after a particularly stressful shift, when dennis still feels jitty and his brain won’t slow down, jack is allowed to shotgun him.
robby doesn’t exactly approve of jack’s use of marijuana but he has his own vices, so he doesn’t say anything. and one of those vices is witnessing dennis whitaker’s head being emptied of any and all thoughts.
intelligent, witty, smart dennis, suddenly becoming dumb and pliant. whining at his boyfriends to just touch him, take care of him. freeing himself from having to make any decisions.
robby and jack get intoxicated with power, having all this control handed over to them so easily, all this trust.
their boy would do anything in that state, they fuck him slow, unhurried, stuff him full, the two of them at the same time. robby’s whispering soft praises, while jack mocks him directly in his ear.
shh baby, just like that… such a good obedient boy for us, taking daddy and jack at the same time. you’re doing so good- c’mon don’t whine. just let us take care of you, you know you can trust us.
aw, look at you, kid. you’re just so dumb for our cocks, aren’t you ? but it’s okay- you know why ? because you’re so much better dumb, dennis. you can feel us both inside, can’t you ? this is what you were meant to do honey, constantly drooling for cock. that’s what you were made for, made for cock, made for us. you don’t ever need to think again, we know best anyway. our beautiful brainless slut.
Dennis who was left out in the rain as a kid as punishment. Not even allowed in the barn as he'd just hunker down with the animals.
Time passed slowly then, until the icy drops of rain stung his skin, sharp and unforgiving.
Nowadays, he shivers in reflex when there's a lot of rain outside even when he's under shelter, warm and safe.
At first he was embarrassed at the way his body reacted out of his control. He'd throw on an extra hoodie or hug his arms around his body to try and stop the shivers that wracked through him.
But Robby and Jack didn't let that go on for long.
When they're at work, whichever one he's working with will grab a jacket or a sweater or something of their own they've taken to bringing to work even on sunny days just in case (usually Robby's green fleece). Dennis is bundled in it and held for as long as they can afford before the work must go on.
At home, Dennis has a special blanket, warm and blue and covered in stars. Jack says the stars are what makes it so cozy and warm since stars are balls of fire and Dennis calls him silly but he traces the shapes of them anyway.
With the blanket around him, he's wedged between his partners, safe and secure where the rain can't touch him.
Robby and Dennis were in the middle of a fight/disagreement. On shift, Robby acts as if nothing if wrong, completely professional if only a little curt. He doesn’t ignore Dennis, but he’s not being as affectionate as normal.
And Dennis? He’s completely miserable. No good jobs from Robby? No more gentle touches? No checking on him after a particularly difficult case? He’s visibly moping around to the point where multiple people have asked if he’s okay.
It isn’t until after Dana finally says something to Robby about it towards the end of shift that he finally cracks. He drags Dennis into the break room and immediately peppers kisses on his face.
“M’so sorry baby,” he coos.
“Love you so much you know that?”
“My special boy,” he squeezes his hip.
“Didn’t mean to make you so sad sweetie.”
a sly grin creeps onto Dennis’s face, “make it up to me tonight?”
By the end of the night, their argument is long forgotten
Dark abo lore and Popewhit ahead (massive team effort from the group chat esp @sacrificedagoat, @entropicquilibriumofchaos and @queer-reader-07 thank you all for excellent big brain times):
Hybrid omegas who are absolutely treated as second-class citizens. Valued only by fertility and how they can be of service. It's worse in some states than others, and the worst thing you can be is a ward of the state.
California is trialling a new program to make good use of the omega hybrids that are draining their resources, and to try to solve the problem of aggression in hybrid inmates. Take an omega hybrid from one of the facilities housing them at great cost to the taxpayer, ship them off to the prison with the biggest hybrid aggression problems, and make offerings of them to the problem inmates. The taxpayer doesn't save money, but they get to rest easy knowing that this hybrid is serving a purpose.
***
Hybrid alpha Pope who's doing time, and is frankly a fucking headache for all the prison staff. He's big, he's strong, he's smarter than anyone gives him credit for, and while he doesn't go looking for fights, he knows that the best way to make sure he serves his time unbothered is to end problems before they start.
Someone looks at him sideways more than once? He'll deal with that. It's hard to look at someone when your eyes are swollen shut.
Someone wants to fuck with his cell, his space, the precise way in which he's organised all his possessions? He's going to crush every bone in those creeping, thieving fingers.
Someone makes a sly comment? He can't let that go; everyone's watching and waiting for weak blood to spill, and it won't be his.
The prison staff don't like dealing with him, and he knows it. It doesn't particularly matter to him whether they put him in solitary or not. It's quieter there, and he gets time to himself without having to think about who might be looking at him because they're new and frightened, and who might be looking at him because they're new and looking to prove something. So solitary isn't much of an incentive for him to settle down and become easier to handle. The guards know it, and their limited options make them uneasy.
Dennis has only ever been a ward of the state. His life is group 'home' facilities and the occasional act of 'public service' that he is volunteered for. He is told that he has been selected for a new program, that this is an exciting opportunity to give back to the community. He is told to pack his things, and that he won't be coming back.
***
It's all different the morning they decide to drag something slowly, deliberately past the hybrid cells, and the air changes like lightning has struck and is waiting for a second chance.
Something smells like sun-scorched grass and running water.
The only thing their prison has ever smelled like is metal, sweat, blood, and piss.
There is fear as well, entangled all around the new smell, choking it like sticky weeds. But it's not enough to drown out the difference of it.
The smell makes a second and third pass, no sound accompanying it, no voice or extra set of footsteps to explain the source of the smell, because this is the closest the program gets to due diligence. Run a cloth over the omega, get it soaked in their scent, and run it past the cells of the alphas that are causing trouble. If there are no adverse reactions, everything proceeds as planned.
That is how Pope ends up bodily flinching away from the small, terrified-looking thing they shove in his cell.
"What the fuck are you?"
It's definitely one of the more stupid questions he's asked in his life - and if Smurf is to be believed, he's asked plenty of stupid questions - but it's the only one that he can spit out in the face of this trembling, blond-haired, floppy-eared thing looking like he's barely out of his puppy years and stinking like terrified omega.
He stares at Pope with such huge eyes - and Jesus, going by the size of the bags underneath them, he hasn't slept in weeks. The eyes are wet and horrified and are looking at Pope like he's expecting not to see the sunrise tomorrow. Pope swallows, forces himself to angle his body slightly to the side so he's not directly squaring up to the shivering creature, to relieve him of the burden of Pope's stare.
It's not something he'd normally do in here, but - well. What's something like that going to do to something like him?
"What's your name? Why'd they put you here?"
It's not much better, and Pope can hear how much it sounds like a threat dressed as a question. The other hybrid flinches.
"I'm - my name is Dennis. They didn't - they didn't tell you? Why I'm here, I mean?"
"Obviously not."
He feels bad for the way the - the way Dennis twitches at his tone. The scent of fear and saltwater is filling up the cell, threatening to choke them both. Pope keeps his eyes on the kid as he slowly backs towards the single bed in the cell.
"Sit down." He lowers his gaze when Dennis' lip threatens to tremble. Clears his throat. "Just. Take a deep breath. In through your nose, out through your mouth. S'what my brother always tells me. He's a doctor, so you know it's probably not bullshit."
The tiniest loosening of Dennis' shoulders. A movement of the corner of his mouth that definitely wasn't a smile, but also wasn't collapsing into tears either.
"Just - take a minute. When you're ready, tell me."
Clingy! Dennis. Dennis who loves staying in bed on days off for as long as possible, using Robby’s chest as a pillow, hanging onto him like one of those stuffed monkeys they sell at airports. Dennis who loves to cuddle and be sandwiched between Robby and Abbot. Dennis who needs to squeeze someone tightly and be squeezed tightly back. Who gets all the head kisses and small circles on his back. Who loves the smell of his boyfriends in their sheets.
Dennis who is crazy touch starved and just. Does not notice. He’s been cuddling pillows his whole life and wanting for something that he couldn’t name, so he figured when he finally got with Jack and Robby that the feeling would go away. It, stubbornly, did not. Whatever itch it was remained unscratched.
Jack and Robby, oblivious to this, were trying to let Dennis ease into the relationship. The two of them had been together for years, and had kind of forgotten what it was like to be new to a relationship. So, if Dennis didn’t explicitly ask, they didn’t do a whole lot of physical touch. But, he rarely asked.
Robby was sitting on the couch with him one night, Dennis curled up against the arm of the plush fabric and his legs bend by Robby’s side. Robby’s hand brushed his knee, and his leg extended to lay across his lap. A little amused, Robby rubbed his leg and watched him absolutely melt into him.
Then, Jack had a similar experience. They were in the kitchen together, he he just needed Dennis to move over a bit so he could get into a drawer, so he guided him to the side with a hand on his back and hip. Dennis blinked up at him and leaned into his side, pressing their ribs together. Jack chuckled, “Sorry, baby, just needed you to move.” Dennis’s cheeks flushed and he shuffled to the side. Jack was sure to run a hand over his spine a few more times that night.
It all culminated one night as the three were lying in bed together, trying to sleep. Dennis was kinda wiggly most nights, but tonight especially he just couldn’t get himself comfortable. Jack patted his arm. “Sugar, get comfy. Bedtime.”
Dennis gave an annoyed little whine and pushed his arm up into Jack’s hand. Experimentally, he wrapped his whole arm around Dennis, who snuggled into it.
“Is that what keeps you from tossing and turning?” Robby hummed. “Cuddles?” He wrapped Dennis up in his arms too and watched the boy fall asleep within the minute.
From then on, they didn’t hold back with the touching.
dennis was dating robby. dennis was also dating jack. jack and robby were not dating each other. it was just a coincidence that they both liked dennis, and neither wanted their friend to be denied the chance at having him.
dennis spent his days off with jack, and he spent his quiet nights with robby. it was nice. one time, jack came over and watched the game when dennis was over at robby’s. they were still friends, after all.
dennis loved it.
when he was done cleaning up after dinner, he slotted into the space they’d left between them. he had an arm around his shoulder and a hand on his thigh. during the fourth quarter, he put his legs on robby’s lap and his head on jack’s chest. they were talking quietly over his slumped form, just shooting the shit.
he fell asleep with the thought of just how nice it was to watch them be together.
they asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said dinner with the two of them. he didn’t even need to explain or beg, they were fine with that. it certainly wasn’t a hardship to have dinner with a friend.
when they went back to jack’s for cake because it was closer, robby realized there was a sticking point. who did dennis want to spend the night with? how would they navigate those feelings?
all three of them were in the kitchen, with dennis sitting at the island and his two boyfriends standing side-by-side in front of him. jack, who had been thinking about the predicament all night, softly asked dennis, “what else does the birthday boy want?”
dennis pushed out his bottom lip the way he knew robby liked. “i have an idea…but it’s kinda a lot.” he grabbed the bottom of jack’s shirt to play with. dennis made his eyes real big and looked up at robby.
robby fell for it all. “i’m sure we could work something out.” jack and robby were both willing to sleep on the couch while the other one had dennis in jack’s bedroom. maybe one of them could have tonight and the other one get the morning? they weren’t new to hand offs.
“i…” dennis trailed off in fake trepidation. they responded to a specific type of hesitation, usually. “would you guys kiss? it’s the only present i want.”
Dennis took this picture on their first road trip together. After confidently assuring each other that everything was going perfectly, they found themselves stranded in the middle of the night with a broken-down car and no idea when help would arrive. Jack was exhausted, frustrated, and questioning every decision that had led him to that roadside. Dennis, meanwhile, thought it was the perfect moment for a photo.
Imagining trans Dennis who can't come from his hands alone, so he's embarrassed to his core that he's actually never orgasmed.
Not like he could get toys sent to the farm, and there are no sex stores in Broken Bow. Then he was homeless, and every penny went to food and his med school bills.
So maybe he's never really understood the appeal of jerking off. And none of the very, very few partners he had ever gave enough of a shit to check he also came before promptly kicking him out. So even sex was more trouble than he thought it was worth.
All this to say when pleasure dom Abbot finally gets his hands on the kid, he blows Dennis's fucking mind.
Dennis has more orgasms in one week with that man than he has had in his entire life.
No but actually thinking about this more, and after Jack asks if he faked it Dennis explains that he's never cum before. He's just not very sensitive, so he doesn't think it's really possible.
And then cut to Jack with a vibrator and a bullet, Dennis writhing and squirming so pretty in front of him. Jack splayed out between his boys thighs, getting to see up close which settings and angles get the best sounds out of Dennis until suddenly-
"Wait, Jack- I- I think I have to pee." Fucking music to Jack's ears, "No, no really I have to- fuck I'm gonna piss- let me up! Let me-" Dennis starts scrambling, so embarrassed, muscles clamping down out of his control, nearly crying "Jack really- ohmygod I'm gonna- I'm gonns piss your bed!"
Jack just holds his thighs down with his biceps, forcing Dennis to stay in place, to take it while Abbot keeps the settings and pressure just right.
Dennis slaps his hands over his eyes, keening as he tries to hide from the shame of it.
And then Dennis comes so hard he nearly arches off the bed, whiting out. Sounding like someone just kicked him in the stomach.
Heart clenching and muscles spasming through the waves of pleasure as he paints the toys and Jack's hands with his slick.
While Robby is away on sabbatical, his coworkers all start texting him pictures of Dennis.
It takes him a minute to realize that's what's happening. Of course, they all send the Dennis pics along with texts and photos of other people. Sometimes Whitaker's in a group shot, or caught in the background of a selfie. It takes Robby a beat to realize that the pattern is Dennis-centric.
It only occurs to him that it's deliberate after a pic from Dana. At first, Dana sends weekly updates about the Pitt and an occasional word of support. Lets him know the Pitt's not on fire without him there to put it out. Then, after he's been gone a month, the first week of September, she sends a shot of Dennis at the backyard barbecue she hosts on Labor Day each year. Whitaker is wearing shorts, armed with a squirt gun, laughing, a passle of little kids crawling all over him. The accompanying text just says: missed u at the bbq this year boss. Casual, like Dana didn't just send him an image custom designed to hit him right smack in the Daddy issues.
Robby almost drops his phone.
Pretty soon, they're all doing it. Week five, McKay sends a question about some paperwork and a picture of herself, Dennis and Mateo in the park after work. Then, Dennis apparently does a week of Night Shift because Shen sends a selfie with Dennis, each holding enormous Dunkin iced coffees. Javadi sends him a group shot that so happens to have Dennis front and center of the Pittlings, captioned that they all miss him. Princess sends a candid pic of Dennis and Jack, heads together during change over. Dennis is gesturing to something on a chart and Jack is listening with a slight frown of concentration. They're standing with the same stance. They look like two of the same letters in a slightly different font. Robby is struck by how similar they are from that angle and he ignores they way his stomach clenches with suppressed desire for both of them. Mel King sends a shot of Dennis and Santos obviously doing a round of Rock Paper Scissors to see who has to do some sort of unpleasant procedure. Even Langdon, of all people, sends Robby a photo of Dennis leaning on the desk, arms crossed, caught for a split second between patients. The kid seems unaware of his picture being taken, probably looking up at the board. His shoulders and arms look absolutely magnificent. But that surely can't be the reason why Langdon sent it?
If it were only a few people sending them, he would consider it a coincidence, but by the six week mark, it's almost everyone who is aquatinted with the both of them. Robby can't miss the pattern. It's quite clear, all his people think Robby wants to know how Dennis is doing in his absence.
He does want to know.
Of course, he does, despite the fact that it makes him feel like the butt of a group joke. It's embarrassing actually. Realizing they all know he's infatuated with Dennis, Robby feels called out and transparent. Like everyone must think he's such a ridiculous, old perv to be pining over a young guy like that. Thinks they must be sending these texts to make fun of his pathetic "secret" crush that was apparently obvious to everyone in the ED (except maybe Dennis himself). He doesn't know how to respond to the pictures. Usually changes the subject and asks the sender how they're doing. Or sends a pic of the scenery from his road trip.
Naturally, Trinity Santos is the most egregious Dennis pic sender. Unlike the others, there is nothing about Santos's pictures that stays within the mentor/mentee bounds. Hers are far too personal to send the man's boss. She doesn't even bother to pair the pics with a question about emergency medicine. She sends a pic of Dennis singing karaoke in a bar, wearing a crop top and smeared black eyeliner. A week or so later, she sends a pic of Dennis at an outdoor concert, toasting the camera with a plastic cup of beer. The later summer sun has brought out the freckles across his nose. A week after that, it's a pic of Huckleberry hard at work out on what must be Amy's farm. He's wearing a faded blue T-shirt that perfectly matches his eyes, stained dark with sweat. Then, there's another shot of Dennis behind the wheel of the farm truck, wearing a battered, straw cowboy hat, grinning at something the photographer was saying or doing, that little gap in his teeth showing. A few days later, she sends one that shouldn't be as hot as it is, a scowling, grouchy Dennis, obviously hungover, hair a mess, unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of his pretty mouth, cooking breakfast while wearing nothing but a pair of dark sunglasses and some baggy blue boxer shorts. He's flipping off the camera. It makes Robby's heart do something strange when he realizes that one was taken in his own kitchen. Because of Santos, he sees sides of Dennis that he never gets to at work.
There's nothing like that sent from Dennis himself, of course. Texts from him are a few carefully worded questions about the plants. Once, a question about working the dishwasher. Every week, he sends a picture of Robby's house plant collection, to show him they're all still alive and well. He sends occasional updates about Duke's post surgery recovery. It's all very Midwestern polite. Robby's replies are the same, professional and appropriate.
He suspects that poor, innocent Huckleberry has no clue his friends and co-workers are doing this to them. Robby wonders if Dennis would be embarrassed or angry about the photographic teasing if he knew. If he would be disgusted by Robby's inappropriate crush. It makes him cringe to think of Dennis finding out. Perhaps he should tell them to stop sending the pictures, but he doesn't. Can't quite address it directly because that would make it A Thing.
It should be noted that Jack Abbot is suspiciously quiet during this whole pictorial onslaught. Though he's well aware of Robby's crush. In fact, Jack was the only person Robby openly spoke of Dennis to. Abbot sends no pics. Just a brotherly word or two, checking in around sunset each day. He thinks of calling Jack to say something about what the others are doing, find out if it's a prank, but just rehearsing the conversation in his mind is so awkward that he doesn't dare do it.
After weeks of it, gradually, Robby starts to see how sweet all the messages really are. No one ever says "gotcha" or admits it's a gag. He begins to suspect it's not actually a joke, because people send him Dennis stories, too. They don't violate HIPAA by talking about the patients, but they all send little tales of Dennis's good deeds. His moments of kindness or brilliance. Robby comes to realize that it doesn't actually feel much like teasing, no one seems to be mocking either one of them. In fact, there's something endearing about the gesture.
To be known is to be loved, so people seeing his attraction to Dennis is maybe not such a bad thing after all? Perhaps this is their odd way of accepting and supporting him, inappropriate as it is to surveille his resident for him.
They keep coming. Dennis petting a golden retriever on a coffeeshop patio. A slightly embarrassed Dennis appearing in one of Javadi's tiktoks. Dennis asleep on the too short sofa in the break room, a curling mustache drawn on his upper lip in what Robby hopes is eyeliner and not magic marker. Even Duke sends one, a shot of the two of them, both giving a thumbs up to the camera.
By the end of the second month, Robby has dozens of pics of Dennis saved to his phone, sent from atleast ten people. At that point, it feels a lot like they're all trying to lure Robby back home with adorable pictures of his favorite person.
He starts to look forward to receiving them. Downloads each one that comes in. During lonely nights on the road, he looks through them all before sleep. The cowboy hat pic becomes his phone lock screen. Why not? There's no one out here to see it and tell on him. Or perhaps, because the "secret" is so obviously out now, he no longer feels ashamed of it, feels no need to keep hiding. There's still lingering guilt, because innocent Dennis has no idea.
But he does not turn the bike around and head home just yet. No, that comes after Jack finally sends his Dennis text.
Agent of chaos, Jack sends it without warning, on an otherwise unremarkable, sunny Tuesday afternoon. Robby opens it while he's stopped, gassing up Bonnie. It's not a pic. It's a link. A long line of random numbers and letters, an anonymous, encrypted website, the kind with private accounts and log-ins. The kind that hosts invitation only videos that disappear after the log-in expires. He knows how this is supposed to work, but it's not something they've ever done, he and Jack. To open it would definitely cross a line. And Robby knows, Jack loves crossing lines. He wouldn't be Jack if he didn't.
The temporary log-in is Robby's birthday. That definitely reminds him that he is far too ancient to be clicking on whatever it is he's about to see. "Thanks for that, Jack", he thinks. He puts his phone up and gets back on the bike.
Once he's alone in his hotel room, though, of course, Robby clicks the link. He watches.
A video. Dennis and Jack in Robby's own bed. Looks like the phone is propped up on the bedside table, probably leaning against his Bubbe's lamp. This time, Dennis is fully aware he's on camera. On all fours, he makes direct eye contact and preens as Jack pushes into him from behind. His mouth is open, he's saying something. Robby catches only the words "want you to see", he can't hear the rest over the slap of their skin and Jack's panting groans. Never taking his eyes off the camera, Dennis goes up onto his knees, Jack's arms circle his chest, holding him up. Dennis bouncing with each thrust. Dennis only looks away when he twists his upper body to turn his face towards Jack, who kisses him, deep and messy.
The next clip is Dennis on his back on Robby's kitchen table, Jack standing between his thighs, his legs propped up on Jack's shoulders. Dennis's actually holding the phone himself in this one, so it's close to his mouth when Dennis cums, unmistakably calling Robby's name along with Jack's. Dennis pans to Jack who looks down the barrel of the camera, face framed by Dennis's legs. Still pounding away, Jack says, "Get your head out of your ass and come home, brother."
Then, it's Dennis kneeling on the soft carpet at the foot of Jack's bed. It's been a few years, but Robby still remembers the feel of it under his own knees. There are purple love bites on his pale thighs and chest. He looks wrecked and needy like Jack's been edging and overstimulating him for hours. Dennis is looking up at the camera, big blue eyes welling with tears, he simply says, "Please, Robby."
The next morning, he's on the road back to Pittsburgh by sunrise.
(Whole thing is Dennis's idea, btw. He posed for and approved every single one.)
Pope who finds dennis living on the streets of ocean side and feels some weird soft spot for him so he takes him in and lets him stay at his little house away from his family mess.
But he accidently ends up keeping dennis as more of a dog then a roommate.. like he starts telling him when he can go out and who he can hang out with. But he just keeps limiting it till his basically got dennis locked in the house all the time.
Not that dennis minds being his silly little pup and lounging around on the couch all day waiting for his owmer to come back to feed him and give hik his reward for being such a good boy that day..
dennis is the kind of guy that, when he spends his first overnight weekend with robby or jack (or rabbot), he shows up with nothing but a plastic grocery bag that’s been crumpled, thrown around, opened, and crumpled again. inside.. a single toothbrush, deodorant, one pair of underwear, loose airpods with the case nowhere to be seen, a singular warm can of monster, hospital socks he insists are “basically regular socks,” a disposable razor, and, somehow, one packet of instant oatmeal. he also can’t forget the fruit vape, since rabbot doesn’t like the smell of cigarettes around the house and offered him an alternative.
they’d give him the most genuine but concerned look once they see what is inside, this was apparently everything he’d decided he needed for an entire weekend. they’d figured he would’ve move in at the offer of staying the weekend with them.
langdon pursues whitaker once robby's off on his sabbatical. it starts off as an effort to get back at robby. frank fantasizes about the expression on their attending's face when he returned and put one and two together.
but after spending more time with whitaker, he realizes how massively he's fucked himself. frank learns how sad dennis is about doctor robby, one night over drinks, whitaker shares how left behind he feels. langdon knows the feeling. too well.
frank then finds himself seeking out whitaker more at work in the following weeks. and the lingering looks, well timed squeezes, strategic brushes, and lack of clarity from langdon are all too familiar to dennis.
and if dennis yells at frank in a storage closet that he's acting like robby !! and frank picks a fight because why tf would u say that to me !! then what !!
