collapsed lungs.

But he couldn’t help but feel the tension that was prominent between him and Jack. It increased more and more as the night progressed.

Ever since their little squabble(/moment) in the apartment, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he misinterpreted a severe part of their friendship and his own feelings.

Why on earth his mind chose this day to realise these things was lost on Robby. It’s not like Jack had behaved much different to any other day. But perhaps the closeness of the fall (and how certain parts of their bodies had touched) made the reaction of his body unavoidable.

Jack was getting them both another drink, so Robby let himself really look at him for once. That douchey backwards cap and his wayward curls adorably sticking out underneath didn’t really help his crisis subside. Not to mention the tank top Jack insisted on wearing, something about „having the guns out for the ladies“. 

The good thing is that Robby wasn’t really following the conversation a few of his classmates were having anyway. And Dana was luckily deep in a discussion with her nurse friends at the other end of the room, because the now painfully obvious gaping would have 100 percent earned him another cuff to the back of his head. 

When Jack returned with their drinks and handed one to Robby, he gently let his hand rest on the small of Robby's back. They were always standing close, so the subtle touch wasn’t really noticeable from an outside perspective. But it lit Robby up more than he liked to admit. 

Has Jack always done that?

Ever since Robby and Jack got over the rivalry (if you could even call it that) they had going on at the start of med school, they became a package deal and it was virtually impossible to separate them. Dana even joked about them being attached at the hip, but not in the way they both would have liked to be.

The party was lively, people were still dancing and singing and chatting.

But Jack and Robby were standing in a quieter corner of the room and talking to each other about nothing in particular. No one was really paying them any mind.

Robby was fidgeting with the pinky ring on Jack's left hand, as Jack softly played with the hem of Robby's shirt over his right hip. 

The flannel Robby was wearing at the beginning of the night now tied around his hips, feeling too hot in the crowded room.

The conversation naturally softened to where they weren’t even talking anymore and only gazed into each other’s eyes. 

The tension Robby was feeling the entire night only intensified as his own eyes slipped down to Jack's lips as his friend was flicking his tongue out over his dried lips. 

Jack's own eyes dipped down to Robby's lips in a heated look. 

Jack was the braver man Robby thought, as Jack gave in and grabbed Robby's waist and pushed him gently against the nearest wall. Placing his right hand just next to Robby's head. 

Robby gasped on impact with the wall.

The heat and shared looks couldn’t be blamed on the booze anymore, as they had both switched to water after a couple of drinks.

He could only guess that his own blush deepened when he recognised the pink dusting on Jack's cheeks.

Jack's eyes flitted down to Robby's lips again and stayed there for a moment before he leaned in and whispered against Robby's mouth.

„Can I kiss you?“

Robby could barely hear his own whispered „Yes“ over the rushing of the blood in his ears.

Their lips met in an exploratory way, only allowing themselves a couple of soft pecks.

They parted for a short moment to look each other in the eyes, searching for something, anything. Robby could only see utter devotion and adoration in Jack's eyes, hoping his friend saw the same in his. 

This time Robby pulled Jack in hard by the front of his shirt. Their mouths clashing in a hungry kiss. Mouths, tongues and hands exploring. 

Everything around them faded into background noise, like they were the only two people in the world.