The bedroom was quiet except for the steady hum of the air conditioner somewhere in the corner. A dark wooden headboard behind a body of pale gray sheets and twisted blankets, the bed looking comfortably occupied rather than made.
Dennis lay stretched across the mattress on his stomach with his face buried in a pillow. At some point the gray FFA hoodie he’d been wearing gathered halfway over his head, the fabric gathering awkwardly around his shoulders and neck while his arms remained inside the sleeves. The hoodie swallowed part of his blonde curls where it pressed against the pillow, leaving only the bridge of his sunburnt nose and a cheek visible.
It left his back exposed, the waistband of his blue plaid pajama shorts lay slightly lower. The fabric wrinkled from where he’d apparently collapsed onto the bed without much thought, less intentionally comfortable and more like he’d simply run out of energy halfway through getting settled.
Jack sat beside him near the center of the mattress, bent beneath him. He had changed out of his scrubs sometime after getting home, trading them for a dark zip up hoodie worn open over a black t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. The sleeves had been shoved up his forearms, pale blue nitrile gloves stretched over his hands as he worked the arnica gel into the muscles of Dennis’s lower back. Its scent lingered in the air alongside clean laundry and faint coolness coming from a/c.
“Too hard?” Jack asked quietly.
“No, it’s good.” His answer came muffled through the pillow.
Jack hummed once and continued without breaking rhythm. His hands moved with the same precision he brought to procedures, thumbs working through the layers of muscle. Dennis had pulled something heavy out at the farm over the weekend. None of them were surprised when he’d done it. They were more surprised when he’d admitted it hurt afterward. Even then, it had only happened because Jack had caught him wincing while reaching for something on a high shelf in the kitchen.
Across the room, Robby stood near the window watching the last go the evening sunlight fade. He’d changed into a dark blue t-shirt and gray sweats, looking less like an attending physician and more like someone who had finally been allowed to relax in his home for a few hours. A hand rested loosely in his pocket while the other balanced a labatt blue tall boy against his thigh.
“You should’ve told one of us you were moving that tractor attachment by yourself.”
“It was just a bushing. I’ve done it a hundred times.” He shifted beneath Jack’s hands.
“It’s a two person job.” Robby added.
Jack's gloved fingers found a particularly sore area, causing him to wince immediately, his shoulders tightening with a hiss.
“My dad always said if you can’t fix something alone, you don’t deserve to own it.” Dennis said.
That finally pulled the older away from the window. He turned toward the bed with a softened expression despite the faint look of disbelief that crossed his face.
“Your father is a stubborn man,” he said as he crossed the room. “Who raised a stubborn son.”
The usual bite behind the observation wasn’t there. The mattress gave beneath Robby’s weight when he sat down on the opposite side of the bed. Dennis felt the movement through the springs before he felt the light touch of his hand settling around his ankle.
“The point isn’t about deserving,” he continued. “It’s about not being an idiot.”
Dennis shifted, turning his head on the pillow.
“We want you safe.” Jack’s hands moved in their slow work across the younger’s lower back, Robby’s thumb traced absent circles against the bone of his ankle. The air conditioner kicked on harder overhead as the last traces of sunset disappeared completely.
Eventually he shifted enough to turn his head against the pillow, his head peeking out from beneath the tangled hoodie fabric.
“I know.”
Jack’s hands stilled for a moment on the small of his back. The quiet room deepened, the only sound was the soft exhale of the a/c. He leaned forward, his shadow falling across Dennis’s form. Without a word, he pressed his lips to the warm, taut skin where his neck met his shoulder. Jack pulled back just as quickly and resumed working the gel into his back as though nothing had happened. If anything, his movements became more focused afterward.
“You’ll be sore tomorrow,” he said. “But it should be better than today.”
Dennis buried his face in the pillow, letting the soft fabric ground him. It was Robby that broke the quietness, his voice a low, dry comment from the edge of the bed.
“He’s right, you know. About the soreness. You’ll need to take it easy on shift tomorrow.”
He nodded, the cotton brushing against his cheek as a faint laugh escaped him at the idea of taking it easy. They all knew how unlikely that was at PTMC.
The sound earned a small smile from the older men as they cared for him. Dennis huffed another quiet laugh and shifted enough to free one arm from near his head. Without looking, he reached backward until his fingers brushed against Robby’s knee, finding the beer can resting loosely in his hand.
He didn’t protest, simply lifted it enough for him to steal a quick sip before taking it back. The taste was bitter and cold. He made a face against the pillow that neither of them could see, which only earned an amused snort from Jack.
Their conversation wandered after that, drifting from pulled and sore muscles to plans for the coming weekend if all three of them managed to get the same day off. The room settled around them again, warm and familiar with a quiet that only came from being in each other’s company.
-
thank you for indulging in some soft hucklerabbot fluff 🫶🏻.
rabbot proposing to dennis? how do u think that night/evening would go? would he have two rings from each or just one?
I have so many different ideas about ways this could go down, but here's a particularly fluffy version for youuuu!
Dennis came from a corn and cattle farm, so it was a gamble on Robby and Jack's part if he'd get a kick out of picking apples and eating sweet treats at a pumpkin patch.
That gamble has paid off handsomely - Dennis is two thirds through a caramel apple and can't get enough of the sweet cow who headbutted him over the top of her enclosure for pets. The sun is just starting to head down into the cushion of Pennsylvania's hills, illuminating the bright fall foliage with a honeyed, golden light. There's a beautiful breeze. Jack has a bag of kettle corn under his arm as he takes a picture of Dennis being licked by the cow. Robby is carrying a jug of cider and a bag of other farm purchases, and he's a little quiet. Reflective. Like he's trying so hard to memorize this day.
They arrive back home and Robby offers Dennis a massage after carrying around all those heavy apples, my strong boy. Once Dennis has been melted into incandescent happiness by Robby's tender, sure hands, they both emerge from the bedroom to see the dining room filled with lit candles. Jack stands there, looking very pleased with himself, and invites his husband and boyfriend to an elegant pasta dinner.
Jack insists on feeding Dennis the first bite, and they pass a warm, happy hour together, drinking wine as a Miles Davis record plays in the background. Jack mentions that there's a tiramisu in the fridge and Dennis finally cracks.
"What's going on with all this?"
Jack scoffs.
"Ungrateful. Can't I spoil my partners every once in awhile?"
"I'm sorry-" Jack cuts Dennis off with a kiss.
"No sorries," Robby chimes in. "He's just being crotchety."
"Crotchety?!" Jack laughs, incredulous. "Looks like someone forgot who practically fucked him through the mattress this morning."
"Couldn't forget that." Robby shakes his head, brown eyes fond. "But before we get to the tiramisu and champagne-" Dennis cocks his head quizzically. "-We have something we wanna ask you."
Robby pushes his chair back and honest to god gets down on one knee.
"You'll forgive me if I don't get down there with him," Jack says from his seat right next to Robby.
Dennis is crying already, it's all he can do to remember to breathe. One hand is clenched in a fist pressed to his mouth as Robby takes a deep breath in.
"You made us a family," is all he can say, eyes spilling over. Dennis has seen him cry, probably more than Robby would like anyone to see him in that position, but he's never seen him like this. Like he loves him so much that it steals the very breath from his body.
"So it's only fitting that you should be an equal part of this family." Jack takes over, his own voice a little tight and raspy with emotion. "What do you say? Will you marry us?"
Dennis throws himself at them. He almost topples Robby. He's sobbing and nodding and clawing them both as close to him as he can get them.
"Is that a yes, pup?" Jack laughs wetly.
"Yes!" Dennis smiles through his tears and pulls back. "Of course, oh my god, yes."
"Then you can have this," Robby pulls his hand forward and slides a beautiful silver ring on his finger.
"He gets this," Jack says, pressing a kiss to Dennis's lips. "I get to put the wedding one on ya."
hucklerabbot who have to go long distance because whitaker has to do work outside of the state because turns out, the little mouse man is damn good at his job.
so whitaker gets shipped off to the other side of the country for about 4 months to a very active trauma center in california— at the heart of los angeles.
and suddenly, robby and jack realize they haven’t felt that sense of longing that accompanies distance since.. well, since jack was deployed and writing letters to robby.
even when they had phones to call and text, robby and jack would occasionally send letters and packages. they try to keep the romance alive.
and when whitaker picks them both up for lax, no one’s gonna question the tears that well up in robby’s eyes and the grin on jack’s face as he presses kisses all over their mouse’s face.
a hucklerabbot piece cause im fuckin down for these three — inspired by sweet boy by malcolm todd
something about being at a work party with his boyfriends had dennis whitaker in a bit of a panic.
it wasn’t their first time being out in public together, they tried to keep it private but not unknown. abbot and robby were touchy enough while dennis would freeze up like a goddamn mouse—
the touches were always welcome when it comes to his attendings though.
this time was different. they weren’t acting as coworkers with a relationship on the side.
this was out of work, where they could be more expressive, be a bit more obvious.
and yet, as whitaker sipped on his vodka cran, watching javardi and mateo stutter their way through a conversation, chuckling at santos tearing up the dance floor, and his boyfriends simply chatting it up with their fellow coworkers..
whitaker just really wanted to be home, in the comfort of his two partners. while they did absolutely whatever the fuck the wanted.. but dennis specifically just wanted a night in with some shitty takeout. thai food would be nice, something like that would be really fucking nice to have.
just the peace and quiet of robby and abbot’s shared home, watching some shitty tv show. robby would absolutely be passed out and abbot barely hanging on.
that’s where dennis whitaker wants to be right now.
and robby, ever the attentive boyfriend, lifted his head from his conversation with dana. his eyes focused on whitaker who was propped up against the bar. a jacket draped around his shoulders while the younger man simply examined the get together.
robby narrowed his eyes before patting dana’s shoulders. the older woman smiled, tipping her long island iced tea at him before joining santos.
the senior attendant turned to stride towards whitaker who only smiled sheepishly. robby took a seat right next to whitaker, nudging the younger man lightly before taking a sip of his bourbon.
“alright den, out with it— you tired?”
whitaker shook his head at robby’s question, placing his drink on the counter.
“no, i just..” he looks at abbot across the floor who seems to be looking for them. “missing the couch right now.” whitaker jokes, making eye contact with the other man across the room.
robby who smiles and hums as a response. "we can do that, somethin' quiet to do for the three of us. gotta wait on jack though."
and right on cue when robby looks up to spot his husband, abbot grins, in all his glory and curls before walking over to his partners. he stands next to robby and leans against the cloth of his husband’s hoodie.
robby looks over and presses a kiss to jack’s head before ruffling whitaker’s hair.
“couple more minutes then we’ll head home?”
jack shrugs. “mike, finish your drink and then yeah.”
and whitaker has to hide that shit eating grin as robby chugs his shitty bourbon before interlocking fingers with him. robby wraps an arm around abbot and..
the three leave quietly for a nice night together. in the silence of the apartment. nothing against the chatter of their coworkers, it was just nice when it was the three of them sometimes.
