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Robby couldn't stop thinking of last night and he couldn't shake the feeling of Dennis’ lips on his anytime they met eyes. He was whipped, and they still had a whole shift to get through before they could talk about anything that happened the night before.
---24 hours earlier ---
It was the annual Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s New Year’s Eve party. Dennis had waited for this since arriving and hearing rumors of it. He combed his wet hair in the foggy mirror anxiously as he listened to the clock tick back the seconds until it was time to leave for the party.
“Why’re you so nervous? It’s not like some college party.” Santos asked him while she got her makeup ready in her vanity, he was hovering around her.
“No..reason.” he lied, there was a reason, one big tall reason he was nervous.
He wasn't anxious about getting drunk or high, he was anxious about getting drunk or high around him. Robby.
“You’re lying and I know it.” She put her earrings in, the final piece to her look. She turned around to look at him plainly.
“Okay, fine, I am.” but that’s all he said, trying not to chew a hole through his lip and failing.
“Spill or you won't have a ride to the party.” she threatened.
“Okay okay, you’ve got me! I’m anxious because Robby will be there.” He rubbed the back of his neck, some of the nervous energy floated away but the vibrating feeling remained under his skin.
“What’s your obsession with him?”
“It’s not an obsession! And I don't know, Trin, he’s hot I guess.” not even batman himself could force the words i want to be his problematically young wife out of his mouth so he went with the most basic-ass answer. His hand permanently stuck to his neck and the red on his cheeks rose to his ears.
“That’s all?” she looked at her watch uninterested.
“Well, i want to kiss him, but i have no clue if he’s caught on to my level of flirting yet.” he knew he was overthinking and well, he couldn't lie to Trinity, she was like his sister in a way, and he could never lie to his sisters.
“Well, you never know Huckleberry, he could be waiting for the perfect moment just like you are.” she nailed his feelings in one sentence and he looked up from his toes with a smile on his face.
“Ready?’ with a nod they set off to go to the party.
—
“Robby, leave it alone, why are you so fidgety??” he had settled for decorating but the nervous energy bubbled up inside of him like he was a walking talking champagne bottle. Dana was supervising him as he set things up.
And she wasn't wrong, he was fidgety. He was nervous, the entire day leading up to right now he had that buzzing under his skin that accompanied his anxiety.
“No reason” he lied sticking his tongue out like he was ultra focused on getting this corner of the banner taped.
“It’s Whittaker isn't it? Y'know I can see that you two have something from behind the nurses’ station right?” Robby turned around, away from the decorations and almost fell right off the ladder he was stranded on.
“How??” He was speechless.
There were only three people at work that knew he was bisexual, Dana, Heather, and Abbot, but he had told absolutely no one about his embarrassingly big crush on the twenty something med school senior he was mentoring. He got off the ladder, still in disbelief.
“Oh, honey, it’s pretty obvious that you two flirt with each other. There’s been talk.” She laughed a little but there was a little pity in her expression and the embarrassment found his face again. Heat spreading from his cheeks to the back of his neck and up to his ears. It was a terrible feeling, and then it hit him.
“Wait, you think he’s been flirting back?”
“You’re a lovable idiot, you know that right?”
“But seriously?”
“What’s your obsession with him?” they had stopped their progression with setting up the party, full stop, this was a more important conversation. He granted the room for it, he barely ever got to talk to Dana outside of work.
“I don't know, he’s hot, adorable, he kind of reminds me of a hamster.” excuses, he couldn't say the real reason was that something about him was irresistible, that the more they talked the more he needed him. It wasn't an obsession, it was an addiction at this point.
“Those are pisspoor excuses and you know that, but I'll grant you the grace to hide behind them” she was being oddly nice for once.
“Okay…” he said, wary of her intentions.
“Anyway, any plans to smooch him tonight?” she smiled.
“Maybe, if the stars align and pigs grow wings, I still don't know if he likes me like that, Dana, there’s a lot to consider.”
“You haven't been listening to me this entire conversation have you?”
“what?! What does that mean! I have been listening to you!!”
“No, if you were, you would have had the answer to that little question of yours and mine, Abbot’s, and Heather's troubles could finally be over.” She turned away from him to pick up some extra decorations while he slowly put two and two together.
“You’re an asshole sometimes.” The pieces clicked together in his mind, Dennis was flirting back, he wanted to slam his head into the nearest wall. He was so oblivious.
“Only for you, sweaty.” she blew him a kiss dripping in sarcasm, he caught it and mimed blending it up in a blender with a smirk.
“Pick up some decorations and help set the rest up, guests are supposed to start arriving in twenty.” she ordered him with her charge nurse voice and he grabbed a stack.
“Sir yes sir” he saluted her and went to work with a small smile. Tonight is gonna be interesting.
—--
They arrived at the party, the lights and music could be seen and heard from inside the car. Dennis cleared his throat as she turned off the car and smoothed out her pants.
“Are you going to act normal?” Trinity looks at him,
“Of course?”
“I know how you get around your crushes, it’s not pretty, I just
need you to act normal. Grab a few glasses of champagne that should take the edge off.” She got out of the car with a smirk.
“You waited until we were about to head inside to tell me this?!” he nervously checked his hair in the pull-down mirror and quickly got out of the car into the cold air outside.
“Let’s just get inside.” he sighed as she stared at him with an apology on her tongue.
Once they were inside, it wasn't anything special, there was a lot of black, gold, and silver hanging from the ceiling and windows and practically everywhere. It was bordering on overstimulating..
They took their jackets off and put them on the half-full coatrack and headed into the kitchen, passing by a few other co-workers but no one they knew personally.
“Thank you for hosting the party Dana, I don't know where this crew would be without you.” Dennis could hear Robby’s voice and his first instinct was to turn around and walk the other way to avoid the feeling rising in his chest but he needed to act normal for once in his life, so he stayed and he was led into the middle of a toast.
Dr. Collins and Dr. Abbot were on either side of their charge nurse Mrs. Evans while Robby led the toast in front of them.
“Oh hello, new comers, get some champagne and grab a noise maker.” Abbot said with a smile as he got out of the way of the kitchen island that held all of the glasses and fun noisemakers.
“Thank you,” Santos thanked him for both of them. She grabbed two glasses, a few noise makers, and guided Dennis through the rest of the kitchen to the other side. He was frozen, a statue under Robby’s gaze.
Their eyes made contact for a few seconds, and it could’ve been the tension-he couldn't deny that there was definitely tension between them-or it could have been the thought of what could happen at midnight, but he saw something in Robby’s eyes that he felt hit him like a truck.
Want, he saw wanting in the older man’s eyes. And it wasn't directed at anyone else, it only entered his gaze when he looked at him.
He took one of the flutes and chugged it as soon as they got to a place where they could sit down.
Music was moderately high for his comfort levels but he needed the distraction.
“Trin, I don't think I can be normal.” he said after a minute, letting the champagne settle.
“Okay, I was only being half serious,” she laughed, sipping her glass,
“If you need to tear his clothes off in the middle of the dance floor and kiss him into oblivion then you have the green light huckleberry.” The pet name rang in his ears as the rising feeling of embarrassment met his cheeks.
“Shut up, trin.” he said lovingly as he got up.
“Never.” she gave him heart hands and he flipped her off before turning to go back into the kitchen. Feeling like he was about to face his death, or a really big dragon.
He needed more booze, something stronger than cheap champagne.
He walked through the door they exited out of and passed a few non-coworkers and wondered if they were friends or just snuck in since it was basically an open door party.
“Ah, Whiticker, we were just talking about you.” oh shit. Dr. Abbot singled him out and roped him into the little group gathered around the main kitchen island. Robby and Whitaker made eye contact again and the same electricity was there. He supposed it was always there, but tonight it was magnified tenfold.
“Please no work talk, I already had to yap about that with my parents over the holidays.” The alcohol helped a bit with keeping up with the small talk, however it did not help with the wandering gaze Dr. Robinovitch was giving him. The attention was enough to set him on fire, not to mention the mental fortitude it took to resist giving his mentor exactly what he wanted.
“Rest assured, no work talk here, we were just discussing those lemon bars you made at our holiday party the other day.” he smiles as the memory fades back into mind.
He had decided to make lemon bars for the holiday party because he was feeling like baking something and lemon bars were hard to fuck up so that’s what he decided to go with. Lemons weren't on the list of crew allergies and he made sure they were gluten free, dairy free, and kosher. Just so all of his bases were covered.
He brought them in and within the hour they were gone. He had gotten so many compliments that day, especially from Robby, who was practically glowing with praise for them. He wished he had filmed that moment but he replays it in his head whenever he needs to jack off, praise kink be damned.
He cleared his throat, "I can make them again, they were pretty easy to make.” he smirked and finally made eye contact with his mentor, the fire still there as if he needed any more confirmation that there was something going on between them.
He just needed to play it cool now.
“That’d be great, we could use the treat after the wreck that this year’s been.” Dana spoke up, breaking the bubble that surrounded Robby and Whitaker.
It was like hypnosis, eyes fixed on each other, and everything around them dissolved into nothing but white noise. But for the sake of appearing normal he broke eye contact to say to the rest of them,
“Well I should probably be getting back to Trinity, she wouldn't like me straying from her for too long.” he shrugged and grabbed three flutes, giving one last look to his mentor that said come find me when you’re done.
—--
Robby looked at his peers after Whitaker left with a look that said you’re seeing this too right?
“Go get laid already, pervert” Abbot laughs with the girls and the line hits him like a slap to the face but all he could do was laugh.
He grabs a glass and walks out into the chaos that was their party, with 5 minutes until midnight, he was determined now.
He knew what he was going to do at midnight, who he was going to kiss. And this might be the first new years eve that he would actually follow through on that tradition.
He downed the glass in one when his eyes met Dennis’
—-
They were dancing, and laughing, and it was five minutes until midnight when his eyes met Robby’s. He’d be lying if he said he wasn't drunk enough to face that right then.
“Go get him, tiger.” Santos had stopped dancing when he had and was looking off into the party at the same man he was staring at.
“Okay, thank you.” he didnt know why he was thanking her but it felt right to do so and she laughed as he exited the dance floor.
He walked up to Robby, the world shifting as if they were in their own bubble, again.
“Hey,” Robby started with.
“Hey back.” he said awkwardly, the blush had spread from his cheeks to his ears and it was mirrored on Robby’s face.
“So, I realize how stupid I've been and that you’ve been flirting with me this whole time.” Robby was honest and it shocked Dennis.
“Oh, yeah, I mean I wouldn't call you stupid.”
“Yeah? Would you say oblivious? Or foolish?”
“I was gonna say unheeding,” they laughed together. They were definitely an awkward sight but they gravitated toward each other.
“Oh yeah i suppose so, listen I don't know if you’d be comfortable with this but would you be willing to ring in the new year with me?” Dennis looked at Robby, a sparkle in his eyes, like this was the moment he was waiting for.
“I’d be delighted to, Robby.” he said, feeling the most comfortable he’d been all night.
“Good.”
They made their way to a little corner of the abandoned building they were in, five minutes turned to two while they talked about anything and everything from their favorite foods to resolutions for the new year.
And then suddenly it was one minute to midnight and everything felt real and they were probably a little more than tipsy. Hands roamed over each other as the party raged on around them. No more stolen glances, their eyes trained on each other like no one else existed.
5..
4..
3...
2..
1..
Happy New Year!!!
The crowd shouted around them and like on cue they found each other’s lips, Dennis’ hands cupping Robby’s cheeks as they leaned into each other.
Robby’s mouth tasted sweet and citrusy like the champagne he had been drinking, Dennis could imagine his mouth tasted the same and deepened the kiss, moaning as he did so.
He wanted to go further, he wanted to consume Robby right there and then on the dirty floor of the abandoned building they were in but the clock had struck midnight and he needed to go.
And anyway they both had a shift in the morning, something sober Dennis could deal with when they crossed that bridge.
He broke away from the kiss, he was sitting back on his feet practically in Robby’s lap, and he looked the older man in the eye.
“Happy new year.” he said it with a smile but behind it there was a sadness that Robby couldn't place, Dennis didn't want to leave him but he had to.
“Happy new year.” Robby understood at once, they both had a shift in the morning and Dennis needed the sleep. He sat there with a smile as he watched the younger man leave.
He got up a minute later when Dana found him.
—
“Have fun?” she asked him after they were kicked out. They had called a lyft to go home.
“I’ll tell you in the morning, if I'm not too hung over.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a smile and she smiled at him.
—--
“Have fun?” Dana asked as they cleaned up the garbage left behind.
“Yeah, yeah I did.” he smiled and kept on sweeping.
“You got laid,” she pointed her accusatory finger at him.
“No, but, I did get kissed.” he walked away from her, a smirk on his face.
“You’re like a whole new, positive, person, Robby.” she laughed.
“That’s what happens when you get what you want.” Abbott pipes in from behind him, he wasn't gonna disagree with the science but he couldn't think of a response so he just let the conversation rest on the air and continued to sweep things into a neat pile.
— the present—
He was henpecked, and this shift was actually killing him. Hours ticked by like days and minutes felt like hours as they drudged through probably the slowest day at The Pitt.
Each run in and each time they were alone with a patient there were stolen glances and eye contact that felt way too intimate to be in public, Robby even teased him with shoulder pats and even guided him to exactly where he was needed by the small of his back.
He couldn't wait until their shift was over.