pairing: rival med student!john carter x rival med student!fem reader
contains: making out, medical innacuracies, possible inaccuracy of the US healthcare system (i'm from the UK), ER storyline inaccuracy, praise kink, 18+, MDNI!!!, semi?public sex, plot, interruptions, tension, p in v, soft dom!carter, closet quickie, awkward post-sex
divider by @isthiscoinsidenceorasign
the supply closet smelled faintly of antiseptic and cardboard dust, and john carter was standing in the middle of it holding a box of IV tubing like it personally offended him.
"you alphabetised saline," he said flatly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his wrinkled green scrubs.
you looked up from the lower shelf with the same expression you usually reserved for patients who lied about 'accidentally' falling on shampoo bottles. "because unlike some people, i understand that chaos isn't an organisational system."
somewhere down the hall, the ER phones shrieked and someone laughed too loudly, but inside the cramped little room it felt strangely muffled, close, warm from the heat of two exhausted med students running on caffeine and mutual irritation.
carter opened his mouth to argue back just as the heavy door swung shut behind him with a loud metallic click. then, slowly, he turned the handle. nothing. your stomach dropped. "you have got to be kidding me," you muttered.
carter leaned his forehead against the door for a second before looking back at you with the most tired, painfully handsome expression you'd ever seen. "this is," he sighed, "literally my worst nightmare."
"mine too, apparently," you shot back, slamming your palm against the door. still locked, of course.
carter ran a hand through his already tousled hair, making it stand even more on end. "so. we're stuck. in a supply closet. with saline bags and your superior attitude."
the fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting harsh shadows across his sharp jaw.
"attitude saves lives, carter," you retorted, turning your back on the door to lean against the metal shelving. "unlike whatever organisational system you were using - which looked suspiciously like 'throw it wherever there's a gap'."
he groaned and slid down the floor to sit on the linoleum floor, long legs stretched out and nearly knocking into a stack of sterile gloves.
"we could be here for hours," you said, voice flat. "the whole ER's packed and i'm starting to get the impression that doug and carol sent us here deliberately."
he tilted his head back against the door, closing his eyes. "oh, absolutely. i can just picture doug cackling manically as he locks the door. 'let's see how long it takes for them to kill each other'," carter mimicked in a gravelly voice.
"he gave us that look," you pointed out, sliding down the shelves to sit opposite him. "that specific, doug ross look that means 'i am about to cause chaos and vanish'." you sighed, stretching your legs out beside his. "and mark just stood there and let it happen."
"a classic betrayal," carter agreed, cracking one eye open. "mark is definitely an accomplice."
"so we're pawns in their twisted little experiment," you concluded, crossing your arms over your chest. the closet was getting warmer, the air thick with the smell of antiseptic and carter's expensive cologne. "if we kill one another, they win."
carter groaned again, shifting uncomfortably on the floor. "well, that's motivating."
"so what are we gonna do?" you asked. "i'm not staying with you in this closet for hours, john. i'd rather die."
"die with me," carter suggested immediately, pushing himself into a more upright position. "because i'm not exactly thrilled about the alternative either. but if you've got a better idea, now's the time." his dark eyes flickered with a hint of challenge.
the shelf beside him wobbled dangerously as he moved. "easy, carter," you said automatically, reaching out to steady it.
"don't touch anything," carter snapped, his hand shooting out to cover yours on the shelf. his fingers were warm, a little rough from a few days of scrubbing in. the sudden contact made you both freeze. carter's gaze locked with yours, his expression unreadable.
the closet seemed to shrink another few inches. his hand was still covering yours, fingers curled loosely but possessively around your wrist.
"i'm not gonna break the supplies," you muttered, pulling your hand back slowly. "though i'm tempted to knock the whole thing over just to watch you try to explain it to weaver."
a dark, unexpected chuckle escaped him. "bold suggestion for someone who's currently trapped in a supply closet with the man she hates most in the ER." he shifted again, his thigh brushing yours in the confined space. "but you're right. i'd probably get stuck restocking this entire floor on night shift for a month."
the proximity was unbearable.
"move your leg," you hissed, pressing your palms flat against his chest to shove him backwards. he hit the shelves behind him with a dull thud, eliciting a muffled groan. "personal space, carter. look it up."
"trust me, i'm trying," he gritted out, catching your wrists before you could pull away.
"let go," you demanded, twisting your wrists. his fingers tightened reflexively, holding firm. the struggle only brought you closer, your faces inches apart now. you could see every fleck of gold in his dark eyes, the faint stubble along his jaw.
"stop fighting me," carter muttered, his voice low and strained. his grip on your wrists softened slighlty, but he didn't let go. instead, he shifted his weight, pressing you back against the shelves behind you. the cold metal bars dug into your back as he pinned you there with his body.
"move," you snarled, but the words were weaker now, lacking their usual venom. you could feel his heartbeat against your chest, steady and strong. his face was so close that you could count the lashes framing his eyes. "move, carter, or i swear-"
before you could finish your threat, his mouth crashed down on yours in a harsh, sudden kiss. his hands released your wrists to wrap around your waist, pulling you flush against him as he backed you harder into the shelves. the impact knocked something metal to the floor with a clang.
your hands, now free, found their way to his shoulders. you dug your fingers into the fabric of his scrubs, unsure if you were pushing him away or holding on.
he broke the kiss just long enough to breathe, "finally," and then his mouth was on yours again - hungrier this time, bolder.
the sudden burst of fluorescent light flooded the closet, revealing you both tangled together on the floor against the shelves. mark greene and kerry weaver stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide with shock.
mark's expression shifted from surprise to amusement in an instant, a slow grin spreading across his face. "well, this is... a development."
weaver didn't even acknowledge the makeout session happening right in front of her, just stepped around you both like it was completely normal to find two rival med students lip-locked on the supply closet floor.
"i need the suture kit, carter," she said, voice perfectly calm as she reached over your head for the supplies, as if you weren't currently pinned beneath carter with your legs wrapped around his waist.
his hand, which had somehow found its way under your scrub top, gave your hip a firm squeeze. "it's all yours, doctor weaver."
"uh, do you need us for anything?" you scrambled.
"yes," she answered, turning back to you both without a hint of embarrassment, "you can untangle yourselves and come help me with this patient. now." she left, expecting you'd follow immediately. mark just shrugged and walked off after her, still smirking.
carter rolled off you abruptly, his expression unreadable. you both stood up quickly, avoiding eye contact as you smoothed down your scrubs. the closet suddenly felt way too small, the air heavy with unasked questions and unfinished kisses. you saw him from a new perspective. "we should..." you trailed off, gesturing vaguely towards the door.
"yeah," he muttered, not moving. his eyes dropped to your lips, then back up, jaw tightening. "that shouldn't have happened."
"right. nope. won't happen again," you said quickly, too quickly.
he didn't look convinced. neither were you.
the patient was a 45 year old male with acute abdominal pain. you both fell into step beside weaver, the earlier tension replace by professional focus. almost.
"carter, go get benton from surgery. you, come with me," weaver ordered, splitting you up efficiently.
carter shot you one last unreadable look over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall.
you followed weaver into the exam room. the patient was on a bed, writhing in pain. "probable appendicitis," weaver said swiftly, "but we need to rule out other possibilities." she started examining the patient, her hands moving with precision. you knew what was coming - kerry weaver loved to grill med students.
"tell me," she started, her voice sharp and expectant as she continued her examination. "the differential diagnoses for acute abdominal pain in a patient this age. and be specific." her eyes flicked up to gauge your reaction. she was known for her tough love teaching style. no mercy. no hesitation.
you took a deep breath, stepping closer to the patient. "well, doctor weaver, aside from appendicitis, we could be looking at a variety of issues..." you rattled off a list of possibilities: "perforated ulcer, diverticulitis, hernias..."
weaver listened intently, her expression unchanging. as you neared the end of your list, she suddenly interrupted, "and what about mesenteric ischemia? or a ruptured aortic aneurysm?" her eyes bore into yours, challenging you to think faster, deeper.
"exactly," she snapped, but not unkindly. "sometimes the obvious isn't the only possibility. don't limit yourself to the obvious. think about blood supply, think about anatomy beyond just the abdomen." she stepped back, giving you space to consider.
weaver's pager buzzed - trauma coming in, right as carter and benton arrived.
"carter, you better be on it," she said, already turning away. "and benton?" she called out as he entered. "teach doug ross' student as well as your own while i'm gone."
benton gave you a curt nod, no smile, no greeting. "the patient's holding his right lower quadrant. good sign."
carter moved closer to examine the patient, his body language completely professional now - no trace of the heated moments in the closet. "abdominal exam shows guarding and rebound tenderness," he reported to benton calmly. his eyes flicked back to you briefly before focusing on the patient.
"take fifteen minutes," benton said gruffly after a while, already moving to the next patient. you and carter began to walk out of the ER together in silence. the tension from earlier was still there, but it felt different now - charged with something else entirely.
suddenly, your hand wrapped around carter's arm and pulled him into the medicine cupboard. "we need to talk." you hissed. the door clicked shut behind you.
carter's eyes widened in surprise. the sudden closeness sent a jolt through him, recalling the intense kiss they'd just shared. he leaned back against the shelves, crossing his arms over his chest. "what are you doing?"
"you tell me," you said, your voice low and intense. "one minute you're kissing me like that, the next you're acting like nothing happened. what's your problem, carter?" you stepped closer, invading his personal space. the cupboard was so small that your bodies were barely an inch apart.
what was it with you two and confined spaces?
carter didn't know what to say, so he did the only thing that made sense in that moment - he kissed you. his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you flush against him as he claimed your mouth in a deep, hungry kiss, filled with all the unsaid words between you.
you responded eagerly, your arms wrapping around his neck as you pressed yourself closer. the closet was suddenly too hot, too small... perfect.
there was a loud bang on the door, followed by a voice that made both of you freeze. "hey, is anyone in there?" it was carol hathaway, her tone curious.
carter broke the kiss immediately, stepping back as if he'd been burned. "just a second,"
"ignore him, carol, we've been told to organise all the scrips and we're not allowed to leave til it's done! he's trying to get out of it! lock us in!" you called, thinking quick on your feet.
the ruse was perfect and carter knew it - he should've objected, but he couldn't find the will to. carol laughed. "gotcha. have fun!" the lock clicked into place.
the closet was plunged into darkness, the only light a sliver under the door. carter immediately found your lips again, kissing you hungrily, hands sliding under your scrubs.
"smart girl," he murmured against your mouth. his tongue traced your lower lip and you felt yourself melting at his words. "but we can't actually do this, you know that."
"then why do you keep kissing me?" you whispered back, breathless. his hands were already pushing down your scrub pants.
"because i'm an idiot," he admitted, his voice rough with desire. he kissed you deeply as he pushed your pants and underwear down to your ankles. his own hands were shaking slightly as he unbuckled his belt. the cupboard was silent except for your heavy breathing and the occasional rustle of fabric.
carter groaned low in his throat as his fingers found you, checking your readiness. you were wet, making him swear softly under his breath. he lifted you effortlessly, your legs wrapping around his waist as he pinned you against the cabinet. "quiet," he whispered urgently against your lips, positioning himself.
he entered you with a slow, deliberate thrust, swallowing your gasp with a demanding kiss. you clung to his shoulders, burying your face in his neck to stifle the moan that threatened to escape. he paused for a second, letting you adjust, before setting a rhythm that was deep and controlled, his grip on your thighs tight.
every thrust pushed you back gently, your body sliding against the cabinet, but carter's hold was solid. you bit down on his shoulder to stay quiet, rewarded by the way his breathing hitched and his pace faltered for just a moment. he was being careful and considerate, but the tension in his body spoke of barely restrained need.
"god, you feel good," he whispered against your neck, his hips moving in steady circles now rather than thrusts. each rotation hit that perfect spot inside you and you had to bite your lip hard to stay silent. the cupboard was getting steamy, your bodies slick with sweat.
carter's hands slid under your ass, lifting you slightly to change the angle. you both gasped softly at the new sensation, his cock hitting even deeper. he kissed you fiercly to muffle any sounds, his tongue mimicking the rhythm of his hips. the cabinet rattled quietly with each thrust.
the tension built quickly - there was no time for games, no slow burn. this had to be fast and quiet, a shared secret they'd both regret later. your nails dug into his back as you felt yourself getting close, and carter sensed it too. his mouth found your ear, his breath hot against your skin. "that's it," he murmured, voice thick with need.
he sped up slightly, adding a twist of his hips that sent sparks through your entire body. your orgasm hit suddenly, a silent wave that made you clamp down around him and bury your face in his shoulder to muffle the whimpers. carter followed immediately after, his own release shuddering through him as he kissed your neck desperately, swallowing his own groan.
you stayed like that for a long moment, locked together, trying to catch your breaths. carter's heart pounded against your chest, and you could feel the quick rise and fall of his shoulders. slowly, he lowered you back to the ground, his hands lingering on your hips for a moment before he stepped away entirely.
the sudden emptiness made you both feel oddly uncomfortable. carter busied himself with pulling up his pants and buckling his belt, avoiding eye contact. you smoothed down your scrub pants, feeling awkward and satisfied and confused all at once. the closet was silent except for the sound of fabric moving.
carter ran a hand through his hair, still not looking at you. "we shouldn't have done that," he muttered, but there was no real conviction in his voice.
you both knew it was a lie - you should have done that.
should have been doing that all along.
