Work Text:
Jack POV
“Shit.”
Two message notifications in rapid succession have Jack scrambling to get his phone out of his pocket. It’s a little bit harder to do with all of his gear on. He picked up a shift with the TEMS team today because he hates being home on the 4th of July and Gloria seems to think veterans shouldn’t have to work the holiday anyway. If she’s actually worried about any PTSD episodes he might have on this day, he tries not to think about it too much. Normally Gloria’s opinion wouldn’t carry too much weight, not in Robby’s ED anyway, but for some reason he agrees with her on this. The traitor.
His phone chimes again before he can get it opened. He could have sworn he silenced it before getting in the truck this morning. Who could be-
Robby
My replacement is here. 7:06am
Dr. Batman Al-Hashimi 7:07am
BARAN 7:07am
He chuckles despite himself. Autocorrect is always kicking Robby’s ass. He knows Robby is terrible about checking his email, especially anything from Gloria, but the guy really should have expected some overlap with the interim chief before he left.
Jack
Not your replacement, brother. 7:09am
Probably a good idea to have extra hands on deck today anyway. 7:09am
Robby
Feels like it. 7:10am
The sigh he let out was louder than he intended because he gets a weird look from a couple of the other guys. Apparently it’s going to be one of those days for Robby. He really should have left last night.
“Everything good, Abbot?” Hiro asks.
“All good. You know how the misses gets.”
“How is the lovely PTMC this fine 4th of July morning?”
“Oh, you know. A revolving door of Pittsburgh’s finest.”
“You ever think about quitting and hanging out with us full-time? I know we’re more fun.”
Jack
Isn’t it a bit early for your existential crisis? 7:12am
Robby
Never. 7:13am
TEMS today? 7:15am
Jack
Yep 7:15am
Robby
Be careful out there with our fellow countrymen today. 7:17am
And for the record, I would have rather it been your extra hands in the ED today. 😛7:18am
The top of Jack’s ears tinge pink as he reads Robby’s latest message. Maybe there’s hope for the day after all.
“You guys couldn’t handle me full-time.” Jack grins before starting to type out a response. He’s not sure when his and Robby’s relationship morphed into…this, but he can’t say he minds it. After his wife passed away, he never expected to feel that close to another person. But Robby has always managed to subvert whatever expectations or pre-conceived notions he may have had. It took him a long time to realize that Robby wasn’t just his best friend, but his very hot best friend that he’d very much like to fu-, nope not going there. Jack shakes his head to try and shake the image from his brain. Being attracted to a man. That had been quite the shock when he realized. He’d been surrounded by hundreds of fit guys in their prime in the military. Nothing. Just one of the thousands of ways Robby had blown up his life (the actual blowing up not-with-standing).
He’s so lost in thought that he doesn’t hear the call come through to the command center. It’s not until Hiro jumps up that he pulls his focus from his phone.
“Looks like the party’s starting early today. Let’s go boys!”
Jack locks his phone before shoving it in his pocket. Why did he volunteer to do this on his day off again? He should have just barbecued.
Robby POV
Robby stares down at his latest message to Jack. The message is marked as read and he sees that Jack is typing before the bubbles disappear. No response. He’s not really sure what he was thinking making that comment about Jack’s hands. And so what if those hands are attached to the most beautiful forearms he’s ever seen? Well, it is true that he’d rather have Jack here over anyone Gloria would hire without consulting him. Especially someone who seems determined to make changes to HIS department without taking the time to learn anything about the current processes. He’s been Chief for five years now and while he doesn’t totally think he was ready for the job and tries even less to think about the circumstances that led to that particular development, he likes to think he’s done a decent job. Even if it does feel like he stepped over his pseudo-father’s dead body to get here.
Maybe Jack was right: it is too early for his existential crisis.
It seems like Jack is probably busy (and hopefully not uncomfortable with his last comment), so he sticks his phone back in his pocket and starts to check on some of their early cases. It seems like the residents have a handle on things for once and there’s no major traumas rolling in, so he heads over to central to check-in with Dana. He’s really going to miss her while he’s gone.
“How’s it looking, Dana?”
“Oh, nothing we can’t handle. I’m supposed to have a new nurse starting today. Just graduated. I hope she knows what she’s getting into. First shift on the 4th of July. Christ.”
Robby chuckles as he takes a sip of his coffee.
“You doing anything to celebrate tonight? I know it can be a tough one for your boy.” Dana gives him a knowing look.
Robby resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course Dana has noticed how close he and Jack have gotten over the last ten months and loves to rib him about it. So what if he hasn’t been interested in dating lately and spends nearly all of his free time with the man. It doesn’t mean anything. He is his best friend afterall. And aren’t they always scolding him over his emotional unavailability and leading women on?
“No. I thought I might go ahead and get out of the city tonight.”
Dana looks unimpressed.
“We’re really still doing this?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” He grabs an ipad and starts to walk away, but is held back by a firm hand at his elbow.
“I know you’re scared. And I know you think you’re undeserving of anything good. But you’re being stupid about this.”
“Dana-” She holds her hand up to stop him. And he may be being stupid about this (her words), but he’s not that stupid.
“Anybody can see how you feel about each other. Are you really going to disappear for three months on one of the hardest days of the year for him without even talking to him? And we are talking. We’re texting.” He pulls out his cellphone to wave it at her.
"He picked up a TEMS shift today then?" Dana asks with the quirk of her brow.
He really hates how she does that. Of course she knows he texts Jack more frequently when he knows he's picked up a TEMS shift. So, what? Any best friend would be worried about their best friend volunteering to get shot at on his day off. He's an anxious person. It helps to check-in throughout the day. But back to the point.
“This trip isn’t about him. I’ve had it planned for months. Why are you giving me a hard time about it today of all days?”
“The trip you planned for. I’m guessing your growing “undefined feelings” for your best friend are something you didn’t plan.” He rubs his hands over his face before shaking his head. Dana is determined to ruin his good mood today.
“You’re making too big of a deal about this, Dana. Jack and I are good! But he has his life and I have mine. He won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“Please. You spend all of your free time together. Don’t think I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t mean anything. We’re friends. That’s all.”
“Who are you trying to convince?”
“Convince? Who said I was even attracted to me-” He can’t even the sentence out before Dana’s glare makes him swallow the words back down.
“It doesn’t matter. Jack is straight.”
“I’m thirty seconds from getting a psych consult down here. Do you want to talk to Caleb this morning? I’m not having this conversation with you again.”
“He flirts with everyone. You have to admit that. And besides, Dr. Jefferson is a busy man. He has more important things to do than entertain my relationship problems.”
“So you admit it's a relationship now? We’re making progress.”
“Christ, Dana-”
“Oh, and a man flirting with everybody in the damn ER instead of owning up to his feelings. Never known anybody to do that.”
Robby looks behind Dana to see who he assumes is the new nurse that will be shadowing her today. Finally he can get out of this exhausting conversation.
“Just think about it won’t you?”
“Fine. If it’ll make you happy.” He puts on a smile that he knows she sees right through. He stops her before she can turn fully away from him.
“But, Dana? You are wrong about one thing. It’s not that I think I don’t deserve anything good. It’s that I think Jack deserves the very best.”
With that, he leaves the nursing station before she can come up with something to get the last word. She always gets the last word. He shakes his head before looking back down at the ipad to check what the cases are looking like. He loves Dana and he’s so thankful she came back after that patient punched her, but he doesn’t think she’s right about this. He’s known Jack for decades and he’s never known him to talk about any attraction to men. Hell, Robby didn’t know he was attracted to men until they were watching a Steelers game a couple of years ago. It hadn’t even been anything remarkable. Jack was laying on his couch, drinking a beer, one arm behind his head. He was wearing a faded Army shirt that looked perfectly worn and stretched across his biceps in a way that should be illegal. It was as he was staring at the vein in Jack's forearm as he gripped his beer that he realized he didn't look at his other buddies that way.
She might be right about one thing though. The 4th is a tough day for Jack. And what’s a few hours delay when he has the next three months off. He’ll ask Jack if he wants to come over for a drink, make sure the fireworks don’t bother him, and take off in the morning. That’s what any friend would do, right? He shoots off a quick text to Jack before heading over to check in with Louie.
Jack POV
By the time they finish responding to their first incident, his phone has buzzed a few more times.
Robby
I swear every time I turn around she’s right there. 8:51am
She wants to use generative AI to run my ED!!!! 9:03am
You want to get a drink tonight? I think I may wait until tomorrow to leave. 9:34am
You hearing anything about what’s going on over at Westbridge? 10:03am
I put $20 on flooding. You want in? 10:07am
Why did I work today, again? 10:18am
Jack has whiplash just attempting to gauge Robby’s mood based on that string of messages. Okay, time to triage. Which of these is the most urgent? Westbridge, probably. They hadn’t heard anything on the scanner, so it can’t be anything that requires a police presence. That’s a good sign. Hopefully.
Jack
Haven’t heard anything on the scanner. What are you hearing? 10:48am
While he waits for Robby to respond, he sees that he has another message from Dana.
Dana
You might be in for a fight, Soldier Boy. 10:09am
Jack
What are you talking about? 10:49am
Dana
Al-Hashimi. Our new boss for the next three months. 10:50am
Jack
?? 10:51am
She an admin plant or something? 10:52am
It’s already going to be bad enough working without Robby, say what you want about the man, he’s an exceptional doctor. And if some of his reasoning for missing Robby aren’t strictly professional or platonic, well, that’s for him to know. But if Gloria has hired an administrative stand-in, well, he really might just throw himself off the roof.
Dana
She’s moving in on your boy. Already promised to buy him a drink and I haven’t even had my morning smoke break yet. 10:52am
Jack just stares at the phone a minute, trying to come up with a response. He would have loved to see Robby’s reaction to that. Based on his messages, it doesn’t sound like he wants to share his ED with her, much less a drink. Which reminds him that he needs to respond to Robby’s question. He’s glad he’s decided not to leave tonight. Maybe he still has time to convince him that three months on the open road by himself on a damn motorcycle isn’t his best idea. He clicks back over to his thread with Robby to see he’s responded again.
Robby POV
Fuck this day. Seriously. Langdon’s bullshit, Dr. Al-Hashimi’s pestering, whatever the fuck is going on at Westbridge, and then they lost Louie. That would be enough to make anyone have a shitty day.
He pulls out his phone to text Jack again and see if he’s heard anything about Westbridge. Sometimes the TEMS unit will get insider information. Jack’s always good about giving him a heads up (and if it has ever benefited him in the betting pool, that’s between him and the God he’s not speaking to), but it doesn’t hurt for him to ask. If nothing else he can know what to listen for. And Robby’ll know that he hasn’t done something stupid like get himself killed.
His eyes dart around central to make sure nothing seems to be on fire yet. Santos looks to be charting, he sees Whitaker with Ogilvie and Joy trailing right behind him, and closest to him are Cassie and Samira. He really tries not to listen to them talking, but they were in the middle of the hub, what was he supposed to do? Apparently Cassie’s been having a bit of a dry spell. Which is more than he needs to know about any of his employees, thank you very much. He was just standing up to leave when Cassie asked Samira if she had thought anymore about a certain night shift attending. Robby stopped. Samira and Shen? Huh. She had been working a lot of night shifts lately, but he honestly thought that had been partly to get away from him. Their relationship had gotten better in the months since Pittfest, but he still needed her to be faster. It seems like their waiting times were getting longer and longer everyday. Not that Gloria ever gave him a chance to forget.
It was what McKay said next that made his blood run cold.
“I’m sure Dr. Abbot would be open to a different kind of fireworks.”
They were talking about Jack? He stood up so fast that his chair nearly toppled over behind him. He glanced at Samira long enough to see her meet his eyes before quickly looking away. Her cheeks blushed pink. She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn’t stick around to hear her say anything. How had he not seen it? Jack had been all too happy to tell him about the pigtail catheter she pulled off during Pittfest. Then her sudden interest in picking up extra nightshifts?
He pulls out his phone again to tell Jack not to worry about tonight. He probably has better offers anyway.
Jack POV
Robby
They’re closed to patients and rerouting everybody here. It’s a shitshow already. 10:55am
No worries about the drink if you don’t want to. You’ll probably be tired. 10:55am
Huh. Jack tries to ignore the queasiness in his stomach at Robby rescinding his invitation. He was really looking forward to getting to spend some time with him one last time before he left on his trip. He’s sure it has nothing to do with any other invitation he had received. He’d just been complaining about her. Right?
Jack switches back over to his message with Dana while he figures out what to say to Robby. He feels the truck start to move underneath him. They had been waiting on the address for their next stop. Some idiots decided to rob a warehouse. It’s not even lunchtime and he knows this day is fucked.
Jack
I thought you were trying to quit? 10:55am
Dana
Oh, that’s the part you are hung up on? 10:57am
Why didn’t he just leave his phone in his truck like he usually does? He decides to ignore Dana, before opening his thread with Robby once again.
Jack
I’m never too tired for you, brother. (Not Delivered)
Godammit.
“Alright guys, listen up! We’ve got four armed suspects. Three in the front, one in the back. Abbot you’re with me!” Hiro yells, grabbing his gun and standing to his feet.
Jack pockets his phone before grabbing his helmet and securing the buckle around his chin.
“Here we go.”
Robby POV
Robby is walking back toward the trauma rooms when he sees Jack flying through the doors with a gurney. He’s always known Jack was a handsome man. Objectively so. But there’s just something about him in uniform. And he’s all sweaty, with his curls sticking to the back of his neck. What he wouldn’t like to- It’s clearly been too long since he’s gotten off if he’s objectifying his best friend in the middle of the emergency department. It also takes him a few seconds to realize that if Jack is here something has gone horribly wrong.
“...we were diverted here. Is there a trauma room open?” Robby realizes too late that Jack is talking to him and he needs to focus. He hears Princess routing them to Trauma 1 before he slides up to the gurney.
“What do we have here?”
“My buddy, Officer Hiro, high-velocity GSW. He’s getting harder to bag. Warehouse robbery gone sideways.” They quickly get him transferred off the gurney while Jack dismisses the rest of the team.
“I thought you left us for the open road already?” Robby rolls his eyes. They’ve been faking their familiarity with each other for years at this point.
“And miss seeing you in uniform?” Oops. That might have been too obvious.
“You should see me as a flight attendant.” He’s really glad that he literally has someone’s life in his hands at the moment so he isn’t able to dwell on that. Tonight, when he gets home on the other hand… He shakes his head to re-focus.
“Did you do this intubation?”
“Under active fire, yes.” He looks up to see Jack looking back at his shoulder as he says that. He hears Trinity say something, but he’s too focused on Jack. Did he get hit? Surely he would have said something? He swallows before focusing back on that patient in front of him. He’ll deal with that once they have this guy stable. Officer Hiro, he thinks Jack said? He hears Dr. Al-Hashimi come in before referring to Jack as a medicas if he wasn’t one of the best doctors this emergency department had ever seen. He hopes he wasn’t too gruff with his introduction. Finally they get Hiro stable enough and sent up to surgery with Dr. Garica. He makes his way to the computer to update the charting. He knows that the police department will want it as soon as possible and it’ll make Jack’s life easier if they can have that ready for them.
He sees Jack and Dr. Al-Hashimi talking, but isn’t really paying attention. She’s probably found something else to criticize in his departme-
“We should get a drink sometime. Exchange war stories.”
Robby’s head whips over to see the back of Dr. Al Hashimi as she moves out of the room. Jack is standing there with his hands in his pockets and a blank look on his face as if he hasn’t just asked the woman out who is taking his job and he’s been venting to him about all morning. What the fuck?
“She seems cool.” Jack folds his arms as if he’s challenging Robby to say something to that.
Robby swallows before harshly folding his glasses to put them back in his pocket.
“Sure. Maybe. I won’t be here long enough to find out.” Robby brushes past Jack to put some distance between them. Which is weird because it’s been so long since Jack has brought anything but comfort to him.
Jack POV
Jack just stares at the doorway Robby just walked through. Maybe it was petty of him to ask Dr. Al-Hashimi out for a drink, but he started it. Canceling plans with him before he could even respond just because he got a better offer.
Now that some of his adrenaline has worn off, the pain in his shoulder sears through him. He decides to head to the supply closet to grab a few things before finding an empty room to see what the damage is.
He’s nearly done when the closet door flies open.
“Shit!” Jack drops the few supplies he had quickly gathered in his attempt to discreetly treat his shoulder before Robby got wind of it.
“Is there a reason our night shift attending is pilfering through the supply closet in the middle of the afternoon?”
“How are you on this fine Independence Day, Dana?” He flashes a grin at the charge nurse hoping she’ll drop the issue.
“The board is overrun, we lost Louie this morning, we got a new med student that might be admitted by the end of the shift if he doesn’t stop running his mouth, and Langdon’s back.”
“Langdon’s back?” Robby hadn’t mentioned that in his text messages.
“Yep. I think your boy was hoping to be out of here before he got back, but no such luck.”
“Fuck.” Jack rubs his hand across his face.
Jack knew that Robby still hadn’t quite worked through his complicated feelings about everything that went down with Langdon. Because regardless of what the man said, he had considered Frank a friend.
“How’s he doing?”
“I’m really not sure. You know how he is.”
“Yeah.” He starts rearranging the few supplies he’s collected
“Not to mention Noelle keeps hanging around down here. I tried to warn her that it was no use, but you know how women are with him.” Jack bristles at yet another woman sniffing around Robby today.
“Noelle?”
“Yeah. Hastings. The case manager? Seems to think she has our boy all figured out.” She says with an eyeroll.
“What do you mean?” Jacks asks, swallowing. The supply closet seems stuffier than it did a few minutes ago.
“Says he’s afraid to be alone. Can’t sleep without the tv on.” Dana says with an eye roll and a chuckle.
He’s not sure what to even say to that. Maybe whatever closeness he thought had been growing between him and Robby was in his head. He hadn’t mentioned anything to him about Noelle. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t mentioned anything about any woman in months. Not since before Pittfest. Does Robby think his lack of a personal life is so pathetic that he feels bad to mention anything? Or worse did he think he couldn’t handle it? Everyone knows Robby has a healthy sex life. Jack feels stupid for not realizing anything sooner. Of course the man hasn’t been celibate for the last 10 months.
“Oh.” Dana looks at him with a knowing look. She did always know him too well.
“Between her and Al-Hashimi, you’d think I was hosting a season of the Bachelor down here, not running a major trauma center.”
Jack tries to choke out a laugh, but he knows it sounds forced. He really has to get out of here. Dana keeps talking despite his lack of reaction.
“I mean everybody knows that-”
“Dana, I really need to check my shoulder out and see if I can pitch in somewhere.”
“Sure, but just know I’m here if you want to talk.”
“Of course.” With that, he ducks out of the closet and into the first room he can find. It looks like it hasn’t been properly cleaned yet, so hopefully he has a few minutes before they’ll need it again. He unclips his vest and starts removing his outer gear. He’s just managed to get his t-shirt over his head when he hears the curtain open. For a split second he thinks maybe Robby has come to find him before he hears Dr. Mohan’s voice.
“Mr. Diaz?”
Jack can’t concentrate on what Dr. Mohan is saying. He knows that apparently the bed he was currently occupying was a patient of hers. He really should be more concerned about patients potentially going AWOL on a day, that if the beds lining the walls when he came in are any indication, is just going to get even busier. But he can’t help his mind from wandering back to a certain ED chief. He’s only slightly embarrassed when he realizes that Mohan’s concern isn’t directed at him, but her missing patient. He finds himself offering to pay to uber the supplies to the patient’s house before he can think much about it. The smile she gives him is worth it. He’s always liked Dr. Mohan and at least he can make somebody happy today.
He’s beginning to realize that he can’t actually reach the back of his shoulder when Samira stands up and starts gloving up. She has barely begun cleaning the wound when he looks up to see Robby pass the room. He’s walking fast, almost like he’s on a mission, before his steps falter. He glances at Jack, up to Samira, before his mouth changes slightly. Jack’s not sure what to think of the look on his face before he’s gone again. Jack thought he might stop to check on him. He can’t help but let his shoulders droop at the rejection.
Robby POV
His shift is only half over and Robby already regrets working today. He should have taken off. Barbecued. He could have avoided Frank. He could have invited Jack over, so that he wouldn’t have picked up the TEMS shift. So he wouldn’t have had to see Jack ask Dr. Al-Hashimi out right in front of him. So Jack wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Wait. Robby remembers how Jack looked when he said he intubated Hiro under active fire. How he was favoring his left shoulder. Shit. He’d been so caught off guard by the drink invitation that he hadn’t stuck around to make sure Jack was okay. And then he got caught up with the incoming trauma and Frank and -
Now he feels like a jackass. He searches around the ER for the sight of Jack and he doesn’t see him. Please be okay. Please be okay.
“Hey Princess, you seen Abbot?” He calls as he passes the charge desk. Looks like Dana handed over the reigns for a bit.
“Saw him heading into Central 6 a little bit ago!”
“Thanks Princess!” He immediately turns and makes his way over to 6. He can’t believe he took so long to check on him. If anything were to happen to him, he doesn’t know what he’d do. What if he was injured worse than he thought and it was just the adrenaline keeping him up right. Please be okay. Please be okay. Jack has always been horrible at taking care of himself. He puts himself in unnecessary danger. He takes unnecessary risks.
He speeds up as gets closer to the room. He can see the curtain open, so he hopes he’s still there. When the bed comes into view, several things happen at once. At first, all he feels is relief because Jack is indeed sitting on the bed, looking no worse for wear. The second thing he notices is Jack’s very naked chest. In his emergency department. Freckles everywhere. His stomach swoops as he takes in the sight. Then he looks up and sees Dr. Mohan standing extremely close and rubbing on his left shoulder. Well. It looks like he doesn’t need him afterall. He turns his head away from the room and keeps walking.
Of course he would ask Dr. Mohan to help him. He thinks back to the conversation he overheard this morning. Jack’s always had a soft spot for her and why wouldn’t he? She’s young, beautiful, and smarter than nearly any of his other residents. “I’m sure Dr. Abbot would be open to a different kind of fireworks.”
He nearly runs into Dana coming out of a room at the other end of the department.
“Hey Cap, where are you running off to?”
“Not now, Dana.” He keeps walking. He needs to get out of here.
“Off to patch up your boy?” That stops him in his tracks. He turns around before he can stop himself. He walks back toward and her bends down, so he can speak quietly.
“He’s not my anything. And besides why would he need me when he’s got Dr. Mohan looking after him. And if she doesn’t get him patched up maybe Dr. Al-Hashimi can look over it for him when they go on their date tonight.”
“Date? Woah, Rob-”
“I don’t want to hear it, Dana.”
“You’re being dramatic, Robby. Jack isn’t going on any date with someone that’s not you.”
“‘We should get a drink sometime. Exchange war stories.’ What does that sound like to you, Dana?” Robby says cartoonishly moving his face and hands.
“He was probably just being friendly.”
“He just MET her. And by the way, I did ask him if he wanted to hang out tonight. Took your advice. He never responded and the next thing I know, he’s making plans with her. He couldn’t be any more clear.”
“I really don’t think - “
“I don’t care what you think. Look. Dana. I really just need a minute. I’m fine. It’s not like I didn’t know.”
“Sure, Cap.” He really has to get out of here. He can’t stand seeing the pitying look on Dana’s face right now. He turns and starts to head toward the bathroom before he thinks better of it and heads toward the break room. Maybe coffee will help. He takes a deep breath in. He just needs a minute.
Jack POV
All of the sudden another woman steps into the room. Jack sighs internally. Has he not suffered enough today already? Shirtless for everybody to see except for the one person he wants to. And apparently he couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
“Dr. Mohan, I wanted to give you an update on Mr. Diaz’s payment options. I was hoping to catch Dr. Robby, but I couldn’t find him.”
He feels Dr. Mohan looking at him before she responds.
“No need to find Dr. Robby. I’m the one assigned to the case.”
“Yes, but he’s the attending on duty.”
“So is Dr. Al-Hashimi. She’s going to be filling in for Dr. Robby when he’s away.”
“Of course, but-”
“Anyway, Mr. Diaz left actually. I was going to send him supplies home-“
“Left, but didn’t-“
“It’s actually a long story and I really need to finish here, so if you don’t mind…” Jack is startled at her tone. He’s never known Samira to be so short with someone before. Her patient satisfaction scores are single-handedly keeping them above water.
He thinks that maybe this mystery woman is going to take the hint, but he sees her eyes shift to him before she turns.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m one of the case managers. Noelle Hastings.” She says as she sticks her hand out for him to shake. Fuck his entire life.
Jack feels sick all of the sudden, but manages to lift his hand to hers. Samira still hasn’t said anything, but her eyes are darting between the two of them.
“Jack Abbot.”
“Oh, the famous Jack Abbot! Robby has told me all about you. I wondered if we were ever going to get the opportunity to meet.”
Jack feels like he’s had a bucket of water poured over his head. What the fuck? Robby has apparently been talking to this woman about him, but he’d never even heard of her until Dana mentioned her.
“Dr. Abbot usually works the night shift. If you’ll excuse us-” God bless Samira Mohan.
“Ah yes. We really should all go out sometime. I’d love to get to know you better. And you can share all of the embarrassing stories about Micha-er, Robby. I’m sure you have a ton!” Jack immediately recoils at hearing Robby’s first name thrown out so casually. The last person he knew to call him that was Janey.
“It’s sort of hard to make plans with day shifters.” He forces himself to say it in a way that doesn’t make him sound like he’d rather throw himself off the roof than be a third wheel anywhere with her and Michael
“That’s the same thing he said in Philly.”
“Philly?”
“He didn’t tell you? Huh.” Before she can explain whatever the hell that meant, Dr. Mohan jumps between the two of them, grabbing onto Noelle’s wrist and practically pulling herself from the room.
“Noelle, let’s go add your recommendations to Mr. Diaz’s chart. Even though he’s…” Jack doesn’t hear the rest. He finds that he can’t really hear anything at the moment. He watches as she finally closes the curtain to give him some privacy.
Philly. What the fuck.
Robby went to a conference right before Memorial Day in Philadelphia. Some statewide patient satisfaction bullshit. Gloria made him go. He complained about it for weeks before he went. Jack had to promise to come by with his favorite bagels after he got off shift the morning he got back. Nevermind that Jack had been the one that had worked a 12-hour shift on top of a crazy SWAT assignment that had lasted nearly 18 hours while he was gone! To say Jack had been grumpy was an understatement, but it was all worth it to see the look on Robby’s face when he opened the door and saw those bagels.
Apparently he had worked up a crazy appetite with Noelle if that conversation is anything to go by and he never said ANYTHING. The longer he sits there, the madder he gets. He stretches before turning around to start getting redressed. He’s going to find Robby right now. He pulls his shirt down before ripping open the curtain and stomping toward central hub. He’s almost there when he catches the back of Robby’s head going into the breakroom. Perfect. He picks up the pace and shoves open the door so hard it bounces off the wall. Robby has his back turned pouring coffee into his thermos. The noise startles him and the coffee spills over the side. He puts the pot down before turning around.
“Who the fuck…Jack! Are you insane?”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me about Philadelphia?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The conference?”
“That patient satisfaction bullshit? We did talk about this. I wanted you to go in my place, asshole. Instead you picked up another TEMS assignment, remember?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it!”
“You literally just said that’s what we were talking about! And why are we talking about a conference that was months ago anyway?”
“I’m talking about your fucking girlfriend that apparently you didn’t have the decency to tell me about!”
“Girlfriend? What are you-”
“Oh, don’t play stupid with me. She’s running around the entire goddamn ED telling everybody that you sleep with the tv on, she’s telling me she’s heard alllll about me even though I’ve heard NOTHING about her. Do you know how stupid I feel?” Jack feels hysterical. He feels like he can’t breathe.
“Who are you..Is this about Noelle?”
“Oh, so you do know who I’m talking about!” Jack crosses his arms to stop himself from reaching out and strangling the man in front of him.
“Jack, I swear to you. She’s not my girlfriend. I have no idea where any of this is coming from.”
“Oh, of course not. Because Michael Robinavitch doesn’t do commitment.”
“Hey, man-”
“And sleeping with the tv on? I’ve known you for years and you’ve never mentioned that.” Robby at least has the nerve to look embarrassed about that. He shifts his eyes to the floor.
“So it is true.”
“Jack-”
“No.” He starts shaking his head. What is happening right now.
“What are you doing? Just fucking around. And now that the new doc has asked you out I guess she’ll be next.”
“Al-Hashimi? You’re one to talk, brother! Because last time I checked, you were the one asking to get a drink with her, NOT me.” Robby’s voice has gotten dangerously low and it’s enough to make him stop. Almost.
“Only after she asked you out and you canceled our plans!”
“I didn’t cancel our plans! I offered you an out in case you got a better offer!” Robby is yelling now. “And she didn’t ask me out! She said she’d buy me a drink with her winnings if she won the Westbridge bet, which I know is fucked by now anyway!”
“But you didn’t tell me any of that!” Great, now he’s yelling. “I’m hearing all of these different things about you from our co-workers, man. And I just feel so stupid because I thought we told each other things. I thought we were something man.”
“Of course we’re something, Jack. How could you even-” but Jack isn’t listening. Not really. Not anymore. He’s just so hurt.
“I really don’t get it. Everyone in your life, every relationship, is just sooo disposable. Six weeks and then you’re on to the next. I thought we were different. I don’t know why.”
Robby’s head rears back like he’s been slapped. Jack’s chest is heaving and he feels like’s just ran a mile. He can’t see his face, but knows it’s red. Robby starts to open his mouth, but then it snaps closed before he says anything. Jack’s never quite seen that look on Robby’s face, but he suddenly has a huge lump in his throat. He doesn’t know why he said that. Robby has never made him feel disposable. Sometimes he just feels like he doesn’t know him and he’s out here on this limb all by himself and then he has this new relationship that’s never even mentioned and
All of the sudden, the breakroom door swings open. Dana looks at him before settling her eyes on Robby. His eyes are red and filled with unshed tears. Shit.
“Cap, McKay needs you in Central 8.”
“Thanks, Dana.” Robby says quietly and shuffles past him quickly and slides out of the room without a second glance. His shoulders high up next to his ears. Jack just watches him go. He runs his fingers through his hair. He really doesn’t know what just happened. Why did he just ambush Robby like that?
“What did you do?” He barely has time to turn before Dana’s finger in his face.
“Woah, Dana! What’re you-”
““What did you DO? What did you say to him?” and that just pisses him off all over again. Of course she’s on Robby’s side. She knew he’d been whoring himself out all over the entire ER. She’s mentioned both women to him today specifically. She has to know how he feels about Robby. He feels like everybody knows but the man himself. And she just let him be humiliated.
“What did I say to him? What has he NOT said to me? He rushes out on me after we send Hiro up to surgery. Thought he might at least come check on me after he saw me favoring my shoulder, but then he couldn’t even be bothered to stop. Practically sprintedby. I haven’t seen him move that fast since Gloria wanted to film that news special after Pittfest. Only for me to find out that apparently he’s been fucking the case manager since that conference in Philadelphia. Thanks for the heads up by the way. I guess day shift has its secrets afterall.” Jack starts to turn his back to her. Fuck this bullshit. He’s not on shift and he’s not going back out with the SWAT team today. He’s going hometo try and forget this day has even happened.
“Fucking the case manager?!” Dana has the nerve to sound shocked.
“Don’t act like you didn’t know. That’s what you were trying to tell me earlier isn’t it? In the supply closet? And the text about Al-Hashimi. Poor, pathetic Jack is in love with his man whore best friend.”
“Oh for Christ’s sake-” Dana grabs him by the elbow and whips his body back around to face her.
“Hey! Careful! Injured soldier here.”
“You two are the most hopeless people I have ever met in my entire life.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I’m only going to say this once, so you better listen: Robby isn’t sleeping with the case manager. I have no idea how you got that out of what I said earlier and we will be circling back to that. He doesn’t care about Dr. Al-Hashimi. He doesn’t care about anybody but you, jackass.”
“He’s my best friend, Dana. I would hope he cares about me.” Dana doesn’t look amused.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She pauses for a second before continuing.
“I have known Robby since he started working here. I’ve seen the women he’s dated. Janey. Heather. I have never known him to care about any of them the way he cares about you. And now you’re what? Accusing him of cheating on you?”
“Of course not! We’re not dating!”
“So, tell me what this is about then?” She nudges him toward one of the empty chairs and pushes him to sit down. He immediately puts his face in his hands.
“I don’t know.”
She reaches out to take one of his hands in hers. She tilts her head until he raises his eyes to meet hers. “I think you do know.”
“I’ve just never…felt like this before. And I thought we were good. These last few months have been great. I mean, yeah. He was a bit of a mess after Pittfest, but I felt like we were finally getting somewhere. Dinner, watching movies together, hiking. I even convinced him to go to a Pirates game a couple of months ago.”
“He hates baseball.” Jack chuckles at that.
“I know.”
“But he loves you.” Dana is looking at him with such a fond look on her face.
His breath hitches and he can feel the tears forming in his eyes. He stares down at the table as he chokes out a little sob.
“You can’t know that.”
“When are you boys going to learn that I know everything?”
And the thing is, he really wants to believe Dana. He wasn’t lying, the last few months have been great. He’s loved Robby for a long time. They’ve been to hell and back with each other, but lately it has felt like more. And even if he could lie to himself before, he doesn’t think he can after his little display just a minute ago.
“What if I mess everything up?” He whispers.
Dana reaches out to tilt his head up so that he is forced to look her in the eye.
“You may not believe you can have what you want, but I know you know Robby better than that. Your relationship, however you define it, is important to him. He won’t let you ruin it.” He stares at her for a few seconds before nodding. His mind made up.
“I think…I need to talk to Robby.”
“Thatta boy!”
Robby POV
“The best thing you can do right now is support your wife’s wishes.” Robby starts taking his gloves off before turning back to McKay.
“Come find me if you need anything else.” With that, he turns and starts heading for the stairs. Clearly the break room had been a bad idea. He’s still reeling from his conversation with Jack. What the fuck just happened? He and Jack have known each other for a long time, been best friends for years before whatever shift into something even closer they’ve had going on in the last few months. He’s never seen him look like that. And what was he even talking about? Noelle? The woman had been dropping hints at him for months, but he wasn’t interested. He knows he and Jack aren’t in a relationship. Of course he knows that. But he can’t imagine going out with anybody right now. Even the thought makes his stomach hurt and he pauses on his ascent up to the roof.
But what if he was? Jack had no right to say any of that stuff to him. He keeps climbing the stairs as Jack’s words come back to him. “Everyone in your life, every relationship, is just soooooo disposable.” Is that really what he thinks? He can feel his eyes beginning to water and he starts taking the stairs two at a time. He finally makes it to the top and pushes the door to the roof open. He walks over to the railing, the same place he’s found Jack a hundred times before. He thinks back to the last few hours. Where had he and Jack gotten so off track?
Obviously Noelle had gotten under his skin. He’s tried to be nice to her out of professional responsibility, but it’s time to shut that shit down. And he thought he had asked Al-Hashimi out? Did he hit his head out in the field? All of the sudden a thought strikes Robby. Could Jack be jealous? The thought alone is almost enough to make him laugh out loud. Jack could have anybody he wants. He flirts with everybody! But the way he reacted today…What would Santos tell him? “What possible straight explanation could there be for that?” Something warm starts to bloom in his chest. They are so stupid. He thinks he and Jack need to talk. And soon.
Jack POV
“Yo, Princess, you seen Robby?”
“Have you guys ever heard of an app called “Find Your Friends?” I think you’d find it useful.” She doesn’t even look up from the ipad she’s looking at to address him.
“What? I don’t know what that-”
“Or a piece of technology called airtags?”
“Air-what?”
Princess begins muttering to Perlah in tagalong. He knows they are talking about him, but he can’t find himself to care at the moment. The only thing he cares about is
“Princess. Robby? Your boss? You seen him?”
“I saw him head up the stairs about 10 minutes ago.” Donnie pipes up passing by.
“THANK you, Donnie!” Jack turns and makes a bee-line for the stairs. Of course. He knows exactly where Robby has gone.
Jack opens the door to the roof and immediately spots Robby near the railing, facing the Pittsburgh skyline. He puts his hands in his pockets and walks towards him. He steps up beside him, close, but not quite close enough to touch. Robby doesn’t look at him. They stand there for a few seconds. All of the anger has melted from Jack’s body. He doesn’t want to fight with Robby. Not ever. And definitely not before he leaves for three months.
“Robby, look, I’m sor-”
“I sleep with the tv on when you pick up shifts with the TEMS team.” Jack isn’t sure what he expected Robby to say, but that was not it.
“What?”
“I don’t know where you are. I get that you can’t tell me. And you shouldn’t have to tell me. We’re just friends, right?”
“Right.” Jack feels like his throat is closing up around the word.
“But I worry. And I don’t like not knowing where you are. And if you’re okay. And I don’t want to text you a thousand times, so…”
“You sleep with the tv on?” Jacks poses it as a question because he’s still not sure he’s understanding what Robby is saying.
“I never slept with Noelle. I don’t want to sleep with her. The truth is, I couldn’t have even picked her out of a line up before we went to that conference in Philadelphia.” Jack bristles at even the name of the city right now.
“You know how those things go. There’s all sorts of mixers and receptions and things you’re expected to show up at. And there were only a few of us from PTMC, so we spent a lot of time together. Of course I knew she was flirting with me, but I wasn’t interested.”
“She’s a beautiful woman.” He manages to say.
Robby finally turns to look at him.
“She’s not what I want.”
Jack sucks in a breath and watches Robby turn back toward the skyline.
“Well I guess her room was next door to mine. You remember that crazy SWAT mission you had while I was gone?”
“Yeah. The step-dad kidnapped those kids from his daughter’s sleepover. We were out there all goddamn night.”
“I couldn’t get a hold of you. I called. I texted. I called the hospital. Hell, I called every hospital in Pittsburgh. I probably sounded like a crazy person. I’m not like you. I don’t have a police scanner. And I was in Philadelphia. What could I do?”
The weight of what Robby is trying to say is finally hitting him. He had no idea that he felt that way.
“So you slept with the tv on?” Jack finally asks.
“So I watched the news all night. Until I finally fell asleep because I was so exhausted. And it was the first thing I looked at when I woke up.”
Neither one of them speaks for several minutes. Jack isn’t sure how to even respond to that. Well, not except-
“I’m so sorry, Robby. I never should have said any of those things. I didn’t mean it. Not really. I was just hurt.”
“Why?” Robby turns to him again. His eyes look so sad and Jack can barely stand to look at him.
“I made some assumptions. Let people get in my head. Not that any of that is an excuse. Least of all because I have no right to feel that way at all.”
“Feel what way, Jack?” Robby fully turns toward him now. He takes a step forward and Jack can practically feel him despite him still being a full foot away.
“Robby, I-”
Just then the door to the roof bangs open. Both of their heads whip toward the noise. Dana is standing there with an unreadable look on her face.
“Dana, what’s going on?” Robby takes a step toward her.
“Trent Norris, incoming. We need you downstairs.”
“Norris? What’s he doing here?” Jacks asks. “I thought he’d be drunk and setting stuff on fire in his backyard by now.” They never see hospital admin on holidays. That’s half the perk of working them. That and holiday pay.
“No idea, but it doesn’t sound good.
The door shuts behind Dana as she turns to head back down. He knows they don’t have time to finish their conversation and whatever they are walking into is bound to be a shitshow, but he has to know one thing.
“We good, Robby?” He grabs Robby’s arm before he can get too far in front of him.
“Of course, Jack.” He lets out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he had been holding. “But I think it’s about time we finally talk about a few things, don’t you? My place? After we get out of here?”
“Yeah, Robby. I’d like that.”
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It feels like they’ve lived three different lifetimes when they’re finally able to leave the hospital just after 10:00pm. Since Jack came in from the field, he doesn’t have his usual backpack, so he’s just waiting for Robby in the ambulance bay. They called Shen back in since he ended up working most of the day. He looks over to see that damned motorcycle sitting there parked next to the entrance. He wonders if he could get Ahmed to delete the security footage if he went and knocked it over really quick. He glances back through the door to the emergency room before he takes a couple of steps toward the bike. He doesn’t make it very far before he sees Dr. Mohan coming outside.
“Oh, Dr. Mohan! I just wanted to thank you for helping me earlier. I’m not sure if I ever said it and that wasn’t my intention.”
“You’re welcome, Dr. Abbot. I was happy to help. Besides, I think Robby would kill us if we let anything happen to you.” He chuckles at the younger doctor, but the look on her face is deadly serious.
“I actually wanted to apologize to you.”
“Apologize?” What on earth could she possibly have to apologize to him for?
“Yes. I’m sorry about Ms. Hastings. We, day shift that is, have been trying to help her get the hint about Robby, but she just doesn’t.” Samira is looking at something over his shoulder and he’s really not sure what’s going on right now. Get the hint about Robby? Before he can dwell on that, she keeps talking, even faster than before. And is she…blushing?
“I also think Robby might have…overheard a comment earlier and I promise I talked to Cassie about it. We weren’t trying to be disrespectful at all. I would never want to disrespect what the two of you have.”
“What the two of us have?” Jack’s tongue feels too big for his mouth. Why doesn’t the ground just swallow him now?
“You and Robby.” He feels his cheeks heat up.
“Oh, uh…” He stutters, because what could he possibly say to that. The entire day shift thinks he and Robby are a he and Robby? Dana was right, they are the biggest idiots on the planet. Okay, he has to get out of this conversation now before Robby comes outside and has a heart attack to start his very deserved sabbatical. Focus, Abbot.
“No harm done, Samira. I promise. I’d appreciate your discretion about this entire thing. You know how Robby gets. Go home and get some rest. It’s been a long day!” That seems to satisfy her and after a small smile and a wave, she disappears out into the night. Jack breathes a sigh of relief. It’s another few minutes before Robby finally steps out.
“Hey, man. Thanks for waiting. Handover took a little bit longer than usual with it being my last shift and all.”
“Last shift for now.” Jack immediately corrects. It’s bad enough without it sounding permanent.
“Yes, Jack for now. You know I couldn’t outrun the PTO police forever. Besides, I think a nice long break is exactly what I need.”
“I know. It’s just that I worry about you, man. You can understand that, right?”
Robby nods his head, but he doesn’t respond.
“Look, I know we need to talk and I want to, but I really need to take a shower. Give me an hour and I’ll meet you at your place? I can bring dinner.”
“Sounds good, man. But let me get dinner. You’ve had a crazy day.”
“And let you balance one more thing on that deathtrap? I think not.” Jack scoffs.
Robby just rolls his eyes. “No, dad. I do know how to get food delivered.”
“You just worry about getting home safely. I’ll get dinner and see you in an hour. Okay?”
“Fine!” Robby throws his hands up before walking over to the bike. Jack watches him until he sees him unclip the helmet from his backpack and put it on his head. He sits down on the bike and he hears the ignition roar to life. With one more look over his shoulder, Robby nods at him before pulling out.
That man is going to be the death of me.
Robby POV
Exactly 56 minutes later, Robby hears a key in his apartment door. He took a quick shower when get home, changed into some sweatpants and t-shirt, and has been wearing a hole in his living room floor for the past 20 minutes. Jack pushes the door open with his arms full. In one hand he had a six-pack of beer and a large take-out bag in the other.
“I do have beer, you know.” Robby says stepping to meet Jack in the entryway.
“I don’t think I could have survived this conversation and your shitty beer.”
“That’s just rude, man.” Robby lets out a sigh of relief. This is him and Jack. No matter what, they are going to be okay. He just really hopes that they are finally about to get on the same page once and for all.
“You going to just stand there, or are you going to help?”
He moves to grab the bags from Jack’s hands.
“Go sit your ass down. I’ll plate this up and bring it out in a sec.”
He starts opening the bags and sees that Jack has gone a bit overboard on their favorite chinese takeout. He plates up a little bit of everything before carrying them to the living room and sitting them down on the coffee table. He goes back to the kitchen for a couple of beers and napkins before sitting down on the couch next to Jack. They spend the next few minutes eating in silence, occasionally stealing a few bites off each other's plates. He snagged an extra piece of chicken while Jack snatched the last half of his eggroll.
“Hey!” Jack just smiles at him as he chews and swallows the rest of it. He was going to eat that!
He picks up his beer to take a quick drink before sitting it back on the table. He leans back and rests his elbow on the back of the couch before turning towards Jack. Jack wipes his mouth and fingers with his napkin before crumpling it up and throwing it on his plate. Robby can see the tension around his eyes and at first he thinks he’s just going to sit there staring out in front of him, before he finally turns toward him.
“Hi.” Jack says, giving him a shy smile.
“Hi.”
Before he can say anything else, Jack is reaching across the couch toward him. He grabs the hand not holding his head up and laces their fingers together. Robby looks down and stares at their hands between them. Huh. That’s new. He gives Jack’s fingers a test squeeze. Jack squeezes back.
“I’m really sorry about earlier, Mikey.” He finally looks up to meet Jack’s eyes. He looks serious in the same way he does when he has to have a difficult conversation with a patient’s family. Robby swallows.
“It’s okay, Jack.”
“No, it’s really not. I accused you of some horrible things.” Robby just nods.
“I just…these last few months have felt different, ya know? All of our dinners and movie nights and just…being together. I never thought I’d have that again after, you know-” He glances down to his wedding band.
“And I’ve loved every second of it.”
“Me too.” Robby smiles softly. He’s always loved spending time with Jack.
“...but I don’t think I’ve been honest about what it was. Or what I’d hoped it was.” Robby feels Jack start to uncurl his fingers from his, but he just holds them tighter. He’s not letting him hide from this.
“What did you hope it was?” Robby asks, sounding hopeful.
“I guess I was hoping that you didn’t need to sleep with Hastings or grab a beer with Al-Hashimi, because you have those things or could have those things…with me.”
Robby feels like his heart is about to burst right out of his chest.
Jack POV
Jack feels like his heart is about to burst right out of his chest. He’s looking at Robby who is just staring at him with an unreadable look on his face. He prays he hasn’t just fucked up the most important relationship in his life.
“...but if that’s not what you want, we can just-” Robby interrupts him before he can finish his thought.
“Jack…stop talking.” Jack tries to remind himself to breathe as he waits for Robby to speak.
“You’re the most important person in my life. You have been for a long time.” Jack smiles as he sees the tips of Robby’s ears tinge red. Something loosens inside his chest.
“You’re the most important person in my life too.”
“I haven’t dated anyone in months. I haven’t wanted to. I know I was a bit of a mess after Pittfest, but I’ve been getting better. Really working on it, you know? And then we were spending all of this time together and somewhere along the way I realized- Well, I think in my mind, the spot in my life, the place I reserved for romantic relationships…that’s where I put you. I don’t even think I realized it at first. And when I did, I was too scared to say anything because I didn’t want to mess this up. I didn’t know that this was an option.” Robby uses his free hand to motion between the two of them.
“For either of us.”
Jack immediately starts nodding. He feels giddy.
“It’s an option. It’s definitely an op-”
Then before he can realize what’s happening, Robby reaches out to grab the back of his neck, surges forward, and crushes their lips together. For a second, he’s stunned. Holy Shit. He’s kissing Robby.
Suddenly Robby pulls back. He doesn’t go far, Jack can still feel his breath on his lips.
“I love you. I’m in love with you.”
Jack looks in his eyes. He recognizes the look in Robby’s eyes for what it has always been: love. He loves him. He can’t believe this is happening. Jack brings both of his hands up to cup Robby’s beard.
“I love you too, Robby. So much.” And then his mouth is back on his and Jack is pushing Robby backward onto the couch. They need to get a lot more horizontal right now. Robby lets out a groan and he takes the opportunity to lick into his mouth. Robby brings his hands up to his curls and tugs him even closer. He can feel the scratch of Robby’s beard against his chin and it feels so good. Their bodies are pressed so tight together, he knows he can feel his heart beating through his chest. Robby’s hands keep moving across his back and shoulders before all of the sudden Jack jerks back.
“Fuck!”
“Jack what’s wrong? Are you okay? I’m sorry.” Robby reaches out to grab his face.
“No, it’s fine, really. You just brushed up against my shoulder. It’s a little sensitive.”
“Wait.” Robby scrambles to push him off of him and pulls them both into the upright position. His hands immediately reach for the hem of his shirt and he starts pulling it up.
“Just so you know, the whole man-handling thing you have going on right now: very hot.” Jack jokes, but Robby isn’t listening to him. He’s moving like a man possessed.
“Off!”
“Hey, man if you wanted to see my chest all you had to do was ask.” Jack just grins as he removes the shirt completely from the top of his head.
“You said you intubated Hiro under active fire. You were favoring your left shoulder. You let Mohan see you half-naked-”
“Unintentionally” He says, groaning. He’s never going to live that down.
“...in my ER. She must have been checking for a wound. What happened?”
“It’s barely a graze. It’s fine, really. It’s just a little sensitive with direct pressure.” Jack shrugs it off like being grazed by a bullet is a normal thing. And he guesses, for a long period of his career, it had been. The look on Robby’s face tells him that he’s not happy.
“I really hate it when you do stuff like that.”
“Like what?”
“When you put yourself in danger.” He wraps his hands around Jack’s waist, rubbing circles into his stomach. It feels so good. What were they talking about again?
“I need you to be safe.” Oh, right.
“How do you think I feel? You know Jesse told me that he saw you riding without your helmet. And I can’t lose you, Robby. I can’t. I think it would kill me.” He knows he’s spiraling, but if Robby wants to talk about destructive behavior, they can talk about it.
“You’re not going to lose me, Jack.”
“Get rid of the motorcycle. Or I’m not sure I can do this.” He hadn’t even realized he was going to say it until the words are out of his mouth, but he realizes they’re true. Robby’s jaw drops open and it looks like his eyes are searching for something.
“Stop volunteering with TEMS!” Ah. He should have anticipated that. Same shit, different coping mechanisms.
“Okay.” Jack shrugs and crosses his arms over his naked chest, flexing his arms. He’s not about to ruin this over a shitty day job. He’s playing for keeps right now. He sees Robby’s eyes run down his neck and across his pecks.
“Oh you don’t play fair.” Jack just smirks at that but doesn’t drop his gaze.
“I worked on the bike for six months!” Robby whines, but Jack can’t help but grin. Victory is sweet.
They stare at each other for a few more seconds. He and Robby both know he’s lost. Has known it since his lips touched his.
“Fine.” Jack just smiles at Robby’s annoyed expression and reaches out to haul him closer to him by the neck. He stops a breath from his lips. Robby tries to close the gap, but Jack’s holding him tightly in place.
“I knew you’d see it my way, baby.” He murmurs before he seals his lips over his and feels Robby shutter beneath him. He groans into Jack’s mouth and swipes his tongue over Jack’s bottom lip. Just as Jack is losing himself completely to the kiss, Robby pulls back again.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake-”
“Give up the night shift. Or we’ll never see each other.” Jack admires the spirit, but it’ll be a calm day in the Pitt before he goes back to day shift. Besides, he knows it’s not actually a deal-breaker.
“Now you’re just being greedy. We make time to see each other now.”
“What if I want more than just ‘making time’?” Robby asks, voice low, as he’s sliding his hand up his thigh, higher and higher…
“Willing to re-negotiate in six months.” Jack leans back in to kiss Robby, but all he’s met with are teeth from his wide smile.
He’s going to be the death of him, but what a way to go.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robby POV
Hours later, they’ve migrated to Robby's bedroom and he’s still trying to catch his breath. Jack, the fucker, has already managed to get out of bed and if his hearing can be trusted, is whistling. Robby lets out a sigh as he leans back on his pillow. Maybe giving up the motorcycle won’t be so bad. He’s not sure he’d be able to ride it after that performance anyway. Not that he’d ever tell Jack that.
All of the sudden he hears his phone ding from inside his pants pocket that are currently discarded by the side of the bed. He rolls over to grab it. Who could possibly be texting him at this hour? The only person with worse sleeping habits than him is currently in his bathroom.
Jack Abbot started sharing location with you. Do you want to share yours? Robby sits up so fast the room spins.
“You could have been sharing your location with me this entire time?!” He hears Jack cackling from behind the bathroom door.
Jackass.