★ ⋆The Incident Of The Missing Joey⋆ ★
Robert Chase x GN!Reader
word count: 1.7k summary: Chase’s precious Joey goes missing. Chaos ensues. a/n: omg I wasn’t expecting the first post to be so loved <3 Anyhow, here’s part two. PART 1, can be read independently though. warnings: Fluff, Chase panicking over a stuffed kangaroo.
The day had started more or less normally in the Diagnostics Department:
House banging his cane on the floor to demand attention, Foreman looking done with life, Cameron pouring herself yet another cup of coffee, and Chase… Chase quietly reviewed labs while the tiny kangaroo plush sat in the corner of his desk like some kind of personal totem.
Until suddenly, it wasn’t there.
Cameron noticed first.
She looked up from her mug and at Chase’s desk. “Where’s the deformed kangaroo?” She hums.
“It’s right here-“ he reaches out to grab it, but is instead met with the cold surface of the table. He looks up, then at the ground in case it had fallen, then back at the empty table. He remained silent for a second, before tensing up. “It was here before.”
”Well it seems like it isn’t anymore.” Foreman comments. Meanwhile, you were trying to suppress a smile, feeling the kangaroo’s soft fur inside your purse.
”Where is it…” Chase stood up, heading to his locker to search for it inside. Nothing.
”You lost the kangaroo?” You finally speak up, trying to keep the most serious face you could. Despite this, you couldn’t stop the corner of your lips from curling, and everyone but Chase noticed.
“I didn’t lose it-“ he immediately replied. “Someone moved it.”
Just then House walked in, limping on his cane. He dropped the case file on the main table and looked at everyone. His eyes focused on Chase’s frantic expression.
”What’s got your panties in a bunch? Someone dumped you?” House grinned, dropping down onto his chair and tapping his cane on the ground. Twice.
”House, don’t start-“ Foreman rolled his eyes
”Oh wait! The kangaroo is missing! Can’t believe you lost the abomination.” House let out a sarcastic ‘tsk’ before leaning back on his chair with a mocking expression, which caused Chase to frown more. You had to force yourself to look away, desperately holding back your laughter. Your hand clenched tightly around the plushie before forcing yourself to take a deep breath and look concerned.
Chase’s worried expression was utterly adorable, and it was becoming increasingly harder to keep the plush hidden.
“Do you want some help looking for it?” You try to put your most convincing concerned expression, setting down the papers in her hand.
He looks up at you and nods. “Yeah…” he muttered.
You stand up, glancing at Cameron who looked at you as if she already knew what you’d done. Gently, you place a hand on Chase’s shoulder and accompany him out into the cold, sterile hallways, while House mockingly does ambulance sounds yelling ‘THE KANGAROO IS MISSING, SOMEONE FIND IT’ in the background.
“You really care for it, huh?” Your expression softens, his genuinely sad expression melting your heart. Your hands brushed together and you almost intertwined them. Almost.
He looks up from the ground and at you. “I don’t care, it’s just- “ he tries to shrug nonchalantly, but tragically fails. “I got used to having it.”
”So you’re saying you’d miss it if it was actually gone?” Your smile widens and you follow him into the radiology room. He immediately bolts towards the empty control room and starts searching around, kneeling and searching beneath the cabinets, swearing under his breath when he doesn't see it.
He shrugged again and stood up, opening the drawers and pulling out the papers and digging into the drawers.
”Maybe he went back to Australia.” You comment, leaning against the doorframe of the control room’s entrance with a smirk.
”It’s not funny.” he grumbles, shoving the papers back into the drawer and walking out, not caring to close it. You walk to the drawer and close it, hurrying to not loose track of Chase.
”If he did, he’s finally reunited with his family. Don’t you want that for him? Or her? Whatever. It.” You continue to tease him, which earns you a glare. You chuckle. “Maybe I should get you a koala next. Or a pair of boxing gloves.”
”Are you being intentionally stereotypical?” He looks back at you, annoyed.
“Maybe.” You smile. He groans and keeps walking. You have to speed up so that you can keep up. “Oh come on! You can’t tell me it isn’t the slightest bit funny!”
”Not at all.” He scoffed.
Chase opens the clinic’s doors, and the quiet from the hallway dissipates into the chaos of the ER. It smelled like condensed people and hand sanitizer in there, which caused you to have a double take on the abrupt change from the cold, sterile and hypoallergenic halls. Chase practically drags you towards the nurse's station and starts searching under the desks, ignoring the nurses’s protests.
You start apologizing to the nurses, who scoff at Chase’s behavior in such an inconvenient moment. He opens every single drawer, searches under every single desk, and looks on top of every single shelf, yet there was no sight of the kangaroo plush.
“Dang it!” He stomps on the ground like a little child, which causes you to snort. He shoots you a glare, and you immediately regain your composure.
“Sorry- sorry.” You apologize.
”It’s not here.” He slams a desk drawer shut, earning a glare from the nurse in that desk. “I never thought I’d care so much about a stupid plushie.”
”It’s not just a plushie, is it?” Your expression softens slightly, and his cheeks turn rosy. He shrugs, and looks at the ground avoiding eye contact, which causes you to blush as well.
Cameron, who happened to have clinic duty at that hour, spotted them and walked over.
”Still looking for your marsupial mascot, Chase?” Cameron smiles, leaning against the pillar in the center of the nurse’s station.
Chase scoffs, and you can’t help standing closer to him.
“I bet that if he lost a patient he wouldn’t be half as panicked.” You decide to tease, sensing the tension coming from Chase. He gasps.
”Liar. You know I care for my patients.” He lets out a small ‘tsk’, yet he can’t help the fond smile at you.
”Never said you didn’t, golden boy.” You smile back at him.
Cameron, sensing the spark in between both of you, raised her eyebrows, taking a sip of her mug.
”Okay lovebirds. Have you checked the break room?” She suggests.
Both of your faces immediately turn beet red. “We’re not lovebirds!” Both of you say practically together, which causes Cameron to laugh.
”If you say so. Just saying, the break room is a good place to look.”
Before you had had time to recover, Chase was grabbing your wrist and pulling you with him.
The next place you two search, thanks to Cameron’s suggestion, is the break room, which despite the cleanliness smells like bleach, cold black coffee and stale donuts. Chase opens drawers and finds absolutely nothing. You, on the other hand, peek over a trash bin, pretending to be invested in the search.
”Maybe it escaped and found a new home in recycling.” You toss a used cardboard cup into the blue bin destined for recycling cardboard. He just shakes his head and runs a hand through his golden locks, clearly annoyed with himself.
Chase opens the supply closet briefly and closes it again, disappointed. You go to the coffee machine and look at the empty drawer beneath it, hearing him mutter “nothing here. Again.” under his breath.
”I’m never going to find it.” He buries his face in his hands and you walk over with two coffees, silently placing one in front of him with two sugars and a splash of milk. Just like he liked it.
”Don’t be so pessimistic, Chase.” You take a sip of your own coffee, placing a hand on his back as he does so too.
”At this rate, any of the kids in the pediatric ward could have it.” He takes a sip and pauses. “Wait, maybe that’s where it actually is!” He stands up and immediately rushes out. You practically sprint behind him, concerned that he would take some random sick kid’s kangaroo claiming it’s his own.
”Woah there! Wait up! Stop!” You call after him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to a halt. He stops abruptly in the middle of the hall, yet he pulls from your arm a few times impatiently.
”What’s wrong? Come on! It’s definitely there!” he pulls again, still not looking at you, but you don’t budge.
Your hand instinctively reaches into your purse, feeling the plushie. “Chase..?”
“Yeah?” He turned around, still pulling your arm. You took a small step closer and opened your purse, peaking out the kangaroo’s head. Chase froze.
His eyes widened. Then narrowed to you. Then widened again.
”You…” He trailed off. “It was you who took it?”
”Maybe.” You murmured with a shrug, feeling the heat crawl up your neck.
“Why?” He softly asked, but deep inside he already knew why.
You opened your mouth to explain, but he beat you to it. He stepped closer, close enough that you could see the faint yet visible blush on his cheeks.
“If you wanted my attention…” he murmured, voice low, “…you could’ve just asked.”
Your breath hitched at the sudden intimacy. Then, he gently reached out and into your bag, grabbing his funky kangaroo with precise movements.
”But stealing my buddy? Very bold.” He adds, briefly glancing at your lips then back at your eyes.
”Well I-“ you stutter, trying to defend yourself, but he cuts you off by taking your hand in his.
”And effective.” This time, he leaned in and kissed you. Your brain, which had been going a thousand miles per hour turned blank, and you swore your heart skipped a beat at the intensity yet gentleness of the kiss.
But just as quick as it started, it ended. He smiled at you, really smiled, and tucked the kangaroo beneath his arm, before walking away and to wherever he needed to go, leaving you stunned to silence in the hallway.
Damn. You seriously need to talk.
