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Jack walked into the ED about 20 minutes early for his shift, as he often did, to see if he could catch Robby working anything interesting. Because Robby in his element was always a thing to see.
He wasn't immediately visible, the ED its usual buzz of activity—nurses wheeling patients back or grabbing supplies, residents meeting with patients or charting, phones ringing regularly. Jack zeroed in on Parker, leaning against the central counter, here early, as was her wont. More surprising was Lena, already behind the central desk, looking like she'd been here a while. She and Parker were talking, a rectangular white box taking up a sizable chunk of the counter by Parker's elbow. There was something hushed in it, Lena shooting Parker an amused look over her glasses, one that immediately raised Jack's suspicions. Those two conspiring before shift always meant some kind of trouble. If Jack got hauled in front of HR because of their shenanigans again, he and Parker would be having words.
"Clearly I'm not working you hard enough," Jack drawled as he approached them. He glanced to the board automatically, a quick scan telling him it was usual-busy and not apocalyptic-busy, and then looked back to Parker and Lena—
Who were both looking at him with delight. Never a good sign.
"We couldn't wait to be in your exalted presence," Parker drawled right back, mock solemn.
"You, I believe. But this one?" he asked, hooking a thumb Lena's way.
"Hey, you should be bowing before me," Lena shot back with an unimpressed twitch of her eyebrows.
"Like I don't know that," he muttered, dropping his pack into an open seat. He nodded to the white box. "What's that?"
Parker's grin—the kind with teeth, not her ironic smirk—was entirely suspicious.
Which was when Robby emerged from the north hall, a cup of coffee in hand, Parker saying, "Oh, good," in a way that was definitely bad.
"Okay, what's up?" Jack asked, looking from Parker to Robby—who ambled over to him, eyes glittering in a way that slid through Jack, totally distracting—and then back to Parker.
She stepped back from the central counter and looked around the ED. "Everyone, can I have your attention, please," she said, using her soccer captain voice. The floor instantly quieted as everyone paused to look at her, curiosity replacing the usual distracted bustle. Parker looked back to Jack, smirking now. "We have a celebrity in our midst."
"Man, what are you on about?" Jack asked, getting a little annoyed now.
Parker flashed a grin. "Dr. Abbot has just officially become the most-cited emergency physician in the entire country," she announced with a little relish.
"Oh, fuck off," Jack muttered, surprise sweeping him as grins and scattered clapping broke out around the ED. He looked to Robby again—who nodded slightly, meaning this was real—then looked back to Parker. "Who pays attention to that crap?"
"The board, for one," Robby offered, listing them off, "Gloria, the Annals of Emergency Medicine—"
"Me," Parker jumped in. "But only for purposes of mockery, of course."
"Of course," Jack agreed, automatic, because he could respect that, at least.
"We decided a little celebration was in order," Parker continued, moving to that suspicious white box and opening it with a flourish—
To reveal a giant custom cake shaped like a doctor wearing black scrubs—
No, shaped like Jack himself—a mixture of dark and gray curls, a steth, his ID badge, his cargos, and even an 11-blade sticking out of his pocket. They must have given the baker a fucking picture of him.
Over the black of his scrub top was a message: Everybody wants a piece of Dr. Abbot.
Jack couldn't help his bark of laughter.
Beside him, Robby set his coffee down and actually grinned, a thing to see. "To Dr. Abbot," he said, gesturing Jack's way, then he proceeded to start clapping—
Which inspired everyone else to do the same, applause reverberating throughout the ED, even some patients joining in from their wheelchairs and gurneys, paired with some excited whoops from somewhere. The residents, probably.
"Everybody come get cake," Parker called out, Lena coming up with a grocery bag and setting out plates, napkins, forks, and a cake serving knife.
"This was a conspiracy," Jack accused, turning to Robby, who was smiling like he was proud—fond and delighted and even a bit reverent. Robby stepped in—
And pulled Jack into a tight hug. "Congrats, brother," he murmured by Jack's ear, holding him close, one hand moving up to cup the back of Jack's head—
A woozy sort of pleasure slid through Jack, sudden and breathtaking, reminding him of those big hands on him, how they could make him feel. Heat crawled through his belly, Jack's dick stirring, now entirely distracted by the strength of Robby's body against his, the scent of him so close, the feel of his arms around Jack, sending his mind scattering. There was a reason they tried not to touch each other at work.
But then Robby was pulling away, his hand dropping to the back of Jack's neck and squeezing—sending another surge of lust through him, Jack doing everything in his power to keep it off his face as he smiled helplessly at Robby. He didn't think he was entirely successful with the way Robby's eyes dropped to his mouth, but Robby let him go at least, picking up his coffee again, like he needed to do something with his hands.
Jack couldn't stop himself from reaching out and gripping his shoulder in turn, needing to touch—
"C'mon, Major, you get first piece," Parker's voice intruded, brisk and expectant.
Thank god for Parker, pulling Jack out of that weak moment, where it seemed like an excellent idea to make up an excuse to haul Robby into the on-call room and make some noise.
So he pulled his attention back to the cake, now unboxed, and Parker, who held up the cake knife, waving it a little mockingly. "Think you can handle cutting some baked goods? Or is it only patients for you?"
"How dare you," Jack drawled gamely, taking the knife. "What am I, a scalpel jockey? You mistaking me for Walsh?"
"You should be so lucky," Walsh drawled as she approached from the elevator hall, hands in her pockets, arrogant as the day was long. "I heard a rumor that you're the best any emergency department has to offer. Thank you for reaffirming my life choices."
Jack smirked. "It's always good to accept your limitations."
Walsh huffed a mocking laugh. "Cut the cake, soldier boy." She dipped her finger in its gray hair frosting, sucking it in. "Before someone gets confused about which one's real."
Jack narrowed his eyes—
And neatly sliced across the cake's neck, severing the head and promptly scooping it up. "I'll take this, thank you," he said, depositing it on the plate Lena held out.
"And you call surgeons narcissists," Walsh shot back.
"Please, we all know what piece of me you want." Jack pointedly handed the cake knife to Parker. "Make sure Walsh doesn't get my dick, eh, Dr. Ellis?" Scattered laughs greeted that, Walsh smirking at him.
"You know I'm not going near that," Parker drawled, getting more laughs as she leaned in to cut a piece out of the cake's shoulder.
"That makes two of us," Walsh deadpanned, grabbing the plate Lena offered her.
Nurses and medical assistants crowded around, waiting for cake, Jack stepping back to let them get in there, Lena taking over like the pro she was. Jack nodded as people congratulated him, hoping his smile was polite and not pained. Or turned on.
He joined Robby, standing a few steps aside, sipping his coffee. Jack tried the cake—white with tan frosting, tasting a familiar bite to the filling...and wait.
"What kind of cake is this?" Jack asked, eyeing it suspiciously.
Holding her own plate, Parker smirked. "Irish cream," she deadpanned, taking a bite as if to punctuate it.
Robby promptly choked on his coffee.
Laughs scattered through the crowd, Jack joining in as he shook his head. "That is so wrong."
But Parker was entirely unrepentant. "I'm honoring your people. You should thank me."
His breath back, though he was still a little flushed, Robby grabbed a fork from Lena's stash, returning to Jack to take a bite from his plate.
The intimacy of it simmered through him, Jack's eyes straying to Robby's mouth as he chewed, forcing himself not to mutter, you can have my Irish cream anytime. Because they were at work and it was so not appropriate, no matter how much his dick was still taking an interest.
Robby dipped his head to catch his gaze, amusement in his eyes, seeming to read the thought perfectly, even unvoiced. "Delicious," he muttered, like he meant something else entirely.
Jack's dick twitched. And he had a whole shift to get through. This was so not fucking fair.
"You knew about this," he accused, taking his own bite, Robby's eyes drifting to his mouth damningly. Which was a little satisfying.
"Guilty," Robby said, light, looking away for a moment, as if to collect himself. "It's not every day you realize you're in the presence of publishing royalty," he added, the dick.
"Okay, enough of that nonsense."
Robby's eyes sparkled like this was going to become a thing—
Then Bridget called out, "Incoming MVC, two minutes out." And just like that, the celebration was over.
Jack set the remains of his cake on the counter. He'd had enough anyway.
***
Naturally, Jack couldn't get it out of his mind. The casual way Robby had cupped a hand around the back of his head, like it was normal, everyday, unremarkable. Like it wasn't wildly intimate, the way Robby touched him in bed or on the way to it.
Jack couldn't shake it. Any time he'd get a moment to think, he was right back there, Robby wrapping him up in front of everyone, his big hand cradling Jack's skull. It kept turning him on, heat slipsliding through him over and over again, his dick never becoming an all-out problem, but never knocking it off, either. Which was maddening in its own way, low-level arousal distracting him all shift.
People noticed. Lena and Parker for sure, some of the night nurses, even Walsh, who eyed him up and down with a dry, "Are your lacy panties chafing you over there, Abbot?"
To which Jack had had to throw back, "No matter how many times you ask, you're not getting in my pants, princess."
"I cry bitter tears of woe," she drawled with an eyeroll, but she left it alone, thank fuck.
Parker had offered several opening gambits and Jack had shut her down every single time. He'd decided the appropriate punishment for her was silence. Because there was nothing in the world Parker loved more than a one-liner, but she needed someone to bounce them off of. Robbing her of a partner in crime was downright painful for her.
And kind of hilarious to watch as she flailed around when he gave her nothing.
Around the usual 0200 lull, she passed by where he was charting and kicked his stool. "Stop pretending you're mad; it's dull," she said, settling at a station nearby.
"Dunno what you mean. I'm having a great time."
"You're the one who published all the papers," Parker said, like this justified her making a spectacle.
"To help people," Jack shot back. "It's about the medicine, not me."
"It's both. And what was I supposed to do? Just ignore that you're the ED It Boy? Does that sound like me?" Parker asked, like this was an unimpeachable argument.
"So you decided to go tell Robby?" Jack asked, shooting her a look.
Parker lobbed one right back. "Obviously." Her tone said and you know exactly why. But then she added, "He's the boss man, after all." It was so clearly for anyone who might be listening in—Lena behind central or the nurses always passing by or god help them, Myrna.
Which was so decent of her that Jack couldn't help but soften. He knew it all came from a good place, so she was right, he wasn't mad. Just annoyed at the spotlight. "Okay, I will forgive you on the condition of information."
Victory flashed over her expression. "Ooh, time to bust out my anti-interrogation training," she drawled, just forgiven and already giving him shit; wasn't that the way of it. "'The rule of captivity is to bend, not break,'" she intoned, quoting Jack back to him.
"I share the wisdom of the ages and all I get is mocked."
"So old and wise," she agreed, nodding sagely, her braids dipping almost mockingly.
Jack couldn't help his snort. Parker's eyes twinkled, pleased with herself. "All right, boss, what's your question?"
He gestured to the cake, only half a boot and some crumbs left. "Whose idea was this?"
"I brought the news to Robby, but he's the one who said, 'Well, that sounds like an accomplishment to be celebrated,'" she said, offering a passable imitation of Robby's pleased drawl.
Jack pulled a face. "The traitor."
Parker smirked, just loving this. "He even gave me his credit card."
Jack stilled in surprise. That said something. "He give you a budget?"
"I asked and all he said was, 'Try and keep it to the three figures.'"
Horror slipped through Jack. "Please tell me you did not spend more than a grand on a cake," he said, aghast. His wedding cake hadn't cost that much.
Parker shook her head, like she despaired. "You two are like the same person sometimes, you know that? No, I kept it to the three figures because I know what's good for me."
"And I'm guessing you didn't run the flavor by him," Jack said with a half-smile, remembering Robby's reaction.
Parker made a pleased sort of noise. "Gotta keep him on his toes."
Jack tipped his head. "Well-played."
She sat back in her chair, all smug and satisfied. "See, this is why we vibe."
Jack huffed a laugh. "Because I recognize the genius?"
She shot him a superior sort of look. "You said it."
***
The shift was fine, nothing special, for which Jack was grateful. Yeo came in a little early, so Jack did the handoff right on time and was out the door by 0715. A near miracle.
He stopped by his condo to take a shower and change, during which he resolutely ignored his dick, still sensitized after thinking about Robby for an entire shift. His leg ached a little, but he checked himself—nothing but the usual soreness—and then put his prosthetic back on. He could handle being upright for a little longer. Then was out the door. He got to Robby's place by 0745. Almost unprecedented.
Jack let himself in, keeping it quiet in case Robby was still sleeping. He often woke by 0600 just out of day shift habit, but sometimes he took a sleeping pill to log some extra hours. Robby's therapist had been rather insistent about the necessity of getting enough sleep, and even three months on, Robby was still making an effort to do what the man said, so Jack didn't want to get in the way of that.
As soon as he opened the door, he realized he didn't need to bother. He could smell Robby's coffee lingering in the air and the shades were open, letting in the morning light.
Robby sat in the dark brown loveseat by the windows, coffee by his side, glasses perched on his nose, reading a medical journal as morning light bathed him in a diffuse glow. He was still in his sleep pants and a soft gray t-shirt, like he'd woken up with a desperate need to read something nerdy and involved. How entirely like him.
It made something in Jack's chest clench in the most horrifyingly sentimental way. The sight of Robby all sleep-rumpled and soft made his dick take notice, too.
Robby seemed oblivious, smiling softly and setting his journal aside, his glasses following. He uncurled from the loveseat, heading over. "You made good time. Okay shift?"
"As much as it can be," Jack said, taking in his messy hair, his wrinkled sleep clothes, everything about him entirely touchable. Robby was always so put together at work, playing the role of The Boss; Jack loved getting to see him like this. Even after almost a year of casually sleeping together, it still felt new.
Jack moved closer to Robby, fingers itching, skin suddenly tight. Robby was here and awake, off for the day, and Jack was off tonight. The tiredness he'd felt post-shift was like a distant memory, Jack all keyed up at the prospect of Robby on offer.
"So how much trouble am I in?" Robby drawled, wry, stopping a few steps away, warmth in his voice.
Jack moved close, crowding into his space and pulling him into a kiss, long and lingering. Robby hummed into it, the happy, sexy one, like he was delighted. "Not the reaction I expected," he murmured against Jack's mouth, one arm going around his waist and tugging him close, his free hand scrubbing through Jack's curls, making his scalp tingle.
Jack kissed him again, this one hot, Robby tasting like coffee. "The way you touched me," he muttered. "I thought about it all shift."
Robby pulled back, dark eyes already gleaming as he got turned on. Jack always loved how he could get Robby going with the simplest things. "I didn't touch you," Robby said, his tone making it clear how he meant it, like he hadn't been feeling up Jack at work.
Except he kind of had.
"Hugging me, cupping the back of my head," he said, leaning in to nuzzle him. "Made me fuckin' insane. Everyone's gonna know."
Robby snorted. "No one will read anything into that. It's friendly."
Jack leaned back to shoot him a look. "You grabbing hold like you're about to move me how you want is not just friendly," he insisted.
Robby's face slackened, eyes darkening some more; he liked that. "Maybe not to you."
Jack felt his own cock twitch and realized...yeah. Yeah, that was exactly what he wanted.
He promptly dropped to his knees.
"Whoa," Robby said in surprise as Jack pressed close, breathing in the morning scent of him, nosing over the bulge of his cock.
Jack moved up to lick over his happy trail, annoyed by the shirt in his way. He shoved it up a little, muttering, "Off."
Robby's huff was somehow both amused and turned on, but he did as he was told, stripping his shirt off and dropping it...somewhere. Jack made a pleased noise, nuzzling along his happy trail for a moment. Then he carefully tugged Robby's sleep pants down, releasing his cock. Robby was already rocking a semi-chub, which Jack decided to be cocky about.
He looked up at Robby as he closed his hand around Robby's cock and stroked. "I want you to palm the back of my head and fuck my mouth and come down my throat," he said, putting a little officer into it, an order.
Then he swallowed Robby down.
"Jack!" Robby called out, the surprise in his voice mixed with lust. One hand gripped Jack's shoulder, the other cupped Jack's cheek as he sucked, Robby's cock filling in his mouth, hardening at the attention. It was nice, but not quite right.
So he pulled back, stroking Robby again, his cock responsive, a little slick from his mouth now, getting harder as he worked him. Jack looked from there up to Robby, his skin flushing prettily, eyes glassy as he marveled at Jack, like he couldn't believe Jack was on his knees in his living room.
But that was silly; Jack would blow him anywhere. "No, the back of my head, Robby," he said, putting a little more of an order into it.
Robby swallowed hard, his cock twitching in hand. And that stirred Jack's own cock, hard enough already to press against his cargos. "Okay, Jack," Robby husked, pressing his palm to the back of Jack's skull and pulling a little, just a nudge. "I'll give you what you want."
Jack flashed him the half-smile he liked and then opened his mouth, hovering it over the head of Robby's cock, breathing out slowly, hot and teasing, as he held Robby's eyes.
Robby growled and firmed the hand on Jack's head, pushing his cock in as he pulled Jack onto him, not too hard, but enough to feel it.
Jack moaned at the rush of heat through him, from his mouth down his spine to his throbbing cock, reveling in the feel of Robby slowly thrusting into his mouth, his cock fully hard now. His pace was easy enough that Jack could play with him a little, teasing the thick vein on the underside, Jack's hands going to Robby's hips to play there, too. He traced the thin skin where hip met thigh, scratching through his wiry pubic hair, rolling his balls.
"Fuck, Jack," Robby muttered, pressing his palm a little harder to Jack's skull, pulling him in a little faster.
Jack moaned again, eyes fluttering closed in pleasure, lit up at Robby taking it, using him as he wanted. Robby never took things just for himself, so solicitous and generous. Jack always had to goad Robby into going for his own pleasure first; if left to his own devices he defaulted to getting Jack off. Which, to be fair, was no kind of hardship. But this was a pleasure, too, tasting him, feeling how hard Robby was for him, his mouth sloppy with spit, drooling a little as Robby thrust faster, tiny tremors starting. He was getting close, so soon.
Jack decided to be cocky about that, too.
"Jesus Christ, the way you look," Robby rumbled, voice rough, the dark burr he got when he was really turned on.
Jack let his eyes open, looking up to find Robby staring down at him, mouth open and shiny, panting as he thrust his cock into Jack's mouth. The hand he had cupping the back of Jack's head was perfect, both supportive and guiding, the pleasure of it tingling through him.
"Did you—did you mean it? About coming down your throat?" Robby stumbled, flushed completely red, from his face all the way down his chest and belly, skin glowing with it. Because he was really close.
On his next withdrawal, Jack took a breath and swallowed him all the way down.
"Ah—Jack!" Robby vibrated under his hands, not moving otherwise, still taking care with him, even this far gone. It made something flutter in Jack's belly, beyond the lust nearly stealing his mind.
Robby was big—long and thick, curving slightly to the left—but Jack had put serious effort into perfecting his deepthroating technique, so he just embraced the discomfort of it and swallowed and swallowed and swallowed, ignoring the tears sliding down his cheeks as he teased Robby's balls, stroked along his perineum.
Robby made a warning noise, his fingers tensing on Jack's skull—a bright kind of satisfaction in that—and then he was coming, shuddering out his release with a long, broken moan that was maybe half Jack's name or half a prayer. It sent lust spiraling through him, Jack pulling back enough to catch the last spurts of Robby on his tongue, wanting to taste him. Teasing his slit got a gasp—too much—Jack finally pulling off Robby—
Only to have Robby drop to his knees and yank Jack into a kiss. He licked the taste of his own come out of Jack's mouth, like he was gagging for it, his hands working their way into Jack's cargos. Jack gasped at the feel of Robby's bare hand on his cock, then moaned helplessly when Robby pulled it out and started jerking him off, hard and fast like he liked. Jack was already leaking with how hot it all was; he was not gonna last long.
Robby curled one big palm around the back of his head again, that sense of being cradled rushing through Jack, Robby jerking him off all the while, pleasure moving like lightning under his skin, the heat of Robby's palm searing into him, stoking something deep. Robby pulled out of the kiss to pant against Jack's mouth, eyes still black with desire, watching Jack's face like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You're so good to me," Robby mumbled, pressing tiny kisses to Jack's mouth, his beard soft against his face. "I wanted to do something for you."
At the words, Jack just lost it. The orgasm swept him away, Jack coming in messy pulses between them, all over Robby's fist and his own cargos, long waves of pleasure that whited out his brain, taking over everything until it was just him and Robby and the heat that always bloomed between them.
Jack panted as he came down from it, Robby still peppering him with those soft kisses, like he was drawing Jack back to the real world. He grunted something acknowledging and turned the next one into a real kiss, sliding his tongue along Robby's, teasing a little.
Robby sank into it with a happy noise, his hand sliding from the back of Jack's head to his cheek, stroking over his stubble with trembling fingers. Then Robby pulled back, resting their foreheads together, just breathing, like he couldn't bear to move.
"I know I do good work here," Jack finally managed, voice shot, "but I'd love to get off my knees."
Robby's laugh was a hell of a thing.
***
Later, post-sex nap, when they were lounging naked on Robby's white sheets, just drinking in each other's presence, Robby brought it up: "So that was new," he said, lacing their fingers together and squeezing.
"Hmm?" Jack asked, still fuzzy with a long shift and a good orgasm, not following.
"You getting all riled up like that." He made an amused noise. "You happy at being the most-cited ED doc?" he teased.
"What?" Jack asked, finally fully waking up, baffled. "Fuck no."
"It's okay if you are." Robby pulled their twined hands up to kiss Jack's, holding his eyes all the while. "It's a big deal. And you're very impressive."
Jack just glared at him. "I am very impressive and I don't need article metrics to tell me so. No, it's not about that, it's—the way you touched me."
Robby eyed him, amused. "I've hugged you before."
"This felt different. It felt, I don't know. Claiming," he offered, considering how that characterization felt. The idea settled comfortably in his chest, close and safe. "Yeah. Like you were staking a claim."
"And you liked that," Robby prodded, a halting kind of hesitance in his voice.
Jack knew where that train of thought led, heading it off: "I know you like your privacy," he said because Robby had made it clear he wanted to keep their sex life out of the ED. And that was fine.
Robby squeezed their still clasped hands, toying with Jack's ring. The ring his wife gave him, that he still wore, even two years after her death. Which was a fair point. "I know," he offered, a little sheepish. "I'm not saying it makes sense."
"I know we started careful, and easy, but it seems like I wanted to put hands on you in public and you wanted to let me, so maybe we're in a different spot now," Robby said reasonably.
It was so reasonable that it caught Jack by surprise. He stared at Robby, feeling a weird fluttering in his chest, not quite believing it. "Yeah?"
Robby took him in, almost careful. "It's not some dirty secret, Jack. I hope you don't think that."
"No, and you know I don't like people all up in my business, either. It's just...it's really good, you know?" he asked, kind of helpless with it. Because it was; ever since Pittfest and getting Robby into therapy and the two of them finally talking about all the fucking they'd been doing for almost a year now...it was just really fucking good. It was what he wanted.
Robby smiled, the joy of it taking over his face, the lines around his eyes crinkling perfectly, making Jack want to reach out and touch.
So he did, pressing light fingers to the evidence of Robby's happiness, his chest feeling so full.
Robby turned his head to kiss Jack's fingers. "Yeah, Jack. It's really good." He sobered, expression going earnest. "It's fine with me if people know."
The purest kind of happiness spread through Jack, like sunshine slowly burning through the clouds, and he didn't bother hiding his smile, leaning in to kiss Robby soundly. Positive reinforcement and all that.
When he pulled back, he shot Robby a dry look. "Parker and Dana will be just shocked," he drawled.
At the mention of Dana—still officially on leave—Robby went slightly melancholy, but he still smiled at the sentiment. "I've enjoyed watching them struggle to restrain themselves."
Jack stroked a soothing hand through Robby's hair. "I'm sure they'll find new ways to torment you," he offered, saying one thing but meaning two. Dana would come back; she just needed time.
"I hope so." But then he shook it off, refocusing on Jack. He touched light fingers to Jack's chin, almost reverent. "I know I haven't been at my best—for a long time, really—but I always want you. That's always true," he said, like he wanted to make sure Jack knew that.
Jack's throat went tight, the wave of emotion unexpected—because Robby didn't say stuff like that, he wasn't sentimental in that way—so he swallowed against it and offered his easy smile. "Well, you bought me a cake and made everyone clap and then put your hands all over me. Message received."
Robby smiled, wry, like he was realizing, yeah, he did do that...
And then he went a little wicked. "Good. I'd hate to let down our new publishing royalty," he drawled, because no matter what else, he was still a giant dick.
Since this was clearly going to be a thing, Jack decided to roll with it. He smirked and pressed a thumb to Robby's bottom lip. "Guess I'll have to think up a way you can express your devotion."
Robby smiled. And opened his mouth.
***
Fin. Feedback is adored.