Ethan

jack seems to understand how far is too far with robby intrinsically, that if he wants to get past robby's own stubbornness he needs to tread lightly. jack doesn't push with robby until he has to, until there is no choice, until robby has forced his hand and he's out on the ledge a little too close to the edge. before that it's soft, non-confrontational offers of implied care, not 'don't go' but 'go, but call me if it gets dark', it's watching him to figure out where his heads at and knowing when to tell him to take a break or to keep him busy, it's checking on him but never directly, it's sticking close and keeping him level. until all of that fails. the direct confrontation is always plan c, the break-glass-in-case-of-emergencies option, the one that always feels a little off-kilter because jack's never really ready for it, but once he's there it's direct in your face rambling mixed metaphors about bees and the beauty of life, it's eye contact and physical touch and telling robby to his face that he is good and cared for and that nothing his head is telling him is true, that he didn't break and even if he did it doesn't matter, that the hospital needs him, that he needs to come back.

meanwhile robby never worries about jack out loud and certainly never to his face. he holds the worry close to his chest, and he just tries to fix it. he talks jack off the ledge but he doesn't face the why head on. instead he's passive aggressive about his worry, joking about nightmares and suicidal tendencies and oh so casually patting jack's bullet wound (that jack didn't tell him about, mind you). it's not till he's frustrated with jack, till he's cornered and his emotions have no where to go but out, that it spills out of him and then suddenly all the things he's tucked away are out in the open. he can't help it, because it's always been there, and yeah jack, getting shot at by choice is fucked up, and yeah jack, you are also working yourself to death and i've noticed these things about you too okay? robby is so quick to volley back, it's almost instant and sure, part of it is robby being an asshole to get jack to leave it alone, but it's also so close to the surface robby doesn't have to reach for them. kind of a "you're a hypocrite, because i'm worried about you too but you don't see me bugging you about it".

it is just so clear they know each other well enough to anticipate each other and have such clearcut ways they handle one another. dana tells robby that abbot had a rough shift is getting air, robby knows he's on the roof and goes to get him. dana tells jack robby isn't doing well, so he watches robby like an apex predator to confirm it with his own eyes, and after he knows, jack tries to ground him in the work by pulling him into cases he thinks will show robby how essential he is.

their dynamic is just so endlessly fascinating because there is just so much lurking beneath the surface and every crumb we get just makes me more and more curious about their history 👀

robby is the depressed, overworked (rich, he's single and no kids) attending we all know and love, and jack is his ripped, buff, flirty, smiley, slightly sleazy, amazing chef. robby never has to worry about food again, and jack is so good at his job.

eventually, robby asks him to make double portions and eat with him- robby is so lonely, after all. and jack is always flirting with him; it's a little disconcerting. the way his shirts are getting tighter, his aprons shorter, his cologne more delicious than ever.

robby stares at his arms while jack is cooking and yapping, robby thinking only that his dinner is already laid out before him, and he wants desperately to sink his teeth into those biceps.

when jack starts wearing kiss the cook aprons, robby doesn't know what to do, he's so attracted to his chef, but he doesn't want to take advantage of someone he's paying, no matter that they have lovely conversations over candlelit dinners, no matter that jack is always accommodating and flirty and gorgeous. he must act like that only because robby's paying him, right? or perhaps that's just his personality.

then, one evening when robby comes home, jack has dinner ready. he's all grin as usual, wearing that kiss the cook apron and his tight white tshirt, purring that he has something special cooked up for robby tonight, he wants him to enjoy.

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