Archive of Our Own

Dennis Whitaker never considered himself to be a possessive guy. 

Maybe that came from growing up on a farm where nothing truly belonged to him. Not the land, which answered to drought and rain and seasons. Not the animals, which could get sick or wander off or simply die despite his family's best efforts. Not even the food on the table, because every meal existed thanks to a thousand circumstances beyond any one person's control. And of course, their heavenly father. 

His mother used to say that everything came from God and returned to God in its own time. Dennis had spent most of his childhood accepting that.

Being the youngest of five boys certainly helped. Possessiveness was a luxury he never had the opportunity to develop. If there was one cookie left, one of his brothers got it first. If there was a favorite seat at the dinner table, it had been claimed long before Dennis arrived. If there was a new baseball glove, it belonged to whichever brother had outgrown the previous one before it eventually found its way down the line to him.

He learned patience. Learned gratitude. Learned that wanting something didn't mean it would be his. And most of the time, he was okay with that.

His father would quote Luke 12:15. “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

So no, he wasn’t ever possessive, that felt unbecoming. Unholy, according to the Bible. But he was human. He got jealous when people encroached on what was his, envious when others had what he didn’t. But he did what he always did. He acknowledged it, repented, got over it, and moved on.

At least, that was how it had always worked for Dennis. Until Robby.

Because whatever fiery, irrational thing that took hold of him whenever someone flirted with Robby was unlike anything he'd experienced before.

Robby was a handsome man, Dennis wasn't blind. Neither was anybody else, which meant that people flirted with Robby constantly. The older ladies were shameless, in particular. Dennis had lost count of how many times he'd walked into a room to find some eighty-year-old grandmother clutching Robby's wrist and calling him sweetheart. Or handsome. Or dear.

It wasn’t uncommon for them to ask if Robby was married. When Robby had answered no, they would either offer up their granddaughters as tribute or jokingly volunteer to marry him themselves. The entire room would laugh, Robby included. Dennis would smile too. Then he'd spend the rest of the shift irrationally annoyed with a woman who had no clue about the internal turmoil that she had just caused. 

The younger patients weren't any better. Neither were their family members.

Or visitors.

Or staff from other departments.

Or random people on the street.

Sometimes Dennis felt like Robby couldn't walk ten feet without someone deciding they wanted his attention. If Robby was aware of it, he never seemed bothered by it. He'd smile politely. Laugh when appropriate. Accept compliments with that awkward little shrug he always did when he didn't know what to do with praise.

A woman just the previous day had come into the ED with a minor injury, nothing serious. She'd spent the entire time flirting so aggressively that even the nurses had noticed. Dennis had watched from across the department as she touched Robby's arm before sliding up to his shoulder. Dennis was watching them so intently that he could make out the dreaded question. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Robby, professional as ever, had simply confirmed that he was spoken for before continuing to explain follow-up care. Dennis, meanwhile, had nearly snapped a tongue depressor in half. Dana had to shoo him away so that he could attend to his own waiting patients. 

The worst part wasn't the flirting itself. It was the reminder that Robby could have anyone. He’d been successful enough before Dennis. 

It was bad enough that he had to see Miss Hastings on occasion, although she and Robby kept things professional. Even though nothing egregious had ever happened during her visits, she still carried that flirtatious glint in her eye that made Dennis want to snap his clipboard in half. 

He watched her giggle at something Robby said while they were discussing a patient and felt a wide range of unsavory emotions. He knew that she and Robby were never serious, not like he and Robby were, but it didn’t quell the swirling jealousy that bubbled up whenever he spotted her in the ED.

Despite Dennis dreading her rare visits, Robby seemed to look forward to them. Not because he was ever particularly excited to see her, but because Dennis was always extra feisty when they got home afterwards. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, baby.” Robby groaned from where Dennis had him pinned against the couch. They had barely made it more than a few steps from the front door before Dennis was pushing him towards it, hastily kicking his pants off before straddling him. 

He still had his scrub top on as he bounced in Robby’s lap, the older man still fully clothed as he breached Dennis through unzipped jeans. He clutched at the younger man’s waist, helping him move with reckless abandon. Dennis could only make breathless sounds as he worked his hips faster, slamming down to meet each harsh thrust. With each movement, he left a smear of precome against the attending’s scrub top.

“C’mere.” Robby grunted, tilting his chin up with the request.

Dennis eagerly met him with a clash of teeth and lips and eventually the slide of his tongue. He whined low in his throat when Robby sucked on it. The harsh scratch of beard against his mouth satiated part of Dennis while electrifying another. 

He loved that Robby let him be impulsive and spontaneous. He loved that Robby indulged his hunger for him, even when he was tired after a long shift. He loved that Robby let himself be manhandled onto the couch. He loved that Robby only fussed momentarily over Dennis not being stretched enough to take him. He loved that Robby still coached him through it when there were both moments away from fracturing under the weight of the pleasure. He just loved Robby.

In fact, Dennis felt something even deeper than love for the man. Something closer to devotion. 

Lover boy.

The thought almost made him laugh. Trinity always said it like Dennis was some hopeless romantic. Like he was some sweet-hearted farm boy who fell too hard and too fast. She wasn’t entirely wrong, but she also wasn’t entirely right. This wasn’t sweetness. Not really. What Dennis felt for Robby as of late was pure, raw desperation. And it was only getting worse.

Colossians 3:5. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

One could argue that Dennis and Robby’s relationship checked all of those boxes, even the last, to his surprise. Covetousness, which is idolatry. Possessiveness, which is worship.

It felt so foreign, for Dennis to feel truly possessive of something for the first time in his life. He knew that it was ridiculous. Everyone knew that Robby was his and he was Robby’s. 

Nobody questioned it anymore. Nurses rolled their eyes when they arrived together. Residents teased them about the blatant favoritism that was still morally corrupt despite formally disclosing their relationship to HR. Hell, the entire department had apparently developed betting pools around even the most mundane aspects of their relationship.

Everyone knew. And still Dennis sometimes found himself holding on a little tighter than necessary. As though some irrational part of him worried that if he loosened his grip, it would all disappear. Which was silly, since Robby had never given him a reason to think that would happen. Not once in the nearly year they’d officially been together. If anything, Robby was constantly finding new ways to reassure him. But nothing got him out of his head quicker than Robby praising him through lidded eyes.

“So good for me, Den.” He rasped, practically heaving as Dennis moved frantically above him. “You close?”

“Uh huh.” Dennis gasped, clawing at the older man’s clothed shoulders. “Please touch me. Need you to agh—” He choked on the plea as Robby wasted no time wrapping a hand around him.

He didn’t stroke him as much as he just let Dennis rut into the tight grip of his fist. Dennis felt totally on fire, his body torn with the insatiable need to drop back onto him, to feel him deeply, only to push back up into the rough heat of his hand. 

“That’s it, sweetheart.” Robby made a cooing sound that would’ve been humiliating if it wasn’t so hot. “Take what you need.”

Dennis needed everything, all of Robby, always. Needed for Robby to always know that he was Dennis’s, and only his. It was a twisted response to Robby’s sweet words, but he didn’t have the bandwidth to overanalyze them as he fell off the edge. He painted Robby’s scrubs in his release as he rocked his hips back and forth, riding it out.

Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine—

“Good boy.” Robby hissed, not seeming to care at all about the mess. “Too good for me. Fuck, fuck—” He canted his hips up into Dennis, jostling him in his lap as he chased his own orgasm. 

He fisted the back of Dennis’s scrub collar, the fabric making a ripping noise as he tugged him back down toward his lips. It was even less of a kiss than before, both men panting into each other’s open mouths as they crashed together, hips rocking recklessly in tandem.

Dennis twitched in his lap even after stilling, his body still thrumming with energy despite the exhaustion settling into his liquified bones. Robby still had one hand gripping his hip painfully tight, the other not moving from the back of his neck as they swapped uneven breaths. 

He’s mine. Not hers. Mine and no one else’s.

As they began to even out, the hand at the back of his neck joined the other, giving his hips a gentle squeeze. Before he could make any move to lift him off, Dennis dropped his entire weight down and leaned forward to press him further into the couch cushions. Robby grunted with the force, but didn’t protest. Dennis continued to catch his breath with his face tucked into Robby’s neck, occasionally kissing away the trickles of sweat there while the other man held him close.

Even coming down, as Robby softened inside of him and they melted into each other, he still felt the simmering of some crazed desire that he wasn’t sure would ever fully subside. Whenever it came to Robby, he felt something so uncivilized, something particularly ravenous. It was almost disturbing, the sheer scale of it.

Mine, and no one else’s.

A hand settled against his back, familiar and warm. Absentminded and loving. The touch pulled Dennis back to the present and away from his sinful thoughts.

“Our scrubs are fucked.” Robby sighed, his other hand raising to toy with the overstretched collar of Dennis’s top.

“Not my first time.” Dennis smirked into his neck. He had gotten better at keeping his scrubs clean, but he still had the worst luck in the department with getting covered in all sorts of fluids. It was nice for it to be Robby for a change. “Certainly not my last.”

They both bounced with Robby’s huff of laughter. “You’re a bad influence. I don’t often have to use the scrub dispenser.”

“Mm. I say we just burn these.” Dennis gingerly pulled at Robby’s soiled top. “No one can know what kinds of deviant activities we do in our work clothes.”

“We?” Robby pinched his side, causing him to jolt. “This is all you, little minx. All because, what, Noelle gave me a fist bump?”

“That’s our thing.” Dennis practically hissed, an ugly feeling rearing its head. Her first name alone was enough to trigger him, even if Robby was still inside of him.

“It’s a fist bump, Dennis.” He chuckled. “We do much more exciting things than bump fists, don’t we?”

“Whatever.” Dennis swatted at him, ignoring the way his face burned. “Get out of me.”

“Can’t an old man get a minute to recover?” Robby purred into his ear, lightly running his fingernails over Dennis’s clothed back. He looked up at him with a dazed expression when he pulled back. “You’re really something, you know that?”

All yours, only yours.

Dennis kissed him, more gently than before, almost like an apology for losing his mind momentarily. He eventually forced himself up onto his knees, shivering as Robby slid out of him, leaving behind an emptiness that was far more than physical. 

Still insatiable, still greedy. Looking down at Robby’s tousled hair and stained scrubs, and now catching sight of the mess dripping over his jeans, made him twitch in interest. Robby looked up at him with a knowing grin. “You’re unbelievable.” He chuckled, but it was filled with something close to awe. “Let’s get you in a shower, little minx. You’re not getting a round two out of me, but I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Don’t you worry.”

Robby always took care of him. Safe to say that they did more exciting things in the shower than bump fists, as Robby so eloquently put it. 

☆ ☆ ☆ 

Dennis was still half-asleep when he and Robby pulled into the hospital parking lot. They’d kept each other up fairly late, and even though Robby didn’t complain, Dennis felt somewhat guilty.

“Don’t be cranky.” Robby laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, jostling him lightly as they made their way toward the entrance. “You did this to yourself.”

“I’m aware.” Dennis huffed. “No regrets.”

Robby laughed, the sound following them through the doors into the emergency department. Even with his exhaustion, something immediately felt off. There were too many people gathered near the nurses' station.

Jack spotted them first, his face splitting into a smug grin. "Oh, good. You're here."

Dennis immediately distrusted that tone. Robby looked equally suspicious.

"We have a surprise." The entire group suddenly looked far too pleased with themselves.

"I don't like surprises." Robby’s eyes bounced warily around the group. 

Then someone stepped away from the mass of people. Dennis barely had time to register the familiar face before they were quickly approaching them. 

Robby's eyes widened. "Oh my God—" The rest of his sentence disappeared beneath the force of the collision.

Doctor Heather Collins threw herself at him without hesitation. Robby barely caught her in time, the impact nearly knocking him backward. Laughter erupted from every direction while Dennis stood frozen. Collins had both arms wrapped around Robby's neck, and he was laughing now too. The kind of surprised, delighted laugh Dennis rarely heard.

"Oh my God!" Robby said again. “What are you doing here?”

“Was in the area and felt a little sentimental.” She squeezed him tighter.

Dennis couldn’t help but want to tear her off of him, suddenly feeling wide awake. Robby lifted her off her feet for a second, and Dennis felt sick. She released Robby enough for both of them to stand normally, though she kept her hands on his shoulders.

"You didn't tell me you were coming." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Because it was a surprise."

“I don’t like surprises.” He repeated, grinning at her.

“I know.” She grinned back. She then finally seemed to remember there were other people standing around them. Her gaze eventually landed on Dennis, and a spark of recognition immediately lit her face. "Hey, Whitaker, right?"

Dennis gave her a friendly nod. He was honestly a little surprised she remembered him. The two of them had barely interacted during that chaotic shift almost a year ago. Most of Dennis's memories of her involved watching her and Robby operate at a speed that made everyone else look stationary. Apparently he'd made more of an impression than he'd realized.

Probably the rats.

“I see you’re still here.” She smiled warmly. “Good to see you.”

“You too.” The response came automatically. Meanwhile, the jealous little monster living somewhere inside Dennis's chest was busy gnawing through his ribcage. She was still standing entirely too close to Robby for his liking. 

Collins turned back toward the chief attending. “Find me when you've got the time.”

“You got it.” Robby nodded immediately. “I'll come grab you after handoff.”

He looked too fond of her, in a way that made Dennis want to cry. That look should be reserved for him, and him only. He caught Trinity’s eyes from across the station. They were practically screaming at him, a flood of several emotions flickering across her wide orbs. 

Shock.

Disbelief.

Amusement.

And, somehow, profound secondhand embarrassment for him.

Dennis felt heat crawl viciously up his neck. He politely excused himself before the group fully disbanded, making a run toward the lockers. As soon as he threw his things in his designated compartment, he hurried into the bathroom. He washed his face with shaky hands and stared at himself in the mirror.

"You’re being ridiculous." He informed his reflection, gripping the sink tightly.

By the time he emerged, the department was already moving at its usual pace. New patients were arriving. Nurses were triaging. Monitors beeped in every direction. And somewhere in the middle of all of it was Robby. And Collins. Together. Dennis immediately wished he had stayed in the bathroom.

The morning passed in increasingly frustrating snippets. He'd catch sight of them talking at a workstation. Then laughing over a chart. Then walking side-by-side down a hallway. Nothing inappropriate, of course not. Just two physicians who knew each other well and enjoyed catching up on the last year that they’d been apart. 

He was finishing a chart when Robby appeared beside him. "Hey you."

Dennis looked up and immediately regretted it. Robby looked so happy. Radiant, even. It made the jealousy fester as he quickly looked back at his chart. "Hey."

"We've got a chest tube coming up."

Dennis nodded.

"You want in?"

Normally the answer would've been yes before Robby even finished asking. A chest tube with Robby was always worth seeing. It was strange to call it fun, but he enjoyed working certain procedures with Robby over others. Before he could answer, he spotted Collins approaching from the opposite direction.

Robby pointed at her. "Perfect timing. Chest tube incoming.”

Collins grinned. "Sounds fun, I’m in."

Fun. Chest tubes were apparently fun for her now too.

Robby looked back toward Dennis. "You coming?"

Dennis glanced between them. If he had to stand in a room and watch their palpable chemistry firsthand while trying to focus on a patient, somebody was going to end up intubated unnecessarily. Possibly him.

"I'm good."

Robby frowned at the clipped response. "You sure?"

“Mhm.” He stood abruptly, grabbing a random clipboard. Burn treatment needed in Pedes, perfect. “I’m busy. Good luck, have fun.”

"See you later, Whitaker.” Collins nodded, standing beside Robby with her arms crossed as they watched him scamper across the department. 

When he got to Pedes, he turned to spare a glance, only to see them walk away together. Dennis stared for half a second too long before forcing himself to look away. Burn treatment, right. A real patient, with real medical needs. One who deserved a physician who wasn’t currently spiraling over something so silly.

“Hey, buddy.” Dennis pasted on a smile as he entered the room. The patient, a seven-year-old with a scald burn across his forearm, immediately brightened. “My name is Doctor Whitaker, but you can just call me Dennis. Let’s get you taken care of.”

Dennis spent the next twenty minutes focusing on dressing changes, distraction techniques, explaining after-care to the mother, and answering approximately four hundred questions about dinosaurs. It helped, a little. For several blessed minutes, his worries ceased to exist.

Then Dennis stepped back into the hallway. Robby was leaning against a workstation with Collins beside him, both of them looking at a scan on a computer. Dennis veered in the opposite direction so abruptly that Nurse Kim gave him a concerned look. 

And so the next few hours became a masterclass in avoidance. But no matter how hard he tried to ignore them, every time Dennis rounded a corner, one of them appeared. Nobody else seemed bothered, the entire rest of the department chatted with Collins like she had never left. Meanwhile Dennis was running and hiding as if she was an intruder. He knew he was being irrational, but that awareness did absolutely nothing to help.

He squinted at the computer he was using to update a chart. He had misspelled a medication, deleted it, and misspelled it a second time. He slammed the mouse down with a sudden flash of frustration that escaped the carefully maintained confines of his dignity.

Just in time for Trinity to materialize beside him. "Okay, dude."

Dennis jumped. "Jesus, Trin."

"What’s wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Trinity looked at the poor mouse in his death grip and then back up at him. Dennis stared back, gently letting go of it and the keyboard.

"You're so jealous.” She said, matter-of-factly. 

"Am not.” 

"You totally are."

Dennis looked away.

"You refused a procedure." She scoffed. “Bitchy move. I didn’t know you had it in you, Huck.”

For a moment, he considered defending himself further. But no explanation would make him look or feel any better. He rubbed both hands over his face. When he lowered them again, Trinity was still there. “Do you need something?”

“Snippy.” She laughed. The sound followed her as she finally pushed away from the workstation. “Go talk to your boyfriend, you’re clearly in a mood.”

The rest of the afternoon did not improve his mood. In fact, it got significantly worse. Dennis misplaced equipment. Forgot where he left his third coffee. Had to reread the same chart three times. At one point, he accidentally walked into the wrong patient room.

Dana caught him staring blankly at the board, his eyes trying to decipher it but remaining stubbornly unfocused. "Whitaker."

He blinked. “Huh?"

She folded her arms. "You're as wound up as a cat on a hot tin roof."

"I—what?" He couldn’t help but laugh at the odd comparison. 

"Take a break, kid." She sighed.

"I'm working."

"Poorly. You’re better than this." She shook her head. "Grab a sandwich and take a chill pill."

"Dana—"

"Go."

"I don't need—"

"Go." She pointed toward the breakroom, her tone leaving no room for argument. 

As soon as the door shut behind him, he sank into a chair with one of the hospital's sad prepackaged sandwiches and stared at it. Usually the meager squares worked to give him a boost, but they only made him more nauseous as anxiety swirled in him. If anything, being alone with his thoughts made it worse. The breakroom hummed quietly around him. The refrigerator buzzed. The vending machine rattled.

Normal people didn't react like this. Normal people didn't spend an entire shift unraveling because their partner was excited to see an old friend. An old girlfriend, though…

Dennis rested his elbows on the table and scrubbed both hands over his face. Somewhere down the hallway, Robby laughed. Dennis heard it through the breakroom door, the familiar sound hitting him squarely in the chest. Then, to rub salt in the wound, he heard Collins laughing too. Dennis closed his eyes.

"Lord, grant me patience." He muttered. "And maybe a little more dignity."

Psalm 10:3. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.

Praying wouldn’t help, not when Dennis’s covetousness was dooming both him and his relationship.

He had just convinced himself to take a bite of the sandwich when the breakroom door opened. He looked up. Heather Collins stood in the doorway holding a coffee. For a brief, deeply embarrassing moment, Dennis considered just ignoring her. 

"Well, there you are." She stepped inside. “You avoiding me or something?”

“Of course not.” He swallowed, avoiding looking her directly in the eye. 

The room suddenly felt much smaller. She slid into the chair across from him without invitation as he continued to stare at his sandwich. She took a sip of coffee. "Heard about you and Robby."

She said it like it was the most casual thing in the world, while Dennis nearly inhaled a piece of turkey. He coughed for a few long seconds, setting the sandwich down. 

"Oh, yeah." He cleared his throat roughly. Brilliant response. A masterclass in conversation. He fidgeted with his badge, fingers automatically finding the edge of the plastic sleeve. An awkward silence followed. He scrambled for something, anything, else to say. "How's, uh, your baby?"

Her expression softened instantly. "He's doing well. He started walking a few months ago."

"Oh. That’s nice."

"It was very exciting for the first couple of days." She nodded. “Now I dread every moment I need to take my eyes off of him.”

Dennis laughed despite himself. "Sounds about right."

"Mom life.” She took another sip of coffee. Then her eyes narrowed slightly, like she was studying him. "I noticed how much he was touching you that first shift."

He felt his eyes widen. Heat immediately crawled up his neck.

Collins looked entirely too pleased with herself. "So I can't say there were no signs. But I'm still surprised."

Something in him bristled. "Why would it be surprising?" The words came out sharper than he'd intended. Her eyebrows rose. He knew he'd stepped directly into the trap and somehow kept walking. "I mean… not the first time he dated a resident, is it?"

The second the words left his mouth, he wanted them back. Her eyebrow climbed higher. A small smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Right."

Dennis stared at the table, praying for the Earth to open up beneath him and swallow him whole. The silence stretched. Uncomfortable and mortifying. 

Finally, her long sigh filled the space. "Does he treat you right?"

The question caught him off guard. Dennis looked up. For the first time since she'd entered the room, there wasn't any teasing in her expression, just sincerity. He responded just as earnestly. "Better than anyone."

"That's good." She nodded. Dennis looked away again. "He's a good guy. Sometimes an asshole."

That earned a reluctant snort from Dennis.

"But he has a good heart."

"I know." The response came out almost like a hiss. "We've been together for almost a year."

Mine.

Not yours.

Mine.

She stared at him, then laughed. Not cruelly, just genuinely amused. "Yeah, I heard. He couldn't stop gushing about you."

Dennis’s head snapped back to her. 

"Barely got to tell him about my life." The image didn't fit with the narrative his mind had spent all day constructing. He'd imagined Robby reminiscing. Reconnecting. Falling effortlessly back into old patterns. Not gushing about him.

The warmth in her voice surprised him. There wasn’t the slightest amount of bitterness in her tone. If anything, she sounded oddly fond.

"Look." She set her coffee down. "Whatever we had together is long dead and gone. And clearly what you two have is special."

Something in his chest loosened. 

She pointed at him. "So you can stop trying to blow me up with your mind."

Dennis sputtered. "I'm not—"

"You are." She crossed her arms, continuing to study him. "There's already a betting pool on how long it'll take before you snap at me."

There was a betting pool? Actually, that tracked. A disturbing amount of the department's culture revolved around gambling.

"Did you bet?" He asked quietly. 

She seemed delighted by the question. "Of course I did. I bet that you wouldn't snap at me at all. And I’m not counting whatever just happened in here."

“There’s still time.” He challenged. “Shift isn’t over.”

She smirked at him before ignoring the empty threat. "I told Robby you were clearly jealous. And he said you'd never confront me. Said you're too sweet."

Dennis felt something ridiculous bloom in his chest. Sweet. Robby had called him sweet. The stupid little compliment settled somewhere deep, he couldn’t help but preen a little bit.

"I figured he's a pretty good judge of your character." Then she grimaced, feigning a full-body shudder. "He also said you’d wait until you're home to snap. And that he looks forward to it."

The meaning hit him all at once. Dennis felt himself go beet red. "Oh my God."

"That's what I said." She laughed. "Even that was too much information."

Dennis buried his face in his hands, groaning at the admission. While part of him was thrilled that Robby had insinuated such a thing, to Collins of all people, he was still mortified.

Meanwhile, she looked like she was having the best day of her life. When he finally looked up, she was still grinning. "So we're cool, yeah?"

The question was gentle beneath the teasing. He thought about the last several hours. About the knot that had lived in his stomach all day. The ridiculous possessiveness, and how foolish it all felt now.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

"Yeah.” He said sheepishly, still dodging her gaze.

"Good." She stood, collecting her coffee cup. She paused at the doorway before opening it. "Only fitting that I win another bet here before I head home." With that, she threw him a quick wink before slipping out of the room.

The conversation with Doctor Collins helped. Dennis walked back into the department feeling lighter than he had all day. Not completely cured of whatever temporary insanity had possessed him, but significantly less likely to snap or fumble a procedure. The knot in his chest had loosened significantly. Collins was not secretly trying to steal Robby, not that he thought she was doing it intentionally. In fact, she seemed almost absurdly supportive of them. That should have settled everything.

Unfortunately, Dennis's brain wasn't interested in being reasonable for too long. The shift carried on around him. Patients came and went. Labs resulted. Procedures happened. Charts piled up. Life in the emergency department moved forward whether Dennis was having a personal crisis or not.

For a while, he managed to lose himself in the work. Then he caught sight of Collins and Robby talking near the board. And suddenly his thoughts wandered again. Not in the same jealous direction as before. Something quieter, but somehow worse.

Heather Collins was beautiful. She had the kind of effortless confidence that made people pay attention when she walked into a room. Smart. Funny. Quick-witted. The sort of talented physician everyone respected. Dennis understood why Robby had dated her.

And now that the threat had been removed, now that Collins had practically smacked him over the head with reassurance, another uncomfortable thought had taken its place. Why choose Dennis over someone like her?

Whatever they had was long dead and gone, like she had said. But Dennis hung on the implication being that, once upon a time, it hadn't been. Once upon a time there had been something solid. Dennis knew enough about Robby's history to fill in some of the blanks. Knew enough about the years before they met. The things that Dennis had only recently walked in on.

The grief.

The self-destruction.

The constant running.

Sometimes Dennis found himself wondering what Robby's life might have looked like if he'd gotten better sooner. If he'd found stability earlier. If he'd figured himself out before everything fell apart. In another life—

The thought settled heavily in his chest.

In another life, maybe Robby and Heather stayed together. Or maybe he would have found someone else just as good. Maybe there had been a wedding. A house. Children. The things Robby used to talk about wanting. The things he'd dreamed about before life had gotten complicated. The things that were possible before Dennis.

Dennis swallowed. In another life, maybe Robby got everything he'd originally imagined for himself. And where exactly did Dennis fit into that version of the story?

Dennis knew it wasn't fair, but the thought stung. It wasn't fair to compare himself against a hypothetical future that had never happened. It wasn't fair to compare himself against someone Robby hadn't been with in years, or imagined people that Robby hadn’t been with at all. It wasn't fair to Robby, either. Yet the thoughts came anyway.

Dennis couldn't give Robby children, not in the traditional sense. Not the way Robby might once have envisioned. Not the way that Collin could have and almost did, or Hastings, or any other woman who had come on to him. God didn’t design Dennis to carry children. He didn’t intend for men to marry men, according to the teachings throughout his childhood. Maybe Dennis simply was not meant for Robby. The insecurity sat loudly in the back of his mind for the rest of the afternoon.

Would Robby even want to marry him? They barely talked about it. Not because either of them avoided the subject, but it had never come up organically. Their relationship had unfolded in its own unique way, they'd stumbled into loving each other before either of them had fully processed what was happening.

The future had always felt distant. Something they would discuss eventually. When residency was over. When Robby got the help he desperately needed. When life settled down a bit. But now Dennis found himself wondering. Would Robby want that? 

Somewhere along the way, Dennis started imagining forever. Just little things. Growing old together, sharing a home. Fighting over thermostat settings, Robby always running hot and Dennis always cold. Grocery shopping, where Robby pretended that he wasn’t going to indulge Dennis’s sweet tooth, even though he gave in every single time. Combined holidays to honor each of their cultures, both of them competing to get the best gifts despite promising not to make it such a big deal. The sort of future that looked boring to everyone except the people living it.

Ephesians 4:2. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

That’s why Dennis had never been possessive over anything. It’s why he always pushed away any feelings of jealousy and envy. He learned at a very young age that wanting something didn't guarantee he’d actually get it.

“You can pray for rain but you can't make it come, Denny.” His mother used to say. 

A lesson that had served him well for most of his life. Unfortunately, loving Robby seemed determined to undo decades of carefully learned wisdom. Or religious guilt, however you wanted to look at it.

For the first time since he got into medical school, Dennis found himself wanting something so badly that he clutched it fiercely. But even in such blessings, Dennis knew better. The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh Away.

Toward the end of the shift, Collins announced that she had to begin the journey back to Portland. Word traveled through the department quickly. People drifted over to say goodbye. A few hugs, many more promises to keep in touch. Dennis was standing near a workstation when he noticed her making her rounds.

One by one. Then eventually, Robby. Dennis looked away. Not because the hugs meant anything, but because he didn't trust his own thoughts anymore. A few moments later, he felt a presence beside him.

Collins smirked at him, holding her bag over one shoulder. Ready to leave again. He hadn’t gotten the chance to say a proper goodbye the last time. She gave him the sly smile of a woman who had won big. She pointed toward the nurses' station where several people were already arguing. "Most of them lost money because of you."

He hadn't snapped. Hadn't embarrassed himself. Apparently dozens of people had been counting on him to do exactly that. "I'm glad I could disappoint everyone."

"Not me, though. I’ll send Robby some of the winnings so he can take you to a nice dinner." She crouched over to wrap a lazy arm around him, speaking quietly in his ear. "He loves you, you know. Take care of each other." The words hit harder than they should have. Before he could respond, she was already backing away. "See you around, Whitaker."

Then she disappeared toward the exit. Leaving Dennis standing there. He caught Robby’s curious gaze and gave the attending a small shrug. And for the rest of the shift, whenever his thoughts started drifting toward alternate timelines and hypothetical futures and all the things he couldn't give Robby, another thought kept pushing its way back to the surface.

He couldn't stop gushing about you.

He loves you, you know.

Neither thought erased the insecurity. Neither solved the problem. But they sat beside it, steady and patient. Like a familiar hand resting quietly against the scruff of his neck. Enough, at least, to get him through the rest of the day. Robby had that kind of effect on him, even from afar.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

By the time the end of the shift rolled around, Dennis felt wrung out. Not physically. Physically, he'd had worse days. Emotionally, however, he'd spent the better part of twelve hours cycling through jealousy, embarrassment, insecurity, relief, and existential dread. It was exhausting.

He was finishing up his last chart when Robby appeared beside him. He didn’t say anything at first, just hovered behind him, his hands finding their home on Dennis’s shoulders. The resident immediately felt himself relax.

Robby's presence settled something in him. Even on days like today. "You ready?"

Dennis glanced up. "Almost."

Robby nodded, his grip tightening for a soft squeeze. "I just need to finish handoff. Then we can head home."

Home.

When they'd first started seeing each other, Robby had always called it his place.

You want to come back to my place?

You left your socks at my place.

Meet me at my place after your shift.

They were still figuring things out. Still learning how to exist together. Then somewhere along the way, the language changed. So gradually that Dennis hadn't noticed it happening until one day, Robby had saddled up next to him after a brutal shift. It was about six months into their relationship. “You ready to head home?”

It took a beat, even after Dennis nodded, to realize that Robby wasn’t talking about Trinity’s apartment. He meant Dennis’s home with him. He'd spent an entire day thinking about it. Now it happened so often that Robby probably didn't even realize he was doing it. But Dennis noticed every single time.

Home.

The word wrapped around him like a blanket. A quiet promise. Not forever, not necessarily. But right now, here, together.

Home.

God, he was pathetic. A grown man getting emotional over a single word. The warmth spreading through him soothed as much as it heightened the mounting tension that had been kindling in him all day. A full day of frustration. A full day of jealousy. A full day of Robby being completely oblivious to the fact that Dennis had nearly lost his mind.

The feelings had nowhere to go. And now Robby was standing beside him looking tired and handsome and comfortable. Using words like home. Dennis looked away before he did something embarrassing in the middle of the emergency department.

"You okay?" Robby asked. The concern in his voice immediately made things worse.

Dennis laughed quietly. "Yeah."

"You sure?"

"No."

Robby's eyebrows lifted. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Oh?"

Dennis shook his head. Not here. Definitely not here. Robby studied him for another second. Then understanding slowly dawned. Not complete understanding, not yet. But enough. A smile tugged at his mouth. Annoyingly knowing. 

"Give me twenty minutes." Robby leaned a little closer. Dennis felt his stomach flip. As if Robby already knew the conversation waiting for them, if you could call it that. As if he'd been expecting it all day. "As soon as I'm done with handoff, we'll go home."

Home.

Suddenly the anticipation settled into something even heavier. Something warm and electric. Collins had been right. Painfully, mortifyingly right. Dennis didn't explode in public, never had. He swallowed things, collected them. Turned them over in his head. Waited. Then eventually brought them to Robby. At home.

Across the department, Jack called for Robby. The attending straightened. "Duty calls." Then, because he was a menace, he squeezed the back of Dennis's neck as he passed.

Brief, barely a second. The kind of touch nobody else would think twice about. Dennis closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Robby was already halfway across the department.

All the things he'd spent the afternoon torturing himself with, they didn't disappear entirely. But they felt quieter now, less urgent. Because whatever might have happened in some other universe, Robby wasn't going home with Collins or anyone else for that matter. His home was with Dennis.

For the first time all day, Dennis found himself genuinely smiling. Twenty minutes, then they'd go home. And Dennis would finally get all of this out of his system.

☆ ☆ ☆ 

The drive home passed in relative silence. The kind of passive quiet that came after a long shift, when exhaustion settled into the bones and words felt unnecessary. Robby drove with one hand on the wheel, occasionally glancing over at him when they stopped at lights. Dennis pretended not to notice. The truth was, he didn’t entirely trust himself to speak just yet.

Robby, meanwhile, seemed entirely collected. As though nothing about the day had shaken him in the slightest. Dennis envied that.

The lock clicked behind them when they finally made it inside. Dennis dropped his keys into the bowl by the door and kicked off his shoes. Beside him, Robby set his bag down, then lingered. He didn’t continue further into the living room. Didn’t head toward the kitchen for water. Didn’t disappear toward the bathroom to shower or the bedroom to fish out a change of clothes. Instead, he remained near the front door.

His posture was relaxed, but there was something undeniably expectant about it. Like he was bracing for Dennis to jump him right then and there like he had done the previous night. The realization made Dennis want to laugh. For a few seconds, they simply looked at each other. Robby’s expression softened, just slightly. Patient, affectionate, a tad apprehensive. 

Like he knew there was something Dennis needed to say and was willing to wait however long it took. How long would Robby really wait on him, he wondered. Would Robby be willing to put up with this forever? Was Dennis worth it? 

Before he realized what he was doing, he strode towards the older man, stopping abruptly in front of him. Robby watched him patiently as his hands found the front of his scrub top. His fingers curled into the fabric, grounding himself. “I want to you to fuck me like you love me.”

“Don’t I always?” He looked surprised, if not slightly amused at the request, but then his brows knitted with more worry. 

Dennis’s knuckles were turning white from how tightly he held on, his voice trembling as he stared up at him. “Fuck me like you want to marry me.”

He nearly shrank away at the way Robby’s eyes widened at his words. They hung in the space between them. The moment they left his mouth, Dennis wanted to take them back. The teasing expression Robby had been carrying all evening vanished, replaced fully by concern. The kind that made Dennis feel even more fragile.

“Where is this coming from?” His voice was so gentle that Dennis felt his eyes begin to sting. “Is this about Heather?”

Dennis laughed weakly at how ridiculous he felt. The sound broke halfway through. Robby’s shoulders lowered, like the pieces were beginning to click together. Dennis looked away, suddenly unable to bear the crestfallen look on his face.

“I know I can’t give you kids. Not like that, at least.” His throat tightened, but the thoughts he’d been carrying all day finally poured out. “But we can still have a family. If that’s something you still wanted.”

“Baby, slow down.”

“We don’t even have to get married.” His breath hitched around the words. “If that’s not what you want, I would understand…”

Understand what? That Dennis wasn’t supposed to be long-term? That Dennis was too much? That Robby had better prospects?

He had let greed consume him, and this was the price of it.

“Dennis.” Robby’s voice was firm, snapping him out of it. Not angry, just determined. A hand gently found Dennis’s chin, guiding him upward. “Look at me. I need you to listen to me.”

Dennis tried to resist, but gave in quickly. When their eyes met, Robby’s expression made his chest ache. No frustration, no impatience. Just love. So much love that Dennis almost couldn’t stand it.

He dragged him closer, cupping both cheeks and resting his forehead against his, no escape from his firm hold. “Listen. You’re the only one for me, Den. No one else. You’re it for me.”

Dennis sniffled, fighting hard to hold back the tears threatening to leak out of his eyes. 

Robby smiled softly, the expression was so fond it nearly undid him. “And I would love to marry you. I would be the luckiest man alive, sweetheart.” A tear escaped. Robby wiped it away immediately, gentle as always. “We can talk about starting a family, if that’s something you really want. But I’m okay with this, with what we have, right now. This has been the best year of my life, being with you.”

Dennis felt something inside him crack wide open. Pure relief, the kind that left him feeling shaky. “You would really want to marry me?”

He kicked himself for ruining it by making Robby frown. “Have I done something that made you think I wouldn’t want to marry you?”

“No, you haven’t.” He shook his head, his grip tightening again. “I’m sorry, I’m being stupid.”

“You’re not stupid, you’re just a little frazzled from Heather’s visit.” Robby teased lightly. “I think it’s cute when you get jealous. But I don’t want you to ever doubt how crazy I am about you.”

“I’m sorry.” He sniffled again.

“No more apologizing.” Robby smiled at him again. “I’m going to marry you someday, Dennis Whitaker. As long as you still want me to.”

Dennis tilted his face up to bump their noses together. “I’ll always want you.”

“We’ll see.” He chuckled. “But for now, I can certainly… how did you put it? Fuck you like I want to marry you. Because I do, God I do. You still want that?”

“Please.” He let his eyes flutter shut as Robby leaned back in. But before closing the remaining distance between them, he paused. Just long enough to make sure Dennis was looking at him.

“Hey.” Robby brushed a thumb over his cheek. “I love you.”

The words shattered whatever composure he had left. Dennis’s throat tightened painfully, grinning through free-flowing tears. “I love you too.”

His voice trembled around the words. Around the certainty of it. Around the overwhelming relief of being loved back. Then, finally, he closed the distance between them. Robby's hands settled against his face, holding him there for a moment. I love you. Dennis found himself smiling helplessly into the kiss.

They drifted across the living room together, neither of them paying much attention to where they were going. Every few steps, one of them would stop, drawn back together by another kiss, another caress, another quiet smile. By the time they reached the hallway, Dennis felt lighter than he had all day. After some bumping into walls and furniture, their bedroom door stood open ahead of them.

Their bedroom.

His life had become so intertwined with Robby's that there were very few places left that belonged to just one of them. Their bedroom. Their couch. Their kitchen appliances. Their home. He was a fool to doubt the blessed thing between them. A quiet sound escaped him before he could stop it.

Robby's hands moved slowly, affectionately, never rushed. Lingering over Dennis's shoulders. His back, the curve of his jaw. Dennis realized, with a sudden pang of both affection and frustration, that Robby was taking his time on purpose.

Dennis moved to drag them both toward the bed, but Robby stopped him, pulling away completely. He mourned the loss of contact immediately, plopping down onto the bed as he watched Robby take another step back. The older man gave him a pointed look before taking off his scrub top, as if to say “not again.”

Those soiled scrubs from the night before had indeed been beyond saving, but Dennis didn’t feel much regret or guilt over it anymore. Once it was free from him, Robby tossed it toward the hamper. Achingly domestic.

Dennis couldn't stop looking at him. Robby was standing shirtless in front of him, making his way to stand between his open legs at the foot of their bed. Dennis eyed him like candy, his mouth filling with saliva at the sight.

He pet a hand through Dennis’s hair. "You know I love that, right?"

"What?" He hummed, pushing his head further into his hand. 

"The fact that you want me all to yourself."

Dennis ducked his head, suddenly fascinated by a loose thread on the comforter. He shook his head, feeling extra sheepish now that the panic had started to wear off. 

Robby's hands moved to the collar of Dennis's scrub top. "Arms up."

Dennis obeyed automatically. The shirt disappeared a moment later, joining the growing pile in the hamper. With a little shove, he found himself lying with his back against the comforter. Robby stripped him slowly, taking his time running large hands over every inch of the freshly exposed skin as each article disappeared. 

"You never have to worry. You're my person, my one and only." The mattress dipped as he crawled over him, both of them finally bare. The humor had disappeared from his voice. The mattress shifted as Robby nudged his knee. "You have nothing to compete with."

Unable to find the right words to respond, Dennis reached up for him, sighing at the delicious scratch of his beard against his chin. 

Robby hummed against his lips before pulling back an inch. He licked away the tiny strand of spit that still connected their mouths. "But I won’t lie and say I don’t enjoy the days when you attack me the second we get home." 

Home.

Dennis had enough of talking, he needed Robby immediately. He scrambled to get the lube out of their bedside drawer. As soon as he got hold of it, Robby took it from him, slowing them down again. It was a stark difference from the way they normally did things when Dennis was pent up and thrumming with energy. He still felt the static underneath his skin as Robby forced him onto his back again before testing his rim with a gentle finger. He grunted as it sank in with little resistance, knowing that Robby was still going to drag it out, making extra sure that he was well-prepped for him. They both knew that Dennis didn’t need much, but Robby liked to be sure. It was infuriatingly sweet.

Dennis was steadily leaking all over his stomach as Robby stretched him on lube-coated fingers, hovering over him so that he could press gentle kisses to his lips and tense jaw. 

“I could never get tired of this.” He sighed, prodding at the spot that made Dennis see stars. 

“Please, Robby.” He wiggled underneath him, whimpering at the next graze of his prostate.

“I know.” He cooed at him, pressing another peck to his lips that Dennis was unable to focus on reciprocating. “I’ll give you what you want. Always will. All yours.”

“Mine.” Dennis repeated like a mantra as Robby nudged his entrance. 

“That’s right, yours.” Robby pushed into him, filling him up in one thrust. “And you’re mine, yeah?”

He arched into him, his breath catching in his throat at the feeling of finally being filled. “Yes, yours.”

He felt completely, wonderfully overwhelmed by Robby on top of him. His weight settled across him, warm and familiar, keeping him pinned in a way that made something deep in Dennis's chest hum with satisfaction. Every one of his senses seemed occupied by Robby. The quickening rhythm of his breathing. The heat of his skin. The scratch of his beard when he licked a cooling stripe up his neck. The lingering scent of hospital quickly giving way to sweat. 

Dennis couldn't seem to get enough of him, couldn't get close enough. His hands drifted aimlessly over Robby's back, reluctant to let even an inch separate them. It was embarrassing, maybe, how much he wanted to hoard moments like this. Wanted all of Robby's attention, all of his affection, all of the little touches and smiles that belonged only to him. 

With Robby filling him and looking at him the way he did, Dennis felt almost drunk on it. Loved. Claimed. Safe. Every insecurity that had followed him home from the hospital seemed impossibly far away. 

Robby’s thrusts were firm from the start, taking Dennis just how he needed it. Hard, measured strokes. He growled into the resident’s ear. “Gonna say yes when I propose, won’t you?”

“Yes, yes.” He mewled. 

“Till death do us part.” He grunted, gripping at his waist, which still had a lingering soreness from the night before. “You’ll be mine forever.”

Dennis sucked in a breath before it was torn from him again in short bursts. “Already… am…”

Robby grinned down at him. “That’s fucking sweet. My sweet boy.”

Dennis tugged him down to connect their lips, their noses bumping together with each powerful snap of hips. Robby kissed him silly as he nearly put him through the mattress, the force of it punching the air out of Dennis’s lungs. Robby folded over him more as he licked deeper into his mouth, changing the angle ever so slightly. Enough to electrify him. 

Dennis began babbling as his prostate was nudged with each new thrust. “I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you—”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Robby gripped his jaw firmly, keeping their eyes locked. “Gonna make such a pretty husband.”

Dennis finished on the spot, untouched where he was trapped between them. He felt his eyes roll into the back of his head, the sparks of pleasure making his limbs tremble. He felt a jolt, a mix of intense pleasure and dull pain at the overstimulation, each time he brushed against Robby’s stomach. The older man’s thrusts began to falter.

“Don’t stop.” Dennis gasped. “Please don’t stop.”

Robby held on for as long as he could, pounding into him ruthlessly, the calm and gentle touches long gone as he chased the feeling of release. He hissed at the angry red marks that Dennis was etching into his back with his nails.

“You’re perfect. Just so perfect for me, always.” Robby panted into his neck, biting down on his shoulder as he came. His hips continued on their own accord for a moment, tearing sensitive noises from both men. Once he was fully spent, he lowered completely onto Dennis. His breathing was ragged against his neck, leaving mindless kisses across Dennis’s shoulder and collarbone while he settled down.

Dennis held him close without hesitation, completely unbothered by the weight pressing him deeper into the mattress. If anything, he welcomed it. After spending an entire day trapped inside his own head, there was something profoundly comforting about having Robby so close that there was no room left for doubt. Hardly any room to breathe, let alone think.

Eventually, Robby shifted to roll beside him, gathering Dennis against him. Dennis went willingly, settling his head over Robby's chest. Each breath lifted him slightly before lowering him again, a slow, familiar motion that soothed something raw inside him. He felt flooded with overwhelming consolation, reassurance, and security. Finally, the roar of covetousness and jealousy had silenced within him for the first time in months, replaced by pure and sincere bliss. 

1 Peter 4:8. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Dennis barely registered Robby’s voice over the continued swell of endorphins in his head. 

“Do you want an engagement ring?” Robby rubbed a thumb over his knuckles as they caught their breath. “In some Jewish communities, it’s common to propose with a bracelet or necklace, since the ring is more specifically reserved for marriage. But I’ll get you whatever you want.”

Dennis loved learning more about the Jewish culture, all of it’s variation. With each new piece of knowledge that he learned, he learned another part of Robby too. He hummed to himself, turning the thought over in his head. 

“That’s a nice idea.” He mumbled. “As long as I get my wedding ring.”

“Of course you will.” Robby kissed his knuckles. “Might have to wear it around your neck during shifts though. Jack said that his ring would always fuck up his gloves.”

He could picture it easily enough. Something simple, something sturdy enough to survive long shifts and endless hours in the emergency department. He wondered if Jack would be Robby's best man. Probably. No, definitely. Dennis couldn't imagine anyone else standing beside him. Did Dennis get to choose one too? Or could he choose a maid of honor? It would be Trinity, obviously. Would the entire ED come? Would his any of his family come? 

Too much to think about, too many emotions attached. 

“Then maybe a necklace, for the engagement.” He decided, swallowing thickly. “So that I can put the wedding ring on it when we’re at work.”

Robby kissed the side of his head with a noise of agreement. “Smart boy, aren’t you?”

“I learn from the best.” Dennis settled further against him, tucking himself into the space he'd occupied so many times before. Beneath his ear, Robby’s heartbeat thumped steadily. Strong and consistent. Dennis found himself listening to it with the same attention he gave to a favorite song. 

Medical school had trained him to hear heartbeats, to listen for irregularities, danger, signs that something was wrong. This was the opposite of that. There was nothing to analyze here. Nothing to fix, just Robby. Warm beneath him, one arm wrapped securely around his shoulders while absentminded fingers traced lazy patterns along his back. The steady rhythm grounded him in a way little else could. Dennis let his eyes drift shut, breathing in the familiar scent of their coupling and feeling the last remnants of the day's anxiety finally loosen their grip. 

Robby hummed to himself idly, sleep thickening his voice. “You still going to be a possessive little minx, even when I put a ring on it?”

Dennis pictured Hastings's face when she would hear the news that they were engaged. Thought about Robby showing flirtatious patients the wedding ring around his neck that promised him to Dennis, and Dennis alone. It put a big smile on his face. “Maybe. Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

“Well I don’t plan on waiting too long.” The promise of it made Dennis both pacified with relief and giddy with excitement simultaneously. As if everyone in their lives didn’t already know that Dennis only belonged to Robby, and vice versa. “Shower?”

“Mhm. In a bit.” He sighed. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He felt the words rumble through his chest. Dennis placed a kiss there, already envisioning a ring hanging alongside the Star of David that usually rested over his heart.

Gold, he imagined. Something masculine but still pretty. Something unique, just between the two of them. He had time to figure out the details, but it didn’t sound like he had too much time, if that’s what Robby had just suggested. Would he feel a certain way if Dennis proposed first? 

“Are you plotting?” Robby broke him out of this thoughts. 

“No…”

“Not sure if I believe you.” He chuckled.

“What?” Dennis angled his chin to smirk at him. “You don’t trust your future husband?”

Robby huffed, giving him an unimpressed look before cupping the back of his neck. He toyed with the curls at the back of his head and brushed a thumb over the delicate skin of his throat, as if imagining the same dangling jewelry Dennis had just envisioned. “My future husband needs to shower.”

Future, future, future. Dennis had always prayed for a better future for himself. Even though the present was the best life he’d ever lived, the future never looked so bright. He closed his eyes, soaking in all of its warm glory.

Matthew 19:6. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

Amen.