Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Pittsburgh, 2016

Robby nods at Dana in greeting, storing his bag under the desk in central. He glances around briefly for Jack, knowing the man had been working that night. Technically, Robby wasn’t supposed to be working this morning, but Adamson was dealing with a burst pipe at his house and needed to be around for the plumber.

“Adamson beg you to come in?” Dana asks with a grin.

Robby grinned back, resting his arms on the counter. “I’ve been telling him for years that the sound those pipes were making wasn’t normal. He promised a steak dinner if I covered for him.” Dana smacks his arm, shaking her head and mumbling about never getting a steak dinner for doing her job. “Things seem under control, as much as this place can be, where’s Jack?”

Dana’s grin falls. “He got some phone call ‘bout an hour ago.” She leans forward, lowering her voice. “He didn’t look too good. He went pale and muttered something about needing some air, hasn’t shown up since. His residents have had things covered, but Robby, I’m worried. I’ve never seen him like that.”

Robby sighs, nodding his head and running a hand through his hair. “Don’t worry, I’ll go talk to him. Can you-”

“The next shift of residents have already arrived, and the current ones have agreed to stick around a little longer. Take as long as he needs.” Dana reaches over, grabbing his hand. “Make sure that boy of yours is okay.”

Robby squeezes her hand back, grateful for Dana. “I always do.”

Heart raising, Robby gives her one last appreciative look before turning and making his way to the elevators. “Needing some air” has become something of a shorthand between the two from back in their med school days. From losing their first patients, to when Robby got the news that his grandmother had passed, they would say those magic words and they knew to meet each other on the roof when the other had the time.

Robby doesn’t know what kind of call would make Jack abandon his shift and to shake Dana that badly, but it can’t be good.

Robby braces himself as he exits the elevator, turning to head up the last flight of stairs and out the door of the emergency exit. There’s a pile of cigarette butts from other staff members that sneak up here for secret smoke breaks, and the cold morning breeze makes him pull his green fleece jacket close as he shivers in place.

Looking around, he finds Jack leaning forward against the guard rail, his phone between his hands and resting against his forehead. He’s still in his scrubs, and for some reason the first thing that pops into Robby’s head is that he must be freezing without a jacket.

“Hey, brother, Dana said I could find you up here. Wanna talk about it?” Robby approaches slowly, trying to seem casual. He mirrors Jack’s position on the railing, looking out over the skyline.

Jack turns his head away, sniffing and subtly trying to wipe his eyes. “Fuck no, I’m fine.”

“Oh yeah? Can you try saying that to me and not the building over there?” Robby leans forward a little more, trying to catch Jack’s gaze. “Please?”

At the please, Jack lets out a rough sigh, stuffing his phone in his pocket so he can scrub his hands down his face. After a minute of Robby patiently waiting for Jack to compose himself, he finally turns to Robby with red rimmed eyes. “Do, uh… do you remember me mentioning my siblings out in California?” He asks in a rough voice.

Robby nods slowly. “Yeah, a brother and sister, right?”

Jack takes a breath, looking back out at the sunrise. “Twins. We always joked that I was the unofficial triplet since our crazy moms convinced the doctors to induce them at the same time.” Jack chuckles at the memory. “They, uh, they were best friends and when they had some crazy night with a guy and both got pregnant, they thought it was fate or some crazy shit.” Jack pauses again, turning back to Robby with wet eyes. “That was Pope. He said… he said that Julia’s dead, that… that she had OD’d, and that the funeral’s in a less than a week, but I can’t fucking fly, and-”

Jack’s voice is steadily rising, and once it reaches its tipping point, Robby grabs him and pulls him into his chest, holding him firmly in place. Jack starts sobbing, a heart-wrenching sound that Robby’s only heard in the ED when family members get the worst kind of news. Between sobs, Jack gasps for breath and starts gripping the back of Robby’s jacket, clinging to him as if he’s his only lifeline right now.

For his part, all Robby can do is hold him, running a hand up and down his back as the other one tangles in Jack’s curls. He rocks them in place, letting Jack process his grief. At one point, someone opened the fire escape door for a smoke, but freezes at the sight of the two of them. Robby glares over Jack’s shoulder, daring the man to say something. At his look, the man turns in place and leaves them alone without a word.

“Doing that’s only gonna make the rumors worse.” Jack croaks, head still buried in the crook of Robby’s neck.

“That, what? That I don’t conform to toxic beliefs of masculinity and that I wanted to comfort my best friend whose twin sister had just died?”

Jack lets out a wet chuckle, sniffling softly. “Not my twin.”

“You said it yourself, the three of you were brought up that way. Plus, you guys share a birthday, I think that makes her a little bit your twin too.”

Jack pulls back, wiping his face and leaning back against the railing. “ Fuck, I just- I haven’t seen her since I was thirteen, either of them. I would talk on the phone with them from time to time, but hadn’t been out to visit. I always meant to, especially when she had her baby, but- but fuckin’ life, man. Something was always going on here, and I always figured I’d have time, and-”

Robby gives him a little space, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Do you want to go to the funeral?” He interrupts Jack’s spiralling.

Jack blinks at him, momentarily thrown. “What sorta question is that? Of course I wanna fuckin’ go, but Oceanside couldn’t be further away from here and with my stupid inability to step foot on a fuckin’ plane- Hey, are you even listening?”

Robby doesn’t look up from his phone until he’s done. “It says here that it’s a thirty-six hour drive. When did you say the funeral was?”

“We are not driving all the way to Oceanside, Michael.”

“When is the funeral?” Robby presses.

Jack huffs, throwing a glare his way. Robby merely raises a brow challengingly. “In two days.” He begrudgingly admits.

“Okay then, was that so hard? I’m only covering Adamson for the first couple hours, so you have time to go home, shower, and get a bag packed. I have an extra set of clothes in my locker, and I’ll get the time off for us squared away with Adamson when he gets here to take over. With both of us driving, we should be able to get there with time to spare.”

Jack slouches in place, a weight lifted off of him. “I hate you.” He says with no bite.

“I love you too. I’m sorry about your sister.” Robby wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in for a side hug. Jack takes a deep breath, resting his temple on Robby’s shoulder.

“I ruined your jacket with my tears and snot.”

With a twitch of his lips, Robby shrugs out of his jacket and wraps it around Jack, guiding his arms through the holes and zipping it up for him like he does when he’s dressing Jake up to go play in the snow. “Here. At least my scrub top was spared. Besides, you’re practically a popsicle, your goosebumps have goosebumps.”

Jack, surprisingly, lets Robby manhandle him, staring at Robby as he finishes. “Thank you.” It’s barely above a whisper, the words almost getting lost in the wind.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make it. Besides, I’ve always wanted to see California.”

-----------------------

When Robby calls Adamson to update him on everything that's going on, the man makes it his mission to get back to the ED in record time. He must have convinced his sister to come watch his house or something because he shows up to take over for Robby in less than an hour.

“Now, don't worry about your guys' shifts, I'll get some people together to cover them for the next week, call if you need longer.” Adamson goes over with him.

“I will. Thanks again for letting me go too, I know it can't be easy having two attendings being gone at once with no warning.” Robby rushes to finish off his paperwork, hunched over one of the computers. He had already changed out of his scrubs so he can dart out as soon as he finishes.

Adamson waves him off. “This place has run on a lot less. Family comes first, remember that. Now quit, I've got it from here. You two have a lot of miles to cover if you want to make it to California in two days. In fact, here,” He pulls out his wallet, counting out some bills.

Robby straightens out, shaking his head. “No, I couldn't possibly-”

Adamson doesn't back down, forcing the money into his hands. “Take it, I insist.”

Robby sighs, knowing this is a losing battle. “Thank you.” He pockets the cash, glancing at his watch. Knowing Jack, he’s probably showered, packed, and waiting by now.

“Give Abbot my condolences.” Adamson starts walking him out. “And let me or Dana know when you reach California.”

“I will. Thanks again-”

“ Go. Before I have security kick you out.”

Robby hightails it out of there before Adamson makes good on his threat, not surprised to find Jack already waiting outside his condo as he parks his car.

Jack rolls down his window, waving him over. “Get in, I used my spare key to head in and pack your bag already.”

They had already agreed to take Jack’s jeep since the pedals are reversed for him. Robby adjusted to using his car years ago, making Jack’s jeep a no brainer for this spontaneous road trip.

“I’ll drive first, you just got off a twelve hour shift.” Robby walks around after tossing his work bag in the back, standing in front of the driver’s door expectantly.

“Hell no, I’m fine. I’ve driven on less, now get in.”

Robby crosses his arms. “That doesn’t exactly inspire me with confidence. Look, either let me drive, or we can continue to waste time arguing in the parking lot, your choice.”

Jack huffs, gripping the wheel and glaring before flinging the door open. He gets out without a word and stomps over to the passenger side, slamming the door shut.

Great, well this will be an interesting next thirty-six hours.

---------------------

Jack doesn't sleep the whole time Robby's driving. He just stares out the window, doing his best impression of a statue.

“How old is your niece or nephew?” Robby breaks the silence of the jeep somewhere outside of Columbus. He flips the visor down as the sun angles down into his eyes.

“Nephew.” Jack's voice cracks slightly from not speaking all day. “And, uh… He should be about sixteen or seventeen by now. His name is Joshua, but he started going by J when he was around seven.”

“Shit, that's rough. Dad in the picture?” Robby can't help but think of his own history. He doesn't know if it's better or worse that he's sort of grateful that his own mom passed when he was four, letting him adjust to life with his grandma easier than if he were to be uprooted as a teenager.

Jack shakes his head, putting his sunglasses on. “Nah, single mother all the way. Lord knows who the father was anyway, probably some junkie she would get high with.” Jack pauses, biting his lip and turning his head to him for the first time. “Shit, man, I didn't even think about how this could affect you, what with her dying the same way as-”

Robby cuts him off, readjusting his grip on the wheel. “It's fine, I didn't even think of the connection until you pointed it out.” He lies, not wanting Jack to feel any worse than he already does.

“Michael.”

Robby tears his eyes off the road for a second, glancing Jack's way to see him fully turned towards him, sunglasses in his lap. Robby sighs, turning his attention back to the road. “Okay, yes, it crossed my mind, but honestly Jack, I'm fine. We deal with cases of moms who OD often enough, I've become desensitized from it.”

“That doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence.” Jack parrots his words back at him, causing Robby to snort and smack his shoulder.

“Jerk.”

Jack snorts himself, catching Robby's hand and gripping it. Robby lets him, knowing Jack does better when he has someone to cling to. Janey had thought it was strange at first, but soon came to accept that Robby and Jack were just like that sometimes. She would even jokingly refer to Jack as “the competition” while they were still dating.

“Hey, we need to get some gas. We can hit the bathrooms, stretch our legs, and get some food in you.”

Jack sticks his sunglasses back on with one hand. “Not hungry. I'll just get a coffee.”

Robby shakes his head with a chuckle. “No can do, my friend. Food is non-negotiable. Remember when my grandma passed and you threatened to stick a feeding tube down my throat if I didn't eat something? Well, it’s your turn now. Payback's a bitch.”

“You certainly are that last thing.” Jack grumbles, the squeezing of his hand betraying his words.

Jack's phone starts ringing at that moment, causing him to sigh when he glances at it. “It’s my brother, I should take this.” 

He barely gets a word in before the person on the other line starts talking, loud enough that Robby can hear. “They sold my fuckin’ house, man!”

Jack glances at Robby, mouthing an apology. “Whoa, slow down, brother. Who sold your house?”

“Smurf and Baz, who else? And she gave away my room at the house to the kid, who we don't know from Adam-”

“Pope- Pope, stop for a minute and take a breath, alright?” Jack takes his hand back, running it through his hair. “Listen, that was pretty shitty of Smurf and Baz to do that without telling you, but I'm sure if they had known you were getting out early that they would have lined up a place for you.”

Pope replies something back, but it's too low for Robby to hear. It must be okay though, because Jack nods his head. “See? If they said they're getting you a place, then they're getting you a place. And about J, he's our nephew, for fucks sake. His mom just died and now he's living in that house for the first time, cut him a little slack.”

There's a rough sigh on the other line. “When are you gonna be here? I want you here.” He whines.

“Tomorrow evening, okay? We're an hour outside Columbus, Ohio now.”

“We? Who's we?”

“Just Robby. I've told you about him, yeah? He's helping me drive since I just got off a twelve hour shift.”

“Med school Robby?”

Jack glances at Robby, who pretends he isn't listening to his every word. Jack sighs, hanging his head. “Yes, med school Robby. Have you heard me talk about any other Robbys, jackass?”

“Seriously? You're bringing him here? Does Smurf know that?”

Jack scoffs. “Maybe if she had been the one that bothered to call me about Julia. Besides, did you miss the part about me just getting off a night shift? We may have insomnia, but even I'm not stupid enough to drive thirty-six hours straight.”

There's another mumble that Robby can't hear, but it seems to unsettle Jack as he glances over at Robby again. “No…” Jack replies slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Shit, seriously? When?” Another pause. “Fuck. Yeah, alright. Thanks for the heads up. Listen, I'll talk to you again soon, okay? We have to get some gas and hit the head. Remember what I said about J, give the kid a chance. He is Julia's kid after all. Bye.”

Jack hangs up, tossing his head back with a groan.

“Everything okay?” Robby asks cautiously.

“Honestly? No, not really. I'm assuming you heard most of that.”

“Most, yeah.” There's no point in Robby denying it. It's a small car and Jack's brother wasn't exactly quiet with his displeasure.

“Yeah, figured as much. Pope not-so-kindly reminded me that if you're gonna meet that side of my family, you should know a few things about them so you aren't caught off guard.”

-------------------

“So let me get this straight,” Robby flicks the gas to continue pumping, crossing his arms and leaning against the jeep. “You grew up in a literal den of thieves who regularly pull heists, your brother just finished a three year sentence for a bank robbery they all took part in, and now they are planning some job for around when we get there.”

Jack stares at the gage as the tank fills up, unnerved by how calmly Robby is taking all the news. “Yup, that about sums it up.”

“Huh.” Is all he says, causing Jack to whip his head around. 

“Huh? I tell you all about the screwed up way I was raised for the first thirteen years of my life and all you have to say is huh?”

Robby shrugs. “Well, how else do you want me to react?”

Jack runs a hand through his hair, pushing off the jeep somewhere he can start pacing in the confined space. “I don't know, man, maybe something more than a one syllable response?

Robby sighs, putting the gas pump away as it clicks off. “Okay, uh, what was the worst crime you've committed?"

“By monetary value or by dickishness?”

Robby doesn't flinch at his bluntness. “Both?”

“Pope, Baz, and I robbed a corner store when we were twelve. When I was ten, our teacher called Pope retarded so I broke into his house and smashed the place.”

Robby snorts as they head into the gas station for snacks. “Sounds like that teacher had it coming.”

“Would you take this seriously?”

The jerk has the audacity to laugh at him, tossing a couple protein bars into their hand basket. Jack hits him on the arm. “What?” Robby asks, still chuckling lightly. “You were a kid with not so great role models. It's not like you do any of that shit now.”

Jack purses his lips, glancing around. He leans into Robby to mutter under his breath. “Two cameras inside, but they aren't working. One outside in the atm, but that's an easy one to dodge since the machine is around the corner. There's only one attendant working and he has a gun under the counter, but it's just an airsoft gun with the orange tip sharpyed black. Give me two minutes and I could hit this place in my sleep.”

Robby raises a brow at him, pausing as he peruses the chips. “Am I Butch or Sundance in this little thought experiment?”

“I'm showing you that that side has never gone away. I still case banks every time I walk in one purely on instinct.”

“Have you ever acted on it?”

“Fuck no.”

Robby shrugs, grabbing a bag of chips for himself and the kind that Jack likes. “Then who cares? We all have intrusive thoughts like that. Whenever I'm at the store and see a lady leave her purse in the cart, I always think about how easy it would be to snatch it.”

Jack scoffs, tossing in a few energy drinks for his drive tonight. “That one's not as easy as you'd think. A guy walking off with a purse stands out, so you want a woman with you to pass it off to. Now, you could always reach in and grab just the wallet, that was always my go-to, but that's only best when she leaves the purse open. Unzipping and digging around usually takes too much time.”

Robby nods as if Jack is talking about the weather. “Good to know. Want anything else?”

Jack sighs, giving up on trying to get through to Robby. “No. I'll meet you at the car, I'm gonna go take a piss.”

They split up, and once Jack finishes his business, he stands at the sink washing his hands. Glancing at himself in the dirty, cracked mirror, he's not surprised to find bags under his eyes. By his count, he's been up for over twenty-four hours by now. Twenty-four more hours than Julia's been alive.

He blames it on the lack of sleep that makes him reach under the sink, grabbing a wrench from the toolbox that was left there, and loosening a bolt until the pipe under the sink starts to steadily drip.

Standing with a grunt, he heads out of the bathroom and up to the counter where the bored attendant is flipping through a magazine.

“Hey, man, the sink in the men's room is leaking everywhere.”

The attendant, Jerry by the name tag, groans as he tosses his magazine down. “Shit, again? This place and it's shitty old plumbing. Thanks for the heads up.”

Jack gives him a polite smile, pretending to browse a shelf as the man goes into the bathroom, backtracking once the door closes to some cursing. Looking around, no one is in the store and Robby is out waiting in the jeep, messing around on his phone by the looks of it.

Hopping up onto the counter and spinning around in one swift movement, he opens the register and grabs all the money. He shuts the register, hops back down, and pockets the bills right as Jerry walks back out, grumbling under his breath.

“Have a good day, man. Hope you get those pipes fixed.”

“You and me both.”

With a wave, Jack heads out and gets into the passenger seat.

“Everything okay?” Robby asks, setting his phone in the cup holder.

“Just dandy.” Jack replies, putting his sunglasses on as Robby starts the car and pulls out. He rolls up his pant leg and releases the vacuum seal on his prosthetic, freeing the stump from that and his few layers. “I'm gonna try and nap for a couple hours.” He says as he leans back in his seat, crossing his arms.

There's a pause as Jack can feel Robby's stare. “Yeah, alright.” He finally says.

Jack shuts his eyes, concerned that the roughly three thousand dollars sitting in his pocket isn't weighing on him like it should.

-----------------

They make it to Oceanside at dusk, Jack having taken over the driving since Las Vegas, despite having driven all night and into the late morning. Even though he had his eyes closed during the day, Robby noticed he wasn't really sleeping aside for a couple minutes here and there where he would nod off for real.

Jack rolls down his window, reaching out to type in a code to open the gate.

“Pope texted me the code.” Jack explains without being asked as he rolls the window back up.

The first thing Robby notices as they pull in is that his family has a lot of toys. ATVs, a boat, and a handful of fancy cars greet them.

Jack shuts off the jeep, taking a deep breath as he stares at the house.

“All good?”

Jack nods jerkily, reaching out and giving Robby's hand a quick squeeze. “Peachy.” He drops his hand after that, flinging his door open and slamming it shut.

Robby takes his time getting out, a group of people already walking out from the garage. Leading the charge is who Robby can only assume is Pope. He's the spitting image of Jack, the only major difference being that Pope's hair is cut short while Jack likes to let his curls grow out more.

“It's about time.” The man speaks, the same voice as the one that Jack had been talking to on the phone.

Pope doesn't give Jack a chance to respond, collapsing into him with a tight hug. He rests his head on Jack's shoulder, the tight muscles in Jack's back finally loosening some since he got the news about his sister.

“I missed you.” Pope mumbles into the crook between Jack's neck and shoulder.

Jack rests his temple on the top of Pope's head, clinging back just as hard. “I missed you, too, buddy.”

They stay like that another few seconds, Robby making awkward eye contact with the others that had made their way over.

A guy with short, stylized hair standing behind Pope clears his throat. “So, this was your surprise, Pope?” He asks with a grin. “Give us a turn, man.”

Pope glances over his shoulder, still holding onto Jack. Jack sighs, patting Pope on the back. “C'mon, man, I wanna see the others.”

Pope reluctantly pulls away, taking a couple steps back with a huff.

The short haired guy claps hands with Jack, pulling him in for a short hug. “It's been too long, man.” He pats his back.

“You said it, brother.” Jack claps him back, both of them pulling away.

A long, dark haired man with a beard runs up next, nearly tackling Jack to the ground with his hug. “Jackie!”

“Shit, Craig! Someone's been eating his weaties.” Jack says with a laugh, grabbing Craig's shoulders to keep his balance.

Robby glances back at the three yet to make a move. One’s a teenager, probably J, he's not sure about the blond guy, probably another brother, and a short, blond woman, Smurf most likely. 

Jack walks up to the woman, squaring his shoulders slightly. “Hi, Mama Smurf.” He says softly.

Smurf smiles warmly, but something about it makes the hairs on the back of Robby's neck stand on end. “Welcome home, baby.” She puts her hand on Jack's cheek, him leaning into the touch like he doesn't even realize he's doing it. “Look at you, my boy all grown up.” She runs a hand through his hair, pulling him into a hug.

Jack melts into it submissively, in a way that Robby's never seen from Jack before. But he has seen it in the ED, usually right before he steps out to get a social worker involved.

Smurf lets him go before Robby needs to step in, turning expectantly to the other two.

“Deran, say hi to your brother.” She says to the blond, hand on her hip and sounding more like an order.

The blond nods, not making a move. “Hey.”

Smurf gives a disapproving look, one that Robby recognizes from his grandma that meant she was going to speak to him later. “J, honey, come here and meet your Uncle Jack.” She waves over the teen instead, a smile plastered on her face again. She wraps an arm around his shoulders. “Jack here was your mom's brother, did she ever mention him?”

J nods, looking so much like Jack as he studies him that it nearly floors Robby. “Yeah. You're from Pittsburgh, right?”

Jack nods, a sad smile on his face. “Yup. I'm sorry about your mom, kid.”

“Thanks. Sorry about your sister.”

Smurf rubs J's back, turning back to Jack. “Why don’t you boys come in and I can reheat some plates for you, and you can introduce us to your friend.” She glances at Robby, shooting him a smile. “We would have held off on dinner if I had known you two were coming.” She adds pointedly in Pope's direction.

“Does no one understand what a surprise is anymore?” Pope grumbles.

--------------

Robby learns that the short haired man is Baz, the brother that's Jack and Pope's age. He's the only one not related by blood, having been adopted by Smurf when he was a little kid. Jack hadn’t filled him in on much more than that on the car ride here.

“So, you and Jack met in med school?” Baz asks, passing him a beer on his way by, all of them sitting around a sunken living room after they ate.

Robby thanks him, taking a sip as Jack laughs next to him. “Less met, and more fell into me. We were observing our first autopsy when he fainted and broke my leg.”

“Really?” Baz pauses taking a seat, raising a brow.

Robby rolls his eyes. “It happens more often than you think. We have students drop every year. I more than made up for it by having to carry his bag around as we waited for his new leg to come in.”

“New leg?” Deran speaks up for the first time this evening, smoking weed and flipping through a surf magazine.

Jack rolls up his pant leg, showing off his prosthetic as he unlatches it. “I got a deal on schooling, I only had to pay a leg and got to keep my arm.” He jokes as he rubs his stump. By Robby's count, he's had it on way too long.

“Shit, how'd that happen?” Pope smacks Deran, glaring at him. “What?!” Daren complains, rubbing his arm. “Sorry if I don’t know the proper etiquette on asking someone how they lost a limb.”

“It's fine,” Jack waves him off. “I've spent more of my life without it than with it. I joined the army right out of high school and became a field medic. I was twenty-one when we were evacing a critical soldier by helicopter when we got shot down.”

Smurf, sitting next to Jack and an arm wrapped around his shoulders, starts running a hand through his hair. “My poor baby. You should have called me instead of enlisting, you know I would have helped out, but you always were the most independent.”

“Holy fuck.” Craig mutters. “Uh, thank you for your service?”

Jack snorts, reaching across and stealing Deran's blunt. “Get outta here with that shit. I joined for purely selfish reasons. We were too poor to afford school and my grades were too shit for a scholarship. Besides, serving through Don't Ask, Don't Tell was hell.”

“Wait, you’re gay?” Deran asks, a weird look on his face.

“Bi, actually. Why, we gonna have a problem?” Jack leans forward, glaring at him.

Daren shakes his head, leaning back and lighting a new blunt. “No, man, relax. Jesus, you’re as bad as Pope.”

This leads to more squabbling between Pope and Deran, something that must be a common occurrence since no one bats an eye. Baz continues to ask Robby questions about their work, so far being the easiest of Jack’s family members to talk to. Smurf’s easy to talk to too, almost a little too easy if Robby’s being honest. Like she always has just the right thing to say at any given moment. He’s once again reminded of the human traffickers and pimps that occasionally pass through the ED. Someone that always has to have control of the situation.

After half an hour, everyone starts trickling out. J first, heading to his room. Then Deran and Craig, Craig encouraging Deran away from Pope when their argument starts to get a little more heated.

Baz gets a call, his wife wanting him home because their daughter refuses to go to bed until she sees him. Robby follows him out, letting Jack stay and catch up more with Smurf and Pope while he gets their bags and Jack’s spare crutches from the car. It has nothing to do with the fact that Smurf was beginning to make his skin itch.

“Hey, it was nice meeting you again, man.” Baz hesitates outside his own jeep. “Sorry if you got a little overwhelmed, we’ve been told we can be a little much when we’re all put in a room together.”

Robby waves him off, shaking his head. “If you think that’s bad, you should see the ED on Black Friday. You wouldn’t believe the shit I’ve seen people pull for a good deal on a flat screen.”

Baz chuckles, fiddling with his phone. “Yeah, I bet.” He pauses, looking up from his phone. “Listen, I’m not sure what Jack’s told you about us, about what we do-”

Robby hangs his head with a grin. He should have known that he wasn’t just looking for a friendly chat on the way out. “Yeah, he mentioned a thing or two about your family business.” He raises his hands. “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor, not a cop, so this whole sussing me out thing isn’t necessary. I just wanted to help my best friend get here on time to say goodbye to his sister.”

Robby waits as Baz studies him, finally nodding. “Yeah, alright. But I gotta ask,” He leans forward. “You two are really just friends?”

Robby snorts at the tone change, shaking his head. “I love the guy, but to quote Jack when a male patient hit on me once, I’m “Tragically heterosexual”.”

----------------

When Robby makes it back inside the house, Jack and Pope have moved out to sit by the pool and Smurf is alone in the kitchen doing the dishes. Despite not being Smurf’s biggest fan, she’s still someone that Jack cares about and Robby would feel guilty leaving all the work to her after she fed them and welcomed them into her home.

After dropping off their things in the living room, Robby heads over and picks up a dish towel, drying a pan.

“You don’t have to do that, dear. You’re a guest.” Smurf says sweetly, for a moment sounding genuine.

“My grandmother would be rolling in her grave if she knew that I had left all the dishes to the host.”

Smurf smiles at him. “Smart woman.” She hands over a plate after rinsing it off. The two work in silence for a few minutes until Smurf pauses to look out at the patio where Jack and Pope are out talking in the lounge chairs. “How’s he been? Has he been sleeping?”

Robby sets down the dish with a sigh. “He nodded off a couple times while I was driving, but no, not since he found out.”

Smurf sighs herself, tearing her vision away from the two and focusing on scrubbing at a particularly tough burnt piece of food that’s stuck to a baking dish. “Pope hasn’t either. Those two have always struggled with insomnia. When they were kids, I once had to sneak a sleeping pill into their food because they hadn’t slept in a week. God, you must think I’m terrible, but with four kids all under the age of ten and a fifth on the way, I was desperate to get those two to sleep.”

Robby finds himself shaking his head. “I’ve seen mothers do much worse, believe me.”

She blinks at him, and Robby gets the feeling that he’s passed some sort of test. “Thank you. You know, I really did try my best with all of them. Jack’s mother… She was struggling after he was born. They didn’t have a name for it back then, but it would be considered postpartum depression now. She would stay in bed days at a time. Jack in his crib for hours, screaming because he’d be hungry and have a dirty diaper… She needed help, so I found a facility where she could get it and took care of Jack in the meantime.”

“That was very generous of you. It couldn’t have been easy taking care of three infants.”

“It wasn’t easy, believe me, but it would all be worth it when I would see the three of them curl up together. Are you a parent, Robby?”

That’s a loaded question if Robby’s ever heard one. “Yes, and no.” He finally settles on. “My ex, her son was a toddler when we were dating a few years ago. When we broke up, we decided to stay friends for Jake’s sake. He was already pretty attached to me and it works out well when she gets pulled away for work or just needs a day to decompress.”

Smurf turns off the water, taking off her dish gloves and leaving them out to dry. “Jack's lucky to have you, sweetheart.” She squeezes his arm and he has to suppress the urge to flinch at the contact. “The spare room is down the hall and to the right. Have a good night's sleep, the funeral’s in the morning. I’m sure Jack will need his friend’s support.” She says before turning and walking away.

Once left alone, Robby sighs, running his hands down his face and gripping the back of his neck. He’s only been here a couple hours and he already understands why Jack is the way he is so much better.

----------------

“So, you and Robby .” Pope breaks the carefully built silence by the pool as they watch the last of the lights shut off in the house.

Jack sighs as he rolls another joint, Deran having given him a baggie earlier with some half-assed apology about his leg. Jack couldn't care less, but he's not about to turn down some free weed. 

It's weird, the last time Jack saw him he was only a little kid, following Jack around everywhere he went. Hell, him and Pope basically delivered him in that gas station bathroom while Craig went to find a payphone to call an ambulance.

“I thought I was the chatty one and you were the brood in silence type.” Jack comments as he lights his joint, inhaling deeply. It feels good, the drugs doing their job of loosening his muscles and quieting down his mind. The last time he got high, he was still in med school, and him and Robby went to some party.

Pope eyes the joint, his position on drugs always being firmly in the no category. “And I thought doctors were against smoking, but here we are. Are you two fucking?”

Jack chokes at the pointed question, not used to Pope's bluntness. He coughs a few times, pounding on his chest. “Jesus, what the fuck, man?” Pope nearly raises a brow, waiting for an answer. “No! No, Robby and I are just friends.”

“Really? He drove across the country and is willingly staying here just for you, and you two aren't screwing?” Pope shakes his head, chuckling a little. “Brother, he is down bad for you.”

Jack just flips him off, leaning back in the lounge chair.

“I mean,” Pope continues, ignoring Jack's clear dismissal. “You've been in love with him for what? The past fifteen years or something? You should tell him.”

Jack rolls his head to the side, glaring at Pope. “Thank you for the relationship advice, Dear Abby. By the way, how's Catherine?”

Jack knows it was a dick move to bring up Catherine knowing full well that she's with Baz and even has a kid with him now, but by the glare now being directed at him, it seems to get his message across to drop the subject.

“How's J been? Eating, sleeping?”

Pope shrugs. “Don't know, I'm not the kid's babysitter. He's not even here most of the time. He's either at school or his girlfriend's.”

Jack sighs roughly, feeling like he's going to need more than just the joint and a half he's had tonight. “I told you, J is your nephew. He's Julia's son. You should be looking after him, or at the very least making sure Smurf isn't fucking him up like she did us.”

“I think him being raised by an addict and having her OD in front of him already fucked him up.” Pope pauses, staring at the pool. “You should take him back with you if you’re that worried.”

Jack scoffs. “Like Smurf would allow that.”

“He’s your nephew too.” Pope says mockingly.

“Since when has that stopped Smurf? Remember that shit she pulled trying to keep me here when my mom wanted to move? She took my mom’s history of depression and tried to get her deemed as unfit. She would have a field day with me.” Jack taps out the joint in the ash tray on the table next to the chairs, rubbing his hands down his face after. “Jesus, this whole situation is fucked.”

Pope stares at him, looking the same as Jack feels. Without a word, he gets up and walks over to Jack’s chair. He nudges Jack, barely giving him a chance to scoot over before climbing into the lounge chair with him. It’s a tight fit, these chairs not made for two grown adult men, but they make it work. They are half on top of each other, Jack with his arm around him and Pope on top of his chest. It could almost be mistaken for romantic if it weren’t for the fact that they used to do this all the time as kids.

“Did you ever find out what job the others are planning?” Jack asks, shifting slightly.

“Nope. Did you ever tell Robby what it is we do?”

“Yup.” Pope raises his head to give Jack a shocked look. Jack, for his part, merely smirks at him.

“And yet he still came?”

“Yup.”

Pope shakes his head before lowering it again back down on Jack’s chest. “And yet you want me to believe Robby isn’t in love with you?

The money still in Jack’s pocket suddenly feels heavier. “I gave him a watered down, cliff notes edition of everything. Maybe a little too watered down because-” Jack cuts himself off, not wanting to mention the small heist he pulled as if it was second nature. Saying it out loud would make it real, and making it real would be admitting that he missed the rush that comes with a successful heist. But maybe… “Do you remember when you, me, and Julia were kids, and we would tell each other our birthday wishes even though we weren’t supposed to, because when we told each other it was like keeping it a secret anyway?”

Pope, sensing this is serious, sits up slightly so he can see Jack clearly. He nods, letting Jack continue.

“I waited to tell him until we stopped for gas, figuring if he was mad or upset, he would be able to walk away for a bit to cool off. Well, he took the news a little too well, saying it wasn’t my fault because I was a young, impressionable kid at the time. When I pushed back, pointing out every flaw at this shitty gas station in the middle of bumfuck, Ohio, he just made some joke about Butch and Sundance.” Swallowing, he reaches a shaky hand into his pocket and pulls out the large wad of bills. “The attendant was a real fuckin’ idiot, going off to fix a pipe and leaving the register unattended while their two cameras are out.”

Pope looks between the money and Jack, face unreadable. “Any cameras on the pumps?”

“Nope. Just one from an ATM, but it was facing away from the front.”

“And how did lover boy react?”

Jack bites his lip, stuffing the money back into his pocket. “I didn’t tell him, he was already out waiting in the car when I made the distraction and jumped the counter. I can’t tell him, and you can’t either, because if he knows and asks me if I feel bad-” Jack cuts himself off again, throwing his head back. 

Pope seems to understand, laying his head back down. He grips the front of Jack's shirt, his knuckles almost white with the tight grip.

----------------

Robby jerks awake to the sound of the door squeaking open. He feels like he barely slept, something about this house making it hard for him to fully relax. 

Squinting up, he finds Jack standing there on his crutches. “What time is it?” He croaks out, sitting up slightly.

“Around three. Can I…” He trails off, fidgeting with the handle of his crutches.

Robby sighs in understanding, scooting back as far as he can on the twin bed and lifting the sheet in invitation. Jack sits on the edge, setting the crutches within reach for later and turning around to lay down. He buries himself in Robby’s chest, gripping the back of his shirt in a tight hug.

Robby moves on instinct, wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin on top of Jack’s head. The smell of weed assaults his senses. That explains why Jack is suddenly all cuddly, he’s always been the clingy type when high or drunk. “You reek.” He whispers, rubbing Jack’s back.

“I’ll shower in the morning.” His voice is muffled by Robby’s shirt.

“Did you remember a shower stool?” There’s been a few times where Jack forgot it and Robby had to help him. Jack told him once he’d rather be temporarily embarrassed with him than slip and fall, and end up in the ED.

Jack nods against his chest. “Yeah, I remembered. It’s that fold up travel one you got me a few years back.”

“Good.”

Jack’s breathing slows down to the point that Robby’s sure he fell asleep, which is why he’s surprised when Jack speaks up again. “Is it weird that I both hate this place, and yet I never want to leave?”

Yes. Robby thinks, but he doesn’t say. Jack’s been acting weird ever since they left Pittsburgh, he doesn’t want to make it worse by piling on. “Of course not. You had an… unorthodox upbringing, it’s completely within your right to feel different and conflicting ways about it.”

Jack snorts. “Okay then, Doctor Robinavich.”

Robby huffs a laugh. “Yeah, okay, that was a bit… psych ward rotation.”

Jack laughs weakly, his hands clenching and unclenching. The laugh fades off into sniffles, Robby continuing to rub his back. “I… I need to tell you something, but…”

Robby waits for him to finish, but after a minute of nothing he squeezes his neck assuringly. “Hey, tell me what?” He asks softly.

Jack shakes his head, burying himself in Robby's chest further. “You'll hate me.”

“No, of course I won't hate you. Nothing you can do would make me hate you, ever. Okay?”

“I… I lied. I… I didn't join the army to pay for school, I did it because it was either that or go to prison for stealing a car when I was seventeen. I was going to be eighteen in a few weeks and the car was a teacher's. The guy was a dick, but he ran the ROTC program at my school and thought I just needed some more discipline and structure in my life. He told me if I joined up that he would drop the charges.”

Robby sighs. “So you did. But why would you steal his car in the first place?”

Jack shrugs. “Told you, he was a dick.”

“Jack, I'm gonna need a little more than that.” He feels Jack stiffen, making Robby mentally curse at himself. “I don’t hate you, I'm just curious.”

Jack sighs roughly. “He would play favorites in class. I was not one of them. Everyone knew he babied his mustang, so I broke in and hotwired it.”

Robby still feels like there’s more to the story, but it was already like pulling teeth to get Jack to tell him that much. He can try bringing it up some other time, when Jack is sober and not in the middle of grieving the loss of his sister. “Thank you for telling me. Why don’t you try and get some sleep, okay? Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”

Jack nods against his chest, his breathing evening out until Robby can tell he fell asleep for real.

----------------

Robby blinks awake, finding himself alone in the bed. He hears a shower running in the attached bathroom, and Jack’s crutches are missing. He glances at his watch, finding it to be about seven in the morning. Hopefully Jack managed to get at least a few hours of sleep last night.

Throwing on a pair of sweats for the time being, he heads out to the kitchen, shocked to find Jack’s nephew already up and in the middle of scrambling eggs with some veggies like it were any other morning. He’s seen this before with family members after he’s had to give the news of a loved one’s passing. It sometimes takes the mind a moment to catch up, with all the more devastating crash the longer it takes to process. 

“Morning. Something smells good.” Robby leans forward against the island, making sure he entered with enough noise so that J would know he’s there. Everyone else is nowhere to be seen, probably still in bed, and Pope is out by the pool with his back to them. Maybe now he can get a chance to talk to the kid without Smurf hovering.

The kid still flinches slightly, but Robby pretends not to notice as he comes around the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Oh, uh, thanks.” J stutters, glancing over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the eggs on the stove. “I don’t know how to cook much, but I have a couple easy things that I can throw together.”

“You’d be surprised, eggs are deceptively deceiving.” 

J gives him a sidelong look, as if Robby’s patronizing him. “Sure they are.”

Robby chuckles, shaking his head. “No, I’m serious. Before I was a doctor, I worked in a lot of kitchens. It didn’t matter what your qualifications were or how the interview went, if your eggs weren’t perfect, they would cut you right there and then.”

J raises a brow at him, pausing in his stirring. “Wow, that’s kinda fucked up.”

Robby shrugs, taking a sip of his coffee. “Them’s the breaks. On the bright side, I got really good at making eggs.”

J chuckles at that, a silence falling over the room as he finishes cooking. As he tips his eggs on a plate, the pan is still half full of eggs. “Do you want some? I uh, I was used to making enough for two.”

Robby nods, sending J a small smile as he grabs a plate for himself. “Thank you.” He waits until the kid finishes and takes a seat at the island bar. “So, how are you feeling?” He asks as he leans his forearms down on the counter so he’s more eye level.

J shrugs a shoulder as he takes a large bite. “I don’t know, weird?” He answers after his swallows.

Robby nods, understanding what he means. He sets his fork down and holds out his right hand palm up where he has a small burn. “I got this scar when I was four. I was hungry and my parents had passed out so I tried to use the stove myself.”

J blinks at him, once again reminding him of Jack. If Robby didn't know better, he would think he was Jack's son. “I sliced my hand open on a can opener when I was five.” He finally says. “What were they hooked on?”

“Heroin mostly. They both OD'd a week later. My mom didn't make it and my dad went to the hospital then prison.”

J nods, a look of understanding. “That's what my mom died of too.”

Robby’s glad he got him to open up more, even if it means having to dredge up old memories for himself. “What about your grandma? She been treating you alright?” He moves on, remembering how hard it had been for him to be living with strangers. He’s also curious how Smurf acts when she’s not putting on a show for company.

J hesitates before shrugging a shoulder again. “She’s alright. At least there's always food in the house.”

Robby quirks a smile at that. “I was the same way. My grandma took me in too, but she was from out of state. I had to go to a foster home while she moved and the family would get so frustrated because I would hide food all over the house. My grandma was nicer about it. She would purposely leave nonperishable food out for me to grab whenever and taught me how to cook when I got older.”

“That's pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it was.” 

“I should go get ready for today.” J gets up to put his plate in the sink, hesitating. He wraps his arms around himself. “Thanks, for the chat and stuff. My uncles, they've lived with Smurf their whole lives so they don't really… get it.”

Robby takes a deep breath, nodding his head and tapping his hands on the counter. “Watching your mom die, it's a tough club to be a member of.” Grabbing a scrap piece of paper left out, Robby jots down his number. “Here, this is my cell. Feel free to use it if you ever want to chat about anything. I've been told I'm a pretty good listener.”

J takes the paper with a polite smile, stuffing it in his pocket. Robby watches him leave, both hoping he'll use it and that he'll never have to.

-------------

Without any notice, the only formal wear Robby and Jack had were the suits that they wear when they have to do the odd presentation they've had to give at conferences. They fit, and because of the infrequent use, they aren't worn, but they were bought on the cheaper end of the spectrum.

Despite that, him and Jack are still more dressed up than any of his brothers. Even J doesn't have a suit jacket over his borrowed dress shirt from one of his uncles.

They all drive separately, Robby getting Jack to hand him the keys to his jeep without much of a fight. Jack's been quiet all morning, only saying a few words here and there. He wasn't going to eat, but Robby got him to eat a couple bites of toast.

The funeral is small, reminding Robby of his own mother’s funeral. Jack's family stay huddled together while a scattered group stand on the other side of the casket. Jack himself stays silent, looking to be dissociating as he stares at the casket, not absorbing a word that the priest says. He doesn’t say a word when Smurf asks if anyone has anything to say and doesn’t react when there is an argument with one of the people from Julia’s building. The only sign Robby has that he’s not completely gone is when Jack grips Robby’s hand near the beginning of the funeral, and only tightens his grip as the funeral progresses.

When everyone goes to disperse, Jack slips his hand from Robby’s and runs to catch up with Baz and Pope without a word.

“You get used to it.” He hears behind him, causing him to jump slightly and spin around. It’s Cathrine, Baz’s girlfriend that he met only briefly before the service started.

“Sorry?”

“Baz, Pope, and Jack. They were like that when we were kids too. Those three are so intertwined with each other that it’s always them first and everyone outside their circle second. You’ll probably get a text any second with some sort of apology and that they’ll meet up with us later.”

As if on cue, Robby’s phone vibrates with a message and when he checks it’s with a text from Jack saying essentially what Cathrine just told him. He glances up from his phone with a raised brow. “Okay, that was a little spooky.”

She chuckles dryly with a shake of her head. “Like I said, you get used to it.”

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Robby shifts in place as he looks around the near empty graveyard. “Well then, it looks like I just lost my tour guide for the day. Got any recommendations for someone that’s never been this far west before?”

“Do you have a car?”

Robby pulls the jeep’s keys out from his pocket, dangling them from a finger.

Catherine grins. “Then we can go pick up the best tour guide this town has to offer.”

---------------

As soon as the funeral finishes, Jack notices Baz take off and Pope following him close behind. Feeling like a kid, he goes after them until they reach the street, stopping to talk. Pope is trying to get more information out of Baz about the job, but Baz is remaining firm on not saying a word.

It’s been bothering Jack too, his mind occupied with trying to figure out what they’re up to so he doesn’t have to think about everything else going on. It was embarrassing enough last night with high Jack blabbing all his insecurities to Robby while cuddling up with him in that tiny bed, he overheard Robby’s little chat with J this morning. He knew Robby remembered more about his mom passing then he let on.

Mind made up, Jack sends Robby a quick text before stepping forward. “Pope said you’ve made it clear it’s not a bank, so jewelry or electronics store?” He makes himself known, coming up beside Pope. “Although, electronics are bulky and the take from those types of stores make their weight to value ratio not worth it. But jewelry on the other hand…”

Baz looks like he’s fighting a grin as he shakes his head. “For my sake, I can neither confirm nor deny.” In other words, Smurf was serious about Baz not saying anything. “And before you ask, no. If Smurf says Pope’s not in, then you definitely are not in, man.”

“Why not? I’m not the one on parole, and the cops have no idea who I am.”

Baz scoffs. “Not know who you are? You two are basically twins. They’ll take one look at you and know exactly who you’re related to. And no offense, but you haven’t done a job since you were thirteen, man. It’s not a dig against you, but the fact remains that you’re rusty.”

Jack clenches his fist, and all of a sudden he feels like he’s back at that gas station with Robby making light of his past. “Rusty? If I was rusty, would I be able to get this from a gas station without anyone knowing, including the attendant and Robby?” He takes out the wad of bills, shoving them into Baz’s chest.

Baz is shocked as he flips through the bills, eyes flicking between Jack and the money. “Dude, how-”

Pope smirks, stepping into Baz’s face. “Guess he’s not as rusty as you thought.”

Jack feels like he’s thirteen again, snatching his money back and smirking at Baz. “But if Smurf says we’re out, then we’ll go find our own shit to do. Let’s go, Pope.”

Baz lets out a rough sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine, get in and I’ll explain, but Smurf can’t know I said a word, got it?”

Jack nods, sharing a fist bump with Pope. “Shotgun.”

---------------

Catherine is the first person Robby’s met this whole trip that didn’t make his skin crawl. It was like a breath of fresh air speaking to her as they drove to pick up her daughter from school. Lena’s only a year or two younger than Jake, twice as sweet, and all Robby wants to do is scream at them to get the hell away from this family.

He follows Catherine’s directions to her place, a small house right on the beach.

“Alright, Lena, go play in your room for a little bit and maybe later we can show Uncle Robby your favorite place to play on the beach.” Catherine leads Lena into a room off of the living room. It looks like it was a den that was made into an extra bedroom.

Robby gives Lena a smile and small wave, face a little red at the honorary uncle title. “That’s pretty neat, having the beach as your backyard.” He comments after Lena’s door closes, glancing out the slider.

“It never gets old.” Catherine starts picking up some of Lena’s toys. “Thanks again for the ride. I just need to finish cleaning this up, then we can head out.”

Robby waves her off, noticing a basket of Lena’s clothes on the coffee table. “I don’t mind, take your time. These clean and need folding?”

Catherine looks up. “Uh, yeah, but-”

Robby grabs the basket, taking a seat on the couch to start folding them.

“Really, you don't need to do that.”

Robby shrugs, folding a pajama shirt and moving on to a matching pair of pants. “Laundry’s always been a way for me to relax.”

Catherine studies him for a second, dropping off some toys in a bin and taking a seat next to him. “It’s hard, being on the outside of that family. I’ve been with Baz for over a decade and have a kid with him, and yet Smurf has this way of making them pick her every time.”

Robby nods, pausing mid fold. “I’m worried. I’ve known Jack for a long time now, longer than anyone else, and I’ve never seen him act the way he does when he’s around Smurf. He becomes so… subdued. He doesn’t act like that when we visit his mom.”

“That’s Smurf for you. She’s always had her claws in all her boys.” Catherine half jokes, starting to fold the clothes as well.

Robby forces a smile, returning to folding. “I take it you’re not a fan?”

Catherine sighs. “It’s complicated. Baz and Lena love her, I just want them to be happy.”

Robby doesn’t like this. He thought talking with Catherine would ease his worries, but now he’s more worried than ever. Jack would have told him if Smurf was abusive, right?

“Anyway, enough about Smurf. How long have you and Jack been together?”

Robby chokes on nothing, coughing to clear his throat. He can feel his face heating up and he shakes his head. Before he gets a chance to recover and correct her though, Lena comes running out of her room with a piece of paper.

“Uncle Robby, I made this for you.” She holds out the paper, where there are lots of crayon scribbles in what he’s guessing is supposed to be a picture of either a cow or a horse. Or maybe a cat?

“Wow, look at that! It looks so good, thank you.” He takes the paper, holding it to his chest. “I’ll cherish this forever. You know what it’s missing though? The artist’s signature. May I get your autograph?”

She grins and takes the paper back. “One otgraph comin’ right up!” She runs back to her room.

“When you’re done with that, get your shoes on and we can go to the beach before we meet up with Daddy and the others for dinner.” Catherine calls out after her. When he turns back, Catherine is grinning at him. “You’re really good with her.”

Robby shrugs dismissively, rubbing the back of his neck. “My ex has a son, I take care of him from time to time.”

“How old?”

“He just turned eight, and already mad that we won’t let him get a phone.”

Catherine nods in agreement. “Half of Lena’s class have phones. I’m like, they’re six, what do they need phones for?”

Lena comes running back out of her room, her shoes slapping on the floor. “All done!”

“Ho, ho, a Lena original. This is going straight on my fridge as soon as I get home.” He folds it up, sticking it in his wallet for safe keeping. 

As soon as he finishes, Lena takes his hand and pulls him along. “C’mon, Uncle Robby, I wanna show you how high I can swing. I can almost make it all the way around.”

He glances back at Catherine. Most of the laundry is done, but there are still a couple more pieces. “Go on ahead, I’ll catch up. Lena, be good for Uncle Robby and stay at the playground, okay? If you behave, we can get ice cream after dinner.”

“Yes, Mommy.” She nods, renewing her pull on Robby’s hand. “After the swing, I’ll show you how fast I can go down the slide.”

Robby sends Catherine a quick wave, turning his attention back to Lena as she moves on to tell him about the monkey bars. It isn’t until he’s at the park that he realizes he never got the chance to correct Catherine about him and Jack. That’s the second time now, and he’s really starting to wonder why Jack’s family keep assuming they’re together. Sure, he drove with Jack across the country at a moment's notice, and they shared a bed last night, and held hands at the funeral…

…Yeah, he’s starting to see how they might get mistaken for a couple, but Jack’s his best friend. When Robby came back from his residency in New Orleans, and him and Jack both took on attending roles in the ED, the nursing staff loved to spread rumors that they were “secretly hooking up” on the roof. It got to the point where Adamson called them both into his office, starting with saying how happy he was for the both of them, but then switched to a lecture about professionalism in the workplace.

That was the most awkward fifteen minutes of his life as they both tried to explain to Adamson that they are just friends until he finally relented and sent them on their way with an apology.

After their shift, where Robby spent the whole time unable to look Adamson in the eye, he went out for drinks with Jack. Jack had laughed so hard about what happened that he nearly threw up, wrapping his arm around Robby and saying, “Are we even best friending correctly if there aren’t rumors about us boning?”.

----------------

Jack nods from the front seat of Baz's mustang, nibbling on some fries from In-n-Out as he takes in their plan.

“Having the druggies stew in the SUV is a nice touch. It'll be a DNA goldmine in there.” He muses.

Baz rolls his eyes with a grin. “So glad it meets your standards.”

“I didn't say that, I just said it was a nice touch.”

Baz scoffs, shaking his head. “Alright, smart guy, what would you change?”

Jack lets out a laugh, wiping his hands on a napkin. “What’s in it for me?”

“In it for you?” Baz repeats, amusement in his voice. “How do I know if your idea's even any good?”

Jack shrugs. “You don't.”

Baz stares at him, and Jack can see the moment he gives in. “Fine, a hundred bucks.”

“Now that’s just insulting.”

“A thousand.” Baz counters.

“I may be down a leg, but I could still kick your ass.”

“Five percent.” Pope speaks up from the back.

Baz raises his brows as he looks at Pope through the rearview mirror. “That’s how much Gia’s getting, and she’s fencing the whole lot. Hell, you two aren’t even supposed to know about the plan.”

“Then give him half of my cut. Jesus, Baz, he’s our brother for fuck’s sake.”

Jack watches as there is a stare down between Pope and Baz, Baz being the one to flinch first. “Five percent. If his plan is integrated.”

Jack smothers down a smirk, Baz always was bad at sharing. “Slip a few pieces from the robbery on the druggies.”

Baz rolls his eyes again. “And why the hell would we do that?”

“The DNA from the SUV will lead the cops to the druggies, but if they don’t have any of the jewelry on them and Gia fences them too well so they don’t ever surface, then it will smell like a setup from a mile away and the cops will continue to investigate before eventually showing up on your doorstep.” Baz still looks unconvinced so Jack continues. “We deal with druggies in the ED all the time, they aren’t exactly the brightest crayons in the box. There’s no way they would be stupid enough to leave all their DNA in the car, but smart enough to move everything without it ever surfacing. If you make sure they have some jewelry that can link them to the robbery, then it will be an open and shut case. This will look so sloppy, your guys' names won’t even cross the detectives’ minds.”

Pope cackles behind him, reaching forward and patting Jack on the chest. “I think he just earned his five percent, don’t you think, Baz?” He gloats, keeping his arm around Jack.

Baz cracks a grin. “Yeah, alright, I admit, that’s pretty clever.”

Jack does a mini bow in his seat. Pope rests his chin on his shoulder, giving him a quick hug. “Admit it, you miss this. If we add an extra one percent, think you could stay?”

Jack won’t lie, it is tempting. He never even realized how smothered and masked he felt in Pittsburgh, having to bury this part of himself. Ever since his small heist back in Ohio, it's felt like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders and he can fully breathe again. “I can’t.” He forces himself to say. His mom pulled him away from here for a reason, he can’t just throw away the chance at a normal life that she gave him. “I have work.”

“C’mon, man, Pope’s right.” Baz taps his hand on Jack’s thigh. “California’s got hospitals too.”

“Is it work, or the person at work that’s holding you back?” Pope asks suddenly, his questions like a scalpel, digging right into the heart of the problem.

Jack groans as Baz makes an amused noise. “Ah, Jackie’s got a crush.”

Pope finally lets him go, shifting over so he is more in the middle between their seats. “Oh, it’s much more than a crush now. I’ve had to hear him hopelessly pine for the past fifteen years-”

Jack flings an arm back, Pope dodging at the last minute. “Would you shut up!”

“Wait,” Baz pauses, Jack able to see him putting the pieces together in his head. “Is it Robby?”

Pope nods, dodging another swing from Jack with a grin.

“You guys are both assholes, you know that?” Jack fights down a grin as the two continue to tease him. Damn it, he really has missed these assholes. Baz has a point, California does have a lot of hospitals, and he’s heard that LA specifically has some good trauma centers.

Chapter Text

They all end up meeting at a Chinese restaurant for dinner, Robby arriving with Catherine and Lena. Lena decides that Robby is her new favorite person, choosing to sit on his lap through all of the dinner. Jack finds it hilarious, sharing an amused look with Robby when she calls him “Uncle Robby”.

Robby keeps an eye on Jack, taking in the sudden mood shift. Just a few hours ago, he was quiet and withdrawn at the funeral, but now he’s done a complete one-eighty. He’s smiling, laughing and joking with his brothers, even winning a hundred bucks off Craig by catching a shrimp in his mouth after J’s girlfriend Nicky had done the same. Maybe spending the afternoon with his brothers is just what Jack needed. Bonding with family is supposed to help one come to terms with grief, Robby just hopes that that is what Jack’s doing, and not burying his feelings under some mask.

Robby eventually excuses himself to use the bathroom, Lena shifting over to sit with J. The bathrooms are down a hallway, away from all the commotion of the main dining room. The silence is nice, giving him a chance to take a break from Jack’s family. Baz wasn’t kidding last night when he said they can get a little wild when all of them are put into a room together.

Arms wrap around him from behind, startling him until he looks down to see they belong to Jack. He relaxes instantly, patting Jack’s arms and feeling him rest his forehead on the back of his shoulder.

“You doing okay?”

Jack merely grunts, holding him tighter.

Robby sighs, rubbing Jack’s arms in a calming motion. Looks like his theory on Jack masking his feelings wasn’t too far off. “I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

“Anything?” Jack’s voice is rough, muffled by Robby’s shirt. Something about it is strange, but Robby chalks it up to the lack of sleep and all the emotional turmoil Jack’s been going through the past week.

“Anything.” He confirms. “I’ll always be here for you.”

Jack nods against his shoulder, moving his face into the crook of his neck. Robby suppresses a shiver as a warm breath ghosts over his neck, Jack’s breathing audible.

“J-jack?” He stutters as Jack’s grip gets tighter around him, his front completely plastered against Robby’s back.

“I thought you said anything.” Jack whispers in his ear. 

Robby’s heart is pounding now, nearly skipping a beat when Jack starts to pepper kisses down his neck. He struggles to get away, but Jack keeps his grip, holding him in place against him. “Jack, stop. I understand that you’re upset, but you need to stop this right now.” Robby’s not sure how he’s able to keep his voice steady as he swallows, Jack’s kisses becoming more insistent now. At this rate he might get a hickey like some teenager.

When hands start drifting down, slowly untucking his shirt, Robby has enough. He snatches Jack’s wrists, pinning them in place. “I said enough!” He raises his voice, pushing back until Jack lets him go… with a chuckle? 

He spins around, face burning hot. “What the fuck is wrong-” He cuts himself off when he finds Pope standing there, slight grin on his face as he eyes Robby up and down.

“Would you look at that, I guess Jack was telling the truth about you two just being friends.”

“What- Why-” Pope continues to stand there, staring at Robby with a slight head tilt as he waits for Robby to finish. “You’re fucking insane, you know that!” He finally settles on, adding a shove to get Pope a few more feet away from him.

Pope just stands there, not saying a word. Robby huffs in frustration, shoulder checking him as he passes. He marches back out to the dining room, barely stopping to pull some money out of his wallet to cover his dinner and tossing it on the table. 

He keeps his focus on Jack, aware that all the conversation around the table ended. “Take however long you need, man. I’m gonna stay in a hotel from now on.” He gives Lena a small wave, ignoring the others as he hightails it out of the restaurant.

----------------

Jack doesn’t get it, one minute Robby’s fine, sipping a beer and coloring with Lena. He goes to use the bathroom, and the next Jack knows he’s running out of here with his jaw clenched. He shoots a glare at Pope as he returns at a slower pace, knowing he had something to do with the sudden shift in attitude.

Shoving his chair out, he takes off after Robby. Thankfully, Robby is still outside the restaurant, pacing in place and smoking a cigarette.

“I thought you were trying to quit.”

Robby lets out a dry chuckle, shaking his head and taking another drag. “You know, I tried. I tried real fuckin’ hard here, but I can't anymore. These people are crazy.”

Jack freezes, taken aback. “These people? These people are my family.” Robby scoffs. “What?” Jack grits out.

“Come on, Jack, stop defending them and open your eyes. They’re criminals, and assholes to boot!”

“Well, so am I! Or did you forget about all the stuff I’ve done too?” 

Robby throws his cigarette down, stomping it out. “Did. Past tense. I know you, Jack, and the way you’ve been acting since we got here, pretending to be this tough guy, it isn’t you.”

Robby’s getting closer, his voice lowering, but all it’s doing is pissing Jack off more. Without thinking, he shoves Robby back, hard. He just barely is able to catch himself as he stumbles, staring at Jack with wide eyes. “You don’t know shit about me! I never complained about pulling jobs, hell, I miss it! This is who I am, Michael!” Wanting to drive the point home, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the wad of cash, shoving it into Robby’s chest. “Remember Ohio? I told you, under two minutes.”

Robby continues to stare, swallowing hard. Finally, he nods, eyes shifting into an apathetic look as he hands the money back over. “I think you made your point pretty clear.” He reaches into his pocket, tossing Jack the car keys. “Like I said, I’m going to find a hotel for tonight, then in the morning I’m going to catch a flight home. Come back, stay here, I don’t give a shit.”

Without another word, Robby sticks his hands in his pockets and starts to walk away. “Yeah, well, fuck you too!”

Robby merely waves, not turning back around.

“Yeah, keep walking, asshole! I never needed you anyway! I have my family! You know, the people who actually give a shit!”

Jack isn't sure all he says to Robby, he just knows he keeps going until Robby is out of sight, yelling until his throat goes raw.

With one final scream of frustration, Jack throws his keys and the money on the ground, not caring that the money starts to scatter in the breeze.

He lets himself drop against the building, sliding down and wrapping his arms around his legs and burying his face in his knees.

He knew it, he knew this would happen. Jack feels like an idiot for thinking that Robby could look past it all. Now Robby hates him and he has nowhere to go. All he can do is cry on the sidewalk like some loser because his supposed best friend basically just broke up with him.

He doesn't know how long he spends sniffling on the ground until the restaurant door rings open and a single pair of heels come clicking out. A familiar figure hunches down next to him, wrapping her slender arms around him and pulling him into safety, her sweet perfume enveloping his senses.

“It’s alright, baby, I got you.” She whispers, kissing the top of his head and running her hands through his hair. “That’s it, let it out. I’m right here.”

“He-he hates me, Mama.”

Smurf shushes him, tucking him under her chin. “All that matters is that I’m here now. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

--------------

Deran doesn't remember his older brother Jack much. He's just a faint ghost in his memory, the shadow of someone that was there one day and gone the next.

Craig seems to remember him though, spending the whole time after the funeral telling Deran about all the cool shit he used to do. Apparently, he was the one that taught Craig how to skateboard and surf, as if that makes him a god in Craig's eyes.

Deran scoffs at that, shaking his head and flicking his cigarette out as he parks. “I get it, the sun shines out of the guy's ass.”

“Dude, what's your problem? You've been acting like a little bitch ever since Jack got here.”

Deran rolls his eyes. “I just don't see what the big deal is. He's some big shot doctor that's only deigned to visit us because one of the two siblings he's related to died. It’s not like he was ever around when Smurf kicked Julia out. Hell, the two of us aren’t even related to him.”

Craig sends a glare his way. Deran doesn’t remember the last time Craig looked so serious and offended. “We’re all his siblings. He always made sure we knew that, made sure to include us even when Pope and Baz didn’t want to.”

Deran still isn’t convinced, but he drops it for Craig’s sake. They need to head into the restaurant and he really doesn’t want another lecture from Smurf if they come inside arguing.

He keeps an eye on Jack as they eat, watching as he laughs and jokes around with everyone. Craig makes a fool of himself, constantly vying for Jack’s attention. It’s embarrassing. The only one not sucking up to Jack is the guy’s “friend” Robby. Deran’s pretty sure the two are fucking. Who else would drive across the country for the funeral of someone that you never met?

Everything comes to a head when Robby leaves in a hurry, looking absolutely livid. Jack goes chasing after him, shoving his chair out and causing a loud scraping sound to echo through the restaurant.

A heavy silence falls over the table as no one knows what to say, only Lena making noise as her crayons scrap on a piece of paper.

Pope takes his seat again without a word, digging back into his food as Smurf shoots him a look. She stands instead of saying anything and calmly heads out of the restaurant after Jack.

----------------

Jack follows them back to the house, Smurf riding with him. Deran pretends not to notice the red-rimmed eyes and glares Jack sends to anyone that gets too close to him, Pope especially. If Deran had to guess, Robby’s quick exit had something to do with Pope.

Now the house is walking on egg shells as they have not one, but two Popes that seem to be ready to snap.

Pope is camped out in the living room in front of the tv, staring at some documentary as if it shot his puppy. Jack is in the back, having changed into some borrowed gym clothes and is going at the punching bag full force.

Deran decides that the kitchen is a safe enough place to hide as he gets a beer out of the fridge, passing one to Craig as he enters as well.

“This sure brings back memories.” Craig comments as he twists off his cap, taking a swig.

“Did those two fight a lot?” Deran finds that hard to believe since the two have been basically glued to each other’s sides since Jack got here.

Craig blinks at him. “You really don’t remember, do you?” Deran shrugs. “Jack basically lived with us the whole time. His mom was a nurse and would work crazy long hours, so it was just easier for him to stay here. Most of the time they got along great, but every so often they would have these huge fights. One of the times, when they were thirteen, we were all playing hide-and-seek and Pope thought it was cheating that Jack hid on the roof, so he shoved him off.”

“Holy shit.”

Craig nods in agreement, picking at the beer label. “Broke Jack’s arm. His mom was pissed. When she found out, her and Smurf had a huge screaming match that ended in them moving across the country by the end of the week.”

“With how possessive Smurf’s been since he got here, I’m shocked she didn’t fight more to keep him.”

Craig lets out a wry chuckle, picking up his beer again and heading out of the room. “She tried, but this was one of the few fights Smurf lost.”

“Huh.” Deran continues to stare out the window, sipping his beer. “What the hell.” He finally decides, grabbing a new beer from the fridge and heading out the slider. 

Jack glances at him, not pausing his rhythm.

“I come bearing a peace offering.” Deran holds up the beer, waiting a few seconds until Jack stops throwing punches.

“Thanks.” He grunts, ripping off the gloves before taking the beer.

“You’re pretty good at that. Better than Pope even, but don’t tell him I said that.” Deran nods at the punching bag, not sure what the hell he’s doing, or even what possessed him to come out and check on him. 

Jack cracks a small grin at that. “I could be down two limbs and I’d still be better than him, but don’t tell him I said that.”

“Deal.” 

Deran watches in fascination as he takes a seat, flipping some switch or lever on his leg that makes it slide off. Underneath is what looks like two different layers of large socks. There are two huge scars making an X at the end of the stump, where Jack is drying it off with a towel, then feeling around with his hands.

“Does it hurt?”

Jack shrugs, still feeling around. “No more than usual.” He pauses, glancing up at him. “If this bothers you, I can go to my room. I’ve been told it can be a bit unnerving for people who aren’t used to it.”

Deran shakes his head, going as far as taking a seat across from him. “No, I’m fine. It’s kinda cool. What are you doing? If it doesn’t hurt, that is.”

Jack’s eyes track him the whole time, eerily similar to Pope. “I’m checking for cuts or blisters. It can get infected pretty easily if I’m not careful, but I’ll spare you the gory details.”

“I can handle gory.” Deran defends himself, feeling like a little kid all over again.

Jack shakes his head, finishing up his check. “Did you ever learn about trench foot in school?”

Deran makes a face, remembering vividly the pictures in his textbook of the soldiers with their feet so badly infected they would turn black with rot. 

Jack laughs at his expression. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I got a small infection once, but I didn’t want to be stuck on my crutches, so Robby-” Jack suddenly cuts himself off, his face darkening again. “It, uh, it doesn’t matter. I’ve just learned to be thorough every time.”

Jack seems to be lost in thought, staring at the pool. “Did he break up with you?” Deran hazards a guess, feeling more confident as Jack turns sharply at him with a glare.

“That would involve us having to actually be together in the first place. Word of advice, kid, don’t ever bring anyone you care about back to this family, because they will poison every outside relationship until all you have left to crawl back to is them.”

----------------

Robby flops down on the foot of the motel bed, burying his face in his hands. He shouldn't have lost his cool like that, but this whole time it's felt like Jack has been slipping further and further away from him.

Fuck. He knows better than to go off on Jack like that, knows that pressuring him will only make him dig his heels in deeper.

With a huff, Robby pulls out his phone and stares at Jack's contact page.

He should call. He wants to call.

Before he can make up his mind, there's a knock at his door. Tossing his phone on the bed, he cracks the door open with the chain still in place. He isn't exactly in the nicest motel ever. More like it was the closest one after he stormed off from the restaurant.

On the other side is Baz, making Robby scoff and start to shut the door. Baz sticks his foot out, jamming the door.

“Just give me two minutes.” He rushes out. “Two minutes, then I’m out of your hair for good.”

Robby sighs, hanging his head. He shouldn’t. Every fiber of his being is screaming at him to tell Baz to go to hell and to slam the door in his face.

But Robby always was terrible at listening to his instincts.

He shuts the door for a moment to undo the chain, then opens the door completely. “Just so you know, I started the two minutes the second you knocked on this door.” He comments as he walks back into his room.

Baz nods, shutting the door behind him. “Fair enough, I’ll make this quick. You need to make sure Jack goes back to Pittsburgh with you. I’m not saying you two have to make up, that shit’s between you guys, but he can’t stay here in California.”

Robby cocks his head in surprise. “I gotta say, that’s pretty low on the list of things I was expecting you to say. I thought you’d be happy that your brother wants to move back here.”

Baz shrugs, a fake grin plastered on his face. “What can I say? I’m full of surprises. Maybe I just want what’s best for my brother, and that’s for him to be as far from this place as possible.”

Robby studies him, something just feeling off about his reasoning. “How altruistic of you… and out of character, since you never bothered to reach out before now. Jack told me the only ones he stayed in contact with were Julia and Pope.”

Robby hits the nail on the head, Baz’s easy going smile cracking. “You’re smart, almost as smart as Jack.”

“Ah,” Robby pieces it together, hanging his head with a dry laugh. “That’s what this is about. Jack’s your competition.”

“Do you have any siblings, Robby?” Baz shifts the conversation.

His gut instinct is always to say no, but that would be a lie. “A half brother in New Orleans, but we weren’t raised together. I didn’t know he existed until I was an adult.”

“Then how would you feel if he walked into where you worked, where you spent years earning your place, and he just got handed a position above you?” Baz pauses, running a hand through his hair. “I worked my ass off getting to the point where Smurf lets me call some of the shots, but now that her precious Jack is here, the prodigal son returning so to speak, I’ll be stuck doing the grunt work again.”

After the last few shitty days that Robby has had, witnessing this breakdown of jealousy is almost hilarious. Every single one of Jack’s brothers really are assholes, even to each other. “Wow, I guess the saying “honor amongst thieves” wasn’t very accurate.”

“What’s accurate,” Baz growls out. “Is that if Jack stays, he will literally become the next Smurf. She had him helping her plan jobs since he was ten. At twelve, he was planning things himself.”

“And now that he’s back, he’s gonna be handed the keys to the kingdom, and you’ll be kicked to the curb.” Robby finishes for him.

“I’m the one that’s put in all the work. Me, not the one that already has a life setup for himself. I’m the one that’s had to plan around Pope’s craziness, and Craig’s drugs, and Deran fucking off when he has one of his pissy fits. I’m the one that always has to play peace keeper between Smurf and the boys. I deserve this. I don’t care if you have to spend an hour convincing him or you just tie him up and throw him in the car, he needs to be gone.”

Robby crosses his arms, shaking his head in disbelief. “Your two minutes are just about up.”

Baz glares at him, his mask completely gone now. Jaw clenched, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a money clip. Counting out a few hundred dollar bills, he tosses them onto the bed. “In case you need extra incentive. We’re pulling a job tonight, he better be gone by the time we get back.”

Without waiting for a reply, Baz turns to leave, slamming the motel door shut on his way out.

---------------

The house is eerily quiet with everyone but Smurf gone, the only noises being Smurf in the kitchen baking her usual apple pie for when the others get back. Baz, Deran, and Craig headed out for the job, shortly followed by Pope and J. Jack was originally going to go with Pope to boost a car as part of Baz’s job, but Pope switched to taking J with him after Jack told him to fuck off.

He knows Pope had something to do with tipping Robby over the edge at the restaurant earlier, but the little shit is being annoyingly tight lipped about the whole thing. Jack has two theories, either Pope was being Pope about something, or Smurf got in his ear again. Whatever the case, it seems to have been enough for Robby to finally give up on him.

To hate him, just as he feared would happen.

He had only told one other person about his family before Robby, and that was his late wife Clare. She had been his best, and honestly only, friend when he first moved to Pittsburgh with his mom. She would laugh at his dark jokes, and would cut class with him. Hell, the only reason he stole that asshole teacher’s car was because he had confiscated a carton of cigarettes from her.

It was one thing when she thought he was just a normal, run-of-the-mill bad boy, but she never quite looked at him the same after he confessed. He’s pretty sure she was going to break up with him, but then he was getting deployed and all of that fell to the wayside. They had a quick wedding in his mom’s backyard so she could be his next of kin, spent a few years writing letters and having static filled phone calls minutes at a time, then he returned stateside with three out of the four limbs he had left with.

The conversation was brought up again ten months later when she walked in on the tail end of a phone call he was having with Pope. She never asked if he was still in contact with that side of his family, and he never offered up that piece of information himself, but she was surprised to say the least. That surprise turned into anger, a catalyst for all the tension that had been building between the two of them that they’ve been dancing around for years now.

Finally fed up, she left their apartment in a huff, telling him she was going to the store and that she’d be back in a few hours after they both had the chance to cool down.

That was the last time he had seen her.

An hour and twenty-seven minutes after she left, he got a phone call telling him that she had been hit and killed by a drunk driver in the parking lot of the supermarket.

He can't let what happened to Clare repeat with Robby, he just can't, but now he has the added problem of Smurf in the mix.

He was an idiot for letting his guard down and letting her back in. He knows better, but that one moment of weakness was all it took for him to slip up and let her false concern comfort him.

She's had one eye on him since his stupid freakout at the restaurant. Even now, as he pretends to watch TV in the living room, he can feel her gaze on him from the kitchen. If he wants to do anything - leave or try and get in touch with Robby - he needs to wait until she's distracted by someone else.

Luck seems to be on his side, because at that moment he gets a text from Pope of all people, which is strange in itself. Pope notoriously never texts, preferring to talk to people instead.

Loverboy is outside. Do you want to see him?

Robby came back? Jack can't let his hopes up, he might have just come back for his stuff, but if it was for Jack…

Jack makes sure to keep a straight face as he texts back, aware of Smurf's eyes on him. 

Yeah, but Smurf's a problem.

I'll take care of her. Is all Pope replies with.

“Who are you texting, baby?” Smurf asks from the step up, wiping her hands on a towel.

Jack turns to face her, holding his phone up. “Coworker back east. I missed out on a partial disembowelment. She took pictures if you want to see.”

Smurf makes a face, coming up to him. “I don't know how you handle all that nasty stuff, you must have gotten it from your mother.” She says as she grips his shoulders from behind, making mother sound more like an insult.

“Monkey see, monkey do.” He replies back with a grin, tilting his head back.

“I’m just happy my little monkey has finally come home.” She leans down to plant a kiss on his forehead, and he can feel himself slipping again as he leans into her touch. “Speaking of, it will be nice having someone on this side of the border again to patch up the boys. Ever since your mother left, I’ve been having to use a doctor down in Tijuana.”

Jack is saved from answering. Pope comes in at that moment with J by his side. “Smurf? You in here?”

“Coming.” She calls out over her shoulder. “We'll finish this conversation later, baby.”

With Smurf distracted by J's black eye, Pope subtly motions for Jack to go. He nods in thanks, sneaking off in the commotion.

----------------

Robby waits until around two in the morning to get an Uber to Smurf's place. He lingers at the end of the driveway, trying to work up the courage to text or call Jack. Before he gets the chance to do either, a car pulls up beside him. Robby audibly sighs when Pope rolls down the driver’s window.

“You here for Jack or your shit?” He asks, staring straight ahead.

“Jack.”

Pope presses his lips together with a nod, typing something out on his phone. A moment later, he sets his phone down and unlocks the doors. “Get in the back and stay low to avoid the cameras. Smurf’s in a hovering mood.”

“I- thank you.” Robby settles on, getting in the back and huddling down on the floor.

The energy inside the car is tense, Robby not seeing that J was in the front seat as well, nursing a black eye. Glancing over, Pope also has cut up knuckles like he had been punching someone.

“Everything alright?”

Pope grips the wheel, clicking the gate open. J shrugs, turning his head away. “I'm fine.”

Before Robby can argue to the contrary, the car comes to a stop and J jumps out.

Robby turns to Pope. “What happened?” 

Pope turns off the car, shifting around to face him. “We were getting the car for Baz and the owner got the jump on him.”

“And let me guess, I should see the other guy?”

Pope lets slip a hint of a smile before tampering it down. “I convinced him to forget our faces.” Pope sighs, glancing at J through the window who is patiently waiting for him. “The kid, how worried should I be? You have a better idea of what’s going through his head than any of us.”

“How-” Robby cuts himself off, hanging his head. The only other person besides J that knows Robby’s past is Jack. He probably said something, not ever expecting Pope and Robby to meet. “Honestly? I have no idea. I was so young with my own mom, I didn’t really understand all that was happening at the time. J knew she was an addict, knew all the outcomes. He might have been mentally prepared for this day.”

“And if he wasn’t?”

Robby studies Pope, the way he has the same look on his face that Jack gets when they have a particularly tough case that no one can solve. “Being there helps. My grandma used to tell me stories about my mom. I don’t remember her, but I know she loved dogs despite being allergic, and was an amazing artist. She would get scared of thunder storms and would hide under the covers with Babulya until the skies cleared. She had a scar on her right knee from when she learned to ride a bike. All these stories made it so I got to know her without knowing her.”

Pope nods, glancing away from J and back to Robby. “Julia was scared of thunder too.”

Robby takes the olive branch for what it is, getting out of the car, Pope along with him.

“Stay here, I'll distract Smurf long enough for your boyfriend to slip out.”

Robby feels his face heat up. “Jack's not my-”

“Maybe not yet.” Pope teases, punching him in the arm and winking. “I want an invite to the wedding.”

Robby's not sure if it was better or worse when Pope didn't care for him. “Fuck off, Pope.”

Pope smirks as he turns back. “Careful, you're starting to sound like one of us. C'mon, kid,” He gestures for J to come to his side. “Let's go put on a show for Smurf.”

---------------

Robby leans against the car, watching the house intensely for any sign of Jack. A minute later, a figure comes slinking out the front door, Jack staring at him with a blank face.

“Jack,” Robby shoves off the car, taking a few steps forward. He stops when Jack doesn't make a move. “I'm sorry. I was an ass.” Jack stays silent, causing Robby to shift in place. “I didn't mean what I said, and I would take it all back if I could.” More silence. “I love you, man. Can you forgive me. Please?”

The crickets compete with the beating of Robby's heart, the two sounds merging in Robby's ears as he waits for Jack's response. Finally, Jack steps forward, steps cautious at first, then quicken as he collapses into Robby's chest, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

Robby clings just as tightly, relief flooding through him. “I'm sorry.” He repeats.

“You don't hate me?” Jack says into his shirt, not lifting his head.

“What? No, God, no, Jack. I told you, I could never hate you.” God, what is wrong with Robby that he let his friend think he hated him? “Look at me,” He waits for Jack to hesitantly lift his head. “You are my best friend, I can never, ever hate you, and I'll spend every day reminding you of that until it finally gets through your thick skull.”

The tension finally melts off Jack as he cracks a smile. “I'm gonna hold you to that.” He pauses. “I'm ready to go home now.”

“Yeah?” Robby lets himself relax for the first time this whole trip, closing his eyes and resting his head on top of Jack's. “I am too.”

They stay like that for a few minutes, rocking slowly in place to an unheard beat. “Are you gonna tell me what happened between you and Pope back at the restaurant?”

Robby sighs, shaking his head. “It doesn't matter, we're good now.” Or as good as they're going to get, but Jack doesn't need to know that. Him and Pope seem to have come to some sort of deal of civility for Jack's sake.

Jack snorts, obviously not buying it, but he doesn't press the issue. He's just pulling away when the garage and gate open, J taking off with his bike without a glance at them.

“Well, shit.” Jack sighs.

“That can't be good.”

“No, it can not.”

----------------

Jack decides to skip the drama, glad that the spare room - his old childhood bedroom really - is to the left of the front door. He spots Pope at the end of the hall, who makes eye contact, motioning for him to be quiet. He looks around, then gives a thumbs up.

Jack mouths a thanks, leading Robby into the room and silently shutting the door. “You take the bathroom, I'll get our stuff in here.” He whispers, Robby giving him a fistbump.

They move with efficiency, wordlessly packing each other's things and all set to go within a minute. Bags hitched over their shoulders, Jack opens the door and freezes. Smurf is standing there with a bathrobe on and her arms crossed.

“Going somewhere, baby?” Her eyes shifting behind him to Robby, where Jack subtly moves to block her.

“We're going home.”

That gets her attention off Robby and back to him, a brow raised. “Really? And this daring escape couldn't wait until after the sun rose?”

“We wanted to beat the traffic.”

“Right.” she says slowly, studying him. After a minute, she steps aside. “Next time, try saying goodbye before sneaking off into the night.”

Jack stays where he is, narrowing his eyes. He's never known Smurf to give up this easily. “Just like that?”

She shrugs. “You’re an adult, you can go anytime you want, baby.”

Jack can’t tell if she’s being genuine or if this is some sort of test. Was she always like this? He had always prided himself on being able to read the people around him, including Smurf when he was younger, but if there is anything he’s realized in the past twenty-four hours, it’s that Julia was onto something when she would complain about all the mindgames they were put through by Smurf. Between her, Jack, and Pope, Julia really was the smartest of them all, and yet he always chalked up her complaining as a mother/daughter thing or as the ramblings of a drug addict.

“You know what? Fuck you.”

“Excuse me?” This has to be the first time Jack has seen Smurf truly surprised, her arms dropping to her side. He would laugh if he wasn’t so pissed off.

“Jack, c’mon, let’s go.” Robby rests a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugs off.

“No.” He spits at Robby. The last thing he wants to do is calm down, his rage bubbling to the surface. He turns back to Smurf, letting his bag slide off his shoulder. “I finally realized why I both hate and love this house. It’s you and your fuckin’ mindgames you put us all through. Do you know what the number one feedback I always got when I first started out in medicine was? I was really good at being able to tell when a patient was lying or hiding something. I was told I was a natural, that I was lucky to have these innate instincts as a med student that most attendings don’t develop until decades of working the job.” 

Jack runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head with a chuckle. “It wasn’t instinct or luck, it was because I spent the first thirteen years of my life in this fuckin’ house, constantly puzzling out the correct answers to all your little tests that only you knew the answers to. So, thank you, Smurf, for making me a damn good doctor, and fuck you for putting me through that. Thank you for raising me when my mom couldn’t, and fuck you for hanging that over my head for the rest of my life. You know, I never really understood why my mom was so happy after we moved across the country, but I’m starting to get it. Hell, I even get why Julia would rather live in squalor and in a heroin haze over staying another second in this house with you-”

A crack echos through the house, Jack’s cheek stinging from the slap he just received. That gets Pope’s attention, appearing from around the corner down the hall, no doubt listening to the whole thing. Robby comes to life too, yelling and trying to shove Jack away, but Jack stays rooted in place, eyes not leaving Smurf’s.

All he can do is smirk as he checks for blood, only finding a little from where he feels his teeth had cut the inside of his cheek. He can already tell there’s going to be a decent bruise forming soon. “There she is.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. I think it’s time for you to go home, Jonathan.” She says coolly.

“Ooo, I’m getting the full name treatment now? Gonna kick me out like you did Julia?”

Smurf doesn’t get a chance to respond. The back slider slams open, shouts for help getting their attention.

“We need some help in here!” Baz’s voice cuts through the commotion.

The fight forgotten, the four rush to the kitchen, where Baz and Deran are holding up a bleeding Craig between them. There’s blood everywhere, Baz holding a jacket against Craig’s left shoulder.

“What the hell happened?” Pope asks first, pointing for them to set Craig on the pool table next to the kitchen. He gets out some gloves from under the sink, tossing the box to Jack. He takes a pair without thinking, passing the box to Robby next, who also slips on a pair.

“He got shot.” Baz answers, laying him out on the table.

“The guard, he… he wasn’t supposed to be there.” Deran stutters, staring at Craig as he shouts in pain. “I swear, he- he wasn’t there before-”

Jack motions for Robby to take point, grabbing Deran by the shoulders and turning him away. “Hey, look at me,” Jack meets his eyes, maintaining contact. “Listen to me, I need you to go to my trunk and get a camo backpack, okay?” Deran sniffs, nodding his head. “Repeat it back to me.”

“Your trunk, camo backpack.”

Jack pats him on the shoulder, getting his keys out of his pocket with the other. “Good kid. Now go.”

Deran runs off, Jack putting his gloves on as he walks up to the table. “What do we got?” He asks, trying not to think about the fact that it’s Craig on the table. This was the little kid that would follow him around and would ride on his surf board with him. It’s easier for him if he just pretends he’s at work and this is just another random patient.

Craig’s shirt is cut away now, Pope holding him on his side so Robby can look at his back. “Through and through, doesn’t look like any major arteries were hit.”

Jack goes into autopilot, letting the rest of Robby’s words flow through him as does what he’s told. When Deran returns with his bag, he has him dump it out on the counter so Robby can go through whatever he needs. 

It takes some time, but they manage to get the wound cleaned up and closed. They ended up having to cauterize after Robby decided stitches wouldn’t work, Baz and Pope both having to hold him down while Jack and Robby worked. J came home at one point, staring at them before unfreezing and running to his room.

Now, Craig is passed out on the table after taking some oxy for the pain. Robby went off to a bathroom to wash up and Jack is cleaning up his stuff in the kitchen to pack back up. Pope is the only one left with him, Smurf having taken Deran to help him calm down and Baz outside on the phone, the sky starting to lighten.

“I’m sure Smurf has a hook up for some antibiotics, you should have her get some for Craig. I’ll make a list of stuff that works best. A pool table isn’t exactly a sterile environment. He’ll probably need a sling too. That bullet went through muscle tissue, so it’s going to hurt like a bitch, but make sure he moves it some. Movement stimulates healing and-”

The rest of what he was going to say gets cut off as Pope pulls him into a hug. After a few seconds, Jack pats him on the back. “Hey, what’s this about?”

Pope only tightens his hold, burying his face in his neck. “You’re not staying.” It’s said as fact, not a question.

Jack sighs. “I wanted to, believe me, but Smurf- She said it herself, I’ve always been independent. That fight earlier would be nothing compared to arguments we would get into if I stayed.” He pauses, getting an idea. “You should come with me.”

Pope pulls back suddenly, blinking at him. “What?”

“Getting away from Smurf would do you some good. I have a spare room, or- or we can share like when we were kids. J can come too, and-”

“Jack, stop.”

“Pittsburgh isn’t that bad, once you get used to the cold, but at least you get seasons-”

“Stop. Stop!” Jack clicks his mouth shut, his rambling being cut off. “Fuck, you sound just like Julia. I can’t leave.”

“If it’s about your parole, we can work it out.” Jack knows he’s bordering on manic now, but fuck, everything is all getting to be too much now. “Please, I can’t do this anymore. Julia’s dead, and Craig could have died tonight, and I need you by my side where I know you’re safe, because if anything happened to you too, I’ll find the nearest tall building or bridge-”

“Shut up.” Pope pulls him back in, rocking in place. “You took care of us, of me, the whole time when we were kids. It’s my turn to do that with the others.”

Jack nods into him, catching his breath. “I want daily calls.”

“Needy much?” Pope jokes. “One a week.”

“Four a week.”

“Three and I won’t mention to Robby about that time Julia dared you to wear her-”

“Fine!” Jack shoves Pope back, the two of them sharing a grin. “Jesus, sorry I want to talk to you more, you jerk.” Pope reaches out, squeezing his wrist. “I love you too, brother.”

“I’m gonna go check on J. Talk to you later?”

Jack nods, composing himself. He watches as Pope grabs a small watch out of the bag of jewelry that had been dumped on the island in all the commotion from earlier. “For J to give to his girlfriend. Girls like shiny things, right?”

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend for a reason.”

----------------

Jack’s stuffing the last bag in the back of his jeep, Robby already in the driver’s seat fiddling with the navigation. Jack’s grateful they don’t have to rush back, the two already planning on staying in motels instead of driving through the night again.

He just manages to keep himself from flinching when he closes the back to find Smurf standing there.

“You boys did good.”

Jack rolls his eyes, stepping past her. “Gee, it’s almost like it’s my job or something.”

“We never finished our conversation from earlier.” Jack meets Robby’s gaze in the side mirror, subtly shaking his head for him to stay where he is.

With a sigh, he turns back around. “What else is there to say, Smurf?”

“Whatever underfunded hospital you’re working at, I can offer you double.” Jack scoffs, shaking his head. The fucking nerve. “And,” She adds. “You can keep your friend around, I’ll pay him the same.”

Jack steps forward, staring her down. “Goodbye, Smurf.”

He turns without another word, getting as far as putting his hand on the door handle before she speaks up again with one last ditch effort. “So you’re turning your back on your family, just like Julia did?”

Jack slams his hand on the car, whipping back around to her. “Don’t you dare act like you gave a fuck about Julia. You haven’t shown one ounce of sorrow this whole time. I spoke to her more than you did, and I lived on the other side of the fuckin’ country from her while you were only a mile away the whole time. The way I see it, the only family I have left here is Pope, and guess what? He chose to stay here with you! So fuck you, and I hope the next time I get called out here, it’s for your funeral.”

Smurf smiles at him, shaking her head. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong about that one.” She stalks up to him, resting her hand on his cheek. “There’s a reason everyone thought you and Pope were the twins.”

It’s as if the wind gets knocked out of him. “What…?”

“That’s it. Jack, we’re leaving.” Robby’s voice snaps Jack out of it. Robby leans across the passenger door, swinging it open.

He’s not sure if there is more yelling or not as Jack climbs in on autopilot. He blinks, and they’re down the street already, a pressure squeezing his hand. Medically, he recognizes that he’s probably dissociating, but he doesn’t really give a fuck if it means he doesn’t have to think about the massive bombshell Smurf just dumped on him.

One more blink, and they are on the I-15 towards Vegas, somewhere in the middle of the mojave.

“Pull over.” He says suddenly, his breath catching in his throat.

“What? Jack, we’re in the middle of nowhere. Why-”

“Pull the fuck over, Michael!”

The car is barely stopped before Jack flings the door open, making it a few steps before throwing up what little amount of food he had in his stomach. He hears a faint “Oh, shit!” Over his dry heaving, Robby by his side in an instant. “That’s it, deep breaths. I’m right here.” Robby soothes him, his warm hand rubbing circles on his back as he gulps for breath.

This goes on for a while, Robby eventually leading him over to sit back down in the passenger seat, legs still hanging out of the car. A water bottle appears in his hands with orders to take small sips.

“I… I think Smurf’s my mom.” He whispers, picking at the label on the water bottle. “I don’t think this was her last dig at fucking with me. Pope and I… it’s like looking in a mirror. If what she said was true-”

“Stop.” Robby cuts him off, kneeling down to be eye level with him. “Don’t go down that road. Family are the people that you choose and have been there for you, not whose blood you have running through your veins.”

Jack pulls back. “Get outta here with your nick-at-nite bullshit.”

Robby remains consistent, gripping his wrists. “Barbara has been there for you. George and Jenny have been there for you. I’ve been there for you. And you’ve been there for us. We’re your family, Jack, not Smurf.”

“Fuck!” Jack exclaims, squeezing his eyes shut. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck. I hate this. I hate that she does this to me.”

“I'm sorry.” Robby rubs his knee, giving him puppy dog eyes. “What can I do to help?”

Jack grabs his hand, gripping it tight. “I don't- just stay with me. Please.”

Robby nods, turning his hand over and squeezing back. “Okay. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere.”

Chapter Text

Pittsburgh, One week later

It’s been one week since Robby and Jack have gotten back from California, and Robby hasn’t seen his friend since. Adamson basically ordered Jack to take some bereavement time off, threatening to have him banned from the hospital if he showed his face in the next two weeks.

Robby tried calling, but he kept getting sent straight to voicemail and then got a text that Jack’s fine, he just needs some time to himself to get his head on straight.

Robby hopes he never has to see Smurf again, because he can’t be held accountable for his actions if he does. She just had to twist the knife one last time before Jack left, like a toddler throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get their way.

“Hey, Robby!” Dana calls out from across the hub, shaking him out of his thoughts. She has a hospital phone against her ear, waving him over.

“What’s up?”

She holds out the phone. “It’s for you.”

“For me? If it’s that damn insurance company again, you can tell them to-”

“Trust me,” She interrupts. “You’ll wanna take this.”

He gives her a strange look, taking the phone. “Doctor Robinavich.”

“Hey, Robby.” Jack’s voice comes through the other end, loud talking in the background.

“Jack? Why are you calling through the hospital? Is everything-”

“Everything’s fine.” He stresses, then sighs roughly. “I was worried if you were busy you’d ignore my call, and I only have one of these. I knew on the hospital line someone would pick up.”

Robby’s even more confused, turning away from Dana and wishing this phone wasn’t corded so he could go off to somewhere more private. “Only one-? Jack, where the hell are you?”

“Currently? Chained to a very rude officer’s desk. Listen, I’ll explain after you bail me out.”

“Wait, have you been arrested?!” Dana’s head shoots up, giving Robby a worried look. He waves at her to wait. “Shit, okay, um… Howard is working a swing shift with me. I’ll see if he can hold down the place on his own for a few hours. What precinct are you at?”

Jack gives the address, Robby scribbling it down on a scrap piece of paper. “And Robby? Thank you for this. I promise, I’ll pay you back.”

Robby sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’ll talk about it when I get there.”

He hangs up, running his hands down his face. Dana comes over, leaning in so she isn't overheard. “Abbot got arrested? What the hell happened?”

Robby shakes his head, looking around for the other attending, but he's still busy in the trauma room. “I don't know, but I need to head out. Can you let Howard know-”

“Don't worry about it, hun, I'll let him know an emergency came up and that you'll be back as soon as you can.”

Robby's already going through a mental checklist of his things, feeling his wallet and keys in his pockets. Thank God he decided to drive today. “I'll owe you big time. And I'm sure this goes without saying, but please don't mention-” 

Dana is already waving him off, shoving him toward the doors. “Of course not. Now go get that idiot and give him a good smack for me.”

--------------

Robby makes it to the precinct in record time, only realizing he's still in his scrubs as he's walking up the steps and gets a few curious looks. The paperwork he has to fill out takes forever, and even after that he has to wait in their version of chairs, making him empathetic for the ones that get stuck out there for hours at a time while sick or hurt.

Finally, after forty-five minutes, an officer calls out his name and leads him back to a bullpen, where an irritated looking Jack is cuffed to a desk. He's glaring at the ceiling and his leg is noticeably off and sitting next to him.

Robby doesn’t say anything as the officer wordlessly uncuffs Jack. Jack glares as he rubs his wrist, then puts on his leg. He’s handed some paperwork, told to sign, and then told to get the hell out.

“Gladly.” Jack spits out, jumping to his feet after he slams the pen down on the desk.

Robby waits until they are back in his car, leaving the car off. “What the hell, Jack?”

Jack huffs, turning his head away. 

Great, Robby is having major deja vu. “Jack.” He tries again with a sigh. “I had to leave in the middle of my shift to bail you out of jail. The least you can do is tell me what the hell happened.”

Jack doesn’t react, continuing to stare out the window as if it personally insulted him.

This clearly isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so Robby runs a hand down his face with an exhale. “Fine.” He starts the car, a new idea for getting Jack to start talking.

--------------

The silence in the car is heavy, neither of them talking nor turning the radio on. Robby notices a few curious looks Jack sneaks at him as he doesn’t drive in the direction of either of their places or the hospital. Finally, Robby pulls into a parking lot, shutting off the car after he parks.

“Why are we at a bank?” Jack asks, glancing around.

“If you don’t want to talk about what happened, that’s fine by me, but I have some errands I need to run. C’mon.”

Jack scoffs. “I’m not some unruly teenager that needs to follow you everywhere. I’ll wait here.”

“No? Then why do you have the attitude of one?” Robby fires back, earning him a glare. “Get out, or the next time you need bailing out, you can call someone else.”

There’s a pause as Jack studies him, Robby making sure not to flinch as he does so. Jack seems to buy his bluff, opening his door and getting out.

The bank is nearly empty as they enter, only four people in total. The guard is an older man, getting up from his chair to open the door for them with a smile before sitting back down with a groan. There’s a banker, a young man, helping an older woman at a desk off in the corner. And last, there’s the teller, who is a young woman putting a compact mirror away as they walk in.

Robby makes a quick deposit, feeling Jack’s stare burning into him the whole time. Once done, he heads back out to the car, Jack speaking up as soon as they close the doors.

“Seriously? Your big errand is to deposit a hundred bucks?”

Robby shifts to face him, gesturing at the bank. “How would you rob this bank?”

Jack blinks at him, taken aback. “...What?”

“How would you rob this bank?” Robby repeats himself. “Or do you prefer gas stations? Because we can-”

“No! What the hell’s the matter with you? I’m not gonna rob some place with you. If you’re that interested in a sudden career shift, go back to California and find Pope.”

Robby mentally shutters, shaking his head. “Hypothetically.” He clarifies. “You’re clearly upset, and I thought this would help calm you down.”

“Are you having a stroke? I was just arrested for a real crime a couple of hours ago.” He holds up his red wrist. “Why the hell would plotting a fake crime be calming?”

Robby shrugs. “Back in California, you said you missed it. And the only time you got anything remotely resembling sleep on the way there was after the gas station. I just want to help you, man, and if planning a pseudo heist will do that, then I’ll take it.”

Jack lets out a long sigh, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. Robby’s wondering if he just made things worse when Jack speaks up again.

“The banker in the back. I’d make sure he was subdued first.”

Robby tilts his head. “Not the security guard? He had a gun.”

Jack snorts, opening his eyes. “That old guy? He could barely get up to open the door. The only time he’s used that gun was probably to just get recertified, he’s not gonna risk his life getting into a gun fight. If anything, he’ll use a robbery as an excuse to take early retirement. Now that banker, he would be a problem. He’s young, meaning impulsive. He would be the most likely one to play hero. Take him out first, the others would be too scared to do anything.”

“What about the teller? Don’t they have a panic button or some type of silent alarm?”

Jack cracks a grin, looking impressed. “Look at you, doing your research.”

Robby grins back, shaking his head with a roll of his eyes. “I’ve seen movies and tv shows, dumbass.”

“Okay then, yes, tellers have a silent alarm, but she won’t touch it if you threaten banker guy. They’re having an affair.”

Robby drops his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Seriously, how do you know that?”

“Simple. He was wearing a ring, but she wasn’t and the photo on his desk showed him with a woman that definitely wasn’t her. The lipstick stain on his collar, though, was the shade that the teller was wearing, and when we walked in, she was checking him out in her little mirror.”

Robby lifts his head, looking at Jack in a new light. “You got all of that in the two minutes we were in there? Without trying?”

“Yeah…” Jack narrows his eyes at him. “You aren’t gonna freak out on me again, right? Because I can’t handle that shit again.”

“No, of course not.” Robby gives his hand a quick squeeze of reassurance. “I’m just wondering why you chose to go into medicine when you could be doing this and sipping mai tais on a tropical beach somewhere.”

Jack shifts, turning his body to face Robby, looking serious again. “First of all, I hate mai tais, so I’ll pass on that. Second, could you imagine the hassle of all the sand with my leg? That shit would get everywhere, and I mean everywhere. And lastly, I’m not Smurf, and I have zero desire to be Smurf. Stealing shit and hurting people are her thing, I just want to help people.”

“Then why were you arrested? Please, I’m just trying to understand.”

Jack swallows, shaking his head. “I don’t know what happened, man. I’m just so angry. Angry at Smurf for all her shit, angry that I didn’t do anything for Julia when I had the chance, angry that the three of us were kept in the dark this whole time.”

“Have you told Pope what Smurf told you?”

Jack shakes his head quickly. “God, fuck no. I’m barely keeping it together here, Pope would go nuclear if he found out. I… I was arrested for aggravated assault.”

“What?!”

“I know, I was stupid, okay? This guy was getting in my face about using the last handicap parking spot. Normally I ignore assholes like that, but it was just the last straw. I took off my leg and threw it at him. The paramedics were pretty sure I broke his collar bone. Hell, I heard the crack, I’m pretty sure I broke his collar bone.”

Robby swears under his breath, leaning back in his seat as he thinks about how they can fix this. “We need to talk to Adamson.”

Jack’s head shoots up. “No!”

“Yes. Jack, you’re looking at prison time for something like this. He’s going to find out anyway, it might as well be from you. I can be there with you if you want me to.”

Robby watches as the fight leaves Jack, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine, but I want you there.” Jack reaches out, grabbing Robby’s hand.

Robby squeezes back with a small smile. “Of course, whatever you want.”

“Can we go to another bank first? This was surprisingly relaxing.” He reluctantly admits.

Robby regrets having to drop his hand to start the car, backing out of the spot. “Hey, some people relax with a crossword, you just happen to find plotting heists relaxing.”

Jack finally smiles, slapping Robby on the arm. “Jerk.”

---------------

As promised, Robby sat with Jack the entire time, a steady presence next to him as he explained to Adamson everything that happened in California. He leaves out anything illegal he did as an adult, but he does talk about how he was raised under Smurf and the expectations she put on him as a child before his mom pulled him out of there. That, along with finding out only after her death that his sister was really his twin sister, led to him to act extremely out of character.

Adamson is understanding, promising to help in any way he can. That help came in the form of a character witness a month later when Jack’s day in court came around. Robby had been imagining a grand courtroom like in all the tv shows, but the room looked more like an old classroom, down to the cheap carpet and faded paint on the walls.

Jack got lucky. Between the judge being sympathetic with veterans, the recent family loss, and Adamson’s glowing recommendation of Jack’s past work history since he was a medical student, he got away without doing any prison time. He got sentenced to a fine, some community service, and mandatory counseling.

In the month leading up to Jack's court date and afterwards, whenever he gets jittery or anxious, Robby goes out with him to listen to how he would rob different banks. They got through all the banks in the area, though, so now they've moved on to museums.

Robby finds it fascinating, watching Jack's mind work as he solves these self made puzzles. Jack is having fun with it too, testing Robby himself once in a while to see if he's been paying attention. He's nowhere near Jack's level, but he has been told that he's “Halfway to being a decent thief.”, something that made Robby's face feel hot at the praise.

A few months later, on a rare night that they both have off, Robby is letting himself into Jack's place with a pizza balanced in one hand. “So I was thinking tomorrow we should move on to jewelry stores if you're up for it.” Robby calls out.

“Sure, sounds good.” Jack answers back from somewhere in the house, sounding distracted.

After slipping off his shoes, he peeks his head into the living room, freezing at the ball of fur in Jack's lap. “Is that a cat?”

Jack looks up with a grin, the little kitten squirming in his arms. “No, it's a pig in a cat costume. Yes, it's obviously a cat.”

Robby blinks, starting and stopping a few times. “Let me rephrase, why do you have a cat?”

“My therapist was recommending I get a cat or dog to help reduce stress. I looked into it, and there are tons of papers about how even just petting an animal lowers cortisol levels and helps the brain release dopamine.”

Robby nods slowly. “And you chose a cat because…”

Jack rolls his eyes, setting the squirming ball of fur down. “With our terrible hours? At least cats don't need to be taken for walks and already know how to use a litter box on their own.”

Robby watches as the cat starts to chase its own tail, loses its balance, and then falls over. “Right. You've got a real Einstein there.”

Jack gets up, snatching the pizza box from Robby. “Hey! Be nice to Steve, he's still a baby.”

Robby snorts, bending down to see the kitten up close. “Steve?”

Jack sets the box on the coffee table, taking a piece out and digging in. “Better than the shelter's name for him. They were calling him Captain Sparkles.” He says with his mouth full.

Robby shakes his head with a grin. “You realize he’s gonna get big, right?”

“Fuck off, I know he’s a runt.”

“No, I’m serious. Look at the size of his paws. And his ears? Those babies could be satellite dishes.” Robby reaches out to pet him, the cat swiping at him instead. Yanking his hand back with a curse, he looks down to find a large gash down his finger.

Jack, the asshole, just laughs at him as he tosses a napkin from the pile that came with the pizza. “Good boy, Steve. He needs to learn to stand up for himself.”

Robby holds pressure as he stands back up, glaring down at the cat he swears is giving him a smug look back. “You’re gonna be a little shit like your dad, huh.”

The cat meows back at him.

Robby turns back to Jack, flopping down on the couch next to him. “It’s a match made in heaven.”

Jack swallows the piece of pizza he inhaled, wiping his hands on a napkin before grabbing Robby’s wrist with one hand and lifting up the one holding the napkin in place with the other. “Let me see, you big baby. See? The bleeding’s already stopped. It’s basically a glorified paper cut.”

Robby watches Jack study the cut, taking in the lighter air surrounding him. “How are you?” He asks, tone shifting to something more serious.

Jack glances up, biting his lip as he thinks about it. “Not better, but getting there.” Jack keeps a hold on Robby’s wrist, rubbing his thumb back and forth over Robby’s old tattoo. “Thank you, for sticking around despite all my bullshit. I know I can be… a lot.”

Robby nudges him with his shoulder, leaning back and propping his feet up on the coffee table. “It’ll take a lot more than a secret criminal past to get rid of me.” Robby grins at him, Jack grinning back as the remaining tension leaves Jack’s body.

Jack plasters himself against Robby’s side, resting his head on Robby’s shoulder. “So, you were saying something about jewelry stores next?”