prompt idea: Mel is trying to figure out Santos's whole... whatever-the-deal-is with Garcia. Santos's answers are too sarcastic to be helpful. Langdon is amused by the lesbian drama (he's seen Garcia break hearts before), but too scared of what Garcia would do to him if he's talking behind her back to explain.
help i know i said i'd use requests as warmups but i got uhm. excited. 😭 i didn't follow your prompt exactly but i hope you like it still !! about 800 words of santos/garcia and mel/langdon sillies :)
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Dr Santos was at work early. Mel paused, staring at her as she stood by the lockers and tapped away at her phone, smiling slightly and clearly oblivious to the rest of the world. Mel walked forward, wondering what world-shattering event had occurred for Santos to be at work early.
She looked up then, tucking away her phone and eyes widening with surprise as she saw Mel.
"Hey!" They said at the same time, though Santos's was measurably less excited. That seemed more normal. It was still 6.30 in the morning.
As Mel moved to her locker and Santos moved to let her pass, she asked - "what brings you in early?" - and kept her eyes on the intern.
Santos didn't like giving much away verbally, but Mel had learnt that her eyes and expressions were very… well. Expressive. And very telling. Right now, she had on her None of your business, leave me alone face, and Mel's newly honed expression-reading skills went to waste when she said, "Oh, nothing special. Thought I'd enjoy some valuable extra time in the hospital I love so much."
"Oh, did you want to get started on rounds? I usually wait for a few more-"
Santos laughed, not unkindly, and looked past Mel as she did. "No, no - I'm actually going to take a little wander. Alone. See you in a bit!"
Just then, Dr Garcia rounded the corner, which Mel knew from the way Santos's eyes lit up and how her mouth curled up in a warm smile that she hardly gave to anyone. Really, Mel had only noticed it when Dr Garcia or Dr Ellis were around.
Something about the situation and Santos's emphasis on being 'alone' made Mel think she should probably leave, but she didn't need to. So she busied herself with sorting out something in her locker, noticing out of the corner of her eye the way Santos started fidgeting beside her as Garcia leaned against the locker on the other side of her. Well, that was interesting.
"Hey, Dr King, you doing okay? Is it a nice day out there? It feels like I haven't seen the sun in ages."
"Yeah, it's pretty nice! A little breeze but its lovely because the sun's out."
"Hey, Mel - I actually wanted to talk to Dr Garcia privately, if you didn't mind." Mel would've felt slighted if not for the glare that Garcia shot Santos.
"Dr Santos, you could have a little patience while I talk to a colleague." Mel fought back a giggle as Santos visibly deflated with that, and mentally conceded that whatever was going on wasn't worth mental warfare with Santos later.
She made a show of checking her watch and saying "Oh, is that the time? I should be heading in now anyway. See you, Dr Garcia!"
Mel walked away, and could've sworn she heard a crash coming from the direction of the lockers but was swept away to deal with a bout of sudden vomiting and promptly forgot about… whatever that was.
Till of course, she ran into Santos in the break room a few hours later.
"Hey, Dr Santos?"
"Don't even mention it."
"What?"
"Either you're going to quiz me about a patient, which is boring and I don't want to hear it, or you're going to ask about Garcia, which is none of your business. Because there is no business. I just had to talk to her, is all."
"So she had nothing to do with you coming in early?" Mel's voice was very purposefully toneless, though she was hiding a smile.
"Nope."
"Nothing at all?"
"Look, Mel. I think you're great."
"Aw!"
"Let me finish. You cannot ask me about that again or I will leak to the nurses that you and Langdon had sex in the supply closet"
"That - never happened!" It had, but Santos wasn't on shift then, how would she know?
"Well, the nurses will believe me. Wait, did you actually have sex in the supply-"
"Nope!" Mel got up very quickly, making another show of checking her watch and pretending to panic. "Okay. Nothing is happening with you and Garcia. And nothing has happened between Langdon and I. Good talk. Bye!"
She didn't miss Santos's laugh as she left, but knew that now this was a definite Cold War. And that she needed to have a serious conversation with Frank and going to HR.
(When she told him about the cold war, he groaned and agreed that they would have to do something first. "Garcia will never forgive me if I'm part of exposing another one of her relationships." To Mel's puzzled face, he added, "She's got a reputation, Mel. I don't want to get into it, it'll give me a headache. Did Santos really guess that part about the supply closet?")
I like to think Trent and Keeley go shopping together. They can both appreciate a pattern/animal print. Keeley encourages Trent to step outside his comfort zone when he sees something he likes but thinks he is too Middle Aged Dad to pull off. And Trent gently helps make Keeley’s style a little more polished - still very Keeley but he talks her down to only ONE crazy texture per outfit, at least on business meeting days. also your red trackies and pink crop hoodie clash Keeley, please wear any other top with those. Neither of them love shopping with Rebecca because she has been too rich for too long and she is operating on a very different price range than they are.
I love this! Especially Keeley encouraging Trent. I have a feeling he was always pretty stylish, but since he's only recently out, I imagine he's still experimenting with his presentation as a gay man, and Keeley would be such a great person to help him and give him the encouragement and space to try new things and even get it wrong sometimes.
And I think similarly Keeley does seem interested in tailoring her style to fit her role as a businesswoman without losing her flair, and Trent is a great example of someone who blends classic professionalism with personal pizzazz. I'm so into this.
So true about Rebecca too! I bet Trent and Keeley go bargain hunting together, and Rebecca just cannot fathom why they won't just let her hook them up with her stylist.
That being said, I think maybe once in a while, they do let Rebecca treat them to some opulent shopping experience.
Thanks so much for sharing your headcanons! This is so great!
just happened to notice your tags on a Good Place post and Ted Danson IS adorable. and enjoyable on the Good Place which is a very enjoyable show that i recommend checking out when you have the chance!
ngl, Ted Danson holds a special place in my heart. I used to obsessively watch Cheers when I was much younger - kinda during a rough time in my life - so I can’t help but really love the whole cast, Danson and Kirstie Alley in particular. That show was such a comfort for me. I’ll definitely give The Good Place a try, thanks for the rec! I also love Kristen Bell, she’s a cutie-patootie. :3
wittywallflower replied to your post “Can I just have an existential crisis for one second [[MOR] Man I...”
sorry, i didn't mean to NOT let you have your existential crisis or anything. just wanted to float a reminder that TV is the only place where the majority of 20-somethings have any clue whats going on in their lives.
You don’t have to apologise, that actually made me feel a lot better so thank you <3
It just feels sorta hopeless right now, what with starting & failing university in a matter of 3 months, and being surrounded by people who are younger than me & still have more achievements. I don’t even know what I want anymore let alone be on the path to getting it. Sorry for sounding so overdramatic lol
