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It all starts in the break room at the hospital. Robby loves slow shifts because it's when he gets to learn more about his colleagues. Today's hot topic seems to be musicals. Santos has just mentioned the rerelease of Hamilton in theaters when Whitaker says, "I've never seen that."
The room went quiet for all of two seconds before plunging into chaos. Nobody can believe Whitaker's utter lack of culture. Robby enjoys watching the scene unfold before him. He always likes the banter, but he's especially interested in seeing the boy squirm under the attention, his face turning an adorable shade of red. A not all unfamiliar protective urge washes over Robby. It's getting harder to ignore his feelings for the kid. At first he was able to convince himself it was purely professional, the kind of bond developed between mentor and mentee. But then he found himself thinking of his student after hours, picturing those insatiable eyes looking up at him, wondering how Whitaker spends his time outside the hospital. Robby has an irrepressible urge to get closer to the boy, which is the only explanation for what he does next.
"We should do a Hamilton movie night. Gloria's been hounding me to do more team building activities," he proposes casually.
"Yes!" Mel exclaims. Now the room is full of excited chatter. Robby is delighted by the positive response, but he's really only interested in one person. Whitaker is silent but has an eager grin plastered on his face. Robby wishes he could read his mind in that moment. Is he looking forward to spending time with the older man or just everyone in general? The attending doesn't want to know the answer.
Robby tells everyone he will host the movie night at his house since he was the one to suggest it. He spends the entire afternoon maniacally cleaning the house and trying to make it look as cozy as possible. The last thing he wants is to make Dennis feel unwelcome. And everyone else, of course...
The movie night is advertised as starting at 7 pm. Mel and her sister show up first, ten minutes early. Then comes Victoria with five minutes to spare. Princess and Perlah roll in next right on time. Then at 7:05, finally, Dennis and Trinity arrive. Robby stops staring at the clock after that, but Cassie is somewhere between late and super late. She mumbles something about having to drop her son off to his dad, and they all know how those interactions go. Anyway, once everyone arrives and settles in, they can finally start the film.
Robby's couch is large enough to fit everyone, albeit a little snug. The seating arrangement, from left to right, is the following: Becca, Mel, Cassie, Trinity, Victoria, Perlah, Princess, Dennis, Robby. How he manages to sit next to the object of his desires is beyond him. Why wouldn't the boy want to sit with Trinity and Victoria? People his own age are surely more intriguing than a man more than twice his age. Well, whatever the reason, Robby silently thanks his lucky stars for his current position. He can feel his thigh ever so slightly brushing against Dennis's. That small touch alone will fuel his fantasies for the next month.
The touches aren't what's killing the host, though. It's Dennis's reactions to the play. Robby didn't know he was so reactive. He stores that knowledge in his brain for later. As soon as the movie starts, Dennis is enraptured. When King George sings "You'll Be Back", Dennis shifts a little. Robby can see in his peripherals that Dennis is wide eyed and... blushing? It's hard to tell in the dim light, but the older man is almost certain of it. What did it for him? Was it the actor, or his words? Was Dennis into men? More importantly, dominant men? Robby's breath hitches at the possibility.
For the next hour or so Robby is in silent bliss sitting so close to the young man, flushing every time Dennis shifts or wiggles to the music. Then the absolute best and worst thing possible happens. Samira shows up, apologizing profusely for being late and interrupting. Robby doesn't mind that she's late, so much as what her presence means for the seating situation. She squeezes herself in between Cassie and Santos, making everyone to the right of them shift down. This means Robby and Dennis moving even closer to each other. They are full on pressed together now. Robby turns his head to make sure Dennis looks comfortable and ends up making eye contact with him. Dennis quickly glances away with a bashful look on his face, then wiggles in closer to the elder. Whether to get cozier or to be closer to his boss, Robby doesn't know. He likes to think it's the latter. Either way, he can feel Dennis's body warmth radiating from him. If he was distracted before, he's a goner now. Somebody could switch the TV from Hamilton to the Little Mermaid and Robby would be none the wiser.
At some point in the night, Dennis abruptly rests his head on Robby's shoulder. Robby tenses for just a moment before accepting the situation, not wanting to ruin the moment. He looks down at the kid and whispers, "you comfortable? Do you want me to take you home?"
Dennis mumbles sleepily, "No, 'm okay." The softness in his voice absolutely wrecks the attending. After a quick argument with himself, Robby decides to drape his arm over the boy, pulling him into his side. In for a penny, Robby thinks. To his surprise, Dennis goes willingly. He even lets out a little sigh of contentment, much to Robby's demise.
It doesn't take much longer for the medical student to fall asleep. When the movie ends and Dennis is still knocked out, Robby tells Trinity he can stay the night. She hesitates but nods. She didn't feel like dealing with a tired, grumpy Dennis. Plus, the way her friend has been talking lately, she thinks he might've fallen asleep on purpose.
The two men stay where they are for a long time before Robby begrudgingly has to readjust them. He's in his fifties, after all, and his back is killing him. He briefly considers staying wrapped around the boy, but thinks better of it. Maybe Dennis truly didn't mean to fall asleep, in which case he would wake up feeling terrified and violated. These negative thoughts start to flood Robby's mind. He needs to go to his room now before he does any more damage. As soon as he moves to get up, however, Dennis stirs awake. He looks adorably disheveled.
"Where're you going," Dennis asks, weakly grasping his boss's wrist to hold him in place.
"You fell asleep, kiddo. It's okay. I was going to let you sleep down here and move to my room."
Dennis looks confused and slightly annoyed. "No, just--just lay back down. Please." He pulls gently on Robby's arm and Robby folds instantly. How could he say no to this absolute angel looking up at him with pleading eyes, rumpled hair, and a sleep-wrecked voice?
Robby moves them to the end of the couch so they can lay horizontally across the cushions and tucks his student's head into his chest.
As he drifts off to sleep holding this warm, pliable body in his arms, he reflects on the actions he took to get here. He should really thank Gloria.