Hucklerobby / Hucklerabbot Soulmate AU Series
(Masterpost) (1) (2) (3) (4) (You are here)
Almost midnight, Dennis thought as he squinted at his way too bright phone screen in the otherwise dark living room. His 30thbirthday was just few minutes away and he feltâŠwell, mostly empty. He knew that, technically, he shouldâve felt ecstatic at the prospect of finally finding his soulmate, but he simply couldnât. Not when heâd known who he had wanted to take that place in his life ever since the first day of his ER rotation. Even if said man had been declared dead for the past three years.Â
Robby had left for his sabbatical and never returned. No call, no message, no death announcement. Three weeks after his supposed return date, Jack had broken into Robbyâs locker only to find his helmet in there with a note saying âPlease forgive meâ. At first Dennis had switched between Robbyâs and TrinityÂŽs apartment, but eventually the pain had become unbearable and with Trinityâs mental health also deteriorating, they had decided to move back together and heâd handed the keys to Jack.
The wound Robby had left in his heart had finally started to scab over and a tiny part of him hoped that meeting his actual soulmate would bring an end to it once and for all. Or confirm that he had been your soulmate and youâve lost your chance, the ugly little voice in his brain whispered.
Dennis stared wistfully at the âHappy Pre-Birthday, Fuckleberryâ cake Trinity had surprised him with after his shift. Theyâd stuffed their faces while they continued their musicals marathon. If anybody knew how to keep his mind distracted, then it was his sister at heart.Â
Now the cake was left spelling âHappy Pre-Birthday, Fuckâ and Dennis made sure to snap a blurry picture for Instagram before he snuck off to his room. If fate was about to knock him out and kick him into his soulmateâs body, heâd rather have that experience in his own bed, than the old ass couch they had bought at a yard sale.
And if he woke up in his own body, then at least his back wouldnât hurt.
With his head comfortably resting against his pillow, Dennis checked his phone one last time.Â
11:59pm.
____
Dennis woke with a deep groan. Burying his face into his pillow, he was met with a lumpy, scratchy mess that smelled an awful lot like the cheap ass detergent he had been forced to use during med school, as it was the only option the laundromat he frequented had offered.
He tried to turn on his back, but quickly noticed a few more pressing matters. For one, he was about to piss himself, for two, his body hurt. Not the, âOh, I slept on one side for too longâ kind of hurt, but the âIâve aged 30 years over night and regret my entire existenceâ, kind of hurt. His lower back felt like he got stabbed, his shoulders carried a tenseness only 5 hours of charting couldâve caused, his right knee felt swollen and he had no feeling left in his entire left arm. Well, not no feeling. Trying to wiggle his fingers almost made him scream out in pain as the tingling sensation of an entire army of fire ants started to crawl through his veins, only intensifying by the second.Â
With a whimper, Dennis stared at the ceiling, trying to distract himself from the hell heâd found himself in. The normally white overhead surface of Trinityâs guestroom got replaced by a shabby looking paint job, stained by years of smoking indoors and at least two separate water damages from the room above. Not to mention the black spots taking over the corner near the window which looked suspiciously like mould. The entire thing gave âoutdated motel roomâ and he hated it.
With the burning in his left arm slowly dying down Dennis finally started to remember last night and with it the knowledge of what mustâve happened hit him. Adrenaline kicked in and he sprung up from the bed, wincing at the sharp sting in his knee caused by the action. Limping to the door that looked like it led to a bathroom, Dennis kicked it open and frantically searched for the mirror.
The thing was small and dirty, but he still immediately recognized the face staring back at him. Brown eyes, framed by wrinkles, slowly greying beard, just a little bit wilder than he was used to and tousled hair, that was pressed flat on the left side he slept on.Â
Robby!
âHEâS ALIVE???â
The scream made someone next door knock angrily at the wall, startling Dennis away from his reflection. Heart pounding, he ruffled the short hair, thoughtâs racing a mile per minute. Robby was alive! Why was he here? Where was here? Why hadnât he come back?Â
Iâm going to fucking murder him!
OK, he wasnât actually going to do that, but what the fuck? Three years of radio silence. Three years of fucking mourning. Three years of trying to come to terms that his mentor and first love had left to off himself, only to be stuck in a stupid, mould infested, extremely outdated motel in probably the middle of fucking nowhere!Â
Snapping his head back to the mirror, Dennis stared at Robbyâs face, eyebrows furrowed in anger and eyes sparkling with mirth. He had 24 hours in this body. 24 hours to drag his stupid ass back to Pittsburgh and make sure he wonât get another chance of abandoning them!
____
Robby woke slowly, burying his face in the soft pillow below as he drew the bunched up blanket closer to wind his body around it. He hadnât felt this good in ages. No pain, no scratchy beard, no stuffy air that wouldâve made him cough. Not to mention that for once his bladder wasnât forcing him to get up immediately to empty it. A luxury heâd almost forgotten existed.Â
Stretching his legs and toes out like a cat, he slowly opened his eyes to the soft morning light making its way through the blinds. Huh, had there been blinds in the motel last night?
The more he woke up, the stranger his surroundings started to feel. The blankets were densely filled, and covered in soft sheets, the walls were clean, the furniture simple, but clearly not 50-ish years old, the mattress was neither too hard nor too soft and were missing that uncomfortable dent so typical for cheap hotels. All in all, it looked and felt absolutely nothing like the motel room he had went to bed in.
Before his mind couldâve connected the dots, a knock from the door drew his attention. Not waiting for his answer, it swung open with a crash, revealingÂ
âSantos??â
âSan-? Ooohhhhh!â
A wide, mischievous grin appeared on Trinityâs face, as she stared him down. Suddenly feeling way too exposed, Robby sat up and drew the blanket around himself. What did his former intern doâŠOh, no.
âYouâre his soulmate!â, Trinity exclaimed.
ââŠSoulmateâ, Robby breathed out in shock as he finally realized whose body he mustâve been in.Â
Kicking the door close behind her, Trinity marched into the room and let herself plop down at the end of the bed. âSo, before I give you the whole talk about âHurt my brother and Iâll kill youâ - Who are you? Ogilvie? Park? Abbot?â
âPark? You think Park the shark-, wait, Jack?â Why were two of those listed men so much older than Dennis? And his brother of all people? And Ogilvie was still at the ER?Â
âJack? First name basis? Well, that certainly narrows it down.â Crossing her legs underneath her, Trinity looked him up and down, as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. He couldnât tell er who he was. No way. Never. When he had left three years ago, he had done so with a plan in his mind that wouldâve left him dead, but in the end his last conversation with Jack had helped him to give life another chance. Three months had turned into six, eight, twenty-four, and at some point, he didnât know how to return anymore. Heâd shoved everything to the back of his mind, including contacting the people who had looked out for him, and once two full years had passed, heâd been too scared of their reactions, so he kept on running.Â
And now he was back. In Dennisâs body. As his soulmate.Â
He knew this day wouldâve eventually come as heâd known that he had a way younger soulmate ever since heâd woken up on his 30th birthday in a toddlerâs body. Back then heâd been too shocked by the consequences this discovery had meant for him, that he hadnât had the mind to focus on identifying any details about his soulmate. All he had remembered was that his name had been Dennis, that he had a lot of older brothers and that he was able to see a farm outside of the window whenever his soulmateâs mother had picked him up and carried him around the room.Â
âŠIn hindsight he shouldâve made the connection way earlier, especially seeing that his inappropriate crush on his student and later intern had been part of why he had left in the first place. I royally fucked this up, havenât I?, he thought as he came back to the here and now. He was truly left with only two options: One, he confesses everything here and now, manâs up and deals with the fallout of his cowardice, or two, deny, deny, deny.
âOgilvie! IâmâŠOgilvie.â Maybe his lie wouldâve been more convincing if he hadnât winced while delivering it. Damn Dennis and his horrible poker face!
Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Santos stared him down with an eyebrow raised. âOh, so Dennis works in Peds for today? We should definitely visit him so that you two can make out!â
It took everything in Robby to not whine and pout. He definitely didnât want to do that! Besides, Ogilvie wasnât exactly known for his subtlety or ability to keep things under wraps and wouldâve immediately blurt out the truth. Also, how did he of all people end up in Peds? He shouldâve said he was Jack. At least he wouldâve been able to imitate his mannerisms. But it was too late to change his story and all that was left for him, was to stick to his lie.
---
Trinity had struck gold. She had an inkling on who was currently riding her best friendâs meat suit and if she was right, then Dennis mustâve been on his way back with the originalâs body. All she had to do was ride this situation out and keep his soulmate saveâŠand maybe have a little fun with it. After all, sheâd been the one consoling Dennis after Robbyâs disappearance. Sheâd seen what Jack declaring his death had done to the older man, the ER and her best friend and it wouldâve been a lie to say that she hadnât mourned his sarcastic ass as well. If he had really faked it and was now back, then he couldâve count himself lucky that she was only going to mess with him. At least until he was back in his own body, then sheâd unleash her fury!
So, seeing that âOgilvieâ has ER experience, there was nothing speaking against taking him with her to work, right?
Well, it had turned out way harder than sheâd expected. While Dennis had kept his birthday a secret and with it the fact it had been his soulmate one, people definitely recognized the change in his behaviour. It was clear that Robby only knew the Dennis from three years ago. Poor little naĂŻve thing who was just growing into his confidence. Not the charismatic, gay flirt she had helped to create. The Dennis who was left blushing and stumbling just after a simple touch to his shoulder had been long gone and now, he was able to even out-flirt one Jack Abbot.
Not to mention that Robby apparently sporadically remembered that he was supposed to imitate Ogilvie. But not the kind sweetheart he had turned into, instead he acted like the asshole heâd been on his first day of his ER rotation.
All in all, it had been a mess and made Trinity check the clock every five minutes, waiting for Dennis to storm the ER and bring an end to her misery.
---
The highway signs finally announced his exit. Dennis was back in Pittsburgh after almost ten hours on the road. His backpain had reached a new height after being locked in the same position for so long, but he didnât give a damn. If he got lucky that wouldâve meant he didnât have to tie Robby down and he wouldâve had to stay in Dennisâs bed of his own volition â at least until they had a very serious talk aboutâŠwell, everything.
Starting with him never mentioning that Dennis was his soulmate. He mustâve known after all and it was not fair that he had never spoken up about it. Had he been disappointed in who the universe had chosen for him? Was the thought of dating him so appalling that he hadnât even been willing to give it a chance before running off? Or had he been so selfish that heâd been willing to commit suicide knowing that Dennis wouldâve never gotten the chance to find out who his soulmate was? Leaving him to think that he never had one in the first place?
Dennis shook his head, the helmet he had bought last minute at a gas station close to the shitty motel heâd woken up in slipped a little, forcing him to push it back into place. He hadnât had the time to make it fit perfectly, too busy to figure out where heâd been and what the quickest route to Pittsburgh was, but a helmet was always better than none. Another subject he planned on having a very long discussion about with Robby.
The hospital appeared on the other side of the bridge, making him slow down a little. He didnât want to storm the building in anger. His fury had carried him here as fast as possible, but now he just wanted to get off this stupid bike and find his soulmate. He wasnât even sure that Robby was at the Pitt, but he trusted Trinity and her sharp mind.
Arriving at the ambulance bay, Dennis threw the bike to the ground, the helmet joining not long after. Ignoring the stares, Dennis stormed into the ER, head turning wildly as he desperately tried to spot Robby in the crowd. Gasps filled the air, Mel came from somewhere smiling widely, pulling a very confused looking Langdon behind herself, but Dennis was too busy focusing on blonde curly hair on its way to south 19, back turned to him.
---
âMICHAEL ROBINAVITCH!â
Robby froze with his hand still on the door to the patientâs room. Drawing his shoulders up to his ears, he sheepishly turned around to his own body, sweaty and huffing as he stared him down. I shouldnât have counted on him sticking to the speed limitsâŠ, he thought as the place around them fell dead silent. Multiple pairs of eyes snapped between him and Dennis as one after the other realised what was going on.
Before he couldâve even thought about running, Trinity slid into the space between him and the way to the elevators. âDonât even think about it, âOgilvieââ, she sing-songed, effectively blocking his only escape route.
Realising he had nowhere to run anymore, Robby turned around to his soulmate, scratching the back of his neck. âHello, Dennis.â
As soon as the words left his mouth, all hell broke loose around them.
In the end it had been Dana, who had led them away from the crowd into an unoccupied room. Her icy stare promised a very long lecture in his future as she drew the door close behind her, blocking off the loud mess of the Hub outside. In the silence, Robby watched as Dennis drew the curtains close around them, blocking the only exit with his, wellâŠRobbyâs body. Their height difference certainly hadnât changed over the past three years, but being the smaller one for once did mess with his mind as he had to tilt his head back to stare at his own brown eyes filled with tears, red blotches covering his cheeks. Has it always been that obvious when I was close to tears? The thought stung a little. Not because he wasnât as sleek as he always thought heâd been, but because if it had been so obvious, why had nobody reached out until he was almost close to breaking? It took him a moment to realise he hadnât meant only in his adult life, but also as a child long, long ago.
Reaching out, he cradled the otherâs cheek, feeling his own beard scratch his palm as Dennis leaned into the touch, the first tear rolling down his face. âIâm sorry.â The words had left Robbyâs mouth before he had really thought about them, but it had been the truth. He was sorry for disappearing, sorry for never contacting any of them, sorry for not dealing with his demons way earlier in life and most of all, he was sorry for having never connected the dots and robbing him and Dennis of four years they couldâve spent together.
âYou better be!â, hiccupped Dennis, pulling Robby into a tight bear hug and burying his face into the crook of his neck.
---
The next day Dennis woke up in his own body again. No horrible backpain, no ugly motel, just him and Robby in his bed in Pittsburgh. Stretching his arm out he buried it in Robbyâs soft hair that he had made sure to wash with his own shampoo and conditioner last night instead of the horrible 3in1 stuff he had found in Robbyâs bag the day before. The man looked relaxed, his soft snores filling the air as he subconsciously leaned into Dennisâs touch. They had talked for hours last night and there was more to talk about today, but for now he just wanted to relish in the fact that he had a soulmate, that his soulmate was the man he had fallen in love with so easily four years ago and that, against all odds, he hadnât been left for dead in some ditch somewhere.
Loud stomping came from the hallway as Trinity kicked the door down, waking Robby with a confused start.
âThat him again?â, Trinity asked, pointing at Robby but looking at Dennis.
Nodding, Dennis got up, avoiding Robbyâs desperate attempt of pulling him back and using him as a shield against Trinityâs fury. Whatever his sister at heart had planned for the man was of no concern to him as she was just the first in a very long line of people who wanted to get a word with him. Speaking of long line, Dennis thought as he found Jack already waiting in the hallway, leaning against the wall with a grim look on his face. Hopefully we wonât get too many noise complaints after today.
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@omgbrunettegirl
















