Chapter Text
September 2026
The car stopped in front of her building, the rain had already passed, but the dampness in the air remained. Mel looked to her side with a sheepish smile “Thank you so much, Dr. Langdon. Truly, I - I-” Langdon turned to her, putting a hand up, reminding her to wind down.
“Hey, Mel, it’s my pleasure, really. Can’t have our best resident catch pneumonia because she refuses to replace her car” he said, before letting out a soft laugh. Were it anyone else, she might think he was laughing at her, but with Langdon those worries never appeared.
She looked away from him, almost as if trying to hide the blush that crept up to her cheeks at his words “I wouldn’t have caught anything, it wasn’t even raining that hard”
“Mel” he said, with the tone he used when he knew she needed a break “the ambulance bay was practically flooded. It’s the most rain I’ve seen here, and I’ve lived here for almost six years”
She rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance, not wanting to accept her defeat. When she met his gaze again, the wind was almost knocked out of her lungs. Christ, they’re so blue. She could feel the air around them get heavier, thick with their shared complicity. How they’ve gotten to that point after only a few months she’s got no idea.
“Hey, Dr. Langdon!” Becca quips, making them both jump, like they’d forgotten she was there “do you want to come up with us? It’s friday movie night!”
Mel looks at her sister “Becca, Dr. Langdon has to go. His family’s probably waiting for him.” She says, though she wishes she hadn’t.
“Well, actually, Abby and the kids are out of town. Her sister had a baby so…” he trails off, unsure of what to say next.
“Oh! Then, you’re more than welcome to join us, Dr. Langdon” Mel answers, smiling wide.
“It is my true honor to be invited to the King sisters’ friday movie night” he says, looking through his rearview mirror towards Becca. Mel’s heart softens “I do have one request though” his lips curl up into a roguish smile “just call me Frank, or at least drop the doctor”
Once they made it into the apartment Becca went straight to the couch, Mel went to the kitchen and Frank followed.
“Be warned, it’s Becca’s turn to choose the movie, so we will be watching Elf” she said with a displeased expression as she put a packet of popcorn and some pasta leftovers into the microwave.
“Okay? A little early for Christmas movies but Elf is a good one. I love Will Ferrell” he answered, shrugging.
“Say that again after you’ve watched it over 150 times” she sighed.
“I’m sorry, 150 times? Are you serious?” he bellowed, disbelief coating every word.
“170, to be exact” she responds, turning to face him.
Frank tries to talk, but the words can’t seem to come out of his mouth. Instead, a laugh does. His eyes glisten with utter surprise, and this sight is enough to make Mel break as well. The microwave is beeping, but neither one seems to notice.
Once their laughter has died down, he takes the popcorn out of the oven and puts it in a bowl. “Why? Just… why?”
“It’s her favourite movie, so…” Mel answers, and Frank can notice a little melancholy in that answer. It surprises him, really, how he immediately understands what she means without her having to say it. Without even hinting at it. His heart breaks a little for her, and wonders how many times she’s sacrificed far greater things for her sister.
Before he has the chance to say anything, she’s on her way to the living room, and as expected, Elf is already pulled up on the television. He sits beside her, both of them keeping their distance. Mel chews at her bottom lip, anxiety quietly creeping in. Sure, they’re friends, work friends. But they’d never really crossed that imaginary line; they’ve shared lunches in the break room, talks at the ambulance bay, little inside jokes from working so closely together but this is so… intimate. And it makes her nervous, but seeing him here, looking so cozy in her space, with her sister, she feels sure about it.
By this point in her life, Mel could act out the entirety of this film, so most days she disassociates while watching it, knowing every single beat that could once cause any semblance of emotion. Tonight, however, she finds some enjoyment in watching Langdon’s reactions throughout. He probably hasn’t seen it in a while, given his breathy laughs and the slight furrow in his brows at times, like he doesn’t want to miss a single thing. It brings her some excitement even though she hears the same dialogues she could recite in her sleep.
By the time the film’s over, they have gravitated towards each other without having noticed: Mel’s legs on his lap, a hand on her knee, softly tapping his fingers as if looking for a rhythm.
“This was very fun, as always” Becca says, stretching her limbs and standing up “but I’m very tired now. So I’m going to bed. Good night Mel, good night Frank” and with that, she very quickly disappears from their sight.
“Well, Dr. King, what is your verdict? Was the 171st watch a little less crappy?” Langdon asks, with a teasing smile.
Mel thinks about it, even though she doesn’t have to because the answer makes itself known before he even finished the question “Honestly? Yeah. It’s always nice to watch someone’s reactions when they’re watching something for the first time, or the first in a long time” she answers sweetly.
He certainly takes pride in that answer, a twinkle appearing in his blue eyes, but then it turns into something else, a much more tender and honest thing “Mel, thank you, I…” he takes a deep breath “I didn’t really want to go home tonight. Didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts” he confesses, quietly, and if she weren’t so close she wouldn’t have heard him.
Mel reaches to him, and puts her hand over the one he has on her leg “I’m glad to have helped. And I know what it’s like, to be so overwhelmed and feel like your mind never stops” her eyes are always so sincere, Frank has never met someone who is as genuine as Melissa King “So, if you ever feel like that again, I’m here”