Work Text:
Robby couldn’t do it anymore.
He blinked up at the ceiling and pouted.
He’d only really been dating Dennis for a few weeks and he was already broken.
Sure, the sex was incredible.
Amazing.
Blissful.
It was fucking perfect.
Except that Robby was fifty-four.
He tried to roll over– to make some attempt at standing– but he just flopped uselessly back to the carpeted floor of his bedroom when his back gave a warning twang of pain.
Dennis was going to kill him.
And while dying buried to the hilt in Dennis’s ass or feeling Dennis hit the back of his throat might sound like the best way to go, it was more likely he’d die falling down the stairs as his tired legs gave out from under him when he went to get a glass of water.
So…
He couldn’t do it any more.
Downstairs, the front door swung open before slamming shut.
“Robby?” Dennis called, all twenty-something energy and Robby’s dick twitched with Pavlovian interest.
It wasn’t even the back pain.
Or the throb in his knee that wouldn’t go away no matter how much Deep Heat he used.
Or the dehydration.
He also kind of missed Dennis.
They’d been dancing around each other for so long and it had been so fun.
But then they’d started fucking and had kind of stopped doing everything else.
He missed the late night dinners after a bad shift where Dennis wouldn’t leave until Robby had laughed.
He missed the giggled rumours by the nurses station.
He even missed the strong safe weight of Dennis next to him every time he needed to go into Pedes.
Now it was all touches with the promise of more.
“Robby?” Dennis called and there was that sweet worry that always made Robby give up the fight in favour of just kissing him.
Because that was the real rub of it.
Dennis was only half responsible for the near lethal amount of fucking.
Robby was just as guilty.
He’d trail a hand down Dennis’s spine when no one was looking.
He’d push a thumb into Dennis’s mouth to feel the nip of teeth.
He’d drop to his old hurting knees and worship.
The bedroom door pushed open.
“Robby? Are you okay?” Dennis asked, smirk pulling at his mouth when he saw Robby fully conscious and not bleeding.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
The second the words were out, he realised how they sounded.
He saw them punch Dennis in the sternum.
“Oh.” Dennis’s pretty blue eyes welled with tears and Robby felt his own heart break. “Sorry for bothering you then.”
And then Dennis was fleeing back out the room.
“Fuck! Wait! Dennis!” Robby rolled, ignoring the violent snap of pain in his lumbar and stumbling to his feet. “Dennis, stop! That’s not what I meant!”
Feet pounded against the stairs and Robby knew he only had a few more seconds before Dennis made it outside and then it would be impossible to catch him.
It was poetic really that Robby launched himself towards the stairs just in time for his knee to finally give up.
If anyone ever asked, he fell in a very manly, very sexy way.
In reality, he screamed with the sort of stomach roiling terror that can only come from freefalling towards your death.
Small strong hands grabbed his biceps and Robby body slammed Dennis into the wall.
All the air wooshed out of Dennis’s chest as Robby tried desperately to steady himself with the handrail.
“You saved my life,” Robby said, awe and gratitude in his throat.
But then Dennis puked onto his own chest from the impact.
“You’re a dick,” Dennis panted, hands shaking and face green. “I should have let you fall.”
“I love you.”
Dennis’s big blue eyes darted up before his face crumpled into the most incredulous confused snarl Robby had ever seen. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“Can we have this conversation somewhere safer than the middle of the stairs? Preferably the couch.” Robby winced when Dennis almost slipped on his own puke. “And I might need help getting there because my knee feels very very unhappy.”
It was awkward.
And uncomfortable.
And Dennis was doing a pretty good job of pretending to be angry.
But Robby knew him better than that.
He loved him better than that.
Dennis was fucking broken.
“I’ll get you some Advil,” Dennis muttered once he got Robby settled on the couch and propped his knee up on a futon.
Robby reached out to try to nab him but Dennis just dodged the flailing hand and retreated into the kitchen.
The only reason Robby didn’t say ‘fuck it’ and limp after him was he knew that Dennis was a damn good doctor and he wouldn’t flee out of the back door when Robby was in this much pain.
When it was silent for slightly too long, he had just started to panic when Dennis leant against the door frame and tossed Robby a bottle of Advil. He’d pulled his soiled sweater off and was wiping water from the corner of his mouth.
“Any chance for some water?” Robby tried to joke. His smile died when Dennis just folded his arms and looked at the ground. “Can you come here?”
“Why? So you can look me in the eyes when you break up with me?” Dennis sniffed, trying oh-so-hard to seem unaffected. “You can be a dick from over there, thanks.”
“I’m not breaking up with you. Not unless you want me to.” Robby had never really considered that this might actually be dealbreaker for Dennis.
Cool panic pulsed through his chest at the thought; he tried to swallow it down with the dry painkillers.
“Really? Your plan is to gaslight me into breaking up with you? Not gonna happen, you wanna stop doing this then fucking own it.” Dennis’s thumb stroked the now-exposed skin at his own elbow and Robby felt his heart clench with the need to soothe him.
“I shouldn’t have just said that before but–”
“What? That you can’t do this anymore.” Dennis gestured quickly at the space between them before tucking his arms back around his body like he needed a fucking hug.
“That’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean we couldn’t do this, I want to do this. I meant I could do this,” Robby said, hand flying to hold his knee when he gesticulated too wildly and pain sliced through his thigh.
“Dude, what?” It was almost cute how lost Dennis looked. Almost. Really, it was just deeply upsetting because Robby knew he was the cause.
Robby sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can you just… can you fucking come over here because my fucking neck is killing me from craning to look over there and–”
“Okay,” Dennis said, immediately closer and gently pulling Robby’s wrist away from his face. “I’m sorry.”
Robby just turned his hand over and tangled their fingers together. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be… I’m sorry.”
“If… if you’re not breaking up to me then… what?” Dennis shook his head, teeth finding the spot on his bottom lip that Robby normally liked to worry at.
Robby’s dick twitched at the memory and he had to suppress an exasperated groan.
“I’m fifty-four, Dennis.” Robby watched Dennis’s eyes unfocus for a moment and he’d seen him do it many times. When a patient coded. When a homophobic parent punched him in the middle of Chairs. When he first kissed Robby and convinced himself he was going to get fired. “You’re going to kill me.”
Dennis’s lip quivered. “I’m not going to kill you, just tell me what it is? I can’t… I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me how.”
“No, Dennis.” Robby pulled Dennis’s hand until he flopped down next to Robby and met his eyes. “You’re literally going to kill me. I can’t keep having sex every day. My back’s killing me. My knee just doesn’t work anymore. My throat hurts. And I’m dehydrated. From all the sex.”
Dennis’s pretty mouth dropped into a soft ‘oh’ before he collapsed back against the couch cushions. “Oh, thank fuck.”
“What?” Robby asked, tone flat.
“I’m fucking knackered. Last week, I chafed my dick. Do you know how hard it is to chafe your dick?” Dennis groaned, hand dragging over his face. “Santos asked me if I was dying because I kept falling asleep in the middle of conversations at home.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Robby asked, finally giving in to the urge to chuckle fondly and shake his head.
“Because it was really fucking good. Like really good. Like if the doctor thing ever falls through you should look into porn… or prostitution,” Dennis sighed, pupils blowing at some definitely R-rate memory.
“Yeah, it was really good,” Robby agreed; he tried to turn and kiss Dennis. Because he did fucking love him. And the sex really was just that good. But then his fucking knee screamed and he eased uselessly back against the couch, half hard cock deflating with the pain. “Fuck.”
“You don’t want to stop, like, forever though, right?” Dennis asked, voice small and hopeful.
Robby laughed, full and proper and fond. “Not forever. But maybe like once a week? Until we can figure out how much our bodies can take. Because I really don’t want to throw my back out when I’m working on a patient.”
Dennis winced, head bouncing in agreement. “Once a week.”
“And… Dennis?” Robby asked, lifting his hand to kiss the milk-white knuckles nestled between his fingers. “I kind of miss you.”
He half expected Dennis to ask him what he meant. That he was right there. That he’d always been right there.
But then Dennis got this dreamy look in his eyes and smiled, shyly. “I miss you too. I just… I know I’m not always the best company so I thought, I mean, you have Jack to hang out with and he’s way funnier than me and I…I do that thing sometimes where I can’t talk a lot and I know that can be, like, really annoying or whatever but–”
Robby just pulled him in and kissed him; he reluctantly pulled away when Dennis instinctively tried to lick into his mouth. “You’re the best company. I’d sit in silence with you if that’s what you wanted. Sometimes, it’s what I need too. To just… be.”
Dennis’s lip quivered as he placed a sweet kiss to the end of Robby’s nose. “Did you mean what you said on the stairs?”
They hadn’t said it to each other yet.
Robby almost had once.
But Dennis had gotten this haunted look and kissed him so hard to shut Robby up he’d almost broken his nose.
It wasn’t like Robby didn’t know how Dennis felt.
But he didn’t actually know that much about the kid.
Mostly because of all the fucking they were doing instead of talking.
It was obvious there was some past baggage that Dennis hauled around like a cross to bear.
But the one thing he’d promised himself when this started was that he’d never lie to Dennis.
Even if it hurt him.
“Yeah,” Robby swallowed, watching that bright wide panic spread behind Dennis’s eyes. “I mean it.”
“Oh,” Dennis swallowed, adam’s apple bobbing.
Robby kissed his cheek. “Yeah, oh.”
“I… I do too… I just…”
Robby kissed him again, pressing a smile into the blush covered skin under his lips. “I know.”
“Good.” It was fierce enough that Robby pulled back.
The look in Dennis’s eyes was brutal.
Burning like a sedative and sharp like a needle.
“Good,” Robby agreed. “So… do you want to stop fucking me so we can start dating?”
Dennis tilted his head. “You said once a week, right?”
“Fine, do you want to schedule our sex like an old married couple so that we can sit next to each other in silence after work?” Robby asked, ducking to look up at Dennis through his lashes.
“Hell yeah,” Dennis agreed, grabbing a couch cushion to cover his lap. “And sorry for… breaking your entire body, I guess.”
Robby laughed and fished his phone out of his sweatpants pocket to turn some low music on. “Sorry for worrying Santos.”
Dennis sat straight up, eyes wide. “Oh. Wait… can we rearrange sitting in silence and maybe we can do a gossip session instead?”
The look he gave Robby was positively giddy and Robby felt the love in his chest swell until his cheeks hurt from smiling. “I think I can work that into the schedule, yeah. Why?”
“Santos is dating Garcia!”
“No!”
“Right? That’s what I said!” Dennis grinned and threw his legs over Robby’s lap so he could face him more fully.
“I can do you one better,” Robby said before taking his time to find a good album to play in the background. He waited until Dennis poked him in the ribs with a sock covered toe before he pressed play and rolled his head to meet Dennis’s expectant expression. “You know how Langdon is getting divorced?” He raised an eyebrow at Dennis when he nodded like that was obvious.
“He stopped wearing his ring three and a half weeks ago,” Dennis provided before waving for Robby to continue.
“He’s been planning to surprise Mel with a ‘second birthday’. Says she normally doesn’t celebrate because it’s the same day as her sisters and she doesn’t want to split the limelight or something.” Robby watched with glee as Dennis’s face flashed through a flurry of emotions before settling on pride.
“Good for Mel. Langdon’s hot and he’ll be on the rebound, she deserves a good fuck.”
“I don’t think Langdon’s thinking about short term, to be honest,” Robby clarified, hand sliding up Dennis’s thigh without realising.
Dennis just shoved it away gently with an exasperated smirk. “Good for him. How’s he doing?”
“Keeping up with meetings, open to feedback.” Robby shrugged as he looped his hand around Dennis’s ankle to stop it from wandering north again. Langdon had been very open about his addiction journey so he felt confident that he wasn’t oversharing. “And he’s funny again. I think it’s a good sign that he’s funny again, you know?”
Dennis just smiled like he’d realised something.
“You okay?” Robby asked, gently. “I can shut up if you want me to.”
“I… I really do… the thing on the stairs… I really really do,” Dennis said, before launching into one of the many many rumours he’d heard about Princess.
Robby just watched him babble and was so glad that he didn’t have to miss Dennis when he was right in front of him any more.