, and he can't hold himself up in this position forever.

He pulls out, and Jack immediately lets out a displeased noise. Before Jack can voice his complaint about being empty, Robby sits back on his calves, grabs a hold of Jack's hips and forces him up onto his knees. His hand slides down Jack's spine, pushing his face into the pillow below so it's just his ass sticking up in the air.

"Perfect," Robby utters, then guides his cock back inside in one long drive forward. In this new position, Robby hits Jack's prostate dead on and Jack yelps. Robby grins cockily as he rocks his hips, jerking into Jack with power and precision. With his hands on Jack's hips, he drags Jack backwards each time he drives forward, slamming his cock into Jack again and again.

"Fuck, keep going, just like that," Jack demands.

A tightness forms in his gut, building slowly at first. The way Jack's hole massages Robby's cock, envelops him in heat and pressure, drives Robby crazy. He's had good sex before, but he's never felt like this before, like all his senses are overwhelmed and his thoughts have been reduced to the basics.

Fuck. Thrust. More.

"I'm close," he says, his voice unsteady as he does his best to keep his own orgasm at bay and put all his energy into getting Jack there too.

"Do it," Jack urges, "Come in me, let me feel it."

Robby bites his lip, Jack's words helping to tip him closer to the edge. "You first," he insists.

He feels Jack clench around him, not giving him any choice.

"Oh fuck!" Robby croaks out, his hips jerking uncontrollably as he comes into the condom. Before his orgasm has even subsided, Jack shifts forward until Robby's cock slips out, and then turns over onto his back beside him.

Robby watches, stunned, as Jack begins to strip his own cock furiously to get off, and is immediately offended.

He slaps Jack's hand away, replacing it instantly with his own. Jack groans, his hips lifting up into Robby's touch. As he pumps Jack's cock steadily, he slips two fingers back inside Jack's relaxed hole and promptly locates his prostate. Jack's mouth falls open as he begins to fuck himself, pushing down into Robby's fingers and then up into the firm grip around his cock.

He comes without warning, painting his own chest and stomach.

They lie there for a few minutes, catching their breath, when Jack prods his arm.

"Clean up on aisle 4."

"Huh?" Robby's brain is too addled from his orgasm to understand what Jack is on about.

"Go get me a cloth to wipe up, you idiot."

"I clearly didn't fuck you hard enough if you can form full sentences," Robby comments.

"And here I was thinking you could manage such a basic task," Jack returns, though there's a satiated flush to his cheeks that Robby can't ignore. Jack's hair is damp from sweat, and Robby struggles to pull his eyes away from the stripes of come across Jack's solid chest. He resists the urge to lean across and lick it off.

"Seriously, no rush, I just love the feeling of drying come on my chest," Jack huffs impatiently.

Heaving himself off the mattress with a groan, he deals with the condom first, removing and tying it off. Next, he pads over to the bathroom, unbothered about putting on clothes. There's a tightness in his thighs and an ache in his back as he walks, his body aching deliciously with satisfaction.

He drops the condom in the trash, washes himself up, and then grabs a clean cloth from the cabinet, dunking it under the running tap.

"Heads up," he calls out from the bathroom doorway. The words come out just a couple of seconds after he throws the cloth, and it lands across Jack's face with a loud slap.

Jack retrieves the cloth from his face and glares in Robby's direction, "You suck."

"Not today, I don't," Robby replies, strolling back to the bed and dropping onto the mattress, his face sinking into the pillow. A moment later, he hears the thud of the cloth being dropped on the floor.

He feels the post-orgasmic pull of sleep beginning to make his limbs heavy, and he doesn't fight it.

"Let yourself out," he mumbles into the pillow, then he's out for the count.

When he wakes up a couple of hours later, the other side of the bed is empty. The only thing to prove that anyone else was in his bedroom is the rumpled sheets and the fresh glass of water left on his nightstand.

It's one thing to go to work and pretend you haven't exchanged blow jobs with the co-worker you despise; it's another thing entirely to go to work and have to face the co-worker after fucking him into the mattress the day before.

As soon as Jack steps up to the hub, an image of him spread out on his bed fills Robby's mind. He knows Jack has a scar on his thigh, a birthmark on his hip, and a tattoo on his shoulder. This is information he never thought he'd ever know about Jack, and now it's permanently seared in his mind.

"Good day off?" Jack asks, far too politely.

He knows exactly what Robby's day off entailed. The nonchalance immediately winds him up.

"What do you care?" He returns sharply, his mouth running before his mind could stop it.

Jack's shoulders drop, like he's surrendered before the fight's even begun.

"You're right, I don't."

He hands over as quickly as possible, not meeting Robby's eyes, and then he's gone, disappearing out of sight.

He doesn't know what Jack expected exactly. It was good sex, really fucking good sex, but that's all it was. Robby really needs to put a stop to this before it gets even more complicated than it already is. He doesn't want messy; he's done messy; he's not interested in getting caught up in all that again, especially not with Jack.

His shift is about as average a shift as it gets in the Pitt, busy enough to keep his mind off Jack without being overwhelming. He guides Collins through a tricky procedure, checks on the latest bets being placed with Langdon, and teases Dana about her daughter's newest boyfriend.

After lunch, he finishes up in trauma one and is about to check in with Mohan in triage when Dana flags him down.

"Gloria called, you're needed upstairs."

"Now?" Robby grimaces.

"Her exact words were he needs to get his ass up here now," Dana answers. "Whatever you did, undo it."

He throws his hands up, "I'm innocent of all charges."

She snorts, "Likely story."

"If I'm not back down in half an hour, fake an emergency."

"I tried that last time, remember? She didn't fall for it."

He groans and curses as he trudges over to the elevators. Luckily, he discovers he's done nothing wrong, but there are some documents he needs to sign ASAP, so he's done and dusted in under ten minutes.

"You know, you act like coming up here is akin to getting your teeth pulled out," Gloria sighs as he finally escapes her office and starts heading back to the elevator. "Doesn't have to be this way!" She calls down the hallway.

He turns back, offers her a sloppy salute, and steps back just as the elevator doors open. The doors close as she shakes her head at him. He stabs the button for the basement level and watches the screen above the doors as the car descends.

He feels the elevator come to a stop early, opening on the fifth floor, and when the doors open up, he's surprised to find Jack standing there, waiting.

Robby doesn't immediately step back to let him on, his hand going to the doors to hold them open.

"What are you still doing here?"

"Can I please get on?"

"Your leg?" He guesses. Ortho and prosthetics are on fifth.

Jack scowls at him, "If I tell you, will you let me in the elevator?"

"Well?"

"My elderly neighbour fell and broke her femur a couple of days ago. I was checking in on her post-surgery, okay?"

Satisfied with the answer, Robby lets go of the door and steps back. Jack finally steps inside, glancing at the illuminated basement button, then stepping over to the opposite side of the elevator.

"That's nice of you," Robby says as the doors close.

"This might shock you, but I'm actually a nice person."

"Really? Because I-" He stops mid-sentence when the elevator grinds to a halt suddenly, and the whole car is plunged into darkness for a moment before the lights flicker back on.

"What the…"

Robby steps up to the control panel and presses a few of the buttons to see if any of them work, but nothing happens.

"Of course," he mutters under his breath, then presses the alarm button to alert whoever needs to know an elevator car has broken down.

"Facilities," a crackly voice answers from the speaker.

"Yeah, we're in an elevator, it's not moving."

"Which elevator are you in?" Robby reads off the number on the panel. "And how many persons are currently in the elevator?"

"Two," Robby should be grateful it's only two; a full elevator car can get stuffy.

"Understood, someone will attend shortly," the voice says indifferently, then the call cuts off.

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

He gets his phone out of his pocket and calls Dana.

"Dana, Jack and I are stuck in the elevator. Get us the fuck out of here."

"Oh, sure. With my years of experience as an elevator engineer, I'll have you out in no time," Dana replies, her voice dripping with sarcasm that Robby has no time for.

"Just keep calling facilities until they send someone, please?"

When he hangs up and turns around to face Jack, he finds him sitting on the floor, legs out in front of him.

"Better get comfy," Jack pats the floor beside him, "We might be here a while."

He lowers himself down on the opposite side, sliding down the wall of the car until his ass reaches the floor. Neither of them says anything for a long while. Robby sends Dana a few messages that she ignores before giving up, then answers some emails he'd been putting off until his battery starts getting low.

"Can I ask you something?" Jack asks when Robby finally puts his phone in his pocket, "Since I have you cornered with nowhere to go."

"Seems like I don't have a choice."

"Why don't you like me?"

Robby isn't expecting that. "Me?" He scoffs, "Your disdain for me was clear from day one."

Jack looks confused, "What are you talking about?"

"You seriously don't remember Adamson introducing us on your first shift, and you barely acknowledging me?"

Jack looks down at his hands in his lap, "To be honest with you, I don't remember much about the first few weeks. I was in a new town, still dealing with losing Sarah, the PTSD was rough, and I hadn't started therapy yet either. I wasn't in a good headspace."

"Oh."

"Didn't help that from the minute I walked through those doors, you were the goddamn golden child."

"What?"

"You really don't know? Adamson couldn't stop raving about you. Everyone I talked to told me how great you were. I felt like they were all telling me I couldn't possibly compare to the heir apparent," he admits. "It was intimidating, and frustrating, and they were all fucking right of course, because you're a fucking good doctor and sometimes I don't think you even know it."

"I'm not perfect," Robby says, his voice shaking slightly. "I'm just trying my best in a world that feels like it's slowly falling apart in front of my eyes."

"That's what makes you good, you idiot. You know nothing is going to change, and yet you get out of bed and work your fucking hardest anyway."

Robby hides the smile that threatens to spread across his face. Before he can stop himself, he stands up, crosses the car and drops back down next to Jack.

"I thought maybe, because of your military service, you thought you were better than me," he reveals quietly, "I felt…I don't know, like your experience counted more than mine. That you were looking at me, thinking I couldn't possibly know what it's like to save lives in the middle of a warzone."

"I don't think that," Jack quickly responds, twisting his body around to face Robby, "I don't," he repeats, like he's not sure Robby heard him the first time. "And didn't you do like six months with MSF? You must have seen some shit yourself."

Robby's surprised, "Who told you about that?"

"Doesn't matter," Jack shrugs, which tells Robby it must've been Dana.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Hit me."

"Why did you follow me to my office that day? Why did you…you know."

"Stop your panic attack by giving you head?"

Robby huffs, "That's one way to put it."

"Well, I knew I needed to do something to help, and despite our issues with each other, I have thought a few times about what you and I would be like together, I mean, you must know how hot you are."

Robby blushes, "Stop."

"I was kinda surprised you didn't turn me down."

"Me too," Robby answers honestly,

"I was half expecting you to knock me off my feet."

"Well, there's always next time."

Jack's eyes flash, "Next time?"

"You gotta agree," Robby starts, leaning in, "the sex is good."

Jack grins, "Was it hard? Admitting that?"

Robby's eyes flick down to Jack's lips, and a wave of heat courses through him. The warmth heats the back of his neck and makes his heart race. He can't blame it on the lack of airflow.

"God, you're so annoying", Robby retorts, his voice so low it rumbles in his chest.

Jack chuckles, and Robby shivers at the soft breath tickling his skin. If he leans in just a little more, he could close the gap entirely.

The elevator car jolts.

Robby jerks back.

They start descending again, and a few moments later, the doors open up to the ED. Dana's there, hands on her hips, staring down at the two of them sitting on the floor pretending they weren't just about to kiss.

Something's changed.

Ever since the elevator, the usual surge of anger Robby feels every time Jack is in his presence is no longer there. The sight of him doesn't trigger him like it used to. What he feels instead, Robby couldn't say, but the atmosphere feels charged, like after a storm has passed and the air is still thick.

Unfortunately, his softer attitude towards Jack is noticed by Dana, who drags him outside to the ambulance bay during one of her smoke breaks. Whilst he joins her outside, he's on his fourth attempt to give up smoking, so he stands upwind of her and tries to ignore the growing cravings.

"So," she begins, her eyes narrowing in his direction like she's a cop about to interrogate a suspect. "You going to tell me what's up between you and Jack?"

"Nothing's up," Robby responds far too quickly.

One of Dana's eyebrows arches sharply, incredulously.

"You laughed at one of his jokes yesterday. I didn't know you knew how to do that."

Robby winces.

"Go on, tell me, you know you want to," she urges, putting on a sickly sweet voice that tells Robby she's not going to let it go. "This is me you're talking to."

"Alright, fine," he hisses, then under his breath admits, "We had sex."

Both eyebrows shoot up, "Holy shit." The cigarette almost falls from between her fingers in shock. It's nice to know he can still surprise her after all these years. "Wait, in the elevator?"

"No, not in the elevator, before the elevator."

"Huh."

She takes in the new information like he's just told her Santa Claus is real and parked in Central 4.

"I thought you hated him."

"I do," he replies. "I did, fuck, I don't know," he sighs, "I think we cleared up a few misunderstandings when we were trapped, not so sure what I feel now."

"Have you considered that it was never hate you felt? They say there's a fine line."

"You think I love him?"

"I think that over the last six years you've worked together, you haven't stopped talking about him, and I've never slept with anyone I supposedly hated."

When he doesn't respond, she looks up at him and chuckles. He can only imagine what facial expression he's exhibiting.

"For the love of God and for the sanity of all the people you work with, do us all a favour and figure things out, and soon."

It's easier said than done. A multi-car pile-up keeps them busy for the rest of the shift, and when he's home, all he wants to do is shower and collapse into bed. He doesn't see Jack for the next couple of shifts, and it would be easy to push it all down and forget about it, but he can't avoid it forever.

When he turns up for work the next day, Jack's there like usual, finishing up some charting before it's time to hand over. He looks up at Robby and smiles.

Oh.

Robby smiles back weakly.

Oh fuck.

He doesn't hate Jack. How can he when that smile just made him weak in the knees?

The realisation lingers, and even when Jack leaves for the day, it's all Robby can think about. He thinks of Jack in the staff lounge when he finds the half-empty packet of Twizzlers that Jack always brings in and snacks on late at night. He thinks about Jack when a patient who's been boarding for the last twenty-four hours asks where the nice doc with the cheekbones is.

Luckily, it's Dr Hicks he's handing over to at the end of his shift, and he's out of there on time for once. He makes it home quickly and has only just dropped his bag down and slid off his sneakers when there's a knock on the door.

Jack's there on his doorstep.

"Isn't this the part where you tell me to take my clothes off?" Robby asks, teasing.

"And give your neighbours a show? At least close the door behind me before you strip," Jack returns.

"Nothing they haven't already seen," Robby jokes, and Jack laughs.

This is the easy bit. The little jabs and the bickering light a fire in him. Getting a reaction out of Jack, whether it's a laugh, a groan, or even a glare, will always feel like bowling a strike or hitting a home run. It just makes him want to do it more.

Robby grins back, steps to one side to let Jack across the threshold, and swings the door shut behind him.

Jack doesn't wait. He knows where Robby's bedroom is, though, but something inside Robby can't let him walk past. He doesn't want this to just be sex. Before Jack can get very far, he hooks his hand around the crook of Jack's elbow and tugs him back.

"What's wrong?" Jack checks.

"Nothing."

"Then why-"

Robby cuts off Jack's question with his lips.

He doesn't know what kind of response he'll get from Jack. He doesn't expect Jack to kiss him back so quickly, pressing his body into Robby's and taking control of the kiss before Robby's even realised what's happening.

The kiss is confident and purposeful, soft lips massaging against his own until he's gasping against Jack's mouth. Changing the angle just slightly, Jack's hand comes up to cup Robby's cheek, holding him securely in place. His tongue soon demands entrance, and Robby gives him everything he wants.

When they pull apart, Robby's lips tingle and his lungs burn.

"What was that for?" Jack asks breathlessly. He looks at Robby cautiously, like he's unsure what answer he's going to get.

"Because, despite all evidence to the contrary, I like you."

Jack's expression becomes hopeful. "And when you say like, you mean?"

Robby huffs, "Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Well, I don't want to get the wrong end of the stick here, probably best you be as clear as fucking possible."

Robby grabs Jack by the hips, spins him around and pins him up against the wall. "Is this clear enough for you?"

"Use your words, Robinavitch," Jack replies, though there's a tightness to his voice, like he's finding it hard to concentrate with Robby's hips pressed tightly against his own.

Robby ducks his head until his lips are tickling the curve of Jack's ear, "I want you…I want this." He feels Jack shiver against him. "All of it."

Jack grins, "You going to start being nice to me?"

Robby tilts his head back enough to meet Jack's eyes, "Is that what you want?"

Jack shakes his head, "Why start now?"

Robby laughs and leans in again to capture Jack's lips in another kiss.

The kissing continues down the hallway and up against Robby's bedroom door for a few minutes until Robby's hand finds the handle and gets the door open. Jack pushes him through the doorway, and Robby kicks the door closed behind them.

"What do you want?" Jack asks, his hands sliding down Robby's body to cup his ass.

Robby feels Jack's growing hardness against his own and groans. He knows exactly what he wants. He's known since the first time Jack's mouth slid down his cock.

"Fuck me," Robby answers bluntly.

"Yeah?"

"What, you need a written invitation?"

Robby steps backwards far enough to undress. His shirt comes off first, then he starts removing his pants. Jack watches with hungry eyes as his pants are pushed down his legs. Robby reaches for the elastic on his boxer briefs, but Jack stops him.

"That's my job," he insists, slipping both hands down the back of Robby's underwear to cup his ass cheeks again, this time with skin contact. One hand slips around to the front and curls around Robby's hardening cock, drawing a moan out of Robby's lips. Finally, Jack pushes the material down over Robby's hips and lets gravity do the rest.

"Do you know what the sight of you does to me?" Jack murmurs, his gaze heated.

"I'm old, I eat shit, don't work out, and overstress my body on the regular," Robby reminds him, brushing a hand across his soft belly. He's long given up trying to look after himself.

"And yet I'm fucking hard looking at you, what does that say about me?"

"That you need glasses?"

"Oh shut the fuck up and get on the bed."

Hiding his smile, Robby backs up until his legs hit the edge of the bed and then lets himself fall back onto the mattress. He shimmys up the bed till his head reaches the pillows, then relaxes back down in time to watch Jack strip. Reaching down between his legs, he strokes his cock slowly as Jack's clothes come off one by one, then his leg. Finally, Jack climbs onto the bed, not stopping until he's between Robby's spread legs.

"I could get used to this," Jack gazes down at him, his pupils dark.

"That's the whole idea, you dolt," Robby nudges him with the heel of his foot. "Get down here."

Something settles in Robby the minute Jack's body lowers down onto his, his hard cock nestled into the V of Robby's hips, Jack's chest hot and firm against his. Robby draws his knees up and rolls his hips up just as Jack's lips search out his. They rock against each other for a while, revelling in the feeling of skin against skin while the kissing turns wet and messy.

"Condoms, lube, fucking," he reminds Jack in between lungfuls of oxygen.

"Are you always going to be this impatient?"

"I'm sure you'll find it charming eventually."

"Or I'll just have to tie you down."

Robby's eyes flash, and Jack notices, his lips splitting into a wide grin.

"Interesting."

"Focus," Robby chides, poking Jack in the ribs.

Jack groans and reaches across to Robby's nightstand to dig out the lube and condoms he knows are in there from last time. Reaching across forces Jack's armpit into Robby's face, and he splutters and shifts his head out of the way.

"So graceful," Robby says with a roll of his eyes.

Jack ignores him and returns with the items in his hand. He immediately squirts some of the cool lube onto his fingers, then pauses.

"Can I ask when the last time you-" Jack doesn't finish the sentence, but Robby knows what he's asking.

"A while," he answers honestly, "But if you try and treat me like a delicate flower, you can literally go fuck yourself," he warns Jack.

Jack lets out a soft, amused huff and, with his eyes trained on Robby, reaches down and finds Robby's hole. Robby's breath hitches as the first finger breaches him

"Fuck, you're tight," Jack comments as his finger pushes in deep.

Robby's eyes slide shut, focusing on the feeling of Jack prepping him carefully. Jack quickly pushes in a second finger, which stings as his hole is stretched. When he winces, Jack slows down and reaches for Robby's cock, stroking him skillfully until Robby's furrowed brow softens and he begins to moan. Jack keeps it at two for a while, scissoring him open, massaging the ring of muscle to help Robby loosen up. When Robby is moaning and pushing back against the fingers, Jack adds a third, stretching him even further.

"C'mon, I'm ready," Robby tries.

Jack ignores him, "Not yet."

"Jack."

Jack's fingers pump in and out a few more times, then push in deep. With just a slight twist, Jack finds Robby's prostate, and Robby almost bucks off the mattress.

"Oh shit," Robby curses. He'd forgotten what it feels like to be touched like this. Heat curls up his spine, and the pleasure drawn out of him every time Jack's fingers stroke against his prostate makes his toes curl.

"Jack, at my age, I'm only gonna be coming once, and it better be with you inside me."

"God, you're bossy."

"Comes with the job title," Robby says through gritted teeth. "Please," he begs.

Jack grins, "Since you asked so nicely."

Robby immediately feels empty as Jack pulls his fingers out, but he slides on the condom deftly, slicks it up with some more lube, and positions himself over Robby. Robby reaches down between them until his hand finds Jack's cock, and then he guides Jack in.

It's a lot at first, as the thicker head pushes him to his limits. Despite the preparation, there's a low burn as Jack drives forward. Robby's mouth drops open, and he pants as Jack doesn't stop filling him, and it feels like it's never-ending.

Finally, Jack stops, deep inside Robby, and his forehead drops to Robby's.

"Holy fuck, you feel amazing."

Jack loops a hand around Robby's thigh, pushing it back as far as a 50-year-old man with next to no flexibility can manage. Robby winces at the stretch, but Jack suddenly pulls almost all of the way out, and Robby has other things on his mind. Like the way Jack thrusts back in sharply, hitting his prostate on the first try.

Jack fucks him leisurely at first. Withdrawing deliberately slow, then pushing back in at a steady, purposeful thrust. Every time he drives in deep, Robby's breath hitches. Then, when the pace begins to frustrate Robby and he starts pushing back to urge Jack on, Jack picks up the pace. It's the speed at first that increases, then his thrusts get firmer, stronger, almost pushing Robby up the bed. In response, Robby reaches back, his hands braced the headboard, and he locks his elbows to hold himself in place. It also has the added benefit of allowing him to push back into Jack's thrusts that nudge his prostate each time, driving him closer and closer to the edge.

Sensing Robby is near the edge, Jack lets go of his thigh and grips his cock tightly, pumping it roughly to match the now unrestrained fucking.

"That's it," Robby sighs, "I'm-" Is all he gets out before his whole body tenses up and an intense surge of pleasure pushes through him. He comes over Jack's fist and his own stomach, the pulses strong and relentless. Jack keeps fucking him through it, drawing out the pleasure.

When it's over, Robby sags back against the pillows, his whole body exhausted, but he realises as his mind clears post-orgasm, that Jack is still hard inside him.

"Go on," he encourages, mirroring Jack earlier and cupping his cheek, "Take what you need."

Instead of the hard fucking he expects from Jack to push himself over the edge, he's surprised when Jack flips them over, somehow managing to stay deep inside.

"If you think I'm gonna be able to ride you right now, think again," Robby tells him.

Robby sags against Jack's chest, limbs heavy and body exhausted, but Jack doesn't seem to care. Jack's hands pull at his thighs once more, stretching his legs wide open, then slide down to hook behind his knees, anchoring in place. Once he's happy with Robby's position, Jack slowly begins to push up into Robby.

"Oh fuck," Robby croaks out.

This is all Jack seems to need. He can't push in deep from this new position, but Robby is limp and loose, meaning Jack can roll his hips in a deliciously slow pace in and out without much help required from Robby. The unhurried, intimate thrusts leave Robby feeling torn apart and put back together again as he feels every millimetre of Jack entering him. The pace doesn't change; Jack's stubbornness the only thing keeping it constant. Robby gasps and whines into Jack's shoulder, feeling pushed beyond his limits.

"Need you," Jack utters underneath him.

"You have me," Robby promises. "You have me."

When Jack next drives his cock back in, Robby clenches, clamping down as tightly as possible. It does the trick, and despite the barrier of the condom, Robby feels Jack coming in him.

It takes Robby a few minutes to recover after Jack pulls out, then he stumbles over to the bathroom to get a cloth. He washes himself down by the sink, then takes the damp cloth back to the bed to help Jack clean up.

Once the stickiness has been dealt with and Robby has chucked the cloth back towards the bathroom, Jack drags Robby back down and they slip beneath the covers. They lie facing each other, Jack's leg hooked over Robby's, Robby's arm slung over Jack's waist, locking them together.

"Did you mean what you said? About wanting this?" Jack checks. "Don't get me wrong, the sex is great, but I just want to make sure we're on the same wavelength here."

Robby's hand trails down Jack's side, over his hip, along the thigh hooked over his. "Dana said something to me the other day," he begins, "…she said maybe it wasn't hate I was feeling towards you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, maybe when we met, there was a spark, we both felt it…but we mistook it for something sharp and unpleasant instead of what it actually was, a jolt of something real and extraordinary."

"Do you realise you get sappy post-coitus?"

Robby slaps Jack's thigh lightly.

"But I think maybe you're right," Jack admits. "Just fucking hate that it took us so long to figure things out."

"Wrong time, right people," Robby shrugs.

"You honestly believe we were always meant to end up here? We just needed to wait?"

Robby shrugs, "I'd rather believe that than linger on the time we wasted sniping at each other like children."

"You know, when I interviewed, Adamson told me about this attending on staff he thought I would get along with, said we came at medicine from different perspectives, but deep down, we both believed in our mission to help, no matter the risks and the cost."

"Me?" Robby frowns.

"No, Dr Shamsi," Jack rolls his eyes, "Yes, you."

Robby swallows hard against the lump forming in his throat. "He died thinking we hated each other."

A thought occurs to him as the sudden surge of grief surprises him. Back when Adamson was in critical condition, he remembers feeling angry at how Jack had just carried on, choosing to work long hours instead of visiting their dying leader. Now, with a new perspective, he realises that Jack was giving Robby the time and space he needed.

He'd been so wrong, about so much.

"He knew," Jack replies softly, reaching out to comfort Robby with a hand on his chest. "Deep down, he knew."

In response, Robby leans in, kissing Jack softly. "So, where do we go from here?" He asks.

"Well, I was thinking about dinner, maybe that nice tapas place near the hospital. They deliver, right?"

Robby grins, "I could eat."

6 MONTHS LATER

Whitaker's eyes shift from doctor to doctor.

"In your own time, Robby."

"Jack, stop backseat intubating."

Jack throws his hands up in the air, "I'm just saying."

"Don't you have your own patients to bother?"

He escapes as humanely as possible and goes to get some advice on what to do.

"Uh, Nurse Evans?"

"Dana, please."

"Okay, Dana, I uh, I was just in trauma one with Dr Abbot and Dr Robinavitch, and they were well-"

"Bickering?" She guesses.

"Is it me, or do those two hate each other?"

Dana laughs softly and throws her arm over Whitaker's shoulders. "Oh, kid, what those two men feel for each other is the furthest thing from hate."