Rural Medicine, Part 3 (Thatch x Reader, modern AU, fluff with some angst)
18+ MDNI | on Ao3 | the other chapters
Thank you to @jk--47, @razzledazzleelderberry, and @ye-old-hermit-woman for beta-ing and helping me with this. Smut in the next chapter. Chef's honor.
This was not just dinner with neighbors.
Thatch had driven you to his family’s place to host you for dinner. He had brought in your groceries for you and dutifully put your frozen food into the walk in, even though he held the bags like they were going to infect him with some disease.
“It’s not that bad,” you said, rolling your eyes as he put the last bag of frozen food on the shelf, a container of lasagna poking out of the top.
“It’s not that good, either,” he remarked lightly.
“Well, I’ve tried ‘em all actually. Chef Carne’s Frozen Lasagna is actually the best of the bunch. You should try it sometime. Maybe I’ll cook you dinner as repayment for driving me around,” you said, giving him a playful smirk. Thatch turned and stalked over to you, towering over you. Your breath hitched as your back pressed into the freezer rack behind you. His hands reached out to grip either side of the shelf, his body crowding into you as he corralled you with his arms. Your face heated as he leaned down, his goatee tickling your delicate skin.
“I’d eat anythin’ of yours,” he murmured into your ear, his breath heating your neck. Words failed you as Thatch’s scent of mint and worn leather hit your nose, sharp but comfortable. Just as your brain began working again, Thatch stood upright once more. He held the door of the walk-in open for you like he hadn’t just turned you into a puddle. You followed him out of the freezer mutely, unable to think for a few seconds.
Thatch led you to the dining room, a massive room that looked like it could fit hundreds if needed but was currently only set for about twenty. There was a massive chair at the head of the table, that must be for Newgate himself.
“Sit here,” Thatch said, pulling out a chair for you like the gentleman he was. You thanked him and sat down, pouring yourself a cup of water.
“Just keep your hands out of range of their mouths and you’ll be fine,” Thatch said with a smile.
Thatch had set the table with massive plates of food before he rang the bell. There was no way twenty guys could eat this much, right? He must have been making enough for leftovers.He walked over near the window where there was an honest to god triangle mounted on the wall. Picking up the hammer, Thatch rang the triangle loudly several times, calling out “SUPPER!”
You thought the ranchers would trickle in a few at a time, finishing their tasks and coming in for the evening meal. Instead, you watched experienced farmhands and ranchers move like greased pigs, scrambling in through the doors and even the window to sit down at the table. Your facial filter must have failed because Thatch laughed as he came to stand next to you. He picked up your plate and gave a death stare as a large man with bantu knots reached for some still steaming buns.
“Guests first, Jozu,” he hissed through his teeth, clacking the tongs in his hands. Whoa, you hadn’t seen that authoritative side of him before. You kind of liked it. Who were you kidding? You loved it.
“It’s not always like this, only when Ace is around,” Thatch explained, filling your plate with food from the various dishes. It looked better than anything you’d eaten in years, except for the time that Law’s weird rich uncle took you all out to dinner. But that had been cut short by Cora catching his black coat on fire, and you didn’t have time to finish your food before the sprinklers went off. Still a nice guy, though.
“Wait - Ace?” you asked, scrunching your nose. How many people with that name could there be in your smaller city? “Does he work for the park-”
“Hiya, Doc! Never seen you outta scrubs before! Barely recognized you looking so pretty,” a familiar voice rang out, the man himself climbing through the window. You closed your eyes and rubbed your forehead, already anticipating a headache.
“You two know each other?” Thatch asked, setting your plate down in front of you. The rest of the ranchers started serving themselves, breaking out into smaller conversations. You looked around, there weren’t any other women there. It was a little strange but you’d been in sausage fests before, you weren’t intimidated. Hell, most of medical school had been you in rooms with mostly male doctors. Kaya was the only other female resident in your class, something you’d bonded about early in your friendship.
“Yep! See each other all the time,” he said with a cocky grin as Thatch bristled. You rolled your eyes at him and set your napkin in your lap. What a little shit head, trying to stir up trouble where there was none. As Ace piled his plate high with food, you understood some of the rush to get at it before he did.
“Unwillingly. I see him at work. He comes to the clinic at least once a week,” you muttered. You’d had a lot of time with Ace this week and you didn’t really want any more, especially when you were trying to get in with Thatch.
“And who has my son brought in for supper?” a deep, sonorous called out as heavy steps thudded through the hall. Thatch smiled and stood up, preparing a plate for the clear
“Pops!” came a chorus of happy sounding men. Aw, that was nice, at least they all liked the old rancher. He had a massive white mustache, worn jeans, a plaid that looked like it was cozy and black cowboy boots. You’d heard stories about Edward Newgate, everyone in town had. But hearing about him and staring into his wrinkled, tanned face was another thing. You wiped your face with your napkin and half stood, preparing to shake his hand.
“Hello Mr. Newgate, I’m -” he waved a massive, calloused hand at you, dismissing you from standing. All right then.
“Jenny’s brat,” he said with finality, sitting down heavily in the massive chair. Jenny? Jenny?! To your knowledge, no one called Dr. Kureha by her first name. You only knew it because her official mail came bearing her full government name. You wanted to ask Newgate how long he’d known Kureha for but you’d long learned that satisfying your curiosity wasn’t always worth it when it came to your great aunt.
“Yeah, Dr. Kureha’s great niece. I’m staying at her house right now. Thank you for having me for supper,” you said, trying to remember your manners. Newgate grunted, picking up his fork to stab at a massive steak.
“I see you’ve met some of my sons,” he boomed as Thatch set the plate in front of him. Newgate acknowledged him with a quiet thanks and a nod of his head. Thatch beamed at his father, his pride on full display. Thatch sat back down and put his hand on the back of your chair casually, like he was just stretching. You didn’t say anything but some of the brothers gave each other “ooh la la” looks. You didn’t mind, you were hoping things went that way yourself.
“Yeah, we met in town,” you said evasively, looking around at the various ranchers you’d seen at the clinic just the day prior. Fossa and Jiru weren’t meeting your gaze, just chowing down. You narrowed your eyes at Fossa, who really shouldn’t be eating that much potato salad with his recent labs. You gave him The Look, but he just smiled and continued heaping the salad on his plate. Blenheim gave you a thumbs up while Rakuyo waved. You also saw Haruta, Atmos, Namur, and Kingdew, sitting father down the long table. All had been in the week prior, and a few weeks before then as well. Based on the look of it, you had treated nearly every person in the room with the exception of Thatch and Newgate himself.
“I think I’ve met just about everyone here, actually,” you said dryly, cutting up some of the juicy steak on your plate. It was thick and fatty and you couldn’t wait to eat something that delicious.
“Is that so? GURARARA, just as popular as your Aunt,” he said with a grin that crinkled his face. You didn’t know if he was complimenting your medical skills or saying you got around. Either way suited you fine, you'd heard worse about your character.
“They’re all your sons?” you asked, trying to get a better feel for the dynamic between all the grizzled men.
“Ah, well. We’re not all blood related but we’re all brothers. We’ve all been workin’ and livin’ together for so long - Ace is our newest brother, he joined a little over a year ago,” Thatch explained. Ah, like a found family or whatever. Cute.
Brothers? But that would mean-
“Wait, Ace - I thought you said Sabo was your brother?” you asked, finally biting into a buttered roll. Holy hell, you’d break your car every day if it meant you got to eat this food.
“ ‘E is,” Ace said through a mouth of food. “ ‘E’s my brother like Luffy is. Also brothers but different brothers. They’re not brothers here though,” he said, practically unhinging his mouth to shove more food in. That didn’t explain anything -- and who was Luffy? -- but you wanted to stop seeing the inside of Ace’s mouth filled with half chewed food.
“You’re gonna choke. And if you do, I’m not reviving you this time,” you said, pushing some creamed spinach on your fork. You wanted to moan as you tasted it, the gentle flavor of the spinach brought out by the creamy baked sauce. Thatch was an amazing cook, you'd marry him on the spot for his cooking alone. Ace swallowed and picked up another steak off his plate with his hands. Who raised this kid? Wolves?
“Ha! I don’t need you here,” Ace said with glee, shoving the steak into his mouth. “I do like going to your urgent care though. I told all my brothers about you, they like you too. We figured out when you work, we only go then,” he said with a happy smile.
“Oh, is that the reason I’m so busy?” you asked, stabbing your fork through a potato and clenching your jaw with a tight smile. You wished it was through his hand instead, but then you’d have to treat him for that too.
“Yah, we all like you a lot. You’re no bullshit and we don’t have to listen to Marco’s lectures,” he continued, undeterred by your growing irritation.
“Marco?” you asked, gripping your fork tight enough that you were sure you were going to warp the metal. It was a common name, right? There had to be more than one Marco in the city, the fates wouldn’t do something so terrible as to bring a hot cowboy into your life only to have his brother be-
“Sorry I’m late yoi. I got stuck at the hospital.” You thought you were going to bend the fork in your hand as Marco Fushichou entered, graceful and handsome as ever. He spotted you next to Thatch, his eyebrows hiking in interest.
“Oh! I didn’t…know you’d be here. I thought it was your golden weekend?” Marco said easily, throwing his lab coat over the back of a chair before sitting down. You thought you were going to crack a tooth with how hard you were clenching your jaw. Who the fuck had you pissed off in a previous life to earn such bad luck?
Everything made sense now. Marco’s father was Edward Newgate, the wealthy cattle rancher who’d found an immense oil field under his property. No wonder everyone knew and liked him - Marco was practically royalty. Of course, of course, of fucking course. Why would something as wonderful as a handsome, helpful cowboy fall into your lap without the universe taking a huge shit on you in return.
“It is my golden weekend. Thatch invited me,” you explained, trying to keep your conversation as brief as possible. Marco’s eyebrow hiked even higher. You tried to keep your irritation and anger off your face but weren’t sure you quite achieved it because Thatch reached under the table to put a hand over your knee. You gave him a smile smile, it was nice to think someone would be in your corner.
“You really do know everyone,” Thatch said with a smile. You were guessing he was trying to lighten the mood a little. You unclenched your jaw and lowered your shoulders. Marco lived here, it wasn’t his fault he was Newgate’s son. You needed to be chill if you didn’t want to fumble things with Thatch.
“Marco and I work together at the hospital. We’re both residents in the Emergency Medicine program,” you explained. “Including this month. We’re together on Dr. Crocus’ service.” Newgate huffed into his beer bottle.
“That old fuck’s still alive? Marco, kick his ass on my behalf,” Newgate said before taking another big swig. Marco laughed but it made you wonder - was the ass kicking metaphorical or…?
“Actually, I work with Marco more than anyone else. Practically every month it seems,” you said, aiming for polite conversation.
“Well, of course yoi. I request to rotate with you,” he said, filling his own plate.
“Excuse me?” you asked, blinking your eyes rapidly as your hand curled into a fist. You were trying your hardest not to fling your plate at him.
“There’s a spot on the forms where you can request other residents you would like to work with. I always write your name yoi,” Marco explained, sitting back down with his plate piled high. You weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh or cry - what the fuck was happening in your life?
“Well. That explains a lot,” you said, clenching your jaw. You noticed Rakuyo nudging Blenheim and motioning to you. The other conversations were also quieting down. What a bunch of old biddies, you thought, trying to listen in on your conversation with Marco.
“You’re smart and keep me on my toes. I like working with you,” Marco explained with a smile and a tilt of his head. You smiled tightly back as the number of “discreet” glances your way increased. Oh sure, it was a great idea to have this conversation in front of his entire family. You liked Thatch, you did, but this was too much. You wanted a night of booze and fun, not to have to see the same assholes you did all week and especially not Dr. Marco Fushichou.
“And how…fortunate that we’re neighbors too. All this time and we could have been carpooling,” you said with a fake laugh.
“I mean, we could yoi. I’ve seen your car before-” Oh no the fuck he didn’t. It was one thing to ask for help from Thatch but it was another to be offered pity rides from Marco. You already spent enough time with him during the day and you were not adding another 40 minutes to that number.
“I’m good, my car’s fine-”
“We’re fixing it tomorrow,” Thatch added, scooping more corn on your plate before settling his hand on your knee once more. You reached down and put your own on top of his, giving him a small squeeze.
“Do you need to stay the night yoi? We have plenty of rooms-”
“No, it’s fine. It’s fine,” you said, wiping your mouth with the napkin. “Actually, on that note, thank you for the meal, I think I’m going to head out. I’m pretty tired,” you lied, starting to push back your chair. You could see Thatch another time, you needed away from Moby Dick Ranch and all the trouble the Newgate family brought you. Your golden weekend was not going to be spent with Marco.
“I can take you-” Thatch started to say before getting interrupted by a still eating Ace.
“Maybe she’s tired from her other clinic,” Ace yelled across the table. Marco whipped his head from Ace to you.
“Other clinic? What other clinic yoi? We’re not allowed to work anywhere else besides the hospital, it’s in our contract," Marco asked.
“Oh, uh. I moonlight at the Urgent Care. The one closest to here, actually. I got approval, it’s all above board,” you said, putting your napkin on the table.
“Yeah, s’where she knows us from. We all go there, she fixes us up really good. She’s a smart doc, Marco,” Ace said, vouching for you. You didn’t need his support, but at least he had a high opinion of your medical knowledge.
“You guys go to Urgent Care?” Marco asked Ace, his voice quieter than it had been before. You huffed, you were more than happy to send them back on their way to their brother. After a moment, Marco turned to face you again.
“That can’t be healthy, our hours are already so long. I barely have time to sleep or eat -”
“Right, some of us need money, Marco. I don’t have a family like yours,” you snapped a little too loudly. The table went quiet as you licked your lips and took a deep breath. You hadn’t meant their material wealth, not really. You could tell by their ease and general camaraderie that they were close. In fact, dinner almost felt like intruding on a private event. You’d kill for something like that in your life, even without the vast riches and influence.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking-” Marco’s hands were up in supplication but you’d hit your limit.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m fine,” you said, standing up from your chair. “Thank you Mr. Newgate for supper, it was lovely.” Newgate tipped his beer at you, unperturbed by the shift in vibes at supper.
“Would you mind driving me back?” you asked Thatch quietly.
“Not at all,” he said, his eyes looking over your face. He didn’t need to be worried about you, you thought, you’d been to more awkward dinners before. Actually, now that you thought about it, you hadn’t. But still, you could handle yourself.
“And Jiru,” you called out as he was scooping another heaping serving of banana pudding on his plate. He looked up and gave you a smile. You didn’t return it.
“Do you know what happens if you have uncontrolled diabetes over a prolonged period of time?” He chuckled as the pudding hit his plate.
“Yeah yeah, Marco tells me all the time. My eyes’r gonna fail, my foot’s gonna fall off’r some shit-”
“Your dick stops working,” you deadpanned. “So if you wanna show the ladies a good time, I suggest you don’t eat that pudding.” Whatever, it wasn’t like they were going to turn you in for sharing medical information. Newgate was practically an outlaw, but had too much influence and power to ever be brought in. Jiru gulped and handed his plate over to Ace as his brothers laughed.
“Nice to meet everyone. See you on Monday, Marco,” you said with the smile and wave you gave when saying goodbye to patients you didn’t like. A round of goodbyes hit your ears but you wanted to be gone. You pushed your chair back into place and grabbed your purse, intending to leave quickly. Thatch stood up and put his hand on the small of your back, guiding you out the dining hall.
“I’ll be back, but clear the table when you’re done,” he ordered as the two of you left. You walked in silence to Thatch’s truck, finally remembering to unclench your jaw. You rubbed your temples, that supper was a lot more than you were planning on.
“So, what was all that?” Thatch asked gently as he opened your car door. You slid in and leaned your head against the headrest. Maybe you were more tired than you thought.
“Oh, the fact that I know all your brothers and have seen most of them shirtless? And treated them all for various illnesses that they should really be seeing a primary care doctor for?” you asked, rubbing your temples.
“I knew those shitheads were up to something,” Thatch said without malice while starting the car. “Marco thought they were being safer and more responsible but that’s not…likely.”
“Yeah, well. It’s alright,” you said, deflating from your earlier anger. “It’s my job and they’re my patients so I’ll see ‘em. I’m worried about some of them, though,” you said, watching the fencing go by in the near dark. The sun had set while you were eating supper and dusk had crept in.
“Marco is too,” Thatch replied, leaning an arm over the back of the bench. There weren’t seats exactly, the truck was too old for that. Instead there was one long bench with space enough for three people. You were on one end and Thatch in front of the wheel but his fingers were just grazing your shoulder. The two of you drove in silence for a while while you enjoyed the quiet after the raucous dinner.
“Oh shit! The lightbulbs!” you said, striking the middle of your forehead gently with the heel of your hand as you remembered the items you left in your trunk.
“The lightbulbs?” Thatch asked, amusement in his tone.
“Yeah, a bunch of the lightbulbs at my house are out. I bought more but they’re in my car. It’s gonna be dark in there,” you said, biting your lip. “There’s a few left. I can use the light in the bathroom-”
“‘S alright. I’ll replace ‘em tomorrow after we get your car workin’ again,” he responded easily, his fingertips grazing the top of your shoulder.
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” you said, twisting the fabric of your dress in your hands.
“Do what?” Thatch asked, genuine confusion in his tone.
“Fix all my stuff. I can do it myself,” you said, feeling vaguely embarrassed that he wanted to help you with yet another task you should be able to do independently.
“I know you can. But ‘s easy for me, so why wouldn’t I? We’ll be bringing back your car anyway, might as well stick around and put ‘em in. Besides, you’re a little-”
“A little what?” you asked, crossing your arms. You’d heard a lot of things about yourself over the years, and none of them particularly good. You braced for yet another comment about how you were useless, or bitchy, or worthless, or bristly, or whatever else was wrong with you.
“Short.” You huffed in fake outrage, glad he hadn’t told you anything to trigger bad memories.
“I am not short! You’re just really tall!” He chuckled and slid his hand a little further down the bench to practically rest on your shoulder. You pretended not to notice but your heart beat faster than ever. You shifted a little on the bench, close enough for his hand to rest across your shoulders. It was corny but you didn’t care. His arm was warm and his shirt soft, and you wanted to nuzzle where his bicep was bulging. Maybe bite it, see what he did. All too soon, Thatch pulled into Kureha’s driveway.
He turned off the ignition but kept the lights on.
“This is you, Sugar,” he said, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “We can raincheck for the bar or-”
“You can - would you like to come in? I’ve got beer in the fridge if you’d like,” you said quickly, glad for the cover the night gave your face. You really weren’t in the mood for Shakky’s, but you did want to see more of Thatch. Even after that stressful dinner, you didn’t feel drained by being around him and his calming presence. And maybe your luck would hold out and you’d get some action.
“I’d love to,” Thatch said, flashing you a grin. Your heart flipped, you hadn’t had anyone over to your place in years. You thanked whatever god was out there that you’d cleaned a little and done your laundry earlier.
“Great! Gimme a minute and I’ll go grab some beers - it’s nicest to sit on the porch,” you explained, opening your door and practically sprinting for the house. You quickly used your phone light to navigate to the kitchen and grabbed just about the only thing in there - two long neck beers. Beer was just about the only luxury you allowed yourself - even you sometimes needed to unwind at the end of a long day.
You brought them back out onto the porch, admiring the shimmering night sky. Thatch was already sitting on the porch swing, swaying the chair with his feet. You hopped up next to him and handed him the glass.
“You don’t lock the door?” Thatch asked as you handed him a bottle.
“Nah, of course not. Who does around here? Now lemme go get a-” you were about to go get a bottle opener but Thatch fished his keys out of his pocket and used them to open his bottle.
“Gimme yours, Sugar,” he said, his hand outstretched. You handed it over wordlessly and watched him repeat the process. He gave it back to you, putting the caps in his shirt pocket.
“Neat trick,” you said, taking a swig from your beer.
“Got a few of ‘em,” he replied, taking a drink of his own.
“Sorry about dinner,” you said quietly, running your hands over the water condensation on the bottle.
“Nah, don’t be. ‘S alright, you couldn’t have known. We all have different last names, all of us’r adopted,” Thatch said, his long legs rocking the bench.
“Oh. Um, that would make sense,” you replied, unsure what to say. As a kid, you had often dreamed of being adopted but life didn’t work that way.
“Mmm. Been with Pops over twenty years now. Saved me from a short, shitty life,” Thatch continued.
“That’s great. To have such a big family. You all seem close, too,” you added, trying not to say something awkward. Thatch hummed easily, letting the conversation drop. The creaking of the chains connecting the bench to the porch the only sound besides the crickets and frogs.
“You gonna stay out here? After your residency’s over?” Thatch asked, tipping his hat back. You’d been mulling the same thing over lately.
“I’m not sure. I have at least a year left to decide. There’s not really anything here for me, but I don’t have anywhere else that’s calling me either,” you explained, tucking your legs under you.
“No family?” Thatch asked, his arm now resting behind your back again.
“None I’d like to see again,” you grumbled. Your family had given you unending problems until you finally cut ties and changed your phone number.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here for another year at least,” Thatch said, shifting so he was half facing you.
“Oh yeah? How come?” you asked, turning to face him in return. You scooted closer, resting a hand on his shoulder now.
“Now I know how much time I have to convince ya to go out with me,” he husked, leaning closer to you, his eyes half lidded.
“Oh yeah? How you gonna convince me?” you asked, tilting your head up to look into his eyes. You placed your other hand on his chest, your fingers lightly prodding at the muscle underneath.
“More of my neat tricks,” he supplied.
“You’re gonna have to show me.”
“Gladly, Sugar,” Thatch said. He leaned down and closed the gap between you. He let his lips ghost over yours, teasing you with his nearness. You smiled, gripped his shirt in your fingers, and pulled him closer, your lips finally meeting.
You kissed sweetly for a moment before Thatch cupped your neck with his rough hand, changing the angle of your head. He deepened the kiss, his tongue entering your mouth and rolling against your own. It had been so long – so long – since you were kissing someone you liked, and even longer since they were actually good at it.
And oh, he was good.
You felt Thatch’s stubble against your skin as you continued kissing, neither one of you wanting to break away from the other. Thatch leaned over, caging you against the bench with his large body. You could feel your panties getting damp as your hips rolled of their own volition. You moaned as he tangled his hand in your hair, his other wrapping around your waist. He pulled you tight against his chest, and you wrapped one arm around his thick neck as he started kissing your neck. He was biting too, sucking on your tender skin in a way you knew you’d have hickeys tomorrow.
“You w-wanna come inside?” you asked, a little sheepish despite having his tongue down your throat moments before. Thatch looked up and gave you a wolfish grin.
“And that’s the neat trick,” he said, standing up. You squealed as he tossed you over his shoulder like you weighed nothing. His hand was on your ass as he walked inside, your giggling overpowering the creak of the screen door.
“Lemme show you another, Sugar.”
Taglist: @radiantnico@mfreedomstuff
@thetempleofthemasaigoddess
