change in status - dennis whitaker x f!reader x melissa 'mel' king
summary: dennis finds himself getting jealous over how well mel knows you.
wooooow she's using a header bc mel and dennis have like 1 scene together just the two of them LMAO
pairings: dennis whitaker x RT!reader, melissa 'mel' king x RT!reader cw/tags: female reader, not use of y/n, no physical description of reader but implied afab!reader (mention of reader having cramps, but u can pretend it's not period cramps if u want), swearing. some angst (nothing crazy), established relationship (reader is dating dennis and has a 'casual' relationship with mel), injuries (reader gets stuck with a used needle), mentions of blood and blood-borne illnesses, typical pitt content (MVC victim depiction) light miscommunication/misunderstanding trope but don't WORRY! they talk about things. insecurity from both dennis and mel. wc: 5.1k this is a spin-off of the hot shot universe! read part one here :) masterlist
“Hey, how can I help?” You ask, pulling the curtain back, revealing an intubated patient flanked by Mel, Dennis, and Princess. “ABG?”
Mel stands by the computer, filling in the chart as Dennis secures the tube. Princess’ drawing medications into a syringe, not glancing up as you come inside, too focused on the task at hand.
“Yes, please,” Mel says, poking her head around the computer, smiling at the sight of you. She still gets butterflies, despite the fact that she saw you this morning. "Then repeats every hour.”
“Got it,” You say, sliding in beside Dennis, getting a closer look at the tube, nodding. “Looks good. You place it?”
Dennis smiles, nodding, sticking the tape down.
“Nice work. Dr. Whitaker,” You say, taking in the patient’s vitals and vent settings. You turn towards the set of drawers, pulling out the sampling syringe and positioning yourself above the patient’s arm. You press down on his wrist, confirming normal blood flow, then you swab some antiseptic over the area.
“BP coming up, one-hundred over sixty-four,” Dennis says.
“Great, let’s cycle it in a minute,” Mel says, logging off the computer and stepping closer to the patient. She watches you palpate for the radial pulse, her mind blurring at the sight of your two fingers pressed against the skin. She shakes her head, squeezing her eyes shut, admonishing herself for even thinking about you like that right now. “Are—are you down here for the rest of the day?”
“Yeah, starting to wean off ICU a little,” You say, positioning the pulse between your fingers and taking the needle in your dominant hand.
“Oh, really?” Princess asks. “Why?”
“They want more full-time ER RTs,” You explain, sliding the needle in. “They basically divvied us up between upstairs and down here.”
“So you’ll be down here full-time?” She questions, smiling.
You glance up, nodding, smiling back. “Yeah, looks like it.”
Mel watches as blood fills the syringe, then she shuffles behind you, one hand landing on your upper back, the other pushing the button on the monitor to cycle the BP.
“Sorry babe, just—”
She pauses for a fraction of a second before realizing her only option is to move on. “Sorry, just behind you for a second.”
“All good,” You say, putting your focus back on the patient. Dennis raises an eyebrow, then looks away from both of you, sparing a glance in Princess’ direction. The nurse is eyeing Mel, confusion obvious on her face, wondering if Mel actually called you ‘babe’ or if she’s finally starting to lose it.
“Everything still good in here?” Robby asks, poking his head around the curtain. The monitor beeps, revealing the new BP.
“BP’s good, one-ten over seventy-four,” Dennis says. “Sats steady at ninety-six.”
“Perfect,” Robby says. You pull the needle out of the artery, blinking when a piece of gauze appears in your periphery.
“I’ve got it,” Mel says, reaching over your shoulder, pressing the bandage to the wound. You smile, moving out of the way, reaching to remove the needle tip from the syringe like you always do. You watch Mel adjust her grip, the muscles in her forearm shifting and the veins pressing against the skin. You swallow, then wince when the needle goes into your fucking thumb.
“Ah, fuck,” You hiss, instantly pulling the needle back, setting it on the tray and ripping your gloves off.
“Woah, you okay?” Dennis asks, having already been watching you.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” You say, squinting at your thumb, squeezing the skin, watching as blood beads from the wound. “Shit.”
“What happened?” Mel asks, glancing over her shoulder, trying to see.
“Stuck myself with the…stupid needle,” You mutter. They both move to abandon their tasks at that, but Mel quickly puts her attention back on holding pressure, not wanting to look too invested.
“Did it break the skin?” Dennis asks. You nod, turning your palm towards him, letting him take a look. “Yeah…you need to wash that.”
“And sign in,” Robby adds. “You’ll need a blood draw.”
“I know,” You say, solemnly, as though you don’t want to believe that you just stuck yourself with a used needle. “I need to label this first, though.”
“Wash your hands,” Dennis says. “I’ll do it.”
He comes around the bed, taking the syringe from you and going to print off a label. You step past Robby and over to one of the sinks, sticking your hands under the faucet and starting to scrub them. You reach up for a pump of soap, rubbing it in, paying extra attention to the puncture wound.
“You alright?” Robby asks, now leaning against the wall beside you.
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s fine,” You say. “I’ll check if he has a history here, then I’ll have Emma or someone grab a sample.”
“I meant in general,” He says. “Never seen you miss like that.”
You rinse the soap off, reaching for paper towel, drying your hands off and tossing it into the garbage. “Yeah, I just lost focus for a second, didn’t get a ton of sleep last night.”
“Yeah?” He asks. “You sure?”
“Yep,” You say. “I’ll go grab a coffee, then get my blood drawn.”
He doesn’t push as you walk away, grabbing a bandaid from the nurses station as you pass by. Mel finally pulls the gauze away from the patient’s arm, seeing that he’s no longer bleeding. Princess steps out to get another medication just as Dennis returns, having sent the sample up to the lab.
“Is she okay?” Mel asks. He nods.
“Yeah, she’ll be fine,” Dennis says. “Nothing phases her.”
“I know,” She says, taping the gauze down and pulling her gloves off.
“Right, yeah, of course,” He says, the line throwing him off for some reason.
He’s been a willing participant in the whole you-him-Mel relationship that’s been going on, and you always keep him in the loop to make sure he’s okay with things before they actually happen. He really likes Mel, and he knows you do too, but the simple familiarity of the two words makes his brain malfunction.
She wasn’t defensive. She doesn’t have to prove that she knows you to him—it’s just true.
“Dr. Whitaker?” She says, repeating his name for the third time, finally drawing him out of his thoughts.
“Sorry, yeah?”
“Next steps?”
You stop in front of where Emma’s sitting with a coffee in hand, despite the fact that your accidental stabbing had nothing to do with being tired. Not that you lied to Robby, you really didn’t get much sleep last night—but Mel’s forearm veins were a much bigger distraction than the fatigue that foams on the edge of your consciousness.
“Hi,” You say.
“Hey,” She says. “What’s up?”
“I may have stabbed myself with a used needle,” You admit, showing her the bandage on your thumb. “I need a blood draw.”
“Oh, girl, come on,” She says, standing up and coming around the desk, pointing to one of the free intake chairs. “Sit there, I’ll be right back.”
You take a seat in the chair, propping your arm up on the side table, rolling your sleeve up to reveal your veins. Emma comes over with all the supplies she needs, pulling on a pair of gloves and tying a tourniquet around your arm.
“What happened?” She asks, touching one of your veins.
“I was switching the caps on an ABG,” You explain. “Just…got distracted, I guess.”
“By what?” She asks, then a small smile spreads over her face. “Or who?”
You roll your eyes, looking around, lowering your voice. “I didn’t tell you about my relationship with Dr. King so you could use it against me.”
“You just never get distracted,” She says, inserting the needle and attaching the correct tube, removing the tourniquet. “So, who was it?”
“Emma,” You say. “Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything,” She defends, removing the tube and pressing another into place. “I’m curious.”
You sigh. “Fine. It was Mel.”
“Knew it,” She says. “She looks good today. I like the ponytail.”
“Me too,” You say, making her laugh a little. “I think she called me ‘babe’ earlier, but she moved on so fast, and Princess was there, so I might’ve made it up.”
Emma shrugs, removing the tube and pulling the needle out, handing you a cotton ball to press against the spot. “Does she call you that at home?”
You hum, smiling. “Yeah.”
She grins. “You are obsessed with her.”
“I’m not!” You protest. “I’m not, we still haven’t actually…defined anything.”
“She practically lives with you.”
You squint, shaking your head. “Am I good to go?”
“Yep, all good,” She says. “I’ll get these sent up, you have some paperwork to fill out.”
“I’ll do it later,” You say, standing up, taking your coffee with you. You toss the cotton ball in the trash, adjusting your stethoscope and grabbing a tablet before going to check on one of your patients.
Dennis comes through the double doors a few hours later, an energy drink in one hand and a granola bar in the other. Mel sees him walk back in, lifting her head up for a second before putting her attention back to the note she’s writing.
“Hey, have you seen her?” He asks, stopping beside her. She knows exactly who he’s referring to, shaking her head in response.
“Not for awhile,” She says. “I think she was helping Dr. Mohan with a trauma. You need her for something?”
“Not really, I just grabbed this-” He holds the can up. “-for her. She didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Oh, was it, uhm, cramps?” Mel asks, lowering her voice.
“Yeah, even after pain meds,” Dennis says. “I offered to run her a bath, but she just wanted to stay in bed.”
Mel frowns. “And…she didn’t want to wake me?”
He shakes his head. “She barely wanted me up with her, she didn’t wanna’ bother either of us.”
“Oh,” Mel says. “I—I wouldn’t have minded.”
Dennis nods, smiling a bit. “I told her that, she didn’t budge.”
“Okay,” She says, then gestures to the can that Dennis is still holding. “She doesn’t drink those at work anymore, they make her too jittery.”
“What?” He asks, his demeanor faltering. He sets the can down on the desk. “Since when?”
“Maybe a few months ago?” She suggests. “She never mentioned it?”
“...no,” He says. “She didn’t.”
Mel senses the way his energy shifts, watching him look around, spotting Trinity sitting across the hub. He picks up the can, grabs a paper cup, then crosses over to her, clearly offering to split it. She enthusiastically agrees, and Dennis pours half of it into the cup, passing it over before taking a sip himself.
Frank takes the spot beside Mel, noticing how carefully she’s watching Dennis and Trinity, her eyebrows knit together and her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.
“Everything okay?” He asks. Her frown deepens, forehead wrinkling more.
“I…I think I said something wrong,” She says.
“Okay,” Frank says. “What’d you say?”
“He…” She trails off, thinking about how she can explain what just happened without giving too much away. “...bought her an energy drink.”
“Who?” He asks, following her gaze. “Santos?”
Mel goes to say your first name, but quickly corrects herself, saying your last name instead. “But she doesn’t drink them at work anymore, and I—I assumed he knew and forgot, so I…reminded him.”
He squints, looking at Mel again. “The two of you have gotten pretty close, hey?”
“Oh, no, I mean, we work together a lot,” She says, picking up a pen, clicking it a few times until it feels right in her hand. “And hangout sometimes.”
“Right,” He says, skepticism obvious in his tone. “Maybe he knows you have a crush on her.”
“What?” She asks, eyes wide, her heart pounding in her throat as she objects. “I don’t—I don’t have a crush on her.”
“Yeah, sure you don’t,” Frank says, a small smile on his face. “You definitely aren’t the only one.”
“She’s…objectively attractive,” Mel agrees.
Frank chuckles. “Exactly. And you have a crush on her.”
She shakes her head, grimacing. “No, no. I don’t.”
“Then maybe stop staring at her boyfriend,” He says. She blinks, quickly averting her gaze, daring to look over at Frank instead. “He probably did already know and he’s mad at himself for forgetting, I’m sure it has nothing to do with you, Mel.”
“Yeah,” She says, chewing on her lip. “Right.”
You find Dennis in the break room a couple hours later, walking in to him sitting at the table, quickly cramming a granola bar into his mouth before he gets pulled back into work.
“Hey,” You say, opening the fridge, pulling out the water bottle that you stuck in there this morning. “Good granola bar?”
He snorts, and you grin, trying to twist the cap off your drink. He holds his hand out for the bottle, moving his fingers in a ‘give it’ motion. You pass it over, and he opens it with an embarrassing lack of effort, handing it back to you.
“How’s your thumb?” He asks, standing up, tossing the granola bar wrapper into the trash can.
“It’s fine,” You say. “My labs came back normal, and the guy has no history of anything blood-borne, so I should survive.”
Dennis hums, nodding. “That’s good news.”
He washes his hands, then goes to leave, but he stops when he’s halfway out the door. “Hey, when’d you stop drinking energy drinks?”
“Oh, awhile ago,” You say, not thinking twice about it. “I think it’s just too much caffeine now, my legs started shaking last time I had one, felt like I was gonna’ eat shit for the entire day. Figured it was better for everyone if I was able to stay upright at work.”
He nods slowly, then pivots a little, moving so he’s leaning against the doorframe, still propping the door open with his hand. “Was I here?”
You think for a moment, shrugging. “I don’t think so, but I don’t really remember. Mel was definitely here, though. She was very concerned I was gonna’ die, or something. Pretty sure she almost called a code after checking my pulse.”
The image of Mel taking care of you when he wasn’t there makes his stomach twist with jealously.
“She’s been around a lot lately, huh?” He says, his voice quieter, slightly timid. You pick up on the undertones, your face shifting with concern.
“Yeah, is that…I thought it was okay with you,” You say, flashing back to the countless conversations you’ve had regarding your relationship with Mel. “You said you were cool with things being serious-”
“Right, I know, I am,” He insists, because it’s true. “But…maybe tonight could be just us?”
You sigh, not because you don’t want that, but because it’s…complicated.
“Well, I mean, she’s basically been living with us for the past three months,” You say, walking over to the door, holding it so he can step back inside, making sure no one hears your conversation. “It would be kind of mean to just suddenly ask her not to come over.”
He stays quiet, knowing you’re not finished.
“But I’ll talk to her about spacing things out a little, yeah?” You suggest. “And maybe you and I properly plan something for this weekend?”
He purses his lips, exhaling through his nose. “I just…yeah. That works.”
“Is that okay?” You ask, despite the answer being an obvious no.
“Yep,” He says, too quickly, already reaching for the door again. “It’s fine.”
He heads back into the chaos of the department, leaving you alone in the break room.
A trauma rolls in just after six, two paramedics wheeling the patient through the doors, blood covering their face and body with a cervical collar securing their neck. You reach the gurney in time to hear the entire report, helping push them into the trauma room that Dana calls out when Robby asks what’s open. Dennis, Mel, Jesse, and Donnie join you as you move.
“Car versus pedestrian, thrown about ten metres, mid-to-late thirties,” The paramedic says. “Found conscious but confused on scene, initially agitated, waxing and waning GCS during transport. Lowest of thirteen.”
You take hold of the sheet as Mel counts down from three, lifting up and setting the patient onto the bed.
“Airway patent on scene, intermittent obstruction as she got less responsive, gurgling with blood in the mouth,” The paramedic continues. “Suctioned twice enroute, temporaily improved with positioning.”
“Heart-rate one thirty, BP one-hundred over sixty, sats ninety-five on NRB,” The second paramedic finishes. “You got it?”
“Yep, thank you,” Robby says.
Jesse and Donnie set up the monitors, her vitals illuminating the screens. You set up suction, positioning yourself by the patient’s head, checking her lung-related numbers.
“Tachypneic, sats are holding,” You say, noting her respiratory rate.
Mel and Dennis are busy assessing everything else—lung sliding, pain response, mental status. They whir around everyone as you continue suctioning, trying not to agitate the patient, who blinks in and out of complete responsiveness.
“Airway’s partially collapsing when she’s unresponsive,” You say, noting the way her sats change each time she closes her eyes, moving her jaw to try and clear it. “Clears with stimulation and repositioning.”
“Let’s prep for intubation,” Dennis says, and you nod, passing the suction to Donnie to gather the necessary supplies. “Sats aren’t holding, we should go now.”
“GCS is twelve,” Mel counters. “She’s still oxygenating. We can do high-flow.”
You adjust the settings, then go back to your tray, wheeling it into place beside you once you’re done and taking the suction back. Her sats stabilize around ninety.
“Sats are holding,” Mel says.
“Only because we’re propping it up with oxygen and suction,” Dennis counters. “Her GCS is dropping.”
You don’t look up, keeping your focus on the airway, continuing to hold her head so she can breathe.
“We’ve got a window,” You say. “No sustained obstruction.”
“Her airway’ll collapse in CT,” Dennis says.
Mel pulls her stethoscope out, finally looking over at Dennis, his authoritative tone catching her by surprise.
“We intubate if she stops maintaining her airway,” She says. “Suction output’s already decreasing. For now, we can get her to CT.”
He shakes his head, looking at her vitals again, then his gaze falls on you. You meet his eyes, raising both eyebrows, as if to say ‘what are you doing?’
Mel says your last name, forcing you to look at her instead. “Do you think the patient is stable enough for CT?”
Oh, fuck me.
You internally sigh before answering. “Yeah, I’ll stay with her.”
“Great,” Mel says. Dennis runs his tongue along his teeth, nodding, stepping back as the bed is prepped to move. Robby makes note of the odd behaviour from the younger doctor, reaching a hand out as he goes to leave the trauma bay, grabbing his shoulder.
“Hang back a sec,” He says. Dennis listens, stepping off to the side, letting the bed wheel past him. You’re still at the head, no longer needing to suction to keep the airway clear, but still ready to intubate at a moment’s notice. “Everything okay?”
Dennis doesn’t really process the question at first, his mind still reeling with next steps for the patient.
“Yeah, all good,” He says. He moves to follow the bed, but Robby doesn’t let go.
“You weren’t necessarily wrong,” Robby continues. “Just a step ahead.”
Dennis nods, trying to accept that.
“You’ve been on edge since she stuck herself with that needle,” Robby notes. “She’s gonna’ be fine, kid.”
“No, I know, it’s not that,” He insists. “Just…I’m fine. Ready to go home.”
“You and me both.”
The patient makes it through CT without needing to be intubated, and the three of you pass her off to the nightshift once she’s stable. You gather your belongings from the locker room before Dennis and Mel are done, heading out to the main foyer to wait for the two of them.
Mel breaks the silence as they grab their jackets and bags.
“Dennis?”
He looks over, the sound of her calling him by his first name outside the apartment odd. “Yeah?”
“About earlier,” She says. “I wasn’t trying to be…frustrating, I just wanted to be helpful.”
“You weren’t frustrating,” He says. “You were doing what was best for the patient, I should’ve listened the first time.”
“I wasn’t talking about the patient,” She says. “I was talking about the…energy drink thing. Are you upset about the patient too?”
He sighs, shaking his head. “No, it’s fine. We’re good.”
She’s not sure if anyone’s ever said ‘we’re good’ and actually meant it.
“Oh, okay,” She says. “I’m glad.”
He zips his backpack up, putting it over his shoulder and shutting his locker. He turns to leave, without her, which makes her scramble to finish getting ready. He doesn’t hold the door, he just walks away, disappearing from view. Mel frowns, shoving her stethoscope into her bag, slamming her locker and quickly moving to catch up with him.
You’re waiting just outside the department, like always.
Dennis comes through with Robby and Samira right behind, and Mel trails back a few feet, her fingers interlocked as she spins her thumbs around each other. You push yourself off the wall you’re leaning against, pulling your headphones out and smiling at Dennis. You cast Mel a quick look too, not wanting her to feel ignored.
“Goodnight,” Robby says, patting your shoulder as he goes by. Samira gives you a nod, then they both disappear through the doors, leaving you with Dennis and Mel.
“Let’s get out of here,” Dennis says, reaching for your hand. Mel hangs back, chewing on the inside of her cheek, still playing with her hands.
“Please,” You say. “See you at the apartment?”
Dennis follows your gaze over to Mel, whose head snaps up, her eyes a little wide. She hesitates, her mouth opening and closing, nothing coherent coming out. She glances at Dennis, who nods.
“Yeah, you should come,” He says, but the tone is off. She immediately shakes her head, and you frown.
“No, uh, I should probably just go home,” She says, gesturing vaguely behind her, despite the parking lot being in the opposite direction. She checks the time on her watch. “You know, I could still pick up Becca, she hasn’t spent the night in awhile.”
You want to protest, but you know she hasn’t seen Becca as much as she used to since things got more serious between the three of you, so you don’t.
“Okay,” You say. “Tell her hi for me?”
Dennis hears the disappointment in your voice, finding himself wanting to backtrack. “You sure? You could always pick her up in the morning, spend the day with her.”
“No, it’s okay, she’s been asking,” Mel says. “I’ll see you on Wednesday.”
“I’m not here Wednesday,” You say. “I’m here tomorrow, though, you could come by after? I can make dinner.”
The effort you’re putting in makes Dennis feel even worse, seeing how badly you don’t want her to go back to her own place tonight, but he’s still hoping he’ll at least have a couple hours alone with you.
“You don’t have to do that,” Mel says, her voice soft. All of you shift when the doors open again, revealing Emma and Dana, both of them waving goodbye as they walk by. You try to fix you face, saying goodnight with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. Dennis echoes it, and Mel waves back.
“We have leftovers, too,” Dennis says, cutting through the silence once Emma and Dana are gone. You exhale forcefully, closing your eyes and rubbing your face with both hands for a second.
“Okay, you know what? Let’s take tonight, we’ve had a long day,” You say. He frowns, not entirely sure why that line is what pushed you over the edge. “Mel, I hope you have fun with Becca, and I hope I see you tomorrow.”
Mel nods, reaching into her pocket for her car keys. “I’ll—I’ll text you. Goodnight.”
You watch her leave, then you turn to Dennis, who sighs.
“I didn’t mean it like-”
“I know,” You say. “But…”
You trail off, shaking your head as the double doors swing open again, more of the dayshift coming through.
“Let’s go home.”
The apartment is quiet when you get back, even your cat less vocal than usual when you come through the door, quietly rubbing up against your legs. You bend down to pick him up, trying to cradle him in your arms, but he lifts his head up, craning his neck. Dennis reaches over, scratching under his chin.
“Hey, buddy,” He says. “How was your day?”
The cat meows, moving away from his hand, still looking around for something. Your heart sinks when you realizing he’s looking for Mel, who’s grown extremely fond of your cat, and vice versa. Dennis comes to the same conclusion as you, deciding to speak up, not wanting things to get even more uncomfortable.
“Yeah, Mel’s not here tonight,” He says. “She’ll be back soon, though.”
You don’t say anything, you just thrust the cat towards him, letting Dennis take him before walking off into the kitchen. You open the fridge, then the freezer, pulling out a frozen pizza. You don’t ask if it’s what he wants, preheating the oven and setting the box on the counter.
“You don’t have to do that,” Dennis says, setting the cat down. “We can just order something.”
“This is easier,” You counter, ripping the box open, sliding the pizza out. “And faster.”
“That’s true,” He says, coming up behind you, kissing your shoulder. You feel tears prick your eyes as your lean back against him. “Peak post-shift cuisine.”
“Pretty much,” You say, trying to keep your voice light, but it comes out forced. Dennis frowns, saying your name, trying to get you to turn around and look at him, but you don’t. You busy yourself with throwing the box away, then putting the pizza in the oven, then washing your hands. He watches you move, eventually catching a glimpse of your face, noticing the tears that threaten to spill.
“Angel…” He says, reaching for you, tugging you closer. You exhale, shaking your head, laughing a little.
“Sorry, long day,” You say, brushing it off. “I’m fine, it’s fine.”
“It’s okay if you’re not,” He says, swiping a thumb across your cheek. “Why don’t you go get changed?”
You nod, leaning closer as he kisses your temple before letting go. You shuffle into your bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes catching on Mel’s half-finished book that sits on the nightstand. You sigh, pulling your phone out, opening your text conversation with her.
how stoked was becca to see u?
She responds quickly.
I didn’t see her, she was at Adam’s.
You frown, the thought of Mel sitting in her apartment, alone, making your head spin.
oh :( i’m sorry hopefully u can see her soon!! are u okay? i know the shift ended on a weird note
Yes, I’m fine. I think I just misunderstood something earlier.
do u want to talk about it? or leave it there for tonight? i’m sure u didn’t do anything wrong
I think I’d rather leave it for tonight. Thank you.
let me know if u change ur mind <3
You toss your phone aside, flopping back on the bed, looking up towards the ceiling. You hear the oven ‘beep’ once it’s preheated, then the sound of Dennis setting a timer on the stove. You sigh, sitting back up, getting to your feet and tugging your closet open. You pull out some comfy clothes, changing quickly and washing your face before going back out into the living room. Dennis is sitting on the couch, flipping through movies on the TV, trying to decide on something to watch.
The two of you pick a movie, eat your dinner, then curl up on one end of the couch, your head resting against his chest and his arms around you. Neither of you talks—Dennis even forgoes his usual bought of questioning for the entire movie. You sit up when the credits roll.
“Can we talk about whatever happened today?” You ask. He nods, sitting up a little straighter too. “Why didn’t you want Mel to come over?”
He chooses his words carefully, not wanting to sound possessive or jealous, despite the fact that he is. “I guess…I realized how close the two of you had gotten today, and I wanted a night to—to reconnect, or something.”
He inhales, messing with the strings on his hoodie. “I wanted to still feel like you were…mine for a minute.”
Your features soften. “I never stopped being yours, Den.”
“I know that,” He says. “But it didn’t feel like it.”
You put a hand over his knee, rubbing softly. “Why not?”
He thinks for a second. “She knows you really well, better than I do sometimes.”
“Yeah, she’s observant, but she definitely doesn’t know me better than you,” You say. “Differently, maybe. Not better.”
He toys with that idea, nodding, mostly to himself.
“She’s important to me,” You continue. “And you are too.”
“She’s important to me too,” He agrees. “The apartment feels…weird without her.”
“Yeah, it does,” You say, smiling a little. “We can sit down, all three of us, talk about what this looks like going forward?”
“I’d appreciate that,” He says, quietly. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” You say, leaning over, kissing him softly, then planting kisses on both his cheeks and forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you, angel.”
Mel’s phone rings the next afternoon, forcing her to look away from the book she’s reading, glancing towards where it sits on the coffee table. Her chest tightens when she sees Dennis’ contact, leaning over and picking it up, tapping the green button.
“Hello?”
“Hey, are you with Becca?”
“Oh, no, we got breakfast this morning, though,” She says. “Is—is something wrong?”
“What? No, no, nothing’s wrong,” He promises. “I actually just wanted to ask if you’re up to come over tonight.”
A moment of silence washes over them.
“For dinner,” He clarifies. “And…whatever you want. You can spend the night.”
Mel chews on her lower lip. “Really?”
“Yeah, definitely,” He says. “I think I made things weird yesterday? And…I really didn’t meant to.”
“Things were a little weird,” She agrees. Dennis laughs lightly on the other end of the line.
“I got all in my head,” He says. “But…yeah. You should come. If you’re free.”
“I’m definitely free,” She says, smiling, her heart starting to race at the thought of seeing the two of you again.
“Okay, great,” He says. “She’s off at seven, but you can come anytime.”
“Like…right now?”
“Like right now.”
She jumps off the couch. “Yeah, yep, on my way.”
tags:
@thenormreedus @sinoxima @serrendiipty @celiaisacaterpillar @xoxoloverb @momdancingtomcr @arianna-r13 @starsbymars @outpostsworld @he6rtshaker @ilocuras24 @hucklesbaby @laurenyas @true1411 @navs-bhat @amelia-styles @barnes70stark @huang-the-geek @run-for-the-hills @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @noahcantread @princess76179 @the-perfect-gemini @arienic @llovekats @fishfishcaterpillar @macbaetwo @izzyyy-1 @waywardhunter95 @gilwm
