hello!! the 'summer in the pitt' has officially started!!
charmingmerlin and north.the.lemon
WEEK 1 - ROBBY'S WEEK - 7/1/26 - MICHAEL ROBINAVITCH
I have decided to add my own twist to some of the prompts! enjoy!
this idea was inspired by @you-go-too-slow-for-me
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hear me out... married rabbot take a week-long cruise vacation!
jack decides to drag robby on a seven-day long caribbean cruise. in his words "you've spent the last fifteen plus years focused on others, i'm taking care of you for one week."
robby spends the months leading up to it insisting cruises are floating disease incubators, telling jack that there are physicians onboard for a reason, and trying to convince him they'd have a better vacation staying home. none of that works. jack has already requested the time off for the both of them, booked the cabin with a balcony, and even packed robby's suitcase after realizing he'd only packed neutral colored t shirts and pants.
their first day started with jack appearing in the loudest hawaiian shirt imaginable, cargo shorts, sneakers, sunglasses, and the biggest smile robby's seen in weeks. five minutes later, he returns holding a second hawaiian shirt in robby's size.
"i'm not wearing that." robby said, looking over at him over the top of his glasses.
"they are already in your suitcase."
"...you packed my suitcase?"
"yes."
the day started long before sunrise. jack had already been awake, dressed, and waiting in the kitchen with coffee and the boarding passes laid neatly on the counter. he'd been looking forward to this for weeks, and it showed in every impatient glance toward the clock. robby meanwhile, had a look of dread. he accepted the travel mug that he handed out without comment, muttered something about airports, and spent the drive there trying one last time to explain why a quiet cabin somewhere outside the city would've been a perfectly acceptable vacation.
the two and a half hour flight to miami only reinforced every complaint robby had made. the cramped seats, the crying toddler three rows back, turbulence, and the line to deplane all earned the occasional, understated sigh. "this is exactly what i was talking about." jack simply smiled through it all. every time he looked over, he was either looking out the window at the coastline coming into view or scrolling through the cruise itinerary on his phone.
the moment they stepped out of the terminal and caught their first glimpse of the ship towering above the port, jack actually stopped walking. even after decades together, robby couldn't remember the last time he'd seen him look quite that openly excited. he nudged robby's shoulder with an unmistakable grin.
"come on. isn't that impressive?"
robby followed his eyes upward. the ship was enormous, impossibly white against the blue florida sky. "...it's certainly large."
jack laughed. "that wasn't the compliment you think it was."
check in moved surprisingly quick, wristbands were scanned, passports tucked away, and photos taken, and within the hour they were crossing the gangway alongside hundreds of equally excited passengers. jack slowed just enough to rest a hand against the railing, taking in the ocean, the music drifting across the open deck, and the warm air that felt different from pittsburgh.
robby stood beside him with one hand hooked around the strap of his backpack, quietly watching families posing for pictures, couples carrying fruity drinks before noon, and crew members directing everyone with effortless smiles. he wasn't convinced this had been a good idea. jack, however, looked like he'd already decided it was one of the best.
their cabin sat halfway down one of the quieter hallways, tucked behind rows of identical white doors that all looked the same. jack swiped the keycard against the reader and pushed the door open with the same anticipation he'd carried since they left home this morning.
robby stepped inside after him, setting his duffel beside the bed before taking a slow look around. it wasn't extravagant, but it was comfortable. a neatly made bed occupied most of the room, cool wood tones softened the space as sunlight spilled through the curtains covering the double glass door at the far end. beyond it, the balcony overlooked the port.
jack had already wandered out onto the balcony by the time robby slid the door open to join him. the warm florida air carried the smell of saltwater and sunscreen, a welcome change from the stale airport terminals they'd spent the better part of the morning navigating. he rested both hands on the railing and looked over with a grin that hadn't faded all day.
"so?"
robby exhaled slowly through his nose, his shoulders relaxing almost despite himself. he looked back out across the water, listening to gulls overhead and the distant music drifting up from the pool deck.
"...i suppose i should at least give it a chance," robby admitted, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
jack's smile softened into something warmer as he hugged him. "that's all i was asking."
by dinner they're walking around the ship in matching floral shirts, looking like they've been married for thirty years, which wouldn't be a complete exaggeration.
every morning for seven days jack wakes up before sunrise, orders two coffees, and waits on their balcony. robby insists that he isn't waking up early on vacation. he quietly wanders outside a few minutes later, still half asleep, takes the second mug from jack's hand, and leans against the railing beside him while they watch the sun come up over the atlantic ocean.
jack signs them up for every ridiculous activity he can find trivia, dance lessons, towel animal demonstrations, and karaoke. robby complains beforehand without fail, then immediately becomes so competitive that jack has to remind him they're playing for a small ribbon.
somewhere around the third day, he noticed the complaints have quietly stopped. robby is the one suggesting they grab breakfast before heading to the pool. he's ordering frozen strawberry daiquiris and piña coladas without bothering to ask what's in them beyond the alcohol. he spends entire afternoons stretched out beside the pool in a lounge chair with sunglasses on, occasionally looking up from his book just long enough to tease jack for losing another round of trivia. when the cruise director announces that evening's broadway style production, robby is already standing. "come on," he says. "if we're going to be here, we might as well see it."
they end up seeing every production the ship has to offer. comedians, musicians, and bars that kept them there until nearly midnight. jack catches robby smiling more than once without realizing he's doing it.
they spend the week exploring every port they stop at, wandering little towns, eating way too much local food, buying matching t shirts neither of them needs, collecting tiny souvenirs they'll forget about until years later, and somehow ending up with more things by the end of the trip than when they boarded.
every evening they shower, change into dressier clothes for dinner, laugh over dessert, then make their way around the deck. sometimes they talk, other times they don't. they simply stand shoulder to shoulder watching the ocean while jack reaches over and quietly connects their fingers together.
by day seven, robby has stopped checking his work email. he's stopped thinking about the ED altogether. on the last morning, jack wakes to find robby already standing on the balcony in one of the floral shirts he originally refused to wear, coffee in hand. smiling to himself, jack slips on his prosthesis before padding outside in nothing but his underwear. he quietly wraps both arms around robby's waist, resting his chin against his shoulder as he hugs him from behind.
"ready to go home?" jack asks.
"...can we stay one more week?"
jack doesn't answer. he simply smiles, kisses the side of robby's head, then slips back inside to grab his phone. by the time robby joins him a few minutes later, jack already has next year's cruise dates pulled up.
when they get home, jack uploads every photo into a shared album, nearly three hundred pictures from seven days together. some are perfectly framed, most aren't, but neither of them cares. there are blurry laughs, stolen candid shots, and selfies in matching outfits with frozen strawberry daiquiris and piña coladas raised in little toasts. there are photos of robby asleep in a lounge chair by the pool with a paperback resting across his chest, of jack standing at the ship's railing with the wind catching the hem of his floral shirt. mixed between them are tiny towel animals waiting on their bed at the end of each day, sandy beaches, matching souvenirs tucked beneath their arms, and one final selfie taken on the balcony the morning they docked, both of them smiling before the reality of going home had the chance to settle in. neither of them ever gets around to deleting the duplicates.
sooo i completely got sidetracked today and haven’t posted day 2 of “summer in the pitt” yet. i will be posting it tomorrow! with that being said… body heat is having a chapter drop tomorrow as well!!! i’ve been able to create a consistent schedule to get chapters out without feeling burnt out, or feeling rushed with writing. i’m very excited since i’m hoping to publish at least chapters 17–20 by the end of july!!! btw my bday is on the 7th (twins with javadi!! she will be getting a special post 🫶🏻). things might be a little chaotic on here with “summer in the pitt,” huckleabbot week, whitsantos week, and chapter updates, but i’m always so happy to be writing and that everyone is enjoying what i come up with 🥹🫶🏻 y’all are too sweet.
