#poly pitt

Her belongings had a bad habit of creeping out around the apartment, especially when she was getting ready, to the point Dennis had bought a plastic tub just to toss anything of hers he found into. 

"I.... I honestly don't have the energy to tell you what a bad idea this is." He sighed, dropping into the one empty spot on their couch.

"Perfect- so which top?" She held each option up to her chest with a grin.

One of these days he would learn it was better to go with the flow rather than try to talk her out of her crazier ideas. You'd think he'd have learned in the past couple decades but it hadn't stuck yet.

"The white one. Sleeveless always looks good on you- JESUS ROX!" He shielded his eyes and yelled as she stripped off her lounge shirt, changing right in front of him.

"What? Not like you haven't seen it before," She rolled her eyes as she adjusted her top.

"Just warn a guy." He huffed, dropping his hand back down to his lap once he seemed sure she was done.

There was always a tiny voice in her head that said she wasn't the best person. While yes, Dennis got flashed often enough by her- simply from the fact that they lived together and she had a personal vendetta against pants- a small part of her knew she was more carefree because part of her relished in the fact that he still reacted to her. Even years after the break-up, sorry "dissolution" of their relationship.

She hadn't stopped loving him, and she'd wondered if he stopped loving her. They simply just hadn't worked. He needed a rock and she'd never been stable enough to be that for herself, let alone someone else. And as much as she'd tried to be that for him, it almost killed her inside to be someone she wasn't.

"Yeah yeah, what do you think?" She did a twirl, trying to change her train of thought from their failed relationship to Jack. She'd honestly been a little surprised at how their conversation the previous night had gone.

"So Dr. Abbot... personal question for you." She hummed, leaning against the wall in front of the lockers as he shed his SWAT gear and prepared for the switch over to scrubs.

"That sounds terrifying coming from you." He chuckled.

"We ever gonna do anything about this tension?" She watched the humor on his face shift to shock, then something that looked like a computer blue screening, and then into a wicked grin.

It had been a few weeks since the outing of both of their attractions, and yet Jack hadn't done anything about it. Well- nothing concrete. He'd certainly gotten more... tactile. Moving her out of his way instead of asking her to move. A hand on her shoulder when she did a good job. Side hugs that lasted a little too long for 'coworkers'.

"You realize I'm your boss and this is incredibly inappropriate?" He asked quietly, even as he took a few steps closer to her.

"Is that a no?"

"I didn't say that." 

"Perfect. We're both off tomorrow night. My place or yours?" He laughed and her inner voice told her to take it down a notch. 'Too much' was a very, very frequent complaint from previous boyfriends. In fact, it had been cited as part of the reason for the break up in probably 90% of them.

"You are.... something else sweetheart." He grinned, reaching around and giving her braid a little tug before stepping back. "Drinks first. I'll text you where."

She'd spent the rest of her shift thanking whatever was up there that it was a slow night, because approximately 20% of her brain was dedicated to replaying Jack Abbot calling her sweetheart.

"I think if you're planning on seducing Dr. Abbot you're going to do a great job." Dennis cut into her reminiscing just as her phone buzzed.

"Perfect. I'll be back. Hopefully not until morning." She grinned, leaning across the coffee table and giving her best friend a kiss on the head as she dashed off with her purse.

Sue her, she was a very tactile person. It didn't mean she was still hung up on him. Still a little in love? Of course- but she knew by now not to expect anything of it. She'd focus her efforts on the next guy and hope it didn't end up with her crying on the couch in Dennis's arms.

Again. Fucking terrible thoughts to be thinking on her way to a date.

Was this a date?

As she slid into the booth across from Jack, she realized she didn't know where to start. In all honesty, she'd been expecting a quick fuck not.... whatever this was.

"Y'know- you don't have to woo me. If it wasn't obviously, I'm already attracted to you Dr. Abbot."

"Please dear god call me Jack. I don't want to be thinking at all professionally right now." He laughed softly, taking a sip from his drink and shaking his head.

"Why not? You're hot at work. What's that saying 'competence is sexy'?" She shrugged, waving a waiter over to order her own drink.

"Must be a chore to work with me then." He smirked and she decided he didn't need the ego boost from her telling him that yeah, it was. "But seriously, allow me the old fashioned way of getting to know you a little before I.. well, get to know you."

"Fine." She shook her head with a laugh. "But don't say I didn't warn you it's boring."

"I'll be the judge of that." 

Three hours. They talked for three hours. About growing up in Broken Bow(obviously including a few embarrassing stories about Dennis), about being the weird kid, about leaving for college just to get away, the rebellious streak that never faded. And he shared just as much. His decision to be a combat medic. The places he saw overseas(thankfully filtered to avoid what she assumed were not pleasant times). Coming back to the states and reconnecting with Robby.

"I never realized you two were that close." She hummed, trailing her finger around the rim of her glass. She had a buzz going, but nowhere near drunk. In fact she'd been spacing her drinks out carefully, she just knew Jack Abbot would be a 'gentleman' and refuse to finish the night how she wanted if she was too inebriated.

"Yeah, dorm mates in medical school, separated for a little after that but I didn't have anywhere else to land when I finally came home." He shrugged like it wasn't deep to have nobody.

"I get it, Dennis and I... it was either back home or together." She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"What exactly is the relationship between the two of you anyways? I know you said 'free love'- which, thanks for the throwback there, but I wanna make sure I'm not stepping on anyone's toes when I take you home."

"When?" She hummed, unable to resist the chance to tease him.

"Yes. When." 

Well fuck if the look he gave her didn't leave her squirming in her seat. Also who has that much voice control to drop it that low that accurately. It was dangerous.

"We're not even fuck buddies. Honest."

"But you fuck?" Jack's eyebrows went up.

"Haven't in awhile. We're exes. Those hickies were just a uh, drunk makeout sesh." It was like she was speaking a foreign language, the look of pure 'huh?' on Jack's face.

"So you're exes. Who live together. Occasionally fuck or makeout. Am I missing something or does it seem like I'm just a distraction from a 'will they/won't they' situationship?" 

She wasn't able to stop the bark of laughter that slipped out, loud enough to draw some attention.

"God no. We already did it. The whole relationship thing. It just didn't work." She tossed her hand over her shoulder flippantly.

"But no bad blood?" 

"No we just.." She sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "This so isn't pre-fucking talk."

This time it was his turn to laugh.

"It's not, but I wouldn't mind knowing."

"We just didn't work out. Denny is a very... steady person. And I'm obviously not. We're just a little too different." She couldn't keep the bittersweet smile off her face and apparently Jack picked up on it.

"You still love him though."

"Love isn't always enough." She sighed, downing the rest of her drink. "Dealbreaker?"

"I'd be a hypocrite if it was."

"Let's get the fuck out of here then. Please."

She stood up, practically dragging him out of the booth. It was once they got outside that she realized she had no idea where to go next. Considering their talk, going back to her place where Dennis most definitely was. When she looked towards Jack, his gaze had changed from the sympathetic one inside. He looked hungry. Starved.

"Jack?"

"You are lucky these alleys don't have good lighting. I want to take you somewhere I can truly appreciate and admire what I'm getting." He tugged her hand and she stumbled into his chest.

"Just a quick kiss then?" She grinned devilishly when he groaned, head falling back to the sky.

Maybe she could've behaved. Had a bit of patience, let him take her back to his place.

It was so much more tempting to lean in and nip at his collarbone.

"You're evil woman." He growled, dragging her in between two of the buildings, just far enough to be hidden from anyone walking past. His hands slipped down her sides to cup her ass. "Jump."

He lifted as she jumped, legs wrapping around his hips while he leaned her back against the wall.

"My my my... doing good for an old man." She teased, gasping as he squeezed her in retaliation.

"Don't call me old when I'm getting ready to spend the night worshiping you." He grumbled, leaning in to trail open mouthed kisses up and down her neck, pushing the collar of her shirt to the side to lead them lower.

"Fucking hell Jack, you're gonna put me in my grave..." She moaned, closing her eyes and losing herself in the sensation, only being brought back to the moment when one of his hands moved up to her hip and happened to squeeze the still fading bruises from her and Dennis's unfortunate makeout session.

"Did I hurt you?" He mumbled, leaning back just enough to give her air. 

"Just hit a bruise." He froze, dragging his gaze up to meet hers.

"From the same night you gave Dennis hickies?" 

"Yes..." She trailed off, trying to figure out the emotions in his eyes. "Are you jealous?"

"A little. But also.." He closed his eyes like he was sorting through a few things and then decided it was his turn to shock her. "It's also kinda hot."

"Hot?" Her eyes shot up.

He adjusted his grip on her before talking. "I may have had a few images pop through my head when we were talking in the bar and realized some things about myself. Whitaker's attractive. You are.. delicious. Imagining the two of you together may have exacerbated my desire for you."

"Oh? Dr. Abbot do you like to watch?"

"Roxanne for the love of all that is holy please stop teasing me long enough for me to gather the patience to take you home. Please."

"I suppose." She leaned in, dragging him back into a kiss.

"Please." He near whimpered, breaking apart and leaning his forehead on hers.

"Fine." She hummed, sliding down to stand on her own feet once more. "Lead the way."

"Thank god, I didn't want you to think I was old but my leg was killing me." He lead her out to the street to hail down a cab, making her want to tease him about proving himself old almost instantly. She was more focused on the mention of his leg and the thought that he had put himself in a painful position for her sake.

"Tell me next time dumbass." She glared and gave him a playful smack.

"Fix him?" Jack raised his eyebrows, turning his scanning to the ER itself and searching for the source of the charge nurse's ire. Sure enough, there was Robby, storming around like someone burned his house down. "What happened?"

"Absolutely nothing that anyone else has been able to figure out. He's been in a bad mood since he got here and I figure if anyone can fix it, it's you. Don't need him coming in tomorrow even worse." 

"Okay, okay." Jack cut Dana off, putting his hands up in surrender. It almost felt like he was the one getting lectured, he hadn't even done anything! "I'll talk to him." 

He took a detour, dropping his stuff off in his locker and switching into scrubs before he returned to the floor. Nothing came to mind date wise to explain Robby's foul mood, and Jack was pretty sure his friend would've told him of anything major that had happened. He was so stuck up in his musings that he missed the collision course he was set on until he crashed directly into another warm body. A very firm body, his mind supplied, giving an involuntary squeeze to the biceps he'd grabbed when they collided.

"Sorry Dr. Abbot." Dennis Whitaker chirped, taking a step back that Jack almost didn't want to let him take.

He hadn't noticed the muscles on the other man before, but he did notice the way Dennis was a good bit more subdued then he normally was, having worked the odd shift together. Ever since PittFest he'd been steadily growing as a doctor, and Jack was glad for whatever deal he had made to get to spend the rest of his rotations at PTMC, even if he occasionally had to spend a few weeks in other departments under the guise of 'exploring options'. 

Whitaker was going to be a good doctor someday, if Robby's little crush didn't send him running like it had countless residents. Was that the issue? Had Robby finally made a move- been rejected- and now he was being pissy about it?

"Dr.Abbot?" 

"Sorry kid, mind's a little preoccupied." Jack shook his head, "Heard you guys were under a cranky dictator today?" 

"Dicta- Dr. Robby?" Whitaker let out a little huff of laugh, head falling back like he was trying to keep emotions in check. Which was fair enough, nobody wanted to lose it and bitch about their boss while still at work. The angle exposed his neck and left Jack putting together the pieces of Robby's foul mood extraordinarily fast. "Yeah, he's been in a bad mood all day."

All because of one... two.... three little hickies at the base of Dennis Whitaker's neck.

Yeah, that would probably do it.

"Unfairly so it seems." Jack smiled, knowingly and Dennis just looked to get more confused. "Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it. Go wrap up what you're doing and get ready for hand off." 

It seemed that brief detour had been long enough for Robby to sequester himself somewhere more private, sending Jack on a 15 minute hunt to look for him. And of course, the clever man timed it so they encountered each other right by the nurse's hub- forcing him to take care of hand-off first. A little brief into patients a long with a few lines about 'professionalism' that just confirmed Jack's suspicions. Robby was being a dick because he was jealous. How predictable.

What did draw his attention was the way Roxanne covered her mouth and seemed to silently laugh when Robby got to that part, eye's shooting over to Dennis imperceptibly. Thankfully she was out of Robby's eye line at the time, but Jack filed that information away to follow up on later. It seemed she might be more perceptive then most people in the ER to figure out why Robby was suddenly giving a shit about professionalism in the workplace, and for a brief moment of fear he wondered if she was perceptive enough to see the way he looked at her.

Thankfully his current focus was catching Robby before he could leave, the older man quickly slipping away once he was done talking.

"Robby."

"Don't have to do this Jack." Robby's shoulders sagged, turning around in the narrow hallway.

"Oh yes I do- you can't tell me there's nothing going on there and then act like a dick all day cause the man comes in with love bites on his neck." Jack's stern look was slightly undermined by Robby's instant scoff.

"Wasn't a dick."

"That's not what everyone else said."

"Like you wouldn't be the same if Roxanne came in with hickies." 

"That's not the point." Jack clenched his jaw, quickly banishing the thought before he could get sidetracked. "We're talking about your inappropriate crush, not mine."

"What do you want me to do? Tell him??" Robby hissed through his teeth, stepping closer.

"Yes! If that's what it takes. At the very least don't take it out on the rest of the department that you can't handle your own emotions."

They stood there staring, glaring at each other for what felt like hours before Robby caved, dropping like the weight of trying to keep it in was slowly smothering him.

"I know you're right, just don't wanna risk him running off." He sighed, running his hands down his face. "He's good for the department Jack, you know it."

"I do. I also know even if he doesn't feel anything, he's too good a person to go running over something so simple." He clapped his friend on the shoulder, making sure he got at least a small smile before they disengaged.

"Thanks brother. See you at shift change?"

"See ya then." And with that Jack felt comfortable finally heading back to start his shift.

The quiet when he first came in should've been a warning. The calm before the storm as it was, because there wasn't a chance to breath starting about half an hour into the shift. Three motor vehicle collisions, a plethora of unhoused folks with hypothermia, two kids with the flu, even a handful of broken bones. 8 hours in and even Jack's eternal energy was starting to flag. Shen was on his 3rd or 4th dunkin coffee, how the man could afford so much doordash nobody knew, and the trashcan nearest the nurse's station was filling up quickly with empty energy drink and coffee cans.

When a brief moment of silence occurred, Jack decided to take advantage and slip into the break room, hoping for a few minutes to reset before the next critical case came in. He didn't expect it to be empty, but he also hadn't been expecting to see Roxanne up on the counter, stretching to reach something in a back shelf.

"Uhh, you good?" He asked after the shock wore off.

"Fuck's sake!" She near shouted, jolting and slipping off the counter. Thankfully the room wasn't very big and he was close enough to catch her. "Scared the shit out of me Dr. Abbot."

She laughed in his arms now that the short lived fear was gone, and slowly put her feet down. Her hair had fallen half out and she reached up to adjust it, her shirt riding up in the process. He hadn't expected to understand just how Robby felt so soon, but seeing little finger print bruises peeking out above her waistband had him seeing red.

"What were you doing on the counter?" He was quick to try and bury the feelings.

"I thought I had another energy drink stashed up there, but alas I'm doomed." She huffed, leaning back against the counter and pinching the bridge of her nose, leaving him to try and decide if he wanted to interrogate her about her night off or try to fix her night on.

"Nothing wrong with cafeteria coffee." He shrugged, feeling the tightness in his chest ease a bit as she let out another laugh.

"There is everything wrong with a cafeteria coffee. It's alright though, I think Dennis has some monsters hidden in his locker, I'll probably just raid that and pay him back later."

Now Jack Abbot had never been called a stupid man before. Oblivious in the way only men could be? Well of course, at the end of the day he was only human. But something about the familiarity with which Roxanne talked about Whitaker had him remembering a conversation from ages ago. About the two of them. Living together.

Oh.

"Oh. Okay. I see why you were laughing at Robby's professionalism speech now." He couldn't figure out if he wanted to grin and putting the pieces together or frown at the fact that the pieces added up to Roxanne and Dennis fucking.

She cocked her head at him in confusion and forced him to elaborate.

"You left those hickies on Dennis's neck didn't you."

"Oh, well yeah." She barked out another short laugh. "But that's not why I was laughing. I was laughing because Robby makes googly eyes at Dennis constantly, so it's fucking hilarious to hear him of all people talk about professionalism. Would've been just as funny coming from you."

Ah shit, so she was that perceptive. 

"And why's that?" Play dumb Jack, it's the only defense you have at this point.

"Because I've seen you checking me out before." She rolled her eyes and he wished he hadn't just learned she was already in a relationship so he felt less dirty imagining her eyes rolling in different conditions.

"I..." Yeah no playing dumb, she's too direct. "I apologize. If you'd like to go to HR or switch to day shift I would understand."

He stood up straighter, expecting and waiting for whichever punishment she'd dole out.

"Oh Jackie," she purred in a tone that was unfairly sinful considering what he expected her to say. "Haven't you seen me looking right back?"

That. Was not what he expected.

"I'm sorry?" He heard wrong, obviously.

"You haven't noticed me checking you out? Hell even Walsh is telling me to just fuck you already to cut the tension." She tilted her head back in a beautiful laugh and he was too mesmerized to keep analyzing his confusion.

How in the course of one conversation had he gotten to experience so many different laughs from just one person? The shocked laugh when she fell, the sharp cutting one that said 'are you stupid' but somehow left him growing a semi(sue him, what wasn't a turn on about a competent woman who knew how smart she was) and now this beautiful dulcet tone that had him leaning forward to catch every second of it. 

He should've known five minutes of peace was too much to ask for, Ellis poking her head in to say they needed his thoughts on a case. He headed out, Roxanne right behind him. He didn't want to have his brain repeating this pestering question for the rest of the shift though, and who knew how long it'd be till they got another moment alone.

"But... Dennis?" He asked quietly before they split different directions.

He knew Roxanne wasn't overly concerned with what people thought of her. He'd heard her go toe to toe with many a stuck up prick. That didn't mean he wasn't surprised when she called out as she was walking away from him, "Free love, Dr. Abbot, free love!" with little peace signs.

"I just want you to let loose a little, you've been so stressed lately." Maybe it was the alcohol's fault, but that made his chest twist. Sometimes he forgot that in all her craziness, she really did want to help him. 

Even if it had a 50/50 chance of backfiring, it was always just her way of caring.

"Maybe you should hook up with someone."

And right back to crazy.

"Roxie!" He shouted, trusting the bar noise to keep his voice from carrying too far.

"What? Get your mind off our DILFy boss." She rolled her eyes at him and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Grab your shit, we're going home." He stood up and had to grab the table to keep from falling over.

Curse tequila and curse Roxie for feeding him so many drinks. Although it seemed like it was finally finally starting to hit her as she stood staring at her hands like she didn't know what they were. He snapped his fingers in front of her face three times before she looked at him.

"Hmm?"

"Home babes, we're going home."

Once again that stupid pout that he pretended didn't affect him anymore.

"But I was trying to get us laid. So we could forget about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum" And dear god help him because she looked like she might honest to god cry.

"We're wasted." He huffed once more, turning away before she could convince him to make a bad decision. Wouldn't be the first, tenth or even hundredth time, she was good at encouraging him to live a little too much.

She still pouted the whole way home, huffing and sighing as she practically laid across his lap in the Uber. The worst part of being drunk for Dennis Whitaker was how stupidly emotional he got. Normally he could keep a pretty good handle on things. But all that self control slipped away once he was two sheets to the wind. Sitting there in the back of a dark uber, staring down at her twisted up sad face, hair spread out across the backseat had him flashing back to different times.

Not necessarily better- just... different.

Her hair was a deep dark purple back then. When she was just starting to break away from the way they were raised, still a little scared that any 'crazy' decision she made would have her dad standing over her with his fists raised.

She'd laid out across his lap in the backseat of her buick, always so touchy.

"Seriously Den, I don't know why you're studying theology. You hate it."

"I don't hate it." He'd insisted, running his hand through the strands of her hair and watching it fall through his fingers.

"You do. You complain about every class, and I honestly don't think I've seen you smile in the last year."

"I smile at you." Of course he did.

"That doesn't count. Don't you want to be happy?" 

"You make me happy." She'd groaned, sitting up and glaring at him.

"That's so cheesy Denny, you know what I mean." He'd sighed, and the next 30 minutes of pushing from her had ended with him making the decision to switch to medical school. It was one of the most defining moments of his life up until that point. Followed a few years later by the decision to move to Pittsburgh with her.

"My parents are gonna disown me Rox." 

"Good thing you'll always have me then." She'd grinned at him, that crazy, wild, beautiful grin that said 'follow me'. And he always had.

"Dennyyyyyyyyy." Her whining snapped him out of his daydreams, and he looked up to realize they were at their apartment building.

"Okay okay." He huffed, climbing out when she tried pulling him out of the car after approximately two seconds of waiting. 

That two seconds made absolutely zero difference in the 20 minutes it took them to get up the stairs to their apartment, both leaning on each other and giggling the whole way up. When Dennis finally managed to get the key in the lock(the right key, after trying the one for his work locker twice), they both tumbled into the apartment- Dennis half falling, half sitting on the couch and Roxie collapsing on top of him.

"Get offfff, you're heavy Rox." He groaned, shoving her to her own side of the couch where she crossed her arms and pouted.

Again.

"You're so mean to me."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Nuh uh."

"Yuh huh."

"You're the bad influence." He stuck his tongue out at her, the amount of drinks and level of comfort he had with his best friend reducing him to school level taunts.

In his defense, she was acting just as bad. One of these days he'd remember to get them a babysitter when they were getting this drunk.

"I am no such thing!" She gasped, hand to her chest.

"Oh you so are!" Dennis through his head back against the couch cushion, letting out a loud laugh as he remembered words from his mother just after Roxanne had moved in.

You stay away from that Young girl Dennis- Betty down at church says they're letting that girl run wild, she'll drag you with her.

How right she'd been.

His head shot back up when he felt a weight settle across his lap.

"Take it back." Roxie was sitting there, straddling him with her arms crossed- doing nothing to curb the old feelings swirling in his chest.

"Nope. Always have been, always will be... trouble." His hands fell to her hips and he told himself it was just to keep her from falling off. Nothing to do with the warmth beneath his hands, the way his hands slipped into the dips of her hips like they would always find their way back.

"I think you like the trouble." She whispered, argument forgotten as her pout turned into a wicked grin.

"What're you doing?" He hummed softly as her weight slipped lower into his lap.

"Well... I'd been planning on getting laid tonight anyways..." Her hands came up to twirl in the curls at the base of his head. 

"Roxie we shouldn't." He spoke softly, leaning his forehead against her chest and trying to focus on something. Anything.

Anything other than the heat coming off her body, the way her thighs felt bracketing his hips, that feral smirk that always made him feel like he was two seconds away from a heart attack. All it took was a whimpered please for him to give in, practically growling as he brought his mouth up to meet hers. His hands tightened impossibly so on her hips, bringing her as close as they could get and then some. No matter how long it'd been- how many partners in between- somehow they fell back into each other, over and over again without forgetting a thing. It wasn't until they were breaking apart and gasping for air, Roxanne trailing kisses down his neck when the smallest bit of brain power came back to him.

She'd always had a gift for making him forget how to think.

"Let's- bedroom. Bed Roxie, please." He lifted her up slightly and thankfully she moved, standing in front of him with eyes eclipsed by lust. "I'll meet you in mine, just give me a moment."

She nodded, swaying her hips all the way down the hall and forcing him to use an immense amount of willpower not to chase her down. He needed a breather, to think for just a second. It'd been almost a year since the last time they'd done this- and he hadn't even thought of it since starting his emergency medicine rotation and becoming fixated on... other attractions. If he was slightly more sober he might realize that the last thing they needed with Roxie trying to figure out Jack, and Dennis crushing from afar on Robby- was to slip back into old habits and hook up with each other.

But the tequila was still tingling on his tongue, and the feel of her curves was still fresh against him- which left him following her five minutes later. Her bar clothes were piled on the floor, and he realized she'd stolen one of his t-shirts to lay down in.

And then it seems promptly passed out. 

All he could do was chuckle softly under his breath, tiptoeing forward and bringing the blankets up around her.

I guess that solves that. He thought wryly, leaning in to kiss her forehead.

Maybe it was more of the liquor talking. Maybe it was falling back into the only relationship that had ever made him feel alive. Either way the words were out before he'd truly processed them.

"I wish I could give you what you need."

By morning it didn't matter. 

Dennis was standing at the entrance to the Pitt, clinging onto his cup of coffee like it had the cure for cancer and cursing Roxie for making them drink so much the night was fuzzy. He barely remembered anything after the bar until a pair of firm hands gripped his shoulders, leaning in so close he could feel their breath blow past his ears as they grumbled.