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It has been at least 25 years since either Robby or Jack have taken a school final.
So when Dennis tells them he won’t be able to come over for awhile, that he’s got to study for the next million years so he doesn’t fail and get sent back to middle America to drown his sorrows amongst the sows, of course the two Attendings take that as a cry for help.
“Did you get the notecards?”
“Three packs. Did you get the highlighters?”
“Of course. Did you know they make them in fifteen different colors now? Back in our day they made one: yellow. Remember that?”
“You think that’s crazy? This notebook has 300 pages and costs twelve dollars. The trees must have unionized.”
“Do you think Dennis will need to laminate anything…? Let’s get the laminator just in case.”
“Grab that pack of gel pens.”
“Gel pens? Why? We’ve already got ballpoint in the cart.”
“Dennis will like them.”
“Alright…I’ll get the glittery ones then.”
***
Jack and Robby had spent all morning arranging their living room for maximum comfort and studying. They’d lined up their work schedules to have the next two days off with their med student as well.
Dennis arrives with a large bag on his back and two bigger ones beneath his eyes.
Wide-eyed, he looks at the insanely large amount of studying materials weighing down the coffee table like an academic Santa has stopped by and emptied his entire sleigh.
Fidgeting with the straps of his bag, he flickers his glance from the table to the two older men standing a couple feet away, watching him expectantly. Dennis has been over to their home on several occasions now, but not…not like this, not to just study. He still feels very much like a guest, and he’s trying to figure out what the hell this all is and what it means.
Jack flicks a glance up at Robby, who’s just smirking like he’s waiting for Dennis to start leaping for joy over the pile of riches they’ve spread out for him, like some kind of predator cat filling its den to impress and court a mate. Jack, the more perceptive of the two, can see it’s actually overwhelming the boy, so he pats his partner’s lower back before walking over to Dennis.
“Come on, set your things down. Get comfortable.” He presses his hand to Dennis’ side, just along his ribs, before sliding it up and under the straps of the backpack and pulling it off. The contents inside jangle and slosh, and Jack eyes the bag curiously as he sets it on the plush couch.
Dennis shivers at the touch and chews his bottom lip. “What - ugh, what’s all this?” He goes to the table, needing to do something with his hands. “Are these…notecards?” Turning the rectangular package over in his hands, he looks at them with a sparkle of wonder in his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve actually seen these in person before.”
“That’s probably why you’re getting a C in biochemistry,” Robby says, his large frame coming to loom over Dennis from behind. Plucking the package from his small hands, he runs the bridge of his nose up the boy’s neck, his mouth coming to stop at the crest of his ear. “Don’t worry, Jack and I can help you with that.”
Gulping, Dennis reaches for the arm of the couch to keep his knees from buckling.
Jack’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean you’ve never seen these in person before?”
“I - ugh. We usually use digital notecards. There’s actually several really cool apps you can make them with. I can show you - I, um, - I just need to grab my bag…”
Jack clears his throat and looks pointedly at his husband. Robby currently has one finger hooked in the belt loops of Dennis’ jeans, holding him in place while the other is sneaking underneath the boy’s white t-shirt.
Robby looks up, thoughts of studying clearly far from his mind. Jack quirks an eyebrow. ‘Stick to the plan. Work first. Play later,’ he conveys, the longtime pair easily communicating without words.
Robby’s answering grin is sheepish only in a wolf-in-sheep’s clothing way. But he unhooks his fingers and lets the boy go.
Dennis stumbles a little, like a deer who’s barely escaped the jaws of a hungry predator (though he’s not exactly unwilling prey), and opens his bag. As he rummages around for his iPad, a black and green can falls out onto the couch. “Sorry, it’s in here somewhere. Ah, here we - ”
“What’s this?” Suddenly, Dennis’ backpack disappears from under him as he scrambles to keep hold of the iPad he’s only just gotten out.
Jack digs through the bag like a principal looking for contraband. He then brandishes several cans of Monster energy drinks, holding them out towards Dennis like he’s just found an 8-ball of cocaine. “What the hell are all these doing in here?”
Jack’s face has gone stern and demanding. Dennis gapes, confused but kind of also embarrassingly a little turned on at the authority in the man’s voice. Jack is normally the easy going attending in the ED, guiding the med students and residents with a battlefield type of calm. It’s Robby who is the more demanding one. He’s still getting used to them basically flipping rolls when they’re at home.
“They’re energy drinks?” he says unsurely. He looks down at the labels and squints, making sure he didn’t accidentally buy Four Lokos on accident or something.
“Why would you buy these? We have a perfectly good coffee machine here.”
Dennis’ eyes flicker to the kitchen where said coffee machine is. It’s an incredibly nice one. State of the art and probably cost an entire month’s rent. Dennis doesn’t want to admit that he doesn’t know how to use it, which is mostly due to the fact that one of the two men are always awake before him any time he’s spent the night, and they’re always eager to have a cup waiting for him when he finally comes out of the bedroom, bleary eyed and half conscious.
“I don’t know?” he offers lamely. “It’s just ugh, it’s what all the med students drink? They have more caffeine than a cup of coffee so it helps me stay awake to study and work at the hospital.”
“Oh, and if all the med students jumped off a cliff you’d jump too?” Jack’s gone full disapproving authority figure now. He dumps the cans back into the backpack, shaking his head. “Do you know what kind of ingredients are in these? There’s all kinds of dyes. Something you drink shouldn’t have 25 ingredients in the label. What are they even teaching you kids in school these days? No, no, absolutely not.” Jack takes the bag and, without looking back, walks out of the room.
Mouth gaping, Dennis makes a noise of half-protest/half-distress. A few seconds later he hears the familiar sound of the coffee machine turning on.
“How many hours are you sleeping?” Dennis jumps as he feels Robby’s broad chest press into his back from behind again. Suddenly, a muscular arm curls around his body, a large hand rests on his face, a thumb pressing to the skin under his left eye. “I could pack for a ten day vacation with the size of these bags.”
Heart rate stumbling and tripping upwards, Dennis fights to control his thoughts. “I actually got a good amount of sleep last night! I think almost three-and-a-half hours.”
“Three-and-a-half hours!” Robby’s voice is suddenly booming in his ear, no longer velvety. Dennis jumps, and then his vision goes topsy-turvy as he’s being spun around. “What kind of sleep schedule is three-and-a-half hours? How do you expect to learn anything if your brain doesn’t get proper rest?!”
“It’s all the time I can afford,” he stammers out. “Honestly, that’s pretty good. Some of the other students in my class only get - ”
“Jack! Change of plans!” Robby shouts over him. “Turn off the coffee machine. We’re putting the kid to bed, stat.”
“Wait, wait! That’s not necessary. I really need to study!”
But Jack has appeared again and suddenly he’s being rushed towards the bed room by two sets of strong hands. And then those skilled hands are stripping his clothes off down to his boxers. Then he is being man-handled beneath the covers.
Any and all protests are squashed when Jack and Robby slide in on either side of him, sandwiching him between them in a tangle of arms and legs.
Dennis lets himself smile as Jack curls around his back and Robby presses a kiss to his forehead. Yeah, he could get used to studying here.