Archive of Our Own ^beta

Of course the kid was homeless.

Robby thought back over the course of the day, the insanity of the shift and his own crushing mental load, and yet if he'd been paying attention… finding Whitaker up here was the least surprising thing that had happened to him all day. He mentally cursed, disappointed in his inability to realize what had been right under his nose and had only come to light because he'd spotted Whitaker heading deeper into the hospital instead of back outside after he'd been dismissed for the day.

The kid was staring at him expectantly, as if he was expecting Robby to toss him out of the hospital by the ass of his pants like an old-time cartoon. Robby had thought it earlier but the idea came back to him again, a little stronger this time: Whitaker wasn't half bad looking. A casual observation, perhaps, and yet one that stuck with him as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose and willed his headache to go away. “You know I can't let you stay here.”

“I know,” Whitaker said, and as Robby watched he began scrambling to stuff his things into a beat-up duffel bag, the very tips of his ears red. “I'm sorry, I know this is a bad look, but–”

“I'm not gonna scold you,” Robby said, mostly because he was too tired to come up with any vitriol. After the day they'd all had, the last thing he wanted was to leave one of his new residents on the street. “You don't have anywhere else, do you?”

“No,” Whitaker said, slightly subdued. “My parents can't really help me out with bills and I don't want to put that pressure on them. My loans, too… I just can't seem to get the money together. I'm trying, though. This was just temporary.”

“Then it'll be temporary at my place, too.”

They looked at each other for a moment, Whitaker apparently not understanding what Robby meant for a solid ten seconds before he furrowed his brow. “Your place?”

“I've got the room,” Robby said. He was quiet for a moment, resting his shoulder against the door jamb. He hadn't told this next part to anyone, not even Jack, and yet there was something in the way Whitaker was looking at him, patient and calm, that had Robby opening up. It was a real skill the kid had, Robby tempted to tribute it to the theological background; he'd never been to confession but he had to imagine it was a lot like this. “After today, I've been thinking I might take a sabbatical. Go on a road trip, leave town for a couple months. I need someone to look after my place. You seem responsible.”

The cloud cleared from Whitaker's expression, his uncertainty replaced by determination. “Okay, yeah,” he said, sounding increasingly optimistic. “I am responsible. But, uh, was today really that bad?”

“I mean, you saw me,” Robby said, scratching at his jaw and looking towards the drop ceiling of the hospital room. “Anyway, pack up your things. You aren't coming back here. This room, I mean. Not the hospital in general. You've really been living like this?”

“For a bit, yeah,” Whitaker said, returning to his task of stuffing his things into his bag. “It was better than being on the street and I realized this floor was under renovation so… yeah.” He hesitated, halfway through shoving a pair of jeans into his duffel bag. “This isn't going to reflect badly on me, is it?”

“I'm not going to tell anyone,” Robby said. “Don't worry. Now come on, I'm starving. You okay with Chinese?”

Whitaker nodded, redoubling his efforts to pack, and once he was satisfied he had shoved everything into his duffel and left nothing in the room he turned to face Robby. “That's it, then.”

“All right,” Robby said, reaching out and grabbing Whitaker by the back of the neck affectionately, shaking him slightly. “Come on, kid.”

—

“This is your room,” Dr. Robby - Robby - Michael? - said, flicking on a light switch to reveal a plainly furnished room, the walls revealing faded rectangles where posters had once been. “Sorry there's not much in here. It was Jake's.”

“It's great,” Dennis said, setting his duffel bag on the floor next to the door and looking up at Robby, feeling just as awkward now as he did when he had left the hospital with the older man. The last thing he'd been anticipating when he'd woken up that morning was to be caught out by his new boss, but maybe it was for the best. Robby had made it clear that he wasn't about to rat him out to the powers that be, although he had seemingly told Jack Abbot, as evidenced by the fact that Dr. Abbot was bringing them Chinese food once he headed home and showered.

Dennis hadn’t really delved into the relationship there yet, although he had to admit he was curious. He was curious about everything relating to Robby, the pieces he’d discovered over the course of his first day leaving him with an impression of a man who cared deeply and yet seemed to internalize that care into something that had led to his breakdown earlier. He hadn’t been surprised when Robby had mentioned a sabbatical, although he was a little disappointed. There was so much he could learn.

“You’ve got your own en suite,” Robby said, pointing to a door across the room. “There should be some shampoo and things in there, but if you prefer other stuff let me know and we can add it to the grocery list. I’m gonna go ahead and shower upstairs, but feel free to make yourself at home. The fridge is stocked but Jack should be here soon enough with dinner. And, uh, if you feel like it, the grocery list is pinned to the cupboard above the sink. Add stuff if you want.”

Dennis stared at him, bewildered at the kindness he was being shown, and was surprised when Robby gave him a grin, however half-hearted. “Sorry,” Dennis said quickly. “I hope I’m not coming off as ungrateful.”

“No, you’re good,” Robby said. “This was an impulsive thing, after all. I’m sure you feel weird that your boss offered you a place to stay, so… just think of it as doing me a favor. I really can’t leave the place unoccupied if I take some time out of Pittsburgh.”

Another friendly clap on the shoulder, another jolt of some heretofore inexperienced feeling in the pit of Dennis’s stomach, and then Robby had left him alone in Jake’s old room. Dennis waited until the older man had made his way up the stairs before letting out the breath he’d been holding, turning to look at the room fully. It was sparse, but considering he’d just been living in a hospital suite it was more than he felt he deserved.

Untangling the feelings that had overcome him since earlier that day seemed like a better use of his time. Dennis unzipped his duffel bag and found his sweatpants and a beat-up t-shirt from his university frosh week, holes worn in the hem thanks to its favored position among his pajamas, and put them under his arm before making his way to the bathroom.

There were towels on a shelf, the shower stocked with the usual body care items preferred by a teenage boy: shampoo, body wash, even a razor. Dennis eyed the items, making a note to add some less strong-smelling items to the grocery list before realizing how quickly he’d accepted that idea without argument. He’d already been given a place to live; he didn’t need to put any financial strain on Robby on top of that.

Showering was a quick affair, and once he had toweled off and gotten dressed in his pajamas he made sure to clean up after himself, ensuring the bath mat was hung back up and the mirror wiped down before he headed back out into the bedroom. An inspection of the closet revealed hangers and one of the dresser revealed empty drawers, and Dennis took his time putting his clothes away, listening the entire time for Robby’s step on the stairs from the second floor.

He finished before he heard anything and so he ventured out into the main part of the house, exploring his new surroundings. The house was warmer than he had anticipated, bookshelves containing medical texts and novels side by side, a record player set up alongside the television and albums alphabetized underneath the entertainment center. The kitchen, too, looked more well-used than Dennis expected, and he was studying a coffee maker that looked more complicated than some of the equipment they used in the ER when he heard a key in the lock of the front door.

Caught entirely off guard, he froze where he stood before coming to his senses and moving into the living room so he had a clear view of the front hall. Dr. Abbot shouldered open the door, balancing a white plastic bag of Chinese takeout in one hand and a six pack of beer in his other. “Hey,” he said when he saw Dennis, clearly not surprised in the least thanks to the heads up Robby had given him. “Have you figured out where the plates are yet?”

Dennis blinked, confused, before the meaning hit him. “Oh, yeah,” he said, turning pink. “How’d you know?”

“The first thing I do in anyone’s house is go through their cupboards,” Dr. Abbot said. “Robby didn’t know what you liked so I just got a bunch of the usual suspects. If you grab some plates we can divvy them up.”

“Okay,” Dennis said, unsure what else he was supposed to say, and turned back into the kitchen. The plates were in the cupboard where the grocery list hung and he pulled out three of them, finding forks in a drawer near the sink and gathering those as well. He hesitated, thinking, and then turned slightly back towards the living room. “Do you want a glass for your beer?”

He heard Dr. Abbot laugh before responding. “No, I’m good. You can grab one for yourself, though.”

Dennis considered that for a moment and decided not to, walking out to the living room to find the food already laid out on the coffee table and Dr. Abbot settled on the couch, his right sweatpant leg hoisted up as he removed his prosthetic. “Sorry,” he said, setting the leg to the side. “It starts to chafe if I leave it on too long.”

“Do you come over here a lot?” Dennis asked, sitting down on the far end of the couch from the older man and setting the plates out among the takeout boxes. It was a good spread and Dennis felt his mouth water at the sight of it, his food lately consisting of what he could scrounge while working and chocolate bars he could buy from the dollar store when he had the chance.

Abbot – Dennis decided it was okay to drop the doctor, considering they were sitting across from each other in what amounted to pajamas – grinned at him. “You can start eating. Robby always takes forever in the shower after days like today. Does that answer your question?”

Dennis nodded and did as he was told, politeness set by the wayside as hunger gnawed at his stomach again. He hadn’t really known this kind of hunger before he’d left Nebraska, but the financial strain of becoming a doctor had taken its toll and he had become the sort of person who would glut himself when he knew there was food available simply because he didn’t know when his next meal would come.

He took a little bit of everything and Abbot let him, waiting until Dennis had helped himself before loading up his own plate. He cracked a beer for both of them, taking a sip before he spoke. “Robby told me what happened.”

“I figured,” Dennis said, not making eye contact as he mixed some of the chicken into the fried rice. “I mean, uh, when he said you were coming over.” He dared a brief look at Abbot, finding the older man’s pale gaze on him once again. Dennis knew he was under scrutiny, although he couldn’t really tell of what kind. The vibe he was getting from Abbot was one of faint amusement, as though he couldn’t really believe Robby had plucked Dennis from the hospital, and while it wasn’t totally unpleasant it did kind of make him feel juvenile in a way he didn’t particularly like. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” Abbot said around a mouthful of honey garlic spare ribs. “I’m an open book.”

“Are you and Robby–” Dennis broke off, feeling himself turn pink as the question stuck in his throat. Back home, there was no open talking about this, the act of opening that box only a surefire way to get hollered at. “I was wondering since earlier. Are you a couple?”

“Oh, you’re coming right out and asking?” Abbot asked, swallowing his bite and looking at Dennis. “I thought you might be too nervous.”

“I am nervous,” Dennis said. “But I also want to know.”

“Know what?” Robby asked, coming down the stairs with a towel slung over his shoulder, shirtless and wearing a pair of sweatpants set low on his hips. Dennis immediately put his attention back on his food, trying to avoid the jolt that had gone through him at the sight of Robby and hoping that Abbot wouldn’t come right out and tell Robby what he was wondering. For some reason he felt terribly, terribly exposed.

“I was going to tell him how I lost my leg,” Abbot said, and Dennis looked at him again, receiving a wink in return. “Come on, the food is getting cold.”

Robby sunk into a well-loved armchair, taking the plate that Abbot held out to him, and for a few minutes they sat in companionable silence, the toll of the day clearly catching up to each of them in turn. When Robby was finished he looked at Dennis, almost apologetic. “It’ll probably take a little bit of time to work the sabbatical out with the hospital,” he said. “Until then, this might be more of a roommate situation than what you signed up for. Is that okay?”

Surprise was an understatement, a surge of affection rushing through Dennis as he realized that Robby had not only given him a place to stay without asking many questions at all but was now concerned that his presence in his own house was going to be disruptive. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Dennis said, flummoxed. “I’m kind of the one intruding here.”

“I asked you to stay,” Robby said, waving his hand. “You’re not an intrusion. But you signed up to housesit, not put up with a middle-aged roommate on the verge of a mental breakdown.”

“On the verge?” Abbot asked, Robby shooting him an exasperated look that earned a grin in return. “He’s not going to tell you if he’s uncomfortable with you being around because he doesn’t want you to kick him out, obviously.”

“I’m honestly fine with it,” Dennis said, hellbent on ensuring that he didn’t make Robby think he was ungrateful or looking a gift horse in the mouth. “You could put me in the basement and I’d be happy.”

“You’re going to put him in the basement?” Abbot asked, mock-horrified. “Come on, Robby, that’s not–”

“You are one of the most annoying men I’ve ever met,” Robby said, rubbing at the back of his head. “Do you know that?”

“I’ve been told once or twice,” Abbot said, laughing, and Dennis couldn’t stop himself from laughing as well.

“Et tu, Brute?” Robby deadpanned, setting his now-empty plate on the coffee table but his lips quirked in the slightest hint of a smile. “Okay, okay, I’ll take it at face value. But if you get uncomfortable or anything, you have to let me know.”

“I will,” Dennis said, the conversation serving to reassure him that he wasn’t going to be an imposition on Robby. Frankly, after the day the other man had had, Dennis was kind of glad he could be at the house, worried more than he’d like to admit about the possibility of Robby succumbing to the sort of despair that had paralyzed him earlier that day.

It was easier than Dennis had anticipated to get his bearings with the other two men; perhaps it was the afternoon they had gone through together, but it was simple to relax with them in a way that he hadn’t been expecting in the slightest. They polished off most of the Chinese food and by the time ten rolled around Dennis was tired, his arm resting against the back of the couch and his cheek pressed against his bicep. “I think I need to go to bed,” he said finally, suppressing a yawn. “I don’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s not rude,” Robby said. “We’ll probably be right behind you.”

“Is Dr. Abbot spending the night?”

“You can just call me Jack,” Abbot said, but Dennis couldn’t drop the formality that quickly. “And I was planning on it.”

That was answer enough for the question he’d asked earlier; if Robby and Abbot weren’t a couple, they were definitely having sex. Dennis, two beers deep, was nowhere near drunk enough to push that issue. Instead, he dragged himself into a sitting position and looked between the two older men. “Thank you,” he said with the utmost sincerity. “I’m gonna do what I can around here to make it up to you.”

He could have sworn Robby and Abbot exchanged some covert look at that but couldn’t determine what it was or what it might mean. Whatever it was, it passed quickly and Robby looked up at him, his dark eyes as expressive as ever; while exhaustion was clear, there was an underlying note of affection, too. “You can just take it easy, Whitaker. Don’t overextend yourself or you’ll end up in my boots.”

“Understood,” Dennis said, nodding obediently and looking between them again. “Well, uh, good night?”

Dennis barely waited for them to reply before he made a beeline back to his room, closing the door quietly behind him and going into an almost catatonic state as he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and clambered into the freshly made bed. He could hear the low murmur of Robby and Abbot talking and rolled over to face the wall, unsure of why his heart was thudding with such ferocity.

He’d been in fifth grade when a boy in his class had called him a slur. Dennis hadn’t known what the word meant but he did know that it had to be a bad word considering how his classmates reacted, some of them giggling, some of them clearly upset on his behalf. One of his siblings had an afterschool sport that day, and it had been easy enough to feign feeling sick to get the opportunity to stay home alone and use the family computer.

Google had explained the word with alarming detail and Dennis had been sick with worry and fear to the point where when his parents got home they could immediately tell that something was wrong. He had never been a particularly deceptive kid, so maybe it was the combination of lying about not feeling well and sneaking on the computer along with the knowledge that there was a horrible word for boys like himself, but whatever the cause he’d thrown up on the kitchen floor.

As an adult, he knew it had almost definitely been anxiety that had led to everything, but as he’d explained to his parents what had happened and seen the grim expressions on their faces he’d realized that there was more to be worried about. Thankfully despite their religion it had become clear that his parents loved him more than they loved whatever homophobia they’d grown up with, and they’d eventually come to accept him as he accepted himself.

Broken Bow in general, though, wasn’t where a man like him could thrive. He kept to himself and he got out of there, and now he was homeless in a strange city with what felt like a burgeoning crush on his boss, and as he heard the murmur of voices in the living room fade away and the sound of footsteps on the stairs he wondered what sort of place there was for him in a situation like this.

***

“Do you think I did the right thing?” Robby watched Jack through the open door of the bathroom, light spilling out into his dim bedroom as the other man brushed his teeth. He’d set his glasses on the nightstand and pulled the blanket up nearly to his neck, tired but unwilling to sleep until Jack joined him.

“You’re gonna have to be more specific,” Jack said, muffled around his toothbrush. “We both did a lot of shit today.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Robby groaned, dragging his hand over his face. “With Whitaker, Jack.”

“Are you kidding?” Jack spat in the sink, washing his mouth off with water before limping back to the bed with the help of a crutch he kept at Robby’s place for when he was sick of wearing his leg. He reached the bed and looked down at Robby, who looked up at him in return. “You found out one of your students was literally living in the hospital and gave him a place to stay. Are you really second guessing that?”

“I guess not,” Robby said, grunting as Jack abruptly fell forward, crushing him against the bed. “You can’t do that, man. We’re not thirty anymore. Hell, I’m not even forty anymore. You’ll break my hip.”

“Shut up,” Jack said, lifting his head to kiss Robby on the jaw. “Don’t lump me into your old man pity party.” He rested his chin on Robby’s chest, looking at him carefully. “Whitaker asked me point blank if we were a couple,” he said. “I didn’t want to embarrass him by bringing it up in front of the two of you. He caught on quick, though.”

“I’d be surprised if he didn’t,” Robby said, moving just enough to pull the comforter up over Jack as well. “Most grown men don’t have sleepovers with their friends these days, you know.”

“Yeah?” Jack asked, sliding his hand down over Robby’s stomach to fiddle with his sweatpant strings. “Do most grown men suck their friends' dicks these days, or just me?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Robby said, more grateful than he liked to admit that he had a distraction after the day he’d been through. “Maybe you should make your case.”

***

“What are you making for dinner?”

Dennis paused where he was cutting up chicken breast, glancing over at the older man as he entered the kitchen. Robby was looking at the counter, wearing a navy hoodie over his scrubs, and Dennis’s heart did the same sort of front flip that it did every time he was presented with the older man. It had been a week since he’d moved in with Robby and Dennis had to admit he was thriving.

Three square meals a day and a bed where he wasn’t constantly concerned he would be caught by janitorial staff was proving good for him, and now that he had a day off he’d decided to put some of his cooking skills to the test to repay Robby a little bit. “It’s, uh, this chicken curry I learned at college,” Dennis said. “Do you like curry? I guess I should have asked that before I just made it.”

“I’m a garbage disposal,” Robby said. “I’ll eat anything. You okay if I go shower up?”

“Yeah, of course,” Dennis said, but before Robby could leave the room a thought struck him. “Is Jack coming for dinner?”

“He’s working tonight,” Robby said, and even though his back was to Dennis he could still tell the older man was smiling. “We’ll save him some leftovers, though.”

“Okay, good,” Dennis said, turning back to his mise en place as Robby chuckled and headed upstairs. He didn’t really know how it had happened and he hadn’t really been able to sus out how Robby and Jack felt, but on Dennis’s end he was becoming acutely aware of a deepening and near-rabid attraction not to one but to both. It was startling, in a word, and yet not something Dennis thought he could pin down.

He knew by this point that Jack and Robby were an item, or at least something resembling an item. Jack swung by more often than not, and as Robby navigated taking time off work there were seemingly endless conversations in the living room. Guilt was the top emotion Robby seemed to be succumbing to, hesitant to leave the students in someone else’s hands, but it had been surprisingly easy to overcome that hesitation and Robby had just come home from his final shift for another six months or so.

By Monday, Dennis would be alone in the house, the idea sobering. He’d agreed to housesit for Robby and yet the thought of not having him around and, similarly, for Jack to not have a reason to swing by was upsetting. He had plans with Santos and Javadi, a lunch or two planned with Mel, but it wasn’t the same.

He simply had to face the fact that he was attracted to them since there seemed no other way around it. Maybe distance from Robby would help him figure out how he felt, allow him the clarity he was obviously missing. For that to work, though, there needed to be distance to begin with.

Dennis was stirring the curry when Robby reappeared, his work hoodie replaced with a different one of heather grey, pulled over a pair of boxers that left the expanse of his legs bare. Dennis had always been hyperaware of the size difference between the two of them, Robby so much larger than he was, but seeing him in various states of undress had only hammered it home. Robby immediately walked up behind him, resting a large, calloused hand on the back of Dennis’s neck and squeezing gently, a broad thumb sweeping across the baby hairs at his nape. “Smells good,” he said, leaning forward to peer into the pot. “You’re a pretty good cook, you know that?”

Dennis tried to ignore the way his mouth had gone dry at Robby’s touch. He had noticed it from the start, that Robby’s hands were on him more than they weren’t, and at first he had assumed that the older man was just touchy-feely like that until he’d realized that he was really the only one Robby touched that much. He liked it, liked the idea that even if it was unconscious Robby wanted to touch him, but it was hard to reconcile that desire with the knowledge that Robby was taken. “It was always cheaper to learn how to cook than to do anything else,” Dennis said, the heat from Robby’s hand melting into his flesh before the older man shook him gently and then moved to get a beer from the fridge. “Do you, uh, like my cooking?”

“I do, and I know Jack does, too. He’s already told me that if it’s okay with you he wants to swing by once or twice a week when I’m gone to have dinner with you.” Robby cracked the beer, peering at Dennis from where he was leaning against the counter. It felt like a test, like he was being presented with the opportunity to back out of where the relationship seemed to be headed, but Dennis had decided days ago that what had begun as an aesthetic attraction to Robby had developed into a genuine attraction to both of the older men. “You can say no if you want.”

“I don’t want to say no,” Dennis said. “It’s gonna be boring around here with you gone.”

“Yeah, because I’m a barrel of laughs,” Robby said, but he smiled when Dennis turned to look at him. “Don’t worry. I’m working on it. You won’t catch me breaking down like I did last week.”

“It’s okay if you do,” Dennis said quietly. “You don’t have to carry it all.”

“Okay, now you sound like Jack,” Robby said before taking a sip of his beer. “I didn’t bring you here because you pulled me out of that, you know. I’d have done it regardless.”

“And I helped you without expecting anything in return,” Dennis said, looking up at him. With less than six feet between them, the moment felt intimate, charged, but the moment was broken when Robby smiled at him, his eyes crinkling in that oh-so-endearing way. It was unfair, being confronted by someone so handsome, and Dennis eyed him briefly before turning back to his dinner. What he wanted to say was that it was okay for Robby to let himself be loved. What he said instead was, “I like having you here and I know Jack does, too.”

“I know,” Robby said, his voice soft. “Dinner smells good. Come on, I’ll clean up while you finish cooking.”

They fell into an easy silence as Robby began to wash the dishes that were set in the sink and Dennis finished off the meal, doling out two servings and carrying them into the living room. Their nightly routine had solidified over the last week, dinner eaten while each unwound from the day, and as evening faded into night they put on a Pirates game, split a single-serve tiramisu, and settled into a comfortable companionship.

Dennis was nose deep in a chapter of his emergency medicine textbook when his phone buzzed with a text from Santos; without it, he never would have realized how late it had gotten. The Pirates had long since lost, replaced by some late night show, and Dennis was surprised that he was still awake, much less Robby.

He glanced down the couch at the older man, finding Robby sitting up with his chin propped on his hand, his elbow on the arm of the couch; he was obviously asleep, his glasses hung around his neck. The adoration that surged through him nearly knocked the breath from his lungs and Dennis pressed his hand to his mouth, turning his attention back to a graphic diagram of a kid who had chewed on an electrical cord. Thank God for it, too, because it was the only thing that stopped him from diving on Robby then and there.

Dennis stuck a bookmark in his textbook and set it on the coffee table, taking a shuddering breath before scooting closer to Robby on the couch and reaching out to touch his shoulder. “Robby,” he murmured. “If you’re that tired, you should go to bed.”

“Mm,” Robby hummed softly, raising his right hand to grip Dennis’s wrist, his fingers flexing gently against his skin. He opened his dark eyes, looking straight at Dennis, and all the heat in Dennis’s body went straight to his groin. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Dennis asked, but before he could even finish his question Robby had pulled his hand closer, had pressed his closed fist against his cheek. Without thinking, Dennis splayed his fingers against Robby’s stubbled cheek and smoothed his thumb over the crow’s feet at the corner of his eye, the heat of Robby’s skin melting him to the bone. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“You have no idea what I’ve done wrong,” Robby said quietly, and it was abundantly clear to Dennis that he was only half-awake, his left eye closed as he allowed Dennis to touch him, his other fixed on Dennis’s face. Dennis couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this attracted to a man, except for perhaps the night he’d lost his virginity. “What I’m still doing wrong.”

“You’re half asleep,” Dennis whispered, wondering if he was misreading things, if Robby didn’t know who he was. “Don't do or say anything you’ll regret.”

Almost as if in response, Robby turned his head and kissed Dennis’s palm. Lust – the only word strong enough to describe how he felt – pulsed through Dennis in a lightning flash and he was on his feet before he even knew what he was doing, staring down at Robby for a brief moment before turning and running into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Cowardly, fucking cowardly, and yet if he had stayed a second longer, allowed himself to take in what exactly Robby had been offering, he’d have slept with his boss without another second of thought. Confusion supplanted desire, however, his heart beating out of his chest as he considered the look on Robby’s face, the coarse stubble against his skin and the soft heat of his mouth on his palm.

He stood there with his back to his bedroom door until he heard the sound of footsteps heading upstairs, wondering if Robby was as twisted up inside as he was. Was it possible he’d seen Dennis and thought it was Abbot? They’d been through a lot this week and Robby was finally on sabbatical, the weight lifted off his shoulders immense.

It was better to let sleeping dogs lie. When the morning came, Robby didn’t mention it and neither did Dennis, and when Abbot arrived to see Robby off it became easier to pretend that everything was all right. Perhaps a little less easy when Robby rested his hand on the crux of Dennis’s throat and told him to look after the house, but he was soon taking off on his motorcycle and Dennis was soon alone.

***

Summer gave way to fall and slowly, imperceptibly, Dennis began to change. It was small stuff at first, shifts in confidence and bearing as he grew accustomed to the ER, a growing social life as his relationships with the women he worked with deepened. Robby called nearly every night from wherever he was vacationing, and it was through the screen of his phone that Dennis got to see the Rockies, the Great Salt Lake, the Pacific Ocean. Jack’s schedule was stuck to the fridge with a magnet and it seemed like he ate dinner with Dennis at every opportunity, and yet amidst all this growth came a growing emptiness as well.

He got home one day in early December, checked the mail as usual and took a shower to wash off the grime of the day. His hair was a little longer than he normally kept it and he knew the bags under his eyes were deepening as he went days at a time without seeing the sun for any prolonged period of time, but he had put on a few pounds and felt healthier than he had since he’d left Nebraska.

He tugged on a pair of sweatshorts and a sweater Robby had left hanging on the back of a chair in the dining room, several sizes too big for him but smelling like sandalwood and an undercurrent of something uniquely Robby. Dennis had two sweaters he alternated between when he was feeling particularly lonely: the one he was currently wearing that smelled of Robby and a military hoodie Jack had left hanging in the front hall a few weeks back.

As much as Dennis didn’t want to admit it, he had it bad for both of them. He felt bad about it, had felt bad about it since he’d allowed himself to touch Robby when he wasn’t even really sure the man was fully awake, but in the few months since Robby had left the feelings had only festered. Keeping his hands to himself had become a fulltime occupation when Jack was around, and Dennis was glad for the little bit of time he had to himself before Robby inevitably called or Jack swung by for dinner.

He put his most recent set of scrubs into the dirty laundry hamper on top of a week’s worth of clothes and picked it up, padding down the hallway to the basement stairs. The laundry machines were at the far end of the basement, but Dennis never made it that far; as soon as he reached the bottom step, he stuck his foot in a good six inches of water. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered, panic seizing him as soon as he realized that the basement was flooded. He set the hamper down a few steps above where he stood, backing up so he wasn’t in the water and looking around for the source of the flood.

A pipe leading into the washing machine had burst, possibly because of the cold weather and possibly just due to age, but the result was the same; while he’d been at work, the basement had been steadily filling with water. “Fuck,” he swore again, fumbling his phone out of his shorts pocket and swiping it open. He called Robby without texting first, surprised but relieved when the older man answered. “Where’s your water shutoff?”

“It’s in that alcove next to the furnace,” Robby said without hesitation. “Can you reach it okay?”

Dennis looked across the basement, the alcove visible, and took a calming breath. “Yep. Hold on.” He tugged his socks off, stepped into the water, and made his way over to the water main, twisting it off with some effort and stemming the flow from the broken pipe. “Okay, that did it. Sorry, I think one of the pipes froze when I was at work.”

“How bad is it?”

“Uh, nothing a shop vac won’t fix,” Dennis said, looking down at the concrete floor. “Do you have one?”

“No, but Jack does.” Robby was quiet for a moment and when he spoke again it was with a note of concern. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Dennis said. “My feet are cold, though. I’m really sorry, though. I should have checked before I took a shower.”

“Oh, yeah, how dare you not check to see if a pipe burst before you took a shower,” Robby said, the sheer affection oozing from his voice leaving Dennis half-molten where he stood. “I’m just glad you caught it. I never go down there if I can help it. Call Jack and get him over there with the shop vac. He has a number for the plumber, too. And, uh… I’m in Chicago tonight. I should be back by tomorrow evening. You have the night off work, don’t you?”

“You’re coming back?” Dennis asked, suddenly wishing he wasn’t standing ankle deep in freezing cold water. “What about your road trip?”

“Well, Christmas is coming–”

“You’re Jewish.”

“And Hanukkah, too,” Robby finished. “Besides, I didn’t want to spend all winter in New Mexico like some snowbird. I’m not that old yet. I’ll be home for December and some of January and then I’ll head off again.” He paused for a brief moment. “I know it’s short notice.”

“I’m glad you’re coming back,” Dennis said, surprised that he had the nerve to say it. “Now let me call Jack so I can get this mess cleaned up. You’re sure you’re not upset?”

“I’m not upset,” Robby said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dennis.”

Fuck, hearing his name from Robby’s lips was erotic on a level Dennis simply couldn’t acclimate to. He hung up with a murmured goodbye and then called Jack, who had been just about to come over for dinner anyway; he promised to bring the shop vac and pick up food on the way since there was a good chance neither of them would feel like cooking.

As soon as he was off the phone, Dennis put it somewhere it wouldn’t get wet and began moving things off the floor so the water wouldn’t permanently damage any of Robby’s belongings. He was soaked through the front by the time he was finished, his shorts and his sweater both dripping wet, and besides being cold he was irritated by the idea of having to wash Robby’s sweater now. He’d have to swipe another one when he got the chance.

He was dragging a small dresser onto the bottom step of the stairs when he heard the door open upstairs. “I’m still in the basement,” he called, Jack appearing at the top of the stairs and looking down at him. He was dressed against the cold and hadn’t even shed his denim jacket, the shop vac in his left hand. “Je-sus,” Jack said, dragging out each syllable. “The pipe couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

“That’s what I was saying,” Dennis said, putting his hands on his hips as he looked up at Jack. “I’m so glad you have a shop vac. I was panicking thinking about getting this water sucked up.”

“Ah, Robby thinks if he doesn’t buy tools I’ll do stuff for him,” Jack said, starting to make his way down the stairs. “And for the most part it works.” He reached the bottom step and looked around, grimacing. “You’re soaked.”

“Yeah,” Dennis said, plucking at the sweater before putting his hands on the hem, beginning to pull it up over his head. “I just took a shower, too, and–”

“Hold on,” Jack said, catching Dennis by the arm to stop him from pulling the sweater off, only Dennis’s stomach exposed so far. Dennis looked at him, startled to see that Jack’s pale eyes had darkened imperceptibly, replaced by something hungry and wanting in their depths. “You should change upstairs.”

Normally Dennis would have acquiesced without a word but the look in Jack’s eyes made him want to push. “Why?”

“You’ll catch a cold,” Jack said, his gaze dropping briefly to Dennis’s navel before he wet his lips and darted his eyes back to meet Dennis’s once again. “Come on, go.”

“You’re a doctor, I know you don’t believe cold water will get me sick.”

Jack looked at him, the usual amused glint in his eyes replaced by that strange piercing hunger. He finally seemed to catch himself, cracking a smile and nudging Whitaker’s shoulder. “Go on. Humor an old guy for once or I’ll eat your dinner and stick you with that spicy chicken you hate.”

“You’re not old,” Dennis said, but he made his way up the stairs nonetheless, leaving Jack to get the shop vac going.

***

What the hell was he doing?

Jack plugged the shop vac in and began sucking up the water, staring at his reflection in the ripples and wondering exactly where he had gone wrong. If someone had told him a year ago that he was going to have a crush, an honest to god schoolgirl crush, on a kid twenty years his junior who looked like a vampire who’d succumbed to consumption in 1832, he’d have fallen over laughing. Even more inexplicable was that Robby had a crush on the kid, too.

He’d heard all about it, Robby’s sleep-induced come-on to Dennis and Dennis’s subsequent panic, but in the interval of time he had become more and more convinced that their feelings were not only reciprocated but encouraged. Even just this moment, when Dennis had looked him in the eyes and pushed back at him, had seemed like a test.

He was emptying the water into the basement sink when his phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket, answering without checking since he already knew who it would be. “You owe me big time.”

“Because of the flood?” Robby asked, and Jack immediately pictured him sitting on the edge of a hotel bed and smiling at his phone. “Is the kid okay?”

“The kid is wearing your sweater and soaked to the bone, and it took every inch of self-control I’ve ever had to keep my hands off of him just now,” Jack said, glancing towards the stairs to make sure Dennis hadn’t reappeared. “Do you know how hard it’s been to be a decent human being?”

“You’re being dramatic,” Robby said. “He’s wearing my sweater?”

“Yes, and he just almost took it off in front of me,” Jack said. “Robby, I really, really think he’s gay.”

“Well, I think he is, too, but that doesn’t change–”

Jack sighed, the tone of Robby’s voice making it all too clear that he was about to lecture Jack the same way he’d been lecturing him since they’d come to the mutual realization that they were attracted to Dennis. “I think we should give him the choice.”

“That’s the problem, Jack. He doesn’t have a choice. He’s a twenty-something year old kid who doesn’t have a place to stay, and his attending physician is going to come on to him. Do you think that’s a choice he has a fair say in? Don’t you think he’ll say yes just to avoid getting kicked out or getting mistreated at work?”

“I know you know there’s a power imbalance,” Jack said, taking the shop vac out of the sink and leaning against it, his brow furrowed. “I also think you should give him the chance. No offense, but you don’t exactly come across as the sort of man who will kick a guy out on the street just because he doesn’t want to sleep with you. Besides, if you do, he can just come stay with me.” He paused, tilting his head back so he was staring up at the ceiling of the basement. “I’m sorry, but I want to tell him and I want him to decide if he wants us back.”

“I know that’s what you want,” Robby said quietly. “Believe me, I’d like nothing more than to make that happen, but… maybe we should wait until he’s in a more stable position.”

“You haven’t been here for the last few months,” Jack said. “You don’t know how difficult it is to ignore the signals he’s sending. Just now, even… I don’t know. He’s getting bolder. I think he knows and I don’t think dragging things out is going to make it any easier for any of us.”

“Okay, then we’ll talk to him tomorrow,” Robby said, although he didn’t sound quite as convinced as Jack would like. “Now, I was calling to see if you could get a hold of a plumber.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m on it,” Jack said flippantly. “Typical Robinavitch, leaving me to clean up his messes.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Robby said, laughing. “Go on, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He paused, and Jack could practically see him dragging his hand over his mouth before he spoke. “Love you, Jack.”

“Love you, too, you big softie,” Jack said, hanging up and getting back to the work of sucking up the flood.

***

Dennis rolled onto his side, staring at the bedroom door with his heart beating damn near out of his chest. He hadn’t meant to hear most of Jack’s conversation with Robby, but it had been kind of impossible not to; he’d pulled his wet clothes off, hung them up in the en suite, and had been making his way back to help Jack with the flooding when he’d heard the other man’s voice telling Robby that he was pretty sure Dennis was gay.

From there on out, it had been easy to stay out of the way at the top of the stairs, forehead resting against the jamb as he eavesdropped despite knowing how wrong it was. He’d heard basically everything from that point on, and each further argument on Jack’s end had only cemented what he had begun to suspect: the two older men were into him, but Robby was convinced at the very least that it was inappropriate. Not just inappropriate, but downright coercive.

Jack was right, though. Dennis knew that Robby wouldn’t kick him out for turning him down, and he also knew the man wouldn’t treat him any differently at work just because he’d said no. More frustrating than anything else was that he wasn’t even being given the opportunity to say no in the first place.

Dennis was not pushy, tended to take the back seat and observe rather than shove his way to the front. He was, however, determined, and if Robby would rebuff him without giving Dennis the chance to say his piece then he would simply make him listen.

It took time to fall asleep, his adrenaline spiked from the basement flood, eavesdropping on Jack, and then having to pretend he hadn't overheard everything while having dinner with the older man. When he did finally succumb to sleep, it rapidly devolved into the first wet dream he’d had in years.

He awoke in the morning to the phantom feeling of Robby’s hands on his hips and Jack’s on his lower back, his boxers soaked through and his face flushed. If he hadn’t already been certain, he knew it now; he wanted both of the older men and he wanted them to know it. Dennis couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this hungry, but he was starving now.

Jack had spent the night up in Robby’s room and Dennis could already smell coffee, which meant the older man was up. He ended up washing his boxers in the bathroom sink and hanging them up alongside the wet clothes from the night before, reminded wholeheartedly of his shame.

Dennis didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Robby might not be home for hours, and yet facing Jack right now seemed like an impossibility. Hiding from him, however, was undoubtedly the immature response to this whole situation. Once he’d showered and dressed in a pair of sweats and a holey t-shirt from high school, he felt infinitely better and made his way out to the kitchen, Jack delivering a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast to the counter just as he arrived. “Breakfast is served,” Jack said, grinning at him, and Dennis raised his eyebrows. “What? I can cook at least four types of food, and I can cook two of them really well.”

“I’m impressed,” Dennis said, pouring himself a cup of coffee before sitting in one of the bar stools pulled up next to the counter. “I appreciate it a lot. I was just gonna have cereal.”

“Well, I wanted to grease you up,” Jack said, hooking his foot around one of the stools and dragging it over so he could face Dennis across the island. “We need to talk.”

Dennis looked at him, wondering exactly what Jack wanted to say but recognizing at the same time that the conversation undoubtedly would touch upon the ever growing elephant in the room. “Uh, that’s a pretty scary way to say that.”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Jack said, laughing. “I just know Robby is going to come home today and he’s going to try and pretend everything is fine but I don’t want either of us to let that happen. You’re not an idiot, kid. In fact, I think you figured it out before either of us did.”

Dennis concentrated on his eggs, sopping up the yolk with the toast as he got his words together. “I thought at first that it was just because he offered me a place to stay,” he finally said. “Or maybe that he was so physically affectionate. I had a crush on him since the mass casualty, just…. I don’t know. I thought it was something I could get over.”

He finally raised his pale eyes to meet Jack’s gaze again, shaking his head. “And then I found out that you and him were dating and I started to get this nagging feeling that I might have a chance. It just got worse and deeper and then I got a crush on you, too, but I kept thinking it was just because you had both accepted me so easily. I went from being alone in Pittsburgh to having friends and to having you and Robby and I thought I was just getting twisted up because of that but that’s not the case at all. I like you both plenty. I want you both badly. And I want you to want me, too.”

It was more than he’d ever said before, prone to keeping his feelings to himself and ruminating on them until he could digest them into pieces that made sense not only to himself but to others. To lay it all out in front of Jack was nerve racking, but also a better alternative than having to say all this to Robby. Jack, at least, would take it less seriously.

As expected, Jack was grinning, and as he took a bite of his bacon he appeared as amused as he ever got. “So you fell for Robby first, huh?” As Dennis opened his mouth to explain, Jack laughed again. “I’m teasing you. He’s an easy guy to fall for. It took me a couple months of hating him to figure that out, but I eventually did. And it turns out you’re an easy guy to fall for, too.”

Dennis felt his face flush; hearing Jack talking to Robby on the phone was far different than hearing Jack tell him to his face that he found him attractive. “So what do we do now?”

“We make Robby listen,” Jack said. “He’ll be home in a couple of hours and I can think of a few things that will make him take us both seriously, because otherwise he’s going to try and pretend that he isn’t harboring these feelings for you.”

“How do we do that?”

“I mean, I have an idea, but it might be a good idea to brainstorm for a little while.” Jack grinned, but Dennis got the sense that he was mildly concerned all their brainstorming wouldn’t guarantee that they could convince Robby in the slightest. Robby was tough but fragile, a man who could easily cascade into self-loathing, and the last thing Dennis wanted was to push him over the edge.

Unless, maybe, they pushed him over the edge and into their arms.

***

They heard the sound of the motorcycle slightly after noon, Jack pausing the baking show they were watching and giving Dennis a meaningful look. “You ready or you want me to head him off?”

“No, I’m ready,” Dennis said, pressing his palms against his thighs to hopefully stop them from sweating. “What if he says no?”

“He won’t,” Jack said.

“But–”

“Trust me,” Jack said. “If you say to him exactly what we talked about saying, he won’t say no.”

There was the sound of a key in the lock and Dennis jerked to his feet, hurrying to the front hall just as Robby opened the front door. He was pulling off his helmet, his hair slightly disheveled, and he looked at Dennis briefly, concern flitting across his handsome face. “Is everything okay?”

Dennis glanced back at Jack, who was standing at the threshold of the living room, and then up at Robby. “Close the door,” he said, and as soon as Robby had done what he was told, Dennis took a deep breath and said what he’d been struggling to put into words all day. “In ten seconds, I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want me to, then just keep walking into the house. But I’m going to do it if you stay here. Ten… Nine…”

Robby stared at him before allowing his gaze to flit to Jack; whatever signal Jack gave him behind Dennis’s back, it was a positive one, because before Dennis even got to five Robby had grabbed him by the sides of the neck and pulled him into a bruising kiss. His hands were broad and warm, calloused in several spots but not unpleasant against Dennis’s skin, and he dragged his thumb along Dennis’s jaw as he coaxed Dennis to part his lips.

Hunger such as he’d never felt hit Dennis like a wave and he stood on tiptoe to meet Robby, gripping the collar of the older man’s riding jacket and closing his eyes as he pushed into the kiss. He knew he came off almost virginal but it wasn’t the truth; he’d had some late night hookups when he’d been at school for theology, as ironic as that sounded, and med school had really been the only thing that had imposed celibacy on him.

Robby was a damn good kisser though, his stubble bristling against Dennis’s jaw and leaving him breathless. He was surprised but not upset when a second pair of hands came to rest on his hips, Jack pressing close so Dennis was sandwiched between the two older men. Jack kissed him on the shoulder, one hand slipping up underneath Dennis’s shirt to lay flat against his lower back.

Robby broke the kiss first, breathing hard out through his nose and staring down at Dennis. “Do you want to say no now?” he asked, and Dennis tilted his head back, Jack taking advantage of the pause to kiss his throat and send chills down Dennis’s spine.

“I’m not going to say no,” Dennis said quietly.

“No one’s going to say no, so can we keep going?” Jack said, his hand now pushing Dennis’s shirt up so far that his entire back was exposed. “Take off your jacket.”

Robby didn’t argue, shrugging off his riding coat and hanging it up in the front hall before turning back to Dennis and Jack. “I won’t argue anymore,” he said. “But I also don’t want to continue this in the hallway.”

“That’s an easy fix,” Jack said, pushing Dennis’s shirt up and over his head. Dennis allowed himself to be manhandled, more turned on than he cared to admit, and let his shirt fall to the ground, well aware that his sweatpants weren’t hiding anything from the older men. “Good thing I washed your bedding before the basement flooded.”

“Good thing,” Robby agreed, pushing off his shoes before grabbing Dennis by the hand and tugging him towards the stairs. Jack followed, holding Dennis by the other wrist, and the idea that he was about to sleep with both of them, have both of them? It was a miracle that he was able to stay on his feet to begin with.

They reached Robby’s room and the moment they crossed the threshold, Jack pulled Dennis around and kissed him. His hands were rougher than Robby’s but just as welcome, and as Jack slid his tongue past Dennis’s lips he willingly parted them, raising his hands to grip at the back of Jack’s shirt. Robby’s arms went around his waist, undoing the drawstring of Dennis’s sweatpants, and before Dennis had even registered what had happened, the last of his clothes were puddled on the floor around his feet.

Jack pulled back, looking down at the length of Dennis’s body, and where Dennis might have normally felt exposed, the extra scrutiny only served to make his cock harder. He had struggled growing up with feelings of inadequacy in terms of his size, recognizing that he wasn’t exactly the grass fed football star that people associated with Nebraska, but he had realized since leaving Broken Bow that people found him attractive despite his slim build.

As if proving his point, Robby kissed the nape of Dennis’s neck, sliding one of his broad hands down over Dennis’s stomach. Dennis wondered if this is what he did to Jack behind closed doors, if he was so quick with his hands and mouth, and the idea of the two older men together was prime masturbation material – maybe they would let him watch?

Right now, though, he wanted to participate. “Why am I the only one with no clothes on?” he asked, meaning it as innocently as could be, but Robby huffed a laugh regardless.

“Good point,” he said, keeping Dennis between them as he took hold of Jack’s waist, tugging him closer and moving to undo his jeans. Jack took advantage of the situation to kiss Dennis again, allowing Robby to push his jeans and underwear down over his ass and kicking his leg to free himself. He broke the kiss only to pull his shirt off over his head, Dennis getting his first real look at the man naked.

God, he was hot. Surprisingly fit, his chest was broad and covered in a thin layer of grey hair that trailed down to his cock. Jack was already hard, his cock leaking at the tip, and without hesitating Dennis sunk to his knees, gripping Jack’s cock at the base and looking up at the man before taking Jack’s tip in his mouth.

“Jesus, Dennis,” Jack said, dropping a hand to tangle in Dennis’s blond curls and digging his fingernails into his scalp. “Warn a guy next time!”

Dennis looked up at Jack from beneath his lashes, the older man’s cock heavy and hot against his tongue, and merely slid a little deeper in response, watching a flush spread from Jack’s collarbone up over his neck. His pre-cum was salty, the musk of him exactly what Dennis had expected, and while it had been a while since he’d sucked cock it was like riding a bike, the motions coming back to him with ease.

He swallowed down around Jack, the older man’s cock pressing against the back of his throat, and as he worked on getting it deeper Robby took hold of both sides of Dennis’s head, pressing his thumbs against his temples. “Do you trust us?”

Dennis hummed around Jack’s cock in agreement, resulting in Jack groaning and gripping Dennis’s hair harder. Robby massaged Dennis’s temples briefly before letting go of him, Dennis closing his eyes as he pushed further down onto Jack and heard Robby walk in the direction of the bed. He kept his hand wrapped around Jack’s dick as he pulled back, kissing the head before swiping his tongue along the glans, another shuddering breath from Jack telling him he was doing something right.

“Good boy,” Robby said, returning to where Dennis was kneeling on the floor; hearing that from Robby’s lips sent a chill down Dennis’s spine, pre-cum leaking onto his thigh where his cock twitched at the attention. “Come on, get up. I think the bed is more comfortable.”

Dennis did as he was told, moving as though in a dream as he sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at Robby, who had shed his riding clothes and was now entirely nude. Fuck, he was hot, Dennis drinking in the sight of him and Jack and wondering if he had, in fact, entered some sort of fever state. There was no way he could have anticipated this outcome when he’d first met Robby, but it was really the best thing that could have possibly happened; perhaps it was because he’d been celibate since he’d begun medical school, but having both men in front of him now was like being presented with an endless buffet after starving for days.

Robby knelt on the edge of the bed and pushed Dennis back so he was laying flat, Jack sitting alongside him. “Are you okay if I remove my leg?” he asked, looking at Dennis. “I know, uh, some people get freaked out.”

Dennis furrowed his brow, genuinely surprised at Jack’s admission. “Of course I’m okay. Whatever is most comfortable for you, obviously.”

“You’re so fucking cute,” Jack said, setting his prosthetic aside before moving up on the bed so he was level with Dennis’s head. He slid his hand underneath Dennis’s neck, pulling him closer, and Dennis immediately took the hint, rolling slightly on his side and taking Jack’s cock back into his mouth.

Jack dug his fingers into Dennis’s skull, pushing his cock deeper so his pubes were nearly hitting Dennis’s nose, and Dennis swallowed around him, tears springing to the corners of his eyes as he fought to take the man deeper. He felt Robby’s hand on his right ankle and allowed the older man to push his leg back and over, exposing him completely.

Robby slid his hands up underneath Dennis’s ass, hefting him up a little bit off the bed, and Dennis broke away from sucking Jack’s cock for a brief moment to look down the length of his body towards Robby. “Wait, hold on–”

Robby didn’t hesitate, burying his face between Dennis’s legs and sliding his tongue directly inside Dennis’s ass. Dennis felt his back arch involuntarily, his toes curling even as Robby wrapped his biceps up around Dennis’s thighs, and Jack laughed, sounding ever-so-slightly out of breath. “I should have warned you, he likes to do that.”

“Fuck,” Dennis swore quietly, his face flushed as he gripped at the bed, Robby’s dark eyes meeting his and crinkling endearingly at the corners. “No one has ever done that to me before.”

“You’ve done other stuff, though, right?” Jack asked, smoothing Dennis’s curls back off his face.

“I’m not a virgin,” Dennis said, looking up at him, his cheek against Jack’s thigh. “Don’t worry.”

“Oh, I wasn’t worried,” Jack said, grinning. “Come on, keep going. A good doctor needs to be able to multitask, right?”

“I’m not sure they told me when I was going into medical school that I needed to be able to do all this at the same time,” Dennis said, but he did as he was told, whimpering softly as Robby’s tongue probed ever deeper. He thought he might go crazy, Jack’s steady hand on his head and Robby leaving him slick and soft, but it was intensified far more when Robby wrapped a hand around Dennis’s cock.

It had the effect of immediately pushing Dennis over the edge, his orgasm ripping through him violently as he came across Robby’s hand and his own stomach. “Look at him,” Robby said, pulling back from Dennis’s ass with an obscene string of spit still connecting them. “We haven’t even gotten to the main act yet, kid.”

Dennis, who had pulled back from Jack in order to throw an arm over his face as he came, took a shuddering breath. “Don’t worry, I recover pretty quickly.”

“He’s young, remember?” Jack teased, laughing when Robby gave him a look. “Come on, Dennis.” He gripped Dennis under the arms and pulled him further up on the bed, the younger man almost entirely on his lap. “You good with missionary?”

Dennis turned bright pink, not remembering a time where someone had spoken to him so bluntly, and considered the question. He wasn’t in the habit of having threesomes, but continuing to suck Jack off in this position was going to end up hurting his neck and he was nothing if not practical. “I think all fours is probably better,” he said, sitting up and looking at Robby, feeling his flush spread to his ears.

Jack being turned on was one thing but Robby being turned on was another, his cock hard and trembling, and all Dennis wanted was to suck his cock, too. He looked between them briefly before rolling onto his side, pushing himself up onto all fours and glancing over his shoulder at Robby. He couldn’t have known it, but that simple action nearly drove Robby crazy and the only thing that kept him calm was a brief glance at Jack and an internal reminder that they had all the time in the world for this to happen.

“Can you grab me the lube?” Robby asked, Jack immediately obediently leaning over to fumble in the nightstand drawer. He pulled out the lube and tossed it to Robby, who caught it easily and uncapped it. “You ready, kid?”

“You can call me Dennis, you know,” Dennis said, resting his forehead on the comforter as he readied himself.

“Dennis,” Robby said, laughing, and Dennis let out a soft huff as Robby rested his forehead against his spine between his shoulder blades. “Got it. Sorry. I’ll keep that in mind going forward.”

Jack took hold of Dennis’s hair, pulling his head back and looking down at him. “Are you ready to keep going?”

“Yeah,” Dennis said, bracing one hand on Jack’s left thigh before wrapping his other around the older man’s cock. He kissed the head of it, dragging the slick tip across his cheek before licking along the shaft, hissing softly when cool lube dripped down over his ass and balls. His hole was already aching for more, Robby’s tongue having only served to make Dennis realize how long it had been since he’d been properly fucked.

Robby slid a finger in slowly but soon realized he could fit a second with no trouble, scissoring his fingers apart to spread Dennis wider and earning a soft moan in return. “Do you have any idea how many times we’ve fucked each other up here and thought about inviting you to join?” Robby asked, his voice humming against Dennis’s skin. “You have no idea how much we’ve been holding back.”

“Same for me,” Dennis said, nuzzling against Jack’s cock. “Since that first night, really. And I’ve been having these dreams–”

“You’ll definitely need to elaborate on that,” Jack said, toying with the curls at the nape of Dennis’s neck and guiding his head gently backwards; Dennis took the hint and took Jack’s cock fully in his mouth, closing his eyes against the sting of tears that threatened to well up.

Robby forced his fingers in deeper before pressing them downwards, hitting Dennis perfectly in the prostate and sending a jolt of pleasure through him that had him bucking his hips forward in response. “That was easy,” Robby said, kissing Dennis’s shoulder blade. “If you don’t like anything, let me know. And if something feels good, well…”

Dennis moaned as a third finger was pushed inside him, his heart racing as he realized he was aching for more already. Three fingers used to be the maximum of what he could take, even that more painful than he’d like to admit, but he took it easily now and couldn’t help but wonder how easily he would take Robby in turn. He pushed his hips back against Robby's hand and was greeted in turn by Robby withdrawing his fingers completely.

The next moment, Robby wrapped his arm around Dennis’s waist, hoisting him backwards a little bit and pressing the head of his cock to Dennis’s prepped hole. The moment he thrust inside was enough to make Dennis rear back, grabbing Jack’s shoulder as Robby buried himself entirely in Dennis. Jack scooted forward on the bed, pulling Dennis’s legs forward so they were resting on top of his on the bed and running his hands along the insides of Dennis’s thighs.

“Oh, god,” Dennis managed, grabbing Jack around the shoulders and clinging to him. “Oh my god!”

“Is it too much?” Robby asked, splaying his hand flat against Dennis’s stomach and pressing down, the pressure causing Dennis to feel just how deep inside him Robby was. “You’re taking it so good, Dennis.”

Dennis found himself unable to articulate an answer, hanging off Jack and distracted only from the pleasure slamming through his lower half when Jack kissed him hard on the mouth. Dennis dug his fingers into the other man’s back, not wanting to let go even as Robby hooked his arms under Dennis’s legs to lift him up slightly and force him back down. Robby rocked his hips upwards, pushing himself deeper, and the noise that tore from Dennis’s throat was nearly animal, his toes curling ineffectively against the bed.

“There you go,” Jack murmured as he broke the kiss, taking hold of Dennis’s cock and his own in one hand, pressing them together and using the slick from their pre-cum as lube as he began to jerk them off together in a steady pace that matched Robby’s thrusts. Dennis grabbed at the back of Jack’s neck, rewarded immediately by Jack leaning forward and kissing his throat with an unmatched hunger.

Dennis tilted his head back slightly and Robby kissed him, Dennis pleased to discover that his own desperation seemed matched in Robby. Pressed this close together, the heat from Jack and Robby driving him near crazy, Dennis knew it wouldn’t be long before he came, the pleasure already pooling in his stomach and sitting heavy in his balls. “Wait,” he whispered as he pulled back from Robby, clawing at Jack as his back arched involuntarily. “Wait, wait, I’m gonna–!”

He cried out, cum spilling across Jack’s hand and the older man’s cock. Robby pushed him forward, pinning Jack to the bed in the process, and fucked into Dennis with a ferocity that had been heretofore unmatched, one broad hand pressed between Dennis’s shoulder blades to keep him in place. Jack, in turn, pushed his hips upwards, Dennis overstimulated and trapped between the two of them. “Hold on!” he said, Jack gripping him by the hair and kissing him again to cut off any further protests.

It was like he was entering a fugue state, the unmitigated pleasure of having Robby inside him and Jack fucking against his stomach unlike anything he’d experienced in the past, and Dennis wasn’t even sure what was happening when Robby grabbed him underneath the armpits and yanked him backwards again. “I’m gonna cum,” Robby murmured in Dennis’s ear, and the timbre of his voice, the growl that underlay it all, forced something else from Dennis, not quite orgasm but also beyond orgasm, a clear fluid spilling out of his cock across Jack’s stomach.

“Fuck,” Jack said in a tone of voice that said he was damn near as close to orgasm as Robby was. “Jesus, Robby, look at him.”

“I see him,” Robby said, thrusting into Dennis once, twice, before cumming so deep inside him that Dennis felt it deep in his guts. Jack stroked his cock a handful more times before cumming as well, his own ropy seed coating Dennis’s inner thighs and cock, and Robby let go of Dennis, dark bruises beginning to appear where he’d been manhandled.

Dennis collapsed forward, catching himself before he fully fell on Jack, and flopped on his side on the bed, breathing harder than he had thought possible. “Oh my god,” he murmured, closing his eyes only to immediately feel both Jack and Robby kiss the sides of his head. “I need a break.”

“We know,” Robby said, dragging his hand down over Dennis’s chest. “You okay?”

“Better than okay,” Dennis mumbled, opening one eye as he was kissed again on the apple of his cheek, exhausted but happy. For the first time since he’d reached Pittsburgh, he really felt like he’d found a home.