Rose 🌹 she/her 🌹 24 Ao3: FeatherForARose It’s happened again. Another ship has taken over. No AI now or ever. Also!! This is a side blog, but my main blog is kind of broken? So, I’m not able to reply to comments, but I do appreciate all of them!! And my messages are always open ❤️
Dennis, who has never had a friend to confide in about a crush and who also loves to annoy Trinity, starts correcting her anytime she addresses him by name or nickname. He goes, “Nuh uh uh. That’s Future Dr. Robinavitch to you.”
He gets an eye roll from her and some type of snarky comment about his dumb crush on their boss, which he accepts with glee.
But then it backfires one day at work, when Trinity calls out, “Huckleberry!” And he absentmindedly replies, “That’s Future Dr. Robinavitch to you!” in front of all their coworkers - including none other than Michael Robinavitch.
He’s introduced as Future Dr. Robinavitch to patients shift after shift, and he’s sure he’s going to get fired with the way Robby is avoiding him.
But just when Dennis is about to tell everyone to knock it off, Robby casually slips a silicone ring on his finger and tells him he likes the new nickname and should keep it for a while.
Trinity still refuses to call him Future Dr. Robinavitch, though, even when Dennis flashes her the ring. It’s only when Robby gets him a new ID badge, that Trinity starts referring to him as “Dr. Bitch.” But Dennis still accepts it with glee.
Reading the fic felt like a warm hug. It was incredibly cute and sweet. There is some angst though, but it’s mostly fluff! I loved their interaction, but also the reaction of the other PTMC characters teasing Dennis and the rumor mill going crazy 🤭 I loved it!
Anytime Javadi catches herself having a Utah Moment™️ around her coworkers, she goes outside for air then films a TikTok about why you shouldn’t date in the workplace - which she saves to her rapidly growing drafts, of course.
But after one particularly embarrassing moment involving a wet floor sign she conveniently misses as she stares into Dr. McKay’s alluring blue eyes, she runs out to the ambulance bay, phone in hand, and goes on her most unhinged rant as of yet.
She’s finishing it up when an ambulance races into the bay, and muscle memory kicks it as she very unknowingly posts the video while she runs off to help the patient.
By the end of her shift, the video has already started to go viral not only because of her unusually frazzled rant, but also because of what she accidentally caught in the background of her video.
Victoria deletes the video, but the damage is already done. All she can do is text Dennis to warn him.
The next day, Robby and Whitaker are dragged to HR and lectured about public displays of affection in the workplace, which includes the not-so-secluded corner of the ambulance bay. But Javadi doesn’t notice their red faces when they return because she too distracted by Mateo, Trinity, and Dr. McKay all gathered together watching something on Trinity’s phone that suspiciously sounds like her most recently deleted video.
It’s the day she vows to never use TikTok at work again. That and because Dr. Robby gives a particularly intense speech about social media in the workplace that Dennis apologizes to Victoria for later.
Still, she films and posts a tiktok about dating in the workplace when she gets home, because, after everything, she realizes it’s a legitimately bad idea.
Dennis starts learning Tagalog to surprise Trinity. But he realizes he’s made a mistake when he suddenly is picking up on Princess and Perlah’s very crude conversations about him and Robby that suddenly has him seeing his boss in a new light.
Thinking of a situation where PTMC needs $10k (maybe another ransom), and everyone in the Pitt is complaining about it. So, Robby announces, “We’re being shut down, unless someone has an extra $10,000 laying around.”
And Dana’s like “…well.”
And that’s how Robby and Dennis find out about the lucrative hospital-wide betting board about how, when, and where they’ll get together.
The scrubs exchange system has only failed Dennis a few times.
This is one of those times.
But, he doesn’t fret, because the lost and found has never let him down.
Until now.
He tries not to panic as he grabs a pair of gray sweatpants that are way too tight and a t-shirt (luckily in his size) and practically begs anyone to find him a new pair of scrubs.
Robby takes pity on him (read: can not handle the sight of him in those sweatpants), and loans him his extra pair of scrubs.
But then he’s haunted by the way Dennis looks swaddled in his clothes, and starts wondering what he’d look like with his street clothes hanging off his smaller frame.
It’s less than an hour later that Robby is paging nearly every department, asking for a pair of medium scrubs so he can finally get back to work with a clear head.
Thankfully, Pedes delivers a pair of scrubs just in time as Dennis is covered in yet another fluid, and Robby has never been more grateful for Dennis’ ability to never stay dry.
That is, until Dennis walks around confidently in his pink scrubs, looking like the sweetest pediatrician Robby has ever seen.
This is when Robby realizes that not only is he screwed, but Dennis truly could get away with wearing literally anything in his presence, and he’d be the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.
He still buys him five extra pairs of scrubs just to put his mind at ease.
And maybe, just maybe, Robby buys a few more scrubs for himself and accidentally slips them into Dennis’ pile. After all, he deserves a good thing every now and then.
He does everything he can, including: making Trinity hold him accountable whenever he mentions the man outside of work, not hooking up or flirting with anyone who vaguely looks like him, imagining literally anything other than Robby at all times, and trying his best not to stare at the man when they're on the same shift, although Robby tends to always schedule them together.
He makes it a solid three days before he ends up backsliding when he finds the closest lookalike he can at the bar and hooks up with them.
He thinks it’s the alcohol that amplifies how much this stranger looks just like Michael Robinavitch. But the morning after, he wakes up sober beside the younger clone of the man, panics, and promptly runs out.
Trinity teases him about it for days, and Dennis insists that he’s not crazy. The man looked just like him.
Fast forward a few days and much more teasing later, Dennis overhears commotion in Central and follows the noise.
As he approaches the crowd, he hears Robby drone on, “Yes, Jake convinced me to do an Ancestry test kit, and, no, I didn’t expect anything to come from it.”
“Neither did I,” a familiar voice continues. “Next thing I know, a new 50% match pops up, and I’m flying out to meet my half-brother who is apparently my older doppelgänger.”
Dennis screeches to a halt as soon as he lays his eyes on none other than his recent bar hookup, introducing himself as John Carter to Trinity of all people. She looks around, eyes landing on Dennis, and calling out, “Huckleberry! Get a load of this.”
John’s eyes, quite unfortunately, land on Dennis. His smile grows as he says, “Dennis?” He moves past the group to clap a hand on his shoulder, much like Robby would. “Hey, I thought we had a good time the other night, but you disappeared in the morning. Did I do something wrong?”
Dennis feels all the blood leave his face as he sees a look of realization and horror cross over Trinity’s features that spreads throughout the group, including Dr. Robby.
He's so screwed.
John glances over his shoulder to where Dennis is staring, and flushes as the same realization hits him. “Oh.” He looks between the two of them, and awkwardly says, “So, it was a you thing, not a me thing. Or a… him thing.”
“John,” Robby grunts, desperate to get him to stop talking.
“Sorry.”
Dennis doesn’t know what to do other than pass out on the spot, try to flee to the Canadian border, or hope for divine intervention to strike him down.
Robby beats him to a solution and carefully guides his brother away from him. “Let’s… catch up in the staff lounge.”
“Yes, please.” As they walk away, John tries to quietly add on, “Sorry for sleeping with your coworker. I feel like I ruined this family reunion.” But with the eerie silence of the place, the words travel, confirming what everyone already assumes.
Robby pats his shoulder. “Not a coworker. A student.”
Dennis wants to throw up as John groans, “Shit.”
The rest of the conversation is lost as they make their way to the staff lounge.
Everyone stares at Dennis.
“So,” Princess says, breaking the silence. “What was it like sleeping with the new and improved Dr. Robby?”
Dennis runs his hands over his face and turns away from the group, looking at him way too expectantly. “We are not discussing this. Ever. Or I’ll pay someone to do another cyber attack.”
As he walks off to whatever patient isn’t near the group, he overhears Princess explain, “That means it was unbelievable.”
The rest of the day, Dennis is given teasing remarks and learns, against his will, that John is also a doctor. But he’s from Chicago, where Dennis will hopefully never see him again. As for Dr. Robby… maybe Dennis can be switched to night shift.
He hardly runs into the man as the day goes on, but John does approach him when he’s leaving. He gives him a cute smile and a kiss on the cheek before whispering, “Good luck. If it doesn’t work out, let me know when you’re in Chicago.”
Dennis laughs half heartedly, watching the all too familiar brown eyes scan his face one last time before he leaves.
Trinity immediately makes her presence known, nudging him as she joins in watching the man leave. “Remind me to never doubt you again.”
“Will do.”
He turns around to go to the board and locks eyes with Robby, who looks half amused and half like he wants to crawl out of his skin. Dennis ducks his head as he passes him, ready to never confront what the man knows.
Robby takes the cue for the rest of the day, not bothering the man besides giving him a helping hand or well-deserved praise here and there. It dwindles after Dr. Robby comments, “Great work, Dr. Whitaker.” And Langdon makes the ill-advised joke, “Is that how Dr. Carter sounded the other night?”
He’s sent to triage for the rest of the shift.
Lucky for Dennis, that’s when all the other jokes start dying down, and he feels like he might actually be able to move past this.
That is, until the shift ends, and he finds Dr. Robby leaning against his locker, long after everyone from day shift has left. Dennis had stayed with a patient and thought that if he waited long enough, no one could corner him outside of work for details.
Apparently, he was wrong.
He shoots off a text to Trinity, letting her know that she shouldn’t wait for him. He figures that as much as he’d like this conversation to end after two sentences, it’s going to take much longer.
Dennis slowly approaches his locker, rocking on his heels when Robby doesn’t move. “You’re blocking my locker.”
“Sorry,” Robby says, shifting to the side but lingering.
He enters his combination with shaky hands, pulling on his jacket quickly, then throwing his backpack over his shoulder. He closes the door and mutters, “Bye,” before turning around and practically sprinting away.
He’s stopped by a hand on his shoulder and a singsonged, “Uh uh uh.”
Dennis huffs and turns to the older man. “Yes, I had sex with your brother without knowing you were half related. Yes, I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. Yes, it won’t happen again. And yes, I can be professional and put this past us.”
Robby shakes his head and chuckles. He claps a hand on his shoulder and guides Dennis out of the ER. “I think you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself, Whitaker.”
“I would like nothing more than for this to be a bad dream, but it isn’t. So, I’m trying to skip the worst part.”
“The worst part wasn’t sleeping with the younger version of me?” Robby asks as they make their way to the ambulance bay.
“God, no,” Dennis says a little too quickly. He flushes red and reaches up to tug at his stethoscope, which he realizes is no longer around his neck. “Uh, that’s not…” he clears his throat and tugs at his backpack strap instead. “What I mean is, I’d really like if we could put this past us as soon as possible.”
“I’m not sure we can.”
Dennis glances up at Robby, his stomach flipping as he practically begs, “Please, I really need this residency. I love PTMC, and I’d do anything-”
Robby holds up his hands, cutting him off. “No, that’s not what I meant. I just need you to be honest with me, and then we’ll be able to move past this.”
Dennis holds his breath as he waits for whatever Robby is hyping himself up to say.
The older man shakes his head as he stares at the ground, his hands coming up to settle on the back of his neck as he looks up at Dennis. “Is there a reason you slept with my brother?”
“Huh?” Dennis asks, the question not fully sinking in.
Robby stares at him, his hands clasping together as he repeats, “Is there a reason you slept with someone who looks nearly identical to me? I need you to answer this with full honesty, so I know how to proceed.”
Every part of Dennis screams at him to lie. To tell Robby that it was dark at the bar and entirely a coincidence. That he had too much to drink. That John mistook him for someone else, and he just didn’t say that he had the wrong guy. Instead, he answers, “Because I knew I’d never get a chance with you, and I took the opportunity when I found the next best thing.”
Robby’s eyes widen at Dennis’ honesty, and Dennis tries not to take it all back. After all, this is what Robby asked of him.
The longer Robby wordlessly stares at him, the more he overthinks his response.
He nearly admits defeat and leaves until Robby finally unfreezes and says, “John was right. You’re much bolder than I anticipated.”
Dennis blushes and glances down at his shoes.
“I can assure you the next best thing is better than the real thing,” Robby says quietly.
Dennis shakes his head and mutters, “I wouldn’t know.”
“Dennis…”
He glances up at Robby, seeing the conflicted look in his eyes. “How do we proceed from here?”
The older man lets out a deep breath and shrugs. “We put this past us, and we eventually forget that this day ever happened.”
Dennis nods, letting it sink in. He starts to take a step away when Robby adds, “Or…”
He can’t help but let his hopes rise as Robby takes a step closer to him. “We figure out if you prefer this version of me. The old and cynical one that has almost nothing to offer.”
“Robby, the only thing John offered to me was your face. You’re already everything I want you to be. Old and cynical, yes, but also too empathic for your own good, smarter than anyone I’ve ever met, and so frustratingly touchy I measure how well my shift went by the number of times you made contact with me. So, no, I’m not going to figure out if I prefer you over your damn half-brother when I already know he’ll never compare.”
Robby’s eyes crinkle as he stares down at him, looking so fond it almost hurts. “You done?”
“For now.”
“Good,” Robby says, ducking down and pulling him into a kiss that’s already one hundred times better than any kiss he's ever had.
He groans as Robby pulls him closer, gasping against his mouth when the man works a hand into his hair, tugging lightly. He uses the chance to deepen the kiss, and Dennis’ knees nearly buckle. When they eventually pull away for air, Robby pants against his cheek, “Better than John?”
“Better than anyone, but if you compare yourself to your brother one more time, I’m moving to night shift.”
Robby chuckles as he pulls Dennis against him, circling his arms around him as he presses a kiss against the top of his head. “Should we send him a thank-you card?”
“Probably.” Dennis sighs as he rests his head against his chest. “Any future family get-togethers are going to be so weird.”
“You should’ve thought about that before sleeping with him.” Dennis shoves at him, and Robby laughs while intertwining their hands. “Come on, let me take you out to dinner.”
“You're already one step ahead of him.”
“I thought we weren’t doing comparisons.”
Dennis squeezes his hand. “I couldn’t resist, but that's the last one.”
They make their way to Robby’s car, discussing restaurants in the area when Robby suddenly asks, “Do you have any brothers who look like you?”
Dennis lightly nudges him. “Please, don’t tell me you’re implying what I think you are.”
“Just wouldn’t want to make the same mistake,” he teases.
Dennis rolls his eyes and turns to him. “You think there’s a better version of me out there?”
“Absolutely not.” He gives him a quick kiss before they continue on their way. “Although I am curious about what an older, graying version of you would look like.”
“Robby," Dennis groans.
The older man chuckles. “Hopefully I’ll be able to find out.”
“You will,” Dennis promises, pressing a kiss against his hand.
"Luckily, between the Pitt and me, I'm sure you'll start graying early."
Dennis laughs and leans against his side. "I'd be okay with that."
Robby's phone dings, and he digs it out of his pocket. He pulls on his glasses, laughing when he reads the notification. "How does dinner at the Italian place down the road sound?"
"Sounds amazing."
"Great, we're meeting John there."
Dennis freezes in place. "You're not serious."
"I am," Robby says with a chuckle. "Let's show him how much you like this version of me, hm?"
"You're going to seriously give me a reason to start graying early."
"What'd I tell you?" Robby plants another kiss on his head as they approach his car.
Dinner is less awkward than Dennis expected, but he still imagines he grows a few grays when John also asks if he has any single brothers.
Afterward, before Robby can say anything, Dennis pulls him into a kiss and confirms, "I definitely prefer this version of you."
"Want to see if you prefer all of it?"
"God, yes."
Dennis is very happy to report that, as great as John Carter was, nothing will ever compare to Michael Robinavitch.
After getting covered in nearly every bodily fluid known to man, Dennis would think he’d have the scrubs exchange process nailed down.
But, for some reason, after a particularly disgusting case, he forgets to grab a pair of latex gloves to pull off his latest set of soiled scrubs. He tries to find a dry portion of his scrubs to grab onto, but this last patient put him through the wringer.
Robby happens to pass by, and Dennis desperately calls out, “Dr. Robby!”
The older man turns to look at him, his smile growing when he sees his current predicament.
Dennis sighs and holds out his bare hands in explanation. “Help?”
But Robby seems to misunderstand or thinks his own gloved hands are faster, because he’s suddenly in Dennis’ space pulling the top off of him.
Robby tosses the shirt into the scrub exchange and raises his eyebrows. “I don’t suppose you need help with your pants?”
Dennis just stares at him, his mouth agape.
“Whitaker.”
What he wants to say is yes, please help me out of my pants, but can we do this again after our shift sometime? Instead, he says, “Buy me dinner first.” Which is arguably worse.
He needs to stop spending so much time with Trinity.
Robby’s eyebrows skyrocket and he turns a cute shade of pink as he steps closer to him. He reaches out, untying the strings of his scrub bottoms, and lowly says, “How does tonight sound?”
“Great,” Dennis chokes out as Robby hooks his fingers into his waistband.
He tugs lightly but doesn’t actually pull them down. Instead, he snaps them against his waist, and says, “Looking forward to it.” Before heading off as if he didn’t commit many HR violations.
Dennis trips as he pulls off his pants, stumbling into the machine and making a fool of himself as he watches Robby walk away.
Robby is giving his daily “I don’t have feelings for a certain resident who is half my age” speech to Abbot during hand offs, when Dennis rounds the corner, heading their way.
Abbot is midway through trying (and failing) to convince him that no man lights up like the sun when they see someone they don’t have feelings for, when Robby cuts him off with a quick, “I’ll see the patient right away,” then turns into the nearest empty exam room.
But, to his horror, there’s a patient on the other side of the curtain who is grinning at him likely she’s overheard the best gossip of her life. But Dr. Robby is a professional who does not panic.
Until Whitaker pulls the curtain back and smiles at him.
Robby hasn’t mastered the art of repressing all instincts telling him that Whitaker is the most precious thing he’s ever seen, so he finds himself smiling back as if they’re in the middle of a romcom rather than Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.
Unfortunately, that’s when the patient cuts in and says, “Oh, so you’re the doctor he’s trying not to fall in love with.”
Whitaker’s eyes widen, his gaze falling on Robby, who grabs him by the shoulder and immediately leads him out of the room.
When they get to the hall, Robby says, “Don’t listen to her, she’s being admitted to psych now.”
“But the board says she has a broken ar-”
“Straight to psych!”
He thinks he gets away with it until he sees Dr. Santos walk out of the same room half an hour later with a wicked grin on her face.
Whenever a patient asks for “the cute doctor,” Robby automatically assumes they mean Whitaker. It only takes three times for Dana to catch on and tease Robby about projecting his desires on his patients.
Two hours into his shift, Dennis notices something is off. He can’t quite place it until Dr. Robby passes by him, and his shoulders feel a phantom hand that never actually lands.
Dr. Robby isn’t touching him.
He tries to catch what he’s done wrong, but nothing comes to mind. Until he sees it.
A small blue ball, resting in Dr. Robby’s hand.
He doesn’t get the chance to ask about it until he happens to catch Robby in the hall, gripping the ball like it’s personally wronged him. “Hey, what’s that?”
Robby glances down and quickly pockets it. He scratches the back of his neck and explains, “Dana gave it to me. Said I get grabby when I’m stressed. Was there something you needed?”
Dennis shakes his head, but really, he needs Robby to start grabbing him again, or he might lose it.
The rest of his shift, he makes it his personal mission to steal the thing and dispose of it. And he finally gets the chance when Robby accidentally leaves it at the workstation they tend to share.
Dennis looks around, making sure no one’s there to witness as he grabs the ball and takes it to the break room. He’s about to use a spare fork on it when he notices a pair of eyes drawn on the thing with a sharpie. But most notably are the prominent eye bags underneath, reminiscent of Dennis’ own.
Guiltily, he returns the ball to Robby’s station. But as the hours go on, his grudge on mini Whitaker grows.
When night shift comes in, Dennis grabs the ball while Robby is distracted, and takes it to an empty exam room where he left behind a scalpel.
He’s mere seconds away from ridding Robby’s world of the evil thing, when the curtain is yanked back, and none other than the man himself walks in, catching Dennis in the act.
Needless to say, from then on, the ball is only used when Dennis is off shift. And Dr. Robby, thankfully, returns to using Dennis as his personal stress ball.
