Chapter Text
Shen watched with casual interest taking a lazy sip of his coffee, while Robby and Jack argued in harsh tones. He let his attention drift to the cause of the argument, Frank standing with his arms crossed, face furrowed in concentration as he listened intently to the information about one of their more critical patients from Mohan while they waited for a bed upstairs. Shen brought his attention back to Jack and Robby, watching with a dull sense of satisfaction at the way Robby's lips curled before the man stormed away, Jack of course having the last word.
"What was that about?" He inquired with the same unhurried casualness he seemingly did everything else.
Jack gave an unhappy grunt. "He wants us to give Frank back to the day shift."
He doesn't bother to hide his snort. "Yeah, fuck that. He's staying here."
"That's what I said, it slightly nicer terms..."
"Until they weren't so nice?"
"Something like that." Jack shoots him a wink before scanning and finding their resident missing he way Shen rolled his eyes with complete affection at the gesture. "Told him I would at least ask Frank if he would like to return to the day shift. Told me the night shift could be an issue for his sobriety."
Shen sets down his coffee with slightly more force than necessary, gripping the plastic cup tightly. "What the fuck does Robinabitch know about what's best for his recovery? What does he know about his recovery at all? He couldn't be bothered to even reach out-"
"John," Jack's soft utterance of his name, was enough to make Shen pause and take a breath. There were very few things that could truly make Shen lose his composure, Frank Langdon being one of them. It didn't take Shen long after he had met Frank as an intern to realise he was soft, delicate, fragile in a way that demanded Frank be spoiled and pampered until he was soft and pliant with it. Something that baffled Shen no one else realised, except for Jack. His husband had seen the same softness in Frank, and until Frank's addiction happened, and the fallout from it, he actively had to keep himself in check from giving in to the urge to just do that.
They would have continued to fight that urge, let Frank be independent and painfully unprotected, except they found him a week after his return, having a full-blown panic attack on the roof, Frank clinging to Shen's arms as the man held him, while Jack coaxed him enough to start breathing with him. It took very little convincing to get Al-Hashimi to let Frank come to the night shift full-time, something that still irritated Shen.
"I know," Jack assured, brushing his hand against Shen's neck in a subtle sign of affection. "I'm still going to ask."
"Fine, but he's not going to the day shift."
"Uh huh. What are you going to do if he says yes?"
Shen looks Jack, his beautiful, protective, bat shit insane husband in the eye. "Then I'll finally drag him into our bed, and make him cum so many times he's too cum drunk and fucked full to even think about returning to the Pitt at all, let alone the day shift."
His lips curled in an amused smirk as Jack gave a pained little wheeze at Shen's words, his pupils dilating at the thought of it, the image of it. "Fuck, John. You can't just fucking say things like that here."
Shen gave a small shake of his head and took another sip of his coffee. "You know it's going to happen. I know it's going to happen. The only one who doesn't know Frank is going to end up in our bed permanently is Frank. We all know how oblivious and slow he can be when it comes to someone showing interest in him, which is the only reason he's here and not already moved in and in our bed."
He knows Jack wants to argue with that, but he can't; the pair agreed a while ago that it was the end goal. Something they also agreed to: speed up the timeline for Robby's return, still fucked up and angry but determined to make some kind of amends with Frank, only to figure out too late his more complicated feelings towards the man, while still rebounding with Whitaker. If it were anyone else, they might have backed away, but it wasn't. it was Frank. Their Frank.
Robby could go fuck himself.
Shen gives a light stretch, smiling when Jack's gaze drifts to the sliver of exposed skin when his scrub top rides up. "You just know he has one hell of a breeding kink." He winks when Jack gives a groan, at the call out of one of Jack's own kinks, before he's sauntering away, finding their boy and slinging an arm around his shoulders. He tried not to be smug when Frank didn't react. Months ago, he would have flinched, something that still pissed Shen and Jack off.
"Robby wants to know if you want to go back to the day shift."
Frank freezes at the words, and every single protective instinct, the same instinct that Shen had when it came to Jack and their children, roars to life.
There is no fucking way he's letting Frank go back.
"...do I have to?"
He's still getting used to the smallness of Frank. That broken and scared, unsure part of the skilled and beautiful man that Shen knew had to come from a lifetime of not being good enough, of being pushed past his limits, made worse by Robby's unrealistic expectations. "No."
Frank sags against him, and Shen has to actually stop himself from giving a little coo and bringing Frank closer, wrapping his arms around him and protecting him from the world. "Nope. You're going to stay right where with Jackie and I. You're ours now."
"Uh-huh" Frank nods, and it rips Shen to bits. He doesn't believe him. "I'm one of the night crawlers now. Weirdest of the weird."
"What does the night shift have to do with anything?" Shen teases, squeezing Frank's shoulders before he walks away, knowing Frank would be chewing over that comment all shift. He finds Jack four hours later, the shift hectic and busy in a way that keeps everyone just energised enough to last them at least until four am. "We are taking our boy home, and never let him come back." It's their third OD of the night, and Frank is starting to look a little pale, something Jack had noticed as well, the man not keeping a protective eye out for the younger, taller man.
"As much as I want to agree with that, we're not forcing Frank to be a house omega." He quipped back dryly, an increasingly common fantasy between the pair, Frank letting the older men take care of him, trusting them enough to let them take care of him. For Frank to be there, with their kids, and be there when they get home. Warm and smelling like them, with one of those smiles that make him glow, happy and at a healthy weight and content.
"We would never force Frank to do anything." Shen agrees. Consent in all forms was huge to the two men and something they were raising both their children with, along with omega equality and rights. Fully against the new Trad-omega trend. However, Shen would pass out on the spot if Frank ever confessed that's what he wanted to do.
"Hey, guys...head's up." Something in Crus' tone drew their attention, making them frown.
"What's up?"
"Someone safe-havened a baby; there is bruising and obvious signs of neglect. Frank's gone into full protective mode."
They waste no time, finding Frank standing in the pedes room, looking absolutely furious, holding the now-examined baby Doe against his chest, baring his teeth at anyone entering the Pedes' room. The omega is fiercely protective of the tiny and wounded pup, a low, continuous warning growl coming from deep in the chest. He relaxed and gave a whiper, sagging in relief when Jack and Shen walked in, scent patches removed to the omega can fully scent the pair of alphas.
"Fuck, I'm so sorry." Frank starts to babble, embarrassed, only to bare his sharp teeth again when Parker starts to walk in, snapping at the beta. Jack wasted no time, stepping behind Frank and wrapping his arms around him, bringing him flush to his chest, rubbing his cheek and nose against Frank's shoulders, the base of his neck. against his mating gland. Shen watches as the omega gives a trill and melts against Jack, sagging at the attention.
"Nothing to be sorry for, protecting the pup like a good omega. Our good omega. Gonna let Shen look at the baby, Frankie?"
"Only Shen." Frank outright states darkly. "You and Shen. Only trust you and Shen."
"Fuck baby." Jack grinds out. "We'll take such good care of you and the pup." He promises. Shen takes the little thing to the bassinet, pulling away the swaddling and stomach dropping at the fingerprints against the pale sink, taking in every mark, every detail, the large congenital dermal melanocytosis covering part of her back and torso. It wasn't a medical examination, Crus informing the alphas as they made their way quickly to the Pedes room, which was already done; this was just to appease Frank's inner omega, so Jack and Shen could see everything with their own eyes.
She cried and whimpered at the cold, and Frank let out a nervous little chirp, only settling when Jack began to scent him again. Shen had barely picked her up when Frank was already reaching for her. "Mine," he growled, with possessiveness, before giving a happy little noise that made Jack and Shen's alphas pleased, when the baby was in his arms again, Frank scenting her unconsciously.
"So..." Shen began, trying to figure out what to do next, now Frank was clearly imprinting on the pup, protective and swift. Both men knew they should shut it down, should put an end to it, but Jack put his hands in his pockets and watched Frank bond with a possessive heat that silently told Shen, their plan was officially moved up to the immediate future, and they would have to get the crib and baby clothes they had been too lazy to donate out of storage.
Shen had absolutely no problem with any of that.
"Are you telling Robby he's officially never getting Frank back, or am I?"