Chapter Text
The rest of the day flowed peacefully, Dennis finished the book Robby let him borrow and shared two more meals with the couple before testing out their, admittedly, flashy shower. It had two rainfall shower heads, one over the bench on the left and one over the empty space on the right. Assuming the bench is so Jack can shower sitting down and Robby can shower at the other end with him. Dennis found out that imagining his two attending showering together is not productive to actually showering. He’s never felt water pressure like it and to say he’d savoured it would be an understatement. Jack kept his distance a little but only because he had to rest before his shift tonight, Robby practically pulled Dennis into every room he moved to, and Dennis prays nothing would ever stop him. The lingering touches on the nape of his neck, or small of his back, had him practically glowing. Robby could tell something was different about Dennis, but thought it was just the relief from being safe, and it was. It was also the fact his married boss couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
Dennis slept the best he ever had before their shift the next day, Robby made him breakfast again and put coffee in a to-go mug for him. The car journey was warm and smooth, it almost sent him back to sleep but by the time his eyes had involuntarily shut, they’d arrived at work. Robby didn’t seem to care that people saw them exiting the car and entering the ER together, Dennis thought he’d at least be a little self conscious about people knowing, god knows Dennis was. Mainly because he didn’t want the rumour mill to start, since practically everyone knew he had a crush on his attending, even with only one shift under his belt. Apparently he wasn’t subtle.
Dennis parted with Robby at the nurses station, after saying hi to Jack, to go to his locker and put his backpack away. Which was now much lighter considering he didn’t have to put everything he owned in there just in case someone found it in the 8th floor room. Robby greeted Jack with his normal casual hug, and without any words spoken they knew they were going up to the roof to debrief. Once they got up there, they both stood on the safe side of the railings and looked out at the view of the city.
“Bad shift?” Robby asked.
“Not bad. Just wanted some alone time with you before I left,” Jack smiled. Robby smiled too, turning to face Jack. He took a step forward and held Jack’s face with one hand, stroking lightly over his cheekbone with a calloused thumb. “How was Dennis?”
“Good,” Robby hummed, looking at his husband far too intensely for 6am.
“You know he has a crush on you,” Jack grinned, Robby barked out a laugh.
“He has a crush on you Jack, not me.”
“Maybe he’s got a crush on both of us.”
“Chance would be a fine thing. Don’t make a move or mention it though, we want him to feel safe. He’s not a potential third, he’s just a man in need of a roof over his head, and I’d like to think we can become his friends rather than just his bosses.”
“Just a man? Not a kid? You always call him kid”
“Bad habit. I’m trying not to do it to him anymore. I should treat him the age he is, even if he looks a bit younger.”
“Good. I was waiting for you to figure that out. You always treat your interns like kids.”
“I do not”
“Shut up and kiss me before someone comes to tell us there’s been a 10 car pile up,” Jack breathes out. And Robby does just that. Jack’s always left a little breathless when Robby kisses him, it’s one thing that hasn’t changed in the twenty years they’ve been together. Robby kisses him like they’ve not see each other for years, the way he kissed him when Jack came back from his last tour, and couldn’t hold in their love for each other anymore now that Jack had retired from the army. They separate with a sigh and Jack wrapped his arms around Robby’s waist, resting his head on his shoulder.
“Can’t believe I have to go home to an empty house while you’ve been getting to know our new friend.”
“Barely, you were there all day yesterday, we didn’t do anything exciting in the evening. Just watched TV.”
“Sure sure, keep your secrets. Let’s get back down there,” Jack laughed and pulled himself away from his husband with a last kiss to his cheek and a slap to his ass when he turned away to the exit.
“Behave.”
-
Dennis and Robby’s shift wasn’t bad either, standard shift, which meant they were still tired but not enough to go to sleep as soon as they got home. Robby told Dennis to meet him by the lockers while he finished his last bit of handover paperwork with Shen. Dennis didn’t have to change his scrubs at the end of the day (which was a miracle in itself), so he sat on the benches waiting with his back pack at his feet. Santos, King and Javadi were talking giddily above him as they got ready to go home, something about going out to a bar on the weekend. They’d become quick friends - Dennis was only a little jealous - and it seemed like they’d known each other a lot longer than two shifts. Mel was getting more comfortable with everyone, Santos was letting her guard down a little bit and Javadi was more confident today than she was a couple days ago.
“You got a lift home Huckleberry?” Santos asked, interrupting his thought of asking Robby if he can help cook dinner tonight.
“Oh, yes, thank you! Just waiting for Robby to finish handing over the patients,” Dennis replied politely. Santos was hard to read but she’d been more relaxed this shift, he could see them becoming friends. He hoped anyway. He hoped they could all become his friends, naively, he’d never really had friends before and the three of them seem like good people to surround yourself with.
“Hey! You should come to the bar with us on Friday!” Mel said brightly, Dennis smiled in response to how much it sounded like she meant it.
“Victoria is still underage but this bar just stamps your hand if you’re under 21 so they won’t serve her but they’ll serve us, you’re over 21 right?” Santos added. Dennis nodded.
“We’ll be having a get together at Santos’ beforehand too so we can get ready together. We’ll be there around 7. My mum thinks I’m having a study sleepover,” Javadi said eagerly. Robby came into the locker room as they were convincing him, since Dennis had his back to the door, he didn’t notice.
“I’d love to, I’ll check if I can get a lift over to yours on Friday,” he said politely.
“Get an uber! Don’t worry about bothering whatever poor roommate you have,” Santos said, not unkindly. Dennis knew it wasn’t her fault, she didn’t know Dennis was homeless and living with their bosses.
“I’ll drive you over, Dennis. Santos, just send me your address Friday afternoon,” Robby interjected.
“Are you sure?” Dennis said quietly, Robby nodded like Dennis shouldn’t even question it.
“Do you guys live on the same street? I saw you carpool this morning too,” Mel asked, still with that sweet smile on her face. Dennis and Robby knew that if Santos had asked there would be a hidden question in there, but Mel was genuinely curious.
“Yeah, something like that,” Robby said, smiling at her. “Ready to go?” He looked down at Dennis who stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder.
“What are the chances!” Javadi laughed. Dennis reluctantly meets Santos’ eye, where she’s raising an eyebrow with the look she gets when she’s sniffing out gossip. And unfortunately for Dennis, she’s very good at it.
“Well, see you tomorrow ladies,” Robby says, grabbing Dennis’ shoulder to steer him out the room and through to the car park.
“Just to check you actually want to go out with them right? You weren’t just being polite,” Robby asked when they got in the car.
“I do, I’m a little nervous about it but I think it’ll be good.”
“How do you feel about going to bars?” Dennis could tell how carefully Robby asked the question.
“I think it depends on the day how in control I feel. If I feel like I’ll give in and ruin my sobriety then I might not be able to go,” Dennis explains.
“I could come and keep an eye on you in the bar if it’s a hard day and you still want to go. Not in a creepy way just I’ll watch what you order or if it’s a bar that knows me, I’ll tell them not to sell you alcohol.”
“Do many bars around here know you?”
“Uhh yeah. Impromptu medical care happens anywhere. Me and Jack go to a lot of the sports bars when the Penguins play and we don’t get tickets. We did our stag night doing a beer in every bar for a fifteen mile radius,” Robby smiles his ‘Jack Smile’ as Dennis has been calling it in his head. He smiled like everything was at peace and everything was right when he thought of Jack and Dennis loved it.
“Wait you did your stag night together?”
“Well he is my best friend.”