Huckleberry's era

Robby: Jack:

"Don't you dare—" Dennis hissed, pushing the man as the first drops of the storm began to fall.

"Don't you dare make excuses, Jack Abbot, I fucking loved you, I loved you so much it hurt, and you—you abandoned me and married a woman."

He bit his lip so hard it bled, but he didn't care.

Because in front of him was the only man who had ever made his heart skip a beat, the same man who'd left behind a kiss and a promise to return only to never do so.

When Dennis saw the news in the paper of Navy Captain Jack Abbot's marriage to a woman whose name he'd never heard, he cried for hours in his room, clutching in his grief.

"I abandoned you?!" Jack asked, as a clap of thunder made Dennis jump.

“I've been writing to you for days, months! A letter a day for a whole year, and I've never received a reply!”

Jack screamed, the pouring rain soaking his hair and skin, his fists clenched in pain and anger.

“What?” Dennis asked, his words lost in the lightning and heavy raindrops.

“Are you trying to pretend I didn't do it?” Jack looked exasperated now, raising his arms before letting them fall to his sides.

“I never—” he felt his stomach tighten.

“I never got any letters.”

And it would be so easy to do so, if Robby hadn't fallen in love with him.

He saw him in the winter.

He was there, on his kitchen table, nearly giving Robby a heart attack as he sat there, his legs dangling and his arms resting on the wood beneath him.

"You're Detective Robinavitch, right?" he asked as Robby grabbed the gun from the cabinet by the door, pointing it at the boy.

"Shit, I'm a police officer, this is going to cost you dearly, kid. Come on, get down, you're under arrest." His hands were shaking just a little, and his breath hitched when he heard the boy chuckle.

"Sure, and you'll go to your colleagues and tell them you arrested a man who's already dead." 

Robby stared at him, lowering the gun.

“You really don't remember me, Detective?”

He looked at his pale face, his blue eyes, the bags under them, and—

An image flashed through his mind: a boy dead in the woods, his face covered in bruises and a deep wound in his chest, his blue eyes staring unblinking at the sky.

The gun fell.

“What—you are, I—I am—” He took two steps back, walking away.

“And that's exactly why I'm here.” He hopped down, walking towards the man.

“You have to help me, Detective. I know they've already closed my case, lack of evidence, but I can't rest in peace if whoever hurt me isn't punished. I don't remember, it's all faded, but together—”

He touched his arm, and Robby felt a wave of cold hit him.

“We can solve this mystery.”

And who was Robby to refuse?

He took Dennis with him to the police station, speaking to him only when no one was around, so as not to risk anyone thinking he was crazy.

Dennis was always there: when he ate, when he worked, when he went out, and even when he slept, lying next to him because he said he was too cold.

One spring morning, Dennis pressed his lips, cold as ice and rough, to his, and Robby knew he would never be able to do without them again.

“When all this is over, when I'm at peace—” he told him one night, as they were cuddled in bed.

“I'll wait for you. We could spend eternity together.”

Robby smiled, bitter and not entirely sincere.

Because Dennis would go to heaven, a place the detective knew he didn't deserve.

Because he was evil, a liar, a traitor.

Because when he found evidence that pointed to a culprit, he eliminated it, ending any hope of making the killer pay.

And as he watched the knife he used to kill Dennis Whitaker, along with the still-bloodstained gloves, sink into a river far from home, he smiled.

Because Dennis would stay with him until the end of his days, remaining as beautiful as that October day when he had first seen him in the woods.

I) While it may not seem like it from the outside, Robby loves sweet foods, but to keep it quiet, every time he buys chocolates he says they're for Dennis, even if he ends up eating them.

II) Dennis's favorite time of year is winter: not because of the snow, Christmas, or anything else, just because he has an excuse to stay as close as possible to Robby while they sleep.

III) During their first official date, Dennis knocked over Robby's wine glass, spilling it and breaking it. When they left, Robby headbutted Dennis in his rush to kiss him. They both remember it as the best date of their lives.

IV) In the evening, they turn off their phones and go to bed, with Robby massaging Dennis's feet or Dennis massaging Robby's back. They talk about their day and cuddle until they fall asleep.

V) To their surprise, everyone seems very supportive of their relationship: Dana and Jack because they see Robby happier, and Trinity because she sees her Huckleberry more confident.

VI) Trinity teases them about how clingy they are: one day she video-called Dennis and had to hang up after a few minutes because she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Robby with glasses lying on top of her boyfriend.

VII) Jack once made a vomiting gesture after hearing Robby and Dennis playing the "I love you," "I love you more," "no, I love you more" game in the locker room.

Farmhand! Dennis lives with his family, the youngest of four, the black sheep, with deep bags under his eyes because he prefers writing by moonlight to sleeping at night.

One day, Dennis, while writing under a tree rather than helping his brothers, forgets his poetry notebook on the lawn. He desperately searches for it that evening but finds nothing, disheartened at having lost all his works.

The next day, the mysterious man is under that same tree when Dennis goes there, the leather-covered book clutched in his hands.

“Is this yours?” he asks, adjusting his glasses on his nose, giving a small smile that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle.

Dennis nods, and the man runs his thumb over the rough cover.

“That's amazing, you're very talented,” he says, handing the notebook to the boy.

That same evening, Robby manages to write for the first time in months, and if his muse has blue eyes and straw-blonde hair, it's just a coincidence.

Robby looks at him a little annoyed because, come on, brother, the boy is really going to be hurt by that comment.

So Jack turns around, a little worried, to tell Dennis he's sorry and that he was just kidding.

Except Dennis is staring into space, his face red and his thighs pressed together because oh my, that's the most perverted thing either of them have ever said to him and he loves it.

So for days he's absent and constantly angry, leading to arguments with Jack and Robby.

He goes back to stay with Trinity, who, being his platonic soulmate, manages to get him to tell her what's wrong before he burst into tears in his friend's arms.

Of course, Trinity goes to kick Jack and Robby's ass because how come you two idiots didn't notice that your boyfriend wasn't ok?

Trinity organizes a (late) Christmas dinner with the entire emergency department staff, and Dennis couldn't feel luckier.

The parties thrown by Pitt's emergency department were definitely... something.

You'd expect calm and tranquility from professional doctors and nurses: something quick and easy, just long enough to have a laugh and go home.

Not this.

They were at a club in the heart of Pittsburgh's nightlife, Victoria dancing with Trinity to an old pop song, the purple and pink lights of the club making Robby dizzy, no longer used to all that movement.

"So, shall we do it?" Jack shouted in his ear, leaning closer and brushing his friend's earlobe with his lips to make himself heard. He pointed with his chin to a spot on the other side of the dance floor.

Jesse was twirling Dana, both of them laughing like kids, and next to them, Dennis Whitaker was sitting on a stool, a glass in his hand and his cheeks red, chuckling to himself as he watched his friends and colleagues let loose.

Robby looked at the boy, then at Jack, licking his lips gently as he tried to suppress a smile.

“You think he’ll pay attention to two old men like us?” he asked, looking straight at the boy.

Abbot snorted, gently pushing the man’s shoulder.

“Speak for yourself, I’m not old, and besides, have you seen the way he looks at us? He eats us up with his eyes. You know what they say about country boys, they’re amazing in bed.” He winked, and Robby rolled his eyes dramatically.

An hour later, they were in the couple's apartment. Dennis was sitting on the couch, a freshly opened can of beer in his hands, smoke still rising from the ashtray, his eyes darting around the room.

Jack sat down next to him, opening his can with one hand and wrapping his arm around the boy's waist.

Robby did the same, placing his own hand on Dennis's shoulder.

"So, shall we have some fun?" He took the can from the boy, placing it on the glass table in front of them, and proceeded to pepper his neck with small kisses.

Jack took a long drink from the can, licking the liquid from his upper lip before sliding his hands under the boy's shirt.

He stopped when Dennis's hands, smaller and softer, grabbed his wrists, blocking his path.

“Can we—can we talk or something? Maybe kiss a little before—” He was red, red as a ripe tomato, his blue eyes looked a little wet, his chest rising and falling with his breathing.

Robby also froze, lifting his face from the boy's neck, looking between him and his husband with a raised eyebrow.

“Dennis, are you a virgin?” he asked, not malice or anything, just out of curiosity.

Dennis groaned softly, closing his eyes and getting up from the couch, his knee bumping the table.

“Sorry if this wasn't the kind of night you were thinking of. I—I can take an Uber to go home, just—”

“Hey, hey, don't worry, no one here judges anyone, and no one has to leave.”

He thought about it for a moment.

“Unless you want to, of course.”

He looked at his two bosses, two older men with far more experience than him, before sitting back down with a sigh.

“It’s just that I want to do it. There were a few times where I wanted to, but then I panic, and every time I tell the other person I’m a virgin, they complain because they don’t want to babysit me.” He spoke in one breath, hugging his arms tightly to his chest.

“Well, they’re idiots,” Jack said as he took a sip from the can, smiling softly at the boy.

“There’s a first time for everyone, don’t you think? If you let us, we could… guide you.” Robby slowly approached, burying his nose in the straw-colored curls.

Dennis thought about it for a second or two before swallowing loudly and nodding.

“Okay, but I want to go slow, at least this time.” They both nodded.

“You set the pace, honey.” He put his hands back on the boy's waist, without slipping them under his shirt.

"So..." Jack continued, gently biting his lower lip.

"You mentioned kissing earlier, right?" He looked at him, feeling his heart skip a beat when he heard Dennis laugh.

The boy leaned in slowly, connecting their lips, while Robby returned to tickling his neck with kisses.

_____________

Trinity😈: Huckleberry, where are you? You didn't sleep at home last night! What foolish man dared to touch my best friend?

You: Good morning, Dr. Santos, don't worry, Dennis is safe and sound at Dr. Abbot's and mine, we'll have him back in one piece before lunch. See you later. -MR

Trinity😈: Oh shit.