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Dennis knew Shark meant saline.
Okay, yeah, he asked like some dumbass but it was because of the 3 liters, not about the saline. Obviously they are going to clean it up with saline, he didn’t make it through medical school by sleeping through it and not paying attention.
But when he looked at Robby pulling his best sad lamb eyes, big and kind of tearful - the look he knows melts Robby right away, instead of a ‘Shark is such a bitch’ conspiratorial smirk, he got the ‘Woops, sweetie, but you should know’ one, all pitying and condescending, almost mocking.
Robby does that sometimes, using a condescending tone in his voice, not on purpose of course but it slips - he’s way more experienced and by force of work habit, sometimes he doesn’t even realize he’s still being the teacher instead of the boyfriend.
In this specific setting Robby is the teacher and he didn’t even say anything but that smile was a little fucked up. Dennis hates it (if only a bit because how anyone can really hate those wrinkles around his eyes).
“Can you be any more obvious?” Santos whispers as soon as they get out of the trauma room.
“What?”
“Robby in there,” She pushes him harshly with her shoulder, “He was giving you that stupid lovesick look, gross.”
“He was not!” He hisses back, looking around to make sure no one is eavesdropping - in this place you can never be so sure and Trinity is the only one on this shift that knows about them, at least by first hand from an involved party and not just from rumors born because of Dennis’ puppy eyes and Robby’s blatant favoritism (Trin’s words). Other than her only Dr. Abbott knows and he’s pretty sure Dana too, even if Robby hasn’t said anything to her.
And he’s not sure he or Robby want to go public about it. Not yet anyways, when everything is still fresh and honeymooney and they still want this being just theirs to enjoy.
“He so was,” Trinity rolls her eyes and sits angrily at the desk to keep updating her charts, “You’re going home with him tonight, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Okay, go away, I got shit to do.”
Dennis opens his mouth to say something else but she throws him that look so he just goes to look for the next case.
So maybe Robby was not so condescending and it has to do more to the fact that Dennis has been pissed at him since that morning.
He’s sulking alright, and probably just overreacting. He can admit to it.
But Robby did forgot to program the coffee maker last night, they overslept and didn’t have time to get coffee on the way, so his first cup was the burned cold coffee from the break room. He can’t believe he actually thought it wasn’t that bad when he first started.
The oversleeping was Robby's fault too, he turned the alarm off before it went off but instead of getting up he fell asleep again. Dennis was all warm and comfy he said.
So they started their day late, with shitty coffee and just arriving at the ER he had the audacity of stealing his notepad again along with the best pen in all the Pitt. Robby doesn’t need a relatively nice pen, he has his own fancy rollerball with his name engraved and everything but Dennis, he does need a fucking pen and his notepad.
“Whitaker!” He hears Robby behind him looking up at the board screen, hands inside his fleece, “No cherry picking.”
Dennis makes a face, he’s not picking, he’s the one who least tends to do it so if he wants an interesting case right now, who is Robby to call him out for it.
“I’m not, I’m taking North 4!”
“Ah, ah, ah!” Robby stops him, a hand on his shoulder to pull him back, “Next in line is South 21, probably just a stitch and some Tylenol.”
Dennis rolls his eyes, the tone is there again, soft yet underlined with something Dennis doesn’t need right now and he knows the steps for a linear laceration, does Robby think he needs the easy cases now he fucked up with Shark? “I can handle the epigastralgia.”
Robby frowns, turning to fully face him, “I know you can, sweet-” he stops and clears his throat, looking around, “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” Dennis sighs, he shouldn’t take it out on the patients. Everybody here needs the attention and they need the beds, of course he should take the laceration first and send them home, “Sorry, you’re right.”
They agreed upon starting this to be completely neutral and professional about each other at the ER so Dennis can’t be mad about something that happened at home and hold it against Robby in the job setting or the other way around. They’ve been successful so far, and it works. Dennis wouldn’t want to jeopardize either their jobs or their relationship for the benefit of staying sulky.
“You sure?” Robby takes a step closer, the hand on his shoulder goes up slightly to barely touch his neck before pulling away and sinking his hands in his pockets again.
Is to avoid touching him. Robby said at the beginning that the touches, even this small, were going to give them away so he set the limit himself until they decided to clear the relationship out to HR.
But Robby’s been touching him like that since his first day and not even Trinity, who’s too observant and a bit distrustful for her own good, noticed nothing until Dennis started to stay the night out too often.
Not even then, Amy was a good excuse at first but then she saw Robby out their apartment building when he took him home one night and that was it. The suspicion was up the roof and she didn’t leave him alone until he confessed they were dating.
She still isn’t too happy about the ethical implications but she’s too loyal, so she agreed to keep the secret for a while and let them have the chance to hand the relationship disclosure themselves only because she admits it’s not causing any major trouble on the floor.
“Yeah, no worries.” he shrugs and goes to the next patient.
Dennis loves and misses Robby’s hands on him - always encouraging and proud. So he hates him a bit more today for denying the comfort of those touches to them both.
Dennis doesn’t consider himself a jealous person.
Maybe a little bit, yes, but he usually manages to bury those feelings deep inside; if he ignores them long enough, they disappear as quickly as they arrive. It’s an ugly feeling, and jealousy has never seemed to make sense to him either - if you trust someone, you trust them, and if you don’t, isn’t it best to let them go? He likes to think himself pragmatic in that respect; jealousy is inevitable and irrational, but also easy to suppress.
But when he needs Robby to review the course of action for his newest patient, he finds his boyfriend talking to Nurse Hastings - more like whispering, really - much closer than necessary to discuss hospital bed management.
And that unwelcome feeling rises like a mixture of bile acids in his stomach, but contrary to what usually happens, this time he’s unable to stifle it, to turn away and walk off.
He just stands there, watching the nurse look up at Robby with those flirty eyes and a little smirk on her face, her whole body leaning towards him. Robby just stands there letting it happen, with that stupid, friendly smile of his, reciprocating, if only a little, the flirtation.
Robby is a natural flirt when he’s in a good mood, and he’s a very attractive, tall, wealthy, intelligent man - a fucking hot catch. Logically, he always has people eager to be all around him, just look at Dennis himself - the comparison makes him feel sick. A little evil voice in the back of his head wonders if, to Robby, Dennis is just another fish in his tank.
Dennis knows that Robby and Nurse Hastings had a fling at some point, one that didn’t even last the infamous seven weeks and ended long before the possibility of them being anything more than unrequited love was even on the table. But what if Robby finally wants a change of pace, get rid of Dennis and to finish what he had left unfinished with her?
Bile rises up his throat, and he approaches them, slamming his EKG results firmly on the counter with the most fucking cute smile he can muster, “Dr. Robby, a minute?”
“Sure, what you got?” In Robby’s defense, his attention shifts completely to Dennis, and yes, well, it’s probably because the patients can’t wait, but it gives him a tiny bit of satisfaction, that feeling of victory.
Dennis hates it. He shouldn’t feel good about this nonsense. Dennis didn’t win anything - Robby is a grown man who can make his own decisions, not some kind of prize to be won. Dennis doesn’t want to compete for a scrap of attention. And he hates Robby a little more for making him feel this way.
“I’ll leave you to it then, Dr. Robinavitch,” The nurse says, still in a flirty tone, gently touching Robby’s shoulder. “We’ll talk when you’re free.”
Dennis barely manages to stop the urge to roll his eyes until he sees the inside of his skull, but he sighs loudly when Robby turns to watch her walk away.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Dennis is starting to get fed up with the question because he’s not the one with the problem here, “Crushing chest pain that improves when he leans forward, sinus rhythm, EKG shows diffuse ST-segment elevation.”
“Yeah, across most leads. And look at the PR segment, it’s depressed. What are you thinking?”
“Pericarditis?”
“Agreed,” Robby returns the reading and places a warm hand on Dennis’s shoulder, squeezing gently. Dennis immediately pulls back, lest someone nearby might discover the nature of their relationship with that touch. Robby frowns. “Go listen for a friction rub. If it’s there, admit him. Start him on a high-dose NSAID and Colchicine, and let’s get an Echo.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Hey, are you sure everything’s okay?”
“God, yes.” He rolls his eyes, “I just want to do my job.”
Robby catches up with him a little while later in the staff room. Dennis is wolfing down one of the chocolate and berry protein bars Robby buys especially for him. He smiles sweetly as soon as he sees him and closes the door behind him. But Dennis knows him. Behind the gentle smile, there’s a hint of bashfulness. He’s about to say something Dennis won’t like.
“Hey,”
“Hey,”
Robby opens the fridge and offers him a container of leftover lasagna from last night’s dinner, “You should eat something other than bars. Here.”
Dennis shakes his head. He doesn’t need Robby ordering him around now about what he has to eat too. He can feed himself just fine without his help. “I barely got five minutes. I have to go back.”
“Just a bite, then.”
This time, Dennis can’t hide his exasperation, “Do you actually need something?”
Robby freezes, hurt, and it makes Dennis feel a little bad, but he doesn’t back down. The man turns and puts the lasagna away again, speaking carefully, hoping not to upset his delicate sensibilities, “Listen, sweetheart, can you go home by yourself today?”
“Why?”
“I have to stay a little longer, sorting some things out with Noelle.”
The name triggers a new wave of burning acid in his stomach. He raises his eyebrows and notices Robby realizing too late that he said the wrong thing, “Noelle?”
“Nurse Hastings.”
Dennis laughs dryly, “So you’re staying with her today?”
“Honey, please. I just don’t want to leave you waiting after shift.” Robby hands him the keys to his truck, and it makes sense, but the voices in his head keep whispering poison, “Go home, take a shower and order whatever you want to eat, okay? I promise I’ll be back before the food.”
“I highly doubt it.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Dennis shrugs innocently, “If you’re going to stay here, I might as well go back with Trin.”
“Den, are you really okay?”
“I’d better if you stop asking me that.”
“Alright. What the hell is going on with you?”
“I just don’t want to go to your place today, okay? Am I allowed to decide that for myself or what?”
Robby frowns, and Dennis knows he’s not being fair, but it’s like something broke inside him, and he can’t stop spouting petulant nonsense, “Den…”
“I gotta go back.”
“Dennis,” Robby’s voice turns authoritarian and weary, making him stop dead in his tracks to listen, “You’re acting like a fucking spoiled brat.”
Dennis laughs dryly. He hadn’t known what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t Robby being a jerk to him. He’d always believed, to some extent, that Robby had infinite patience with him.
Apparently, he’d finally reached his limit. But the acidic anger replacing all his blood responds before his conscious mind can think of a proper reply, an apology.
“Yeah? If it bothers you so much, then don’t date a fucking brat.”
Robby doesn’t stop him this time. He looks at him harshly, the tenderness he usually shows him is gone, and Dennis stupidly understands that this is the end. Robby is really going to break up with him, and his eyes sting, a sign of impending tears that he won’t let fall.
And yet, even after everything, the small resentment settles in his chest and wins.
Dennis avoids Robby like the plague.
If he sees him in the hub, he turns away and busies himself applying hand sanitizer repeatedly until he’s gone. With every new incoming trauma, if Robby takes it, Dennis vanishes into another patient’s room, disinfecting wounds and treating headaches for the rest of the day.
“Trouble in paradise?” Trinity asks him during a brief overlap while filling out files, near the end of the day.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been avoiding Robby all day.”
Dennis grimaces, he doesn’t want to talk about it hoping it’ll get the message across, but when has Santos ever stopped meddling in other people’s business? “That’s not true. We’re just busy.”
“Yes, you have.” And follows after him, when he walks away, “You’re doing it right now.”
“I’m not.” He kind of is, Robby stopped to talk to Dana and Dennis doesn’t want to make the littlest eye contact. Doesn’t want to see again the softness gone.
“You are.”
“Not.”
“Yes.”
Well. If Trinity wants to play this game, so can Dennis, “What’s it to you? It’s better right? That way there’s no moral shit and you can be the favorite.”
His roommate’s eyes widen in surprise, a micro-expression she quickly controls. Dennis finally manages to feel guilty about how he’s been acting. It wasn’t a good shift, and maybe it’s just one of those days, “Hey, do you need to get fucked?”
“I… I’m Sorry.”
“Your ancient boyfriend is rubbing his bad mood on you.”
“Robby’s a jerk.”
Trinity looks at him for a second, assessing him, and decides she’s going to worry about him, even if she doesn’t fully show it. “Seriously? What did he do to you?”
“It’s nothing really… Is it okay if I go back home today?”
"Yeah, of course, Huckle. He didn’t actually do anything, did he?” Trinity adopts that protective sister attitude that’s no longer superficial, though she pretends very well that she doesn’t care. It reminds Dennis why he loves her.
“Nah, he has something to do after shift, but I don’t feel like waiting.” He doesn’t mention anything about Noelle, that Robby is staying with her, because even he knows it’s just stupid.
Trinity will just jokingly remind him who’s the one warming the boss’s bed, and Dennis will laugh, but he doesn’t like to think of his relationship with Robby as just another day past the deadline - that there’s a deadline at all.
“We can have a Physical: 100 marathon.”
“Chinese?”
“On the boss’s card?”
“Fuck yes.”
Trinity high fives him, makes him laugh, “Orange chicken, chow mein, and spring rolls!”
“Deal.”
He feels a little better after talking to her, and the rest of the shift is quiet, giving him enough time to reflect. He even thinks that as soon as he gets home, he’s going to apologize to Robby.
And he would have, he really was going to, if Robby had answered the damn phone.
But he had been ignoring him for hours, and that only brought all his anger back. Dennis might be a spoiled brat, but Robby isn’t behaving much better, and that’s worse for an old man.
When Robby finally video calls him back, it’s 11 p.m., and Dennis seriously considers not answering, because he’s petty and wants Robby to beg, just like Dennis did earlier when he didn’t deign to answer. But he also wants to hear the excuse, if there’s even one.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Robby greets him looking apologetic with a sad little smile, “Can we talk?”
“I tried calling you.”
“I know and I’m sorry I didn’t answer, I was still with the hospital administration.”
“This late?” Robby stays silent, answer enough, “...Michael.”
“I’m sorry, baby. Please just talk to me.”
“I’m mad at you, I don’t feel like talking.”
“Fine, then I’ll talk. I’m sorry I didn’t call, I wanted to wait until I got home so we could talk. I was hoping you didn’t go off with Santos, and when I got home you weren’t here and…” Robby sighs, tired. Maybe he really is fed up and just wants to be nice about the break up, not doing it by phone. “I fell asleep as soon as I put my ass on the couch, okay?”
Dennis looks down to hide his smile, he always makes fun of Robby about falling asleep sitting up, like an old man, “I’m sorry I said you’re a brat, of course you’re not, sweetheart. Please tell me what happened today so I can apologize properly.”
“I told you I didn’t want to talk to you.”
“Okay, you’re mad, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“What can I do to make it better?”
The boy thinks of a thousand things he could do to make him feel better, but getting a rimjob would require seeing him, and he’s not sure he wants to do that either, so he shrugs, taking a twisted satisfaction in making Robby insist. Like this time, he is the prize to win.
“Come on, Den, cooperate with me? Or I’m coming to see you.”
He laughs mockingly. It’s almost midnight, and it’s already past the old man’s bedtime. Obviously, he’s not going to see him, but he’s not going to give Robby the satisfaction of talking to him either. He shrugs again.
“Alright then,”
Robby gets up from the sofa and, still on the video call, starts moving around. The video gets shaky, and all Dennis can see is the floor and Robby’s legs as he busies himself gathering his keys at the time he struggles to put on his jacket with his hands full, until he finally gets into his truck.
Dennis’ smug attitude fades slowly, a little panicked because he can’t believe Robby is actually doing this. “Michael? Stop it.”
“What? I’m coming to see you.” He says, adjusting his phone on the console. He smiles gently and ignores Dennis when he asks him to go back home, saying he was just being petty and that they can talk tomorrow.
The line goes silent, both of them on the call but neither talking. Dennis tries to tell Robby to just go back but he shakes his head and keeps driving so he gives up and just stays in the call but his attention drifts over in 5 minutes - Robby always looks hot driving, but he’s hearing sad music and it’s making Dennis sleepy. If he wants to stay awake until Robby gets here, he needs to entertain himself with something.
“Where are you?” Dennis asks, when he finally realizes the time. He thinks he actually fell asleep for a few minutes there. It’s a 15 minutes drive from Robby’s house to Trin’s so it shouldn’t be long, but 30 minutes later Robby is still driving.
“On my way. Stopped to get some things.”
“What things?”
“You’ll see.” Robby moves his eyebrows dumbly, making him smile.
“I want to sleep, Robby,” he complains. They have shifts tomorrow, so they should be sleeping by now.
“I’m here,” Robby announces finally, hurrying up out of his truck, “Do you want me to ring?”
“Fuck no, you’ll wake Trin up.”
He buzzes him in and waits at the apartment’s front door, they’re on the third floor and the elevator is so out of service right now so it takes a bit for him to show up down the hall, it feels like waiting for a pizza delivering. And delivering it looks like - Robby is carrying two paper bags in one hand, and in the other he’s holding freaking flowers.
“What the - ”
Robby kisses him, smiling cutely and hands him the yellow and pink bouquet. His heart skips a tiny beat - Dennis loves sunflowers, Robby remembered. “Hey there, kid.”
“Babe, what the hell?” He says, but he’s already smiling, the petty anger long gone evident on the pet name slipping out, “Where did you even get flowers this late?”
“A magician doesn’t reveal his tricks.”
Robby is playing dirty. He knows Dennis can’t stay upset for long when he does this kind of thing, and then it hits him - he’s been upset all day over stupid things, and it’s all Robby’s fault.
“It’s your fault.”
“I know, baby, that’s why I came to apologize.”
Dennis rolls his eyes, more affectionately than angrily this time. “I mean, it’s your fault I’m like this.”
Robby frowns confused, and pulls a lunch box cake with baby blue frosting and small colored roses out of one of the bags, “This one’s chocolate and strawberry, your favorite. And I brought ice cream here, for you and Santos.”
“I can’t believe you got all this at midnight.”
“I wanted to make it up to you.” Robby kisses him softly, rubbing his nose onto his cheek. “What happened today, baby?”
“...It was because of the coffee this morning.”
“What?”
Dennis pouts; saying it out loud only makes it look even more stupid, and indeed, he really does act like a little kid throwing a tantrum. “We woke up late.”
Robby nods, puts the cake back in the bag, and gently places his free hand on the back of Dennis’s neck, playing with his curls.
“And the coffee.”
“Oh, yes! The coffee. Sorry, doll, it won’t happen again.”
“You see?!” Dennis pushes him, hands on his chest, but Robby doesn’t let him go, holding his wrists there. “That’s the problem. I wasn’t like this, back home or never, until we started dating. You turned me into this spoiled monster!”
“Dennis, you deserve everything and you can have it.”
“But for how long?” Dennis pulls away and spews words, revealing what really hurt him today. “You’re going to get tired of this, of having to put up with a brat. And you were with Noelle today, and I was bothering you, and you’re going to break up with me.”
“What? Denny, I’m not breaking up with you.”
“You said I was spoiled…”
The older man laughs softly. “I did say that, but it’s not a bad thing. I love taking care of you, and I love that I can spoil you. You deserve it sweetheart; I want you to act this way. And about Nurse Hastings…”
“You don’t have to explain. I know you got a job to do, and I was being silly.”
“You’re not silly, baby.” Robby drops the bags on the floor and hugs him to his chest, his flowers tangled between them, “If you need me to tell you I love you and that you mean everything to me, I’ll do it every day.”
“I don’t want to be that person.”
“But you should know you can be, with me. After everything you’ve done for me, fuck, you saved me, Dennis. Making sure you know no one compares to you and fulfilling your every whim isn’t hard. It’s the least I can do.”
Oh shit. His heart expands in his chest so much it hurts not to fit. Robby knows how to use words. And Dennis has done nothing but support him, the bare minimum, but Robby always says he filled a void inside him. And it fills Dennis with a twisted pleasure to know that no one else will ever fit in there, only him.
But Robby hasn’t realized yet that he’s also the only one who fits inside Dennis.
“I love you. I’m sorry for acting like that today.”
“I love you, too. I’ll make sure you have your coffee ready every morning, okay?”
Dennis can’t help but laugh. A warmth expands inside him at the knowledge he’s so loved like that. “Don’t let it happen again.”
He loves Robby’s smile, it’s so big and beautiful and he gets these adorable wrinkles around his eyes, and he loves so much being on the receiving end of it - he pounces on him roughly, arms around his neck, barely aware of the damage to the flowers as he plunges his tongue deep down Robby’s throat.
Robby hugs him, pulling him closer, his big hands squeezing around his waist so tightly he hopes he gets lasting marks to see in the morning. He growls lowly between kisses, desperately slipping his fingers under Dennis’s ratty shirt as if thirsting for a bit of skin.
Dennis kisses him fiercely, his moans smothered by Robby’s warm lips as he lets himself be dominated by that demanding wetness and his boyfriend’s imposing presence - he always seems bigger and more commanding like this, on top of him, around him, holding him tight enough to break him but gentle enough not to.
“Shit…” Robby shoves him hard against the wall, the door frame digging into his back, but he can’t focus on that as Robby nibbles at his neck and rubs his beard all over the available skin.
When Robby pinches one of his nipples under his clothes, Dennis drops the bouquet, a reminder that they’re in the fucking hallway and should go inside, but he can’t pull away, he just gasps and pulls at Robby’s hair to force his lips back to his.
Robby answers by spreading Dennis’ legs with his knee, lifting him by the hips to make him straddle his thigh and guiding his body to rub his hard cock against it.
“Oh god…” Dennis moans, all the blood rushing from his brain to his groin.
“Like that, baby…” Robby whispers, kissing his neck gently, a stark contrast to how he’s manhandling him over his leg, “You know how I like it.”
"Fuck, Michael..."
He’s going to cum. He’s cumming in his fucking pajama pants like a teenager and he has this fleeting thought of pulling his pants down enough to cum all over Robby’s jeans, marking him as his own like a fucking dog.
A door slams, and they jump apart. The next-door neighbor walks past them, looking at them dirty the whole way down the hallway before disappearing down the stairs. Dennis wants the ground to swallow him whole.
“Fuck…” Robby runs a hand over his red face, embarrassed. He’s still out of breath, and as soon as they make eye contact, they can’t help but burst out laughing.
“I ruined my flowers,” Dennis says, picking up the bouquet between laughs. The sunflowers have lost some petals. “Want to come in?”
“What about Santos?”
“She’s asleep,” Dennis shrugs, pushing Robby into the apartment, not forgetting the ice cream and the cake. “Besides, we’re not doing anything.”
“Oh, really?” Robby turns, immediately trapping him between the door and his body, and runs fingers over his still hard on.
“Fuck…” Dennis throws his head back. Robby gives him a sweet little kiss, like a Band-Aid on already sensitive skin, but his hand cups his cock, moving slowly. “Okay yeah... she owes me..."
“Yeah?”
Dennis pulls him by the lapel of his jacket, drops everything he’s carrying on the counter, and knows he’ll regret not putting the ice cream in the freezer in the morning, but now he’s in more of a hurry to get Robby into his room.
“We have to keep quiet,” he whispers, undressing Robby as soon as he locks his door. The man laughs mockingly.
“I can do that. But what about you?” His hand slips behind his pajamas, squeezing his ass hard, and as if on cue, Dennis lets out a broken moan. “Ah, ah... Are you sure you can?”
Maybe not, and Robby can’t either. But that’ll be a problem for tomorrow Dennis.
In the morning, Trinity gives them such a powerful, murderous glare that they’re both surprised they didn’t drop dead right there.
She’s going to need much more than defrosted ice cream to forgive them.