btw your fictional cg is holding u in their arms right now .... and rocking u side to side, rubbing your back... telling u it's all okay & you're safe... and they love you sooo much. this is true.
Merfolk Jack / Veteran Marine Biologist Robby / Apprentice Marine Biologist Dennis
Inspired by this post by @dr-abbots-fax-machine
Consider if you will, dear friends:
Shark-based Merman Jack and his pseudo mates, marine biologists Robby and Dennis, who have both relocated to the small cottage on the seaside near Jack's little lagoon.
The lagoon is pretty far removed from... well everything. It's out on a peninsula, a notch in the shoreline carved out over millions of years by the wind and the waves. Because it's situated on the leeward side of the peninsula, it's relatively safe from most of the big storms that come through and the weather is typically perfect for Robby and Dennis to not only care for Jack but also observe the other marine species.
It's almost like taking care of an island lighthouse, being in such a secluded area. Where the peninsula meets the rest of the land, there are dense forests that aren't really travel-able by foot or by driving, so anyone coming and going from the lagoon base has to take a ferry or a helicopter. There's a radio connection to the main base that they use to report their findings and updates about the base. Their food and other supplies get flown over from the mainland once a month.
Robby had met Jack when he was still a young, up-and-coming biologist. He had been picked for the remote station, and instead of a month of isolation studying seaweed and corals, he found Jack.
Jack, a merfolk whose lower body resembled that of a tiger shark, had claimed the enclosed lagoon near the research cottage. It was shallow and the current didn't pull as much, making it easier for Jack to get around; he wasn't nearly as fast or as powerful as he had been before losing part of his tail.
Him and Robby became quick friends, Robby’s enthusiasm to study and learn about Jack matched with Jack’s longing for company. Jack was a good companion; witty and sarcastic if not a little crass. Robby couldn't help falling in love with him as he requested more and more time at the peninsula station.
Dennis had arrived at the station years later, bright eyed and bushy tailed with an eagerness to learn about anything he could get his hands on. Jack was immediately obsessed with him, letting him hold onto his dorsal fin as he swam around the lagoon. Robby was careful to watch the two after learning the hard way that Dennis was a very poor swimmer.
Dennis became Jack’s guppy… but he quickly became Robby’s lover. The young man was attentive and attractive; it didn't take long at all for Robby to fall head over heels for him.
Their relationship with Jack became less than ethical during Jack’s mating season. Sure, Robby had been helping out the merfolk with his rut for a while, but bringing Dennis into the fold proved to be the thing that pushed the purely functional activity to something so much more.
It was kind of the perfect situation for the three of them. Robby and Dennis got the freedom to observe the environment and conduct their own studies with supplies that are paid for by grants, but were also free to explore their less-than-conventional relationship with the shark hybrid merman that stalked the lagoon. And of course, Jack is happy to have company, even if they were weird and soft.
And everything is going well until they get word from the mainland that there's a big storm coming. I'm talking about a once-in-a-lifetime global-warming scale storm.
Robby and Dennis tell Jack to swim out to deeper water to protect himself from the storm, but he's a stubborn bastard of course, so he refuses and is adamant about staying. The storm grows closer and closer as Dennis and Robby scramble to gather the supplies they have left. The wind picks up and Robby goes down to the lagoon one more time, telling Jack that he's a damn fool for staying in the lagoon instead of heading for deeper water. That he's going to be dashed against the rocks and he'll be dead before they can get down there to even say goodbye. The turning point is when Robby brings up Dennis.
"What if your guppy finds you? You want your last act on this earth to be traumatizing one of the men you love?"
Jack chokes up bringing Robby down to kiss him aggressively, his sharp teeth making little knicks in Robby's lips. M
"I love you. I love Dennis too. Please tell him for me."
And then he's gone, navigating the waves and rocks out to the open sea.
The storm starts in earnest as soon as Robby reaches the cottage. Him and Dennis barricade themselves in, but it's no use. The winds rip apart the roof and shatter the windows. The waves are cresting over the cliff side and the cottage begins to flood, Robby holding tight to Dennis who still isn't a very good swimmer. It's the most painful thing in his life when a huge wave crashes over the cliff, sending a giant swell of water careening into the cottage, and Robby screams as Dennis is ripped out of his arms by the backflow.
Robby is distraught, screaming and crying out for Dennis as the storm rages on. At some point he loses consciousness from getting pounded by the water and debris. He wakes up to the sun shining in his eyes and sea water in his throat; rolls over and throws up a bit before he stands up.
The peninsula is wrecked. The rock walls that had shielded the lagoon from the current have toppled inwards, making the lagoon into more of a tide pool than anything. The cottage is completely destroyed, only the stone foundations left standing. Robby can't help but think it's some grand cosmic joke that he's still alive. He can't find Dennis *anywhere*. He searches everywhere, the coastline, the lagoon, the cliffs, even the windward side of the island to no avail. And as he looks out to the sea, there's no sign of Jack either.
After hours of searching for a sign of either of the men he loved, he collapses near the ruined lagoon and resigns himself to oblivion.
Or he would have, if a large splash followed by a familiar yell hadn't caught his attention from outside of the lagoon.
He uses every last bit of energy he has to climb up the rocks and as he crests the rubble, he sees Jack holding a limp Dennis in his arms. Robby nearly kills himself getting down the cliff to the water's edge, where Jack is waiting with Dennis's body laying on the rocks in front of him. Robby skids over to him and starts checking his vitals, his heart plummeting when he can't find a pulse.
Jack is silent in the water next to them as Robby starts chest compressions, giving rescue breaths and checking his pulse when needed. Jack can't cry, physically it's not in his biology to cry. But he's visibly distraught, swimming up and down the length of the beach as Robby works on Dennis.
After what feels like a lifetime, Dennis lurches, coughing up sea water from his lungs as he struggles to breathe again.
Robby is on him immediately, pulling him close and holding him tighter than he should for someone who definitely had a bruised rib or two from CPR. But Robby can't help it, his Dennis is back, in his arms, and he's *alive*.
Meanwhile Jack has stayed back, watching as the two embraced. He feels guilty, feels like he should have pressed harder to find somewhere safer for them. He feels like he failed his mates - failed to protect them.
But Dennis, sweet Dennis who can't swim and was just brought back from the depths of the ocean and death itself, managed to pry himself away from Robby to crawl to the edge of the water, holding his hands out to Jack and embracing him as well.
"You saved me, Jack," he croaked. "I love you so much."
They have a long way to go to get back to normal, Robby and Dennis will need to send word back to the main base that they're still alive, they'll need to start rebuilding. Jack will have to make the decision to clear out the lagoon or find somewhere safer. But they're all alive and together. And at this point, that's all they can ask for.
Dennis has a favourite YouTube channel when he's regressed. A channel called Robby posts ASMR-style audio recordings of himself reading books. Dennis cares less about the meaning of Robby's words and more about his voice: his voice, though rough in texture, always retains a most pleasantly soft tone, slightly lilting and melodic, and it perfectly lulls Dennis to sleep.
He communicates his thanks to Robby through long, grateful comments left beneath each of his videos. He explains that though he can't currently afford to send a Ko-fi tip ("im a student 😖"), he is besotted by his storytelling abilities. "i dont want to overshare and make you uncomfortable so i wont say too much but your vids rlly make me feel comfortable and safe when im feeling little! its like i have someone here reading me a bedtime story. thank you sm robby 💕"
Dennis doesn't want to delude himself into thinking that Robby even reads his comments—never mind decides to cater to them—but he almost shrieks with surprise one night when Robby uploads an hour-long audio recording of a reading of stories from Winnie-the-Pooh. He begins the recording by whispering, "It's bedtime, little one. Let me tuck you in and I'll read you a story while you fall asleep." Dennis is so thrilled that he is physically unable to fall asleep. Instead of relaxing him, the video turns him almost hyperactive, and, immediately after it ends, he expresses his delight in the comments with a long, colourful string of emojis—which receives an immediate like from Robby.
Thinking about how sometimes when you’re in an unsafe or tense environment for so long that when you eventually have your own safe environment for a while your nervous system basically does a hard reset and you can’t do anything but sleep and cry for a while
Dennis who was raised in his family’s house, always on edge. Fighting for his survival whether it was avoiding his dads fists, his moms quiet disdain, or his brothers definitely normal (according to some of his teachers growing up) violent bullying towards him. He had to be scrappy to eat, whether that’s quickly pocketing some of his moms cooking when he passes by the kitchen to eat later (yes he’s had to put a handful of pork in his pocket before and eat it with the lint and dirt on it) or running faster than his dad’s belt.
He was raised to be apologetic about his existence, sucking on his fingers in anxiety everytime he heard his dad come in the house. (That only lasted a month until his dad smashed his hand on the table with his work boots)
He was a quiet kid because he was made to me. He would be scolded or popped on the mouth if he spoke too loudly or whined about his brothers stealing his food. He never got to explore who he was safely, when he found out he liked music that wasn’t just the church choir, he had to hide in the hay pile in the barn late at night to listen to modern music on the handheld radio.
When he found out it was boys that made his heart race and palms sweat, he never told a soul. Not until Mathew B. Cornered him in a church closet a day before his 17th birthday and kissed him.
He never told anyone. But his pastor saw them come out and told his Pa.
Dennis left that house at 17 with two black eyes, a broken nose, cheekbone, and a lip that split up to his nostril almost. He could hide his fractured arm and deep black bruises on his stomach and legs under his baggy clothes.
When Dennis went to college it was to study theology. To make his pa do anything but hate him, or to learn how to speak to God correctly so he would stop getting punished.
He slept in a dorm for one year until that debt got too high and his loans wouldn’t cover it anymore. He shared that dorm with a Christian jock who invited over guys that looked at Dennis like they wanted to eat him or kill him. He got very little sleep in that year.
Dennis continued school while in a homeless shelter down the road. He slept with his backpack in his arms and a quiet prayer on his lips. One that rarely worked.
At some point, Dennis was almost through his second year of schooling when one of his bunk mates at the shelter got stabbed. Dennis stayed with him, pressing on the wound. He went with him, because Daryl had nobody else and Dennis knows how that feels.
He watches as they save Daryl’s life barely and that sets a spark in Dennis. An expensive one.
He sleeps on the streets those multiple years of school. He goes hungry and he sometimes stands outside of clubs and lets older guys use his body for money and for a bed at night. The first time it happened, Dennis was just looking for a place to sleep and for some pleasure. When the guy pulled out 200$ and his own business card for Dennis to call whenever he needed that…exchange, Dennis realized how profitable that might turn out to be. Well, not profitable. The money was never enough to put anything back. He was still homeless but he had scrubs and he had wipes and he had a mostly stable eating habit. Not nearly enough vegetables but lots of oats and tuna and crackers.
That ends after Dennis ends up in the free clinic with black eyes and preventative medicine and a counselor talking to him about if he wants to pursue legal action.
By that time, rotations are too much anyway. He gets through most of them without anyone having a clue he didn't have a home to go to. He finds the 8th floor where it’s too hot, smells like mildew, and he can hear the despair and the sirens at all hours of the night.
Then Trinity. Oh Trinity. His Trinity. She saved his life, he knows it deep down. She saved his life, and was mean about it the whole time. She’s the nicest person Dennis has ever met. Trinity lives in deep downtown, in a worser part of the neighborhood.
Trinity is loud and doesn’t back down. Not even when their neighbors threaten her, so Dennis never sleeps deeply in that house after one neighbor tries to break in their house.
Dennis gets stitches in his arm and a bedside police interrogation after that break in. But the guy didn’t reach trinitys room so it’s good. He did his job.
After that day, something changes in the ER.
Robby's the one who stitched him up. His huge, padded hands holding Dennis's arm with the most delicate of touches. Robby tells Dennis he was lucky the cut wasn’t deeper. He tells Dennis him and Trinity need to move, and Dennis laughs in his face.
Immediately flinches back once he realizes what he did. Instinct over anything.
Robby looks at him with a soft questioning look, but doesn’t push it.
Dennis explains in a broken, whispered sentence. They’re both broke, they were $100 short on rent this month as it is and it’s only $1000 a month for a two bed, two bath. That’s a goldmine in the city.
Dr. Robby hums but says nothing further. Rubs Dennis’s shoulder when he goes to walk him out of the room once his stitches are done.
“Good Job, Dennis.” Trinity laughs at Dennis from across the floor when Dr. Robby says that to him. Tells Dennis he looks like at Robby like a beaten lovesick puppy.
Dennis barely sleeps at all after the break in.
Robby notices. Trinity notices, she doesn’t sleep either.
It’s when Mel’s sister fully moves out of her house to be with her boyfriend that stuff changes.
Trinity takes Mel’s spare room. $200 a month because Mel has a hefty savings from her parents passing and she only has to pay a water and WiFi bill.
Dennis is homeless again. But of course. He has Trinity in his life and she would never let him suffer.
She tells Robby.
They’re all standing around the hub, some charting, some night shift coming in and going over patients with the day shift doctors. Trinity is standing next to Dana when Dr. Robby walks by.
“Hey, Dr. Robby,” she waits until he stops, “Dennis is moving into your spare room, Kay? Or else he’ll be homeless and mopey.”
The hub stops. Jack barks out a laugh loud enough for a baby in the pediatric room to start crying. Dana makes eye contact with princess and Perlah, mouth wide open. They all wait for Robby to explode, or laugh, or something.
“Sure thing. You guys are off tomorrow right?”
And so that is that.
Dennis packs his two boxes of stuff up, panic bakes a couple dozen things of different cookies. fills out the HR paperwork he has to, since Trinity asked so publicly so everyone knows.
Robby comes in and smells good and handles Dennis’s stuff with care and hums in appreciation when he sees the cookies.
Dennis lasts three nights in his room at Robby’s.
Then he lunges his body across the kitchen counter when him and Robby are talking in the kitchen, and Robby asks if Mel and Trinity are coming over to see him again.
Robby kisses him like a man starving, like he’s on death row and Dennis is the last steak he’ll ever enjoy. He cradles Dennis face in his hands and places kisses all over his face.
Dennis begs for Robby to bend him over then and there, but Robby gets him into his room and onto the bed.
It’s the best night of Dennis’s life. He cries through it, telling Robby he’s just happy.
They continue after that, hold hands when they’re out in the city. Robby stops him in the hallway and kisses the top of his head every time they pass each other.
Robby does the grocery shopping and grabs enough food for all of the girls to come over and eat. Remembers that Trinity’s hair straightener broke (because she screamed about it in his house) and buys her one.
Jack comes over more and they plan a camping trip now that Dennis is involved and he’s an outdoorsy man.
For two months straight it’s pure bliss, Dennis couldn’t be happier. He just wishes he could sleep deeply throughout the night. But he’s still stuck in his ways and everytime a car rattles too loud, or the wind pushes against a window, he bolts up ready to fight for his life or to protect Robby.
Then one night, a patient from work follows Dennis home. Waits until they’re asleep and quietly breaks in.
Dennis wakes up to a man groaning in pain and Dennis doesn’t even want to get up. He failed at his job. He couldn’t keep Robby safe, he knows it. Why didn’t he wake up? Why didn’t his body do its purpose?
“Den, baby, will you call Jack and 911? In that order?”
And Dennis opens his eyes to a see Robby, dressed in only boxers, with a bloodied hand around his ex-patients throat.
Dennis gets through calling Jack, answering some of his rapid-fire questions with a shaky voice (it’s never been shaky like this, his body always responds to danger boldly before it can start to tremble)
Talks to the police with tears pooling in his eyes. Calls Trinity when the sun starts peeking over the horizon and Robby is talking to a deputy.
He tells her, “I was so scared, Trin. I was convinced I failed my job, I knew it, I just knew it.” And he cries for 10 minutes. Listens to her voice go soft.
She tells him, “it was never your job to take care of everyone, fuckleberry. you have to take care of yourself before you can help anyone else. And it sounds like Robby got it covered for you, babe.”
For a couple of nights, Dennis has nightmares. Of finding Robby’s beaten body. Of his family, scolding him for failing everyone. Of Trinity in trouble and he won’t save her.
Robby holds him every time, kisses his temple. Whispers to him that Dennis has never let him down. Robby won’t let anyone hurt him.
Then Dennis sleeps through the night. Robby finally gets him up 15 minutes before they’re supposed to be clocking in.
The next day, Dennis sleeps through the night again. Robby has to almost shoulder carry Dennis to the car at 7:05am.
He calls Jack on the way and looks at Dennis worriedly, watching as Dennis’s eyes just fill with tears over and over again.
They have the next day off and Dennis sleeps until 3pm, wakes up and rolls back over and just cries silently. Can’t even talk to Robby when he comes in the room.
Robby tells himself Dennis gets one week like this, then he has to handle it more sternly.
Dennis sits on the couch with Robby and cries silently a lot. Brings up his mom’s phone number and just stares at it for 30 minutes at a time. Trinity texts him a lot. Javadi sends him funny and motivational TikToks. Mel FaceTimes him when he doesn’t answer Trinity. Samira doordashes them some soup and sends Dennis a couple texts with too many emojis in it.
They’re supposed to return to work the next day but Dennis won’t even get up at all this time. His body is made of cement. It scares Robby enough to call Jack. Asks him to pull a double, and he’s so sorry.
Dennis sleeps all day long, only eats one piece of peanut butter toast.
Robby cries in bed next to him, texts Trinity silently. Dana calls him and they talk for a while, she comes over and helps clean the kitchen and make a week of meals.
Brushes the hair out of Dennis’s face and mutters to him that he has two more days of this before Robby calls in the real Calvary.
Robby goes to work the next day because he has to, and he can feel the drag of depression catching him too if he stays in the dark house too long. Jack catches him at the hub and tells Robby to hand over his keys, he’s gonna sit with “Robby’s boy” for the day.
Jack sits bedside with Dennis and eventually drags some words out of him.
Texts Robby slowly throughout the day.
“Your boy says he’s just exhausted. His body feels like sand when he tries to move.”
“He’s swears he’s not gonna hurt himself, he acted surprised I asked,”
“On the bright side this is the equivalent of the sleep he got in one month during his first rotation so, maybe it’s just sleep debt.”
“Never been safe to sleep or let his guard down. Should we kill his dad?”
Trinity sees one of the texts and quietly tells Robby, “it just happens sometimes. I left my stepdads house and I almost flunked college because I slept for a month straight, cried, and smelled like shit the whole time. He’s healing, he feels safe with you. Sometimes what looks like suffering is just a body resetting to be better.”
Trinity is right, as always. And a week later Dennis is back in the Pitt. His hair is brighter than ever, his bags under his eyes are more like creases, and he’s more affectionate than ever with Robby. And Trinity, and Dana, Mel, Samira. Jack. The nurses, all of them. Donnie even.
He sleeps through the night and drags Robby to all the farmers markets now. Let’s trinity drag him and all the girls to the club.
Dennis is finally safe for once in his life and able to let his guard down. He’s able to take care of himself now, is able to love the others around him more than ever.
(I have no clue how long this is, i wrote it over the course of 3 days at work, some of it could be ineligible or unconnected, I’ll figure it out later but this hasn’t left my brain so I just had to write it.)
Hucklerabbot ; Puppy!Dennis x Mutt!Jack x Handler!Robby
[cw; belts, corporal punishment, crying, getting in trouble]
Dennis knew that he and Jack saw two different versions of the same dom.
He was a puppy. A puppy who yipped and tussled and growled and nipped and liked to mess with Jack whenever he could. Something cute and young to coo over and cuddle. Robby was Daddy, his daddy who gave him scritches and treats.
Jack was a mutt. The kind that laid in his favorite chair and napped and growled at Dennis when he nipped him too hard. The kind that heaved big sighs and let Dennis scuffle with him on energetic days. Robby was Sir, and Sir was fair but firm with him because he's an old military dog, he likes the structure and orders.
Dennis knew Robby had a different dynamic with Jack, and that was fine! He liked his daddy, he much preferred cuddles and baby talk and kisses to Sir's trained commands and tricks he does with Jack. He never had a reason to need Sir.
It was a bit of a perfect storm when Dennis first got to be on the receiving end of Sir.
Jack was curled up in his chair- being boring- as Dennis squeaked his toys and whined and whuffed at Jack. Usually by now, Robby would have directed his energy towards himself with a toy, a soft "let's let Jack nap, sweetheart, okay?"
But Robby was making dinner. More importantly, he wasn't around to tell Dennis to behave.
The first warning was when he had been biting and tugging at the leather ear of Jack's hood. Growling and tugging Jack's head while he grumbled and huffed, still refusing to play, until Jack wrapped a big paw around Dennis's neck and wrestled him into a headlock that had Dennis yelping and whining and trying to gnaw on his arms.
"Denny, what did I tell you about messing with Jack while he's napping? Robby tutted. He had come in with a towel slung over his shoulder,giving Jack a look which convinced Jack to loosen his grip and let Dennis wriggle away. He walked over and saw the bite marks in Jack's leather ear, frowning and rubbing the leather between his fingers.
"Let Jack nap, Dennis, he's an old mutt. Besides, I don't like you roughhousing by the liquor cabinet, you know that." Robby cooed, making sure to pet and scritch at his dark blonde curls until Dennis nodded and pressed his head into Robby's hand. "Sweet boy. Dinner will be ready in a half hour, you can behave until then."
And sure, Dennis could….
or he could play "try to get Jack to wrestle with him."
Soon he was circling Jack's chair again like a shark, nipping and biting at his exposed legs and arms that draped over the edge of the cushions. At one point he popped over the arm of the chair where Jack's head was, ready to plant another set of teeth marks into his pup hood, but this time Jack swiveled his head and snapped his teeth in a low growl.
It startled him so much that he ends up bumping into the liquor cabinet and breaking something.
The two pups froze at the sound of shattering glass, and if that wasn't enough of an indicator of his crimes a slow trickle of amber liquid begun to drip onto the floor. Dennis felt his stomach drop.
When he looked to Jack with wide, panicked eyes he only chuckled and gave him a sly little grin
"Better to tell him now than later, puppy." Jack hummed, entirely too pleased with the turn of events. So Dennis slowly crawled into the kitchen, sat by Robby's feet and gave a little whine. Robby picked up a vegetable butt between his index and thumb, ready to make Dennis do a trick for some scraps before he stopped and looked at his distraught pup.
Dennis doesn't even want to tell him at this point, he wants to go back in the living room and clean it all up and make it look like nothing had happened. But he knew that would get him in more trouble- if Robby found one of his very expensive bottles of whiskey inexplicably gone
"I. um... Daddy-" Dennis started, fidgeting with his fingers.
"Shh shh, what is it pup? It's okay."
"Ibrokesomethingintheliquorcabinet."
It came out in a rush, Dennis still looking at his feet and not at his Daddy's face.
Robby blinked for a second, processing, before answering. His voice was deceptively mild.
"...And this was after I just told you to stop rough housing with Jack?"
Dennis nodded miserably, startling when Robby snapped his fingers by his head.
"Look at me. Did you break something because you were messing with Jack?"
"...yes daddy." Dennis whines, fingers fidgeting on the floor. Robby sighed and leaned back up, cutting the gas stove and grabbing a towel. "Well, lets go check the damage."
Following him back to the scene of the crime made Dennis's stomach squirm. He slunk back into the living room on Robby's heels, sitting by the armchair while Robby opened up the cabinet to see which bottle broke. Jack's got one eye open from his pretend nap, watching shit hit the fan.
Robby found the bottle- thankfully broken into clean, big pieces- and sighed.
"Puppy, do you know how much a bottle of Bushmill's Single Malt Whiskey costs?"
Dennis doesn't even want to guess, he knows it'll be more than he'd even think a bottle of whiskey could be. Dennis looks at him through his lashes and trying not to let the whine slip from between his teeth.
"Th-three- four, four hundred?" He stuttered, looking up at him, but Robby's face gave nothing away.
"A little higher than that, pup."
"Daddy-"
"Tsht. Try again."
Jack chuckled at Robby's reprimand and shifted in the chair so he could properly watch.
"The whiskey was only 2 years younger than you, pup. Come on."
"S...seven? Hundred?" Robby clicks his tongue and looks at Jack.
"Mutt?"
"Nine hundred and seventy, Sir." Jack answered swiftly,
"Come here." And he didn't want to, but he was positive Robby's would grab his collar and pull him if he doesn't, so he slowly crawled over next to Robby. Before he can sit up though, Robby's palm is in his hair and pushing, down until his cheek is pressed against the wood floor and the sweet smell of whiskey fills his nostrils
"Sweetheart, I told you that roughhousing by the liquor cabinet would make something break, didn't I?" Robby asked softly, making Dennis's eyes tear up.
"I'm sorry, Daddy, m'sorry-" Dennis whined.
"Oh, you're going to be."
The hand in his hair is gone, and Robby's standing up and unbuckling his belt. "25 spanks- one for each ounce that's gone down the drain."
Dennis tries to sit up so he can ready himself but Robby makes that "Tsht." noise that has Dennis freezing in place. "I didn't tell you to get up."
He counted them out for Dennis- each one pulling a yelp from him, whining and whimpering like a puppy as big ol' tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks. After the 13th robby knelt down and asked for a color
"G-green."
"Are you sure, puppy?"
"Yes Daddy." Because yeah it sucks, but this is how he makes up for it. There's no way he can afford an almost 1k bottle of whiskey but the punishment settles the feverish guilt and worry bubbling inside of him. His own form of atonement.
Robby finishes them out and it's like a switch is flipped- Robby's kneeling by Dennis and kissing what hair is dry still, telling him he did so good, took it so well, what a good boy. And Dennis is whining into the large hands petting his cheeks and hair, nodding vehemently when Robby asks him if he's going to listen to Daddy next time.
"Ok, honey. Let's go upstairs, come on." The two of them make their way upstairs, Robby on two feet and Dennis on his hands and knees, following Robby to the den and where splashing water could be heard. Robby gave Jack a kiss on the forehead and a soft "Good Mutt." Before grabbing one of his college shirts and a pair of boxers for Dennis to wear after.
Dennis doesn't love having his collar taken off, whimpering low in his throat until Robby reassured him that Jackie's gonna clean it off for him, make it all nice and clean so he can wear it after his bath.
He helped Dennis climb into the tub of water and followed him once he's stripped down. Dennis hisses at the warm water on his ass but it melts away the stinging hurt the longer he's in it
Robby settled Dennis against his chest and carefully pours water over his hair, shields his eyes with one hand even, massaging shampoo and conditioner into his hair and murmurs about how much he loves Dennis, and how he's sorry he had to be mean, pressing kisses to his wet forehead with each rinse
"It's all done now, Denny. It's over, everything is forgiven. You're a good boy sweetheart, such a good boy. Oh, I know, I know." Shushing him occasionally as the sobs sometimes make random little reappearances. "I'm sorry it came to that, puppy. I know it wasn't very fun for you, hmm? But we're done, I promise, and you were such a good boy. I love you, puppy. Everything's okay, I promise."
Dennis ends up being The Most ClingyTm the entire night in a sweet puppy pile with Jack and Robby after Robby cleans the glass and whiskey from the incident.
And… maybe Dennis turns up his nose to whiskey for a good while.
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Sorry if this was a lil sloppy, I just wanted to get it down on tumblr fseguhfksdjfhk
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