Dennis started his rotation in emergency medicine tomorrow and he needed to have a good nightâs sleep. Which is why he found himself in a bar a short walk from the hospital, he wasnât going to get the rest he needed in his crappy hospital bed so he needed to find another bed for the night. Sure, it wasnât the healthiest way of securing a decent bed but it worked for him.
He usually went older, guys his age had similar sleeping situation to him, bare mattresses and lumpy pillows. But older men meant stable, meant money. Older men meant town houses, a solid bed frame and a comfy mattress. They also knew what they were doing better which meant Dennis got to enjoy himself before his lovely sleep.
He scanned the bar as the sound of some soft rock drowned out the voice next to him, he was too young for Dennisâs taste anyway so it really didnât matter what he was saying. He perked up when he saw a man leaning his head heavily on his hands as he nursed a scotch at the end of the bar.
âHey.â Dennis said, coming to stand next to him. The man jumped slightly at the voice, obviously used to drowning his sorrows alone in the dark corner of the bar.
âHi.â He smiled back politely, it wasnât exactly an invitation but it wasnât a flat-out rejection, he could work with that.
âIâm Dennis.â He introduced.
âMichael.â
âCan I buy you a drink?â
âI already have one.â He said, lifting his glass to reiterate his point.
âOkay, you can buy me one then.â Dennis offered which earnt him a laugh from Michael â definitely an invitation. He pulled himself up onto the barstool besides Michaelâs.
âWhy are you here all by yourself?â He asked, flagging down the bar tender for a drink.
âJust wanted to quietly unwind before heading home.â He said, Dennis might have been joking but Michael paid for his drink when it arrived. He was silently relieved because he wasnât confident that his card wouldnât be declined if heâd tried.
âI hear bars are the perfect place for peace and quiet.â He teased.
âEh, I was doing fine until this little, eager puppy turned up.â He smirked.
âIâve been called worse.â He shrugged, turning around in his chair so that his knee brushed against Michael. The other man didnât make any attempt to pull back so Dennis took that as a positive.
Dennis took a large sip of his drink, he wasnât really planning to spend much longer in the bar but he wasnât going to waste a free drink. Boldy, Dennis placed his hand on Michaelâs thigh, high enough that it made his intentions very clear.
âMaybe we should head somewhere more peaceful.â Dennis suggested with an innocent tilt of his head, his hand slowly moving up Michaelâs thigh.
âOh yeah? And where did you have in mind?â
âYour place?â Michael let his gaze drift over Dennisâs body, really taking him in for the first time since he sat next to him.
âDrink up.â Michael said, knocking back the last of his scotch.
~~~
The barâs lighting had not done Michael enough justice, he was stunning. Dennis could get lost in his deep, brown eyes. His smile was sexy and endearing all at the same time. The grey in his beard made him look distinguished, like that attractive professor you knew you shouldnât fancy. He had a bit of a dad bod but Dennis couldnât wait to get his hands on it.
âCan I get you anything? Drink? Snack?â Michael asked as he led them into the living room. Dennis smiled at how sweet and gentlemanly he was, when really Dennis was just here for a good fuck and a good nightâs sleep.
âThereâs something else I want.â Dennis said, hooking his finger around Michaelâs belt and pulling him closer.
Once they were chest to chest, Dennis rose up onto his toes. He wasnât quite tall enough but Michael closed the distance between them. It was one of the sweetest kisses Dennis had ever had. Usually, on nights like this, the kisses were all teeth and tearing clothes, if they even kissed at all. But Michael didnât rush him, didnât force his tongue into his mouth. He kissed him gently, cupping his face and gently stroking his cheek. If Dennis let himself, he could get used to this kind of tender touch.
âShall we take this upstairs?â Michael whispered against his lips.
âLead the way.â He kissed Michael one last time before he took his hand and walked towards the stairs.
Dennis let himself be guided, noting the bedroom that they completely bypassed. It was unfair really, there were single men out here with an empty second bedroom while he was forced to sleep in shelters or abandoned hospital floors.
As soon as they entered Michaelâs bedroom, Dennis felt himself being swept into Michaelâs arms. His kisses much more desperate and intense than they had been downstairs. Dennis tugged at the bottom of his shirt, Michael pulling away enough to rid the both of their shirts before kissing him again. Dennis let his hands roam over Michaelâs chest, loving the feel of the coarse hair under his fingers.
He drifted lower and pulled at his belt for a second time that night, Michael kissed and bit as his neck as he undid the buckle and pushed his trousers to ground. Michael kicked them to the side and then hooked his hands underneath Dennisâs thighs.
Dennis knew he was slightly underweight currently, lack of food was taking its toll on his body, but that didnât stop it from being unbelievably sexy when Michael effortlessly lifted him off the ground.
He walked backwards until they both dropped onto the bed with a small bounce, in this position Dennis could feel Michaelâs cock against him. He couldnât stop his hips grinding against the hardness. Michael swung them around so he was resting against the pillows, Dennis desperately scrambled out of his remaining clothes.
He hated the barrier of Michaelâs boxers stopping them having skin to skin contact but the hand coming to wrap around his cock made it more bearable.
âGod, Michael.â He moaned, his hips still bucking against his lap and causing him to fuck up into Michaelâs hand.
Dennis wasnât sure when heâd done it, but suddenly there was a wet, lubed finger against his hole. Not pushing in, just teasing and caressing.
âThis okay, baby?â Michael asked, looking up at the man helplessly writhing in his lap.
âYes, please.â He begged.
Michael pushed his finger inside and Dennis cried out at the overwhelming sensations. He never gets spoilt like this, usually just a quick bit of foreplay before the main event. But the way Michael watched him it was clear he was happy to just give if it meant Dennis would feel good.
Another finger joined, or maybe it was two. Dennis couldnât tell but the stretch felt incredible, those thick fingers thrusting into him and making him see stars.
âOh my god!â He gasped, Michael smirked at his reaction and brushed his fingers against that spot again.
âFeel good?â He cooed as Dennis helplessly nodded. He was so close but he didnât want this to finish too early.
âMich⌠Ah⌠Stop⌠Iâm gonna come.â His hips started stuttering slightly.
âThatâs kind of the whole point baby.â He laughed.
âBut⌠you⌠fuckâŚâ He moaned out the last word slowly as his cock twitched, spurting between them and coating both their chests in his release.
Barely pausing for a breath, Dennis surged forward and kissed Michael, panting heavily as he reached down to cup his cock through his boxer. He felt so thick and hot through the material that Dennis moaned at the thought of him.
âI need it, I need you inside me.â He begged, tugging at Michaelâs boxers. He was still sensitive from his first orgasm but he needed Michael now.
âDennis, baby, calm down.â He laughed, lifting his hips for Dennis to yank the offending article of clothing off. He threw them somewhere over his shoulder but he didnât care, he needed to touch him.
Dennis grabbed his cock and started to move his hand up and down, thumb rubbing at the slit where precum had built. Dennis had never felt sexier, Michael was this hard and wet from just watching him writhe in his lap.
Suddenly a condom was being pressed into his other hand and Dennis wasted no time rolling it over Michaelâs cock. He lifted up onto his knees and lined him up with his entrance, slowing sinking onto him and moaning the whole way down.
âShit, that feels so good⌠so full⌠so big⌠fuck meâŚâ Dennis babbled.
Michael listened to his command, holding Dennis by his thighs as he pulsed his hips up.
âYes⌠just like that.â Dennis sighed. The sound of skin on skin filled the room along with a medley of pants and gasps. Dennis gripped the headboard behind Michaelâs head, using it as leverage as he bounced up and down on Michaelâs cock. A thin layer of sweat coated both their bodies, Michael looked even more attractive glistening underneath him.
âOh, to be young again.â Michael teased as he wrapped his hand around Dennis hardening cock.
It all felt too good, too amazing, too overwhelming that Dennis couldnât even muster up a response. He just groaned as Michael stroked his cock again, constantly hitting that spot inside him that made his nerves light up.
Dennis let go of the headboard and thread his fingers through Michaelâs hair, gripping tightly and he cried out.
âThatâs it, Dennis, come for me.â Michael panted.
Dennis came again, his release joining the other on his chest. His insides fluttered and caressed Michaelâs cock as he orgasmed. Michael swore as he slammed his hips up and came hard inside him. Dennis body spasmed with the aftershock as Michael held onto him tight enough to bruise.
Dennis collapsed to one side, lying on his back and panting harshly as he started at the ceiling. He nearly jumped out his skin when he felt a wet flannel cleaning him up and a soft kiss being pressed into his forehead, he hadnât even noticed him leave the room. Dennis had never been treated so well, and unfortunately, he doubted he would be again. Michael really was a rare find.
âI need to leave early.â Michael warned as he came to lie besides Dennis.
âThatâs fine.â Dennis sighed sleepily, he knew this was Michaelâs way of getting him out the house but he was too comfortable and stubborn to leave. âIâve got to leave for work at five anyway.â
It was not necessarily the truth but heâd need to stop by the gym to wash off the scent of sex and sweat from his skin. He could hardly turn up on first day of his rotation looking like heâd spent the night getting ravished.
Clearly accepting his excuse, Michael shut off the light. Dennis had to smile to himself as Michael allowed himself to be spooned. It was a shame theyâd go their separate ways tomorrow morning and their paths would never cross again.
~~~
Dennis walked through the ER with a group of new doctors, it was nice not to be starting by himself. He felt refreshed this morning and confident he would do a good job, last night really had done wonders for him.
As he turned the corner he felt his stomach drop, he knew that face.
âWe have some new faces with us this morning.â
He knew that voice.
Dennis just desperately stared down at his feet, as if it would magically make him invisible. Michael continued to speak but Dennis couldnât hear him over the rushing in his ears.
âUh.â He stumbled when he realised it was his turn to speak. âDennis Whitaker, MS4.â
He awkwardly smiled, because what else could he do? He had to be professional despite the fact that there was a hickey on his neck that the attending in front of him have given him. Finger prints bruised into his skin as the man had held on as he came. A slight limp in his step because last night he had had the best of his life and it turned out to have been with his new boss.
overly knowledgeable dennis who can turn on the Porn Mode from hookup experiences but is hiding it for one of his first serious relationships x robby who knows how to get âer done but has been so vanilla that he gets flushed every time he talks dennis through it. robby only knowing d/s so he shrugs and begins exploring the idea of being a dom. dennis saying âyes bossâ one night in a lightly mocking tone and feeling robby pause as he cycles through every emotion in a single second. robby hesitantly telling pleading for him to say it again, dennisâ lips curling up eagerly and his voice shifting as he caresses his new service topâs face
service (and sub) top robby i know that's RIGHTTTTT
There's always going to be that nature of Robby to provide and take care of someone, you know? He's always going to want to be giving. But sometimes he just wants to give with specific directions or be held by a leash and told to wait.
Dennis is good at that. He's traditionally been bad about telling his hookups to stop, adjust, hold on, that doesn't feel right. But Robby needs to hear it. He needs to know he's doing something right and how to adjust to make it better. He wants to make every time good for Dennis (because what if he's fucking it up and dennis leaves too) and so he leans into the service top agenda.
And it's good for Dennis to start voicing it. It helps his confidence, it makes the sex better, and it fills his entire body with glee when he knows that he's got the chief of the ED wrapped around his finger.
It's especially perfect because sometimes Robby can't go more than one round but he can lay between Dennis's legs and help him come over and over and over again. Dennis will click his tongue and go "No, slow down. I want you to let me feel every inch" and Robby has to burrow his head into the crook of Dennis's neck because his boy's sweet hole feels so tight and perfect and dragging it out means feeling everything.
Robby's least favorite nights are when Dennis decides to get on top and ride him because he isn't the one making Dennis feel good, he's not earning those little gasps and moans of pleasure, he wasn't good.
Dennis has to just coo down at him, trying not to groan at Robby's hungry, desperate expressions, those small whimpers he's letting out, telling him "I know but you weren't listening. You want to try again? Think you can make me feel good this time? Yeah, I bet you can."
i like to think about dennis and robby being together so long that they start to pick up mannerisms from one another. dennis starts to rub at the back of his neck when he's nervous and cross his arms when he's listening to someone speak. robby starts to scrunch his nose when he's disgusted and tilt his head when he's confused by something.
i especially like to think about dennis picking up a little yiddish from robby. the first time "oy gevalt" comes out of his mouth, it feels so natural that he doesn't even think about it, but trinity gives him a knowing look. the first time dennis unthinkingly describes something as "farkakte," dana rolls her eyes and makes a comment about physically separating him from robby. when dennis mutters something about princess being a "yenta," it feeds the rumor mill for days.
for robby, it's the greatest thing in the world. nobody he's ever dated has really stuck around to pick up any of his yiddish phrases, and hearing them from dennis reminds him so terribly of home, of childhood, of dinners with his bubbe and zayde. every time dennis tells trinity to stop kvetching, or tells a med student to do something with chutzpah, or complains about schlepping somewhere, robby wants to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go.
needy robby begging dennis to sit on his face, puffing out unintelligible, âcâmere baby, pleasepleaseplease.â the way heâll keep going even after dennis squirted on him, and dennis cries out in pleasure, then pain because of oversensitivity before dennis has to resort to pulling at robbyâs hair and trying to shake robbyâs grip off of him because robby! robby sâ too much! the way dennis will get on wobbly knees and look down to his lover only to see robby gazing back at him all dazed and satiated and drenched. his beard, his nose, his maw, even down his chin to his neck is covered by dennisâ squirt but robby just licks at his lips and rumbles out a needy moan like thatâs the most delicious thing heâs ever put in his mouth. andâ
DAY 1 - found family // "you're stuck with me now, whether you like it or not." - 7/10
-
the conference room was packed wall to wall with residents, every table covered in identical stacks of forms, packets, insurance information, tax documents, confidentiality agreements, and enough signatures to make dennis wonder if anyone actually read half of what they were signing. the hum of conversation drifted through the room, every so often by the scrape of chairs against the tiled floor or someone raising a hand to ask where another initial belonged.
trinity had naturally decided she was going to be the first to finish before everyone else. dennis had watched her flip through the packets, barely slowing long enough to read the headings before another page disappeared beneath her hand. she clicked her pen with confidence, muttering under her breath whenever a section seemed unnecessarily repetitive with a scoff, scribbling her name for what felt like the hundredth time. he grinned to himself, shaking his head as he worked at a considerably slower pace. she was already pages ahead of him again.
he laughed softly about the ridiculousness of it all before turning the next sheet over. his smile gradually faded as his eyes landed near the middle of the page where, boxed neatly beneath a section for personal information.
emergency contact.
his pen hovered over the blank space. name. relationship. street address. phone number.
the room around him continued moving. someone nearby complained about having to remember their insurance policy number, while someone at the next table over laughed on the phone. pens continued to scratch across paper in every direction. he simply looked at the section as his pen lingerd there a second. he thought briefly of familiar names, his brothers, and parents. he imagined what it would look like if the hospital ever had to make that call. they hadnât spoken in years, writing down any one of their names felt less like choosing someone who would actually come and more like filling an empty space for the sake of completing the form. after what had happened, he wasnât even sure anyone would actually answer.
he let out a slow breath, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing against the edge of the paper. there wasnât anyone nearby.
ââŚi donât have an emergency contact.â the sentence escaped so quietly it was almost swallowed by the conversations filling the room.
âput me down.â trinity said, not bothering to look up from her own paperwork.
he turned toward her, blinking once, unsure if he heard her correctly. â..w-what?â
"i said put me down." she sighed through her nose, still writing. when he didn't respond, she finally looked over, catching the uncertain expression on his face before he glanced back at the form.
"no, i mean..." he rubbed the edge of the paper with his thumb. "i don't really have anyone here."
"yeah." she shrugged. "i'm aware, huckleberry."
before he could protest, trinity reached across the narrow gap between them, pulling the packet straight out from under his hand, and clicked her pen. he opened his mouth, then closed it as he watched her pen move across the page.
trinity sanots. roommate. 412 - 33.... the rest of her number followed, written with the same quick confidence she'd signed every other page that morning. when dennis had caught up with what she was doing, she'd already finished, sliding the packet back across the table with two fingers.
"there."
his eyes settled on the handwriting. "you really don't mind?"
she let out a quiet laugh. "den. if they call me at three in the morning because you managed to fall down a flight of stairs or whatever weird nebraska nonsense you get yourself into, i'd rather witness it than hear about it secondhand."
a reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "i don't think that would happen."
"not yet." she clicked her pen before reaching for the next packet. "you're kinda stuck with me now, whether you like it or not."
it came out with the same casual certainty she'd used to complain about the paperwork, tossed into the conversation while already flipping through another page. he smiled quietly to himself, it was the first time since leaving nebraska that the section hadn't been empty. he signed the bottom of the page.
"thanks, trin."
-
i know this is a short one, longer posts will come with this duo. i adore them so much!!! this week is going to be so fun!!!
thinking about how often when someone exits a period of long trauma, their body just shuts down for a while until they begin to recover- and thinking about dennis going through this after he finally realises he's safe and not homeless anymore, but with robby by his side who takes care of him every moment that he's healing.
when it first dawns on dennis that he's not at risk of living on the streets anymore, its right after robby's added him to the deed of the house, showing him on no uncertain terms that he's not going anywhere. this is now dennis's house too, he's got equal ownership with robby. it's paid off, owned fully, there's no monthly rent or risk of being kicked out- he's got a *home*. at first, dennis falls into robby's arms and sobs so hard he nearly vomits, and then he shuts down.
the physical strain and fear and memory of sleeping rough (and what he'd had to do if he wanted a warm bed) are all lifted at once, and he shuts down. that night, he sleeps like a rock for fifteen hours. when he wakes up, he can't get up. hes exhausted, his body is like lead and his brain has shut down too. he stays in bed silently, laying there in the warmth and drifting. he's not thinking. he's so, so tired and now he can finally sleep.
robby knows what this is and what his boyfriend is going through- he knows it could be weeks before dennis surfaces from processing his release from trauma and begins healing, and he's ready. he's been where dennis is. he doesn't hesitate to take indefinite leave off of work to take care of his boy, jack understanding fully when robby spoke to him.
dennis stays in bed. he sleeps sixteen to eighteen hours a night, deep sleep that is dreamless and heavy, and robby watches him carefully. it's like his boy is catching up on every moment of rest stolen from him by nights of cold, fitful turning on park benches, or laying tensely in a hookups bed, hoping to be allowed to stay there until first light. whenever he wakes, he doesn't move or speak, he just gazes softly into the distance.
robby takes care of him. he feeds him by hand each day for every meal, dennis just about able to open and close his mouth when prompted. he brings everything he can to dennis, water in a bowl to wash his face and body gently, a small basin so he could brush dennis's teeth, an armchair next to the bed he could nestle his boy temporarily when he changed the bedsheets to keep them fresh and comfortable.
what he can't take to dennis, he takes dennis to. he carries him to the bathroom and helps him go, supporting dennis to be able to sit on the toilet and having zero judgement in aiding him through it all. dennis stays quiet and vacant, healing and processing slowly, steadily, carefully. he'll get there, robby knows. he won't ever rush dennis's brain dealing with the fact he was safe now.
it takes weeks, but robby wouldn't change a thing. dennis needed him, and he was there. the older nearly cries from delight when one night dennis shifts slowly round in bed to rest, snuggling into robby's side and tucking his head in close to the hairy chest. it was pretty much the first voluntary movement from his boy in over a month. from there, it's clear he's hit rock bottom and was managing to climb up again.
he's slowly able to shift more, his eyes focus periodically and he smiles at robby when he brings him food to eat. he needs less aid when going to the bathroom, robby not needing to hold him upright anymore, just to hover next to him to steady him if needed. he's mending, settling, emerging from his exhaustion.
the first words he speaks in nearly six weeks are quiet and hoarse, but the most beautiful thing to ever grace robby's ears. dennis cuddles into his lap of his own accord, coughs slightly until the older gently helps him take a drink, and then whispers, so soft yet so sure, "I love you, robby".
robby isn't ashamed to say he cries in happiness and love and relief. his boy will be okay, he'll be okay and safe forever in his arms and off the streets. he'd have taken years off work if that's what denny had needed.
It wasn't that Dennis didn't want to, he did he really really did. But that didn't stop the fear of the thought. The incredibly hot thought. He didn't want to hurt Robby by accident, they work in the er for christs sake they see crazy sex injuries every day. But robby kept insisting. Kept talking about how much he yearned for Dennis's cunt suffocating him. How robby would try and flip them over when he was eating dennis out. Nose pressing against dennis's twitching t dick.
It took months of begging on Robby's side to finally get dennis to agree. The resident hovering over robby's face as the older man practically drooled. "are you sure about this?" Dennis murmured shy and bashful.
Dennis graduation for his undergrad happening before his transition. His parents bought him a really beautiful dress, he hated wearing it but it was truly beautiful, and it was the last thing his parents ever got for him.
Anyway, the dress is one of the few things he kept, despite everything. He just couldnt bring himself to throw it away or sell it. Trinity finds it folded neatly in his drawers when sheâs raiding for something to wear, and it is gorgeous. Dennis tells her the significance, how he canât throw it away, but when she asks, he lets her borrow it.
He manages to forget it after a while, but by the time of his graduation, Trinity is insisting she pick out what to wear, that he focuses on everything else but she will sort it out. The day of graduation, Trinity hands him a suit before dashing off to get changed herself. They re-meet in the living room, and Trinity is wearing his old graduation dress, tailored to be much shorter than the modest length his parents approved of, the excess fabric in her hand. He fumbles a little bit, unsure what go say, but she approaches, unfurling the fabric and pulling him over to tie it around his neck.
When sheâs finished fussing over him, she drags him to the mirror, and theyâre beautifully matching - a tie and pocket square the same fabric as the dress. He leans against her, eyes welling as trinity squeezes his shoulder, before sheâs hustling them out of the door.
Sex has been different for Robby for the last couple of years, perhaps even before he hit the half-century mark. Sometimes, it takes a while for him to get hard, and at other times he can't do it without a little bit of help. And lately, it has been taking him a while to come, if he does that at all.
That's why he decided to date people closer to his age range, or whatever fucked-up version of dating that he had going on ever since Janey broke up with him and Heather left.
Dennis Whitaker is, undoubtedly, far too young for Robby âhell, he could be very well be the kid's father. Not only that, but he had been a med student doing his rotation at the pitt not so long ago, he still is an intern there, working under Robby.
And yet, that didn't stop Robby from falling into bed with him. Well, he told himself, he was already beyond fucked up, what's a bit more? Besides, Dennis would soon realize how old and damaged Robby was when compared to his youthful self, and he would leave rather quickly.
But, if anything, Dennis seemed to grow more comfortable with Robby every single day, even the things about his age that he despised, Dennis seemed to love them. Whenever Robby got up from the couch with a grunt, there was Dennis, looking at him with dark eyes and biting his lip. If Robby used his glasses to read something, half of the time Dennis would sit on his lap and kiss him hungrily.
The most obvious thing was with the sex. Robby had been embarrassed at first, surely Dennis could find someone who would match his stamina and desire better â not that Robby didn't want him, but he was aware of his limitations. However, the first night he couldn't get it up, despite Dennis looking up at him with those big eyes and his tempting body shivering under his hands, the younger man hadn't protested at al. Instead, he had pushed Robby down into the mattress, kissed all over his body before settling in between his legs, and then taking his flaccid cock on his mouth for what felt like hours. Robby had to nudge him awake because Dennis had snoozed off with it still in his mouth, sucking sleeply and comfortable.
Now, whenever they're at work and he sees Dennis biting a pen absently, his cock gives a valiant twitch inside his pants, remembering how warm and wet that soft mouth of his feels.
Yet Dennis' favorite thing, apparently, is when Robby takes a while to finish. Robby still remembers being young, being able to come multiple times the same night and still being hard afterwards; it has been a while for him, but it seems Dennis has plenty of energy to spare. So he can fuck his boy until his back is aching, until Dennis is sobbing and shaking from the overstimulation and his cock is merely twitching over the small puddle on his stomach, all while Robby still has to come once.
Had a fun hucklerobby Dramaâ˘ď¸ idea today, I may elaborate on this at some point but I need to get this written out to make sure I donât lose it. So:
Somehow Robby ends up in a local paper, maybe the ED was helping with a building collapse and he got hurt making sure a patient was safe, maybe he got hurt intervening in an active shooter in the ED, the reason is less important than the result: Robby is in a local paper and heâs also stuck in the ICU for a couple days.
Dennis and Jack have been rotating who stays with him (with Trinity and Dana also hanging around); Dennis was added as an emergency contact for Robby after a year of them dating. Currently, Trinity is working so itâs just Dennis. Heâs headed to the elevators to go get them both some food and he hears a woman asking for Michael Robinavitch at the nursesâ station. Dennis immediately steps in because he has never seen this woman before. She tells him she must be his grandmother which just confuses the shit out of him. But eventually he finds out who she is: Robbyâs mother, whoâs dying and wants to see her son one last time.
âbut are people like me, you knowâŚwelcome?â dennis asked while looking at labs on one of the communal tablets.
trinity quirked her head to the side while typing. âwhatâs that supposed to mean? itâs a pride night! of course youâre welcome.â
dennis looked up and took in her confused face. âso, theyâre chill with allies being there?â trinityâs mouth dropped open. she didnât reply, which made dennis scared heâd said something wrong. âi donât mean anything by it! iâve just seen some stuff on twitter about allies making pride about themselves.â
victoria was lurking in the back, eavesdropping on everything, but when it became obvious trinity didnât know what to say, she chimed in. âden, what do you mean ally?â she said it with that vocal fry dennis kinda loved.
âam i-am i not supposed to call myself that?â he wondered. he really was trying. in the past five years, heâd learned a lot about how to word things. was he not an ally yet? was there a new word for it?
trinity, mostly recovered from her uncharacteristic speechlessness, replied, âso are you notâŚâ she trailed off.
âwhat?â dennis demanded. ânot what? iâm not homophobic, if thatâs what your asking.â
âno, den. no one thinks youâre homophobic,â victoria soothed, while stepping closer. âi guess we both assumed you were queer.â
dennisâs face twisted up. he wasnât offended exactly. being thought of as queer wasnât offensive he reminded himself. âwhy would you think that?â
trinity and victoria looked at each other in alarm, then looked to dr. robby, who was unsubtly listening, then back at dennis.
trinity, not having time to get into all of it, said, âletâs talk about this at home.â
Dennis loses his phone during work, and heâs caught on the ground, mid search by Dr. Robby who seems amused by his antics and promises to help.
They look around for a bit, but Dennis is pulled into a case. So Robby starts searching on his own and gets the genius (obvious) idea to call him and listen for the buzzing of his phone.
A bit later, Dennis walks out of his patientâs room and finds Robby sheepishly holding his phone out to him and quickly mumbling something about a workstation and clipboard before rushing off as fast as he can.
Heâs not really sure what to think of it until he gets a bit of downtime and checks the notifications on his phone. And right at the top, he sees a missed called from Dr. Daddy. A contact name he forgot about drunkenly typing up while Trinity egged him on.
Dennis spirals because he thinks his boss has found out about his inappropriate crush on him in the most embarrassing way possible. Meanwhile, Robby is spiraling because he thinks Whitaker sees him as a father figure.
I can't stop thinking about amnesiac Robby after an accident having no memories right before his mentor's death because it traumatized him. His brain took a hit and his body is trying to protect him by not letting him relive the memory.
So, after he wakes up and Jack tells him that his husband is on his way, Robby heart fucking stops. HE'S MARRIED??? He's completely shocked because he has completely given up on the idea of ever finding someone. He was always working overtime, which destroyed all of his old relationships. But apparently he was wrong and he's fucking married.
He actually is so nervous and a little shy while waiting for his husband, Dennis Whitaker, to show up. Who took a good look at the mess of a person he is and thought "yeah, I want him in my life until the end"? When he asked Jack what type of person Dennis is, he told him "he's a good man, you'll see". Jack doesn't say that to just anyone so he's sure Dennis is way out of his league.
He's proven right when walks into his room the most handsome man Robby has ever seen. A little shorter than he expected but more muscular and with beautiful blonde curls. The nicest shade of blue in his eyes and a sharp nose. He looks level-headed and anchored for someone whose husband landed himself in the hospital. He's probably a colleague, which makes sense considering his track record. More importantly, he looks younger than he imagined, too young, in his early 30s. Oh no, what did Robby do? He sees the man relax slightly after taking a good look at him.
Once Robby is released from the hospital, Dennis plans to live at Trinity's place until at least some of his memory comes back to not make him uncomfortable. But Robby asks him to stay, telling him it doesn't feel right to kick him out when it's his house too. Also, having a doctor around when he's suffering from amnesia would be good. The truth is, Robby still can't believe he is married and needs to know more about their relationship and Dennis. They talked at the ER and he seems kind, calm, confident, and skilled. So, he needs to know why Dennis is with him instead of anyone else.
So, now Robby gets to enjoy martial life for the first but technically second time in his life. They don't do anything physical for obvious reasons, but their dynamic is romantic. He knows he's not the same man Dennis married but fuck he's failing in love with him all over again. They are also incidents where an exhausted, overworked and sleep-deprived Dennis will momentarily forget that his husband of several years has amnesia.
He'll go in for a welcome home kiss before he freezes and apologises profusely. He'll walk out of the bathroom naked while drying his hair to get changed in the bedroom, jump when their eyes meet and quickly tie his hair towel around his waist, barely covering himself. Dennis feels so bad each time afterwards and promises him he's not trying to force anything between them. Robby feels so fucking guilty because he's enjoying every single mishap way too much and he doesn't even have his memory back. The thrill and love he feels every time is addictive and he wishes Dennis wouldn't stop himself. He craves physical intimacy with him so bad it's driving him up the walls. He starts feeling jealous of the version of himself in their wedding pictures who got to experience Dennis' love in its entirety.
One night, Dennis comes home completely drunk after going drinking with Santos and Robby takes care of him. He helps him walk to the bedroom and lay him down on the bed. He's crouched at his feet and takes off his shoes for him when he starts hearing Dennis sniffle. When he looks up, Dennis is crying. His heart stops. Nothing should ever hurt him like this.
"Dennis, sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asks, the pet name slips out but he doesn't care right now.
He doesn't move from his spot at his husband's feet, scared he might make things worse somehow. But he rests his hands on his knees in a way he hopes is soothing.
"I justâI miss you so much," he finally says, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
He starts crying harder, as if saying it out loud makes it more painful. The sight straight up guts him. The sweetest, calmest and earnest man he's ever met is in tears because of him. He doesn't deserve to go through any of this.
"And it's so fucking stupid because you're here, with me, every day. But I miss you. I miss you. I miss the you who remembers how we met. Who remembers our wedding. I should be fucking glad that you're alive and holy shit, I am with every fibre of my being! I am so relieved that you're here and not six feet under but at the same time, you're not really here. And it hurt so fucking bad. I don't know what to do," he says, defeated.
His body shakes as he chokes a little on a loud sob. Robby can't even look at him. His forehead pressed on one of his knees. Shame burns his skin. Dennis deserves the man he loves, his husband, in his entirety. Not this incomplete version of him. Not this torture. If only he had never met him. Dennis wouldn't have to go through any of this. Tears sting his eyes and he's disgusted with himself. Dennis is the one suffering the most of the two. He can't even really comprehend the pain he's going through. Robby doesn't get to cry about this. He hates how weak and selfish he is.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You deserve so much better than this. I'm sorryâ" Robby cries and rambles apologies, like a child. As if this would change anything.
"Please don't cry. It kills me to see you cry. Don't fucking apologise either. You didn't do it on purpose. You're alive. You kept your promise," he whispers, sobs.
This promise sounds so meaningful but Robby doesn't know what he's talking about. It makes him sick. Even like this, grief-stricken, Dennis is taking care of him. He doesn't deserve him.
"I'm just so scared," he breathes out with a shaky voice. "What if you never remember? I don't knowâI don't know what I'll do. I can't lose you. I can't. I'll die," he cries.
It shocks Robby out of his spiral. He doesn't have time to cry. Dennis needs him right now. He needs reassurance. Robby needs to put his feelings aside. He can do it. It's something Robby has been doing for decades. He dries his tears with the back of his hands and swallows back down a sob. His hand finds Dennis' and he holds it tight. This makes him finally look at Robby, who looks back at him with all the resolve he can muster.
"I'll remember. I know I will," he declares, while looking deep into Dennis' eyes.
"You don't know that."
"Dennis, you have to believe me. I can feel it. My body knows you. You feel right. I hate being touched but I've never avoided your touch. All those memories, they are still in there somewhere, I can feel it. They'll come back. I'm yours, I know it," he declares.
"Michaelâ"
"Won't you trust your husband?" he asks with wet eyes and a smile.
"Don't say that, that's cheating."
"Denny, please," he leans down to kiss the back of his hand. The nickname feels right. Dennis' breath stutters.
"You haven't called me that in so long."
"I told you, it's in there somewhere."
"I love you so much, Michael," he says with a wet laugh.